What are you listening to?

I love this woman!



“There is a song called The Power of Orange Knickers that really kind of explores the idea of the word ‘terrorist’. So I put on a pair of orange knickers one morning and I decided if I am going to stalk the idea of a terrorist without having an idea of what one was then I am going to need my orange knickers. And as I started to walk over to the piano I started to think about words that rhymed with ‘terrorist’ and the song kept drawing me in, and drawing me in deeper and deeper and deeper and it said yes it is easy to see the enemy if it is in another country. It’s easy to see the enemy in another culture. Find the enemy in your own culture. Then find the enemy in your own being. And she’s there. We all have this part of ourselves that will choose to obliterate an idea instead of negotiating with it, because it takes great skill to negotiate with ideas, it doesn’t take a lot of skill to obliterate, unfortunately. It doesn’t sound like this one the record, but just alone here with us the essence is (plays orange knickers). ..and it goes on and I began to understand how the opposites, if they don’t have understanding and a respect for one another, and hold it into balance, then the whole thing begins to bring chaos.”
– Tori; The Beekeeper Limited Edition Bonus DVD

-There’s a line in The Power of Orange Knickers about not knowing who the real terrorist is…

Yeah. I know some artists prefer not to comment, but I’ve followed the US administration and I genuinely believe they’ve emotionally blackmailed and manipulated the American people. We’re living in a frightening time and I wish people would wake up and realise they’re surrendering their civil liberties.
– Tori; Uncut.com, Mar 2005

This resonates a lot with what's going on in my head these days. "Find the enemy on your own being" also resonates with something that I read yesterday in Bringers Of The Dawn.
 
skycsil said:
I love this woman!



“There is a song called The Power of Orange Knickers that really kind of explores the idea of the word ‘terrorist’. So I put on a pair of orange knickers one morning and I decided if I am going to stalk the idea of a terrorist without having an idea of what one was then I am going to need my orange knickers. And as I started to walk over to the piano I started to think about words that rhymed with ‘terrorist’ and the song kept drawing me in, and drawing me in deeper and deeper and deeper and it said yes it is easy to see the enemy if it is in another country. It’s easy to see the enemy in another culture. Find the enemy in your own culture. Then find the enemy in your own being. And she’s there. We all have this part of ourselves that will choose to obliterate an idea instead of negotiating with it, because it takes great skill to negotiate with ideas, it doesn’t take a lot of skill to obliterate, unfortunately. It doesn’t sound like this one the record, but just alone here with us the essence is (plays orange knickers). ..and it goes on and I began to understand how the opposites, if they don’t have understanding and a respect for one another, and hold it into balance, then the whole thing begins to bring chaos.”
– Tori; The Beekeeper Limited Edition Bonus DVD

-There’s a line in The Power of Orange Knickers about not knowing who the real terrorist is…

Yeah. I know some artists prefer not to comment, but I’ve followed the US administration and I genuinely believe they’ve emotionally blackmailed and manipulated the American people. We’re living in a frightening time and I wish people would wake up and realise they’re surrendering their civil liberties.
– Tori; Uncut.com, Mar 2005

This resonates a lot with what's going on in my head these days. "Find the enemy on your own being" also resonates with something that I read yesterday in Bringers Of The Dawn.

awesome, I have a soft spot for Tori as well, here's my one fo my favourite songs of hers with my favourite singer of all time Maynard from Tool.

Muhammad, my friend (Live)
 
OK... Semi-rant warning.

First - I love music. I am super sensitive to sound. I have listened closely my whole life to all kinds and genres of music and vocal and instrumental arts; and I have played guitar and sung professionally. That said, here is my intent in this post: To request upping the level and raising the bar a bit. Maybe to set some kind of standard for the What are you Listening To thread. Of course this is my opinion and nothing more. Take it or leave it. Do it or don't.

Here is where I am coming from. Gurdjieff basically said something to the effect that 1000 authors writing a thousand books would not serve to awaken a single person but would only increase the sleep of everyone if the words of the authors were all written in sleep.

Music can be like that. BIG TIME. Music can be many things. There was even a post awhile back that said a piece of music was good for sleep. While, I know the poster meant for physically going to sleep, I could not help but see the irony.

