A softer note on which to end the day

I mentioned Joan Baez's 'Diamonds and Rust' earlier, and thought you might like to hear it, sung by her in her prime. I saw her a couple of years ago, and her voice is possible even richer. If you don't know her story: she was a folk star in the 60s revival, socially progressive and serious, then she gave Bob Dylan his big break. They had a relationship and he dumped her (and can be seen being cruel to her on Pennebaker's film), moving on to become a megastar, though I believe they made friends again. I love this song because it merges tenderness and hurt, along with a grown-up ruefulness about the naivety of love ('Speaking strictly for me, we both could have died then and there'). If your tastes are more rock, listen to the Judas Priest version here (it starts to RAWK about 3.22).

May is shaping up

… to be a great month for culture. ATP, the Star Trek movie, and Pride and Prejudice With Zombies, about which I blogged a couple of months ago, and which is now available from some behemoth online corporations. I also got Hunger and the new Doves album, Kingdom of Rust in the post today. I've always had a soft spot for them. They're like a happier version of Tindersticks (and the title reminds me of Joan Baez's heartbreaking 'Diamonds and Rust', about her split with Bob Dylan). The video is a live performance from 1975.