themusicaddict's Greatest Hits of Dan Fogelberg

Hello,

I've stolen the following paragraph from Wikipedia:

"Daniel Grayling "Dan" Fogelberg (August 13, 1951 – December 16, 2007) was an American musician, songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist whose music was inspired by sources as diverse as folk, pop, rock, classical, jazz, and bluegrass. He is best known for his early 1980s hits, including "Longer" (1980), "Leader of the Band" (1981), and "Same Old Lang Syne" (1981)."

Starting with my favorite Dan Fogelberg song "Same Old Lang Syne" (that sax solo at the end of the song always gets to me). This is just a great song and I love the lyrics, some of my favorite lyrics for a song ever. I've posted the lyrics below the video. (Thanks to metrolyrics.com.) Not to get too sappy, but this song captures the feeling of lost love so eloquently.

Met my old lover in the grocery store

The snow was falling, Christmas Eve

I stole behind her in the frozen foods

And I touched her on the sleeve

She didn't recognize the face at first

But then her eyes flew open wide

She went to hug me and she spilled her purse

And we laughed until we cried

We took her groceries to the checkout stand

The food was totaled up and bagged

We stood there lost in our embarrassment

As the conversation dragged

We went to have ourselves a drink or two

But couldn't find an open bar

We bought a six-pack at the liquor store

And we drank it in her car

We drank a toast to innocence

We drank a toast to now

And tried to reach beyond the emptiness

But neither one knew how

She said she'd married her an architect

Who kept her warm and safe and dry

She would have liked to say she loved the man

But she didn't like to lie

I said the years had been a friend to her

And that her eyes were still as blue

But in those eyes I wasn't sure

If I saw doubt or gratitude

She said she saw me in the record stores

And that I must be doing well

I said the audience was heavenly

But the traveling was hell

We drank a toast to innocence

We drank a toast to now

And tried to reach beyond the emptiness

But neither one knew how

We drank a toast to innocence

We drank a toast to time

Reliving in our eloquence

Another 'Auld Lang Syne'

The beer was empty and our tongues were tired

And running out of things to say

She gave a kiss to me as I got out

And I watched her drive away

Just for a moment I was back at school

And felt that old familiar pain

And as I turned to make my way back home

The snow turned into rain

Read more: Dan Fogelberg - Same Old Lang Syne Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

"Missing You":

"Believe In Me":

"Longer":

"Rhythm of the Rain":



"The Language of Love":



"Power of Gold":



"Spirit Trail":



"Wild Places":



"Hard To Say":



"Heart Hotels":



"Lonely In Love":



"Make Love Stay":



"Part of the Plan":

themusicaddict

themusicaddict's Fantastic Fourteen More Discovered, Re-Discovered Songs New Music by Halestorm, Hollywood Undead and Scott Weiland

Hello,

This is more of a nostalgia blog honestly, but there are some newer bands that I like quite a bit. I'm a huge fan of Halestorm, a bit conflicted by Hollywood Undead and intrigued by Scott Weiland's new band, the Wildabouts. I'm not claiming to be breaking new music here, I've been counting down until new music by Halestorm and Hollywood Undead for the last few months. Now that time is almost here. Another CD that I was looking forward to was the live in Japan Van Halen CD, that is until I heard David Lee Roth's vocals. It's sad when rock stars get old, but this is painful:

Van Halen "Panama":

The 2013 version of Van Halen sounds almost the exact same as the 70's classic lineup. Eddie still shreds on the guitar as well as always, Wolfgang Van Halen ably fills in for Michael Anthony and Alex still kicks butt on the drums. However when Roth starts screeching the fantasy that this is the same band ends abruptly. I'm clearly on the side of Van Hagar over David Lee Roth Van Halen. Here's a classic Van Hagar concert from 1989:

Here's a classic Van Halen show from 1982. Roth's voice sounds a lot better, but still not great. He's nowhere the singer that Hagar is. Roth doesn't sing as much as scream the lyrics. He reminds me a lot of Anthony Kiedis in that he's nowhere as cool as he thinks he is.

