As the chilly fall weather creeps in, I thought I would share a summer photo today.
The above photo was taken in August of 1979. From left to right, you have my brother, me, and our friends Nicole and Jim. It looks as though we were ready to go swimming, but we didn’t have a pool. Perhaps we were running through the sprinkler or something.
One of the reasons I love this picture is that this was our first swing set. I remember my dad pouring the cement to keep the poles in the ground. I also remember waiting for what seemed like forever for us to finally be able to use it.
I wish the photo would have been positioned a bit better so you could see the whole swing set. It was really cool. It was set up kind of like the letter “H.” In the photo, you can see I am holding the rings. I remember being able to hold onto them, jump up and do a flip on them. On the other side you can see Jim on a swing. Along with the rings and swing, on the other side there was a bar on a chain. It was something like a trapeze artist might use and we would often hang upside down on them.
I had to search the net and while I couldn’t find the exact set we had, I found something similar.
It was set up just like the photo above. Except in the place of one of the swings, we had one of those two seat swings. You know, the one that kind of looked like a see saw? It took me forever to find the thing on the internet because I didn’t even know what to call it. However, you can see the thing in this picture:
Remember those things??
The top photo takes me back to a time where kids were kids. We could swing on a swing set for hours. We had no electronics to distract us. We interacted with other kids and always seemed to get along. My how the times have changed.
That book was good enough that I wanted to read more by him. I knew him as a singer, but not as a novelist. I came across a book entitled Swing. As someone who loves a good mystery and big band music, I decided to check this out. I listened to the audio book.
The book had a Film Noir feel to it and it did have a few twists that threw me for a loop. Here is the Goodreads synopsis:
“Swing just might be the best historical thriller of the year. Certainly it is the most creative.” –Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
In the swinging big band era, jazz saxophonist and arranger Ray Sherwood is haunted by personal tragedy. But when Gail Prentice, a beautiful and talented Berkeley student, seeks his help in orchestrating an original composition slated to debut at the newly created Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay, Ray is diverted from his worries and drawn to the beguiling coed. Within moments of their first meeting, however, Ray witnesses a horrifying sight: a woman plunging to her death from the island’s emblematic Tower of the Sun.
Ray soon finds himself trapped in a coil of spiraling secrets in which nothing is certain, including Gail’s intentions toward him and her connection to the dead woman. And as events speed toward the shocking climax, Ray must unlock an ominous puzzle with sinister implications that stretch far beyond anything he could imagine.
As a musician, there were some neat musical things in the book that I liked. Many musical terms, which Rupert defines for you, fit into the story as well. Do you have to be a musician to like this one? Not really, but I really connected to it a bit more.
One interesting thing about the audio book was that on occasion, Ray, the main character might talk about a piece of music he arranged as it begins to play in the background. Sometimes, he talks about singing a song on stage and the song plays before the story picks back up. There is a piano piece that Ray discovers and he describes it and then it plays for you. It was certainly a bit different and unexpected, but it enhanced the story a bit. If you don’t like swing music, you may not care for those bits.
The story had a few spots where it felt like it dragged a bit, but overall, I liked the book. I didn’t know it was set in the WWII era, but it makes sense with that big band music theme. It seems like I have a lot of WWII books on my list, and as of yet, they are not boring me.
As a side note, Rupert Holmes is working on a second story in the “Murder Your ____” series. Murder Your Mate is due out later this year.
Welcome to another edition of Turntable Talk hosted by Dave over at A Sound Day. Check out his site here: https://soundday.wordpress.com/
His topics have ranged from very easy to thought provoking. This time around, I find it truly thought provoking.
Here are the instructions that Dave sent to each of the participants describing what this edition was to be about:
This time around I’m calling it ‘Shock rock’… but wait, it’s not about Marilyn Manson and Megadeath…unless you want it to be. The subject basically will be pick a record that you love that would surprise people… something that runs afar from your regular favorite listening. Maybe you like hard rock but love something by the Carpenters. Or are a huge ’60s fan who can’t get enough Bruno Mars. Or maybe it’s a little Tchaikovsky to wind down after a night full of Stones or Springsteen. Let us know what it is that makes that ‘oddball’ selection so appealing to you.
What Could Possibly “Surprise” You?
I have almost 5000 songs on my iPod. I have a CD collection that fills at least three storage totes, and 4 carrying cases. My external hard drive is loaded up with almost half a terabyte of songs. What ONE song would surprise you? This was my dilemma.
