(no subject)

[miko2]

Today's Song: Chant A Psalm by Steel Pulse

Steel Pulse is a reggae band from the UK that was very big in the 1980's and is still going strong. Their classic cds are probably True Democracy and Earth Crisis from the mid 80's. After hearing a story on NPR three years ago about them and specifically about these classic releases, I picked them up. They're both great reggae cds. I have several favorites from these two cds, but ultimately I've settled on Chant A Psalm as my pick for the best song in the bunch. It's just a very upbeat, happy, bouncy, spiritual song -- great harmonies, and impossible not to dance to.

Around the time they were recording these cds Steel Pulse was under a lot of pressure from their label to "sound more like Eddy Grant", because Electric Avenue had been such a huge hit. Let me just say, Electric Avenue has always had a special place in my personal music hell. I've hated that song since I was a kid. So if Eddy Grant's hit is the worst of reggae, then Chant A Psalm is some of the best reggae has to offer. Great stuff, and I did check and it's available on iTunes.

The only link I have to the song is this live version on YouTube, which probably doesn't fully convey the infectiousness of the original studio version, but is a good live video nonetheless.


Today's not so sunny. I didn't go for a walk. I made a stew overnight, beef, turkey kielbasa, carrots, celery, diced tomatoes, mushrooms, navy beans. And I just realized that I forgot to get the onion out of the frige and dice it and put it in. Damn. But it should still be tasty. ^_^