It took 42 years, but the Vatican is finally ready to make nice with The Beatles. In its newspaper on Sunday, the Vatican announced that it had forgiven John Lennon for a controversial interview in 1966 in which he stated that The Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ. The report more or less came down to the Vatican realizing that Lennon was coping with sudden success, and the fact that Beatles' recordings are still so ridiculously popular 40 years later (The White Album turned 40 this week) means that its time to let bygones be bygones.
Any snarky joke I'd put here would end up in bad taste somehow, I think. I'll just point out that Lennon died 28 years ago after spending his post-Beatles career campaigning for peace, and they're just NOW deciding that everything's cool.
==TJ==
Showing posts with label The Beatles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Beatles. Show all posts
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
2008 Grammys Diary: What is Box Happening??
About to turn on the TV for the Grammy pregame stuff before kicking it to the actual event. I didn't watch last year, mostly cause I thought all the nominees were crap, except for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who got shut out. Not really sure if I can predict anything in this year's set, but I know who I like, and I know who I'll spit blood at if they win (Looking at you, Feist and Amy Winehouse). And with that, I've got enough snacks to induce a heart attack, my roommate Sean is here to assist, there's no work to be done for the next several hours...I think it's time we get started.
7:27: turn on CBS to find...Katie Couric interviewing Hillary Clinton. Well that sucks. Sean proceeds to see if we get E! on campus...only to get distracted by some garbage on NBC.
7:30: just scrambled through the channels and went digging for a channel listing, and from the looks of it, we don't get E! at Arcadia...so odds of pregame are looking kinda slim. That's a pain in the ass. Be back when the show itself starts.
7:35: Bingo. CBS is streaming some live stuff on their website...this might get hairy, but let's give it a shot. Kevin Frazier and some nameless girl are talking about the postgame parties and something that Akon will be doing afterward. that might or might not involve fighting.
7:37: Interviewing Taylor Swift now, nominated for Best New Artist. And apparently she's only 18, so I don't need to worry about the fact that I don't care about who she is. But she just said she likes the Foo Fighters and Kanye...might need to download a track a bit later.
7:39: Stream just went dark. F***ing internet...
7:40: Stream comes back in time for commericals. Just as well, the red carpet folks seem worse than average, and the odds of an interview with someone decent doesn't look too good, given that we're 19 minutes out.
7:41: CBS scored the rights to Dexter apparently, and for some reason it looks like they're gonna try to tie it in to CSI. Don't ask me, I just like the music.
7:42: Obligatory montage of people including John Legend, Christina Aguilera (I think), and for some reason our lovely people feel as though Evander Holyfield is worth talking to. But before he can talk to, our other set of interviewers interject 'cause they've got Seal...and the stream goes dead. Comes back, and Seal's being a glorified ad for who's performing. Rumor has it that Michael Jackson is in attendance...perhaps a performance? Do we really want this to happen?
7:45: Seal talking about wife Heidi Klum and her singing and a battle with laryngitis (as if anyone watching gives a damn about how she sings). Stream dies.
7:46: Sean and I talk about the rumored Michael Jackson performance. We also note that neither of us have seen him perform during our lifetime. Neither of us know if this is a good or bad thing.
Sean: "I guess that's the one good thing about Britney Spears being in the news all the time; Michael Jackson's out of it"
7:50: The Mayor of LA just talked to one of the guys, just in time to drop a few names and close out the pregame show. Stream's being funky...and the last thing we get is the signoff. Guess I'll be back in 10 when the show starts for real.
The good news is now I'm not bouncing between two Firefox windows to try to see what's happening. CBS remains intent on showing the tail end of 60 Minutes, since Mickey Rooney probably has something to rant about that the world must hear, I guess.
7:53: turning around so I can see the action for real. Grammy commercial just aired. When did we name him "The Sensational Kanye West"??
7:55: Mickey Rooney is in a sports store buying Giants and/or Pats gear (the tape was recorded before the Super Bowl). THIS is what they're not giving me Grammy pregame for...wow...
7:56: Apparently Rooney went to the game too...but dammit if he didn't look bored as all hell. His closing thought? The Patriots should say they're from Boston. Truly Pulitzer-worthy journalism once again.
7:58: Back to back ads for CSI:Miami and New York...can we get a trifecta?
Nope. Without a Trace instead. If you didn't guess, I'm watching CBS right now.
7:59: During the credits for 60 Minutes they show an ad for Jericho. If you never watched the show, go rent the 1st season...it's incredible. So happy that it got renewed for 7 more episodes. Beats the cliffhanger the show was supposed to end on.
As I go back and fix a typo let me preface the rest of this diary by saying I'm not looking at the screen (I have a desktop so I can't see that and the TV...sue me). So please forgive any screwups, I'm trying to keep things clean though.
8:02: We have a start. How should the 50th Grammy Awards start? The same way every award show starts: a montage of previous Grammy moments. Or maybe just one clip and in comes Alicia Keys singing with a old video of Frank Sinatra. Don't know how I feel about this. We have one of our nominees singing with a video of a legend?
8:04: Keys is singing with the old video of Sinatra, but there's a full orchestra playing live. WTF??!! What kind of a slap in the face is this to the legendary musicians who are still alive??
8:06: A pan across the crowd shows us Patton Oswalt (according to Sean) and Yoko Ono. Alicia Keys welcomes us with another obligatory speech about how wonderful everything is. "We look forward towards the future...Here's to another 50 years". The RIAA just spit blood a little bit.
8:08: Carrie Underwood gets things started with a Stomp influenced version "Before He Cheats". Game on! Sean scoffs, but I'm sold. Not a huge fan of Underwood...but it's friggin' STOMP!!!
8:10: Sean still not a fan, but he likes the Stomp. Keep in mind Sean is an indie fanatic. Underwood herself is a bit static right now given what's happening behind her, but it's a network awards show, what can you expect?
8:11: "Before He Cheats" goes into its final bars...and we have the first performance of the night worth bootlegging.
8:11: Apparently they already named some of these awards as Prince is announced as a winner. He announces the Female R&B nominees. No song is particularly impressive to me, but I can't stand "No One".
8:12: But of course it wins. Not before Prince makes a failed attempt at a joke. AS Keys thanks God, Sean decides to keep tabs on thanks to "the G-Man". Yup...gonna be a good diary tonight. Keys thanks the radio DJs...there's hope for me yet in 20 years...
8:14: They appear to be showing some predetermined awards while they plug some of the upcoming performances, but the TV is too far away and the font is garbage, so i have no idea what they're supposed to be.
8:17: when did it become socially OK to use Queen's "You're My Best Friend" to advertise something? Isn't that universally considered one of their lamest songs ever? It also says something when the song is in an ad for an electronic product (didn't see what).
8:18: Sean and I debate who's more annoying: Abagail Breslin (Definitely, Maybe) or Dakota Fanning. I say Fanning is the next Lindsay Lohan. Sean hopes she just fades into obscurity.
8:20: The Time just kicked into their reunion performance. No one below the age of 30 cares, unless they REALLY like Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. It's one thing for a band from the 80s to reunite, but its different like they're still there.
8:21: The Time get interrupted by Rihanna, doing a disco twinged version of "Umbrella". Wow...this is not OK. And oh look, the girls had umbrellas!!! Ain't that cute?
8:22: Rihanna looks like Prince. Just sayin'...
I think the guy from Step Up was just dancing with Rihanna during her least impressive single yet? Correction: there were 2 of said guy...and we're back to the Time. Was that a segue or what?
8:25: There must be some rule that says Tom Hanks MUST be at every awards ceremony EVER. Unless I'm forgetting about some great album Hanks recorded. Oh yeah, and he's talking about The Band winning a Lifetime Acheivement Award. This would mean more if they weren't given out like they were going out of style. Hell, they don't even get a chance to be on stage. And now Hank is intro'ing the Beatles tribute as the camera goes in on Ringo, Yoko and two others. Tom Hanks is now reaching epic levels of excitement.
8:29: Cirque Du Soleil is doing their piece of "A Day in the Life" from LOVE. And I'm all out of LSD. Damn!
Full disclosure: I've never been a big fan of Cirque du Soleil...and this just looks like a deleted scene from Across the Universe. Meanwhile Sean and I debate which Beatle will die next (I say Paul), and who was the best.
8:33: The Across the Universe version of "Let it Be" is next up. Actually the original performers from the movie. I yell at Sean for not seeing the movie. As much as I skip this track on the CD, I like it anytime I see it. The song doesn't work as well when it's just heard, methinks. I'm still bummed that they couldn't get Jim Sturgess and Evan Rachel Wood to do "All You Need Is Love", but I'll live. Probably not eh worst performance of the night, but not actively memorable.
8:36: We consider Miley Cyrus a legitimate artist now? This physically hurts me a bit. The Best New Artist award is up next. GO PARAMORE!!!
8:37: AMY WINEHOUSE??!! WHAT??!! Of course she can't accept the award, she's too busy stoned and couldn't get a visa!!! ROBBED!!!
Meanwhile Sean is too busy wondering about Cyndi Lauper's accent. I'm inexplicably pissed now. 0 for 2 on my picks now. Curses. He redeems himself by being equally pissed about Winehouse's win, but he was rooting for Feist.
8:39: Jason Bateman was talking about the My Grammy Moment with the Foos during that rant. Dear Dave Grohl, why did you let your band sign up for this terrible idea? Bad ideas all over the place...but Jason Bateman has been the funniest thing of the night so far.
8:41: Commercial break means its time for popcorn. Back in a bit.
