Seven Years in the Waiting

Yesterday marked Rage Against the Machine's first performance in nearly seven years. The band played at the Coachella festival in California and were the headlining act for the three day gig. In typical live Rage fashion the show was not filled with political ramblings from any of the members, the music is their tool of communication. Zach De La Rocha did however save a moment during "Wake Up" to berate the Bush administration claiming such bold statements as "Our current administration needs to be tried, hung and shot" and also that "We need to treat them like the war criminals they are." These remarks were spit out with anger and venom and these bold statements could only come from a band as bold as Rage. Whether or not one agrees with their political views, nobody can deny their power and ability to persuade the younger generation. For those interested in a set list here is what they played:

01. Testify
02. Bulls On Parade
03. People Of The Sun
04. Bombtrack
05. Bullet In The Head
06. Down Rodeo
07. Guerrilla Radio
08. Renegades Of Funk
09. Calm Like A Bomb
10. Sleep Now In The Fire
11. Wake Up
12. Freedom
13. Killing In The Name

My Week in Music 4/23/07 - 4/29/07

This week I went to see The Killers, however I purchased the tickets on a whim which didn't give me the adequate time of getting my fill of them throughout the whole week (Something which I would normally do when approaching a concert.) Considering I posted the number five band on the Prog Countdown which was Genesis I listened to them quite a lot and walking to work each morning I felt I needed a kick of energy that this song surely delivers, so here was my week in music:

Most Listened to Album: Genesis: "Nursery Cryme"




Most Listened to Song: Wolfmother: "White Unicorn"

The Killers 4/28/07 Madison Square Garden Review

Last night my friends and I spontaneously purchased tickets to see The Killers. The tickets obviously weren't great getting them last minute; they were directly to the side of the stage but we weren't too far back which was good. The Killers had two opening bands, the first of which was Red Romance, they had a sound which resembled that of The Killers. Their songs were catchy and upbeat and it was a good choice of a band to open up the show. The second opening band was quite arguably the greatest opening band I have ever seen, there name is The Silver Beats. They are a Beatles cover band out of Japan. The Killers saw them in a club ironically called "The Cavern Club" while filming their video for "Read My Mind" in Tokyo and asked them to join the tour. They played around ten Beatles songs ranging from the early "Please Please Me" days to the later "Let It Be" days. When they first started playing I would have sworn that they were lip synching, they sounded too dead on to be real. After the band fumbled a little bit on the lyrics in "Drive My Car" it was clear that they most definitely weren't lip synching. They also had a great stage presence cracking jokes with their limited amount of English. The guitarist who was playing John Lennon not only sounded just like him but actually looked similar to him in a Japanese kind of way. Here is a link to a video of them performing "She Loves You." The crowd was in to them, all of MSG was on their feet dancing to the sound of The Beatles and for a moment I told myself there was no possible way The Killers could live up to their performance.

This is actually my third time seeing The Killers and what is funny about that is the first time I saw them I labeled it as "The Worst Concert I Have Ever Seen." They played for a minimal 45 minutes. Granted they only had one album out but they could have at least given us the album in its entirety. The second time I saw them was at Virgin Fest and they put on a good show but at that time I was too dehydrated from the overwhelming heat to really get into them. This time they were simply phenomenal. They opened up in dramatic fashion with a giant white sheet covering the stage with black and white videos projected on to the sheet. After around two minutes of that the sheet dropped and there was lead singer Brandon Flowers standing on top of the speakers and confetti red, white and blue confetti shooting out from all sides of the stage. The band was full of energy and were all over the stage and were also very gratious to be playing in "The Worlds Most Famous Arena." They played for an hour and thirty minutes in total. They also gave the fans exactly what they wanted by playing every single they've released. Before they went into an encore they played for an hour and came back on stage to give us not one, not two, not even three but five and half songs for an encore. Right when they played "techinically" their final song "Exitlude" Brandon Flowers claimed that they reallly had to give us a show to remember because this they're playing at the Garden. Right after that they went into the final half of "When You Were Young" which they already performed earlier in their set.

