When Will It End?

This is a bit of old news but as many of you may or may not know the MPA (Music Publishers Associastion) is cracking down on anything online representing sheet music, which means they will be attacking both lyrics sites and tab sites. To me the music industry has just crossed the line; it is completely understandable to attack the downloading of actual music but now TABS AND LYRICS! I play guitar and rely on online tabs and I also love to search for lyrics on the internet, if these two entities are taken away from me not only will I be discouraged from playing guitar but I feel I would be discouraged from getting ideal listening experiences from music. I find it incredibly hard to believe that musicians would actually support this type of thing; one thing that I find ridiculous about it is that tab sites are based on people’s interpretation of what they hear. It is extremely rare to find the perfect tab that is clearly stolen from published sheet music. David Israelite the president of the MPA had this to say "Unauthorized use of lyrics and tablature deprives the songwriter of the ability to make a living, and is no different than stealing." I would like to know what songwriters livelihood is based on sheet music? How much money could an artist actually make from sheet music? It would have to be such a small percentage, something like .0001% of their total income. The MPA is just attacking the internet in whatever way they possibly can at this point. It is a bitter and malicious attack on innocent people who have no intentions of ripping off the music industry. Just to prove that this is a malicious attack is this quote basically saying that they don’t want to just fine people but instead "throw in some jail time I think we'll be a little more effective." The people who are looking for tabs online are probably those who actually contribute to the music industry by purchasing albums and not stealing them. The reason I am posting about this topic is that a fantastic guitar program I use called Guitar Pro relies heavily on a website called MySongBook.com which has been basically shut down thanks to the MPA. To rap this up all I have to say is this is clearly just a savage and malicious attack on innocent people, the music industry has become fed up with the internet (and rightfully so in most respects) and is going to destroy it in any possible way.

Cover Song Gallore

Cover songs always make for good conversation. Did the cover do the original justice? Did the cover surpass the original? Should that original not have been tainted with? No matter how you look at it cover songs are inevitable and artists will continue to release them. One thing we should never forget is those who created the originals and upon looking online I found a few sites that show who actually performed the original versions of songs and those who covered them. These sites appear to have a pretty substantial collection but one problem I found is: WHO DID THE ORIGINAL "HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN"! It seems to be a mystery amongst everyone and each of these sites seem to give different answers, I'm assuming that the covers are very loosely based on the original because there seems to be no consensus on who created the original. Anyway, if anyone is curious about cover songs you will be very pleased by these websites. Maybe you will even find out that some of your favorite songs weren't even originals.

The Covers Project
The Originals
Second Hand Songs

Teenage Angst Has Paid Off Well

Many people would ask the question: Why in the world would Nirvana be compared to The Beatles? With just four albums Nirvana changed the world, and with just one riff Nirvana stood in the forefront of one of the fiercest movements in music history. A big misconception with Nirvana is that they were not the first “grunge” band and those who love to put down Nirvana use that against them. The problem with all the naysayer’s is that regardless of if they were or were not the first “grunge” band they were the first band to get it right. The Beatles weren’t the first rock band and Bob Dylan wasn’t the first folk singer but they changed the world because of their ability to get it right. Time is crucial for ones success and nothing stands truer for Nirvana’s success, everything was aligned perfectly at the time of their release, it was basically the perfect storm. Music was dry and the charts were dominated by people like Michael Jackson, teenagers had nothing to latch on to. One thing we can all conclude about teenagers is that they are dysfunctional, hormones are all over the place and angst is 95% of their personality. Nirvana gave a young generation exactly what they wanted with the perfect chemistry. Their first release “Bleach” was in no way going to reach the mainstream due to its trashy and rough sound but “Nevermind” was a completely different story. “Nevermind” was the perfect blend of a punk sound and pop music. One cannot deny the catchiness of Nirvana songs, at their heart they are pop songs with hard riffs serving as a façade. Everything on the album is catchy and connects with teenage angst through very relatable lyrics and rough and edgy sounds. Kurt Cobain is by no stretch of the imagination a great guitarist no matter what Rolling Stone wants to rate him (rated 12th by Rolling Stone.) Aside from his guitar playing ability his voice is phenomenal. He has a beautiful pitch to his voice yet he can turn the beauty into some of the roughest growls and screams to the point where it is unconceivable how his vocal chords were able to withstand that amount of torture. No matter what you think of Nirvana they were indeed the next Beatles, the time was right and the sound was spot on and Nirvana struck the world with all their might. In their later years they went on to produce easily one of my favorite albums “In Utero” if not my favorite album behind “Dark Side of the Moon” and my favorite live album “MTV Unplugged in New York.” Kurt Cobain is no God and was no martyr for Rock but his short life led to one of the most important movements and therefore should be credited properly. Nirvana saved rock when it was most susceptible to imploding…

