#Saint Dominic’s Preview

[jt1674]

[total-derangement-of-the-senses]

Song of the Day

5 Aug., ‘23

[tfc2211]

Play ▶ Van Morrison: Saint Dominic’s Preview (1972)

Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile) Gypsy I Will Be There Listen To The Lion Saint Dominic's Preview Redwood Tree Almost Independence Day

[thisphantomlife]

Songs Hozier has covered

Bowie - Changes, Young Americans (see also Trinity Orchestra section)

Prince - I Wanna Be Your Lover, Raspberry Beret, Jungle Love

James Carr - The Dark End Of The Street

The Beatles - Blackbird

John Lennon (Donny Hathaway version) - Jealous Guy (at the goldenplec block party with Zaska)

Ariana Grande - Problem

Warren G - Regulate (mashup with Problem)

James Blake - Retrograde

Tom Waits - Strange Weather

Florence and the Machine - Cosmic Love

Stevie Wonder - Living for the City, As

Sting - 7 Days

The BeeGees - To Love Somebody

Lauryn Hill - Doo Wop (that thing)

Amerie - One Thing

Skip James - Illinois Blues

Muddy Waters - Catfish Blues

Van Morrison - Caravan, Sweet Thing, Domino, Brown Eyed Girl, Saint Dominic’s Preview

Bill Withers - Ain’t No Sunshine

Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know

Demi Lovato - Sorry Not Sorry

Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love

Fun - We Are Young

Paul Simon - Bridge Over Troubled Water

Sam Smith - Lay Me Down

Destiny’s Child - Say My Name

Britney Spears - Toxic (snippet)

The Band - The Weight

Otis Rush version of Willie Dixon and the Big Three Trio - My Love Will Never Die

The Talking Heads - Burning Down the House (Instagram live messing around with friends)

The Staple Singers - Let’s Do it Again

The Weather Forecast 🤪

Ed Lewis - I Be So Glad When the Sun Goes Down (Instagram snippet)

Mavis Staples - Eyes on the Prize

Jackie Wilson - (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher

The Meters - Just Kissed My Baby

Traffic (song originally by Traffic, Andrew covered the Joe Cocker version) - Feeling Alright

Christmas Songs - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Winter Wonderland, Santa Claus is Coming to Town (with others at the Xmas Eve Ball 2015)

Traditional Irish songs - My Lagan Love, The Humours of Whiskey, I Am Stretched On Your Grave, The Rolling Wave (on the low whistle), The Parting Glass, The Lonely Jig (on the low whistle)

(Live) Collabs - that are not Andrew’s own songs

Alvin Youngblood Hart - Illinois Blues

Maren Morris - The Bones, My Church, Girl, The Tree

Annie Lennox - I Put a Spell on You (Screamin Jay Hawkins cover)

Tom Odell - Another Love

Noah Kahan - Northern Attitude

Allison Russell - Requiem, Stop Dragging My Heart Around (Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty cover)

Brandi Carlile - The Joke, Walk On (U2 cover), The Weight (The Band cover)

Jamala - Walk On (U2 cover)

Mavis Staples - The Weight (The Band cover), Keep Your Eyes on the Prize (with Our Native Daughters, Jason Isbell and Phil Cook)

Boygenius - Salt in the Wound

Alana Henderson - Ae Fond Kiss (poem by Robert Burns)

U2 - When Love Comes to Town

Tori Kelly - Blackbird (the Beatles cover)

Mumford and Sons - Guiding Light, Awake My Soul, With a Little Help From My Friends (Beatles cover, with other artists)

Lake Street Dive - Everyday People (Sly and the Family Stone cover)

Rachael Price - Rental Love

Victoria Canal - Swan Song

Elwood (his dog) - Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (Elton John and Kiki Dee cover, Insta snippet)

All the artists at Love Rocks NYC 2022 - Like A Rolling Stone (Bob Dylan cover), Feeling Alright (Traffic cover)

Brian Kennedy (and others) - I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free (Nina Simone cover)

His Dad - The Weight (The Band cover at MSG)

Zaska, Wyvern Lingo, Loah - Sir Duke (Stevie Wonder cover)

Eabha McMahon - Bright Blue Rose (Jimmy McCarthy cover)

Brittany Howard - Feeling Alright (Joe Cocker version cover)

Joan Baez - We Shall Overcome, The Weight (The Band cover)

Christmas Eve Busk 2015

Bono, Glen Hansard - When Love Comes to Town, Every Breaking Wave

Glen Hansard, Imelda May - The Dark End of the Street (James Carr cover)

Christmas Eve Busk 2017

Glen Hansard, Coronas, Imelda May, Liam O Maonlaoi - So This is Christmas (John Lennon cover), The Aul Triangle

