Hello,
1) Andra Day's "Cheers To The Fall": She has such a great voice! Highlights include "Forever Mine", "Mistakes", "Goodbye Goodnight", "Honey Or Fire", "Cheers To The Fall" and "Rise Up". I like a lot of songs on this CD, but I didn't rate any of them 5 stars on iTunes. This is her first CD, it's certainly a good first CD and she still has left herself room to grow. I expect big things from Miss Day in the future, especially with such an amazing voice. Grade: B-
2) Miss Amani's "Who's On My Rocket": I discovered this delectable dish of pop goodies thanks to "The Royals". Highlights include "Who's On My Rocket", "Come On Now", "Turn The Party Up", "Kiss Kiss", "Psychosomatic" and "Fame". This CD starts out strong then hits a couple of slow spots. Then "B4 I Get 2 One", "Psychosomatic" and "Fame" are the 3 final highlights of this CD and then the CD ends on a whimper. There are some great songs on here, which carries the CD to it's B- grade.
3) Staind's "14 Shades of Grey" Oh I hate when a band starts off a CD by dropping the F bomb on the first song, especially when it's so unnecessary. Sadly, and unneeded, the F bomb appears on a few other songs. Highlights "So Far Away" and "How About You". Pretty much the same mellow/ wimpy rock song after song- not much difference between songs. Sad to say after the third or fourth similar sounding song, the CD got boring. That's about the worse thing that can be said about a rock CD. A lot of generic rock songs, not enough to recommend this CD. Grade: C-
4) 5 Seconds of Summer "Sounds Good Feels Good"
5) Zella Day's "Kicker": I discovered this delectable dish of pop goodies thanks to "The Royals". Highlights include "1965", "East of Eden", "Hypnotic", "Mustang Kids", "The Outlaw Josey Wales" and "Sweet Ophelia". The only non-amazing song on this CD is "Jameson" and that's not an amazing song. The whole CD is amazing, a very promising debut. "Kicker" should be added to your collection asap if you haven't added it already. Grade: A+
6) Tori Kelly's "Unbreakable Smile": Highlights: "Nobody Love", "Expensive" (yet another song burdened by an unneeded rapper cameo), "Should've Been Us", "Anyway" and "California Lovers".
7) The Music of Nashville: Original Soundtrack, Season Four, Volume One: "Nashville" became unwatchable someone near the end of Season 1. If you're watching "Royals" and you think that show isn't sleazy enough for you then "Nashville" is your show. One thing great about both shows is all the great music that come from both shows. Sadly this CD is shockingly average, cutting a few of the weaker songs would have improved this CD's grade. Not letting Steven Tyler on any future volumes of "Nashville" soundtracks would also be very helpful. Highlights include "Just Like New", "In The Name of Your Love", "Plenty Far To Fall", "Spinning Revolver" and "What If It's You". Grade: C-
8) "…But Seriously"- Phil Collins Highlights: "Do You Remember", "I Wish It Would Rain Down", "Another Day In Paradise", "Something Happened On The Way To Heaven", "Heat On The Street" "Hang On Long Enough" and "Colours". A very solid CD loaded with great song after great song. Although some songs are better than others, there's not a bad song on this CD. Grade: B
9) Genesis's "Calling All Stations" (Their final CD, for now…)
10) R.E.M.'s "Collapse Into Now": (Their final CD, for now…) A decent going away CD. Highlights include: "Oh My Heart", "Mine Smell Like Honey" and "Discoverer". After their previous 2 or 3 CDs leading up to this CD, which honestly aren't very good, I'm surprised I like this CD so much. This is a great closing chapter on the story of R.E.M., thanks to them for all the musical memories. This grade may or may not be a bit sentimental, but hey it's my blog. Grade: B-
11) David Bowie's "The Next Day": Highlights: "The Next Day", "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)", "Valentine's Day", "How Does The Grass Grow" and "(You Will) Set The World On Fire", and "I'd Rather Be High". The six songs listed, as well as "Boss of Me" are the 7 best songs on the CD. Sadly the other 7 songs are meh, which causes this CD to only get a C+ grade.
12) David Bowie's "Never Let Me Down":
13) "School of Rock" Original Broadway Soundtrack
14) Kelly Clarkson's "Life In Pieces":
15) Ashley Monroe's "The Blade":
16) Cam's "Untamed": Highlights include: "Untamed", "Hungover On Heartache",
themusicaddict
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Monday, December 28, 2015
Songs On themusicaddict's Radar: December 28th, 2015: More from " The Royals" and Other Songs
Hello,
Again there's just so much great music out there, sometimes you just have to look for it. That's one of the main reasons why I write this blog to share those great songs I have found. Please let me know of any great songs that you know about also. The first 5 songs I discovered thanks to the folks at "The Royals", the other songs are songs discovered other ways. I tried to listen to the new pop music available on Google Play and a lot of those songs suck.
Staind's "So Far Away":
Thanks to "Two Night Stand" for reminding me of this classic 80's song: Dramarama's "Anything, Anything":
Again there's just so much great music out there, sometimes you just have to look for it. That's one of the main reasons why I write this blog to share those great songs I have found. Please let me know of any great songs that you know about also. The first 5 songs I discovered thanks to the folks at "The Royals", the other songs are songs discovered other ways. I tried to listen to the new pop music available on Google Play and a lot of those songs suck.
Conway's "Big Talk":
Gabrielle Aplin "Light Up The Dark":
Gabrielle Aplin's "Skeleton":
The Sleep Machine song that appears on "The Royals" is titled "Run". However I couldn't find a video for that song. I checked out some of their other songs and "Wild For You" is a perfectly good song as well:
I discovered Clooney via "The Royals", previously I posted their "More More More", I decided to check out some of their other songs. I really like their song "Take Me Away":
Emeli Sande "Next To Me":
I discovered Clooney via "The Royals", previously I posted their "More More More", I decided to check out some of their other songs. I really like their song "Take Me Away":
Emeli Sande "Next To Me":
Staind's "So Far Away":
Thanks to "Two Night Stand" for reminding me of this classic 80's song: Dramarama's "Anything, Anything":
themusicaddict
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
(Finished December 26th, 2015, Revamped and Revised March 4th, 2023) Some of The Best Songs from "The Royals" (Through Season 2, Episode 3)
Hello,
Not only is "The Royals" an entertaining, sudsy drama set amidst among England's fictional royalty and pretty people, there are also great songs playing in many of the scenes. Another great thing about the show is that it doesn't take itself seriously. Obviously the producers realize this isn't deep thinking material and don't try to turn the show into something it's not. Along with that "The Royals" has some amazing eye candy, including the still vibrant Elizabeth Hurley. How is the lovely Miss Hurley still so gorgeous at the age of 50? Alexandra Park, Princess Eleanor, should be eye candy. However the skanky, spoiled princess look doesn't do much for me. I prefer the innocent looking Ophelia, played by Merritt Patterson. The most beautiful woman on this show is bright eyed beauty below, the lovely Miss Patterson:
"The Royals" is an enjoyable show and you should check it out. But this blog is more about the great music in this show. First of all the bands that "The Royals" are trying to break seem to be singer Slow Club (not my cup of tea), Kid Karate (see below) and Wolf Alice (they have their moments). If you want your music to be on this show, include Wolf in your name. There's more than one Wolf band on "The Royals" Here are some of my favorite songs through Season 2, episode.
Not yet on "The Royals" but should be added. 20) Miss Amani "Who's On My Rocket":
Not only is "The Royals" an entertaining, sudsy drama set amidst among England's fictional royalty and pretty people, there are also great songs playing in many of the scenes. Another great thing about the show is that it doesn't take itself seriously. Obviously the producers realize this isn't deep thinking material and don't try to turn the show into something it's not. Along with that "The Royals" has some amazing eye candy, including the still vibrant Elizabeth Hurley. How is the lovely Miss Hurley still so gorgeous at the age of 50? Alexandra Park, Princess Eleanor, should be eye candy. However the skanky, spoiled princess look doesn't do much for me. I prefer the innocent looking Ophelia, played by Merritt Patterson. The most beautiful woman on this show is bright eyed beauty below, the lovely Miss Patterson:
"The Royals" is an enjoyable show and you should check it out. But this blog is more about the great music in this show. First of all the bands that "The Royals" are trying to break seem to be singer Slow Club (not my cup of tea), Kid Karate (see below) and Wolf Alice (they have their moments). If you want your music to be on this show, include Wolf in your name. There's more than one Wolf band on "The Royals" Here are some of my favorite songs through Season 2, episode.
Ultimately "The Royals" became too soapy for it's own good and it wasn't worth watching any more. But it started out pretty strong. It's also way too sexual.
First up a triple play from Kid Karate (hoping they'll soon have more than 5 songs available). Update: Kid Karate now has more songs than those five, however they haven't quite broken out like I was hoping they would. 1) "This City":
2) "Don't Stop":
Kid Karate is as good as I remember, these are three great songs. 3) "Louder"
"The Royals" introduced to me a lot of songs that I would probably have never heard otherwise. 4) I Am Harlequin "Something Else":
5) Wolf Alice"You're A Germ":
6) Natalia Kills' "Problem":
7) Clooney's "More More More":
A song, from the great CD "Love Stuff" that I've loved for the last few years. I should have paid more attention to the music of "The Royals" and I would have known about Miss King a few months previous to when I found out about Miss King. 8) Elle King's "Ex's and Oh's":
8) Lissie "Nothing Else Matters":
9) Lorde "Everybody Wants To Rule The World":
10) Black English "Leave The Door Wide Open":
11) Zella Day "Hypnotic":
To my knowledge this hasn't been on "The Royals" yet, but it seems a natural fit. One of the characters name is Ophelia. 12) Zella Day "Sweet Ophelia":
13) exlovers "You Forget So Easily":
14) A Band Called Quinn "DIY":
15) The Keys "People Meet People":
16) Spoon "Rainy Taxi":
17) The Pow Pow "Fill Me Up":
I'm pretty sure this great song is also on the very solid soundtrack for "Paper Towns" 18) Saint Motel "My Type":
19) Miss Amani "Come On Now":
15) The Keys "People Meet People":
16) Spoon "Rainy Taxi":
17) The Pow Pow "Fill Me Up":
I'm pretty sure this great song is also on the very solid soundtrack for "Paper Towns" 18) Saint Motel "My Type":
19) Miss Amani "Come On Now":
Not yet on "The Royals" but should be added. 20) Miss Amani "Who's On My Rocket":
themusicaddict
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Goodbye Rdio: Thanks For The Memories
Hello,
Due to being acquired by Pandora, today December 22nd, 2015, is Rdio's last day. I've loved Rdio, I thought they were the best music listening site. I loved the $5 monthly price point for all the music I could possibly listen to. Ever since Rdio's announcement I've been transitioning to Google Play- which is perfectly fine- although it costs more than twice as much. When Spotify first came out I was a big fan, but it doesn't work great on my old laptop. However my computer never had any issues with Rdio (or Google Play for that matter) so Rdio became my main internet music listening site. I still listen to iTunes a lot of course.
Things I liked about Rdio: 1) the unlimited listening obviously 2) their new releases page 3) the many great recommendations they made 4) how user friendly it is 5) as long as the internet was up, I never had to worry about it being available. 6) I also loved how it was a fully functioning site until it's end.
Rdio's website is stating "Goodbye…. for now." Well for one, I hope they do come back. Pandora is okay, and hopefully will become a lot better with Rdio's help, but I don't think it will ever become as good as Rdio. Thanks again Rdio for the memories and the great listening experience.
The last CD I listened to on Rdio was Judith Hill's "Red Hook Summer"- which I only listened to as they didn't have Hill's "Back In Time" available. But no one else seems to have that available either. From what I could hear on Google Play, "Back In Time" seems to be a modern funk classic. It's very Princeish, she sounds like Prince a bit in fact. That's logical as the CD was produced by Prince. Review forthcoming on a different blog entry.
CD's that I discovered because of Rdio:
1) After writing a blog about Fiction Plane, and they not having any new music for awhile, I thought they were done releasing new music. But Rdio knew that I had listened to their music previously, so they let me know that Fiction Plane had released "Mondo Lumina".