Memorial Day

When one says Memorial Day the first image that comes to mind for the majority of American's is Summer. Not only summer but parties and vacation amongst other things, but I can nearly assure you that very few American's actually see Memorial Day as a day of remembrance for those who have died for their country. I find this quite unfortunate especially in a time like this, a time where we are fighting more than just one war and many lives have been taken. I am not going to preach that everyone should use the day as merely one to mourn but everyone should realize the purpose of the day and to actually take just a few minutes out to recognize and appreciate those who have died fighting for our country and not only died but those who have survived and are still fighting to this day. Without these brave men and women our country may not even exist the way we see it now and whether or not you agree or disagree with the current war one should never deter support for our troops who are risking their lives day to day. Their courage and heart make America one of the most if not the most wonderful places to live. Never take for granted what we have thanks to our troops!

New York Times Review of Tool 5/19/06

I realize this is rather late to post this but as you may or may not know I saw Tool on 5/19/06 and the show was fantastic. I posted my review two posts down but while searching the Tool forums today I saw a pretty interesting review by the New York Times on the show. For those who are interested it is a good read.

New York Times / May 22, 2006 / By John Pareles

Here's an unanswerable question: Would Tool have become what it is today — a band that fills arenas and has its albums zoom instantly to No. 1 — with a different name?

That one-syllable name, with its proud phallic connotations and an "ooh" sound made to be bellowed from the bleachers, promises the brute power of heavy metal. The band draws a black-shirted, testosterone-soaked crowd, one so formidable that when Tool started its two nights at City Center on Friday, arriving audience members faced a head-to-foot pat-down. Yet while Tool's music is loud and aggressive, it's never simple-minded.

Tool's songs are tricky mathematical inventions. They're propelled by plucked guitar patterns in odd meters that defy foot-tapping. Adam Jones's guitar, Justin Chancellor's bass and Danny Carey's drums often mesh in a three-part counterpoint recalling King Crimson.

Maynard James Keenan's voice is not a metal growl but a mournful, almost androgynous croon, bearing smooth melodies aloft over the band's pointillism. The songs pelt listeners with notes until they heave toward a payoff: brawny power chords, a thrashing riff and a gloomily triumphant refrain.

Tool has a long attention span; seven minutes is brief for a Tool composition. At City Center songs began with long, deliberate stretches of ambient sound: eerie electronic tinklings or sustained guitar tones before the first pattern appeared, usually to a roar of recognition.

Although Tool has been off the road for three years — the reason it has been playing theater-size shows as a warm-up for an arena tour — it hasn't changed its staging much. As usual Mr. Keenan stood on a platform near the back of the stage without a spotlight on him, although he could be seen striking poses or pulling off his cowboy hat to show the tall Mohawk haircut underneath.

Video screens behind the band were synched to the split second for each song, showing abstract patterns and bald creatures — human and alien, live and animated — doing obscurely creepy things involving slime and viscera. But the real show was in the musicianship: the interlocked parts, the snowballing dynamics, the way each episode of a song only contributed to its suspense.

The set reached back as far as "Sober" from Tool's 1993 album "Undertow"; it sounded like a simple grunge tune compared with Tool's more recent progressive-rock epics. In songs from the band's new album, "10,000 Days" (Volcano/Zomba/Sony BMG), Mr. Keenan sang about tabloid thrills in "Vicarious" ("I need to watch things die from a distance"), an alien abduction or drug trip or both in "Rosetta Stoned," the evolutionary absurdity of war in "Right in Two" ("monkey killing monkey killing monkey"), and a virtuous declaration of love — for a companion or a savior — in "Jambi." But the power of the songs is in their tone and in the way the music winds tighter and tighter before it explodes. What comes through is sinewy, virtuosic finesse: taking pleasure in construction, not destruction.

