hello all. This is just going to be a quick plug for the new vinyl record store that has opened in Catonsville. I Just visited this place and give it a full endorsement. With an incredible selection of used vinyl available for extremely reasonable prices, this place was a breath of fresh air to me. I now have a new place to continue my vinyl collecting. For $20, I was able to get "Odds and Sods" and "Who's Next" by The Who, "Magical Mystery Tour", and "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" by The Beatles, Steve Perry's solo album, "Escape" by Journey, and "Spirit" by Spirit. Clearly a great mix of stuff for great prices. There was no hassle from staff, and plenty of space to browse. The entire collection is alphabetical order, to where you feel like you must put an album right back in its place. The best part is a turntable available for public use, so you can test the albums before you buy, but unlike Record and Tape Traders, everything looked to be at least in playable condition. They will also convert vinyl to CD for you, I'm sure for a charge though. This is also to announce that I am going to give the Beatles another chance, thus why I bought those two albums. I will keep you posted on the result!
I beg you in the area to give this place a check. Buy something too, the owner is nice as anything!
On another note, this week, I will be taking Mom to go see Heart. Lets hope they're as spectacular as they were last summer!
Good night friends!
Showing posts with label The Who. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Who. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
It's Hard
Hello friends, I'm sorry I have not written lately. This blog entry though is just going to be some observations and an update of musical events going on.
First off, the UMBC Symphony concert is this weekend, which will again feature my brass quintet in the lobby playing for guests waiting for the doors to open. We decided that it would be fun to add a drummer to the mix since we decided to do an all rock set this time. I'm very excited to debut the arrangement of the Overture from "Tommy". We are also doing "Under Pressure" by Queen, and "More Than a Feeling" by Boston.
The Symphony concert itself is only utilizing me for the Triumphant March from Aida, which is a lot of fun and a whole lot of playing. I'm going to miss having my Tuesday nights occupied by music. This problem is exaggerated by the fact that my summer musical has been canceled. I really won't HAVE to touch my trumpet again until September, but you know that won't happen.
On the arranging front, I have been on a Who kick with "Happy Jack" and "Behind Blue Eyes" now under my belt and in the quintet binder. While on this exploration of The Who, I learned that they really enjoy the key of D, and really how important Keith Moon was to the group. His complicated, and stream of conscious style of drumming really highlighted the rhythmic pulses of the group and is evident as the back bone of the compositional style of the group. This is easiest heard when listening to the album, "Its Hard" which featured Kenney Jones on drums since Keith had died. This was their second album without Moon. The sound of the band is still pretty good, but its missing a dynamic and the group sounds much more conservative. After listening to this album, I decided to put on "The Who by Numbers", which was the next to last album Keith Moon played on before his death. The entire album just has this pure energy that is generated by his rumbling toms and a budding anticipation of a massive fill happening at any time. I discuss this because I also learned today Mike Myers (of Shrek fame) will be playing Keith Moon in an upcoming biopic. I fear this could be terrible and not work at all. He kind of resembles him but I am in no mood to hear Mike Myers' terrible english accent for 2 hours in a serious manner. I can't even stand the Austin Powers stuff. I don't think he has the acting chops to portray the deep and complex battles Keith Moon had with chemical addictions. What would be next here? Casting Seth Rogan to play Roger Daltrey because of his curly hair? This smells of a terrible idea, but you know I will go see it to pay my respect to one of the best bands ever and the best rock drummer ever.
Good day my friends. I leave you with a video of Eminence Front with a much better drummer, Zak Starkey. He's the son of Ringo Starr, and former student of Keith Moon
First off, the UMBC Symphony concert is this weekend, which will again feature my brass quintet in the lobby playing for guests waiting for the doors to open. We decided that it would be fun to add a drummer to the mix since we decided to do an all rock set this time. I'm very excited to debut the arrangement of the Overture from "Tommy". We are also doing "Under Pressure" by Queen, and "More Than a Feeling" by Boston.
The Symphony concert itself is only utilizing me for the Triumphant March from Aida, which is a lot of fun and a whole lot of playing. I'm going to miss having my Tuesday nights occupied by music. This problem is exaggerated by the fact that my summer musical has been canceled. I really won't HAVE to touch my trumpet again until September, but you know that won't happen.
On the arranging front, I have been on a Who kick with "Happy Jack" and "Behind Blue Eyes" now under my belt and in the quintet binder. While on this exploration of The Who, I learned that they really enjoy the key of D, and really how important Keith Moon was to the group. His complicated, and stream of conscious style of drumming really highlighted the rhythmic pulses of the group and is evident as the back bone of the compositional style of the group. This is easiest heard when listening to the album, "Its Hard" which featured Kenney Jones on drums since Keith had died. This was their second album without Moon. The sound of the band is still pretty good, but its missing a dynamic and the group sounds much more conservative. After listening to this album, I decided to put on "The Who by Numbers", which was the next to last album Keith Moon played on before his death. The entire album just has this pure energy that is generated by his rumbling toms and a budding anticipation of a massive fill happening at any time. I discuss this because I also learned today Mike Myers (of Shrek fame) will be playing Keith Moon in an upcoming biopic. I fear this could be terrible and not work at all. He kind of resembles him but I am in no mood to hear Mike Myers' terrible english accent for 2 hours in a serious manner. I can't even stand the Austin Powers stuff. I don't think he has the acting chops to portray the deep and complex battles Keith Moon had with chemical addictions. What would be next here? Casting Seth Rogan to play Roger Daltrey because of his curly hair? This smells of a terrible idea, but you know I will go see it to pay my respect to one of the best bands ever and the best rock drummer ever.
