Music on the Mind #8: Video Drone: While My Guitar Gently Weeps - 2004 Hall of Fame Induction - Various

Video Drone

My Guitar Gently Weeps - 2004 Hall of Fame Induction: Prince, Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, Jeff Lynne, and various others

My Baggage

In the hours following the announcement that a rock icon had died well before his time, I started to reflect on the career of Prince.  Most of this will be included in my next piece.

I never connected all that much to Prince’s music and assumed he was just all sexy pop and silk blouses. However, the night I heard of his untimely demise, my brother sent me this video and it began to change how I felt about Prince.

I spent a decent chunk of my weekend watching Prince documentaries, re-watching Kevin Smith’s story of the documentary he filmed for Prince and his experience with him, watching tribute videos and song performances from Bruce Springsteen to the cast of The Color Purple.  I watched the SNL tribute which included a never before seen performance he did at 4:30 in the morning during the 40th anniversary after-party.

My view of this musician has already been drastically altered and it all began with this video.

Quick Impressions

This song just comes trampling out of the gate, hitting strong, crisp, and then deep.

Petty is OK with the vocals, but they are very Petty.

Marc Mann is killing it on guitar.

Jeff Lynne isn’t doing it for me, which is a shame.

Guitar continues to be very good.

On wide shots you can see bright spots of color peeking through the shadows, stage right and someone is playing, but isn’t really in the shot.

Mann is really nailing this.

Wait, the mystery man, that’s Prince.  I was wondering where he was.

Lynne is still kinda meh.

Lynne and Petty work much better together than separate.

At 3:25 everything changes.

Prince takes center stage and begins to take ownership of a musical instrument.  

The solo is so intense, intricate, and rich.

About halfway through Petty looks a little irritated and then laughs it off.

Then Prince finds a level that transcends everything else.  You can see that those on stage can feel that something special is happening.  They just showed up to pay tribute to a friend and peer and ended up in the middle of a Rock and Roll Moment.

The mood on stage changes from relaxed and respectful to excited and frantic.  Everyone dives into the remainder of the song.

Prince, leading from the front, closes and in one quick action, pops the guitar strap over his head and launches it in the air leading directly into a dip out move while the other musicians are gathering in the middle of the stage.

Overall Thoughts

As in my last post about Aerosmith, the Beatles hold a similar place in my music library with a ton of really good songs, but I’ve never dived too much into their albums.  While My Guitar Gently Weeps is one that I don’t have any recollection of hearing until I listened to The White Album in its entirety for the first time a couple of years ago.

The song is so tight, everything is so clean and precise. Then the guitar comes in screaming and wailing and makes it great.

It has since been added to my Beatles rotation.

So, when the Hall of Fame version started out decent, but then fell a bit I was worried that I was going to be disappointed, little did I know what I had in store for me.

Where the original guitar solo is very good, this was something special.  Prince touched my soul a little bit with his performance here.

His emotions seemed to vary as much as the solo itself.  He starts off a little stiff, especially for Prince.  He seems to be a little nervous, but his play is so good that he quickly starts to loosen up and get into it.  By 1 minute into it, he seems to really start enjoying himself.  He’s physically reacting to his sound, smiling at the others on stage, and feeding the growing excitement.  He then really gets into it, falling back into an offstage handler, throwing things into the air, and generally owning the stage.  He finally pulls it back a bit and finishes with a flourish before tossing the guitar and strutting from the stage.

I’ve probably watched the performance a dozen times since and I get goosebumps each time and feel like I have been harshly shaken out of a dream when it ends.

This immediately jumps into the top 10 guitar solo’s of all time, right up there with Free Bird, Stairway to Heaven, and Bohemian Rhapsody.  These solo’s feel like religious experiences, true works of art by masters.

Summary

Most people should see this, at least once.  If you are a rock fan, Prince fan, Beatles fan, music fan, or just want to have a good time, just press play.  It has changed my whole perspective on an artist and fueled my desire to finally dive into his work and give it a fair shot.

Music on the Mind #7: Vindicating Vinyl: Aerosmith: Aerosmith

Vindicating Vinyl

Aerosmith: Aerosmith

My Baggage

Aerosmith is one of many bands whose work I am somewhat familiar with.  I could put together at least 15 really strong songs of theirs if not 20 on a playlist and really enjoy it.

However, I have never really listened to their albums, so all I am familiar with is their hits.