Evolution the Only Solution

While reading through some music news I saw that the members of Metallica are all very proud of James Hettfield for sobering up and recovering from his alcoholism. Kirk Hammett went on to say "Him being clean and sober is something that he holds so close to heart. We acknowledge it every day, but it's just great to see other people acknowledging it, too." I as well as the members of Metallica am very proud that James sobered up and he does deserve credit and respect for doing so because I know from experience that it is one of the worst addictions in the world. I myself was not an alcoholic but I do know someone very close to me and his road to sobering up was a difficult one to say the least. Because of watching alcoholism deteriorating ones life I abstained from alcohol all together and have never touched it and am not quite sure if I ever will. Aside from that note, I've come to realize how ignorant the majority of Metallica fans are. A few quotes from fans online were "only wimps dont get drunk," "He should of kept drinking, maybe he would have put our better albums." and "We are all secretly wishing you'd get back on the sauce and maybe some crank and go back to writing like the ...And Justice For All days. Save yourself and your former fans from disgrace." Those are just a few of the many ridiculous things people said. I don't think it is just Metallica fans that are the problem but Metal fans in general. Many Metal fans feel they have this ownership of bands and this personal connection with them. There is nothing wrong with the personal connection but you cannot expect them to put out album after album of repetitious styles. Music evolves just as humans and everything on earth evolves. To not acknowledge that fact is just setting yourself up for disappointment. Of course everyone loved classic albums like "Ride the Lightening" and "Master of Puppets" but if Metallica were to have released albums sounding like that from the 80's all the way to 2006 I have a pretty strong inkling that the world would get sick of them. The magic of Metallica and all bands that last 15+ years is that they evolve. For example lets look at Pink Floyd, they start off heavily psychedelic, move into the progressive sounds of "Dark Side of the Moon" and "Wish You Were Here" and from there they change up their sound in albums such as "Animals" and "The Final Cut" lastly once Waters had left the band they go back to a sound somewhat similar to their golden era of "Wish You Were Here." Floyd fans remained devoted fans through all the years and I think prog rock fans realize that evolution is crucial hence "progressive" rock. When Metal fans come to terms with the evolution of music then maybe one day they will be cured of their insecure attacks on their once favorite bands. In conclusion, metal fans should go pick up some material by Darwin and try to apply it on a broader scale instead of just nature.

Happy Three Years!

Well this is not the first time I’ve mentioned her on here but I wanted to wish my girlfriend Chelsey a Happy Three Year Anniversary. It’s been an incredible three years and nobody has taught me so much about myself than her. It is unbelievable the things we can learn about ourselves through other people. Throughout these past three years we’ve gone through a lot and we made it through better people and therefore came through with a stronger relationship. So, thank you Chelsey for an amazing three years and this is only the beginning, I love you babe.

Tool 5/19/06

Set List:

Lost Keys
Rosetta Stoned
Stinkfist
Forty Six & 2
Jambi
Right in Two
Schism
Sober
Lateralus
Vicarious
Ænema

On Friday the 19th I went to see Tool at the New York City Center, a very small venue which holds only around 2,500. The tickets were pretty absurdly hard to obtain but luckily I got one and if I didn’t boy would I have cried. Not only is Tool one of my favorite bands but I honestly feel they are they best band in the past twenty or so years. Every album the release is near perfection, and they should be considering they release them every five years. When you pick up a Tool album you know you are receiving something that has fantastic quality and wasn’t just pushed out there for money. Now back to the show, the band took stage around twenty minutes late but I’m assuming that was because of the fact that many seats were empty. They soon filled up and the curtains rose and I believe only Adam Jones (guitar) and Justin Chancellor (bass) were on stage, next came Danny Carey the most underrated drummer ever and lastly Maynard James Keenan on vocals. They opened up the show with “Lost Keys” which went into “Rosetta Stoned.” The song was great but unfortunately the vocals were way too low, I believe they raised them eventually but throughout the whole show the volume on them was significantly lower than the rest of the instruments. This didn’t exactly deter from the show too much but Maynard has an incredible voice and it would have been nice to hear it with more clarity. The next song played was a Tool classic “Stinkfist” and that really got the crowd going. The band played incredibly and I have officially realized that Danny Carey is one of the top five drummers of all time, too bad for the world he goes pretty unnoticed.

