Is the World Really that Terrible?

Well I'm drifting away from music completely with this post but it's been something that has been bothering me for the past few months. About a month or so ago my High School basketball team went to the state championship so I decided I would go along and root for my old High School team, I even went as far as having my paint chested because they needed one more person to spell out our school name. Now I live in a town that is 99% white with a very small black population. I had about one or two black kids in my graduating class out of around 300 or so. When we got to the game we were playing a team which had all black kids on it where as our team was all white. While the game was going on all the kids from my old High School were just making up racist chants, I became disguisted. I couldn't believe that I lived in a town full of racists. Every chant they created was derrogitory to blacks, and I was appauled, so appauled that I was happy our team was beaten badly. On top of that the past few months I have been working on a 25 minute presentation I had to give about a book of my choice dealing with International Relations. I have this odd obsession with Africa and always have, even in Elementary school we were told to choose a country to write a report on and I chose Mozambique. I mean who chooses Mozambique? Well back to the topic I ended up choosing a book by Philip Gourevitch which was about the Rwanda Genocide. I was familiar with the genocide but certainly was no expert on it considering I wasn't even ten years old when it occured. The book was incredible and I ended up having a solid presentation. While reading the book it wasn't the genocide that made me sick to my stomach but it was realizing how racist of a world we live in. I know many people will read this and think "Oh just another person pulling out the race card." During the genocide the world had an oppurtunity to help a country left in shambles thanks to a Belgian country who completely polarized the two main ethnicities of Rwanda. Eventually the polarization reached a height which led to the extermination of all Tutsis. As I said earlier the world just sat and watched nearly a million people being killed maliciously with machetes, not even with a more humane weapon such as guns. President Clinton avoided at all costs calling this event a genocide so he wouldn't have to intervene. Not only are we to blame America but the whole world who had a chance to save nearly one million lives. Countries like Italy did come in to save people but the people they saved were WHITE and only white! So when these soldiers came in to rescue the white people the blacks just had to stand there and watch these upperclass white people being rescued and flown away from the destruction. When watching videos of the genocide I nearly cried when I saw these little black children watching white people being flown out of the area to safety. It gets me so angry to know that we live in a world filled with racism. If these genocides were occuring in white European countries would we intervene? If a massive hurricane hit a rich white community would the rescue efforts be more succesful? Without any doubt in my mind I say yes! No life is of lesser value then the next, President Bush's life is no more important then the homeless guy living on the sidewalks of New York City. One day I can only hope that we will live in a world where race is not even the slightest of an issue. To think that racism was an issue of the 60's is completely wrong, it is an issue that started when European explorers ventured out into Africa and it is an issue to this very day.

7) Metallica: One

Finally I have gotten over my laziness and would finally start posting on the countdown again. One of the things keeping me from posting on the countdown is because how hard it is to write about a solo, so I think I won't go into as much detail as I once did. Well here we have the great work of Kirk Hammett, one of my favorite guitarists. It's not only the guitar work that makes this solo so great but the machine gun drumming of Lars Ulrich, he really utilizes the double bass so well. Before the solo Hammett also has a machine gun type guitar playing as well which fits in extremley well with the theme of the song. The solo is quick and just amazing to say the least. The thing to note about this solo is the speed and that is really the greatness of it. Like I said I would keep the details to a minimum now because writing about a guitar solo is tough and I am just too lazy to write about something on command. Like always I love comments, so maybe less writing will lead to more comments, so feel free to post!

