Bike in Gradina, Serbia used for transporting wood.
Fiets in Gradina, Servie for het transporteren van hout.

Crisis?

What crisis? Since a few months the world can not speak anything else then "credit-crisis" and Obama. The latter one is quite natural as he is the new President of the US the coming 4 years. The first word, crisis, is something all media use as there seem to be somewhere a crisis. The whole media world is copying this, as always, since there are only a few journalists who are objective and try to learn more about what is really going on, other then just to follow. I am not a journalist but hope that I will be remembered as an objective person who always tries to find the real problem/solution then just to act like a parrot. I don't believe in a world-wide catastrophe. The whole problem with the banks in America, and partly the United Kingdom, started while too many people got credits without a real solid investigation how they would be able to pay it back. Then there was Madoff with a so-called 50 Billion dollar scam. The world was in crisis. Many governments stood up and acted to save the worlds' economy by putting Billions of dollars into banks and other huge conglomerates like the car industry in the US. The reality however is that now most of the Central Banks have decreased their interest, (England to ZERO! and others like the ECB to 1,5%) but the banks are not following in the same pace. That means that banks are getting their money extremely cheap but clients still pay 3-4 times more interest back. The crisis itself is just a very tiny one. People who lost their money in a credit-scam are not the poorest people. They normally are those people having 20 million or more and invest 10% of their wealth. Like the Queen of the Netherlands who (unconfirmed) lost 50 Million. But what is that when you are "Quoted" as having 1 Billion? Also most of those people forget to tell that all those years they had it on Madoff's accounts they really got 10% of their money on a yearly bases. Just a short excercise:

• 20 million on the Mad(off) bank against 10% interest.
• Deposit in 1995
• 1996 20 million plus interest totals 22 Million
• 1997 22 million plus interest totals 24,2 Million
• 1998 24,2 million plus interest totals 26,4 Million
• 1999 26,4 million plus interest totals 29 Million
• 2000 29 million plus interest totals 31,9 Million
• Etc. etc, till you have in a few years 50 Million on that bank. If you were smart you would have taken the interest yearly. That would leave your 20 million on that bank but in 10 years you also have 20 Million interest. so nothing to worry there!

As I stated before, there is no real crisis. The banks have organised this together with the Bush Administration in order to have the democrats having a serious difficult start with their new President Obama. He has to work on a new system to get back the trust of the consumer in having credits with the banks, or even to save money in those banks. It will cost him an enormous energy to complete this and at the same time there will be less money for his army in the East. So a removal will be unavoidable and that means that the Iraqi's and the Afghans (mainly Al-Quiada) will see it as their victory over the invaders. And in 2012 it means that the nationalist Americans will win and Obama will not have a second term as President. That will be Jeb Bush! I predict that in March/April 2009 (so in 2-3 months) all media will not even one second mention the word crisis as there is not one, there was not one and there will not be one! Please read my next blog in a few days hopefully. Am busy now. Going to buy a house, a yacht and a bike. Money stinks but when you have it you don't smell it anymore!

You may guess which one it will be, 1 or 2:

1or: 2

Search the seven differences on these pictures where I am seen, discussing with my two brothers!

Arthur Conley

USA, 1964-1970

As promised a while ago, today another long article about one of my all time favourites. OK, I have quite a long list with names of singers/groups I like and you will see that the next years in this blog. But yes, Arthur Conley was one of the singers from my list. As I wrote before about Joe Tex as a singer who was underestimated I must be honest and write that the real, incredibly and totally underestimated singer was Arthur Conley. We all know him from the Song “Sweet Soul Music”(Second live song is SSM). Who doesn’t remember the words we all sang with him ”….Do you like good music, Yeah Yeah, ….Sweet Soul Music…..Yeah Yeah….”
But this man had more, much more!
Born January 4, 1946 in Hinesfield, Georgia. Like all great soul singers Arthur started to sing gospel during his childhood. Soon he formed his own band, Arthur Conley & The Corvettes. Rufus Thomas saw the young Arthur performing and was the first to state: 'Boy you're gonna be a star!' At the age of 18 he was discovered by Otis Redding who became his mentor and coach. Together with Otis, Arthur rewrote Yeah Man of Sam Cooke and recorded it as Sweet Soul Music in the Muscle Shoals Studio, Alabama. Sweet Soul Music certified gold and peaked no.2 on the pop and R&B charts, an all-time soul anthem. In 1967 Arthur joined the Stax/Volt revue tour of Europe with Sam & Dave, Eddy Floyd, Carla Thomas, The Mar-Keys, Booker T. & The MG's and Otis Redding.
Just 20 years old and a star. But not prepared for that fame on that age! Surrounded and performing on a daily bases with the best Soul artists and performers in the world. And earnings he could never have dreamed of a short-while before.