This is when the classic lineup was at their best with "Unchained":

The amazing Thompson Twins and "Hold Me Now":

I love this version of the Ten Years After classic, this is Jetta on "I'd Love To Change The World":

Upcoming Greatest Hits blogs coming up include Rod Stewart and ZZ Top's 10 best songs - both will be here eventually. But also Greatest Songs blogs are coming for Yellowcard and The Ataris. Both bands are bands who peaked on their first CD, especially the Ataris. Here's a taste of both of those bands best songs:

The Ataris' "So Long Astoria":

Yellowcard's "Twenty Three":

Now a few classics and then the promised new music. I don't usually feature instrumental music, but there are some instrumental songs that are great. Here are a couple, starting with "The Pink Panther" Theme Song:

Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee":

Three more recent classic songs, all the way back from the best decade for music ever, the 80's:

Billy Idol's "Endless Sleep":

Def Leppard's "Stagefright":

Sweet Sensation's "If Wishes Came True":



From Hollywood Undead's "Day of the Dead", out March 31st, 2015, this is "Gravity":



Also out on March 31st, 2015 is "Blaster" from Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts. This is "The Way She Moves":



Probably my current favorite rock band is Halestorm, their new CD comes out on April 14th.

themusicaddict

themusicaddict's Best Songs of .38 Special

Hello,

According to Wikipedia, these are the folks who've been member of .38 Special over the years, a lot of turnover. That's probably why most people couldn't name any member in the band, but yet can name all 4 original member os Van Halen. Yes, that's right the original bassist of Van Halen is more famous than the lead singer (s) of .38 Special. Here are all the past and present members of .38 Special. The current members are Don Barnes, Danny Chauncey, Bobby Capps, Gary Moffatt and Barry Dunaway. Past members of .38 Special: Donnie Van Zant, Jeff Carlisi, Jack Grondin, Steve Brookins, Ken Lyons, Larry Junstrom, Carol Bristow, Dale Krantz, Nancy Henderson, Lu Moss, Gary D. Rollins, Max Carl, Lynn Hineman, Scott Meeder and Scott Hoffman.

One thing about .38 Special I noticed after listening to their music is their songs are either very good or they absolutely suck. They don't have a lot of songs in the middle ground. But here are their best songs according to themusicaddict, aka me.

"Back To Paradise": From the cinema classic "Revenge of the Nerds 2". I still say that the original "Revenge of the Nerds" is one of the funniest movies ever, although you definitely want to watch it in adult company.

Sorry for the digression, now here's the song for "Back To Paradise":

"Back Where You Belong":

"Caught Up In You":

"Chain Lightning":

"Fantasy Girl":

"Hold On Loosely":

"If I'd Been The One":

"Like No Other Night":

My favorite .38 Special song, "Rockin' Into The Night":

"Rough Housin'":

"Second Chance":

"Somebody Like You":

"Stone Cold Believer":

"Teacher Teacher":

"Twentieth Century Fox" (not appropriate for all ages):

"Wild Eyed Southern Boys":

themusicaddict

themusicaddict's Fantastic Fourteen More Discovered, Re-Discovered Or Just Amazing Songs!, Part 2

Hello,

Fourteen more discovered, re-discovered or just amazing songs, Part 2. I can't remember did I post this, this is a good Morrissey concert from 2007. He sings most of his and the Smiths good songs and leaves out the obscure songs he likes to usually put in his set lists.

Here's part 2 of the Fantastic Fourteen Discovered, Re-Discovered Or Just Amazing Songs! Upcoming blogs include Greatest Hits of Rod Stewart, Part 2 of ZZ Top and Lifehouse. Here's a bit of a preview.