8:46: Back with popcorn, and still pissed about the Winehouse win. Do we have odds on her sobriety during her performance?
8:47: Daft Punk and Kanye performing "Stronger" now. Say what you will about Kanye and his attitude, but his music is damned peerless. I remember when I first liked Kanye; First Grammys performance of "Jesus Walks".
Kanye West - Jesus Walks [iTunes]
Kanye West - Stronger [iTunes]
West looks like he just came out of Tron, and I'm pretty sure he was doing the robot earlier. Either way, he's the second best performance of the night (I'm still loving the Carrie Underwood piece).
8:50: I think West has established that "this is what we been waitin' for" as Daft Punk finally get their due for being in the background of this song. The glow-in-the-dark bit gets old just as the song ends, thankfully. West segues into "Hey Mama", appropriate given his mother's passing.
8:53: Say what you will about West's ego, but he's pushing back tears right now...different side of Kanye and I love it. He might not win a Grammy tonight, but people'll still remember him tomorrow.
8:55: Most emotionally charged song gets followed up with...
Fergie. Correction: 3-Time Grammy Winner Fergie...with John Legend. I'm trying to like this song since I'm OK with John Legend, but my dislike for Fergie is prevailing.
Sean: "I'm half-expecting them to turn this into a remix of 'My Humps'"
8:58: LOVE wins the Best Soundtrack Category. I was pulling for Across the Universe, but this was the compilation prize since now Ringo gets stagetime.
9:00: Not liking the way they're showing pre-announced winners...too hard to seem, and thus too hard for me to make fun of. I just know Carrie Underwood won something for "Before He Cheats"
9:01: Sean goes looking online for Amy Winehouse fan groups, since neither of us know of anyone who likes her. Too bad we can't check sobriety over the internet. Apparently the only thing he found is a blog with two posts, last updated September. Once again, the Grammys show they have their finger on the pulse of the music world.
Just had a flashback to an old episode of Sports Night where one of the two leads admits to liking the Starlight Vocal Band, who were Best New Artist in the day. Clearly nothing has changed.
9:06: Dear Cher, just because we make fun of your age, doesn't mean its cool for you too. Love, society.
Meanwhile Beyonce doesn't look like she every changed out of her outfit from her Sports Illustrated covershoot as she drops names of 60s female soul artists to intro Tina Turner.
9:08: Sean: "I didn't realize I turned on WJJZ (local jazz station). The sadder part? I know all the words to ["What's Love Got To Do With It?]"
9:11: Beyonce and Tina Turner are gearing up to do "Proud Mary". I'm pretending to not hear this. In my mind, only one band did that song.: CCR.
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Proud Mary [iTunes]
9:13: This is hurting. Why are we letting young artists do songs from 30 years ago? I would much rather see these two "Irreplaceable". And I'm not a huge fan of that one either. Points for performance value, but B- on the song choice.
9:16: Song of the Year getting named now. Rooting for "Hey There Delilah" but odds aren't looking good.
9:17: DAMMIT!!! SON OF A BITCH!!! "Rehab" again!!??
9:18: It's official: Amy Winehouse will herein be known as Amy Cokewhore. I think it works.
9:22: A couple things can save this night: one is if the Foos wreck shop. and one is if Cokewhore performs beyond wasted.
9:23: The "cute Asian" (Sean's words) win the top slot playing with the Foo. And now the Foo play which means I stop typing for 5 minutes.
9:29: Back, and now there are TWO performances to be bootlegged. Of course the Foo Fighters were incredible. Please don't ask me to pick between that and Underwood's bit. The orchestra was positively epic, and that was the best Foo live performance I've ever seen. And according to Jason Bateman, the Foo already had one win tonight. Jason Bateman has definitely been the MVP of the night so far.
9:34: What goes on in Will Ferrell's mind that leads him to think that a movie like Semi-Pro is a good idea? Can we remove that part of his brain? Please?
9:35: George Lopez opens up his bit with.....racist comedy. Lovely. And he introduces the country act. Yeah, there's logic in that.
Sean: "Hey look, another country rocker in a cowboy hat."
Another one I'm trying to enjoy, but I'm well past my country phase. And I'm pretty sure this song is likening sex to checking a girl for ticks. Only in country music, people...
9:39: Sean is curious whether checking for ticks is an effective pickup line.
Sean: "I think he's only into girls with pubic lice"
Segue to Chris Brown, Solange and Akon for Best Rap Album, and an obligatory joke about parents understanding.
9:41: Best Rap Album...Kanye West for Graduation. A nuclear disaster may have just been averted. Sean is criticizing the oversized sunglasses while West rambles on and argues with the conductor playing him off.
9:43: West just OWNED the conductor as he talks about his mom. Just when things coulda gotten ugly, it gets really good. 50 points to both Kanye AND the conductor for not making things worse.
9:45: As Aretha comes in there's a giant cross lit up. Mention number 2 for God tonight (Sean's keeping score). Not impressed with this number. Nice thought, not particularly memorable though.
9:51: Aretha again. This has gone on too long...
9:57: Celine Dion with a special on CBS. This needs to not happen. What's wrose is that she's with artists who are weak enough as it is. And somehow she thinks her covering these songs will make them good. Strike Two. Ugh.
10:00: 2 and a half hours of blogging, and Feist is on now. Sean's transfixed, and I'm ready for a power nap. Scratch that; Feist was with Broken Social Scene??!! Never listened to them, but suddenly I care just a bit more. Not enough to like her, but still. I think sales of Ambien might plummet after people hear this song.
10:02: Even Sean admits the Feist song was weak. I don't know who they just intro'd (someone who won one of the first Grammys)...but Kid Rock is now accompanying her. What kind of world are we living in when we let a supposed legend sing with Kid Rock? ANd he just called that little old lady sexy. Good God have we lost all good taste.
10:05: Best Rock Album up now. Rooting for Springsteen or the Foo.
10:06: Foo Fighters pick up another! YES! The night is not yet lost. With all due respect to Sean (rooting for Wilco...bleck), the Grammys make the first right call of the night. "The Pretender" won hard rock performance, so that's 2 for 5 right now. Game on.
Foo Fighters - The Pretender [iTunes]
10:08: They seem to think I'm excited for Cokewhore's performance. If I'm excited for anything, it's to see if she shoots up on stage! GAH!
10:11: Just had my first taste of the new Mary J Blige song via a car commercial. Bette than I remember her being in the past. Perhaps a download for later...
10:13: Let the record show that the new CBS Monday is AWESOME. not just awesome...AWESOME. Don't forget this people.
Sean on Stevie Wonder's appearance and subsequent applause: "They're cheering so he knows he's not in an empty room." Dude, you're SO going to hell.
10:15: Alicia Keys gets a second performance of the night so she can do "No One" on top of the intro. Favoritism much? At least she's dressed and sounding better than she did at the Super Bowl. Who knows, with another 30 million plays, this song might get good.
10:18: John Mayer comes in for a guitar solo and makes the song a keeper. Bootleg #3 of the night.
10:20: Why are Ringo and Dave Stewart intro'ing the Country category? Missing the logic here. Sean says they all sound the same.
Vince Gill wins it, but I (still) don't care. So far every AotY nominee has won their genre. This might get ugly later on...
10:23: The makers of Godzilla and The Day After Tomorrow present another film with decent CGI, unintentionally funny dialog, and plenty of potential to show up on channel 347 six months from now (this one's called 10,000 BC).
10:26: After seeing a Big Brother ad, I must ask: What the hell is a "Dirty Jersey"?
10:29: Obligatory break for "Rhapsody in Blue"
10:33: Sean informs me that Flight of the Conchords win a Grammy for comedy album (beat out Geroge Lopez, thank God), and Barack Obama wins for spoken word. Game on.
10:36: Best Rap song collab is up next...T-Pain in there twice, and whiffs as "Umbrella" takes it. Loving this bit of Rihanna speaking and Jay-Z translating. I think Jay-Z might be climbing the ranks on my list of most appreciated rap artists.
Rihanna - Umbrella (feat. Jay-Z) [iTunes]
10:43: Amy Cokewhore takes the stage via satellite. I can't tell if she's dancing or trying to stand up straight and failing.
10:47: She segues into "Rehab" and I'm still trying to find a reason to like her. I'm estimating her BAL at about .04. Much lower than I anticipated. She still screams like a tonedeaf banshee, but at least she wasn't high...sadly.
10:51: Tony Bennett and Natalie Cole are naming the Record of the Year after giving Doris Day a Lifetime Award. "The Pretender" is my favorite, but I'm hoping for NOT "Rehab".
10:52: And I fail. "Rehab" again. She's definitely slurring her words and grasping her mum while she thanks any number of people. Not looking good for Foo Fighters to win AotY now. It'd be best to keep all sources of fire and all small children away from me for the next few hours.
11:00: Head of the recording industry announces all the things they're working on, then offers a backhanded shot at music pirates, then offers up a kid who was apparently on the Grammys many years ago as a kid, now a nominee. I would have had a better description than that but my dad IMed me about something.
11:03: Annual montage of musicians who died. The guy from Boston died?? Bummer. Hate to say it, but he's the only guy I find myself caring much about. And no mentions of Casey Calvert or the guy from Quiet Riot...that's garbage.
11:07: I think the Josh Groban/Andrea Bocelli piece would work better if it were one or the other. Neither of them are bad, I just think they both work better solo. Sean agrees.
11:15: Grammy takes a turn for classic rock with Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and John Fogerty from CCR. As much as I like the sound, I can't understand a word Fogerty is saying. Jerry Lee Lewis doesn't look like he can move anything except his jaw and his fingers. The energy in this performance is falling everytime I see Lewis.