Maynard in his normal fashion cracked a few jokes, one of the funniest was that the word “f*ck” is a gateway word…a gateway word that leads to terrorism, and he apologized for using it earlier in the show, and said that we should use different world such as “poop” and other words of that nature. I’m not going to quote him because I don’t remember it line for line but that was basically it. The last time I saw Maynard was with A Perfect Circle and he made a joke saying “What has 9 arms and sucks?” and then answered “Def Leppard.”

One intersting note about the show is the security at the venue. It was unbelievabely tight, the is the first show where I've seen people thrown out for smoking pot, normally the shows I go to are heavy on pot smoking but I've never seen people actually thrown out. Also the security guards actually were kicking people out for taking pictures. I was pretty cautious and snapped two shots on my phone but didn't use the flash, they didn't come out all that well but the picture seen to the top right is one that I took.

Back to the show, the band played pretty solid but Adam Jones (guitar) sounded like he made a few mistakes and had some technical issues on “Right in Two.” Danny was perfect as always and Maynard was energetic but always places himself in the back of the stage keeping him a bit mysterious. The highlight of the night was “Lateralus,” the crowd was most into that song and rightfully so, they played it flawlessly and with a ton of energy. When their set was over the all sat on stage which I thought was great just waiting for the crowd to get loud enough so they would play again. I love how unconventional they are instead of just going backstage, and at one point Maynard slowly walked off acting like he was leaving and put his hand to his ear and slowly started to walk back as the crowd grew louder and more intense. The encore consisted of “Vicarious” and “Aenema” too solid songs to end the show on a high note. In the end I left the show feeling like it only lasted ten minutes, I must say no show flew by quicker than this one. The set wasn’t short it was just that it felt short, I don’t feel like I got cheated out of a show in any way in fact it was one of my favorites but for some reason it flew by so quick. A fantastic performance by a fantastic band, I can’t wait until they come around again later this year to play larger venues!

Is an Abundance of Zeppelin Too Much?

Thanks to my Internet acting insane I have been unable to post. Today I have a question which has been plaguing me for quite awhile. Why am I sick of listening to Led Zeppelin? I can never take away from the incredible talent in the band and at a time they were easily one of my favorite bands, over time they have completely fell off the radar for me. I probably haven't listened to Led Zeppelin under my own will in about two years. Of course I'll listen to a song here or there but I've never listened to a whole album or even a few songs of Zeppelin at once. The past few days I found myself listening to the radio a lot and it honestly feels like every other song is Led Zeppelin. I receive three rock stations in my area and it is certainly not uncommon for all three of them to play Led Zeppelin at the same time. Zeppelin for me is a band that just seems to get old; when I listen to them I don't even feel the need to listen to their albums but instead just individual songs. Is it just me or is Led Zeppelin a band that becomes a bit repetitive when listened to in heavy doses? As I said earlier their talent is undeniable but their music seems to get old and for me fairly quick.

Top 5 Lyrics

Top 5 song lyrics....(And tell us why you like them)

This great idea came from Welcome to the Pond. I love lyrics and it was very difficult to think of just 5 but I managed to make a pretty decent list. I’m not quite sure if these truly are my top 5 songs lyrically but they are 5 that came to mind.

1) Change – Blind Melon
“When you feel your life ain't worth living you've got to stand up andtake a look around you then a look way up to the sky.And when your deepest thoughts are broken, keep on dreaming boy, cause when you stop dreamin' it's time to die.”

It’s just one of those incredibly inspiring songs that probably nobody has heard.


2) Imagine – John Lennon
“You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one”

Most people will agree that this is one of the best songs lyrically. It’s beautiful the way John asks us to dream of a utopia.


