You're the best around

So every band eventually splits right, yesterday I talked about those who got back together, today I'd like to talk about the break-away star from bands that have broken up. Now sometimes very rarely all ex members of a band find their way a la The Beatles ; but most of the time only one or two members really "make it"

Ben Folds - After the Ben Folds Five split up in 2000 (ironically reuniting for a one off in 2008) Ben Folds began to pave the way for a solo carrier. A year later he put out what is arguably best solo record : "Rockin' The Suburbs". Considering Fold's is a pianist the focus of his songs have never really been on the guitar. This provides listeners with a break from the normal pop song however that being said his music is still filled with catchy (and sometimes menacing) lyrics and very good musicianship.

Brian Wilson - The Beach Boys are under appreciated (I feel ; in fact I'll blog about that sometime soon). This man was and continues to be a genius his writing is well above par ; and it's very unfortunate that he fell into the drug scene of the 1970's. That being said as of late the man is most certainly back. The Beach Boys had another run from the mid 80's to the mid 90's and after that he remade (or officially released) "SMiLE" the album that never was. The album of legend - and you know what. It kicked total ass, I believe that this hype monster definitely was more worthwhile then lets say "Chinese Democracy". His most recent triump "That Lucky Old Sun" is also worth noting as one of the finest concept albums ever. Finally free of the "SMiLE" Wilson is once free to persue other dreams.

Ray Davies - After The Kinks finally broke up in 1996 what was Ray Davies to do. He wasn't talking to his brother, he wasn't in his band of over thirty years, what was he to do. Well writing a solo album wasn't a bad idea. 1998's "The Storyteller" began a very strong writing carrier (He had released a solo album in 1985 entitled "Return to Waterloo" but I'm focusing more on the post-kinks era) 2006's "Other People Lives" was a fine peice of work coming after a stab wound that he had encured in New Orleans and it shows. Finally we come to his most recent work - 2008's "Working Man's Cafe" one of my favorite albums of last year he pours his thoughts out onto paper and with guitar and some malace he throws them straight at you. From world affairs, to fan warship, to how things have changed, it really is a fantastic album to just listen through.



- Peace and Love -

I'm Back [I'm really really back]

It's been a while, and I'd like to thank anyone reading this ; seriously all of you right on. I took a bit of a hiatus because I was feeling fairly devoid of all things creative. But I thought it was necessary (and poetic) to come back on this of all days. For all who don't know Blink-182 are back with a new album in the works and a new summer tour. So let's take a look at a couple of "Come-Back" bands because it seems to happen more and more these days.

The Police - After releasing Synchronicity in 1983 the band toured and broke up in 1984. This being said they came back after over 20 years to tour from 07-08. The band has no intention of getting back together ; but this tour proves they still got it.

Led Zeppelin - Well 1980 sucked. John Lennon, AND John Bonham were dead. Truly the musical landscape had to change. However after a couple of subpar renunions the band took to the stage in 2007 for a one off with the three remaining members of the band, and John Bonhams son Jason to comemorate the death of their manager Ahmet Ertegun. They proceeded to rock the house, and left everyone wondering when they'll actually release the preformence on Blu-ray, DVD, VHS, Laserdisc, Betamax, LP, CD, Cassette, MD, SACD (I think you get the point).

The Beatles - OK so they never really "reunited" but for the Beatles - Anthology project that took place in 1995/6 the renaming Beatles DID all return to talk about their experiences in the band and create two new tracks with old John Lennon backing tracks. It was the closest we ever got to a reunion anyway. And the Anthology in all it's forms is definitely worth looking into and buying if you haven't already.

Pink Floyd - Another one off in July of 2005 the complete Pink Floyd played together after over 25 years. The only problem is that they were only given a four song set. This is just a killer considering they have such an amazingly rich backlog to cull tracks from. 2.5 from Dark Side Of The Moon, 1 from Wish You Were Here, and 1 from The Wall. The band sounded in top form and rumors began to spread about a possible reunion. After ultimately denying it the chances were thoroughly crushed by the unfortunate death of keyboard player Richard Wright late last year. Now us Floyd fans can only put on records and think about what could have been.