Music Groups

Nova Collective - (original songs) Tuile, Closer, Quick Bossa

Zaska - (original songs) In Your Own Sweet Time, Different Light, She Gunk Gunk Dunk A Funk, Oh Yeah

Anuna - with Andrew on lead vocals: The Raid, La Chanson de Mardi Gras. With Andrew in the choir: Jingle Bells, An Uaithne

The Wiggles - Cherry Tree Carol with Anuna

Trinity Orchestra - songs covered with Andrew on lead vocals

~ Queen - Somebody To Love, Don’t Stop Me Now

~ Arcade Fire - My Body is a Cage

~ Pink Floyd - Time, Breathe, Comfortably Numb, Shine on You Crazy Diamond, Money

~ Michael Jackson - Earth Song, Black or White, Smooth Criminal

~ David Bowie - Heroes

*This list may not be complete. It only contains songs that can be found online.

Please let me know if any songs are missing so I can add them 🫶

I’ve not included the songs he sang snippets of on that Song Association interview

[satans-helper]

Reaching for Stardust - Part II

Read Looking For Space here; playlist / Read RFS Part I here; playlist

Read (comment!!) on wattpad

Word Count: ~4300

Warnings: none

<3

---

Josh and I had tackled grocery shopping first thing in the morning, unpacked it all, then headed out for a long walk through some swamps that were so overgrown and murky that it lended to a very quiet experience with no one to interrupt us. It was nice. He’d been quieter than usual again, though I thought he might just want to tune into the wildlife we didn’t always get to encounter–the tree frogs were invisible around us but loud, their throaty songs permeating the air, and Josh vocalized wonder as to what they were saying to each other. The bullfrogs were loud too, impressive in their deep calls, and we saw a couple leap from the muddy edges of the trail into the dark, shallow water and disappear. Redwing blackbirds fluttered from reed to reed, pausing on cattails to tweet more words unknown to us before going off to perch somewhere else, and the geese beyond were paddling through the water with fuzzy bunches of yellow babies, which Josh and I had to stop and watch until they got too far away to squeal over anymore. 

But Josh wasn’t quiet in the car–he was singing along to Van Morrison, the copy of Saint Dominic’s Preview that his dad had given to him rolling through the CD player, and I was amused at how he sang every word with passion despite how strangely their voices mixed. Or didn’t mix at all, really. They didn’t go together, making for quite a jarring duet, but Josh just kept going and I kept watching–I watched the sun hit his eyelashes and his cheekbones, how it cast a shadow down his neck when we drove through the trees and back onto the paved roads, and I watched his hands move from the wheel to the air as he sang along. He was always moving. He couldn’t ever just be still, not even while driving, and I could still remember how much that had annoyed me when we’d first met. Now, I couldn’t imagine why–he was like a bird too, colorful and vocal, quick and strategic. 

The sun wrapped itself through his honey curls and I reached out to touch his hair, to run my fingers over the shaved patch above his ear. “You ever gonna let all this grow out again?” 

Josh hummed with the last few words of the song before he answered: “Maybe. Why, do you miss it?”

“Sometimes,” I admitted, looking in my mind’s eye at a snapshot of Josh from years prior, all that hair wild, untamed, ridiculous, adorable. “I like it. But you already know if you get rid of all your hair, I’m leaving you.”

He laughed, nose crinkling. “Oh yeah, you’ve told me that. I’m not gonna. We still have to get married, you know.”

I huffed out a small laugh at him throwing that out there so casually. “I remember that too, don’t worry.” 

“So when are we gonna do it?” Josh asked, turning for a moment to look at me, his eyes catching the light too and I could see a brief glimpse of all their colors, the nature that lived inside those irises. 

“After you propose to me,” I told him, then laughed again. “Unless this is your proposal?”

“Absolutely not. But you said you didn’t want me to propose to you yet.” 

“You don’t think we should buy a house first?” I reminded him, looking out the window as we passed other people’s houses, all looking way better than an apartment. “That’s really my only stipulation. I thought we talked about it.”

“I know. But I just don’t wanna wait much longer, darling.” 

I looked back at him, gazing down at the pendant, the Taurean bull, the little starshine jewel, I’d given him for our first anniversary that was hanging around his neck. Truthfully, I didn’t want to wait much longer either but I wanted to put down real roots first–I wanted us to have a place we could truly call home and begin to build before we put the final touch on our relationship. Josh had never been so orthodox with anything really and that was okay, which made me wonder even more why he wasn’t so willing to just go along with my idea. But maybe this was that bull-like stubbornness rearing its head. 

“It’ll be better for us to be married when we buy a house anyway,” Josh went on. “For the taxes and everything.”

“Oh?” I quipped, not even sure about that myself. “What difference does it make? I thought married couples got tax breaks no matter where they lived.”