So I am interested in music that supports the aim of waking up, of accessing objective reality, which is perhaps an aim many if not most of us share here. (Yeah - big assumption on my part) Music that keeps you on your toes. A lot of people do post this way with a little explanation or background on the piece. I like that - why should I listen to it? Oh, you are telling me. Good! What does it say to you? Why do you like it or why are you posting it? Will it further awakening or lessons? Is it an example of an awakened soul? Or a soul trying to awaken? Yes? Great!

Some music is just posted with no guidance or reason at all. Hey check this out.

Why should I? (is it Kenny G?! :scared:)

I am asking you to tell me why I should listen. Give me a heads up. That also opens the door for some deeper discussion. And, to be honest, I don't see a whole lot of that on the music thread. It could potentially be so much richer than it is. Mostly it is a series of "Hey - check this" / "I just heard this" "this song makes me feel... something" "cool" "this-lyrics splat-boom" etc But not much real in-depth analysis or back-and-forth.

Which is what I like. It is a great thing to sit at a glass of wine and discuss its merits and flaws. It is an even greater exercise to do the same with music. IMO, of course. Anybody want to do that with me, I am game.

But maybe that is not the intent here. If not, well OK.

(I do understand the difficulty, given the basically subjective nature of musical impressions. But still, this is such fertile ground for discussion. Egos can get so on the line when it comes to musical opinion. Which is exactly why this is a potentially great tool for learning. And speaking of TOOL...no, I will save that for later! :))

So to reiterate and emphasize the free will part of the equation:

I request that everyone who posts here, please give a brief explanation of why anyone should listen; what is the song a reflection of; something; anything! That is just a request. I understand I don't have any right to expect anything and I don't. You can honor this request or not. I don't care if you do or don't; but I would like to ask, anyway.
 
Art said:
I would like to elaborate a comment on this one some day. I have been bewitched by this song since long time ago, and I have come-up with some rather unsettling theories about it.

Blinded by the Light
Manfred Mann's Earth Band

- words and music by Bruce Springsteen

So what are you waiting for? Let's hear your 'take'! You have my curiosity now!

And hey - you don't need to post an mp3 of this - I think it is engraved everyone's brain who was born in the 20th century who is still alive.

And I agree - there is a LOT that is unsettling about this...'thing'.
And a lot unsettling about the fact that it STILL gets airplay.
 
BHelmet said:
OK... Semi-rant warning.

First - I love music. I am super sensitive to sound. I have listened closely my whole life to all kinds and genres of music and vocal and instrumental arts; and I have played guitar and sung professionally. That said, here is my intent in this post: To request upping the level and raising the bar a bit. Maybe to set some kind of standard for the What are you Listening To thread. Of course this is my opinion and nothing more. Take it or leave it. Do it or don't.

Here is where I am coming from. Gurdjieff basically said something to the effect that 1000 authors writing a thousand books would not serve to awaken a single person but would only increase the sleep of everyone if the words of the authors were all written in sleep.

Music can be like that. BIG TIME. Music can be many things. There was even a post awhile back that said a piece of music was good for sleep. While, I know the poster meant for physically going to sleep, I could not help but see the irony.

For me music is the voice of emotions. Like the African slaves (I read) were singing in the cotton fields, as a way of surviving, I have also used it a lot a fuel to help me keep going when I was too tired and sad, and had to keep working, (I guess that fuel=horses=emotions)

Sometimes I can't listen to music at all, as all I hear is the musicians having nothing to say, and really only think about wanting to be famous, and perhaps something like
Gurdjieff basically said something to the effect that 1000 authors writing a thousand books would not serve to awaken a single person but would only increase the sleep of everyone if the words of the authors were all written in sleep.
At those times, even the artists I have cherished most, and who are really brilliant, turn to meaningless dust.

When I later can enjoy music again, I don't think it is "going back to sleep" but simply that having seen the meaninglessness, coming back to that music is perhaps not supposed to be more than what it is, "the voice of emotions" or an art form that is beautiful, and I am grateful when I can enjoy it again, as "life in the cotton field" is much worse without.

