"Blue" by Joni Mitchell

Ranking: #30

Original Release Date: 22 June 1971

Genre: Folk Rock

"Blue" was the fourth studio album released by Joni Mitchell. Mitchell has a couple albums on the Top 100, if I remember correctly, but "Blue" in particular is considered one of the greatest albums made by a female artist and it's sound marks a turning point in music. Listening to the album, it hearkens back to images of flower children, Woodstock, and the beginning search for freedom that defined the early 70s. As light as the songs on the album feel, they were born out of a rocky period in Mitchell's life. In January 1970, after the success of first three albums, she decided to take a hiatus from performing. Instead, she chose to take an extended vacation in Europe. During this trip, she ended her long-term relationship with Graham Nash and soon started a passionate relationship with James Taylor. Her experiences with these relationships - as well as her adventures through Europe - served as much of the inspiration for "Blue."

Whenever I hear Joni Mitchell, it reminds me of my favorite psychology professor when I was attending university, Dr. Tim Ketelaar. I had several evolutionary psychology classes with him, one of the most fascinating perspectives on psychology in my opinion, and it always struck me how chill he was as a person. He had spent time teaching at better schools than the state university I went to and I always wondered what made him come to New Mexico. Once you've lived in New Mexico, though, you understand. When you get it, you get it. All the stars, too much fresh air, nice weather, and a pace of life that allows people to actually live. Anyway, Dr. Ketelaar has amazing taste in music and I remember one day, during the lesson, he made us listen to "California" by Joni Mitchell. I don't remember what the lesson was that day, but I do remember Joni Mitchell's high, pure voice and the raw power of the lyrics. Mitchell's voice pinpoints the allure of folk music - no tricks, no belting, just straight singing against an earnest backdrop.

Sitting in a park in Paris, France

Reading the news and it sure looks bad

They won't give peace a chance

That was just a dream some of us had

Still a lot of lands to see

But I wouldn't stay here

It's too old and cold and settled in its ways here

As we've established, "Blue" was a turning point in the musical DNA of the time. The early 70s was a hotbed of folk rock, especially the kind that borrowed inspiration from mythology and literature. In June 1971, the United States was still in the thick of the Vietnam War and protest culture was in full swing by this time. This was further exacerbated by The New York Times' publication of "The Pentagon Papers," classified documentation on the United States operations in Vietnam. The Beatles had broken up and the English Invasion was slowly receding. "The Ed Sullivan Show" aired for the final time on CBS and the Fillmore East in New York City closed its doors. Southwest Airlines began their inaugural flights between San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston, giving Americans a more budget-conscious way to fly the friendly skies in Texas. Among other things to happen during this month, Elon Musk, intrepid entrepreneur and architect of the future (however you may feel about that), was born. Yes, he's a Cancer, just like this album. With that, let's get into the astrology.

With Sun and Mercury in Cancer, this album is full of emotion. Not unsurprisingly, Joni Mitchell is a Cancer Rising, so with the Sun entering her first house, there was something deeply personal about this album for her and the lyrics she wrote were heart-centered. Later in her career, when she was reflecting on the album, she said "...there's hardly a dishonest note in the vocals. At that period of my life, I had no personal defenses. I felt like a cellophane wrapper on a pack of cigarettes. I felt like I had absolutely no secrets from the world and I couldn't pretend in my life to be strong. Or to be happy. But the advantage of it in the music was that there were no defenses there either." That's what life is like being a fucking Cancer anything. Sun, Moon, Rising....it doesn't fucking matter. Moving on, with Venus in Gemini, this album has a way of making even sad subjects seem a little lighter. Jupiter also falls in the 3rd House for this chart, the House of Communication. During this year, Jupiter was ruled by Scorpio, the sign of deep transformation. Joni is a Scorpio (in fact, she and The Husband are birthday buddies), meaning that the Sun was in a very harmonious trine to her natal Sun when it was released. Unfortunately, Venus in Gemini would've been square her natal Venus in Virgo - an indicator of the romantic turmoil that this album developed in. And not long before this album was released, her relationship with James Taylor ended quite abruptly. Venus in Gemini was conjunct her natal Uranus in Gemini, indicating unexpected direction changes in love and relationships. And fortunes. Finally, one last thing of note - Joni's Moon in Pisces is conjunct her Midheaven. Success in her career comes through emotional honesty, through sharing the deepest parts of herself. That certainly was the case when she released "Blue."

