The Cars - Complete Greatest Hits

I do this every time I get "interested" in new music or just some one/band I am rediscovering. So last weekend I made my way to visit my mom. While I was there I was looking at the rack of mixed Cds and DVDs on the wall. I noticed there was a Cd still wrapped in the cellophane packaging. Nice mom, how long have you had that cd? 2 years?

So the Cd sitting there peaked my curiosity and I pulled it out. What do you know it's "The Cars - Complete Greatest Hits". I am looking at the Cd and thinking 'So What?' It's just The Cars. I started to think 'Do I like any of their songs?" Yes and I can count them on one hand, "Drive" and "Let's Go". I felt since the cd hasn't been listened to and I really would like to hear some classic rock music, I asked my mom if she wouldn't mind me listening to it since I didn't think she ever would, being in plastic wrap and all. She didn't. So when I left on my way home, I popped the Cd in since I knew it would take me a while to get home and some new/old music to hear.

Here is what I can tell you, I felt cheated. I felt cheated because of 2 separate reasons. One, there were songs on the disc that I have heard before but had a better appreciation for like "Just What I Needed" and "Dangerous Type". Ric Ocasek's writing is pretty amazing. He could turn some cynical, self loathing rock song into a singable tune like "My Best Friends Girl" to "You're All I Got Tonight". I felt cheated of this because I have heard the songs before but just passed them off as mediocre songs. No they really aren't. They are staples of an era of songs that have made music all for the better with great guitar licks and tight drumming on behalf of Elliot Easton and David Robinson respectively. Reason two, Ben Orr. He is the voice/bassist of The Cars I like or love. He is the voice of "Drive" and Let's Go". Ben's voice is smoother than Ric's and more in control of putting emotion behind the song. Apparently Rick Ocasek had stated that whenever he felt like the song was more of a ballad or just needed that emotion to be heard he gave it to Ben to sing. Ben's voice was suited to those. Why do I feel cheated of Ben? Because I didn't have the appreciation for him when I saw him performing here in Alaska at the State Fair. I knew the songs but didn't know much about the music of The Cars or the other songs him and Big People were performing. I got to see Ben Orr in his very last performance before he passed away from us of pancreatic cancer. I think, had I been listening to the Cars way before the performance, I would have been ecstatic and had a better reason to be there overall. For some odd reason I feel like someone else should have been there besides me to take in the last performance.

After that trip down memory lane, how do you listen to a group you thought were just another rock n' roll band with such a heavy heart? You just do and with wide eyes and ears at full operating capacity to hear the sweet sounds of Easton's guitar solos, Robinson's power drumming and Greg Hawkes's erie keys and synths.

I think I got an overall sound of what the Cars brought to the music world. The memorable "Moving In Stereo" is creepy and most notable for being played in the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High, any guy would know what I am talking about. ;P
"I'm Not The One" is slow and has a guitar lick that is reminiscent of Clapton. Gotta love the Easton's pain staking playing, playing left handed by the way. Go Lefties! "Touch and Go" is interesting for the drum beat, a kind of samba number before launching into the chorus's go get'm attitude that the Cars have. I have to mention "Bye Bye Love" because it is now my favorite tune of theirs. Just goes to prove what kind of lyrics Ocasek writes. How can you not like a lyric like "With your eyes of porcelain and of blue, they shock me into sense. You think you're so illustrious you call yourself intense" and with Orr's voice descending on those lyrics, what's not to love. I wasn't going to mention "Drive" because it is their signature song and everyone knows it. What can I say? RIP Ben Orr, you were amazing, you gave the song 'just what it needed'.

The shocker on the album for me was the song "Hello Again". I had to pull off the side of the road because I didn't believe for a minute I was hearing The Cars still blasting through my speakers. Having heard the song on the radio when I was younger, Never thought for a moment that song was them. Then again it did sound like them, the familiar synth work and drumming. Was shocked and proceeded to start driving again.

So I am going to close off on this note: You might think you've heard it all and then all it takes to Shake it p is a little Magic by one of rock's greatest bands.

