Hello,
I never intended to make a second one of this type of blogs but writing the first blog made me more aware of both new and old great songs. Thus here's a whole bunch of other songs that I've discovered or was reminded of recently.
Yesterday I was listening to music on Spotify, after listening to Natalie Grant's music for a few hours I wanted something new. I took full advantage of Spotify's Discover feature. Because I had listened to New Politics they recommended I check out a band called American Authors. Thanks Spotify, that was a great recommendation. Their sound reminds me a lot of Fun.. This is "The Best Day Of My Life":
On their solid 5 song EP, another track stood out "Home":
This is American Authors entire EP:
Yesterday I hadn't even heard of Natalie Grant, her name came up in one of the Facebook groups that I'm a member of. It seems Grant, a Christian musician, stormed out of the Grammy's during the show. I don't blame her because that show hasn't been about good music for several years. Although that may not be the reason she stormed. Usually I'm not a big fan of Christian music, most of the time its pretty weak. However the music of Grant is a lot better than I expected.
Grant reminds me a lot of Carrie Underwood, for one both are gorgeous blondes. Also both have very powerful voices and I think their voices sound alike. One of Grant's songs really stood out to me "I Will Not Be Moved":
Thanks again to Spotify for rediscovering this band, Set It Off's "Nightmare":
I listened to Set It Off's "Cinematics" (Expanded Edition) today twice. It's an excellent CD. Another song I really like on that CD is "Dad's Song":
Here's a couple of songs that added great music to my most recent workout:
LMFAO's "Party Rock":
Someone that has never received enough attention or love for her music, Chantal Kreviazuk. I highly suggest at least listening to her excellent CD "What If It All Means Something". This is one of my favorite songs on that CD. This is also the only video I could find for "Miss April":
I love to add new songs to my iTunes library, especially when they're free. There are so many great free songs available on-line. Two of my favorite free music providers are Google Play and Amazon. This is one of those songs I discovered from downloading free music. Diane Birch's "It Plays On":
I saw this at EW.com yesterday and I thought I'd share it with you. I love the early music of Nine Inch Nails, especially the amazing "Pretty Hate Machine". Sadly they/ Trent Reznor has never been able to equal the creative genius of that first CD. 2013's "Hesitation Marks" isn't 1/10th the CD that "Pretty Hate Machine" is. I thought this Trent Reznor parody was pretty close to being right on. "This Is A Trent Reznor Song":
In honor of "Pretty Hate Machine", "Terrible Lie":
Lady Gaga's recent CD is amazing, I don't know how she continues making such great music. One of my favorite songs on her latest CD is "Applause":
I'm closing out this blog with songs by two 80's rock stars. First up is Bon Jovi's "Wild Is The Wind":
In honor of Motley Crue's "final" tour. No really it's their final tour, they even signed a "cessation of touring" contract (or some such nonsense) that they can't tour after 2015. One of my favorite Crue songs, "Girls Girls Girls" (three of my favorite things!):
This is the Crue on Jimmy Kimmel just a couple of days ago. Vince Neil has been losing his voice for several years now, is that why his voice is buried in the mix?:
And here's the Crue in concert in 1987:
Motley Crue Live in 2013 (Warning the language will offend many.)
themusicaddict
Friday, January 31, 2014
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Review of James Bradberry's "The 32nd of December" (Small Spoilers)
Hello,
This is my review of James Bradberry's "The 32nd of December", it was released February 23rd, 2014. Thanks to my friends at NetGalley.com I was able to get a preview copy.
Essentially the main story is the crash of Liberty Air Flight 1558 and why it crashed. That plane crash happened a year before the events kick of this book begin. President Elect Sidwell, Marc Beck and Angelien Ris are the three main characters in this novel. The premise is that this civilian jet was brought down because there was a witness on board that was going to testify against Sidwell. That would have sidetracked Sidwell's Presidency before it started. Beck and Ris are looking to try and find out the exact truth and Sidwell is trying to stop them. It's pretty typical for a thriller until about the last 10% of the book.
Bradberry would probably say that the story is more about specifically about Beck and Ris. That's ex-FBI agent Mark Beck, who lost his wife in the crash of Flight 1558. He's also suffering severe and very convenient amnesia. He had to google his name to find out more about himself. His amnesia serves as a major impediment throughout the book. A lesser character is Anna, Beck's wife, who Beck remembers as the love of his life. Although is she really.
The other major character is crusading reporter Angelien Ris, Ris rhymes with geese. She's a reporter for news magazine The New Observer. She's been working in Washington D.C. for about 10 years and about 5 years at The New Observer. Beck and Ris were having a relationship before Beck suffered amnesia. Their romantic relationship is slowed by the amnesia.
Ris and Beck met at the six month anniversary of Flight 1558's crash. They think the crash is suspicious and want to get to the truth. Ris is working with Elbert Hawes, a former NTSB employee. Hawes creates a computer flight simulation of what they believe is the true cause of the crash. If their story is published that will directly implicate Sidwell. Trying to stop the President- Elect has put a bullseye on their back. How complicit is Sidwell in the actual bombing though?
Sidwell will stop at nothing to become President and he's pulled out all stops to stop Ris and Beck from discovering and reporting the full truth. But other than extreme ambition, what else is Sidwell truly guilty of. He's working with Eva Granholt, his sometime lover, who runs one of the major divisions of the FBI.
Beck and Ris have to escape the many men on their trail, find out the exact truth before being killed and clear their names. Will they be able to do this in time? Well duh it's not like this book is breaking a lot of new ground, this story has been told at least tens of thousands times before. There's only so many ways you can cook a thriller. For this book to really stand out, it has to be really successful in having something fantastic in the telling of the story. Although you can see the author really trying to not fall in the typical traps, I wouldn't say he's fully successful at that. Other than a slight bit of intrigue about the true nature of some of the characters, this novel doesn't have a stand out quality.
When I finished reading the book all I could say about the end is "what the hell"? This is one of the most convoluted endings ever, it's a M. Night Shyamalan twist nightmare. There are so many twists and turns going on that it's hard to tell what exactly has happened and is happening. Who exactly are the good guys and who are the bad guys? It seems clear that someone set off a bomb, but who and why? What exactly is Beck's role in this whole mess? Is he both the criminal and the hero?
This book was okay, honestly Ris and Beck aren't the sharpest people in the world. Beck's battle with amnesia in this book wasn't an effective story telling technique. It reminds me of dealing with teenagers, the answer to questions too much of the time is "I don't know". A lot of unknowns isn't a method that builds excitement in a novel, especially a novel that allegedly is a "thriller". Ris and Beck make a whole bunch of mistakes throughout the book. For one they have Anders, one of the henchmen, phone and they can't figure out how the men can track them? Really? It took two supposedly smart people way to long to figure out how they were being tracked. They have multiple people on their tail and they stop and eat? Didn't Ris just get shot in the stomach? Those are just a few of the huh moments.
Also the men chasing them couldn't hit Ris and Beck more than once, although they took dozens of shots. Other than one shot that grazed Ris they couldn't hit the fleeing pair. Sidwell's henchmen miss the pair so many times that it borders on being ridiculous. They literally could be the worst shots ever in a work of fiction. It seems the only way they'd hit their intended target is by accident.
I'd give this book a 4 on the scale of 1-10. This is the second book I've read via NetGalley.com and I haven't been overwhelmed by either. However Barry Eisler's "Graveyard of Memories" is considerably better novel than Bradberry's novel. It's highly likely I'll read another Eisler novel, especially since John Rain is a compelling anti-hero. However it's doubtful that I'd read another Bradberry novel unless he improves his writing skills considerably. The next book I'm reading via NetGalley.com is Tawni O'Dell's "One of Us". I've read about the first 10% of this book and it seems this will be the best of the three. I would love to write a glowing review.
themusicaddict
This is my review of James Bradberry's "The 32nd of December", it was released February 23rd, 2014. Thanks to my friends at NetGalley.com I was able to get a preview copy.
Essentially the main story is the crash of Liberty Air Flight 1558 and why it crashed. That plane crash happened a year before the events kick of this book begin. President Elect Sidwell, Marc Beck and Angelien Ris are the three main characters in this novel. The premise is that this civilian jet was brought down because there was a witness on board that was going to testify against Sidwell. That would have sidetracked Sidwell's Presidency before it started. Beck and Ris are looking to try and find out the exact truth and Sidwell is trying to stop them. It's pretty typical for a thriller until about the last 10% of the book.
Bradberry would probably say that the story is more about specifically about Beck and Ris. That's ex-FBI agent Mark Beck, who lost his wife in the crash of Flight 1558. He's also suffering severe and very convenient amnesia. He had to google his name to find out more about himself. His amnesia serves as a major impediment throughout the book. A lesser character is Anna, Beck's wife, who Beck remembers as the love of his life. Although is she really.
The other major character is crusading reporter Angelien Ris, Ris rhymes with geese. She's a reporter for news magazine The New Observer. She's been working in Washington D.C. for about 10 years and about 5 years at The New Observer. Beck and Ris were having a relationship before Beck suffered amnesia. Their romantic relationship is slowed by the amnesia.
Ris and Beck met at the six month anniversary of Flight 1558's crash. They think the crash is suspicious and want to get to the truth. Ris is working with Elbert Hawes, a former NTSB employee. Hawes creates a computer flight simulation of what they believe is the true cause of the crash. If their story is published that will directly implicate Sidwell. Trying to stop the President- Elect has put a bullseye on their back. How complicit is Sidwell in the actual bombing though?
Sidwell will stop at nothing to become President and he's pulled out all stops to stop Ris and Beck from discovering and reporting the full truth. But other than extreme ambition, what else is Sidwell truly guilty of. He's working with Eva Granholt, his sometime lover, who runs one of the major divisions of the FBI.
Beck and Ris have to escape the many men on their trail, find out the exact truth before being killed and clear their names. Will they be able to do this in time? Well duh it's not like this book is breaking a lot of new ground, this story has been told at least tens of thousands times before. There's only so many ways you can cook a thriller. For this book to really stand out, it has to be really successful in having something fantastic in the telling of the story. Although you can see the author really trying to not fall in the typical traps, I wouldn't say he's fully successful at that. Other than a slight bit of intrigue about the true nature of some of the characters, this novel doesn't have a stand out quality.
When I finished reading the book all I could say about the end is "what the hell"? This is one of the most convoluted endings ever, it's a M. Night Shyamalan twist nightmare. There are so many twists and turns going on that it's hard to tell what exactly has happened and is happening. Who exactly are the good guys and who are the bad guys? It seems clear that someone set off a bomb, but who and why? What exactly is Beck's role in this whole mess? Is he both the criminal and the hero?
This book was okay, honestly Ris and Beck aren't the sharpest people in the world. Beck's battle with amnesia in this book wasn't an effective story telling technique. It reminds me of dealing with teenagers, the answer to questions too much of the time is "I don't know". A lot of unknowns isn't a method that builds excitement in a novel, especially a novel that allegedly is a "thriller". Ris and Beck make a whole bunch of mistakes throughout the book. For one they have Anders, one of the henchmen, phone and they can't figure out how the men can track them? Really? It took two supposedly smart people way to long to figure out how they were being tracked. They have multiple people on their tail and they stop and eat? Didn't Ris just get shot in the stomach? Those are just a few of the huh moments.
Also the men chasing them couldn't hit Ris and Beck more than once, although they took dozens of shots. Other than one shot that grazed Ris they couldn't hit the fleeing pair. Sidwell's henchmen miss the pair so many times that it borders on being ridiculous. They literally could be the worst shots ever in a work of fiction. It seems the only way they'd hit their intended target is by accident.
I'd give this book a 4 on the scale of 1-10. This is the second book I've read via NetGalley.com and I haven't been overwhelmed by either. However Barry Eisler's "Graveyard of Memories" is considerably better novel than Bradberry's novel. It's highly likely I'll read another Eisler novel, especially since John Rain is a compelling anti-hero. However it's doubtful that I'd read another Bradberry novel unless he improves his writing skills considerably. The next book I'm reading via NetGalley.com is Tawni O'Dell's "One of Us". I've read about the first 10% of this book and it seems this will be the best of the three. I would love to write a glowing review.
themusicaddict
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Songs I've Discovered or Was Reminded Of January 2014
Hello,
I just want to write a quick blog of some cool songs that I've discovered or was reminded of in the last few days. Some of these songs have been out for awhile, but I'm just discovering them. If you are looking for a theme, there isn't one.
