Tidal Streams For June

Some of the music I listened to on Tidal during June reflects my mood that month – sombre, angry, dark, sad and devastated. This was primarily due to the ongoing mass murder of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank and the continuous exposure of war crimes being committed by Israel, supported by the Western world.

Some groups have histories of members going through their own pain and torment, which may have influenced the tone of the music they produced but also caused turmoil within the bands.

Without further ado, here are my most-played artists for June.

The Who: I feel like it’s impossible to write briefly about The Who without doing them some sort of injustice. Their influence on music and the industry itself is so huge as to be immeasurable.

The Who started out around as The Detours with Roger Daltry (vocals, guitar), Pete Townshend (vocals, guitar), John Entwistle (bass), Harry Wilson and Colin Dawson, playing primarily cover songs. Around 1962, Wilson was fired and replaced by Doug Sandom on drums. Dawson also left and was replaced briefly by Gabby Connolly. Around 1964, they changed the band name to The Who.

In 1964, Sandom also left, and Keith Moon eventually became the new drummer. This established the line-up that would go on to make rock history. The debut album, My Generation, was released in 1965. The Who is credited with pioneering auto-destructive art, which involved destroying their musical instruments while performing on stage.

Shortly after the release of the Who Are You album in 1978, drummer Keith Moon died from an overdose of sedatives. After a few break-ups, reformations and album releases, John Entwistle died of a heart attack in 2002. Although Townshend and Daltry had a bitter working relationship, they are still steadfast friends.

My favourite song from the band is The Seeker.

Alice In Chains (AIC): Founded in 1987 in Seattle, Washington, the band’s members included vocalist Layne Staley, guitarist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Starr. The band’s name was co-opted from Staley’s previous band, Alice N’ Chains. Seattle is remarkable for spawning grunge bands, which is characteristic of the melancholy ambience of the city. AIC, of course, is somewhat regarded as grunge royalty, although Cantrell prefers to be labelled as heavy metal.

Staley had a distinctive voice, but AIC’s songs are known for the harmonies between him and Cantrell. Their debut album, Facelift, was released in 1990, featuring the hit Man In The Box. Their second album, Dirt, was released in 1992 and reflected the members’ battles with substance abuse. It also featured some of their most well-known songs.

Mike Starr left the band (or was kicked out, depending on who you ask) in 1993 and was replaced by Mike Inez, who featured with acts such as Ozzy Osbourne and Heart. After the release of the EP Jar of Flies, Staley went into rehab for heroin addiction. AIC broke up briefly but returned to the studio to record the self-titled album Alice In Chains, featuring Cantrell on lead vocals on some songs.

Staley overdosed again on heroin sometime after their Unplugged album, but he survived and rejoined the band. Tragically, Staley eventually succumbed to his addiction and died in 2002 from a mixture of heroin and cocaine. Mike Starr also passed away in 2011 from a prescription drug overdose.

William DuVall joined the band for reunion concerts in 2006 to replace Staley. He remains a permanent member and has been involved in further album releases. They have sold over 30 million albums worldwide. My favourite Alice In Chains song is Would, although Nutshell is a close second

Roger Waters: Roger is probably best known for being a founding member of Pink Floyd, but he is an accomplished artist in his own right. Following creative and other differences with the band, especially David Gilmour, Waters left in 1985 to focus on a solo career. Waters still gets a lot of stick for his part in the breakup, some of which is deserved, some not so much.

I find that Pink Floyd’s last album, The Final Cut, is a precursor to the type of music that Waters continued to make going solo. This album’s lyrics and music, dedicated to his father, who died in WW2, were written entirely by Waters. It contains the disdain for establishment politics and activism that has become emblematic of all of Waters’s albums.

I am a huge Pink Floyd fan, but I feel drawn to Roger Waters’s solo music because of his public activism concerning human rights. The music and lyrics are often dark and depressing, perfectly encapsulating how human rights are being trampled worldwide.

He has often been falsely labelled as antisemitic by his many critics in the treacherous and disgusting world of politics. Yet, he has always been on the right side of history, aligning with my views on humanitarian issues.

Waters’ debut solo album in 1985, The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking, featured prominent artists like Eric Clapton and David Sanborn. Critics both loved and hated it. In 1989, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Waters staged The Wall – Live in Berlin concert, regarded as one the latest and most elaborate in rock history. There were huge gaps between successive albums.

Roger Waters remains controversial, but he has remained consistent in his approach to humanity. My favourite song is Part Of Me Died, which comes from the Is This The Life We Really Want album, released 25 years after Amused To Death in 1992.

Paul Simon: Paul is most famous for being one-half of the Simon and Garfunkel folk-rock duo that rose to prominence in the 60’s. They made such memorable hits as The Sound Of Silence, Bridge Over Troubled Water and Mrs Robinson. He is married to singer Edie Brickell, who is entirely accomplished in her own right.

Simon went solo and released many successful albums from 1972 that spanned several different genres. He reunited with Garfunkel several times over the years, and the most successful result was the live 1981 Concert In Central Park album, which also featured songs from both of their solo careers.

However, Simon’s most significant solo record was released in 1986 and featured Black music artists from South Africa. Graceland was a huge commercial hit, selling over 16 million copies and winning the 1987 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. In total, Simon has won sixteen Grammy Awards.

My favourite Paul Simon song is Homeless, which comes from the Graceland album and features the South African choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

Tracy Chapman: Chapman is a solo singer-songwriter from Cleveland, Ohio. She started playing guitar and writing songs at the age of eight. While studying Anthropology at Tufts University, she sang for coins in nearby public squares and railway stations.

Chapman’s talent was discovered while she performed live on stage at the Strand Theatre in Boston. She subsequently managed to get signed to a record label and released her debut self-titled album in 1988. The album spawned the hit single Fast Car, winning three Grammy Awards for Chapman.

Chapman is both politically active and supports human rights causes. She is also socially active in the local Cleveland elementary schooling system and supports charity events such as Make Poverty History.

My favourite Tracy Chapman song is Talkin’ Bout a Revolution from her debut album.

My mood has lifted since then with the completion of my building project. My personal space and listening room are now ready. Hopefully, interior decorating and furnishing will not keep me too much from listening to more music in July. Perhaps I will make happier song choices…