2) I no longer listen to a lot of radio- too much DJ blabber and way too many damn commercials- but I do miss out hearing about cool new bands or even bands that have been around for awhile that I've never heard of. I was aware of In This Moment- and have blogged about them previously- but thanks Rdio for letting me know about their new greatest hits CD "Rise of The Blood Legion: The Best of (Chapter One)". It had been out since May 5th, 2015 and I hadn't even been aware of it's existence until just a few days ago. I found out about it and was able to listen to it on Rdio.
Now there have been so many CD's/ musicians I've listened to on Rdio that's it hard to remember what I knew about before or went to Rdio to listen to. Below is a representative selection of CDs that I have listened to on Rdio over the last couple of years (a partial list):
Due to being acquired by Pandora, today December 22nd, 2015, is Rdio's last day. I've loved Rdio, I thought they were the best music listening site. I loved the $5 monthly price point for all the music I could possibly listen to. Ever since Rdio's announcement I've been transitioning to Google Play- which is perfectly fine- although it costs more than twice as much. When Spotify first came out I was a big fan, but it doesn't work great on my old laptop. However my computer never had any issues with Rdio (or Google Play for that matter) so Rdio became my main internet music listening site. I still listen to iTunes a lot of course.
Things I liked about Rdio: 1) the unlimited listening obviously 2) their new releases page 3) the many great recommendations they made 4) how user friendly it is 5) as long as the internet was up, I never had to worry about it being available. 6) I also loved how it was a fully functioning site until it's end.
Rdio's website is stating "Goodbye…. for now." Well for one, I hope they do come back. Pandora is okay, and hopefully will become a lot better with Rdio's help, but I don't think it will ever become as good as Rdio. Thanks again Rdio for the memories and the great listening experience.
The last CD I listened to on Rdio was Judith Hill's "Red Hook Summer"- which I only listened to as they didn't have Hill's "Back In Time" available. But no one else seems to have that available either. From what I could hear on Google Play, "Back In Time" seems to be a modern funk classic. It's very Princeish, she sounds like Prince a bit in fact. That's logical as the CD was produced by Prince. Review forthcoming on a different blog entry.
CD's that I discovered because of Rdio:
1) After writing a blog about Fiction Plane, and they not having any new music for awhile, I thought they were done releasing new music. But Rdio knew that I had listened to their music previously, so they let me know that Fiction Plane had released "Mondo Lumina".
2) I no longer listen to a lot of radio- too much DJ blabber and way too many damn commercials- but I do miss out hearing about cool new bands or even bands that have been around for awhile that I've never heard of. I was aware of In This Moment- and have blogged about them previously- but thanks Rdio for letting me know about their new greatest hits CD "Rise of The Blood Legion: The Best of (Chapter One)". It had been out since May 5th, 2015 and I hadn't even been aware of it's existence until just a few days ago. I found out about it and was able to listen to it on Rdio.
Now there have been so many CD's/ musicians I've listened to on Rdio that's it hard to remember what I knew about before or went to Rdio to listen to. Below is a representative selection of CDs that I have listened to on Rdio over the last couple of years (a partial list):
1) INXS "Live at Wembley Stadium"
2) INXS "Switch"
3) Dead Sara "Pleasure To Meet You"
Another CD I discovered probably due to Rdio: 4) Franciesca Battestelli's "Christmas"
5) Mister Wives "Our Own House"
6) Queen's "Forever"
7) Seal's "Human Being"
8) Blondie's "Real Real Blondie"
9) Breaking Benjamin's "Shallow Bay: The Best of Breaking Benjamin"
10) Jess Glynne's "I Cry When I Laugh" (An amazing CD)
11) ELO's "Live"
12) Hollywood Vampires' self-titled CD
13) Run-DMC's "Tougher Than Leather"
14) The Scorpions "Return To Forever":
15) The Bohicas "The Making Of"
16) The "Hamilton" Original Broadway Soundtrack
17) Duran Duran "Paper Gods"
18) Delta Rae's "After It All"
19) The "Paper Towns" Soundtrack
20) Elle King's "Love Stuff"
21) The Raskins' self-titled debut
themusicaddict
Monday, December 21, 2015
themusicaddict's Reviews of Recently Released CD's December 21st, 2015 (Finished February 18th, 2016)
Hello,
While not all of these CDs are new, they are new to me. CDs I'll be reviewing over the next few weeks:
1) Royal Thunder's "Crooked Doors": Named one of the top 20 Metal CDs of 2015 by Rolling Stone. This CD rocks, but I wouldn't call it a metal CD. Highlights include "Time Machine", "Wake Up", "One Day" and "Glow". I love that it sounds different than most "metal" albums, but I do wish it would rock a bit harder. It's a good, but not great, CD. Worthy of checking out if you are into this kind of thing. Grade: C
2) INXS' "Live at Wembley Stadium" Highlights are all the songs you'd think would be great. Other highlights are "Wildlife", "I Send A Message", "Bitter Tears" and "The Stairs". Other than Michael Hutchence too frequent use of the F bomb. Just because a person is a rock star, that doesn't mean one should act like a cliche rock star. Come on musicians rise above. You and the amazing music people make can lift us so high- please do so. Anyway this is a very solid live CD. Grade: B
3) Rachel Platten's "Wildfire"- This CD will be released on January 1st, 2016. It features previously released great songs like "Lone Ranger", "Beating Me Up" and "Fight Song". It also features the very good new songs "Stand By You", (You can stand by me any time you want Rachel.) "Hey Hey Hallelujah" and "You Don't Know My Heart". What can I say, I'm very biased as I love the music of Miss Platten. Grade: A-
4) David Bowie's "Blackstar"- This CD was released January 8th, 2016, Bowie's 69th birthday. The entire CD is similar to the lead single, also titled "Blackstar". Sadly this CD is a dud. Happy birthday David, but this CD sucks. Lowlights: that first song on the CD "Blackstar" is an almost 10 minute exercise in futility. The song is so bad that I couldn't even listen to the full thing. Good things about this CD for me is I didn't pay a penny to listen to it, I didn't have to listen to the full version of each song, it only has 7 songs and I never have to listen to it again. Another good thing is it seems Bowie is trying something different. Points for that, but in this case it didn't come close to working at all. Better luck next time David. Grade: D- (Written before his sudden passing, R.I.P. David.)
5) Siouxsie and the Banshees' "The Rapture" Highlights: "O Baby", "Tearing Apart"- which is a great way to start a CD. Other highlights: "Fall From Grace", "Sick Child", "Falling Down", "New Skin" and "FGM". This is a very good CD, although it lags near the end. The seventh and ninth to eleventh songs are some weaker songs on the CD. Then the CD closes out with four great songs. It's good to see Siouxsie and the Banshees are more than just the two songs that I knew them for. Thanks to my Mom for reminding me about them. Grade: B
6) In This Moment's "Rise of the Blood Legion: The Best of (Chapter 1)": I like Maria Brink's voice when she's singing, not as much when she's screeching. An example of her singing is on "Forever", the sixth song on the CD. It's also the first great song on this CD. The first great song on a greatest hits CD should be the first song, not the sixth. I'm surprised how bereft of hits this greatest hits CD has on it. Other highlights "Blood", "Adrenalize" and "Whore". There's too much screeching and not enough great songs on this CD. This is one of the most disappointing greatest hits CD of all-time. It's not they don't have great songs, for some reason they only put a few of them on this CD. Grade: C-
.
7) Stone Temple Pilots 6th and final CD, the self-titled "Stone Temple Pilots". This is their 2010 release when the original lineup of Stone Temple Pilots had reunited. Honestly I wasn't expecting a whole lot, but I actually quite like this CD. Highlights include "Between The Lines", "Huckleberry Crumble", "Dare If You Dare", "Hickory Dichotomy" and "Bagman". Grade: B
8) "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" Soundtrack- Although there's new music on this CD, it's mostly a nostalgia trip. Due to that I may be giving it a better grade than it's worthy of. When the opening strains of the "Main Title" starts playing one knows they are in the world of "Star Wars". One of my favorite worlds to be in. I love the sweeping majesty of these songs. The upbeat songs are the best but the slower moments add emotional elements to this familiar, but never old, music. Highlights: "The Scavenger" and "I Can Fly Anything" (although Oscar Isaac has all the charisma of a soda cracker) and "Follow Me". Additional highlights: "The Rathars", "Follow Me", "March of the Resistance", "Torn Apart" and "The Jedi Steps and Finale". Grade: B
9) Run-DMC's "Tougher Than Leather": This isn't as good as "Raising Hell", but it's still a pretty good CD. Highlights include "Papa Crazy", "Run's House", "Mary Mary", "Christmas In Hollis" and "I'm Not Going Out Like That". I thought that Run-D.M.C. hadn't released any good CDs after releasing the greatest rap CD of all-time, "Raising Hell". I'm so glad I was wrong and "Leather" is a perfectly good CD. However it would have been better if they had cut a bit of the filler. Did we really need the "Penthouse Ad" ad, "Miss Elaine" and "Ragtime"? I think not, but overall a good CD. Grade" B-
10) Volbeat's 2014 CD "Beyond Hell/ Above Heaven": Highlights include "Heaven Nor Hell", "Still Counting", "Who They Are", "A New Day", "7 Shots" and "16 Dollars". Thirteen of the fourteen songs on this CD I give the thumbs up. This CD was a bit more mature than the earlier "Guitars Gangsters and Cadillac Blood", but still varying their sound a bit more would be awesome. Overall a very good, probably not great, CD. Grade: B
11) Volbeat's 2008' CD "Guitars Gangsters and Cadillac Blood": Highlights include "Guitars Gangsters and Cadillac Blood", "Back To Prom", "Maybellenne i. Hofteholder", "Mary Ann's Place" and "Still Counting". Just a solid CD all the way through, although I wished all of their songs all didn't sound so much alike. Maybe you guys can mix up your sound on your next CD? Grade: B-
12) Black English's "No": I've watched the first three episodes of "The Royals" the last couple of days. They have a lot of good music on that show. One of my favorite bands I heard on that show is Black English. Highlights include "Leave The Door Wide Open", "What's Your Name", "Leave A Glow" and "The Long Haul". On Google Play I gave 7 songs the thumbs up. But some of the songs are just lame. I was expecting better than this. Grade: C+
13) Kid Karate's "Lights Out" EP: This is the review of their four song ep and the other song they have released, "Louder". Another great band I discovered because of "The Royals" is Kid Karate. Highlights include: "This City", "You Need Violence", "Two Times" and "Louder". So far, so good but only 5 songs doesn't tell one much about their long term potential. I have hopes that they can turn into a decent band, but that's to be seen. For these first 5 songs though, it's a good start. Grade: B+
14) Judith Hill's "Back In Time": Sounds and feels like old school Prince and I mean that in the best way possible. This CD brings the funk. Highlights "Cry, Cry, Cry", "Wild Tonight", "Turn Up", "My People" and "Jammin' In The Basement". (I was going to finish this review until the news of the death of David Bowie broke, then I started writing a goodbye blog to him.) Now I'm finishing this review. Overall this is a very good CD, however it's missing something that would take it to the next level. I can't quite put my finger on what it's missing. But overall no complaints, it's a solid CD. Grade: B
15) Jana Kramer's "thirty one": Highlights include "Circles", "Bullet", "Pop That Bottle", "Don't Touch The Radio", "Boomerang" and "Said No One Ever". Great song after great song. As you can tell I'm a big fan of this CD, especially since I got the MP3 version free via Google Play. Overall an amazing CD, even better than her debut CD. Grade: A
16) Gary Clark Jr.'s "The Story of Sonny Boy Slim" Highlights "Shake", "Stay", "Can't Sleep" and "The Healing". I also love the classic Blues guitar sound on "Grinder". This CD has some great songs, but it also has a lot of dead spots. If the CD was more consistent, it would receive a higher grade. Grade: B-
themusicaddict
While not all of these CDs are new, they are new to me. CDs I'll be reviewing over the next few weeks:
1) Royal Thunder's "Crooked Doors": Named one of the top 20 Metal CDs of 2015 by Rolling Stone. This CD rocks, but I wouldn't call it a metal CD. Highlights include "Time Machine", "Wake Up", "One Day" and "Glow". I love that it sounds different than most "metal" albums, but I do wish it would rock a bit harder. It's a good, but not great, CD. Worthy of checking out if you are into this kind of thing. Grade: C
2) INXS' "Live at Wembley Stadium" Highlights are all the songs you'd think would be great. Other highlights are "Wildlife", "I Send A Message", "Bitter Tears" and "The Stairs". Other than Michael Hutchence too frequent use of the F bomb. Just because a person is a rock star, that doesn't mean one should act like a cliche rock star. Come on musicians rise above. You and the amazing music people make can lift us so high- please do so. Anyway this is a very solid live CD. Grade: B
3) Rachel Platten's "Wildfire"- This CD will be released on January 1st, 2016. It features previously released great songs like "Lone Ranger", "Beating Me Up" and "Fight Song". It also features the very good new songs "Stand By You", (You can stand by me any time you want Rachel.) "Hey Hey Hallelujah" and "You Don't Know My Heart". What can I say, I'm very biased as I love the music of Miss Platten. Grade: A-
4) David Bowie's "Blackstar"- This CD was released January 8th, 2016, Bowie's 69th birthday. The entire CD is similar to the lead single, also titled "Blackstar". Sadly this CD is a dud. Happy birthday David, but this CD sucks. Lowlights: that first song on the CD "Blackstar" is an almost 10 minute exercise in futility. The song is so bad that I couldn't even listen to the full thing. Good things about this CD for me is I didn't pay a penny to listen to it, I didn't have to listen to the full version of each song, it only has 7 songs and I never have to listen to it again. Another good thing is it seems Bowie is trying something different. Points for that, but in this case it didn't come close to working at all. Better luck next time David. Grade: D- (Written before his sudden passing, R.I.P. David.)