1) This song energized my workout this morning as I battled an elliptical machine. A double bonus as I'll be seeing Paramore in concert in a few months. Paramore's "Proof":
2) Shinedown's "Atmosphere":
3) I've known about this song for awhile, what a great song! This song will be great catharsis for when you are in a really bad mood, you just may not want to sing it in public. In This Moment's "Whore":
4) Hardwell's "Three Triangles" (I couldn't find the Pump It Up Edit that originally made me think of this song):
5) This week's free iTunes song, this is one of their best free songs in a while. "Closest thing to Michelle Pfieffer that you've ever seen." Vance Joy's "Riptide":
6) Gloria Estefan's "Get On Your Feet":
7) Bad Suns "Cardiac Rest":
8) Skillet's "Sick Of It":
9) The Greg Kihn Band's "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)":
10) Corrine Rae Bailey's "Put Your Records On":
And I just want to give a big shout out to the entire Avicii CD "True". I typically don't like dance music like this. But both this and the last Swedish House Mafia CD are two CDs that I really enjoy.
I always wonder how these ? (singers/ musicians, robots, all of the previous?) would be in concert. If you'd like to know here's Avicii's full set at Tomorrowland 2013:
themusicaddict
I just want to write a quick blog of some cool songs that I've discovered or was reminded of in the last few days. Some of these songs have been out for awhile, but I'm just discovering them. If you are looking for a theme, there isn't one.
1) This song energized my workout this morning as I battled an elliptical machine. A double bonus as I'll be seeing Paramore in concert in a few months. Paramore's "Proof":
2) Shinedown's "Atmosphere":
3) I've known about this song for awhile, what a great song! This song will be great catharsis for when you are in a really bad mood, you just may not want to sing it in public. In This Moment's "Whore":
4) Hardwell's "Three Triangles" (I couldn't find the Pump It Up Edit that originally made me think of this song):
5) This week's free iTunes song, this is one of their best free songs in a while. "Closest thing to Michelle Pfieffer that you've ever seen." Vance Joy's "Riptide":
6) Gloria Estefan's "Get On Your Feet":
7) Bad Suns "Cardiac Rest":
8) Skillet's "Sick Of It":
9) The Greg Kihn Band's "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)":
10) Corrine Rae Bailey's "Put Your Records On":
And I just want to give a big shout out to the entire Avicii CD "True". I typically don't like dance music like this. But both this and the last Swedish House Mafia CD are two CDs that I really enjoy.
I always wonder how these ? (singers/ musicians, robots, all of the previous?) would be in concert. If you'd like to know here's Avicii's full set at Tomorrowland 2013:
themusicaddict
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Barry Eisler's "Graveyard of Memories"- A Prequel to the John Rain Series Review (Small Spoilers) (Partial Blog)
Hello,
This is my review for Barry Eisler's "Graveyard of Memories". This review features small spoilers, but I try to provide a brief synopsis without giving away too much. I don't know much about Barry Eisler's John Rain series, this seems to be a prequel to the 7 previous novels in his John Rain series. I'd like to thank NetGalley.com for the ability to read this book before it's officially released. The book is due to be released February 11th, 2014. If you love to read as much as I do, check out NetGalley.com to read tomorrow's hits today.
When we first meet Rain, he's a 20 year old kid living in Tokyo, the action in this novel is in 1972. Rain is half Japanese-half American. He's recently returned from the Vietnam War after fighting for the Americans. He briefly returned to America before coming to Japan, a country to both loathes and loves. Rain narrates how he got his start in the assassination business and lets us know how much things have changed since then.
This is the 8th novel in Barry Eisler's John Rain series. Rain found his way back to Japan. His Japanese father died many years ago in some kind of riots whereas his American mother just died about a year prior to the action in this novel. Although he has ties with both countries, neither place is his home. He's drifting through life, has no real plans while he figuring out what he wants to do with the rest of his life. He's working for the CIA as some kind of courier, under the tutelage of Sean McGraw, a Korean war vet.
On one of his trips as a courier he gets attacked by 3 thugs. They don't know Rain has special forces training and knows how to protect himself. In the fight he kills one of the men, he later finds out the thug is related to a member of a powerful Yakuza organization. (The Yakuza roughly is the Japanese mafia.) They attacked him because they thought he might have something valuable in his bag he was using for his courier assignments. Because of he killed, a hit was put out on his head. However McGraw offers him a way to save his own life by killing off targets that are a thorn in the side of the CIA. He can get out of trouble by assassinating some of the people trying to kill him.
But until he kills them he's living a life on the run. He's a marked man and has to lie low until he takes care of the men after him.
Of course there has to be a love story. Rain meets a girl named Sayaka, she works at the counter of a so-called "love hotel". Sayaka is in a wheelchair. Their first date is a complete success and they have sex at the end of the date. (The sex scene is very graphic and needlessly runs for several pages.) The reason Rain went to Sayaka's hotel is for anonymity. Although Rain has killed some of the people who are after him, he's still a marked man. Instead of staying on the run and being anonymous, he continues to frequent the hotel Sayaka works at. The bad guy, Mad Dog, eventually catches up to him and his relationship with Sayaka ends better than I expected. The whole situation is complicated by the fact that Rain killed Mad Dog's father.
Eventually Rain realizes he's been set up by McGraw. McGraw hires Rain's alter ego, Taro Yamada, to kill Rain. Fortunately for Rain, he knows about McGraw's plan and he can protect himself. Rain is foolish though and lets McGraw know that he's coming after him. Does Rain really want to add the CIA to his enemies list when he's already at odds with the Yakuza? Fortunately he has a friend on the police force, Tatsu. Tatsu helps him resolve this potentially dangerous situation very eloquently.
I'm not sure how Rain can live with himself- killing 4 people in the afternoon and then going on a date with Sayaka the same night. He doesn't have much remorse for those he has killed. While Rain is a good character, but not Jack Ryan or Jack Reacher caliber, it's things like above that I'll never be able to understand his mind set. He'd be more of a compelling anti-hero if killing people wasn't so frequent or easy for him.
This is the first book I've read by Eisler and I'll probably read another one of his books. The book picked up about 3/4ths of the way through the novel, however the ending felt a bit lacking. The ending is good, but not great. Of course since this is a prequel to 7 other novels it doesn't really end as it takes more of a break. I like the fate of Sayaka, it was a bit outside of the box. What happened to Sayaka is also very sweet and I'm very happy for her. For Rain though this book ends with him still fighting a lot of demons.
I'd give this book a 7 out of 10 rating. I do plan on reading other books in the John Rain series.
themusicaddict
This is my review for Barry Eisler's "Graveyard of Memories". This review features small spoilers, but I try to provide a brief synopsis without giving away too much. I don't know much about Barry Eisler's John Rain series, this seems to be a prequel to the 7 previous novels in his John Rain series. I'd like to thank NetGalley.com for the ability to read this book before it's officially released. The book is due to be released February 11th, 2014. If you love to read as much as I do, check out NetGalley.com to read tomorrow's hits today.
When we first meet Rain, he's a 20 year old kid living in Tokyo, the action in this novel is in 1972. Rain is half Japanese-half American. He's recently returned from the Vietnam War after fighting for the Americans. He briefly returned to America before coming to Japan, a country to both loathes and loves. Rain narrates how he got his start in the assassination business and lets us know how much things have changed since then.
This is the 8th novel in Barry Eisler's John Rain series. Rain found his way back to Japan. His Japanese father died many years ago in some kind of riots whereas his American mother just died about a year prior to the action in this novel. Although he has ties with both countries, neither place is his home. He's drifting through life, has no real plans while he figuring out what he wants to do with the rest of his life. He's working for the CIA as some kind of courier, under the tutelage of Sean McGraw, a Korean war vet.
On one of his trips as a courier he gets attacked by 3 thugs. They don't know Rain has special forces training and knows how to protect himself. In the fight he kills one of the men, he later finds out the thug is related to a member of a powerful Yakuza organization. (The Yakuza roughly is the Japanese mafia.) They attacked him because they thought he might have something valuable in his bag he was using for his courier assignments. Because of he killed, a hit was put out on his head. However McGraw offers him a way to save his own life by killing off targets that are a thorn in the side of the CIA. He can get out of trouble by assassinating some of the people trying to kill him.
But until he kills them he's living a life on the run. He's a marked man and has to lie low until he takes care of the men after him.
Of course there has to be a love story. Rain meets a girl named Sayaka, she works at the counter of a so-called "love hotel". Sayaka is in a wheelchair. Their first date is a complete success and they have sex at the end of the date. (The sex scene is very graphic and needlessly runs for several pages.) The reason Rain went to Sayaka's hotel is for anonymity. Although Rain has killed some of the people who are after him, he's still a marked man. Instead of staying on the run and being anonymous, he continues to frequent the hotel Sayaka works at. The bad guy, Mad Dog, eventually catches up to him and his relationship with Sayaka ends better than I expected. The whole situation is complicated by the fact that Rain killed Mad Dog's father.
Eventually Rain realizes he's been set up by McGraw. McGraw hires Rain's alter ego, Taro Yamada, to kill Rain. Fortunately for Rain, he knows about McGraw's plan and he can protect himself. Rain is foolish though and lets McGraw know that he's coming after him. Does Rain really want to add the CIA to his enemies list when he's already at odds with the Yakuza? Fortunately he has a friend on the police force, Tatsu. Tatsu helps him resolve this potentially dangerous situation very eloquently.
I'm not sure how Rain can live with himself- killing 4 people in the afternoon and then going on a date with Sayaka the same night. He doesn't have much remorse for those he has killed. While Rain is a good character, but not Jack Ryan or Jack Reacher caliber, it's things like above that I'll never be able to understand his mind set. He'd be more of a compelling anti-hero if killing people wasn't so frequent or easy for him.
This is the first book I've read by Eisler and I'll probably read another one of his books. The book picked up about 3/4ths of the way through the novel, however the ending felt a bit lacking. The ending is good, but not great. Of course since this is a prequel to 7 other novels it doesn't really end as it takes more of a break. I like the fate of Sayaka, it was a bit outside of the box. What happened to Sayaka is also very sweet and I'm very happy for her. For Rain though this book ends with him still fighting a lot of demons.
I'd give this book a 7 out of 10 rating. I do plan on reading other books in the John Rain series.
themusicaddict
Friday, January 24, 2014
The Monumentour Invades Provo, Utah August 13th, 2014: New Politics, Fall Out Boy and Paramore
Hello,
The following isn't an advertisement in any way, this is just a fan that's excited about what should be one hell of a show. This blog is about the Monumentor featuring Fall Out Boy and Paramore. This stop will be at the UCCU Center in Provo, Utah on August 13th, 2014. Ticket prices range from $28.50 to $49.50 for the actual tickets. Then of course the greed comes in with the convenience fee, parking fee and transaction fee. Thus a $50 ticket becomes a $63 ticket without any additional benefit for the fan.
Obviously the opening act will be New Politics. I've been listening to their two CDs on Spotify the last couple of days. Their self-titled first CD is good, but their second CD "A Bad Girl In Harlem" is even better.
This is New Politics' self-titled first CD:
These are three of my favorite songs from "A Bad Girl In Harlem", first up is "Harlem":
"Harlem" (Live):
Another one of my favorite songs on "A Bad Girl In Harlem" is "Goodbye Copenhagen". Here's the acoustic version with a brief interview with New Politics before:
Another song I like on that CD is "Just Like Me":
I don't know who the second act will be, but I hope it's Fall Out Boy. Honestly I wasn't even a fan of them until they released "Save Rock and Roll". This CD features this Falls most overplayed sports stadium anthem : "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)" (This is one of the best songs of the last several years.) :
The full album for Fall Out Boy's "Save Rock and Roll":
Another one of my favorite songs on "Save Rock and Roll", "The Phoenix":
I'm not enthralled with this Fall Out Boy concert from Phoenix. I believe this is from 2008, of course before "Save Rock and Roll" was released.
