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Acoustic music
Last night I grabbed a video tape at random from the piles I have lying around. Just some music to listen to while falling asleep. It was a compilation from 1992, all live music. I watched it completely this afternoon. Grunge music was very popular in those days, so I saw some Nirvana, Pixies and Sonic youth. I saw some good Dutch bands, like the Tröckener Kecks and Gotcha. But by far the best songs were the three songs that were done acoustic. A man and his guitar. If a song is really good, it will be even better in an acoustic version. The three were:
Neil Young - Rocking in the free world
Obviously I had heard of him before that song, but this was the song that made me realize how brilliant he is. The album 'Freedom' was the first I bought by him, on vinyl still. It has two versions of this song. The rock version is very good, the acoustic version is unbeatable. Still, today, it does something. That old rocker on his own on this huge stage, just him and a guitar. And a harmonica to do something different in between. A world was opened. Harvest, After the goldrush and other old albums. His album with Pearl Jam, the Unplugged he did. Young has made some classic tunes, some of them are better than this one, but this was the eyecatcher.
Lenny Kravitz - Rosemary
In a park in Amsterdam sits a young man with a rasta hairdo. He plays a song on his guitar and you can't help yourself listening. "He loves you, he needs you, so don't let him down". It was just after his first album came out, before Let Love Rule became his first hit and the anthem of every neo-hippie. Those two songs define his first album, a classic debut, which reached heights that he never even came close to again. Nowadays his music is nice on the radio, but I can't be bothered about buying albums anymore. But you can still wake me up in the middle of the night for an acoustic version about this little girl, five years old...
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under the bridge
I have seen the Peppers twice in the late eighties, both times on festivals. They are extremely suitable for those big crowds and manage to entertain anybody there, regardless if they're hardcore fans or just somebody who likes to hear a tune in a park. Their album Mother's milk was an indication that they could be better than being just a great live band. They made some real good music. Under the bridge was recorded on a boat in an Amsterdam canal. Just Anthony and John Frusciante, before he went berserk and got kicked out of the band. This song is extremely suitable for an acoustic version, even the original is not far from it. The few knocks that are needed for the counting, in between the lines, John hits on his guitar, before playing on. He joins in on the chorus, is not a great singer, but does a good second voice. And the surroundings are ideal as well. The water of Amsterdam, a city where one can expect people living under bridges, the lovely weather. Great tune.
I consider myself lucky to own this videotape.
Neil Young - Rocking in the free world
Obviously I had heard of him before that song, but this was the song that made me realize how brilliant he is. The album 'Freedom' was the first I bought by him, on vinyl still. It has two versions of this song. The rock version is very good, the acoustic version is unbeatable. Still, today, it does something. That old rocker on his own on this huge stage, just him and a guitar. And a harmonica to do something different in between. A world was opened. Harvest, After the goldrush and other old albums. His album with Pearl Jam, the Unplugged he did. Young has made some classic tunes, some of them are better than this one, but this was the eyecatcher.
Lenny Kravitz - Rosemary
In a park in Amsterdam sits a young man with a rasta hairdo. He plays a song on his guitar and you can't help yourself listening. "He loves you, he needs you, so don't let him down". It was just after his first album came out, before Let Love Rule became his first hit and the anthem of every neo-hippie. Those two songs define his first album, a classic debut, which reached heights that he never even came close to again. Nowadays his music is nice on the radio, but I can't be bothered about buying albums anymore. But you can still wake me up in the middle of the night for an acoustic version about this little girl, five years old...
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under the bridge
I have seen the Peppers twice in the late eighties, both times on festivals. They are extremely suitable for those big crowds and manage to entertain anybody there, regardless if they're hardcore fans or just somebody who likes to hear a tune in a park. Their album Mother's milk was an indication that they could be better than being just a great live band. They made some real good music. Under the bridge was recorded on a boat in an Amsterdam canal. Just Anthony and John Frusciante, before he went berserk and got kicked out of the band. This song is extremely suitable for an acoustic version, even the original is not far from it. The few knocks that are needed for the counting, in between the lines, John hits on his guitar, before playing on. He joins in on the chorus, is not a great singer, but does a good second voice. And the surroundings are ideal as well. The water of Amsterdam, a city where one can expect people living under bridges, the lovely weather. Great tune.
I consider myself lucky to own this videotape.