Then I'm going home to California

California, I'm coming home

Oh, will you take me as I am

Strung out on another man

California, I'm coming home

The featured song for this album is - if you couldn't have already guessed - "California." It's a lot more chipper than some of the other songs on this album. And it really does remind me of California.

"California" Video

"Elvis Presley" by Elvis Presley

Ranking: #56

Original Release Date: 23 March 1956

Genre: Rock and Roll

"Elvis Presley" was the inaugural album by - you guessed it - Elvis Presley (affectionately known as the King of Rock and Roll). This album is notable, not only because it is the first album of possibly one of the most prolific musicians in contemporary pop culture, but because it also marked rock & rolls entry into the domination of the airwaves. Elvis' self-titled album spent 10 weeks at the top of the Billboard charts, the first rock & roll album ever to do so. His music would define the genre and he is still well loved by fans (like myself) today.

Let's take a look at what was happening in 1956. At this point, it's no secret that Elvis was heavily influenced by the blues music being created by African-American artists of the time. Not so coincidentally, 1956 also marked a critical year in the Civil Rights Movement. In November 1956, the Supreme Court would rule that the Alabama bus segregation laws were unconstitutional in the landmark Browder v. Gayle case. From the end of 1955 until this ruling, anti-segregationists held the Montgomery bus boycott, the initial act of social protest that would evolve into the Civil Rights Movement. This protest would spark other bus boycotts in the South and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s involvement would elevate him as a leader for social justice. Unfortunately, this would put him in danger and in January of 1956, Dr. King's home was bombed - just one of many attempts that would be made on his life until his assassination in 1968. He was far from the only public figure targeted - Nat Cole was attacked in April while he was performing onstage in Birmingham in a racially charged incident. And the first attempts to integrate public schools are met with venomous opposition throughout the South.

Blue Moon (moon, moon, moon, Blue Moon)

You saw me standing alone (moon, moon, moon, Blue Moon)

Without a dream in my heart (moon, moon, moon, Blue Moon)

Without a love of my own

In other news (and perhaps as a distraction from the events of the day), the first soap opera, "As the World Turns," premiers on network television. Cecil B. DeMille's masterpiece, "The Ten Commandments" is released in the United States. And the Suez Canal crisis leads to war between Israel and Egypt. Other than that, it was a big year in the world of sports and it was an especially big year for Elvis Presley. Throughout 1956, practically every single he released became a hit both domestically and internationally. He was making the rounds on the talk show circuit, to include his famous performance on "The Ed Sullivan Show." And he also made his film debut in "Love Me Tender." Nope, not a bad year at all for a 21-year-old from Memphis, Tennessee.

I wanted to take a look at both Elvis' natal chart as well as the chart for the album release. In this day and age, we don't blink twice at a 21-year-old being famous in an instant - between Disney Channel stars and the glut of celebrity children, it's bound to happen. But in 1956, Elvis meteoric rise was almost unheard of. Elvis' birthday is 8 January (he shares this birthday with our last featured artist, David Bowie), which makes him a Capricorn. When his debut album was released, the ascendant and Uranus were directly opposite his Sun, indicating a major shift in how he would perceived. Uranus was also square his natal Uranus - squares are known for being rough, but they can also be a sign that events happen suddenly, without warning. Another interesting thing to note is that when this album was released, the North Node was conjunct his ascendant in Sagittarius, an indication that he was just following his destined path. Speaking of Destiny, his North Node, his Moon, and his Saturn were all in Aquarius. Revolutionizing the music scene wasn't just his Destiny, he may have felt it was his duty as well. Elvis' midheaven is in Virgo, which isn't much of a surprise. A Virgo MC, being ruled by Mercury, usually points to a person who is detail-oriented and highly skilled at self-learning. Elvis didn't have formal musical training, and mostly learned and played music by ear. Ironically, he said music was the only class he ever failed. But he loved music as a child and he'd seek out ways to listen to it, frequenting shows at local blues venues (something good boys didn't do in the segregated South) and spending time at record stores to hear the new releases.