5) Siouxsie and the Banshees' "The Rapture" Highlights: "O Baby", "Tearing Apart"- which is a great way to start a CD. Other highlights: "Fall From Grace", "Sick Child", "Falling Down", "New Skin" and "FGM". This is a very good CD, although it lags near the end. The seventh and ninth to eleventh songs are some weaker songs on the CD. Then the CD closes out with four great songs. It's good to see Siouxsie and the Banshees are more than just the two songs that I knew them for. Thanks to my Mom for reminding me about them. Grade: B
6) In This Moment's "Rise of the Blood Legion: The Best of (Chapter 1)": I like Maria Brink's voice when she's singing, not as much when she's screeching. An example of her singing is on "Forever", the sixth song on the CD. It's also the first great song on this CD. The first great song on a greatest hits CD should be the first song, not the sixth. I'm surprised how bereft of hits this greatest hits CD has on it. Other highlights "Blood", "Adrenalize" and "Whore". There's too much screeching and not enough great songs on this CD. This is one of the most disappointing greatest hits CD of all-time. It's not they don't have great songs, for some reason they only put a few of them on this CD. Grade: C-
.
7) Stone Temple Pilots 6th and final CD, the self-titled "Stone Temple Pilots". This is their 2010 release when the original lineup of Stone Temple Pilots had reunited. Honestly I wasn't expecting a whole lot, but I actually quite like this CD. Highlights include "Between The Lines", "Huckleberry Crumble", "Dare If You Dare", "Hickory Dichotomy" and "Bagman". Grade: B
8) "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" Soundtrack- Although there's new music on this CD, it's mostly a nostalgia trip. Due to that I may be giving it a better grade than it's worthy of. When the opening strains of the "Main Title" starts playing one knows they are in the world of "Star Wars". One of my favorite worlds to be in. I love the sweeping majesty of these songs. The upbeat songs are the best but the slower moments add emotional elements to this familiar, but never old, music. Highlights: "The Scavenger" and "I Can Fly Anything" (although Oscar Isaac has all the charisma of a soda cracker) and "Follow Me". Additional highlights: "The Rathars", "Follow Me", "March of the Resistance", "Torn Apart" and "The Jedi Steps and Finale". Grade: B
9) Run-DMC's "Tougher Than Leather": This isn't as good as "Raising Hell", but it's still a pretty good CD. Highlights include "Papa Crazy", "Run's House", "Mary Mary", "Christmas In Hollis" and "I'm Not Going Out Like That". I thought that Run-D.M.C. hadn't released any good CDs after releasing the greatest rap CD of all-time, "Raising Hell". I'm so glad I was wrong and "Leather" is a perfectly good CD. However it would have been better if they had cut a bit of the filler. Did we really need the "Penthouse Ad" ad, "Miss Elaine" and "Ragtime"? I think not, but overall a good CD. Grade" B-
10) Volbeat's 2014 CD "Beyond Hell/ Above Heaven": Highlights include "Heaven Nor Hell", "Still Counting", "Who They Are", "A New Day", "7 Shots" and "16 Dollars". Thirteen of the fourteen songs on this CD I give the thumbs up. This CD was a bit more mature than the earlier "Guitars Gangsters and Cadillac Blood", but still varying their sound a bit more would be awesome. Overall a very good, probably not great, CD. Grade: B
11) Volbeat's 2008' CD "Guitars Gangsters and Cadillac Blood": Highlights include "Guitars Gangsters and Cadillac Blood", "Back To Prom", "Maybellenne i. Hofteholder", "Mary Ann's Place" and "Still Counting". Just a solid CD all the way through, although I wished all of their songs all didn't sound so much alike. Maybe you guys can mix up your sound on your next CD? Grade: B-
12) Black English's "No": I've watched the first three episodes of "The Royals" the last couple of days. They have a lot of good music on that show. One of my favorite bands I heard on that show is Black English. Highlights include "Leave The Door Wide Open", "What's Your Name", "Leave A Glow" and "The Long Haul". On Google Play I gave 7 songs the thumbs up. But some of the songs are just lame. I was expecting better than this. Grade: C+
13) Kid Karate's "Lights Out" EP: This is the review of their four song ep and the other song they have released, "Louder". Another great band I discovered because of "The Royals" is Kid Karate. Highlights include: "This City", "You Need Violence", "Two Times" and "Louder". So far, so good but only 5 songs doesn't tell one much about their long term potential. I have hopes that they can turn into a decent band, but that's to be seen. For these first 5 songs though, it's a good start. Grade: B+
14) Judith Hill's "Back In Time": Sounds and feels like old school Prince and I mean that in the best way possible. This CD brings the funk. Highlights "Cry, Cry, Cry", "Wild Tonight", "Turn Up", "My People" and "Jammin' In The Basement". (I was going to finish this review until the news of the death of David Bowie broke, then I started writing a goodbye blog to him.) Now I'm finishing this review. Overall this is a very good CD, however it's missing something that would take it to the next level. I can't quite put my finger on what it's missing. But overall no complaints, it's a solid CD. Grade: B
15) Jana Kramer's "thirty one": Highlights include "Circles", "Bullet", "Pop That Bottle", "Don't Touch The Radio", "Boomerang" and "Said No One Ever". Great song after great song. As you can tell I'm a big fan of this CD, especially since I got the MP3 version free via Google Play. Overall an amazing CD, even better than her debut CD. Grade: A
16) Gary Clark Jr.'s "The Story of Sonny Boy Slim" Highlights "Shake", "Stay", "Can't Sleep" and "The Healing". I also love the classic Blues guitar sound on "Grinder". This CD has some great songs, but it also has a lot of dead spots. If the CD was more consistent, it would receive a higher grade. Grade: B-
themusicaddict
Saturday, December 19, 2015
themusicaddict's Still Being Processed Review of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (Very Small Spoilers)
Hello,
I was with a group of my own kind - dorks, geeks and nerds - for the Friday 9:15 am showing of "Star Wars". I'm poor and a tightwad so I didn't preorder tickets as I've never had trouble getting into a movie previously. I followed the local Megaplex movie theaters website and saw that they kept on adding movie times. Thus on opening day I watched "The Force Awakens" in a half-filled theater. But that movie theater was crazy as "The Force Awakens" raced to a $57 million opening day sale of tickets. By the way, there's no after credits final scene.
As I said in the title I'm still processing this movie. I already have plans to see this movie again and I also want to read Alan Dean Foster's novelization, which is out January 5th, 2016. I'm breaking this blog down into the things I liked and disliked about this movie.
Liked/ loved:
1) My absolute favorite thing about this movie, Han Solo back on screen again. I over that he didn't have a small part either, he had a substantial role.
2) Chewbacca and The Millennium Falcon back on screen again. Love, love, love.
3) John Williams score, which I've listened to multiple times already, review forthcoming.
4a) Of the new characters, the one I liked the most is Rey (Daisy Ridley), no last name. She's a Skywalker, right? Luke and Rey share a very knowing look at the end of the movie. Miss Ridley is my new "Star Wars" crush.
4b) I love, love, love BB-8, he fits in well with C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (couldn't find the actors name, though previous actor Kenny Baker served as consultant). Again it was so good to see those two old faces again- I love the humanity that the actors bring to those roles.
4c) I also like Kylo Ren very much, until he takes off his mask. No wonder he wears a mask as Adam Driver is just not that intimidating. Keep the mask on Kylo. And wait his parents are who?
5) I loved the homages to the original, the hologram game board, the garbage chute reference
6) No Jar Jar Binks sightings- thank all that is pure and holy in the world.
Disliked/ hated:
1a) Characters that I didn't like. John Boyega as Finn, sadly one of the most boring characters in the history of "Star Wars". Finn really didn't know his own name? Also Finn worked in sanitation, I wish would Boyega would take that up for a career. I liked his humanity of realizing that he didn't want any part of the First Order. I liked that he had the courage to with sides under his own volition.
1b) Poe (yawn) Dameron (Oscar Isaac). I just don't think Isaac is a very good actor- he doesn't play a swashbuckling pilot convincingly. I also dislike his not-believable chumminess with Finn. Isaac bored the hell out of me in the only episode of "Show Me A Hero" that I could tolerate watching. It's hard to believe that snorefest came from the same genius mind behind "The Wire".
2) I disliked that "The Force Awakens" felt like a "Star Wars" remake more than a continuing of the story. So many plot lines are similar between the two movies. For instance, the bad dudes have a big weapon that the rebels are able to scuttle. Both Luke and Rey have similar origin stories and both end up playing a much bigger part than they would ever believe. I think the scene that shows the intense similarities between the two movies is where the rebels compare the size of The Death Star and Starkiller. To me- that seems that's J.J. Abrams admitting they are are using the exact same plot point in both movies. "The Force Awakens" is definitely bigger, but not necessarily bigger.
3) The film is a bit longer than needed, a few minutes of edits would have made this movie better.
Grade: B, a grade I wish I could be a bit more excited about. Although I went in to this movie knowing there's no way it would live up to my expectations.
Bring on "Rogue One".
themusicaddict
I was with a group of my own kind - dorks, geeks and nerds - for the Friday 9:15 am showing of "Star Wars". I'm poor and a tightwad so I didn't preorder tickets as I've never had trouble getting into a movie previously. I followed the local Megaplex movie theaters website and saw that they kept on adding movie times. Thus on opening day I watched "The Force Awakens" in a half-filled theater. But that movie theater was crazy as "The Force Awakens" raced to a $57 million opening day sale of tickets. By the way, there's no after credits final scene.
As I said in the title I'm still processing this movie. I already have plans to see this movie again and I also want to read Alan Dean Foster's novelization, which is out January 5th, 2016. I'm breaking this blog down into the things I liked and disliked about this movie.
Liked/ loved:
1) My absolute favorite thing about this movie, Han Solo back on screen again. I over that he didn't have a small part either, he had a substantial role.
2) Chewbacca and The Millennium Falcon back on screen again. Love, love, love.
3) John Williams score, which I've listened to multiple times already, review forthcoming.
4a) Of the new characters, the one I liked the most is Rey (Daisy Ridley), no last name. She's a Skywalker, right? Luke and Rey share a very knowing look at the end of the movie. Miss Ridley is my new "Star Wars" crush.
4b) I love, love, love BB-8, he fits in well with C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (couldn't find the actors name, though previous actor Kenny Baker served as consultant). Again it was so good to see those two old faces again- I love the humanity that the actors bring to those roles.