11:20: Enter Little Richard, who looks the same now as he did 15 years ago. A little bit more energy from Richard, but Fogerty is stealing the show right now.
11:26: My friend Sam Keeler offers up the following: SCREW AMY WINEHOUSE. She also likens the current situation to Norah Jones a few years ago. Meanwhile will.i.am is singing something that I'm managing to forget as he's singing it.
11:29: Usher announces Producer of the Year, and now they're at AotY...Praying to the Gods on High right now...forget the Foos...anything but Cokewhore.
11:30: WHAT??!!?? Herbie Hancock? Seriously?
Well THAT was anticlimactic. I guess giving it to the Cokewhore would've sent the wrong message, Vince Gill was too dry, Kanye didn't need the ego boost, and the Foo Fighters, well, God forbid we give it to a modern artist??!! And now Hancock is going Barack Obama on us....bleck. He sounds like an African American Artist has NEVER won a Grammy before.
Well, I suppose as per my rule I need to give this album a shot, no matter how much I don't want to. Before I wrap things up, let's go through what we take away from the night:
Cokewhore: 3 Grammys
Foo Fighters: 2
God References: ~3 (Sean stopped counting)
Times TJ wanted to punch small children: 3
Memorable Performances: 3 (Carrie Underwood, Foo Fighters, Alicia Keys/John Mayer)
MVP: Jason Bateman for being the presenter with the most personality.
Worst speech: Tie between Cokewhore and Herbie Hancock
Best speech: Kanye West, for OWNING the conductor.
See you all later.
==TJ==
PS If you don't get the reference in the title of this entry, watch this video.
7:27: turn on CBS to find...Katie Couric interviewing Hillary Clinton. Well that sucks. Sean proceeds to see if we get E! on campus...only to get distracted by some garbage on NBC.
7:30: just scrambled through the channels and went digging for a channel listing, and from the looks of it, we don't get E! at Arcadia...so odds of pregame are looking kinda slim. That's a pain in the ass. Be back when the show itself starts.
7:35: Bingo. CBS is streaming some live stuff on their website...this might get hairy, but let's give it a shot. Kevin Frazier and some nameless girl are talking about the postgame parties and something that Akon will be doing afterward. that might or might not involve fighting.
7:37: Interviewing Taylor Swift now, nominated for Best New Artist. And apparently she's only 18, so I don't need to worry about the fact that I don't care about who she is. But she just said she likes the Foo Fighters and Kanye...might need to download a track a bit later.
7:39: Stream just went dark. F***ing internet...
7:40: Stream comes back in time for commericals. Just as well, the red carpet folks seem worse than average, and the odds of an interview with someone decent doesn't look too good, given that we're 19 minutes out.
7:41: CBS scored the rights to Dexter apparently, and for some reason it looks like they're gonna try to tie it in to CSI. Don't ask me, I just like the music.
7:42: Obligatory montage of people including John Legend, Christina Aguilera (I think), and for some reason our lovely people feel as though Evander Holyfield is worth talking to. But before he can talk to, our other set of interviewers interject 'cause they've got Seal...and the stream goes dead. Comes back, and Seal's being a glorified ad for who's performing. Rumor has it that Michael Jackson is in attendance...perhaps a performance? Do we really want this to happen?
7:45: Seal talking about wife Heidi Klum and her singing and a battle with laryngitis (as if anyone watching gives a damn about how she sings). Stream dies.
7:46: Sean and I talk about the rumored Michael Jackson performance. We also note that neither of us have seen him perform during our lifetime. Neither of us know if this is a good or bad thing.
Sean: "I guess that's the one good thing about Britney Spears being in the news all the time; Michael Jackson's out of it"
7:50: The Mayor of LA just talked to one of the guys, just in time to drop a few names and close out the pregame show. Stream's being funky...and the last thing we get is the signoff. Guess I'll be back in 10 when the show starts for real.
The good news is now I'm not bouncing between two Firefox windows to try to see what's happening. CBS remains intent on showing the tail end of 60 Minutes, since Mickey Rooney probably has something to rant about that the world must hear, I guess.
7:53: turning around so I can see the action for real. Grammy commercial just aired. When did we name him "The Sensational Kanye West"??
7:55: Mickey Rooney is in a sports store buying Giants and/or Pats gear (the tape was recorded before the Super Bowl). THIS is what they're not giving me Grammy pregame for...wow...
7:56: Apparently Rooney went to the game too...but dammit if he didn't look bored as all hell. His closing thought? The Patriots should say they're from Boston. Truly Pulitzer-worthy journalism once again.
7:58: Back to back ads for CSI:Miami and New York...can we get a trifecta?
Nope. Without a Trace instead. If you didn't guess, I'm watching CBS right now.
7:59: During the credits for 60 Minutes they show an ad for Jericho. If you never watched the show, go rent the 1st season...it's incredible. So happy that it got renewed for 7 more episodes. Beats the cliffhanger the show was supposed to end on.
As I go back and fix a typo let me preface the rest of this diary by saying I'm not looking at the screen (I have a desktop so I can't see that and the TV...sue me). So please forgive any screwups, I'm trying to keep things clean though.
8:02: We have a start. How should the 50th Grammy Awards start? The same way every award show starts: a montage of previous Grammy moments. Or maybe just one clip and in comes Alicia Keys singing with a old video of Frank Sinatra. Don't know how I feel about this. We have one of our nominees singing with a video of a legend?
8:04: Keys is singing with the old video of Sinatra, but there's a full orchestra playing live. WTF??!! What kind of a slap in the face is this to the legendary musicians who are still alive??
8:06: A pan across the crowd shows us Patton Oswalt (according to Sean) and Yoko Ono. Alicia Keys welcomes us with another obligatory speech about how wonderful everything is. "We look forward towards the future...Here's to another 50 years". The RIAA just spit blood a little bit.
8:08: Carrie Underwood gets things started with a Stomp influenced version "Before He Cheats". Game on! Sean scoffs, but I'm sold. Not a huge fan of Underwood...but it's friggin' STOMP!!!
8:10: Sean still not a fan, but he likes the Stomp. Keep in mind Sean is an indie fanatic. Underwood herself is a bit static right now given what's happening behind her, but it's a network awards show, what can you expect?
8:11: "Before He Cheats" goes into its final bars...and we have the first performance of the night worth bootlegging.
8:11: Apparently they already named some of these awards as Prince is announced as a winner. He announces the Female R&B nominees. No song is particularly impressive to me, but I can't stand "No One".
8:12: But of course it wins. Not before Prince makes a failed attempt at a joke. AS Keys thanks God, Sean decides to keep tabs on thanks to "the G-Man". Yup...gonna be a good diary tonight. Keys thanks the radio DJs...there's hope for me yet in 20 years...
8:14: They appear to be showing some predetermined awards while they plug some of the upcoming performances, but the TV is too far away and the font is garbage, so i have no idea what they're supposed to be.
8:17: when did it become socially OK to use Queen's "You're My Best Friend" to advertise something? Isn't that universally considered one of their lamest songs ever? It also says something when the song is in an ad for an electronic product (didn't see what).
8:18: Sean and I debate who's more annoying: Abagail Breslin (Definitely, Maybe) or Dakota Fanning. I say Fanning is the next Lindsay Lohan. Sean hopes she just fades into obscurity.
8:20: The Time just kicked into their reunion performance. No one below the age of 30 cares, unless they REALLY like Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. It's one thing for a band from the 80s to reunite, but its different like they're still there.
8:21: The Time get interrupted by Rihanna, doing a disco twinged version of "Umbrella". Wow...this is not OK. And oh look, the girls had umbrellas!!! Ain't that cute?
8:22: Rihanna looks like Prince. Just sayin'...
I think the guy from Step Up was just dancing with Rihanna during her least impressive single yet? Correction: there were 2 of said guy...and we're back to the Time. Was that a segue or what?
8:25: There must be some rule that says Tom Hanks MUST be at every awards ceremony EVER. Unless I'm forgetting about some great album Hanks recorded. Oh yeah, and he's talking about The Band winning a Lifetime Acheivement Award. This would mean more if they weren't given out like they were going out of style. Hell, they don't even get a chance to be on stage. And now Hank is intro'ing the Beatles tribute as the camera goes in on Ringo, Yoko and two others. Tom Hanks is now reaching epic levels of excitement.
8:29: Cirque Du Soleil is doing their piece of "A Day in the Life" from LOVE. And I'm all out of LSD. Damn!
Full disclosure: I've never been a big fan of Cirque du Soleil...and this just looks like a deleted scene from Across the Universe. Meanwhile Sean and I debate which Beatle will die next (I say Paul), and who was the best.
8:33: The Across the Universe version of "Let it Be" is next up. Actually the original performers from the movie. I yell at Sean for not seeing the movie. As much as I skip this track on the CD, I like it anytime I see it. The song doesn't work as well when it's just heard, methinks. I'm still bummed that they couldn't get Jim Sturgess and Evan Rachel Wood to do "All You Need Is Love", but I'll live. Probably not eh worst performance of the night, but not actively memorable.
8:36: We consider Miley Cyrus a legitimate artist now? This physically hurts me a bit. The Best New Artist award is up next. GO PARAMORE!!!
8:37: AMY WINEHOUSE??!! WHAT??!! Of course she can't accept the award, she's too busy stoned and couldn't get a visa!!! ROBBED!!!
Meanwhile Sean is too busy wondering about Cyndi Lauper's accent. I'm inexplicably pissed now. 0 for 2 on my picks now. Curses. He redeems himself by being equally pissed about Winehouse's win, but he was rooting for Feist.
