YourHomeStudio

"It's Been A Long Time"

2008-02-07T11:23:00Z

I got a bit of a surprise earlier this week when I got an email from an Amy Eisinger, who wanted to interview me about the rise of home studios and the difficulties in producing music in small urban settings. She's a freelance writer from NYC and she plans pitching it to Wired. How cool what that be? I don't know how long it will be before the article will come out or even if she'll use any of my quotes but it got me thinking that I don't do enough with the blog because that was the way she contacted me. I've got to put some contact info on the website in case someone else wants to do the same. She's going to get back with me to let me know when the article is going to be published and I'm going to put out a press release to coincide with that. I'm hoping this will take me to the next level.

Ok, let me bring you up to speed. It's been nearly 9 months since I posted - (I know, I know) and I forgot how much fun it had been going through the years and remembering the great songs and albums of the past. I'll get back to doing that with the next post but for now, let me tell you what's happened since the last one. Let's see - my daughter moved to Tiger, Georgia for a Lifeteen internship in August. She's there for a year so maybe by then, she'll be able to decide exactly what she's going do or at least have some direction. Joel's written two songs since he's been gone and I'm working on producing one of them to include on an EP that I hope have finished by the time he gets back in April. Then I'm going to promote it to some college stations and via the indie network. I'll keep working on producing the rest of the record so that we can either release another EP (preferable) or a whole CD's worth of material. Jen gave up trying learn drums because her wrists just can't handle it. I wish she had stayed with it a bit more. I'm trying to keep her involved in the production of the record so she engineers when I record guitar or vocal parts and I'm trying to get some background vocals out of her. She has a decent voice and would probably benefit from ear training. My wife and I started making wine and our first batch of merlot is going in the bottle this coming weekend. I took a little bit out this evening to make sure it was clear and the color was gorgeous. The taste was a bit oakey and slightly carbonated. I had to remind myself that it's going to get better after it's been bottled and had some time to develop. The next batch is going to be a chardonnay. I'll keep you posted on how it comes out.

Radiohead released "In Rainbows" for download on December 10th. I placed my order in advance and I couldn't wait to get it. I think I was expecting it to me a bit of a throwback to OK Computer with some Amnesiac thrown in for good measure but it turned out to be an extremely organic sounding record. The drums, most cases, sound huge as though they were recorded in a cathedral. Thom's vocals are a bit more out front and more intelligible than either Kid A or Amnesiac. The guitar work in a lot of places is kind of sparse but it really works. The thing I like about it most is that it pays homage to a few different styles of music that I really didn't think influenced them. One song has a bit of a rhythm and blues feel to it while another is downright funky. A couple of tunes are straight up Radiohead but they still maintain their distance from previous efforts. (Can you tell I really liked this record?)

I got my wife Feist's new CD for Christmas and I only heard a couple of tracks from it prior to that. I love her voice and the fact that it makes you move. I read somewhere that she was a punk rocker until she had problems with her voice and had to take 6 months off. You know, sometimes things happen for a reason. There's no way she would have developed into the artist she is without having gone through that.

For quite some time now, I've thought that it would be really cool for there to be a TV channel for musicians. Some of the programming would be about musicians and some of it would be music lessons. There's tons of instructional videos out there that you could use so you wouldn't have to produce a lot. It would kind of be along the same lines as the Ovation channel in the respect that it's just recycled. Ovation just takes programming from BBC, repackages it a bit and then runs it on American cable and satellite networks. Anyway, since so much is going the Youtube way, I thought that might be the way to do it. I'm going to develop that idea a bit more and see if it goes anyway. I may start by including somethings I find useful in this blog and take it from there.

Here we go again

2007-05-13T12:05:00Z

    Well, I'm back in the saddle again after a bit of a hiatus. My daughter came home this weekend for Mother's day and there was a special on Directv with Heart. They played the album "Dreamboat Annie" live and though there were some rough spots, all in all it was very good. What was even cooler than that was the encore. They did 3 Zep songs and Ann Wilson is probably the only person in the world that can sing Robert Plant's vocals and do them any justice. That just goes to show what kind of range he had. I started thinking about it and sure enough I still had the record (the big black one). Heart was really a trailblazer for female rockers because before they came out, female artists were either pop or disco. I didn't think about it back then because I was distracted by chemicals but their music and lyrics were quite sophisticated for the time (and now for that matter). You can definately hear their influences on this record. Beatles, Zep, Elton John, Bob Dylan.
    On to band stuff - Joel was back in town for about a month or so because he got sick with a intestinal parasite and had to skip the rest of the semester. His girlfriend, Jen, is taking drum lessons from me so we got together to play so she could get the feel of playing with a band. We didn't work on any new material, although, he did take the Roland UA-100 back with him and is supposed to be recording some new songs for me to work on. I've rededicated myself to producing the album and it's going slowly. I think that's what drew me away from doing before. It's frustrating to sit down and start working on one song just to realize that there are 10 or 12 more to do the same with. On the other side, I'm learning some pretty valuable lessons about arranging, instrumentation and musicianship by trial and error. It seems that's what works best for me. I do something and if it doesn't work I do something else until I find something that does. I found a free VST plugin called Freeamp that has a guitar synth built into it. I think it's going work well with a song that has a kind of spacey feel to it already.

Amazing Guitarist

2007-04-29T14:37:00Z

I've been a little lax at posting here but I've rededicated myself to keeping up with it (along with everything else I need to do).

Here's a video that shows what you can do when you focus on what you can accomplish.

