"If I hit the shuffle button now I bet the song will end before Mike and Mike come back from commercial."
"Is this a repeat? How is that possible? What are the odds there already being a repeat after only going through fifty songs? That's lame."
(song plays some more)
"Oh this isn't a repeat, but I think it uses the same beat from the Interlude track... why wouldn't he just combine the Interlude into the Public Service Announcement? Wouldn't that have made life easier? Make it one track instead of drawing it out into two tracks."
(more song playing)
"I want to listen to Eddie Vedder's album after this... Do rappers really give their girls their chains to wear? If this was true wouldn't we see more women with gigantic gold Jesus heads hanging from their necks? That would look ridiculous. Keep your chains to yourself rappers."
(song)
"Why do I have this overwhelming urge to continue listening to Mike and Mike talk about Jim Tressel? I don't even like college football (it's NFL all the way for me). Maybe I should pass on Eddie Vedder. This track is alright I like the beat, but I'm not sure if I'm in the mood for music right now. This song would have been cooler if Jay-Z actually retired."
(song ending)
"There is no wow moment in this song, there isn't even a hook. It's just Jay-Z being effortless, I prefer my Jay-Z to be wowing. I think I'm going to stick with Mike and Mike, I'll play Eddie Vedder later. Something to look forward to after work."
(song ends)
(for the record none of this was actually said out loud, I'm not crazy... well I'm not have full on conversation with myself out loud in my car crazy.)
On That Rock 'n' Roll Pain Train
First allow me to start off with an apology. With this being a holiday weekend and all I totally forgot that yesterday was Sunday (whoops). So I posted as usual and didn't include my Five Songs I Can't Live Without (At Least This Week) insert. My bad people. So in order to get us back on the right track I thought I would include it at the start of today's post and then work our way into the song of the day. So here we go.
Five Songs I Can't Live Without (At Least This Week)
1. Dream On- Aerosmith
2. Sledgehammer- O.A.R.
3. Deliah- Tom Jones
4. Benny and the Jets- Haley Reinhart
5. Gone- Scotty McCreery
(and back to the present)
This morning I went out to get bagels for Shea and I and I turned on the radio. The station was playing some Pink Floyd (actually I've been noticing a lot of Pink Floyd on the air waves lately) and I thought today might be a Pink Floyd day for the shuffle. This was met with a luke warm feeling. I have to be in a specific mood for Floyd and this morning wasn't it. I don't know what it is but a lot of their music leaves me feeling...dirty? I don't know if that's true either, it just might be the Wall. Either way today wasn't a Floyd like day so I had a bit of trepidation. So I hit the scan button to see what else was out there playing and came across Picture by Kid Rock (with Sheryl Crow), and thought that today was actually going to be a Kid Rock day. As soon as I heard it I just knew. Fast foward a few hours later in the car with Shea, and she hits the shuffle button and what comes on? That's right... Kid Rock. It's scary the connect my ipod and me have. We just know.
Rock'n' Roll Pain Train comes off his self titled album and it's the opening track. This album reminds me so much of my senior year at college. It was near the end of the first semester when it came out (maybe around Thanksgiving) and I was playing it all the time. It usually reminds me of winter and starting to student teach. It's a solid album from start to finish that most people probably wouldn't think to listen to.
I have no shame in admitting that I enjoy Kid Rock. Actually I think he's pretty awesome. Separate the fact that it's Kid Rock when you hear one of his songs, and just listen to his voice. It's pretty good, there's a lot of emotion in it. It's got that country swagger to it with a bit of edge. Come on, in the late 90's who wasn't listening to Only God Knows Why and Cowboy? Those songs are excellent. The metamorphosis of aKid Rock fan became complete when I saw him open up for Aerosmith some years back. The bill was Run DMC, Kid Rock, and Aerosmith and for the encore they all came out together to do Walk This Way, it was pretty badass. It also happened to be the last time that Run DMC ever played together because shortly after Jam Master J was shot and killed. I guess it's a pretty historic show too.
What I learned that night was Kid Rock was a pretty excellent performer. His live show brings a lot of energy and a lot of participation. He just steals the show and has you fully entertained the whole time. He's a showman that's for sure. Look past the cage dancers and all the pyros and you've got a concert that just rocks from beginning to end. After that show I've been a fan ever since.
Rock 'n' Roll Pain Train is a great track because this album is mostly him in his country/rock element. There is only one rap song on the entire record and it clocks in less then a minute. Kid Rock focuses all of his energy on rockin' and singing on this album and the result is excellent. I love the bittersweet nature of the song, yeah it's awesome to be out rockin' but man it kind of hurts inside. It shows the other side of the coin to those of us who aspire to be rock stars. Despite the fame and the women and the sold out shows there's a pain that comes with the territory. Whether it's never being home or not seeing loved ones it doesn't matter, there is a constant pain that comes with being a traveling rock show. I personally think the pain helps to provide better music. When an artist becomes content and pain free then the passion tends to leave the music and they start to mail in albums. If there is pain there's still hunger and that provides us (the listener) with songs worth listening to.
By the way how good is the line "this bus is just a bus"? I love it. Tour buses sound so cool, going from city to city. I'm sure they're decked out with everything one could possibly need, but it's not home. It's just a bus that takes you from place to place. I guess it's like a hotel with wheels. Plus does anyone else think after two weeks that things got to smell pretty rank? I think it's great that you get to see Kid Rock step out of being Kid Rock and just say "hey if things don't slow down then I'm going to burn out". It's a very humble song from a guy who defiantly doesn't come across as being very humble. It adds character and depth to the man who people just see as the dude who married Pamela Anderson once or twice.
Things To Get Excited About-
So tomorrow is the relase of Eddie Vedder's second solo album, Ukulele Songs. The first solo effort being the Into The Wild soundtrack and I found it to be a pretty tremendous album, it fit the mood of the movie perfectly. It's a much different sound then Pearl Jam, it had this woodsy/blue grass type feel to it, just very relaxing to throw on. If I can't have new Pearl Jam music I will defiantly take new Eddie Vedder. I'm hoping that it's a very summer like album that would sound good by the pool or at the beach. I know there are duets with Glen Hansard and Cat Power so there's a lot of things to look forward to here. Although there is a part of me wondering how a full album of songs lead by the ukulele is going to sound. It's a ballsy venture that I hope doesn't turn out like a Tiny Tim record. Very unlikely though, and it's not like it matters it's Eddie Vedder, what could be better? Midnight tonight it shall be mine, oh yes it shall be mine.
Five Songs I Can't Live Without (At Least This Week)
1. Dream On- Aerosmith
2. Sledgehammer- O.A.R.
3. Deliah- Tom Jones
4. Benny and the Jets- Haley Reinhart
5. Gone- Scotty McCreery
(and back to the present)
This morning I went out to get bagels for Shea and I and I turned on the radio. The station was playing some Pink Floyd (actually I've been noticing a lot of Pink Floyd on the air waves lately) and I thought today might be a Pink Floyd day for the shuffle. This was met with a luke warm feeling. I have to be in a specific mood for Floyd and this morning wasn't it. I don't know what it is but a lot of their music leaves me feeling...dirty? I don't know if that's true either, it just might be the Wall. Either way today wasn't a Floyd like day so I had a bit of trepidation. So I hit the scan button to see what else was out there playing and came across Picture by Kid Rock (with Sheryl Crow), and thought that today was actually going to be a Kid Rock day. As soon as I heard it I just knew. Fast foward a few hours later in the car with Shea, and she hits the shuffle button and what comes on? That's right... Kid Rock. It's scary the connect my ipod and me have. We just know.
Rock'n' Roll Pain Train comes off his self titled album and it's the opening track. This album reminds me so much of my senior year at college. It was near the end of the first semester when it came out (maybe around Thanksgiving) and I was playing it all the time. It usually reminds me of winter and starting to student teach. It's a solid album from start to finish that most people probably wouldn't think to listen to.
I have no shame in admitting that I enjoy Kid Rock. Actually I think he's pretty awesome. Separate the fact that it's Kid Rock when you hear one of his songs, and just listen to his voice. It's pretty good, there's a lot of emotion in it. It's got that country swagger to it with a bit of edge. Come on, in the late 90's who wasn't listening to Only God Knows Why and Cowboy? Those songs are excellent. The metamorphosis of aKid Rock fan became complete when I saw him open up for Aerosmith some years back. The bill was Run DMC, Kid Rock, and Aerosmith and for the encore they all came out together to do Walk This Way, it was pretty badass. It also happened to be the last time that Run DMC ever played together because shortly after Jam Master J was shot and killed. I guess it's a pretty historic show too.
What I learned that night was Kid Rock was a pretty excellent performer. His live show brings a lot of energy and a lot of participation. He just steals the show and has you fully entertained the whole time. He's a showman that's for sure. Look past the cage dancers and all the pyros and you've got a concert that just rocks from beginning to end. After that show I've been a fan ever since.
Rock 'n' Roll Pain Train is a great track because this album is mostly him in his country/rock element. There is only one rap song on the entire record and it clocks in less then a minute. Kid Rock focuses all of his energy on rockin' and singing on this album and the result is excellent. I love the bittersweet nature of the song, yeah it's awesome to be out rockin' but man it kind of hurts inside. It shows the other side of the coin to those of us who aspire to be rock stars. Despite the fame and the women and the sold out shows there's a pain that comes with the territory. Whether it's never being home or not seeing loved ones it doesn't matter, there is a constant pain that comes with being a traveling rock show. I personally think the pain helps to provide better music. When an artist becomes content and pain free then the passion tends to leave the music and they start to mail in albums. If there is pain there's still hunger and that provides us (the listener) with songs worth listening to.
By the way how good is the line "this bus is just a bus"? I love it. Tour buses sound so cool, going from city to city. I'm sure they're decked out with everything one could possibly need, but it's not home. It's just a bus that takes you from place to place. I guess it's like a hotel with wheels. Plus does anyone else think after two weeks that things got to smell pretty rank? I think it's great that you get to see Kid Rock step out of being Kid Rock and just say "hey if things don't slow down then I'm going to burn out". It's a very humble song from a guy who defiantly doesn't come across as being very humble. It adds character and depth to the man who people just see as the dude who married Pamela Anderson once or twice.
Things To Get Excited About-
So tomorrow is the relase of Eddie Vedder's second solo album, Ukulele Songs. The first solo effort being the Into The Wild soundtrack and I found it to be a pretty tremendous album, it fit the mood of the movie perfectly. It's a much different sound then Pearl Jam, it had this woodsy/blue grass type feel to it, just very relaxing to throw on. If I can't have new Pearl Jam music I will defiantly take new Eddie Vedder. I'm hoping that it's a very summer like album that would sound good by the pool or at the beach. I know there are duets with Glen Hansard and Cat Power so there's a lot of things to look forward to here. Although there is a part of me wondering how a full album of songs lead by the ukulele is going to sound. It's a ballsy venture that I hope doesn't turn out like a Tiny Tim record. Very unlikely though, and it's not like it matters it's Eddie Vedder, what could be better? Midnight tonight it shall be mine, oh yes it shall be mine.
Sophomore Slump
A bands first album is a tricky thing. If the album is good it builds a solid fan base and usually leads to a great second album. By this time the band knows what's working and what's not working and fix any holes that were present for the second album. Now when a band puts out a first album that's incredible that's when things start to get funny. Where do you go from there? Your first full album ever blew up, now what? Well you release a second album with extremely high expectations and a large majority of the time it falls short of expectations. This is how a lot of bands fall into obscurity.
"Hey do you remember so-and-so?"
"Yeah their first record was awesome! What ever happened to them?"
"Their second album wasn't as good and then they dropped off the face of the earth."
"That's too bad."
This describes my relationship with the band Bush (I almost wrote this describes my relationship with Bush but I felt that was setting myself up for too many jokes). I loved, loved, loved Sixteen Stone. What an incredible debut album. Machinehead, Everything Zen, Come Down, and of course Glycerine. That album had everything a kid in the 90's could want. I would listen to it over and over and over again. It had to be my favorite album that year. It actually got to the point where Bush was playing locally and I tried to get tickets and failed. I was crushed. The night before the show a friend of mine won tickets on the radio and called me up to see if I still wanted to go. I said of course. He invited me into town the next day where we'd meet up get some lunch, he'd give me the ticket, and then we'd go to the show. Awesome. Unfortunately that's not what transpired. I did go into town to meet up with him, and we did have lunch. Only then did I find out that he sold the ticket he promised me to some other kid and they went to the show. I was left at home while I watched all my friends go see Bush. It is one of the shittiest things anyone has ever done to me. Who promises someone a ticket and then sells it afterwards?! Not cool.
All of that is besides the point though. Bush's first album put expectations very high for their sophomore release. I remember back then people were starting to refer to them as the next Nirvana (eeep). So when Razorblade Suitcase was released needless to say I was pretty pumped. I want to say that the first single off the album was Swallowed and that song didn't suck terribly. So purchasing the album I felt pretty good. When I got the CD I immediately put it in my CD player and what followed was...disappointment. Wow this album is not very good. Maybe it would have been a good record if Sixteen Stone wasn't so awesome, but the problem here is that Sixteen Stone is that awesome so Razorblade Suitcase fails to compare.
It took me a minute to figure out that Bush was the song of the day today because I didn't recognize the song. History is an okay song I suppose, actually I'm surprised it made my ipod. Razorblade Suitcase left such a bad taste in my mouth that a majority of the songs off it didn't make the cut on to my ipod. I also gave up listening to it years and years ago. You know when you don't initially like an album and you forget about it, and then sometimes you play it for no reason what so ever and something clicks? It's like man I was missing out because this album was sick. That never happened with Razorblade Suitcase. I always found it to be a bad album. It's too bad. Just think of Gavin Rosedale now. What do people know him for? It's not being in the next Nirvana that's for sure. He has sadly become that dude who married Gwen Stefani.
I think Bush has actually gotten back together and released a new album of sorts, but I think it's too late. They had their chance back in the 90's and they let it slip through their fingers. I'm sure I can go to a Bush concert real easy now and I'm sure it will be all types of nostalgic and maybe even a little fun. But I think it might be a little too late for that as well. I think we both missed out on something here.
"Hey do you remember so-and-so?"
"Yeah their first record was awesome! What ever happened to them?"