Good day my friends. I leave you with a video of Eminence Front with a much better drummer, Zak Starkey. He's the son of Ringo Starr, and former student of Keith Moon
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Don't play those bars, I'm going to do an impromptu solo
Hello friends. I do apologize again for the long break, but the holidays and a last minute production sucked away all my writing time, and also my creative juices. I am back though to write some of my recent thoughts on prior musical events. I will start with the most negative.
I just finished playing in a pit for "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Forum". Well, not really finished, it wrapped up two weeks before Christmas, but you know what I mean. This was probably one of the worst run musicals in which I've ever participated. From a cast that didn't have one single singing voice, to a musical director with very little experience, and stage director who could only say "Make it more Broadway" as her only criticism, its a miracle that every night sold out the 80 seat theater space. I must make this statement because its terribly true, but please do not take it as a homophobic remark, but the show would have made much more sense if the courtesans for the house of Marcus Lycus had been portrayed by drag queens. Really, the worst decision of the whole production was to put the "orchestra" (I put quotes because it was a violin, cello, drum kit, piano, trumpet, trombone, clarinet/sax, and flute, that's it. This is a Sondheim show, he writes big) in a catwalk in the back of the hall, in a corner that was acoustically dead. This means they could not hear us, and we could not hear them. So pitch, tempo, concept of the whole show was just about lost, except for violent, and loud pounding on the synthesizer piano. The lack of a conductor for proper cuing was also a poor choice. It was hard to hear vocal cues which is essential for every orchestra member to hear if there's no conductor. I cannot complain too much because the show was successful overall and people were working hard and doing their best to pull it off, and I did make the most money I've ever made playing trumpet from this production.
So onward to other topics. I watched the poor lip sync'ing inaugural concert on January 19th on HBO. The only performer who did not lip sync and should have was Bono with U2. Some highlights of the show though was when Stevie Wonder made Usher and Shakira, and just about everyone else involved look like amateurs, Pete Seeger trying to lead people in a sing-a-long but people failing to grasp how that works, and Bono doing a one-liner about peaceful Palestinians that made everyone seem a little uncomfortable. The low lights were many, such as James Taylor singing with four other people who were indistinguishable, John Mellancamp walking 20 feet away from the microphone and not playing his guitar, yet playback sounded like he was still doing both, and Garth Brooks. All of Garth Brooks. First was Garth Brooks being set up as "The Sound of American Radio". Then was Garth Brooks singing American Pie, but avoiding the really fun and artistic verses. Then the topper. Garth Brooks performing "Shout" by The Isley Brothers. Again, a disclaimer as I'm not racist or anything, but Garth Brooks, you're not black. You should not have gone within a fallout radius of that song, or any other song published by an R&B or Doo-Wop group ever. Snoop Dogg would never sing "Ring of Fire", you don't sing "Shout". I happen to know Ronald Isley is very much alive and performing. Why could he not do his own song? I'm sure you call him and ask him, he'd do it for a fair wage. I had to stop watching the concert once Beyonce came out to sing "America, the Beautiful". Because her and Josh Groban both suffer from the "I can't sing a note on down beat of one" syndrome. They always, ALWAYS go silent on beat one and ciondense the first syllable to fit on the and of one. Whats wrong with letting the melody stand and letting your voice carry the tune? Nothing, and I think it can be taken as a weakness in your performance.
On a personal front, I'm looking at a light orchestra set up for the next orchestra concert. This I'm kind of happy about. I need a bit of a break from the duties. Its sometimes nice to not need to be so necessary in a group, and be able to just show up, contribute, and then leave.
My current missions in purchasing music consists of completing my Who discography, and the harder challenge of doing the same for Journey. Journey's older albums seem to be going out of print on CD as most people just want the Greatest Hits album and the Escape album. I've been having better luck with finding them used on vinyl. And of course, you know I have no issue with that, considering Steve Perry's voice is magical on vinyl. That reminds me that I'm trying to get as much of the Who on both mediums, of CD and vinyl. I am still always looking for Pink Floyd on vinyl as well.
Well my friends, I sign off on this entry and promise to keep you all updated on my musical musings in this world. I hope the new year has been gentle to you so far!
I leave you tonight with this video of The Isley Brothers doing their famed song "Shout" just so you can try and see why Garth brooks made me so angry!
I just finished playing in a pit for "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Forum". Well, not really finished, it wrapped up two weeks before Christmas, but you know what I mean. This was probably one of the worst run musicals in which I've ever participated. From a cast that didn't have one single singing voice, to a musical director with very little experience, and stage director who could only say "Make it more Broadway" as her only criticism, its a miracle that every night sold out the 80 seat theater space. I must make this statement because its terribly true, but please do not take it as a homophobic remark, but the show would have made much more sense if the courtesans for the house of Marcus Lycus had been portrayed by drag queens. Really, the worst decision of the whole production was to put the "orchestra" (I put quotes because it was a violin, cello, drum kit, piano, trumpet, trombone, clarinet/sax, and flute, that's it. This is a Sondheim show, he writes big) in a catwalk in the back of the hall, in a corner that was acoustically dead. This means they could not hear us, and we could not hear them. So pitch, tempo, concept of the whole show was just about lost, except for violent, and loud pounding on the synthesizer piano. The lack of a conductor for proper cuing was also a poor choice. It was hard to hear vocal cues which is essential for every orchestra member to hear if there's no conductor. I cannot complain too much because the show was successful overall and people were working hard and doing their best to pull it off, and I did make the most money I've ever made playing trumpet from this production.
