The two hundred and seventy-fifth album: #275 Bob Marley & The Wailers - Catch a Fire
I've not always loved the reggae we covered for the list that much, but Catch a Fire worked well for me. If I have to give a reason, it's the rather insulting-feeling "it's not too reggae". What I mean with that is not that the sound of the album has changed to become more palatable to a wider audience, but that while the reggae sound is present in the album, it doesn't dominate or feel like the main point of the album. Instead, the album feels like it focuses on creating some pop tracks in the reggae 'mold', accessible and polished, using reggae instruments and sounds without those being the focus of the album.
The one hundred and twelfth classical recording: #84 Johann Sebastian Bach - St John Passion
Needs must, and I don't think I could have skipped doing one of the famous Easter oratorios at any time other than Easter, but having workmen hammering away just outside the room I work in hasn't been the ideal way to experience a piece like it. It meant that my focus was diverted and I missed out on the lyrics of the performance and the division in songs, instead letting the music do its thing. In particular, I think I've been missing out on some of the nuances of the different arias, which have been blending together more than they probably should. They are heavy, stately, the choral sound that I expect to hear from Bach. The tenderness increases later in the piece, especially as the sadness of loss comes in, but that is as much down to the choice of vocalists, switching to sopranos as time goes on to get that effect.
This work has its feel and sound that feels like it fits in with the religious setting it would be performed in. It means that it's not a piece best suited for casual listening, but it works here.
The one hundred sixty-third TV show: #950 Africa
After Blue Planet, I've been looking forward to another David Attenborough nature documentary. Africa came up as an option and it's been amazing to watch. The harsh conditions of large parts of Africa leads to a diversity of behaviour that stays fascinating and the conditions threatening nature on our planet seem to be felt worse there than anywhere else. The sights we see are amazing - especially how things are filmed that have never been seen before - and the glimpses of the life of these animals stay fascinating. Seeing short segments of how these were filmed makes it even more impressive (and sometimes heartbreaking), but there is a lot that comes just from the sight of these creatures.
There is hope in the almost obligatory conservation episode. People are trying to preserve them too, work with others to protect them. The Sahara desert will stay inhospitable and those that survive are amazing in their capabilities, but we can avoid making it worse. And with that we can see more creatures in their natural behaviour, with all the ways in which they can interact. It remains a beautiful series in a beautiful continent with some amazing creatures.
The one hundred and sixty-second TV show: #1 The Ed Sullivan Show
When it came to picking a show yesterday, I went for the earliest one in existence. It's a show that I wasn't expecting to be amazed by, but as the first show it feels it will help define early American television. It lasted until 1971, at which point its audience was too old for the advertisers, but seeing it promote I Love Lucy was an interesting way to set its place in history.
The Ed Sullivan Show is a variety show, and it really seems to be there. Ed Sullivan isn't a major presence that you see, on regular shows doing little more than introducing the show and possibly having a short interview with one or two of the guests. While probably known at the time and working for that, he doesn't have the charisma to pull this off for a modern audience. The acts are the most interesting part then, but while it gets the occasional youth-focused rock song, it also has a number of songs that do feel dated. It's not quite as intentional as the Good Old Days, but to the contemporary viewer there's not as much to this show as its reputation may suggest. It's best preserved through clips and compilations, rather than full episodes.
The one hundred and sixty-first TV show: #364 Moonlighting
At some point, Moonlighting failed to pay off the hype. There's an interesting feeling to the show, one that does what it wants with some fun meta-jokes and fourth wall breaking, including them walking off set at one point to do a chase through the studio. It's cheeky and fun, and when it goes for those it's a lot of fun. The problem is the other half, where David (Bruce Willis) and Maddie (Cybil Shepherd) are in a will they, won't they relationship that just isn't as gripping as the creators think it is. It's not too believable, it's drawn out way too much and it works best when we aren't actually worrying about this love plot - frequently bickering friends is far better than a love story.
And having seen the episode where it comes together and they sleep together for the first time - a supposed highlight - shows how toxic the writing around this is. It was a frustrating episode that we didn't like, and missing the genius that the show can be when it wants to be its own madcap self. There's a lot of potential here in Moonlighting, which occasionally pays off, but in the end it's not what I'd want it to be.