8:39: Jason Bateman was talking about the My Grammy Moment with the Foos during that rant. Dear Dave Grohl, why did you let your band sign up for this terrible idea? Bad ideas all over the place...but Jason Bateman has been the funniest thing of the night so far.
8:41: Commercial break means its time for popcorn. Back in a bit.
8:46: Back with popcorn, and still pissed about the Winehouse win. Do we have odds on her sobriety during her performance?
8:47: Daft Punk and Kanye performing "Stronger" now. Say what you will about Kanye and his attitude, but his music is damned peerless. I remember when I first liked Kanye; First Grammys performance of "Jesus Walks".
Kanye West - Jesus Walks [iTunes]
Kanye West - Stronger [iTunes]
West looks like he just came out of Tron, and I'm pretty sure he was doing the robot earlier. Either way, he's the second best performance of the night (I'm still loving the Carrie Underwood piece).
8:50: I think West has established that "this is what we been waitin' for" as Daft Punk finally get their due for being in the background of this song. The glow-in-the-dark bit gets old just as the song ends, thankfully. West segues into "Hey Mama", appropriate given his mother's passing.
8:53: Say what you will about West's ego, but he's pushing back tears right now...different side of Kanye and I love it. He might not win a Grammy tonight, but people'll still remember him tomorrow.
8:55: Most emotionally charged song gets followed up with...
Fergie. Correction: 3-Time Grammy Winner Fergie...with John Legend. I'm trying to like this song since I'm OK with John Legend, but my dislike for Fergie is prevailing.
Sean: "I'm half-expecting them to turn this into a remix of 'My Humps'"
8:58: LOVE wins the Best Soundtrack Category. I was pulling for Across the Universe, but this was the compilation prize since now Ringo gets stagetime.
9:00: Not liking the way they're showing pre-announced winners...too hard to seem, and thus too hard for me to make fun of. I just know Carrie Underwood won something for "Before He Cheats"
9:01: Sean goes looking online for Amy Winehouse fan groups, since neither of us know of anyone who likes her. Too bad we can't check sobriety over the internet. Apparently the only thing he found is a blog with two posts, last updated September. Once again, the Grammys show they have their finger on the pulse of the music world.
Just had a flashback to an old episode of Sports Night where one of the two leads admits to liking the Starlight Vocal Band, who were Best New Artist in the day. Clearly nothing has changed.
9:06: Dear Cher, just because we make fun of your age, doesn't mean its cool for you too. Love, society.
Meanwhile Beyonce doesn't look like she every changed out of her outfit from her Sports Illustrated covershoot as she drops names of 60s female soul artists to intro Tina Turner.
9:08: Sean: "I didn't realize I turned on WJJZ (local jazz station). The sadder part? I know all the words to ["What's Love Got To Do With It?]"
9:11: Beyonce and Tina Turner are gearing up to do "Proud Mary". I'm pretending to not hear this. In my mind, only one band did that song.: CCR.
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Proud Mary [iTunes]
9:13: This is hurting. Why are we letting young artists do songs from 30 years ago? I would much rather see these two "Irreplaceable". And I'm not a huge fan of that one either. Points for performance value, but B- on the song choice.
9:16: Song of the Year getting named now. Rooting for "Hey There Delilah" but odds aren't looking good.
9:17: DAMMIT!!! SON OF A BITCH!!! "Rehab" again!!??
9:18: It's official: Amy Winehouse will herein be known as Amy Cokewhore. I think it works.
9:22: A couple things can save this night: one is if the Foos wreck shop. and one is if Cokewhore performs beyond wasted.
9:23: The "cute Asian" (Sean's words) win the top slot playing with the Foo. And now the Foo play which means I stop typing for 5 minutes.
9:29: Back, and now there are TWO performances to be bootlegged. Of course the Foo Fighters were incredible. Please don't ask me to pick between that and Underwood's bit. The orchestra was positively epic, and that was the best Foo live performance I've ever seen. And according to Jason Bateman, the Foo already had one win tonight. Jason Bateman has definitely been the MVP of the night so far.
9:34: What goes on in Will Ferrell's mind that leads him to think that a movie like Semi-Pro is a good idea? Can we remove that part of his brain? Please?
9:35: George Lopez opens up his bit with.....racist comedy. Lovely. And he introduces the country act. Yeah, there's logic in that.
Sean: "Hey look, another country rocker in a cowboy hat."
Another one I'm trying to enjoy, but I'm well past my country phase. And I'm pretty sure this song is likening sex to checking a girl for ticks. Only in country music, people...
9:39: Sean is curious whether checking for ticks is an effective pickup line.
Sean: "I think he's only into girls with pubic lice"
Segue to Chris Brown, Solange and Akon for Best Rap Album, and an obligatory joke about parents understanding.
9:41: Best Rap Album...Kanye West for Graduation. A nuclear disaster may have just been averted. Sean is criticizing the oversized sunglasses while West rambles on and argues with the conductor playing him off.
9:43: West just OWNED the conductor as he talks about his mom. Just when things coulda gotten ugly, it gets really good. 50 points to both Kanye AND the conductor for not making things worse.
9:45: As Aretha comes in there's a giant cross lit up. Mention number 2 for God tonight (Sean's keeping score). Not impressed with this number. Nice thought, not particularly memorable though.
9:51: Aretha again. This has gone on too long...
9:57: Celine Dion with a special on CBS. This needs to not happen. What's wrose is that she's with artists who are weak enough as it is. And somehow she thinks her covering these songs will make them good. Strike Two. Ugh.
10:00: 2 and a half hours of blogging, and Feist is on now. Sean's transfixed, and I'm ready for a power nap. Scratch that; Feist was with Broken Social Scene??!! Never listened to them, but suddenly I care just a bit more. Not enough to like her, but still. I think sales of Ambien might plummet after people hear this song.
10:02: Even Sean admits the Feist song was weak. I don't know who they just intro'd (someone who won one of the first Grammys)...but Kid Rock is now accompanying her. What kind of world are we living in when we let a supposed legend sing with Kid Rock? ANd he just called that little old lady sexy. Good God have we lost all good taste.
10:05: Best Rock Album up now. Rooting for Springsteen or the Foo.
10:06: Foo Fighters pick up another! YES! The night is not yet lost. With all due respect to Sean (rooting for Wilco...bleck), the Grammys make the first right call of the night. "The Pretender" won hard rock performance, so that's 2 for 5 right now. Game on.
Foo Fighters - The Pretender [iTunes]
10:08: They seem to think I'm excited for Cokewhore's performance. If I'm excited for anything, it's to see if she shoots up on stage! GAH!
10:11: Just had my first taste of the new Mary J Blige song via a car commercial. Bette than I remember her being in the past. Perhaps a download for later...
10:13: Let the record show that the new CBS Monday is AWESOME. not just awesome...AWESOME. Don't forget this people.
Sean on Stevie Wonder's appearance and subsequent applause: "They're cheering so he knows he's not in an empty room." Dude, you're SO going to hell.
10:15: Alicia Keys gets a second performance of the night so she can do "No One" on top of the intro. Favoritism much? At least she's dressed and sounding better than she did at the Super Bowl. Who knows, with another 30 million plays, this song might get good.
10:18: John Mayer comes in for a guitar solo and makes the song a keeper. Bootleg #3 of the night.
10:20: Why are Ringo and Dave Stewart intro'ing the Country category? Missing the logic here. Sean says they all sound the same.
Vince Gill wins it, but I (still) don't care. So far every AotY nominee has won their genre. This might get ugly later on...
10:23: The makers of Godzilla and The Day After Tomorrow present another film with decent CGI, unintentionally funny dialog, and plenty of potential to show up on channel 347 six months from now (this one's called 10,000 BC).
10:26: After seeing a Big Brother ad, I must ask: What the hell is a "Dirty Jersey"?
10:29: Obligatory break for "Rhapsody in Blue"
10:33: Sean informs me that Flight of the Conchords win a Grammy for comedy album (beat out Geroge Lopez, thank God), and Barack Obama wins for spoken word. Game on.
10:36: Best Rap song collab is up next...T-Pain in there twice, and whiffs as "Umbrella" takes it. Loving this bit of Rihanna speaking and Jay-Z translating. I think Jay-Z might be climbing the ranks on my list of most appreciated rap artists.
Rihanna - Umbrella (feat. Jay-Z) [iTunes]
10:43: Amy Cokewhore takes the stage via satellite. I can't tell if she's dancing or trying to stand up straight and failing.
10:47: She segues into "Rehab" and I'm still trying to find a reason to like her. I'm estimating her BAL at about .04. Much lower than I anticipated. She still screams like a tonedeaf banshee, but at least she wasn't high...sadly.
10:51: Tony Bennett and Natalie Cole are naming the Record of the Year after giving Doris Day a Lifetime Award. "The Pretender" is my favorite, but I'm hoping for NOT "Rehab".
10:52: And I fail. "Rehab" again. She's definitely slurring her words and grasping her mum while she thanks any number of people. Not looking good for Foo Fighters to win AotY now. It'd be best to keep all sources of fire and all small children away from me for the next few hours.
11:00: Head of the recording industry announces all the things they're working on, then offers a backhanded shot at music pirates, then offers up a kid who was apparently on the Grammys many years ago as a kid, now a nominee. I would have had a better description than that but my dad IMed me about something.
11:03: Annual montage of musicians who died. The guy from Boston died?? Bummer. Hate to say it, but he's the only guy I find myself caring much about. And no mentions of Casey Calvert or the guy from Quiet Riot...that's garbage.
