The Hall of Fame Does it Right!

The 2006 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees are more than deserving of a spot in history as the greatest. The list includes Sex Pistols, Blondie, Miles Davis, Black Sabbath, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. What a list! The Sex Pistols, Miles Davis, Black Sabbath, and Lynyrd Skynyrd define their genre. Would we have punk rock if it weren’t for the Pistols? Would we have metal if it weren’t for Sabbath? Would we have Southern Rock if it weren’t for Skynyrd? Where would jazz be if it weren’t for Miles Davis? These bands and artists are so revolutionary and crucial to rock and roll history. Last year we were blessed to see U2 and this year we get a slew of greats. I am extremely excited to watch on March 13th. Anyone else have any thoughts on the 2006 class?

Sony BMG Selling Viruses With Music to Boot

I have been meaning to post this for awhile but just never really got the chance.

About 120,000 Canadians may have bought Sony BMG CDs that can damage their computers. Sony announced Friday that 120,000 of the CDs were sold in Canada, but did not say which artists' albums were affected.

The company is to announce an exchange program next week, according to John McKay, a Sony BMG spokesman. McKay said the company will list for Canadians all the affected titles by Monday on its website.

The problem stems from a software program Sony put on the CDs to prevent illegal copying. The XCP software was designed to let Sony know when songs on the discs were being copied.

But it also leaves behind spyware when customers play the music on their PCs. Spyware leaves PCs susceptible to hackers and viruses.

Consumers who tried to delete the programs manually ran into even more trouble, as the software can disable the computer's CD drive. A patch created to address the issue also ended up worsening the security hole.

-Ultimate-Guitar

This is pretty grotesque if you ask me. Sony is not a dumb company, and they knew what they were doing and did not care for the well being of their consumers. No matter what they do people will get around their little tricks, and I feel that it's time for record labels to just accept the fact that people will steal music. They just have to hope that people will be loyal to the bands they like and buy their cd's. There is no way to end the sharing of music. As long as there are computers and the internet it cannot be stopped.

Thanksgiving Break is Over

It ended way too short and now I am back to school and going to go back to posting on the blog. Hope everyone had a Great Thanksgiving!

King Crimson's Masterpiece Should Never Be Forgotten

“In the Court of the Crimson King” is an album that I feel often gets overlooked. It is an album that perfectly defines the progressive rock genre. There was such amazing musicianship within the band from Greg Lake, of course Robert Fripp, Ian MacDonald, and Michael Giles. Their sound was dark and edgy yet beautiful and melodic. “Epitaph” is my all time favorite song, and that only begins to note the greatness of this album. Whether it be violent edge of “21st Century Schizoid Man,” or the beautiful story telling in the title track “In the Court of the Crimson King” this fantastic band nailed the album. I really feel this is a top 10 album in Rock and maybe even top 5. Does anyone else love this album as much as I do?

