What was the last live performance you saw?
In a church in Belper, Derbyshire, an old man cried. She sang the lines and his tears wrapped in the back of throat. That is the experience of a Judie Tzuke concert.
Beginning when she entered the stage and finding completion as she sang Ladies Night. The tears fell, the song found a new meaning, and the Judie Tzuke fanboy felt complete.
My first Tzuke experience.
Once, long ago, in a cinema in Lincoln he had seen the woman backed by her band. She sang songs, he joined in. Sat far at the back, alone, with a feeling of happiness he had not felt in such a long time.
Already a fanboy it was a concert – gig, as he called them back then – that he was never going to miss. The tortured experience of getting there, the stress of finding his comfort place were easily worth grinding through for him to experience the beauty and joy of Judie Tzuke.
The joys of Tzuke were well known to him. She had been for a solid year. Me, the old man, can remember that time I heard Understanding. Sat with my back against the wall. The sun cooking the back of my neck through the window. The day was Tuesday. The month was May, the year 1980. A pile of singles found in a bargain bin for one tenth the price of one single. That was a regular check for me – being the poverty-stricken music fan I was. Flick through the basket looking for bands and artists that had pleasured me before, or songs that had radio play and considered good enough to be worth the price. There were those bought for the cover art, or the track on the B-side. Whatever the reason, the ten pence single bought pleasure until I had the finance to buy complete albums.
Hearing Judie Tzuke for the first time.
You may think that Judie Tzuke is blonde and pretty, that is why he spent the money. But that is not the case. Understanding, the single I purchased was in a grey paper sleeve, with a hole in the centre to read the name and the title. It was the name that got me. At first, I could not imagine how you would pronounce it. That random ‘z’ threw my brain into turmoil.
The ritual for these singles – place them five at a time on the spindle. Sit back and listen. The break-even is liking one, more than one, is profit. But music has never been accounting for me. Popularity is not pre-requisite for my enjoyment. Listening, enjoying, loving that is what makes great music, not the number of fans an artist has.
Understanding: the first play, I thought it was a brave title when that was the song’s first word. A song without a chorus, which does not sound like a traditional pop song is, perhaps, not the place to start. The song did not need a hook. The passion of the lyrics and the beauty in her voice both drew this fan. I understood why she produced music.
Sportscar, was the first album I spent money on, I was the fanboy from the opening bars of the title track. The following week I purchased Welcome to the cruise. Both are still favorites but for a list of her albums ranked and a personal list of her top ten tracks are for other posts.
The Tzuke Fanboy.
Ask a fan why they like someone, the answer is always the same: love. You can put that emotion into the fatigue of rationality. Tell you how great the musicians she works with, or the poetry of her songs. But that is just love. She gives; I take. Inside my brain and flesh starlight, a new universe of pleasure explodes.
Fifty years is a long time. Still the fanboy gets excited to hear something new. The stars still shine when he hears the old. On occasions when all is perfect a new galaxy forms when an old song seems fresh to my ears.
Without the internet, knowing when your favourite artist releases new work is difficult. For a decade of years after Wonderland, I did not know of latest music. For a long time that was so.
The Tzuke family’s next generation has already made its mark. Bailey has her mother’s wonderful voice and either solo or with T.I.G.Y. are making wonderful music. This fanboy is listening to another star.
Music can do things for your mind.
Music makes you want to dance.
Music can move your emotions.
Then there are songwriters like Judie Tzuke. Highly underrated but with the ability to move an old man to tears.
NB: I love Judie Tzuke, none of the links to her website to buy her albums will earn this site one penny. We never affiliate. You buy an album, all the revenue goes to Judie Tzuke.com
Check her out. On Wikipedia On YouTube
A selection of Judie Tzuke from YouTube
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