So onward to other topics. I watched the poor lip sync'ing inaugural concert on January 19th on HBO. The only performer who did not lip sync and should have was Bono with U2. Some highlights of the show though was when Stevie Wonder made Usher and Shakira, and just about everyone else involved look like amateurs, Pete Seeger trying to lead people in a sing-a-long but people failing to grasp how that works, and Bono doing a one-liner about peaceful Palestinians that made everyone seem a little uncomfortable. The low lights were many, such as James Taylor singing with four other people who were indistinguishable, John Mellancamp walking 20 feet away from the microphone and not playing his guitar, yet playback sounded like he was still doing both, and Garth Brooks. All of Garth Brooks. First was Garth Brooks being set up as "The Sound of American Radio". Then was Garth Brooks singing American Pie, but avoiding the really fun and artistic verses. Then the topper. Garth Brooks performing "Shout" by The Isley Brothers. Again, a disclaimer as I'm not racist or anything, but Garth Brooks, you're not black. You should not have gone within a fallout radius of that song, or any other song published by an R&B or Doo-Wop group ever. Snoop Dogg would never sing "Ring of Fire", you don't sing "Shout". I happen to know Ronald Isley is very much alive and performing. Why could he not do his own song? I'm sure you call him and ask him, he'd do it for a fair wage. I had to stop watching the concert once Beyonce came out to sing "America, the Beautiful". Because her and Josh Groban both suffer from the "I can't sing a note on down beat of one" syndrome. They always, ALWAYS go silent on beat one and ciondense the first syllable to fit on the and of one. Whats wrong with letting the melody stand and letting your voice carry the tune? Nothing, and I think it can be taken as a weakness in your performance.
On a personal front, I'm looking at a light orchestra set up for the next orchestra concert. This I'm kind of happy about. I need a bit of a break from the duties. Its sometimes nice to not need to be so necessary in a group, and be able to just show up, contribute, and then leave.
My current missions in purchasing music consists of completing my Who discography, and the harder challenge of doing the same for Journey. Journey's older albums seem to be going out of print on CD as most people just want the Greatest Hits album and the Escape album. I've been having better luck with finding them used on vinyl. And of course, you know I have no issue with that, considering Steve Perry's voice is magical on vinyl. That reminds me that I'm trying to get as much of the Who on both mediums, of CD and vinyl. I am still always looking for Pink Floyd on vinyl as well.
Well my friends, I sign off on this entry and promise to keep you all updated on my musical musings in this world. I hope the new year has been gentle to you so far!
I leave you tonight with this video of The Isley Brothers doing their famed song "Shout" just so you can try and see why Garth brooks made me so angry!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
I Can't Explain, but I Kinda Can...
Hello loyal readers, thank you yet again for tuning to my little piece of the Internet. This entry will obviously be about the life changing experience that was Monday night that occurred at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC.
When I bought tickets to see The Who back in July or so, whenever they went on sale, I felt they were overpriced for an old band, but was a band important for me to see and hear as I continue to explore the roots of rock. So of course I was excited, and since I had no takers from friends to reimburse me for the $80 ticket, I gifted it to my mother. She hadn't been a headliner concert since seeing and meeting James Brown in the mid 1960's. Her friend's husband owned a strip club James Brown frequented in Charleston, South Carolina. Anyways, back on topic.
My mother didn't quite understand the importance of seeing The Who. I tried to explain to her that they were the innovators of modern rock. Before them everything was blues based. The Who invented the power chord. The Who invented the rock opera with "A Quick One While he's Away" from the album "A Quick One". They were one of the first bands to include synthesizers in their music. The Who even changed equipment practices. They were the first to use stacks of Marshall amps, John Entwistle helped develop the Rotosound guitar string, and even a new type of amp using higher wattage had to be invented for them. The list of things are countless. They were the cutting edge of rock. They were the definition of rock. They ripped the future of rock right out of the hands of Elvis Presley. Personally, I feel they are more influential than The Beatles.
With that said, I still did not expect much from the show. I knew they were aging, I knew Roger Daltrey's voice was fading, and I knew Keith Moon and John Entwistle were no longer with us. Pete's brother*, Simon, playing rhythm guitar, Ringo Starr's son, Zack Starkey playing drums, Pino Palladino on bass, and John Bundrick tickling the ivories. How good can this concert be?
Let me tell you. The Who were the second loudest band I experienced. They were louder than Judas Priest, Heaven and Hell, Ozzy, and Airbourne. The first power chord slammed into our bodies with them opening with "I Can't Explain". They then proceeded to play "The Seeker", "Relay", "Fragments", "Who Are You", "Behind Blue Eyes", "Real Good Looking Boy", "Sister Disco", "Baba O'Riley", "Getting in Tune", "Eminence Front", "5:15", "Love Reign O'er Me", "My Generation", and closed with "Won't Get Fooled Again". I remembered this set list pretty well this time. But if one looks at that list, you'll notice a disturbing absence. Not a single song from the iconic album by The Who. "Tommy". Where was it? Why? How? What?
After a solid five minutes of screaming and cheering, Pete Townshend sneaks out on stage and they play "Naked Eye". The crowd still not satisfied, still no "Tommy". They were chanting just to hear anything from the album. Never have I been to a concert where people chant for an album, not a certain song. The band stumbles around the stage a bit and look at each other, then the lights drop and and single spotlight illuminates Pete, and he hits that first minor seventh chord of "Pinball Wizard" then stops. Half the crowd realized what was about to happen, and of course, due to owning that album in 2 different formats, I know the chord. Pete then proceeds to play through the opening progression slowly, then whips into tempo with his brother* hammering the loud distortion entrance. The crowd explodes! Finally, something from "Tommy". They play through "Pinball Wizard" but they don't stop. They do a medley of the album, featuring full performances of "Amazing Journey", "Sparks", and "See Me Feel Me". After the crowd cheers itself hoarse, the backing band leaves stage and Pete and Roger close the show with a lovely duet they wrote, "Tea and Theatre". They then wished us good night and received a rousing cheer as a small chant was traveling for Pete to come out and bust his guitar. He did not of course.