Dreaming of David Gilmour....Literally

Well last night a project for one of my classes took longer then I planned for it to take so I wasn’t able to post the next solo but tonight will be the night. I won’t let myself be lazy again! Now to concentrate on this post, last night I was listening to the new Gilmour album which I can’t seem to get enough of and then went to sleep. Keep in mind that I am exactly a week away from seeing half of the band that I worship, after this show I’m pretty sure I can die in peace seeing my favorite member of Floyd play Floyd songs. When I fell asleep last night I had a dream about going to the Gilmour show with my girlfriend. One of her neighbors were in possession of our tickets so we had to go pick them up, and for some reason she drove over there and I was holding on to the back of the car while riding my skateboard (so completely random but it is a dream.) We eventually got to the house to get the tickets and they were all on the roof, I guess they were a bunch of carpenters because they all had the belt on with the hammer in it and etc. We yelled up to them that we wanted the tickets and then he told us that he doesn’t quite have them but he will. I fell to the ground and cried and knew we wouldn’t be getting those tickets and I wouldn’t be seeing David Gilmour. Eventually some guy walked out of the house and told us if we sign this paper we could get them, so we both did. We were finally in possession of our tickets. Then my girlfriend and I walked back to my house and we were talking about how excited we were to see him and how we’re going to cry during the show. We were also talking about how much we can brag to everyone that we saw Gilmour. We left on our way to go to Radio City Music Hall and then I woke up… It was a pretty weird dream with many extremely odd details that I left out because they don’t really pertain to the story but that was basically the essence of it. It is just another reason that my excitement is building. I also wish that my girlfriend liked good music but some say opposites attract and that’s exactly what we are. Something must be going right if we’re still together for three years. David I can’t wait to see you! Please play “Wots….Uh the Deal” for us!

Lord Knows I'm a Voodoo Child!

I should have the next solo posted on Monday because it's the weekend and I'm always pretty tied up. So I decided instead of not posting at all I would just do a simple but interesting post. For the past two days I've been listening to a lot of Hendrix and every time I listen to him I just become more and more shocked of how incredible he really was. Since nearly everyone loves Hendrix I just wanted to know what are your three favorite Hendrix songs. Not in any order and you can post more if you wish because I know it's certainly not an easy thing to pick three songs out of the plethora of incredible music he's created. Here are my three favorites and in order.

1. Hey Joe
2. Voodoo Child
3. All Along the Watchtower

Why Stand on a Silent Platform?

While walking to class today I decided to listen to some Rage Against the Machine for a change. Lately I’ve been listening to Pink Floyd strictly due to my excitement to see David Gilmour but today I felt I should mix it up. I chose the song “Bulls on Parade” for it’s infectious riff and thought to myself “Has any band had such a large impact on the world as Rage has?” Of course there are people who effected the world greatly like The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Elvis but is Rage Against the Machine right in the middle of that group? If you take time to think about it they do have quite a stunning resume. I feel Rage Against the Machine opened up the eyes of an ignorant generation, people’s eyes were wide open during the Cold War and during Vietnam but the 90’s didn’t quite have any major political events that really threatened the U.S. We were left with a pretty stable decade with no worries and turned our backs to the world. Of course I’m not saying everyone but the younger generation really didn’t have anything to worry about. When Rage Against the Machine launched into the lime light they effected America nearly instantly. Their moving political lyrics actually had people questioning our government, something that my generation seemed to forget. Not only did the band have people thinking but they took action as well. How many bands can say they brought huge groups out to the Democratic National Convention eventually leading to riots which received more coverage than the actual Convention. Now I’m not saying they caused the riots but they brought out the people to hear a free show and with a group that large voices can be heard. Eventually the voice became a little too loud for the police to handle so they used force when it was completely uncalled for. It was a peaceful demonstration, but anyway I should get back on topic. Also how many bands can say they shut down the NYSE? America’s source of capitalism lies right there and Rage Against the Machine was able to shut that down when creating a video for “Sleep Now in the Fire” which like the Democratic National Convention also turned violent but in the end they were able to shut down the NYSE. On top of these two things the band was also kicked off of Saturday Night Live for life. When playing SNL Steven Forbes was hosting the show who was an ex-Republican presidential candidate and Tom Morello the guitarist of the band wanted to make sure Rage’s voice was heard so right before they went on they put on upside down American Flags on their amps because Tom Morello states, "our contention that American democracy is inverted when what passes for democracy is an electoral choice between two representatives of the privileged class. America's freedom of expression is inverted when you're free to say anything you want to say until it upsets a corporate sponsor. Finally, this was our way of expressing our opinion of the show's host, Steve Forbes." In the end Rage’s performance was censored and they were immediately forced to leave the building. Rage Against the Machine has surely left a legacy in the music industry and on all of America. Personally I feel they are one of the most important bands of all time, not only a band that urged others to take action but a band that took action themselves. It is a shame they had to break up because their voice is certainly needed in these troubled times.