4c) I also like Kylo Ren very much, until he takes off his mask. No wonder he wears a mask as Adam Driver is just not that intimidating. Keep the mask on Kylo. And wait his parents are who?
5) I loved the homages to the original, the hologram game board, the garbage chute reference
6) No Jar Jar Binks sightings- thank all that is pure and holy in the world.
Disliked/ hated:
1a) Characters that I didn't like. John Boyega as Finn, sadly one of the most boring characters in the history of "Star Wars". Finn really didn't know his own name? Also Finn worked in sanitation, I wish would Boyega would take that up for a career. I liked his humanity of realizing that he didn't want any part of the First Order. I liked that he had the courage to with sides under his own volition.
1b) Poe (yawn) Dameron (Oscar Isaac). I just don't think Isaac is a very good actor- he doesn't play a swashbuckling pilot convincingly. I also dislike his not-believable chumminess with Finn. Isaac bored the hell out of me in the only episode of "Show Me A Hero" that I could tolerate watching. It's hard to believe that snorefest came from the same genius mind behind "The Wire".
2) I disliked that "The Force Awakens" felt like a "Star Wars" remake more than a continuing of the story. So many plot lines are similar between the two movies. For instance, the bad dudes have a big weapon that the rebels are able to scuttle. Both Luke and Rey have similar origin stories and both end up playing a much bigger part than they would ever believe. I think the scene that shows the intense similarities between the two movies is where the rebels compare the size of The Death Star and Starkiller. To me- that seems that's J.J. Abrams admitting they are are using the exact same plot point in both movies. "The Force Awakens" is definitely bigger, but not necessarily bigger.
3) The film is a bit longer than needed, a few minutes of edits would have made this movie better.
Grade: B, a grade I wish I could be a bit more excited about. Although I went in to this movie knowing there's no way it would live up to my expectations.
Bring on "Rogue One".
themusicaddict
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Songs on themusicaddict's Radar Merry "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" Eve Eve (Started December 16th, 2015) (No Spoilers I Promise)
Hello,
My goodness I can hardly wait for Friday morning! I haven't bought a ticket, I'm just showing up and hoping for a ticket. The first review is in and EW is giving it a B+. If after watching the movie I agree with that review, I would be ecstatic. Then I'll plan on finding another time to go see it. I'm com-pletely giving in to my "Star Wars" fandom this week. Here's one of the trailers with music only, I thought this is very cool. May The Force Be With You!
Here's some songs for you non-"Star Wars" geeks:
First up a triple play of R.E.M.:
"Fall On Me":
The much maligned "Shiny Happy People" (featuring the B-52's Kate Pierson), but one of the many R.E.M. songs I absolutely love:
Another one of my favorite R.E.M. songs, "Don't Go Back To Rockville" (with weird intro):
I was reminded of some of the great music of Siouxsie and The Banshees this past weekend and I really like this mix of "Kiss Them For Me" (Snapper Mix):
Thanks youtube.com for introducing this song to me. "Cities In Dust (Extended Eruption Mix)":
Gentlemans Pistols "Private Rendezvous" isn't available in video form yet- that's my favorite song on "Hustler's Row". So here's "Devil's Advocate On Call":
A couple from Queen, first "Keep Yourself Alive":
Like "Shiny Happy People" and R.E.M. I'm sure most of this band's diehard fans would disown this song. But I absolutely love this corny, but great, song. "Flash Gordon":
Metallica's "Master of Puppets":
INXS' "Original Sin":
My goodness I can hardly wait for Friday morning! I haven't bought a ticket, I'm just showing up and hoping for a ticket. The first review is in and EW is giving it a B+. If after watching the movie I agree with that review, I would be ecstatic. Then I'll plan on finding another time to go see it. I'm com-pletely giving in to my "Star Wars" fandom this week. Here's one of the trailers with music only, I thought this is very cool. May The Force Be With You!
Here's an extended version of "The Force Awakens" main title song:
According to the I'm sure, self-titled, "King Of Soundtrack", here's the best music from "Star Wars":
"The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)":
"Star Wars" Main Theme:
Combining two huge cultural forces, disco and "Star Wars", here's Meco's "Star Wars" Theme:
Here's some songs for you non-"Star Wars" geeks:
First up a triple play of R.E.M.:
"Fall On Me":
The much maligned "Shiny Happy People" (featuring the B-52's Kate Pierson), but one of the many R.E.M. songs I absolutely love:
Another one of my favorite R.E.M. songs, "Don't Go Back To Rockville" (with weird intro):
I was reminded of some of the great music of Siouxsie and The Banshees this past weekend and I really like this mix of "Kiss Them For Me" (Snapper Mix):
Thanks youtube.com for introducing this song to me. "Cities In Dust (Extended Eruption Mix)":
Gentlemans Pistols "Private Rendezvous" isn't available in video form yet- that's my favorite song on "Hustler's Row". So here's "Devil's Advocate On Call":
A couple from Queen, first "Keep Yourself Alive":
Like "Shiny Happy People" and R.E.M. I'm sure most of this band's diehard fans would disown this song. But I absolutely love this corny, but great, song. "Flash Gordon":
Metallica's "Master of Puppets":
INXS' "Original Sin":
themusicaddict
Sunday, December 13, 2015
INXS's Surprisingly Good Final Studio Album: The "Switch" Was Set To Better Than Expected
Hello,
I'm still working on my "City on Fire" blog, I was able to get to page 218 today. I'll finish that blog and my "Kick" blogs eventually.
I have to admit I didn't pay much attention to "Rock Star: INXS", I thought it was a cynical cash grab for one final shot at glory. While it still may have been that, I'll have to admit that the results were much better than I expected. Honestly if I hadn't been researching INXS' "Kick", I probably would have never stumbled on to the pleasures of "Switch". The only album INXS recorded with the winner, J.D. fortune, of their reality show. He's probably not as charismatic as former singer Michael Hutchence, but Fortune sounds a lot like Hutchence. That helps gives the songs more of a viability, Fortune infuses each song with a swagger. While I'm not saying that "Switch" is the greatest CD of all-time or even the best INXS CD- it is still a pretty solid CD. Check it out if you can, here's a video for each song.
1) "Devil's Party" Fortune definitely has what it takes to be a lead man and I love the sax on this song:
2) "Pretty Vegas":
3) "Afterglow":
I love how alluring these woman are without being overly slutty. 4) "Hot Girls":
5) "Perfect Strangers":
6) "Remember Who's Your Man":
7) "Hungry":
8) "Never Let You Go":
9) "Like It Or Not":
10) "Us":
11) "God's Top Ten":
themusicaddict
Saturday, December 12, 2015
themusicaddict's Greatest CDs of All-Time: INXS' "Kick" (Updated December 14th, 2015)
Hello,
This is the first one of these Greatest CDs of All-Time blogs that I've done in awhile. As the title suggests I take one of the greatest CDs of all-time and break it down. Today's CD is by the Australian band INXS, led by the charismatic and tragic Michael Hutchence. INXS is one of the most overlooked bands from the 80's. Most people know at least one or two of their songs and probably like those. However INXS has at least 20 great songs. I have 94 versions of INXS songs on my iTunes. Of the 32 INXS songs I've rated, I've given 26 of them either 4 or 5 stars.
The musicians of "Kick" were Garry Gary Beers- bass guitar, Andrew Farriss- keyboards and guitar, Jon Farriss- percussion and drums, Tim Farriss- guitar, Kirk Pengilly- guitar, saxophone and vocals and singer Michael Hutchence. Pengilly's sax made INXS one of the saxiest bands ever. His brilliant sax solos lifted many INXS songs to the next level. Don't trifle with the sax.
Powered by "Kick" (were they kick started?) INXS probably was the biggest band in the world the end of 1987 and for a part of 1988. "Kick" is an amazing CD so it makes sense that they briefly took over the world of music for those several months. "Kick" is about as close to perfect CD in terms of length you can find. A solid 12 songs in 39:42. The CD is long enough that you can enjoy and savor it, but not too long where it wears out it's welcome.
"Kick" came two years after "Listen Like Thieves", that CD said that INXS was a band on their way. "Thieves" is powered by songs "Listen Like Thieves", "What You Need" and "Shine Like It Does". INXS has a song on the second best 80's soundtrack, "Pretty In Pink"- that song is "Do Wot U Do". Sure that's a throwaway song- but still a nice little pop gem. "Thieves" said that INXS were on their way, "Kick" said they were a band to be reckoned with.
How can one not like a CD that has "New Sensation", "Devil Inside", "Need You Tonight", "Mystify" and "Never Tear Us Apart"? Those are just 5 of the at least 10 very good songs on this CD.
As with many bands that have a gigantic CD, that CD can so many times mark the beginning of the end. That's the case with INXS. Three years after "Kick" came "X"- the title is a pretty good sign of how the band had peaked/ gone stagnant. "Suicide Blonde" is a decent song, but it's one of their lesser songs. Sadly the returns diminished over the next 3 CDs "Welcome To Wherever You Are", "Full Moon, Dirty Hearts" and "Elegantly Wasted". Sadly in November, 1997 Hutchence died- what many believe was at his own hand. For the most part that was the last heard of INXS for several years until their "Rock Star" emergence. That produced "Switch" which remarkably much better than anyone has the right to expect. Please see next blog. (Thanks to Wikipedia.org for much of the biographical information on this blog.)
themusicaddict
This is the first one of these Greatest CDs of All-Time blogs that I've done in awhile. As the title suggests I take one of the greatest CDs of all-time and break it down. Today's CD is by the Australian band INXS, led by the charismatic and tragic Michael Hutchence. INXS is one of the most overlooked bands from the 80's. Most people know at least one or two of their songs and probably like those. However INXS has at least 20 great songs. I have 94 versions of INXS songs on my iTunes. Of the 32 INXS songs I've rated, I've given 26 of them either 4 or 5 stars.
The musicians of "Kick" were Garry Gary Beers- bass guitar, Andrew Farriss- keyboards and guitar, Jon Farriss- percussion and drums, Tim Farriss- guitar, Kirk Pengilly- guitar, saxophone and vocals and singer Michael Hutchence. Pengilly's sax made INXS one of the saxiest bands ever. His brilliant sax solos lifted many INXS songs to the next level. Don't trifle with the sax.
Powered by "Kick" (were they kick started?) INXS probably was the biggest band in the world the end of 1987 and for a part of 1988. "Kick" is an amazing CD so it makes sense that they briefly took over the world of music for those several months. "Kick" is about as close to perfect CD in terms of length you can find. A solid 12 songs in 39:42. The CD is long enough that you can enjoy and savor it, but not too long where it wears out it's welcome.
"Kick" came two years after "Listen Like Thieves", that CD said that INXS was a band on their way. "Thieves" is powered by songs "Listen Like Thieves", "What You Need" and "Shine Like It Does". INXS has a song on the second best 80's soundtrack, "Pretty In Pink"- that song is "Do Wot U Do". Sure that's a throwaway song- but still a nice little pop gem. "Thieves" said that INXS were on their way, "Kick" said they were a band to be reckoned with.
1) "Guns In The Sky":
2) "New Sensation":
3) "Devil Inside":
4) "Need You Tonight"/ "Mediate":
5) "Mediate":
6) "The Loved One":
7) "Wild Life":
8) "Never Tear Us Apart":
9) "Mystify":
10) "Kick":
11) "Calling All Nations":
12) "Tiny Daggers":
7) "Wild Life":
8) "Never Tear Us Apart":
9) "Mystify":
10) "Kick":
11) "Calling All Nations":
12) "Tiny Daggers":
As with many bands that have a gigantic CD, that CD can so many times mark the beginning of the end. That's the case with INXS. Three years after "Kick" came "X"- the title is a pretty good sign of how the band had peaked/ gone stagnant. "Suicide Blonde" is a decent song, but it's one of their lesser songs. Sadly the returns diminished over the next 3 CDs "Welcome To Wherever You Are", "Full Moon, Dirty Hearts" and "Elegantly Wasted". Sadly in November, 1997 Hutchence died- what many believe was at his own hand. For the most part that was the last heard of INXS for several years until their "Rock Star" emergence. That produced "Switch" which remarkably much better than anyone has the right to expect. Please see next blog. (Thanks to Wikipedia.org for much of the biographical information on this blog.)
themusicaddict
Thursday, December 10, 2015
My Ongoing Battle With Garth Risk Hallberg's "City On Fire" (Spoilers, Started December 10th, 2015, Updated 1/9/16)
Hello,
First of all I would like to thank NetGalley.com and Knopf for letting me read a free copy of Garth Risk Hallberg's "City On Fire". As always this is a honest review.