"Their second album wasn't as good and then they dropped off the face of the earth."
"That's too bad."
This describes my relationship with the band Bush (I almost wrote this describes my relationship with Bush but I felt that was setting myself up for too many jokes). I loved, loved, loved Sixteen Stone. What an incredible debut album. Machinehead, Everything Zen, Come Down, and of course Glycerine. That album had everything a kid in the 90's could want. I would listen to it over and over and over again. It had to be my favorite album that year. It actually got to the point where Bush was playing locally and I tried to get tickets and failed. I was crushed. The night before the show a friend of mine won tickets on the radio and called me up to see if I still wanted to go. I said of course. He invited me into town the next day where we'd meet up get some lunch, he'd give me the ticket, and then we'd go to the show. Awesome. Unfortunately that's not what transpired. I did go into town to meet up with him, and we did have lunch. Only then did I find out that he sold the ticket he promised me to some other kid and they went to the show. I was left at home while I watched all my friends go see Bush. It is one of the shittiest things anyone has ever done to me. Who promises someone a ticket and then sells it afterwards?! Not cool.
All of that is besides the point though. Bush's first album put expectations very high for their sophomore release. I remember back then people were starting to refer to them as the next Nirvana (eeep). So when Razorblade Suitcase was released needless to say I was pretty pumped. I want to say that the first single off the album was Swallowed and that song didn't suck terribly. So purchasing the album I felt pretty good. When I got the CD I immediately put it in my CD player and what followed was...disappointment. Wow this album is not very good. Maybe it would have been a good record if Sixteen Stone wasn't so awesome, but the problem here is that Sixteen Stone is that awesome so Razorblade Suitcase fails to compare.
It took me a minute to figure out that Bush was the song of the day today because I didn't recognize the song. History is an okay song I suppose, actually I'm surprised it made my ipod. Razorblade Suitcase left such a bad taste in my mouth that a majority of the songs off it didn't make the cut on to my ipod. I also gave up listening to it years and years ago. You know when you don't initially like an album and you forget about it, and then sometimes you play it for no reason what so ever and something clicks? It's like man I was missing out because this album was sick. That never happened with Razorblade Suitcase. I always found it to be a bad album. It's too bad. Just think of Gavin Rosedale now. What do people know him for? It's not being in the next Nirvana that's for sure. He has sadly become that dude who married Gwen Stefani.
I think Bush has actually gotten back together and released a new album of sorts, but I think it's too late. They had their chance back in the 90's and they let it slip through their fingers. I'm sure I can go to a Bush concert real easy now and I'm sure it will be all types of nostalgic and maybe even a little fun. But I think it might be a little too late for that as well. I think we both missed out on something here.
Amber Is Our Color Of The Day... I Mean Song
Working on a Saturday is always rough, and by rough I think I mean kind of sucky. It holds your Friday hostage. You can't stay up too late because you have to wake up early in the morning, but you also don't want to be a dud because it's Friday. So what ends up happening is you set a bed time for yourself, and try your hardest to follow it. This never happens though and you end up staying up too late and drinking too much making your Saturday shift a tough endeavor. None of this happened to me last night though. As a matter of fact I'm pretty sure I fell asleep around midnight watching Kingdom of Heaven (which was a lot slower then I previously recalled) only to be woken up by Hudson the Cat around three because he desired petting. I know what many of you are thinking... that is a pretty intense Friday night. I'm sure you're also worried if I continue down that path that I'm going to self destruct and run myself down. I assure you all that I'm fine.
The lameness of my Friday night aside, waking up this morning was still rather tough. There is something just evil about waking up before eight o'clock on a Saturday. I'm pretty sure in the Bible somewhere people were sentenced to death if they woke up early on a Saturday. Check it out, I believe it's after the section that predicted the end of the world last Saturday (I heard that it's now moved to October 21st... joy!). So as I trekked to work and marveled at the lack of summer traffic in the morning, I allowed my ipod to choose the song of the day. What followed was a pretty stiff audio mocking. Our song of the day was Amber by 311, which was followed by Sublime's Get Ready, and then it was Talkin' Softball from The Simpsons. My ipod basically threw it in my face that I was working and not breaking in the first weekend of summer. It's way too early in the morning to have ones ipod poke fun. Despite all that I found myself pleased with the selection of songs this morning. I thought they flowed well together, and it felt good with the window open. Although I was spending the first part of my day at work I was defiantly in a good mood.
Amber is a good song that I think can be a bit overrated. People fall all over this song, and granted it's good, it's just not mind blowing. I think my problem with it is there's no feeling behind the lyrics. I also have this problem with 311's version of Love Song. Is it just me or do they miss the point here? It's like they're just singing and there is no connection to what's being said. A song like this should carry the feelings of love that the lyrics are conveying, but for some reason 311 just can't connect to the romantic nature of their lyrics. It's too bad because it could turn this good song great. When I hear it I just hear someone who might be bored with the singing opposed to properly expressing their lyrics. That's a bit lame. Who was the producer of this track? Shouldn't you as a producer be like "listen guys it's good but it could be great. How about some passion here?" While Amber is a good song I can't help but hear a missed opportunity.
Even with those complaints it's still a very chill song that defiantly belongs on any beach themed playlist. It would flow smoothly with some Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, O.A.R., and Weezer (only Island In the Sun though). I don't have a lot of 311 memories, their songs have always just been there. As a matter of fact I only have their greatest hits album on my ipod, and I very rarely listen to the songs from it. The only real memory I have was from junior high and one of the kids I went to school listed Down as his favorite song in a presentation. That's really as far as my 311 memories go. I'm hoping that my ipod continues with it's summer vibes tomorrow as I'm off all day and I'm ready for the weekend.
The lameness of my Friday night aside, waking up this morning was still rather tough. There is something just evil about waking up before eight o'clock on a Saturday. I'm pretty sure in the Bible somewhere people were sentenced to death if they woke up early on a Saturday. Check it out, I believe it's after the section that predicted the end of the world last Saturday (I heard that it's now moved to October 21st... joy!). So as I trekked to work and marveled at the lack of summer traffic in the morning, I allowed my ipod to choose the song of the day. What followed was a pretty stiff audio mocking. Our song of the day was Amber by 311, which was followed by Sublime's Get Ready, and then it was Talkin' Softball from The Simpsons. My ipod basically threw it in my face that I was working and not breaking in the first weekend of summer. It's way too early in the morning to have ones ipod poke fun. Despite all that I found myself pleased with the selection of songs this morning. I thought they flowed well together, and it felt good with the window open. Although I was spending the first part of my day at work I was defiantly in a good mood.
Amber is a good song that I think can be a bit overrated. People fall all over this song, and granted it's good, it's just not mind blowing. I think my problem with it is there's no feeling behind the lyrics. I also have this problem with 311's version of Love Song. Is it just me or do they miss the point here? It's like they're just singing and there is no connection to what's being said. A song like this should carry the feelings of love that the lyrics are conveying, but for some reason 311 just can't connect to the romantic nature of their lyrics. It's too bad because it could turn this good song great. When I hear it I just hear someone who might be bored with the singing opposed to properly expressing their lyrics. That's a bit lame. Who was the producer of this track? Shouldn't you as a producer be like "listen guys it's good but it could be great. How about some passion here?" While Amber is a good song I can't help but hear a missed opportunity.
Even with those complaints it's still a very chill song that defiantly belongs on any beach themed playlist. It would flow smoothly with some Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, O.A.R., and Weezer (only Island In the Sun though). I don't have a lot of 311 memories, their songs have always just been there. As a matter of fact I only have their greatest hits album on my ipod, and I very rarely listen to the songs from it. The only real memory I have was from junior high and one of the kids I went to school listed Down as his favorite song in a presentation. That's really as far as my 311 memories go. I'm hoping that my ipod continues with it's summer vibes tomorrow as I'm off all day and I'm ready for the weekend.
Outside In the Cold Distance
Memorial Day Weekend. The kick off to the summer season. The sun is out, there's a bit of humidity in the air, traffic to and from work sucked my ass, and it's prime barbecue time. Along with the nice weather, beaches, and bbqs the summer ushers in a different sound in music. It's time to put away some of those winter groups and make room for the reggae people. There are a large number of bands that just sound better during the summer. This doesn't mean that they can't be listened to throughout the course of the year, it's just their sound is tailor made for the awesomeness of summer. So I found it to be appropriate that my ipod picked Dave Matthews Band today to kick off the summer.
Dave Matthews Band's Central Park Concert is the ultimate summer album, along with being in my top ten favorite live albums. I do have a bit of a bittersweet pang whenever I put this show on however. The Central Park Concert was a free show being offered by the band, the only problem was I was up at school in Massachusetts and not home on Long Island. A bunch of us at school had talked about making the trip down to New York to check out the show, we were in college and if it's for free it's for me. Unfortunately the talk kind of fizzled out and I missed out on an awesome, free concert opportunity. If I could go back in time I definitely would have pushed a little harder to try and make the show. It's always cool to own a live album to a show you attended. It makes it all the more special.
All Along the Watchtower may be a Bob Dylan song but I don't think there is anyone who would argue that this song belongs to Jimi Hendrix. Actually I believe that some where in life Bob Dylan has stated that this is more a Hendrix song then his (much like Trent Reznor and Johnny Cash's version of Hurt). Does anyone else notice that Bob Dylan songs tend to sound better when they're sung by other artists? Is that an anti-rock history comment? Don't get me wrong I love and appreciate the music of Bob Dylan (I actually got to see him perform with Paul Simon when I was in high school), but sometimes the extraordinary lyrics that he writes get lost in the terrible that is his voice. For example I think Billy Joel and Adele have recorded better versions of To Make You Feel My Love. I'm not trying to be sacrilegious here, I just happen to enjoy Bob Dylan songs better when they aren't sung by Bob Dylan (this isn't true for all of his songs though. Who could sing Rainy Day Women better?).
So with the notion that Watchtower is a Hendrix song, I find this version to be quite epic. First off lets start with the long intro that leads in to the National Anthem (obvious nod to Hendrix). It really helps to set the tone for the song. Sitting in my car this morning right on the cusp of the summer season this was getting me all types of ready. When the song finally does start it has this eerie/creepy vibe to it. I love that Dave keeps it just him and the guitar for the first couple of minutes, and takes his time with each word he sings. It makes the song sound so haunting and dark (how scary is the laugh after the lyric "...life is but a joke"), and I never really thought of it that way. Maybe Watchtower is a scary song and we just haven't been paying attention. I love when the band strikes up for that hard brief chord (right around the 5:50 mark I believe). It makes me think of a bolt of lightning cutting through the sky. This has to best set up to a song ever. So much time and care is put into it.
When the rest of the band finally does strike up you're to the point where you're so immersed in the song that there is no turning back. It's brilliant story telling if you ask me. Everything here is perfect. The set up, the jam in the middle that builds and builds and builds until the song seems like it's going to explode. Right when it hits that point where it seems this song is going to destroy your speakers Dave takes all that emotion and all that build up and starts yelling "fire". It's bringing the song full circle, and gives me the chills. He just gets so caught up in the emotion of the song and just explodes at the end (listen to him sing "outside in the cold distance", sooooo good). It's not just about singing the lyrics at this point it's about feeling them. Listen carefully to his voice, there is no question that this song is flowing through him.
Now mix that in with a bonfire and an awesome summer night, and that's why this might actually be my favorite version of All Along the Watchtower. I know, whoa right? I'm actually listening to Hendrix's version right now (but I listened to the DMB version first), and it just feels like the 60's. When I listen to it I feel the time period and listen more for Jimi's guitar than the lyrics, but when I listen to the Dave Matthews Band version I feel the summer nights surrounded by good friends and a bonfire. Come to think of it that's exactly where I want to be right now.
Dave Matthews Band's Central Park Concert is the ultimate summer album, along with being in my top ten favorite live albums. I do have a bit of a bittersweet pang whenever I put this show on however. The Central Park Concert was a free show being offered by the band, the only problem was I was up at school in Massachusetts and not home on Long Island. A bunch of us at school had talked about making the trip down to New York to check out the show, we were in college and if it's for free it's for me. Unfortunately the talk kind of fizzled out and I missed out on an awesome, free concert opportunity. If I could go back in time I definitely would have pushed a little harder to try and make the show. It's always cool to own a live album to a show you attended. It makes it all the more special.
All Along the Watchtower may be a Bob Dylan song but I don't think there is anyone who would argue that this song belongs to Jimi Hendrix. Actually I believe that some where in life Bob Dylan has stated that this is more a Hendrix song then his (much like Trent Reznor and Johnny Cash's version of Hurt). Does anyone else notice that Bob Dylan songs tend to sound better when they're sung by other artists? Is that an anti-rock history comment? Don't get me wrong I love and appreciate the music of Bob Dylan (I actually got to see him perform with Paul Simon when I was in high school), but sometimes the extraordinary lyrics that he writes get lost in the terrible that is his voice. For example I think Billy Joel and Adele have recorded better versions of To Make You Feel My Love. I'm not trying to be sacrilegious here, I just happen to enjoy Bob Dylan songs better when they aren't sung by Bob Dylan (this isn't true for all of his songs though. Who could sing Rainy Day Women better?).
So with the notion that Watchtower is a Hendrix song, I find this version to be quite epic. First off lets start with the long intro that leads in to the National Anthem (obvious nod to Hendrix). It really helps to set the tone for the song. Sitting in my car this morning right on the cusp of the summer season this was getting me all types of ready. When the song finally does start it has this eerie/creepy vibe to it. I love that Dave keeps it just him and the guitar for the first couple of minutes, and takes his time with each word he sings. It makes the song sound so haunting and dark (how scary is the laugh after the lyric "...life is but a joke"), and I never really thought of it that way. Maybe Watchtower is a scary song and we just haven't been paying attention. I love when the band strikes up for that hard brief chord (right around the 5:50 mark I believe). It makes me think of a bolt of lightning cutting through the sky. This has to best set up to a song ever. So much time and care is put into it.
When the rest of the band finally does strike up you're to the point where you're so immersed in the song that there is no turning back. It's brilliant story telling if you ask me. Everything here is perfect. The set up, the jam in the middle that builds and builds and builds until the song seems like it's going to explode. Right when it hits that point where it seems this song is going to destroy your speakers Dave takes all that emotion and all that build up and starts yelling "fire". It's bringing the song full circle, and gives me the chills. He just gets so caught up in the emotion of the song and just explodes at the end (listen to him sing "outside in the cold distance", sooooo good). It's not just about singing the lyrics at this point it's about feeling them. Listen carefully to his voice, there is no question that this song is flowing through him.