8) Funkadelic: Maggot Brain

Sorry for the hiatus, I’m a bit busy on weekends and I’m sure many of you realize that I rarely post on them. Now back to the countdown… Well I doubt that many people expected this song to be on the countdown but it rightfully deserves to be. Now I can’t go and say that I’m a big fan of Funkadelic or George Clinton but this song is just incredible and really the whole “Maggot Brain” album is wonderfully creative and unique. Now if you may or may not know Eddie Hazel is on guitar for this ridiculous piece of work. Apparently when making this song Eddie Hazel was told by George Clinton to "Play like yo' momma just died." It sounds like he did just that, and what makes this solo even better is the great backdrop with the mellow and soothing appriego. This beautiful solo lasts for a total of ten minutes and regardless of who you are you cannot deny that playing that amazing solo for that long has to put some heavy strain on your fingers. What makes it even more astonishing is that this was recorded in just one take! The solo is epic and made Eddie Hazel a legend and just hearing five minutes of the song can make you agree. Unfortunately the song goes overlooked for reasons that I just cannot understand. Why have I never heard this song on the radio? I believe the only reason I could give for this solo being overlooked is because it was not created by a “rock” guitar legend, and it seems as if there is no place for incredible guitar work by a funk band. This song is so soothing and surreal; it really sends the listener off into a different world. Eddie Hazel’s playing starts off slow and progressively gets faster and faster until it reaches its peak about half way through and then starts to lull down and once again builds towards the end of the song. The way he plays is just so spiritual and soulful and you really get the feeling that he is expressing deep sorrow which apparently George Clinton wanted. I sort of kick myself for putting this piece so far back but the competition is very stiff. If you haven’t heard this song do so immediately!

I'm Such a Bum!

I should have the next solo on the countdown by tomorrow. I'm usually very busy on weekends so I can't really find the time to post but I do have some random but good news. I will be working a Dream Theater show on Sunday at the Paramount Theater in Asbury Park New Jersey. I don't know if I've ever mentioned this but I work there and at Asbury Park Convention Hall as well doing the concession stands. May sound like a dumb job but the perks can't be much better. You can't really beat getting paid for a show that you would want to see. Plus from where my concession stand is if I peak my head through the window I have a perfect view of the stage and normally nobody buys food during the show so I have the whole time to watch. Working there has given me the ability to see Bruce Springstein around six or so times. Unfortunately I'm not a big fan of Bruce but I can't deny his legendary rock status. Normally this venue doesn't get too many shows nor very good ones but a concert is a concert and I love the atmosphere. Also just TWO WEEKS UNTIL DAVID GILMOUR AT RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL!

9) Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

Could you get any better use of the wah with this unforgettable song? I think not. Personally this is my favorite Hendrix song so it was an easy pick to enter the list and what would a guitar solo list be without the immortal Jimi Hendrix. “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” was the genesis of the incredible bluesy jam of “Voodoo Chile.” Along with the incredible guitar work here Hendrix’s lyrics are just so psychedelic and unique you would think he completely improvised them with this song which he may or may not have done. Like “Sweet Child O’ Mine” which was at number 10 on the countdown the riff is just as great as the solo. The riff is just muted strings and all the work is done with the wah, so the emphasis on the wah is placed even higher. It’s just another one of those classic riffs that will go down in history as the best and one that will have you playing air guitar while screaming the notes at the top of your lungs. About two minutes into the song the mind blowing solo work begins, and it’s all over the place but in a good way. The solo revolves around the pentatonic scale (those few guitar lessons I took paid off for something haha) and it has such quick picking and incredible finger work. It’s so incredibly edgy with the way he makes the notes scream in his psychedelic way. If there were any solo that I wish I could play this would have to be it. Jimi can really make his guitar talk with the emotion he puts into his solos, and this song just goes to show it. When you put a guitar into Hendrix’s hands he turns into something greater than man could ever fathom.