This is Fall Out Boy from 2013 at the Reading Festival (sorry not the best sound):
Also from 2013 this is Fall Out Boy live in Chicago. This is their concert that has the best sound that I found on Youtube:
I hope Paramore is the closer, I've been a fan of theirs since "Riot" broke out. That's an amazing CD and still probably their best CD. Here are a couple of my favorite songs from "Riot!", quite likely they are a couple of your favorite songs from the CD too.
First up "CrushCrushCrush":
This song rocked my iPod this morning, "Born For This":
And there's no business like "Misery Business":
Here's "Riot" in it's entirety:
I'm guessing Paramore's set would be similar to their 2013 iTunes Festival set:
Here's another Paramore concert, live in Paris 2013:
How could that not be a great night of music, it might even make me forget the ridiculous convenience fee.
themusicaddict
The following isn't an advertisement in any way, this is just a fan that's excited about what should be one hell of a show. This blog is about the Monumentor featuring Fall Out Boy and Paramore. This stop will be at the UCCU Center in Provo, Utah on August 13th, 2014. Ticket prices range from $28.50 to $49.50 for the actual tickets. Then of course the greed comes in with the convenience fee, parking fee and transaction fee. Thus a $50 ticket becomes a $63 ticket without any additional benefit for the fan.
Obviously the opening act will be New Politics. I've been listening to their two CDs on Spotify the last couple of days. Their self-titled first CD is good, but their second CD "A Bad Girl In Harlem" is even better.
This is New Politics' self-titled first CD:
These are three of my favorite songs from "A Bad Girl In Harlem", first up is "Harlem":
"Harlem" (Live):
Another one of my favorite songs on "A Bad Girl In Harlem" is "Goodbye Copenhagen". Here's the acoustic version with a brief interview with New Politics before:
Another song I like on that CD is "Just Like Me":
I don't know who the second act will be, but I hope it's Fall Out Boy. Honestly I wasn't even a fan of them until they released "Save Rock and Roll". This CD features this Falls most overplayed sports stadium anthem : "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)" (This is one of the best songs of the last several years.) :
The full album for Fall Out Boy's "Save Rock and Roll":
Another one of my favorite songs on "Save Rock and Roll", "The Phoenix":
I'm not enthralled with this Fall Out Boy concert from Phoenix. I believe this is from 2008, of course before "Save Rock and Roll" was released.
This is Fall Out Boy from 2013 at the Reading Festival (sorry not the best sound):
Also from 2013 this is Fall Out Boy live in Chicago. This is their concert that has the best sound that I found on Youtube:
I hope Paramore is the closer, I've been a fan of theirs since "Riot" broke out. That's an amazing CD and still probably their best CD. Here are a couple of my favorite songs from "Riot!", quite likely they are a couple of your favorite songs from the CD too.
First up "CrushCrushCrush":
This song rocked my iPod this morning, "Born For This":
And there's no business like "Misery Business":
Here's "Riot" in it's entirety:
I'm guessing Paramore's set would be similar to their 2013 iTunes Festival set:
Here's another Paramore concert, live in Paris 2013:
How could that not be a great night of music, it might even make me forget the ridiculous convenience fee.
themusicaddict
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
themusicaddict's Greatest CDs of All-Time: My Chemical Romance's "The Black Parade"
Hello,
This is one in my continuing series of blogs about the greatest CDs of all-time. Most of the previous CDs I profiled were released in the 80s. But I know that good music is still being released today, it just takes more effort to find it. Sadly I didn't discover this band until they were splintering.
As usual with my luck this is a band that broke up, just as I was learning to appreciate them. Just a little while after I truly gained an appreciation for My Chemical Romance they broke up. But thankfully they left behind a lot of great music. In my opinion "The Black Parade" is by far their best CD. It's also a rarity in this era in being a concept album. Not only that but a damn good concept album. I wouldn't quite compare it to "The Wall", but it's quite good. I also quite like "Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys".
My Chemical Romance was a rock band from 2001 to March 22nd, 2013. For the recording of this CD the band consisted of singer Gerard Way with Bob Bryar, Mikey Way, Frank Iero and Ray Toro.
The CD is clearly about a patient's battle with cancer. Clearly this band is close to someone who fought a battle with cancer. The lyrics are so insightful and give class to the patient and respect to cancer. Although cancer is a brutal disease, it's something that needs to be respected. Eventually some day someone will find a way to kick it's ass. This would be the perfect CD to battle cancer or any other battle with a life threatening disease. I wouldn't plan to go down easily and would want a sneering masterpiece to keep my spirits up.
At the end of 2012 and beginning of 2013 My Chemical Romance released 10 previously unreleased songs recorded in 2009, before the release of "Danger Days". Two of these songs were released each month for 5 months. Later those 10 songs were compiled and titled "Conventional Weapons". All 10 songs are available to listen to for free on Spotify and those songs are just as good as the rest of their work. They truly are one of the best bands of the last two decades.
All 10 songs from "Conventional Weapons":
And then because their label hasn't made enough money off of My Chemical Romance, the inevitable Greatest Hits CD, " May Death Never Stop You: The Greatest Hits 2001-2013" on March 25th, 2013. The CD/ download consists of 19 songs, including 4 unreleased songs. One of those songs is "Skylines and Turnstiles" which allegedly is the first song they wrote. It's a song about 9/11. Don't tell their label but this is a CD that I probably will add to my collection. (Thanks to Wikipedia for biographical details.)
Here's the full CD with the hidden song and 3 bonus tracks:
My Chemical Romance live in Mexico City (full concert):
Here's another My Chemical Romance concert. This is The Black Parade Is Dead- which is essentially the live versions of all the songs on The Black Parade.
1) "The End":
2) "Dead!":
3) "This Is How I Disappear":
4) "The Sharpest Lives" (Listening to this CD again, I realize how much it truly rocks!) :
5) "Welcome to The Black Parade":
6) "I Don't Love You":
"I Don't Love You" (with lyrics):
7) "House of Wolves":
8) "Cancer" ("Cause the hardest part of this is leaving you") :
9) "Mama":
"Mama" (Live in 2012)":
10) "Sleep":
11) "Teenagers":
12) "Disenchanted":
"Disenchanted" (Live") (This is the best of the live videos for this song.)
13) "Famous Last Words":
"Famous Last Words" (Live) (This video isn't as high quality as promised.)
14) "Blood" (hidden track):
These three songs were on the iTunes deluxe edition:
15) "My Way Home Is Through You": (Sorry the sound for these three songs isn't very good. It's clear why these songs are bonus tracks. They are good, but would be out of place on "The Black Parade".)
16) "Kill All Your Friends":
17) "Heaven Help Us":
themusicaddict
This is one in my continuing series of blogs about the greatest CDs of all-time. Most of the previous CDs I profiled were released in the 80s. But I know that good music is still being released today, it just takes more effort to find it. Sadly I didn't discover this band until they were splintering.
As usual with my luck this is a band that broke up, just as I was learning to appreciate them. Just a little while after I truly gained an appreciation for My Chemical Romance they broke up. But thankfully they left behind a lot of great music. In my opinion "The Black Parade" is by far their best CD. It's also a rarity in this era in being a concept album. Not only that but a damn good concept album. I wouldn't quite compare it to "The Wall", but it's quite good. I also quite like "Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys".
My Chemical Romance was a rock band from 2001 to March 22nd, 2013. For the recording of this CD the band consisted of singer Gerard Way with Bob Bryar, Mikey Way, Frank Iero and Ray Toro.
The CD is clearly about a patient's battle with cancer. Clearly this band is close to someone who fought a battle with cancer. The lyrics are so insightful and give class to the patient and respect to cancer. Although cancer is a brutal disease, it's something that needs to be respected. Eventually some day someone will find a way to kick it's ass. This would be the perfect CD to battle cancer or any other battle with a life threatening disease. I wouldn't plan to go down easily and would want a sneering masterpiece to keep my spirits up.
At the end of 2012 and beginning of 2013 My Chemical Romance released 10 previously unreleased songs recorded in 2009, before the release of "Danger Days". Two of these songs were released each month for 5 months. Later those 10 songs were compiled and titled "Conventional Weapons". All 10 songs are available to listen to for free on Spotify and those songs are just as good as the rest of their work. They truly are one of the best bands of the last two decades.
All 10 songs from "Conventional Weapons":
And then because their label hasn't made enough money off of My Chemical Romance, the inevitable Greatest Hits CD, " May Death Never Stop You: The Greatest Hits 2001-2013" on March 25th, 2013. The CD/ download consists of 19 songs, including 4 unreleased songs. One of those songs is "Skylines and Turnstiles" which allegedly is the first song they wrote. It's a song about 9/11. Don't tell their label but this is a CD that I probably will add to my collection. (Thanks to Wikipedia for biographical details.)
Here's the full CD with the hidden song and 3 bonus tracks:
My Chemical Romance live in Mexico City (full concert):
Here's another My Chemical Romance concert. This is The Black Parade Is Dead- which is essentially the live versions of all the songs on The Black Parade.
1) "The End":
2) "Dead!":
3) "This Is How I Disappear":
4) "The Sharpest Lives" (Listening to this CD again, I realize how much it truly rocks!) :
5) "Welcome to The Black Parade":
6) "I Don't Love You":
"I Don't Love You" (with lyrics):
7) "House of Wolves":
8) "Cancer" ("Cause the hardest part of this is leaving you") :
9) "Mama":
"Mama" (Live in 2012)":
10) "Sleep":
11) "Teenagers":
12) "Disenchanted":
"Disenchanted" (Live") (This is the best of the live videos for this song.)
13) "Famous Last Words":
"Famous Last Words" (Live) (This video isn't as high quality as promised.)
14) "Blood" (hidden track):
These three songs were on the iTunes deluxe edition:
15) "My Way Home Is Through You": (Sorry the sound for these three songs isn't very good. It's clear why these songs are bonus tracks. They are good, but would be out of place on "The Black Parade".)
16) "Kill All Your Friends":
17) "Heaven Help Us":
themusicaddict
Friday, January 17, 2014
themusicaddict's Desert Island Books: A Quick List (Updated January 18th, 2014)
Hello,
Off the top of my head, here's some of the books I want if I'm ever stranded on a desert island.
1) Stephen King's "Christine", the first of his books that I read and loved. That excellent book made me a life long fan of King. "It" and "Pet Semetary" are two of my other favorite King books. I recently just finished "11/22/63" which felt like a return to form for King. I was very disappointed by "Under The Dome" and the TV show is even worse.
2) Joe Hills "Horns", a very sweet love story. I hope the people making into a movie don't destroy the great story.
3) Greg Iles "The Turning Angel". A book I randomly picked up at Wal-Mart on a whim and absolutely loved.
4) John Steinbeck's "East of Eden", a classic that truly lives up to it's reputation.
5) Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse Five"- see above. I love that book was chosen as a subversive book in the original "Footloose".
6) Garth Stein's "The Art Of Racing In The Rain". Yes, good books are still being published. A nearly perfect book. The book is narrated by a dog and quite eloquently. In something that seems could have been corny, was handled quite well by Stein.
7) Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Mick Mars and Nikki Sixx's "Motley Crue: The Dirt". I know it may seem to be a bit out of place. However it's a great book. Another great rock book is Stephen Davis's "Hammer Of The Gods". Nikki Sixx's "Heroin Diaries" is a harrowing, but not quite as good book. I loved "The Dirt" so much that I picked up Anthony Kiedis's "Scar Tissue". Sadly it's one of the worst books ever. Kiedis's high self regard isn't explained and I could never understand it.
8) Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables". I'm referring to the full length novel. A book that lead to one of my favorite musicals on stage, too bad the movie was such a mess.
9) John Grogan's "Marley & Me". I'm not going to lie, this is a book that made me equally laugh and cry. One of the saddest endings of any books ever. "Marley" made my life better just by reading it.
10) Homer Hickam's "Rocket Boys". When made into a movie it's name was changed to "October Sky". A well made movie, but the book was out of sight. (A little attempted rocket humor.)
11) Dave Eggers' "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius". A memoir of Eggers life including raising his little brother after their parents died close to the same time.
