Coming soon... review of "Fly From Here" by Yes

In summary... brilliant!  A more detailed review to come shortly.

The Top 9 Most Influential Prog Albums Ever

If Boobie can do it, then so can I... here are The Top 9 Most Influential Prog albums ever.  Not "the best" necessarily, but "most influential", not just on subsequent prog bands but on other pop and metal rock bands too.  And why Top 9?  Because it's prog, it's supposed to be different.  But take note that most of the albums here are between 1967 and 1974 ("..the year rock achieved perfection, it's a scientific fact" - Homer Simpson) also known as the Golden Age of Prog, and all are from the UK except Rush.

9.  Yes -- "Relayer" (1974).  This album was influential in that no one ever dared to try to go where Yes went with this one ever since (not even Yes themselves), except for the odd hint of chaos here and there.  The following is a review from Progarchives.com that defines this album better than anyone ever could.

"...RELAYER gathers all the band's mounting energy at their volatile and explosive creative peak, and blasts it out into space in one supercharged musical rush. I would liken it more to a sun going supernova. In these three pieces of music, there is more fury and beauty than most other "prog bands" could muster throughout their whole careers, and certainly the musicianship of RELAYER has yet to be challenged by anyone. Steve Howe's guitar work throughout is unparalleled within the entire progressive canon, period -- no other guitarist is capable of evoking the range of tones and emotions Steve does in even a single piece such as "The Gates of Delirium". Stinging scalar runs, dive-bombing pyrotechnics, cosmic sustain leads, the most beautiful slide-guitar tones ever -- it's all here. Patrick Moraz replaces Wakeman on keys and proceeds to rip out glorious synth excursions which carry the band beyond the confines of their previous classicism, while CHRIS SQUIRE and ALAN WHITE submit possibly the greatest rhythm section performance of all time. "Sound Chaser" pretty much sets the bar for guitar-driven virtuosic prog, while "To Be Over" manages to be as intensely beautiful as the previous two tracks are aggressive. Although Yes had quite a few more masterpieces ahead of them, never would the otherworldy plateau of RELAYER be fully revisited."

8. Rush -- "2112" (1976).  I'd be remiss if I didn't put Rush on here.  You know, the band that most rockers themselves secretly love?  After the "Caress Of Steel" flop, the record company wanted them to go more mainstream.  Rush said "Fuck you, we're doing it our way or we're done" and they ended up sticking to the man so much that it influenced their own music to write about a futuristic man sticking it to the establishment.  Exploding back (literally explosion sounds on the song) and resurrecting themselves with a new energy, not only is the title track legendary, but all of the side two songs are excellent (yes, even Tears and the mellotron).  I remember the first time I heard this album in 1995 (yeah, yeah, I know..) .. I wished I was old enough in '76 to be there when it came out, with the headphones on in my parents' basement.   The super long multipart full side song shows just how tight musicianship they had. And who tunes a guitar in the middle of a song?  Alex Lifeson does, that's who.  The man vs. priests part with Geddy changing his range to fit is just brilliant.  If anything, this album may have influenced Star Wars and all other space movies after that, but most importantly, without this album, there wouldn't be Rush and their brilliant subsequent four albums after that and all great rock drummers after that wouldn't be as good (yes, Mike Portnoy, I'm talking to you).  And I'm gonna say it, prog metal was born in the year 2112.

7. Jethro Tull -- "Thick As A Brick" (1971).  Seriously? One song? 45 minutes long and fucking goddamn dynamic too?  Flute?  Sure, why the hell not!  Folk prog was born.  I have no idea what the fuck he's singing about and I don't care but the vocals in this one compliment the instruments perfectly that it's like another instrument.  These guys are still rocking and touring too.  They influenced all other whole side songs, but no one had you turn over the album in the middle of the song before. 

6. Genesis -- "Nursery Crime" (1971).  "The Return of the Giant Hogweed" is a long brilliant flowing song With Peter Gabriel up front, melodic keys from Tony Banks, subtle bass lines from Mike Rutherford, and Phil on drums with Steve Hackett on guitar, this is one of the most influential prog line ups ever who would then influence 80's British pop music like no other.

5. King Crimson -- "In The Court Of The Crimson King" (1969).  I had the pleasure of seeing Asia play the title track of this one live in Boston in 2009.  Yes, you heard me, Asia, 40 years later, played it.  If that isn't influence, then I don't know what is.  This album bourne eclectic rock and even influenced later Yes albums. So much so that Bill Bruford left Yes to join them on drums.  The album cover alone is well known in artsy fartsy album cover circles and is by far, the ugliest yet most striking.  Anyway, back to the music... Robert Fripp is simply an odd songwriter.  What goes on in his head?  I don't know, but it takes you where you never thought music should go, just where all other proggy eclectic artists picked up from and are still dipping back into.

4. Pink Floyd -- "Dark Side Of The Moon" (1973).  It still floors me that this was released in '73.  It was waaaaaaaay ahead of its time in terms of production.  Psychedelic space rock is born!  Not only that, but damn, it DOES make a good soundtrack to "The Wizard of Oz".  Oh, and it contains the very very first techno song too... flying beds and all!

3. The Who -- "Tommy" (1969).  A rock opera?  What the fuck is that?  Oh!  This was a ground-breaking double album.  The movie was wacked out on well, everything...  As much as I hate musicals, most of the key individual songs can stand on their own, yet it all flows and blends together.  It's basically the original full-length concept album influencing all other blendy concept albums thereafter.

2. Yes -- "Fragile" (1971).  This album starts with "Roundabout", still one of the most popular prog songs of all time contains the best Hammond organ keyboard solos of all time (ask Jack Black).  All members of the quintessential classic Yes lineup each get a chance to strut their musicianship in a song.  "Cans and Brahms" for Rick Wakeman , "We Have Heaven" for Jon Anderson, "The Fish" for Chris Squire, and "Mood For A Day" for Steve Howe.  Bill Bruford (who went on to King Crimson) rules on "Heart Of The Sunrise", another lengthy proggy masterpiece.  "South Side Of The Sky" is one of their best songs, original, long, cool, dynamic.  "Long Distance Runaround" proved they can still stick to short poppier songs, but it's also very tight and how it blends into "The Fish" shows some production wizardry.  One thing is for sure, this album is the baseline influence for the next several Yes albums, which gave Rush inspiration for their prog side.  This album proved that 5 guys with egos can work together... for a little while anyway.  Yes, even as individual band members, would go on to influence well, pretty much everybody after this album because it grabbed more attention than "The Yes Album" before it.