Ruurlo, The Netherlands,

1970-2003
When asked why he ended up in this small village in the East of the Netherlands he answered: “I have to follow a path, that path was once crossed by Otis but I am still on the same path. It was a straight line to Ruurlo. Since my early teens I ran around the world. It felt like I blinked my eyes once and my youth was gone, all my friends gone. I was a stranger in a world I did not even know myself. No where I had roots and I felt I needed them! That problem never left my mind. I was always uncomfortable when speaking with strangers. It is now a bit better but I still don’t go anywhere alone. I need a partner! After Sam Cooke died I had the first test. I was suddenly between men who could only speak about their latest adventures with women. Terrible talk which I could not stand. But there was always Otis to protect me. I was different though I did not really understood it at that time. I was clean, shaven, showered every day and after the shows I did not go with the others into nightclubs. I went to my room to watch some tv. After Otis died it all came back. Again between men who could only talk sex. And even worse, the company let me sing songs like: ”It's so nice when it's somebody else’s wife". The first time in the hall where I performed, a man shouted to me “if it was you I would kick your ass". It was right away the last time I sang it”. After that Conley wrote a tribute to Otis Redding called “Otis sleep on“, the most sincere, heart breaking Otis Redding lament. Shamelessly sentimental but very touchy.

"The company tried more and more to let me sing those songs that did not fit to me as a person and I decided on one day to leave to Europe. I made one more song “Another Time”, recorded in Belgium, as to say to my fans in the States that it was over. It was enough and time for a new life. I could wear jeans, not to think about my hair every second and leave all that Soulstar live behind me. When I ended up in Amsterdam I finally felt that my life was good. People understood me in the Netherlands, respected me and I could live like I wanted to live. I found my identity and did not shame myself any longer. The people from Surinam in those times found out who I was and “forced” me to sing again, what I did for a while. But after meeting my Soulmate I decided to change my name in Lee Roberts and to finally finish my life as Arthur Conley. Don’t call me gay as I don’t know what that is, Also I am not bi-sexual but maybe better to call me Unisexual. And now I have roots”.
(Thanks to Sander Donkers, journalist Vrij Nederland, 2001)

Conley, his music:
Arthur Conley was not only a gifted singer he was also a great performer and a talented song writer as well a remarkable person. He could have been one of the biggest stars of his decade, but instead he choose to stay aside. In fact he was a bit like his first single where he sings: "I'm A Lonely Stranger". With the passing away of this great talent the world has lost one of the finest 60 soul singers. Arthur Conley is a severely underrated giant of soul music. Perhaps the paradoxical stumbling block of his career was the huge success of Sweet Soul Music, which overshadowed his real strength, which was interpreting - and often writing - the most beautiful and sensitive soul ballads and mid tempo gems like “Otis sleep on'”. A glance at his discography reveals that he was expected to recapture that cheerful, lightweight rock and rolish atmosphere - not to much avail, both musically and commercially. Please listen to his sensitive numbers like ”There's a place for us”, (one of my favourites. The link will bring you the song but not combined with the correct film, but nice to see!) "Nothing can change this love I have for you", (an original from Sam Cooke, Conley's last live performance on Dutch TV) "I'm a lonely stranger”, “I'm gonna forget about you”, “Let nothing separate us”, “Let's go steady”, “Love got me”, “Love comes and goes”, “Is that you love”, (My real favourie, can listen to it every day. Listen to his voice changing after 38 seconds, how full, strong and yet TOTAL SOUL!!) all exquisite soul performances - but with almost no public recognition. What a shame.

Arthur Conley,

January 4, 1946 – November 17, 2003)

buried at the Public Cemetery in

Vorden, The Netherlands.

who did not have this LP in the 70ies??

Respect!