All I really have to say about the show is it was much greater than I anticipated. They have really improved their performances, and while Brandon Flowers isn't the most beloved of artists around because of his critical statements of musicians, he has a fantastic stage presence. The Killers show on April 28th, 2007 at Madison Square Garden New York was a concert to be remembered.

Here is there setlist:

Sam's Town
Enterlude
When You Were Young
Bones
Somebody Told Me
Smile Like You Mean It
Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine
Uncle Johnny
This River Is Wild
Read My Mind
On Top
Andy, You're A Star
Bling (Confessions of a King)
Mr. Brightside

ENCORE:
My List
Shadowplay (Joy Division Cover)
For Reasons Unknown
All These Things That I've Done
Exitlude
Final Half of When You Were Young

5) Genesis

Yes, the lower half of the top Prog Rock band of all time has finally begun... It is impossible to deny the greatness of Genesis in the genre. The band has one of the most star studded line ups any band in the past has ever seen with major names like Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford, and Tony Banks. The bands theatrical and complex sound is truly unique and they truly encompass the symphonic prog sound. The band hit the prog scene with authority when their album "Nursery Crime" was released in 1971 containing their beloved track "The Musical Box." Genesis continued to release album after album of pure prog without looking back. Genesis was also a step above of the majority of prog bands because they had a pure sound which never sounded like an imitation. They were a band that offered so much more than every other band around, they were intelligent than most with an ingenious sound and witty lyrics. The band would eventually wither down once Gabriel left after the release of the ambitious album "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway." The band retained their prog sound despite the loss of the enigmatic Gabriel. Following the album "Wind & Wuthering"(The final classic Genesis album) Steve Hackett decided to part his separate ways leaving the band in the grasps of Phil Collins who decided to steer the band into a more radio friendly direction. The intriguing complexity that was Genesis was lost but the band did have a long prog run with a number of essential albums.

Essential Albums: "Foxtrot" and "Selling England by the Pound"

New White Stripes on the Way

I'm at work right now but I did want to post this while I had the time. The new single from The White Stripes "Icky Thump" has leaked onto the internet and right below all you need to do is to click on the youtube video for your chance to hear it...




The Stripes have also announced tour dates and they are as follows:

06/17 - Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo Festival
06/24 - Burnaby, British Columbia - Deer Lake Park
06/25 - Whitehorse, Yukon - Yukon Arts Centre
06/26 - Yellowknife, Northwest Territories - Shorty Brown Multiplex Arena
06/27 - Iqaluit, Nunavut - Arctic Winter Games Arena
06/29 - Calgary, Alberta - Pengrowth Saddledome
06/30 - Edmonton, Alberta - Shaw Convention Center
07/01 - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - TCU Place
07/02 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - MTS Centre
07/03 - Thunder Bay, Ontario - Community Auditorium
07/05 - Toronto, Ontario - Molson Amphitheatre
07/06 - Montreal, Quebec - Bell Centre
07/07 - London, Ontario - John Labatt Centre
07/08 - Ottawa, Ontario - LeBreton Flats Park (Ottawa Bluesfest)
07/10 - Moncton, New Brunswick - Moncton Coliseum Arena
07/11 - Charlottetown, Price Edward Island - Charlottetown Civic Centre
07/13 - Halifax, Nova Scotia - Cunard Centre
07/14 - Glace Bay, Nova Scotia - Savoy Theatre
07/16 - St. John's, Newfoundland - Mile One Center
07/22 - Portland, ME - Cumberland Civic Center
07/23 - Boston, MA - Agganis Arena
07/24 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
07/25 - Wallingford, CT - Chevrolet Theater
07/27 - Wilmington, DE - Grand Opera House
07/28 - Fairfax, VA - Patriot Center
07/29 - North Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues
07/30 - Birmingham, AL - Sloss Furnace
07/31 - Southaven, MS - Snowden Grove Park Amphitheater

My Week in Music: 4/16/07 - 4/22/07

Well I have been very busy this week with finishing up my final week of school and I just finished up my biggest paper of the semester and am very relieved but I also noticed that on Sunday I forgot to do "My Week in Music." Well for that week I finally received my IPod and spent a lot of time reconfiguring my MP3 library so it would correctly be ordered on my IPod but still there are some labeling issues that I guess I will correct along the way. I also wanted to mention that while many of you have probably forgotten I am doing the countdown of the greatest prog rock bands still and you can expect the number five band to be posted tomorrow.