Stay tuned

1983 - The calm before the storm

2007-03-31T12:28:00Z

    As 1983 started, I had to make some decisions regarding my college career. I had been in school since 1978, was married and before the next year was over, a father. I decided to change majors to General Studies - Business Concentration because all 18 hours in computer science would count as business credits. I took a few finance courses, a business law and a business psychology class and I was on track to graduate in the Spring of 1984. I was a fairly quiet time but little did I know that the storm was brewing. I had changed jobs again and was working back at the warehouse in a different capacity. My hours were from 3-9pm Monday through Thursday and from 12-3pm on Fridays. I basically was pushing a broom and mop and occasionally I would paint something. On one of those occasions, I ended up falling off of a scaffolding rig and breaking both arms at the elbow along with my left wrist. Fortunately, the break on the right arm was a hairline, so I only had to keep it in a sling but they put my left arm in a cast. I was still pretty much helpless, though.
    The music business at that point had pretty much relegated disco to clubs and MTV was in its golden age. They actually played videos and didn't have any special interest or reality shows at that point. Here's what I remember as far as the songs and albums from that year. As you can see the list is starting to grow again

Top Songs

        The Police - Every Breath You Take

        The Smiths - This Charming Man - This was the year of "The Smiths"

        Violent Femmes - Blister in the Sun

        U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday - I remember watching them do this live at some festival that summer

        Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This...) There was no way to tell from this song what they would become

        U2 - New Year's Day

        Run-D.M.C. - It's Like That - I love these guys along with "The Beastie Boys"

        Pretenders - Middle of the Road - Their most rocking song ever

        Run-D.M.C. - Sucker MC's

        Talking Heads - Burning Down the House - Great song but it's not "Take Me to the River"

        Herbie Hancock - Rockit - Great Instrumental and video

        David Bowie - Let's Dance - This is where Stevie Ray got his start

        Echo and the Bunnymen - The Cutter

        ZZ Top - Gimme All Your Lovin' - Saw them live in Baton Rouge - Loads of Fun

        The Smiths - Hand in Glove

        Big Country - In a Big Country - These guys had a unique sound that hasn't been duplicated

        John Cougar Mellencamp - Pink Houses - He didn't do too bad this year either

        ZZ Top - Legs

        Kraftwerk - Tour De France

        Elvis Costello - Everyday I Write the Book - My most favorite Elvis Costello song. I think it was used in a movie

        Depeche Mode - Get the Balance Right

        Pretenders - 2000 Miles

        Violent Femmes - Kiss Off

        Elvis Costello - Shipbuilding

        John Cougar Mellencamp - Authority Song

        Billy Joel - Uptown Girl - The beginning of his slide until "I didn't Start the Fire"

        John Cougar Mellencamp - Crumblin' Down

Top Albums

        R.E.M. - Murmur - notice that they didn't have any songs from that year - They were just under the radar

        The Police - Synchronicity - Their best and last album

        U2 - War - The first of two albums from 1983

        Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes

        ZZ Top - Eliminator

        David Bowie - Let's Dance

        Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood - What can I say about him that hasn't already been said. Just listen

        Talking Heads - Speaking in Tounges

        Eurythmics -Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This...)

        Elvis Costello and The Attractions - Punch the Clock

        Big Country - The Crossing

        U2 - Under a Blood Red Sky

        UB40 - Labour of Love - "Red, Red, Wine"

        Paul Young - No Parlez - Great voice but really didn't appeal to US audiences - They loved him in England, though

        Robert Cray Band - Bad Influence - He opened for Foreigner and I bought this record the next day

        Bob Dylan - Infidels

        Randy Newman - Trouble in Paradise

        Simple Minds - Sparkle in the Rain

        T-Bone Burnett - Proof through the Night - Well worth checking out. He became a producer after this.

        Cocteau Twins - Head over Heels - I forget how long they've been around

        Huey Lewis and The News - Sports - Saw them live in 1987 - Fun show

        Van Morrison - Inarticulate Speech of the Heart

        Mink DeVille - Where the Angels Fear to Thread

        Depeche Mode - Construction Time Again


Neil Young - Live at Massey Hall 1971 - iTunes Exclusive + Videos

1982 - settling in

2007-03-09T19:13:00Z

By the time 1982 came around, I had pretty much settled into married life and school. I had ditched the graveyard shift job and had gone to work as a bouncer for 12 year olds at the video arcade at the mall. The first manager I worked for there was a flaming queer and was very open about it. He and I got along fine because he knew what side of the fence I was on and that there was no chance I was going to open the gate to cross over to his side. Money was a little tight but I can't say that Lorraine and I wanted for anything. Lorraine worked at the same mall with usually the same schedule so we went to work together and went home together. We had a great 2 bedroom apartment with central air and heat, a washer and dryer in the apartment (I never want to go to a washateria again) and the rent was $215 per month and included utilities (cable, too!). My friend downstairs had worked for Cox Cable in N.O. before he went to college and he hooked up the whole building with the works so everything was gravy. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that he was also the program director for the college radio station so we would get advance promo's on new music and knew about stuff before everyone else did. Fridays usually consisted of sitting out in front of his apartment drinking margeritas on the rocks while listening to his absolutely killer stereo. He even had a CD player - I think he paid $500 for it with money from his student loan. MTV came out in '81 and you can start to see the influence

Top Songs

    Michael Jackson - Billie Jean - This was the last year he was sane, I think

    Prince and The Revolution - Little Red Corvette - He had it goin' on. He would follow this with Purple Rain

