Deep....

Dying Breed...

First off... because this is unusual and I know if I write about it, it will comeback, but for some reason today I am pain free as I was yesterday. It is weird... Trying to figure out what is different...

I got the new Springsteen album and I must say, not only does it include the song he wrote for, "The Wrestler" it is a fantastic album.

Why are there no song writers like this around? It seems like it all stopped. Tomorrow Never Knows is a fantastic song... The epic first song, Outlaw Pete. And to top it off there is that song from the Wrestler at the end. The longer this guy's career lasts, the better and better his entire catalog of songs gets and lasts.

Just freaking good stuff...

New Day, Different Song

I probably spend at least 2-3 hours a day playing music, practicing guitar or whatever instrument I feel like putting my hands on. (Wait! That last one does not sound so... um, like it was supposed to) What I mean, not only is there a bunch of guitars laying around, there is a harmonica, a trumpet.... and a few other brass instruments laying around (missing mouth pieces for the moment) so I always have something to make a tone out of.

Everyday though when I wake up there is a different song in my head. And it ain't just a snippet it is the full version in stereo in my head.

Sunday for example, the Beatles "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" was in my head and I hummed it all day long.

Monday was an odd one... George Michael's "Faith". Why this song, which I probably hadn't heard in years is beyond me.

Tuesday... The Killers "Sam's Town"

Yesterday... "Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane... which is really weird because I barely know what the verses sound like and those were in my head in full vivid detail.

This morning, "Well All Right" by Buddy Holly. Buddy Holly being one of my all time favorites isn't such a shock.

It's weird because lately I am compelled to pick up my guitar and start playing along. I learned the song Surrender by Elvis this way being able to hear it in my head and just know, it was in the key of G. This is something now I am concentrating on more and more. I wish I had this when I was say 20 and not, gulp! 35 when it could have been a more useful skill when I was getting my degree in music while nearly being tone deaf. I remember the teachers playing a chord on a piano and hearing a harmonic echoing in the room with them going, "Can you hear that?" and the rest of the class going, "Yeah.." and I would have a stupid look on my face. But it is weird, 12 years from the end of college, with a degree and music and I can finally hear it and pull the notes right out of it like they were colors as easily definable like red or blue.

Cool Music to Download

...but pay for it though so you can send Bono's great great great grandnephews to college...

U2 re-released remastered versions of their first three albums. Plus they repacked them with b-sides from the early days. Plus they used the original cover of Boy for all their fans that are pedophiles.

The second album October has the best b-sides from their live concert in 1981 at the Paradise Theater in Boston. It was the concert that sort of broke them to the bar band circuit way back in 1981 when they just got here. There is some cool shit there. I got the "bootleg" years ago so I didn't rebuy this album. But it is a cool thing to own. Nobody has the October in their collection though unless they are a true fan. Too pretentious and religious even for U2.

What also was released today was a live concert from Paris in 1988. This was during the break of their career when they ruled the world with a number one album and two number one singles back in the day when rock bands made singles that went to number one. So all the songs are Joshua Tree era and earlier. Cool versions of Unforgettable Fire, Exit, Trip Through Your Wires (which they haven't played live since I have been going to their shows) and some cool covers injected into their big hits like, Van Morrison's Gloria into Exit, Bob Marley's Exodus into I Still Haven't Found What I am Looking For and The Doors Break On Through to the Otherside into Electric Co.

This band still amazes me. I was like 10 in 1984 when I first saw the video for Pride In The Name Of Love and 11 when they played Bad during Live Aid. I remember seeing that live and going "wow... that little dude went into the crowd!!"

The Live from Paris album is a great live album. I have listened to it all afternoon. It is cool shit. Go get it!!

A Not So Accurate Reflection Of My Musical Tastes

I think it is interesting what our iPods can say about ourselves. I found this little application that can pull lists off your iPod and create little text files for whatever. I tried creating a list of all 4490 songs now on my iPod (which is for sale at the bargain price of $2500, I figure I can take $500 of that and buy a new iPod touch and be totally in the black $2000 and you would not only have an iPod with every Led Zepplin, U2, Green Day, Beatles, Social D, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Rage Against The Machine, Metallica, Dave Matthews, etc. song on it, but you would have it for under 50 cents on the dollar. Fucking cool if you ask me. If you are serious, I will strip the DRM off every song in one weekend for a $2000 profit.) I digress... must be the Adult Attention Deficit Disorder the psychologists are warning me about.... When I tried creating the list of 4490 songs, it crashed my Mac. Shitty G4 processor. I need a new Mac.