“Well, both our names would be on the deed or whatever regardless. What difference does it make when we buy a house?”

“If it makes no difference, why can’t we buy a house before we get married?”

Josh sighed. “We could probably plan a whole wedding and get married in the time it’d take to even find a house.”

“Wanna bet?” 

“No, I just wanna be your husband.”

I inhaled sharply. That shut me up. We’d talked about getting engaged, getting married, being married, but we’d never actually said “husband” and “wife” before. It sounded so formal. So adult. And I often still felt like Josh and I were still kids, just two silly people messing around even while being in love and having a life together, and it was jarring to suddenly be reminded that we were far from that. So far from that and there was no going back and that wasn’t even a bad thing. It was just kind of a scary thing. 

“Okay. No bets,” I said, reaching over to place my hand on his thigh. “But I still think I can find a house faster than you can get a ring.” 

“You think I don’t already have a ring?” Josh asked, then cackled over Van Morrison’s grunting. “Come on, you know me better than that.”

My heart did a little flip. “You do? Seriously?”

Josh patted my hand on his thigh. “Yeah, silly goose,” he said, then wagged his finger at me with his eyes on the road. “But don’t even think about asking to see it. That’s gonna be a surprise. The whole proposal will be a surprise.” 

I had imagined it many times in slightly different ways each time. The one constant was that it would be at night–the stars HAD to be there when it happened. I trusted Josh felt the same way. As I imagined it again, I said, “I’m sure it will be. You’ve always been full of surprises.”

“I try my best. Gotta keep things spicy,” Josh said, smiling big enough in my peripheral vision to catch my full attention again. “So about tonight–you wanna get dinner first?” 

“Yeah, definitely. You said there’s some Mediterranean place that’s good?” 

“Sam says so. Or we could go to that diner we liked the last time. Up to you.”

I looked back out the window. We were almost home and the afternoon was still relatively young and warm, keeping me optimistic about the impending night, not that there was anything to actually be edgy about. It was always just such an experience when the boys played a show–they’d come so far as time had gone on. They were on a real label, had a manager, traveled in an actual bus and had all moved to Detroit in the past year. Big changes. Josh and I knew those wouldn’t be the last of the changes, either. It felt like only a matter of time before they moved somewhere even bigger where they could really flesh out and grow to be even more successful so, for now, we all made the mini road trip whenever we could to see one another. I was glad their show was going to be in their home base and even though we could zip back home afterward, I proposed something of my own instead.

“What if we got a hotel tonight?” I asked Josh, already picturing the two of us rolling around drunk in fluffy white linens.

“Ooh, hell yes,” Josh said, smiling big again, his perfect teeth gleaming in the sun. “Why didn’t we think of that sooner? I mean, what’s stopping us?”

“Absolutely nothing.” I grabbed my phone and pulled up Google. “I’ll find us a room right now.”

We showered, dressed, packed our bags and headed on the road again with Josh driving, of course, again. He’d bought a used Jeep Compass a few months back and was still loving it even with winter being over–it was a struggle to get him NOT to drive. Not that I minded. Josh was good at going fast enough to always make good time without ever attracting police, which he was also very skilled at spotting along the highway. I did find it amusing how small he looked inside the car though, perched up high in the driver’s seat like a little sparrow. 

I missed the boys, probably far more than I let any of them and also Josh on. It’s not like they were all that far away, just a hop skip and a jump down 75 and we were there, but sometimes it felt so far. I had gotten so used to seeing them all the time. They were always around. Then suddenly they weren’t. What made it more difficult was how much busier they’d become, so texting had decreased and phone calls were almost non-existent, at least with me. I knew it wasn’t all that much better for Josh but he never let his woes about it show. I still knew it hurt him, he was just resilient, always able to find the good in everything even when it was painful to get there.

“Do you ever think about what life would be like if you’d been part of the band?” I asked Josh as we cruised down the highway, the sky a vast sea of surprisingly clear blue beyond. “I mean, you definitely have the voice for it. And the poetry.” We’d talked about this before too, but it’d been a while–I was curious if the answer had changed. Josh always struck me as someone who needed more freedom than even an artsy film instructor had; then again, sometimes it seemed like being in a touring band didn’t give the boys all the freedom they deserved. 

“It’d be fun. But my life is fun now, too,” Josh said, turning to give me a wide, sparkling grin. “Anyway, I always stole the show when Jake and I were growing up. Now it’s his turn to be front and center.” 

“They all look so–so shiny all the time now,” I commented, looking out the window as I envisioned Danny with his face adorned in rhinestones, Sam’s sleek, shimmering blazers and Jake’s jeweled details on all his stage outfits. 