    Marvin Gaye - Sexual Healing - I think he died right after this

    Michael Jackson - Beat It

    Prince and The Revolution - 1999

    The Clash - Rock the Casbah - At the top of their game but the video is kind of cheesy

    ABC - The Look of Love - Real style

    Pretenders - Back on the Chain Gang - Great song, so-so video

    Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf - Underated band - just wait until we get to Power Station

    The Clash - Should I Stay or Should I Go - This is the one everyone identifies The Clash with

    Madness - Our House - great attitude and the video is hilarious

    George Clinton - Atomic Dog

    Modern English - I Melt with You - the iconic song of the 80's pop bands

    Michael Jackson - Thriller

    Willie Nelson - Always on My Mind - I think he had to pay royalties to record this seeing that he sold the rights for it back in the 50's for $50.

    John Cougar Mellencamp - Jack & Diane - The record company originally billed him as John Cougar and he gradually worked his real name in and the fake one out

    XTC - Senses Working Overtime - great melodic pop/rock band

    ABC - Poison Arrow

    Billy Idol - White Wedding - Who doesn't sing to this one

    Duran Duran - Rio

    Roxy Music - More Than This - another band with style but with a bit more edge

    Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me with Science - He's still fighting with Dolby over his name

    Bow Wow Wow - I Want Candy - The hottest chick with a mohawk I've ever seen but what was with that shirt?

    Simple Minds - Promised You a Miracle - The lead singer was married to Chrissie Hynde from the Pretenders for a while

    Wall of Voodoo - Mexican Radio - I don't think this would've gotten any attention if it wasn't for MTV, Fun song

    Madness - House of Fun

    Musical Youth - Pass the Dutchie - Turns out they were Milli- Vanilli'ing it

    Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes - Up Where We Belong - Great song, great movie (An Officer and a Gentleman) and a great voice ( I wonder what happened to her?)

    Men at Work - Down Under - I still have the album this was on. It's poppy, I know but you can't help what you like

    The Clash - Straight to Hell

    Joe Jackson - Steppin' Out - If only you didn't have to look at him

    Peter Gabriel - Shock the Monkey - a truly scary video, my thoughts at the time were that he should be committed

    Tommy Tutone - 867-5309/Jenny - He faded away just like Greg Kihn did

    Pretenders - My City Was Gone - Rush Limbaugh's theme music - they tried, unsuccessfuly, to keep him from using it

    Dire Straits - Private Investigation - They would hit it huge with the next record

    Billy Joel - Allentown - the last real song he would write until "I Didn't Start the Fire"

    The Waitresses - I Know What Boys Like - The lead singer died of a heroin overdose, I think - great song and video, though

    Men at Work - Who Can It Be Now?

Top Albums

    Michael Jackson - Thriller - Another essential - It's the last record he did that made any sense at all. I think the success of this record is what pushed him over the edge. He had gotten attention as part a bigger whole but when it was all directed at him, he wigged out

    Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska - Stripped down to point of almost being demo's, the songs on this record reflect the true character of an American Icon.

    Prince and The Revolution - 1999 - Absolutely essential - Not a bad track

    Elvis Costello and The Attractions - Imperial Bedroom - his turning point from rocker to singer/songwriter

    Donald Fagen - The Nightfly - his first solo record, a concept album about technology and learning to love it - The most memorable track for me was "New Frontier"

    ABC - The Lexicon of Love - The horn and string arrangements hark back to Sinatra and company

    Roxy Music - Avalon - Angst with panache

    Laurie Anderson - Big Science - A lot of people find her hard to listen to but I love her devil may care attitude

    Duran Duran - Rio

    Simple Minds - New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84)

    XTC - English Settlement - British Pop at it's best

    Marshall Crenshaw - Marshall Crenshaw - It's too bad he didn't last past this. I really like his kind of laid back style

    The Clash - Combat Rock - Their last record with the original lineup

    Joe Jackson - Night and Day - Love the music, can't stand to look at him

    Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel (IV)/Security - Again, kind of scary(check out the cover) but he's laying the rhythmic groundwork here for "So", one of my most favorite records ever

    Kate Bush The Dreaming - I really love her voice and she didn't look too bad either

    George Clinton - Computer Games - The Master of Funkocity

    John Cougar Mellencamp - American Fool - I've come to respect him a lot more as time has gone on. His sound hasn't really changed since this record

    Midnight Oil - 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 - I remember David Letterman saying he had never been so scared as when this band was on his show - The lead singer had to be about 6' 10" tall, bald headed and had the strangest mannerisms when he was performing

    The Beat - Special Beat Service - another Ska influence

    The Time - What Time Is It? - Just watch "Purple Rain"

    Madness - The Rise and Fall - They were a big influence on the Ska bands of the '90's

    Dire Straits - Love over Gold - just before "I want my MTV" came out

1981 - a new direction

2007-02-26T22:02:00Z

1981 was a very eventful year for me. It marked my turn around in many ways. As noted previously, I had met my wife-to-be late in 1980 and by April of 1981, we were engaged and had set a date for August. Even though we were both in school and wouldn't graduate for a couple of years, we plunged right in with no apparent means of support. I'm sure I couldn't have done anything like that by myself. I've asked my wife over the years if she was scared at all about making such a leap and she assures me that she was absolutely confident that she was making the right decision. That's what makes us work so well together - I never know if I've made the right decision and if she's sure of her direction, there's no turning back. I'm absolutely certain that I wouldn't be where I am today without her confidence in me. Because 1981 was such a whirlwind, I can' t say that I was into a lot of the music of that year but looking back at the list, I see some diamonds in the rough.

