Showing posts with label Matthew Fisher. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matthew Fisher. Show all posts

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Conquistador: Issa's Sunday Service, #45






Those of you who have been following these posts for awhile know I have many little vices (and many more that I'm not telling). Some of those include pop bands of perhaps questionable value. One band, making there second appearance on the Sunday Service, is Procol Harum and, I'm happy to say, I'm not hanging my head here. I've blogged about them more than a few times; once an entire post was picked up and reprinted on the biggest PH site on the net, Beyond the Pale. As far back as the previous Lilliput blog, Beneath Cherry Blossoms, I printed the lyrics to their song "Conquistador," in tandem with Shelley's Ozymandis, which I always felt was the song's inspiration.

All of which brings us to today's feature: that's right, it's "Conquistador," today being the birthday of the band's outstanding organ player, Matthew Fisher, who no doubt will be best remembered for his beautiful contribution to their signature song, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" (and the nasty lawsuit that was recently settled in his favor over said organ part).
So as not to end on a sour note, here's E-Verse Radio's discussion of Shelley's "Ozymandis," turning lemonade back into lemons.
Um, wait, on second thought, ending with lemons would make it a sour note. Let me, therefore, simply say, hey, E-Verse guys, I liked the pictures.












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This week's poem comes from issue #69, eight poems from which were featured in a previous post. This poem, which opened the issue, was not. Here it is. I've often pondered, and practiced, using it in past readings, and may in fact work up the courage for next month's New Yinzer reading. It is a challenge to read on the page, never mind out loud; however, if done correctly, it is worth the effort.



What Was Is
All that was is now is
all that is was was
----and is again
what was is what is was --
was is is, is is was;
so what was is what is is
and is is what was was,
----is what was
will become.

Cy Keith Jones








And Issa, on the same subject:






at my hut
what will come of it?
spring's first dawn

Issa
translated by David G. Lanoue






best,
Don
PS A complete list of all 45 songs is available on the stand alone LitRock website, along with a jukebox to listen to songs separately or altogether. Of course, the Jukebox is also available on the sidebar of this page.
Suggestions for future feature songs will be rewarded with riches beyond your wildest dreams, if your dreams are modest and your idea of a good time, well, wistful.