1.  The Beatles -- "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1967).  Without this album, none of the above would have existed.  With George Martin producing, fans were taken to a whole other world of sound that no one, and I mean, no one ever thought possible. The fab four could have recorded farts and everyone would have still bought it and been influenced by it.  You could say "Revolver" as an album was influential indeed, but Sgt. Pepper's has "A Day In The Life", really a two-part song with John then Paul is one of the great orchestral prog productions ever recorded.  Symphonic prog was born.

Honourable mentions:

• Emerson, Lake, and Palmer -- "Tarkus" (1971).  Three-piece organ no-guitar prog is born.
• Kansas -- "Leftoverture" (1976). "Carry On My Wayward Son" resurrected the band.  Also contains "Cheyenne Anthem" and "Magnum Opus" .. by the titles alone, you KNOW they've gotta be proggy.
• Rush -- "Moving Pictures" (1981).  Rush even says it's their best album.  
• The Beatles -- "Revolver" (1967).  This is when they started going off into la la land.

The Top 10 Most Influential Metal albums ever

Former blogger on here, Boobie, just sent me this...

Love ' or hate 'em, here they are: The Top 10 Most Influential Metal albums ever.

 

10. Marilyn Mason: Antichrist Superstar (he sucks, but this album did influnce everything that happened in U.S. metal in the last two decades.  All that shitty Nu-Metal?  Thank Marilyn Manson and Hip-Hop for it)

 

9. Pantera: "Cowboys From Hell" proof that Metal could survive in the 90s.  Lots of other bands were doing it, but there hadn't been anything this ANGRY in years.  Probably the band most responsible for metal's rebirth.

 

8. Queensryche: "Operation Mindcrime".  nothing that Symphony X, Statovarius, Sonata Arctica, the GREAT Dream Theater and any other "prog" metal act would have amounted to shit if not for this album.  Arguably the first prog metal band, and a helluva concept album.

 

7. Alice Cooper: "Billion Dollar Babies". He put the shock in rock.  This is Cooper's classic (pre Nightmare days).  This is the one that REALLY put Alice on the map and it changed what a rock concept could be.  If he welcomed us to his Nightmare in '75, this is how the bad dream started.

 

6. Judas Priest: British Steel.  It's a classic.  It has attitude.  It's loud.  It's mean.  And it has influenced most of the European metal (especially the Germans) that have come after it.  The Scorpions, Helloween, even Blind Guardian, owe at least a tip of the hat to this one.

 

5. Iron Maiden: The Number Of The Beast.  for a brief period in time, Iron Maiden was the heaviest band in the world.  Hard to imagine now, but it's true.  This is what made them great.  Bruce Dickinson's first album with the band, and "Run To The Hills" is still one of the most downloaded songs in the world (it's true).  It took the sound of metal in a new direction, gave prominence to the bass guitar (go Steve Harris!), and made metal as theatrical as any glam rock band that ever was.

 

4. Venom: Black Metal.  OK.  This album stinks.  No question.  But without it, there would be no thrash metal.  They set the bar for GOOD bands like Metallica (back when they WERE good). Megadeath and Slayer to blow everybody out of the water.

 

3. Slayer: Reign In Blood.  28 minutes of fury.  Nothing had ever been faster, angrier, or more intense until that moment. 

 

2. Metallica: Master Of Puppets.  My personal favorite metal album of all time.  It remains a classic for a reason.  Every track is brilliant.  It's heavy, mean, and has a point.  I wonder if the band listened to it and said "fuck.  we're done".  After the tragedy of Cliff Burton's death shortly after the album's release, maybe they SHOULD have hung 'em up, consdiering they've NEVER come close to anything this good again, and likely never will.

 

1. Black Sabbath: Paranoid.  It started it all.  Not Sabbath's first, or even best, album, but it set the trend for EVERYTHING that came after it.  I don't think there's a SINGLE metal, hard rock, or punk act that doesn't pay homage to this album in some way.  Not the best metal album of all time, but certainly the most influential.

 

 

Who's not on the list?

 

Megadeth: They ARE, without a doubt, one of the best metal bands out there, but I just don't see them as THAT influential.  Sure, Dave Mustaine's ability to play has probably influenced every single good guitar player out there, but has any one album really been THAT INFLUENTIAL?  Several are classics (notably Rust In Peace and Countdown to Extinction) but Iwouldn't call it influential.

 

Anthrax: They just plain suck.  They're overrated, and always were.  If anything, they influenced Nu Metal more than Marilyn Manson did, but I can't in good conscience include them on my list.

 

System Of A Down: Great band.  Not influential.  Why? Nobody else has the balls to sound ANYTHING like them at all.

 

Helloween: They call them the first "power metal" band.  What's power metal?  It's thrash that sounds cleaned up.  Nope.  Great band, but not influential.

Prog bands live and Prog Magazine

It's been a year and a half since my last post.  Since that time, I have been travelling all over the U.S. for work.

And fortunately, while in Boston in July 2009, I was able to catch the Yes/Asia concert in a covered outdoor circus round in Cohasset, MA.  Quite the drive to get there, but well worth it.  Asia was really good (see below).  Before the show, I met up with a bunch of people from YesFans.com website.  Nice people and hardcore Yes gurus.  Photos from that show here...



In June of 2010, I took in the Iron Maiden / Dream Theater show here at home in Edmonton.  Dream Theater blew my socks off.  Little did I know that it would be the last time I would see Mike Portnoy play with them. Sad. Their last album is one of the greatest things I have ever heard.

Then in July 2010, while on a work gig in L.A., unbeknowest to me, Yes and Peter Frampton were playing at the Greek Theater in Hollywood, just 10 minutes from my hotel.  I zipped over there, got a single 14th row ticket and watched and recorded a lot of the performance on my new camera.  Then.. THEN... after the show, I was able to ask a guy for his backstage pass and next thing you know, there I am talking to Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Alan White, Oliver Wakeman, and Benoit David, and getting a picture with the group (see below).

Steve Howe, Benoit David, Alan White, me, Oliver Wakeman, Chris Squire

Photos from that show...

