Harry chapin and Cat Stevens

[Amy]

I just wanted to say that both these guys were great. It was interested to find out that Harrys favorite song he ever wrote was a better place to be. I learned that from over in the Gordon disscussion. Thats a very good song.

I would like to get Harrys poetry book. Any body ever look at it. I really love the song Sequel. Thats pretty kick ass. I love listening to gold medal and hearing him talk. That song I wonder is so inspirational to me. And tangled up puppet, makes me so conscience of my daughter growing up. They are just all so great. Wish i coulda seen him.

Cat Stevens, i love a lot of his stuff. i like how he puts in spirituality so they are uplifting.

amy
i've followed you here. "tangled up puppet" is great. good choice.
i mentioned i visited harry's grave. on the gravestone is a quote from "i wonder what would happen to this world". i thought you would appreciate that.
a favorite harry song for me is "The parade's still passing by". it was written by harry in 1976 and is on the "On the Road to Kingdom Come" album. Harry wrote it about 60s protest singer/songwriter Phil Ochs, who committed suicide in april of that year. it's such a beautiful song. in fact, listen carefully to the refrain. each line is a phil ochs' song title. very clever and well done by harry. a great tribute.
i'm going to an ochs' tribute concert on april 6, by the way. i'm obsessed with his music. i DEFINITELY recommend checking him out.
i love cat stevens as well. "trouble" is a classic and was covered by Pearl Jam while they toured.
look forward to hearing what you think

jbt

[Amy]

Hmmmmm. I never heard of Phil Och. And i don't have that CD. I will have to check it out now of course. I'm glad you told me that about his grave. Whenever I'm down (and it seems to have been a lot in the past before my divorce) I just love to hear that, especially about proving what one mans life would be worth. I work in the inner city and get to know a lot of people that others wouldn't even look at and I just feel that if everyone helped and wasn't so wrapped up in their own survival, that we could all be happier.

I'm a pretty passonate person when it comes to music. My favorite Cat song, is Tuesdays's dead. It's just such a great beat.

I can understand where harry is coming from when he wrote and talked. Unfortuanatly, music is not my talent. What can i say. If you can't sing good, sing loud. But to be honest. I think Jerry was the best guitar player. If you don't know anything about the dead, it would be worth your while to check them out. One just called the Grateful dead would be a good one to start with. It has this song on it called Wharf rat. Look up the words at least. I heard it at the further festival at Alpine valley last year. That and Ripple, they played everything that was awesome and it took two guitare players to replace Jerry. But they did a very good job.

I suppose i ought to get some work done. I just got to clean up a mercury spill, not an everyday thing, but i volunteered, casue mercury is cool. Did it properly though.

Thanks for talking to me. I always think people who post at things like this are going to be stuck up casue they know more titles and artists then i do.

amy
i swear you won't believe this, but i just sent my sister an e-mail titled tuesday's dead. i sent it yesterday, tuesday, 3/13, b/c is just struck me as a dull day. i don't really know why.
that is bizarre. i love that song as well. not so sure what it means, though. any thoughts?
must admit i never go too into the dead. but i will check out those lyrics.
please check out phil ochs. you won't be disappointed.

jbt

[Mister hoot'n holler]

Gord is my all time favoritesinger/songwriter.To me his songs transcend being my favorites.However my "favorite song" is Taxi by Harry Chapin with Sequel a close second.Harry's ability to tell a true, down to earth and gritty story is amazing to me. The other night I was having trouble finishing a song that I was writing based on the movie "A Star Is Born". I needed a big ferocious ending and I sat back and said "Harry,how would you finish this?" The words that came out on paper were like nothing I had ever written before.I'm not saying that Harry dropped by, but by trying to think in terms of the many hundreds of hours that I have spent listening to his music and being affected by his style,I was definitely inspired by him.
One of my 10 year old twin boys is in a 5th grade school talent show On March 22nd. The song he is singing, along with his favorite little girl "friend" is Harry's song "Circle". He picked that one over every song that he has ever heard. He has been listening to that song all his life on the car stereo. Here comes another generation of Harry Chapin fans.

[Amy]

I am also raising my child to love good music. She always asks me to play whatever it is on her mind. She loves Cover of the Rolling Stone. I wish i was a song writer or a singer.

As far as Tuesdays Dead goes. I will have to listen to it this weekend. I always got so much going around in my head, i can never really get things straight, plus the radios on right now. that doesn't help. Plus all the mood inhancers from my younger and not so younger days )

I saw a very cool concert on PBS the other night called peter paul and mommy. It was very fun after a few beers. My daughter and nephew really liked it. I like how peter paul and mary, gordon, john denver and the likes have all worked together. If I had a choice to be deaf or blind, i would pick blind becasue good music is so much my sanity and my way of expressing myself.

