Forever in a Drop of BPM

I think all of us could come up with a multitude of reasons why each of us would love to live forever, or at least live much longer than we likely will. I’m no different from you in that regard. And of course that comes down to what and whom we love; we want to spend more time with them. Every once in a while, when listening to music, not using it as background music for other tasks, purely and simply listening to music, immersing myself in the atmospheres the sounds portray, the momentum a good song carries through all of the various sonic devices at a musician’s disposal, the sheer beauty of a good song performed by a truly talented artist…ah, a good song is glory itself, isn’t it?

I can’t put a lid on my acquisition of music. It’s one reason I do the Pollyanna Cowgirl Records Podcast, so I can have an excuse to listen to some new, good tunes, and by extension turn my friends on to what I’m listening to.

Tonight, as I’m typing this, I’m listening to an album that’s been a favorite of mine since I was a young teenager: The Moody Blues “Long Distance Voyager”. You might know the hits “Gemini Dream” or “The Voice” from this record. And I say “Record”, as it was one of the first long-playing vinyl records I owned as a fledgling music fan in the late 70s/early 80s. And beyond the hits, the entire LP is outstanding. Well, I have a great amount of respect and love for The Moody Blues throughout their career; when they hit the nail on the head with a good song, there is none better. I was lucky enough to see them perform live a few years ago, and that was a thrill. As I’ve discovered with the good bands, after I see them live I come away with an even greater amount of respect for the band and the musicians, for they are truly talented at their craft and at playing their instruments. I’d never considered Justin Hayward to be a “guitarist”, he was always a “singer/songwriter” to me, until after I saw the band live and realized, damn, Justin kicks ass on the guitar! I recently had a similar experience seeing Wilco, whom I discovered is a very talented group of musicians and thus it makes my listening experiences with Wilco CDs all that much greater.

But my point is there is never enough time to listen to all of the good music available to us. And with long-time favorites such as The Moody Blues “Long Distance Voyager”, a year can easily slip by without a listen, and that’s such a shame, isn’t it? But I’ve listened to plenty of great music since the last time I listened to this LP, so I’m not sure if I have regrets, but there is a small sense of melancholy about it. What if this is the last time I ever listen to this record?

My advice to you: find an hour in the next week or so, and pick out an old, favorite record. Put it on and don’t do anything else but just listen. Hear the sounds that envelope, comfort and soothe you like an old friend. More importantly, hear the musician sharing his or her soul with the world. They were naked and trusting when they made that record; it is the nature of the adventure.