Top Songs

    The Specials
    Ghost Town

    Soft Cell
    Tainted Love

    R.E.M.
    Radio Free Europe

    Laurie Anderson
    O Superman

    Rick James
    Super Freak

    Queen & David Bowie
    Under Pressure

    Depeche Mode
    Just Can't Get Enough

    Phil Collins
    In the Air Tonight

    The Psychedelic Furs
    Pretty in Pink

    Squeeze
    Tempted

    Black Flag
    Rise Above

    Black Flag
    TV Party

    Rush
    Tom Sawyer

    ABC
    Tears Are Not Enough

    The Police
    Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

    Duran Duran
    Girls on Film

    The Cars
    Shake It Up

    Spandau Ballet
    Glow

    Was (Not Was)
    Out Come the Freaks

Top Albums

    Black Flag
    Damaged - American Punk at it's best. Henry Rollins really knows how to spew hate.

    Kraftwerk
    Computer Welt - primarily responsible for the techno movement

    Soft Cell
    Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret - I'm a sucker for great melody

    Squeeze
    East Side Story - "Tempted", need I say more

    Elvis Costello and The Attractions
    Trust

    Rickie Lee Jones
    Pirates

    Rush
    Moving Pictures - Their first widely commercial album, Alex Lifeson's guitar work on this is outstanding

    The Psychedelic Furs
    Talk Talk Talk - They kind of typified the 80's British new wave

    Echo and the Bunnymen
    Heaven Up Here

    The Police
    Ghost in the Machine - Their first record without some sort of weird title. This one is the prelude to their finest material. After this they got more serious as musicians and Sting's lyrics got more interesting

    The Neville Brothers
    Fiyo on the Bayou - I saw them in 1982 in a bar in Lafayette, LA. Great Fun!

    U2
    October - You can see the direction the band is headed

    Depeche Mode
    Speak & Spell - Dark and Depeche-y

    Pretenders
    II - a formative record with "Talk of the Town" being the most memorable track

    Pat Metheny
    Offramp - I love anything Pat does. He bridges the gap between jazz and pop/rock with ease

    The Stray Cats
    The Stray Cats/Built for Speed - The attitude of Brian Setzer is what make this band work

    The J. Geils Band
    Freeze Frame - I had a friend who was a huge fan and it was the first time I had listened to their stuff.

    Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
    Hard Promises - I didn't really provide any "hits" but built on the previous three records

    Kid Creole and The Coconuts
    Fresh Fruit in Foreign Places - Big band fun!

    Duran Duran
    Duran Duran - I really think this band was underrated. Unfortunately, they got more attention for the way they looked rather than what they played. I think they had an edgy quality that a lot of the other bands of the same ilk didin't

Best 50 Albums not to be on the top 100 of all time

2007-02-22T15:52:00Z

This is a really interesting list as I would have assumed that quite a few of these would surely have been on the top 100 (especially Queen's "Night at the Opera" and SRV's "Texas Flood". Click Here I can't say I have heard all these but of the ones I have heard, I think I would have to concur with the author

Basses from the other side

2007-02-22T15:41:00Z

Found this link "farking" around - click here

I think my favorite one is probably the Rickenbacker double neck. I kick myself regularly for not buying a 5string "Rick" a few years back for $700. I've never seen one since then and as far as I can tell they don't make them anymore.

John, Paul, George, Ringo and ... Alfred?

2007-02-22T15:20:00Z

Here's another unknown tidbit (at least to me). Click Here
Who knew? Looks like John could have sent 'is old man to the dentist with al the money he was making.

Johnny and Bobby

2007-02-22T15:05:00Z

Came across this video

I didn't know they had ever done a duet. Johnny Cash's voice is just spectacular and for a minute there I thought it might be sync'ed but it's not.

The Tide Begins to Turn

2007-02-02T19:15:00Z

As 1980 began, I had no idea that it would be the year my life turned around. I spent the first semester of 1980 hitching rides to and from school with my cousins and dating one of my sister's friends who just happened to be an absolute bitch. By the time the fall rolled around, I had bought a 4-year old Triumph TR-7 and although it had a lot of problems, it was a great fun to drive and boy, did I get looks. It turns out that my wife to be, without knowing whose car it was, had already decided to meet whoever it was that drove it. The funny part was that she and my sister were best friends. My good fortune was that after a date that went badly, she just so happened to be spending the night at my house. We stayed up all night talking and started dating around Halloween or so. By April of 1981, we were engaged (I sold my Stratocaster to pay for the rings) and we tied the knot August of the same year. It was definately a leap of faith because neither one of us had a job and I had decided to change majors and colleges (GO CAJUNS). . Anyway, here's my list of songs for 1980 :

Call Me, Blondie - not that I particularly like the music, I just loved her attitude
Another Brick In The Wall, Pink Floyd - These guys were always about 5-10 years ahead of their time - go back and listen to "Dark Side of the Moon"
Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Queen - got to see them August of 1980 and my daughter still wears the t-shirt
It's Still Rock And Roll To Me, Billy Joel - this is were he started turning to the dark side
Cars, Gary Numan - A new wave classic
Longer, Dan Fogelberg - Sentimental reasons- If any song could be "our song" this would be it
Brass In Pocket, Pretenders - One word - Moxy
Against The Wind, Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
Don't Do Me Like That, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
Fire Lake, Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
You May Be Right, Billy Joel - How is this song and "It's still Rock and Roll" on the same record?
Take The Long Way Home, Supertramp
Jo Jo, Boz Scaggs - The beginning of the end - I just love this guy
Give Me The Night, George Benson - I think this was his last pop charting song
Breakdown Dead Ahead, Boz Scaggs
All Night Long, Joe Walsh - who doesn't love this guy? He's got that "I'm going to do my own thing and I don't give a shit if you like it or not" attitude
Refugee, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Might be his best song, this was before he adopted the "Bob Dylan" vocal delivery