Virgin of a Down

When referring to Virgin I mean the record store, and I am more than just disappointed in them. Around three days ago System of a Down announced a "Secret Show" I guess you would call it. The only people who knew were people who belonged to a part of their fan club, which I am a part of. I got the email and became so overjoyed that they are selling tickets at Virgin Record Store in New York for just two dollars. My friends and I had came up with the plan that we would get up at seven and head straight over to Virgin. We get there and are shocked of the amount of people that camped out overnight, and the line wraps around the building. We have anywhere from two hundred to three hundred people in front of us and from what I have heard the venue in which System is playing at holds around two thousand people. The venue being Webster Hall which I have never been to. So we get there at around eight in the morning and the doors open at twelve to sell tickets. At this point we are unsure if we are going to get tickets or not but we figure that considering the amount this venue holds we should be fairly safe. After freezing in the cold (I believe the temperature was in the high 30's) for around three hours the doors FINALLY open. I was so excited, and around five minutes after the line began to move people were walking back saying, "It's sold Out!" I figured that they were joking because the line had barely moved. The closer we got the more the outrage we heard from fans who did not get tickets. Finally the moment that made me realize there are no tickets left is when a girl who had been there since the night before did not get tickets and she was yelling to the crowd in violent anger. At this point I had to face reality, I woke up extremely early for nothing. Now what disgusts me about what Virgin had did was not the amount of tickets they had because I am sure that is not their fault, they were only allocated a certain amount. The problem is that if you see a line of a thousand people I believe that someone should go out there to tell them that odds are they won't be receiving tickets. I heard that they only had 150 or so tickets so and yet they had a line of one thousand people! The least they could have done is had a guy come out to announce the amount of tickets they had and let people know that they probably were not going to get tickets. Instead of freezing at seven in the morning I could have been sitting down in a warm restaurant getting something to eat! I am sure the reason they didn't tell is so they could just have people come into their store but for their despair people had trashed the place by knocking over CD's in anger and kicking them around. In the end they had to close down the store to maintain some order, so hopefully they lost some revenue! Another issue I have is the fact that I had heard that people cut the line once the doors had opened. Security should have been more prepared for a large group of fans and should have maintained order! Either way I was not getting tickets but I despise those who had cut the line, in no way do they deserve tickets when people had slept over and did not receive them. So all I have to say to Virgin is stop overcharging people for CD's because when you charge $18 a CD no wonder why people are stealing music! And another thing is learn how to hire good security, and have some humanity!

U2 Live DVD Review

Well to start off the review I'll just say I saw them in New Jersey on May 17th and it will go down as the best concert of my youg life. I've seen my fair share of concerts but U2 clearly won as my favorite. Now to the DVD. Well it's not really possible to quite get that concert feeling when watching a DVD but this does a pretty fantastic job. I hear a lot of complaints about camera angles and such but I think that is ridiuclous, I found not one problem with camera angles at all. If I was to have one gripe about the camera and video editing I would say I'm not a fan of when they blurred Bono in a crucial part of my favorite live song "Bullet the Blue Sky." None the less I thought it was fairly flawless. They capture all the bandmates and focus on the right members at the right times. What more can you ask for? As for the sound, it is fantastic! Sounds live and like it was recorded at a studio at the same time. The crowd reactions are nice and crisp along with the music. Now as for the show; as I said earlier it was the best concert I've ever gone to and watching this DVD gave me such great flashbacks. From the moment Bono appears and the confetti drops down out of the ceiling it's just fantastic. Bono is most certainly a show stopper. As you can see from my earlier U2 post I have the set list there so it's easy to recognize they have such a plethora of great songs. There are definitely songs I wish they could have played like "With or Without You" and "Red Hill Mining Town" but it's hard to ask for it all. The amount of classic songs U2 has is pretty much endless. The energy the band gives is just incredible, Bono is the king at working an audience and it shows here. Also something that's great about this DVD is they capture Bono communicating with the audience which I notice many live CD's and Videos edit out. Especially his speech before one, it is such an incredible moving speech where he basically says how great it was that we put man on the moon but now it's time to get back down to reality and fight issues like poverty. I really think that Bono could sell a catsup popsicle to a women in white gloves, he has such a way with words. Another great moment which I had great flashbacks with was when he brought up a little kid onto the stage to walk around with him and to wave to the audience. For my show he brought up a girl but for the Chicago show he brough a boy, either way I think it's such a great impact on someones life! My final remark about the DVD is the very end. When they play "40." It was probably my most favorite part of the show, when they were done with the song the Edge and Adam stayed on to play their instruments and the crowd just kept on screaming the chorus "How long must we sing this song." The only difference for my show and this one was that when we did it U2 came out for a third encore, I think the only show in which they did that. All in all I highly recomend this DVD, unfortunately I thought I was going to be getting two discs with it because I could have sworn that's what it said but I later came to find there is a deluxe edition that has the second disc. I wish I could comment on it but no can do. For only $14 go out and buy this DVD!