Pretend We're Dead

Ok for those of you who have played Rockband 2, you will have played this song too many times to count and will have had it stuck in your head for weeks. My sister and I decided to make a music video for the song and we took our Rockband instruments with us.

Hope you enjoy.

Pretend We're Dead by L7

A Blast from the Past

Well I guess a lot of you won't be expecting this at all. For those of you who do not know about this band let me give you the lowdown. Kidd Video is band that came from the cartoon series of the same name back in the mid 80's. The synopsis of the series was that the band gets together to practice their music and end up being sucked into a land known as the Flipside by the villain known as Master Blaster and they are rescued by a fairy named Glitter. Most of the episodes deal with the band trying to find a way home and their encounters in the strange world they find themselves in.

Viewers were drawn to the show because it also featured popular music and music videos that were played during the series original run. The band even showcased their own music videos. And to top it off our beloved characters from the cartoon were so popular that they made an album which was only available in Israel. Which brings me to the point of my blog, the Kidd Video Album. No, I do not own a copy but I do have all the songs from someone online.

Why am I blogging about a stupid cheesy fake 80's Band you ask? Because as cheesy as they are, they make me smile and laugh at the times when I thought the songs were cool, being only 4 or 5 when I watched the cartoon.

So to begin I have to say that this album is not bad but it is dated and they lyrics speak for themselves. The album cover features the cast in their cartoon selves and real counterparts. Robbie Rist, Bryan Scott, Gabriele Bennett-Rozzi and Steve Alterman are the cast/band. Yes, Robbie Rist is also known as Cousin Oliver on the Brady Bunch, but here he is known as Whiz the Whiz. :P

Most of the songs are of the men singing, but there are 2 songs which feature Gabriele on lead vocals which are Turn Me Up and It's Over When the Phone Stops Ringing. Interesting note, the song It's Over When The Phone Stops Ringing, was written by Bernie Taupin - friend and co writer of Elton John and Holly Knight who has written numerous hit songs such as "Better Be Good To Me" for Tina Turner and "Ragdoll" for Aerosmith.

There are a couple songs on the album that could have been radio friendly such as the ever popular "Where Did Our Love Go" which Diana Ross and the Supremes did originally. "A Little TLC" and of course the main theme music "Video To Radio" would have been good choices for radio tunes. But the album lacks strong songs to keep it more accessible and more popular. Had there been another song by Holly Knight that they could have covered, this so called band could have made a bigger impact on American audiences.

Overall the album is a classic in its own right, just for a younger crowd and for those die hard fans that need to cover every inch of the 80's. I think its a fun concept and by listening to the music you can tell what songs were inspired by famous stars of that time. Don't take the music seriously folks, its just good fun music to laugh or sing along to. To check out some tunes from the album go to:

http://www.kvflipside.org/

I haven't visited the site in a long time but I think they should have some of the songs posted and some maybe available for download. Since I am on a slow connection I am not able to open the site to tell you.

Enjoy!

Spoon Song Review

At first I wasn't a huge Spoon fan but now they have me wondering what other gems are they hiding. "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb" by Spoon, is one very catchy song. I found myself tapping along to the beat and doing a little office chair dance. Silly as it may seem, I am liking this song the more I listen to it.

What is so appealing to me is the the song layout. It sounds like a Motown revival song. If I listen to just the music and shut out the man singing, I can almost picture Stevie Wonder singing the song and playing along with piano at hand.
The kicker in the song? The awesome xylophone or vibraphone playing during the whole song. Only Spoon can pull that off. :)

Yes, the song is that cool! Cool enough to be ranked #16 by Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. Way to go Spoon!

A Strange Education

I am a little late to pick up this band, as they started around 2003 and their first album out in 2007, which is the one I have been listening to recently.
I have found myself in love with those bands that are punk rock influenced and this is one of them. The Cinematics are an original band hailing from Scotland. Yahoo! I love bands from Europe. They seem to be more unique than those from the US. Sorry to those who are offended, I am just voicing my opinion.