3) Masters of War – Bob Dylan
“And I hope that you dieAnd your death will come soonI'll follow your casketOn a pale afternoonAnd I'll watch while you're loweredDown to your deathbedAnd I'll stand over your grave'Til I'm sure that you're dead”

Certainly one of the angriest songs I’ve ever heard, but the song is so true. It is terrible that big rich men send people to war without any concern for the health and well being of those fighting.


4) The End – The Doors
“This is the end, Beautiful friendThis is the end, My only friend, the endIt hurts to set you freeBut you'll never follow meThe end of laughter and soft liesThe end of nights we tried to dieThis is the end”


Jim Morrison’s oedipal tragedy… It’s haunting, frightening, and mesmerizing, just like Jim himself. He guides us through a journey with his hypnotizing voice.


5) Eulogy – Tool
“You've claimed all this time that you would die for meWhy then are you so surprised when you hear your own eulogy?”

A song that can be interpreted in many ways, one can apply it to their religion, martyrs, lovers, or family, whomever it may be it is an incredible song with incredible lyrics.

Can He Do It?

Well yesterday I purchased tickets to see Roger Waters at the PNC Bank Arts Center in September. I'm not a huge Waters fan but he is playing "Dark Side of the Moon" in its entirety and I just can't pass that up. Today I was listening to my bootleg of the Gilmour show I saw and was thinking that Roger Waters will never be able to live up to that show. What could be even worse is the question of "How can Roger Waters really replay "Dark Side of the Moon"?" Nearly the whole album is Gilmour on vocals and also some Wright who will not be present with Waters but was with Gilmour on tour, I'm not quite sure if anybody can re-create the incredible guitar work of Gilmour due to the fact that his solos are unique and I've never heard anybody sound quite like him. The only two songs on "Dark Side of the Moon" where Waters is actually on vocals is "Brain Damage" and "Eclipse" and even though he is on vocals he is sharing the vocals with Gilmour, they are both doing the harmonies. I will never take away the artistic and creative talent of Roger Waters because he is the man that creates this incredible music, but I do not think that he himself can re-create it without David Gilmour. Of course I hope that it sounds great but I'm finding it hard to believe that it will sound anything like the actual recording. All I can hope is that this show will be great and one that it will live up to the Gilmour show.

More Billboard News

With more Billboard news we have Pink Floyd whose classic “Dark Side of the Moon” spent its 1,500^th week on the charts. Roger Waters had this to say about the achievement "When the record was finished, I took a reel-to-reel copy home with me, and I remember playing it for my wife and her bursting into tears when it was finished. I thought, 'This has obviously struck a chord.' I was kinda pleased by that. I thought to myself, 'Wow, this is a pretty complete piece of work,' and I had every confidence that people would respond to it." Considering this album was released in 1973, it is so astonishing how it still manages to be on the charts, it proves that great music never dies and this is a great sign for the future of music. “Dark Side of the Moon” initially stayed on the charts for a record breaking 736 consecutive weeks, so that is from 1973 all the way to 1988. On top of that record, 1,500 weeks is also a record for an album. I’m not sure which number is more incredible the consecutive weeks or the non consecutive weeks but regardless this album has put more than just a dent on the music industry, it just very well may be the album that defines classic and everlasting music.

Billboard Charts are In, and the Winner Is...

Well the newest Billboard charts are in and boy did Tool do a number on the competition. To no surprise the top two slots were Tool and Pearl Jam and what may be a shock to many (I myself don't find it shocking at all) is that Tool completely obliterated Pearl Jam in sales. Tool sold 564,000 albums where as Pearl Jam sold 279,000. This is actually the best debut for Tool in their history, surpassing its predecessor "Lateralus." While the Billboard Charts tell nothing about the quality of music it is interesting to see what bands have the larger fan base. I am proud that Tool hit the number one spot and I don't see it as a bad thing that they are beloved by the entire world, Tool should be loved by everyone and they don't need to strictly have an underground cult following which some believe they need. Anyway, I'm just reporting some of the news considering there is not much to say otherwise.