From glancing over the track list here, I may only be familiar with one of the songs listed, one of the greats, Dream On, so this will be a fun dive into some more obscure tracks that I may or may not have heard before.

Cover Design

The album cover is pretty basic consisting of a shot of the band with lots of clouds in the background along with a slanted, winged logo.

I do enjoy the looks on the faces of the band members, though.  Tyler seems to be putting on his best grown up stoic look while Perry seems entirely bummed out to be there.  Whitford  seems totally stoked while Hamilton and Kramer have their game faces on.

The back is actually quite instructive.  Not only does it have the track-list and credits, but it also has images of the band-mates tagged with their names.  I have known who Steven Tyler is most of my life and caught Joe Perry’s name sometime around Jr. High to High School, but was never familiar with other members of the band.

The clouds continue in the background, becoming much darker than on the front.  I guess its going to rain.

To the Internets

Aerosmith was the self titled debut album for the band.  It was released in 1973 and took a while to catch on, only raising as far as 21 in The Billboard 200 chart.  The single Dream On only reached 59 on The Billboard Top 100.

However, a few years later when re-released, the single went all the way to #6.  The album went Gold in 1975 and Double Platinum in 1986.

An interesting fact about the album is that Tyler was so nervous when they started recording that he only used his normal singing voice on Dream On.  For the others, he tried to incorporate the voice of Kermit the Frog to sound more bluesy.  

Quick Impressions per Track

Side 1

Make It

Ok, I can get into this.  This is fun.  Nice intro song.  Guitar is funky then rocks, really diggin' that.  Nifty guitar solos coming from a few different directions.

Fun partying song.  Lyrics were OK, but guitar was good.

Somebody

A similar sound to the first song, but a little bit lighter.  The lyrics are a notch up, but the guitars aren’t on the same level early.  The solo has a familiar sound that we will hear a few times through the band’s history.

The solo was fun, but I never really connected with the song.

Dream On

God, the guitar open is so good here.  The second you hear it you know you are in for something great.  The end of it is magical.

Tyler’s vocals are so on point here.  The first two tracks are a little muddled vocally and are more dominated by the guitars, however, even with them at their best here, Tyler is able to match if not one up them.

Once we hit the first chorus area, the drums start to really drive it forward and give a bit of urgency.  Then the guitar solo slows it down again before Tyler and the drums come crashing back in.

The guitar then starts to pick up a bit and you get the feeling we are building slow to something great and then Tyler’s vocals start to change as he enters Banshee mode.

Great song that I wish went on longer.

One Way Street

OK, we’ve got some bluesy type stuff going on here.  Some pretty good harmonica. Some interesting vocals going on.  And then some crazy sounding vocals.  More cool guitar in the solo.

So far this record definitely gets you tapping your feet.  Oddly, Joe Perry really has been the pull for me on this so far.  Tyler was great on Dream On, but Perry has been consistently good and versatile.  

Side 2

Mama Kin

I’m digging this intro.  Its reminding me of China Grove (Doobie Brothers) and Takin' Care of Business (BTO), then Joe takes it to an extra level.

This song is really hitting, more of a full band collaboration.  Wait, where’d the sax come from?  I can dig it.

That’s a really good song.  I’m surprised I didn’t recognize it at all.

Write Me

This song has a odd pacing.  It sounds like someone ran it through molasses.  It just seems like it is playing slightly slower than it should be, which is really throwing me off.

More harmonica, which is fine.

Back to more sluggish sound.  Weird.

Movin’ Out

Another funky intro.  Feeling a little like a funky cousin to Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain.  THEN IT EXPLODES!!!  Wow, I wasn’t expecting that.

Another nice guitar solo. This may be the most varied of the ones he’s played so far.

This one was oddly constructed at times, but had some really strong pieces in it.  I didn’t expect this at all.

Walkin’ the Dog

This comes out swinging, barley allowing a blink from the end of the previous song and hits like it is already a minute in.

Unfortunately, it kinda stagnates at that level and never improves.  Not a bad song, but it doesn’t live up to the promise of the opening.

Ranking the Songs

Dream On

Mama Kin

Movin’ Out

Make It

Somebody

Walk the Dog

One Way Street

Write Me

Overall Thoughts

I was very pleased with my experience with this album.  Overall, the quality was much better than I expected.  I could certainly see laying back and listening to this all the way through without feeling the need to try to skip a song.