Maybe The Stones Are As Old As They Look

While reading some music news I stumbled accross this article which I think is quite hilarious. It is about the Stones playing in SBC Park and their music being too loud for the residents that lived in the area. Here is a funny statement from the article:

"I've got no artistic judgment against the Rolling Stones, but just because they're too old to hear their music doesn't mean their music has to be so loud," said Ted Weinstein, who said he heard noise from the concert from his home miles away.

Here is the whole article AP

U2 Live DVD Now Out!

Finally, what I've been waiting for! U2's lived DVD for their Vertigo tour has finally been released. I pre-ordered it on Amazon and am patiently waiting for it to come in the mail. Hopefully I can find some time to write about it when I recieve it considering I have 4 term papers due in seven days, and being such a great procrastinator, I am just starting on them. I think it comes to a total of 30 or so pages. Well here is the set list for the DVD which was recorded in Chicago, too bad it couldn't be recorded in New Jersey which I went to, but whatever, it was the greatest concert I've ever been to, and I want to relive it in any way possible. Here is the set list

1. City of Blinding Lights
2. Vertigo
3. Elevation
4. Cry/Electric Co.
5. An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart
6. Beautiful Day
7. New Year’s Day
8. Miracle Drug
9. Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own
10. Love and Peace or Else
11. Sunday Bloody Sunday
12. Bullet The Blue Sky
13. Running To Standstill
14. Pride In The Name Of Love
15. Where The Streets Have No Name
16. One
17. Zoo Station
18. The Fly
19. Mysterious Ways
20. All Because Of You
21. Original Of The Species
22. Yahweh
23. 40

Just an Apathetic Thought

While continuing on my thoughts on apathy I came to wonder why such a large amount of Americans don't vote. I've came up with this small list based on what I've learned from political science classes and what I have come up with on my own.

1) Voter Registration - I admit somewhat of a nuisance, I think America should adapt a system like Minnesota where you register when you actually vote, or like North Dakota where you don't have to register at all. I'm not positive if that is how it works in those states but I'm pretty sure it is. If I'm wrong I'd be more than happy for you to correct me.
2) Absence of Competition - there are many instances when one candidate is clearly going to win, so voters feel that regardless if they vote or not the person with the significant lead will win.
3) Americans are Mobile People - Americans move so often they forget where they used to live. When moving so often, it is hard to figure out the local politics.
4) Psychological - The idea that I hear so often is, "My vote doesn't really matter." Well it may seem meaningless when you are one in a million but when it comes to local politics, each vote is crucial.
5) Americans are just Lazy! - It's sad but people often feel that going to vote is a waste of time and it is out of the way. Instead of getting up and going to vote people want to sit in and watch the newest Oprah or whatever it may be.

There is no right or wrong answers to why Americans don't vote but we can only hope that eventually Americans will come to learn that voting truly does matter!

There's a 26th Amendment?

How sad is it when America goes through the trouble of passing an amendment allowing 18 year olds to vote and the young citizens of America completely neglect that right? When I went to vote today for Governor of New Jersey I was welcomed to an empty room. Not one voter besides me not an adult or even one kid, and remember I live on a college campus. I did not go at some outrageous time, I went at 4:00 and I was all alone. After being there for around five minutes, while the kind old lady was continuously asking me how to say my last name (something I have become so accustomed to) another kid had walked into the room. I felt a sigh of a relief that there are some people who still feel they have a civic duty. Unfortunately for me and the rest of America he came up to ask if he was registered and of course to my despair he was not. After ten minutes I had finished voting and was still the only person in the room. I left feeling that we live in a country that is so terribly apathetic and any improvement is hopeless. Now I do know this is a fact when compared to most democratic countries, but seeing it first hand is just very saddening. Being young, I could only wish that all young people would vote, and since such a low amount of the youth votes, politicians completely overlook us when it comes to their campaigns. How great would it be for a politician to talk about lowering the cost of college instead of hearing about Social Security for hours. I am not saying that Social Security is not important, because it most definitely is but I would also like to hear about things appealing to my generation. Statistics have shown that once the amendment allowing 18 year olds to vote was passed the percentage of people voting dramatically decreased, and that percentage fails to improve. Politicians have no incentive to talk about the teenage generation, and why should they? The younger generations vote will be a minor dent in the final outcome. So kids, get off your MySpace, turn off your TV, and pause your video games for just 30 minutes and get out and perform your given right to vote. The more America votes, the more communitarian America will be.

