My Musical Alphabet : J

As I keep saying, this stuff isn't mine and may very well be pulled for breach of copyright. You can, of course, go looking on YouTube, or its foreign variants, for copies. I'm sure you know how.

Here is your next 30 minutes worth of class.

I will begin this trawl through J with Mr. Elmore James, the master of the slide guitar. I have no idea where my liking for slide comes from. I've had a good old hard think about it and cannot find any rhyme or reason. I don't know when it started or why. All I know is that slide sometimes just hits the spot. I nearly said hits the right note! It does not link into Eurovision, it does not link into Quo (although Rossi has dabbled). Sorry but there is no juicy story to go with it.

Anyway, as Elmore James is from the very old days, here is a much younger George Thorogood playing Dust My Broom. Eventually - after 4 minutes of waffle.

  

Another J, is Jeff Wayne. There is no link here because I'd have to give you the whole album and I know your time is too precious. The work, is of course, The War of the Worlds. A brilliant album based on a brilliant story. Yes, I know it is a musical but, hey-ho.

I do not know about you but when I go on holiday abroad, I like to watch the TV. Even if you cannot understand it all, sometimes you come across a gem.  The one I found is from Jeyro and it is this:

  

This next one I can lay at the feet of my old dad. He bought me the soundtrack to 2001 (it was space related and I am a geek, remember?) On it was An der schönen blauen Donau or to give it the English name, The Blue Danube.  This fueled my love of the waltz and the ländler. Of course the J is for Johann Strauss. Did I mention that the movie must be one of the best ever?

  

Before the next J, a word about some of these choices. You might have noticed a common theme. I like strings - guitar, ruan, bazouki, balalaika, zither....so next up is Julian Bream. Hard to imagine that this is just one guitar. Brilliance. The piece is Recuerdos de la Alhambra.

  

To finish off with a little weirdness, here is Aneka with Japanese Boy. Another one full of Eastern Promise. And a one-off wonder to boot.

  

And so we come to the end (to paraphrase Bob Stewart on RTL). Well, the end of the Js.

As usual, feel free to add you thoughts whether you agree with me or not. It would be helpful to know what you think and if you want this to take any particular direction.