Updated January 9th, 2016, this is through page 852 pages. Quite simply this book is too long, it's all anticlimactic for me. A good editing of at least 100 pages would have been great, especially as so many scenes are told over and over again- just from different viewpoints. I found out who shot Samantha and all I could think is really? Sorry, that's not believable or satisfying in the narrative of the book. Nicky Chaos' final two followers stop following him. My only question what took them so long? How did he get followers in the first place. Even the self-absorbed William saw through Nicky. Also what's up with this whole Post-Humanists bs?
William finally has this big confrontation with his father, only for his father to fall asleep on him. Too funny and I perfectly sympathize with the old man who fell asleep. William was a lot like this book, he never lives up to his potential. He's way too self-absorbed and entitled- there's no reason why he would feel entitled. I know he's a Hamilton-Sweeney but he did nothing to live up to his name. Even when he went on his own he was way too self-absorbed to be of much help to everyone. He should have stuck with Ex Post Facto.
For a story that only covers a few months, there are way too many characters. When Bullet shows up near the end of the book, I was like who?
I only mean to mock a bit, generally I've liked this book. But any book that comes with as much hype as this book needs to really deliver. Sadly unless the final 50 pages are absolutely amazing, it doesn't live up to it's own hype. Honestly at this point I just want it to end. My favorite characters are Mercer Goodman, although he's incredibly naive, Regan and Keith. I'm hoping they get back together. I hope Samantha survives the book- thanks Bullet. I really like Richard Groskopf- I wanted a better ending for him. It was such a waste. I'm lukewarm on Larry Pulaski, it seems he's purposefully dense. I thought Pulaski was great at first, but eventually I started liking him less and less.
I had time to read last night, but I needed a break from "City on Fire". I started reading "War Brides", a book I had always judged by it's cover. I'm only reading it now on the recommendation of a friend. I read the first 50 pages last night and am liking it, although it seems it will be too pulpy for me.
Updated January 1st, 2016, this is through page 691. At this point I just want to sit down and finish reading this book. I'm slowly working through the characters- finding out how they all connect, even when they don't know they are connected. In this section not only do we find that William is going to die early, but also that he kicked his heroin habit? Those two things may seem to be conflicting so how does that happen?
Will Pulaski, Nguyen and Goodman be able to figure out who shot Samantha? I understand that Samantha was at the nexus for so much, but why would anyone shoot her?
Just who was Samantha? Sometimes she seems incredibly naive, but sometimes she seems to be the manipulator. She's willing to trade sex for just about anything, but isn't she really looking for a real connection? Maybe she should have just stayed with Charlie all along, too bad Charlie's Mom grounded him for so long.
Plus I've added a brief main character review at the bottom of this entry.
Updated December 24th, 2015, this is through page 442. I'm nearly half finished this massive novel. I continue to enjoy it, but it is also a bit frustrating. I just barely read past where Mercer tries to stage an intervention for William to help him overcome his heroin habit. Also we see the Demon Brother meet with Nicky Chaos and what seems to be the end of their bizarre collaboration. That can't end well as they both think they are smarter than the other. Also both characters will do anything to achieve their ambitions, in their own different ways they are guided by a driving imperative.
Here are some of my questions and thoughts to this point of the book. Obviously the Hamilton-Sweeneys were helped financially by the Goulds. But in most other ways they weren't really helped by their collaboration with the Goulds. The Hamilton-Sweeneys have slowly been edged out of their own company by the Demon Brother. What had Regan done 15 years previously? Why did that irritate William so much, obviously William thought it was betrayal of some kind. How is the insider trading charges against the elder William Hamilton-Sweeney part of the Demon Brother's plan? I have no doubt that he's behind it. Is Amory framing the elder Hamilton-Sweeney? He definitely has plenty of motive. We also know that Felecia is on Team Amory, instead of team William, her husband. Both Felicia and Amory are such loathsome people.
Regan obviously loves her brother, is part of that that she feels she has to redeem herself to him? Why in the hell did Mercer think that an intervention would be a good idea? That had BAD IDEA written all over it. Although I did enjoy meeting the infamous Venus de Nylon. Mercer also loves William, but I'm not so sure that the feeling is mutual. The failed intervention led to William's "going to ground". Where could he possibly go? Was he preparing to leave already and was this the final thing that pushed him away. He came back for his clothes and TV, but why didn't he take Eartha Kitt with him?
Obviously this has something to do with said collaboration between the Demon Brother and Chaos, but why are the Post-Humanists following William? William is pretty self-involved, but he also is very smart. Did he know he was being followed? If so, did he use that to his advantage? Will Charlie survive his involvement with the Post-Humanists? Will Samantha survive at all? I thought she was going to die- or perhaps I read that somewhere- but she keeps on hanging on.
Why are both Pulaski and Richard obsessed with Samantha's case? I get for both of them it's part of their job, but their interest goes beyond a mere job. Why does Pulaski spend hours by Samantha's bed side when he has a wife that wants him home. Is he trying to lose himself in his work, or is he trying to find himself?
And why does Hallberg keep on quoting "Love to Love You Baby"- one of the least interesting Disco songs of all-time?
Updated December 14th, 2015, having read through page 257. I had this book on my Kindle, but this book is better to read in actual book form. I checked out a copy from the library. Anyway we are seeing the beginning of Charlie Weisberger and Sam Cicciaro's relationship. She bluntly tells him he is her project. Since the woman has that air of whatever it is that makes men go crazy, he's willing to be her project.
Like William below, Charlie is floating along in life. We see his formative years, the birth of his miraculous twin brothers Izzy and Abe, then shortly thereafter the loss of his father, going to an ineffective grief counselor, meeting Sam and discovering Ex Post Facto.
The book starts out with what feels like the ending of William and Mercer's relationship and in these pages I'm reading here we see the beginnings of their relationship. Although William is the spoiled progeny of Hamilton-Sweeney money, I get the sense that William benefits from the relationship more than Mercer does. He's looking for what William isn't going to give him, hopefully it won't be Aids or HIV that the promiscuous William gives him. Mercer has actually lived life instead of floating along like William. I love the fact that William is also Billy Three Sticks, formerly the leader of an influential punk band Ex Post Facto- which is Latin for "after the facts".
Speaking of key people in the history of Ex Post Facto, we meet Nicky Chaos. He quickly lives up to what feels like a nickname that he gave himself. I immediately don't like him.
I liked Regan Hamilton-Sweeney from the moment I first met her. She's going through the struggle of a divorce- but I'm not sure why she married such a bland man. Smart, beautiful and rich she probably could have had anyone she wanted. Why did she pick Keith? For Regan he seems like the "safe" choice. He was able to charm her family, was that what helped. And later why did Sam pick Keith? I just don't see what he offers to these women.
We also meet Sam's "fireworks genius" father, he's the central part of a story that the reporter Richard Groskoph is working on. I have an inkling of how Groskoph and Pulaski being poker buddies for 15 years will play out. But honestly I hope I'm wrong.
I love how Hallberg introduces us to all these characters that seem not to have much to do with each other. Slowly as I progress in the book we see how few degrees these people are actually away from each other. Is Hallberg suggesting that even the most disparate people really aren't that dissimilar? This is also a theme explored in the recent movie "Christmas Eve"- also about a group of people that don't seem to have a lot to do but those links reveal themselves as the movie goes on. Both of these forms of media take place in New York, is this degrees of separation a New York conceit?
December 10th, 2015
At this point I've read 16% through "Fire" on my Kindle. So far all I can say is this novel is sprawling in every way. A sprawling cast of characters, a sprawling story with so many moving parts and starring perhaps the most sprawling city of them all New York City. It's also a sprawling mess trying to keep track of all those things. It takes 944 pages to cover all the sprawling craziness. From New York Times here's the first paragraph of their review of this book. I post this only for the synopsis it provides, I lay no claim on the writing skill:
"Locating the best of times within the worst of times is no mean trick, especially in a historical novel where the history is recent enough that many readers remember firsthand just how bad those times were. That’s the delicate and ultimately moving balancing act that Garth Risk Hallberg pulls off in “City on Fire,” his Dickens-size descent into New York City circa 1976-77. Surveying a landscape that stretches from the smoldering South Bronx to the rubble-strewn vacant lots of Hell’s Kitchen to the spaced-out melee of Alphabet City, Hallberg doesn’t shortchange the era’s squalor. The thickets of graffiti are omnipresent; the detritus of drugs is underfoot; “Ford to City: Drop Dead” is on the front page. Yet humanity keeps bubbling up amid the ruins." (My thanks to the New York Times.)
Most of this book takes place from Christmas Eve 1976 through mid-1977. New York was literally on fire in many ways- both literally and metaphorically. 1977 New York featured the Son of Sam. (Fellow Dodgers fans please tread carefully over the next few lines.) It also was the summer of Reggie, the star the New York Yankees. He was a polar opposite to team captain Thurman Munson. Jackson led the Yankees to that year's World Series title, beating their arch rival Dodgers. Jackson won the World Series MVP with one of the best postseason performances ever. Due to his amazing clutch performance Jackson was nicknamed "Mr. October".
A fire in May killed 9 people and the July 13th-14th blackout led to"widespread looting and rioting." Plus there's this from wikipedia.org: "During Game 2 of the 1977 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers, a fire rages out of control at an abandoned elementary school near Yankee Stadium. The images and a dramatic statement on national television by sportscaster Howard Cosell is widely seen as the symbolic nadir of a dark period in city history." (Thanks to Wikipedia, any thing in quotes comes directly from Wikipedia obviously.)
I was 10 at the time. Although I lived far away I remember a lot about that World Series- as I am now I was a huge Dodgers fan then. I still remember Bob Welch striking out Jackson, but Jackson ultimately won their mano a mano battle. Jackson's World Series was truly electrifying. I still remember Munson's plane crashing a couple of years later, an accident that happened right before I entered junior high. While I'm not saying I know a lot about the New York experience then, I was at least aware somewhat of what was happening during the events of this book.
"City On Fire" certainly has a big canvas to work with all the things going on in New York City at the time. Just some random thoughts and questions as I continue reading this book. Did Sam know who shot her and why was she shot? What were Sam and Charlie to each other? Will Mercer and William ever find happiness? Are you kidding, I already know the answer to this question. Will Mercer ever write the great American novel? Will siblings Regan and William reconcile and do we even want them to? Will Regan ever find happiness? Will ANY of these characters ever find a semblance of happiness? What's the fate of Ex Nihilo? Will the demon brother Amory and Felicia Gould really win? Please no.
A brief review of the main characters: Regan Hamilton-Sweeney, the heart and soul of the book, is the new chief of PR and Community Affairs at her father's company. (Real life equivalent Ivanka Trump.)
Keith Lamplighter, Regan's estranged husband and father of their two children. He has made a lot of bad choices, but seems to have his heart in the right place, will he be a hero or not.
The elder William Hamilton-Sweeney, her brother, who has no interest in his father's company. William is a self-involved artist and the legendary Billy Three Sticks of Ex Post Facto band. He's gay and living with younger man Mercer Goodman.
Mercer Goodman is a teacher at a school where Regan's kids go to school. He loves William, but seems to be clueless what William is all about (mostly himself). Mercer was also the one who tried to help a young gunshot victim, Samantha Cicciaro.
Samantha Cicciaro is the person shot and currently in the hospital in a coma, figuring out who shot her and why is one of the major plots of this book. Is she victim only or is there something else going on?
William Hamilton-Sweeney, the owner of the company, seeming to be suffering dementia and also facing federal charges. He now seems to be a pawn of his second wife, Felicia Gould, and her brother Amory. The charges against him don't seem to have anything to do with him. It feels like he's being set up by the Gould.