12) James Bradley's "Flags Of Our Fathers". Bradley's investigation into the life of his war hero father John. John worked as a corpsman in the army and was one of the six people that raised the flag on Iwo Jima that became the classic World War 2 moment.
More to be added as I think of them, I want a library on my deserted island :)
themusic (and sometimes book) addict
Off the top of my head, here's some of the books I want if I'm ever stranded on a desert island.
1) Stephen King's "Christine", the first of his books that I read and loved. That excellent book made me a life long fan of King. "It" and "Pet Semetary" are two of my other favorite King books. I recently just finished "11/22/63" which felt like a return to form for King. I was very disappointed by "Under The Dome" and the TV show is even worse.
2) Joe Hills "Horns", a very sweet love story. I hope the people making into a movie don't destroy the great story.
3) Greg Iles "The Turning Angel". A book I randomly picked up at Wal-Mart on a whim and absolutely loved.
4) John Steinbeck's "East of Eden", a classic that truly lives up to it's reputation.
5) Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse Five"- see above. I love that book was chosen as a subversive book in the original "Footloose".
6) Garth Stein's "The Art Of Racing In The Rain". Yes, good books are still being published. A nearly perfect book. The book is narrated by a dog and quite eloquently. In something that seems could have been corny, was handled quite well by Stein.
7) Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Mick Mars and Nikki Sixx's "Motley Crue: The Dirt". I know it may seem to be a bit out of place. However it's a great book. Another great rock book is Stephen Davis's "Hammer Of The Gods". Nikki Sixx's "Heroin Diaries" is a harrowing, but not quite as good book. I loved "The Dirt" so much that I picked up Anthony Kiedis's "Scar Tissue". Sadly it's one of the worst books ever. Kiedis's high self regard isn't explained and I could never understand it.
8) Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables". I'm referring to the full length novel. A book that lead to one of my favorite musicals on stage, too bad the movie was such a mess.
9) John Grogan's "Marley & Me". I'm not going to lie, this is a book that made me equally laugh and cry. One of the saddest endings of any books ever. "Marley" made my life better just by reading it.
10) Homer Hickam's "Rocket Boys". When made into a movie it's name was changed to "October Sky". A well made movie, but the book was out of sight. (A little attempted rocket humor.)
11) Dave Eggers' "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius". A memoir of Eggers life including raising his little brother after their parents died close to the same time.
12) James Bradley's "Flags Of Our Fathers". Bradley's investigation into the life of his war hero father John. John worked as a corpsman in the army and was one of the six people that raised the flag on Iwo Jima that became the classic World War 2 moment.
More to be added as I think of them, I want a library on my deserted island :)
themusic (and sometimes book) addict
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
The 15 Most Amazing Women Singers (Updated January 17th, 2014)
Hello,
Jennifer Nettles first solo CD, "That Girl", went on sale January 14th, 2014. Thanks to my friends at Spotify I was able to listen to "That Girl". I love Sugarland's music and Nettles' great voice, but I've got to say "That Girl" isn't that good. However it got me thinking about amazing women's voices and who might be the best female singer ever.
This list will change at least a few times as I'm working on it, but here's the Top 14 for now. Looking at this list you can see my love of the first few seasons of "American Idol", too bad it's a shell of its former self now and needs to be cancelled. But we know the greediest network, Fox, won't cancel it until they suck every penny out of it that they can. They could care less about the show's legacy only how many nickels they can squeeze out of the very tired franchise. It's probable when I'm done with this blog that there won't be 3 singers, who got their start on "AI", in the Top Ten.
This list is more about talent, a great voice and picking the best songs. Such things as personality play little in this Top Ten- which is what explains Mariah Carey being on the list. As I'm working on this I'm realizing how hard it is to rank all these amazing singers. Again there will be many changes.
Dishonorable mentions: Avril Lavigne, she has an okay voice, just her sneering singing style grates after awhile. Miley Cyrus, I'm sorry, but she can't sing.
Female singers I love, but aren't the greatest vocalists ever: the fantastic Madonna, Alanis Morrissette, Janis Jackson, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Aimee Mann, Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, Tracy Chapman, Neneh Cherry, Cyndi Lauper, Donna Summer, Cyndi Lauper and Paula Abdul.
Other great female singers: Tina Turner, Celine Dion (who would be on my list, but her songs are less than great), the Queen of Soul herself Aretha Franklin, Leona Lewis, Annie Lennox and Stevie Nicks.
15) Janis Joplin:
"Piece Of My Heart":
Janis Joplin at Woodstock (partial set):
14) Hayley Williams, singer for Paramore:
"CrushCrushCrush":
"Misery Business":
Paramore in concert at the iTunes fest April, 2013:
13) Natalie Maines:
"Not Ready To Make Nice":
"You Were Mine":
"Everybody Knows":
12) Barbara Striesand:
Definitely a Top 500 song, "The Way We Were":
"Evergreen":
11) Carrie Underwood (It certainly doesn't hurt that she's one of the most beautiful women in the world):
"So Small":
Carrie showing her rock side on "Paradise City":
Who would cheat on Carrie Underwood? Is she too gorgeous, too talented or too nice. Ah, to have such problems. A warning to the man foolish enough to cheat on Carrie:
10) Jennifer Nettles:
"Stay"(Her voice is so powerful on this song.) :
"Baby Girl":
"Just Might (Make Me Believe)":
Here's Sugarland and Adele, who's a bit lower on the list:
9) Christina Aguilera:
"Genie In A Bottle":
"Stronger":
"Beautiful":
8) Jennifer Hudson (Sadly Miss Hudson hasn't found enough songs that are worthy of her great voice.):
"And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going":
"One Night Only":
7) Lea Michelle:
"Take A Bow":
"Taking Chances":
"Don't Rain On My Parade":
"Torn" (One of the sexier songs ever):
6) Kelly Clarkson:
"Stronger":
"Miss Independent" (Although the sound isn't great, I believe this video shows just how powerful her voice is.) :
"Low":
5) Adele:
"Rolling In The Deep":
"Rumor Have It" (Live):
"If It Hadn't Been For Love"(Live) :
"Make You Feel My Love":
4) Sinead O'Connor (A bunch of amazing songs and her fantastic voice make Miss O'Connor #4):
"Success Has Made A Failure Of Our Home":
"No Man's Woman":
"Mandinka":
"Black Boys On Mopeds" (Live):
"I Want Your (Hands On Me)":
"Mother (With Roger Waters Live) This whole video is amazing:
"The Emperor's New Clothes":
It probably seems that I have a disproportionate amount of videos for O'Connor, but so many of her songs could be the soundtrack of my life. No song is more appropriate than "The Last Day Of Our Acquaintance". (I love everything about this song.):
3) Mariah Carey (Look how great she looks here, so fresh faced with such a bright future ahead of her. What happened to her, what caused her to turn into the "American Idol" Mariah Carey?) :
"Someday":
"Vision Of Love" (One of the greatest female vocal performances ever!) :
"Hero":
"I'll Be There":
"Love Takes Time":
2) Whitney Houston (Combining extrordinary looks and THAT voice, the incomparable Miss Houston):
"The Greatest Love Of All":
"Saving All My Love For You":
"Love Is A Contact Sport" (Her sexy and playful side.) :
"Didn't We Almost Have It All":
"Where Do Broken Hearts Go" (Live):
When she started losing her voice, she tried to cover that by singing songs like they weren't written. Sadly what happened at the end to that great voice. The way she sings this song here you wouldn't even know how great of a song "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" is:
This is how the song should really sound:
1) Sarah Brightman:
"Angel of Music":
"Eden":
"Think Of Me":
"Time To Say Goodbye":
"Tell Me On A Sunday":
"Don't Cry For Me Argentina":
themusicaddict
Jennifer Nettles first solo CD, "That Girl", went on sale January 14th, 2014. Thanks to my friends at Spotify I was able to listen to "That Girl". I love Sugarland's music and Nettles' great voice, but I've got to say "That Girl" isn't that good. However it got me thinking about amazing women's voices and who might be the best female singer ever.
This list will change at least a few times as I'm working on it, but here's the Top 14 for now. Looking at this list you can see my love of the first few seasons of "American Idol", too bad it's a shell of its former self now and needs to be cancelled. But we know the greediest network, Fox, won't cancel it until they suck every penny out of it that they can. They could care less about the show's legacy only how many nickels they can squeeze out of the very tired franchise. It's probable when I'm done with this blog that there won't be 3 singers, who got their start on "AI", in the Top Ten.
This list is more about talent, a great voice and picking the best songs. Such things as personality play little in this Top Ten- which is what explains Mariah Carey being on the list. As I'm working on this I'm realizing how hard it is to rank all these amazing singers. Again there will be many changes.
Dishonorable mentions: Avril Lavigne, she has an okay voice, just her sneering singing style grates after awhile. Miley Cyrus, I'm sorry, but she can't sing.
Female singers I love, but aren't the greatest vocalists ever: the fantastic Madonna, Alanis Morrissette, Janis Jackson, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Aimee Mann, Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, Tracy Chapman, Neneh Cherry, Cyndi Lauper, Donna Summer, Cyndi Lauper and Paula Abdul.
Other great female singers: Tina Turner, Celine Dion (who would be on my list, but her songs are less than great), the Queen of Soul herself Aretha Franklin, Leona Lewis, Annie Lennox and Stevie Nicks.
15) Janis Joplin:
"Piece Of My Heart":
Janis Joplin at Woodstock (partial set):
14) Hayley Williams, singer for Paramore:
"CrushCrushCrush":
"Misery Business":
Paramore in concert at the iTunes fest April, 2013:
13) Natalie Maines:
"Not Ready To Make Nice":
"You Were Mine":
"Everybody Knows":
12) Barbara Striesand:
Definitely a Top 500 song, "The Way We Were":
"Evergreen":
11) Carrie Underwood (It certainly doesn't hurt that she's one of the most beautiful women in the world):
"So Small":
Carrie showing her rock side on "Paradise City":
Who would cheat on Carrie Underwood? Is she too gorgeous, too talented or too nice. Ah, to have such problems. A warning to the man foolish enough to cheat on Carrie:
10) Jennifer Nettles:
"Stay"(Her voice is so powerful on this song.) :
"Baby Girl":
"Just Might (Make Me Believe)":
Here's Sugarland and Adele, who's a bit lower on the list:
9) Christina Aguilera:
"Genie In A Bottle":
"Stronger":
"Beautiful":
8) Jennifer Hudson (Sadly Miss Hudson hasn't found enough songs that are worthy of her great voice.):
"And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going":
"One Night Only":
7) Lea Michelle:
"Take A Bow":
"Taking Chances":
"Don't Rain On My Parade":
"Torn" (One of the sexier songs ever):
6) Kelly Clarkson:
"Stronger":
"Miss Independent" (Although the sound isn't great, I believe this video shows just how powerful her voice is.) :
"Low":
5) Adele:
"Rolling In The Deep":
"Rumor Have It" (Live):
"If It Hadn't Been For Love"(Live) :
"Make You Feel My Love":
4) Sinead O'Connor (A bunch of amazing songs and her fantastic voice make Miss O'Connor #4):
"Success Has Made A Failure Of Our Home":
"No Man's Woman":
"Mandinka":
"Black Boys On Mopeds" (Live):
"I Want Your (Hands On Me)":
"Mother (With Roger Waters Live) This whole video is amazing:
"The Emperor's New Clothes":
It probably seems that I have a disproportionate amount of videos for O'Connor, but so many of her songs could be the soundtrack of my life. No song is more appropriate than "The Last Day Of Our Acquaintance". (I love everything about this song.):
3) Mariah Carey (Look how great she looks here, so fresh faced with such a bright future ahead of her. What happened to her, what caused her to turn into the "American Idol" Mariah Carey?) :
"Someday":
"Vision Of Love" (One of the greatest female vocal performances ever!) :
"Hero":
"I'll Be There":
"Love Takes Time":
2) Whitney Houston (Combining extrordinary looks and THAT voice, the incomparable Miss Houston):
"The Greatest Love Of All":
"Saving All My Love For You":
"Love Is A Contact Sport" (Her sexy and playful side.) :
"Didn't We Almost Have It All":
"Where Do Broken Hearts Go" (Live):
When she started losing her voice, she tried to cover that by singing songs like they weren't written. Sadly what happened at the end to that great voice. The way she sings this song here you wouldn't even know how great of a song "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" is:
This is how the song should really sound:
1) Sarah Brightman:
"Angel of Music":
"Eden":
"Think Of Me":
"Time To Say Goodbye":
"Tell Me On A Sunday":
"Don't Cry For Me Argentina":
themusicaddict
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Spotify Is Perfect For Every Mood, Phase and Taste
Hello,
This is the second or third blog I've written about Spotify, I absolutely love that website. I love that for not one red cent I can listen to any kind of music I want. Not only that but for how how long I want and for how many times I want. All in the comfort of my home.