Now mix that in with a bonfire and an awesome summer night, and that's why this might actually be my favorite version of All Along the Watchtower. I know, whoa right? I'm actually listening to Hendrix's version right now (but I listened to the DMB version first), and it just feels like the 60's. When I listen to it I feel the time period and listen more for Jimi's guitar than the lyrics, but when I listen to the Dave Matthews Band version I feel the summer nights surrounded by good friends and a bonfire. Come to think of it that's exactly where I want to be right now.
Confessions, Death, and the Animal Kingdom
The saddest thing about music is that sometimes people are embarrassed to admit that they like certain artists or songs because they're afraid of how they're going to be perceived. It's terrible to have to hide your music identity in fear of ridicule. If a certain artist or genre of music speaks to you then you should be proud of that. There is nothing to hide, that's the beauty of music. It's so unfortunate that not everyone can feel this way. The relationship that you build with the music you listen to is so important, it's always there for you no matter what. You know that in times of need you can turn on a song by your favorite artist and things suddenly don't seem as bad. It all goes back to that Bob Marley lyric, "one good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain".
Here at A Year Of Shuffling I want to encourage you to not be afraid to admit you like certain types of music. Hitting shuffle everyday for a year is like reading passages from my music journal with you guys. It's very personal, and at times embarrassing. The more I shuffle and the more I write the less embarrassed I'm becoming though. Yes of course there are some things on my ipod that I wouldn't openly come out and say are on there (*cough* Glee *cough*). I understand that not everything on my ipod is a gem, but it's all there for a reason. At some point in life that song or album meant something to me. I shouldn't be afraid to admit that, and at times yes it's fun to make fun of yourself for it. If One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest taught me nothing else, it's you got to be able to laugh.
So with that in mind I think it's time I made a music confession. I love American Idol. There I said it. I've kind of hidden the fact that I love this show and download my favorite performances. There have even been occasions where I have voted in hopes of keeping my favorite around (looking at you David Cook and you Haley Reinhart). The reason I bring this up is because last night was the American Idol Finale and I geeked out for it. The show was fantastic! I couldn't help it people. I just had so much fun watching it and laughing at the different guest spots and song choices (it also reminded me how incredible Tom Jones's Deliah is). It just brought a season, that I enjoyed tremendously, full circle. I'm actually more excited about the people who didn't win. There was a large amount of talent on the show this year (Casey Abrams, Paul McDonald, and of course Haley Reinhart) that I look forward to keeping track of and the release of their eventual albums.
So why confess to this? I'm not sure. Maybe it's to let you know at some point something I downloaded from American Idol will come across the shuffle journey. Or more importantly I think I've made my peace with the fact that I'm a fan of the show. I feel open enough to admit that yes I love American Idol. If I can admit to that, what's keeping you from admitting to your enormous Michael Bolton collection?
Today's song has nothing to do with American Idol, as a matter of fact it put me right smack in the middle of the 90's. As soon as Say Hello 2 Heaven started playing I wanted a flannel shirt and maybe some long hair to toss around whilst head banging. (Note To Readers: When I was in 8th grade I did try growing my hair out long, the results were terrible. I have naturally curly hair that just whipped up behind my ears and always looked greasy. Not a good luck for me). I just love the feel to 90's music. It feels like opening the door to home.
Temple of the Dog is the mating of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam (literally it's members from both bands) who are most known for their song Hunger Strike (incredible). They were formed as a tribute to the lead singer of Mother Love Bone, Andrew Wood. Now while Hunger Strike uses Eddie Vedder predominately to feed off of Chris Cornell he only appears on two other tracks and both in the back up variety. So this is primarily a Chris Cornell vocal album.
Here's the thing, I may not be the biggest Soundgarden fan in the world but I think Chris Cornell has the greatest voice in rock'n roll right now (I wonder if he would be in the argument with Mercury and Plant?). I can't believe how amazing it is, just the range that he has blows my mind. Whether it be solo, with Soundgarden or with Audioslave (who were pretty good for that first album and then the released the same album two more times). I don't know this song very well but as soon as it started to play I just knew that it was a Chris Cornell song. It just had that tone to it. For those of you who need further proof on the awesome vocal power of Chris Cornell please listen to When I'm Down, off his first solo album. Sweet Jesus this song is amazing.
I'm pretty sure that this song is specifically about Andrew Wood and dealing with his death. Death songs are tough because they usually capture the most emotion but tend to be difficult to listen to. All that emotion wears you out, and usually leaves a melancholy after taste. It's just a topic that tends to be bittersweet, especially in this case when the person who passed died of a heroin overdose. Drug overdose seem to go hand in hand with rock music, but it doesn't make them any less tragic. Especially when there's so much talent wasted. I think Say Hello 2 Heaven covers that, but I think it covers the topic of sudden loss more.
I never wanted /To write these words down for you /With the pages of phrases /Of things we'll never do/So I blow out the candle, and /I put you to bed/Since you can't say to me /Now how the dogs broke your bone /There's just one thing left to be said /Say hello to heaven
When I got home from work I played Say Hello 2 Heaven again, and this lead me into putting on a playlist with a more "up" feeling while I started to make dinner (actually truth be told this playlist did involve a lot of American Idol music). As I was dancing and singing about I looked over at Hudson the Cat and started wondering... how do animals perceive music? Hudson didn't look offended with what was being played (I believe it was the Killing Moon) he just had this very content face on. So I started wondering what do our pets hear when we start blasting our favorite music? Is it like fish in a fish bowl when we tap against it, just this thunder like noise? Or do they actually hear the melody and the feed off the vibrations? 'Cause I really don't think animals get the meaning of the lyrics (unless it's Stray Cat Strut, all cats understand the lyrics of that).
I had this sheep dog growing up, Misty, who was a beast of a dog. She didn't like anyone except my sister and I. She looked out for the two of us and treated us very kindly, except when she was eating the weapons to my He-Man toys. We could ride her like a horse or pull on her ears and she would never get mad at us, but if my mother or father tried to pet her or something she would turn on them like that. It was weird. Any way Misty actually had a favorite song. Whenever my Dad would play Billy Joel's Captain Jack, Misty would sing along with the chorus. Of course by sing I mean bark because if my parents had discovered a dog that could actually sing I believe I'd be writing this post on my yacht. I find things like this to be really interesting. How did Misty understand that it was the chorus? What was the que that set her off barking? Why doesn't Hudson the Cat like Billy Joel in the same way? I don't know. These are things that just fascinate me.
I played Say Hello 2 Heaven for Hudson and he just seemed not to notice. He didn't start rocking out (running around the apartment) he also didn't find it boring (he didn't leave the room), he just thought it was there. Maybe I should make one of my ambitions for A Year of Shuffling to find out what Hudson's favorite band is. Hmmmm the idea of this project has peaked my interest (Shea thinks his favorite song is the theme from the Office but I'm not entirely sold on this). Something to keep track of.
(Random Shea Interjection: I hope I never have to give a giraffe a neck massage.)
Here at A Year Of Shuffling I want to encourage you to not be afraid to admit you like certain types of music. Hitting shuffle everyday for a year is like reading passages from my music journal with you guys. It's very personal, and at times embarrassing. The more I shuffle and the more I write the less embarrassed I'm becoming though. Yes of course there are some things on my ipod that I wouldn't openly come out and say are on there (*cough* Glee *cough*). I understand that not everything on my ipod is a gem, but it's all there for a reason. At some point in life that song or album meant something to me. I shouldn't be afraid to admit that, and at times yes it's fun to make fun of yourself for it. If One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest taught me nothing else, it's you got to be able to laugh.
So with that in mind I think it's time I made a music confession. I love American Idol. There I said it. I've kind of hidden the fact that I love this show and download my favorite performances. There have even been occasions where I have voted in hopes of keeping my favorite around (looking at you David Cook and you Haley Reinhart). The reason I bring this up is because last night was the American Idol Finale and I geeked out for it. The show was fantastic! I couldn't help it people. I just had so much fun watching it and laughing at the different guest spots and song choices (it also reminded me how incredible Tom Jones's Deliah is). It just brought a season, that I enjoyed tremendously, full circle. I'm actually more excited about the people who didn't win. There was a large amount of talent on the show this year (Casey Abrams, Paul McDonald, and of course Haley Reinhart) that I look forward to keeping track of and the release of their eventual albums.
So why confess to this? I'm not sure. Maybe it's to let you know at some point something I downloaded from American Idol will come across the shuffle journey. Or more importantly I think I've made my peace with the fact that I'm a fan of the show. I feel open enough to admit that yes I love American Idol. If I can admit to that, what's keeping you from admitting to your enormous Michael Bolton collection?
Today's song has nothing to do with American Idol, as a matter of fact it put me right smack in the middle of the 90's. As soon as Say Hello 2 Heaven started playing I wanted a flannel shirt and maybe some long hair to toss around whilst head banging. (Note To Readers: When I was in 8th grade I did try growing my hair out long, the results were terrible. I have naturally curly hair that just whipped up behind my ears and always looked greasy. Not a good luck for me). I just love the feel to 90's music. It feels like opening the door to home.
Temple of the Dog is the mating of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam (literally it's members from both bands) who are most known for their song Hunger Strike (incredible). They were formed as a tribute to the lead singer of Mother Love Bone, Andrew Wood. Now while Hunger Strike uses Eddie Vedder predominately to feed off of Chris Cornell he only appears on two other tracks and both in the back up variety. So this is primarily a Chris Cornell vocal album.
Here's the thing, I may not be the biggest Soundgarden fan in the world but I think Chris Cornell has the greatest voice in rock'n roll right now (I wonder if he would be in the argument with Mercury and Plant?). I can't believe how amazing it is, just the range that he has blows my mind. Whether it be solo, with Soundgarden or with Audioslave (who were pretty good for that first album and then the released the same album two more times). I don't know this song very well but as soon as it started to play I just knew that it was a Chris Cornell song. It just had that tone to it. For those of you who need further proof on the awesome vocal power of Chris Cornell please listen to When I'm Down, off his first solo album. Sweet Jesus this song is amazing.
I'm pretty sure that this song is specifically about Andrew Wood and dealing with his death. Death songs are tough because they usually capture the most emotion but tend to be difficult to listen to. All that emotion wears you out, and usually leaves a melancholy after taste. It's just a topic that tends to be bittersweet, especially in this case when the person who passed died of a heroin overdose. Drug overdose seem to go hand in hand with rock music, but it doesn't make them any less tragic. Especially when there's so much talent wasted. I think Say Hello 2 Heaven covers that, but I think it covers the topic of sudden loss more.
I never wanted /To write these words down for you /With the pages of phrases /Of things we'll never do/So I blow out the candle, and /I put you to bed/Since you can't say to me /Now how the dogs broke your bone /There's just one thing left to be said /Say hello to heaven
When I got home from work I played Say Hello 2 Heaven again, and this lead me into putting on a playlist with a more "up" feeling while I started to make dinner (actually truth be told this playlist did involve a lot of American Idol music). As I was dancing and singing about I looked over at Hudson the Cat and started wondering... how do animals perceive music? Hudson didn't look offended with what was being played (I believe it was the Killing Moon) he just had this very content face on. So I started wondering what do our pets hear when we start blasting our favorite music? Is it like fish in a fish bowl when we tap against it, just this thunder like noise? Or do they actually hear the melody and the feed off the vibrations? 'Cause I really don't think animals get the meaning of the lyrics (unless it's Stray Cat Strut, all cats understand the lyrics of that).
I had this sheep dog growing up, Misty, who was a beast of a dog. She didn't like anyone except my sister and I. She looked out for the two of us and treated us very kindly, except when she was eating the weapons to my He-Man toys. We could ride her like a horse or pull on her ears and she would never get mad at us, but if my mother or father tried to pet her or something she would turn on them like that. It was weird. Any way Misty actually had a favorite song. Whenever my Dad would play Billy Joel's Captain Jack, Misty would sing along with the chorus. Of course by sing I mean bark because if my parents had discovered a dog that could actually sing I believe I'd be writing this post on my yacht. I find things like this to be really interesting. How did Misty understand that it was the chorus? What was the que that set her off barking? Why doesn't Hudson the Cat like Billy Joel in the same way? I don't know. These are things that just fascinate me.
I played Say Hello 2 Heaven for Hudson and he just seemed not to notice. He didn't start rocking out (running around the apartment) he also didn't find it boring (he didn't leave the room), he just thought it was there. Maybe I should make one of my ambitions for A Year of Shuffling to find out what Hudson's favorite band is. Hmmmm the idea of this project has peaked my interest (Shea thinks his favorite song is the theme from the Office but I'm not entirely sold on this). Something to keep track of.
classical music face
(Random Shea Interjection: I hope I never have to give a giraffe a neck massage.)
Room For One
The White Stripes have joined our small class or repeat performers (Killers and John Williams). When the project started off I wouldn’t have imagined that these would be the three that have had more than one song played, but here we are. The playing of Hotel Yorba also marks the first time that a song that is on my Want To Hear It Now playlist was selected as the song of the day. Actually for a minute there I thought I had selected the playlist and not the shuffle option. It turned out I was wrong though, much to my comfort. For those of you interested in how things turned out with Want To Hear It Now playlist the other day I can tell you that it’s still at forty songs and I added a lot of Green Day, along with some Outkast and an O.A.R. cover of Sledgehammer. Like I told you things change real fast when it comes down to putting music on this playlist. For the first time in almost a week though I’m really excited about hearing it. Especially since the sun is out in what seems like the first time in weeks, and I didn’t have a full day of work. Happy day for me!