Here's my best albums of 1980 - As you can tell the Tide's beginning to turn back toward "Real Music"

Remain in Light - Talking Heads - "Once in a Lifetime" was the only single to break on this album but it signalled the direction they were going
Back in Black - Their first album after the death of Bon Scott - I think it's the last good album they made
Pretenders - Pretenders - Who knew a girl could sneer like that. This was before the lead guitarist died.
Get Happy!! - Elvis Costello and the Attractions - The more I listen to this guy, the better he gets (and he married Diana Krall!!)
Scary Monsters - David Bowie - This is the album that was his last "weird" record. From here on out, he was pretty poppy
Sandinista! - The Clash - Where does a "Punk" band get off, making music like this. It's all over the place, musically
Boy -U2 - A hint of things to come
Zenyatta Mondatta - The Police - Taking it up another notch - just before their MTV days
Double Fantasy - John Lennon and Yoko Ono - I can remeber the day he died and after listening to the album, thinking that the world was going to miss so much from him and his music. He and George Harrison were the two real "artists" in The Beatles. McCartney can write great pop songs but the lyrical content of Lennon is head and shoulders above Paul.
Making Movies - I still listen to this record - Every track stands on it's own, especially the title track.
Black Sea - XTC - A band I got into a little later. Punk with melody and charm
Arc of a Diver - Steve Winwood - Real Class, this guy has been involved with the development of rock and jazz rock from the very beginning.
Argybargy - Squeeze - a great melodic band that would be one of the mainstays of early MTV
Wild Planet - The B52's - an outstanding sophomore effort
The Blues Brothers - The Blues Brothers - Never again will so many of the cornerstones of American music come together for an album like this. I'm very lucky to have been able to see the genius of Belushi and Ackroyd when it was in their prime.
Freedom of Choice - DEVO - This band absolutely typified the new wave movement and was committed to their concept of De-evolution ( I think they hit the nail on the head). This is the album with "Whip It".

Superbowl

2007-01-26T17:19:00Z

Back to football for a minute and then we'll continue with the music. New Orleans' own hometown boy, Peyton Manning, finally got over the hump and is taking his team, the Indianapolis Colts, to Superbowl XLI as the AFC champion. I've often said that I thought he would be the best quarterback ever to never win one but we'll see. I'll be rooting for the Colts over da Bears, even though I really like both teams.

Alright, now for our trip back through musical history. 1979 was quite a difficult year for me as I had to figure out what in the world I was going to do with my life. I started out college in accounting at my father's insistence and nearly flunked out. The most important thing I learned that semester was that I didn't want to be an accountant. My dad had made a deal with me that he would pay for college as long as I didn't screw around. Well, I've always been one to push the limits and I found out that he was serious. In the meantime, I got myself in a little trouble with the law (a DUI that was downgraded to Careless and Reckless because I passed the blood alcohol test) and was without a vehicle and out of school. I worked at the local fried chicken place in the evenings and I bagged groceries during the day at the Air Base Commissary (grocery store - why do the Armed Services have to have their own names for everything?) One of the guys who also worked at the commissary was an airman who was trying to make a little extra money. I had played a good deal of pool when I was younger and I challenged this guy, who I quickly found out was way better than I was. I basically gave him all the money I was making bagging groceries and the bad thing was that I was convinced that I was going to beat him. So every day, we worked for a few hours and then I would lose my earnings. I finally wised up and decided to attend college the fall of that year but I had to get rides to and from school with my cousins who were also attending because my license had been suspended. It was probably the lowest time of my whole life.

Top Songs of 1979

My Sharona, The Knack
Heart Of Glass, Blondie
The Logical Song, Supertramp
My Life, Billy Joel
I Want You To Want Me, Cheap Trick
Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy, Bad Company
Sultans Of Swing, Dire Straits
Chuck E's In Love, Rickie Lee Jones
Every Time I Think Of You, Babys
Bad Case Of Lovin' You, Robert Palmer
We've Got Tonite, Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
Dance The Night Away, Van Halen

Only 12 songs for the whole year - It was one of the lowest times for music as well. Most of the rest of the charts were dominated by The Bee Gees, Andy Gibb, Donna Summer and the like. Here's my top album list for 1979