I recently went through extreme Disco cravings. What did I do to satisfy those cravings? I went to Spotify, although I have several disco classics on my iTunes. I was able to listen to the only two true Disco legends the Bee Gees and Donna Summer. However I was also able to listen to music from Peaches & Herb, The Village People, KC and the Sunshine Band, Chic, Earth Wind & Fire and other musicians. I realize that many of the great Disco songs are from one hit wonders.
Today I'm listening to the music of John Mellencamp, again thanks to Spotify. I'm able to follow Mellencamp through his 80's hey day. That hey day started with "American Fool" and was followed by "Uh-HUH!", "Scarecrow", "The Lonesome Jubilee" and "Big Daddy".
1980's "Nothin' Matters and What If It Did" was probably the first CD that Mellencamp received true exposure. It features the songs "Ain't Even Done With The Night" and "This Time". We see his career expand with 1982's "American Fool", home to such hits as "Hurts So Good" and "Jack and Diane". That last song probably being Mellencamp's first humongous hit. In 1983 Mellencamp's career grew thanks to "Uh-HUH", home to such great songs as "Crumblin Down", "Pink House" and "The Authority Song." Three pretty great songs, but that CD didn't take him to the next level. In my opinion 1985's "Scarecrow" was his peak. Overall his most consistent CD, nearly every song was good. Mellencamp's ode to farmers on "Rain On The Scarecrow" was a beautiful song of support and also a condemnation of the greed of others that hurt farmers. This CD has several hits, "Small Town", "Lonely Ol' Night", "R.O.C.K. In The USA" as well as several excellent album tracks. Such great songs as "Rumbleseat", "The Kind of Fella I Am" and "The Face Of The Nation"
Sadly after that peak Mellencamp had one decent CD left in him in "The Lonesome Jubilee". That CD features such great Mellencamp songs as "Paper In Fire" and "Check It Out", but it's clear now that Mellencamp's career was no longer in ascent. Then in 1989 Mellencamp's weakest 80's CD was released, "Big Daddy" which is highlighted by "Pop Singer". (Thanks to Wikipedia)
I was able to follow Mellencamp's 80's output thanks to Spotify.
I buy music occasionally- I know call me crazy. But before buy something, I make sure it's worthy of my iTunes. One of my favorite thing about Spotify is that I can listen to music I may want to buy. Not only does Spotify not cost me any money, but in fact it saves me money. I have not bought many CDs because listening to them on Spotify I realize they aren't very good. Any CD that looks good I'll listen to on Spotify and determine if it's worthy of my iTunes.
Thanks Spotify for providing so much great music to people who are as cheap as myself.
themusicaddict
This is the second or third blog I've written about Spotify, I absolutely love that website. I love that for not one red cent I can listen to any kind of music I want. Not only that but for how how long I want and for how many times I want. All in the comfort of my home.
I recently went through extreme Disco cravings. What did I do to satisfy those cravings? I went to Spotify, although I have several disco classics on my iTunes. I was able to listen to the only two true Disco legends the Bee Gees and Donna Summer. However I was also able to listen to music from Peaches & Herb, The Village People, KC and the Sunshine Band, Chic, Earth Wind & Fire and other musicians. I realize that many of the great Disco songs are from one hit wonders.
Today I'm listening to the music of John Mellencamp, again thanks to Spotify. I'm able to follow Mellencamp through his 80's hey day. That hey day started with "American Fool" and was followed by "Uh-HUH!", "Scarecrow", "The Lonesome Jubilee" and "Big Daddy".
1980's "Nothin' Matters and What If It Did" was probably the first CD that Mellencamp received true exposure. It features the songs "Ain't Even Done With The Night" and "This Time". We see his career expand with 1982's "American Fool", home to such hits as "Hurts So Good" and "Jack and Diane". That last song probably being Mellencamp's first humongous hit. In 1983 Mellencamp's career grew thanks to "Uh-HUH", home to such great songs as "Crumblin Down", "Pink House" and "The Authority Song." Three pretty great songs, but that CD didn't take him to the next level. In my opinion 1985's "Scarecrow" was his peak. Overall his most consistent CD, nearly every song was good. Mellencamp's ode to farmers on "Rain On The Scarecrow" was a beautiful song of support and also a condemnation of the greed of others that hurt farmers. This CD has several hits, "Small Town", "Lonely Ol' Night", "R.O.C.K. In The USA" as well as several excellent album tracks. Such great songs as "Rumbleseat", "The Kind of Fella I Am" and "The Face Of The Nation"
Sadly after that peak Mellencamp had one decent CD left in him in "The Lonesome Jubilee". That CD features such great Mellencamp songs as "Paper In Fire" and "Check It Out", but it's clear now that Mellencamp's career was no longer in ascent. Then in 1989 Mellencamp's weakest 80's CD was released, "Big Daddy" which is highlighted by "Pop Singer". (Thanks to Wikipedia)
I was able to follow Mellencamp's 80's output thanks to Spotify.
I buy music occasionally- I know call me crazy. But before buy something, I make sure it's worthy of my iTunes. One of my favorite thing about Spotify is that I can listen to music I may want to buy. Not only does Spotify not cost me any money, but in fact it saves me money. I have not bought many CDs because listening to them on Spotify I realize they aren't very good. Any CD that looks good I'll listen to on Spotify and determine if it's worthy of my iTunes.
Thanks Spotify for providing so much great music to people who are as cheap as myself.
themusicaddict
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Run-D.M.C., Led Zeppelin, Lady Gaga, Halestorm, George Jones: What Exactly Are The Ingredients Of A Great Song?
Hello,
Great song, terrible acting for Run-D.M.C.'s "It's Tricky":
There are songs from nearly every genre that are considered classics, so what is it that makes a song a great song? Why are songs that sound so different from each other can still be equally great? What is it that can make "Luck Be A Lady" to "Whole Lotta Love" to "He Stopped Loving Her Today" to "Bad Romance" all great songs and classics?
Ol' Blue Eyes fantastic take on "Luck Be A Lady Tonight":
Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love":
George Jones heartbreak masterpiece "He Stopped Loving Her Today":
Lady Gaga's masterful "Bad Romance":
Even when Halestorm puts their rock stamp, the song remains great. It seems a great song can remain great even if it switches genres. (Of course I'm sure that has it's limits.)
The Chipmunks diminishing returns version of "Bad Romance":
From "Phantom of The Opera, "Music Of The Night":
Here's the two premiere "Phantom" voices Michael Crawford and the spine tingling voice of Sarah Brightman:
Again what makes a great song? Other than all being great songs, the songs I mentioned have very little in common. They are from different eras and decades, each song has a different tempo, the artists are men and women, groups and solo- there doesn't seem to be one unifying theme. Even the genres of the songs are different: rock, rap, pop, country, broadway, standards and even the Chipmunks.
So once again, what makes up a great song? I wrote this blog hoping I would find an answer, but I only became more confused. Since it's 2014 I decided to take this question to Facebook. I agree with what a friend said, she nailed it on the head. She said it's "the feeling and sentiment that it brings to the listener." The common ingredient for greatness is how a song makes us feel. That feeling can come from taking us mentally to another place, time or both.
themusicaddict
Great song, terrible acting for Run-D.M.C.'s "It's Tricky":
There are songs from nearly every genre that are considered classics, so what is it that makes a song a great song? Why are songs that sound so different from each other can still be equally great? What is it that can make "Luck Be A Lady" to "Whole Lotta Love" to "He Stopped Loving Her Today" to "Bad Romance" all great songs and classics?
Ol' Blue Eyes fantastic take on "Luck Be A Lady Tonight":
Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love":
George Jones heartbreak masterpiece "He Stopped Loving Her Today":
Lady Gaga's masterful "Bad Romance":
Even when Halestorm puts their rock stamp, the song remains great. It seems a great song can remain great even if it switches genres. (Of course I'm sure that has it's limits.)
The Chipmunks diminishing returns version of "Bad Romance":
From "Phantom of The Opera, "Music Of The Night":
Here's the two premiere "Phantom" voices Michael Crawford and the spine tingling voice of Sarah Brightman:
Again what makes a great song? Other than all being great songs, the songs I mentioned have very little in common. They are from different eras and decades, each song has a different tempo, the artists are men and women, groups and solo- there doesn't seem to be one unifying theme. Even the genres of the songs are different: rock, rap, pop, country, broadway, standards and even the Chipmunks.
So once again, what makes up a great song? I wrote this blog hoping I would find an answer, but I only became more confused. Since it's 2014 I decided to take this question to Facebook. I agree with what a friend said, she nailed it on the head. She said it's "the feeling and sentiment that it brings to the listener." The common ingredient for greatness is how a song makes us feel. That feeling can come from taking us mentally to another place, time or both.
themusicaddict
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Are the Jazz Winning "Too Much"?, Cheering on the 49ers!
Hello,
The Jazz had a stirring 112-101 victory over the OKC Thunder on Tuesday night. It can't go without mentioning that the Thunder were without Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka. Having both of those players obviously the game would have been a lot different. Even without those players the Thunder will still win most of their games against the Jazz. The Thunder are just that much better than the Jazz as Kevin Durrant seems to be close to becoming the best player in the NBA. (As a pure NBA fan the Thunder are so much fun to watch, I would love to see them win the NBA title this year. Although I cheered for the Heat the last couple of years I'm ready for fresh blood.)
However last night Gordon Hayward caught fire and even Kevin Durrant (or as the radio voice for the Jazz David Locke calls him the Durrantalia) can't make every shot. Durrant did what he could do to will the Thunder to the victory, but he just wasn't able to do it this time. The Thunder are obviously better with Westbrook but they've been fairly successful without him. The Jazz beating OKC in Salt Lake broke the Thunder's 8 game road winning streak.
But I'm sure it's close in how many of Jazz Nation were excited about this Jazz victory as were not so excited about this win. Many in Jazz Nation want the Jazz to tank, which even has a name- The Plan. Many of those Jazz fans are worried that the Jazz have won "too many" games and that they are "too good". Of course the underlying fear is that this young Jazz team may derail The Plan.
The Jazz are now 12-25, which is last place in the tough Western Conference. Overall Utah currently has the third worst record in the NBA. So despite this win and their recent record of better play the Jazz probably aren't in any danger of making the playoffs. That would be the worst case scenario for many of Jazz Nation as that would completely derail The Plan.
For this Jazz fan I'm completely behind the Jazz losing enough to increase their chances of getting a top pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. However I would rather the Jazz do what they can to win as many games as possible. I suggest that the Jazz will learn more by battling adversity and winning than losing and increasing their chances of getting a better draft pick. There are no guarantees that high draft picks will turn into superstar players. Remember that both Sam Bowie and Greg Oden were high draft picks and looked how they turned out. But of course Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Durrant all turned out to be fantastic players.
Also as I'm trying to limit my sports blogs, I just want to say I'll be cheering on the 49ers this Sunday when they play the Panthers. I think the playoff hardened 49ers with their tough defense will be able to go into Carolina and beat the Panthers.
Other quick playoff predictions: who in their right mind will predict against the Broncos or the Seahawks? In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if both of those games end up being blowouts. The Colts are a good story with a dramatic victory last weekend, but I just don't see them getting past the Patriots in New England.
Meanwhile in Dallas Jerry Jones continues to make bad decisions. I'm so glad I started cheering for the 49ers, the playoffs just aren't the same without a rooting interest. With Jones in charge in Dallas the Cowboys will continue to be a playoff irrelevancy for the foreseeable future.
themusicaddict
The Jazz had a stirring 112-101 victory over the OKC Thunder on Tuesday night. It can't go without mentioning that the Thunder were without Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka. Having both of those players obviously the game would have been a lot different. Even without those players the Thunder will still win most of their games against the Jazz. The Thunder are just that much better than the Jazz as Kevin Durrant seems to be close to becoming the best player in the NBA. (As a pure NBA fan the Thunder are so much fun to watch, I would love to see them win the NBA title this year. Although I cheered for the Heat the last couple of years I'm ready for fresh blood.)