My Ode to Gwen Stefani

Uh oh, I think I may have rekindled my love for Gwen Stefani. Well back in 1995 I bought No Doubt’s hit record “Tragic Kingdom” a bit before “Don’t Speak” became a huge hit, and I would like to thank my friend for recommending it to me. At the time it was my favorite album, and at this time I was only ten years old so my music knowledge was limited to say the least. Not only did I fall in love with No Doubt’s music but I fell in love with Gwen Stefani herself. Once I saw the “Don’t Speak” video there was no doubt that I thought she was the most beautiful person alive, she was probably my first big crush. Well yesterday I was bored and was flipping through my MP3 player and found No Doubt in there and decided why not relive those days of being 10 years old. I listened to it and it brought back such vivid memories of sitting in my room blasting it on my little boom box I had. I then decided to search online for the “Don’t Speak” video and realized that Gwen Stefani really is the most beautiful woman in the world, at least in my mind. Now I’ve grown to appreciate her even more than I did when I was younger. There is something about her that is so great; she has a wonderful voice and such a great personality. She seems so innocent but very strong minded sort of like a feminist. She also seems very cultured with the pottu on her forehead. She seems to exhibit a Marilyn Monroe look and it’s stunning. That is my ode to Gwen Stefani, so does anyone else have any opinions on who the best looking musicians are?

10) Guns N' Roses: Sweet Child O' Mine

So I started off by picking the greatest bands of all time to the greatest albums and now made my way to greatest guitar solos. This is definitely a tough one but I feel like I’ve created the best list that I could possibly compile. I feel like I left out some incredible solos (and completely omitted some of my favorite guitarists from the list) but I am judging them not on just the mere skill to play them but their musical quality. Just because a solo is lightning fast doesn’t mean it’s the best but it certainly helps. To start off the countdown I am going to one of my personal favorite guitarists who I think is terribly underrated and that is Slash of Guns N’ Roses. His work on “Sweet Child O’ Mine” is just incredible, not only being one of the greatest riffs of all time but it also has one of the greatest solos. Now this is tough just to write about a solo so don’t expect long elaborate descriptions but I will do my best. This song was the thing that launched Guns N’ Roses into unprecedented popularity. The riff alone was supposed to be a joke according to interviews with Slash, he claims he was just trying to make it sound like a “circus theme.” Axl apparently liked the sound and thus “Sweet Child O’ Mine” was born and thank the Lord for that. The solo is just beautiful, not extremely quick but played just perfectly. It will certainly go down as one of the most remembered guitar solos of all time. Slash utilizes the wah wah pedal so well here and uses enough gain to make it sound just right and not over the top. What also makes this solo so fantastic is how Slash bends each note to really give it that fantastic sound that it has. At first Slash was not too happy with the song but grew to appreciate it after playing it more and more during live shows, and rightfully so. This is a song that the whole world has come to adore and due in part to the ridiculously great guitar work from Slash. Unfortunately I don’t feel like there is much more to touch upon regarding this song so check in daily for the next solo because since these are so quick to write I just might actually post the next number each day.

As Of This Moment...

I am compiling the newest countdown for The Top 10 Greatest Guitar Solos. I must say this is probably my hardest list to create but I will do my best to do so. I've narrowed the competition down to around twenty songs and am now going to listen to each song a few times to try to put them in order. If anyone has any predictions I would love to hear them! I should probably have the first song on by around Thursday or so. Like I said, this is a very tough list to order so it will take some time.

Selection Sunday Baby!