Hotel Yorba is one of my favorite White Stripes songs. I love the country vibe and the upbeat feel. I feel that Jack Whites voice lends itself better to this style of music. Listen to his stuff for the Cold Mountain soundtrack for a better example. Don't get me wrong because I feel that Jack White's voice fits his blues/grunge style too, but for me dawg I like him in that country/blue grass vibe. Hotel Yorba makes me want to go to a barn late at night and have myself a country party. Picture all the hay on the floor and the fiddles and the overalls, that sounds like a bitchin’ good time. I just want to dance about and clap my hands with a goofy smile on my face. I don’t know what it is about this song but it makes me laugh. The White Stripes do have a peculiar sense of humor and I don’t necessarily think that Hotel Yorba is a funny song, but I can’t help but giggle when it comes on. Weird right? Now that I’m actually giving the barn party some thought does anyone actually have access to a barn I can use for said party? All my fellow Shufflers are invited. Let me know.
I did a little research on this little ditty for today (so I could have some extra material to talk about) and found out that the Hotel Yorba is actually a real hotel in Detroit. Jack White has been quoted saying that Meg and him are banned for life from said hotel. Of course this peeked my interest, why is it that Jack and Meg White are banned from the Hotel Yorba? So I Googled it like any self respecting writer would, and I found…nothing. The best I could come up with was a quote from Jack White saying he doesn’t even know why they’re banned. So if anyone has any info about this please don’t be afraid to share. I was hoping for some great story involving a piano and an ostrich (you know how weird rock stars are) so until someone tells me the facts this is the story that I’m going to stick with. I’ll keep the details to myself but know this, the monkey was pissed.
I started to wonder this morning what are some of my favorite songs involving hotels. Of course I came up with the Hotel California (duh) which is the king of kings in the hotel genre of music. After that though I kind of drew a blank. The only other one I could think of was Hotel Yorba. I couldn’t believe that the field for hotel songs was so limited. You would think there would be more considering how much rock stars love destroying them. I can think of some lyrics where hotels get mentioned (I’m not entirely sure I can back that up either) but there are no songs that I can think of/ find about Double Tree or the Holiday Inn. I can’t help but feel slightly disappointed about this. Shouldn’t there be more hotel songs? Is this really something that I should let plague me for the rest of the day? Chances are I’m going to ask people if they can think of any songs involving hotels until I get some answers. Please feel free to sound off below if you can think of any Shufflers, otherwise this is going to eat at me.
Hotel Yorba is one of my favorite White Stripes songs. I love the country vibe and the upbeat feel. I feel that Jack Whites voice lends itself better to this style of music. Listen to his stuff for the Cold Mountain soundtrack for a better example. Don't get me wrong because I feel that Jack White's voice fits his blues/grunge style too, but for me dawg I like him in that country/blue grass vibe. Hotel Yorba makes me want to go to a barn late at night and have myself a country party. Picture all the hay on the floor and the fiddles and the overalls, that sounds like a bitchin’ good time. I just want to dance about and clap my hands with a goofy smile on my face. I don’t know what it is about this song but it makes me laugh. The White Stripes do have a peculiar sense of humor and I don’t necessarily think that Hotel Yorba is a funny song, but I can’t help but giggle when it comes on. Weird right? Now that I’m actually giving the barn party some thought does anyone actually have access to a barn I can use for said party? All my fellow Shufflers are invited. Let me know.
I did a little research on this little ditty for today (so I could have some extra material to talk about) and found out that the Hotel Yorba is actually a real hotel in Detroit. Jack White has been quoted saying that Meg and him are banned for life from said hotel. Of course this peeked my interest, why is it that Jack and Meg White are banned from the Hotel Yorba? So I Googled it like any self respecting writer would, and I found…nothing. The best I could come up with was a quote from Jack White saying he doesn’t even know why they’re banned. So if anyone has any info about this please don’t be afraid to share. I was hoping for some great story involving a piano and an ostrich (you know how weird rock stars are) so until someone tells me the facts this is the story that I’m going to stick with. I’ll keep the details to myself but know this, the monkey was pissed.
I started to wonder this morning what are some of my favorite songs involving hotels. Of course I came up with the Hotel California (duh) which is the king of kings in the hotel genre of music. After that though I kind of drew a blank. The only other one I could think of was Hotel Yorba. I couldn’t believe that the field for hotel songs was so limited. You would think there would be more considering how much rock stars love destroying them. I can think of some lyrics where hotels get mentioned (I’m not entirely sure I can back that up either) but there are no songs that I can think of/ find about Double Tree or the Holiday Inn. I can’t help but feel slightly disappointed about this. Shouldn’t there be more hotel songs? Is this really something that I should let plague me for the rest of the day? Chances are I’m going to ask people if they can think of any songs involving hotels until I get some answers. Please feel free to sound off below if you can think of any Shufflers, otherwise this is going to eat at me.
An Interlude...Into A Second Song
Executive decisions are defined as “made and implemented by a person in power or of authority, esp. one without the agreement of others”, it also happens to be a so bad it’s awesome action movie from 1996 (check it out people. It has Kurt Russell as well as Steven Seagal’s shortest role ever). Shufflers, this morning I had to make an executive decision, one that totally holds the world in balance. One so important that if I chose incorrectly than I’m pretty sure things as we know them would be changed forever… well it wasn’t that major of decision but for our project it was pretty important. I was given two choices and I went with my gut on this one folks. God help us all, I went with my gut (sorry I’m having too much fun speaking like a character from 24).
Today I encountered a problem that took me a bit off guard. There are some albums, a lot of them happen to be hip-hop albums, where before the song starts there’s a bit of an intro. It’s like a prologue to the actual song. They tend to be short in nature and wet your appetite for what’s about to come. These songs are separate tracks though, they are not a part of the actual song. Considering the nature of the project here this could bring about some problems. So today when Jay-Z’s Interlude started playing I was put in a situation. The track comes in at like a 1:30 and there is nothing really to talk about. The beat is pretty good, it has this funk/r&b vibe to it (it’s very smooth), but there is nothing else besides someone talking about something I can’t hear really well. My immediate thought was “what the hell am I going to talk about with an intro”? It’s a part of music that generally doesn’t lend itself to a large discussion.
Intros can be fun but for the most part there is no substance. Like I said before it’s an appetite wetter, if we were in a restaurant this would be the soup (not the soup of the day just the soup). It’s getting you ready for the main course. Don’t get me wrong I love soup but sometimes I just want to skip to the main course, stop teasing me with soup. If I was picking my favorite music appetizer from the Intro menu it has to be the one from Aerosmith’s Get A Grip album. It leads perfectly into Eat the Rich and it sets the album off in the right direction. Maybe it’s the simplistic “rapping” of Steven Tyler or maybe it’s the brief Walk This Way riff at the end, but whatever it is it has always been a personal favorite of mine (I even went so far to put it on my Aerosmith playlist).
This about covers all I could talk about with an intro song. It’s a very limited topic. So this lead me to make a decision that could alter the foundation of A Year of Shuffling (sorry back to the 24 talk). I decided that song two would actually be the song of the day. So yes fellow Shufflers we get two songs today!!! (gasp) It just seemed like the right thing to do. I felt ripped off and I could only imagine how you guys would have felt if I posted the above paragraph as today’s post. It would be kind of lame. I feel that this will be a problem we will face throughout the course of the year. Just to establish the rules here, I think on repeat songs or songs that I have multiple live versions of, comedy bits, and intros I’m going to defer to the second song so there is actually something to write about. It seems to be the fairest way to do things to keep everyone happy, myself included.
Some of you might remember this song from a commercial about HD TV’s, others of you will know it because it’s awesome! First things first, Queen is incredible. So incredible in fact that it’s hard to put it in words. I Want to Break Free helps to showcase some of what makes them so amazing. Listen to Freddie Mercury’s voice, it’s an additional instrument to the band. He was just able to do things with his vocal that singers dream of doing. I’ve had an ongoing debate with friends on who has the best voice in rock ‘n’ roll. If you’re asking me I think it comes down to Robert Plant and Freddie Mercury. The two of them just stand out above all the rest because their voices are just as important to the sound the band creates as the lead guitarist solo, these guys are not just the narrator of lyrics. I believe Mercury has a slight edge though. His voice just takes control of each track, and I’d rather hear him sing on a song then hear that songs guitar solo. Plant had Jimmy Page as his right hand and who wouldn’t want to hear Page jam out? As much as it was about Plant’s vocal it is just as much about Page’s guitar. It’s a tough debate and a lot of it depends on what mood you’re in I suppose.
I Want To Break Free is a love song that hinges on the hope of being comfortable enough to actually feel and express love. The person in the song knows that they’re in love but they don’t know how to show it, and when their lover expresses it they want to return the favor in full. I think the breaking free is being able to become open with yourself and properly express the feelings you have. It’s a song that is encouraging you to not be afraid of love but to embrace it. I’m not really sure how to describe it really. It’s a powerful message that I think today’s youth could use. In a time where it’s tough to have people to look up to and there is so much negativity in media, a song like I Want To Break Free could serve hope to those young ones who feel like nothing is going to happen for them. Say what you will about Lady GaGa but one thing she does promote is love who you are and be true to yourself. These are important messages for the young and impressionable to hear. No matter how crappy things may seem or how hard people can be on you, don’t shy away from what makes you happy because you deserve it. We need more lyrics like that in music.
See aren’t you guys glad we did two songs today? Who knows what tomorrow will bring…
Today I encountered a problem that took me a bit off guard. There are some albums, a lot of them happen to be hip-hop albums, where before the song starts there’s a bit of an intro. It’s like a prologue to the actual song. They tend to be short in nature and wet your appetite for what’s about to come. These songs are separate tracks though, they are not a part of the actual song. Considering the nature of the project here this could bring about some problems. So today when Jay-Z’s Interlude started playing I was put in a situation. The track comes in at like a 1:30 and there is nothing really to talk about. The beat is pretty good, it has this funk/r&b vibe to it (it’s very smooth), but there is nothing else besides someone talking about something I can’t hear really well. My immediate thought was “what the hell am I going to talk about with an intro”? It’s a part of music that generally doesn’t lend itself to a large discussion.
Intros can be fun but for the most part there is no substance. Like I said before it’s an appetite wetter, if we were in a restaurant this would be the soup (not the soup of the day just the soup). It’s getting you ready for the main course. Don’t get me wrong I love soup but sometimes I just want to skip to the main course, stop teasing me with soup. If I was picking my favorite music appetizer from the Intro menu it has to be the one from Aerosmith’s Get A Grip album. It leads perfectly into Eat the Rich and it sets the album off in the right direction. Maybe it’s the simplistic “rapping” of Steven Tyler or maybe it’s the brief Walk This Way riff at the end, but whatever it is it has always been a personal favorite of mine (I even went so far to put it on my Aerosmith playlist).
This about covers all I could talk about with an intro song. It’s a very limited topic. So this lead me to make a decision that could alter the foundation of A Year of Shuffling (sorry back to the 24 talk). I decided that song two would actually be the song of the day. So yes fellow Shufflers we get two songs today!!! (gasp) It just seemed like the right thing to do. I felt ripped off and I could only imagine how you guys would have felt if I posted the above paragraph as today’s post. It would be kind of lame. I feel that this will be a problem we will face throughout the course of the year. Just to establish the rules here, I think on repeat songs or songs that I have multiple live versions of, comedy bits, and intros I’m going to defer to the second song so there is actually something to write about. It seems to be the fairest way to do things to keep everyone happy, myself included.
Some of you might remember this song from a commercial about HD TV’s, others of you will know it because it’s awesome! First things first, Queen is incredible. So incredible in fact that it’s hard to put it in words. I Want to Break Free helps to showcase some of what makes them so amazing. Listen to Freddie Mercury’s voice, it’s an additional instrument to the band. He was just able to do things with his vocal that singers dream of doing. I’ve had an ongoing debate with friends on who has the best voice in rock ‘n’ roll. If you’re asking me I think it comes down to Robert Plant and Freddie Mercury. The two of them just stand out above all the rest because their voices are just as important to the sound the band creates as the lead guitarist solo, these guys are not just the narrator of lyrics. I believe Mercury has a slight edge though. His voice just takes control of each track, and I’d rather hear him sing on a song then hear that songs guitar solo. Plant had Jimmy Page as his right hand and who wouldn’t want to hear Page jam out? As much as it was about Plant’s vocal it is just as much about Page’s guitar. It’s a tough debate and a lot of it depends on what mood you’re in I suppose.
I Want To Break Free is a love song that hinges on the hope of being comfortable enough to actually feel and express love. The person in the song knows that they’re in love but they don’t know how to show it, and when their lover expresses it they want to return the favor in full. I think the breaking free is being able to become open with yourself and properly express the feelings you have. It’s a song that is encouraging you to not be afraid of love but to embrace it. I’m not really sure how to describe it really. It’s a powerful message that I think today’s youth could use. In a time where it’s tough to have people to look up to and there is so much negativity in media, a song like I Want To Break Free could serve hope to those young ones who feel like nothing is going to happen for them. Say what you will about Lady GaGa but one thing she does promote is love who you are and be true to yourself. These are important messages for the young and impressionable to hear. No matter how crappy things may seem or how hard people can be on you, don’t shy away from what makes you happy because you deserve it. We need more lyrics like that in music.
See aren’t you guys glad we did two songs today? Who knows what tomorrow will bring…
Holy Scripture of Shopping Malls
My music mood has been a little fickle lately. I’ve been listening to a handful of Led Zeppelin songs, a little bit of Foo Fighters, some of Haley Reinhart’s stuff from American Idol (I can’t help it people I love this girls voice), and topping it off with some White Stripes. It’s not the greatest collection of songs but I’ve been pretty happy with my Want To Hear It Now playlist as of late so there have been no complaints, until last night that is. Last night I decided to add ten songs to the list (bringing the total up to 40) and I’m not happy with it. I just feel that there is too much on the playlist at the moment and I’m going to have to drop some songs. I like to keep it around 25-30 songs so I’m a bit over my limit here. This many songs makes me feel like the tracks I actually want to hear are getting buried by the songs I sort of want to hear. It’s weird with my Want To Hear It Now playlist, sometimes it’s all I need and other times it feels forced and I don’t want to deal with it. Today is one of those days. Even as I was putting the new material on I was thinking, “I really don’t want this here”, but I was powerless to stop myself. After this morning though I think the direction for my most played playlist is a bit more clear.