Now yes they may seem just like your average band that throws out a good tune but when you listen to tracks like "Race to the City" "Break" and "Alright" you quickly forget that and are lost in the beats, rhythmic bass lines and interesting arrangements. They also do a good job of covering Beck's song "Sunday Sun" from his Sea Change album. A Strange Education is a nice collection of songs to keep the mood up and in forward motion.

Think of an upbeat version of Interpol without the droning vocals. The singer Scott Rinning is in control of his voice and at times he reminds me of Adam Ant when singing higher notes. With Scott at the helm and infectious tunes to rock out to, I hope their sophomore effort is as good as this one. Now if more US newbies were more indivdualistic as this group is, I would be listening to the radio more often. But then again I don't think the Alaska is up to date with the rest of the continental US or the rest of the world.

If you are a fan of Bloc Party, Shiny Toy Guns, Interpol or The Bravery, you just might like this group.

In Memory of Michael Jackson

No words can express how I felt when I heard the King of Pop had died. I felt sad for his family and close friends. I also felt a little happy that he is in a place now that he can be happy and without harsh words. But in reality they are still there. The negative comments and people wanting to tear him apart. But I won't listen to those people.

Michael was a human being with a heart. A heart that felt happiness and sadness as much as the next person and I think people forgot that along his journey here.
I want to remember him as a musician, someone people adored and looked up to with wide eyes wondering if they could have a chance in the spotlight like him.

I want to sit back in my car with "Beat It" blaring through the speakers and singing along with MJ. I want to sing along to "Black or White" when some one is talking trash about Jewish, African American or any other discriminated ethnic groups.

Michael gave us music to think on and hope for a better future and I don't think people see that. I think people misread his thoughts and say what they want about the music. I hope that people will see beyond that.

I really can't put words down as for what I really wish to say cause they just aren't there. All I can say for myself and any others who feel the same way:
Please let Michael go. Let his music and memories stay good and without bad intent.
Love him, let his family grieve, remember the wonderful moments that he put in our minds and hearts. Let us all stop being monsters and creatures of a dark night that should be forgotten. People will always wonder and ask why.
All those words, careless memories and cold hearts will still be there the next day, but in the end "it's just human nature".

I have a lot of Eric Clapton and sometimes I don't listen to a lot of it. So today two Clapton songs came up on my ipod while having it on shuffle, song one was his version of "I Shot The Sheriff". When I was little I hated this song, both Marley and Clapton's versions. So I am supposed to be scanning and I decided not to skip it when the song came on. Soon I realized I am bopping back and forth to the beat of the song and actually listening to the lyrics. I found myself intrigued by the lyrics and the groove of the song. Soon I stopped scanning completely to listen to the song twice in a row: Once through just for the lyrics and then the second time for the music. I think I have a new respect for the song. I loved the piano and organ bits, the drumming is very slick and organized, the bass groove and the guitar riffs that are simple and timely. And the girls singing wasn't annoying me anymore. I have always loved Marcy Levy since hearing her on Clapton's Behind the Sun album. She is Clapton's most recognized backing vocalist since joining him in 1974 after singing with Bob Seger. She has written a few songs with Clapton as well, most notably "Lay Down Sally".

So that was song one that I found a new appreciation for. Song two was a song not written by Clapton, but on his August album called "Grand Illusion", which I though i never liked. Boy was I wrong. I have never even listened to the dang song since today. WTF. Sooooo, once again I had to stop and listen to the song twice through for the lyrics and then for the music. A dark somber song that I recognized the drumming and the drummer behind the kit. Yes, Phil Collins. If Eric Clapton hadn't started singing, I could have sworn it was a b-side of Collins that could have filled his "No Jacket Required" album. Simple lyrics but still very powerful. I love the bridge into the chours where the thumping of the drums ask you for attention. The best line in the song in my opinion:

"I used to chase the moments of desire
Back to when my young heart burned like a fire."