Well this certainly has no relation to music but it’s a very important day for many college students and alumni. Today I will be sitting by my TV patiently waiting to see if my school Seton Hall will be chosen to go into the NCAA Tournament. I’m sure me along with many other college students and alumni will be crossing their fingers in hope that they will have a chance to compete in one of the most exciting sporting events… Today is a day where dreams are granted and broken and where Cinderella Stories begin. So if you did go to college what school did you attend?

The Set List for Gilmour's First Show

First half

1 Castellorizon
2 On An Island
3 The Blue
4 Take A Breath
5 Red Sky At Night
6 This Heaven
7 Then I Close My Eyes
8 Smile
9 A Pocketful Of Stones
10 Where We Start

Second half

11 Shine on you crazy diamond
12 Wots... uh the deal
13 wearing the inside out
14 Breathe
15 Time
16 Breathe reprise
17 Dominoes
18 High Hopes
19 Echoes

Encore
20 Wish you were here
21 Comfortably numb

You Can Shoot Me Once This Show Ends! Wow, I think I shed a tear when looking at this incredible set list. All I can hope is that he keeps this same set list for when I see him! My two favorite Floyd songs are being played and never in a million years would I have guessed that they would be played. "Echoes" which is just mind blowing, and would be incredible if he played it for the full 23 minutes and "Wots...Uh the Deal" my second favorite Floyd song off of Obscured by Clouds. This is a shocker that he would play this song because it's such an unknown Floyd album and such an obscure song to choose. God must have been listening to my prayers when David chose this set list!

On a second note I have chosen to make my second countdown on the topic Greatest Guitar Solos. Now this will probably take awhile to compile so don't expect a post until late next week or so. It seems like I'm taking on a tough topic here which could highly be debated but I will try my best to make it as objective as possible.

What a Show!

Ok well today I was reading Layla's Ramble On and her first concert of 2006 is going to be Peter Frampton. We all know how great of a show that will be. He's actually playing a few shows around my area in Atlantic City but $55 a ticket is a little bit above my budget right now so I decided to pull out my concert ticket stubs and tried to compile a list of my favorite shows. I'm young so obviously I won't be dating concerts back to the 70's and such although I wish I could.

U2 Vertigo Tour - May 17th, 2005 (Continental Airlines Arena)
A Perfect Circle - May 1st, 2004 (PNC Bank Arts Center)
System of a Down / The Mars Volta - August 23rd, 2005 (Continental Airlines Arena)
The Mars Volta - May 6th, 2005 (Roseland Ballroom)
Weezer - July 14th, 2005 (Borgata Hotel)
David Bowie Reality Tour - June 5th, 2004 (PNC Bank Arts Center)
The 21st Century Doors - August 23rd, 2003 (PNC Bank Arts Center)
Yes - August 27th, 2004 (PNC Bank Arts Center)
Aerosmith - I believe it was in 2002 I lost my stub for that (PNC Bank Arts Center)
Weezer - May 11th, 2005 (Roseland Ballroom)

So what were the best concerts you've seen?

Two Things

1) Make sure you go out and buy the David Gilmour album "On an Island" today, I want to see that album at number one on the charts! It's a fantastic album, very dreamy and mellow with Gilmour's incredible guitar and awesome vocals.

2) I've narrowed down my options for a new countdown to two choices. Either Greatest Guitarists or Greatest Guitar Solo in a song. So I would really like to hear everyone's input and see what countdown people would like to see the most.