Then a month later, I flew down to Vancouver to meet up with an ol' buddy and former bandmate and we drove across the border into Seattle and then a couple hours later, we were at the Rush concert, but missed the first three songs due to the odd venue location and massive amount of single-lane traffic.  Won't be going there again, that's for sure.  That said, although we had distant seats, the big zoom on my camera allowed me to get some great shots and video of Tom Sawyer and Subdivisions. It was also the funniest concert I have ever been to.  Monkeys simply make me laugh and seeing them play Tom Sawyer, well, I pretty much lost it.  There were a tonne of other side clips and movies they did, you'll just have to see it for yourself.  They'll be in Vancouver next year, so I think I'll go see them again. It's just that good.

Rush - August 2010

So it's been quite the year for me seeing my favourite prog bands. Lots of changes though. With Portnoy leaving Dream Theater and Yes about to record their first album in 10 years and 2nd ever without frontman Jon Anderson, perhaps indicate that nothing good lasts forever... Well, I guess, except for Rush who had one of the best rockumentaries ever released about a band.. ever.

Then in November 2010, I had the chance to see an old, old classic band play for the third time with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, but this time at the amazing Winspear Centre of Music. I'm talking about Procol Harum. Unfortunately, this is the only video on YouTube...

Throughout this period, I have discovered a wonderfully full magazine simply called PROG by Classic Rock Magazine.  While expensive, the mag comes with a full CD with all the latest and greatest prog bands.  I have about 5 of the CDs now and have been mighty impressed with the quality of the songs on there from some amazing bands. Two that stand out for me are Porcupine Tree--a favourite of the drummer in my band, and Mystery, which is the home band for new Yes frontman, Benoit David.  Mystery is from Montreal.

So throughout all of this past year and a half, if not more, my appreciation for prog rock has grown dramatically.  There are so many bands I now listen to because of Prog Mag, leaving a lot of other so-called "rock" bands in the dust.  You know who you are ... and you'll never compete with the dynamic range and innovation of these bands, and you never have.

What will save rock 'n' roll?

Little Steven has made some comments about rock n roll lately. I tend to agree with him...

"I want to spend just a minute on a topic that never ever gets discussed in the music business -- the music," the Bruce Springsteen guitarist and "Sopranos" star said in a speech to the SXSW music and arts festival in March. "The reason nobody wants to talk about it is because it mostly sucks!

"Who are we kidding here?" he said. "Nobody's buying records? Because they suck!"

He called the speech "A Crisis of Craft," and implored listeners to get back to rock 'n' roll's roots. Learn how to play cover songs, he said. Get people to dance. Harness your working-class energy. Take pride in craft.

It's been two months since that speech, and Van Zandt is still passionate about the subject.

"[Rock 'n' roll] is a craft that has to be learned," he tells CNN. "There are things you learn by listening to great records, copying heroes." He believes that he said some things that people were thinking, but haven't said out loud.

I would say to Little Steve, that this is definitely a generational thing. This younger generation doesn't have that sense of history. But perhaps one day, they will.

A couple years ago I asked a 21 year old if he's heard of Led Zeppelin. He hadn't. Sad. Years later, he approached me saying that he loves Led Zeppelin. So is it up to the younger generation to know, or us older dudes to teach?

More...

The Wright Stuff

Richard Wright, a founder member of Pink Floyd, has died at the age of 65 after battling cancer, his spokesman said.

Wright played the keyboard with the legendary band and wrote music in classic albums such as Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You Were Here.

[source]

The soft saultry synth sounds of Richard Wright's creation are forever etched on my mind in songs such as "Us And Them" and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond".

When I was in high school, trying to survive through the heavy metal hair bands of the 80's, I searched for a band that was mellower and more mature. I'd just gotten into Rush at the time and when I heard their instrumental epic "La Villa Strangiato" and the middle part with a low bass pad by Geddy and Alex Lifeson's building and wailing guitar, I thought, "Well this certainly kicks ass!" Then my drummer friend had me watch a Pink Floyd video, "Momentary Lapse of Reason", I thought he was on to something here. Mellow progressive music would then forever be a part of my life, leading me to love Yes, and hearing Floyd's influence in Dream Theater, The Flower Kings, and so many other bands.

I do remember Floyd from way back when The Wall came out but musically, I wasn't totally into it. That all changed when "The Division Bell" came out in '93. An absolute masterpiece of an album... dark, dynamic, and full. Wright's piano on "High Hopes" is simple yet remarkable. He sang on "Wearing The Inside Out" adding that true British accent to the band.

In 1994 when I saw them live at Commonwealth Stadium here in Edmonton, Alberta, is still to this day, the greatest concert I have ever seen or heard. It was more than that. It was an experience.

Anyway, Mr. Wright, as a keyboard player myself, thank you for having shared your gift to the world, and making an impact on my life.

Joe Biden for Veep!

As a libertarian conservative Canadian who is a fan of Obama (not that I don't dislike McCain), I was hoping he'd choose Biden.

Biden is to the right of Obama, but left of McCain.

I think Biden is "biden" his words when he said that Obama was unfit in that debate and the McCain campaign did an excellent job in pointing that out with the TV ad. Perfect actually.

But I also think Biden's been mighty impressed with how well Obama's campaign is run. I'm not sure if Biden will fit into the dynamic campaign as much as a lesser known veep choice, but I think he can tow the line.

Overall, I think Americans aren't choosing the lesser of two evils here but could certainly live with either candidate as president.

The Iraq debate is pretty much over as it appears US troops, for the most part, will be out of there in a few years anyway.

Obama choice in Biden really comes down to who can best serve as president if need be, and Joe Biden has the foreign policy know-how and experience to step in better than most.

I watched Biden closely over his run for the candidacy and was impressed with his opinions on Iraq and the whole region how he recognizes that there are essentially three nations within Iraq, caused by the British drawing odd borders for countries like that, Jordan, and Syria.

Anyway, the issue now is similar to 1992... "It's the economy stupid" and McCain has admitted that he doesn't know much about economics.

With a 7 trillion dollar debt, rumours of defaulting on that, millions of lost jobs, housing credit crisis, and a bloated gov't, the Bush hangover has begun.

It still comes down to which economic ideology and plan will the American people buy into this time?