So here I am 48 hours after the close of the concert. I reflect on it. Its changed how I listen. In the music of The Who, especially live, you can hear the birth of so many musical sub genres. The synth work from songs like "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again" inspired progressive rock, the hammering down strum of power chords and melodic drumming was the birth of metal, the fast strumming of power chords and screaming fast and rebellious lyrics birthed punk. The long solo sections wandering their way back to the head influenced jam bands and psychedelic bands. I won't be able to listen to Pink Floyd in the same light, nor AC/DC. I listened to "Who Made Who" by AC/DC and all I could hear were the walking power chord progressions, pioneered by The Who. I can't explain the change in my life this concert presented, but I now understand those before me, and I understand the draw, and just how awesome and powerful this music can be. I understand their ability to move people. I am going to be honest and three times during this show I got chills to the point I shed a few tears. This was the first band I've seen that completely left it all on the stage. They left exhausted, they left us exhausted. There's not many more words I can use to explain this. My mom even understood after the concert now what I was talking about.
I must discuss the opening act though, Inward Eye. This band has a great potential, just if they learned control on stage. Their guitarist just jumps around too much to where it affects his playing I feel. I enjoyed the vocals and the drumming quite a bit. They had a real punk feel to them without being just obnoxious, except for the jumping. His jumping even knocked over a mic on the drumset. They were victims though of the sound guy making sure they didn't sound too good. I listened to their stuff on myspace (http://www.myspace.com/inwardeye) and I enjoyed it quite a bit more. I do believe they have a release soon on iTunes and I do intend to purchase.
In honor of the topic and for my friend Stefanie, h-h-here's the f-f-f-famous clip of The Who on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Watch the end where Peter Townshend nearly dies.
Good night my friends, I leave you with the lyrics The Who left me with in honor of this being the 40th blog entry:
"All of us sad - lean on my shoulder now
The story is done - 's getting colder now
A thousand songs - still smoulder now
We played them as one - we're older now
All of us sad
All of us free
Before we walk from the stage
Two of us
Will you have some tea?
Will you have some tea
At the theatre with me?"
*Thanks Anonymous for catching my error! (11/6/08)
When I bought tickets to see The Who back in July or so, whenever they went on sale, I felt they were overpriced for an old band, but was a band important for me to see and hear as I continue to explore the roots of rock. So of course I was excited, and since I had no takers from friends to reimburse me for the $80 ticket, I gifted it to my mother. She hadn't been a headliner concert since seeing and meeting James Brown in the mid 1960's. Her friend's husband owned a strip club James Brown frequented in Charleston, South Carolina. Anyways, back on topic.
My mother didn't quite understand the importance of seeing The Who. I tried to explain to her that they were the innovators of modern rock. Before them everything was blues based. The Who invented the power chord. The Who invented the rock opera with "A Quick One While he's Away" from the album "A Quick One". They were one of the first bands to include synthesizers in their music. The Who even changed equipment practices. They were the first to use stacks of Marshall amps, John Entwistle helped develop the Rotosound guitar string, and even a new type of amp using higher wattage had to be invented for them. The list of things are countless. They were the cutting edge of rock. They were the definition of rock. They ripped the future of rock right out of the hands of Elvis Presley. Personally, I feel they are more influential than The Beatles.
With that said, I still did not expect much from the show. I knew they were aging, I knew Roger Daltrey's voice was fading, and I knew Keith Moon and John Entwistle were no longer with us. Pete's brother*, Simon, playing rhythm guitar, Ringo Starr's son, Zack Starkey playing drums, Pino Palladino on bass, and John Bundrick tickling the ivories. How good can this concert be?
Let me tell you. The Who were the second loudest band I experienced. They were louder than Judas Priest, Heaven and Hell, Ozzy, and Airbourne. The first power chord slammed into our bodies with them opening with "I Can't Explain". They then proceeded to play "The Seeker", "Relay", "Fragments", "Who Are You", "Behind Blue Eyes", "Real Good Looking Boy", "Sister Disco", "Baba O'Riley", "Getting in Tune", "Eminence Front", "5:15", "Love Reign O'er Me", "My Generation", and closed with "Won't Get Fooled Again". I remembered this set list pretty well this time. But if one looks at that list, you'll notice a disturbing absence. Not a single song from the iconic album by The Who. "Tommy". Where was it? Why? How? What?
After a solid five minutes of screaming and cheering, Pete Townshend sneaks out on stage and they play "Naked Eye". The crowd still not satisfied, still no "Tommy". They were chanting just to hear anything from the album. Never have I been to a concert where people chant for an album, not a certain song. The band stumbles around the stage a bit and look at each other, then the lights drop and and single spotlight illuminates Pete, and he hits that first minor seventh chord of "Pinball Wizard" then stops. Half the crowd realized what was about to happen, and of course, due to owning that album in 2 different formats, I know the chord. Pete then proceeds to play through the opening progression slowly, then whips into tempo with his brother* hammering the loud distortion entrance. The crowd explodes! Finally, something from "Tommy". They play through "Pinball Wizard" but they don't stop. They do a medley of the album, featuring full performances of "Amazing Journey", "Sparks", and "See Me Feel Me". After the crowd cheers itself hoarse, the backing band leaves stage and Pete and Roger close the show with a lovely duet they wrote, "Tea and Theatre". They then wished us good night and received a rousing cheer as a small chant was traveling for Pete to come out and bust his guitar. He did not of course.
