A friend clued me in this morning. And, it turns out VH-1 is airing it. Luckily, by the time I got it all groked, I found that the next showing was just in 20 minutes. Got the DVR in gear and hope to watch it later tonight.

So here's a nifty live version of The Trees. You might detect that the tempo was slower in these earlier versions.

Of course, a libertarian such as myself couldn't possibly put up that song without including the lyrics. A veritable picture of democracy (socialism, they are one in the same, differing only in practical degree, not principle).

There is unrest in the forest,
There is trouble with the trees,
For the maples want more sunlight
And the oaks ignore their please.

The trouble with the maples,
(And they're quite convinced they're right)
They say the oaks are just too lofty
And they grab up all the light.
But the oaks can't help their feelings
If they like the way they're made.
And they wonder why the maples
Can't be happy in their shade.

There is trouble in the forest,
And the creatures all have fled,
As the maples scream "Oppression!"
And the oaks just shake their heads

So the maples formed a union
And demanded equal rights.
"The oaks are just too greedy;
We will make them give us light."
Now there's no more oak oppression,
For they passed a noble law,
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe, and saw.

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I found a delightful live performance from 1973 on YouTube.

And so what's the Paleo connection? Well, it turns out that "John Barleycorn" is a personification of the cereal grain barley in this 16th century or older English folk song.

But here's the deal: the meaning can be taken both ways. Many versions abound and in the later ones it appears to be a celebration of the barley crop; i.e., it has to die in order to provide the bread, beer, and whiskey made from it.

But not so fast. According to that Wikipedia link above, earlier versions had an opposite meaning, that "John Barleycorn" must die for all the havoc it causes.

Earlier versions resemble Burns's only in personifying the barley, and sometimes in having the barley be foully treated or murdered by various artisans. Burns' version, however, omits their motives. In an early seventeenth century version, the mysterious kings of Burns's version were in fact ordinary men laid low by drink, who sought their revenge on John Barleycorn for that offense:

Sir John Barley-Corn fought in a Bowl,
who won the Victory,
Which made them all to chafe and swear,
that Barley-Corn must dye.

Another early version features John Barleycorn's revenge on the miller:

Mault gave the Miller such a blow,
That from [h]is horse he fell full low,
He taught him his master Mault for to know
you neuer saw the like sir.

I think I'll stick with the original meaning.

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Onward, folks. As I've tweeted and put up on the Facebook page, I've been going extreme, 4th day in a row submerged to the neck in 40 degree F water, 10-12 minutes per session. Net result is some significant leaning. Working on a blog. We're out of here next week for nearly a week. Will report. ...Oh, fuck. Just found this. A jewel. Listen to what two guys can accomplish on acoustic, Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, Lie in our Graves. I find this simply astounding. Astounding!

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That's my next post.

In the meantime, while yesterday was super fun and I listened to untold tracks of old Zepp, Rush, Genesis -- even Styxx -- and more, I once again returned to Teatro. So here we go, and the ribs come up next.

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Moving on, here's what I'm listening to as I'm cooking, right now -- ahi grade beef filets for Bea & I, sous vide, rare, later to be seared -- and I'm doing a demi-glace. (yea, pics...OK) Later, we'll do the American Idol Results (yep, basically watched every episode of every season -- I love, celebrate and honor dreams). Lee or Crystal. For the first year ever, I'll be totally happy with either. Argument for both: Lee for amazingly best improvement ever; Crystal for finding (again) who she really was at the end (and -- who she was -- was amazing to start with). I never vote, anymore. But I'd have had to vote for both of them.

Some country I just love, and this is one. Lucinda (HT: my buddy Robert, for turning me on to it, whom I just stood up for a Giants game in SF, Lincecum pitching, even).

Just trying to keep you guessing. Maybe...Arabic Rock next time? They've really got "the beat," you know. Check it out.

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Led by producer/arrangers Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux and sung by a revolving cast of chanteuses, the group’s first two albums, Nouvelle Vague (2004) and Bande A Part (2006) have sold well over half-a-million copies. Not wishing to tinker with this winning formula, but evolving all the same, NV3 picks up where Bande A Part left off, and this time they’re joined by some famous names.

On their debut, Nouvelle Vague took cherished tracks from the late 1970s and early 1980s by acts such as Joy Division, The Clash, The Cure, Depeche Mode and the Dead Kennedys and reworked them in a gentle bossa nova style. Sung by French female vocalists, some of whom had never heard the originals before, these cult hits had new life breathed into them, and their meanings became softly subverted. In French, Nouvelle Vague means “new wave”, and “bossa nova” in Portuguese. Even the records’ sleeves wittily referenced the artwork for Jean Luc Godard’s early-’60s new-wave films.

“The original concept of Nouvelle Vague was to use young girl singers who don’t know the meaning of punk and post-punk music,” says Marc Collin, in whose Paris studio the records are made. “That way, they are bringing something new and totally fresh to the songs, and it really worked. So we kept doing it in this direction.”

OK, let's have a listen, shall we? Here's the only YouTube video of an actual live performance I could find, Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart.

How about Vanessa Paradis' LaLaLa? This one isn't on any of their three albums (I have all three) but is available at iTunes. It also features Julie Delpy.

And I really adore this one, set in near perfect rhythm to a clip from the 1964 Jean-Luc Godard film, Bande à part. Lords of the New Church's Dance With Me.

So there you have it, just more of my eclectic musical tastes. Hope it floats your boat.

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I'm working on dinner. Chicken in the brine, Sous Vide Supreme warming up, and a tarragon sauce planned with some lumpy mash. Dinner for six, tonight. See you on the other side.

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They say that The Blues is the root of rock (true), and that Folk is the root of country (true too). But I think that this sort of themed album-rock is a bit different. One goes from hard-driving rock to some tender moments (especially in Pt 2) and I have often thought that for Rush and a few others -- even Led Zep at times and certainly Pink Floyd -- what really prefigures their music is Classical music. I have a lot of classical that I listen to often, love, and I can never escape wondering what the fuck Mozart could have done with an electric guitar, bass, & a drum set.

Remember, Rush has always been a 3-man power band, never more that I'm aware of. They ought to go down as the greatest rock 3-man power band in history.

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So hey, here's a better country ballad, by Willie Nelson, with a little latin salsa thrown in for spice. Bet you listen twice. Its that good.

This is from Willie's album -- his best in my view -- Teatro. And that's Emmylou Harris singing close backup harmony. Pure gold. It's very rare when I like virtually ever track on an album, but I sure do with this one.

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Filet & Stone Crab

Best meal I have had in a long time. OK, I'm headed to see Carlos over at "The Joint" at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Here's another "guy" I've seen in concert, getting help from Cosmic Carlos.

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