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Gee, didn't know that Donald Trump and Austin Powers had a hit song in their younger days back in the '60s.
 
An indulgence (and if you will, forgive me I’m a bit pissed).

Forty years ago I had a long distance relationship with a wonderful girl who lived in another city. I'd met her while I was knocking around Europe and reconnected when I returned home in late 1980. Unemployment was bad in those days and I was working shifts in factories for shit money. I would scavenge what I could after paying my rent and bills to buy the airfare to fly up to see her every fourth or fifth weekend. And whenever she could she would come down to Melbourne on her semester breaks from Uni for longer stays with me in my flat. It was magical time while it lasted. We floated on air and were devoted to each other. But after a year in a relationship that was treading water, and pressure from her family and friends, she told me she wanted to end it all, and I had to understand why.

That was back in 1982. I found out earlier this year that two years after we broke up she had married and had kids, and that made me smile for a moment. But then I heard that she had died of cancer on this day about ten years ago age 48. I was pretty devastated.

The song that always reminded me of her when I was sitting alone in my flat wishing she was with me was America’s Sister Golden Hair. And I’ve been playing it today, with joy, in loving tribute to the girl that stands at the crossroads of my life. Thanks for making me a better person Sally.

 
What a wonderful memory, Feldon. Thanks for sharing it. Music has a powerful connection to so many things in life. I reckon you could just about smell what it was like in your flat playing that.
 
Given the death of Bones Millman this week, I've been giving this a nudge. His 'beautiful voice' (as described by the band in their tribute to him) really stand out on this track, especially @ 3'25.

 
Still kicking back - and continuing my recent theme of loss, moribund nostalgia and indulgent sentimentality (+ boobs).

Karen Carpenter must be among the greatest female vocalists of the modern rock/pop music era. What a voice! Unlike other female vocalists of the time she was not a belter (eg. Joplin, Cass, Ronstadt). Yet she has a strong, sustaining voice as this clip shows. And she lived the lyrics - caressing every line and kissing every word. Just divine. And that sexy growl she can purr when she goes down low in the register. Urggg... still gives me hot sweats (wet dreams if I was younger). Apparently she was a 3-octave contralto, which people who know technical stuff about music say is quite rare.

She died young in 1983 from heart failure following struggles with eating disorders which were little known at the time (and you can see the toll of that in her body image in this clip). A huge loss to music lovers everywhere. It doesn’t matter if you are not into this sort of sentimental pop music and prefer more blood on the walls, you have to give credit to a woman who delivers with a voice and an on-camera performance at the very top of her game. And she could tickle the skins too.
Onya Kaz.

 
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Caught Cedric Burnside grandson of R L at the Port Fairy Folk Festival a few years ago. He was amazing and spoke fondly of big daddy RL.
 
An indulgence (and if you will, forgive me I’m a bit pissed).

Forty years ago I had a long distance relationship with a wonderful girl who lived in another city. I'd met her while I was knocking around Europe and reconnected when I returned home in late 1980. Unemployment was bad in those days and I was working shifts in factories for shit money. I would scavenge what I could after paying my rent and bills to buy the airfare to fly up to see her every fourth or fifth weekend. And whenever she could she would come down to Melbourne on her semester breaks from Uni for longer stays with me in my flat. It was magical time while it lasted. We floated on air and were devoted to each other. But after a year in a relationship that was treading water, and pressure from her family and friends, she told me she wanted to end it all, and I had to understand why.

That was back in 1982. I found out earlier this year that two years after we broke up she had married and had kids, and that made me smile for a moment. But then I heard that she had died of cancer on this day about ten years ago age 48. I was pretty devastated.

The song that always reminded me of her when I was sitting alone in my flat wishing she was with me was America’s Sister Golden Hair. And I’ve been playing it today, with joy, in loving tribute to the girl that stands at the crossroads of my life. Thanks for making me a better person Sally.


Cracking story. Cracking song. Thanks for sharing.
 
Love the tension in the silent prelude to this fast tempo cover of one of Glen Campbell's signature classics. Great evocative lyrics reflecting on the better times in otherwise hard and unfortunate lives.

When you gotto go, you gotto go I suppose (although if she looked like this, I might stay).

 
Each time I listen to them I still think about what may have been if Karen Carpenter had not passed so early. One of my all time favourite artists.
Yes. Sad. It was a era when the music industry didn't know how to 'sell' female rock and pop stars very well. The artists were pulled and torn and ignored where their public image was concerned. In jazz and classical genres women were held in respect. Poor Karen became a commodity for the industry marketing types to play with (in spite of her brothers help).
 
Love the tension in the silent prelude to this fast tempo cover of one of Glen Campbell's signature classics. Great evocative lyrics reflecting on the better times in otherwise hard and unfortunate lives.

When you gotto go, you gotto go I suppose (although if she looked like this, I might stay).


Great Americana bluegrass version, better than the orignal I think!
 

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