Josh laughed, sounding pleased by my observation. “They clearly have fun with it. I keep asking Jake to give me some things whenever he’s done with them. Reduce, reuse, recycle to your older brother.”

“Older by five minutes,” I reminded him, although I definitely was into the idea of Jake passing on some pieces to Josh. He’d wear a bejeweled jacket out anywhere, no fancy event needed. 

-

Our hotel was more or less in the heart of downtown, requiring Josh to zip his Jeep through a dark parking garage, and then our echoing footsteps brought us down an elevator and to the check-in desk, where Josh was too late with scolding me for paying for the room. I told him he could buy dinner and breakfast to make up for it, to which he grumbled but ultimately agreed. 

The room was standard–simple and inviting and so neat and tidy that I felt a weight lift off my chest. Cool taupe walls surrounded us, with mahogany carpet to go along with the paint and a mahogany desk to match that, a queen bed made up with a tightly tucked, plush white bedspread and an excess of fat pillows, a decently sized flatscreen TV, a black mini fridge with an array of undoubtedly ungodly priced snacks laid neatly beneath it. The best part of the room was the view. We had an open, clear view of the city, the buildings tall and captivating beyond the glass, and the river wasn’t far from our eyes either. 

We dropped our bags to the floor and I beelined for the bathroom, which was also impeccably clean–at least in appearance–and neat, and from beyond the closed door, which was an element of our relationship neither of us felt compelled to change, Josh spoke to me.

“So are we still doing Mediterranean? Or do you wanna look at this visitor’s guide?”

As I zipped back up I replied, “We should look anyway. Like we’re tourists.” 

“We’re like groupies,” Josh corrected as I washed my hands, and when I came back out he was sitting at the foot of the bed flipping through the guide. 

“Yeah, that’s more accurate.” I sat down next to him, then flopped backwards to lie flat on the firm yet somehow cloud-like mattress. “The show’s at seven, right?” 

“Yep. Masonic Temple.”

“Oh yeah.” I turned to look out the window, the memory of our last experience there coming back to me–it had been the boys on that stage last time, too. It was crazy, I thought, how drastically things could change in just a couple years. I wasn’t sure I could take much more change for a while. 

Josh and I had preemptively decided that we would actually show up as sparkly and glittery as we could to go along with, and hopefully bring some joy to, the boys. We stood side by side in the bathroom mirror after we got dressed–Josh was wearing a flowy, sheer white shirt with gold embroidery that he’d found during a previous thrifting excursion–while I was in form-fitting royal purple, applying glitter to our eyes and cheeks until we both looked more or less like disco balls. 

No matter how much or what kind of attention he drew to himself, Josh never got his feathers ruffled and I always adored that about him. He walked as tall as he could, with a natural air of pride but also approachability, and kept himself open to that attention and to the whole world. He just never seemed that afraid of anything–not of judgment, certainly. And not even of all these changes. He took everything as it came, threw some glitter on it like it was magic and went through the universe like he knew he was an intrinsic, unstoppable part of it. And he’d helped me feel the same at times, like when we descended in the elevator and reentered the public, and I didn’t feel any shame at all even while plastered in color and sparkle. What made it all the better was when Josh took my hand as we exited the hotel and hit the streets. I still often felt like one of these days, he was going to take my hand and we were just going to fly away like Peter Pan and Wendy. I figured stranger things had happened, and Josh was full of wondrous strangeness. 

Our dinner ran late with the restaurant understandably being busy on a Saturday night, so by the time we got to the venue, the opener was already playing and Josh and I decided we’d wait until after the show to accost the boys. I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that they’d reached a point of success where they had opening bands and weren’t the opening act themselves but by the time they were beneath the lights, glittering and sparkling even more than I expected, I was reminded yet again of just how incredible they were. 

Sitting next to me, Josh bobbed and sang quietly along to the songs. He knew all of them, even the newer ones, by heart. There was a part of me that had always anticipated him changing course, joining the band, no matter how fulfilled he already was. I could easily see him up there next to Jake, creating beautiful chaos right along with everyone else. But I was glad he hadn’t. I thought our life together was fun, too–Josh immersed in academia, in a subject he loved just as much as music, me trailing along in travel writing that wasn’t quite a passion but certainly helped to keep the focus and the funds on building more and more pieces of this life together. 

Josh took my hand and gently stroked the backs of my fingers; I thought about what it would be like if we both wore wedding rings. I didn’t even know what his might look like for sure–gold, certainly, but a simple band didn’t suit him. He’d need something more extravagant. What did my ring look like? Where did he keep it? When did he buy it? My mind was suddenly racing with so many questions that my surroundings blurred until my body registered Josh’s touch again, and I looked down at his own perfectly sculpted hand before looking back up at the stage.

