ODDS & ENDS AGAIN
Happy 70th birthday to Barrett Strong, whose timeless classic pop composition 'Money (That's What I Want)' was a hit over 50 years ago (in 1960) - it was the first Motown Corporation hit - and whose songs co-written with Norman Whitfield included 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine'. (Unfortunately they also co-wrote the risibly bad Edwin Starr hit 'War', though of course that also made them plenty of, er, money.)
Heard on BBC 6 Music radio station a morning or two ago: that there's a Swindon-based band called Napoleon In Rags.
A few added/changed details on my Spring Tour itinerary (in date order):
1. The talk on Dylan at Stanford University on February 24 is confirmed as a 7pm start time.
2. The special event for Georgia Southern University in Statesboro GA on March 29 - a Compressed Dylan Discussion Weekend, as it were - will now take place at the Statesboro Holiday Inn and will start at 6.30pm; hors d'oeuvres by local chef Jason Scarborough; details re price and ticket availability will follow soon.
3. The talk on Dylan at the Athlone Passionfruit Theatre, Ireland, on April 12 is confirmed as an 8pm start time and the tickets are now on sale.
4. The talk on Dylan at the Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray, Ireland, has been switched from Sunday April 17 to Tuesday April 19. The start time remains 8pm, ticket price remains 12 euros, and tickets are on sale now.
5. I expect to be the keynote speaker at a UK event on Bob Dylan's birthday (Wednesday May 24), which the organisers hope to be announcing shortly.
posted by Michael Gray | 12:01 pm
4 Comments:
Edwin Starr's 'War' risible? WHAT?
Yes. It more or less goes "War! Ugh! It's not very nice, y'all!"
The lyrics are not Dylanesque but the Funk production was powerful, the vocals soulful, the stand courageous (the Temptations took a pass), and the song struck a chord with many of us in 1970. Where was Dylan in 1970? John Lennon loved the song; Bruce Springsteen covered it in the 1980's and performed it in the 2000's; Clear Channel proscribed the song. Risible? Try righteous.--LJS
To each his own. For some of us the phrase "powerful Funk production" is more a repellent than a recommendation. Let's agree to a truce on 'War'.
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