Gloriana, Walk The Moon and Other Great Songs

Hello,

Gloriana released their second CD "A Thousand Miles Left Behind" on June 29th, 2012. I hadn't heard of it before today when it was featured in the weekly MP3 e-mail I get from amazon.com. This CD is only $5.00 for a limited time and I've been listening to it on Spotify. I would say this CD is worth $5.00. Although I do want to say you can see how popular Lady Antebellum is by bands very similar to them are coming out now.

I'm not sure, but it seems like this is the CD's first single. I quite like this song, although there are a few other good songs on this CD. This is the moment I'm looking forward to in my life. I also love the line "I was right on the edge and ready to fall". Gloriana's "(Kissed You) Good Night":



I actually think I like this song even more from the same CD, "Sunset Lovin'":



amazon also has a new selection of $2.99 CD's available including Walk The Moon's self titled debut. I've already featured "Anna Sun" on my blog. However this is another song I like on the CD "I Can Lift A Car":



My Chemical Romance's "The Sharpest Lives":



Now here's some song lineage. Many times a band inspires a copycat phenomenon like Lady Antebellum which leads to Gloriana. Also with individual songs you can see the DNA from one song to another song. For instance Paula Cole's "Where Have All The Cowboys Gone":



Now here's Lana Del Rey's "Video Games":



Here's a couple more classics:

The absolutely amazing Sinead O' Connor and one of the many great songs from her first CD "The Lion And The Cobra". This song is "Troy":



One of my all-time favorite songs ever: Kenny Rogers "She Believes In Me":



Thomas Dolby's "Europa And The Pirate Twins":



themusicaddict

What Will The Dodgers Do At The MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline

Hello,

The Dodgers traded for Shane Victorino to help them down MLB's regular season stretch. He long has been one of those players that has annoyed me. Victorino is one of those fiery players that you hate unless he's on a team you are cheering for. He's long been a pain in the Dodgers side. Maybe he can have that Kirk Gibson like temperament that will drive the Dodgers to a World Series title. 24 years is a long time for the Dodgers to go without a World Series title.

I was sad that the Dodgers lost out on Ryan Dempster. Instead he went to Texas, who does need any more help. Both of these moves continue the trend for the best players to end up on a few teams. Those great players seem to be less spread out over fewer teams now.

Go Dodgers!

themusicaddict

Why I love the Olympics. Are You Looking For Peace?, "Alison"

Hello,

This is from the Beijing Olympics:



For those looking for peace? This song might help you. This is one of the most powerful and beautiful hymns ever.



Elvis Costello's "Alison" (ok also a cute girl I'm flirting with now):



themusicaddict

Hanley Ramirez, USA Women's Soccer Team 2-0 (No bodypaint pictures though), Dwight Howard and great songs

Hello,

The US Women's soccer team is now 2-0 in this year's London Olympics. Today they beat Columbia 3-0 and have almost assuredly earned themselves a spot in the Olympics quarterfinal round. And although my last blog featuring the body painted Alex Morgan was one of my most popular blogs in a long time, I won't be posting that picture again. Scantily clad women aren't what this blog is about.

Today is also a big showdown between Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, Phelps just barely qualified to race in the 400 IM final. (Update Lochte went on to win the gold medal with Phelps coming in 4th place. Is that a sign of things to come for this Olympics?)

As The Dwight Turns continues on, is he not the biggest diva ever? Now he has reiterated that he does want to leave the Magic. Will someone please offer enough to take this over hyped player off the Magic's hands? Howard has one more year on his contract. It concerns me that he says he won't sign a long-term contract, does that mean we have to go through this nonsen.se again the next offseason? Please no!

Hanley Ramirez is starting to make his impact felt for the Dodgers. He hit the game winning home run last night as the Dodgers clipped the Giants 5-3. If Matt Kemp can rediscover his power stroke that would be great. (Update: Matt Kemp had a two run homer, 4 RBIs, two doubles in a return to his early season form. Ramirez had two hits and 3 RBIs today in the Dodgers thrashing of the Giants.) With the trading deadline on Tuesday, will the Dodgers go out and get another quality starting pitcher?

The Dodgers took a big risk taking on Ramirez's huge contract. I appreciate that the Dodgers aren't afraid to spend. But I also don't want them to spend just to spend. That model hasn't worked very well for the Red Sox the last couple of years. They have spent way too much for way too little. Especially the horrible John Lackey and Daisuke Matzusaka contracts.

And staying in the LA area, Mr. Silas Reed please transfer to USC. You can play on a National Championship team and leave the stank of Penn State behind.