So here I am 48 hours after the close of the concert. I reflect on it. Its changed how I listen. In the music of The Who, especially live, you can hear the birth of so many musical sub genres. The synth work from songs like "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again" inspired progressive rock, the hammering down strum of power chords and melodic drumming was the birth of metal, the fast strumming of power chords and screaming fast and rebellious lyrics birthed punk. The long solo sections wandering their way back to the head influenced jam bands and psychedelic bands. I won't be able to listen to Pink Floyd in the same light, nor AC/DC. I listened to "Who Made Who" by AC/DC and all I could hear were the walking power chord progressions, pioneered by The Who. I can't explain the change in my life this concert presented, but I now understand those before me, and I understand the draw, and just how awesome and powerful this music can be. I understand their ability to move people. I am going to be honest and three times during this show I got chills to the point I shed a few tears. This was the first band I've seen that completely left it all on the stage. They left exhausted, they left us exhausted. There's not many more words I can use to explain this. My mom even understood after the concert now what I was talking about.
I must discuss the opening act though, Inward Eye. This band has a great potential, just if they learned control on stage. Their guitarist just jumps around too much to where it affects his playing I feel. I enjoyed the vocals and the drumming quite a bit. They had a real punk feel to them without being just obnoxious, except for the jumping. His jumping even knocked over a mic on the drumset. They were victims though of the sound guy making sure they didn't sound too good. I listened to their stuff on myspace (http://www.myspace.com/inwardeye) and I enjoyed it quite a bit more. I do believe they have a release soon on iTunes and I do intend to purchase.
In honor of the topic and for my friend Stefanie, h-h-here's the f-f-f-famous clip of The Who on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Watch the end where Peter Townshend nearly dies.
Good night my friends, I leave you with the lyrics The Who left me with in honor of this being the 40th blog entry:
"All of us sad - lean on my shoulder now
The story is done - 's getting colder now
A thousand songs - still smoulder now
We played them as one - we're older now
All of us sad
All of us free
Before we walk from the stage
Two of us
Will you have some tea?
Will you have some tea
At the theatre with me?"
*Thanks Anonymous for catching my error! (11/6/08)
Monday, October 27, 2008
Marriage of Convenience
Good evening friends, I hope things find you harmonious tonight. This secular musical missal will be on the topic of the new AC/DC album, "Black Ice". This is their newest album, just released last Monday. It was a Walmart only release though I did see a few copies being sold in Record and Tape Traders.
The album starts out with their new single, "Rock 'n' Roll Train". I like this song quite a bit. Standard AC/DC fair. All the songs on here are standard AC/DC. Never leave the formula because it works too well. But there is a glaring issue with this album.
The album is 15 tracks long. AC/DC albums are normally between 5-10 tracks. They are normally concise and they pack a harder punch. I can't but help blame Walmart for this. I can't imagine Walmart saying we want the exclusive rights to your album, but you can make it however you want. I believe Walmart told AC/DC to stretch the album to be over an hour, otherwise they won't sell it for the already low price of $11.88. Some of the guitar licks aren't strong enough to carry an album. I imagine the original album looked like this:
1. Rock 'n' Roll Train
2. Big Jack
3. Anything Goes
4. War Machine
5. Smash 'n Grab
6. Stormy May Day
7. Black Ice
Then Walmart saw that was only 45 minutes and said "Oh no no no, we're about giving our customers value!" and thus AC/DC, to keep the massive distribution machine that is Walmart on board, went back in the studio and wrote and recorded some songs that are almost cliche versions of the band's style. This really broke my heart. I knew there would be something fishy with this album, but with how good the last Journey album was, which was a Walmart exclusive, I had hopes for the AC/DC album to potentially be a reincarnation of "Back in Black" or "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap". but instead its a really strong AC/DC album with pop filler mixed in.
When compared to other AC/DC albums I don't think this one is as strong, but simply because its watered down. Based on the tracks above only, I'd rate it this way:
Uniqueness: 9 - no one can sound like AC/DC
Composition: 6.5 - They're missing an epic anthem, such as For Those about to Rock or Let there be Rock
Vocals: 9 - Brian Johnson drops out of his howl a few times to sing and have a more smokey, jazz voice. Its refreshing.
Instrumental: 7 - You have to wait awhile before you get a guitar solo in this album
Value: 10 - I can't argue with $11.88
But with the album in its current released, bloated state, I'd rate it like this:
Uniqueness: 6 - the style gets a bit dry.
Composition: 5.5 - some sound like they were written to fill time, not our mind
Vocals: - 9
Instrumental: 5 - You have to wait even longer for a guitar solo
Value: 6 - I'd take fewer tracks for a better feeling of completion at this price.
There you have it, the long awaited review of the new album, "Black Ice". In one week I will be seeing The Who. I know you're jealous. I'll be sure to write all about it.
Be good my friends. In the spirit of upcoming events, I quote Roger Daultry with, "Why don't you all f-fade away (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
And don't try to d-dig what we all s-s-say (Talkin' 'bout my generation)"
Be good to yourself.
The album starts out with their new single, "Rock 'n' Roll Train". I like this song quite a bit. Standard AC/DC fair. All the songs on here are standard AC/DC. Never leave the formula because it works too well. But there is a glaring issue with this album.
The album is 15 tracks long. AC/DC albums are normally between 5-10 tracks. They are normally concise and they pack a harder punch. I can't but help blame Walmart for this. I can't imagine Walmart saying we want the exclusive rights to your album, but you can make it however you want. I believe Walmart told AC/DC to stretch the album to be over an hour, otherwise they won't sell it for the already low price of $11.88. Some of the guitar licks aren't strong enough to carry an album. I imagine the original album looked like this:
1. Rock 'n' Roll Train
2. Big Jack
3. Anything Goes
4. War Machine
5. Smash 'n Grab
6. Stormy May Day
7. Black Ice
Then Walmart saw that was only 45 minutes and said "Oh no no no, we're about giving our customers value!" and thus AC/DC, to keep the massive distribution machine that is Walmart on board, went back in the studio and wrote and recorded some songs that are almost cliche versions of the band's style. This really broke my heart. I knew there would be something fishy with this album, but with how good the last Journey album was, which was a Walmart exclusive, I had hopes for the AC/DC album to potentially be a reincarnation of "Back in Black" or "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap". but instead its a really strong AC/DC album with pop filler mixed in.