Two More Weeks Until "Hypnotize"

In just two weeks System of a Down will release their newest album "Hypnotize." For some reason I am ridiculously excited for it. It may be because I saw them back in August and they were just incredible and it also may be the fact it's predecessor "Mezmerize" was just astonishing. "Hypnotize" is supposed to be darker and heavier and I'm not quite sure if that's a good thing but I know that System will not disappoint, they never have! November 22nd Mark Your Calendars!

Nevermind the Bollocks Here's....The Emo?

"Knuckleheads like Simple Plan and Good Charlotte are told what to do, and they do it, you know? It's a shame that they're disguising it under the word 'punk.' It's a bunch of [bleeping] [bleep], you know?"
-Steve Jones of The Sex Pistols

Well I am so glad a real punk finally said it. I am sorry but if I have one major biased it is AGAINST Emo. The worst excuse for punk, it absolutely disgusts me every time I hear that bands like My Chemical Romance and New Found Glory are labeled as punk bands. There is not one aspect of these bands that is punk, their whiny lyrics and whiny voices do not in any way symbolize punk music. I am not going to say I’m a punk but at least I know what a punk is. I hope people like Johnny Rotten, Jello Biafra, Henry Rollins, and H.R. just become sick when they know that they have laid such a great foundation for punk and it has been tarnished by these no talent fools who honestly feel they are a part of the punk rock scene. Sorry New Found Glory you are officially the worst band I have ever heard; and to the lead singer of My Chemical Romance I hope you went back and cried backstage when I told you that I didn’t care who you were and that you still had to pay three dollars for a soda (funny story actually.) Has punk come to guys wearing girl’s pants and wondering if their butt looks better than the girl next doors? Has punk come to whining about you’re Ex girlfriend? I sure hope not…

1) The Beatles

Vocals: John Lennon / Paul McCartney
Guitar: John Lennon / George Harrison
Bass: Paul McCartney
Drums: Ringo Starr