Soprano's Finale

I finally bought Season Six Part II of the Sopranos last week and watched it all in a week in great anticipation of the finale. I was lucky to avoid the spoils when many of my friends saw it. Earmuffs!

So my take on the last scene?

The guy who goes into the washroom simply goes into the washroom. Oh my, AJ, Carmella, and Tony all eat an onion ring whole. "Don't Stop Believin'" is playing instead of "Any Way You Want It". "Remember the good times," AJ remarks. Tony agrees. Meadow runs across the street and opens the diner front door, the door bells ring, Tony looks up at her, just as he did with everyone else who walked in except the African American guys, and the screen goes blank at "Don't Stop".

People have concluded many things:

• The guy in the washroom comes out and shoots Tony in the side of the head and so just before Tony looked up at Meadow in shock just as she came through the door and the bells rang. But we don't hear anything from AJ or Carmella.
• The trucker and guy who went into the washroom are FBI dudes and he gets arrested. Tony mentions that Carlo flipped and is going to testify, so this evidence could have been used against Tony to indite him.
  
• The African American guys were either the same ones that shot Bobby in the eye, that shot up the crack house, or that shot Tony.
  

My conclusion?

Nothing happens. In all the moments in the episode when you get that uneasy feeling that someone is going to get shot, i.e. Bobby at the hobby shop, Silvio and Patsy running out of the Bing, Phil saying bye bye to his grandkids, all had that suspense, it just doesn't happen with Tony in this scene.

And that's that. Fuggedaboudit.

Top 100 TV shows of last 25 years

Now this list is more like it. Ones I highlighted in green are ones I watch(ed).

But wait, where the heck is "Cheers" and "Night Court"? Ah, another crap list.

1. The Simpsons, Fox, 1989-present
2 The Sopranos, HBO (1999-2007)
3 Seinfeld, NBC (1989-98)
4 The X-Files, Fox (1993-2002)
5 Sex and the City, HBO (1998-2004)
6 Survivor, CBS (2000-present)
7 The Cosby Show, NBC (1984-92)
8 Lost, ABC (2004-present)
9 Friends, NBC (1994-2004)
10 Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The WB (1997-2001); UPN (2001-03)
11 The Wire, HBO (2002-08)
12 South Park, Comedy Central (1997-present)
13 Freaks and Geeks, NBC (1999-2000)
14 The Daily Show, Comedy Central (1996-present)
15 The Oprah Winfrey Show, Syndicated (1986-present)
16 Arrested Development, Fox (2003-06)
17 The Office (U.K. version), BBC2 (2001-03)
18 American Idol, Fox (2002-present)
19 ER, NBC (1994-present)
20 Beverly Hills, 90210, Fox (1990-2000)
21 Roseanne, ABC (1988-97)
22 The Real World, MTV (1992-present)
23 The West Wing, NBC (1999-2006)
24 Star Trek: The Next Generation, Syndication (1987-94)
25 Miami Vice, NBC (1984-89)
26 Chappelle's Show, Comedy Central (2003-06)
27 Law & Order, NBC (1990-present)
28 The Larry Sanders Show, HBO (1992-98)
29 The Shield, FX (2002-present)
30 Late Show With David Letterman, CBS (1993-present)
31 The Civil War, PBS (1990)
32 Gilmore Girls, The WB (2000-06), The CW (2006-07)
33 My So-Called Life, ABC (1994-95)
34 24, Fox (2001-present)
35 CSI, CBS (2000-present)
36 thirtysomething, ABC (1987-91)
38 Beavis and Butt-head, MTV (1993-97)
39 Six Feet Under, HBO (2001-05)
40 Mr. Show, (HBO, 1995-98)
41 Frasier, NBC (1993-2004)
42 L.A. Law, NBC (1986-94)
43 Late Night With Conan O'Brien, NBC (1993-present)
44 Jeopardy!, Syndicated (1984-present)
45 Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO (2000-present)
46 Homicide: Life on the Street, NBC (1993-99)
47 30 Rock, NBC (2006-present)
48 Ally McBeal, Fox (1997-2002)
49 Twin Peaks, ABC (1990-91)
50 Baywatch, NBC (1989-90), Syndicated (1991-2001)
51. Melrose Place, Fox (1992-99)
52. Felicity, The WB (1998-2002)
53. Will & Grace, NBC (1998-2006)
54. Moonlighting, ABC (1985-89)
55. Pee-wee's Playhouse, CBS (1986-90)
56. Desperate Housewives, ABC (2004-present)
57. The Amazing Race, CBS (2001-present)
58. The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, NBC (1992-present)
59. Battlestar Galactica, Sci Fi (2003-2008)
60. Xena: Warrior Princess, Syndicated (1995-2001)
61. The Office (U.S.), NBC (2005-present)
62. House, Fox (2004-present)
63. Mystery Science Theater 3000, Comedy Central (1989-96), Sci Fi (1997-99)
64. The Osbournes, MTV (2002-05)
65. Family Guy, Fox (1999-2002, 2005-present)
66. Grey’s Anatomy, ABC (2005-present)
67. Planet Earth, Discovery Channel (2007)
68. Jackass, MTV (2000-02)
69. The Colbert Report, Comedy Central (2005-present)
70. Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS (1996-2005)
71. Friday Night Lights, NBC (2006-present)
72. NewsRadio, NBC (1995-99)
73. Oz, HBO (1997-2003)
74. Wiseguy, CBS (1987-90)
75. Project Runway, Bravo (2004-present)
76. In Living Color, Fox (1990-94)
77. The Golden Girls, NBC (1985-92)
78. I'll Fly Away, NBC (1991-93)
79. The Comeback, HBO (2005)
80. King of the Hill, Fox (1997-present)
81. Murphy Brown, CBS (1988-98)
82. The Hills, MTV (2006-present)
83. Absolutely Fabulous, BBC2 (1992), BBC1 (1994-2004)
84. Northern Exposure, CBS (1990-95)
85. The Kids in the Hall, HBO (1989-92), CBS (1992-95)
86. Prime Suspect, ITV (1991-2006)
87. Deadwood, HBO (2004-06)
88. Malcolm in the Middle, Fox (2000-06)
89. SpongeBob SquarePants, Nickelodeon (1999-present)
90. Dawson's Creek, The WB (1998-2003)
91. Mad Men, AMC (2007-present)
92. The Ben Stiller Show, Fox (1992-93)
93. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Bravo (2003-07)
94. Married...With Children, Fox (1987-97)
95. Designing Women, CBS (1986-93)
96. The Arsenio Hall Show, Syndicated (1989-94)
97. Party of Five, Fox (1994-2000)
98. MacGyver, ABC (1985-92)
99. The Bachelor, ABC (2002-present)
100. Saved by the Bell, NBC (1989-93)

Prince William

So apparently Prince William likes rock music. Good for him. Here's what bands he likes from other countries:

Australia: AC/DC. Good! Can't get anymore pure rock than that.
U.S.A.: Bon Jovi. well, ok, not bad, but there's better.
Canada: Nickelback. fuck. The Prince needs a flogging.