Check out the words to ripple too. So awesome.

Think i can pick up a Phil CD at a disc go round or something? I would love to find some one else i love, even though he's dead. I also love Jim Croce real much.

[SilverHeels]

Amy, I have Harry C's Poetry Book - he signed it for me the night I met him.
Can I look up anything for you?

amy,
not sure if you can get one at a disc-go-round. but possibly. look in folk section. i know borders or a larger book/music store would.
i can't stress enough how thrilled i am that a fifth-grader will be singing "circle" at a talent show. you made my day.
silverheels, although i don't know specifically, i'd appreciate any poem or quote from harry's book. choose one that means something to you. thanks!
jbt

[Saturday clothes]

no doubt about it. if you like Chapin, you love Gord.

it's all about song writing. something we don't get today.

"Better Place to Be" is one of my favorite Chapin songs.

[Eddiefitz]

I have all of Harry's albums released in his lifetime. I wouldn't say that I prefer him to Gordy, but because his work's generally harder to come by I sought it all out in a fairly quick space of time,whereas I've been incredibly leisurely with Mr. L.

One thing these artist have in common is that their compilations never have any of my favourite songs on them! (Still leaves room for heaps of good ones though)

As for Cat Stevens, I like him, but frankly he's horribly overrated, by any generation. What probably gets me most about him is that My generation have discovered him, but haven't heard of Harry, Gordy, or even James Taylor. I mean, come on!

Brett.

[Selene]

Harry Chapin was one hell of a performer, never giving less than 110%. I had the great honor of seeing him in concert twice, and meeting him twice. The first time he behaved himself and shook my hand. The second time...well, any of you women who ever met Harry probably know exactly what I mean. I wouldn't say he was my second favorite after Lightfoot...but he was surely one of my favorites. "I Want To Learn a Lovesong" is probably my all time favorite Harry song, it being the 'true' story of how he and Sandy came to be married. Harry's music was gritty, much like his voice. He was a man of excesses, and that may be one of the reasons he died so tragically.

I saw Cat Stevens very shortly after "Wild World" hit. Actually, I think the big hit of his at that time was Moonshadow. He gave a great show...I thought it particularly fitting that I saw him on a Halloween all those years ago. Hindsight is always 20/20 and if you go back to his music it isn't difficult to find the yearnings that eventually led him to his religious experience. When he was still Cat Stevens, he was a very handsome young man who seemed lost in this world, and there were plenty of females who would have been willing to help *find* himself. My favorite Cat song is "Katmandu"...when first listened to it sounds like a cute little song, but as one listens many layers are revealed.

I have always wanted to see James Taylor in concert. Although his 'Fire and Rain' and 'Sweet Baby James' days were wonderful, my humble opinion is that he has gotten only better with age. If I could have any wish I wanted except to be in Gordon Lightfoot's band, it would be to be a backup singer in James' touring group. Singing harmony with him would be ...amazing. I do it all the time at home, but he hasn't had auditions lately. His ability to laugh at himself, and to turn the tables on fans who disrupt his concerts - insulting them sarcastically, with a smile on his face so the disrupter may not immediately recognize an insult - delights me to no end.

[charlene]

Selene - try to see JT next time he's within a thousand miles of you. He is incredible and has a lot of fun on stage with his band and singers and equally as much fun with the audience. I saw him at Massey Hall (the House of Gord) and the acoustics are perfect for his music. I've watched old videos of him and he has truly gotten better with age.
Char

[TheWatchman]

I have Harry Chapins 2 disc set as well as one other. His music is great! Your right, Taxi is a great song. There aren't many left that possess the creativity of Lightfoot and Chapin. Cat Stevens is another great singer/songwriter. Gordon is still myn all-time favorite by a long shot though.

[IllinoisRob]

I just happend to click on this "non-Gord"
discussion and saw Harry and Cat's names
mentioned, two of my favorite singer/songwriters next to Gord. "Tuesday's
Dead" is also my favorie Cat song..have you
heard the live version on the Boxed Set yet?
It's truly inspiring. I've enjoyed and respected Harry's music since day one, but I never connected with him the same way as I
have with Cat and Gord. I always wondered if
Gord and Cat ever meet back in the heady days of the '70's. I seem to remember seeing
one or two names on the credits of thier albums that may have been in common, perhaps they shared some studio musicians or production personnel at some point.
To this day, I can't understand how Cat (Yusuf Islam) could just walk away from writing songs and performing for people...but I guess he found a better life. I am grateful that Gord has declared that he has found what makes him happy, recording and performing, and will continue as long as the good Lord will allow. I often think of all the unrecorded songs in Cat's brain that will never be heard...but Gord's dedication to his craft and his fans kind of makes up for that in my mind.....