Most Listened to Album: Rage Against the Machine "Evil Empire



Most Listened to Song: Yes "Time and a Word"

A Little Message

I just wanted to say that I have been very busy these few days and will continue to be very busy up until Thursday so I probably won't get around to blogging these next few days nor will I be visiting blogs unfortunately. I've been working on a fifteen page paper due Thursday on the World Trade Organization so it has been completely occupying my time and then that following week I have finals, but I should probably get some blogging done after Thursday. I just wanted to give everyone a heads up.

YES, We Know What Your Classic Songs Are

Well today I was tracking my IPod to see when it was supposed to arrive and to my surprise it said it has been delivered. For those who don't know I live on a college campus so I can't quite get the package until they notify me that they have actually received it and unfortunately I haven't heard anything from them. Well that isn't even the bad news for this post. While preparing for my IPod I decide I would do some tidying up of my MP3 collection and specifically I was looking at all of my Yes albums because I have multiple greatest hits albums on there which is really unnecessary; what is probably even more unnecessary is that Yes has around thirty greatest hits compilations and that is no exaggeration. In fact I'm going to list the majority of them:

Yesterdays
Classic Yes
Yes Years
Yes Story
The Very Best of Yes
Family Album (Compilation of the individual members of Yes' Solo Work)
Friends and Relatives (Similar to Family Album)
Yes Millenium Collection
Best of Yes
Yes Highlights
Keystudio (More or less bonus cuts of unreleased songs but none the less a compilation)
Yestoday
In a Word
Yes Remixes
Ultimate Collection: 35th Anniversary
Roundabout: Best of Yes Live
Yes and Friends
Topography
Essentialy Yes
The Definitive Rock Collection
Greatest Hits

YES, there is more believe it or not and more or less all of these have minor differences from each other making them appealing to some. Some are double disc albums, some span four discs, some span five discs, some are just one disc of classic yes songs. I guess if you're looking for a Yes compilation then you shouldn't have that tough of a time suiting your needs.

My Week In Music: 4/9/07 - 4/15/07

I figured I'm going to start a new tradition for Imagine Echoes. Every Sunday I am going to put down my most listened to album of the week and my most listened to song. Each day this week while doing homework and going to work I found myself listening to the same album. Also last week I finally got Guitar Hero II(which I must say is probably more addicting than crack) and after playing it I realized how great this one song was, so here is my week in music:

Most Listened to Album: Boston: "Boston"



Most Listened to Song: Rick Derringer: "Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo"

RIP My Baby

Yesterday marked an extremely sad day in my life. After four years my MP3 Player has died on me, it will no longer take a charge and I am now forced to move over to an IPod. I guess advancing in technology is not a bad thing but it certainly is sad considering my MP3 player is probably my most prized and important possession. I have over 7,000 songs on it and if I were to lose my player it would be so difficult for me to recover the songs considering many of them aren't backed up on discs and if they are odds are I won't be able to find them because I do not take care of my CD collection at all. There are CD's tucked in the side of my bed, under my dresser, laying around without jackets, under my car seat, in my glove compartment of my car... Well I guess you get the idea, my MP3 player has basically been my sanctuary for music. I just purchased a 30GB IPod from Apple yesterday and I should expect it to come in the mail by Wed, the only negative thing about this is that it has less space than my current MP3 player which holds 40GB. I know nobody really cares but I am going to give a brief description of my MP3 player

My RCA Lyra:

1. It was around the size of a cassette player

2. Songs took longer to load than movies playing on a computer that runs Windows NT

3. It was so beat up it became an LCA player because a part of the R in RCA came off

4. If I was to use any kind of armor to deflect a shot it would most definitely be my MP3 player, it was a metal tank which weighed around 5 lbs.