- Peace and Love -

Technical Difficulties

Stupid computer problems are making maintanence difficult I will be back in full form tomorrow. Sorry for the inconvenience.



- Peace and Love -

Why single's rocked

To begin ; I have quite a few records. I'm a collector, but not one that pines over original UK presses in mint condition. I do have the same record in mono and stereo if there's a notable difference, and I like my records in nice shape. Every once in a while I'll stumble upon a '45 [Single] that I like, and think about how contextually awesome these little discs are.


Singles came [or come they're still made] in two flavors ; album or non album singles. As their names suggest some songs are cuts from the album in order to give the listener a taste of their upcoming album. Non album singles are songs that stand on their own, they do not appear on any album. These usually turn up on the 25th-anniversary, or deluxe edition of albums. I think the thing I like about singles is that they really gave you a peek into what band's were doing in the studio between albums. Before the internet allowing rabid fans to use any means necessary to search what their favorite band is up to ; you had the single. The single didn't fare well in the transition to the digital era. It really has no place, CD's are capable of holding 74 minutes of music on them as opposed to the LP single which could only hold a few minutes on each side. Some bands chose to throw on a music video as a hook, but it really just isn't the same. And on iTunes single's really don't make a lot of sense, they can still serve the purpose they used to Oasis proved that by releaseing the singles "The Shock of the Lightening" and "Falling Down" before their new album "Dig Out Your Soul". I just don't think that singles will ever be as prevelant as they used to be, which in one sense is really a shame.



- Peace and Love -

I can't believe it's not real.. [Part 2]

Very few bands come close to putting on a live show to the caliber of Led Zepplin. 2007 proved this when Led Zeppelin played for the first time in decades and still sounded absolutely amazing. When this DVD dropped in 2003 it was like a bomb shell ; no live footage of the band had circulated since a much outdated "The Song Remains the Same" This DVD had a lot of expectations, and I think it's generally understood that it absolutely blew all of them out of the water. The video looks great ; the audio consists of a great 5.1 surround sound DTS mix and of course stereo. The band is in top from here and the DVD's video is chronologically arranged from varying points in the bands carrier from a 1970 gig at the Royal Albert Hall to one of their last shows with drummer John Bonham at Knebworth circa 1979. The extras included are interviews, tv spots, and some very early preformances some even in black and white. For $20.00 this is a steal ; a chance to get a close up view on one of rock's most admirable hard-rockers.


- Peace and Love -

I can't believe it's not real.. [Part 1]

The best way to get to see your band of choice is by attending a concert when they come near your town. However ticket prices can be very expensive, and if you don't book them fast then your chance of getting a good seat is almost zero. This reoccuring piece is to outline some of the better concert DVD's that I've seen as they're the next best thing.


The Eagles - Farewell Tour I


This show is great for a number of reasons ; one main one is it's duration. The Eagles have been around for quite some time, and have an impressive repertoire to draw from. This show is in and around three hours long, and offers a great sense of the bands history. This allows them to play "Hotel California" and other hits while still playing slightly more obscure songs. The second is that although it's a recent show the band is pitch perfect, they sound the same as they did on their studio albums, which is impressive given that they're over thirty years old. The third thing that's appealing is the price. For $20.00 you get The Eagles, right in your living room ; and with surround sound becoming more wide-spread the concert-dvd experience continues to grow more and more emersive.



- Peace and Love -

Whos who?! [Part 2]

I've decided to make this a three part blog post, I don't know if part three will directly follow part two, but I suppose you'll find that out tomorrow.


Today's band in question is the ever changing Pink Floyd, my favorite band ; I'll discuss three "fake characters" and their stories.