When compared to other AC/DC albums I don't think this one is as strong, but simply because its watered down. Based on the tracks above only, I'd rate it this way:
Uniqueness: 9 - no one can sound like AC/DC
Composition: 6.5 - They're missing an epic anthem, such as For Those about to Rock or Let there be Rock
Vocals: 9 - Brian Johnson drops out of his howl a few times to sing and have a more smokey, jazz voice. Its refreshing.
Instrumental: 7 - You have to wait awhile before you get a guitar solo in this album
Value: 10 - I can't argue with $11.88
But with the album in its current released, bloated state, I'd rate it like this:
Uniqueness: 6 - the style gets a bit dry.
Composition: 5.5 - some sound like they were written to fill time, not our mind
Vocals: - 9
Instrumental: 5 - You have to wait even longer for a guitar solo
Value: 6 - I'd take fewer tracks for a better feeling of completion at this price.
There you have it, the long awaited review of the new album, "Black Ice". In one week I will be seeing The Who. I know you're jealous. I'll be sure to write all about it.
Be good my friends. In the spirit of upcoming events, I quote Roger Daultry with, "Why don't you all f-fade away (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
And don't try to d-dig what we all s-s-say (Talkin' 'bout my generation)"
Be good to yourself.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Fall is the new Spring
Hello loyal readers. I hope this blog finds everyone in good spirit. This entry is about how I find myself surrounded in all sorts of musical happenings this time of year.
The UMBC Symphony has started up again. On our first concert it appears we will be playing Beethoven's 7th, Finlandia by Sibelius, and Selections from Carmen, and Mother Goose Suite. A lot of work, especially the Beethoven which is surprisingly chop busting. The good thing is that so far, its got my transposing chops back in shape! Beethoven is Trumpet in D, and Finlandia is Trumpet in F.
On the quintet front, I finished an arrangement of Money by Pink Floyd which will work nicely to demonstrate the concept of a head sheet in jazz. Our set for October's library Jazz gig (October 5th, 2pm you better be there) is shaping up to be very diverse, with a nice surprise ending. We plan to be educational and entertaining like our Christmas show, which we aren't booked for yet!
On the rock concert itinerary, things are very exciting as I will get to scratch two more acts off my list of "Bands to see before I die". Here's that list, by the way, with stars next to acts I have seen or tickets to see them. Please remember this is of all time so some acts could already be deceased.
10. Miles Davis
9. Queen with Freddie Mercury
8. Maynard Ferguson *
7. Dave Brubeck
6. Iron Maiden *
5. Journey *
4. Ozzy Osborne *
3. AC/DC *
2. The Who *
1. Pink Floyd
So that's right, if you've been paying attention to the Baltimore/Washington concert schedule, AC/DC and the Who are both coming to town in November, and I have tickets to both shows. This Saturday morning, after a very close call, I did score some tickets to AC/DC in the upper deck of the Verizon Center. I am already excited for that show. Luckily some friends had promised that no matter the price, if AC/DC came close, we would go. For $92.50 plus fees for each ticket and relatively short notice of the concert, we are lucky to have seats. Also to add, as a general rule of thumb, the ticketmaster "best available" search does not lie. The Who tickets I bought as a knee jerk reflex. I had no one to go with, I just dropped the $80 plus a piece and decided I'd either find a friend willing to repay or take my mom, as she has not been to a real rock concert since James Brown in early 60's. Mom is super excited to say the least. We've been warming her up on Several Species, a local Pink Floyd tribute group.
There's also some new albums on the horizon. AC/DC, The Killers, Keane, and Queen all have new albums due out in October or November. I'm not pleased that AC/DC is a Wal-Mart exclusive, but that is the trend in business, and I will be there October 20th, probably after work, to pick up my copy. The single, "Rock 'n' Roll Train", is definitely good, and really doesn't sound like they've dropped a step. The Killers and Keane have both teamed up with famed producer Stuart Price to produce their new albums. This definitely got me a little too excited for such pop rock. I love the Killers semi-retro sound, and I just love Keane's driving ballads and lead singers fully, billowy voice. The Queen album, I am nervous about, as I am not a fan of Paul Rogers' voice. I still miss Mr Mercury to this day, but I can't hold it against Queen, and I will certainly buy the album, to hear the instrumental work alone.
The immediate future holds the Renaissance Faire in Crownsville, MD. There's always plenty of interesting music acts at this thing, and normally at least one hidden gem, such as E Muzeki, who was doing covers of classic rock on traditional Greek and eastern instruments. If I find anything I'll report back of course right here.
Well my friends, enough rambling from me. May your ticket convenience fees be low! Good night.
The UMBC Symphony has started up again. On our first concert it appears we will be playing Beethoven's 7th, Finlandia by Sibelius, and Selections from Carmen, and Mother Goose Suite. A lot of work, especially the Beethoven which is surprisingly chop busting. The good thing is that so far, its got my transposing chops back in shape! Beethoven is Trumpet in D, and Finlandia is Trumpet in F.
On the quintet front, I finished an arrangement of Money by Pink Floyd which will work nicely to demonstrate the concept of a head sheet in jazz. Our set for October's library Jazz gig (October 5th, 2pm you better be there) is shaping up to be very diverse, with a nice surprise ending. We plan to be educational and entertaining like our Christmas show, which we aren't booked for yet!