1) This song will be in the Top 10 of ZZ Top's songs in part 2, just not sure what number it will be:

2) Lifehouse's "Hanging By A Moment":

3) Rod Stewart's "Reason To Believe":

4) The J. Geils Band's "Freeze Frame":

5) You can't get enough of Mr. Bob Marley, "Iron Lion Zion":

6) From "Annie", it's "Tomorrow"- I've loved this song since I was a wee lad:

7) Last November's "Julie":



8) Goo Goo Dolls "Black Balloon":



9) From "Sunset Boulevard", "Girl Meets Boy"- as two characters fall in love:



10) Acid House Kings "This Heart Is A Stone":



11) Acid House Kings covering "There's A Light That Never Goes Out":



12) Night Ranger "Four In The Morning":



13) .38 Special's "Caught Up In You":



14) Meiko "Boys With Girlfriends":

themusicaddict

The Best of the Texas Trio ZZ Top (Part 1, #21-#11)

Hello,

This blog features themusicaddict's Greatest Hits of ZZ Top, that little band from Texas. A band known almost as much for their beards as for their music. I'm going to actually rank these songs in order of my favorite ZZ Top songs. ZZ Top is Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard. Congrats to them for having the same lineup for over 40 years!

21) "Delirious":

20) "Heard It On The X":

19) "Velcro Fly":

18) "Sleeping Bag":

17) "Got Me Under Pressure":

16) "Dipping Low (In The Lap of Luxury)":

15) "I Got The Six":

14) "Cheap Sunglasses":

13) "Can't Stop Rockin'": 

12) "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide":

11) "Legs":

themusicaddict

themusicaddict's Fantastic Fourteen Discovered, Re-Discovered Or Just Amazing Songs!

Hello,

Recently I discovered that Metallica has made select concerts of theirs free- thanks rollingstone.com! I immediately went there and downloaded their February 27th, 1992 concert from LA. A lot of great live music and completely free. My only complaint is the excessive use of the f-bomb by James Hetfield. The overuse of the f-bomb is the sign of low intelligence or pandering to an audience of low intelligence people. I expect better from Hetfield and all Metallica fans- which I consider myself to be. Due to that and listening to their 1991 self-titled CD for my drive music I've really been enjoying their music of late!

Thus the first of the Fantastic Fourteen is "Sad But True": (Live at Wembley)

Keeping with the rock theme, Disturbed "Stupify":

Hole's "Celebrity Skin":

The Smiths' "Girlfriend In A Coma":

Bonus track: Morrissey's butt kicking take on "First of the Gang To Die":

Because this song has some of my favorite lyrics of all-time, I'm posting the lyric video of Jimmy Buffet's "Margaritaville": If and when I get my Greatest Songs Of All-Time blog done, this song will be high on the list:

 Jana Kramer's "King of Apology":

Dead or Alive's "Brand New Lover" ("I want surprises"):

The Kinks' "Come Dancing": (This song makes me feel nostalgic for the amazing 80s, this song is also a very nostalgic song for the singer. Just a great song!)

Cyndi Lauper's "Change of Heart":

Lifehouse's "All In":

I'm loving this band so much now. The Script "If You Could See Me Now":

This band would be completely forgettable if they hadn't recorded this 3 minutes plus of rock bliss. Everclear's "Santa Monica":

For those of you who think The Mighty Mighty Bosstones only great song was "The Impression I Get", here's "Someday I Suppose":

U2's "Red Hill Mining Town":

Upcoming blogs, still reading through "I Am Pilgrim"- through 72% a great book. Also as I mentioned above I'm really loving The Script now, especially their last two CDs. I'll be doing a Script Greatest Songs blog soon.

themusicaddict

The 1996 Sampler "Elect To Rock" Is The Best Sampler Ever

Hello,

The "Elect To Rock" sampler was released in 1996, it has to be the best sampler ever. The CD contains 16 songs, 9 of those songs are 5 star songs. The lowest rated song is 3.5 songs, 5 songs are 4 star rated and one song is 4.5 stars. Here you go with those songs, enjoy.

The lowest rated song on this CD is still a pretty good song, at 3.5 stars. It's Spearheads' "Chocolate Supa Highway" (About the first 23 seconds of this song isn't on the sampler.)