Great songs:

John Legend's "Hard Times":



Just one of the 80's classics from the amazing Madonna, "Papa Don't Preach":



Fountains of Wayne's "Stacy's Mom":



The powerful Led Zeppelin's "What Is And What Should Never Be":



And since I think Haley Reinhart is so great and I love her new CD, here's her version of the same song:



Shinedown's "Adrenaline":



themusicaddict

USA Women's Soccer Team Rules, Alex Morgan Rawr! and Dwight Howard again

Hello,

Congratulations to the USA Women's Soccer Team for starting off the Olympics with a 4-2 victory over France. The score doesn't indicate the challenge that France put up. I'm expecting big things from Abby Wambach, Hope Solo and the gorgeous Alex Morgan who rocks body paint like nobody's business:

Dwight Howard in a nutshell: egotistical. Forgive me if I lose count along the way. First Howard whined and wanted to get out of Orlando. But Orlando didn't trade him. He then was rumored to be on his way out of Orlando before last season's trade deadline, but at the last minute he opted to extend his contract for one more year. However he milked the situation for all it's worse. After the trade deadline he began to play uninterested as he whined about where he wanted to play next season. Then he got "injured". Then the offseason mercifully came, but that didn't mean the end of the drama for Howard. Thankfully he was mostly quiet during the end of the season. Then the rumors started up again once the NBA Finals were over. After much expectation he said that the Nets was the only team on his list. Deron Williams signed with the Nets but Howard wasn't traded to them. That trade seems to be dead. Then there were all the rumors about him going to LA in a one for one trade for Andrew "Head Case" Bynum. Now that trade seems to have died. 

After all the above nonsense now Dwight Howard is thinking about staying in Orlando? Really why would anyone want that drama queen to be on their team? He acts like a spoiled child and made the whole Carmelo Anthony getting out of Denver thing look downright reasonable. 

Can someone just make this decision for Dwight? Can someone please put an end to the least interesting  sports story in the last several years? Please!

themusicaddict

Divorce/ Break Up's Greatest Hits

Hello,

I've been compiling this list of the greatest hits of divorce and break ups for a few days now. I even enlisted some of the singles group I'm in on Facebook. These songs include songs about the end of relationships from all different angles. Some of these things are pretty close to my situation and some are just great songs. What is it about heartbreak that can inspire such great songs? I understand why love can inspire great music, but how does anything good come out of something so difficult?

Lee Brice's "One More Day": (This song is about being away from the ones you love.)



The Greg Kihn Band's "The Break Up Song (They Don't Write Them That Anymore)":



This was a very popular and heartbreaking song when I was going through my divorce. Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now":



One of the most beautiful songs about ending relationships ever. Dan Seals "Everything That Glitters Is Not Gold": (All these years I thought Ol' Red was a dog, but this video indicates a horse. And I think they're right.)



Another appropriate Dan Seals song, "Addicted":



Some of the most eloquent words that have ever been written are about the loss of love:

See the stone set in your eyes 
See the thorn twist in your side 
I wait for you 

Sleight of hand and twist of fate 
On a bed of nails she makes me wait 
And I wait without you 

With or without you 
With or without you 

Through the storm we reach the shore 
You give it all but I want more 
And I'm waiting for you

U2's "With or Without You":



No Doubt's amazing "Don't Speak":



I know how hard it is to believe but eventually you recover and can finally move on. Heartbreak isn't a lifelong sentence and it makes true love all that much sweeter. A good sign that you are recovering is you start having a sense-of-humor about the end of the relationship:



Marc Chesnutt's "Going Through the Big D and Don't Mean Dallas":



Then of course there's Jerry Reed's classic "She Got the Goldmine" (A song that those who have to pay a lot of child support, alimony, pay on student loans....... can relate to very well.)



Pink is very open with her lyrics, even tweaking herself from time to time. She even got her ex-husband to appear in this video. Of course they got back together later. "So What":



"You're Going To Miss Me When I'm Gone":



Then of course there's the sad songs, such as "Don't Speak" and "Need You Now" up above. Here are a few more sad songs starting with Lonestar's "Not A Day Goes By":



What say you Whitney Houston? "Didn't We Almost Have It All". Listen to the power of her great voice, too bad she never found the peace she was looking for:



This is Buckcherry's heartbreaking and amazing "Sorry":



Clint Black's "Nobody's Home":



Let's go old school, and as only country songs can capture the sadness of the end of a relationship, Tammy Wynette's "D.I.V.O.R.C.E":



Tammy Wynette's "I Don't Wanna Play House":



Then the amazing Patsy Cline, "Three Cigarettes In An Ashtray":



Then there are the sad but hopeful songs. The relationship is over, but something good came out of it. For those getting out of relationships, there truly are good things that can come out of this. I truly did leave my marriage a better, broken somewhat, person:



Then yes one of those videos that I seem to have on my blog for any number of reasons. Rascal Flatts' "These Days":



Another one of my oft played classic songs, from one of the greatest voices in music history, the amazing Sinead O'Connor:



I have to admit I went through the pathetic stage a bit myself, but eventually realized I need to move on. Once I was able to let go, I was in a much more healthy place. I still wasn't ready to date, although I did, but I was headed in the right direction. Sticking with songs that are sad, but are edging into the pathetic zone, "Nothing Compares 2 U":




From the songwriting genius of Jim Steinman. There are even songs about getting back together, crazy talk if you ask me. Celine Dion's "It's All Coming Back To Me":


If I have time tomorrow, I'm compiling a list of the angry/cathartic break up songs.