Arnold Layne - Pink Floyd's first single (1967)


A cross-dressing transvestites that steals young woman's underwear. What a way to land yourself in the charts. This character was actually based on a man observed by original front man Syd Barret, during his childhood years. A man would grab woman's underwear right from the clothesline (Barrett's house in relation to Cambridge University allowed his mother to rent a room to young college girls). This psychedelic first single landed in the top 20 chart-wise and also garnered them the name "Kinky Pinky"

Coperal Clegg - A track on A Saucerful of Secrets (1968)

This character is one of the first (if not the first) instance of Roger Waters [Bassist] writing about his father. The song loosely follows an old army officer who seems to have lost his mind. Waters's father had served and died in World War II. The lyrics I find most striking are

"Corporal Clegg umbrella in the rain
He's never been the same
No one is to blame"

I think that it's really a double entente showcasing his own hardships due to war with the then current situation of Vietnam. That however is only my opinion ; though it was around this time that other artists began getting political.

The Man Behind The Wall - The Wall - (1979) - The Whole Album.

This isn't a description of a song ; it's the description of an album. The whole album is dedicated to leading the listener through the life of a rock star gone insane. The story (both for the film and album), is pure Roger Waters. Syd Barrett who had long been out of the picture influenced the lyrics quite a lot. The reoccuring theme of war symbolism is once again a throwback to his childhood. It's easy to get sucked into this album ; to feel like you're the one trapped behind the wall. Maybe that's why this album is revered by numerious critics ; because it brings you into the experience. Particularly story-like tracks include "Hey You" and all three parts to "Another Brick in the Wall" although mostly parts one and two.

Thanks for reading



- Peace and Love -

Whos who?! [Part 1]

When writing songs some artists choose to make up fictional characters, some of which are based on real people, others not. Some listeners however go crazy at mere coinsidence, this was brought to my attention recently when I read that last year the birth certificate of a woman named "Elenor Rigby" was sold for thousands of dollars. Other characters within the Beatles were Mr.Kite ; which John Lennon found on an antique circus poster. The most mysterious however is "The Walrus". The thing about "The Walrus" is the contradictory nature of the narrorator (John Lennon). In "Glass Onion" John proclaims


"Well here's another clue for you all,
The walrus was Paul."

However only one year later on his Debut solo Album "Plastic Ono Band" John says :

"I was the walrus,
But now I'm John"

The most confusing thing about this is that John sings both parts making the "Who was the Walrus?" question highly debatable.


There are many more examples and maybe I'll revisit the subject or make this a reoccuring segment where I examine fictional characters from one band at a time, or at least the most notorious.


- Peace and Love -

Love is a Mixtape

My girlfriend and I have been dating for a while ; and this happens to be one of our anniversaries so I thought I'd tie it into music.

My girlfriend is better then me ; shes good looking, funny, smart, and has a great sense of who she is and who she wants to be. All very appealing things to a young music dork like me. So how did I lure a girl way out of my league to me? Well I gave her a mix tape.

I've always liked tapes, my mother made them as I was growing up ; when car stereos came with tape decks (although some still do). However I never really made my own until I read : Love is a Mixtape . Which is a fantastic book. So I decided to make a tape for this funky cute emo/indie/hippyesque girl. I put all sorts of gushy love songs on it ; however none so gushy to make it awkward. That's the line you have to draw ; if you're not dating then it's stupid to put on songs like "God Only Knows" it'll scare the other person away especially if they don't feel the same way. I put on the few songs that I knew she loved and I could tolerate : Then I threw on music that I thought got the message across. Long story short she ended up saying yes to me and now we make tapes all the time.