Amory Gould, aka The Demon Brother, an incredibly slimy character who has wesealed himself into power in the Hamilton-Sweeney power structure. He seems to be funding the Post-Humanists, a group pushing for revolution. But they are also pawns of Amory, who wants the destruction for his own purposes.
Felicia Gould- ick- enough said.
Charlie Weisbarger- Samantha's sometime friend, especially when she needs something. Essentially a good kid who's still finding himself. It was Charlie she was waiting for when she was shot.
Nicky Chaos, another pawn of Amory Gould, but he's not clueless. He's leader of the Post-Humanists, a group intent on revolution. Too bad they are high most of the time.
Larry Pulaski, idealistic policeman.
Jenny Nguyen, Richard Groskopf's neighbor, almost lover and protector of his legacy.
Richard Groskopf, idealistic reporter, looking to find that one last great article.
themusicaddict
First of all I would like to thank NetGalley.com and Knopf for letting me read a free copy of Garth Risk Hallberg's "City On Fire". As always this is a honest review.
Updated January 9th, 2016, this is through page 852 pages. Quite simply this book is too long, it's all anticlimactic for me. A good editing of at least 100 pages would have been great, especially as so many scenes are told over and over again- just from different viewpoints. I found out who shot Samantha and all I could think is really? Sorry, that's not believable or satisfying in the narrative of the book. Nicky Chaos' final two followers stop following him. My only question what took them so long? How did he get followers in the first place. Even the self-absorbed William saw through Nicky. Also what's up with this whole Post-Humanists bs?
William finally has this big confrontation with his father, only for his father to fall asleep on him. Too funny and I perfectly sympathize with the old man who fell asleep. William was a lot like this book, he never lives up to his potential. He's way too self-absorbed and entitled- there's no reason why he would feel entitled. I know he's a Hamilton-Sweeney but he did nothing to live up to his name. Even when he went on his own he was way too self-absorbed to be of much help to everyone. He should have stuck with Ex Post Facto.
For a story that only covers a few months, there are way too many characters. When Bullet shows up near the end of the book, I was like who?
I only mean to mock a bit, generally I've liked this book. But any book that comes with as much hype as this book needs to really deliver. Sadly unless the final 50 pages are absolutely amazing, it doesn't live up to it's own hype. Honestly at this point I just want it to end. My favorite characters are Mercer Goodman, although he's incredibly naive, Regan and Keith. I'm hoping they get back together. I hope Samantha survives the book- thanks Bullet. I really like Richard Groskopf- I wanted a better ending for him. It was such a waste. I'm lukewarm on Larry Pulaski, it seems he's purposefully dense. I thought Pulaski was great at first, but eventually I started liking him less and less.
I had time to read last night, but I needed a break from "City on Fire". I started reading "War Brides", a book I had always judged by it's cover. I'm only reading it now on the recommendation of a friend. I read the first 50 pages last night and am liking it, although it seems it will be too pulpy for me.
Updated January 1st, 2016, this is through page 691. At this point I just want to sit down and finish reading this book. I'm slowly working through the characters- finding out how they all connect, even when they don't know they are connected. In this section not only do we find that William is going to die early, but also that he kicked his heroin habit? Those two things may seem to be conflicting so how does that happen?
Will Pulaski, Nguyen and Goodman be able to figure out who shot Samantha? I understand that Samantha was at the nexus for so much, but why would anyone shoot her?
Just who was Samantha? Sometimes she seems incredibly naive, but sometimes she seems to be the manipulator. She's willing to trade sex for just about anything, but isn't she really looking for a real connection? Maybe she should have just stayed with Charlie all along, too bad Charlie's Mom grounded him for so long.
Plus I've added a brief main character review at the bottom of this entry.
Updated December 24th, 2015, this is through page 442. I'm nearly half finished this massive novel. I continue to enjoy it, but it is also a bit frustrating. I just barely read past where Mercer tries to stage an intervention for William to help him overcome his heroin habit. Also we see the Demon Brother meet with Nicky Chaos and what seems to be the end of their bizarre collaboration. That can't end well as they both think they are smarter than the other. Also both characters will do anything to achieve their ambitions, in their own different ways they are guided by a driving imperative.
Here are some of my questions and thoughts to this point of the book. Obviously the Hamilton-Sweeneys were helped financially by the Goulds. But in most other ways they weren't really helped by their collaboration with the Goulds. The Hamilton-Sweeneys have slowly been edged out of their own company by the Demon Brother. What had Regan done 15 years previously? Why did that irritate William so much, obviously William thought it was betrayal of some kind. How is the insider trading charges against the elder William Hamilton-Sweeney part of the Demon Brother's plan? I have no doubt that he's behind it. Is Amory framing the elder Hamilton-Sweeney? He definitely has plenty of motive. We also know that Felecia is on Team Amory, instead of team William, her husband. Both Felicia and Amory are such loathsome people.
Regan obviously loves her brother, is part of that that she feels she has to redeem herself to him? Why in the hell did Mercer think that an intervention would be a good idea? That had BAD IDEA written all over it. Although I did enjoy meeting the infamous Venus de Nylon. Mercer also loves William, but I'm not so sure that the feeling is mutual. The failed intervention led to William's "going to ground". Where could he possibly go? Was he preparing to leave already and was this the final thing that pushed him away. He came back for his clothes and TV, but why didn't he take Eartha Kitt with him?
Obviously this has something to do with said collaboration between the Demon Brother and Chaos, but why are the Post-Humanists following William? William is pretty self-involved, but he also is very smart. Did he know he was being followed? If so, did he use that to his advantage? Will Charlie survive his involvement with the Post-Humanists? Will Samantha survive at all? I thought she was going to die- or perhaps I read that somewhere- but she keeps on hanging on.
Why are both Pulaski and Richard obsessed with Samantha's case? I get for both of them it's part of their job, but their interest goes beyond a mere job. Why does Pulaski spend hours by Samantha's bed side when he has a wife that wants him home. Is he trying to lose himself in his work, or is he trying to find himself?
And why does Hallberg keep on quoting "Love to Love You Baby"- one of the least interesting Disco songs of all-time?
Updated December 14th, 2015, having read through page 257. I had this book on my Kindle, but this book is better to read in actual book form. I checked out a copy from the library. Anyway we are seeing the beginning of Charlie Weisberger and Sam Cicciaro's relationship. She bluntly tells him he is her project. Since the woman has that air of whatever it is that makes men go crazy, he's willing to be her project.
Like William below, Charlie is floating along in life. We see his formative years, the birth of his miraculous twin brothers Izzy and Abe, then shortly thereafter the loss of his father, going to an ineffective grief counselor, meeting Sam and discovering Ex Post Facto.
The book starts out with what feels like the ending of William and Mercer's relationship and in these pages I'm reading here we see the beginnings of their relationship. Although William is the spoiled progeny of Hamilton-Sweeney money, I get the sense that William benefits from the relationship more than Mercer does. He's looking for what William isn't going to give him, hopefully it won't be Aids or HIV that the promiscuous William gives him. Mercer has actually lived life instead of floating along like William. I love the fact that William is also Billy Three Sticks, formerly the leader of an influential punk band Ex Post Facto- which is Latin for "after the facts".
Speaking of key people in the history of Ex Post Facto, we meet Nicky Chaos. He quickly lives up to what feels like a nickname that he gave himself. I immediately don't like him.
I liked Regan Hamilton-Sweeney from the moment I first met her. She's going through the struggle of a divorce- but I'm not sure why she married such a bland man. Smart, beautiful and rich she probably could have had anyone she wanted. Why did she pick Keith? For Regan he seems like the "safe" choice. He was able to charm her family, was that what helped. And later why did Sam pick Keith? I just don't see what he offers to these women.
We also meet Sam's "fireworks genius" father, he's the central part of a story that the reporter Richard Groskoph is working on. I have an inkling of how Groskoph and Pulaski being poker buddies for 15 years will play out. But honestly I hope I'm wrong.
I love how Hallberg introduces us to all these characters that seem not to have much to do with each other. Slowly as I progress in the book we see how few degrees these people are actually away from each other. Is Hallberg suggesting that even the most disparate people really aren't that dissimilar? This is also a theme explored in the recent movie "Christmas Eve"- also about a group of people that don't seem to have a lot to do but those links reveal themselves as the movie goes on. Both of these forms of media take place in New York, is this degrees of separation a New York conceit?
December 10th, 2015
At this point I've read 16% through "Fire" on my Kindle. So far all I can say is this novel is sprawling in every way. A sprawling cast of characters, a sprawling story with so many moving parts and starring perhaps the most sprawling city of them all New York City. It's also a sprawling mess trying to keep track of all those things. It takes 944 pages to cover all the sprawling craziness. From New York Times here's the first paragraph of their review of this book. I post this only for the synopsis it provides, I lay no claim on the writing skill:
"Locating the best of times within the worst of times is no mean trick, especially in a historical novel where the history is recent enough that many readers remember firsthand just how bad those times were. That’s the delicate and ultimately moving balancing act that Garth Risk Hallberg pulls off in “City on Fire,” his Dickens-size descent into New York City circa 1976-77. Surveying a landscape that stretches from the smoldering South Bronx to the rubble-strewn vacant lots of Hell’s Kitchen to the spaced-out melee of Alphabet City, Hallberg doesn’t shortchange the era’s squalor. The thickets of graffiti are omnipresent; the detritus of drugs is underfoot; “Ford to City: Drop Dead” is on the front page. Yet humanity keeps bubbling up amid the ruins." (My thanks to the New York Times.)
Most of this book takes place from Christmas Eve 1976 through mid-1977. New York was literally on fire in many ways- both literally and metaphorically. 1977 New York featured the Son of Sam. (Fellow Dodgers fans please tread carefully over the next few lines.) It also was the summer of Reggie, the star the New York Yankees. He was a polar opposite to team captain Thurman Munson. Jackson led the Yankees to that year's World Series title, beating their arch rival Dodgers. Jackson won the World Series MVP with one of the best postseason performances ever. Due to his amazing clutch performance Jackson was nicknamed "Mr. October".
A fire in May killed 9 people and the July 13th-14th blackout led to"widespread looting and rioting." Plus there's this from wikipedia.org: "During Game 2 of the 1977 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers, a fire rages out of control at an abandoned elementary school near Yankee Stadium. The images and a dramatic statement on national television by sportscaster Howard Cosell is widely seen as the symbolic nadir of a dark period in city history." (Thanks to Wikipedia, any thing in quotes comes directly from Wikipedia obviously.)
I was 10 at the time. Although I lived far away I remember a lot about that World Series- as I am now I was a huge Dodgers fan then. I still remember Bob Welch striking out Jackson, but Jackson ultimately won their mano a mano battle. Jackson's World Series was truly electrifying. I still remember Munson's plane crashing a couple of years later, an accident that happened right before I entered junior high. While I'm not saying I know a lot about the New York experience then, I was at least aware somewhat of what was happening during the events of this book.
"City On Fire" certainly has a big canvas to work with all the things going on in New York City at the time. Just some random thoughts and questions as I continue reading this book. Did Sam know who shot her and why was she shot? What were Sam and Charlie to each other? Will Mercer and William ever find happiness? Are you kidding, I already know the answer to this question. Will Mercer ever write the great American novel? Will siblings Regan and William reconcile and do we even want them to? Will Regan ever find happiness? Will ANY of these characters ever find a semblance of happiness? What's the fate of Ex Nihilo? Will the demon brother Amory and Felicia Gould really win? Please no.
A brief review of the main characters: Regan Hamilton-Sweeney, the heart and soul of the book, is the new chief of PR and Community Affairs at her father's company. (Real life equivalent Ivanka Trump.)
Keith Lamplighter, Regan's estranged husband and father of their two children. He has made a lot of bad choices, but seems to have his heart in the right place, will he be a hero or not.
The elder William Hamilton-Sweeney, her brother, who has no interest in his father's company. William is a self-involved artist and the legendary Billy Three Sticks of Ex Post Facto band. He's gay and living with younger man Mercer Goodman.
Mercer Goodman is a teacher at a school where Regan's kids go to school. He loves William, but seems to be clueless what William is all about (mostly himself). Mercer was also the one who tried to help a young gunshot victim, Samantha Cicciaro.
