Random Thoughts, Halloween and Michael Jackson

Well it’s been such a busy couple of weeks I haven’t been able to pay attention to my blog. So I thought I would take just a few minutes and sit down in front of the computer and jot down some random lines to let everyone know I am still here. My kids had birthdays last weekend. I remember having a birthday party as a kid, but for some reason this seemed like it was a full weekend event for my two. This weekend they are both excited about Halloween, and wouldn’t you know they are sick. Such is life, rotten timing.

Speaking of Halloween, in one of my high school English classes on Friday I broke out Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven and tried a dramatic reading followed by a showing of the now classic Simpson’s version narrated by James Earl Jones. From there we started talking about people’s fascination with this time of year and the genre of horror. Somehow Michael Jackson crept into the conversation and I couldn’t resist playing the Thriller video for a Halloween treat.

I haven’t spoke about the King of Pop on this blog, so now is as good a time as any. Back in the 80’s I loved the hair bands, the hard rock and the heavy metal. But I was a secret Michael Jackson fan. I just found the sounds of the Thriller record so infectious and impossible to resist. After spinning such bands as Quiet Riot and Def Leppard, I would spend a little time with the now pop classic sounds of Jackson. I had Jackson’s album Bad too and liked It just as much.

Friday’s viewing of Thriller was the first time I sat and watched a Michael Jackson video in a long time. He was unquestionably talented. Later that evening at home I ended up on YouTube watching other videos by the late superstar. Most of the songs and videos hold up to this day and are arguably far better than most current pop artists could ever hope to produce.

I’ll choose not to comment on the controversy that surrounded his life. Whatever he was, or whatever he wasn’t, Michael Jackson the entertainer managed to get this rock and roller enjoying pop music for a while. No other pop artist has ever done that since.

Have a Happy Halloween everyone!!

Blast from the Past Time

Anyone remember this one? The band…Grim Reaper. The song…Rock You to Hell. My friend had this cassette and for a while we played this song over and over again. And that was my own history with the band. It started and ended in the year 1987. One song. One video. One year. 1987.

However, earlier this week I found myself humming this tune. I have no idea why other than it was buried somewhere deep inside my subconscious and it decided to make a sudden plunge forward into the land of the living. My brain tells me to hum it and later that evening I was in front of Youtube listening to the song and watching the video. Then my own natural curiosity forced me to fire up Google to discover more about the band named after the Angel of Death.

I now know more about them than I ever did. They actually formed in the late 70’s/early 80’s and began recording. They released three albums, and their third and final recording, Rock You to Hell, contains the title track that has submersed out of nowhere in my head. In more recent years the band has got back together and has played some live shows.

So there you have it, a very brief history of a band from a very casual fan who knows very little about them. I’d be curious to hear from anymore who remembers them or knows more about them then I do! Have a good one!!

Anvil The Story of Anvil

I have been anticipating watching this one since I first saw the trailers. I remember Anvil well from back in the eighties. Songs such as Metal on Metal and Mad Dog got some pretty steady airplay in Canada. Since those days I knew some things about Anvil and also made some assumptions. I knew that they were still in existence. I knew they have continued to put out albums and play live. I also knew that their early work was influential on some acts that have gone on to become metal legends. What I assumed then, is that they although they faded far from the spotlight and were definitely not rock stars, they probably managed to scrape together a modest living for themselves thanks to a cult following and live shows.

Boy was I wrong on the assumptions. This movie details every brutal detail. It begins with a brief history of the band and some comments from quite a few legends. Lars Ulrich from Metallica, Lemmy from Motorhead, and Slash all talk of their affection for Anvil and explain the band’s influence on the genre of metal. Flash to the next scene and there’s Steve Kudlow (Lips) driving to work….as a deliver person for a food catering company. Although Anvil is still in existence, to make a living and provide for their families they are forced to work in very unglamorous jobs.

Lips and Robb Reiner are the two original members of Anvil who as kids vowed to do this until they were old men. Now in their fifties, the movie documents how they have stuck to this promise. I won’t mention all of the details but some of what you will see is an absolutely awful tour of Europe with some terrible gigs, trying to gain funding for their new album and the recording of it and a look at their unconditional love for each other and their families.