** End of Anecdote - on to mixtape science **


Tapes are cool because you can make them out of anything. You can connect a tapedeck to a computer, you could put a CD into a "CD Cassette Corder" (Aka a modern boom box), or you could be daring and make one from vinyl. Of course if you want to make a copy of "Summer 89' Mix" you could copy it in one of those duo-cassette rigs. Really they're versatile. Statistically they hold over twice as much music as a CD (some up to two hours as opposed to 74 minutes on a common CD-R). And are highly portable (pocket-sized comfortably). I guess their hay-day happened for a short time. In that weird space before CD finally took over, after vinyl. So cassettes were never really a dominant format. They lack the sound quality of either a vinyl or a CD ; however they're not really that bad. The only thing is they can deteriorate faster then any other music format. Also they're not logical because it's an analog sound unlike the digital music found on CD's which allow them to be uploaded onto programs like Windows Media Player, Winamp, or iTunes as MP3's. The tapes demise in fact was set even before the final nails were put in it's coffin. Which is sad really, considering their worth. If a song you liked came on the radio all you had to do is hit record. You could get the top 40 all in one shot ; and it was legitimate. Of course this was also true with vinyl to cassette. You could listen to the LP on your stereo, and take the tape version into the car. So in fact it's comparable to today's concept of "Buy an LP record and we'll give you the MP3 version free!" I think that tapes should still be a formative format for avid music listeners. Sure you could make a playlist ; but that's not something that you can hold in your hand. I believe in carbon dating ; only because tapes and Cd's are made of carbon. You can see where you were, who you dug, and get right back into that mindset by only pressing play. So go home, make a playlist, burn a CD, and make a tape. I promise you, you'll be happy that you did.


- Peace and Love -

It's around us all

Did you ever think about where you can find music? Really it's anywhere ; I began to think about this earlier today. While on vacation in Florida my family decided to celebrate one of my little cousins birthday by taking everyone to the circus. As in most cases I zoned in and out ; some things I found very amusing, otheres not so much. However my eyes and energy began to focus not on the preformers ; but on the band behind them. Because although the acrobats, magicians, and other preformers were the ones doing the astounding (or otherwise somewhat lame) tricks, the band played on behind them. This created the atmosphere, along with the lighting and other effects. I was glad that the band actually got a chance to introduce themselves midway through the show to very little applause. However I clapped fairly hard, it added to the experience. The cues were very intwinded with the acts ; and overall it made it a much more in depth experience. Music surrounds us all in church, in plays, in supermarkets, restaurants, bookstores, record stores, and of course home. We may not realize it, but we live in surround sound. Voices, footsteps, breathing, and other little things that we may not think about all enter our ears ; and weather we like it or not what we hear has a big impact on how our day goes.

So take a minute, sit, stand, whatever and just listen. You may be amazed.

- Peace and Love -

Did you ever really love an album?

Everybody has one. One end all be all album ; it can be as stupid as that Now 3 CD you rocked in 98'. Or as modern as a Vampire Weekend album that you bought two weeks before that concert. Now if you're like me and music is your heart and soul songs, albums, lyrics, artists. They chronicle everything you do ; your life was based upon them. I'm going to go through a little "place and time" for you with albums that have had a long lasting impact on me. Maybe you can list some in the comments section?



The Next Voice You Hear - February 2007

I stumbled upon this album on my friends iPod ; it was a compilation of songs by Jackson Browne my fathers favorite artist. I hadn't taken too much of an interest in his music until he had died and I started to put together "the music behind the man". These songs are now staples of my iPod and I've since put together quite a large percentage of Jackson's backlog including "The Pretender", "Running on Empty", and "Late for the Sky". However it was weird ; hearing these songs for the first time and hearing all the dreams, hopes, and philosophical musings of both a lover scorned and a fierce defender of peace. It began to cast a shadow on my father I'd never imagined was there. Any time I introduce someone to Jackson Browne this is my "go-to" album. For me it opened my eyes on a long road home from snowboarding up in New Hampshire.