Linda Cooke

Fans of Soul music for sure know Sam Cooke, (the link brings you to "Blowin' In The Wind, a great song by Bob Dylan but here performed in a great way by Sam Cooke) by many named as "Father of Soul". In his not so long career he wrote incredible beautiful songs, many who became famous after he died. He died in December 1964, 33 years young and, as so often in the US music scene, by violence. In the early 60ies he was a guest in some motel and what happened there is told by many people in different ways. He was shot dead by the owner of the motel after he assaulted her, he was killed because he wanted to rob the place (highly unlikely as he did not need the money), he was trying to catch a prostitute who robbed him and ran into the owners reception desk where she shot him, and some other stories. The truth is that he died, halfnaked in the entrance of that motel leaving a young child behind, his daughter Linda. She was 12 when he died and grew up/raised by her (widow)mother. She followed later the footsteps of her famous father but without big success. Then in, 1980, she married Cecil Womack. Not by coincedence she knew Cecil as his brother Bobby married the widow of Sam Cooke and thus the mother of Linda only 3 months after he was shot dead (1965). Under the name of Womack & Womack, Cecil and Linda released a successful album, "Love Wars". They released more albums and singles but the only famous song was without any doubt "Teardrops" from 1988. A hitsong all over the world.

Now would I not write so much about Linda Cooke if the end was not so special. In the 1990s, when hits in the music scene stayed away, the family moved to Africa with their family and now records with her seven children as "The House of Zekkariyas". I still did not find out which country they went to in Africa. But according to their website (quite amateuristic I would say)
"they have positive directed you in confidence into a glimpse of their present state and future existence". Whatever that may mean. Linda Cooke, Cecil Womack, a short history.
Till the next blog!

Traditions

The sub-title of the blog has been changed into "Sweet Music And Much More" to show you that this blog will contain from now on mainly info about music. Not only about the music I like but also the music I don't like but is loved by million others. I will also so now and then write what is on my mind and I really hope you like to read. Don't hesitate to comment, positively or with positive critics. (meaning you don't agree with me but don't use insults:)

Today I was walking in the centre of Chisinau, the capitol of the Republic of Moldova, a small country between the Ukraine and Romania, a former USSR republic. And I recognised an American because he did not look like any of the locals here but for me and many others it was even clear he was most likely from Texas because of his hat.

It reminded me a bit on the article I wrote in Dutch language that I am not so much into traditions and because the future is for me many, many times more important. I don't like for instance people dressed in National Costume saying "because we do that already for centuries".

For me it shows that those people also did not change much the last centuries. Am I right that people who are very much into traditions also are at the same time the conservative part of the world population, and vice-versa? I think it is and I plea therefore that most of the traditions in the world will be banned. We start with all traditions dating back from more then 200 years ago and we will work on like that till nothing reminds us anymore what happened more then 50 years ago. It doesn't mean that we don't learn history. It doesn't mean that on certain moments (the National Holiday) peope are allowed to walk in the street with clothes resembling what their forefathers were wearing. And playing some idiot games from 1600 or so. But it is not allowed in daily life in 2009. I am of the opinion that keeping tradition alive is not improving peoples thinking about the future and what to do with our planet. Tradition keeps people backward and doesn't help our life nowadays and certainly not the young people who want to spread their wings but are stopped doing so by traditional cultures. So everything older then 50, (besides the lives of human beings and animals and certain types and styles of music) will be banned. Older music shoul not be banned because that is something that can connect people from different places. So no worry, Elvis will stay. And Chopin. But people in National Costumes (wearing it daily) shoul be banned and even, after warnings, be punished for not looking into the future. Another thing I would like to start is a discussion to change all churches, mosques, synagogues and all other houses used for religion to change into disco's. Do you think a group on Facebook with the name "I bet I can find 5 million people who agree to change all religious venues into Disco's" would have a chance? The next blog will be about music again!

New Year!

Happy and healthy 2009!!
For the frequent readers here I must apologise as I again have changed the lay-out/design of this blog. Reason is that I am not so satisfied with the old ones and still not am 100% happy. So, sorry, bare with me the changes and come back to read!

A day to remember the past year and years....

