David Lindley: Do You Want My Job
purchase link: [Amazon]
Once again, I'll stretch the limits of this week's theme with this post: Job, work .. It's all the same. As the man says, "I hump the stuff, I take the cash/So my kids can wear Adidas" . If it aint Adidas that you're paying for, it isnt far removed (world-wide McDonalds burgers and Pepsi Cola...) Ain't got no job, ain't got money? ... you are definitely in a downward spiral. (I speak from personal experience: you need fortitude. And luck to escape the vortex.)
I first came across David Lindley though my love of Ry Cooder. David Lindley has periodically provided backup support for Ry and others. His 1981 album El Rayo X includes Bill Payne (Little Feat), Jackson Browne, Garth Hudson (the Band) and various others who wanted to be a part of his musicality.
Known both for his musical writing as well as his minimal-style guitar chops, on stage he seems to prefer a folk/picking method with lots of well-chosen "electronic chorus effect" enhancements to boost the depth. This clip seems to me a prime example.
Lindley has worked with Ry Cooder, Linda Rondstadt, Bob Dylan and Rob Stewart among many others. Alternate versions of this song include those by Little Village, John Hiatt, Jim Keltner and more.
In the post above, we have Wally Ingram doing the "drums". You often think of drumming as intense/sweaty beating on skins, but this comes across as much more focused. Beat: yes. Intense: no. More supportive than directive.
As to the lyrical content... It's all about work: we are exploited for profit, and most of us dont really care so long as we can make ends meet: after all, it is my monthly bills that matter, no? In this age of "green", Lindley's lyrics about environmental spoilage - backed by the song's island lilting/Hawaian style, offer a thought-provoking addendum to Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth"- at what expense future energy?