The Sleigh Bells, Shinedown's "Amaryllis" only 99c

Hello,

Yesterday I listened to the Sleigh Bells. I thought they were okay, but not amazing. I like some of their musical ideas, especially "Infinity Guitars". But either CD wasn't strong enough to keep my attention. "Infinity Guitars" is from the CD "Treats", which is their first CD. They released their second CD, "Reign Of Terror" back in February of this year. There's nothing as strong on "Reign of Terror" as "Infinity Guitars". What do you think?

This is "Infinity Guitars":

amazon.com has another great MP3 on sale today. It's Shinedown's "Amaryllis" and it's only 99c today. I highly recommending adding it to your collection, it's a great CD. Here are some of the highlights from it, this is "For My Sake":



This is "Adrenaline":



"Nowhere Kids": (the lyrics contain explicit language)



themusicaddict

Great Songs From A Variety of Places.

Hello,

It's been a crazy couple of weeks for me lately, so here are some songs that have been memorable of late. Enjoy.

One of Tina Turner's all-time greatest songs, from her 80's resurgence:



Boston's amazing "Foreplay/Longtime" (Thanks to Rewind 100.7):



Also thanks to Rewind 100.7, I love cranking this song on my car stereo:



Thanks to my iTunes on random I was reminded of the great Alanis Morrissette song "Head Over Feet". This song is on "Jagged Little Pill" as are "You Oughta Know" and "Ironic". Unfortunately it was overshadowed by those two songs. Three great songs from one of the best CDs of the 90s.



I have a very soft spot in my heart for Alanis Morissette and Sinead O'Connor, so here's one more track from Alanis. This is her first single from the follow up CD to "Jagged Little Pill", "Thank You":



From my iPod the other day, this is Arcade Fire. This is "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)":



The Band: Walk The Moon, the song: "Anna Sun":



And from my memory of the times I think of my divorce, Dido's "Hunter":



As you know I love Haley Reinhart's new CD, this is one of the songs off that CD "Free":



themusicaddict

Can someone please end the Dwight Howard nonsense?

Hello,

How long has the Dwight Howard nonsense been going on? Has it been a year, eighteen months, ten years? However long it's been, it has been too long. But I'm grateful that Howard has been mostly quiet this offseason. Maybe even he's sick of this whole drama. Let's just hope this ends soon. Then whatever team he ends up with, hopefully he'll be happy and stay there for the rest of his career. A team with Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Howard could have some serious potential. But it would be a team easy to hate.

themusicaddict

Top Ten West Bountiful 5th Ward Trek Moments

Hello,

Just a note upfront. For those of you who read this blog to hear about music and movies, today's entry is going to be a completely different topic. I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons). Our religion has a history of western migration, leaving behind persecution. One notable example of this is 4 groups of pioneers that set out in the winter of 1856. The first two are the Martin and Willey handcart companies. The third and fourth groups are the Hunt and Hodgett wagon companies.

All four groups traveled separately from each other. The Martin Handcart Company and it's about 600 members left late in the season. They departed Iowa City, Iowa on July 28th with their goal being Salt Lake City, Utah. Also it was a place they referred to as Zion. On November 4th they ran into a terrible snowstorm. Things had mostly went okay up to that point. Unfortunately they ran into that snowstorm, which lasted for 5 days. They had no shelter other than what they had brought with them. Fort Seminoe was in the area, but the small fort could only hold a small percentage of the about 500 remaining members of the Martin Handcart Company. (Sadly about 145 people of the original 600 person company died.) Fortunately someone knew of a ravine that could give them some protection. They were able to camp out in what came to be known as Martin's Cove, Wyoming. It's a ravine where they were able to get some protection from the elements. They were at the ravine for 5 days before the storm finally broke. Brigham Young, who was in Salt Lake, sent out people to help them. The survivors eventually made it to Salt Lake. Rescuers had arrived to help on November 10th and 11th.

Anyway as LDS people, we honor our ancestors. We have a deep reverence for the sacrifices they made so that we can live our great lives. To simulate what they did back in 1856 we have units of the Church that go to Martin's Cove and reenact many of the things that our ancestors went through. That's what I did this past weekend. My son and I left early Wednesday morning and got back Saturday night at 6:00. The blog immediately preceding this one shows what our schedule was. Walking in the steps of our ancestors was an amazing experience. This particular entry is my Top 10 moments, with three moments tied for first place. This blog is about the many amazing things that happened while we were on our own Trek.