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn - June 2006

I'd always heard about Pink Floyd and their glory, but this was my first album of theirs, and what a place to start. This album in no was resembles their later more known works like "The Dark Side of the Moon", "Wish You Were Here", and "The Wall". This was written by a very psychedelic very high Syd Barrett. The reason this album was, and is my favorite album of all time is that it broke all the conventional rules of music that I had known. The Beatles had some far out stuff ; but this album came complete with a 8+ minute instrumental that taxes the listener and tests their love of psychedelic rock. Listening to this album for the first time laying on the grass on a hot summers day really hit the spot. Listening to Syd croon me telling me how he was "Watching buttercups cup the light.Sleeping on a dandelion" was almost to much to take. The album made no sense, and I sat taking it all in, wanting more ; seeing and wondering how the next track could possibly be more ridiculous lyrically, and appealing musically then the last. When this album was re-released in 2007 to commemorate it's 40th anniversary I was happy to see the 3 disc set include both the stereo and mono mixes of the album which have distinct differences and it was bound in a red thick book almost biblical. This was one of my first albums ; and it's surely one that I'll never forget.


Plans - July 2008

Did you ever buy an album because someone you were dating was really into the band? Most of the time this means that you're buying something that you hate ; just to get some, yaknow? In this case however it worked out perfectly because I love Plans. The album hasn't resonated in me because I haven't had it long enough, but it's one I surely won't forget. For starters it's an aesthetically pleasing album, from a very competent band. This isn't a balls to the wall album like "Back in Black" nor is it a very soft album. It's just an incredibly tight collection of songs ; all of which as aesthetically pleasing. Some songs are fast, some are slow, some are harder then others ; but they're all pleasing to the ear. I find myself listening through the album with a grin on my face. Maybe the grin is because I know that this album in fact has made my relationship tighter ; because I have a theory that if your record collections don't mesh neither will you. However more prevalent than that even is that even though all the albums tracks are essential you can listen to one between classes, stop, and not feel as though you're breaking up a much bigger piece of art. All the songs have flow, but It's no "Tommy". It's a good listen if you're chilling, or as back round noise for homework. Plus it's something I can point to when people say all my music is 40 years old.

All Things Must Pass - March 2008

I was told by many people this album was great. Many treks to numerous stores saw me walking away without it in my hands. However one day I decided to get it. Great choice. Great album. Great everything. The album affirmed my faith with "My Sweet Lord", made me rock with "Out of the Blue", and saw me cry while listening to the title track. Such a simple message is sent out throughout this album. Love everyone for we're all on this planet together, and eventually we'll all die. I'm glad this album was remastered before George Harrison was stricken and died of cancer in late 2001. I fall back onto this album in lapses of faith. Maybe it's not a lack of faith in God, or death, but maybe something a lot more simple. Maybe the news comes on and 20 people were blown to smithereens, or some rapist slashed an innocent victims throat. News like that can disillusion you from reality. To quote "Beware of Darkness"

-

Beware of sadness
It can hit you
It can hurt you
Make you sore
and what is more
That is not what you are here for

-

I go back to this album to remind me that fundamentally as sick as some things are ; they have happened and that we're all human. Though bad things happen constantly ; so do good things, and not to get so caught up in all the bad. Just seek the good ; because it's easy to get sucked into negativity but it's not going to get you anywhere besides depressed. George is an idol of mine ; I've bought back issues of Rolling Stone in order to be able to hang in his words ; and he wasted none. If you haven't listened to this album go out and buy it. Or come to me I'll burn it ; it's a good album to cleanse the soul.


I'm going to round this list off with an album that most people know.