The person that fascinated me the most here is Lips. He comes across as a fifty year old kid and you can’t help but root for him through his frustrations and failures. He is for the most part kind, polite and optimistic. But he occasionally loses control and is an emotional wreck. His counterpart, Reiner, is equally committed and passionate to their craft, but keeps his emotions a little more grounded.

The movie is hilarious, heartbreaking, eye opening, fun and I could keep going on. It has it all. I am not sure you can find two as committed and devoted to their music. The exposure they have gained from this film has apparently done the group no harm. I will be following and rooting for them. May the dream never die! I highly recommend this movie!!

Pearl Jam's Backspacer

I haven't reviewed anything in a while, but this past week I have been listening to the newest release from one of my favorite bands, Pearl Jam. The new record, titled Backspacer, is the first since their self titled effort in 2006.

I didn't really embrace the 2006 disc, but I'm not sure if I didn't like it, or if I just didn't listen to it enough. Pearl Jam sometimes requires a few spins before it really starts to grow on me. I often go from liking to loving a lot of their music.

However, I found Backspacer to have more of an instant effect on me compared to any of Pearl Jam's other releases with the exception of some of their earliest efforts. The songs are a little more melodic and may be easier to take to for those who do not usually embrace alternative bands and perfer straight up rock and roll.

Having said that, I don't want to be misleading. This is still very much a Pearl Jam record and a great one at that. Eddie Vedder is unmistakable as always. He may be one of my favorite vocalists. I have always loved Eddie's haunting vocals on slower and, well, haunting Peal Jam tracks. There are a few of those on here too including Just Breathe and The End.

And of course there are plenty of straight up in your face rock tracks including a great opening number called Gonna See My Friend, as well as The Fixer, Supersonic and others. It's a very solid rock record that I enjoyed on the first listen that should also have some staying power with me too.

Grade A. Favorite tracks: Gonna See My Friend, Supersonic, Just Breathe.

As an aside, I have always listed my favorite tracks when reviewing a CD. I am not sure if I should do that because it often changes. However, the tracks listed are certainly those that are striking me as favorites at the moment.

Have a great week!!

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Eighties

Sean on the Circle of Fits blog recently spoke of his disgust of what the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has turned into as well as this year’s nominees. Check out the blog post here, I totally agree with the sentiments presented.

As a result I got thinking of some bands from the eighties. This infamous decade is where I spent my entire teen years and as a result there was a period of time when I knew ever lyric to ever track of every glam and hair band that ruled the airwaves. A slight exaggeration, but it was the scene I lived for a few years. So what about some of these bands? Who from this time and that genre belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

I am assuming Bon Jovi will get the nod at some point. No matter what your thoughts are on them there is no denying their accomplishments. They are continuing to find success long after the arrival of massively popular Slippery When Wet.

What about Motley Crue? The bad boys of rock continue to be a huge concert draw. Should they be a no brainer….or would they be as relevant if it were not for the “tabloid-ish” lifestyle that has followed some of the band members around?

How about Def Leppard? This band often get criticized for one reason or another. But they did put our two Diamond selling albums….a feat accomplished by only a select group of artists. They also continue to record and are a steady concert draw.

These are just the three obvious bands that found their early and highest levels of success in the eighties. Do any or all of these belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Are there any others from the decade that everyone either loves or hates that deserves induction? What do you think?

Some Great TV and Great Music

Wow, it's been too long since an update....here it goes. Something a little different maybe, but with a music twist.

My T.V. viewing habits have certainly changed a lot over the last 5 years. In fact I rarely sit down at a specified time to watch a favorite show anymore. I rarely sit and just cruise through the channels aimlessly and I don’t enjoy reality programs. But thanks to DVD I have discovered some fantastic series that I can watch through at my own pace on my own time. Although, many people will often say there is nothing good on T.V. anymore, there are some fantastic shows I have watched in their entirety over the last few years. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Six Feet Under

I have to make a bold statement and say this is the best television program I have ever watched. I didn’t see a single episode of this until the show had completed its run on HBO. Someone lent me a copy of season one on DVD and I instantly fell in love with it. I thought the premise at first would turn me from wanting to check this out; I couldn’t see me wanting to tune into a show set in a funeral home. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The show had everything I like about a good program – unforgettable characters, great drama, dark humor, no clichés, powerful storylines and fantastic acting. There are not many movies or shows that I have watched that really stay with me for a long time. But after watching the series finale of this one I felt haunted for days/weeks afterwards with parts of the series going through my head over and over again. Fantastic stuff, I suspect it will be a while before this one is ever topped for me.

