new-music

Music. Jackson Browne. The Brothers Comatose. Serendipity.

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The last post about waking up in the middle of the night? Anxious? Distraught? Possibly even in despair? A lead-in to depression?

Ha.

A fortuitous click/flick on a Samsung phone yielded a Youtube video of The Brothers Comatose performing Jackson Browne’s “These Days”.

If you are at all unhappy with life, politics, a cruel ex-girlfriend, or calamities of any kind…find this video. As a strong, modern American, internally fortitudely (sic, for the entire sentence) secure man, I cried. After 10 plays, still crying.

Music has the power, seemingly the duty to save us from…everything. A good poem helps us. A good tune helps us. But a great song? It heals. Alters the mind. Makes life better. Not just better, but wonderfully okay, euphorically livable. Especially in old age.

I’ve written about Jackson Browne (JB) before, and how many males my age grew up with his music, his fantastically, emotionally pertinent music. You can hear almost his entire, 60 year, lifetime catalogue—done by him—performed differently in every decade since 1970. You can also hear most of his catalogue covered by DIFFERENT artists in every decade since 1970. A lot of the great 60’s and 70’s acts have such an emotional power for us, The Aging Man and Woman. For you, it might be someone else. Definitely someone else for you younger readers.

The power of this type of music is amazing, whoever it is, whenever you hear it. God’s gift to us.

“These Days” was written by JB when he was 16 and recorded by Nico in 1967. AI says the song deals with “loss and regret”. I’ve listened every decade, since.

The Brothers Comatose have covered “These Days” more than perfectly, more than respectfully. They turned it into a divine version so singularly apt for the time I accidentally found it, when it was needed most, as if their version was meant for me, alone, at this time in my life. Serendipity. Karma. Providence. (The Brothers Comatose did the same thing to Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon”, a performance I rely on, frequently, for mood settling and the overall restoration of good feelings.)

It is a hope that you, the individual, unique, one-of-a-kind reader, has something similar in your life.

One of the problems, however, is remembering you have this power to turn to in time of need. If I’d have listened to “Harvest Moon”  last night, for example, instead of memorializing my angst in writing, well…

Now I have JB, The Brothers Comatose, and the rest for comfort. How fortunate is that? Bring it on, Trusk…and the rest of life.

JB can be watched from the early days, when he was a young, handsome man, all the way up to now, age 76 in 2025. While interesting to view, does it make JB, himself, sad/happy/unsure to see himself age?

JB’s voice is gruffly pleasant to some, but not to others. It is intriguing, then to hear his songs covered by females like Bonnie Raittt, Linda Ronstadt, Nico, Allison Krause, and AJ Lee. They all—and others—have the power to add emotional depth to every JB song they perform. See Bonnie’s version of JB’s “My Opening Farewell”.

An interesting video, too, is JB and Gregg Allmann “outgruffing” each other on a live version of The Allmans Brothers’ “Melissa” from ten years ago. It is a spectacular live performance.

It’s 3 am and it has taken three hours to type this short post. Damn music videos. It appears there are many things in my life to be thankful for, many blessings to appreciate.

Calamities, Trump, deceitful girlfriend, and every single problem Old Age can throw at me, be damned. Oh, and death. Screw ‘em all.

My new motto? Devour Feculance. (Thank you, Mr. Milchick.)

And thanks to all the great artists who have accepted their gifts and shared them with us, the rest of the world.

Jackson Browne, a benefit of old age and progress

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From memory: music at age 10 (in 1960) was late night AM radio. At 13, it was a “box” record player for 45 rpm, two sided records, one song each side, A and B. At 15 it was a “monoaural” stereo placed next to the bed so sleep could be induced by listening to the big albums of Steppenwolf, The Troggs, The Kinks. The Kingsmen, and et.al. Age 17, a real stereo. At college, I learned how much sound ceiling-high, high-fidelity speakers could make, and how all my old favorites sounded “different”. Volume was important and if anyone complained, it was ignored and counted as an honor. 8 tracks, cassettes, Cds, MP3 and others followed, but I have no clue where the free music on Youtube comes from these days

The point I’m trying to get to (when not sidetracked by reminiscing), is music seemed to have evolved over time in partnership with the devices offering the sounds. Hmph. That’s not really the point but it helps to know because now—at this late stage in my life—I’ve been exposed to the wonderful world of ear buds. Good ear buds. They’re not new to me, but the ones I tried costing less than $300, never seemed to work good. (Well?) Same with headphones.

So I went back to listening as if in college: naked and close to the speaker with volume on 11. And I meant a “naked” ear, juveniles.

