Glen Hansard & Lisa O’Neill – Fairytale Of New York
An evening pause: Sung at the funeral in December 2023 for Shane MacGowan, who wrote it.
Hat tip Altons Blevins.
Category: The Evening Pause
A nightly pause from the news to give the reader/viewer a bit of classic entertainment.
We Five – You Were on My Mind
The future of astronomy, as seen by PBS News in 1991
An evening pause: Today is the 75th anniversary of the moment astonomers took the lens cap off the Hale Telescope at Palomar, what astronomers call “first light.” In honor of this anniversary, tonight’s evening pause is a somewhat well-done news piece produced by PBS in 1991, describing the state of ground-based astronomy at that time, which was actually another key moment in the history of astronomy. After decades of no advancement following the Hale telescope, the field was about to burst out with a whole new set of telescopes exceeding it significantly, based on new technologies. We today have become accustomed to those new telescopes, but in 1991 they were still incomplete or on the drawing board.
This was also after the launch of Hubble but before it was fixed, so this moment was also a somewhat dark time for astronomy in general. Watching this news piece gives you a sense of history, as seen by those living at that time. It also lets you see some good examples of the standard tropes of reporters as well as some astronomers. They always say this new telescope (whatever and whenever it is) is going to allow us to discover the entire history of the universe, even though it never can, and never will.
Hat tip Mike Nelson.
Rodgers & Hammerstein – There is Nothin’ Like A Dame
Emma Kok with Andre Rieu’s orchestra – Voilà
An evening pause: She is 15 years old, and has an interesting backstory. I have cued the video to begin at the song’s start, because you should judge her solely on her talent. If you replay from the start Rieu explains that backstory.
Hat tip Tom Donohue.
January 24, 2023 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast
Embedded below the fold in two parts.
To listen to all of John Batchelor’s podcasts, go here.
» Read more
Thomas Dolby – One of Our Submarines
An evening pause: Performed live 2012. Dolby sings and plays keyboards. Mat Hector is on drums and Kevin Armstrong is on guitar.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman.
Ray Manzarek – the creation of “Riders on the Storm”
An evening pause: The pianist from the Doors describes how this song was created. If you want to hear it as performed, go here, which notes, “This was the last song recorded by the members of The Doors, according to Manzarek, as well as Morrison’s last recorded song to be released.”
Hat tip Doug Johnson
LuLu & Maurice Gibb – First of May
Jordan Golson – 9 simultaneous SpaceX launches
An evening pause: This video I think is excellent for taking us into the weekend. It shows nine different Starlink launches simulataneously, illustrating in a creative way how incredibly routine and reliable SpaceX’s Falcon 9 has become.
Hat tip Steve Golson.
Moby – Extreme Ways
VisioRacer – The Napier Deltic 2-Stroke Diesel Engine
An evening pause: A bit of technological history for the geeks out there. The complexity and precision required, all designed before computers, is incredible.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
Uriah Heep – The Wizard
Yamma Ensemble – Kondja mia
An evening pause: This song is an example of what the group calls the tribal music of Sephardic Jews. The title of the song means “My rose.” Leave the closed captions on to see an English translation of the lyrics, which are quite beautiful. It is all very Middle Eastern, and something the Palestinians would recognize and like, until you told them it was by their fellow Semites, the Jews.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
Ed Sussman – How the Beach Boys used the Theremin
An evening pause: Some intriguing music history centered on the electronic instrument called the Theremin, which you play electronically by moving your hands through an electric field (go here to see two previous evening pause examples).
Hat tip Mike Nelson.
Dave Brubeck Quartet – Golden Brown
An evening pause: This video is not what it seems. The sax player, Lawrence Mason, has created a cover of this Dave Brubeck song by editing and playing over the Dave Brubeck quartet playing another song in 1965. As he notes on the youtube page, he did it as a tribute to “Paul Desmond (saxophonist with the Dave Brubeck quartet – the anniversary of his death is at the end of this month) [May 2020].”