Rubber Soul - April 2008

The US print of this album is better then the UK print. The UK might have gotten "Drive my Car", and "Nowhere Man" but the US would get those songs and more in due time when Capital released "Yesterday and Today"in 1966. The US version is a true folk album ; it's an album heavily influenced by Bob Dylan and the like. The harmony's are perfect ; and it was the last step before The Beatles got really psychedelic and out there. The fab four were still fab and rocking out. The album cover was slanted ; and the songs felt as thought they were put together in that order for a reason. A real "album" which at the time was much more important to the artist then just a hit single. This album clocks in 1 second shy of a half hour. But each song carries into the next, but is starkly different in some cases. I love the variety you get ; a sound that isn't in any of the other albums. I love the transition you can hear between "Help" to "Tomorrow Never Knows"this album was a major link in The Beatles carrier. It's pleasing to the ear and very catchy. I can listen through the album, and each time I'll get excited at certain parts. John Lennon and Paul McCartney were still writing together and prove to be a truly legendary team. Although not as commercially successful or recognized as "Abbey Road", or "Sgt. Pepper" I argue it's the best album they ever put out, and if you listen to it maybe you'll feel the same way.




Well that's a wrap ; five albums that have touched me in some way. More exist but I tried to pick albums from different genres that had distinct influences as to avoid being mundane.


Thanks for reading

- Peace and Love -

music is in your blood

Have you ever talked to people who know little about music, you know those people. They have one song labeled LiKe ThIs from Limewire with no album art. Don't those people make you sick? If you're one of those people you're liable to not understand half the things in this blog so don't bother. You talk to them and you try to figure out why, why and how. Also you start to wonder about yourself, about if it's weird that you spent your weekend seeking that one rare Paul Simon bootleg from 1978. Or if memorizing tons of lyrics ; bios ; and small facts makes you what the popular crowd calls "a creeper".

I always start with the beginning. The way I see it there are three stages to everyones musical development some more or less then others. First it starts with what you listen to in the house. How important this is varies ; my house had polka... A lot of polka. And while I can still waltz the waltz those aren't playing out of my obnoxious headphones a majority of the time. This has a huge influence in ages 0-7. Though the memories resonate much much further around then is when you discover the radio. And by that time you have some kind of friend base ; you'll hear music coming from one of their older siblings rooms and think you're cool by listening to the same stuff. You're much more liable to make an ass out of yourself then you are to score any cool points with anyone. And so you float on, listening to mostly the pop music of the time (mixed in with some of the stuff from your friends siblings/older cousins/MTV/whatever it is that crush you have is listening to). Then you hit a point where you have a solid friend base all of which have central ideas in what makes good music but also vary. This is where you start to split off. Popular people download and drink 24 dollar mocha lattes discussing how much they could get, how much they are getting, and how much everyone thinks there getting. The Beatles, Zeppelin, The Stones, Pink Floyd. Those guys are the greats, they're the well you go back to after going far into "the indie scene". Each friend has some kind of forte where it's J-Rock, Psychedelic, Heavy Metal, Rap-Rock, or Pop. Then you're sure to have a full grasp of what's going on the the music world at least in the present. There's always a backlog of albums that came out way before you were even a thought that simply must be listened to in order to gain full control over a proper "musical pallet". I remember my first poster ; a huge Pink Floyd poster that still stands, and soon after more and more kept appearing until now. Now you can't tell if I even have a wall, it's adorned with The Door's, Belle and Sebastian, and of course The Beatles, Zeppelin, Floyd, and James Taylor.

I believe theres a way to tell a music LOVER, from the rest of the world. I've compiled a small (but growing) list of ways to tell one from the other.

1. You know the importance of Vinyl and you know CD and MP3's quality is for shite.
2. Rock isn't nor will it ever be "What it used to be"
3. You can have a three hour arguement over who "The Walrus" really was/is
4. Every band member you actually like can be refered to by first name only
5. Bob Dylan is essentially the Folk Rock crusader
6. You know that singles are just that and buy the album and listen through it to get the message the artist was trying to convay
7. 1001 Album You Must Hear Before You Die is considered a 500+ page shopping list
8. You've been to concerts where the preformer is at least three times your age
9. "Old Songs" are songs from another decade not another month
10.Disco is never. Ever. EVER coming back.

If You've made it this far then you may just read again. If I've lost you then maybe music is just not your thing. I respect that so respect my love for it