I Siriusly Like Sattelite Radio

For my dad's anniversary gift he received a Sirius Radio. The main reason he got it was for Howard Stern but all the extra channels are certainly a nice perk along with Howard. He's only had it for around a day now but I decided to take advantage of the subscription he got and listened to it online. Unfortunately you can't listen to Howard yet on it but I hear that eventually you will be able to, all of the music channels are indeed available though which is good. Today I listened to a few channels for a few hours or so and I must say I really enjoyed listening to it. I'm not a big fan of the radio, personally I would rather listen to full albums opposed to individual songs but I was very surprised with the good quality of music. There are three channels dedicated to classic rock and all of them played quality stuff, and to my surprise they were playing classic rock songs that I don't believe I've ever heard on the radio. One of the classic rock channels is called "Classic Vinyl" which just plays songs for the 60's and 70's, then there is "Classic Rewind" which mainly focuses on the 70's and 80's, and lastly there is "The Vault" which focuses on "deep album cuts, b-sides and rarities from the Golden Age of Rock." This station did indeed live up to its name, as I said earlier I was hearing songs that I've never previously heard on public radio. On top of the classic rock they cover every other genre and flipping between other channels I heard some truly great songs from "The Foo Fighters" to "The Raconteurs" (Jack White's new band) and "Nirvana." Maybe one day I'll even hop on the satellite radio bandwagon, I guess I would probably join Sirius so I would go onto my dad's account and just pay an extra $6 a month for subscription opposed to opening up a new account of my own and pay $13. In the end I was pleasantly surprised with the music that was played and for those "Rolling Stones" fans there is a whole station dedicated to their music.

A Change of Pace

So tonight I just finished watching "Capote" and I thought the movie was great. I'm going to pose a question that was towards the end of the movie and I'm not sure if this would be a spoiler or not due to the fact that it is a true story but if so SPOILER ALERT. At the end of the movie Capote's "friend" asked him to go to his execution and said that he would like to have a friend there. This question completely enthralled me into the movie. I just sat and wondered would I want say my girlfriend to be there to watch my execution? Clearly this is a hypothetical question because I certainly don't plan on being executed. Aside from that the lasting effect it would leave on the friend must be tremendous but I would hate to die alone. One thing that truly scares me in life is the idea of dying alone. I'm not one who loves to be the life of the pary nor do I enjoy being in the company of people often. More or less I am one who enjoys being alone more than being with others but yet the idea of dying alone is so extremely frightening. I'm still unable to answer the question of if I would want a friend there to watch it because of the two opposing sides but hopefully I can reach a decission by tomorrow or so and I will post it in my comments. I was just wondering what other people felt regarding this question? It is most definitely a disturbing one that I was a bit hesitant to post on but I just thought it was such an interesting one and it's very unique. So, if you have a say I would love to hear.

A Little Disappointed

Well I decided I would take up Layla's advice and try to get tickets to see Radiohead. I figured I wouldn't have too much trouble getting tickets since they were sold on ticketmaster even though the venue is extremely small. Whenever I buy tickets off of ticketmaster I normally get great seats. This time things were different, at 10:00 I quickly went through the process of typing in that ridiculous verification word (lord knows if even half of them are even words.) Then it told me I had an approximate seven minute wait time which seemed a bit odd but I decided to wait and then eventually it said "You're Order Could Not Be Processed" in big black bold letters. This was not the message of the show being sold out this was different. I'm not quite sure why I received that message but I quickly tried again and then I unfortunately came to find that the show sold out. I guess it is sort of a good thing considering I'm saving $80 but in the end I'm sure it would have been awesome to see Radiohead. I do believe they will be coming back later in the year by the way they are talking about these initial US shows. Well if they do indeed come back around and play bigger venues then I will certailny see them but I figured I would just share my little story.

