renaissance

One of the great pleasures in my life is rediscovering albums. Sometimes CDs in my collection fall by the wayside and will go untouched for months or sometimes years. But somehow, I always find the inspiration, whether it be a snippet overheard in Duane Reade or just some vague nonsensical reminder, that will prompt me to dig out the album and give it a listen.

I love rediscovering what once moved me. But what's even better is finding a new brilliant lyric, catchy guitar hook or textured melody in something familiar. Listening with fresh ears paves the way to find a new level of passion, longing and want in a singer's throaty wail, guitar solo or even a subtle key change. I'm always so pleased whenever I find one of these "Easter Eggs" in an album.

This week I resurrected U2's Achtung Baby. I forgot how good this entire album is. Not one song sucks, in my opinion. Granted, this was the beginning of the era of Bono as the forever bespectacled-and-leather-clad-kinda-smarmy-rock-star which I've come to sorta loathe, but still, it's an hour's worth of solid music. I likey.

This CD reminds me of good things. I believe it came out in the summer of... 1992? Is that right? If so, that was a good summer. My friends and I screeched along to every song on a very long road trip deep into the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina. U2, King Missile and the Violent Femmes helped pass the time along with our attempts to make truckers honk their horns and get boys in passing cars all hot and bothered with our "Elephant Shoes" trickery. If you're not sure what the latter is, situate yourself in front of a mirror and mouth (don't say out loud) the words "elephant shoes" and take note of what it looks like. Tricky, right?

Later that summer I remember squeezing... one... two... eight people into my '85 Plymouth Horizon and going to see the Zoo TV tour at Giants Stadium. The driver and passenger seats upfront were both bucket seats (with the gear thingy in the middle) so we were restricted to two up front while four of my friends shoehorned themselves into the backseat. My younger sister and her friend sat dutifully in the hatchback (with the cooler of beer) facing (and maniacally waving at) the incredulous drivers behind us. The back bumper was practically scraping the ground because of all the weight but somehow I managed to get us to the Meadowlands without losing a muffler or getting a ticket.

As we putzed around the parking lot looking for an ideal tailgating spot, people pointed and laughed at the overstuffed clown car in their midst. When I finally brought the car to a stop, the doors opened and everyone sort of popped out of the car rather than exited it.

As we waited for the show to start, David Bowie's "Young Americans" was pumped over the sound system. Just as the song started, a group of about 10 girls my age took the row of seats in front of us. Instead of just filing into the row and sitting down, they performed what looked like a choreographed routine. But it was totally spontaneous! The song started as they approached their seats, they all recognized it and began the most awesome, impromptu dance ever.

I particularly loved that people in my age group were dancing to David Bowie instead of say, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam. Not that I don't enjoy me some "Head to Toe" once in awhile but most of the music that was popular in my high school/early college days was so crappy and forgettable. A lot of the kids in my school were totally fine with it but it left me empty. I was one of the few who sought out older bands and/or newer artists inspired by them. I felt an instant kindred spirit with the like-minded dancing girls and wanted to jump over the row of seats and boogie with them. But then the stadium lights went down, the stage lights went up, the show started and me and my friends sang ourselves hoarse.

Note: I actually started writing this post the other day but had to put it aside. It's hard to write my usual goofy stuff considering what's going on in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. But I stopped by Sheila's blog today as I do every day and followed a link to a great post. Among other things, the author, Mitch, talks about those moments in songs that grab you and make your hair stand on end. His post is way more thorough and well written than mine but the sentiment is the same. I thought it was funny that we were both talking about the same thing more or less so I dusted off my draft and well, here you go. It's one of my more half-assed efforts but finishing it provided a welcome distraction from the horrifying headlines at least.

For those of you in NYC, Tanya, a friend of The Lovely Jess, is organizing a benefit to raise funds for Hurricane Katrina Relief.