When Jesus of Suburbia started playing there was a brief moment of disappointment because it was the live version. Don’t get me wrong here I love live music, and Green Day live is such an experience. I saw them during the Insomnia tour when I was in seventh grade and I think I’d rank it in my top 15 favorite shows. I remember they brought this kid up from the crowd and had him chug a beer and stage dive. I’m pretty sure they nicknamed him Meatball too. I love crowd participation and a Green Day show is the definition of crowd participation. After hearing Bullet In A Bible it made me really want to go see Green Day again. Maybe the next tour. Anyone want to come?
Back to what I was saying, I was only disappointed that it was the live version because the studio cut is so freakin’ good. I remember the first time I listened to the American Idiot album I was mowing my parents lawn and needed something to listen to. I grabbed my sisters copy of American Idiot and threw it in my discman (flashback) because I had heard really good things about it, truth be told it had been years since I listened to Green Day so I was kind of excited. Plus I can’t get enough of concept albums. What a brilliant way to write music. Songs are great because they’re four to five minute stories but now take fifteen to sixteen of those individual stories and tie them together with an overall story for the album, well my friends you’ve just hooked me. When Jesus of Suburbia started playing I couldn’t believe how incredible the song was. I actually thought it was a bunch of one minute individual songs, it wasn’t until later when I checked the album that I learned it was all one song. Jesus of Suburbia encompasses so many different styles of music that when fused together make for an amazing listening experience. When I put American Idiot on my ipod the CD must have been scratched because every time I went to listen to Jesus Of Suburbia it was all jerky. I had to download this song individually from itunes because I couldn’t listen to the album without it. It’s the centerpiece of the story, and probably the best track but I’ll leave that up for debate.
It’s not like I don’t like the live version either. I just feel that Billie Joe is playing too much to the crowd. Not that that’s a bad thing I just want him to focus his energy on the song. It took me like five or six listens to get the majority of the story that’s being told here. From my understanding it’s about this guy (Jesus Of Suburbia) who hates his small town and the people in it and decides to head off for the city to make something of himself. I’m pretty sure that most of this song discusses his road there, which involves boredom, drug use, and soda pop of all things. The songs that follow are what happens when he reaches the city. It’s a fascinating way to build the main character of your story. I don’t think that the Jesus of Suburbia is supposed to be a good guy, I actually see him more as an angry rebel who may not have all the information he needs to make smart choices. The political nature of this album just makes it stick even more. I love, love, love political music (see Rage Against the Machine and John Lennon as two of my favorites in that genre) and American Idiot has a tremendous amount of political angst. I still can’t believe how good this album is.
Now this brings us back to my Want To Hear It Now playlist problem. Instantly after hearing Jesus of Suburbia I knew I needed to put three or four songs off of American Idiot on my playlist. This means songs need to go, and I just added ten or so songs last night so now starts the process of figuring out what songs are getting the boot. I also need to figure out what three or four songs I’m going to put on there. So I think I’ve settled on Whatsername, Letterbomb (this song is incredible), and Jesus of Suburbia. I want to add St. Jimmy but you can’t add that without also adding Are We the Waiting and I usually like to listen to this playlist on random so it just doesn’t work the same (Spoiler Alert: You’ve been invited to the painful process of organizing my Want To Hear It Now playlist. If you continue reading crazy awaits you). So if I’m adding three songs I need to remove three songs, also I’d like the amount of songs to be closer to thirty so I think I’m going to remove four more.
So let’s see… I’m pretty sure that I can part with Theme of ”Rome” (Danger Mouse) because it works better with the rest of the album, I can also say goodbye to Grave Digger (Dave Matthews Band) because it’s too depressing for right now. I only added Misty Morning (Bob Marley) to make the playlist an even forty so that can return to section. Now that that takes care of the songs I added yesterday that I’m not really looking forward to hearing, it still keeps my list at forty songs and I want it shorter. This is the painful part, trying to remove songs that have been on the list for awhile and deciding if I want to hear them anymore or remove them. So I think I’ve settled on the removal of Harder to Breathe (Maroon 5), Sunday Bloody Sunday (U2 with Jay-Z… yes you read that right), My Doorbell (White Stripes), Over the Hills and Far Away (Led Zeppelin), and Road to Zion (Damian Marley and Nas). Yeah I think this is a pretty good exchange here. For those of you who are interested this process happens anywhere from two to three times a week. Welcome to my life.
(Side Note: I just learned that O.A.R. is releasing a new album on August 2nd. I can’t deny the fact that I’m excited about this, but man I hope it doesn’t suck. I don’t think I can take another O.A.R. album not worth listening to. There is always the chance that they’ve gone back to their roots and have recorded an album that sounds like an O.A.R. album. I have to dig around to see if I can find the track list. Hopefully there are some older, non-recorded songs on there. 2011 has been such an awesome year for new music. Wait, should I put some O.A.R. on my playlist now?)
When Jesus of Suburbia started playing there was a brief moment of disappointment because it was the live version. Don’t get me wrong here I love live music, and Green Day live is such an experience. I saw them during the Insomnia tour when I was in seventh grade and I think I’d rank it in my top 15 favorite shows. I remember they brought this kid up from the crowd and had him chug a beer and stage dive. I’m pretty sure they nicknamed him Meatball too. I love crowd participation and a Green Day show is the definition of crowd participation. After hearing Bullet In A Bible it made me really want to go see Green Day again. Maybe the next tour. Anyone want to come?
Back to what I was saying, I was only disappointed that it was the live version because the studio cut is so freakin’ good. I remember the first time I listened to the American Idiot album I was mowing my parents lawn and needed something to listen to. I grabbed my sisters copy of American Idiot and threw it in my discman (flashback) because I had heard really good things about it, truth be told it had been years since I listened to Green Day so I was kind of excited. Plus I can’t get enough of concept albums. What a brilliant way to write music. Songs are great because they’re four to five minute stories but now take fifteen to sixteen of those individual stories and tie them together with an overall story for the album, well my friends you’ve just hooked me. When Jesus of Suburbia started playing I couldn’t believe how incredible the song was. I actually thought it was a bunch of one minute individual songs, it wasn’t until later when I checked the album that I learned it was all one song. Jesus of Suburbia encompasses so many different styles of music that when fused together make for an amazing listening experience. When I put American Idiot on my ipod the CD must have been scratched because every time I went to listen to Jesus Of Suburbia it was all jerky. I had to download this song individually from itunes because I couldn’t listen to the album without it. It’s the centerpiece of the story, and probably the best track but I’ll leave that up for debate.
It’s not like I don’t like the live version either. I just feel that Billie Joe is playing too much to the crowd. Not that that’s a bad thing I just want him to focus his energy on the song. It took me like five or six listens to get the majority of the story that’s being told here. From my understanding it’s about this guy (Jesus Of Suburbia) who hates his small town and the people in it and decides to head off for the city to make something of himself. I’m pretty sure that most of this song discusses his road there, which involves boredom, drug use, and soda pop of all things. The songs that follow are what happens when he reaches the city. It’s a fascinating way to build the main character of your story. I don’t think that the Jesus of Suburbia is supposed to be a good guy, I actually see him more as an angry rebel who may not have all the information he needs to make smart choices. The political nature of this album just makes it stick even more. I love, love, love political music (see Rage Against the Machine and John Lennon as two of my favorites in that genre) and American Idiot has a tremendous amount of political angst. I still can’t believe how good this album is.
Now this brings us back to my Want To Hear It Now playlist problem. Instantly after hearing Jesus of Suburbia I knew I needed to put three or four songs off of American Idiot on my playlist. This means songs need to go, and I just added ten or so songs last night so now starts the process of figuring out what songs are getting the boot. I also need to figure out what three or four songs I’m going to put on there. So I think I’ve settled on Whatsername, Letterbomb (this song is incredible), and Jesus of Suburbia. I want to add St. Jimmy but you can’t add that without also adding Are We the Waiting and I usually like to listen to this playlist on random so it just doesn’t work the same (Spoiler Alert: You’ve been invited to the painful process of organizing my Want To Hear It Now playlist. If you continue reading crazy awaits you). So if I’m adding three songs I need to remove three songs, also I’d like the amount of songs to be closer to thirty so I think I’m going to remove four more.
So let’s see… I’m pretty sure that I can part with Theme of ”Rome” (Danger Mouse) because it works better with the rest of the album, I can also say goodbye to Grave Digger (Dave Matthews Band) because it’s too depressing for right now. I only added Misty Morning (Bob Marley) to make the playlist an even forty so that can return to section. Now that that takes care of the songs I added yesterday that I’m not really looking forward to hearing, it still keeps my list at forty songs and I want it shorter. This is the painful part, trying to remove songs that have been on the list for awhile and deciding if I want to hear them anymore or remove them. So I think I’ve settled on the removal of Harder to Breathe (Maroon 5), Sunday Bloody Sunday (U2 with Jay-Z… yes you read that right), My Doorbell (White Stripes), Over the Hills and Far Away (Led Zeppelin), and Road to Zion (Damian Marley and Nas). Yeah I think this is a pretty good exchange here. For those of you who are interested this process happens anywhere from two to three times a week. Welcome to my life.
(Side Note: I just learned that O.A.R. is releasing a new album on August 2nd. I can’t deny the fact that I’m excited about this, but man I hope it doesn’t suck. I don’t think I can take another O.A.R. album not worth listening to. There is always the chance that they’ve gone back to their roots and have recorded an album that sounds like an O.A.R. album. I have to dig around to see if I can find the track list. Hopefully there are some older, non-recorded songs on there. 2011 has been such an awesome year for new music. Wait, should I put some O.A.R. on my playlist now?)
Painting Doors Is Fun
Alright folks I'm back from the house in Pennsylvania and shall be giving a better effort then yesterdays post. Apologies for the lameness but would you really feel like writing when this was your view?
Yeah that's what I thought. Today is a new day though and we've got a new song to discuss. The car ride back home is about three hours and change (depending on the traffic of course) so there is a lot of time to be playing ones ipod. The way up is the best time to play the ipod because you're all giddy to be going to the house. Shea and I have a good system where one ipod gets played until the first rest stop and we switch ipods upon leaving said rest stop. It's all very diplomatic. The way home is usually a more mellow sound as it's admitting that the weekend is over and that work is looming over the horizon. Such is life.
Last week I dropped the ball and forgot to have Shea hit the shuffle button, so today we made up for that mistake. It's fascinating how my ipod responds to her. The fact that Paint It Black started playing was kind of funny considering that she gave me the Forty Licks album as a birthday present before we started dating. So it's not really funny ha-ha it's more funny hee-hee.
There are two thoughts that go through my head when Paint It Black starts to play. The first is Stephen King's Dark Tower series. I believe that it's book three, Waste Lands, that uses the song. I don't want to ruin the story for those of you who haven't read it (that's like giving away the ending of Braveheart), but at this part of the books Eddie is having a dream about being younger and seeing another character, Jake. These dreams lead to a series of events that will bring Jake to the other characters and the present time line of the story (yeah it's a bit confusing). Any way in order to bring Jake to the present time line a door must be drawn. Eddie keeps thinking of/hearing Paint It Black in his dreams and in his head. So long story short Paint It Black always makes me think of the Dark Tower. As a matter of fact I've been meaning to gather up the songs from the Dark Tower books and making a playlist similar to the ones I've made for Lost. Yes, I think this is a good project for the week.
The second thought, a brief one, is of the movie Stir of Echoes. I believe that I've only seen it two or three times but I'm pretty sure that they used the song in the trailer. Every time I think of this movie I think of the scene with that girls fingernail. Ugh. I hate things like that in horror movies. I don't mind someone getting stabbed to death but once their fingernails start to break or split I'm out. Especially when the director feels the need to show the viewer the nail separating from the person. That's just freakin' gross. It always makes the same noise to. Just thinking about it makes me uneasy.
Paint It Black is a very haunting song. From that opening line all the way through the end this song just makes me feel dark and cold inside. Now do you think the character in this song actually believes that his "darkness" will go? Is it possible to go through a phase where you want to destroy all color (or in this case paint red doors black) or is this something that is a more rooted to ones soul? What I like about Paint It Black is that it's a dark sort of depressing song that doesn't make you feel depressed. Yes it's haunting and a bit creepy, but it's such an awesome rock song that it doesn't wear on me. Isn't it great when you find a sort of dark, depressing song that doesn't make you want to jump off a bridge? Also I'd like to give Paint It Black mad props for being the only song I can think of that uses the word "blotted". It's just not a word you hear very often in music.
It's Sunday so you know what that means. It's time for-
Five Songs That I Can't Live Without (At Least This Week)
1. Always On the Run- Lenny Kravitz
2. My Doorbell- White Stripes
3. Imitosis- Andrew Bird
4. Benny and the Jets- Haley Reinhart (she's awesome people)
5. Theme of Rome- Danger Mouse
Yeah that's what I thought. Today is a new day though and we've got a new song to discuss. The car ride back home is about three hours and change (depending on the traffic of course) so there is a lot of time to be playing ones ipod. The way up is the best time to play the ipod because you're all giddy to be going to the house. Shea and I have a good system where one ipod gets played until the first rest stop and we switch ipods upon leaving said rest stop. It's all very diplomatic. The way home is usually a more mellow sound as it's admitting that the weekend is over and that work is looming over the horizon. Such is life.
Last week I dropped the ball and forgot to have Shea hit the shuffle button, so today we made up for that mistake. It's fascinating how my ipod responds to her. The fact that Paint It Black started playing was kind of funny considering that she gave me the Forty Licks album as a birthday present before we started dating. So it's not really funny ha-ha it's more funny hee-hee.
There are two thoughts that go through my head when Paint It Black starts to play. The first is Stephen King's Dark Tower series. I believe that it's book three, Waste Lands, that uses the song. I don't want to ruin the story for those of you who haven't read it (that's like giving away the ending of Braveheart), but at this part of the books Eddie is having a dream about being younger and seeing another character, Jake. These dreams lead to a series of events that will bring Jake to the other characters and the present time line of the story (yeah it's a bit confusing). Any way in order to bring Jake to the present time line a door must be drawn. Eddie keeps thinking of/hearing Paint It Black in his dreams and in his head. So long story short Paint It Black always makes me think of the Dark Tower. As a matter of fact I've been meaning to gather up the songs from the Dark Tower books and making a playlist similar to the ones I've made for Lost. Yes, I think this is a good project for the week.