Anyhow... this list is misleading. One... I listen to a lot of albums so I don't target one song. And when I am gone on planes I shuffle a lot which makes me wonder where all of my Elvis and Buddy Holly music is because that never seems to come up here. No idea when Ben Fold's version of Tiny Dancer is on here but I posted the video at the bottom for your enjoyment.

Two... My favorite Bad Religion song is "I want to conquer the world". I must fast forward the end of the song a lot because it has only been played 7 full times. I put it on when I am pissed a lot. Surprised none of my other punk stuff is prevalent either. Where is MxPX? The Ramones? The Clash? Samiam (which is now up to 100 songs)? Jawbreaker? At least Greg Graffin appears first. I must love that song.

Three...where is Johnny Cash?????

Here is the list...


Songs in Playlist Top 25 Most Played

1. Don't Be Afraid to Run
Track Length: 4:12
Sung by: Greg Graffin

2. Tiny Dancer (Newport Ri 7/6/02 Newport Music Festival)
Track Length: 5:23
Sung by: Ben Folds

3. Jesus Of Suburbia / City Of The Damned / I Don't Care / Dearly Beloved / Tales Of Another Broken Home
Track Length: 9:08
Sung by: Green Day

4. Sing
Track Length: 3:49
Sung by: Travis

5. House of Gold
Track Length: 2:46
Sung by: Mike Ness

6. Red Dirt Girl
Track Length: 4:16
Sung by: Emmylou Harris

7. Incomplete
Track Length: 2:29
Sung by: Bad Religion

8. Fix You
Track Length: 4:54
Sung by: Coldplay

9. Six More Miles
Track Length: 2:40
Sung by: Mike Ness

10. Reach for the Sky
Track Length: 3:31
Sung by: Social Distortion

11. Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
Track Length: 4:20
Sung by: Green Day

12. Are We The Waiting
Track Length: 2:42
Sung by: Green Day

13. Miracle Drug
Track Length: 3:59
Sung by: U2

14. The Saints Are Coming
Track Length: 3:22
Sung by: U2 & Green Day

15. Letterbomb
Track Length: 4:06
Sung by: Green Day

16. Original Of The Species
Track Length: 4:41
Sung by: U2

17. American Idiot
Track Length: 2:54
Sung by: Green Day

18. Holiday
Track Length: 3:52
Sung by: Green Day

19. All These Things That I've Done
Track Length: 5:01
Sung by: The Killers

20. Don't Think Twice
Track Length: 3:47
Sung by: Mike Ness

21. Rockin' The Suburbs
Track Length: 4:58
Sung by: Ben Folds

22. When She Begins
Track Length: 5:03
Sung by: Social Distortion

23. The Scientist
Track Length: 5:09
Sung by: Coldplay

24. Somebody Told Me
Track Length: 3:17
Sung by: The Killers

25. Cheating At Solitaire
Track Length: 3:53
Sung by: Mike Ness

I lied... No Ben Folds:



Greg Graffin has looked like a middle aged man the last 20 years...LOL!!

New Weezer Album

Holy Crap!! Where did this come from? I am a fan and I pretty much buy what comes out from them and sing their songs and shit.

I did that split second click on iTunes this morning to send my 12 bucks to Apple for the album which downloaded in 2 minutes.

What a collection of songs, I am speechless. Best album since their best (and possibly the best) album of all-time, Pinkerton.

What is cool about it is they broke the mold a little bit and switched instruments and Rivers isn't singing every song. Which is odd that such a pretentious little control freak he historically seems to be has let go. The album flat out rocks with cool 3 minute songs and a couple long ballads.

I have listened through it a few times but I keep getting hung up on the first song Troublemaker and it's lyrics, riffs, vocal style, backing vocals... the whole enchilada:



Cool shit... Buy it!!!