The following 5 songs are rated 4 stars:

Eels "Novocaine For The Soul":

Holly Palmer's "The Three Of Us":

Butthole Surfer's "Jingle Of A Dog's Collar":

Tonic's "Open Up Your Eyes" (This is probably the biggest "hit" on the CD and it's a perfectly good song, but it's nowhere the best song on this CD.)

Linda Perry's "Fill Me Up":

The only 4.5 star song on "Elect To Rock" is Patti Rothberg's "Inside":

All 9 of these songs are 5 stars rated, starting with 311's "Down" (this may be the CD's biggest "hit"):

Face To Face "I Won't Lie Down":

Leah Andreone "It's Alright, It's Okay":

D Generation's "No Way Out": (Wow, this might be the most awkward introduction ever.)



The music video for "No Way Out":

Goldfinger's "Mabel":

Fun Lovin' Criminals "Scooby Snacks":

Brendon Benson's "Sittin' Pretty":

Darla Hood's "Grow Your Own" (Um, the live version is weak in comparison):

Pluto "When She Was Happy":

Upcoming blogs: a review of the book "I Am Pilgrim" and also I've really been enjoying all the great music of The Script lately. I've listened to their two most recent CDs in the last couple of days and both are very solid. Soon I'm going to listen to their first CDs and write some kind of blog about The Script.

themusicaddict

The Classics of Cat: Cat Stevens Greatest Hits

Hello,

As promised here's part 2 of 2 in chronicling the best songs of Cat Stevens.

"Oh Very Young":

"Another Saturday Night":

"Wild World":

"The First Cut Is The Deepest" (The Cat man goes psychedelic) :

"Morning Has Broken":

"Moonshadow":

"Peace Train" (Stevens shows off his sense-of-humor):

Yusaf Islam covers his own song from when he was known as Cat Stevens, "Peace Train":

"Don't Be Shy":

"Sitting":

"Can't Keep It In":

 "(Remember The Days of The) Old Schoolyard":

"Matthew and Son":

"Here Comes My Baby":

The complete CD of "The Very Best of Cat Stevens":

The projected next blog: Is "Elect To Rock" the greatest sampler CD ever?

themusicaddict

The New Classics of Cat Stevens/ Yusaf Islam

Hello,

I just read an article about Cat Stevens/Yusaf Islam/ Steven Demetre Georgiou in the January 15th, 2015 Rolling Stone. He seems like a pretty reasonable dude. I like that he embraces his religion, Muslim, but doesn't sanction most of their crazier aspects i.e. ISIS. Reading that article inspired to write a blog about his greatest hits. However that article also mentioned he's made 3 CDs since returning to pop music. Thanks to Rdio, I've listened to those 3 CDs today.

Grades:

2006's "An Other Cup": C-
2009's "Roadsinger": D
2014's "Tell 'Em I'm Gone": B

As of right now I plan on my next blog being the greatest hits of Cat Stevens, meaning the best of the songs he recorded before he left the music business. His voice still sounds the same as his 70's peak. Today's blog features his New Classics.

Midday (Avoid City After Dark):

"Heaven/Where True Love Goes": (I really like this song!)

"Maybe There's A World":

"Big Boss Man":

"You Are My Sunshine": (I love this cover of this classic, however I'm not a big fan of his "Please Don't Let Me Be Understood" cover.)

"Editing Floor Blues":

"Gold Digger" (His voice sounds a bit like Tom Petty during parts of this song.):

"The Devil Came From Kansas" (Apparantally this is Procol Harum cover, but I hadn't heard the song before today):

"Tell 'Em I'm Gone":



This is his take on possibly my favorite Beatles song "The Long And Winding Road":

themusicaddict

themusicaddict's Greatest Hits of The Wallflowers (In Alphabetical Order)

Hello,

These are the greatest hits of one of my favorite 90's bands, The Wallflowers. The group obviously is lead by Jakob Dylan, son of Bob. Of course the Wallflowers peak was "Bringing Down The Horse". It was released on May 21st, 1996 and it went on to be one of the biggest CDs of that year and of the entire 90's. Of course it was driven by the extremely dancable "The Difference". If that song doesn't make you want to move, then you have died! Here's the complete CD for "Bringing Down The Horse":

The last CD the Wallflowers released was 2012's "Glad All Over", a so-so CD. But I'm always glad for new music from them.