I think the suggestion to say a little about why we post a song when we do can be good (for the ones who want) as long as the reason "this song voice emotions I can identify with, or this song is beautifully performed" is OK to say

Talk about vent, here's Ventilator Blues, I enjoy it because everybody needs a ventilator sometimes, and I like the way it's put together, and mostly that the use of saxophone in the song makes me feel very good inside (no big spiritual insights or anything)

 
Miss.K said:
For me music is the voice of emotions. Like the African slaves (I read) were singing in the cotton fields, as a way of surviving, I have also used it a lot a fuel to help me keep going when I was too tired and sad, and had to keep working, (I guess that fuel=horses=emotions)

Sometimes I can't listen to music at all, as all I hear is the musicians having nothing to say, and really only think about wanting to be famous, and perhaps something like
Gurdjieff basically said something to the effect that 1000 authors writing a thousand books would not serve to awaken a single person but would only increase the sleep of everyone if the words of the authors were all written in sleep.
At those times, even the artists I have cherished most, and who are really brilliant, turn to meaningless dust.

When I later can enjoy music again, I don't think it is "going back to sleep" but simply that having seen the meaninglessness, coming back to that music is perhaps not supposed to be more than what it is, "the voice of emotions" or an art form that is beautiful, and I am grateful when I can enjoy it again, as "life in the cotton field" is much worse without.
...
Talk about vent, here's Ventilator Blues, I enjoy it because everybody needs a ventilator sometimes, and I like the way it's put together, and mostly that the use of saxophone in the song makes me feel very good inside (no big spiritual insights or anything)


I agree to this, including Ventilator Blues! Fantastic record, but I would have great difficulty in explaining why I like it - I can't see any higher reason behind my appreciation of (the parent record) Exile On Main Street, (and the first 10 years I failed to hear anything special except for the song Sweet Virginia, which I always thought was brilliant) but the record has grown on me over the years.
 
Hithere said:
I agree to this, including Ventilator Blues! Fantastic record, but I would have great difficulty in explaining why I like it - I can't see any higher reason behind my appreciation of (the parent record) Exile On Main Street, (and the first 10 years I failed to hear anything special except for the song Sweet Virginia, which I always thought was brilliant) but the record has grown on me over the years.

Yes Sweet Virginia is a wonderful song (it comforts me, and always makes me smile), and I really like the record as a whole too.

When I was young I didn't listen to Rolling Stones, as I thought they were too commercial (and IMO they had gotten really bad in the 80's when I was a teenager) But then later when I though I better catch up some on mainstream musical culture and history too, I thought to check out if all the people who cherish Rolling Stones were on to something (so I listened to most albums up to "It's only R'n'R"), and Exile On Main Street was what I listened to most.
When after having listened regularly for some months, one early morning I was woken up by Rocks Off playing really really loud in my head, and I had to admit I was a fan too

BTW fantastic intro guitar in Rocks Off,
-but very difficult to copy as it is tuned differently than normal (and maybe it's 2 guitars playing at once, one normally tuned and one differently tuned?), and I don't know how to do that (I sometimes play guitar, badly, but just for fun)

just in case someone who don't know those songs, are interested, here's Sweet Virginia

and Rocks Off
 
Fever Ray (Karin Dreijer Andersson of The Knife) / "Now's The Only Time I Know"


Dark brown hair and eyelash
Reappear in a flash
Now's the only time I know

Early morning's greatest deed
What's forsaken, I do not need
There is water, there is snow

Settling down door and room
Keep it tidy, keep it like a home
Now's the only time I know

Come here, sparrow
Watch my hand
Black and blue seeds
That is what my hand can
Now's the only time I know

Do my hair, paint eyelash
Reappear in a flash
There is more I'd like to know

Nine-fifteen, then I'm done
Quiet front seat, then drive around
Through the water, through the snow

Always with Fever Ray it's this calm mystery that I find in it. :-)
 
BHelmet said:
So to reiterate and emphasize the free will part of the equation:

I request that everyone who posts here, please give a brief explanation of why anyone should listen; what is the song a reflection of; something; anything! That is just a request. I understand I don't have any right to expect anything and I don't. You can honor this request or not. I don't care if you do or don't; but I would like to ask, anyway.