11:07: I think the Josh Groban/Andrea Bocelli piece would work better if it were one or the other. Neither of them are bad, I just think they both work better solo. Sean agrees.
11:15: Grammy takes a turn for classic rock with Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and John Fogerty from CCR. As much as I like the sound, I can't understand a word Fogerty is saying. Jerry Lee Lewis doesn't look like he can move anything except his jaw and his fingers. The energy in this performance is falling everytime I see Lewis.
11:20: Enter Little Richard, who looks the same now as he did 15 years ago. A little bit more energy from Richard, but Fogerty is stealing the show right now.
11:26: My friend Sam Keeler offers up the following: SCREW AMY WINEHOUSE. She also likens the current situation to Norah Jones a few years ago. Meanwhile will.i.am is singing something that I'm managing to forget as he's singing it.
11:29: Usher announces Producer of the Year, and now they're at AotY...Praying to the Gods on High right now...forget the Foos...anything but Cokewhore.
11:30: WHAT??!!?? Herbie Hancock? Seriously?
Well THAT was anticlimactic. I guess giving it to the Cokewhore would've sent the wrong message, Vince Gill was too dry, Kanye didn't need the ego boost, and the Foo Fighters, well, God forbid we give it to a modern artist??!! And now Hancock is going Barack Obama on us....bleck. He sounds like an African American Artist has NEVER won a Grammy before.
Well, I suppose as per my rule I need to give this album a shot, no matter how much I don't want to. Before I wrap things up, let's go through what we take away from the night:
Cokewhore: 3 Grammys
Foo Fighters: 2
God References: ~3 (Sean stopped counting)
Times TJ wanted to punch small children: 3
Memorable Performances: 3 (Carrie Underwood, Foo Fighters, Alicia Keys/John Mayer)
MVP: Jason Bateman for being the presenter with the most personality.
Worst speech: Tie between Cokewhore and Herbie Hancock
Best speech: Kanye West, for OWNING the conductor.
See you all later.
==TJ==
PS If you don't get the reference in the title of this entry, watch this video.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Countdown to 5,000 Songs
My Last.fm page says that I have played 4,990 songs since joining. In celebration of the pending song 5000, I am going to play the next 10 songs right now, and depending on how I feel, say a bit about them and/or post an MP3 of them. For the record, I have my iTunes set to shuffle my entire library, and I will not skip any song, no matter how embarrassing it may be. So here we go, this should be fun!
Song 4,991: The Monkees - Daydream Believer [iTunes]
...and I can see we're off to a good start *rolls eyes*. One of those songs that's been played about three bazillion times on your local oldies radio station (see also: "Brown Eyed Girl", "Magic Carpet Ride"). And how can you not love the multiple key changes at the end? Ah...
Song 4,992: Foo Fighters - Never Talking to You Again (Husker Du cover) [Foo on iTunes]
Got this as a B-Side when The Good, The Bad and the Unknown released a bunch of unreleased Foo songs. Always loved acoustic Foo Fighters, and this one sounds just as good as a Foo song as it does anyone else.
Song 4,993: The Beatles - Let it Be (Naked Version) [buy the CD on Amazon]
Almost certainly on my list of the 10 best Beatles songs ever. Don't know if I like the original or the Let it Be...Naked version better, and there are times when I'm not sure I can tell the difference (just as I finished typing that I got to the guitar solo and lo, I could hear a much more stripped down, raw guitar. Advantage: Naked version (for now)). My high school chorus would do this once or twice in class when we had nothing better to do. The last verse seals the deal every time:
And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light that shines on me
Shine on til tomorrow, Let it be
I wake up to the sounds of music, mother Mary calls to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be...
Love it. Love it. Love it.
Song 4,994: Jimmy Eat World - Night Drive [iTunes]
One of the better songs off of Futures, an album that I could never really appreciate, especially now that Chase this Light is on constant rotation on my computer. One of Jim Adkins' best lyrical moments on the whole albums, and one of the few instances where the slower, softer Jimmy actually works out well. I think if I ever do the cliche "take a girl up to a hill overlooking a city" bit, I'd want this song playing. Has the right atmosphere, even when it kicks back into full band at the last 90 seconds or so. Its about as good as the most average songs on the new album, which is still pretty damned good.
Song 4,995: Secondhand Serenade - End [iTunes]
This works out rather nicely, since I got a MySpace bulletin from them encouraging to tell one person about them. Since I'm writing a blog that I assume more than one person reads, I think that mission is accomplished. I did a more thorough write up on Secondhand Serenade last week, go check it out.
This brings up one more thing; if you read this thing, leave a comment at some point just to say what's up. It'd be nice to hear some feedback, even if it's a "you're taste in music sucks". Which I doubt it would be since you're reading this and its a blog dedicated to music. As long as I'm on a tangent here, let the record show that I've been typing live, so if there are any screw ups or if some bits seem shorter than others, that's why. The Foo Fighters song was only 2 minutes long, hence it's shortness. This song is nearly 3 minutes of the line "Don't Let Me Down", among others, so its easy to run out of stuff to say. Awesome harmonies though. So yeah check these guys out.
Song 4,996: Creed - My Sacrifice [iTunes]
There was no way I was getting through 10 songs without something potentially embarrassing coming up. But at any rate, be a man and admit it; you liked Creed back when they were popular too, and jumped ship like everyone else when things got sour. The only difference is I still admit to having all three CDs and listening to them once in awhile. The music wasn't terrible (not compared with some of the other garbage that was making money in 2001), people just hate Scott Stapp. And to some degree with reason.
In a related story, Human Clay was apparently #7 on the list of 10 best-selling albums of the SoundScan era. At #1? Shania Twain's Come On Over. Seriously? Shania Twain is at #1, and people are gonna bitch about Creed? There's something wrong with this picture.
Song 4,997: Staind - Outside [iTunes]
The second, less-appreciated single from what was Staind's first widely popular album. Sadly this isn't the live version where Fred Durst kinda mumbles along and then shouts at the crowd during the guitar break.
This is another band that gets a bad rap for being on the radio in the early '00s. Look; if you found out you could write songs, and one or both of your parents treated you like crap, don't you think you would try to get some getback? Cut Aaron Lewis a break. It's not his fault that a bunch of other bands tried to ride his coattails.
(This is getting increasingly difficult as my dad tries to make his new phone work. Missed the last 30 secs of "Outside" and the first minute of the next song. Pausing now to catch up.)
Song 4,998: Eve 6 - Tongue Tied [iTunes]
And we're back on track. Found out two weeks ago that Eve 6 is among the laundry list of bands that chose to reunite. Normally these guys would qualify on the list of bands that didn't deserve a reunion, but Horrorscope (the second album) was one of my favorite CDs in middle school, so I'm gonna let this one slide. Cool song from the first album, the only one I don't have.
Song 4,999: The Animals - House of the Rising Sun [iTunes]
Another frequenter of the oldies radio stations. Every time it comes on my dad feels the need to point out that there's an organ solo, so yeah...there's an organ solo somewhere in this song. The first verse was also the intro to the U2/Green Day song after Hurricane Katrina "The Saints Are Coming". I wanna say its been used in something else worth noting, some movie or something, but I'm blanking. A thousand points to whoever comes up with what I'm thinking of. Not a terrible song, despite being on oldies radio station (sorry folks, after hearing oldies every time I'm in a car with my father, I have a special place in my heart for such things).
And now...here it comes...I want you to know I'm drumrolling in my head right now...
Song 5,000: Maroon 5 - Not Falling Apart [iTunes]
...
...
...
Wow. That was anticlimactic. I think I've only listened to this song maybe once. One of the misses on the hit-and-miss last album. Of all the good songs on the CD, I had to get this pedestrian one? iTunes has failed me. Listening to it now anyway...it's not so terrible that my ears are bleeding, but there's nothing particularly fun about it. It sounds like an average Maroon 5 song. I don't understand why Rolling Stone gave so much love to this CD when Linkin Park and the Foo Fighters put out so much better work this year. It probably has something to do with the fact that Adam Levine looks like equal parts Justin Timberlake and Bruce Banner. Maybe they were afraid of him going Incredible Hulk or something.
So there you have it. 5,000 songs since November 27, 2006. Below I'm posting songs 1,000 and 2,000, just 'cause I have them listed. I'll be back later.
Song 1,000: Eminem - Lose Yourself [iTunes]
Song 2,000: The Killers - Sam's Town [iTunes]
==TJ==
PS: I did this piece as I heard each song, so you basically got 10 Currently Listening's today, so I'll skip a separate one today.
Song 4,991: The Monkees - Daydream Believer [iTunes]
...and I can see we're off to a good start *rolls eyes*. One of those songs that's been played about three bazillion times on your local oldies radio station (see also: "Brown Eyed Girl", "Magic Carpet Ride"). And how can you not love the multiple key changes at the end? Ah...
Song 4,992: Foo Fighters - Never Talking to You Again (Husker Du cover) [Foo on iTunes]
Got this as a B-Side when The Good, The Bad and the Unknown released a bunch of unreleased Foo songs. Always loved acoustic Foo Fighters, and this one sounds just as good as a Foo song as it does anyone else.
Song 4,993: The Beatles - Let it Be (Naked Version) [buy the CD on Amazon]
Almost certainly on my list of the 10 best Beatles songs ever. Don't know if I like the original or the Let it Be...Naked version better, and there are times when I'm not sure I can tell the difference (just as I finished typing that I got to the guitar solo and lo, I could hear a much more stripped down, raw guitar. Advantage: Naked version (for now)). My high school chorus would do this once or twice in class when we had nothing better to do. The last verse seals the deal every time:
And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light that shines on me
Shine on til tomorrow, Let it be
I wake up to the sounds of music, mother Mary calls to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be...