So we have finally reached the peak of the countdown and who better to top it than The Beatles. Not only did they change the face of music forever but they changed the world. Everything The Beatles did was news and not only news but large news, whether it was Paul admitting he used drugs, John saying “The Beatles are bigger than Jesus,” or turning down an offer to play for royalty in the Philippines it seemed as if the world revolved around the fab four. In my last post I said that Pink Floyd was the most influential band in Progressive Rock music, well The Beatles take the spot for the most influential band in music, they were so incredibly innovative and important. They seemed to have a limitless imagination and their creativity will never be matched. I could write a novel on the importance of The Beatles but I’m sure nobody would like to read that and I sure don’t feel like writing that much. The Beatles career started off their career in the late 50’s and were known as The Quarymen, at this time John, Paul, and George were in the band but the search for a drummer was ongoing for quite a while. They eventually changed their name to The Beatles and found a drummer that would stick with the band and that was Pete Best. The Beatles career all began in Liverpool but their home seemed to move to Germany where they would play nearly endlessly. When they arrived back at Liverpool they were played many gigs at the now famous Cavern Club. In 1962 the drummer Pete Best was kicked out of the band, and still to this day there is no really clarity for their reasoning. They would soon after draft Ring Starr to play with them but he was already busy with a fairly successful band of his own. Lucky for The Beatles Ringo decided to make The Beatles his permanent band. The Beatles first scuffle with stardom was when they released “Love Me Do”/”P.S. I Love You” as their first single, but not until the release of the single “Please Please Me” had The Beatles reach TRUE fame. In 1963 they would release their first record which derived from their famous single “Please Please Me.” This album was a very catchy and primitive record when compared to future albums but none the less is a classic. After a few more albums and incredible success in both the U.K. and the U.S. The Beatles had decided they would take their first journey to the states. Although never setting foot in America The Beatles had the top five singles and the top two albums on the charts. In 1964 when they landed down in New York they received a larger than warm welcome from Americans, girls who only knew what they looked like just from the pictures on their album covers were ecstatic to finally see them as more than just pictures but as people. Once arriving in America they were set to perform three landmark performances on the Ed Sullivan Show, and thus Beatlemania had begun. In 1965 The Beatles would play the most famous concert by a single band and that was their Shea Stadium performance. Maybe more of a circus than a concert, but either way no band had received such a grand reception, maybe too good of a reception because when it came down to it all you can hear is the cries of girls and not the fantastic music of The Beatles. The Beatles went on to release more fun and catchy albums along with a few movies such as “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help!” In 1965 the band came together to create what is often regarded as their best album “Rubber Soul.” What made “Rubber Soul” stand out more than it’s predecessors was it’s maturity and creativity. Songs like “Norwegian Wood” and “Nowhere Man” prove that The Beatles have grown from their basic love songs and to a more experimental and artistic realm. A year later came “Revolver” which is basically the brother of “Rubber Soul.” A very similar album but here we get to hear from George on the opening track “Taxman,” along with “Love You To,” and “I Want to Tell You.” Another surprise was to be found on this classic album and that is the voice of Ringo on “Yellow Submarine,” surely his voice isn’t profound but it fits with the fun spirited mood of the song. Another breakthrough found on this album is we finally start to hear Lennon and McCartney going their separate ways with their lyrics which is one of the greatest aspects of The Beatles. After the great “Revolver” The Beatles had become fed up with touring, and decided that it was time to put an end to it. The packed stadiums with screaming fans just wasn’t worth it, it was evident that their needed to be an end