100 Posts and Going Strong

Alright, my school year just ended today and quite ironically this is my 100th post. What makes this odd is that I started to blog right after my school year started after reading an article in Time magazine and figured that I love to voice my opinion regarding music so why not start up a blog of my own? For the first few weeks it was a bit discouraging because I didn’t really have anyone read my blog besides my friends who don’t comment anyway. Eventually I fell in love with the blogging community and I think it is such an amazing environment that there are people who actually will read my blog daily, especially when considering I’m writing about the thing I care about most and that is music. I always liked music but when I was in my summer of 8th grade I had fallen in love with music. I had realized that the music I was listening to was somewhat bland and eventually got boring, I rarely reached out towards music that wasn’t angry. My music collection consisted mainly of grunge and metal and very little else. One day I just decided to throw in a Pink Floyd CD my parents had recently bought and I happened to turn on the song “Wish You Were Here” and it immediately became the best song I ever heard. I swear, I probably had that song on repeat for three hours, and still to this day that song has not grown old. I evolved from just listening to the song “Wish You Were Here” to listening to all of “Dark Side of The Moon” which at first I didn’t understand but one day while just having it playing in the background it sunk in and boy did it ever sink in. When the album ended it struck me that you don’t listen to Pink Floyd for individual songs, you don’t listen to Pink Floyd for tiny three minute segments you don’t even listen to Pink Floyd period! You experience Floyd, when listening to them it is like taking a journey and that is what great music is about. The best music is music that takes you far beyond just listening but instead it takes you for a ride, it makes you want to sit and listen to the whole album from beginning to end because that is what its intentions are. I figured I would get a bit more intiment with my 100th post and I’m not even sure if what I said makes sense but in my mind I know what makes music great and I can easily differentiate classic music juxtaposed to sub par music. I hope everyone who reads my blog enjoys what they have been reading and hopefully on an even higher level takes the time to think about it and comment. Thank You to all of those who read and especially to those who comment because if I never received comments I can assure you that I would have stopped doing this a long time ago!

Closet Fans...

Well we all know we have our guilty pleasure when it comes to music. Some songs that are stuffed in your MP3 player that you hope nobody will see, some albums that are hidden in your collection. Let’s reveal those hidden musicians, what are some bands or artists that you listen to that people wouldn’t expect. Here are a few of mine.

1. Fiona Apple


2. Vanessa Carlton


3. Alanis Morissette


4. Natalie Imbruglia

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

I find myself in a bit of quagmire right now. My situation is basically I am in some major debt, and since I’m in school and am not allowed to have a car while at school I am unable to get a job. So I’ve been jobless for about 8 months and only work when there are events going on at the concert hall that I work at, and let me add that it is pretty rare for it to get events. I do get out of school on Thursday the 4th of May but I don’t have any jobs lined up quite yet, I’m seeking an internship that will pay but we will see how that works out. Now Radiohead finally announced they are going on tour, and they are one of my favorite bands. I can’t go and say that they are a top 10 band for me but certainly somewhere between 10 and 20. They are playing a very small venue which only holds 1,500 people but tickets cost around $50. My decision to see Tool was easy to say the least since they are my third favorite band ever and I think Maynard James Keenan is a God. Tickets go on sale May 5th, and rumors are saying their set list will derive heavily from new material which sort of disappoints me especially considering it is yet to be released. Now should I stay or should I go?

1) Lynyrd Skynyrd: Freebird

We have finally reached the number one solo on the countdown; it certainly took long enough due to the fact that I’m a lazy bum. I find myself being extremely unmotivated when I feel forced to write something, so on that note this might be the last countdown for awhile. So back to the countdown, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s masterpiece is our number one solo of all time. My motto is the longer the better at least when regarding music. My favorite songs are rarely under seven minutes and what makes this solo so incredible is its length. “Freebird” can be found on what I think just might be the greatest album title “Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd.” Aside from being the greatest solo this song is one of the most superb classic rock songs ever. The solo spans nearly five minutes and is done by two guitarists by the name of Collins and Rossington. The solo is done so well, it has moments where it builds and settles and explodes. It captures everything that makes solos great. It is quite difficult to rate the top solos of all time since they are small snapshots in a song but this solo is surely no snapshot, it is a momentous and epic song within a song. “Freebird” concludes the greatest solos countdown.

Here is a recap of the list

1. Lynyrd Skynyrd: Freebird


2. Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb


3. Led Zeppelin: Stairway to Heaven


4. Van Halen: Eruption


5. Jimi Hendrix: All Along the Watchtower


6. Cream: White Room


7. Metallica: One


8. Funkadelic: Maggot Brain


9. Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child (Slight Return)


10. Guns N’ Roses: Sweet Child O’ Mine