However last night Gordon Hayward caught fire and even Kevin Durrant (or as the radio voice for the Jazz David Locke calls him the Durrantalia) can't make every shot. Durrant did what he could do to will the Thunder to the victory, but he just wasn't able to do it this time. The Thunder are obviously better with Westbrook but they've been fairly successful without him. The Jazz beating OKC in Salt Lake broke the Thunder's 8 game road winning streak.
But I'm sure it's close in how many of Jazz Nation were excited about this Jazz victory as were not so excited about this win. Many in Jazz Nation want the Jazz to tank, which even has a name- The Plan. Many of those Jazz fans are worried that the Jazz have won "too many" games and that they are "too good". Of course the underlying fear is that this young Jazz team may derail The Plan.
The Jazz are now 12-25, which is last place in the tough Western Conference. Overall Utah currently has the third worst record in the NBA. So despite this win and their recent record of better play the Jazz probably aren't in any danger of making the playoffs. That would be the worst case scenario for many of Jazz Nation as that would completely derail The Plan.
For this Jazz fan I'm completely behind the Jazz losing enough to increase their chances of getting a top pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. However I would rather the Jazz do what they can to win as many games as possible. I suggest that the Jazz will learn more by battling adversity and winning than losing and increasing their chances of getting a better draft pick. There are no guarantees that high draft picks will turn into superstar players. Remember that both Sam Bowie and Greg Oden were high draft picks and looked how they turned out. But of course Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Durrant all turned out to be fantastic players.
Also as I'm trying to limit my sports blogs, I just want to say I'll be cheering on the 49ers this Sunday when they play the Panthers. I think the playoff hardened 49ers with their tough defense will be able to go into Carolina and beat the Panthers.
Other quick playoff predictions: who in their right mind will predict against the Broncos or the Seahawks? In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if both of those games end up being blowouts. The Colts are a good story with a dramatic victory last weekend, but I just don't see them getting past the Patriots in New England.
Meanwhile in Dallas Jerry Jones continues to make bad decisions. I'm so glad I started cheering for the 49ers, the playoffs just aren't the same without a rooting interest. With Jones in charge in Dallas the Cowboys will continue to be a playoff irrelevancy for the foreseeable future.
themusicaddict
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Things I'm Not Writing About Today, January 7th, 2014: Led Zeppelin In Concert, "Homeland" (Slight spoilers)
Hello,
I've long said Led Zeppelin is the greatest band ever, to me it's not even close. For those of you who don't know Led Zeppelin is made up of 4 of the most talented musicians of the last 50 years. On vocals its the Golden God himself , Robert Plant. He's the singer on the Honeydrippers "Sea of Love". One of the most amazing guitarists ever in Jimmy Page. His influence is felt outside of Led Zeppelin as well. On bass and multiple other instruments John Paul Jones. (Allegedly the only Zeppelin member who didn't sign a contract with the devil.) Jones also played in Them Crooked Vultures, an idea that's better in theory than in practice. No one should forget the great John "Bonzo" Bonham on drums. Attacking his drums as much as he played them, his virtuoso performance on "Moby Dick" may be without peer.
I've loved and listened to their music for many years. However one of my biggest regrets is that I wasn't ever able to see them in concert and won't ever be able to. I did see Page and Plant in concert once and that was sort of disappointing. For many people solos get tired quickly and that was my main complaint about this concert. In addition I went to see the great Robert Plant solo in concert a couple of times and he was great both times. He sang Zeppelin songs both times, but he was mostly promoting his solo work. I also saw the greatest Zeppelin cover band, Whitesnake, in concert. They were disappointing to say the least, even with such great performers as Steve Vai and David Coverdale. I find it ironic that Whitesnake was so disappointing live as one of my favorite live CDs ever is their "Live: In The Shadow of the Blues".
The closest thing I can get to Led Zeppelin in concert now is through concert DVDs and youtube.com. Sadly many of those concerts only have audio, which is okay. It's the butt kicking music that's the main draw to any rock concert. This is actual video of Led Zeppelin live at Royal Albert Hall 1970: (Thanks to Rhidalgo789)
The blistering take on "Whole Lotta Love", which starts with "Moby Dick", is simply amazing. It's just one of the many highlights of this show.
"The Song Remains The Same" concert/ movie. I remember the first time I saw this I was perplexed by the 12 minute opening scene. It still doesn't make sense to me. However the actual concert part is awe inspiring.
From March 27th, 1975 Led Zeppelin live in LA. (audio only): According to Youtube user name allnightwatchman Led Zeppelin was introduced by Linda Lovelace, thus the concert is nicknamed "Deep Throat".
Led Zeppelin Live at Earl's Court in May 1975. This concert only lasted 90 minutes, it sounds like Plant was having troubles with his vocals that night. Is that why the concert was much shorter than a usual Zep concert?:
One of Led Zeppelin's final concerts before the untimely death of the great John Bonham was at the Knebworth Festival on August 11th, 1979. A little over a year later, on September 25th, 1980, Bonham died. His death followed a near all day drinking binge the preceding day. The official cause of death was asphyxiation of vomit- which sounds like a particularly gruesome way to die. On December 4th, 1980 Led Zeppelin officially announced their break up. Jones, Plant and Page have traded in on the Zeppelin name a few times, but for the most part they've handled the death of their drummer and band in a very classy way. (Thanks to Wikipedia.org.)
Take this for what its worth, but NoExcusesLayne claims this is Led Zeppelin's final concert with Bonham on drums. The concert took place on July 7th, 1980 in Berlin, Germany (audio only):
Please don't tell Led Zeppelin that I've added this video to my blog, the mighty Zep wasn't thrilled with their set at Live Aid on July 13th, 1985. On drums is Phil Collins.
Rolling Stone is reporting that Jimmy Page is working on reissues of the first 3 Led Zeppelin CDs, they are set to be released this year. I'm looking forward to reworked versions of their classics and unreleased live tracks.
Another great thing that I fully enjoy is the amazing Showtime series "Homeland". Sadly I can't afford Showtime so I have to wait until Comcast has a free preview weekend or the local library has the DVD available. I was able to see Season 1 because of Comcast, that season is one of the best seasons of any show ever.
My favorite thing about "Homeland" is how densely packed each episode is. There are several things that go on in each episode. If you don't believe try to write down a summary of an episode, it could go for multiple pages. I actually like writing down a summary of an episode. That forces me to look at things differently and creates new insights. If "Homeland" was a food it would be a 17 ounce steak, as both take a long time to digest.
It's been too long since I had seen Season One so I'd forgotten a lot of it. I watched the last 2 episodes of Season 1 again last night and I was blown away again. Nearly a perfect season of television, it's only slightly ruined by the ending. I understand that Damian Lewis is one of the stars of the show and his name attracts people to this show. However Season 1 would've been perfect if Brody had completed his suicide mission. That would have been the perfect ending to a perfect season and also opened up so many possibilities.
It's pure genius how the producers and writers worked the Marine 1 and Marine 2 clues into the season. I love how those clues were so ambiguous and how they could have meant multiple things. The payoff was so great when the audience found out what those clues really meant. A brilliant stroke of fiction to create what the two former Marines did to cause panic that forced the Vice President and all of the other "high profile targets" into that bunker.
But that's a minor quibble. Claire Danes just inhabits Carrie Mathison so well. Her battle with not only her bipolar condition, but also with the status quo and the old man stagnancy of the CIA is breathtaking I love how that obsession is both the thing that makes her so good at her job, but also wrecks her life.
I find it funny how Brody explains to Abu Nazir how it might be better that he didn't die in the blast as he can influence policy as a congressman. That also seems to be the producers and writers telling the audience why they chickened out. (I understand why the decision was made to how Season 1 ended, but oh man.) I enjoyed how Carrie was able to get Dana to call her Dad and how Dana talked him down. It's due to Carrie and Dana that prevented Brody from blowing himself up. Dana making her father to promise to come home was a brilliant stroke. After the bomb didn't explode originally we see Brody in the bathroom stall frantically trying to make the vest work. Dana's call came in only seconds before Brody was going to complete his mission. It seemed he had still been intent on completing his suicide bombing mission. But Dana was able to get through and talk him down.
I had watched the first two episodes of Season 2, before I realized I needed to watch the end of season 1 again. After watching the season one finale I watched the third episode of Season Two, "State of Independence". This is the episode that Saul Berenson sneaks the memory card of Brody's confession out of Beirut. It's the confession Brody made before he thought he would die.
How did that memory card get over to Beirut? Was someone following Brody and saw where he stashed it. It wasn't there when he went back to retrieve it. I'm excited to see how that's explained over the next few episodes.
Let me say this whole cast is tremendous. Mandy Patinkin as Saul Berenson is a revelation. Berenson is one of my favorite characters of all-time. He knows how to work with Carrie, when to use tough love and when to be gentle. He knows when to indulge her and when to completely shut her down. He's her mentor, babysitter and counselor, but thankfully not her lover. That would be just so wrong in so many ways. I love that Berenson comes straight from the airport after getting home from Beirut. He shows Brody's video to Carrie and how all of her thoughts were correct. I enjoyed seeing the complete vindication on her face as she says "I was right".
Where does the show go from here? How do they keep Brody's story line believable while continuing to make him a relevant character?
I do have one minor quibble about the first three episodes of Season Two. It seems Abu Nasir wants his cake and to be able to eat it too when it comes to Brody. He wants Brody to use his political influence on one hand, but he also wants him to run missions. How can Brody do both without getting caught. I'm not sure how he's going to explain being gone for so long when he was trying to take the tailor to the safe house. He needs to convince the vice president, his wife and whoever else might be looking into his background. We already know his wife doesn't believe him- if she only knew the actual truth. If Brody can't convince her, can he really convince anyone else? Brody needs to either be the political influencer or the mission runner, but he can't do both. That duality exposes Brody to failure and without the ability to be of any help at all for Nasir.
I'm sad to hear that most people say that "Homeland" went down a lot in quality in Season 3. I'll eventually be able to see that season.
But any season that features Morena Baccarin will at least always be pleasant to watch:
themusicaddict
I've long said Led Zeppelin is the greatest band ever, to me it's not even close. For those of you who don't know Led Zeppelin is made up of 4 of the most talented musicians of the last 50 years. On vocals its the Golden God himself , Robert Plant. He's the singer on the Honeydrippers "Sea of Love". One of the most amazing guitarists ever in Jimmy Page. His influence is felt outside of Led Zeppelin as well. On bass and multiple other instruments John Paul Jones. (Allegedly the only Zeppelin member who didn't sign a contract with the devil.) Jones also played in Them Crooked Vultures, an idea that's better in theory than in practice. No one should forget the great John "Bonzo" Bonham on drums. Attacking his drums as much as he played them, his virtuoso performance on "Moby Dick" may be without peer.
I've loved and listened to their music for many years. However one of my biggest regrets is that I wasn't ever able to see them in concert and won't ever be able to. I did see Page and Plant in concert once and that was sort of disappointing. For many people solos get tired quickly and that was my main complaint about this concert. In addition I went to see the great Robert Plant solo in concert a couple of times and he was great both times. He sang Zeppelin songs both times, but he was mostly promoting his solo work. I also saw the greatest Zeppelin cover band, Whitesnake, in concert. They were disappointing to say the least, even with such great performers as Steve Vai and David Coverdale. I find it ironic that Whitesnake was so disappointing live as one of my favorite live CDs ever is their "Live: In The Shadow of the Blues".
The closest thing I can get to Led Zeppelin in concert now is through concert DVDs and youtube.com. Sadly many of those concerts only have audio, which is okay. It's the butt kicking music that's the main draw to any rock concert. This is actual video of Led Zeppelin live at Royal Albert Hall 1970: (Thanks to Rhidalgo789)
The blistering take on "Whole Lotta Love", which starts with "Moby Dick", is simply amazing. It's just one of the many highlights of this show.