to it due to the fact that nobody in the audience could hear the music over the screams and the band couldn’t hear themselves play. In 1967 they came up with an idea to make a “fake” band as an excuse for them on longer wanting to tour and therefore the world received “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band.” At the time The Beatles were experimenting with drugs like LSD and it was quite apparent in “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band.” Once this album came out everyone knew The Beatles style in music had changed forever, they went from the fun loving songs of “Revolver” to sophisticated psychedelic music. As stated before “Rubber Soul” and “Revolver” were breakthrough albums but The Beatles had more breaking through to do and they made their greatest leap on “Sgt. Pepper.” Songs like “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “A Day in the Life” prove their artistic ability was finally showing through. Also in 1967 The Beatles also created a made for T.V. movie with “Magical Mystery Tour.” A very imaginative movie and to say it’s odd is an understatement, scenes like John shoveling spaghetti onto an overweight ladies plate, and when I say shoveling I mean that literally with a large shovel. The movie did not catch on with the public, and it’s often said that the reason it did not catch on because it was not seen in color by the viewers and it was intended to be seen in color. None the less an album went along with the movie and that proved to be much more successful. Probably an overlooked album but contains so many of the classic Beatles songs we all love especially John’s imaginative “I am the Walrus.” A year later came the ambitious double album “The Beatles” aka “The White Album” which is the way I will refer to it. “The White Album” is filled with so many fantastic songs but it’s only problem is it seems as if there are a numerous amount of lackluster fillers such like “Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da” and “Piggies” just to name two. I could only wonder how great this album could have been if released on just one single disc, maybe one day I will actually come to create my perfect “White Album.” Regardless of the fillers the album is one of their strongest, and certainly one of their most popular. In 1969 The Beatles recorded “Let it Be” but oddly enough it was released as their final album, so before I go onto “Let it Be” I will go onto “Abbey Road.” There is really no better way for a band to go out than “Abbey Road.” It’s hard not to get choked up every time I listen to “Because,” it has Lennon and McCartney showing they had the greatest harmonies the world has ever heard. The Beatles creativity pushed forward even further with this album and their talents as well, it kills me that we couldn’t have the chance to hear more. Now back to “Let it Be” technically not their last album but it was the last album released. In 1970 the band hired Phil Spector to do some overdubbing for the album and unfortunately that was a terrible choice. He ruined some of their best work especially “The Long and Winding Road.” The album is often frowned upon because of the band was clearly divided when making it but although it may not be their best work it is indeed a fantastic album. Luckily for Beatles fans the album was re-released with out Spector’s wall of sound and it was called “Let it Be…Naked.” After the recording of “Abbey Road” the band was clearly hostile and there had to be an end to it. All the members parted their own ways and went on to pursue their own interests and all became fairly successful. Many would like to point the blame on Yoko Ono for the break up for the band, but I would have to disagree with that assumption. Hostility was in the band before Yoko showed up and although she may not have helped the situation she was not the cause of it. The Beatles had only recorded album for seven years and their importance is unquestionable. They pushed the barriers of music and created music the whole world could enjoy with their incredible harmonies and timeless pieces. The Beatles success can never be measured in number one hits or number one albums and no matter what band comes along in the future they will never have an impact on the music industry like The Beatles had. Wherever music is to go The Beatles music will be there watching over it. Thus ends the countdown of The Greatest Rock Bands of All Time! So go relax, pop in your favorite Beatles album and have a great day. LONG LIVE THE BEATLES!