That being said not all of the songs were great, but none were bad either.  Dream On is certainly the stand out and may be in my top 100 rock songs.  I was very pleased, though, to discover Mama Kin, Movin’ Out, and Make It, which I may have to add to my digital collection.

Again, I find myself feeling like this was more a highlight for Joe Perry than it was For Steven Tyler.  Tyler was mostly good, occasionally great, but a few times just went somewhere crazy.  Meanwhile, Perry’s guitar, especially his solo’s were really good and very interesting.

Summary

Aerosmith’s self titled album is a fun foray into the early workings of the band.  It is easy to listen too and nearly always has you tapping your feet.  Dream On as a single overshadows the album, but don’t miss out on other really good songs like Mama Kin, Movin’ Out, and Make It.  It is well worth the time to let it roll for its entirety of 35:48.

Stark Raving Mad: #3: S1E2: The Kingsroad

Ok, we had allot of introductions in the first episode, lots of good stuff, but lots of intros, lets see what happened in episode 2.

I keep wanting to punch Viserys.  This is going to be a theme.

Tyrion waking up with the bitches.  He then shows Joffrey the inside of each hand and the first twice for good measure.

Tyrion continues to grow as he quickly becomes one of the best characters on the show.

Catelyn Stark begins her decent into Crazytown.

Arya Stark and Jon Snow are great together.  Add a wolf and they are unstoppable.

I've never been a fan of Catelyn Stark and this is one of the first times that I see why.  She is supposed to be so distraught over her comatose son, but she still has enough personal hatred for the bastard that she lets it overcome her.  She then looses it when Ned has to leave for King's Landing, acting as if he really had a choice.

For someone who later sees herself as more of a leader, she sure caves quickly to what is best for her.

Interesting conversation about Jon Snow's mother.

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone."

Rob Stark starts to step up.

You can't say Catelyn doesn't have any fight in her.

Dire Wolf 1 - Assassin 0

"It is known"

Joffrey is a twisted, sadistic little worm who may have been beaten by Arya in a fair fight.

Wolf to the rescue again.

The scene where Arya forces Nymeria to leave is quite sad.

Hey, King Robbie B, protip, when one is beaten with clubs they tend to show signs of it.

We then get to see his cowardly weakness of the king as he bows to the whim of his wife, just to be done with the issue.  This he does knowing it will hurt Ned and his family.  In the grand scheme of things, even though he is not evil, he has to be one of the lesser kings.

Stark Raving Mad: #2: S1E1: Winter is Coming

I like how they start of by jumping right into things instead of the titles.

It is mysterious and dark and when the gate opens, the shots of the icy mountain are amazing.

As the creepy tension continues to build, the wind kicks up outside of my apartment.  I can hear hear the dragon's howl and the scraping of items as they are pulled along the streets.

Ok, attention is immediately back to the screen as we see a fucked up collection of bodies and decapitated heads that would be right at home in something like True Detective.  The camera whips around to really kick us in the gut at the sight of a young girl impaled on a tree, dangling a few feet above the ground.  They then pan back to reveal that the bodies are laid out in a pattern in a ritualistic way.

The music is already showing that it will be a strong point of the show.

At this point, you would expect these three characters to be main, or at least secondary characters.

"Do the dead frighten you?"

This little prick with the stubble makes me want to punch him already.

"Your dead men seem to have moved camp."

This snow-covered terrain is beautiful.

Well... I don't have to worry about that guy anymore.

And the little girl is back on her feet with bright blue eyes now.

These guys are sooo fucked.

And he lost his head.

Wow, what an opening.

Then you jump directly into the really cool opening sequence that changes up slightly from episode to episode.  The opening theme is now iconic in geek culture and has even bled over a bit with the popularity and prestige of the show.

This theme always gets me pumped for the show.

So, unless the one guy is let go to warn the others, none of the first people that we met will have lasted through the opening.

Ok, well, they solved that one quickly.

Not the greatest of starts from a feminist perspective (the boys learning how to shoot arrows, while the girls learn to stitch), but it is a understandable for what it is.

Ok, nice little role reversal there.

Ok, this guy must think he is a dwarf with the whole tying his beard under his chin thing.

"Winter is coming."  (Take a drink.)

Jeezus that sword is huge!

Ok, this shit is going to get hardcore quickly.

And, beheading #3.

"The man who passes the sentence, should swing the sword."

Ok, brutal start, but the logic is sound.

That is one giant wolf.

Such a pivotal moment early in the show.

This Jon Snow guy has me already.