London Calling - The Clash - Their watershed record, they got a little poppy after this
Rust Never Sleeps - Neil Young and Crazy Horse - This was his year as a live record also made the the top 100. One of the few artists that constantly reinvented themselves successfully.
The Wall - Pink Floyd - I just purchased the "Pulse" DVD and having never seen them live, I was stunned.
Fear of Music - Talking Heads - a turning point for them just before everyone else discovered their quirkiness
Armed Forces - Elvis Costello and the Attractions - this is where he really defined himself as an artist
Highway to Hell - AC/DC - I know, I know. Just answer me this - who doesn't sing along to this stuff - nobody, that's who
Damn the Torpedoes - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - another defining moment in rock. An absolute must
The B52's - The B52's - Their first record and most fun
Regatta de Blanc - The Police - Every record got a little bit better as the blonde trio grew as musicians and writers
Squeezing out Sparks - Graham Parker and the Rumour - Songs on this record would be the standard that all the good music of the 80's would be compared to. A real pioneer
One Step Beyond - Madness- Ska at it's finest. These guys knew how to have a good time and make some incredibly entertaining music at the same time
Rickie Lee Jones - Rickie Lee Jones - A jazz cross over. Her laid back style was such a breath of fresh air compared to the heavy beats of disco
Look Sharp - Joe Jackson - one of the best songwriters of the 80's, if not the best looking
Breakfast in America - Supertramp - This record grew on me. Excellent musicianship and songwriting
Labour Of Love - Nick Lowe - another pioneer of the punk/pop scene
Eat to the Beat - Blondie - I loved the way they got on the disco bandwagon and paid homage to rap, which was up and coming at the time and made fun of all of it at the same time. "Rapture" is awesome
Repeat When Necessary - Dave Edmunds - before he was a multi-platinum producer
Candy-O - The Cars - This is probably the last good album they made before they sold out to MTV
Van Halen II - Van Halen - For a follow up, this album was probably as good as it gets. Again just before MTV came along and ruined it for everyone.

Higher and Higher

2007-01-19T19:27:00Z

I graduated from High School in 1978 and attended my first semester of college that fall. It was a local community college and unlike my migration from junior high to high school, a good number of my friends and acquantainces attended as well. I had already introduced myself to the world of drugs and started to form a closer relationship. I would have to say that from that time until I got married (which I credit for saving my life), I was fairly involved in the drug culture. I never got into the more addictive drugs like cocaine or heroin but let me tell you, there wasn't much else out there that I didn't at least try. My favorite then (and now, if it weren't illegal and wouldn't get me fired) was hash. There's really nothing bad about it at all. No hangover, no addiction and the effect is incomparable. Hash to marijuana is what fine wine is to light beer. Anyway, I think this is where my musical tastes took a bit of turn as you can tell by the songs of that period. I'm also going to include a list of albums that I think were note worthy as I was much more interested in what I call "Real Music" rather than pop music at this point

My Top Songs of '78

Lay Down Sally, Eric Clapton
Just The Way You Are, Billy Joel
We Are The Champions / We Will Rock You, Queen
Baker Street, Gerry Rafferty
Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad, Meat Loaf
Dust In The Wind, Kansas
Short People, Randy Newman
Slip Slidin' Away, Paul Simon
Still The Same, Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
On Broadway, George Benson
Peg, Steely Dan
Baby Hold On, Eddie Money
Because The Night, Patti Smith
Every Kinda People, Robert Palmer
Serpentine Fire, Earth, Wind and Fire
Running On Empty, Jackson Browne
Sweet Talking Woman, Electric Light Orchestra
Life's Been Good, Joe Walsh
Don't Look Back, Boston
Turn To Stone, Electric Light Orchestra
Hollywood Nights, Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
Deacon Blues, Steely Dan

My Top Albums of '78

This Year's Model - Elvis Costello - I didn't get into him until a little later but this was his breakout record
The Stranger - Billy Joel - You already know how I feel about this record from an earlier post
Stranger in Town - Bob Seger - The most honest songwriter ever. I always get the feeling when I listen to his songs that he and I are sitting having a couple of beers and he's telling me a story
Don't Look Back - Boston - A genuinely unique sound that they ended up running into the ground
The Cars - The Cars - The first of the "New Wave Bands". Their first album probably their best because as time went on, they edged closer and closer to being a Pop band.
Running on Empty - Jackson Browne
Shiny Beast - Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band My friend from junior high, Darrel Wilmore, had introduced me to Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa and I still love that chaotic, freewheeling style.
Van Halen - Van Halen - Eruption, need I say more?
Outlandos, d"Amour - The Police - This is one band that started off a bit rough and grew musical as time went on. More Songs about Buildings and Food - Talking Heads - Another band that I didn't really like until later but I have to give them the props
The Last Waltz - Various Artists - This was the soundtrack for "The Band"'s farewell concert movie. It's a veritable who's who of the best musicians of that time. The movie is a great watch

SAINTS WIN!!!!

2007-01-14T12:53:00Z

    I just had to get that out - The Saints are going to the NFC Championship game for the first time in their 40 year history. As a young boy, I remember their first seasons and it's been a long rough ride. I was all prepared to be disappointed like I've been before but it seems as though the drought is over. Oh, they've had some good teams in the past but they only won one playoff game before and have only had like 3 or 4 playoff games total. Why am I writing about football in a home recording blog? Because it's my blog, damnit and besides that, after U2 and Green Day's mini concert before the Saint's home opener against Atlanta, I've contributed half of the earnings of my website to the Musing Rising project that gives instruments to musicians and children in the Gulf area stricken by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. I mean, the Saints got their name from the song, "When the Saints Come Marching In" and New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz.
    On a more serious note, the recovery effort is still underway in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. I was in New Orleans in August of last year and I was amazed and saddened by how little had been done. It's like a war zone. No one is on the streets in the neighborhoods like before the disaster and it seemed as though about 80% of the homes were either abandoned or destroyed. And that wasn't even in the worst hit areas of town. Those of you who hear people talk about the devastation and reconstruction can't fathom it unless you walk the streets and see it for yourself. Please keep these people and the city of New Orleans in your hearts.
    Back to football - Seattle plays Chicago for the last berth in the NFC Championship and I'm hoping Seattle can pull out a miracle. I don't think the boys would do well going to Chicago in the middle of January. The Seahawks are banged up, especially in their secondary, but they are a very good team regardless. I think Brian Urlacher is probably one of the best middle linebackers to play the game but I hope Rex Grossman has a stinker of game. He's shown that he is capable of it so I'm crossing my fingers.