In 1970-something, Jackson Browne “dropped” an album we now refer to as “Saturate Before Using”, even though…long story for later. Let’s go with that title. Google it if you’re curious. The record had some good songs but nothing that made the record worth buying after hearing AM radio, and juke boxes. My disinterest did not stop Jackson and he continued to make records and two years later “For Everyman” hooked me. It got worn it out over the next 5 years or so.

 Then, I lost track of music, hearing it in the background, but not asking it to come forward and be the focal point of life. It was just there. Important note: there was all kinds of good music coming from good musicians (Eagles? Fleetwood Mac?) in the years between the late 1970s and when music reintroduced itself decades late, at my retirement. Not working gave me free time.

Let me end this because you’re drifting away…in 2023, while being treated for cancer, I accidentally purchased a pair of ear buds for $19, They were so fantastic they changed everything about music and life. No hyperbole.

Then, the ear buds got ahold of Jackson’s “Saturate Before Using”. The intricacy and flourishes, and backing sounds, and bass lines, the drums, and the shear musical craftsmanship coming from those ear buds brings me back to The Chair EVERY DAY, for at least an hour of music. And each time, there is something new and wonderful in songs I’ve listened to for many years but never really heard. Thank you, Ear Buds, and the company which finally decided to sell them at a decent price. (Not naming the company, but they know who they are. Call me?)

          Besides Jackson’s songs, find “Melissa” by Greg Allman with Jackson Brown. “Harvest Moon” by both Neil Young, (who wrote it) and a cover by The Brothers Comatose. And “River of Dreams” by Billy Joel. Find these songs, sit in your favorite chair, plug in your GOOD ear buds, and “Drift Away”…and find your own music.

Another Old Age Benefit: Jackson Browne

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Here is a great benefit–and even a reason–for getting older: art.

Specifically, music. At a young age, I was exposed (in a good way) to Jackson Browne’s (JB) “Saturate Before Using” album. (Side bar to readers: you can substitute any artist or singer who entered your life at the years between 13 and 25.)

The music became the soundtrack of a youth well-meant, but misspent. There were young people this age who knew exactly what they wanted to be when they left this age, and they became lawyers, doctors, politicians, and other educated professional. But most of us were dreamers, malcontents, hopers, losers, and rebels. (Not without “cause”, since there were lots of those in the 60s and 70s.)

“Saturate Before Using” and all the following albums from this magnificent songwriter (again: substitute your own) were works seemingly tracking my life. Titles tell it better: “Waiting For Everyman”, “Rock Me On The Water”, “These Days”, “After the Deluge”, “Late For The Sky”, and those were just the 70’s. In later decades: “I’m Alive”, “Sleep’s Dark and Silent Gate”, and “The Pretender”.

Through the years his songs have been on vinyl LP albums with full liner notes and photos as well as 8-track, cassette, CD, MP3 and now digital mediums making his music available everywhere, anytime. You don’t need your room and a record player, anymore. The progress of the music delivery, alone, is cause to celebrate being old enough to enjoy. And don’t get me started on ear buds delivering a wall of perfect sound far out performing even the biggest speakers we packed in our small apartments. Downside, I don’t irritate the neighbors, now. Boston’s 1976 hit “More Than A Feeling” was much more than a feeling to people accidentally listening within the 1 mile radius of our stereo. Hey, they got the music for free, why did they complain?

But the real benefit of getting old is…drum roll…the music and musicians get older, too! I ponder how much better I am at my advanced age, but it’s positively amazing the how much better old music and old performers are*. If they’re still alive. Better, yet, you can see it and hear it. A favorite song written by JB, “These Days”, can now, not only be heard in its original 1960’s form, but the many ways JB has performed it over the last 60 years! I’ve spent an hour listening to decades of one song. And each time my ear buds hear something different, and evoke a certain time in my life. An added bonus: as with most songwriters, (again, sub in your favorite) other performers made their versions. (Eg,: “My Opening Farewell”, from the early seventies JB, remixed and posted on you tube by Bonnie Raitt in 2008.) Listen and you’ll feel lucky to be old and alive. (Important note: most of the music is on youtube. For free.)

If you do take the time to track your favorite artist, keep some tissues handy. And don’t fret about how much your favorite no longer looks like how you remember them. Jackson kind of looks like me, now.

Enjoy the life you lived, the life your favorite artist lived, and then relive it all again. What a world.

Hm. How do movie actors feel when THEY get old and can watch themselves as young performers? Imagine seeing yourself at 19, 29, 39, 49, and later…got to stop…

*Not a preposition, in this case, Strunk and White aficionados. Also, I don’t care if it is.