And Snow gets a wolf cub.

King's Landing intro.  And we get some crazy Greko-Roman type stuff.

And the intrigue has begun.

Wow, these sets are amazing.

This kid is a monkey.

PUPPY WOLF!!!

No more climbing promise is one that will certainly be broken, at least they all know.

It's the cool girl again, dressed up this time to see the king and entourage enter.

Nice, fun intro to the king.

I love the little running commentary from Arya as her sister chastises her.

Geez, they are coming out all barrels blazing.

Ok, so the T&A is real.

Pentos aka somewhere else.

This young lady is gorgeous, but the scene is creepy... and just got uber creepy and incestuous.

"It's too hot, m'lady."  Interesting.

She is the epitome of the virginal bride.

Whoa, pause, rewind.  What the fuck did he just say?

"I would let his whole tribe fuck you.  All 40,000 men and their horses too if that's what it took."

I want to kill this guy in a very slow and painful way already.

Sansa is a little scary in her own way.

The wall.  Jon Snow, slow down a bit.

"All dwarves are bastards in their father's eyes."

Tyrion is already an interesting character.

Winter is coming.  Have another drink.

Interesting conversation between mothers and then between Ned and Jaime.

Food fight?

Murder?  Sounded like it could be poison.

Scar time.

The back and forth over whether to go was good.  I expected the episode to end there.

And more T&A at the wedding.

Every time I see this guy, I want to stab him.

"A Dothraki wedding without at least three deaths is considered a dull affair."

The introduction to dragons... DRAGON EGGS.

After watching the rape-like mating minutes before, she must be terrified.

"There is no word for 'thank you' in Dothraki."

She is crying and all that he can say is "no".

I feel dirty even watching this scene.

"It's not hunting if you pay for it."

That "wolf" puppy is insanely cute.

And the kid's a perv.

Busted!  Incest in action.

COLD BLOODED!

What a brutal ending.

That was seriously one of the best opening episodes of a television show that I have ever seen.  So much happens.  So many characters are introduced, plot lines started, intrigues, relationships, and at the same time it did not seemed forced.  They let the story facilitate everything and did so magnificently.

I know that there are better, bigger, more shocking episodes to come, but this is quite the masterpiece to start things off.

Stark Raving Mad: #1: Intro

Stark Raving Mad will be my attempt at a sort of stream of conciousness blogging of the TV Series Game of Thrones.  I will start with Season 1 and follow along as I marathon through the first four seasons in anticipation of the 5th season.  We may have started a bit late, so I may have new episodes before I finish the marathon.

At all time, spoilers up to that point will be included, so, stay away if you do not want to be spoiled.

I will be coming up with a logo soon, that will hopefully keep people from getting spoiled as much as possible.

Also, I will be ranking the episodes in each season against each other and overall as I go through Season 5.

Well, "let's start at the very beginning, a really fine way to start."

Music on the Mind #6 - Ranking the songs on Shiny Toy Gun's Season of Poison Album

Ranking the Songs: Shiny Toy Guns - Season of Poison

A really good album from front to back, Season of Poison was the album that I heard first from Shiny Toy Guns as "When Did the Storm Begin" and "Ghost Town" were blowing up.  I was pleasantly surprised to see the variation and high quality that the album contained.  Also, when over 2/3rds of the album you could listen to at any time, you know they did well and you will listen to it over and over again.  Speaking of, this album is probably in the top 10 of all albums in number of play throughs over the past two years.

1.  When Did the Storm Begin

2.  Ghost Town

3.  Money for That

4.  I Owe You a Love Song

5.  Ricochet!

6.  Poison

7.  Turned to Real Life

8.  Blown Away

9.  Frozen Oceans

10.  Season of Love

11.  It Became a Lie on You

12.  A Leading Edge

Music on the Mind #5 - Ranking the songs on Shiny Toy Gun's We Are Pilots Album

Ranking the Songs: Shiny Toy Guns - We Are Pilots

When I heard a couple of Shiny Toy Guns songs a couple of years ago and decided to dive into their music, I started with We Are Pilots.  There are a handful of good songs here, but it is definitely hit and miss.

1.  You Are the One

2.  Rainy Monday

3.  Le Disko

4.  Starts With One

5.  We Are Pilots

6.  Shaken

7.  Don't Cry Out

8.  When They Came for Us

9.  Waiting

10.  Chemistry of a Car Crash

11.  Jackie Will Save Me