More Than a Girl In a Bee Suit

If you don’t already know I am referring to the band that people would consider a one hit wonder of the 90’s: Blind Melon. I really wish that this band wouldn’t get thrown on the backburner and labeled with such a degrading term. Most people will hear “No Rain” on the radio, sing it and think nothing more than a girl dancing around in a bee suit. There is more to Blind Melon than No Rain and a quirky girl dressed up as a bee…much more. Aside from one of the best albums of the 90’s Blind Melon’s Shannon Hoon led a life that can be described as beautifully short. His lyrics are some of the best I’ve ever heard especially seen in the song “Change,” possibly the greatest song lyrically in my opinion. He gave so much inspiration and such a powerful and bold message in that song. Lines like “And when your deepest thoughts are broken, keep on dreaming boy, cause when you stop dreamin’ it’s time to die” and “So I want to write my words on the face of today/and then they’ll paint it.” His words were so powerful and bold, it is such a shame he followed a path of drugs which eventually led him to his early death. Their self titled album is just surreal and has a magical kind of feel to it. Their following album “Soup” wasn’t quite as amazing but none the less was very impressive. The final album “Nico” which was released after Hoon’s death and was named after his daughter and wasn’t an official album but instead songs they had yet to release and some bonus material. I really wish people would go out and buy one of their albums to realize what a great talent this band had. Don’t be fooled by VH1 and the radio, there is more to Blind Melon than the label of One Hit Wonders.

Any Ideas?

Well I really enjoy making these lists so I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for a music countdown. Maybe top albums of a certain decade or top albums from a certain band. I was thinking top progressive albums but if anyone has any others ideas in mind definitely voice your oppinion!

1) Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon

I hope this was somewhat of a surprise for many but I’m sure many also saw this choice coming. There is not one negative thing I could say about this album, I couldn’t even give it one critique, absolutely every second of this album is just incredible. A perfect concept album in every sense, it gives the listener the appropriate feeling it’s aiming for with great music and incredible sounds. The theme of the album is basically things that drive people to insanity like money, time, and so on. “Dark Side of the Moon” opens up with “Speak to Me” which basically sums up what the listener is in for opening up with the sound of a heart beat and ticking clocks, cash registers opening and closing, and voices of insane people declaring how they’ve “Been mad for f*ckin’ years, absolutely years.” Such a perfect way to open up the album, giving the listener a real feeling of anxiety and then it turns into the mellow and dreamlike “Breathe.” One of my favorite Floyd songs, it’s absolutely one of the best songs to relax to. Great lyrics and fantastic music culminate for an amazing opening to the album. This leads into the pressure filled “On the Run.” This song gives the listener the feel of really being in a rush with a fast beat and the sounds of someone running after plane which in the end sounds as if it crashes and explodes; I really feel that no song gives the listener the proper feel quite like this does. We then move into the ticking sounds of clocks in “Time.” The ticking eventually leads to an enormous ringing of bells and this song is one of Floyd’s most revered. What makes the song so great is the amazing lyrics of how quickly time goes by and the infamous guitar work of Gilmour which is completely his own. The next song is Clare Torry’s time to shine and her vocals are mind blowing on “The Great Gig in the Sky.” As the song opens up a man asks himself “Why should I be afraid of dying? There’s no reason for it you have to go sometime” which keeps the theme of the album and then just all out screaming of Torry. The screaming goes on for a good three minutes and although some might think those three minutes of screaming would get quite annoying but not when you have a voice like that. After is “Money” which I must say is my least liked song on the album but in no way is it a bad song, it’s actually a fantastic song and the theme of money is needed to keep with the idea of things driving people to insanity. “Us and Them” follows and it is such a stunning song that put the listener into a fantasy world. The harmonies are so incredible and the saxophone adds a really nice taste to it, it really is one of the highlights of the album. “Us and Them” leads into the instrumental “Any Colour You Like” which is a fun song mixed with guitar and keyboard solos and then moves into “Brain Damage.” Like “Us and Them” it has fantastic harmonies and is another beautiful song. It regards lunacy with lines like “There’s someone in my head but it’s not me” and “The lunatic is in my head.” This segues into “Eclipse” which is basically the climax and the end of the album. No better way to end such a perfect album, probably my favorite song of the album although only lasting two minutes in length. It’s an orgasm of sounds and vocals ending the album on a untouchable note. There aren’t enough good things to say about this album, and I honestly feel no band could ever come close to recreating an album even close to as perfect as this. Floyd hit every aspect right on the head, they kept with the theme of the album all the way through, the music never fell below incredible, and it was amazingly innovative. Not only was this album great musically but even the album cover and the inserts do the album such great justice. Floyd did everything they possibly could have done right correct in this album. I think the world will forever be in debt to Floyd for putting out an album that was so superior to any album ever recorded.