I've made the above chronology as accurate as possible. Sometimes there were conflicting viewpoints, any error is mine.

Our theme was Reason, Response, Rescue and Remember. I want to note the true beauty of Wyoming. In fact it's one of the most beautiful places in the world from 8:00 pm to 8:00am. I loved seeing the big sky and the clouds. There was a cloud that seems to have a hole in it with the sun piercing through creating quite a beautiful view.

10) Handcart Company recreations aren't just thrown together in a few days. The preparation for this was started more than a year in advance. From how the trailer bringing food to Wyoming was packed to how fresh and fantastic the food was were only two of the many considerations to be made. One could literally see the hundreds of hours of preparation that went into making our experience amazing. One of the groups I want to thank the most is the Food committee highlighted by the Jacksons. The Bangerters, Clarks and many others also provided valuable support. The food was amazing throughout. Two of my personal preferences were the pulled pork and pancakes. (Alliteration alert <- dang it I did it again :)

9) Honestly actually visiting Martin's Cove itself was a bit of a letdown, but it was still good to see. We made the same walk these pioneers did, but without our handcarts and supplies. Martin's Cove did afford them that 5 days of protection, but it was a steep climb for the temporary relief. When the storm finally broke they had to backtrack some before proceeding on to Salt Lake.

8) Seeing the true depth of the people in the West Bountiful 5th Ward and how great they are. They welcomed my son and me with open arms and enhanced our experience. I loved how the campground felt like a true neighborhood, with everyone looking out for each other. That same feeling carried over to Sunday and that powerful sense of camaraderie was at church the following day. Church was especially awesome on Sunday, July 15th.

7) Crossing the Sweetwater River. We crossed it on a day that was about 100 degrees. The actual river itself was just below knee depth and is only a few feet across. Even on this hot July day, the river was still extremely cold. Back in 1856, the Sweetwater River was waist deep, wider and had big pieces of ice floating down it.

6) We only received a small amount of appreciation for what the early pioneers went through. Frankly driving the six hours from West Bountiful, Utah to Martin's Cove gave me an increased amount of appreciation for the pioneers. Six hours in an air conditioned car and where I could stop for food and gas many times. That's compared to the nearly 3 week trek pushing handcarts into SLC. They had little protection from the elements. Any food they ate they had to bring with them or hunt on the way.

5) Because of all the natural challenges that arise even in a well prepared Trek recreation, there are still issues that arise. Tents were blown apart, people used to a comfortable existence had to rough it for a few days and other challenges. I saw how the West Bountiful 5th ward became even closer, that was an amazing experience.

4) Seeing how much of a man my 14 year old son is becoming, that same boy earned the nickname of Moose. I was a very proud father this weekend and sad my other three children didn't take advantage of this life changing opportunity. I tried to explain the amazing experience that we had at Trek to my daughter. Sadly she looked at me with no comprehension.

3) Being rescued myself. I'm terribly out of shape and didn't prepare enough before the ordeal of Trek. On our second day of trekking we were going to visit Martin's Cove. After trekking from our camp to the pavilion right below the actual Martin's Cove, then sitting out in 100 degree weather for a half-hour and making the 2.1 mile loop up and around Martin's Cove I was absolutely wore out. I survived that but we ran into a steep path on the way back to camp. Climbing up the easier of the two paths back to camp my body conked out. I could barely get myself back to camp walking, let alone pushing the handcart. Thanks to the amazing help of Brett Peterson, Rob Kemeny, the entire Joey and Maren Hilton family and Bishop and Zac Anderson they took over for me. Maybe that was suppose to be a lesson of this whole experience too? Thanks to Val Leary and Garth McFarland for walking back to camp with me. Truly no one was left behind. They all rescued my sorry butt. (Although I was a bit embarrassed when people lined up for us stragglers and applauded.)

2) The youth pushing the handcarts up the more difficult of the two paths mentioned above. This harder path is the so called women's pull. When these amazing young people, ages 4 or 5 to their early 20's, were done pushing up their own cart they didn't stop. Many of them ran down the hill to help their peers. This was an extremely difficult hill to push these handcarts up, but yet many went back for more. Climbing up this path, the ground is very sandy. That makes the handcart pushing all that more difficult.

The top three experiences are all equal to me so I can't make a distinction between them.

1) The sacrifice of Dave and Ginny Wood, who were the leaders of organizing this amazing Pioneer Trek. They are the parents of 5 rambunctious kids who they brought with them. The Woods also had many other responsibilities and were a powerful leadership tandem. Who knows how many hours they put into this endeavor? I've joked that I'll bet they are glad that their full-time, unpaid job is over.