5. It froze on a daily basis, I would always carry a paperclip around so I could reset it, I once tried to tape a paperclip onto it but that didn't last too long.

So right now I am trying to conserve what is left of the battery so I can transfer all the songs over successfully, when that day comes my RCA Lyra will finally be put to rest officially.

The Focus Is All Skewed

Yes, here is another thing to read regarding the whole Don Imus scandal. While I in no way condone what Imus said I feel it has been taken way too far. I normally don't like posting about current events like this on here but this is just ridiculous. It makes me sick seeing idiots like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson calling for his termination. Sharpton and Jackson are racist bigots who should feel disgraced for everything they stand for. If I recall correctly Jesse Jackson once referred to heavily Jewish areas of New York as "Heimi Town." I didn't see any resignation from him, nor did I even hear any apology. Then you have Al Sharpton who might take racism to a new level especially as an Anti-Semite. Sharpton once referred to Jews as "diamond merchants" and encouraged violent rioting in Crown Heights. The reason for the riots were because a Hasidic Jew named Yosef Lifsh's car went out of control and struck two young black boys and killed one of them. At the young boys funeral Sharpton said:

The world will tell us he was killed by accident. Yes, it was a social accident. It's an accident to allow an apartheid ambulance service in the middle of Crown Heights. It is an accident to think that we will keep crying and never stand up and call for justice. What type of city do we have that would lie on our children and allow politics to rise above the blood of innocent babies? Have we lost all our moral fiber? Talk about how Oppenheimer in South Africa sends diamonds straight to Tel Aviv and deals with the diamond merchants right here in Crown Heights.

Following that were violent riots in Jewish neighborhoods with rioters screaming "Hitler didn't do his job" and "Kill the Jew." There are a number of other anti-semetic things Shartpon has done and you can easily search the internet to stumble upon a number of them. People can sit and complain about how terrible Imus' comments were but lets not forget that much worse is said every day on TV and heard in rap and hip-hop. How about people stop attacking easy targets and start with the larger groups. I'm almost positive these Rutgers girls own Ipod's where 80% of the artists on there have mentioned a derogatory term similar to what Imus said.

Really all I'm trying to get across is that there is an enormous double standard in America. People like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson need to be stopped for ridiculous claims of trying to erase racism and social injustices in America because in the end they are a huge reason for them. I honestly believe that the largest issue in our society and the biggest problem in the world is racism and those idiots (Sharpton and Jackson) along with ignorant rappers are creating a greater problem in America in terms of racism than people like Don Imus yet all the focus is on him. If you don't believe that I honestly believe that racism is the biggest issue facing the world, you can search back in my blog where I posted about the seriousness of racism in the world and how it is negatively affecting human rights cases such as Rwanda and Hurrican Katrina, obviously the buck doesn't stop at those two instances, there should be intervention in countries like the Ivory Coast and Uganda but of course no light is shed on the horrific things going on there. I realize this post is really all over the place but it is just an angry rant with thoughts freely flowing onto this page. If it seems like I am defending Imus than I probably did a poor job of writing, I believe he should be punished for his remarks, probably not to the extent of being fired but he should be punished. What needs to be done in America is to encourage people of all races to cut down on racial remarks.