Love it. Love it. Love it.
Song 4,994: Jimmy Eat World - Night Drive [iTunes]
One of the better songs off of Futures, an album that I could never really appreciate, especially now that Chase this Light is on constant rotation on my computer. One of Jim Adkins' best lyrical moments on the whole albums, and one of the few instances where the slower, softer Jimmy actually works out well. I think if I ever do the cliche "take a girl up to a hill overlooking a city" bit, I'd want this song playing. Has the right atmosphere, even when it kicks back into full band at the last 90 seconds or so. Its about as good as the most average songs on the new album, which is still pretty damned good.
Song 4,995: Secondhand Serenade - End [iTunes]
This works out rather nicely, since I got a MySpace bulletin from them encouraging to tell one person about them. Since I'm writing a blog that I assume more than one person reads, I think that mission is accomplished. I did a more thorough write up on Secondhand Serenade last week, go check it out.
This brings up one more thing; if you read this thing, leave a comment at some point just to say what's up. It'd be nice to hear some feedback, even if it's a "you're taste in music sucks". Which I doubt it would be since you're reading this and its a blog dedicated to music. As long as I'm on a tangent here, let the record show that I've been typing live, so if there are any screw ups or if some bits seem shorter than others, that's why. The Foo Fighters song was only 2 minutes long, hence it's shortness. This song is nearly 3 minutes of the line "Don't Let Me Down", among others, so its easy to run out of stuff to say. Awesome harmonies though. So yeah check these guys out.
Song 4,996: Creed - My Sacrifice [iTunes]
There was no way I was getting through 10 songs without something potentially embarrassing coming up. But at any rate, be a man and admit it; you liked Creed back when they were popular too, and jumped ship like everyone else when things got sour. The only difference is I still admit to having all three CDs and listening to them once in awhile. The music wasn't terrible (not compared with some of the other garbage that was making money in 2001), people just hate Scott Stapp. And to some degree with reason.
In a related story, Human Clay was apparently #7 on the list of 10 best-selling albums of the SoundScan era. At #1? Shania Twain's Come On Over. Seriously? Shania Twain is at #1, and people are gonna bitch about Creed? There's something wrong with this picture.
Song 4,997: Staind - Outside [iTunes]
The second, less-appreciated single from what was Staind's first widely popular album. Sadly this isn't the live version where Fred Durst kinda mumbles along and then shouts at the crowd during the guitar break.
This is another band that gets a bad rap for being on the radio in the early '00s. Look; if you found out you could write songs, and one or both of your parents treated you like crap, don't you think you would try to get some getback? Cut Aaron Lewis a break. It's not his fault that a bunch of other bands tried to ride his coattails.
(This is getting increasingly difficult as my dad tries to make his new phone work. Missed the last 30 secs of "Outside" and the first minute of the next song. Pausing now to catch up.)
Song 4,998: Eve 6 - Tongue Tied [iTunes]
And we're back on track. Found out two weeks ago that Eve 6 is among the laundry list of bands that chose to reunite. Normally these guys would qualify on the list of bands that didn't deserve a reunion, but Horrorscope (the second album) was one of my favorite CDs in middle school, so I'm gonna let this one slide. Cool song from the first album, the only one I don't have.
Song 4,999: The Animals - House of the Rising Sun [iTunes]
Another frequenter of the oldies radio stations. Every time it comes on my dad feels the need to point out that there's an organ solo, so yeah...there's an organ solo somewhere in this song. The first verse was also the intro to the U2/Green Day song after Hurricane Katrina "The Saints Are Coming". I wanna say its been used in something else worth noting, some movie or something, but I'm blanking. A thousand points to whoever comes up with what I'm thinking of. Not a terrible song, despite being on oldies radio station (sorry folks, after hearing oldies every time I'm in a car with my father, I have a special place in my heart for such things).
And now...here it comes...I want you to know I'm drumrolling in my head right now...
Song 5,000: Maroon 5 - Not Falling Apart [iTunes]
...
...
...
Wow. That was anticlimactic. I think I've only listened to this song maybe once. One of the misses on the hit-and-miss last album. Of all the good songs on the CD, I had to get this pedestrian one? iTunes has failed me. Listening to it now anyway...it's not so terrible that my ears are bleeding, but there's nothing particularly fun about it. It sounds like an average Maroon 5 song. I don't understand why Rolling Stone gave so much love to this CD when Linkin Park and the Foo Fighters put out so much better work this year. It probably has something to do with the fact that Adam Levine looks like equal parts Justin Timberlake and Bruce Banner. Maybe they were afraid of him going Incredible Hulk or something.
So there you have it. 5,000 songs since November 27, 2006. Below I'm posting songs 1,000 and 2,000, just 'cause I have them listed. I'll be back later.
Song 1,000: Eminem - Lose Yourself [iTunes]
Song 2,000: The Killers - Sam's Town [iTunes]
==TJ==
PS: I did this piece as I heard each song, so you basically got 10 Currently Listening's today, so I'll skip a separate one today.
Monday, December 3, 2007
10 Awesome Things That Happened in 2007
Maybe it's just because I was paying more attention this year, but it seemed like a lot of really awesome things happened to the music world this year. And contrary to what Rolling Stone and Idolator will want you to think, not ALL of them were tied to Radiohead. Below are my top 10 awesome stories from 2007:
10. New Guns N' Roses tracks leak; proof Chinese Democracy was at some point being recorded
Ah, how could anyone forget how we all (OK, maybe it was just me) waited with bated breath for March 6th to roll around when Axl Rose announced said date as the release for the eternally anticipated Chinese Democracy album. Of course once again we/I was left hanging, but we got a few unmastered tracks from the album as consolation. Granted, only one of these was worth hearing, but it was still proof that maybe, just maybe, it* could happen.
Guns N' Roses - Better
*By "it", I actually mean democracy in China, not Chinese Democracy. Come on now, what kind of fool do I look like?
9. Radio 104.5 brings the rock back to Philly
For anyone reading outside of the greater Philadelphia area, this means almost nothing. But just know that prior to this past February, Philly was without a decent alt. rock station for just over 2 years after the demise of Y100. 104.5 (WRFF-FM) filled that hole, and Philly radio is a better place for it.
Finger Eleven - Paralyzer (Live on Radio 104.5)
8. "The Battle of Sept. 11"
It's refreshing to hear rappers talk about duels and fighting that don't involve guns. 50 Cent and Kanye West had plenty of hype, hoopla, and excitement building up to the simultaneous release of their new albums, Curtis and Graduation, respectively. 50 promised to retire from the business if Kanye sold more albums in the first week, only to then cry foul when his CD got stomped on in the charts. But in the end, when two music greats go head-to-head in the name of getting music to the fans, doesn't everybody win?
Well, except for those fools who bought Curtis. Sucks to be them.
Kanye West - Stronger
7. Guitar Hero III/Rock Band
As a college student and music lover, I feel that my life is somehow more fulfilled as a result of these games. I have yet to play Rock Band, but cannot wait to get behind the electronic drum set and go Keith Moon-style on "Learn to Fly". The rest of the track listing is damned impressive, almost better than GHIII. Speaking of which, I have played, and am thoroughly awed. As much as the wireless controllers made me nuts (stupid lag...), the gameplay is as good as ever, and the songs are classic. Words don't describe how excited I was to blast through "Paint It, Black" and "Even Flow". This year I have 2 more reasons to upgrade to an Xbox 360.
Foo Fighters - Learn to Fly
Pearl Jam - Even Flow
6. Movies + Movies = Good times for all
2007 saw a blend between music and film that hadn't been particularly strong of late. Between the biopics for Bob Dylan (I'm Not There) and Joy Division (Control), the fictional projects August Rush and Into the Wild (not actually dealing with music, but scored by the amazing Eddie Vedder), and Across the Universe, the Beatles tribute in a class all its own, moviegoers saw and heard one hell of a good experience this year. And that's all excluding the tradtional musicals (Hairspray and next month's Sweeney Todd).
The Killers - Shadowplay
Across the Universe Soundtrack - Hey Jude
5. John, Paul, George and Ringo go digital; Beatles to follow in '08?
So all of the solo work from the Beatles became available for digital download across 2007, most notably when Paul McCartney tied his new album's release to the launch of the iTunes DRM-free store. Lennon's solo catalog followed, and a few weeks ago McCartney said that the Beatles catalog could go digital by early 2008. If this happens, it will leave only Kid Rock in the stone age of major label acts without a good reason to have their music available online. I see no problem with this.
4. Year of the Reunions
2007 seemed to be the year for bands to kiss and make up, with The Police, Rage Against the Machine, Genesis, and Led Zeppelin all reuniting in some form or other for tours and/or new albums. Now that second-rate bands like Extreme are feeling the need to join the party, I think it's time to kiss the reunion train up to God, but all things considered, that's a damn good set of bands making comebacks. Now give me some new albums!!