Education, III

2007-01-06T12:12:00Z

My senior year, as I discussed earlier, wasn't really my most favorite. I got into some trouble (DUI) and had a couple of heartbreaks so I tend not to dwell too much on that time period. The one bright spot, however, was that disco was in it's death throes and the one album that put the last nail in it's coffin was Van Halen's self-titled debut. It was like nothing anyone had ever heard before or since. This record was so influential that it spawned a whole genre of music that unfortunately has never come close to what Diamond Dave, the Van Halen boys and that bass player dude ( just kidding - Michael Anthony) accomplished. I remember the first time I heard it and it was on 8 track, no less. It absolutely blew me away. My daughter kept hearing me talk about how great it was so I bought her a copy on cassette and she was floored. Then I told her that "Eruption" was done in one take and that took it to another level entirely. The other thing about it was that only people in the know knew about it when it first came out. You had to be "in".

Telephone Line, Electric Light Orchestra - I remember seeing them on "The Midnight Special"
Sir Duke, Stevie Wonder
Hotel California, Eagles - They never had another song as popular as this one
Fly Like An Eagle, Steve Miller Band
Feels Like The First Time, Foreigner
Easy, Commodores - My daughter still does this one at live shows
The Things We Do For Love, 10cc - A pity they didn't stay around longer
Barracuda, Heart - Girls? Rockin'? - you bet. The guitar on this one is amazing
Night Moves, Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
Heard It In A Love Song, Marshall Tucker Band
Carry On Wayward Son, Kansas - That little som'bitch could sing
Jet Airliner, Steve Miller Band
Cold As Ice, Foreigner
Lido Shuffle, Boz Scaggs - The last we heard from him on the charts
Livin' Thing, Electric Light Orchestra - Listen to the lyrics
Give A Little Bit, Supertramp
Nobody Does It Better, Carly Simon
Somebody To Love, Queen - from "Day at the Races" their follow-up to "Night at the Opera" -
Walk This Way, Aerosmith - They were never better

Education Continued, Part II

2006-12-30T13:38:00Z

My junior year in high school was probably the one I remember the best. A lot of my friends were seniors and even though I wasn't one, I still got to hang with them and have the senior experience. I played guitar in a couple of bands, one of which was a rhythm and blues band that had so many members that by the time the money was split up, no-one made much of anything. It was a great learning experience, however, and really helped round out my musical tutelage. Disco was in full swing and all of my friends were absolutely anti-disco. Being from a small town, we were kind of isolated from the revolution that was beginning in punk so it was some time later before I discovered "The Sex Pistols" and "The Clash".

Here's some songs that I feel were important from 1976. As you'll notice, the list is considerably shorter than either '74 or '75 and that's primarily due to Disco.

    Play That Funky Music, Wild Cherry
    50 Ways To Leave Your Lover, Paul Simon
    Get Close, Seals and Crofts
    Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen -
    Take It To The Limit, Eagles
    Love Rollercoaster, Ohio Players
    Golden Years, David Bowie
    If You Leave Me Now, Chicago - Even though this is Peter Cetera, it's still a great song
    Lowdown, Boz Scaggs
    Show Me The Way, Peter Frampton
    Dream On, Aerosmith - Just the beginning - Saw them a couple of years ago and that little somebitch can still belt it out - great show
    Fooled Around And Fell In Love, Elvin Bishop - saw him in concert with Mickey from the Airplane - great show
    This Masquerade, George Benson - You got to love a Jazz great crossing over.
    Evil Woman, Electric Light Orchestra
    Rhiannon, Fleetwood Mac - The only song from that they really pushed the envelope on
    Got To Get You Into My Life, Beatles - I don't remember this being on the charts but it still counts
    You're My Best Friend, QueenY - The best love song written by a bass player, ever
    Slow Ride, Foghat
    Tear The Roof Off The Sucker, Parliament - I'm a sucker for honest to goodness funk and no one does it better than George Clinton
    The Boys Are Back In Town, Thin Lizzy - those twin lead guitars are absolutely mesmerizing
    Take The Money And Run, Steve Miller Band
    Squeeze Box, The Who

The Stranger

2006-12-29T02:27:00Z

For Christmas, I got "The Stranger" by Billy Joel on CD. I originally had this album on cassette and as a consequence of time, it had seen better days. I had forgotten how great this record was. The only other previous effort that had any substance, "Piano Man", was adequate with "Piano Man" and "Captain Jack" included on the record but the rest of the selections were, to my taste, quite pedestrian. With Phil Ramone as the producer and outstanding songwriting, "The Stranger" put Billy Joel on the map. Virtually every track stands on it's own and the album as a whole was as at least as successful as Elton John's "Yellow Brick Road" with half as much material. The first cut, "Moving Out (Anthony's Song)", is the one every one identifies from this record and it still stands the test of time, both from an artistic and production point of view. "Scenes from Italian Restaurant" is without a doubt my most favorite Billy Joel song. It compares favorably and in some ways completes the epic song example set by The Beatles with "Day in the Life" and does a better job of telling a story and musically is much more orchestral than anything until Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody". "She's always a Woman to Me" is as a sophisticated and well produced songs as there is and "Just the Way You Are" shows his talent in conveying real feelings. In most every case, an artist has a record that 1) breaks them to the public or 2) shows their artistic abilities to their fullest. Very rarely do they exist in the same product such as the case is with "The Stranger". Joel went on to super-stardom after this record but he never, IMHO, achieved the artistry that he did with this effort