And the Number One Band Is.....

Soon to be announced, expect for me to post the NUMBER ONE BAND OF ALL TIME on November 3rd which is Thrusday, I should have it posted anywhere from the afternoon to the night, but it will be posted by tomorrow. So thank you for those who tuned in for each post; to those who belong to blogger and left comments (especially Layla, thanks!) and to those who aren't able to leave comments. Although the countdown may soon be over, my blog is far from being over, if anything I may post more due to the fact that I won't be writing large reviews, so remeber to check in!

2) Pink Floyd

Vocals: Barrett / Gilmour / Waters
Lead Guitar: David Gilmour/ Syd Barrett
Bass: Roger Waters
Drums: Nick Mason
Keyboard: Rich Wright


Finally we have gotten to my most favorite band Pink Floyd. Their progressive and psychedelic sounds were so ridiculously ahead of their times. When I observe Pink Floyd I like to break them up into four different eras and they are, the Syd Barrett Era, The Golden Age, The Roger Waters Era, and The David Gilmour Era. Now we start off with the Syd Barrett era, a time where Pink Floyd displayed some of the greatest psychedelic music the world has ever heard. They opened up their career with the release of “Piper at the Gates of Dawn” released in 1967. This album was a mix of dark melodic instruments and Syd Barrett’s fun and catchy lyrics, this does have elements of future Floyd but for the most part doesn’t exactly reflect what we will see from them in future albums, regardless it is always recognized as one of the greatest psychedelic albums of all time. Soon after the release of “Piper at the Gates of Dawn” the mental health of their leader Syd Barrett was up in the air. On stage he would often just not play music at all or just go on complete musical tangents which had nothing to do with the current song. Due to the mental instability Pink Floyd brought in another member to join the band and that was David Gilmour. Barrett remained with the band but is stay would be short lived. After Barrett’s departure Pink Floyd would begin what I like to call the Golden Age, the era in which Pink Floyd came together played perfectly as a whole and not individuals. In 1968 they released “A Saucerful of Secrets” a fantastic eerie album which would represent more of what Floyd is remembered for. Barrett still did have a song on the album with the up-tempo “Jugband Blues.” “A Saucerful of Secrets” is normally recognized as the transitional album for Floyd. They would go on to release some lesser recognized albums with “More” “Ummagumma” and “Atom Heart Mother,” but despite not receiving much recognition all of these are incredible albums most notable is “Atom Heart Mother.” I would rate it as one of the most overlooked albums of all time by any band. Opening up with the beautifully abstract 24 minute instrumental “Atom Heart Mother Suite” and closes with another conceptual piece with “Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast.” Following “Atom Heart Mother” was “Meddle” the album which best resembles the beginning of the Golden Age of Floyd. One of my favorites opens up with the almighty and eerie “One of These Days,” and then goes into the catchy “Pillow of Winds,” and “Fearless.” But where “Meddle” truly stands out is on the second side of the vinyl with “Echoes.” This 23 minute masterpiece is in my regard the greatest Floyd song ever written. “Echoes” is an epic song which has soothing vocals and just an orgasm of sounds. After an often forgotten “Obscured by Clouds” Pink Floyd went on to release what I feel is the greatest album ever released; “The Dark Side of the Moon.” A stunning album which defined not only Pink Floyd but Progressive Rock as well. Each song perfectly weaves in and out of each other to create more of an experience rather than something just to listen to. Each sound is perfectly welded into the music to create one of the greatest listening experiences anyone can have. Now although it may seem near impossible to follow such a dazzling album Floyd did it with what seemed like ease. Two years after “The Dark Side of the Moon” came “Wish You Were Here.” With just 5 songs “Wish You Were Here” was nearly at astonishing as it’s predecessor, many believe that it surpasses Dark Side. With incredibly lavish sounds Pink Floyd seemed they were at their peak when it came to playing together as a cohesive group. Unfortunately this Golden Age of Floyd had to end and thus started the Roger Waters era. “Animals” was released In 1977 and the interplay of Pink Floyd had seemed to be lost. “Animals” was an album clearly derived from Roger Waters and this would become a trend. Next for Floyd would be “The Wall” another album that clearly came from Roger Waters was an epic double disc Rock Opera, and probably the most well known Rock Opera to this day. When looked at a whole “The Wall” is indeed a fantastic album but when observed closer it does not seem to hold up too well, too much of the album is lacking good songs which had never been a problem from Pink Floyd. Also new for Floyd was they actually had several songs off this album released as singles; quite a rarity for a band which like to delve into lengthy instrumentals and abstract music. Roger Water’s control of the band grew to it’s climax in 1983 with the release of “The Final Cut.” Pink Floyd was not to be heard in this album, listening to “The Final Cut” is basically listening to a Roger Waters solo album. The Roger Waters era had ended in a quick halt as the band had split up leaving just Gilmour and Mason with the rights to the name Pink Floyd. “A Momentary Lapse of Reason” was created soon after the break up and so did the start of the David Gilmour era, like “The Final Cut” we were basically getting a David Gilmour solo album which sounded more like the Pink Floyd we had once known, it contained great instrumentals and fantastic guitar playing by the one and only David Gilmour but the solid band that was once Pink Floyd just was not present. Seven years later “The Division Bell” was released; with Pink Floyd out of the scene fans were eager to buy this album which was more of a group effort due to the return of Rich Wright on keyboard. The album proved to be great and reminded us of The Golden Age but it still didn’t quite hit the same chord. The band had went it’s own ways and the thought of all coming back to perform was completely out of the question but thanks to Bob Geldoff the band decided to give one last hurrah at Live 8. Possibly the greatest thing I have ever witnessed with all of the band members back on stage looking as if they were having the time of their lives performing one of my favorites “Breathe” along with a few others, and although the band has repeatedly declined coming back there is always room to dream. At the height of their career Pink Floyd was unquestionably the greatest Progressive Rock band the world has ever heard and in my eyes the greatest band ever. No band has ever been able to reproduce the ingenious sounds Pink Floyd had created and no band will ever be able to duplicate their creativity, and on top of their creativity in the studio their live shows were a spectacle. Lavish light shows, amazing stage presence, extremely large inflatable pigs flying over the crowds heads, and they were the first and I believe the only band that used surround sound in their concerts. I would love to go into how they changed my life and into their incredible lyrics and mind boggling synchronicities but I will have to end it with just one last statement. Pink Floyd will be listened to by generation after generation and their music will never cease to be heard.

Next Band to Be Announced Soon

Once again I've been beaten down by tests but I should have the next band on the countdown by around 2 on Tuesday Nov. 1st.