Samantha Cicciaro is the person shot and currently in the hospital in a coma, figuring out who shot her and why is one of the major plots of this book. Is she victim only or is there something else going on?
William Hamilton-Sweeney, the owner of the company, seeming to be suffering dementia and also facing federal charges. He now seems to be a pawn of his second wife, Felicia Gould, and her brother Amory. The charges against him don't seem to have anything to do with him. It feels like he's being set up by the Gould.
Amory Gould, aka The Demon Brother, an incredibly slimy character who has wesealed himself into power in the Hamilton-Sweeney power structure. He seems to be funding the Post-Humanists, a group pushing for revolution. But they are also pawns of Amory, who wants the destruction for his own purposes.
Felicia Gould- ick- enough said.
Charlie Weisbarger- Samantha's sometime friend, especially when she needs something. Essentially a good kid who's still finding himself. It was Charlie she was waiting for when she was shot.
Nicky Chaos, another pawn of Amory Gould, but he's not clueless. He's leader of the Post-Humanists, a group intent on revolution. Too bad they are high most of the time.
Larry Pulaski, idealistic policeman.
Jenny Nguyen, Richard Groskopf's neighbor, almost lover and protector of his legacy.
Richard Groskopf, idealistic reporter, looking to find that one last great article.
themusicaddict
Monday, December 7, 2015
Songs On themusicaddict's Radar: December 7th, 2015: The Day Still Living In Infamy (Updated December 8th, 2015)
Hello,
Seventy-four years ago the Japanese launched a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, which is in Hawaii. Up to that point the USA had done their best to stay out of World War 2. Two thousand, four hundred and three people were killed in those attacks. From Wikipedia.org:
"The following day, the United States declared war on Japan and entered World War II on the side of the Allies. In a speech to Congress, President Franklin Roosevelt called the bombing of Pearl Harbor "a date which will live in infamy."
As always, themusicaddict would like to thank all the veterans and their families for all their sacrifices made for the benefit of all. May your sacrifices never be forgotten!
There are a few songs on this blog that I've had in previous Radar blogs before, those songs are still very much on my radar. Only 11 more days until "The Force Awakens", please forgive any Yodaisms.
If you remember Night Ranger , it's probably because of "Sister Christian". While that's an amazing song, Night Ranger is so much more than that just one song. Here's three of their other great songs:
11) Loverboy's "Steal The Thunder":
12) The Vamps "Windmills":
She's pretty funny. 13) Allison Weiss's "Back To Me":
Two covers by Evanescence's "Amy Lee":
14) "With or Without You":
15) "Going To California":
16) The Pointer Sisters' "Neutron Dance":
17) The Cars "Tonight She Comes":
18) Maxi Priest's "Close To You":
19) Liz Phair's "Rock Me":
Seventy-four years ago the Japanese launched a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, which is in Hawaii. Up to that point the USA had done their best to stay out of World War 2. Two thousand, four hundred and three people were killed in those attacks. From Wikipedia.org:
"The following day, the United States declared war on Japan and entered World War II on the side of the Allies. In a speech to Congress, President Franklin Roosevelt called the bombing of Pearl Harbor "a date which will live in infamy."
As always, themusicaddict would like to thank all the veterans and their families for all their sacrifices made for the benefit of all. May your sacrifices never be forgotten!
There are a few songs on this blog that I've had in previous Radar blogs before, those songs are still very much on my radar. Only 11 more days until "The Force Awakens", please forgive any Yodaisms.
If you remember Night Ranger , it's probably because of "Sister Christian". While that's an amazing song, Night Ranger is so much more than that just one song. Here's three of their other great songs:
1) "The Secret of My Success":
2) "Four In The Morning":
3) "Goodbye":
One more great Stone Temple Pilots song that I forgot in my Scott Weiland tribute blog 4) "Sex Type Thing":
I was listening to the lyrics of this song the other day on my walk, wow the lyrics hit way too close to home. 5) The Black Keys "Next Girl":
A beautiful face
And a wicked way
And I'm paying for her
Beautiful face every day
All that work
Over so much time if I think too hard
I might lose my mind
(Thanks to azlyrics.com)
6) The Hag, Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried":
6) From both her "Fight Song" EP and her debut CD "Wildfire" (Out January 1st, 2016) this is 7) "Lone Ranger":
8) "Stand By You":
9) On tour soon with Journey, the Doobie Brothers will be, here's one of their best songs "Minute by Minute":
10) This is pretty cool:
11) Loverboy's "Steal The Thunder":
12) The Vamps "Windmills":
She's pretty funny. 13) Allison Weiss's "Back To Me":
Two covers by Evanescence's "Amy Lee":
14) "With or Without You":
15) "Going To California":
16) The Pointer Sisters' "Neutron Dance":
17) The Cars "Tonight She Comes":
18) Maxi Priest's "Close To You":
19) Liz Phair's "Rock Me":
themusicaddict
Friday, December 4, 2015
Songs On themusicaddict's Radar Featuring The Music of Scott Weiland, 1967-2015
Hello,
Wow, this week has been a week of loss. First the senseless massacre in San Bernadino and now the death of Scott Weiland in Minnesota. At least he died in his sleep, which is the best you can hope for according to a Kenny Rogers song. Like Weiland, I am 48, and it's always a bit disconcerting when someone my age or younger dies. From the outside Weiland seemed to be a bit of a jerk to deal with, but he was a great singer. Of course that's why he was able to always land on his feet. He and his band mates created some truly great music. His solo stuff was meh, but I always loved the often mocked Stone Temple Pilots. I never understood why they were mocked, they just rocked. I also like a few of Velvet Revolver's songs. Earlier this year I profiled his new band, Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts. There are some great songs on that CD as well. R.I.P. Scott
First up a song I hadn't heard of until today, The Magnificent Bastards "Mockingbird Girl". (Thanks Rolling Stone for bringing this tasty rock nugget to my attention.) Weiland sings on this outstanding rock song, which comes from the movie "Tank Girl". I plan on checking this soundtrack out later. Anyway here's "Mockingbird Girl":
"Wicked Garden":
"Plush":
"Dead and Bloated":
Wow, this week has been a week of loss. First the senseless massacre in San Bernadino and now the death of Scott Weiland in Minnesota. At least he died in his sleep, which is the best you can hope for according to a Kenny Rogers song. Like Weiland, I am 48, and it's always a bit disconcerting when someone my age or younger dies. From the outside Weiland seemed to be a bit of a jerk to deal with, but he was a great singer. Of course that's why he was able to always land on his feet. He and his band mates created some truly great music. His solo stuff was meh, but I always loved the often mocked Stone Temple Pilots. I never understood why they were mocked, they just rocked. I also like a few of Velvet Revolver's songs. Earlier this year I profiled his new band, Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts. There are some great songs on that CD as well. R.I.P. Scott
First up a song I hadn't heard of until today, The Magnificent Bastards "Mockingbird Girl". (Thanks Rolling Stone for bringing this tasty rock nugget to my attention.) Weiland sings on this outstanding rock song, which comes from the movie "Tank Girl". I plan on checking this soundtrack out later. Anyway here's "Mockingbird Girl":
I'm not saying that Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts are the greatest band ever. However they had a good thing going and it seemed like they had a lot of potential. Here's a couple of great songs from their CD "Blaster". First up "White Lightning":
"Youth Quake":
A three play from Velvet Revolver "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" (A great cover of the ELO song.):
"Illegal I Song":
"The Last Fight":
Not their most rocking song, but probably my favorite STP song is "Interstate Love Song". I love the lyrics, how Weiland sings it and how it nails the end of relationships so perfectly. This song is probably Weiland's best moment, a moment of genius.
"Interstate Love Song" (acoustic):
This is kind of cool Joss Stone Temple Pilots:
This is kind of cool Joss Stone Temple Pilots:
"Wicked Garden":
"Plush":
"Dead and Bloated":
themusicaddict
Thursday, December 3, 2015
themusicaddict's Reviews of Recently Released CD's December 3rd, 2015 (Finished January 3rd, 2016)
Hello,
1) The Dead Weather's "Dodge and Burn": I decided to review this CD after Jon Dolan's extremely enthusiastic review in the October 22nd, 2016 Rolling Stone. For all of Dolan's enthusiasm he still only gave it 3.5 stars- which is halfway between good and excellent. The rating didn't match Dolan's own review. Also it's incredibly unfair to compare any band with the greatest band of all-time, Led Zeppelin. After listening to this a couple of times I wasn't quite as enthusiastic as Dolan. Highlights include: "Mile Markers", "I Feel Love (Every Million Miles)", "Rough Detective" and "Buzzkill (er)". I also enjoy the change of pace song "Impossible Winner". Grade: B-
2) lostprophets' "Start Something": I quite like their CDs "Weapons" and "Liberation Transmission", so I wanted to check out this CD. The CD starts out slow, but has a strong second half. Highlights include "Wake Up (Make A Move), "Burn, Burn, Burn", "Goodbye Tonight" and "Last Summer". Grade: B-
3) Gloriana's third CD is the cleverly titled "Three". I didn't have high hopes for this CD, but I was pleasantly surprised. Although the theme about the likelihood of two complete strangers hooking up was explored way too much. Highlights include "Trouble", "It's On Tonight", "Fight", "Wanna Get To Know You" and "Get Back That Goodbye". Grade: B
4) The Foo Fighters' 5 song EP "Saint Cecelia": I'm not even a big Foo Fighters fan, but I still think this is a very solid EP. Highlights include, well frankly every song, but I particularly love "Saint Cecelia", "Iron Rooster" and "The Neverending Sigh". Grade: A+
5) Gentlemans Pistols' "Hustler's Row": Thanks to Graywhale for playing this CD when I was there one day, or else I would have never heard of this CD. This is a solid collection of rock gems. Highlights include "Private Rendezvous", the sounding different from every other song on the CD "Hustler's Row", "Dazzle Drizzler", "Personal Fantasy Land" and "Devils Advocate On Call". Grade: B+
6) MisterWives "Our Own House" Highlights include "Our Own House", "Reflections", "Not Your Way", "Box Around The Sun" and "No Need For Dreaming". A collection of relentlessly upbeat songs, powered by solid musicians and the strong vocals of Mandy Lee. If you like happy, upbeat songs, this is the CD for you. Grade: B+
7) Sheppard's "Bombs Away" Highlights include "Geronimo", "Something's Missing", "Halfway To Hell", "Flying Away" and "The Best Is Yet To Come" . I love "Geronimo", it's a great song. However most of the songs on this CD are meh. Grade: a reluctant C+
8) Queen's "A Night At The Odeon": Why did they bury "Bohemian Rhapsody" so early in their set? And Queen really recorded a song titled "Ogre Battle"? Huh? Highlights include "Killer Queen", "Big Spender", "Keep Yourself Alive" and of course "Bohemian Rhapsody". Grade: B-
9) Rush's "R40 Live"- Geddy Lee's vocals just aren't very good any more. Even these classic songs are marred by Lee's reedy vocals. Nothing against Lee personally, I love how big of a baseball fan that he is. However many of these songs are unlistenable due to his no longer as powerful vocals. I don't have the patience to listen to all songs. It's time for Lee to hang em up. The grade would be higher if Lee hadn't lost so much of his voice. Their musicianship is still stellar. Grade: C-
10) Loverboy's "Just Getting Started": Highlights include "Just Getting Started", "Fade To Black", "One of Them Days" and "Lost With You". I like that on "Lost With You" Loverboy is trying to vary their sound a bit. For a band past their prime, this is a very solid collection of songs. Also this is a CD I plan on adding to my collection, which is the ultimate sign of how much I like it. It's a great CD, but certainly not perfect, but better than anyone has the right to expect. Grade: B
11) "Doctor Zhivago" Original Broadway Cast Recording: Highlights: "Who Is She?", "Forward!", "Yurii's Decision", "No Mercy At All" and "Nowhere To Hide". In a year of notable historical Broadway musicals, this pales in comparison to the amazing "Hamilton". This book/movie is where I got my nom de plume from, and sadly the music from this musical doesn't live up to their legacy. While it has a few musical highlights, overall it's mostly meh. Too many songs that are just sort of just there. Grade: C-