Education continued

2006-12-21T13:22:00Z

I started High School in the fall of 1974 and only a few of the classmates from 8th grade went to the same school. My best friend, Darrel Wilmore, moved to another town about 20 miles away. We kind of kept in touch for about a year or so. I haven't seen him since about 1976. Phillip Crouch, who was the drummer in a rival band, ended up being my best friend for my high school years and was even my best man in my wedding. He introduced me to a whole new world of music. His brother was quite a bit older than us and had a great collection of music from the 60's and we listened to all of it. The popular music scene, however, was another story altogether. Disco was starting to take hold and it wouldn't be until my graduation year that popular music turned back towards rock. Here's some songs from 1975 that made the grade:

Shining Star, Earth, Wind and Fire -
Fame, David Bowie
One Of These Nights, Eagles
Best Of My Love, Eagles
Black Water, Doobie Brothers
Ballroom Blitz, Sweet
At Seventeen, Janis Ian
Pick Up The Pieces, Average White Band
Why Can't We Be Friends?, War
Wasted Days And Wasted Nights, Freddy Fender
Fire, Ohio Players
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Elton John - Better than the Beatles' version, IMHO
Cat's In The Cradle, Harry Chapin
I'm Not In Love, 10cc - This band came the closest to being the next Beatles
When Will I Be Loved, Linda Ronstadt
You're No Good, Linda Ronstadt
Poetry Man, Phoebe Snow
Lady, Styx
You Are So Beautiful / It's A Sin When You Love Somebody, Joe Cocker
Feel Like Makin' Love, Bad Company
How Sweet It Is, James Taylor
Cut The Cake, Average White Band
Some Kind Of Wonderful, Grand Funk
Killer Queen, Queen - Their best song - I know everyone will say "Bohemian Rhapsody" but this is my blog, damnit
Can't Get It Out Of My Head, Electric Light Orchestra
Junior's Farm / Sally G, Paul McCartney and Wings
Bungle In The Jungle, Jethro Tull
Someone Saved My Life Tonight, Elton John

The Education Begins

2006-12-21T02:38:00Z

I came back from Germany in 1973 to the same school I left 3 years prior. Most all of my friends were still there but things had changed. My stature had changed dramatically due to puberty and I was more interested in the opposite sex. I picked up right where I left off with Darrel Wilmore, who had been my best friend in 3rd and 4th grade. He had learned to play guitar and I saw that the girls were very much interested in guys who could play so after much cajoling and pleading, I convinced my parents to get me an electric guitar and suddenly I was in a band. Under Darrel's tutelage, I learned how to play Led Zeppelin, Grand Funk Railroad and Steppenwolf songs. What I enjoyed more than anything, though, was a Beatles book that I bought with my grass cutting money. Being able to strum along and sing the best written rock songs was amazing fun and it gave me the confidence to keep learning. I started forming my own ideas as to what I liked to listen to and play (which aren't necessarily the same thing). Songs that I still resonate with me today from that time period include :

The Loco-Motion, Grand Funk Railroad
Bennie And The Jets, Elton John
Band On The Run, Paul McCartney and Wings
Time In A Bottle, Jim Croce
Nothing From Nothing, Billy Preston
The Joker, Steve Miller Band
Living For The City, Stevie Wonder
The Air That I Breathe, Hollies
Rikki Don't Lose That Number, Steely Dan
Mockingbird, Carly Simon
Tell Me Something Good, Rufus
Radar Love, Golden Earring
Oh Very Young, Cat Stevens
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Elton John
I Shot The Sherrif, Eric Clapton
Jet, Paul McCartney and Wings
Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, Elton John
Hello, It's Me, Todd Rundgren
Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing, Stevie Wonder

I Love the Ladies

2006-12-16T13:06:00Z

I goofed a little bit. It seems I forgot that there were women that made contributions to my musical schooling from the 70's when I was making out my list of bands and artists. Not a lot mind you, but I don't want to leave them out, regardless. Carole King had one of the hugest albums ever with "Tapestry", Carly Simon gave her husband, James Taylor, a real run for his money as a singer/songwriter and Linda Ronstadt really gave young boy like myself something to hope for with the album covers for "Silk Purse" and "Living in the USA". Oh, yeah and her singing was pretty good, too. They paved the way for the real female music revolution in the 90's by showing a woman could write and perform just like the boys.

    Here's the songs from the ladies I feel are an absolute must

       Carole King
          Tapestry - 1971
             You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman
             Smackwater Jack
             You've Got a Friend
             I Feel the Earth Move

       Carly Simon
          Carly Simon - 1971
             That's the Way I Always Heard it Should Be
          Anticipation - 1971
             Anticipation
          No Secrets - 1972
             You're so Vain
          Hotcakes - 1974
             Mockingbird - with husband James Taylor
             Haven't got time for the pain

       Linda Rondstadt
          Heart Like a Wheel - 1974
             When will I be loved
             You're no good
          Simple Dreams - 1977
             It's so easy
             Blue Bayou
             Poor, Poor Pitiful Me
          Living in the USA - 1978
             Just One Look