Dude, relax. It's music. If you don't want to listen to it, don't. But don't impose your standards on the rest of the forum. I don't even understand why you would wish to force people to do any of those things above. Sometimes a song is just something that is nice to listen to and that's it. There doesn't have to be anything deeper. Just because that is how YOU do things, doesn't mean the rest of us should have to.
 
Heimdallr said:
BHelmet said:
So to reiterate and emphasize the free will part of the equation:

I request that everyone who posts here, please give a brief explanation of why anyone should listen; what is the song a reflection of; something; anything! That is just a request. I understand I don't have any right to expect anything and I don't. You can honor this request or not. I don't care if you do or don't; but I would like to ask, anyway.

Dude, relax. It's music. If you don't want to listen to it, don't. But don't impose your standards on the rest of the forum. I don't even understand why you would wish to force people to do any of those things above. Sometimes a song is just something that is nice to listen to and that's it. There doesn't have to be anything deeper. Just because that is how YOU do things, doesn't mean the rest of us should have to.

Heimdalr and Bhelmet,

I find Bhelmet's "request" reasonable especially since he added "I don't care if you do or don't". But I suspect he may feeling a little down or disappointed with not having some back and forth discussion in this thread. The Music section has many other outlets/topics we can check out too. I like this one as a quick and easy way to just see what others are interested in from time to time. I think you are right Heimdalr as far as seeing this as a more general and relaxing spot to check out but on the other hand some of the posters here get a bit serious time to time.

Seeing that Bhelmet just made his thoughts known as a "request" that doesn't make him a controlling/predator minded person. I see the point that this is not the "rocket science" of music thread but I think we could all benefit by thinking about Bhelmet's "request". I'll just "relax" now. :whlchair:
 
Miss.K said:
Yes Sweet Virginia is a wonderful song (it comforts me, and always makes me smile), and I really like the record as a whole too.

When I was young I didn't listen to Rolling Stones, as I thought they were too commercial (and IMO they had gotten really bad in the 80's when I was a teenager) But then later when I though I better catch up some on mainstream musical culture and history too, I thought to check out if all the people who cherish Rolling Stones were on to something (so I listened to most albums up to "It's only R'n'R"), and Exile On Main Street was what I listened to most.
When after having listened regularly for some months, one early morning I was woken up by Rocks Off playing really really loud in my head, and I had to admit I was a fan too

BTW fantastic intro guitar in Rocks Off,
-but very difficult to copy as it is tuned differently than normal (and maybe it's 2 guitars playing at once, one normally tuned and one differently tuned?), and I don't know how to do that (I sometimes play guitar, badly, but just for fun)
I agree that after Tattoo You there hasn't really been a classic Stones record. But in their golden years they were unstoppable and for me in my early teens the embodiment of rebellion and freedom, as was Led Zeppelin and the other great bands of the era.
The riff intro to Rocks Off is in standard tuning to my ears, but Keef famously plays in open G and it could be that this is played in open tuning as well. :)
 
Heimdallr said:
BHelmet said:
So to reiterate and emphasize the free will part of the equation:

I request that everyone who posts here, please give a brief explanation of why anyone should listen; what is the song a reflection of; something; anything! That is just a request. I understand I don't have any right to expect anything and I don't. You can honor this request or not. I don't care if you do or don't; but I would like to ask, anyway.

Dude, relax. It's music. If you don't want to listen to it, don't. But don't impose your standards on the rest of the forum. I don't even understand why you would wish to force people to do any of those things above. Sometimes a song is just something that is nice to listen to and that's it. There doesn't have to be anything deeper. Just because that is how YOU do things, doesn't mean the rest of us should have to.

I tried very carefully to NOT impose anything on anybody - just a request. Do you understand what a request is? It is not a demand or even a suggestion. Perhaps re-read the above. How many times did I say - do whatever you want? I count 4.

Yes, it's just music but not all music is 'just music' just as not all books are just books. Discernment and differentiation are important. Not all people are 'just' people. Some desire awakening and some are psychopaths. Should music be a topic that is exempt from 'the work'? For some the answer is yes. Music can be wonderful escapism. Fine. For me, music has been a key part of my journey of awakening. 'Nice to listen to' has its place and it's time, but for me it is generally not enough. I am speaking for myself only and not for anybody else.
 
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