When we were backstage, riding a high that wasn’t even truly our own, Josh roped his twin into a tight hug and I made my way to the rhythm section, and soon enough I felt Sam’s lanky arms and Danny’s ridiculously hard arms around me and the entire world felt like it got brighter and warmer. Their presence just did that. 

“God, you were amazing,” I said with my chin over both of their shoulders. When I pulled back, Jake suddenly swarmed me in his own hug, his slight body still very apparently buzzing with a high of his own. “And it’s been ages, you lunatics.”

“I know, I know,” Jake said, his voice even huskier post-set. “You guys should just move here.”

“Well, what’s the point when you’re a touring band now?” I replied, taking him in, all sweat and glitter and magic. They all were. Josh too, though far less sweaty, already gathered Sam and Danny in his arms like they were bundles of flowers and not nearly twice his size. “Just move back home.”

“What’d you think of our new songs?” Sam pressed, squirming out of Josh’s grasp, and wiped the back of his hand over his forehead, pushing his hair back. 

“Loved them,” Josh and I said in unison, and I added, “I remember the title of one of them, I think. ‘Brave’ something, right?”

“‘Brave New World,’” Danny answered, holding his hair up from his neck with one hand. I could so clearly see the literal growth that had taken place in silence, undetected in the passing moments, over the past few years especially in him. None of them were boys anymore. None of us were kids anymore, point blank, and the all-consuming, final realization of it made me dizzy for a moment. 

“That’s right, ‘Brave New World,’” I repeated, committing the title to memory. “I love it. I loved all of it. Your shows never get old.”

“Except you guys are getting old,” Josh said, slinging his arm over Jake’s shoulders, and Jake scoffed, rolling his eyes even as he smiled at his brother’s teasing.

“You’re only as young as you feel,” Sam corrected. “And I feel pretty damn young. Spry, as a matter of fact.” 

“Definitely spry,” Danny agreed, letting his hair down, dark curls spilling over his tan shoulders. 

“You guys going out?” Jake asked, looking Josh and I up and down. “You look like you’re dressed for it.”

“This was all for you,” Josh told him, then moved in next to me and wrapped his arm around my waist. “But we could go out, provided you’re all joining us in that quest.”

Jake laughed. “I think that can be done.” 

None of them even stopped to shower–we all headed out, the three rock stars still sticky with sweat, and all of us were as jovial as we had been when we were just kids. The bouncer sitting in the doorway of the bar asked for all of our IDs and gave a particularly lingering look at Sam’s. He’d always be the baby as far as I, and seemingly everyone else, was concerned. 

I was spared the weight of nostalgia the longer we were out and the more we drank, too immersed in the glow of the present to fall back into the past. Sam and Danny knocked back tequila shots like it was their job and Jake had apparently become somewhat of a beer expert, so he and Josh were ordering all kind of tasting glasses and debating which were the best and why, and I was in the thick of it all, blissfully getting more and more intoxicated with my own cocktails. Bits and pieces of memories came back to me at times, little moments of remembering that tugged on my heart, but for the most part I found myself tethered to exactly where I was, just grateful we were all together and grateful that things felt so similar to how they’d once been. 

“I hate saying goodbye,” I lamented after the bar lights flashed and it was time for all of us to go, and we were huddled together on the sidewalk outside. The boys were waiting for their ride and Josh assured me he was fine to drive, having got too caught up in the IPA debate to even get drunk. 

“It’s not goodbye,” Danny assured me and stumbled a bit as he stood, which was particularly amusing to see in contrast with how controlled he was while sober. “It’s just like, see ya later. Right?”

“It’s like, an hour drive,” Sam added, grabbing Danny’s arm. “‘S not so bad.”

“But you tour,” I reminded both of them, sadness dripping in my words though I didn’t quite feel the brunt of it yet. “Just–just stay in one place for a while. Otherwise Josh and I are gonna have to become roadies or something.”

Josh laughed and brought his arm to my waist again. “Yeah, that’s true. She’s very into that idea, as a matter of fact.”

“We’ll hang out again soon,” Jake said and, at least from him, it sounded real and true and I felt a little more reassurance. “We’re not going anywhere. Not really.”

“Not forever,” I said.

He shook his head, smiling. “Not forever.”