This was a fun album to listen to, mostly because I grew up an Elvis fan. My dad would always remind me that he was in the 10th Mountain Division when he served in the Army, which is one of the units my dad was in when I was a kid. It's not a long album and it doesn't even have most of the hits people can point to as being Elvis. But it was an important album - there isn't a pop or rock musician today that can say they weren't influenced by Elvis. If they say they aren't, they're lying because they probably wouldn't exist without this album. I can't even imagine what music would sound like today if this album was never released. We'd probably be listening to elevator music or untuned violins or something like that. Oh wait....

"Blue Moon" Video

New Year, New Project

As I've been hinting at for the past couple of months, I've been itching to take this blog in a different direction. The theme format has been working for the past year and a half and I've taken a lot of great lessons from working with it. I've learned how to focus in on patterns, broadened my knowledge of lesser known musical genres, and generally have had a lot of fun ranting on the various topics explored. My new project, in a way, is a natural evolution of that. Before I get into it though, I did want to go over the success (as I define it) of the past year. My goal was to write more and I have accomplished that. Prior to December, I was hitting an average of 10 posts a month, or roughly 2 a week, which I believe is a very sustainable rhythm to be retained this year (in fact, in order for my new project to really work, I need to try to hit that average again). During December, I didn't quite hit my goal of writing a post every day, but I did hit 21 posts in a month. This is a personal record for me and is pretty good considering how busy I was during December. Overall, my writing style has evolved considerably. The goal is always to develop and become more confident in my own voice and I think I've moved the goal posts a fair distance in that respect.

Now, for the project. I intend to write and research the 100 Greatest Albums of All Time. There are many lists that recount and rank all the albums, so to keep it simple, I'm using Rolling Stone's list. Say what you will about them regarding their current direction as a publication, but Rolling Stone has been the standard for music writing since the '60s and that's something to be respected. I considered going in order from 100 to 1 but, that's really not my style and it's not really important for the goal of this project, so the album choice will vary in ranking from week to week. My goal for this project is to expand my musical knowledge in a more structured way. Each album has been shaped by events on both the micro-and-macro levels. I plan to research what was happening at the time of the album's development and release in the artists' personal lives, the historical backdrop of the era, and in the skies up above in astrological regards. These won't really be reviews - as far as I'm concerned, my opinion is insignificant. These were listed as the greatest albums for a reason - even if I'm not completely in love with the music, there is probably something there I'll appreciate and respect on an intellectual level. At most, I may interject any stray thoughts, emotions, or images that were evoked while I was listening. For the most part, I want to focus on the historical aspect and why these albums had the impact they had.

Additionally, I have a few music-related movies and books I've been meaning to watch/read. I may do some short reviews on them throughout the year. I'm not going to say this year will be completely Song du Jour free, but they will be few and far between. Thank you for your continued readership and I'm super excited to see what 2020 brings.

"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by The Beatles (as covered by Girl in a Coma)

George Harrison wrote "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" after The Beatles became immersed in Transcendental Meditation (TM). After months of trying to get in touch with your inner One-ness and becoming infinitely more wise in the process, there's a moment when you become despondent that others don't understand what you understand. In the moment, in feels like it was so easy to get to this point. You've forgotten that - in reality - it wasn't. It was full of a lot of pain and before that moment, your life was an endless string of struggles. That's where Harrison was when he wrote this song. He felt so at peace with himself, but walking through the world, all he saw was people in immense amounts of pain. Suffering that was usually caused by their own inner demons - low self-worth, anxiety, competition with everyone in the world. Lacking in authenticity, not knowing that who they were was more than good enough.

I look at you all see the love there that's sleeping

While my guitar gently weeps

I look at the floor and I see it needs sweeping

Still my guitar gently weeps.

