Golden Chimes #4 - ‘You Stand There, Agape’
Delving into the world of 'That Golden Time' with notes from ‘The Golden Scrapbook’, ‘Golden Finds’ and ‘The Vault’.
Welcome back to 'Golden Chimes'; a space on Substack for my musical detritus, scribbles and obsessions. I’ll be sharing ephemera connecting back to all things for ‘That Golden Time’, recording acoustic cover versions of current favourite songs and old classics, and occasionally posting old Tascam tape recordings from my teenage years.
The Golden Scrapbook - Both Sides Now
A couple of weeks ago I asked the people of the internet to suggest some songs for me to cover. It seems you all have good taste in music, not that this surprises me in the slightest. Suffice to say, there is a list of incredible songs burning in the heart of my notebook and this week I finally got a chance to record one of them during rehearsals alongside magic piano man Kevin Corcoran and engineer extraordinaire Thomas Donoghue. ‘Both Sides Now’ by Joni Mitchell is the first cover I tried. What a beautiful song, and what a pleasure to sing. Before you listen, however, please consider leaving a tip to one of the following organisations at this insane, tumultuous time:
Unicef / Sudan Relief Fund / The Gaelic Woodland Project
Listen to ‘Both Sides Now (Villagers cover)’:
Golden Finds - The poetry of Mary Oliver
Mary Oliver was one of those poets that seemed to spend her life honing in on those sacred, mysterious moments when the world lovingly engulfs you in its rabid, glorious indifference. You stand there, agape, staring out at its unimaginable vastness, only for the toaster to scare away the geese. She says she got saved by the beauty of the world. I would suggest this happens to us daily. You should listen to her interview with Krista Tippett and go read her poetry under a tree in the cold spring rain.
The Vault - more from my teenage tape recordings circa 1998/1999
My musical love affair with Elvis Costello began when I purchased a cassette tape of “Punch the Clock” in Blackrock Market in the late nineties. “Shipbuilding” was the first song to really hook me in but it was only when I found 1986’s “Blood & Chocolate” that that this strange, sophisticated pop music began to fasten itself to the inside of my soul. “Spike” was another collection of songs I devoured and when he released the masterful “When I Was Cruel” at the height of my Radiohead/Wilco obsession I thought my brain was going to explode. Here is my teenage Tascam recording of Blood and Chocolate’s dark and surrealistic masterpiece “Battered Old Bird”, replete with whispery overdubs, and wobbly effects… enjoy.
I just love what you are doing here, Conor. Your teenage cover of Elvis Costello brought me back to the first time I heard you sing. Keep it coming. ❤️
Love the mix of musical musings and curated cultural suggestions!