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| July 3 : | ||
| Chemical Brothers--We Are the Night Velvet Revolver--Libertad |
Silverstein--Arrivals & Departures T.I.--VS T.I.P. |
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| July 10 : | ||
| Interpol--Our Love to Admire Bad Religion--New Maps of Hell Aly & AJ--Insomniatic |
Crowded House--Time on Earth Smashing Pumpkins--Zeitgeist |
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| July 17 : | ||
| Spoon--Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Garbage--Absolute Yellowcard--Paper Walls |
Minnie Driver--Seastories MXPX--Secret Weapon |
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| July 24 : | ||
| Sum 41--Underclass Hero Tegan & Sara--Con |
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BGO Top 10 |
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1 |
WHITE STRIPES Icky Thump (WEA) |
2 |
VELVET REVOLVER Libertad (Sony) |
3 |
FINGER ELEVEN Them vs. You vs. Me (WEA) |
4 |
NEIL YOUNG Live at Massey Hall 1971 (WEA) |
5 |
BON JOVI Lost Highway (Universal) |
6 |
OZZY OSBOURNE Black Rain (Sony) |
7 |
LINKIN PARK Minutes to Midnight (WEA) |
8 |
BILLY TALENT II (WEA) |
9 |
RIHANNA |
10 |
KELLY CLARKSON My December (Sony) |
BGO's Ask Alan archive.
In the liner notes for the posthumously released Jimi Hendrix Blues, reference is made to the influence of Celtic music in American Blues. This fusion apparently occurred when Irish and African slaves were brought together in the Caribbean by their English masters. Have you ever heard about this and might you know of any source for further reading?
Alan answers:
Technically speaking, the origin of the blues is most often credited to West Africa. The blues it made its way to North America via African slaves. The reference in the liner notes could very well be referring to the interaction slaves in the Southern U.S. had with the slaves of their "masters," Irish-Scots neighbours, who no doubt had been exposed to Irish and Scottish ballads. That being said, in the grand history of the blues you'd be hard pressed to find much of a Celtic influence within the music of blues legends like Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters. As for further blues readings, Robert Palmer's "Deep Blues"; is a good place to start.
I wonder if you know the story behind "Sugar Mountain" by Neil Young. Is it all a metaphor for growing up or was there such a place? Was it a club, or something?
Alan answers:
The answer to this is a little tricky. While there happens to be a town called Sugar Mountain in Avery, North Carolina, the "Sugar Mountain" Neil Young refers to is generally regarded as metaphoric. According to Neil's official biography Shakey, the song was written in Fort William, Ontario when Neil was just 19 years old and is a metaphor for lost innocence. But here's where it gets a little interesting. According to some online posts, there was a club Neil and Joni Mitchell used to frequent in Toronto called "Sugar Mountain" which wouldn't allow anyone over the age of 20. While this story can't be substantiated, it makes for an interesting read.
Rita Asks:
About two years ago I saw a documentary on CTV about the breakup of relationships. One of the songs featured was either Gord Downie or The Tragically Hip doing a cover of The Beach Boys' "Don't Worry Baby." Since then I haven't been able to find this on anything. Any ideas where I could find it?
Alan Answers:
The only official released version of The Tragically Hip's take on "Don't Worry Baby" can found midway through the live version of "New Orleans Is Sinking" found on the band's live album Live Between Us. The version you heard for the CTV documentary Dumped was recorded by Gord Downie exclusively for the show and isn't currently available.