I don't know why nobody told you

How to unfold your love

I don't know how someone controlled you

They bought and sold you.

You've got to understand - in 1968, when The Beatles really got into the TM movement, they had spent several years under the influence of fame and excess. Lost in that world, they became jaded, as anyone would in that situation. They all felt as if they lost their passion for music and, in some ways, their passion for living. So, they went searching for something, like we all do eventually. Well, those who are awake, anyway. The Beatles decided to visit India and study TM under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. His time there marked a profound change in Harrison and, afterwards, began a period of prolific songwriting. When he came back, he started to read the I Ching and embraced the idea of relativism - that everything is in relation to everything else. Nothing is coincidental. Nothing is an accident. He made a decision to write a song based on the first words he saw when he opened a book, which were "gently weeps." Similar to how Stevie Nicks used bibliomancy to write "Rhiannon." In the lyrics, he laments the universal love for humankind that is dormant in all people but remains unrealized. It was his profound wish that everyone would see and embrace this capability. If Love conquers all, why hasn't it yet? I don't know, George....I don't know.

I look at the world and I notice it's turning

While my guitar gently weeps

With every mistake we must surely be learning

Still my guitar gently weeps.

I don't know how you were diverted

You were perverted too

I don't know how you were inverted

No one alerted you.

A few words about Transcendental Meditation - it's simple to do yet, for some reason, you have to go to a teacher to learn it. Like everything worth doing, the world commodified and commercialized it. The Beatles were partially responsible for that - their very public endorsement as the biggest celebrities of the time created a surge of interest....and, simultaneously, hordes of customers desperate to emulate The Beatles. And once people realize you can make money off something, they'll do it. But, as I said, it's simple to do. You sit in silence, repeating a mantra in your head, for about 15-20 minutes twice a day. Supposedly (and please be aware that I have never taken a paid TM class in my life), the TM instructor gives you the mantras to work with and that's what you're paying for, really. Ancient wisdom. But, my friends, that's what the Internet is for....you can look up mantras and the TM technique yourself. You can decide if it's worth the money to get private TM instruction. But I believe the search for inner peace doesn't have to cost money and I'd be wary of anyone who says otherwise.

I look at you all see the love there that's sleeping

While my guitar gently weeps

Look at you all

Still my guitar gently weeps.

This version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" comes from Girl in a Coma's "Adventures in Coverland" album, which is exactly what you think it is - an album consisting solely of covers. As I've mentioned, I love Nina Diaz's voice, and GiaC's general style is highly influenced by rockabilly and surf rock. While Harrison's original recordings of the song were more folk music-inspired and the final version that made it to the White album had hints of progressive rock, the twangy guitar in GiaC's version hearkens back to the classic rock that influenced the young George, Paul, John, and Ringo. Additionally, I think Diaz's soulful crooning gives the lyrics more weight, somehow. You can really feel the worldly despair at the end.

Side tangent - While I was listening to this song (both out loud and in my head), I began to think about the idiom "heart of gold." Someone once said I had a heart of gold and I always thought that was a good thing. It sounds like a good thing, doesn't it? You would think it means that  I have a pure, good heart that is precious and valuable and needs to be protected. But then I was thinking that gold is one of the heaviest metals, atomically speaking. A gold bar is extremely heavy - you couldn't easily steal a bar of gold, because no one is that strong. So to be carrying around a heart of gold would be like always carrying this weight around in your chest. That's exactly what it feels like. If that's the case, I suppose it would be better to have a heart of stone. You don't have to carry around so much with you. You'd feel lighter. Oh, the places my mind goes when it's not doing anything....

As I write this, I feel strange. There was an eclipse today, the first New Moon of 2019. I don't know if that means something but an eerie calm has come over me. A sort of peace. A feeling that anything could happen - the world could end tomorrow - and I'd still know everything is going to be okay. And I'm ready for it. I can't describe it but I know it's true somehow. I don't really know what's happening to me. Anyway, I'm putting both the Beatles version and the GiaC version so you can hear the differences between the styles. Enjoy!

Girl in a Coma Version

The Beatles Version