1) Walking the same path that my great, great, great grandmother walked back in 1856. Only she and her family did it in heavy deep snow with very little food and protection. Again much love and respect to Elizabeth Simpson Haigh Bradshaw, her very strong daughter Sarah Ann Haigh Miller and the rest of their family. Elizabeth was promised in her patriarchal blessing that all of her children would make it to Salt Lake alive and that's what happened. Sarah is my great, great, great grandmother. Seeing her name on the wall at the Visitor's Center really brought the whole weekend home for me.

1) Thanks to the Hilton and Rodabough families for sharing their children's baptisms with the rest of the ward. I loved the setting, the nice breeze and the similarity between the area around theRiver Jordan and the Sweetwater River. That was a fitting culmination to an amazing, butt kicking weekend.

Those are my Top 10 most amazing experiences on Pioneer Trek 2012. Thanks to everyone in the West Bountiful 5th Ward for making this one of the greatest experiences of my life.

themusicaddict

Taking a break from this blog for Pioneer Trek July 11th- July 14th

Hello,

I will be on a Pioneer Trek until late Saturday night, I probably won't post again until Sunday at the earliest. This is my schedule over the next few days, wish me luck:

5th Ward 2012 Ward Family Trek
Day	Time	What
Wednesday	6:45	Meet at Church, Brief Devotional
		Drive to Rawlins
	11:30ish	Get gas in Rawlins (even if not empty!)
the	12:30-1:30	Arrive at Independence Rock, Eat lunch
REASON	1:45	Leave for Martin's Cove Visitors Center
	3:00	Training at Trek Center
	4:00	Head to Camp, set up camp, shuttle cars
	6:00	Dinner
	7:00	Company Announcement and Activities
	9:00	Campfire time
	10:00	Lights Out
Thursday	7:30	Morning Devotional and Breakfast
	9:00 - 4:00	Trekking
the	4:00 - 5:30	Activities, Crafts, Free Time
RESPONSE	5:30	Dinner
	7:00	Square Dancing
	8:00	Campfire time
	10:00	Lights Out
Friday	7:00	Morning Devotional and Breakfast
	8:30 - 4:00	Trekking
the	4:00 - 5:30	Activities, Crafts, Free Time
RESCUE	6:30	Dinner
	8:00	Camp Fire Activity
	10:00	Lights Out
Saturday	7:30	Morning Devotional and Breakfast
	8:30	Take down camp
REMEMBER	9:30	Return to Visitors Center
	10:30	Clean Handcarts
	12:00	Baptism
	1:00 7:00	Return home - DRIVE SAFELY!  Unload trailers at the church!

themusicaddict

"Jericho": Car Wreck Television (Updated July 10th)

Hello,

I've watched the first 6 episodes of Jericho and will probably be watching 7 & 8 tonight. "Jericho" is a show that lasted for two seasons and is a poorly constructed post-apocolyptic show. It's obviously a blatant rip off of "Lost". They are left all alone, just in a small Kansas community and not in an island. They even use creepy "Lost" like music.

I'm always finding the most interesting discoveries at my local library. The last time I went in there I stumbled across they have the DVD's for the first two seasons of "Jericho". Hey it's free so I said what the heck and took Season 1 home. I remember seeing previews of it when it was airing in 2006 and 2007 and I thought it looked stupid. But I thought I would give it a chance.

Well "Jericho" is fairly awful, I'm surprised it got a second season. But "The Killing" got a second season as well. Obviously a second season doesn't guarantee it's a good show. However watching this show is like watching a car wreck, so far I just can't turn my eyes away.

The actors and actresses are second rate. When Gerald McRaney is your biggest star and the writing is terrible you know you are in trouble. What exactly is  Skeet Ulrich and why was he given the lead role, he's a terrible actor. That limp he's trying to "act" like he has is terrible and completely unbelievable. There are virtually no other actors of note. Probably this show's third most famous person is Pamela Reed, who portrays Gail Green. Alicia Coppola looks like she should be famous, especially with that last name. But she has no chemistry with the Jericho resident she's going to hook up with.

Also don't forget the generic town babe Emily Sullivan, who's played by Ashley Scott. I was surprised to see that Scott had made two Maxim Top 100 babe lists. Then the whole storyline with her and her father? Haven't we seen that hundreds of times before?

It's no surprise that we haven't seen any of these actors or actresses since "Jericho" ended. This show seemed to be a last gasp at being a big time actor. Then when this show tanked, there went their final chance.

I watched episodes 7 and 8 of the first season Monday night. And like a car wreck I couldn't take my eyes off of it. Although I was bored as I watched the two episodes.

Last night I watched the latest episode of "Longmire" and "The Falling Skies", two shoes that are so much better.

One can also see what's coming a mile away. It's amazing at how many experts there are in the town of Jericho. There seems to be someone who knows about any situation that may raise. The right person always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Also there seems to be a lot of the story line of a person not doing what's right for the community, but then at the end of each episode making the right decision.