Now I don't want him as my king or on my money. Especially the nickel.

The supposed top 100 movies of the last 25 years

Entertainment Weekly (weakly?) has posted it's top 100 movies of the last 25 years (1983 - 2008).

This is the stupidest list I've ever seen.

No Shawshank Redemption, which many people I talk to believe it's one of the greatest movies of the last 25 years.

And where's The Game? Braveheart? Volver?

Stupid list.

V for Vendetta

Remember, remember, the fifth of November...

Last night I finally watched "V for Vendetta" by the Wachkowski brothers of Matrix fame. Why I didn't see this in the theatre is beyond me. There wasn't as much hype about it at the time perhaps.

Needless to say, this is one of the best movies I've seen. It is absolutely one of the most riveting, poignant, and politically relevant movies, post 9/11. I thought it would be politically more subtle, but it wasn't. It was direct and in-your-face.

But V used a page out of British history as regards one Guy Fawkes, who on November 5, 1605 tried to blow up the British Parliament but was caught and hanged for treason. Over 500 years later, around 2020 (slightly different than the book's 1990's), an anarchist vigilante named "V" used the facial image of Fawkes as a symbolic mask as he sought vindication for his time in prison and his fiery escape which caused full body burns. Britain was under a totalitarian regime (with similarities to Nazi Germany) due to the increased so-called terrorist and viral attacks on the country.

It reminded me of Star Wars episodes II and III and how the Chancellor/Darth Sidious secretly played both sides in creating a galactic conflict for his rise to ultimate power as Emperor to restore "order and peace". Same goes for Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin, Castro, Mao, Saddam Hussein, Pol Pot, Milosovich, Kim Jong, and perhaps Putin and Bush to less of an extent, but there are so many more.

One of the best lines was when V used every single word starting with V in one long sentence. His vernacular was very vilifying!

But without giving out too much plot, the few action scenes were excellent and didn't make it the focus of the movie, unlike Matrix to an extent. The focus was the continued political battle between anarchism vs. fascism. As someone who enjoys politics and ideology, one theory is if group think is at the far right, to destroy it, approach from the far left. This movie warns us that if we want to maintain our freedom and democracy, we must not give in to fear in the name of security and so-called peace, but if we do willingly and ungrudgingly succumb to it and listen to leaders who spout rhetoric that actually goes against freedom and libertarian ideals, we are doomed, and only revolution can turn the tide so to speak. And history is rife with such examples. WWII was a revolution against fascism and we won.

Anyway, Natalie Portman was awesome and believable and is there anything that Hugo Weaving can't do?

Ultimately, this movie made you really think. With Britain already having installed surveillance cameras everywhere, much tightened airport and border security, more and more laws, especially in the US, that border on violation of privacy and freedom, the timing of the movie was actually interesting. It was supposed to be released on none other than Nov. 5, but was delayed due to the underground bombings in Britain. How poignant indeed.

Hatrock gives "V for Vendetta" 4.5 fists out of 5.

Blue Rodeo - Small Miracles

Okay kids, Blue Rodeo's new studio album, "Small Miracles", their 13th, has been out for a month and let me say that it's very good and is an improvement over their last one, "Are You Ready", but it still isn't a "Five Days In July" or "The Days In Between", but is easily in their top five of all time. Let's pick it apart, shall we?

1. So Far Away - This opening track doesn't wow you, but it gets the album going, showing you that the band still has that classic sound we all know and love. Not really a memorable song though.

2. This Town - The starting piano ballad is common sound, yet original and delicate, and Jim's voice beckons out so smoothly. The song builds with a tried and true melody on top of layered instruments, augmented chords, and volume, giving it a nice dynamic. Greg's solo is simple, reminding me of his soul infused solo on "Five Days In May". For some reason, the chorus reminds me of that song, "Our House, is a very very fine house. With two kids in the yard, life wouldn't be so hard ..." Regardless, a beautiful memorable song.

3. Blue House - This is one of those fun, square dance type Blue Rodeo songs that are fun to sing a long to. There's always one of these on every album, yet they're so refreshing.

4. 3 Hours Away - Another classic Jim ballad, but with an upbeat feel added by the drum snare shuffle.

5. It Makes Me Wonder - This song has a southern rock feel with a slight Celtic hint, like Lynyrd Skynyrd meeting Tom Petty in Dublin or something. The chorus doesn't sound repetitive due to every other measure having that minor chord thrown in which darkens the feel of the sound. Greg's voice is earthy, distinct, while the rest of the band, especially the piano, round out the sound nicely.

6. Summer Girls - One of my personal favourites on the album. A pop-rock sound sung by Jim, it has a Beatles/British feel to it as if the sound of the band's song "Somebody Waits" was used as a template. The chorus is just awesome, fun to sing, an once again, an augmented minor is thrown in to keep it interesting. It blows my mind that after all these years and all these songs, the band can pump out an original song like this.

7. Together - This is Blue Rodeo's first bossanova song as far as I know, and they execute it wonderfully. Soft and subtle, yet determined. The jazz guitar chords are absolutely perfect and Greg's delicate voice fills the void while the bossanova drum beat carries it through, like you were on the Riviera waiting for that special someone to walk by.

8. Mystic River - It's these types of Blue Rodeo songs that I really enjoy. Just driving in the car down the highway with a friend, singing along and soaking in the special moments. It's a song that puts a smile on your face. Jim is loving those augmented chords thrown in there, giving it that weird but goofy fun feel.