Hat tip Alton Blevins.
Secretariat – Triple Crown Races
An evening pause: If you have never seen the Triple Crown victories by Secretariat in 1973, you need to watch this video. It will take your breath away. In the first two races jockey Ron Turcotte appears to let the pack take the lead at the start because he knows Secretariat can’t stand being behind. In the last, it is as if the horse wanted to prove to everyone that there was no horse now or ever that was faster. From the youtube webpage:
Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the ninth winner of the American Triple Crown, setting and still holding the fastest time record in all three races. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest racehorses of all time. He became the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and his record-breaking victory in the Belmont Stakes, which he won by 31 lengths, is widely regarded as one of the greatest races in history.
Nightwish – Last Ride of the Day
An evening pause: Performed live 2015. The song’s lyrics are beautiful, but I especially like the first line: “What’s God if not the spark that started life”.
Hat tip Alton Blevins.
Roberta Flack – First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
6-Figure Revenue – How To Start a Blueberry Farm Business
An evening pause: When people are free they do great things, for their own benefit. The company, Bulldog Berries.
Hat tip Wayne DeVette.
Jara – Tiempo y Silencio
An evening pause: In English the song is “Time and Silence.” Lyrics:
A house in the sky
A garden in the sea
A lark in your chest
a return of the beginA wish of stars
A sparrow’s heartbeat
An island in your bed
A sunsetTime and silence
Screams and songs
Heaven and kisses
Voice and griefTo be born in your laugh
To grow in your weeping
To live on your shoulder
To die in your arms
Hat tip Judd Clark
Carly Simon – That’s The Way I Always Heard It Should Be
An evening pause: Performed live in Central Park, New York, 1971. Wonderful song, but her cynicism about marriage in this song sadly predicts the disaster we are in today, living in a society of children raised in broken homes, created by the 60s Baby Boom generation (mine) that decided to reject the fundamentals of its parents. It was foolish and sad, but most of all it was cruel to the innocent children born of that irresponsibility. Those children are now mindlessly wrecking their revenge.
Hat tip Doug Johnson.
Margarita Sipatova – Du Hast
Don McLean – Vincent
An evening pause: I’ve posted McLean singing this song previously, but it is worth watching again. A beautiful song to begin the year. The words that matter:
Now I think I know
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them freeThey would not listen, they’re not listening still
Perhaps they never will
Hat tip Judd Clark.
The Choral Scholars of University College Dublin – Auld Lang Syne
An evening pause: As the New Year will arrive over the weekend, let’s celebrate the New Year now. Happy New Year to all my readers! Thank you all for your support, that in the end made this year the most successful since this website was founded. May the future bring us all joy and happiness, despite the mad ones around us.
Hat tip Alton Blevins.
Mike & The Mechanics – Silent Running
Jóhann Jóhannsson – A Sparrow Alighted Upon Our Shoulder
Stonebriar Orchestra and Choir – O Come O Come Emmanuel
An evening pause: We started the Christmas holiday season with this carol. We shall now end with it. As always, all the best to our Christian brethren on this day, one of their most sacred holidays.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
A Christmas pause: As I have done now for several years on Christmas day, I bring you the classic 1951 version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, starring Alastair Sim. Still by far the best adaption of the book and a truly wonderful movie.
And as I noted in a previous year:
Dickens did not demand the modern version of charity, where it is imposed by governmental force on everyone. Instead, he was advocating the older wiser concept of western civilization, that charity begins at home, that we as individuals are obliged as humans to exercise good will and generosity to others, by choice.
It is always a matter of choice. And when we take that choice away from people, we destroy the good will that makes true charity possible.
It is also most important that we all heed the words of Christmas Present: ‘This boy is ignorance, this girl is want. Beware them both, but most of all beware this boy.’”
Trans-Siberian Orchestra – Christmas Eve/Sarajevo
An evening pause: Makes me think of Disney’s Peter Pan (1953) and Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro (1988), about how some things only children can see.
Hat tip Judd Clark.