The Pirates and Dodgers Are Flying: Will it last?

Hello,

The Dodgers had been steamrolling the MLB for most of the season. But then they were hit with a bit of an injury bug and their play was aversely affected. Then the Dodgers lost 7 in a row and I didn't know what to think. Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Mark Ellis were all injured and the Dodgers were struggling without those three players. The Dodgers offense had turned into a very anemic unit. Meanwhile the Giants got hot, caught up and then passed the Dodgers. I was hoping the Dodgers could hold on until those big 3 players came back. Then last Sunday LA was on Sunday Night Baseball and I thought the humiliation was going to be complete.

However that isn't what happened to this scrappy Dodgers team. LA continues to feel like a team of destiny by what happened next. Thanks to the Mets error proved defense and the Dodgers timely hitting somehow the Dodgers scraped together 8 runs. They snapped their 7 game losing streak in front of a national television audience. They then lost the next day, but that was followed by 3 straight victories.  Improbably the Dodgers have won 4 of 5 and seemed to have rediscovered their mojo just a bit. Good news came when Ellis was able to begin playing again. Fate intervened and lead off hitter Dee Gordon was injured. Now it looks like he'll be out 6 weeks.

Thankfully Matt Kemp is in Rancho Cucamonga rehabbing his hamstring. He says he'll be back in the Dodgers line up after All-Star break is over. If it wasn't for the Red Sox and all their injuries I would say that the Dodgers are the most snakebite team in the MLB. The Dodgers have 3 more games with the Diamondbacks in Arizona and then thankfully it's the All Star Break.

The Dodgers still need to add another powerful bat to their offense if they can. It didn't break my heart that Carlos Lee didn't end up a Dodger. And although they now seem to have a lot of money, I don't want them to see them overspend to pick up a player that may or may not help them. I know it's a bit farfetched but I would love to Yasiel Puig be able to help the Dodgers this year. He's already signed and they don't have to give up anything for him. The $42 million he'll be paid is a much better value than Alfonso Soriono, Justin Morneau or Vernon Wells would be.

My other team that has kicked up their level of play another notch is the Pittsburgh Pirates. I won't quite call them a team of destiny. Are they a team that has finally learned how to win? Do they have enough pieces to make noise in the playoffs? Will they be able to even make the playoffs. Can they continue playing as well as they are now? Will they somehow be able to avoid the injury bug that seems to hit every team? Will the frugal Pirates make a move to make themselves better by the trade deadline? If the answer is yes to most of those questions, then we may see Pittsburgh's first playoff team in 20 years. It's been a crappy 20 years for the Pirates. So I won't call them a team of destiny yet, but they certainly seem to be MLB's Cinderella team.

Pittsburgh has won 8 of 9 games and are playing at a very high level. The Pirates are fueled by a high scoring offense and solid pitching. Pittsburgh is in first place in the NL Central, leading the second place Reds by two games. They close out the first half of the season with a 3 game series against the Giants in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh can help both themselves and the Dodgers with a good series. I'll be cheering doubly for the Pirates. Any time they win in the next 3 games will help them and the Dodgers. I would love to see Pittsburgh and LA go into the All Star Break leading their respective divisions.

I'm already looking forward to the playoffs. Now can the Red Sox and Braves continue to get better and make some noise? I want to congratulate David Ortiz for hitting his 400th career home run. Although the Red Sox were swept by the A's. With Dustin Pedroia getting injured is there any hope for them? Or is karma slapping them around for their ridiculously high payroll. If that's the case though when is karma coming for the Yankees? As for the Cubs, (insert your own overly optimistic thought here.)

themusicaddict

Linkin Park, Mumford & Sons and Other Great Songs

Hello,

Linkin Park recently released their latest CD, "Living Things". Although I didn't expect much, it under performed even my lesser expectations. Linkin Park's first two CD's are an amazing mix of the rap/ rock mix. The music is excellent with very insightful and with searing lyrics. "Hybrid Theory" and "Meteora" is full of great music to exercise to and work out aggression. But starting with "Minutes To Midnight", the band has slowly started downward. There are still a couple of good songs on "Midnight". But it's clear that unless Linkin Park can find a new successful formula they are done. The rap/ rock formula has been dead for a few years now and it's not coming back.

However I quite like Mumford & Sons  "Sigh No More". I honestly didn't expect much from it when I finally broke down and listened to it. But from top to bottom, it's a very solid CD. Of course the best song on the CD is "Little Lion Man": (The language will offend some.)



For a limited time the mp3 version of "Sigh No More" is available at amazon.com for $4.99. I promise I don't get compensated for these recommendations. amazon.com usually has the best prices, other than legalsounds.com, so buy if you so desire. In fact, I'm trying to stay away from making any buying recommendations. When I do make recommendations, it's only for something I really believe in. With Spotify being free, you can listen to almost anything there for no cost. With free Spotify you need an internet connection, which is why I like to have songs on iTunes.

