The Pagan Sphinx: XTC

Showing posts with label XTC. Show all posts

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Picture for One Moment

"Walk on a rainbow trail; walk on a trail of song, and all about you will be beauty. There is a way out of every dark mist, over a rainbow trail."
Robert Motherwell

On Wednesday, after work and during a phone conversation with my daughter, I looked to the east through the glass and was lucky enough to see this.

In New England, it's been rainy, humid and very buggy. We're looking forward to crisp, sunny days. More often than not, Autumn here has much to offer in the way of natural beauty in peak leaf season, an abundance of crops from local farms and many fairs and festivals. I'm especially looking forward to the The Garlic Festival, with its hippie vibes and emphasis on sustainability, lots of great organic food and of course, a garlic stand to beat the band. And Wayne wincing at the garlic I'm about to consume. It's a good thing I am in possession of other charms. ;-)

A good Autumnal Equinox to you! And a song. One I think I play every year on The Pagan Sphinx Harvest Festival, written by Andy Partridge of XTC. I truly hope you can access it where you are. It is sublime. A modern masterpiece.

Lyrics to Harvest Festival :
See the flowers round the altar
See the peaches in tins 'neath the headmaster's chair
Harvest festival

See the two who've been chosen
See them walk hand in hand to the front of the hall

Harvest festival
Harvest festival
What was best of all was the
Longing look you gave me
That longing look
More than enough to keep me fed all year

See the children with baskets
See their hair cut like corn neatly combed in their rows

Harvest festival
Harvest festival
What was best of all was the
Longing look you gave me
That longing look
Across the hymnbooks and the canvas chairs
The longing look you gave me
That longing look
More than enough to keep me fed all year

And what a year when the exams and crops all failed
Of course you passed and you were never seen again
We all grew and we got screwed and cut and nailed
Then out of nowhere invitation in gold pen

See the flowers round the altar
See that you two got married and I wish you well

Harvest festival
Harvest festival
What was best of all was the
Longing look you gave me
That longing look
Across the hymnbooks and the canvas chairs
The longing look you gave me
That longing look
More than enough to keep me fed all year

Harvest festival

Peace and all groovy things,
Gina

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Music for Sunday #1

I'm not quite sure what I want to do with this. But maybe I've hatched a new weekly meme. I don't know.

Not that many people listen to what I post. Which is fine. Not only is listening to people's youtube postings and jukeboxes time consuming but there are so many musical choices for so many tastes, that I'm the first to admit that it's not always easy to relate to what people consider to be good music. I'm guilty of this. I am mostly out of sync with mainstream music. I know very little classical music. I like jazz a lot but I'm not an expert. I'm not sure how I would characterize my favorite music. With that said, posting music is mostly a self-indulgent habit. I come to groove on my own blog, look at the images, ruminate and play the song du jour very loud on my cordless headphones (thanks WP!).

I like loud music. Everything from Beatles to Aboriginal digeredoo. I like folk music and country (see this post featuring Loretta Lynn) but not "new country". I like music that is theatrical to my ear like XTC and the songs of Tom Waits. Well-written, literate and poetic. And by poetic, I don't necessarily mean like Simon and Garfunkel were poetic. Although I do like them, too. Poetic as in Joni Mitchell and Peter Gabriel, Suzanne Vega and Bob Dylan.

Quirky female singer-songwriters like Jane Sibery and Kate and Anna McGarrigle are another genre, if it is one, that floats my boat. The McGarrigles are eccentric and lovely and very Canadian. I love the French songs they include in some of their recordings. I think I may be in a small league as one of their biggest fans.

And Jane Sibery with her songs about cows and red wagons and love and death, all from a perspective that can only be described as grown up fairy tales and magic of all sorts. I adore her songs.

But my choice for today is really pretty accessible, I think. I'm going way back to a song I loved as a kid and doubtless will want to play for my grandchildren. James Taylor (the gorgeous then and always), Sweet Baby James.

And you? If you want to post something musical on your blog and link to it from comments here, I will make it a special point to listen with open ears and open mind. :-)

Have a good week, kids.

All the Love,
Pagan Sphinx