It hardly seems like six years since the closing of the book on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica. The show has remained steadfast in my mind. I was enthralled by the sci-fi extravaganza, which seemed to re-invigorate a genre with its gritty "realism" and humanity tested out and shown at its best and worst.
The soundtrack music, composed by Bear McCreary (apparently that is a real name) lives on and for me it re-stirs the feelings I had about the stories and the characters struggling forward in their journey to find a new home.
Here is a re-worked compilation that I found of a number of the themes from the programme. I think it does the show justice.
I just discovered this song this evening on a regional BBC rafio station. This band seem to me to evoke the groovy bits of Eighties vibe that I enjoyed, and mix it up with a newer, techno feel. Likeage is due.
One of my favourite songs ever is "All This Time" by Mr Gordon "Sting" Sumner. The song is part of an album in which he is trying to work through the death of his father and his relationship with his "old man".
This song is imbued with loads of religious overtones. The pop video is crackers, but I really recommend studying the lyrics: Mr Sting is quite erudite and it benefits the reader for taking the time.
And remember: Men go crazy in congregations. They only get better one by one.
All This Time
I looked out across
The river today
I saw a city in the fog
And an old church tower
Where the seagulls play
Saw the sad shire horses
Walking home in the sodium light
Saw two priests on the ferry
October geese on a cold winter's night
And all this time
The river flowed
Endlessly,
To the sea.
Two priests came round
Our house tonight
One young, one old,
To offer prayers for the dying,
To serve the final rite
One to learn, one to teach
Which way the cold wind blows
Fussing and flapping in priestly black
Like a murder of crows
And all this time
The river flowed
Endlessly,
To the sea.
If I had my way
I'd take a boat from the river
And I'd bury the old man
I'd bury him at sea
Blessed are the poor
For they shall inherit the earth
Better to be poor
Than a fat man in the eye of a needle
As these words were spoken
I swear I hear the old man laughing:
"What good is a used up world,
And how could it be worth having?"
And all this time
The river flowed
Endlessly,
Like a silent tear.
All this time
The river flowed
Father, if Jesus exists,
Then how come he never lived here?
Teachers told us
The Romans built this place
They built a wall and a temple on the edge of the
Empire garrison town
They lived and they died
They prayed to their gods
But the stone gods did not make a sound
And their empire crumbled
Till all that was left
Were the stones the workmen found
All this time the river flowed
In the falling light of a northern sun
If I had my way
I'd take a boat from the river Men go crazy in congregations
They only get better one by one
One by one
One by one, by one
One by one
I looked out across
The river today
I saw a city in the fog
And an old church tower
Where the seagulls play
Saw the sad shire horses
Walking home in the sodium light
Two priests on the ferry
October geese on a cold winter's night
Another discovery in my slow and patient unearthing of material by the Mountain Goats.
If ever there was an example of a "three-minute wonder" pop song, this ain't it... although it does play for just over three minutes.
Here is a studio version:-
Damn These Vampires
Brave young cowboys
Of the near north side
Mount those bridge rails
Ride all night
Scream when captured
Arch your back
Let this whole town hear
Your knuckles crack
Sapphire Trans-Am
High beams in rain
Drive wild broncos
Down the plain
Push up to the corner
Where the turbines hiss
Someday we won't
Remember this
Crawl 'til dawn
On my hands and knees
God damn these vampires
For what they've done to me
Tie those horses
To the post outside
And let those glass doors
Open wide
And in their surface
See two young, savage things
Barely worth
Remembering
Feast like pagans
Never get enough
Sleep like dead men
Wake up like dead men
And when the sun comes
Try not to hate the light
Someday we'll try
To walk upright
11:20 PM
| Comments [0]
| #Music