Current members:

• Stuart Mathis – guitar (2005–present)

Past members:

• Tobi Miller – guitar (1989–1995)
• Barrie Maguire – bass (1989–1993)
• Peter Yanowitz – drums (1990–1994)
• Rami Jaffee – keyboards (1990–2013)
• Greg Richling – bass (1993–2013)
• Mario Calire – drums (1995–2003)
• Michael Ward – guitar (1995–2001)
• Fred Eltringham – drums (2004–2011)
• Jack Irons – drums (2012–2013)

"6th Avenue Heartache":

"Angel On My Bike":

"Bleeders":

"The Difference":

"The Difference" (Live):

"Everybody Out Of The Water":

"Laughing Out Loud":

"Letters From The Wasteland":

"One Headlight":

"Reboot The Mission":

"Sidewalk Annie":

"Sleepwalker":

"Sleepwalker" (Live on Letterman):

"Three Marlenas":

themusicaddict

"The Imitation Game" And Other Media

Hello,

I'll probably be flushing out this blog over the next few days, I just wanted to get some thoughts down tonight.

Movies:

1) "The Imitation Game": 10 stars This is an incredible movie in every way possible. It's one of the best movies I've ever seen. Terrific acting all across the board from everyone. Benedict Cumberbatch: just a completely immersive performance by one of our best current actors. He brings such soul, moxy and sympathy to such a great person. Keira Knightley, simply one of the most beautiful women in the world, brings a soulfulness to her performance of Joan Clarke. Again all performances in this movie were fantastic, but the last performance I'd like to highlight is Rory Kinnear as Detective Nock. We, and I believe him, wish he didn't push so hard to find out the truth behind the break in in Turing's house. (Side note about Kinnear, I recently saw him in "Black Mirror: The National Anthem", now that's one bizarre show. However Kinnear brought a great deal of empathy to a prime minister forced to make a brutal decision.)

2) "Brick Mansions": 5 stars, About what you expect it to be.

Music: Ratings between 1 to 10 stars, with 10 stars being the best.

1) Whitney Houston "I Look To You": 7.5 stars From this CD, this is one of the best songs of Miss Houston's career:

R.I.P. Whitney

2) Joe Jackson "Big World": 7.5 stars
3) Billy Joel "Live At Shea": 7.5 stars
4) Aldo Nova "Subject.... Aldo Nova" 7.5 stars
5) Red Hot Chili Peppers "Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magick"; 7 stars This is a bizarre CD, it has some great, great songs but it also has some real clunkers. If this CD subtracted the weaker songs and cut down to 12 songs it might be a themusicaddict Greatest CD of All-Time. Also too many uses of the f bomb, which appeals to the lowest common denominator. However great art does not that word make.

"Give It Away":

"Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magick":

"Suck My Kiss":

6) The Script "#3": 9 stars I discovered this CD quite by accident and I immediately fell in love with it. I love "Hall of Fame":

Oh yeah, I also love "If You Could See Me Know":

7) Tree63 "The Hits: Blessed Be Your Name": 8 stars This was a band I hadn't heard of until Saturday, when I was reviewing upcoming Kickstarter.com projects that might be of interest to me. Not knowing any thing about this band I listened to this CD. It's Christian rock, which I know it isn't for everyone, but it's a great mix of a rock beat and uplifting lyrics.