"The Song Remains The Same" concert/ movie. I remember the first time I saw this I was perplexed by the 12 minute opening scene. It still doesn't make sense to me. However the actual concert part is awe inspiring.
From March 27th, 1975 Led Zeppelin live in LA. (audio only): According to Youtube user name allnightwatchman Led Zeppelin was introduced by Linda Lovelace, thus the concert is nicknamed "Deep Throat".
Led Zeppelin Live at Earl's Court in May 1975. This concert only lasted 90 minutes, it sounds like Plant was having troubles with his vocals that night. Is that why the concert was much shorter than a usual Zep concert?:
One of Led Zeppelin's final concerts before the untimely death of the great John Bonham was at the Knebworth Festival on August 11th, 1979. A little over a year later, on September 25th, 1980, Bonham died. His death followed a near all day drinking binge the preceding day. The official cause of death was asphyxiation of vomit- which sounds like a particularly gruesome way to die. On December 4th, 1980 Led Zeppelin officially announced their break up. Jones, Plant and Page have traded in on the Zeppelin name a few times, but for the most part they've handled the death of their drummer and band in a very classy way. (Thanks to Wikipedia.org.)
Take this for what its worth, but NoExcusesLayne claims this is Led Zeppelin's final concert with Bonham on drums. The concert took place on July 7th, 1980 in Berlin, Germany (audio only):
Please don't tell Led Zeppelin that I've added this video to my blog, the mighty Zep wasn't thrilled with their set at Live Aid on July 13th, 1985. On drums is Phil Collins.
Rolling Stone is reporting that Jimmy Page is working on reissues of the first 3 Led Zeppelin CDs, they are set to be released this year. I'm looking forward to reworked versions of their classics and unreleased live tracks.
Another great thing that I fully enjoy is the amazing Showtime series "Homeland". Sadly I can't afford Showtime so I have to wait until Comcast has a free preview weekend or the local library has the DVD available. I was able to see Season 1 because of Comcast, that season is one of the best seasons of any show ever.
My favorite thing about "Homeland" is how densely packed each episode is. There are several things that go on in each episode. If you don't believe try to write down a summary of an episode, it could go for multiple pages. I actually like writing down a summary of an episode. That forces me to look at things differently and creates new insights. If "Homeland" was a food it would be a 17 ounce steak, as both take a long time to digest.
It's been too long since I had seen Season One so I'd forgotten a lot of it. I watched the last 2 episodes of Season 1 again last night and I was blown away again. Nearly a perfect season of television, it's only slightly ruined by the ending. I understand that Damian Lewis is one of the stars of the show and his name attracts people to this show. However Season 1 would've been perfect if Brody had completed his suicide mission. That would have been the perfect ending to a perfect season and also opened up so many possibilities.
It's pure genius how the producers and writers worked the Marine 1 and Marine 2 clues into the season. I love how those clues were so ambiguous and how they could have meant multiple things. The payoff was so great when the audience found out what those clues really meant. A brilliant stroke of fiction to create what the two former Marines did to cause panic that forced the Vice President and all of the other "high profile targets" into that bunker.
But that's a minor quibble. Claire Danes just inhabits Carrie Mathison so well. Her battle with not only her bipolar condition, but also with the status quo and the old man stagnancy of the CIA is breathtaking I love how that obsession is both the thing that makes her so good at her job, but also wrecks her life.
I find it funny how Brody explains to Abu Nazir how it might be better that he didn't die in the blast as he can influence policy as a congressman. That also seems to be the producers and writers telling the audience why they chickened out. (I understand why the decision was made to how Season 1 ended, but oh man.) I enjoyed how Carrie was able to get Dana to call her Dad and how Dana talked him down. It's due to Carrie and Dana that prevented Brody from blowing himself up. Dana making her father to promise to come home was a brilliant stroke. After the bomb didn't explode originally we see Brody in the bathroom stall frantically trying to make the vest work. Dana's call came in only seconds before Brody was going to complete his mission. It seemed he had still been intent on completing his suicide bombing mission. But Dana was able to get through and talk him down.
I had watched the first two episodes of Season 2, before I realized I needed to watch the end of season 1 again. After watching the season one finale I watched the third episode of Season Two, "State of Independence". This is the episode that Saul Berenson sneaks the memory card of Brody's confession out of Beirut. It's the confession Brody made before he thought he would die.
How did that memory card get over to Beirut? Was someone following Brody and saw where he stashed it. It wasn't there when he went back to retrieve it. I'm excited to see how that's explained over the next few episodes.
Let me say this whole cast is tremendous. Mandy Patinkin as Saul Berenson is a revelation. Berenson is one of my favorite characters of all-time. He knows how to work with Carrie, when to use tough love and when to be gentle. He knows when to indulge her and when to completely shut her down. He's her mentor, babysitter and counselor, but thankfully not her lover. That would be just so wrong in so many ways. I love that Berenson comes straight from the airport after getting home from Beirut. He shows Brody's video to Carrie and how all of her thoughts were correct. I enjoyed seeing the complete vindication on her face as she says "I was right".
Where does the show go from here? How do they keep Brody's story line believable while continuing to make him a relevant character?
I do have one minor quibble about the first three episodes of Season Two. It seems Abu Nasir wants his cake and to be able to eat it too when it comes to Brody. He wants Brody to use his political influence on one hand, but he also wants him to run missions. How can Brody do both without getting caught. I'm not sure how he's going to explain being gone for so long when he was trying to take the tailor to the safe house. He needs to convince the vice president, his wife and whoever else might be looking into his background. We already know his wife doesn't believe him- if she only knew the actual truth. If Brody can't convince her, can he really convince anyone else? Brody needs to either be the political influencer or the mission runner, but he can't do both. That duality exposes Brody to failure and without the ability to be of any help at all for Nasir.
I'm sad to hear that most people say that "Homeland" went down a lot in quality in Season 3. I'll eventually be able to see that season.
But any season that features Morena Baccarin will at least always be pleasant to watch:
themusicaddict
Monday, January 6, 2014
themusicaddict's Greatest CDs Of All-Time: Anita Baker's "Rapture"
Hello,
My blog today is about Anita Baker's amazing second CD "Rapture". I've noticed a trend for many of my Greatest CDs of All-Time blogs. Many times these blogs seem to be about artists who peaked with a classic first CD and then never had the same impact. Anita Baker is the exception to that rule, her first CD was 1983's "The Songstress", it only had modest sales. Following that CD's release Baker moved to a new label, Elektra. Three years following the release of her first CD, she released "Rapture". It's one of the smoothest CDs of the 80's. Baker's sultry voice has been on in the background while many babies were being created.
Anita Denise Baker was born on January 26th, 1958 in Toledo, Ohio. After an early tumultuous life, Baker joined a group called Chapter 8 which help launch her career. Otis Smith worked with her when she was in Chapter 8 as they were recording music for Ariola records. Eventually Arista bought out Ariola records and later dropped Chapter 8 from the label. Later Smith, who had worked with Ariola, contacted Baker asking her to record a solo album for his Beverly Glen records. After much persistence on Smith's part for Baker to record again, eventually she agreed and recorded her first solo CD "Songstress". Smith and Baker didn't find great success together, but thanks to Smith for his persistence in getting Baker to record following the break up of Chapter 8.
Here's Anita Baker singing as part of Chapter 8 on their song "I Just Wanna Be Your Girl":
Another Chapter 8 song "Ready For Your Love":
When recording "Rapture" Baker took full advantage of her Chapter 8 days, selecting former band mate Michael Powell to produce the CD. Baker had creative control so she could make this decision, but her record label wasn't happy about the selection. However looking back now it seems she made the right choice, how could have Baker made a better record with another producer?
Another theme running through these blogs is many bands have only one classic CDs in their career, if that many. "Rapture" has by far been Baker's biggest CD, selling over 8 million copies worldwide. Sadly Baker hasn't come close to matching the greatness of that CD. In 1988 she released "Giving You The Best I Got", which sold 3 million copies and earned her some Grammy's and Soul Train awards. However it wasn't quite the juggernaut that "Rapture" was. In 1990 she released "Compositions" for which I don't even remember hearing about. Baker continues to release new music with little or no fanfare. She's been with Blue Note records since 2004. (Thanks to Wikipedia.org for all biographical information. Opinions are all mine.)
Back in the day I was mainly a fan of hair metal music and don't remember giving this CD a whole lot of attention. Since it was the 80s, there was a lot of great music from all genres. But I'm not going to try and kid you, this CD was an acquired taste for me. In the mid-80s MTV was relevant and showed mainly music videos. After hearing a good song, eventually it would hook into your memory. I would catch myself singing a song that I wasn't a big fan of and liking that song more. Eventually I gained an appreciation for that song and many times checked out the entire CD. It took a few years but eventually I realized how great of a CD "Rapture" is. As I grow older I appreciate it even more.
Although the brunt of her impact was mostly with "Rapture", thanks to Anita for making the 80s just a bit more classy. Now here's Baker's amazing "Rapture" in all it's glory.
If you want to check out some of her other music, this is her greatest hits collection. From 2002 this is "The Very Best of Anita Baker Sweet Love":
1) "Sweet Love": (From the opening notes of this lovely song some could probably see that this might be a great CD.)
"Sweet Love" (Live):
2) "You Bring Me Joy":
3) "Caught Up In The Rapture":
4) "Been So Long":
5) "Mystery":
"Mystery" (Live):
6) "No One In The World":
7) "Same Old Love (365 Days A Week)":
"Same Old Love (365 Days A Week)" (Live):
8) "Watch Your Step":
Although "Rapture" by far was her best and best selling CD, Baker did have other great songs. Here are a couple others.
"Giving You The Best That I Got":
"No More Tears":
Anita Baker hasn't received much attention lately, but she did receive attention for the below video. I'm not sure what was wrong with her that June 2010 day, but she massacred the national anthem. She didn't even appear to notice how much she struggled that day.
I'm sure she just had a cold or something and I hope she's back to singing that song with great skill.
themusicaddict
My blog today is about Anita Baker's amazing second CD "Rapture". I've noticed a trend for many of my Greatest CDs of All-Time blogs. Many times these blogs seem to be about artists who peaked with a classic first CD and then never had the same impact. Anita Baker is the exception to that rule, her first CD was 1983's "The Songstress", it only had modest sales. Following that CD's release Baker moved to a new label, Elektra. Three years following the release of her first CD, she released "Rapture". It's one of the smoothest CDs of the 80's. Baker's sultry voice has been on in the background while many babies were being created.
Anita Denise Baker was born on January 26th, 1958 in Toledo, Ohio. After an early tumultuous life, Baker joined a group called Chapter 8 which help launch her career. Otis Smith worked with her when she was in Chapter 8 as they were recording music for Ariola records. Eventually Arista bought out Ariola records and later dropped Chapter 8 from the label. Later Smith, who had worked with Ariola, contacted Baker asking her to record a solo album for his Beverly Glen records. After much persistence on Smith's part for Baker to record again, eventually she agreed and recorded her first solo CD "Songstress". Smith and Baker didn't find great success together, but thanks to Smith for his persistence in getting Baker to record following the break up of Chapter 8.
Here's Anita Baker singing as part of Chapter 8 on their song "I Just Wanna Be Your Girl":
Another Chapter 8 song "Ready For Your Love":
When recording "Rapture" Baker took full advantage of her Chapter 8 days, selecting former band mate Michael Powell to produce the CD. Baker had creative control so she could make this decision, but her record label wasn't happy about the selection. However looking back now it seems she made the right choice, how could have Baker made a better record with another producer?
Another theme running through these blogs is many bands have only one classic CDs in their career, if that many. "Rapture" has by far been Baker's biggest CD, selling over 8 million copies worldwide. Sadly Baker hasn't come close to matching the greatness of that CD. In 1988 she released "Giving You The Best I Got", which sold 3 million copies and earned her some Grammy's and Soul Train awards. However it wasn't quite the juggernaut that "Rapture" was. In 1990 she released "Compositions" for which I don't even remember hearing about. Baker continues to release new music with little or no fanfare. She's been with Blue Note records since 2004. (Thanks to Wikipedia.org for all biographical information. Opinions are all mine.)