9. Black Ribbon - A wonderful Canadian-Celtic song; this is true classic Blue Rodeo, with the reverberated guitar reminiscent of parts in "Diamond Mine". Greg's lazy voice rings wonderfully, as though he just had some whisky, and with all his deep passion, goes up on stage and plays a dirge about his darkest feelings. You can hear it in his voice. The chorus opens up the song, then it breaks down, simply setting you up for the darker moments. The song has an oaky-wood feel and thus we can say it was beautifully hand crafted.

10. C'mon - This is definitely the feel-good pop song on the album and probably why it was chosen to be it's first single. Jim's voice is fun, as if he's singing to you, and you feel part of the group... especially with the chorus telling you to "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon down with us." Okay! Sure, don't mind if I do!

11. Small Miracles - The title track is in 3/4 time, like a steady waltz and is in stark contrast to the previous song. A very nice song though.

12. Beautiful - Easily one of Blue Rodeo's "coolest" songs broken into two parts--the first a bit slow, as if it were setting it up for a more modern, Sunday afternoon coffee shop feel with it's funky beat and repeated line, "Almost as beautiful ... almost as beautiful, almost aaas ... almost as beautiful as you..." It's a new sound for the band, one that was surprising that I thoroughly enjoy, but they nail it down showing their vast style repertoire. The bass lines by Baz really round out the song ... I didn't know he could play like that.

13. Where I Was Before - This is a repeat song of "3 Hours Away" but done differently. While the first version was more upbeat, this one is slower. Another interesting concept. It's as if they tried a few ways of playing it, and couldn't decide on which one would be best so they just said, "Let's put both in!" Sure, why the hell not!

Overall, I really like this album and have been listening to it over and over since I bought it. It's the perfect autumn album, with the trees changing colour, several tracks like "Summer Girls" and "Beautiful" reflect this transitional phase which does have an effect on our psyche. The timing of the album's release at the end of summer is timely and appropriate. I'd go so far as to call this a concept album--a soundtrack for autumn, with the band "experimenting" new styles, dynamics, and bringing them together in one seemless band of change fall colours, just like the season itself.

My only critique is that there aren't as many songs I could churn out on the guitar around the campfire with some beer, but rather sit around a piano with a glass of port. The band has obviously matured. At times it's too slow, and lacks the teeth I enjoyed on "The Days In Between", but it's definitely an album I'll add to my driving through the mountains soundtrack. The variety is good enough to keep it interesting.

Hatrock gives "Small Miracles" by Blue Rodeo, 4.29 fists out of 5.

Album sales dropping

I was recently reading an article in Rolling Stone that showed several graphs of how album sales have been steadily declining over the past 6 years while track downloading/sharing has increased. The music industry always quickly blames listeners for "illegally" downloading music which has put a big $$$ dent in the biz.

While I continue to buy CDs, I don't "buy" into that argument.

In a supply and demand market, people will usually go for the cheaper if they can get it, and in the case of downloading, it's free.

But there's something different about music. You're not buying the physical CD as they cost only a few cents. You're buying the right to listen to the intellectual property in a predesignated format.

I've got a lot of good old LPs, that instead of rebuying that intellectual property, or buying another adapter dealie to transfer from LP to my computer, it's quicker for me to simply download, and then only the tracks that I want (although there are several B-side gems out there).

If there's a good new rock band on the scene, like Wolfmother, I'll buy the CD and check it out. But that has become more rare lately.

There are old bands that have been around for a while that also have a strong fan base, who'll buy their CDs, DVDs, shirts and stuff without a blink, and attend their live shows, no matter what the ticket price. Personally, I have several bands that no matter what, I'll buy their CD, to show my support and appreciation.

How many of the artists in the Billboard Top 100 can say that? Isn't a lot of the music out there just regurgitated variations of the same crap?

Why are so many old bands back together and touring?

As I mentioned, it's called supply and demand. Producers supply the goods depending on the demand from consumers. And in the case of the North American music biz, the goods simply suck, and the consumers aren't buying it.

Artists need to get more creative, originality and variations on their albums. Take bands like Foo Fighters and Green Day, whose recent concept albums won much praise, where songs are long, blend into each other, and an overall theme is generated. The best albums of all time all follow that template and most of those are from the 70's, believe it or not.

Also, take note of album reviews in magazines. Haven't seen too many 4 or 5 star albums out there recently. Most albums nowadays aren't albums anymore. They're a file repository of random tracks of random thoughts.

People are downloading the one or two hit songs from an album, but don't see the need to buy the whole thing, as those b-side gems just don't exist anymore.

So don't feel guilty, you downloaders. It's not your fault. You deserve better and it's obvious you're demanding better too.

Rush - Snakes & Arrows - Live Review

Live blogging, listening to the new Rush album, "Snakes & Arrows". It's been five years since their last original studio album, Vapor Trails, which was really good and angry, filled with hard, punchy sounds. A couple years after that, they put out "Feedback" which had them for the first time since they started out about 34 years ago, do cover tunes. Let's see if this one matches up, and perhaps blends things together.

1. Far Cry (5:18)
Awesome. Off time full on band riff. I love it when they do that. It's fucking raw Rush. Geddy's bass kicks ass. It's been getting some radio play. This is a much better engineered album already over their last couple. The guitars aren't as compressed and seem to come through much better. Just an excellent mix. I'm excited to hear the rest.

2. Armor and Sword (6:36)
Loving the high bass riff, acoustic guitar, and ambiance. Lyrics razor through. Chorus opens up and lets the song breathe with Geddy's beautiful harmony vocals round it out and Neil's tom tom roll blends well. Excellent song. I look forward to hearing it again.

3. Workin' Them Angels (4:46)
Geddy is missing what he used to do really well, and that is melodies. This is a bit of a filler song that isn't really grabbing me and sounds like some of their other songs. But I like the mandolin there Alex! Almost has a slight Celtic feel with whistle hints. Neil's drums sound really, really good though. And I don't mean his awesome playing, but just the "sound" of them.

4. The Larger Bowl (4:07)
Wow, more acoustic guitar. Liking the riff, Alex! Now we have some melody, Geddy! Ah yes, the bass comes in nicely. I really like this song so far. We got dynamics and a really good groove. I want to learn this on the guitar already. Drums once again, rip through, and the solo intro with Geddy doing what he does best on his bass, and Alex's solo itself are perfect.