8) Wallflowers "Glad All Over": 6 stars Sadly the Wallflowers haven't come close to their classic "Bringing Down The Horse" since it's release.
9) War on Drugs "Lost In The Dream": 6 stars Much like the RHCP CD: there are some truly great songs, but also some clunkers.
10) Bob Marley and the Wailers "Shankin' In Boston: 7.5 stars, this CD is edited beyond belief, trying only to show the concert's highlights. But breaking it up into a selection of songs, instead a complete show hurts more than helps. Judge for yourself:

11) EarlyRise "Colors": 6 stars A young band still finding their way, but they have potential. Honestly this CD is better than I expected. A band I discovered because of supporting the making of their second CD. After two years, health issues and a lot of hard work the fruit of their labor is in the hands of their Kickstarter supporters. The CD is available to the general public on March 20th.

12) Led Zeppelin "Physical Graffiti" (remastered + bonus tracks, 2015 release): 8 stars Without one of the best CDs by the greatest band ever.

TV:

1) "Dig": 3 stars I watched the 90 minute premiere and fell asleep during it. I woke up in time to catch the end, however I wasn't interested enough to go back and catch what I had missed. I may or may not watch one more episode.

2) "Broadchurch" Season 2, Episode 1 Along with "Lost" and "Homeland" this show has one of the all-time best first seasons. (I think we are going to have to add "The Missing" to the list of great first seasons also.) The second season starts off a bit slow, but I still expect a great season.

Kickstarter: I strongly encourage everyone to support Tree63's new CD, they really are a great rock band. A great sound and they rock and with very positive lyrics. With only two weeks left, this CD is only about 30% funded. If you want to support either one of these two Kickstarters, this is the one that I'd ask you to support.

Also I'm plugging Dave Fitts "Mashi" (Manasaro Murikami)  Kickstarter.com project. This has already received full funding after only a few days, any more contributions would only make this project even more spectacular. I wish I could afford the $500 prize to go see the Giants play on the day they honor Murikami.

themusicaddict

themusicaddict's Greatest Hits of Rascal Flatts- The Happy Love Songs + Other Happy Songs Part 2

Hello,

This is my third and last Greatest Hits of Rascal Flatts blog, but Part 2 for their happier songs.

"Banjo":

"While You Loved Me":

"Mayberry":

"One Good Love":

"Great Big Love":

"She'd Be California":

"Hot In Here":

"Unstoppable":

"My Wish":

"Summer Nights":

"DJ Tonight":

"Me and My Gang":

Up next for greatest hits of all-time blogs: probably The Wallflowers. However I plan on writing a blog before that of some things I've seen or listened to recently. That includes the new USA Network show "Dig" and the amazing "The Imitation Game".

themusicaddict

themusicaddict's Greatest Hits of Rascal Flatts- The Happy Love Songs + Other Happy Songs Part 1

Hello,

This is the first of an as of yet number of blogs about the greatest songs of Rascal Flatts. The group known for their amazing harmonies is made up of Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, keyboards and background vocals) and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background vocals).

The band formed in Columbus, Ohio in 1999. (Thanks to Wikipedia.org for the biographical info.)

Previously I published the blog about Rascal Flatts' greatest sad songs, there were 15 songs. Now it's time for their happy songs, which number 25 songs. I'm breaking those songs up into two blogs.

"This Everyday Love":

"Bless The Broken Road":

"I Melt": (Isn't it sweet that each one of the boys gets their own woman?)

"Dry Country Girl":

"Like I Am":

"See Me Through":

"Love Who You Love":

"Lovin' Me":

"Shine On":

"Fallin' Upside Down":

"You":

"Too Good Is True":

"Love You Out Loud":

themusicaddict

themusicaddict's Greatest Songs of Rascal Flatts (The Butt End Of Love Division)

Hello,

Rascal Flatts seems to sing about two things: the bad side of love and the good side of love. My expectation was that those songs would divide down the middle evenly. After listening to several hours of their music I was surprised of their classic tma songs that the happy love songs hold the edge 25-15 over the butt end of love songs. Of course, a few of their songs could go in either/or or both categories. I'll be posting parts 2 and 3 of the Rascal Flatts blogs soon.

