Of Journey, high school, and the five senses June 23, 2006
Posted by hallelujahhatrack in Music, Sports, Uncategorized.3 comments
After work yesterday I was driving home, which of course is something that I typically like to do after work, I heard Journey on the (kick ass) Sirius satellite radio. “Where Were You” was the song and I cranked the (kick ass) system in the
Durango and rolled down the window (Well, I didn’t actually “roll it down” I actually pushed a button. I haven’t rolled down a window since I drove a Plymouth Duster in high school) and let the rest of the drivers on I-84 who had also roller…, er, opened their windows hear the boys from San Fran belt it out. I’m pretty sure that some of the people in the
Parkville section of
Hartford may have heard it as well, that is if they could hear it over the Snoop and Fitty Cent they like to bump to.
I knew that when I got home I had to cut the grass because a) it had grown as high as my ass and soon I’d have to cut it with a machete like I was traversing though
Nam, and 2) we are expecting our weekly weekend monsoon and home landscaping would not be possible for the next few days. When I cut the grass I like to listen to music and I obviously went right for the Journey Time 3 box set (courtesy of my brother in celebration of my thirty-something-ish birthday a few years ago). Disc 2, since it contains the songs put out by the Perry/Rollie/Schon/Vallory/Smith line-up, which was my favorite, after Rollie and Schon came over from Santana and before they kind of pussed-out.
Anyway, I’ve heard that certain of the 5 senses have a better ability to invoke memories than the others, and I believe that I’ve read that smell is #1. During the grass cutting I had three of them going pretty strong and this brought back many nice memories.
Hearing – Listening to that music brought me back to simpler, and daresay, better times. I liked college but I loved high school, and this was music that I listened to during those times. Also, this was a band that I saw in concert. A lot.
Touch – Last night was humid, by
Connecticut standards (although, by the standards of my youth in
Maryland – where every day was 96 degrees and 98 percent humidity – this seemed like a nice spring evening) and I had broken a nice sweat. A wiping my brow and beads dripping off my nose type of sweat. Any time sweat drips from my nose I am reminded of summer football double sessions in the
Maryland heat and humidity mentioned above. Although this was the toughest physical activity that we’d ever gone through (and probably many of us haven’t gone through anything like this since) we loved every minute of it and I recall thinking that we would look back fondly on this gridiron torture.
Smell – The cut grass. Again, freshly cut grass and hot sticky weather bring back thoughts of hitting and getting hit and knocked onto the ground. Over and over and over. The absolute best character building experience of my life. Period.
When I was done and the mover and trimmer were put away I sat on the ground, put the headphones on, and lay in the grass. Sunset, slight breeze, and the “Lights” and “Stay Awhile” medley.
Heaven on a 25 year delay.
In which the author aplogizes to Van Morrison June 7, 2006
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A while back I wrote a post with my list of the top slow songs of all time. On the way to work today I heard Van Morrison’s “Tupelo Honey” in the Sirius Satellite radio (this system rocks, by the way) and I now am forced to:
a) add this to the list
b) apologize to Mr. Morrison for forgetting this classic (on the day I wrote the post I was in a Commodores and James Ingram state of mind and not in a shaggy Irish guy mindset)
c) break out my Van Morrison CDs and a couple of frosty malt beverages later this evening.
Ahhh, this song would absolutely make for a nice slow dance…
Boycotting Madonna Monday April 10, 2006
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The office that I work in is very nice and is in a great location, but the one downside is that we can only get one radio station – and it’s not a good one (at least not for me…) unless you like to hear the same pop crap over and over and over. All. Day. Long.
Anyway, in homage to washed up, over the hill, pain in the ass ‘artists’ they have deemed today to be “Madonna Monday”. Whose stupid idea was this? I’d rather listen to the Oak Ridge Boy’s sing “Elvira” on a loop while you stick hot sharp stuff into my eyes than endure another round of “La Isla Bonita”.
Luckily I have my own personal CD stash so I could listen to Little Feat in a drastic attempt to cleanse my auditory palate.
I’m afraid to see what tomorrow brings – maybe the radio station will infest the airwaves with “Til Tuesday Tuesday”.
Or I could call in sick…
Five for Friday: favorite albums March 10, 2006
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I’m pretty sure that you can rank favorite music right up there with religion and politics as a hot button discussion topic – at least if you are like my friends and me.
