The Pleasures of the Royal Courts (1976)

Sometimes you have to break the old patterns - leave everything and start a new life somewhere else, singing loud in the grocery store or listen to music from the Middle Ages and to top it all, write a blog post about it.

Classical music has never been my thing, I've done tame attempts to learn to appreciate it, but have always failed. With "classical music" I reflexively mean music from the 1600s onwards - Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Vivaldi and the other guys. But you go back even further, the 11-, 12- and 1300s, well, then it suddenly becomes interesting. Medieval music. Music of knights. Music of thieves(?).

Perhaps it is that it's often simpler music than the rather complex orchestral pieces that were created later. Fewer instruments. Not a bunch of different parallel parts. Not an orchestra with 50 members. The simple suits me better. Moreover, there are quite cool instruments, different kinds of flutes and horns, small portable organs, simple drums, harp. And some vocals on that.

David Munrow, director

I really know nothing about the epoch from a musical point of view. The companies who released these kind of LPs probably knew that, as the back of the covers are filled with facts. If you have the energy to read it. Personally, I read it quite absentmindedly while I appreciate the music.

On this particular LP, The Early Music Consort of London plays, and the director is David Munrow, apparently a legendary figure in the niche. He tragically committed suicide the same year this album was released. On the album, there is early music from, amongst others, Spain, Italy, Germany and Burgundy, from the 12s to the 1500s. When this record is spinning on the turntable I disappear from the living room and find myself sitting by a long table in an old castle, eating wild boar with a sword, ready to be swung. And that you also often find these kind of albums for $ 1 doesn't make things worse.


Tracklist

Side A
1. The Courtly Art Of The Trouveres: 7:26
(A) Rondeau, Tant con je vivrai
(B) La sexte real estampie
(C) Ductia
(D) Quant je voy YVER
(E) Fines amouretes ai
(F) Souvent souspire mon the speaks
2. The Burgundian Court Of Philip The Good 9:31
(A) Lower Dance, Falling con misuras
(B) Ballade, Entre vous noviaux Maries
(C) Chanson, Vergine Bella
3. The German Court Of Emperor Maximilian 7:19
(A) Isbruck, ich muss dich lassen
(B) SpanyolerTancz And Hopper Dancz
(C) Nun wollt ih horen neue March '

Side B
1 The Italian Music of the Medici Court 10:17
(A) O fallace speranza
(B) Tua volsi esser semper mai
(C) E quando andarete al monte
(D) Zorzi
(E) Pavana into passe e mezzo
(F) de la saltarello Pavana
(G) La Manfrolina
(H) El Pomo de lo Pomaro
(I) La Rocha electricity Fuso
(J) Non e tempo
2. The Spanish Courts In The Early 16th Century 11:00
(A) primera y segunda Recercadas
(B) La tricotea Samartun
(C) Diferenciassobre 'La Dama le demanda'
(D) Rodrigo Martine
(E) Ay triste que vengo
(F) Pase electricity Agoa ma Julieta

Blondie - "Parallel Lines" (1978)

For a long time I was suspicious towards Blondie. All I'd heard was Heart Of Glass, sure, a cool song that found its way into my childhood through a dance competition at a disco where my brother won it, but still a relatively commercial disco song that the musically conscious Markus couldn't quite accept as a member in the collection. Blondie was a band that created commercial pop that amused the masses. Nothing for the connoisseur. This idea lingered on until quite recently. I was of course wrong, as so often when it comes to ideas about music you never actually heard. Blondie created, at least on Parallel Lines, really nice stuff. And yes, I have come to understand that music that speaks to the masses can actually be pretty good.

Of course, Blondie is the name of the band and not the singer, as I and so many others have believed. The singer is Debbie Harry.

When I first listened to this album I realized that I actually knew one other song with the band, One Way Or Another, was one of many hits from the album. I was only six years old when it was released, so obviously it is this song together with Heart Of Glass which have been best transferred to later generations.

The Australian Mike Chapman has produced the album and he has described that Blondie was the worst band he's ever worked with in terms of musical knowledge / performance. He urged several members to focus on songwriting instead of playing. But thanks to studio technique (I guess) I don't notice this. The atmosphere in the studio wasn't the best either, since none of the band members really liked each other, according to Chapman, besides Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of course, who were a couple.

Anyway, the record contains a string of pearls. It's usually described as a pop / new wave album, and I think you can clearly hear traces of punk in several of the songs. Heart Of Glass is not a representative song of the album, as it is quite alone in its disco sound. Half of the songs were released as singles, but my favorites are among those who wasn't - the more evocative and calm Fade Away And Radiate and the Bowie smelling Pretty Baby.

In general an up-tempo, cocaine-soaked, record with many qualitative songs. Debbie and Chris Stein got a few years later so severe drug problems that they more or less lost everything they owned, according to what I read on the reliable source internet. But in 1978, life was still pretty fun.


Tracklist

Side A
1. Hanging On The Telephone 2:17
2. One Way Or Another 3:31
3. Picture This 2:53
4. Fade Away And Radiate 3:57
5. Pretty Baby 3:16
6. Know Bur I Do not Know 3:53

Side B
1. 11:59 3:19
2. Will Anything Happen? 2:55
3. Sunday Girl 3:01
4. Heart Of Glass 3:54
5. I'm Gonna Love You Too 2:03
6. Just Go Away 3:21