5. Spindrift (5:23)
The last song nicely blends into this puppy. And odd erie distant guitar is heard and then it kicks in. What a fucked up riff and chord arrangement. Very progressive. I love how it kicks in and builds up. You know what I like most? The delay on the guitars. Again, an excellent sounding album. The bridge into the chorus is nicely done. Wow, Neil's drumming ... sooo good. You can really tell he had a lot of input on song arrangement. Oh! Just when you thought it was over, they kick you in the nuts with even more delay on the guitars. Very, very cool. Takes me back to Caress of Steal a bit with its weirdness.

6. The Main Monkey Business (6:01) - Instrumental
Oh wicked! More acoustic guitar with a high bass and ambient sounds and Neil giving it an African feel. They are really reaching the never before found riffs. Again, Alex's electric guitar hasn't sounded this good in a looong time. Geddy's using his voice as an instrument. I really, really like this song and glad they're keeping the instrumentals going. They are the masters of it. Oh, listen to Neil get louder and louder there at about 2:50. This is just chalk full of dynamics. This is true progressive hard rock baby! Seven more songs to go too! Oh the drums are just ripping through. Neil is God.

7. The Way the Wind Blows (6:28)
No time wasted between songs. This is a bit of a bluesier feel with a slow steady beat. I'm really hearing some influence from the "Feedback" cover album they did a few years ago. I think they really reconnected with their roots again, because I can realy hear it. This is a very flowing album. Again, lots of acoustic guitar and some beautiful singing combined with some killer riffs. I'm glad they're letting songs breathe by not having it full on all the time. A very earthy song ending on a nice major chord.

8. Hope (2:02) - Instrumental
Alex "Lerxst Lifeson" wrote this one "all by himself". That's what it says in the liner notes. Here we go... AWESOME!!! This has a Jimmy Page feel to it. I've never heard Alex play like this. Acoustic 12 string, flowing, and yet raw with good volume changes. Short and sweet.

9. Faithless (5:31)
This song starts on the same chord the last one ended on, so there's a nice transition. Geddy's high bass riff is really cool here. Again, they tease with a slower beat then Neil kicks in with a steady one kicking up the energy. I most certainly like this tune. Good melodies. And now for the chorus, some more acoustic guitar but with an orchestral pad (or real violins?) on the 7th note in the background, again, letting the song breathe out. I just love the direct talk in the chorus:

I don't have faith in faith
I don't believe in belief
You can call me faithless
But I still cling to hope
And I believe in love
And that's faith enough for me.

Oh, the solo just screams! Wow! The song ends on "and that's faith enough for me" and a minor chord with crazy guitar effects fading out. Cooool.

10. Bravest Face (5:11)
Comes in hard, then quiets down with some cool acoustic guitar augmented chords ... again! This feels like it continued on from the last song.

11. Good News First (4:51)
Cool groove. Sounds like a typical Rush song so far, but with a few accents from Neil. Then it breaks down, which is turning into a common new expectation on this album. The chorus breathes again and then the song ends on a major chord. This is a much more mature sounding album. It feels like they took the best dynamics from their last three albums and added more acoustic, more FEEL, and more SOUL.

12. Malignant narcissism (2:16) - Instrumental
Rush has never put three instrumentals on an album. I know of one other album that does this, but it's from Yes, and it's one of their best--Fragile. Being that it had three instrumentals on it, I can see where they get some ideas. The song stars... oh this just totally fucking kicks ass. Geddy's bass dominates this puppy. And again ... the song really breathes out with some woman in the back talking and Alex wailing , then it kick back in. There's a YYZ feel to it, definitely, with drum breaks for Neil, who obviously delivers. Shit, I wish it went on longer!

13. We Hold On (4:12)
Cool hard edged tune that really grooves with little screams from Alex's guitar.

Artwork
Rush's albums/CD cover art and photography have always been known for their beauty and relevance to the album at hand. Hugh Syme once again, delivers

Lyrics
I don't normally pay attention to lyrics, but with Neil Peart, you just can't help it. Vapor Trails felt like an album for Neil to let out his passion and frustration with the death of his daughter and wife. You can really hear it in his lyrics for "Ghost Rider" of which he wrote a book on his motorcycle travels through North America. But now after going though his healing period, he's doing some soul searching, but he has a good idea of who he is. With lyrics like "No one gets to heaven without a fight", he knows what he has to do, just wants to remind himself to follow through. Songs like "Faithless" tell us he believes in what HE believes in for his own good reasons, not because someone tells him what to believe and have faith in.

Conclusion
This is Rush's best engineered album. Yes, I'm saying it. The sound is impecible. You can hear every instrument, effect, and voice just come right through the speakers.

There are dynamics that I haven't heard from them in a long time, if at all. It is a bit mellower than Vapor Trails, but well written, melodic, beautifully thought out, and overall has an earthy feel to it, something new for them to be consistently on one album. Like I said, they seem to reach back to their roots with added energy, drive, and distinctive collaboration and originality. I'd even almost go so far as to call it a true concept album. I say that because of the three instrumentals, dynamics from song to song, track blending, but most of all from its common dark edgy yet hopeful feel to it all.

Waiting five years for an original studio album is a long time; it was most certainly worth the wait. Overall, this is an excellent album and I'd give it 4.29 fists out of 5.

My only critique is Geddy is doing to0 many harmonies on verses and I'm preferring his mid range voice a lot more, especially with Alex's acoustic strumming along like on "The Larger Bowl". His high voice with the harmonies gets on my nerves sometimes--it's overkill. I prefer it when he uses just one vocal track, with the odd hint of harmony here and there.

Neil's drumming honestly couldn't be better. He doesn't hold back and his arrangements truly compliment each and every bar of every song. Alex's acoustic work has a brilliant sound, he adds some really cool hooks here and there on electric, his guitar never sounded better, and Geddy's groovy bass riffs still blow my mind away.

I'm going to have to listen to this puppy a few more times to distinguish the songs. After that, it'll definitely be an album I can drive to the mountains to and one that'll be in my CD player for a loooong time. There is no other band out there right now that has the mix and style of songs that Rush has on "Snakes & Arrows". Even if you're not a huge Rush fan, this is just a good album overall.

An Army of Anyone Supergroup

Maybe just call them Army of One, but I gotta tell ya, newly formed supergroup Army of Anyone is currently the only real and true mainstream rock band out there.