This morning I was having another ‘heated’ music discussion – that began with a debate over my favorite American Idol contestant, Taylor Hicks – and the topic of individual taste came up which led to favorite artists and then favorite albums.
For those of you who don’t know what an album is, allow me to rephrase that: favorite CD’s. Aw, hell with it, when I bought all of the albums on the following list they were on vinyl, so we’ll stick with ‘album’.
Anyhow, the following are my favorites, not what I consider the best – perhaps that’s a list for another day. All of these have great songs by great artists and, for the most part, bring back a lot of fond memories for me.
In no particular order (’cause heck, the mood I’m in on a given day has a lot to do with it…):
“Minute by Minute” – Doobie Brothers
“Duke” – Genesis
“The Long Run” – The Eagles
“Born to Run” – Bruce Springsteen
“Late for the Sky” – Jackson Browne
American Idol, Dylanesque Nyquil, and a necktie plague March 3, 2006
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So, I went to bed last night wondering why that Brenna-Jenna-whatever-her-name-is chick that got booted from American Idol last night is under the illusion that Clive Davis is going to call her so they can do an album together. Other than immediate family – and even that it iffy – I don’t think anyone wants to hear her sing ever again. I’m pretty sure that she’s not going to get any calls to do anything in the entertainment industry other than as a birthday party coordinator at Chuck E. Cheese or perhaps some soft-core porn. Clive Davis is not going to call. Neither is Clive Owen. Not even the British kid named Clive in my kid’s kindergarten class (perhaps unless she gets the Chuck E. Cheese gig).
I’ve been a little sick lately so before I hit the sack I took some Nyquil and ended up having some LSD-flashback-type dreams made up of a cast of characters similar to those found on a 1970’s era Bob Dylan album. Velvet top hats and monocles were everywhere!
Since I am on the road a lot for my job I tend to eat lunch in the car quite often. Not the optimum situation, I realize, especially when you like to eat yogurt and you wear a necktie. Anyhow, this week we had a Brooks-Brothers-silk-meets-Yoplait-Fruit-on-the-Bottom incident between appointments. Although I was able to clean the tie well enough to make it through the afternoon meeting, I had to put it in the going-to-the-dry-cleaner-on-Friday pile. My wife, who is the person in charge of said pile, asked:
“Why is this tie going to the dry cleaner? Is there a spot that I’m supposed to be seeing?
I pointed out the spot.
“Oh, you can hardly see it.”
As I’d said, I’d done a pretty good job of cleaning this up.
“Then why do we have to have it cleaned?”
Oh, I don’t know, maybe so that one day my Petri dish of a necktie won’t be the cause of a botulism outbreak, killing millions of New Englanders.
Taylor Hicks is da man February 23, 2006
Posted by hallelujahhatrack in Music, Uncategorized.3 comments
I’m a big American Idol fan and have been for a few years. In that time I’ve seen some singers that I really liked, but this year, this guy is (and I apologize in advance for the age-inappropriate homage to Randy Jackson) DA BOMB!
Maybe it’s my grey hair (although not as much as he has…) and my love of old soul blues music, but Taylor Hicks is the most captivating performer I’ve ever seen on AI.
Five for Friday – All time best slow songs February 10, 2006
Posted by hallelujahhatrack in Lists, Music, Uncategorized.6 comments
Best all time slow dancing songs (at least from what I can remember…)
-“Still” by the Commodores
-“Truly” by Lionel Richie
(You could actually fill out this five and 3 others with just Commodores and Lionel Ritchie songs)
-“Always and Forever” by Heatwave
-“Waiting for a Girl Like You” by Foreigner
-“I Can’t Tell You Why” by the Eagles
Bonus Track:
-“Lady” by Kenny Rogers
Black Eyed Peas need a wake up call February 9, 2006
Posted by hallelujahhatrack in Funny, Music, Uncategorized.3 comments
A few random thoughts on last night’s Grammy Awards. However, before I comment I have to make the following disclaimers: I am a bit past the age where most of the artists featured in the telecast give a crap what I have to say, and usually if I want to see this many self-serving no-talent camera whores I can watch “Survivor” and “Real World” and “Big Brother” retrospectives, and I mainly watched the broadcast in picture-in-picture because, let’s face it, “American Idol”, “Lost”, and “Invasion” are far better uses of viewing time than Madonna and the Gorillaz.