The second thought, a brief one, is of the movie Stir of Echoes. I believe that I've only seen it two or three times but I'm pretty sure that they used the song in the trailer. Every time I think of this movie I think of the scene with that girls fingernail. Ugh. I hate things like that in horror movies. I don't mind someone getting stabbed to death but once their fingernails start to break or split I'm out. Especially when the director feels the need to show the viewer the nail separating from the person. That's just freakin' gross. It always makes the same noise to. Just thinking about it makes me uneasy.
Paint It Black is a very haunting song. From that opening line all the way through the end this song just makes me feel dark and cold inside. Now do you think the character in this song actually believes that his "darkness" will go? Is it possible to go through a phase where you want to destroy all color (or in this case paint red doors black) or is this something that is a more rooted to ones soul? What I like about Paint It Black is that it's a dark sort of depressing song that doesn't make you feel depressed. Yes it's haunting and a bit creepy, but it's such an awesome rock song that it doesn't wear on me. Isn't it great when you find a sort of dark, depressing song that doesn't make you want to jump off a bridge? Also I'd like to give Paint It Black mad props for being the only song I can think of that uses the word "blotted". It's just not a word you hear very often in music.
It's Sunday so you know what that means. It's time for-
Five Songs That I Can't Live Without (At Least This Week)
1. Always On the Run- Lenny Kravitz
2. My Doorbell- White Stripes
3. Imitosis- Andrew Bird
4. Benny and the Jets- Haley Reinhart (she's awesome people)
5. Theme of Rome- Danger Mouse
Music For the End of the World
So as I'm writing this it is now 6:11 pm Eastern time and there has been no earthquake and no one around me has vanished. I can't help but wonder if this whole end of the world thing was a bunch of malarkey. Hmmmm maybe we'll have to wait until 6 pm California time to know for sure.
Shea and I and some friends are up in Pennsylvania for the weekend so I'm going to keep today's post a bit short, as I'm looking to relax but there is the integrity of the project to look after. I made a promise and damn it I'm not going to break it.
This morning with the end of the world nigh I was hoping for the something dark and brooding. Instead I got Human Touch by Bruce Springsteen. It's a good song (I especially like it around the 4:30 mark when he lets out that yell. The Boss rocks). I started to really get into Springsteen three or four years ago (I think it was the first time I really heard Born To Run). I prefer him with the E Street boys, but I'm not going to pretend that Nebraska isn't an amazing album.
Human Touch is a gentle song and is made better with the female back up singer (at this moment I'm not sure whose voice that is and the internet up here is a bit spotty and I don't feel like waiting the twenty minutes for Google to find the answer). Say what you will about The Boss but the dude writes some incredible lyrics.
Sorry for the short post today, I'll be back and more detailed tomorrow upon our arrival home. Until then fellow Shufflers, I'm going back on the deck to enjoy my view. Happy End of the World Everyone!
Shea and I and some friends are up in Pennsylvania for the weekend so I'm going to keep today's post a bit short, as I'm looking to relax but there is the integrity of the project to look after. I made a promise and damn it I'm not going to break it.
This morning with the end of the world nigh I was hoping for the something dark and brooding. Instead I got Human Touch by Bruce Springsteen. It's a good song (I especially like it around the 4:30 mark when he lets out that yell. The Boss rocks). I started to really get into Springsteen three or four years ago (I think it was the first time I really heard Born To Run). I prefer him with the E Street boys, but I'm not going to pretend that Nebraska isn't an amazing album.
Human Touch is a gentle song and is made better with the female back up singer (at this moment I'm not sure whose voice that is and the internet up here is a bit spotty and I don't feel like waiting the twenty minutes for Google to find the answer). Say what you will about The Boss but the dude writes some incredible lyrics.
Sorry for the short post today, I'll be back and more detailed tomorrow upon our arrival home. Until then fellow Shufflers, I'm going back on the deck to enjoy my view. Happy End of the World Everyone!
Sigh
Dear God it finally happened. Now I know I stated that the Lil Jon and Limp Bizkit songs were pretty embarrassing collectively, but they were kind of funny embarrassing. Today's song is just embarrassing embarrassing. Due to the fact that I'll be doing some traveling tomorrow I'm not able to write a post when I get home from work. So me being genius that I am decided that at midnight I would listen to the song of the day, write it up before bed, and then post it later today. Around 12:08 I grabbed my headphones and my ipod sat in my chair and hit shuffle. What happened next was far worse then watching the movie Tremors (which is what I was streaming through my Netflix...yes seriously). I'm really trying to prevent addressing today's song but I guess my little side story is over and now I have to share.
I can explain this, sort of. When Glee first came out it seemed like it had a pretty cool premise and I find Jane Lynch to be hysterical so it seemed like a good fit. Shea and I set it up to record on the DVR and for eight weeks the episodes just sat there. Actually Shea was the first one to break down and watch some of them. It was she who told me it was pretty funny and it was with her that I watched the first season. I can't even pretend to lie, I enjoyed it. As expected Jane Lynch was the best part of the show (she has some of the best one liners ever) and I thought the Single Ladies football dance was hysterical. (Side Note: Totally unrelated to all this but Shea just came into the bedroom to conduct a test to see if I was gay. It had something to do with my pointer and ring fingers and the way my hair swirls. Spoiler alert I'm not but I find this test to be fascinating.Plus Shea has no idea that my song of the day is Toxic from Glee. Life is funny.)
The love affair with Glee was to be short lived. Yes I watched all the rest of the first season, and yes there were a couple of times where I got choked up (what can I say I'm a sap people). When the second season started up I found myself losing interest in the show. The characters weren't being developed as well and I felt that they were straying to far from what they started out as. Also Jane Lynch while still very, very funny reminded me of Ace Ventura 2. All that movie is is a re-hash of everything that was funny about the first film. It just seemed like Jane Lynch was destined to spout funny one liners and be bitter for the duration of the show. Needless to say I stopped watching the show (as did Shea for what I assume are similar reasons) and the episodes just cluttered up our DVR. Actually I think the episode that featured Toxic was the last episode I watched, but I could be wrong about that.
Now I wish I could tell you that this the only song I downloaded from Glee, but that would be lying. I believe there are a handful of songs sitting on my ipod waiting to play at a future date to bring forth these embarrassing feelings again. I have no excuse other then the songs were catchy and I'm a sucker for a good mash-up. I don't know. Why did I download Toxic? Whether you choose to believe me or not let it be known that I have no Britney Spears on my ipod. I do have a Christina Aguilera track or two (one is a cover of John Lennon's Mother and the other is Dirty hahaha) but that's besides the point. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that this version of Toxic is better then Britney's. For starters the people singing it can actually sing, I know a novel concept for a pop star. Also I find it to be a bit sexier. Yes I know the song comes from Glee but it just has this sexy feel to it that I think the Britney version was missing. Maybe it got lost with all those "diamonds" covering up her naked in the video or perhaps it got lost with her sanity and the hair she shaved off.
I think part of my problem with Glee is Ryan Murphy. I've read interviews with him and I find him to be a bit ridiculous. The way he responds when groups or artists don't want to do his show is childish. Who is this guy the great judge of music icons? It's like he's trying to bully bands to do his show? Who are you Ryan Murphy? Look at all the stuff that went down between him and Kings of Leon. It was completely unnecessary. I totally agree with Dave Grohl on this one when he says just because a band doesn't want to give their songs up to the show doesn't mean they're washed up or homophobic it could just be they want to keep the integrity of their music and might find the show to be crappy. That's okay, that's the right of the band or the artist. I know that Ryan Murphy has since apologized to Kings of Leon but I found the behavior to be lame. You've got a good thing going why are you going to try and ruin it by being an asshole? Just shut up. If a band doesn't want to do your show say thanks and move on. In the end you have nothing to be angry about as your show is crazy popular. Hey that's just me. Let the bands be cause I know for a fact that I don't want to hear a Pearl Jam song on there (dear God a Glee version of Alive is enough to make me want to lay down in the middle of the highway). So good for you Dave Grohl saying it how it is.
I know yesterday I thought maybe we were in store for some songs discussing the end of the world, but Toxic doesn't fit the criteria. Or does it for different reasons? Stay on alert until 6 pm Saturday Shufflers.
I can explain this, sort of. When Glee first came out it seemed like it had a pretty cool premise and I find Jane Lynch to be hysterical so it seemed like a good fit. Shea and I set it up to record on the DVR and for eight weeks the episodes just sat there. Actually Shea was the first one to break down and watch some of them. It was she who told me it was pretty funny and it was with her that I watched the first season. I can't even pretend to lie, I enjoyed it. As expected Jane Lynch was the best part of the show (she has some of the best one liners ever) and I thought the Single Ladies football dance was hysterical. (Side Note: Totally unrelated to all this but Shea just came into the bedroom to conduct a test to see if I was gay. It had something to do with my pointer and ring fingers and the way my hair swirls. Spoiler alert I'm not but I find this test to be fascinating.Plus Shea has no idea that my song of the day is Toxic from Glee. Life is funny.)
The love affair with Glee was to be short lived. Yes I watched all the rest of the first season, and yes there were a couple of times where I got choked up (what can I say I'm a sap people). When the second season started up I found myself losing interest in the show. The characters weren't being developed as well and I felt that they were straying to far from what they started out as. Also Jane Lynch while still very, very funny reminded me of Ace Ventura 2. All that movie is is a re-hash of everything that was funny about the first film. It just seemed like Jane Lynch was destined to spout funny one liners and be bitter for the duration of the show. Needless to say I stopped watching the show (as did Shea for what I assume are similar reasons) and the episodes just cluttered up our DVR. Actually I think the episode that featured Toxic was the last episode I watched, but I could be wrong about that.
Now I wish I could tell you that this the only song I downloaded from Glee, but that would be lying. I believe there are a handful of songs sitting on my ipod waiting to play at a future date to bring forth these embarrassing feelings again. I have no excuse other then the songs were catchy and I'm a sucker for a good mash-up. I don't know. Why did I download Toxic? Whether you choose to believe me or not let it be known that I have no Britney Spears on my ipod. I do have a Christina Aguilera track or two (one is a cover of John Lennon's Mother and the other is Dirty hahaha) but that's besides the point. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that this version of Toxic is better then Britney's. For starters the people singing it can actually sing, I know a novel concept for a pop star. Also I find it to be a bit sexier. Yes I know the song comes from Glee but it just has this sexy feel to it that I think the Britney version was missing. Maybe it got lost with all those "diamonds" covering up her naked in the video or perhaps it got lost with her sanity and the hair she shaved off.
I think part of my problem with Glee is Ryan Murphy. I've read interviews with him and I find him to be a bit ridiculous. The way he responds when groups or artists don't want to do his show is childish. Who is this guy the great judge of music icons? It's like he's trying to bully bands to do his show? Who are you Ryan Murphy? Look at all the stuff that went down between him and Kings of Leon. It was completely unnecessary. I totally agree with Dave Grohl on this one when he says just because a band doesn't want to give their songs up to the show doesn't mean they're washed up or homophobic it could just be they want to keep the integrity of their music and might find the show to be crappy. That's okay, that's the right of the band or the artist. I know that Ryan Murphy has since apologized to Kings of Leon but I found the behavior to be lame. You've got a good thing going why are you going to try and ruin it by being an asshole? Just shut up. If a band doesn't want to do your show say thanks and move on. In the end you have nothing to be angry about as your show is crazy popular. Hey that's just me. Let the bands be cause I know for a fact that I don't want to hear a Pearl Jam song on there (dear God a Glee version of Alive is enough to make me want to lay down in the middle of the highway). So good for you Dave Grohl saying it how it is.
I know yesterday I thought maybe we were in store for some songs discussing the end of the world, but Toxic doesn't fit the criteria. Or does it for different reasons? Stay on alert until 6 pm Saturday Shufflers.
It Gets Better...But You Got To Be Dead First
“And after the storm/I run and run as the rains come/And I look up, I look up” as soon as that last line was uttered it started to pour. Granted this hard rain lasted all of a minute before it turned back to drizzle, but it was still pretty cool to see Mother Nature adding her own pyro show to our song of the day. Isn’t it wonderful that everyone is doing their part to make the song of the day even more awesome? Mother Nature’s rain show aside I totally dig Mumford & Sons and their ability to make the banjo cool again. It is no longer the creepy instrument that insinuates really bad times in the woods with rednecks (all kidding aside the banjo will always insinuate that) or Andy from the Office instrument of choice, now it’s a pivotal part of a rock band. Good for you banjo! Actually I’d like to see Mumford & Sons and Andy from the Office have a banjo off (please notice that I chose not use the term dueling banjos). That would be pretty awesome. Dear Office writers, make it happen.
For me the best part of Mumford & Sons is their ability to tell a story. There’s nothing worse than a group who has an awesome story to tell but once they start to sing it gets lost in the music. Has that ever happened to you? You have a band that you like or sort of like and you hear this song and a part of you likes it but the rest of you is like there’s something missing. So you look up the lyrics while it’s playing and you realize that the story is awesome it’s the music that isn’t so good. It’s enough to break your heart. Mumford & Sons seem to build their stories around the soundtrack of their music. The Cave and Little Lion Man are excellent songs because the stories being told match up with the music surrounding it. For those of you who don’t have or haven’t listened to the full album please check out Dust Ball Dance. For me it’s the best song on the record. There is so much emotion dripping from every word sung and the music carries each word with an exclamation point. I don’t know how many of you have heard White, Discussion by Live but it kind of reminds me of Dust Ball Dance. Maybe it’s because both songs start off slow and get heavy or maybe it’s because I think these two songs bookend their collective albums perfectly (White, Discussion is one of the most underrated songs off of Throwing Copper). Whatever it is I just feel that these two songs belong together in a playlist somewhere, and I should be the person to bring them together. Or have I already done that? (Update: no I have not).
After the Storm reminds me of that poem Footsteps (the one where God carries you over the tough times). It seems to be about a person who is on the brink of losing everything or has already lost everything and looks up to the heavens for help. What happens is that they glimpse a time where they’re suffering will pass and they’ll be able to love unconditionally and not be afraid of being hurt. Sadly this happens only after they get hit by a pick-up truck, survive, only to be stabbed by a hobo who wants a turkey sandwich (this is just my interpretation of said persons death feel free to use your own). This hobo stabbing sends them to the heavens where their suffering will end. A lot of Mumford & Sons subject matter is kind of depressing (for further proof listen to Sigh No More), and I think that After the Storm is supposed to be kind of uplifting. The hope that things will get better but with the understanding that they’re going to suck while you’re still on earth. A very tough pill to swallow.