When Josh and I made it back to the hotel, it really hit me how fast the whole night had gone by and I thought, Was this what life just becomes for everyone? Time zipping by before you even have the chance to remember what you’re passing through? Even with an abundance of booze making it more challenging, I tried to commit more pieces to memory–the way Sam’s shirt had flashed and shined like pearls as he played, his face too, how he always looked so enraptured by the music there was no way to get him out of that space. His little beard and mustache combo too, which was new, and Jake’s, and Josh’s. I wasn’t sure when they’d all gotten on that train but I was secretly glad Danny kept his face bare. Picturing him with a goatee made me laugh, then I resumed trying to memorize other things–the way the bar had laser-carved a bird into the bottom of their beer glasses, according to the twins anyway, and how the bubbles from the beer followed its shape. The streetlights lining our way as Josh drove and the sound of his brother’s very own band playing from his stereo now, Josh singing along. Then his arm in mine as we meandered the halls of the hotel again, the dull, blue and beige pattern of the carpet beneath our feet and the strange quietness of it all.

Inside our room once more and kicking off our shoes, Josh even said, “You’re so quiet tonight,” and I then tried to memorize the way his voice sounded as he said it. Almost hushed, sounding a little tired but also a little concerned. That wasn’t surprising. He knew my moods well and knew what caused them to shift.

“I’m just thinking,” I answered truthfully, relieved to feel the soft carpet beneath my bare feet again. I reached up to touch my face, my fingers coming back with glitter that was flaking off my cheeks. “Currently thinking about how much of a pain it’s gonna be to take all this off.”

“I’ll help you,” Josh said, steering me alongside himself into the bathroom. I obliged him with this, leaning back against the sink as he wet a cotton pad with makeup remover and got to work, gently pressing and swiping over my skin. 

I found myself just staring at him, gazing at the glitter on his own skin, how is accented his perfect complexion; his eyes sparkled even more profoundly than the glitter though and I looked into them, through the dark lashes into the dark pools that still kept my soul happily ensnared. 

Josh met my gaze when he pulled back to get another cotton pad wet, smiling: “What are you looking at?”

“Duh. You,” I told him. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pulled him into me to kiss. No matter how many times we’d done it since we’d met, it never, ever got old–Josh’s lips were eternal flower petals against my own, his skin soft and sweet, his touch far more intoxicating than any substance on earth. And then he held me close in return, one hand reaching up to touch my face, I saw the burst of a million stars behind my eyes and the celestial glow from his body warmed my heart.

---

Tagging no one because RIP the 2018-2021 fandom LOL please let me know if you’d like to be tagged in this series!

[dollarbin]

Sandy Saturdays #3:

It'll Take A Long Time

Sandy Denny never had a hit record. The only time her voice appeared on the singles chart she was singing in French, turning Dylan's Manfred-Mann-recorded creeper tale from 64 about where Bob's romantic partner is allowed to sleep, If You Gotta Go, Go Now, into an accordion driven novelty track.

I don't know about you but I'd rather have Sandy tell me where to sleep than Bob, especially given what Dylan's been accused of by a woman who was 12 year old at the time (google it if you must; it's the kinda story that makes the Dollar Bin shudder and quake, wondering if I should be writing about Care Bears or something equally benign instead).

Fairport Convention's awww shucks French language version, Si Tu Dois Partir, skyrocketed to #21 before the buying public moved on to everything else that happened in 1969. I don't imagine the single's Magical Mystery Gore cover art contributed much to sales.

Within six months Denny quit Fairport Convention. She'd never make the single chart again.

But she should have! If you want to get depressed, spend a little time researching the hit songs from 1972. Denny's not the only essential musician of the era who did not make it big; Van Morrison made his best (brace yourself, here comes a controversial opinion) record that year, Saint Dominic's Preview; its lead single Jackie Wilson Said topped out at #61 (but it was #1, thank goodness, in Ireland!). I think it's a cause for debate whether or not there are 60 better pop songs in history than that shakedown stomp a song. And Joni Mitchell's You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio barely fared any better that same year. But this piece of sorry shat sat at #1 for 6 weeks:

The song is a fitting soundtrack to every nightmare I've had about dental offices. (It's also kinda good, I guess, especially the part where he worries about his mother; someone outta comb Gilbert's chest hair for him and tell him everything will work out...).

Alone Again (Naturally) did lead to some good in the world, however: Biz Markie took the track and made real art out of it two decades later.

Maybe it's time for me to hunt for Biz in the Dollar Bin. He's on fire here. The poor guy needed a ride and didn't get one. Then it started snowing! Damn, I forgot about Biz Markie. He's awesome. And then there's this song. Biz Markie!!

Where were we? Oh yeah: Sandy Denny, 1972. Seriously, imagine if the graceful opening track from Sandy, her second solo record, entitled It'll Take a Long Time, with its orchestral swells and steady, shimmering glory, had not gone unnoticed that year. Imagine if it had dominated the charts instead of Alone Again.