1. SPEAK TO ME
2. BREATHE
3. ON THE RUN
4. TIME
5. THE GREAT GIG IN THE SKY
6. MONEY
7. US AND THEM
8. ANY COLOUR YOU LIKE
9. BRAIN DAMAGE
10. ECLIPSE

1) Britney Spears: Baby One More Time

Just kidding, but I am going to try to have the Real Number 1 album posted tonight so for those of you who are actually interested I should have it on by late tonight. Thanks for everyone who checks in continuously to see who's next on the list, it means a lot to me! I would also like to mention just five more days until the new Gilmour album is released.

Here is a recap of the list:
1.
2. The Beatles: Rubber Soul
3. Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here
4. The Doors: The Doors
5. King Crimson: In the Court of the Crimson King
6. The Beatles: Revolver
7. Jimi Hendrix: Are You Experienced?
8. U2: The Joshua Tree
9: The Who: Who's Next
10. Bob Dylan: Bringing it All Back Home

2) The Beatles: Rubber Soul

The Beatles are back on the list and this time with the predecessor to “Revolver.” The importance of this album is really incredible, this album showed a new band, a band that was willing to grow and experiment with new sounds and instruments. No longer were The Beatles just a band playing upbeat love songs that all sounded alike, now they had expanded their horizon to new lyrics and a brand new sound. The sound they had created on “Rubber Soul” was just perfect and they continued working on it ever since this album. Now the U.S. version of “Rubber Soul” was nowhere near as good as the U.K. version and that is the one that I’ve selected to put on the list. It opens up with the fun “Drive My Car” and that is followed by “Norwegian Wood” which set the first indicator of a progression in The Beatles sound. “Norwegian Wood” opens up with an acoustic and then in comes a sitar which is quite unheard of for a rock album but it worked perfectly giving it that mellow tone. “Nowhere Man” follows and this also shows an evolution of the band moving into new directions lyrically opposed to love. Harrison gets in two songs of the album and the first of which is “Think for Yourself” which has some new techniques like the fuzzy bass lines and not to mention Harrison actually on vocals which is quite a rare thing. Next is “The Word” which shows the incredible harmonies by Lennon and McCartney, it’s hard to argue that there is a duo better than those two. Next is the beautiful “Michelle” sung by McCartney and it’s a very basic and primitive song but it sounds excellent and it has great lyrics that are bound to be stuck in your head all day. Soon after we have “Girl” with John on vocals and it gives a rather depressing view on love and John really sounds like he’s emotionally distraught with vocals. The atmosphere certainly picks up after “Girl” because after that is “I’m Looking Through You.” The lyrics are pretty bitter but musically the tempo picks up and it’s more exciting. The tempo once again drops which seems to be a theme of the album with what many regard as the greatest Beatles song “In My Life.” Such a wonderful song that everyone can relate to about looking at your past. John’s vocals really make this song what it is and that fantastic guitar riff gives it that dim mood that fits perfectly with the vocals. Once again the pace of the album jumps with “Wait” which has quite an infectious and catchy chorus. The album stays on the more upbeat mood with Harrison’s second song “If I Needed Someone” and then one of my personal favorites “Run for Your Life.” It has pretty violent lyrics basically implying that he will kill his girlfriend if she cheats on him. It’s a very fun song if you were to omit the harsh lyrics and the album closes on that note. It’s pretty hard to review Beatles albums because their music is so simple and straight forward but that is the magic of them. Music doesn’t need to be complex to sound good and the Beatles really came out on top with this album. “Rubber Soul” is the album that changed the music industry and it’s a great thing that it was responsible for it because it sounds so right.

1. Drive My Car


2. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)


3. You Won't See Me


4. Nowhere Man


5. Think For Yourself


6. The Word


7. Michelle


8. What Goes On


9. Girl


10. I'm Looking Through You


11. In My Life


12. Wait


13. If I Needed Someone


14. Run For Your Life