Anyhow, here we go:
-I remember a time when Mariah Carey had no breasts.
-I would relish a world where Bono was a mute. Stop bitching about the rest of the world and go home and fix your own dysfunctional country, you ass. Also, I don’t recall the vote that elected him the new Gandhi (or the new bob Geldof for that matter).
-I am in the vast minority, but I don’t think U2 is very good at all. Never were, aren’t now, never will be.
-How do the Rolling Stones, whose “Bigger Bang” album is arguably the best album since Nirvana’s “Nevermind”, not win for best Rock Album?
-Sly is not the dude he used to be, but it was nice to see him after all these years.
-I like the Black Eyed Peas as much as any middle aged guy who got tired of “Don’t Phunk With My Heart” after the three hundredth time I heard it on the radio (I really wish I could get more than one radio station in my office…) but they really don’t get it. You don’t make your presentation – in their case for Best R&B Male Vocal Performance like they did:
“For ‘Ordinary People’ MY MAN, you are awesome and so talented and you and me working together is the bomb, MY MAN, you are so wonderful and talented, John Legend!!!
And the great actor and great singer and MY MAN, you are the best and you can sing even though you’re an actor and comedian but you are MY MAN for real, Jamie Foxx!!!
Oh, my, my, my, how can I express how great you are MY MAN? For ‘Let Me Love You’, Mario, you truly are MY MAN!! So young and so talented!!
And oh so talented, so smooth and cool and you really are MY MAN!! Usher for ‘Superstar’!! Usher you are like my brother, MY MAN!!
..
…
(wait for it…)
…..
……
And, oh yeah, for “So What The Fuss” Stevie Wonder.”
And somewhere in there, before the minimal and lackluster acknowledgement of one of the greatest performers and musicians in the history of America, was a reference to one of the Peas being Mexican.
To the Peas: you really have to know the past before you can move into the future. Might I suggest a trip to the music section of Barnes & Noble and then head straight for the “W” section you sanctimonious pinheads?
Is this what happened to Pete Best? January 19, 2006
Posted by hallelujahhatrack in Funny, Kids, Music, Uncategorized.add a comment
My boys (especially Max) have decided that they are going to start a band with the two boys across the street. This has become all consuming to them, to the point that it’s gotten annoying to me.
They hold membership in the band over each others’ heads and will drop the gloves like Dave “The Hammer” Schultz if one of the other band “members” throws them out of the band for any sort of behavioral infraction.
Max: Adam, I don’t want to watch ‘SportsCenter’, I want to watch ‘Jimmy Neutron’!
Adam: Too bad, I had the TV first.
Max: It’s my turn with the big TV! (ie: 55 inch screen)
Adam: Go watch your show in the kitchen. (ie: 13 inch screen)
Max: If I can’t have the big TV then you’re not in the band!!!
Adam: (delivers a haymaker to his brother’s right temple)
Now, I feel it necessary to point out that of the four boys in this ‘band’, aged 5, 6, 8, and 8:
a) Can not read music (one of them can’t read much of anything at all)
b) Can not play an instrument – unless you count the three recorder lessons that the two third graders have had at school (however, many quasi-famous recording artists have not let this get in their way. Milli Vanilli and Vanilla Ice come to mind)
c) Do not have enough musical ability among them to do the whistle-blowing part in the middle of Led Zeppelin’s “Fool in the Rain”
Why can’t they just go outside and throw acorns at girls like we used to do?
How long have I been sleeping January 9, 2006
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As always, I began the New Year by listening to Jackson Browne’s “Late for the Sky” album. This personal tradition goes so far back that I’ve listened to this now on four different formats – vinyl, cassette, CD, and now iPod (I just missed the 8 track phase…).
This album, recorded in 1974, is a wonderful mix of Browne’s simple vocals (backed by Don Henley and Dan Fogelberg) to some very poignant and suicidal lyrics coupled with David Lindley’s haunting slide guitar. I find this to be an extremely introspective and thought provoking way to begin the year.
From the title track:
“How long have I been sleeping,
How long have I been drifting alone through he night
How long have I been dreaming I could make it right
If I closed my eyes and tried with all my might
To be the one you need.”
