Gotta confess, I like the Neil Diamond version better. 
Bonus track…
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Joni Mitchell – "Free Man in Paris" (live, 1979)
Yeah, Neil’s rendition is pretty good.
I also like the live version from the Shadows and Light album. It features a host of great musicians, including Michael Brecker (saxophone), Pat Metheny (lead guitar), Jaco Pastorius (bass), Lyle Mays (keyboards), and Don Alias (drums).
“Free Man in Paris” was written for (and about) David Geffen, the billionaire media mogul. In 1976, when Joni wrote “Free Man,” Geffen was her manager and friend. At the time, he had not yet ascended to the finanical heights he would later reach. Geffen was the guy who convinced Mitchell to cancel her scheduled appearance at the original Woodstock concert.
On a trip to Paris (with Geffen, Robbie Robertson, and Dominique Robertson), Joni noted that David was more relaxed than he ever was in Los Angeles, and she ended up writing the song for him.
I guess the reason I like the Neil version better is because of the way it’s… “presented”.
Joni’s version is happier, like “Wuhu! What a nice day! I’m going for a nice sunny walk in the park!”, whereas Neil’s version is a bit darker, like, “I’m free! Free from the vultures and hangers-on, always trying to get their hooks into me and haranguing me for endless favors. Finally, some peace and quiet!”.
Yeah, I’m Mr Glass-Half-Empty…
Just listened again… I can hear that, especially in the verses. When Neil slows the tempo for the verses, it adds weight. Musically, Diamond’s arrangement is a bit more predictable—he even adds strings— but vocally, he delivers a bigger punch.
The irony is that Joni is usually the glass-half-empty lady!
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I don’t remember if I shared this one previously but it’s a great synthwave mix.
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Ooh, is that intro synth some dulcimer/reed harp blend?
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Cyndi Lauper – "Strawberry Fields Forever" (live, 2001)
Come Together: A Night for John Lennon’s Words and Music, was a 2001 television program tribute to John Lennon that aired on both TNT and The WB.
For “Strawberry Fields,” Cyndi Lauper did everything I like in a cover. Rather than slavishly trying to duplicate The Beatles arrangement, she changes things around a bit, putting her own stamp on the song. The tempo is a little slower, and the instrumentation is way stripped down. Lauper plays a lap dulcimer.
The Beatles – "Strawberry Fields Forever" (1967)
For comparison, here is the original. It was the first song recorded during the sessions that produced Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
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My wife’s electric toothbrush
I got an acoustic toothbrush.
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Tina Turner, born 1939, 70 years old on stage in 2009, live concert.
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Some fun stuff from Boards of Canada.
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Boards of Canada love
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I don’t remember if we have any black metal fans here but I might have posted some Master’s Hammer in the past. They were a pioneering Czech black metal band in the late 80s and early 90s. I just noticed that they dropped new album last year. It’s not black metal and leans into electronic elements, occasionally reminding me of Rammstein. Definitely interesting…
Here is the full album as a YouTube playlist.
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Hiromi’s Sonicwonder - Live on KEXP (2025)
This is Hiromi’s current quartet, Sonicwonder, delivering its jaw-dropping virtuosity for listeners of KEXP, Seattle.
Hiromi’s solo cover of The Beatles’s “Blackbird,” heard in this BLF post, is also worth a listen.
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