Laurie Anderson - 'Rhumba Club'
Recollection Collection......musical memories recalled with affection!
Laurie Anderson - 'Rhumba Club' (2001)
So here it is, Spring has sprung and I'm off work, oh yeah!! Oh no, I'm off work and stuck inside as I've done my back in and I can hardly move. I don't know how I did it either, that's the thing, probably something as extreme as emptying the dishwasher. Good ol' doc though, he has given me strong as Chuck Norris pain killers and celebrity Valium, but I feel far from a Hollywood A-Lister. On top of it all, it's my Old Ma's 70th birthday get together in Brighton this week and to avoid being the party pooper, I've seriously considered hiring a mobility scooter.
I try and loosen my back up a bit by taking a tour round the block but end up walking like a crap Robocop so I go in and listen to music. Then out of a melancholic playlist, this stunning song comes on by Laurie Anderson. I don't know much about her apart from her being married to Lou Reed and 'Rhumba Club' is the one and only song I have ever heard from her (she's an accomplished musician and artist as it happens). Absolutely mesmerising, I love the constant drone in the background and the instrumentation, on a tragic tale of a dance hall. I can just imagine the people meeting there and the characters she depicts in the song, it just takes you away, beautiful.
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| You're not coming into the club walking like that pal! |
It's a sad song which makes me happy (as SFW mentioned on his TOTW last week) as it reminds me of the time when I first heard it. It was on a Nonesuch Records sampler with so many good artists on it, Ry Cooder, Sun Kil Moon and Wilco to name a few (I must dig it out) and I had just moved in with my girlfriend (now wife). Ahhh young love, exciting and happy times, sharing the bills, your own drawer, having to remember to put the toilet seat down and and turning the tap on in the bathroom when you're doing number two's!
Bizarrely, 'Rhumba Club' didn't make the cut for Laurie Anderson's 2001 album, 'Life on a String' and was actually released on a bonus CD accompanying the album. Wha!? That suggests to me the album must be amazing, weird how some songs just strike a chord....
Have a listen to some of my favourite tracks on my Spotify playlist below or click here to read some more posts.
Comments
I enjoyed the tune a lot. I only know Laurie Anderson from 'Oh Superman' back in 1981 and, of course, for being the current Mrs Reed, but I will surely investigate further after hearing this.
Chuck Norris Pain Killers and the Celebrity Valium? Didn't they do a Peel session in the 1980's?
Happy birthday Old Ma!!