Saturday 27 February 2021

Wild and exciting

You want wild? You want exciting? What a week I’ve had! Other than the usual working, I liberated a ladybird, went for a walk, went for another walk and noticed Jonathan-from-over-the-road’s dog urinating on a fresh pile of sand which was about to be laid out for a new driveway (dramatic), waved to Dick from the other side of the graveyard (I should perhaps point out that Dick isn’t dead), and replaced the leaky sump on my wormery (a brand new experience). It really doesn’t get much crazier than that, but could I cope if it did?  I doubt it. 

Of course I’m grateful there have been no big dramas. I long for the peaks in life, but an absence of troughs is something to be glad about, at least. And Spring has made a tentative appearance here at last. Oh, I forgot to mention the bumblebee! I saw a bumblebee too. 

Reflecting on such an eventful time reminded me of a very obscure song from the archives. I had the chorus running through my mind and it’s such an unusual number I reckon it deserves a place here. Earth and Fire (no Wind) were a Dutch group, formed in the late 1960s and starting out as, what I suppose you might call, a progressive rock band, but with a bit of a difference in that they had a strong female vocalist, Jerney Kaagman. They were hugely popular in their native land but, to my ears, don't seem obviously commercial (until they later developed into more of a pop/disco outfit, continuing as a band for many years).

 Anyway, ‘Wild and Exciting’ from 1970 is interesting, charming, very European. Jerney’s vocals are distinctly ‘Teutonic’ sounding and really remind me of Siouxsie (did Siouxsie ever listen to them, I wonder?) The changes in tempo, the mix of acoustic guitar with the heavier chords and then some delightfully noisy freakout psychedelic madness that first comes in at around 1m30s …. who’d have thought this could be a Top Ten hit for them?  But it was in the Netherlands, as were most of their early single releases.  Plus I love this video, with Jerney’s big, frizzed hair, so very of the time (I couldn’t help contemplating how hard it must have been to maintain), a special little moment at the 1 minute mark and the unlikely setting of a football ground (why?!) 


Earth and Fire: Wild and Exciting (1970)

One more wild and exciting thing – I realised earlier that this blog is 10 years old today. Argh, I can hardly believe it, how is that even possible? I don’t feel it deserves much celebration given how absolutely terrible I’ve been at its upkeep lately but I’m thankful at least that one decade later we’re both still here... and, of course, if you're reading this,  thank you for being here too.

14 comments:

  1. Happy 10th anniversary, C! Something definitely worth celebrating.

    We saw the first newborn lamb of Spring yesterday, less than a day old by the look of it (withered umbilical cord still dangling while it tucked into a hearty meal from mum). Made it all feel a little warmer, if only for a minute.

    Liking Earth & Fire a lot!

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    1. Thanks Rol. I find it rather scary wondering where those ten years went. The blog may be dusty and rusty right now but hopefully I can give it more attention in due course!

      Oh, that's lovely about the newborn lamb. I'll be looking out for them round here soon too.

      Great to hear you're liking Earth & Fire - they're a bit different, and there is something particularly appealing about a European sound from the '60s/'70s

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  2. A decade of delight!
    Congratulations C

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    1. Ah thank you CC - maybe more decayed than decade!

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  3. Happy Blog Birthday C - But bet you can still remember your first blog post well. Doesn't time fly.

    Wild and exciting times indeed for all of us, although I could have done without my recent wild event! As for Earth & Fire, new to me although I have just discover Shocking Blue who were also late 60s Dutch. Great song, although it feels as if it's 10 years ahead of its time. Like the light coming through the singer's hair - Creates a halo effect.

    Have a wild and exciting alcoholic drink to celebrate the 10 years!

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    1. Thanks very much Alyson - yes I do remember that first post, and how strange it felt to be putting something out there not knowing who might read it. V glad I did though.

      I posted this before I had seen your latest, so when I read yours, my going-on about the non-events of life seemed horribly ironic! Hope you're continuing on the mend, what a rotten thing to happen.
      Glad you enjoyed the song - lots of exciting music happening on the continent generally in the late '60s and '70s I think, what with Focus, Golden Earring and all the Krautrock bands. Shocking Blue were great too - have you listened to 'Love Buzz', the song later covered by Nirvana?

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  4. Wild and Exciting is just that - thanks for the steer. Ten candles on the cake! Well done! And it's the quality that counts, not the quantity - any fool knows that...

    In other news, I had my first "99" of the year at the weekend (hold the front page).

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    1. Many thanks John... now all I have to do is aim for another ten (hard to imagine that right now but I'm just about to get my driving licence renewed and it occurred to me that the next time I'll have to do that will be around the same time, and I'll be 67...aarghhhhh!)

      Your first '99' of the year is definitely an event worth celebrating! Hope it tasted good (of course it did). Certainly a time for appreciating the little pleasures.

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  5. Happy 10th blog birthday C. It's the keeping it going that's important eve if at times the posts dwindle. Finding inspiration for blogging isn't easy at the moment with the wild and exciting lives we all lead.

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    1. Ah thanks SA. Yes, definitely intend to keep it going, and grateful to everyone else who does with theirs too.

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  6. Glad you are still here too. Congratulations, C. Absolutely a feat worth marking. Yep, I hear the Siouxsie in this one too. Our big excitement around here is owls. Boy, they are loud... and they talk to each other all night long.

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    1. Thank you Brian. Oh, owls - fantastic. We only hear them occasionally in some of the trees over the road, but love it when we do - I get your excitement!

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