Formed by the former singer of Filter and the rest of the boys from Stone Temple Pilots, their current hit "Goodbye" combines the crazy 1/8th note rocker riffs of old STP days and ties in nicely with one of the most anthemic choruses I've ever heard. And guess what? There's a mean guitar solo in there (remember those?) When's the last time you heard a guitar solo in a Nickelback song or any of the mope-rock bands? And the drumming is unfreakinbelievable, especially at the end.

With other supergroups like Audioslave done, Foo fading, Pearl Jam not generating that power they once had, Queens of the Stone Age out for now, and awaiting on Velvet Revolver's new album, there's one band standing right now.

Yet once again, AoA proves that the musicians bourne out of the late-80's/early 90's grunge scene are still 1) way better musicians, and 2) the only ones keeping real rock in the mainstream.

So you're at a wedding...

Annoying songs from the late 70's and early 80's still played ALL THE TIME in nite clubs and weddings and loved by kids today:

"Oh Mickey your so fine, your so fine, you blow my mind, hey Mickey!" - Toni Basilsagerosemaryandthyme

"I love rock n roll, put another dime in the juke box, baby." - Joan Jettison

"Stayin' Alive" - HeeBeeGeeBees

"Dancin' Queen" - ABBADABBADOO

"YMCA" - Value Village People

"I Will Survive" - Gloria Gaynorstraight (?)

"You spin me right round, baby, right round, like a record baby" - Dead or Alive but Wish They Were Dead

"Billie Jean" - Michael Jackolantern. Me, I'd prefer Billy Dee, as in Lando Calrissian than MJ anymore.

"Paradise by the Dashboard Light" - Meatplow. This usually has the guys and gals on either side "singing" to each other, but no one knows the lyrics, so they mumble it, except for one couple who raise the bar as they've been singing it in the car since 1981 on their annual camping trip to Johnston Lake.

And are you now totally sick of Bran Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Trout" now? Does anyone really get the joke of this song?

This song is ALWAYS followed by "Cecilia" by Simple Simon and Worthless Art Garfunkle. Does anyone know that it's "I fall on the floor and I'm laughing"?

"I knew the bride when she used to rock n roll" - Nick something or other. This usually has a line dance to it and all the women go "Oooah, oooah, wooh-wooh" in unison. Cute, but bloody annoying. When is it going to stop?

This is usually followed by "Wild One" by that skinny old guy and more (*gasp*) line dancing.

And since everyone is line dancing anyway, we often get the country music inserted here:

"Achy Breaky Heart" by Mullet Boy

"Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks n Dunn That, which song you'll usually find the drunk uncles at the host bar putting their arms around each other or to their nephews telling them about their lost love.

And let's not forget "Mony Mony" by Billy Idoltry. You know that lyric which everyone throws in there after each line ... "Hey mother____, get __, get ___ed". The kids still do it! We were chanting this at hall parties 20 years ago! What have we done?!

And for the rap "Funky Cold Medina" by Tone Deaf Loc and "Bust A Move" by Wasn't That Young MC are usually on the menu, followed by "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Fudge Icehead aka Rob "Spaz" Van Dam Winkle.

Often some AC/DC "You Shook Me All Night Long" is thrown in there to satisfy the one or two rocker chicks in the crowd.

Then for the oldtimers, they always play a 50's medley with Elvis, Buddy Holly, Bill Hailey and the Comets in there, then a Beatles medley because your aunt Betsy love Ringo Starr and "I Wanna Hold Your Hand".

Then when the oldtimers get tired, we gotta keep the teens out there, so we got some J-Lo and "Waiting for the Night ... oh oh ..." blah blah blah. Britney "Shave My Head Baby one more time" yadda yadda.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!

Everyone of these songs is played at a wedding, 100% guaranteed and can still be heard everyday in North America at bars, nite clubs, and even on the radio. It's sad really and I blame the DJ companies for subjecting us to this mindless, soulless tripe, year after year, decade after decade.

"Do you really want to hurt me?" goes the song. I think they do. I really do.

We're back!

After a year hiatus, I've decided to start posting here again. Whether my other cohorts decide to, it's up to them. I'm going to focus on music, movies, radio, television, and culture in general.

So what has happened in rock music in the last year?

Wolf Mother
An Aussie band that's been kicking ass on the award shows and the charts. Influences include The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Who, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, Cream and Styx. So they gotta be good right? Yes, they are. Can they continue where Jet left off?

The Killers
What's The Cure to kill off this band for good?

The Police reunion
They opened up the Grammy's, and have finished recording in Vancouver, and hit the road right away. But will Stingalingadingdong still control the band? Will Stewart Copeland tolerate the repetitive fade out chorus endings? Will Andy Summers find that augmented 67th minor chord he's been searching for?

Milhouse Van Halen
There's a Van Halen reunion with David Lee Roth but sans Michael Anthony. (Is that really a reunion?) I saw them in concert about two and a half years ago with Sammy. Not a great show, but not a bad show either. Sammy kind of ruined it for me. Can Diamond Dave still do the splits at his age?

Chris Cornell leaves Audioslave
The friggin guy doesn't even have the decency to tell his bandmates to their face. They learn it by watching him announce it on TV. Tsk tsk. Regardless, this is sad news, being that I always thought they and only a few other bands like Queens of the Stone Age and Velvet Revolver were keeping true rock alive in this world.

QOTSA
Speaking of the Queens, new album out this year as well.

Metallica
New album out soon. All I know is that Rick "Turning Albums Into Gold" Rubin is producing (well everyone). At least Bob Rock won't be playing bass guitar on the album and hopefully Kirk wants to solo again.

Rush!
Rush's new album titled "Snakes and Arrows" boasts Neil's perception of religion in today's world, comes out on May 1st. There is hope!

Okay, can we now officially declare that "Theory of a Nickelfault" mope rock is now dead?

Votescamsatchewan

Kate has some news on the Desnethe - Missinippi - Churchill River riding votescam:

http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/archives/003449.html

Looks like they have a case!

New Political Blog ...

Folks, my two other friends on here haven't been posting anything for some time now, so I think it's best if I moved all of my political blogging to another site, but I will remain here for movie and music reviews.

So go to Hatrock's Cave for all your bloggable political needs:

http://hatrockscave.blogspot.com/

-Snaky