On the rock concert itinerary, things are very exciting as I will get to scratch two more acts off my list of "Bands to see before I die". Here's that list, by the way, with stars next to acts I have seen or tickets to see them. Please remember this is of all time so some acts could already be deceased.
10. Miles Davis
9. Queen with Freddie Mercury
8. Maynard Ferguson *
7. Dave Brubeck
6. Iron Maiden *
5. Journey *
4. Ozzy Osborne *
3. AC/DC *
2. The Who *
1. Pink Floyd
So that's right, if you've been paying attention to the Baltimore/Washington concert schedule, AC/DC and the Who are both coming to town in November, and I have tickets to both shows. This Saturday morning, after a very close call, I did score some tickets to AC/DC in the upper deck of the Verizon Center. I am already excited for that show. Luckily some friends had promised that no matter the price, if AC/DC came close, we would go. For $92.50 plus fees for each ticket and relatively short notice of the concert, we are lucky to have seats. Also to add, as a general rule of thumb, the ticketmaster "best available" search does not lie. The Who tickets I bought as a knee jerk reflex. I had no one to go with, I just dropped the $80 plus a piece and decided I'd either find a friend willing to repay or take my mom, as she has not been to a real rock concert since James Brown in early 60's. Mom is super excited to say the least. We've been warming her up on Several Species, a local Pink Floyd tribute group.
There's also some new albums on the horizon. AC/DC, The Killers, Keane, and Queen all have new albums due out in October or November. I'm not pleased that AC/DC is a Wal-Mart exclusive, but that is the trend in business, and I will be there October 20th, probably after work, to pick up my copy. The single, "Rock 'n' Roll Train", is definitely good, and really doesn't sound like they've dropped a step. The Killers and Keane have both teamed up with famed producer Stuart Price to produce their new albums. This definitely got me a little too excited for such pop rock. I love the Killers semi-retro sound, and I just love Keane's driving ballads and lead singers fully, billowy voice. The Queen album, I am nervous about, as I am not a fan of Paul Rogers' voice. I still miss Mr Mercury to this day, but I can't hold it against Queen, and I will certainly buy the album, to hear the instrumental work alone.
The immediate future holds the Renaissance Faire in Crownsville, MD. There's always plenty of interesting music acts at this thing, and normally at least one hidden gem, such as E Muzeki, who was doing covers of classic rock on traditional Greek and eastern instruments. If I find anything I'll report back of course right here.
Well my friends, enough rambling from me. May your ticket convenience fees be low! Good night.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Be Good To Yourself
Good day friends, I come to slightly overhung and under the weather, but happy. I hope you're feeling good too. Last I attended a concert for the ages. This was the highly anticipated Cheap Trick, Heart, and Journey "trifecta from heaven" show as I was calling it to myself.
This concert showed up early on the radar, and boy was I glad we bought tickets early. Nissan Pavilion on this dreary, drizzly night was packed to the limit. After making excellent time there, we of course did some light tailgating with some rum and cokes, and some beer. We then shuffle into the show.
We find a solid good spot in the center of the lawn. Cheap Trick hits the stage. They do their normal carrying-on, introducing themselves repeatedly to the point that its comical. Lets not forget their entrance, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the best band in the world, CHEAP TRICK!!!" Cheap Trick hit us with their line up of "Dream Police", "If You Want My Love", "Surrender", and "I Want You to Want Me". Along with the great songs, they pulled out their marvelous gimmicks including Tom Petersson's 12-string bass and Robin Zander's 5-neck guitar. Though gratuitous, its amazing. And to top off Cheap Trick's set, Deen Castronovo* and Jonathan Cain of Journey came out and did a song with them.
After about 15 minutes and time to get a drink and t-shirt, the lights dropped and out came Heart. Don't be fooled by the soft name, or the beautiful two front women, Ann and Nancy Wilson. These chicks will rock your fillings loose. This is the first performance at a rock concert that gave me goosebumps. I got chills when they covered "Love Reign O'er Me" by The Who. Ann has "the pipes". Her voice can bring you to your knees. Recordings and videos do no justice to the power they bring to you in person. After a powerful and moving set, the crowd was electric and rowdy demanding an encore. After making us wait close to five minutes, they came and delivered an encore version of "Crazy on You". One more thing that helps is that these women, even at their age are good looking, then with the talent they bring, I'm not going to lie, are drop dead sexy to me.
At this point, I'm already starting to suffer fatigue. Heart brings such a well rounded, almost perfect music production to the stage, its hard to fathom that they were not the featured act. They were coming up. There was a rarely experienced sense of energy and anticipation in the air as Journey was being set up on the stage. So much energy that before Journey hit the stage, "Back in Black" by AC/DC is played on the PA and everyone stood up and danced, as if AC/DC just took the stage.
Finally, Journey hits the stage hard with "Never Walk Away" from the new album, "Revelation". The first three notes sang by the new lead singer, Arnel Pineda, demonstrated that he was for real, and that Journey truly is back strong and not going anywhere. Journey's set was a mix of new songs, including "After All These Years" and "Where Did I Lose Your Love" and old hits like "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Open Arms". A big highlight was hearing "Separate Ways" performed live. I won't lie, with the assistance of the alcohol and the adrenaline boost from Heart, I went nuts, absolutely nuts, for this song. Journey also did a song that no one seemed to recognize, something about being a secret agent. It was pretty cool, but the crowd kind of took a breather for it. Journey closed the set with "Be Good to Yourself". They did come back out for an encore for which the hoarse crowd was chanting. "Anyway You Want It" slammed into our ear drums and drove everyone into a frenzy never before seen. I will admit this is my least favorite song by Journey, but live, and a little tipsy, the song contains a ton of energy that is hard to believe coming from a band that just did a seventy minute set of vocally grueling songs.