The show has also has a “killer” soundtrack (haha – another pun). There is a mixture of somber and haunting songs as you would expect in a show about a funeral home. There are also a few upbeat songs capturing some of the shows dark humor and quirkiness. For the most part the musical artists featured throughout this show are not main stream artists.

Californication

I was a fan of the X-Files and always thought David Duchovny may fall into the type casting trap and never be able to shake his Fox Mulder character from the long running Fox science fiction drama. About 10 minutes into this Showtime original and Duchovny was no longer Mulder to me and had easily transformed into Hank Moody.

This show follows the life of Moody as he makes the move from his beloved New York to California to be near his ex and daughter. Hank was once a very successful and bestselling author, but is now uninspired and struggling with the fact that one of his best known works was made into a tacky movie. Hank drinks, tells it like it is, and sleeps with a lot of women. Yet despite his many flaws, you are always rooting for him and he is totally hilarious. I think there may a little bit of Hank in all of us, he is straight forward and matter of fact, doesn't give in to societal pressures and norms and underneath it all has an unconditional love towards his family and friends. There is a great supporting cast of characters and actors and the show has had many laugh out loud moments for me through the first two seasons and I can’t wait for the third.

This show also features some great music. I recently purchased the soundtracks for the first two seasons. It contains a variety of songs from some lesser known artists to a few more mainstream such as Sheryl Crowe, Elton John and The Rolling Stones. I guess most of the music on here would fall into the category of alternative rock. Of the two shows I have featured here the music in this one edges out for me a little. There are few great covers on here too, my favorite being Neil Nathan’s version of ELO’s Do Ya. Nathan’s version is a totally stripped down acoustic version of the fast and large sounds of the original.

I’ll try to get back sooner than later this time. In the meantime, if you haven’t heard Neil Nathan’s Do Ya, here it is….have a great week!!

Before Slash, there was Nash...the Slash

Nash the Slash of the Canadian band, FM

Well I decided to keep the blasts from the pasts going for at least another week. I have no idea why this 80’s pop band came into my mind this week but for some reason I found myself sitting down one evening watching their videos on YouTube.

FM are a Canadian band who formed in the late 70’s, but saw most of their success in the 80’s. I am not sure how much success they had outside of their native country, I never really followed them closely. By the time they were getting some airplay in Canada I was submersed deeply into the hair bands of the day. But they had the unmistakable 80’s pop sound with those catchy tunes that could get stuck in your head and stay there for days.

But perhaps the most unique thing about this band was one of their members, Nash the Slash. Nash is also a solo performer and has a bit of a cult type following mainly around his home province of Ontario. His is a multi-insturmentalist and his own style of music is quite different than what you would hear FM performing. Wikipedia describes it best as a blend of new wave/new age/punk rock and I would also throw in progressive maybe. But what is also very unique about Nash the Slash is his appearance. He always appears in videos and live totally wrapped up as if some sort of mummy. Check out the video I have included below to see what I mean. Back in the 80’s I never questioned why he dressed this way, I just assumed it was some sort of gimmick. I checked the Internet do a bit or research on Nash the Slash and here is what I found out.

Aparently during a performance in the late 70's he walked on stage covered in these badages as a sign of awareness of the Three Mile Island Diaster and what could happen to you. In short, the bandages became his trademark and they stuck...haha...bad pun!

Nash has also composed for film and continues to tour and record. FM has also performed in the last few years, although to my knowledge Nash was part of the latest version the band.

Check out the video below for some classic foot tapping, 80's sounding pop music and try not to chuckle at the mummified Nash the Slash rocking out. Have a great labor day weekend!