Still here, just

To show that I haven't completely dropped off the planet, here's a 22-minute YouTube playlist of six vaguely Halloween-y songs, some obvious, some less so. Which carves your pumpkin? And which leaves you ... cold? Mwah-hah-ha-ha, et cetera...

None The Wiser

I am willing to bet this is the best song you'll hear today. It's eight years old now, but sadly more relevant than ever... in a world where the country dashes head-first into self-inflicted economic chaos, small mad dictators throw missiles at their neighbours, teenagers drown themselves in a morass of algorithm-led anti-social media, and we all quietly avert our gaze from the inevitable climate disaster. All aboard the handcart - hell ahead!

Be careful, I fall into playing this on a loop - you may do the same.

Most of the time

I'm no Bob aficianado. I have no acoustic/electric axe to grind. Indeed, most of the Dylan albums I have are compilations. What I can tell you is that those compilations, even those released this century, don't have a great deal on them from after the 1970s. Whilst he might have had a lot of critical acclaim since then, I think it's safe to say that his days of troubling the singles chart are over.

He has still got it right on later occasions, though. This like, Most of the Time, from the 1989 album Oh Mercy. It didn't chart, of course, but for me it's as good as anything he ever did.

Most of the time
I'm clear focused all around
Most of the time
I can keep both feet on the ground
I can follow the path
I can read the signs
Stay right with it
When the road unwinds
I can handle whatever
I stumble upon
I don't even notice
She's gone
Most of the time

Most of the time
It's well understood
Most of the time
I wouldn't change it if I could
I can't make it all match up
I can hold my own
I can deal with the situation
Right down to the bone
I can survive
And I can endure
And I don't even think
About her
Most of the time

Most of the time
My head is on straight
Most of the time
I'm strong enough not to hate
I don't build up illusion
'Till it makes me sick
I ain't afraid of confusion
No matter how thick
I can smile in the face
Of mankind
Don't even remember
What her lips felt like on mine
Most of the time

Most of the time
She ain't even in my mind
I wouldn't know her if I saw her
She's that far behind
Most of the time
I can't even be sure
If she was ever with me
Or if I was ever with her

Most of the time
I'm halfway content
Most of the time
I know exactly where it all went
I don't cheat on myself
I don't run and hide
Hide from the feelings
That are buried inside
I don't compromise
And I don't pretend
I don't even care
If I ever see her again
Most of the time