A good read, and somehow comforting.
The ‘crazy diamond’ founder of Pink Floyd was no acid casualty or
recluse. He loved art and DIY, his sister Rosemary tells his biographer
Tim Willis in her first interview for 30 years
Author: loserx
R.I.P. Syd
Here We Are Now, Entertain Us
Smells like Teen Spirit - The Ukulele Orchestra
I was certainly entertained by the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain covering Smells Like Teen Spirit. The concept sounds so silly but it turned out awesome.
Signs Of Aging
I:
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now consider David Gilmour of Pink Floyd to be the greatest guitarist alive, used to be Steve Vai
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have been seeking out as many performances of Beethoven’s 9th as I can, so I can decide which I like best. For now, it is Furtwangler’s ’51 recording
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am listening to a lot of classical music, Chinese, Indian, European
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am heavily into the old blues and jazz guys: Blind Willie Johnson, Charlie Christian, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Miles Davis
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love the old Chinese divas, especially Bai Guang
Oh my, is that my life flashing before my eyes?
Top 10 Albums
“Best Of” lists. I used to make and remake them all the time when I was younger. Here’s my current list:
- Led Zeppelin IV
- Sting – The Soul Cages
- Beatles – Revolver
- Bruce Springsteen – Nebraska
- AC/DC – Powerage
- Dream Theater – Awake
- Miles Davis – Bitches Brew
- Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
- U2 – Achtung Baby
- Soundgarden – Badmotorfinger
I do not consider classical works albums, otherwise Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis will be up there, somewhere.
Definitely Maybe Best Ever?
What a farce. Oasis’ Definitely Maybe was voted best album ever by readers of the Book of British Hit Singles and the music magazine NME, via a poll conducted over a year.
Oasis does have some great songs, but is Definitely Maybe, which is arguably not even the best Oasis album, better than Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band (no. 2)? Dark Side of the Moon (no. 8)? A Night at the Opera (no. 19)?
Just goes to show popularity contests are worthless.
Sting Branching Out
Sting will be releasing an album of 16th century lute music. This is even more unexpected than Springsteen’s Seeger Sessions, which is a very good experience by the way.
I, for one, am optimistic about this album, as I am a huge fan of Sting the balladeer, Soul Cages style.
Apocalypse
Rock ‘N’ Roll Damnation
I was taking a taxi to work one day, the driver had the Scorpions on the stereo, so I was like “right on!” and we started talking about the good stuff such as Deep Purple and Mr. Big. He revealed that his 15 year old son complains that its too loud when he cranks up AC/DC at home. What the hell?
If I have any kids, I have a feeling they’ll be listening to pop music to annoy me.
Music Inspired By The Bush Administration
The George Bush administration has been a complete joke and disaster, but times like these can galvanise the political musicians like no other.
Neil Young’s Living With War rocks my socks. He has not been this intense since 1994’s Sleeps With Angels, and not this raw and loud since Ragged Glory. There’s of course the hilarious and controversial Impeach The President, “Well, it’s a song that pretty well follows the title just with a bunch of reasons, and it’s a long song…” indeed. The opener After The Garden and The Restless Consumer are the standout tracks for me on first impressions. The entire album is streamed for free.
The other big release is Pearl Jam’s self-titled eighth studio album. I found Binaural and Riot Act not up to their usual high standards, but I can safely say with this one Pearl Jam is back. The Who-ish introduction to Life Wasted kicks things off on a totally rocking note, and the excitement and energy reminiscent of a live performance is palpable throughout the album.
Add new albums from Tool and RHCP to the mix, and this is one of the best years for me musically.