Posted on by Opher
Links to videos of the greatest Rock Songs ever recorded.
PLAY THEM LOUD!!!! AND THINK!!!!
Real music for the discerning! I will add thousands more!! This is the real stuff – unrestricted by corporate censorship!
Captain Beefheart – Hothead
Bob Dylan – Newport – Maggie’s Farm
Bob Dylan – It’s Alright Ma I’m Only Bleedin’
Beatles – Come Together
John Lennon – God
Roy Harper – I Hate the Whiteman
Nick Harper – Simple
Captain Beefheart – Big Eyed Beans From Venus
Phil Ochs – Cops of the World
Rolling Stones – Gimme Shelter
Beatles – Across the Universe
Roy Harper – The Lord’s prayer
Eels – Novocaine for the Soul
North Mississippi Allstars
Nick Harper – The Verse Time Forget
Bob Dylan – Subterranean Homesick Blues (talk over)
Country Joe and the Fish – An untitled protest
Doors – Unknown Soldier
James Varda – May this Moment ever Glow
Downliners Sect – One Ugly Child
Bob Marley – redemption song
Michael Smith
Linton Kwesi Johnson – Sonny’s Lettah
John Cooper Clarke – Twat
Sex Pistols – Pretty Vacant
Clash – Rock the Kasbah
Elvis Costello – Tramp the Dirt Down
Stiff Little Fingers – Suspect Device
Tom Robinson Band – Better decide which Side are You’re On?
Woody Guthrie – This Land is Your Land
Billy Bragg – Between the Wars
Buffy St Marie – My Country Tis of Thy People You’re Dying
Bert Jansch – Do You Hear Me Now
Bruce Springsteen – Independence Day
Bruce Springsteen – Chimes of Freedom
Donovan – Universal Soldier
Love – alone again or
Love – you set the scene
Pink Floyd – Astronomy Domine
Fleetwood Mac – Green Manalishi
Elmore James – Shake your moneymaker
Son House – Death Letter
Muddy Waters – I’m Ready
Howlin’ Wolf – Backdoor Man
ZZ Top – Gimme all your Luvin’
RL Burnside – Snakedrive
Junior Kimbrough – Done got old
Jefferson Airplane – White Rabbit
Steppenwolf – The Pusher
Captain Beefheart – Electricity
Roy Harper – McGoohan’s Blues
Roy Harper – One of Those Days in England
Who – Won’t Get Fooled Again
Free with Koss – The Hunter
Cream – Politician
AC/DC – Whole Lotta Rosie
Led Zeppelin – Living loving maid
Tommy Tucker – Hi-Heeled Sneaker
Elvis Presley – Baby Let’s Play House
Buddy Holly – You’re so Square
Little Richard – Long Tall Sally
Slim Harpo – I’m a King Bee
Bo Diddley – Who do you love?
Pete Seeger – Which side on you on?
Woody Guthrie – Tom Joad
Jefferson Airplane – Somebody to love
Jerry Lee Lewis – Whole Lotta Shakin’ going on
Traffic – Dear Mr Fantasy
John Lennon – Gimme Some Truth
Dead Kennedys – Kill the poor
Chuck Berry – Nadine
Steppenwolf – The Pusher
Dillinger – Cocaine all around my brain
Ry Cooder – Vigilante Man
JJ Cale – Cocaine
White Stripes – Seven Nation Army
Eddie Cochran – C’Mon Everybody
Dale Hawkins – Suzie Q
Bob Dylan – Positively Fourth Street
Captain Beefheart – Abba Zabba
Family – Weaver of Life
Janis Joplin – Piece of My Heart
Beatles – Revolution
Doors – 5 to one
Pink Floyd – Shine on you Crazy Diamond
Everly Brothers – When will I be Loved
Johnny Kidd & Pirates – Shaking all over
Sex Pistols – God Save the Queen
Billy Bragg – Which Side are You On?
Otis Redding – Hard to Handle
James Brown – Papas Got a Brand New Bag
Howlin’ Wolf – Spoonful
Sonny Boy Williamson – Bring it all back home
Little Walter – My Babe
Albert King – Born under a bad sign
Malvina Reynolds – Little Boxes
Muddy Waters – Mannish Boy
Phil Ochs – I Ain’t Marching Anymore
Jimi Hendrix – Voodoo Chile
Jimi Hendrix – Purple Haze
Velvet Underground – Heroin
Lou Reed – Perfect Day
Wayne County – Fuck Off
Patti Smith – Piss Factory
PJ Harvey – Sheena Na Gig
Jimmy Reed – Shame Shame Shame
Jimmy Reed – Aint That loving You Baby
Aretha Franklin – Respect
Arthur Brown – Fire
As an educator it is clear to me that the whole issue of drug use should never have been made into a criminal issue. It has always been a social/medical issue.
The ‘War on Drugs’ has muddied the waters. It was foisted on to us by America and has created a far worse situation. Instead of feeding everyone with factual information, running unbiased research and looking objectively and pragmatically at the whole drug issue we have been subjected to relentless propaganda. The result of this is that nobody believes any of it.
Back in the 1950s we did not have a drug culture. Many drugs, including cannabis, cocaine and heroin were available in chemists or on prescription. Queen Victoria used to use cannabis tincture to alleviate menstruation cramps. Heroin was available on script and ‘Junkies’ were seen as being pathetic individuals.
What followed was a pressure from America to create a more draconian criminalisation of drug use. It seemed to have a puritanical basis where anything that was pleasurable was viewed as evil. We were subjected to ludicrous propaganda films such as ‘Reefer Madness’ which were so ludicrous that they served as a recruitment exercise.