I had three songs immediately jump out at me when I first read Dave’s e-mail. The more I thought on them, I just wasn’t sure which one to pick. As I am writing this, I still question the one that I chose. I will stick with it because it isn’t something I would normally post, and it is more of a personal song. So how in the world did I narrow it down?
Grab my iPod and there is just about every genre of music on there. There is pop music from every decade from the 1930’s to the 2010’s. There is country music – classic and modern. There is a fair amount of R&B, Soul and Motown. I’m not ashamed to admit there are some disco favorites, too. You will also find Big Band and Swing music, Jazz, standards, and plenty of Classical music. There is Christian music and plenty of oldies. There are some favorite Christmas songs on the play list and songs that I played when I was in high school band that I downloaded from YouTube and other sources.
Going through the iPod, there were songs that I thought were “oddball” that I could write about. For example, I have almost every Weird Al Polka Medley on there. I also have music from the Shrek soundtrack, music from The Muppets, and music from the cartoon Phineas and Ferb. There are also plenty of songs that are on there that my kids used to listen to when we would be in the car from some of their favorite kid shows. Oddball, indeed.
All that being said, anyone who knows me or has read my blog before knows that I have a wide range of musical tastes. It would be easy to feature any one of the “oddball” songs mentioned in the above paragraph. Instead, there was one song that stood out for me. It is a song that I never skip when it comes on the iPod (there are only a few of those). It is also a song that I have debated posting on my blog as part of a “music Monday” or some music feature. I kept holding back, probably because it is such a personal song for me. Will you find it “shocking?” I doubt it.
Untitled Hymn – Chris Rice
Readers of my blog know that I am a Christian. While I don’t care for much of the “modern” Christian music, I do like many songs. I cannot recall when I first heard Chris Rice’s “Untitled Hymn,” but it hit me immediately. It was a song that I shared with one of the guys at church, who worked it up and sang it on more than one occasion.
To those who are not of the Christian faith, there will be no connection whatsoever to the song. To me, however, it hits me deep every time I hear it. I am reminded of who I was before and who I am now. It also reminds me that when my life is over – it isn’t over. I am aware that not everyone believes what I do, and that is ok. I’m ok if you just scroll on by this blog.
The song begins with a lone piano and then the vocal. The lyrics of this song speak of the journey of a Christian. From sinner to saved. Singing praise. New life in Christ and life’s struggles and looking to Him in those struggles. Feeling the love and joy that comes in this new life. Finally, the “end” of life on earth for the Christian and the beginning of the afterlife.
The vocal and the piano blend so perfectly. The inflection of the vocal through the dynamics of the song conveys the lyrics exactly how they need to be conveyed. Rice rerecorded the song for “A Collection of Hymns” with a more up-tempo piano and more instrumentation (strings, guitar, etc…) and vocal harmony. Personally, I prefer the original recording over the newer version. I feel it is more powerful.
Here is the original and the lyrics:
Weak and wounded sinner Lost and left to die Oh, raise your head for Love is passing by
Come to Jesus Come to Jesus Come to Jesus and live
Now your burden’s lifted And carried far away And precious blood has washed away the stain
So, sing to Jesus Sing to Jesus Sing to Jesus and live
And like a newborn baby Don’t be afraid to crawl And remember when you walk sometimes we fall
So, fall on Jesus Fall on Jesus Fall on Jesus and live
Sometimes the way is lonely And steep and filled with pain So if your sky is dark and pours the rain
Then cry to Jesus Cry to Jesus Cry to Jesus and live
Oh and when the love splills over And music fills the night And when you can’t contain your joy inside
Then dance for Jesus Dance for Jesus Dance for Jesus and live
With your final heartbeat Kiss the world goodbye Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory’s side
And fly to Jesus Fly to Jesus Fly to Jesus and live
Fly to Jesus Fly to Jesus Fly to Jesus and live
In Closing
Does it shock you that I picked this song? I guess it is a bit different than the songs I have posted in the past. Isn’t that what I was supposed to do? At any rate, Dave asked us to explain what makes this song so “appealing.” All I can say is that it appeals to me because I relate to it. Outside of the last verse, I have lived it. It is a song that strikes a chord (pun intended) every time I hear it. Depending on what is going on in my life, I either smile and sing along or cry and sing along. To me, that makes it one powerful song.
Thanks for allowing me to participate, Dave. I look forward to the next edition.
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 