Happy Tuesday, all!
Today' soul track...
The Delfonics, y'all! I first heard "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" on the soundtrack to Jackie Brown and was convinced that it was one of the most beautiful, gorgeous songs I had ever heard. I still do think that! The song, which won the group a Grammy for Best R&B performance by a duo or group, was released as a single in 1970. It went all the way to #10 on the Billboard charts.
The Delfonics were one of the finest of the Philly Soul artists - which included The O'Jays, Teddy Pendergrass, The Stylistics, Patti Labelle, Gamble and Huff, The Spinners. These groups and artists flourished in the early 1970s, the songs driven by silky horns, strings, lush harmonies. The Delfonics' biggest song was probably "La La Means I Love You."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NL1YPVnKDc
I'm always curious as to what rare bird alerts have been posted around the state of Georgia; every once in a while, I post pictures. I haven't in a while, so that needs to be amended!
In the last month, the following birds have been spotted in the state:
Gray kingbird. Seen at St. Simons Island.
- Vocal, conspicuous big-billed songbird. Typically found in mangroves and coastal woodlands.
Glossy ibis. Seen at Ocmulgee National Monument in Macon.
- A dark wading bird with a down-curved bill. Typically found in marshes along the Atlantic Coast.
American avocet. Seen around Cartersville, Georgia (metro Atlanta).
- An elegant, striking shorebird with long legs and a long, upturned bill. Found in shallow fresh and saltwater marshes.
Greater white-fronted goose. Seen in Columbus.
- A bird that is usually only found west of the Mississippi in this country, the gray-bodied goose, like most other geese, bonds and stays together with its mate for long periods of time. In the non-winters, it can be found around the tundra wetlands.
Nashville warbler. Seen at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Atlanta.
- A tiny, insect-feeding songbird mostly yellow with a white eyering, the warbler (first observed in Nashville in 1811) lives in second-growth deciduous or mixed forests, with scrubby undergrowth.
Happy 168th birthday, Mary Cassatt!
Arguably the most famous female (and American) Impressionist, the retiring, socially shy Cassatt spent most of her working life in Paris, often living with her family - specifically, her sister. The whole family was somewhat socially reclusive, and many of Cassatt's well-known paintings are of her sister, tinkering around the home, reading, knitting, sitting outside in the garden. Cassatt specialized in the social and private lives of women.
She was born in Pittsburgh and traveled abroad frequently as a child, exposing herself to great foreign artists (Corot, Delacroix, Ingres). While living in Paris, she frequently exhibited at the Salon, but was later introduced by Degas to the Impressionists. She remained good friends with Degas and non-Impressionist John Singer Sargent. Neither she nor her sister Lydia ever married.
She is now best remembered for her paintings dealing with the theme of mother and child and her paintings of her sister in the Cassatt home in Paris.
The above work is is 1879's Cup of Tea (oil on canvas). In it, Cassatt's sister Lydia is seen observing a social ritual - tea time. Note the way the pink of the dress is seen in a reflected light, as opposed to the pink of the arm chair. The shimmery light highlights the serenity of the scene. (The painting is housed at the MET in New York City.)
Finally...
5 or 10 Things for the week of May 20-26:
10 Overrated Rock and Roll Songs
1. "Brown-Eyed Girl," Van Morrison
 |
| "Sha-na-na-na..." SHUT UP! |
2, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," The Rolling Stones
Just a repetitive, boring song. No idea why it's regarded as the best of the Stones.
3. "Wonderful Tonight," Eric Clapton
 |
| Just sickening. |
4. "Black Magic Woman," Santana.
Doesn't set a mood. Drawn-out, dated. Santana's guitar playing is generally generic-sounding.
5. "Rainy Day Women," Bob Dylan.
They'll stone you when you're trying to be so good, yadda yadda yadda... Get on with it.
 |
| The man of 1000 songs. One-third of which suck. |
6. "Fame," David Bowie.
Even the chorus isn't that good.
7. "Who Are You" The Who.
Sure, we know it's the CSI song. But does anyone actually like this song? Can anyone stand to listen to it in its entirety?
 |
| "Who-who, poo-poo!" |
I hate this song.
9. "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Nirvana.
Yep. Grunge has aged very badly.
10. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," U2.
I could have included any of the following: "Another Brick in the Wall" by Pink Floyd, "Killer Queen" by Queen, "Sweet Child of Mine" by Guns 'n Roses, Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender," Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA." All of them are very one-note.
Images taken from:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_52eoXY6hh5Q/R-m1hKhgASI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/mMONGUnZLpo/s320/delfonics%2B-%2BDidn%27t%2BI%2Balbum.jpg
http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MEDIA/fsbdev3_042540.jpg
http://www.oceanwanderers.com/GlossyIbis.1413.JPG
http://naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/photos/birds/american_avocet_8877np.jpg
http://www.outdooralabama.com/images/Image/GreaterWhitefrontedGoose.jpg
http://www.roysephotos.com/zzNashvilleW20D.jpg
http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/paintings-by-mary-cassatt-3.jpg
http://www.clashmusic.com/files/imagecache/big_node_view/files/images/van%20morrison.jpg
http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/10_04/ericcDM0111_468x410.jpg
http://www.8notes.com/wiki/images/250px-Bob_Dylan_by_Daniel_Kramer.jpg
http://starling.rinet.ru/music/sleeves/zap_who.jpg
Information taken from:
http://birdingonthe.net/hotmail/EAST.122230257.html
http://floridabirdingtrail.com/index.php/conservation/bird/gray_kingbird/
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Glossy_Ibis/id
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/american_avocet/id
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/greater_white-fronted_goose/lifehistory
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Nashville_Warbler/lifehistory
http://www.marycassatt.org/
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/22.16.17
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