Walking the 'pod (twice daily)

Yesterday was a lazy Sunday afternoon in London, and after a late night in Soho on Saturday with Ady's godfather, David, I spent a few hours walking off a slightly sore head, wandering around town. Traffic rumbled alongside me, people chattered past and all along I was safely in the sanctuary of my iPod, listening to my favourite tunes.

The iPod's one of those inventions which really has changed the way people live their lives - and although the gadget has been covered so much in the media of late, I thought I'd give my take on it anyway! For one thing, it's perfect for the city - whether you're on the tube, a bus, or on foot - and not only that, it actually makes going to the gym a lot more fun, too!

The iPod's a pretty personal thing - a bit like a unique fingerprint into everyone's musical tastes. Each iPod has it's own playlist, set of songs, styles of music. For the record, here's the five songs I'm listening to non-stop at the mo... and if anyone wants to add their own list, feel free to post a comment (I'm not holding my breath!)...

Here goes..!

1) Astral Weeks - Van Morrison
Beautifully written, questionning verse, and being a sucker for folk in general and songs full of wonderment (as this one is), I keep playing this song by the great Irish poet on repeat...
If I ventured in the slipstream
Between the viaducts of your dream
Where immobile steel rims crack
And the ditch in the back roads stop
Could you find me?
Would you kiss-a my eyes?













2) Kinky Afro - The Happy Mondays
I remember a weekend spent at Guy's house in Hooky when we hardly slept and the best of the Happy Mondays was the soundtrack to both the day and the night - this one always reminds me of being 17, although on the cusp of being 24, I still can't work out what the lyrics mean... still, at least I'm not yet 30...
Son, I’m 30
I only went with your mother ’cause she’s dirty
And I don’t have a decent bone in me
What you get is just what you see yeah
Yippee-ippee-ey-ey-ay-yey-yey












3) Northern Sky - Nick Drake
This was recently featured on the soundtrack to the film Garden State, and is probably Nick Drake's best known song. It's uplifting, inspiring - I first heard his music in the upstairs cafe of Oxford's Phoenix Picture House Cinema, and only recently read a biography on him while I was in Sweden. He led a tragic life, and died young, but left behind fantastic, haunting songs.
I never felt magic crazy as this
I never saw moons knew the meaning of the sea
I never held emotion in the palm of my hand
Or felt sweet breezes in the top of a tree
But now you're here
Brighten my northern sky.


























4) Suzanne - Nina Simone
Had to have a Nina Simone track in this list, and this cover version of Leonard Cohen's classic does it for me every time. It's a totally different song to the original- completely enhanced by her voice, not to be compared with the first, but something that stands alone from it.
And just when you mean to tell her
That you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer
That you've always been her lover
















5) Woodstock - Joni Mitchell
Ok, so all 5 of these tunes are pretty old now, but I can't help liking what I like! This is probably the saddest song of them all, but then I always liked the sad ones best! Just got into Joni Mitchell lately, though I first heard this song as a cover version by another artist. The original's best though - this one is a real classic. Poetry in song.
I came upon a child of god
He was walking along the road
And I asked him, where are you going
And this he told me
I’m going on down to yasgur’s farm
I’m going to join in a rock ’n’ roll band
I’m going to camp out on the land
I’m going to try an’ get my soul free
We are stardust
We are golden
And we’ve got to get ourselves
Back to the garden

So that's my current list - although my preferences change all the time. The ones that didn't make the cut this time include the 'naked' version of the Beatles' Let it Be, Keith Jarrett's The Koln Concert (the whole album!) and also Marvin Gaye's Inner City Blues. That's the beauty of music, songs become friends that remind you of old times - and it seems like you meet new songs every day.