6) Jethro Tull

To write about the sound of Jethro Tull is nearly impossible. Tull is easily one of the most unique bands in history and some how struck a chord with the world selling over sixty million records. Jethro Tull mixed together a series of genres which blend into an indescribable listening experience and for solely that reason they can be labeled prog. Jethro Tull catapulted Folk, Hard Rock, and Blues right into your ears thanks to the enigmatic Ian Anderson. Anderson stands as the poster child for Jethro Tull who has seen more members come and go than Disney World sees children each day. Anderson best known for his raucous personality, distinctive vocals, and being a wonderful flutist gives Jethro Tull a personality of their own. They hit the center stage hard when they released "Aqualung" in 1971 which is regarded as a progressive rock staple. The band garnered heavy respect of prog rockers after the release of "Thick as a Brick" in 1972 following "Aqualung." "This as a Brick" features just two songs and has a subtle prog sound making it easily adaptable for casual listeners who don't mind lengthy songs. Ian Anderson was a master of incorporating deep imagery into his lyrics and "Thick as a Brick" is quite possibly the best indicator of this. Tull continued to create great music in the 70's such as "A Passion Play" and "Songs From the Wood" but began losing it towards the end of the decade and into the 80's. Tull still tours around the globe with Ian Anderson's incredible stage presence like that of a true artist. Listening to Jethro Tull is quite an experience and because of their unparalleled sound they land themselves at the number six slot of the top Prog Rock bands of all time countdown.

Essential Albums: "Aqualung" and "Thick as a Brick"

7) Tool

I'm sure so many people will say, "Tool, how could you put Tool ahead of Rush?" Well Rush may have many more credentials over Tool, but with just four full length albums this band clicks on absolutely every level and have mastered the progressive rock sound. Their use of dark ambiance, unique time signatures, lengthy songs, and their ability to weave songs together using short interludes gives them a strong progressive feel. Tool has been around for over fifteen years and take long periods of time between each album leaving their listening audience begging for the next. Tool continues to deliver album after album with near perfection. The band is led by the vocals of the great Maynard James Kennan who has the capability of holding primal screams for unbelievably long periods of time like on the track "The Grudge." Maynard also does a terrific job of purveying emotion through his voice, whether it be his tortured and angry or mellow and somber. Drummer Danny Carey is often regarded as one of the best drummers alive and his talent is shown in each Tool album. Tool never shies away from intelligent and thought provoking music, and their fans are always searching for deeper meanings to this already complex music. Some fans have dug so deep into the music finding mathematical patterns in their songs. For instance in their song "Lateralus" fans have found that the syllables in the song created a Fibonacci sequence. Their dark, mysterious, and complex music shuttles the genre of progressive metal to a completely new level and they are currently the most prolific prog metal band around.

Essential Albums: Aenima and Lateralus

This Must Go Up

When I woke up this morning I turned on CNN and scrolling along the bottom was a little headline saying that Keith Richards admitted to snorting his deceased fathers ashes! Immediately after I saw Keith Richards' name scroll across the bottom I immediately thought it was going to say that he died, obviously that wasn't the news, instead he just snorted a dead mans ashes. Here is what Richards had to say about it: "He was cremated and I couldn't resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow. My dad wouldn't have cared," he said. "... It went down pretty well, and I'm still alive." Honestly, I don't know what to think about this, I don't know whether I should be laughing or disgusted, maybe a mix of the two. I really don't have much else to say about this except that I felt it was just so extremely outrageous that it had to be posted. I don't even know if the guys from Jackass would do something this outlandish...

U2 Working On New Album

In an exclusive interview with U2's guitarist the Edge, RollingStone.com reports that the Irish megastars are already in the studio working diligently on the follow-up to their Grammy-winning 2004 release, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.

"We're working on new songs and getting lost in the music," he said. "I don't think we're going to try and think too much about what we're going to do with it yet, we're just going to do a lot of writing and just see what gives. We're giving ourselves the luxury of just working on the songs. There's some amazing things coming through."

There were no more details revealed, but we reported a few weeks back that U2 is collaborating with super-producer Rick Rubin

The Edge is also in the process of organizing his latest fund-raising initiative, Music Rising, an upcoming auction offering rare rock memorabilia. All proceeds generated from the auction will go to musicians affected by hurricanes Rita and Katrina. Who said that Bono was the band's only do-gooder?

—This article is from ARTISTdirect

On a side note I should have the number seven band in the Progressive Rock countdown posted on Wed. because currently I have a few big papers due in these next few days.