Rage Against the Machine - Bulls on Parade
The Police - Roxanne
3. AmazonMP3
Finally someone has the balls to (seriously) take aim at the iTunes juggernaut. While it still has a ways to go to match iTunes, Amazon gave music listeners a lot of things that iTunes wasn't; good quality DRM free music from popular bands at a cheap price. The store itself is still a bit clunky and lacks the ease of use that iTunes users enjoy, but they've got the one-up in that they have the rights to the likes of Radiohead and deal exclusively in MP3s. iTunes is far from dead, but at least now there's another fish in the pond
Snow Patrol - You're All I Have (the first song I downloaded in Amazon's MP3 store)
2. Radiohead releases In Rainbows themselves, allow fans to name price
This proved to be the ultimate "Fuck You" to the record industry this year. While bloggers and journalists were wondering what to expect from Radiohead, the band was quietly putting together this little bombshell. The move was inspired; people who wanted the music decided just how badly they wanted it and no major label could touch it. It was ingenious and a move that's already being copied by other bands. The only downside is that the music itself was decidedly sub-par, and the band later admitted the self-release acted as a promotional device so people would buy the CD. Given my lack of interest in the music, I would say it backfired. But either way, any band that sticks it that hard and that fast deserves some kudos.
1. Year Zero Viral Marketing/ARG
Leave it to Trent Reznor to create the ultimate musical reality experience. Nine Inch Nails had fans foaming at the mouth for 3 months while Reznor let slip USB sticks in bathrooms at concerts, created fake forums to establish the world of the album...hell, he even went as far as to set up fake hotlines where people could call in "suspicious figures" and the like. With a concept album like Year Zero, it's essential to get a sense of what they're getting across. The Marketing campaign did exactly that, and wound up inspiring the entire entertainment industry to find new ways to market material (see also: The Dark Knight, Cloverfield). Forget about making the music sound different; make the whole experience different, make me believe what I'm hearing.
Nine Inch Nails - Survivalism
Back again this week with more 2007 madness.
==TJ==
10. New Guns N' Roses tracks leak; proof Chinese Democracy was at some point being recorded
Ah, how could anyone forget how we all (OK, maybe it was just me) waited with bated breath for March 6th to roll around when Axl Rose announced said date as the release for the eternally anticipated Chinese Democracy album. Of course once again we/I was left hanging, but we got a few unmastered tracks from the album as consolation. Granted, only one of these was worth hearing, but it was still proof that maybe, just maybe, it* could happen.
Guns N' Roses - Better
*By "it", I actually mean democracy in China, not Chinese Democracy. Come on now, what kind of fool do I look like?
9. Radio 104.5 brings the rock back to Philly
For anyone reading outside of the greater Philadelphia area, this means almost nothing. But just know that prior to this past February, Philly was without a decent alt. rock station for just over 2 years after the demise of Y100. 104.5 (WRFF-FM) filled that hole, and Philly radio is a better place for it.
Finger Eleven - Paralyzer (Live on Radio 104.5)
8. "The Battle of Sept. 11"
It's refreshing to hear rappers talk about duels and fighting that don't involve guns. 50 Cent and Kanye West had plenty of hype, hoopla, and excitement building up to the simultaneous release of their new albums, Curtis and Graduation, respectively. 50 promised to retire from the business if Kanye sold more albums in the first week, only to then cry foul when his CD got stomped on in the charts. But in the end, when two music greats go head-to-head in the name of getting music to the fans, doesn't everybody win?
Well, except for those fools who bought Curtis. Sucks to be them.
Kanye West - Stronger
7. Guitar Hero III/Rock Band
As a college student and music lover, I feel that my life is somehow more fulfilled as a result of these games. I have yet to play Rock Band, but cannot wait to get behind the electronic drum set and go Keith Moon-style on "Learn to Fly". The rest of the track listing is damned impressive, almost better than GHIII. Speaking of which, I have played, and am thoroughly awed. As much as the wireless controllers made me nuts (stupid lag...), the gameplay is as good as ever, and the songs are classic. Words don't describe how excited I was to blast through "Paint It, Black" and "Even Flow". This year I have 2 more reasons to upgrade to an Xbox 360.
Foo Fighters - Learn to Fly
Pearl Jam - Even Flow
6. Movies + Movies = Good times for all
2007 saw a blend between music and film that hadn't been particularly strong of late. Between the biopics for Bob Dylan (I'm Not There) and Joy Division (Control), the fictional projects August Rush and Into the Wild (not actually dealing with music, but scored by the amazing Eddie Vedder), and Across the Universe, the Beatles tribute in a class all its own, moviegoers saw and heard one hell of a good experience this year. And that's all excluding the tradtional musicals (Hairspray and next month's Sweeney Todd).
The Killers - Shadowplay
Across the Universe Soundtrack - Hey Jude
5. John, Paul, George and Ringo go digital; Beatles to follow in '08?
So all of the solo work from the Beatles became available for digital download across 2007, most notably when Paul McCartney tied his new album's release to the launch of the iTunes DRM-free store. Lennon's solo catalog followed, and a few weeks ago McCartney said that the Beatles catalog could go digital by early 2008. If this happens, it will leave only Kid Rock in the stone age of major label acts without a good reason to have their music available online. I see no problem with this.
4. Year of the Reunions
2007 seemed to be the year for bands to kiss and make up, with The Police, Rage Against the Machine, Genesis, and Led Zeppelin all reuniting in some form or other for tours and/or new albums. Now that second-rate bands like Extreme are feeling the need to join the party, I think it's time to kiss the reunion train up to God, but all things considered, that's a damn good set of bands making comebacks. Now give me some new albums!!
Rage Against the Machine - Bulls on Parade
The Police - Roxanne
3. AmazonMP3
Finally someone has the balls to (seriously) take aim at the iTunes juggernaut. While it still has a ways to go to match iTunes, Amazon gave music listeners a lot of things that iTunes wasn't; good quality DRM free music from popular bands at a cheap price. The store itself is still a bit clunky and lacks the ease of use that iTunes users enjoy, but they've got the one-up in that they have the rights to the likes of Radiohead and deal exclusively in MP3s. iTunes is far from dead, but at least now there's another fish in the pond
Snow Patrol - You're All I Have (the first song I downloaded in Amazon's MP3 store)
2. Radiohead releases In Rainbows themselves, allow fans to name price
This proved to be the ultimate "Fuck You" to the record industry this year. While bloggers and journalists were wondering what to expect from Radiohead, the band was quietly putting together this little bombshell. The move was inspired; people who wanted the music decided just how badly they wanted it and no major label could touch it. It was ingenious and a move that's already being copied by other bands. The only downside is that the music itself was decidedly sub-par, and the band later admitted the self-release acted as a promotional device so people would buy the CD. Given my lack of interest in the music, I would say it backfired. But either way, any band that sticks it that hard and that fast deserves some kudos.
1. Year Zero Viral Marketing/ARG
Leave it to Trent Reznor to create the ultimate musical reality experience. Nine Inch Nails had fans foaming at the mouth for 3 months while Reznor let slip USB sticks in bathrooms at concerts, created fake forums to establish the world of the album...hell, he even went as far as to set up fake hotlines where people could call in "suspicious figures" and the like. With a concept album like Year Zero, it's essential to get a sense of what they're getting across. The Marketing campaign did exactly that, and wound up inspiring the entire entertainment industry to find new ways to market material (see also: The Dark Knight, Cloverfield). Forget about making the music sound different; make the whole experience different, make me believe what I'm hearing.
Nine Inch Nails - Survivalism
Back again this week with more 2007 madness.
==TJ==
Monday, November 5, 2007
Artists I Should Have Been Raving About A LONG Time Ago...
In my ongoing quest to be the universe's most educated music listener, I've recently come across a bunch of artists that I find I should have known some time ago, but only just now loving. I now present my recent musical discoveries to you.
Paramore
With Britney Spears going batshit crazy at every corner, Avril Lavigne making people want to gouge their ears out, and Amy Lee on the road to becoming the next Axl Rose, rock music needs another "nice girl" for the reviewers to adore and the rocker dudes to drool over. That's where Paramore, fronted by 18-year-old Hayley Williams, come in. Their second album Riot! is climbing the iTunes charts, and singles "Misery Business" and "Crushcrushcrush" are making bloggers and DJs alike go crazy. The lyrics are totally true to William's 18-year-old girl demeanor, and the band delivers them with all the pop-punk fury that was absent from recent efforts from Good Charlotte and Yellowcard, and Hayler Williams has a set of pipes that put the likes of Amy Lee and Avril to shame. And oh yeah, have you seen Hayley Williams?
Yeah, I said it.
Paramore - Crushcrushcrush
Paramore on iTunes
Oh, and as long as I mentioned her, I might as well issue my (and by default, this blog's) official position on the perpetual media event that is the "artist" formerly known as Britney Spears. Seriously, who gives a fuck anymore? On one level, she's more fun when she's batshit crazy, because you honestly don't know what the hell she's gonna do next. And her album? Psh. Yeah its getting decent reviews, but you know that's all the work of the bazillion producers and stuff who are writing her music and making it sound good amidst her drunken escapades and attempts at singing the way she did 10 years ago. And with that, I hope to never have to utter her name ever again on this blog.
Chris Brown
Like I've said, the more I listen to Top 40 R&B, the more I like it. My first real experience with Chris Brown was in the "Umbrella" remix I posted last week (I had heard "Run It!" in the past at high school dances and the like, but didn't recognize it as him/didn't care enough to really listen). After hearing his awesome contribution to that track, I downloaded "Run It!" and his new one "Kiss Kiss". Both are fun, upbeat, and all the things I want out of Hip-Hop and R&B. And in case you somehow didn't know this, Chris Brown is 18 years old. Watch the clip of "Run It!" and listen to "Kiss Kiss" and maybe you'll see why I'm impressed.