Back in the day I was mainly a fan of hair metal music and don't remember giving this CD a whole lot of attention. Since it was the 80s, there was a lot of great music from all genres. But I'm not going to try and kid you, this CD was an acquired taste for me. In the mid-80s MTV was relevant and showed mainly music videos. After hearing a good song, eventually it would hook into your memory. I would catch myself singing a song that I wasn't a big fan of and liking that song more. Eventually I gained an appreciation for that song and many times checked out the entire CD. It took a few years but eventually I realized how great of a CD "Rapture" is. As I grow older I appreciate it even more.
Although the brunt of her impact was mostly with "Rapture", thanks to Anita for making the 80s just a bit more classy. Now here's Baker's amazing "Rapture" in all it's glory.
If you want to check out some of her other music, this is her greatest hits collection. From 2002 this is "The Very Best of Anita Baker Sweet Love":
1) "Sweet Love": (From the opening notes of this lovely song some could probably see that this might be a great CD.)
"Sweet Love" (Live):
2) "You Bring Me Joy":
3) "Caught Up In The Rapture":
4) "Been So Long":
5) "Mystery":
"Mystery" (Live):
6) "No One In The World":
7) "Same Old Love (365 Days A Week)":
"Same Old Love (365 Days A Week)" (Live):
8) "Watch Your Step":
Although "Rapture" by far was her best and best selling CD, Baker did have other great songs. Here are a couple others.
"Giving You The Best That I Got":
"No More Tears":
Anita Baker hasn't received much attention lately, but she did receive attention for the below video. I'm not sure what was wrong with her that June 2010 day, but she massacred the national anthem. She didn't even appear to notice how much she struggled that day.
I'm sure she just had a cold or something and I hope she's back to singing that song with great skill.
themusicaddict
Friday, January 3, 2014
themusicaddict's Almost Greatest CDs Of All-Time: Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell"
Hello,
I've listened to this CD a few times in the last couple of days in hopes of convincing myself it's a classic CD. While "Rebel Yell" is definitely a great CD, I can't say that it's a classic. That being said this is still a great early 80s rock time capsule. This CD has some of the best and most famous songs from the entire 80s. In fact I'm not even sure it's Idol's best CD, his best CD probably his late career CD "Devil's Playground". Both of those CDs should be in your collection if you love 80s music as much as I do.
It seems a Youtube video for the full album of "Rebel Yell" has yet to be made. Here's Billy Idol in concert from I believe 2009:
William Michael Albert Broad was born on November 30th, 1955 in England. He first gained fame as a member of the punk rock band Generation X. One of Generation X's best songs was a little ditty called "Dancing With Myself". Obviously that ended up being one of Idol's biggest solo hits. Working with ace guitarist Steve Stevens Idol crafted a sneering rock sound that produced so many great songs.
"Rebel Yell" was released on November 10th, 1983. According to Wikipedia, Idol said the name of the CD came from a party he went to with the Rolling Stones. People were drinking out a bottle of liquor named "Rebel Yell". He thought that would make a great name for an album. I completely agree with him, it's a great title for a great album. The album has sold over 2,000,000 copies since it's release. (Thanks to Wikipedia for all biographical information.)
Those who saw what was coming, including Idol, took full advantage of MTV with innovative videos. See the "Mad Max" feeling "Dancing With Myself" above. Idol used videos, great songs, his rugged good looks and Stevens snarling guitar to become one of the 80s biggest stars. "Rebel Yell" was rereleased in 1999 with 5 additional tracks. All songs were digitally remastered but frankly they did a poor job. The sound is recorded at a too low volume and many people complain about the "muddy sound". Although the 1999 release has 5 more songs, its $2 cheaper than the original CD at iTunes. Does that have something to do with the poor sound? As with all great rock songs, this should be cranked at least at a high enough volume to annoy your neighbors.
It's so much fun to listen to Idol's music again, I'd forgotten how many good songs Idol has. This CD features three of his most famous and best songs: "Rebel Yell", "Eyes Without A Face" and "Flesh For Fantasy". But there isn't a clunker on the entire CD.
1) "Rebel Yell":
"Rebel Yell" (Live):
"Eyes Without A Face" (live):
I've listened to this CD a few times in the last couple of days in hopes of convincing myself it's a classic CD. While "Rebel Yell" is definitely a great CD, I can't say that it's a classic. That being said this is still a great early 80s rock time capsule. This CD has some of the best and most famous songs from the entire 80s. In fact I'm not even sure it's Idol's best CD, his best CD probably his late career CD "Devil's Playground". Both of those CDs should be in your collection if you love 80s music as much as I do.
It seems a Youtube video for the full album of "Rebel Yell" has yet to be made. Here's Billy Idol in concert from I believe 2009:
William Michael Albert Broad was born on November 30th, 1955 in England. He first gained fame as a member of the punk rock band Generation X. One of Generation X's best songs was a little ditty called "Dancing With Myself". Obviously that ended up being one of Idol's biggest solo hits. Working with ace guitarist Steve Stevens Idol crafted a sneering rock sound that produced so many great songs.
"Rebel Yell" was released on November 10th, 1983. According to Wikipedia, Idol said the name of the CD came from a party he went to with the Rolling Stones. People were drinking out a bottle of liquor named "Rebel Yell". He thought that would make a great name for an album. I completely agree with him, it's a great title for a great album. The album has sold over 2,000,000 copies since it's release. (Thanks to Wikipedia for all biographical information.)
Those who saw what was coming, including Idol, took full advantage of MTV with innovative videos. See the "Mad Max" feeling "Dancing With Myself" above. Idol used videos, great songs, his rugged good looks and Stevens snarling guitar to become one of the 80s biggest stars. "Rebel Yell" was rereleased in 1999 with 5 additional tracks. All songs were digitally remastered but frankly they did a poor job. The sound is recorded at a too low volume and many people complain about the "muddy sound". Although the 1999 release has 5 more songs, its $2 cheaper than the original CD at iTunes. Does that have something to do with the poor sound? As with all great rock songs, this should be cranked at least at a high enough volume to annoy your neighbors.
It's so much fun to listen to Idol's music again, I'd forgotten how many good songs Idol has. This CD features three of his most famous and best songs: "Rebel Yell", "Eyes Without A Face" and "Flesh For Fantasy". But there isn't a clunker on the entire CD.
1) "Rebel Yell":
"Rebel Yell" (Live):
2) "Daytime Drama":
3) "Eyes Without A Face" (featuring Steve Stevens with the requisite guitar solo):
"Eyes Without A Face" (live):
4) "Blue Highway" (although a lesser known song, one of my favorite of Idol's songs):
5) "Flesh For Fantasy":
6) "Catch My Fall" (Another great song, I wasn't aware this song had a video until now.):
7) "Crank Call":
8) "(Do Not) Stand In The Shadows":
9) "The Dead Next Door":
On June 17th, 1999 "Rebel Yell" was released with the bonus tracks:
10) "Rebel Yell" (Session Take)
11) "Motorbikin'" (Session Take)
12) "Catch My Fall" (Original Demo)
13) "Flesh For Fantasy" (Session Take)
14) "Blue Highway" (Original Demo)
As a bonus I think this could be my all-time favorite Billy Idol song:
As a bonus I think this could be my all-time favorite Billy Idol song:
themusicaddict
Thursday, January 2, 2014
themusicaddict's Greatest CDs Of All-Time: Tina Turner's "Private Dancer"
Hello,
Today's blog is about Tina Turner's amazing 1984 CD "Private Dancer", I couldn't find a video for the full album. But this is even better, Tina Turner in concert singing songs from "Private Dancer". She also sings other songs, with special guests Bryan Adams and David Bowie.
Here's a bonus concert from 2009:
Tina Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26th, 1939 in Nutbush, Tennessee. Turner orginally gained fame for her duets with Ike Turner. After many years of abuse at his hands she finally left the relationship. Their stormy relationship is shown in the movie "What's Love Got To Do With It". Of course, since it's a Hollywood movie it shouldn't be taken at face value. But I believe this brutal movie can give one a bit of insight into their rocky relationship. Giving it a bit more realism the movie was adapted from Turner's own autobiography.
"Private Dancer" was her 5th solo CD and by far her biggest CD. "Private Dancer" would go on to sell 5 million copies in America and over 20 million copies worldwide. If you didn't know who Turner was before the release of this CD, you certainly did afterwards. Turner wisely took full advantage of MTV, which had come into it's own. She also used her sex appeal, highlighted by those amazing legs. Her career was heating up again before the release of "Private Dancer", but it took her to new heights.
The original "Private Dancer" CD was released on May 29th, 1984. In 1997 EMI released a so-called Centenary edition that added 7 extra songs. Enjoy. (Thanks to Wikipedia.)
1) "I Might Have Been Queen":
2) "What's Love Got To Do With It": (This is definitely a Top 500 song.)
"What's Love Got To Do With It" (Live extended version):
3) "Show Some Respect":
4) "I Can't Stand The Rain":
5) "Private Dancer" (written by Dire Straits Mark Knopfler)
6) "Let's Stay Together" (a cover of the classic Al Green song):
7) "Better Be Good To Me":
8) "Rock 'n Roll Widow" & "Steel Claw" (live on Johnny Carson):
9) "Help" (Written by Lennon and McCartney, of course this is a wildly different arrangement.):
10) "1984" (written by David Bowie) (I like this quirky little song.):
Centenary Bonus Tracks:
11) "I Wrote A Letter":
12) "Rock 'n Roll Widow":
13) "Don't Rush The Good Things":
14) "When I Was Young" (co-written by the Animals Eric Burdon):
15) "What's Love Got To Do With It" (Extended 12" Remix):
16) "Better Be Good To Me" (Extended 12" Remix) (edit):
17) "I Can't Stand The Rain" (Extended 12" Remix):
themusicaddict
Today's blog is about Tina Turner's amazing 1984 CD "Private Dancer", I couldn't find a video for the full album. But this is even better, Tina Turner in concert singing songs from "Private Dancer". She also sings other songs, with special guests Bryan Adams and David Bowie.
Here's a bonus concert from 2009:
Tina Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26th, 1939 in Nutbush, Tennessee. Turner orginally gained fame for her duets with Ike Turner. After many years of abuse at his hands she finally left the relationship. Their stormy relationship is shown in the movie "What's Love Got To Do With It". Of course, since it's a Hollywood movie it shouldn't be taken at face value. But I believe this brutal movie can give one a bit of insight into their rocky relationship. Giving it a bit more realism the movie was adapted from Turner's own autobiography.
"Private Dancer" was her 5th solo CD and by far her biggest CD. "Private Dancer" would go on to sell 5 million copies in America and over 20 million copies worldwide. If you didn't know who Turner was before the release of this CD, you certainly did afterwards. Turner wisely took full advantage of MTV, which had come into it's own. She also used her sex appeal, highlighted by those amazing legs. Her career was heating up again before the release of "Private Dancer", but it took her to new heights.
The original "Private Dancer" CD was released on May 29th, 1984. In 1997 EMI released a so-called Centenary edition that added 7 extra songs. Enjoy. (Thanks to Wikipedia.)
1) "I Might Have Been Queen":
2) "What's Love Got To Do With It": (This is definitely a Top 500 song.)
"What's Love Got To Do With It" (Live extended version):
3) "Show Some Respect":
4) "I Can't Stand The Rain":
5) "Private Dancer" (written by Dire Straits Mark Knopfler)
6) "Let's Stay Together" (a cover of the classic Al Green song):
7) "Better Be Good To Me":
8) "Rock 'n Roll Widow" & "Steel Claw" (live on Johnny Carson):
9) "Help" (Written by Lennon and McCartney, of course this is a wildly different arrangement.):
10) "1984" (written by David Bowie) (I like this quirky little song.):
Centenary Bonus Tracks:
11) "I Wrote A Letter":
12) "Rock 'n Roll Widow":
13) "Don't Rush The Good Things":
14) "When I Was Young" (co-written by the Animals Eric Burdon):
15) "What's Love Got To Do With It" (Extended 12" Remix):
16) "Better Be Good To Me" (Extended 12" Remix) (edit):
17) "I Can't Stand The Rain" (Extended 12" Remix):
themusicaddict
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