The sixties escalated the problem. The puritanical attitudes of the older generation were rejected by the younger generation – sex, drugs, alcohol and kicks were cool. None of the hip kids believed that anybody in the older generation knew what they were talking about. The use of cannabis was widespread among students and the myths were exposed as flawed.
This was unhelpful as it blurred the issue. No drugs are unharmful. It is a question of how much harm and whether the pleasure was worth the risk.
The younger generation in the sixties saw cannabis as harmless and far better than alcohol.
The debate about Cannabis on Channel 4 yesterday was far from perfect but it at least opens up the possibility of a far better logical approach to the whole issue of drugs.
Cannabis/Skunk
Cannabis is a natural plant with two active ingredients in balance with each other – Cannabinoids (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). It is the THC that produces the high.
Skunk is a genetically modified hybrid which has much higher levels of THC and hardly any CBD.
The THC and CBD act on centres in the brain. The CBD counters a lot of the negative effects of the THC. Hence skunk is likely to produce more detrimental effects.
Neither is highly toxic. The risk of death from overdose is miniscule.
The harm
1. Cancer risk etc. – the smoke from spliffs, particularly when mixed with tobacco, creates a risk of numerous types of cancer, heart disease and lung disease. This is obviously increased with quantity and regularity.
2. Addiction – in most people there is no addaction but with heavy use psychological addiction occurs.
3. Psychosis – There is no evidence of increased risk of psychosis with cannabis but there is a marked risk with Skunk.
4. Memory – It impairs short-term memory substantially. I have seen the effect on students and it can be catastrophic.
5. Demotivation – The drug changes behaviour and motivation in many people resulting in a loss of drive.
6. Driving – It impairs the reflexes and decision making creating a high risk for driving in a similar way to alcohol.
7. Young – young developing brains may be adversely affected and brain development retarded in certain areas
The benefits
1. Pleasurable – People smoke it because they find getting high pleasurable.
2. Social – To share a spliff with friends is a nice way of interacting and bonding
3. Sex – The pleasure during sex is enhanced
3. Relaxing – It enables people to unwind and get rid of tensions
4. Creativity – It enhances the creative process and stimulates ideas and alternative thinking
5. Music – It opens areas of the brain to both appreciate music and create it, enriching the experience.
Summary
– used in moderation, wisely, it is a pleasant and enriching experience with low risk.
– Used too regularly, or unwisely (when driving or studying or by the very young), it is highly destructive.
What is clear is that this is not an issue for politicians. All they are interested in is votes and popularity contests. This is an issue for health experts, social experts and educators.
It’s another example of how politicians mess up people’s lives! They create problems rather than solve them. The huge drug problem we have now is directly the result of their policy of criminalisation. Drugs are a health and social issue and should be treated as such.
If they were decriminalised and sold subject to health and safety regulations it would remove the more dangerous elements, enable better regulation and take it out of the hands of criminals who are financing their other criminal enterprises on the profits.
We waved goodbye to the locals who had gathered at the end of the quay to wave us off.
Like The Silence
Like the silence in a hurricane,
With the sweetness of the sugarcane.
She never speaks of poetry,
Her words capture rhythms of rain.
She comes to me at midnight.
Leaves at first hint of twilight.
Shares her deepest secrets
In a cacophony of pure delight.
She has the wisdom of the ages,
With the subtlety of sages.
Reads me like the simplest book
As she gently turns my pages.
She is never tied or still,
Change is her greatest skill.
Free as a wild tiger
Bending others to her will.
Opher 13.4.2023
The strength, beauty, wisdom and power of woman.
Posted on by Opher
The wondrous day of the albatrosses was a day to remember for ever. As we travelled north and the days cooled the wild-life changed. We lost the boobies but we gained Giant Petrels. With their seven foot wingspan they were impressive birds but I wanted to see the fabled albatross. The desire was like a weight around my neck. I ached to get a single good photo of a real albatross. They were like fabled beasts.
We saw a number of them in the distance, gliding on the wind and then a few settled on the water looking like overgrown gulls, but never one close up. I was beginning to think it would never happen. But then the most incredible event occurred.
I had my breakfast and went out of deck to find there were five or six great southern albatrosses riding the strong breeze alongside the ship. My wish had come true. I studied these magnificent birds with delight as they effortlessly stretched out their eleven foot wings and instinctive felt the nuance of the breeze. Hundreds of miles from land these incredible birds were masters of the currents in the air. Like huge organic gliders they responded to every gust and intuitively adjusted feathers and wing to control their flight. It was awe-inspiring to witness.
They were awesome.
As the day wore on the number of these beautiful birds increased. It seemed that every albatross in the whole southern hemisphere was making a bee-line for our ship. They swooped over the deck so close you felt you could reach out and touch them. They hung in the air matching their speed to that of the ship so that they appeared stationary. They swooped and rose on invisible roller-coasters in our wake.
More and more appeared until the sky behind the boat was a mass of wheeling birds.
I could not believe it. They did not appear to be feeding. They just had come together in an orgy of motion. Unlike the boobies they were not using us as a source of food. Perhaps it was just curiosity?
All day they were with us. I estimate that their numbers were in hundreds. I not only had my desire but something that was almost unbelievable. I asked the bird-folk. They all assured me that they had never seen or heard of anything quite so incredible.
The day of the albatrosses was a wondrous spectacle of the kind that you only get to witness once in a lifetime. I was sure glad that I had been there when it happened.
If you enjoy my poems or anecdotes why not purchase a paperback of anecdotes for £7.25 or a kindle version for free.
Or a book of poetry and comment:
Rhyme and Reason – just £3.98 for the paperback or free on Kindle
My other books are here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Opher-Goodwin/e/B00MSHUX6Y/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1457515636&sr=1-2-ent
Thank you and please leave a review.
