Mark Stratton's Blog: AGGASPLETCH, page 4

The Sailors Say Brandy

The sailors say “Brandy, you’re a fine girl” (you’re a fine girl)

“What a good wife you would be” (such a fine girl)

“Yeah your eyes could steal a sailor from the sea”

Except she couldn’t take the one sailor from the sea…

Even at a young age I could sense the tragedy in this song. Plus, I gotta admit that I found the idea of a song about a girl named Brandy serving whiskey rather amusing and sort of clever.

As time went on I took the lesson that the heart loves what the heart loves and sometimes y...

It’s Not Aged Well, But Still Has A Place

The beasts of the field, the birds of the air

Are silent to call out Your Name

The earth has no voice and I have no choice

But to magnify God unashamed

Let the rocks be kept silent for one more day

Let the whole world sing out, let the people say

This song has not aged well, sonically speaking. The production is thin, the sound is flat and the over reliance on keyboards hurts 20 plus years after the fact. This takes nothing away from the power of the timeless message of the majesty of the Almighty...

45 – Like a Sinner at the Gates of Heaven

But like a sinner at the gates of heaven

I’ll come crawling back to you

I’ve heard Paradise by the Dashboard Lightand Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad enough times over the years to do without for long stretches. I mean, the album is deservedly a classic and takes all who listen on a one way trip back to the angst and sweaty palms of adolescence. Histrionics aside, it is over the top and that overloads more adult emotions. And yet…

Power chords sliding, piano pounding, drums thundering and there’s ev...

Guest Post – Barb and Three Songs About Coffee

Thanks for swinging by. Our first guest post is by my long time Last.fm buddy Barb Sobel. As you’ll find out, she has this thing about coffee. Here’s her list of Three Songs about Coffee. Pull up a chair, grab a cuppa and enjoy.

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1) Otis Redding, Cigarettes & Coffee. One of the romantic songs on the planet. Great make-out song. Great mix tape tune. Some of the best nights of my life have either started off with cigarettes & coffee. It’s almost magic. Even with fuzzy cigarette teeth & an...

46 – It Isn’t His Thing, He Just Borrowed It (iPod Challenge)

Let’s hit it like we at the front. Can we hit it like we did on top?

Towards the end, Castro keeps asking if he can hit it and quit it. ”Can I hit it and quit it?” while his band cooks, simmering a savage blend of rhythm & blues and blues guitar and some call and response thrown it for good measure.

Taking nothing away from James Brown and his wonderful rendition of this song, but for a show ender Castro’s is hard to beat. The soulful vocals and tenor saxophone solo that is just long enough to...

Buried Scars – Cultivate Day 4

Our bodies are vast machines for storing: memories, toxins, dreams. What physical rhythms will you follow to loosen your scar tissue, heal old wounds, and stimulate the birth of new cells?

I need, desperately need to learn the practice of forgiving myself. Like many, hanging on to my guilt keeps me from moving forward. It’s become a living thing, an appendage that needs it own feeding and nurturing. Which is really sort of twisted when you consider it.

Psalm 103:12

English Standard Version (ESV...

47 – Caught in a Trap (iPod Challenge)

The King Is Dead. Long Live the King.

While I recognize that the songs Elvis cut early in his career, had the monster hits with in the 50′s and early 60′s, were probably more important, this is my favorite of The King’s hit records. It’s not even something I am open to debate.

I think part of this is due to the lack of Colonel Parker involved. This was done in the aftermath of the ’68 Comeback Special when the world got a full dose of what made Elvis, well…Elvis. He got with some seriously good...

48 – Somehow I Missed This (iPod Challenge)

For somebody who loves music as much as I do, missing something great still happens

I’d been a huge Def Lepard fan in the 80′s. However, like many groups they didn’t age all that well for me. In fact, I saw them when they were on the county fair circuit before they once again were a huge concert draw due to VH1′s “Behind the Music” and a highly publicized, yet ultimately boring album release in the late 90′s.

A few years later, they released an album of covers. I’ve already documented my love o...

49. – I Called It a Hit First Time I Heard It (iPod Challenge)

I knew it the first time I heard this song, it would be one of those dubbed a classic in years to come.

Back in my 20′s, I worked in the radio business. I was what was commonly called a ‘disc jockey’ or ‘air talent’. In reality I was a guy having a good time and getting paid to do so. With rare exception, most of what I did while working in radio wasn’t what I could considered ‘work’. The downside to that was the pay wasn’t all that great either. At least in small market radio that was true.

I...

Cultivate 2014 – Day 1

What did you set out to accomplish last year? What did you do to cultivate your goals and your life? Did your intentions manifest last year?

I succeeded admirably in what I set out to do, which was not much. I elected to not set a lot of goals for myself to see what would happen. Not much is what happened. So, I guess this could be called a success if doing nothing is your goal.

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This is one of a series of posts where we look back, look around and look forward. It lasts for 15 days. Join us, wh...