Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence - ROBERT FRIPP.
Information is not knowledge;
knowledge is not wisdom;
wisdom is not truth;
truth is not beauty;
beauty is not love;
love is not music;
MUSIC IS THE BEST - FRANK ZAPPA.
I think we're a little happier when we have a little music in our lives - STEVE JOBS.
Music in the soul can be heard by the universe - LAO TZU.
Rock and Roll is fire, man. FIRE. - DAVID BRIGGS.
Music grips you, gets into your soul -
GEORGE MARTIN
The BeatlesFor Sale(various CDs/Vinyl - Apple Records, 1964) ***** The BeatlesVI(Vinyl - Apple Records, 1965) **** The Beatles'65(Vinyl - Apple Records, 1965) **** The BeatlesNo. 5(Vinyl - Apple Records, 1965) **** Genre: Beatles related pop Places I remember:For Sale CDs came from Kings Recording (Abu Dhabi) and The Warehouse; vinyl from DJ Records (Otahuhu) ; Beatles VI - Marbecks Records; Beatles '65 and #5 from Noel Forth. Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles:No Reply
Gear costume: I Don't Want To Spoil The Party
Active compensatory factors: Okay. Deep breath. The one true item amongst this bunch is The Beatles For Sale, with that iconic cover above. That's the one long term Beatles fans who don't have OCD know and love from their nostalgic past. But wait...there were other versions?!
The other three records in my list are the American versions - they made two out of one (The Beatle '65 and Beatles VI), and the Japanese version was The Beatles No. 5. All these records are repackages on Apple Records rather than on Capitol or Parlophone. Why? Because I'm an OCD/completist Beatle AND Apple Records fanatic. Well, those two things usually go hand in hand for us OCD/completist Beatle AND Apple Records fanatics.
Four stars for these other versions of Beatles For Sale is because they each take tracks from For Sale and flesh them out with various singles or older cuts. That doesn't make for a cohesive package and there's only so many times I can listen without prejudice to the German language versions of I want To Hold Your Hand and She Loves You. Great though they are. My opinion. But what is never under dispute is the fact that 1964 was the year the Beatle dam burst. Where do they all belong?Help is coming! P.S. Off to meet up with Macca in Auckland this coming Saturday night! My heart is all a flutter.
Buffalo SpringfieldLast Time Around(CD - Atco Records, 1968) ** Genre: Canadian pop/rock Places I remember:The Warehouse (Cambridge) Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles:On The Way Home (the only track the original five members all play on).
Gear costume:I Am A Child, Kind Woman, Four Days Gone (all provide hints of solo greatness to come) Active compensatory factors: Heavily tilted towards (ultimately, sub-par) songs by Stephen Stills and Richie Furay (with only two from Neil), Last Time Around was the band's third and final album and cobbled together to fulfill their contract and boy does it show! The front cover and title are clear indications that the band members are moving on. Neil is even facing the other direction to the rest and the back cover collage is a clear symbol of the cut and paste job happening inside. Pity, because while the restless Neil Young loves the band in retrospect, and the Buffalo Springfield sound is unique, with strong individual egos pulling in different directions the band just couldn't sustain itself beyond two strong albums and this last one. Where do they all belong? Richie Furay, Stephen Stills, Jim Messina, and Neil Young went on to realise their potential in the next decade in a variety of bands.
Alter BridgeOne Day Remains(CD - Wind-up Records, 2004) **** Alter BridgeBlackbird(CD - Universal Republic Records, 2007) **** Genre: American pop/rock Places I remember:Virgin Megastore Abu Dhabi; Music Box Record Exchange (Hastings) Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles:White Knuckles (Blackbird) is nicely representative of the Alter Bridge experience.
Gear costume:Wayward One (Blackbird); Find the Real, Down To My Last (ODR)
Active compensatory factors: They used to be Creed but please don't hold that against them. Along came the lung busting vocals of Myles Kennedy and hey presto, they are Alter Bridge! These are the band's first two albums. They sound kinda like Volume 1 and 2, even though are three years apart so it seemed a good idea to pair them here. If old school guitar shredding rawk is your bag - get hip to be square and check out these dudes! Where do they all belong? America is next up in the US pop/ rock genre.
Lene MarlinPlaying My Game(CD - Virgin, 1999) *** Genre: Norwegian pop/ rock Places I remember:Virgin Megastore Dubai Mall. Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles:Sitting Down Here
Gear costume:Unforgivable Sinner Active compensatory factors: I started my Lene Marlin obsession via a sampler. Sitting Down Here was a crazily effective ditty. It got into my brain and wouldn't let go. In a nice way. Lene's wholesound is a superb mix of pop hooks, Scandinavian mystery and appropriate beats. It's catchy as all get out. Taylor Swift was certainly one person who was listening and watching closely! I can just imagine a preteen Tay Tay picking up on what Lene was doing! Where do they all belong? Debut album in a stellar career. Another Day is next. No difficult second album syndrome for Lene.
RammsteinLive Aus Berlin(CD - Universal, 1999) **** (***** for the DVD version) Genre: German pop/rock Places I remember:The Warehouse (Cambridge) Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Engel (sadly, the Berlin version not available)
Gear costume:Du Hast, Asche zu Asche, Rammstein Active compensatory factors: Brutal. But not humourless. There is no better place to start if you have never experienced the joy of listening to Rammstein. Utterly captivating - the DVD of this concert trumps the CD/Record. The malevolent robot cartoon concept is breathtaking in its execution. It's impossible to turn away for even a second. Go view it now and turn your hifi stereo support system up to 11!! Where do they all belong? Next up - the boys head back to the studio with Mutter
Rory GallagherBBC Sessions(CD - Capo, 1999) *** Genre: Irish pop/ rock Places I remember: HMV Stratford Mall, London Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles:I take What I want
Gear costume:Country Mile, Race The Breeze Active compensatory factors: Rory played everywhere, and he always played for fun. If ever a guy had a guitar shaped heart, it was Rory Gallagher. If ever I guy had his mojo working on a consistent basis, it was Rory. Here we find Rory on the wireless, both in the concert and studio mode over two CDs. He lets rip! As he always did! Faithful allies Gerry McAvoy, Lou Martin and Rod deAth are present and correct - laying down the bedrock for Rory to do his expansive best upon. Where do they all belong? More to come in the firey/bluesy guitar stylings of Rory Gallagher.
Big Country Live in New York City 1986 (CD - Immortal, 2012) *** Big Country Without The Aid Of A Safety Net (Live) (CD -EMI, 1994) ***** Genre: Scottish pop/rock Places I remember: The Warehouse (Hastings); Music store in the Onehunga Mall back in 1994. Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles/ Gear costume:Just A Shadow (Live in NYC); Everything on Without...Net.
The whole concert is magical but if you want a brief sample - try Thirteen Valleys at 9.40 mark.
Active compensatory factors: I quite liked Big Country when, in 1994, I came across Without...a Net in a remainder store in the Onehunga Mall (best $5 I've ever spent). From that point on, I LOVED Big Country. Without...a Net is a nigh on perfect live album: bags of atmosphere at the Barrowlands in Glasgow; Stuart Adamson's warm vocals and welcome; the way it begins with a number of acoustic versions and builds and builds; the crowd singalongs and chiming in at appropriate times; the electric intensity at the end of the concert! It is magic and I could listen to it every day without ever getting weary of it. The other live album in this post has some great moments but the audio quality and atmosphere is not a patch on Without...a Net. Where do they all belong? A fitting tribute to Adamson's genius. More BC to come.