One of Journey's secret talents in the band, is their drummer, Deen Castronovo. Not only is he a great drummer, that has helped bring Journey's sound into modern times with his heavier style, his backing vocals really help support Arnel's lead vocal efforts. Many times you could hear Deen's voice belting through and its definitely nice.
Neal Schon, former guitarist with Santana, was of course amazing, and definitely on his A-game in his soloing this night. His performing has to be seen live. He is in the top tier of guitarists I've seen live now. The order of preference of guitarists I've now seen live would be:
1. Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society, Ozzy Osborne)
2. Neal Schon (Journey)
3. Dave Murray (Iron Maiden)
4. Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath)
5. John Petrucci (Dream Theater)
6. Chris Scholtes (Several Species)
7. Nancy Wilson (Heart)
8. Joe Perry (Aerosmith)
9. Glenn Tipton (Judas Priest)
10.Phil Campbell (Motorhead)
Well my friends, I think this blog entry has become long enough. In a few days I do plan to have a ratings entry for all the acts seen since January. True, I do have at least two more concerts planned for the calendar year, one is a three-peat and the other is "The Who". That one gets to stand on its own. Have a good weekend, friends.
*Thanks Anonymous for catching that error. Too much partying I guess ;-)
**Yes, I edited my guitar player list. I kinda forgot about John Petrucci, who is amazing
This concert showed up early on the radar, and boy was I glad we bought tickets early. Nissan Pavilion on this dreary, drizzly night was packed to the limit. After making excellent time there, we of course did some light tailgating with some rum and cokes, and some beer. We then shuffle into the show.
We find a solid good spot in the center of the lawn. Cheap Trick hits the stage. They do their normal carrying-on, introducing themselves repeatedly to the point that its comical. Lets not forget their entrance, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the best band in the world, CHEAP TRICK!!!" Cheap Trick hit us with their line up of "Dream Police", "If You Want My Love", "Surrender", and "I Want You to Want Me". Along with the great songs, they pulled out their marvelous gimmicks including Tom Petersson's 12-string bass and Robin Zander's 5-neck guitar. Though gratuitous, its amazing. And to top off Cheap Trick's set, Deen Castronovo* and Jonathan Cain of Journey came out and did a song with them.
After about 15 minutes and time to get a drink and t-shirt, the lights dropped and out came Heart. Don't be fooled by the soft name, or the beautiful two front women, Ann and Nancy Wilson. These chicks will rock your fillings loose. This is the first performance at a rock concert that gave me goosebumps. I got chills when they covered "Love Reign O'er Me" by The Who. Ann has "the pipes". Her voice can bring you to your knees. Recordings and videos do no justice to the power they bring to you in person. After a powerful and moving set, the crowd was electric and rowdy demanding an encore. After making us wait close to five minutes, they came and delivered an encore version of "Crazy on You". One more thing that helps is that these women, even at their age are good looking, then with the talent they bring, I'm not going to lie, are drop dead sexy to me.
At this point, I'm already starting to suffer fatigue. Heart brings such a well rounded, almost perfect music production to the stage, its hard to fathom that they were not the featured act. They were coming up. There was a rarely experienced sense of energy and anticipation in the air as Journey was being set up on the stage. So much energy that before Journey hit the stage, "Back in Black" by AC/DC is played on the PA and everyone stood up and danced, as if AC/DC just took the stage.
Finally, Journey hits the stage hard with "Never Walk Away" from the new album, "Revelation". The first three notes sang by the new lead singer, Arnel Pineda, demonstrated that he was for real, and that Journey truly is back strong and not going anywhere. Journey's set was a mix of new songs, including "After All These Years" and "Where Did I Lose Your Love" and old hits like "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Open Arms". A big highlight was hearing "Separate Ways" performed live. I won't lie, with the assistance of the alcohol and the adrenaline boost from Heart, I went nuts, absolutely nuts, for this song. Journey also did a song that no one seemed to recognize, something about being a secret agent. It was pretty cool, but the crowd kind of took a breather for it. Journey closed the set with "Be Good to Yourself". They did come back out for an encore for which the hoarse crowd was chanting. "Anyway You Want It" slammed into our ear drums and drove everyone into a frenzy never before seen. I will admit this is my least favorite song by Journey, but live, and a little tipsy, the song contains a ton of energy that is hard to believe coming from a band that just did a seventy minute set of vocally grueling songs.
One of Journey's secret talents in the band, is their drummer, Deen Castronovo. Not only is he a great drummer, that has helped bring Journey's sound into modern times with his heavier style, his backing vocals really help support Arnel's lead vocal efforts. Many times you could hear Deen's voice belting through and its definitely nice.
Neal Schon, former guitarist with Santana, was of course amazing, and definitely on his A-game in his soloing this night. His performing has to be seen live. He is in the top tier of guitarists I've seen live now. The order of preference of guitarists I've now seen live would be:
1. Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society, Ozzy Osborne)
2. Neal Schon (Journey)
3. Dave Murray (Iron Maiden)
4. Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath)
5. John Petrucci (Dream Theater)
6. Chris Scholtes (Several Species)
7. Nancy Wilson (Heart)
8. Joe Perry (Aerosmith)
9. Glenn Tipton (Judas Priest)
10.Phil Campbell (Motorhead)
Well my friends, I think this blog entry has become long enough. In a few days I do plan to have a ratings entry for all the acts seen since January. True, I do have at least two more concerts planned for the calendar year, one is a three-peat and the other is "The Who". That one gets to stand on its own. Have a good weekend, friends.
*Thanks Anonymous for catching that error. Too much partying I guess ;-)
**Yes, I edited my guitar player list. I kinda forgot about John Petrucci, who is amazing
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