Without further adieu here the 15 sad songs of Rascal Flatts, starting with my favorite Rascal Flatts song of all-time. It isn't even close, although her pants are ugly!!!!! This is just an amazing song and still packs a wallop all these listens later.

"These Days":

"She's Leaving":

"That Should Be Me" featuring Justin Bieber:

"I'm Movin' On":

"My Worst Fear":

"Come Wake Me Up":

"Why":

"Prayin' For Daylight":

"Prayin' For Daylight" (Live):

"Let It Hurt":

"What Hurts The Most" (Live, featuring Kelly Clarkson):

"Here Comes Goodbye":

"Close":

"Holdin' On":

"Payback":

"Stand":



"These Days" (Live):

themusicaddict

themusicaddict's Review of George F. Will's "A Nice Little Place On The North Side" Anyone Can Have A Bad Century

Hello,

This is my review of George F. Will's "A Nice Little Place On the North Side: Wrigley Field At One Hundred". This is a hilarious and enlightening take on the tortured history of the Chicago Cubs and their pleasant prison/ stadium. Among the highlights is the motto "anyone can have a bad century", the disputed Babe Ruth called home run and many other things. Will takes the perfect tone with this franchise.

Would it surprise you to know it was a Cubs player and the woman who shot him that inspired the movie "The Natural". Eddie Waitkus, a war hero who earned 4 bronze stars, became the object of intense affection of a lady named Ruth Ann Steinhagen. She became obsessed with Waitkus, even building a shrine for him in her apartment. In June 1949 she stayed at the same hotel the Cubs were staying at. She lured him to her hotel room, where she shot him.

Three years later Bernard Malamud published "The Natural". As Will says "the story of Roy Hobbs, who is shot by a woman." "The Natural" isn't only one of the best baseball movies of all-time, but it's also one of the best movies of all-time.

Will obviously has quite a bit fondness for Ernie Banks, as he highlights the many accomplishments of Mr. Cub.

This book shares how the Ivy came to added to Wrigley Field in 1937. The author also marks one of the most Cubness moments ever, a moment that happened on July 20,1962. In a loss to the Dodgers, the Cubs fell below .500 in the history of Wrigley Field. They have remained below .500 ever since then, in fact they have fallen even more below .500. The Cubs finished 16 games below .500 in 2014, which is a lot better when they finished 30 games under .500. Somehow they still had 2.6 million fans come to Wrigley each of those two years.

This book also details the Cubs connection to Jack Ruby, Ronald Reagan and Ray Kroc. Also mentioned is Cubs fans love of beer, hatred towards Steve Bartman. (Moises Alou, and his tantrum, should be ashamed of himself, he was never going to catch that ball.)

Other highlights in this book include the game played on May 17th, 1979, when the Phillies beat the Cubs 23-22. Also how the lights came to Wrigley in 1988. The book touches on the poetry of Carl Sandburg, the Chicago Black Sox scandal- including it's link with "The Great Gatsby" and legendary mobster and huge Cubs fan Al Capone.

In Will's theories, Cubs fans are very loyal to their Cubs- almost to a fault. They love to go to Cubs games for the baseball, weather and beer- not necessarily in that order. Tobias J. Moskowitz and L. Jon Wertheim wrote a book called "The Hidden InfluencesBehind How Sports Are Played  and Games are won. The last chapter of the book is titled "Are The Chicago Cubs Cursed". Moskowitz and Wertheim studied Wrigley Field beer prices between 1984 and 2009. They concluded that "attendance was four more times more sensitive to beer prices than to the teams won-lost record. By 2009 Cubs ticket prices were the third highest in MLB, but beer prices were the third lowest in MLB.

(However with the Core Four maturing and gaining experience, the signing of Jon Lester and Joe Maddon the good times have got to be right around the corner? Right? The NL Central may be the strongest division in the 2015 season. I'm considering doing a game by game review of the Cubs season as I did with the Dodgers a couple of years ago.)

The Cubs season begins on April 5th with a 3 game series against the St. Louis Cardinals. That season opening game will be on ESPN 2. Go Cubs!!

themusicaddict