And I will die alone and be left there/Well, I guess I'll just go home, oh God knows where/Because death is just so full and mine so small/Well, I'm scared of what's behind and what's before
Geez that’s some heavy stuff. Questioning ones mortality at 7:12 in the morning is a bit early, especially in light of the possible end of the world on Saturday (for those of you who don’t know the world is supposed to end on Saturday May 21st in a massive earthquake at 6 pm. I guess this begs the question 6 pm where? The world does not share a universal time so if it’s 6 pm on the east coast of the U.S. first does the rest of the world have to wait to 6 pm their time before they get the massive earthquake of death?) I like this song and listened to it twice this morning (the second time after listening to the Golden State…again). Depressing subject matter aside it’s a good song that tells it’s story well. You feel for this person who is awaiting death so they aren’t alone anymore (man I really need to hear the Ewok Celebration right now). Like I said it’s a lot to digest. Hmmmm, maybe this will lead to a series of songs discussing the end of the world. Perhaps tomorrow we’ll get Apocalypse Please by Muse and cap it all off with R.E.M.’s It’s the End of the World. If that happens I don’t think I’m going to write a post, instead I’ll be in a bunker somewhere. Things to think about I suppose.
Five Reasons Why...
Here are five reasons why I found Hans Zimmer’s A Small Measure of Peace (from the Last Samurai soundtrack) to be kind of boring this morning:
1. There is no real progression here. I know it’s the last track to the album but for movie scores the last track should capture the feel of the whole movie. A lot of these songs are saved for the credits where they pull from some of the larger musical themes of the movie. It helps to bring closure to the viewing experience. While A Small Measure of Peace sounds lovely it never takes off. It almost sounds like a skipping record playing the same loop over and over again. The emotional impact is minimal here. I don’t feel that it brings closure to the movie. It sounds bittersweet (and yes I suppose the ending of the Last Samurai is bittersweet) but doesn’t bring the movie full circle. Not the track I would have chosen to end the movie with.
2. Due to the fact that there is no real progression and it’s basically a build up to nowhere, seven minutes is a bit long. I actually checked at one point to see how much longer it was going to be because I wanted to get back to listening to Mike and Mike. I understand that the seven minutes are supposed to cover the credits but this morning I really wasn’t digging it. Hurry up and end this repetitiveness so I can listen to reports on the NFL Lock Out.
3. My first thought that this was a piece from Lost. I was disappointed to find that it was not. If I was going to pick an instrumental track I would pick one that tugged on my heart strings a little more. Lost has plenty of that.
4. While the song itself sounds bittersweet there is nothing really epic about it. A Small Measure of Peace is just there. It reminds me of the problem I had with the Last Samurai soundtrack. The movie was fantastic. The whole experience was very moving. (Side Note- when I left the theater there was a pretty good snow storm going on and I couldn’t really relish in my movedness because I was too busy trying to not crash my car. I hate driving in the snow.) The soundtrack though doesn’t capture the epicness of the movie. There are glimpses of it here and there but for the most point I found it to be a disappointment. It’s a shame because I tend to enjoy Hans Zimmer’s work (for epicness and emotion check out his work on the Inception soundtrack). What’s weird is that the score works perfectly within the confines of the movie but once you separate the two it doesn’t seem the same. Much like Harry Potter and Voldemort one can’t live while the other survives (I’ve re-read this analogy like seven or eight times. I’m not sure if it works here but I feel like making a Harry Potter reference so I’m going to leave it. Please forgive me if it makes no sense).
5. Truth be told I really wanted to listen Golden State (John Doe featuring Eddie Vedder) this morning and was secretly hoping that my ipod would pick it over the other nine thousand or so songs. As stated before there are times where my ipod and me share this incredible mental link, but today was not one of those days. I was forced to play Golden State through my Want To Hear It Now playlist (oh the humanity), mental linking exercises with my ipod must be increased. As soon as the track started up I knew that’s exactly what I wanted to hear. Sorry Hans I’m going to stick with John Doe and Eddie Vedder today. If I want to listen to the Last Samurai soundtrack I’ll watch the movie. It sounds better that way.
Hey, Hey Laaaadies
Licensed To Ill is one of my all time favorite records and in my humble opinion one of the greatest debut albums of all time. The Beastie Boys just demand your attention on every track, bringing such high energy and funny, fresh, fun to sing-a-long lyrics (did anyone else catch that tiny bit of alliteration? Yeah I know.). I've always said if I was going to be stranded on an island and could only bring five albums Licensed To Ill would definitely be one of them. I guess this begs the question if I knew I was going to be stranded on an island wouldn't I try and avoid it? Isn't getting stranded on an island something unfortunate that happens not something one plans for? Am I taking away the fun from this question by breaking down the obvious nature of it? Is this due to my tiredness or just wanting to point out the horrors of being stranded on an island? Can I ask any more questions that have rhetorical answers? (p.s. I think the answer to all these questions is, yes?)
Hey Ladies does not come off of Licensed To Ill though it comes off their follow up album Paul's Boutique. So why all the talk about Licensed To Ill and stranded islands then? Well I was using it as a transition into the bigger topic so just be patient (wow I'm really tired). Paul's Boutique is such a solid follow up. When a debut album is tremendously good (like Licensed To Ill is) it's very common for the band to cave under the awesomeness for the second album. Case and point being Bush. Paul's Boutique doesn't allow that to happen. It keeps that Beastie Boys integrity yet it still has a completely different feel to it. It's an advancement in sound (the sound of science?). Egg Man, High Plains Drifter (the sequel to my favorite Beastie Boys song Paul Revere), Shake Your Rump, Shadrach, and Hey Ladies all find the Beasties on the top of their form. This makes me want to grab two of my buddies and start up a three man hip hop group. We'd need a catchy name though. Something like Three Deuces… yeah I like that. Might be time to start making some phone calls.
Tom Thumb Tom Cushman or Tom Foolery/Date women on T.V. with the help of Chuck Woolery
Me in the corner with a good looking daughter/I dropped my drawers and it was welcome back Kotter
I'm not James at 15 or Chachi in charge/I'm Adam and I'm adamant about living large
I met a little cutie she was all hopped up on zootie/I liked the little cutie but I kicked her in the bootie
She's got a gold tooth you know she's hardcore/She'll show you a good time then she'll show you the door
Now picture these lyrics used as spoken word poetry. You're in a basement club and there is a cloud of smoke as someone steps up to the open mic and starts reciting the lyrics of Hey Ladies. It makes me laugh every time picturing people snapping their fingers as our poetry reader uses dramatic pause between the words, "She's got a gold tooth (pause) you know she's (pause) hardcore". Actually I like to take songs with silly lyrics and call friends and read them like spoken word poetry on their voicemail (am I the only one who finds this hysterical?) My favorite is Baby's Got Back (this is also my favorite karaoke jaaaaaaaaaam). You should try this sometime it's a blast. I'm feeding you people gold right now.
All spoken word poetry aside let's not forget the George Clinton-esq funk out at the end. You can hear the song on the edge of funking out the whole time and then that "Baby, baby, baby" kicks in. My only complaint is the funk jam doesn't last long enough. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a good funk number.
Things To Get Excited About Today-
Before I crawl away to get some much needed sleep allow me to inform you that Danger Mouse's spaghetti western themed album, Rome, is released today. I think Danger Mouse is an extradinary talent and he's exactly what the music scene needs. His ability to think outside of the box helps keep things fresh in a scene that is going kind of stale (oh my god is that the same recycled pop song I hear?). His work with Gorillaz, Gnarls Barkley, and the Black Keys are some of his cornerstones along with his Grey Album (mixing The Beatles and Jay-Z together, say whaaaat?). He just brings so much passion to his work it's hard not to admire him. For those of you who aren't sold on the awesomeness that is Danger Mouse I implore you to check out the self-titled debut album of Broken Bells. This album is amazing, my favorite of 2010. Fantastic replay value.
I've been looking forward to Rome for months now. Spaghetti westerns are so fun to watch and part of that reason is the music (Ennio Morricone you brilliant bastard you). So to hear the spin that Danger Mouse is going to put on it has me pretty stoked. On top of that he uses the vocals of both Jack White and Norah Jones (three songs each) along with composer Daniele Luppi leaving a lot to be excited about here. I can't' download this soon enough. Maybe I'll talk to Shea and see if she, Hudson, and I can dress up western style and have a shootout while listening to this. Possible pictures to follow (sleeeeeeeeeep).
Trailer Music
I know that I've spent some time complaining about the weather being too gray or too rainy, but today I will not be making that complaint. Actually quite the opposite, today I am more than thankful for the rain. The collection of pollen has been awful. I have never had allergies this bad in all my life. Usually it's a couple of sniffles and maybe having puffy eyes once or twice. This year my eyes feel like they have sawdust in them and my throat has been scratchy. There were a couple of times where I thought I might have pink eye. Like the other night when I woke up to talk to Shea and I couldn't see anything out of my left eye. It was completely glassed over. My arm was also dead because I slept on it funny so I must have looked tremendous. So it can rain for two or three days for all I care, wash this shit away. Also there are thunderstorms in today's forecast so that's kind of exciting.
Politik fit today's weather mood I think. It was especially fitting because as it came on it started to pour. It felt like my car was being pelted with tiny water rocks. So well done ipod, you made a good choice this morning. So my first thought when Coldplay started playing was "I'm glad this is an older track". While I enjoy Coldplay I'm not such a huge fan of their new stuff. I have a love/hate relationship with the Viva La Vida song and I really didn't care for that album. As a matter of fact I wasn't a huge fan of X&Y either, although I would argue that Kingdom Come is their best song outside of the Scientist.
This live album (Coldplay Live 2003 is such a original title) is pretty good. I love the version of Yellow ("if you all stand up right now I'll give you ice cream"). It did bother me that they CD and the DVD didn't have the same track listing. In this case the Scientist was saved for the DVD when I think it would have been best to put it on both the CD and DVD. For me it's their best song and I would love to have a live version at my call, so it's a bit disappointing. I had this same problem when I bought Dave Matthews Band's The Gorge album. The DVD had the song Halloween on it (one of my all time favorite DMB songs) and the CD did not (I would later get the live version on the Weekend On the Rocks album). What's the point of this? If you're going to sell a live show as a CD/DVD package then just put all the songs on both, don’t put one on the other. It's just frustrating. I could understand if you were selling them separately because that's how you get people to spend more money (it's like marketing 101), but doing it this way it just seems like you're trying to piss people off.
Politik is a pretty good song, I love the dark nature of it and how the piano and Chris Martin's voice become isolated during the versus. There's something kind of haunting about it. For me though it's less about Chris Martin's voice and more about the music. I love how this song sounds, especially around the four minute mark when the piano gets heavy. The song transforms and it starts to take on this movie trailer kind of feel. You know one of those ones where the world is ending because zombies are wiping out the human race and everything is really intense looking and moving in slow-motion? Yeah one of those trailers. As a matter of fact re-listen to the end of this song while looking at this picture and tell me it doesn't get you jazzed up for an end of the world thriller.
What better way to start a Monday off then picturing the impending zombie apocalypse? Who would have thought that Coldplay would make the soundtrack though? Maybe I should add this to my World War Z playlist. Hmmmm…
Politik fit today's weather mood I think. It was especially fitting because as it came on it started to pour. It felt like my car was being pelted with tiny water rocks. So well done ipod, you made a good choice this morning. So my first thought when Coldplay started playing was "I'm glad this is an older track". While I enjoy Coldplay I'm not such a huge fan of their new stuff. I have a love/hate relationship with the Viva La Vida song and I really didn't care for that album. As a matter of fact I wasn't a huge fan of X&Y either, although I would argue that Kingdom Come is their best song outside of the Scientist.
This live album (Coldplay Live 2003 is such a original title) is pretty good. I love the version of Yellow ("if you all stand up right now I'll give you ice cream"). It did bother me that they CD and the DVD didn't have the same track listing. In this case the Scientist was saved for the DVD when I think it would have been best to put it on both the CD and DVD. For me it's their best song and I would love to have a live version at my call, so it's a bit disappointing. I had this same problem when I bought Dave Matthews Band's The Gorge album. The DVD had the song Halloween on it (one of my all time favorite DMB songs) and the CD did not (I would later get the live version on the Weekend On the Rocks album). What's the point of this? If you're going to sell a live show as a CD/DVD package then just put all the songs on both, don’t put one on the other. It's just frustrating. I could understand if you were selling them separately because that's how you get people to spend more money (it's like marketing 101), but doing it this way it just seems like you're trying to piss people off.
Politik is a pretty good song, I love the dark nature of it and how the piano and Chris Martin's voice become isolated during the versus. There's something kind of haunting about it. For me though it's less about Chris Martin's voice and more about the music. I love how this song sounds, especially around the four minute mark when the piano gets heavy. The song transforms and it starts to take on this movie trailer kind of feel. You know one of those ones where the world is ending because zombies are wiping out the human race and everything is really intense looking and moving in slow-motion? Yeah one of those trailers. As a matter of fact re-listen to the end of this song while looking at this picture and tell me it doesn't get you jazzed up for an end of the world thriller.
What better way to start a Monday off then picturing the impending zombie apocalypse? Who would have thought that Coldplay would make the soundtrack though? Maybe I should add this to my World War Z playlist. Hmmmm…
The Death Of Physical Music
A little over a month, that's how long it took us before we got our first Pearl Jam song. I find this to be incredible considering the large quantities of Pearl Jam music on my ipod. I would have figured at this stage in the game we would have already heard something. Actually my ipod was so excited to play one Pearl Jam song that it immediately followed it with a second. I wonder if this means the flood gates are going to open and we're going to get an out pouring of Pearl Jam. While this would be really exciting I think it would take away from the big picture here. I want to be able to discuss all the different types of music on my ipod not just Pearl Jam.