Chris Brown - Kiss Kiss (feat. T-Pain)
Chris Brown - Run It! [Youtube]
Chris Brown on iTunes
I think that's it for now. The radio show is most likely going on an indefinite hiatus due to some personal stuff (mostly just I don't have time), but keep your eyes peeled in case that changes.
==TJ==
PS Oh and in honor of Guy Fawkes Day, I know I posted the original version of this song last time out, but it seems appropriate to hand you a cover, given the occasion.
Stone Temple Pilots - Revolution (Beatles Cover)
STP on iTunes
Paramore
With Britney Spears going batshit crazy at every corner, Avril Lavigne making people want to gouge their ears out, and Amy Lee on the road to becoming the next Axl Rose, rock music needs another "nice girl" for the reviewers to adore and the rocker dudes to drool over. That's where Paramore, fronted by 18-year-old Hayley Williams, come in. Their second album Riot! is climbing the iTunes charts, and singles "Misery Business" and "Crushcrushcrush" are making bloggers and DJs alike go crazy. The lyrics are totally true to William's 18-year-old girl demeanor, and the band delivers them with all the pop-punk fury that was absent from recent efforts from Good Charlotte and Yellowcard, and Hayler Williams has a set of pipes that put the likes of Amy Lee and Avril to shame. And oh yeah, have you seen Hayley Williams?
Yeah, I said it.
Paramore - Crushcrushcrush
Paramore on iTunes
Oh, and as long as I mentioned her, I might as well issue my (and by default, this blog's) official position on the perpetual media event that is the "artist" formerly known as Britney Spears. Seriously, who gives a fuck anymore? On one level, she's more fun when she's batshit crazy, because you honestly don't know what the hell she's gonna do next. And her album? Psh. Yeah its getting decent reviews, but you know that's all the work of the bazillion producers and stuff who are writing her music and making it sound good amidst her drunken escapades and attempts at singing the way she did 10 years ago. And with that, I hope to never have to utter her name ever again on this blog.
Chris Brown
Like I've said, the more I listen to Top 40 R&B, the more I like it. My first real experience with Chris Brown was in the "Umbrella" remix I posted last week (I had heard "Run It!" in the past at high school dances and the like, but didn't recognize it as him/didn't care enough to really listen). After hearing his awesome contribution to that track, I downloaded "Run It!" and his new one "Kiss Kiss". Both are fun, upbeat, and all the things I want out of Hip-Hop and R&B. And in case you somehow didn't know this, Chris Brown is 18 years old. Watch the clip of "Run It!" and listen to "Kiss Kiss" and maybe you'll see why I'm impressed.
Chris Brown - Kiss Kiss (feat. T-Pain)
Chris Brown - Run It! [Youtube]
Chris Brown on iTunes
I think that's it for now. The radio show is most likely going on an indefinite hiatus due to some personal stuff (mostly just I don't have time), but keep your eyes peeled in case that changes.
==TJ==
PS Oh and in honor of Guy Fawkes Day, I know I posted the original version of this song last time out, but it seems appropriate to hand you a cover, given the occasion.
Stone Temple Pilots - Revolution (Beatles Cover)
STP on iTunes
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Images Of Broken Light That Dance Before Me Like A Million Eyes...
Before I get started, the link to the iMix from the last entry.
Earlier this week I FINALLY got to see Across the Universe, the Beatles tribute movie that was recommended to me by everyone from Pretty Much Amazing to my own brother. I had seen trailers for it and was on the fence. I love the Beatles and liked the idea, but thought the movie looked a bit too acid-trippy for my taste. But after a string of recommendations, I went to give it shot.
Holy crap. The movie was beyond incredible. From the very first song the movie is a fun, poignant ride. And the music? Absolutely amazing. Despite my usual dislike for Bono, his versions of "I Am The Walrus" and "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" are surprisingly enjoyable. But by far the best moments belong to Jim Sturgess (as Jude) and Joe Anderson (Max) on songs like "With A Little Help From My Friends" and "I've Just Seen A Face". Virtually every performance in this movie is noteworthy, and the only number that misses is the utterly ridiculous "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" (remember that acid trip I was worried about? Yeah.). Even when the movie gets abstract and conceptual, it takes you along for the ride instead of wondering what the hell is happening. And of course the favorites ("Hey Jude", "All You Need is Love") are pulled off masterfully.
One of the best parts of this is the re-imagining of some songs. Envision a version of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" slowed down, and lounge-style, or perhaps a gospel twist on "Let it Be". Beatles purists will probably scoff at the idea, but it works, and it works well. My only complaints are the lack of tracks from Rubber Soul (the best Beatles album in my opinion), and the aforementioned over-the-top "Mr. Kite" sequence. If you can get a chance to see this before it leaves theatres, do so. Otherwise definitely a DVD pickup, and FOR GOD'S SAKE GET THE SOUNDTRACK!!!
Across the Universe - I Want to Hold Your Hand
Across the Universe - I've Just Seen A Face
Across the Universe - Hey Jude
Across the Universe Soundtrack on iTunes
And now it should be noted that I've uploaded all the Beatles music I have to iTunes and am listening to it now.
The Beatles - In My Life
The Beatles - Revolution
The Beatles on Amazon.com
==TJ==
Earlier this week I FINALLY got to see Across the Universe, the Beatles tribute movie that was recommended to me by everyone from Pretty Much Amazing to my own brother. I had seen trailers for it and was on the fence. I love the Beatles and liked the idea, but thought the movie looked a bit too acid-trippy for my taste. But after a string of recommendations, I went to give it shot.
Holy crap. The movie was beyond incredible. From the very first song the movie is a fun, poignant ride. And the music? Absolutely amazing. Despite my usual dislike for Bono, his versions of "I Am The Walrus" and "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" are surprisingly enjoyable. But by far the best moments belong to Jim Sturgess (as Jude) and Joe Anderson (Max) on songs like "With A Little Help From My Friends" and "I've Just Seen A Face". Virtually every performance in this movie is noteworthy, and the only number that misses is the utterly ridiculous "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" (remember that acid trip I was worried about? Yeah.). Even when the movie gets abstract and conceptual, it takes you along for the ride instead of wondering what the hell is happening. And of course the favorites ("Hey Jude", "All You Need is Love") are pulled off masterfully.
One of the best parts of this is the re-imagining of some songs. Envision a version of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" slowed down, and lounge-style, or perhaps a gospel twist on "Let it Be". Beatles purists will probably scoff at the idea, but it works, and it works well. My only complaints are the lack of tracks from Rubber Soul (the best Beatles album in my opinion), and the aforementioned over-the-top "Mr. Kite" sequence. If you can get a chance to see this before it leaves theatres, do so. Otherwise definitely a DVD pickup, and FOR GOD'S SAKE GET THE SOUNDTRACK!!!
Across the Universe - I Want to Hold Your Hand
Across the Universe - I've Just Seen A Face
Across the Universe - Hey Jude
Across the Universe Soundtrack on iTunes
And now it should be noted that I've uploaded all the Beatles music I have to iTunes and am listening to it now.
The Beatles - In My Life
The Beatles - Revolution
The Beatles on Amazon.com
==TJ==
Monday, February 5, 2007
In Search of Some Rest...
Current Music: Carbon Leaf - What About Everything?
A couple of news stories I saw on Billboard today that made me all kinds of happy:
-Linkin Park is currently wrapping up the mixing process on its new album and is saying that the first single from their fourth album will be released sometime next month. Producer Rick Rubin is excited for the new release, saying this album takes the band places they've never gone before. Citing Pink Floyd and Emerson, Lake & Palmer as influences, the album appears to be a massive departure from the formulaic rap-rock that dominated 2000's Hybrid Theory and 2003's Meteora. The haters can say all they want about LP being washed up; I am 8 different shades of excited for this.
-The Beatles and Apple have apparently struck a deal that will end the ongoing lawsuit tied to Apple's trademark violations. The Apple Music group (owner of the Beatles' music) sued the Apple Computer Corporation (makers of the iPod) for breaching part of a previous settlement that forbade Apple Computers from getting involved in music. The deal allows Apple to continue to operate iTunes and use its logo, and could be the final obstacle in allowing Beatles music to be sold on iTunes. About freakin' time.
And I don't feel like doing a huge thing on it, but the Eagles are eyeing a spring release date for their new album, the first new LP since 1979's The Long Run.
That's all. I've got a rant built up in me, I'll probably post it by the end of the week (and other famous last words...)
==TJ==
A couple of news stories I saw on Billboard today that made me all kinds of happy:
-Linkin Park is currently wrapping up the mixing process on its new album and is saying that the first single from their fourth album will be released sometime next month. Producer Rick Rubin is excited for the new release, saying this album takes the band places they've never gone before. Citing Pink Floyd and Emerson, Lake & Palmer as influences, the album appears to be a massive departure from the formulaic rap-rock that dominated 2000's Hybrid Theory and 2003's Meteora. The haters can say all they want about LP being washed up; I am 8 different shades of excited for this.
-The Beatles and Apple have apparently struck a deal that will end the ongoing lawsuit tied to Apple's trademark violations. The Apple Music group (owner of the Beatles' music) sued the Apple Computer Corporation (makers of the iPod) for breaching part of a previous settlement that forbade Apple Computers from getting involved in music. The deal allows Apple to continue to operate iTunes and use its logo, and could be the final obstacle in allowing Beatles music to be sold on iTunes. About freakin' time.
And I don't feel like doing a huge thing on it, but the Eagles are eyeing a spring release date for their new album, the first new LP since 1979's The Long Run.
That's all. I've got a rant built up in me, I'll probably post it by the end of the week (and other famous last words...)
==TJ==
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