Remembering Soul Friends:
Just click on the title of the song and enjoy many, many, many great songs!
Sam Cooke, Bring It On Home To Me; Unforgettable and the founder of Soul for me!
In a later Blog something more about his daughter Linda, a great singer as well now known as Linda Womack (from Womack & Womack).
Otis Redding, Try A Little Tenderness; No words needed, died in a plane crash, how unfortunate for him, his family and fans!
Levi Stubbs, (4Tops), Reach Out I’ll Be There; Died this year, a great Tenor voice
James Carr, At The Dark End Of The Street; (see blog 4 days ago)
James Brown, It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World; The Godfather Of Soul!
Joe Tex, I gotcha; Rapper of the sixties! See previous Blog!
Dave Prater (Sam & Dave), Soul Man; Bariton, brought the sounds of the black gospel church to pop music
Wilson Pickett, In The Midnight Hour; An original singer, listen to his blues, soul, R&B, he could do all!
Arthur Conley, Sweet Soul Music; (look at his microphone handling!!) More about this special singer in a later blog. As a Dutchman I have a special tie with this man as he lived the main part of his life in the Netherlands and I was happy to see him performing live in Club Paradiso, Amsterdam
Marvin Gaye, Sexual Healing; Killed by his father, also too young such an enormous talent!
Tammi Terrel, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough Yes the original singer, with Marvin Gaye. Died when 24, too young, what a talent!
Mary Wells, My Guy; Yes her song indeed! Died very short after winning a Million Dollar lawsuit against Tamla-Motown
Norman Whitfield, songwriter (Papa Was A Rolling Stone (you see a great performance of the Temptations!), I Heard It Through The Grapevine, etc.) No words needed here!
Curtis Mayfield, Superfly; Soul, R&B and also Funk, A very special one!
Luther VanDross, Power Of Love; Won 8Grammy Awards!!! A lifelong alone, his name was never romantically linked with women. For me one of the most underestimated singers ever!
O.V. Wright, That’s How Strong My Love Is; His song and not from Otis Redding who was the one to make it famous. A serious drug problem caused his death at 41 years old.
Make this page your start page so that every day you can listen to some great songs!
Added: (31-12-2008) Florence Ballard from the Supremes, died in poverty. Remember her!

Yusuf Hazziez

When I was a teenager one of the most popular styles in music was Soul. Record labels like Atlantic and Tamla-Motown were leading and many talents scored hits there. Aretha Fanklin, Otis Redding, of course James Brown but also Sam Cooke (although he died even before I was a teenager) and many others we were listening to, every day. There were also the not so famous ones, throughout the world, James Carr, *(see my blog 3 days ago) or the one or two Hit wonders. One of those admired by only a small group of fans was Joe Tex.

A great voice, good moves on the stage but what was intriguing is that he was actually speaking the lyrics of the song very fast. And he himself called it rap! (Actually meaning "to hit", a very old English word) That was in 1966!! More then 40 years ago this men really "invented" that music style (is it the same as Hip-Hop as suggested in Wikipedia??) which was great in the early 22nd Century with people like Eminem and 50Cents.
The title of the blog is Yusuf Hazziez. You think why? That was the name after he converted to Islam and probably enjoyed being at home with his family as Hits were never produced after 1972. But his latest hit, "I gotcha" was a great song. A real rap-song. Look especially at the "great" dancers around him. I am happy that dancing has improved a lot the last 20 years!
My favourite song from Joe Tex however is "Show Me".
He was never seen using drugs or consuming lots of alcohol so it was even more unsuspected that this man would not live to become 50. A few days after he became 49 he died following a heart attack!
Respect!

Christmas tree arrested...!

This can only happen in Moldova....(oh, this is not some funny article, no it is SERIOUS!!)
Moldova Police have “arrested” a Christmas tree in Chisinau. It is the latest development in the on-going Christmas tree war between City Authorities and the Moldovan government.
Moldovan police have demanded that the driver of a vehicle carrying the city government’s Christmas tree to the main square, produce a license to purchase fir trees as well as a permit from the State Environmental Inspectorate. Representatives of the country’s Forest Management Association, however, say there is no need for such a permit in this case. But police detained the vehicle nonetheless and then said the fir tree is ‘under arrest’. And while the mayor is demanding explanations, the Republic’s government is erecting a fir tree of its own in the same main square. This ‘best tree’ intrigue is the latest incident in the Xmas-tree war which started last year when the Christmas tree erected by the City on the capital’s main square, disappeared the day after it went up only to re-appear again at another square in front of the Chisinau Cathedral. It has never been established who was responsible for the move. Police told Mayor Chirtoaca that “unidentified persons” did it. But, Chirtoaca said he had adequate information that the fir tree had been removed by the police themselves. In the end, the Christmas tree was erected in front of the Mayor’s Office building.