12) Christian Mistress "To Your Death": Highlights include "Stronger Than Blood", but honestly all their songs on this CD are of the same quality. That's good but not great. Christian Mistress is a band that rocks, but honestly their sound doesn't vary a whole lot from song to song. Some people might like that, while some people will dislike it. It is what it is, this CD is enjoyable, but will never be considered a classic. Grade: C+
13) Christian Mistress "Agony and Opium" is a 6 song EP. Highlights include "Home In The Sun" and "Omega Stone". Christian Mistress is a band that rocks, but honestly their sound doesn't vary a whole lot from song to song. Some people might like that, while some people will dislike it. It is what it is, this CD is enjoyable, but will never be considered a classic. Grade: C+
14) Francesca Battestelli's "Christmas": Featuring "The Christmas Song", "Heaven Everywhere" and "What Child Is This (First Noel Prelude)". I enjoy how she mixes the holy and secular so well, with not letting either one overwhelm the other. I love Battestelli's slightly husky, but very strong voice. I honestly hadn't heard of her until I stumbled across this CD. It was released October 16th, 2012. This and "Wrapped In Red" are my two favorite Christmas CDs this year. Grade: A
15) Kelly Clarkson's "Wrapped In Red" (Google Play Deluxe Issue): Her 2014 Christmas CD, which she waited over 10 years to make her first Christmas CD and the wait was worth. She made a solid selection of songs for this CD. My only big complaint is the inept duet with Ronnie Dunn on "Baby, It's Cold Outside". It doesn't sound like a duet, more like two people singing two completely different songs. (Lady Antebellum does a master class of how to sing this song.) Highlights include the energetic "Underneath The Tree", the rockin' "Run, Run Rudolph", "My Favorite Things", the upbeat "4 Karats" and the somber "Blue Christmas". Grade: A-
themusicaddict
1) The Dead Weather's "Dodge and Burn": I decided to review this CD after Jon Dolan's extremely enthusiastic review in the October 22nd, 2016 Rolling Stone. For all of Dolan's enthusiasm he still only gave it 3.5 stars- which is halfway between good and excellent. The rating didn't match Dolan's own review. Also it's incredibly unfair to compare any band with the greatest band of all-time, Led Zeppelin. After listening to this a couple of times I wasn't quite as enthusiastic as Dolan. Highlights include: "Mile Markers", "I Feel Love (Every Million Miles)", "Rough Detective" and "Buzzkill (er)". I also enjoy the change of pace song "Impossible Winner". Grade: B-
2) lostprophets' "Start Something": I quite like their CDs "Weapons" and "Liberation Transmission", so I wanted to check out this CD. The CD starts out slow, but has a strong second half. Highlights include "Wake Up (Make A Move), "Burn, Burn, Burn", "Goodbye Tonight" and "Last Summer". Grade: B-
3) Gloriana's third CD is the cleverly titled "Three". I didn't have high hopes for this CD, but I was pleasantly surprised. Although the theme about the likelihood of two complete strangers hooking up was explored way too much. Highlights include "Trouble", "It's On Tonight", "Fight", "Wanna Get To Know You" and "Get Back That Goodbye". Grade: B
4) The Foo Fighters' 5 song EP "Saint Cecelia": I'm not even a big Foo Fighters fan, but I still think this is a very solid EP. Highlights include, well frankly every song, but I particularly love "Saint Cecelia", "Iron Rooster" and "The Neverending Sigh". Grade: A+
5) Gentlemans Pistols' "Hustler's Row": Thanks to Graywhale for playing this CD when I was there one day, or else I would have never heard of this CD. This is a solid collection of rock gems. Highlights include "Private Rendezvous", the sounding different from every other song on the CD "Hustler's Row", "Dazzle Drizzler", "Personal Fantasy Land" and "Devils Advocate On Call". Grade: B+
6) MisterWives "Our Own House" Highlights include "Our Own House", "Reflections", "Not Your Way", "Box Around The Sun" and "No Need For Dreaming". A collection of relentlessly upbeat songs, powered by solid musicians and the strong vocals of Mandy Lee. If you like happy, upbeat songs, this is the CD for you. Grade: B+
7) Sheppard's "Bombs Away" Highlights include "Geronimo", "Something's Missing", "Halfway To Hell", "Flying Away" and "The Best Is Yet To Come" . I love "Geronimo", it's a great song. However most of the songs on this CD are meh. Grade: a reluctant C+
8) Queen's "A Night At The Odeon": Why did they bury "Bohemian Rhapsody" so early in their set? And Queen really recorded a song titled "Ogre Battle"? Huh? Highlights include "Killer Queen", "Big Spender", "Keep Yourself Alive" and of course "Bohemian Rhapsody". Grade: B-
9) Rush's "R40 Live"- Geddy Lee's vocals just aren't very good any more. Even these classic songs are marred by Lee's reedy vocals. Nothing against Lee personally, I love how big of a baseball fan that he is. However many of these songs are unlistenable due to his no longer as powerful vocals. I don't have the patience to listen to all songs. It's time for Lee to hang em up. The grade would be higher if Lee hadn't lost so much of his voice. Their musicianship is still stellar. Grade: C-
10) Loverboy's "Just Getting Started": Highlights include "Just Getting Started", "Fade To Black", "One of Them Days" and "Lost With You". I like that on "Lost With You" Loverboy is trying to vary their sound a bit. For a band past their prime, this is a very solid collection of songs. Also this is a CD I plan on adding to my collection, which is the ultimate sign of how much I like it. It's a great CD, but certainly not perfect, but better than anyone has the right to expect. Grade: B
11) "Doctor Zhivago" Original Broadway Cast Recording: Highlights: "Who Is She?", "Forward!", "Yurii's Decision", "No Mercy At All" and "Nowhere To Hide". In a year of notable historical Broadway musicals, this pales in comparison to the amazing "Hamilton". This book/movie is where I got my nom de plume from, and sadly the music from this musical doesn't live up to their legacy. While it has a few musical highlights, overall it's mostly meh. Too many songs that are just sort of just there. Grade: C-
12) Christian Mistress "To Your Death": Highlights include "Stronger Than Blood", but honestly all their songs on this CD are of the same quality. That's good but not great. Christian Mistress is a band that rocks, but honestly their sound doesn't vary a whole lot from song to song. Some people might like that, while some people will dislike it. It is what it is, this CD is enjoyable, but will never be considered a classic. Grade: C+
13) Christian Mistress "Agony and Opium" is a 6 song EP. Highlights include "Home In The Sun" and "Omega Stone". Christian Mistress is a band that rocks, but honestly their sound doesn't vary a whole lot from song to song. Some people might like that, while some people will dislike it. It is what it is, this CD is enjoyable, but will never be considered a classic. Grade: C+
14) Francesca Battestelli's "Christmas": Featuring "The Christmas Song", "Heaven Everywhere" and "What Child Is This (First Noel Prelude)". I enjoy how she mixes the holy and secular so well, with not letting either one overwhelm the other. I love Battestelli's slightly husky, but very strong voice. I honestly hadn't heard of her until I stumbled across this CD. It was released October 16th, 2012. This and "Wrapped In Red" are my two favorite Christmas CDs this year. Grade: A
15) Kelly Clarkson's "Wrapped In Red" (Google Play Deluxe Issue): Her 2014 Christmas CD, which she waited over 10 years to make her first Christmas CD and the wait was worth. She made a solid selection of songs for this CD. My only big complaint is the inept duet with Ronnie Dunn on "Baby, It's Cold Outside". It doesn't sound like a duet, more like two people singing two completely different songs. (Lady Antebellum does a master class of how to sing this song.) Highlights include the energetic "Underneath The Tree", the rockin' "Run, Run Rudolph", "My Favorite Things", the upbeat "4 Karats" and the somber "Blue Christmas". Grade: A-
themusicaddict
The Double Gut Punch of "A Farewell To Arms": Reviews Of That and "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2"
Hello,
My thoughts are with those who were affected by the shooting in San Bernadino today. I find these continued mass shootings so heart breaking.
"A Farewell To Arms" follows the entire love story of Frederic Henry and Catherine Barkley from beginning to end. This is during World War 1, which is the reason why the two lovers meet. The book is set in World War 1, but the war is beside the point. Henry is an ambulance driver and Barkley is a nurse. I thought their love story was going to be a typical love story where the soldier loves and leaves the woman. I kept on waiting for the story to turn that way, I'm so glad that it didn't.
It took a bit of time to get use to Hemingway's writing style - short, terse sentences. The writing is matter-of-fact. It's a bit dry and took a bit to get use to. I don't know if I would call this book a classic. One reason why is of how sappy the dialogue is between the two lovers. See example below, I won't identify the speakers as it doesn't matter. A conversation about hair:
"I wouldn't let you cut yours"
"It would be fun. I'm tired of it. It's an awful nuisance in the bed at night."
"I like it"
"Wouldn't you like it short"
"I might, I like it is the way it is."
"It might be nice short. Then we'd both be alike. Oh, darling, I want you so much I want to be you too.
"You are. We're the same one."
Way too much of that kind of dialogue throughout the book. The above dialogue doesn't feel authentic.
Although after the very sad ending, the book ends with this very moving sentence: "After awhile I went out and left the hospital and walked back to the hotel in the rain." That's matter-of-fact but also eloquent at the same time.
Grade: C
Now on to "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2". I'm not going to lie I was very disappointed by this movie. Of the three books in "The Hunger Games" trilogy, "Mockingjay" is the weakest by far. Both of the first two books are absolutely amazing, extremely well written books. "Mockingjay" is a decent book, but breaking it into two movies? Well, that was a financial success, but a creative disaster. This movie is very dark, both thematically and literally. Seriously the budget must have been very little for lighting. So many times I couldn't see what was going on. That may not have been a bad thing.
Again this was a huge letdown, I was very disappointed. Of course this is only the sample platter before the full, buffet meal of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens". I'm hoping the full meal is so much more satisfying than the sample platter.
Grade: C-/D +
themusicaddict
My thoughts are with those who were affected by the shooting in San Bernadino today. I find these continued mass shootings so heart breaking.
"A Farewell To Arms" follows the entire love story of Frederic Henry and Catherine Barkley from beginning to end. This is during World War 1, which is the reason why the two lovers meet. The book is set in World War 1, but the war is beside the point. Henry is an ambulance driver and Barkley is a nurse. I thought their love story was going to be a typical love story where the soldier loves and leaves the woman. I kept on waiting for the story to turn that way, I'm so glad that it didn't.
It took a bit of time to get use to Hemingway's writing style - short, terse sentences. The writing is matter-of-fact. It's a bit dry and took a bit to get use to. I don't know if I would call this book a classic. One reason why is of how sappy the dialogue is between the two lovers. See example below, I won't identify the speakers as it doesn't matter. A conversation about hair:
"I wouldn't let you cut yours"
"It would be fun. I'm tired of it. It's an awful nuisance in the bed at night."
"I like it"
"Wouldn't you like it short"
"I might, I like it is the way it is."
"It might be nice short. Then we'd both be alike. Oh, darling, I want you so much I want to be you too.
"You are. We're the same one."
Way too much of that kind of dialogue throughout the book. The above dialogue doesn't feel authentic.
Although after the very sad ending, the book ends with this very moving sentence: "After awhile I went out and left the hospital and walked back to the hotel in the rain." That's matter-of-fact but also eloquent at the same time.
Grade: C
Now on to "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2". I'm not going to lie I was very disappointed by this movie. Of the three books in "The Hunger Games" trilogy, "Mockingjay" is the weakest by far. Both of the first two books are absolutely amazing, extremely well written books. "Mockingjay" is a decent book, but breaking it into two movies? Well, that was a financial success, but a creative disaster. This movie is very dark, both thematically and literally. Seriously the budget must have been very little for lighting. So many times I couldn't see what was going on. That may not have been a bad thing.
Again this was a huge letdown, I was very disappointed. Of course this is only the sample platter before the full, buffet meal of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens". I'm hoping the full meal is so much more satisfying than the sample platter.
Grade: C-/D +
themusicaddict
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)