Biz Markie would have then followed in Denny's footsteps, putting out his own version of her song entitled It'll Take A Long Time (For Biz To Sing This Song) 20 years later. And Sandy's estate would not have attempted to ruin hip hop in response (that's what Gilbert O'Chesthair did: he sued Markie and put the breaks on all the sweet sampling that was going on in early 90's hip hop, thereby shoving great bands like De La Soul into long term creative limbo). Rather, Sandy's estate would have reveled in the attention, spreading her amazing, largely forgotten music far and wide.

Just imagine a world in which everyone grew up knowing It'll Take a Long Time... Donald Trump never would have been our president. Who could like Denny's song and vote for anyone who preaches hate? Biz would have beat the Donald out in 2016, and served as our 2nd Black head of state, bringing peace, stability and voice cracking beats to the world over. Sure, Biz's untimely passing in 2021 would have been cause for global mourning, but his VP, Queen Latifah, would then be our current, first female and first queer, president and, as her first act of office, she would have put statues of Sandy and Biz up in place of some confederate nonsense.

It'll Take a Long, Long Time folks to clean up all the mess we're in. But we can get there.

[idlestories]

hey! 11, 17 and 78 for spotify wrapped??

songbird - fleetwood mac, jacqueline - rett madison, and saint dominic's preview - van morrison! <3

[radiomaxmusic]

Feature Artist / John McFee / September 9, 2024 / 1pm ET

John McFee (born September 9, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist, and long-time member of The Doobie Brothers. Some of McFee’s early and non-Doobie Brothers work includes playing pedal steel guitar on Van Morrison’s Tupelo Honey and Saint Dominic’s Preview albums, and recording with many other artists, including Steve Miller on his Fly…

[jt1674]

[staxoftrax]

AUGUST 3rd NEW ARRIVALS!!

This week's new arrivals highlights come from the start of a great collection of records that I will be selling for an old friend who used to work with me in my first record store. We had very similar taste in music, lots of great Blues, Soul, Jazz and Rock. And all his LP's are in fantastic condition. Pictured highlights from his collection (all essential !) include Magic Sam - Black Magic, Big Maybelle - Okeh Sessions, Charles Mingus - Wonderland, The Seeds - Pushin' Too Hard, Van Morrison - Saint Dominic's Preview and Nick Lowe - Labour of Lust. Lots more to come in the coming weeks. He was a big Zappa and Captain Beefheart fan so there will be lots of those. But I really haven't had a chance to dig through much so I really can't tell you much more specifically about what's in the collection so keep checking in every week.

This week's photo was curated by my friend Derek who will also be making a guest appearance filling in for me tomorrow. So stop in and greet him. Thanks Derek

Josh Ferko / Stax of Trax Records

[howlingmoonradio]

July 11th Playlist

Like many of you, we are all about "The Bear" at our house, with Season 3 streaming now. So it made perfect sense to make this week's episode all about some of the great music that's a huge part of the show. And we've only scratched the surface, so expect Part 2 and even more in the future.

Side A Howling at the Moon-Hank Williams Crane Wife 3-Decemberists Via Chicago-Wilco Can't Hardly Wait (Cello Version)-The Replacements Check it Out-John Mellencamp Black Venom-Budos Band Velouria-The Pixies Supernova-Liz Phair

Side B Animal-Pearl Jam Have You Seen Me Lately-Counting Crows Transcendental Blues-Steve Earle She Drives Me Crazy-Fine Young Cannibals Goodbye Girl-Squeeze Saint Dominics Preview-Van Morrison Before the Next Teardrop Falls-Freddy Fender

[allsportspredictions]

STRASBOURG VS PSG MATCH PREVIEW AND PREDICTION

Strasbourg vs PSG: In a shocking 2-2 draw with Brest at Parc des Princes last weekend, PSG snapped their five-game winning streak. No such scenario was predicted when Les Parisiens scored two early goals. Unfortunately, the team collapsed in the second half. Brest rightfully won a point after outplaying the defending champions in the second half.

PSG has historically dominated this meeting. The favorites enter the tie for a purpose. However, Strasbourg’s tremendous worth is appealing. Recent weeks have been good for Patrick Vieira’s men.

Unbeaten in seven league games. In an unexpected 2-2 draw with Brest last weekend in Paris, PSG’s back line left too much space. Finally, Strasbourg has lost only two of nine home Ligue 1 games this season.

https://www.allsportspredictions.com/event/strasbourg-vs-paris-saint-germain/

[mogwai-movie-house]

The Best of Van Morrison

Every album, ranked and rated high-to-low:

Astral Weeks (1968) ★★★★★★★★★★

Irish Heartbeat (1988) ★★★★★★★★★½

It's Too Late To Stop Now (1974) ★★★★★★★★★½

Avalon Sunset (1989) ★★★★★★★★★½

Into The Music (1979) ★★★★★★★★★☆

Moondance (1970) ★★★★★★★★★☆

Common One (1980) ★★★★★★★★★☆

Beautiful Vision (1982) ★★★★★★★★½☆

A Sense Of Wonder (1984) ★★★★★★★★½☆

Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart (1983) ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Veedon Fleece (1974) ★★★★★★★★☆☆