Anyway, the tree is now on the main square, what not a real square is. A funny country here!Arrested!

At the Dark End of the Street

Most evenings nowadays I am at home, working on the computer privately and sometimes for my job. Or I go with my friends to have a drink and discuss worldpeace but mainly the sport and music. A few days ago I heard the great voice of an Australian singer who now resides in London and her name is Sia Furler but her artist name is just Sia. A cover of the great song of the Kinks (Ray Davies) "I go to sleep" was performed by her on a CD in the cafe where I was drinking. Click on the links and you'hear her with two different versions. If you like to sing along, click in the upper-right corner on "more info" and the lyrics appear. When further checked her on YouTube and on Wikipedia I ended up reading something totally different, about one of my old favourites in the 60'ies when I was a teenager. His name is James Carr (June 13, 1942 - January 7, 2001), and he was an American Rhythm & Blues and soul musical artist. I will never forget his voice which was better then many other soul singers those days.

But unfortunately (see hereunder the copy of Wikipedia about his career and life) he died a few years ago, too young. Enjoy the clip from his most famous song, "At the Dark End of the Street", 1967.
But also look at the clip where he sings (LIVE!!) a great version of "You got my mind messed up", a classic one and that only a few weeks, before he died of lung cancer. What a talent, what a great singer! Respect!
Next blog more about another idol of me, the long forgotten Joe Tex, the man who invented RAP!!!

Born to a Baptist preacher's family in Coahoma, Mississippi, Carr began singing in church and was performing in gospel groups and making tables on an assembly line in Memphis, Tennessee, when he began recording in the mid-'60s for Goldwax Records, a small Memphis based label.
Carr first made the R&B charts in 1966 with "You've Got My Mind Messed Up", followed by his most famous song "The Dark End of the Street", written by Dan Penn and Chips Moman. Carr continued to record for Goldwax until the label closed in 1969 but failed to reach the same heights with his subsequent releases.
Carr suffered from bipolar disorder for most of his life which affected his career. This was evident during a tour of Japan in the 1970s when he froze in front of an audience following an overdose of antidepressants. However he completed the Japan tour with much success. A resurgence in interest in his music, spurred by his portrayal in the 1986 book Sweet Soul Music, helped return Carr to the recording studio but failed to deliver any further chart success.
While Carr was never as popular among general audiences as contemporaries like Otis Redding and Solomon Burke, his vocal performances on select tracks are still considered unmatched by many soul music and rhythm & blues fans.
James Carr died from lung cancer in a Memphis nursing home in 2001, aged 58.

Really nothing!

It is Sunday today. 7th of December and seriously there is nothing what I could come up with to write. There is as always war in Iraq and Afghanistan, there are tribes fighting in East-Africa, many people were robbed today (as every other day), it is still perfect weather in Darfur, 5000 people killed monthly though, young and old people died (as every other day) but for the rest nothing special to report from the Eastern Front. Maybe only to say that today I went to the Supermarket to buy dried Sea Weed to make Sushi. But I did not know that those leaves are so expensive. Here in Chisinau for 5 leaves (A3 size) you pay almost 2 Euro. Can anyone tell me if that is expensive compared to other countries? It probably is anyway expensive because eating Sushi in a restaurant is also something for millionaires!

New TWA Sign!

Obama

02-12-2008, 11.00

What a pity and what a lost possibility to really start changing the world and bringing people together now Obama has thrown away his disguise and we can all see that he is actually the grandson of Bush sr. and the little brother of Bill Clinton. By appointing Hillary Clinton to Secretary of State it shows that the USA is nothing more then a family lead clan. And by keeping Gates on the post of Defense it shows that there will be hardly any changes towards the wars in the east. It will also not make things easier in making friendship with Russia and China. Under Clinton the Chinese were never happy (bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade) and as under Bush/Gates the Russian were almost made to enemies. (Georgian conflict). What a disappointment!

Including Palin?

Money and Alzheimer!

There is more money being spent on breast implants and Viagra today than on Alzheimer's research. This means that by 2040, there should be a large elderly population with perky boobs and huge erections but absolutely no recollection of what to do with them.