When there's a spectacular deal, I have to give you a heads up. amazon.com's MP3 Daily Deal is the White Stripes "White Blood Cells" for only $2.99 today. Are you kidding that's an awesome deal. This is one CD I highly recommend you to pick up.

This is the CD that really started the White Stripes ascent. It features such White Stripes classics as:

"Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground":



"Hotel Yorba":



"The Same Boy You've Always Known":



If you like any of the above songs, you will like the whole CD. "White Blood Cells" features 16 excellent songs. Although they had other CDs that were more popular, I think this one is the best by far.

Ok one more song from "White Blood Cells". This is "I'm Finding It Harder To Be A Gentleman Every Day":



Here are some other great songs,  The Band of Heathens "L.A. County Blues":



This is from Carole King's "Tapestry" CD (or when it was originally released, it would've been on record, 8 track or tape). This is truly an amazing CD. It's the song "Tapestry":



Thanks to my iPod for reminding me of this great song: We Are The In Crowd's "Kiss Me Again":



Thanks to Rewind 100.7 for playing this song yesterday. I was reminded how great "You Give Love A Bad Name" is:



themusicaddict

Happy July 4th: What's More American Than The Beach Boys and Baseball?

Hello,

I just want to wish everyone a happy 4th of July today. Thanks to all the veterans who allow us all our freedoms that we enjoy today. However I think one of the best things about today for me is that I don't have to go to work! (Although I'm extremely grateful for the job I do have.) I know many people are playing "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood today. I know Greenwood's song is a classic and was reminded of that fact again while listening to it last night watching fireworks.

However I like this song a bit better. First of all it's just a great song and is intensely funky. From James Brown, one of the most legendary singers of all-time, this is "Living In America":  (I always laugh when I hear this song because it makes me think of a classic Eddie Murphy comedy routine.)



I wrote yesterday that the "Pretty In Pink" MP3 soundtrack is available for sale for $2.99 at amazon.com for a week. It was only a couple of days ago that amazon.com also had Led Zeppelin "4" available for only $2.99. That probably is my favorite CD of all-time, although today's MP3 Daily Deal is also amazing. amazon.com has the amazing "Legend" by Bob Marley CD available for only $2.99. This deal is only for today, but sometimes these daily deals extend beyond one day. Pick it up! I would suggest you keep an eye on amazon.com for more great deals in the future. (For the record amazon.com doesn't compensate me in anyway for my recommendations.)

I think almost everyone is familiar with "No Woman, No Cry", "Buffalo Soldiers" and "I Shot The Sheriff". Here's a couple of my lesser known favorite songs from "Legend". This is "Redemption Song":



"Waiting In Vain":



One final amazon.com plug: You can pick up this incredibly addictive song for only .25c for a limited time:



Sorry I got a little sidetracked. Anyway last night I went to a 4th of July celebration. The finale was the fireworks, although a bit chintzy as they only lasted about 10 minutes. But as I warned my two kids that went with me, you can't complain about things that are free.

Before the fireworks, a local band played for two hours. That band's name is Endless Summer and as you can guess from their name, they are mainly a Beach Boys cover band. I was surprised as they were actually decent. But listening to Endless Summer play I realized how timeless so many of those Beach Boy melodies are. And what's a more American band than the Beach Boys?

With those songs still ringing in my ears I thought it would be appropriate to feature some of their songs on my blog. One of the Endless Summer members said that Utah had the first station to play a Beach Boys song. That was way back in 1962. Whether that's true or not, it's a good story. Also this year is the 50th anniversary of the Beach Boys and they are actually playing tonight in my home state. They are one of the very few all-time classic bands I haven't seen in concert. Enjoy to all those that are going to Stadium of Fire. From reviews of their recent concerts I've read they play about 40 songs and for about 2.5 hours.

Here are some of the Beach Boys classics. Here's the most famous song featuring a theremin, this is "Good Vibrations":



"I Get Around":



"409":



"Surfer Girl":



"California Girls":



"God Only Knows":



"Surfin' USA":



Speaking of things that are truly American. A few thoughts on the great sport of baseball, specifically the Pittsburgh Pirates. I'll explain why someone that lives in Salt Lake City likes the Pirates. A couple of years ago I read an article in Sports Illustrated about the Pirates. At that time they were so downtrodden and I guessed that relatively few people were fans. Although I was already closely following 4 teams, I added them to my favorite teams.

The Pirates frankly have been awful the last several years. They played much better last season and are doing even better this season. I'm hoping for a historically good season for the Pirates this season. But what I truly want to know is: Are the Pirates for real this season? This season the Pirates look to be real almost halfway through the season. Pittsburgh is 44-36 right now. It's the first time they've been 8 games over .500 in 20 years. This is a team that hasn't had a winning season since 1992, also the last year they made the playoffs. This might be year that Pittsburgh breaks through on both counts.