No Guru, No Method, No Teacher (1986) ★★★★★★★½☆☆

Poetic Champions Compose (1987) ★★★★★★★½☆☆

Enlightenment (1990) ★★★★★★★½☆☆

Saint Dominic's Preview (1972) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Hard Nose The Highway (1973) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Hymns To The Silence (1991) ★★★★★★½☆☆☆

A Period Of Transition (1977) ★★★★★★½☆☆☆

Tupelo Honey (1971) ★★★★★★½☆☆☆

The Skiffle Session (1998) ★★★★★★½☆☆☆

Live At The Grand Opera House Belfast (1984) ★★★★★★½☆☆☆

His Band and Street Choir (1970) ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Pay The Devil (2006) ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Days Like This (1995) ★★★★★½☆☆☆☆

Too Long In Exile (1993) ★★★★★½☆☆☆☆

Wavelength (1978) ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

T.B. Sheets (1973) ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆ [Everything else not listed here after 1995: ★★★½☆☆☆☆☆☆ or (usually much) lower. Avoid like an AIDS-infected pitbull.]

[zapple100]

Van Morrison - "Saint Dominic's Preview"

[orrsoared]

Spotify wrapped:

47,23,51

23 - You’re on Your Own, Kid by Taylor Swift

47 - Saint Dominic’s Preview by Van Morrison

51 - Up the Wolves by The Mountain Goats

[lindajenni]

oct 6

abiding in Christ (a repeat daily)

"the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." lam 3:22-23 esv

this is the word of the Lord from the book of lamentations. not necessarily a book one would go to for comfort. and yet there is comfort in those words. if we will only let it. the whole word of God is profitable and comforting. even those times of chastisement which the flesh may dread but will greatly profit from. what did king david say? "thy rod and staff they comfort me." psa 23:4 thy rod a symbol of strength and protection. the staff a symbol of guidance and loving kindness.

you know, i love those mornings when the Lord awakens me early to share His leading for the day. my mind scrambles to grasp and retain all His is speaking so i may recall it when i sit down to share with all of you also.

these are the times i treasure. yet there are those times when i must stare at my computer without any concept of where i will be going. this was one of those and only you can determine the value of my words. it is then we must depend entirely on the Holy Spirit and where He is leading. "for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say." luke 12:12 in those times, inevitably i will later receive confirmation from another source that i was "in tune"; that i was listening to the right voice; my Father's voice.

that is why it is so important to stay close to our Lord. we are urged to "rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 thess 5:16-18 this is not just a past time to pursue, it is our very life and existence.

i think it was a monk named brother lawrence that wrote a book years ago entitled "pacticing the presence of God"? as one's mind would slowly drift to other things, they must center it back on Him. i also remember a story about the old saint, smith wigglesworth. he was riding in a car with someone and they were discussing many things. suddenly smith blurted out, "stop. we haven't talked about Jesus for 15 minutes". and what does His word have to say? "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord". eph 5:19 and yes, that "pray without ceasing" thing also.

these habits do not come naturally in our fallen state. they must be cultivated; tended to and watered as a garden must be. i don't know about you, but the scriptures i used to loving quote, can quickly slip from recall if not visited frequently. "solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." heb 5:14 that is His word - reason of use, exercised. our spirit needs it as our body does. practice may not make perfect but it surely helps. so practice His presence.

stop and consider: where do you go for comfort and assurance? where is your "eye" in the midst of the storm? it is only there you will find what you need most. one could almost read matt 24 and luke 21 as if they were the daily paper.

then there remains much that is hidden and not reported. it is happening around the world in various places. the earth is reeling with ferocious results. flooding, storms, storms, tornadoes. hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, all signs the earth too is eager for the "new birth". wars and rumors of wars dominate the news cycle. maybe these things have not yet touched your neck of the woods. i am reminded of the sneak previews they advertise in movie theaters - "coming soon to a theater near you".

there is no "safety" in this life. remember the parable: "the ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. he thought to himself, ‘what shall i do? i have no place to store my crops.' then he said, ‘this is what i’ll do. i will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there i will store my surplus grain. and i’ll say to myself, “you have plenty of grain laid up for many years. take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." but God said to him, ‘you fool! this very night your life will be demanded from you. then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’" luke 12:16-20

as they say, "we have brought nothing into this world and we shall take nothing with us". only that which we have stored up in heaven. where is your treasure stored? as my life has narrowed down to the "necessities", i realize how much was never really needed, only wanted. now, all i need is Him and He fulfills all my "wants".