The playing of Pearl Jam also brings to light a problem that might occur in the future. Like I've said before I have 880 Pearl Jam songs on my ipod, and a great deal of the come from various live shows. So that means there are a lot different versions of the same song waiting to be played. So what shall I do if a live version of Evenflow shows up and then later on in the journey a different live version of Evenflow shows up? I don't think I should write about the same song twice despite the fact that it's a different version. You don't know what the band was feeling while they were performing it so the sound could come across differently. Again though there really isn't much else to pull from it after it has been written about once before. I think for the integrity of the project that I will let it play out and then write about the second song that is shuffled. Does this make any sense? If anyone has any suggestions for me I'm all ears.
While I'm excited to finally be writing about a Pearl Jam song it comes a little bitter sweetly. I'm a little fuzzy today following what happened to be an excellent night. It's not a terrible hangover per say but I feel that I'm wrapped in a layer of fuzzy fog or something of that nature. Like there is this layer of film in front of me and I can see things but not clearly. So getting a song from my favorite band is exciting but I'm not sure if I'm able to give the write up justice. Guess we'll just have to find out.
This particular version of Spin the Black Circle comes from the Gorge Box Set that was released four years ago or so. An epic seven disc box set that consists of three different shows performed at the Gorge. Awesomeness follows. The only thing is that it's not really available any where anymore. Maybe it had a limited release but you can't get it on itunes or in record stores (sometimes you can get lucky and stumble upon it in Best Buy or something). I was working at Borders part time when it was released and had no problem scooping it up with my 30% discount (discounts on box sets are awesome because they're so freakin' expensive). Now the CD's are just collecting dust in a box (filled with other dust collecting CD's). It's so sad how the CD has become irrelevant. I guess that makes hearing Spin the Black Circle today even more relevant for it's a song about vinyl records.
"See this needle...a see my hand.../Drop, drop, dropping it down...oh, so gently.../Well here it comes...I touch the plane.../Turn me up...won't turn you away..." When I was younger I figured this song was about heroin or something like that. The use of the words needle and hand just made it seem like it was an ode to drug use. Not condoning it particularly but defiantly discussing it. As I've gotten older and learned more and more about the band I've changed my tune. It is a song about getting high but not from drug use. This song is all about the high of playing new music in it's purest form... the record. I love the line, "Pull it out...a paper sleeve.../Oh, my joy...only you deserve conceit..." Just makes you feel like you're there opening up a new album for the first time. It gives me this exciting butterfly feeling in my stomach.
The one thing you need to know about Eddie Vedder and the rest of Pearl Jam is that they are rock purists. They're not big into the direction that music access is going. They still release all their albums on vinyl and have problems with the whole digital thing because they feel it takes away from the whole buying a new album experience. I kind of agree. While my generation was the CD generation I'm having a tough time adjusting to the digital thing. Yes it's amazing how easy it is to get music and have access to it. iTunes is basically the 7-Eleven of the music world and that's awesome. I love knowing if I wake up at four in the morning and have this sudden urge to download I Fought the Law all I have to do is turn my computer on and $.99 later I have it. Despite all that awesome though I miss buying CD's. I used to (still do actually) love that feeling of buying a new one and opening it up in my car and listening to it on the way home. I used to love going on long road trips and debating what albums to bring. Now it kind of feels like cheating. Everything I own is on my ipod and I bring it everywhere with me all the time (don't forget I have to protect it from those ninjas). I know it sounds like I'm complaining, and I'm not I love my ipod. It's just a part of me misses the whole buying of CD's.
As time goes on I wonder where the direction of getting music will go. Will it come down to me thinking of a song and it downloading itself into my brain? That sounds like something out of the Matrix. For me, and the boys in Pearl Jam, music isn't just something that's for your ears it's also a physical experience. There is just something about holding an album in your hand and opening up the booklet wondering whether or not the lyrics are inside. Also the smell. Each CD smelled differently (I know that sounds weird but it's the truth). As soon as that case gets cracked open it's just the smell of new plastic maybe or new music. All of that is kind of gone now and it makes me sad. Yes I still buy the occasional CD (for example I still buy every new Pearl Jam album on CD... I just need to hold it) but it's not the same. Instead of being filled with excitement it's just this gigantic feeling of nostalgia for a lost time.
Spin the Black Circle at first glance my just be a "rock" song but it's so much more then that. It's a chronicle of a loss time where you could hold your music, when the experience of buying an album was at it's fullest. Yes it's a "rock" song but it's subject matter is so rock'n'roll. Who knows maybe years from now physically buying music will become a trend again, I kind of hope that's true. I would love for my future children to know the experience of buying a new album whether it be on vinyl, CD, or whatever cool physical form it takes in the future.
Five Songs I Can't Live Without (At Least This Week)
1. Golden State- John Doe featuring Eddie Vedder
2. (It) Feels So Good- Stephen Tyler
3. Someday Never Comes- CCR
4. Trampled Underfoot- Led Zeppelin
5. House of the Holy- Led Zeppelin
The playing of Pearl Jam also brings to light a problem that might occur in the future. Like I've said before I have 880 Pearl Jam songs on my ipod, and a great deal of the come from various live shows. So that means there are a lot different versions of the same song waiting to be played. So what shall I do if a live version of Evenflow shows up and then later on in the journey a different live version of Evenflow shows up? I don't think I should write about the same song twice despite the fact that it's a different version. You don't know what the band was feeling while they were performing it so the sound could come across differently. Again though there really isn't much else to pull from it after it has been written about once before. I think for the integrity of the project that I will let it play out and then write about the second song that is shuffled. Does this make any sense? If anyone has any suggestions for me I'm all ears.
While I'm excited to finally be writing about a Pearl Jam song it comes a little bitter sweetly. I'm a little fuzzy today following what happened to be an excellent night. It's not a terrible hangover per say but I feel that I'm wrapped in a layer of fuzzy fog or something of that nature. Like there is this layer of film in front of me and I can see things but not clearly. So getting a song from my favorite band is exciting but I'm not sure if I'm able to give the write up justice. Guess we'll just have to find out.
This particular version of Spin the Black Circle comes from the Gorge Box Set that was released four years ago or so. An epic seven disc box set that consists of three different shows performed at the Gorge. Awesomeness follows. The only thing is that it's not really available any where anymore. Maybe it had a limited release but you can't get it on itunes or in record stores (sometimes you can get lucky and stumble upon it in Best Buy or something). I was working at Borders part time when it was released and had no problem scooping it up with my 30% discount (discounts on box sets are awesome because they're so freakin' expensive). Now the CD's are just collecting dust in a box (filled with other dust collecting CD's). It's so sad how the CD has become irrelevant. I guess that makes hearing Spin the Black Circle today even more relevant for it's a song about vinyl records.
"See this needle...a see my hand.../Drop, drop, dropping it down...oh, so gently.../Well here it comes...I touch the plane.../Turn me up...won't turn you away..." When I was younger I figured this song was about heroin or something like that. The use of the words needle and hand just made it seem like it was an ode to drug use. Not condoning it particularly but defiantly discussing it. As I've gotten older and learned more and more about the band I've changed my tune. It is a song about getting high but not from drug use. This song is all about the high of playing new music in it's purest form... the record. I love the line, "Pull it out...a paper sleeve.../Oh, my joy...only you deserve conceit..." Just makes you feel like you're there opening up a new album for the first time. It gives me this exciting butterfly feeling in my stomach.
The one thing you need to know about Eddie Vedder and the rest of Pearl Jam is that they are rock purists. They're not big into the direction that music access is going. They still release all their albums on vinyl and have problems with the whole digital thing because they feel it takes away from the whole buying a new album experience. I kind of agree. While my generation was the CD generation I'm having a tough time adjusting to the digital thing. Yes it's amazing how easy it is to get music and have access to it. iTunes is basically the 7-Eleven of the music world and that's awesome. I love knowing if I wake up at four in the morning and have this sudden urge to download I Fought the Law all I have to do is turn my computer on and $.99 later I have it. Despite all that awesome though I miss buying CD's. I used to (still do actually) love that feeling of buying a new one and opening it up in my car and listening to it on the way home. I used to love going on long road trips and debating what albums to bring. Now it kind of feels like cheating. Everything I own is on my ipod and I bring it everywhere with me all the time (don't forget I have to protect it from those ninjas). I know it sounds like I'm complaining, and I'm not I love my ipod. It's just a part of me misses the whole buying of CD's.
As time goes on I wonder where the direction of getting music will go. Will it come down to me thinking of a song and it downloading itself into my brain? That sounds like something out of the Matrix. For me, and the boys in Pearl Jam, music isn't just something that's for your ears it's also a physical experience. There is just something about holding an album in your hand and opening up the booklet wondering whether or not the lyrics are inside. Also the smell. Each CD smelled differently (I know that sounds weird but it's the truth). As soon as that case gets cracked open it's just the smell of new plastic maybe or new music. All of that is kind of gone now and it makes me sad. Yes I still buy the occasional CD (for example I still buy every new Pearl Jam album on CD... I just need to hold it) but it's not the same. Instead of being filled with excitement it's just this gigantic feeling of nostalgia for a lost time.
Spin the Black Circle at first glance my just be a "rock" song but it's so much more then that. It's a chronicle of a loss time where you could hold your music, when the experience of buying an album was at it's fullest. Yes it's a "rock" song but it's subject matter is so rock'n'roll. Who knows maybe years from now physically buying music will become a trend again, I kind of hope that's true. I would love for my future children to know the experience of buying a new album whether it be on vinyl, CD, or whatever cool physical form it takes in the future.
Five Songs I Can't Live Without (At Least This Week)
1. Golden State- John Doe featuring Eddie Vedder
2. (It) Feels So Good- Stephen Tyler
3. Someday Never Comes- CCR
4. Trampled Underfoot- Led Zeppelin
5. House of the Holy- Led Zeppelin
(insert non-existent lyrics here)
The week of no lyrics continues. Well that's not entirely true because we did have Still Crazy After All These Years and the last time I checked there were lyrics in that. Outside of that though it's been nothing but soundtrack scores. Much like a recovering junkie today is score free, but the ole ipod did stick with the instrumental pieces.
My sisters bridal shower was this afternoon so this morning I drove with Shea down to the restaurant to help bring decorations and such inside. On the way there I was listening to my Want To Hear It Now playlist and jamming out to some White Stripes and Led Zeppelin. I was totally in the mood for it (the whole concept of this playlist is songs that I'm in the mood for so I would hope so). After everything was unloaded I got back in the car and hit the shuffle button. I was in a rockish kind of mood and was hoping for something with a good solo. Instead I got this.
Don't get me wrong I like Moby, but I wasn't in the mood for Down Slow today. Actually I kind of have a weird relationship with Moby. I can never just throw on a Moby record. Every so often I feel the need to listen to a song or two (like Extreme Ways or My Weakness) but very rarely am I in the mood to put on an album. It's a very temperamental thing. When the mood strikes me I'm going to throw on Moby, but as soon as that moment passes it's on to other things. Almost like it never happened. Today was not one of those "I'm in the mood for Moby days". Here's my problem with this track. Within the confines of the album it works perfectly because it fits the flow of the album. When you separate it from the rest of Play it's just a quiet song that doesn't have a lot of substance to it.
For reasons unknown to me Down Slow makes me think of clouds. Not pretty clouds that you look at on the beach because they're shaped like turtles and puppies. I'm talking about clouds that suffer from depression and just float from location to location never taking shape or accumulating rain. Clouds that just exist. If these clouds were to be anything they would be Eeyore of Winnie the Pooh fame.
That's the best way to describe Down Slow to me. It just exists. I've seen Moby twice in concert (both were really good shows) and no one is ever demanding to hear Down Slow because it's a downer. Instead Moby plays songs like Natural Blues and South Side because these are fun songs to hear live. They're energetic songs that keep the tempo of the crowd up. I couldn't imagine him ever trying to play Down Slow in the middle of a set. It would kill the mood because like I said it's one of the songs that works well within the album but outside of that it just exists... it exists to make the album better. You can't picture the album without it but you also can't picture yourself listening to it outside the album. It's kind of a paradox. Maybe I should turn to Frank the Bunny here. Frank what do you think?
My sisters bridal shower was this afternoon so this morning I drove with Shea down to the restaurant to help bring decorations and such inside. On the way there I was listening to my Want To Hear It Now playlist and jamming out to some White Stripes and Led Zeppelin. I was totally in the mood for it (the whole concept of this playlist is songs that I'm in the mood for so I would hope so). After everything was unloaded I got back in the car and hit the shuffle button. I was in a rockish kind of mood and was hoping for something with a good solo. Instead I got this.
Don't get me wrong I like Moby, but I wasn't in the mood for Down Slow today. Actually I kind of have a weird relationship with Moby. I can never just throw on a Moby record. Every so often I feel the need to listen to a song or two (like Extreme Ways or My Weakness) but very rarely am I in the mood to put on an album. It's a very temperamental thing. When the mood strikes me I'm going to throw on Moby, but as soon as that moment passes it's on to other things. Almost like it never happened. Today was not one of those "I'm in the mood for Moby days". Here's my problem with this track. Within the confines of the album it works perfectly because it fits the flow of the album. When you separate it from the rest of Play it's just a quiet song that doesn't have a lot of substance to it.
For reasons unknown to me Down Slow makes me think of clouds. Not pretty clouds that you look at on the beach because they're shaped like turtles and puppies. I'm talking about clouds that suffer from depression and just float from location to location never taking shape or accumulating rain. Clouds that just exist. If these clouds were to be anything they would be Eeyore of Winnie the Pooh fame.
That's the best way to describe Down Slow to me. It just exists. I've seen Moby twice in concert (both were really good shows) and no one is ever demanding to hear Down Slow because it's a downer. Instead Moby plays songs like Natural Blues and South Side because these are fun songs to hear live. They're energetic songs that keep the tempo of the crowd up. I couldn't imagine him ever trying to play Down Slow in the middle of a set. It would kill the mood because like I said it's one of the songs that works well within the album but outside of that it just exists... it exists to make the album better. You can't picture the album without it but you also can't picture yourself listening to it outside the album. It's kind of a paradox. Maybe I should turn to Frank the Bunny here. Frank what do you think?
Yeah I agree. It's just a "just there" song. Well put Frank (anyone else surprised that Frank the Bunny has made two appearances this week because I certainly am). Maybe Down Slow is the most existential song I own. It's the Stranger of my ipod. How do you like that? Not only did we have a Frank the Bunny appearance but we also had a Camus name drop. I tell you kids A Year of Shuffling has got all of your pop culture needs.
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