Some stats from my friends at espn.com. As mentioned above the Pirates are now 44-36. As I'm writing this blog they are also currently playing. In fact they looks like they are going to win today. If they continue winning and the Reds lose later tonight, the Pirates will be alone in first place in the NL Central Division. (Since the Reds are playing another one of my teams, the Dodgers, I'm doubly cheering for the Reds to lose today.) As of July 3rd the Pirates have won 6 of 7 games. Their offense has exploded of late, starting on an offensive tear on June 1st. They scored 8 runs that night and haven't let up since. The Pirates have scored 60 runs in their last 7 games, obviously it's not coincidental they've won 6 of 7.

Also congrats to Chipper Jones. Last night he had his first 5 hit game since August 11th, 1992. Jones, who plans on retiring at the end of this season, has hit in 10 consecutive games. He's hitting at a .313 clip this season. He was recently named to the All-Star Game as an injury replacement, replacing the injured Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp.

Currently according to espn.com the Braves only have a 43.9% chance of playing in the playoffs. But maybe if they put a run together, they can send Jones out in style. I'm sure he would love to win his second World Series in his final season.

themusicaddict

"Pretty In Pink", only $2.99, R.I.P. Andy Griffith

Hello,

amazon.com has been running a promotion the last few weeks, they are selling select MP3 albums for only $2.99 each. This week the theme is soundtracks. They've included one of the best soundtracks ever, the soundtrack for the movie "Pretty In Pink". If you don't have this in your collection you need to add it right now. Very few soundtrack CDs have such an excellent selection of music. The songs are by some of the best musicians of the mid-1980s. Included on this CD are many classics. These are the songs on "Pretty In Pink":

Song Title	Artist	Time	Price
Play	1. If You Leave	OMD	4:25	Album Only
Play	2. Left Of Center	Suzanne Vega	3:32	Album Only
Play	3. Get To Know Ya	Jesse Johnson	3:34	Album Only
Play	4. Do Wot You Do	Inxs	3:16	Album Only
Play	5. Pretty In Pink	The Psychedelic Furs	4:40	Album Only
Play	6. Shellshock	New Order	6:04	Album Only
Play	7. Round, Round	Belouis Some	4:06	Album Only
Play	8. Wouldn't It Be Good	Danny Hutton Hitters	3:43	Album Only
Play	9. Bring On The Dancing Horses	Echo And The Bunnymen	3:59	Album Only
Play	10. Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want	The Smiths	1:51	Album Only

I know that I will get arguments on this but I suggest that "Pretty In Pink" may be the ultimate 80's teen movie. From the amazing music to the great actors. Come on you have Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy, Jon Cryer, James Spader and Annie Potts. All are great and James Spader plays a douche bag with great skill, not sure if that's a compliment or not. And I wonder why the lovely Molly Ringwald didn't become a bigger star. I love redheads and I had a major crush on her in the 80s.

Here are some of the best songs off that CD, although all the songs are pretty good. This is the title track, "Pretty In Pink". There are two versions of this song. The original and the updated for the movie version. The movie version is by far the best version:

OMD's "If You Leave": (this video has about a minute remaining after the actual song is over.)

Just another amazing song and a song I'm not sure how it has become so forgotten. Echo and the Bunnymen's "Bring On The Dancing Horses":

I'm skipping the Smiths track, you are probably sick of me writing about them. However here's another great 80's band and one of their best songs. This is New Order's "Shellshock":

What else are you going to be buying with your limited music money? I mean you aren't going to be buying the new Flo rida CD are you? Please tell me "no". Some people use to use samples and were creative with them. However Flo rida pretty much is stealing from other people. The things he did to Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me 'Round" should send him directly to jail, not to mention he has one of the dumbest rap names ever. Doesn't the man have an ounce of creativity in his body?

Anyway amazon has some other classic soundtracks available for only $2.99. Unfortunately they don't have the best soundtrack ever, "Purple Rain". But you already have that CD right? I highly recommend getting the soundtracks to "Hunger Games", "Rock of Ages", "Footloose", "Moulin Rouge" and "Top Gun". By the way that's the soundtrack to Kevin Bacon's "Footloose", another one of the greatest soundtracks ever.

Also much respect and best wishes to the incredible Andy Griffith, he died today at the age of 86. Even all these years later, you can't go wrong with the hilarious "Andy Griffith Show". That show had a unique chemistry featuring many of the funniest people who were working at time. Thanks for all the laughs Andy as I grew up.

By the way I will finish my songs of 1991 blog eventually. I've already started working on my songs of 1992 blog. I'm in the research phase right now.

themusicaddict