Legends of Rock: RIP Doors Keyboardist Ray Manzarek

31 May

Choosing to discuss my admiration for The Doors and the inspiring musical experience they set off in me, is something I can do with great passion!

My rock ‘n’ roll heart sinks again with the passing of The Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek on May 20th.

Manzarek was a founding member for The Doors and was an iconic badass on the keys. He truly was a pioneering keyboardist playing bass keys with his left hand while playing organ with his right. I love the classical, jazz and psychedelic influences that he blended into the band’s sound.

According to The Doors official website, Manzarek’s was 74 years old and passed away in Germany from his long battle with bile duct cancer.

The Doors formed in 1965 with the original lineup as:

Jim Morrison – Vocals

Ray Manzarek – Keyboard, Bass (on Keyboard)

Robbie Krieger – Guitar

John Densmore – Percussion

I really like the following quote by Manzarek about performing with The Doors:

“The power existed in every member of The Doors. We all understood that sinking into the rhythm of the music and we all tried to do that and when we all did it together it was invariably an incredible show.”

The Doors music kind of hits you at a certain age and for me it started in my preteen years when I first heard People Are Strange  on the radio and it was so catchy to me and I loved it.

I truly began to feel and understand The Doors music when I got into buying albums in my late teens.

I bought L.A. Woman for Love Her Madly. I remember first listening to that last track on the album, Riders On The Storm  and feeling cool and immersed with The Doors experience.  Waiting For The Sun was another album in my favorites list that blew me away too. The title track Waiting For The Sun is one of my favorite songs of all time.

I’m glad The Doors successfully recorded six studio albums. Even when it all ended after Morrison passed away in 1971, their music still lives on with strong impact!

Years from now teens will still be discovering The Doors with their interest peaked by hearing, “Light My Fire” or “Break On Through” which I still frequently hear on the radio.

An article by Martin Weil from The Washington Post puts the birth of The Doors best stating:

“Morrison sang, Mr. Manzarek liked it, and the Doors were founded.”

One album I choose to pay my tribute to is The Soft Parade. I actually leave this album sitting in my antique record player next to my desk.

The Doors released The Soft Parade in July of 1969 and it carries a mellow eccentric mood.

This was their fourth studio album and according to The Doors official site, critics like Rolling Stone viewed this as a weak album!

I have to disagree because I think The Soft Parade is a gem full of creativity.

Throughout the album I love Morrison’s sultry singing and the offbeat addition of horns in the songs.

I feel so inspired listening to this album like I understand something about rock ‘n’ roll that not every listener could understand.

I wish I could write one verse of musical genius that would come close to The Doors influence but alas I am not a partying creative poet who lived through the 60s either.

The Doors are rock legends and nobody can match them.

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Pop Culture Reflection: Rock on Andy Griffith

3 Jul

I bid massive tribute to the great Andy Griffith for being a gifted actor and musician! I’m a huge fan of his music and of course of The Andy Griffith Show. My heart sank reading the headline that he passed away this week at age 86.

This past year the music world lost Whitney Houston, Donna Summer, Robin Gibb from the Bee Gees and Beastie Boy’s Adam “MCA” Yauch. There would be too much to say about each of these iconic artists in one post, but I feel that Andy Griffith deserves special recognition for bringing music and two hit shows (Andy Griffith and Matlock) to the entertainment world.

In regards to The Andy Griffith Show you had a cast of warm hearted characters that I enjoyed watching and I looked forward to the music performed on the show.

Most of the songs that I have heard on the show exposed me to a catchy side of bluegrass and gospel music that I didn’t appreciate before.

In an article from the Music Industry News Network website, Rodney Dillard, guest star as one of the Darling boys featured on Andy Griffith states:

“Andy Griffith became more than an icon. He represented American family values and has given comfort and hope in these uncertain times. He gave The Dillards (The Darlings) an opportunity to be part of this. Andy was kind, generous and patient with an inexperienced group of pickers from the Ozark Mountains. Andy Griffith’s impact on the world will last forever.” Read full article here

One song by the Darling family played during the Andy Griffith episode titled: “The Darling Baby” called There Is A Time  deserves praise for being the most beautifully written song by The Dillards.

As a hard rock fan, I rarely listen to country or bluegrass music but The Dillards carry that progressive mix of country and rock. The vocals for There is a Time are by Maggie Peterson and the song has so much meaning in few words.
My favorite line from the song is:
“There is a time for us to wonder when time is young and so are we.” 
Griffith remains an inspiring figure for me with his folk and gospel music style. I hope that in this day our culture will still appreciate an icon like him. He played a great warm-hearted character as Sheriff Andy Taylor and his show shared beautiful gospel hymns.
“TV Land, meanwhile will focus on Griffith’s small-screen career — specifically, his long-running “The Andy Griffith Show.” TV Land will air marathons of the series on Wednesday, July 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., as well as July 7 and July 8 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.,” stated from an article on MSN. Read full article here

When I watch The Andy Griffith Show I value the moral lesson in each episode and I cannot say that about today’s sitcoms. Griffith’s rich singing voice paired with his light acoustic guitar strumming, and delivered by his humble character Andy Taylor is talent that will live on.

Check out the link from Bluegrass Preservation You Tube channel to watch the clip for There is a Time.
 

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Pop Culture Reflection: 90s Era and First album I bought on CD

21 Feb

I set my radio to the classic rock station and caught the beginning of the song Poison by Alice Cooper playing. Great song from the album Trash!

It also happened to be the first album I bought on compact disc back when I started converting from cassette to CD.

The song flashed me back to the mid 90s when I opened my Aiwa sound system CD player for Christmas ’94. I remember being so eager to start buying CDs.

Trash is a short and sweet album with 10 rockin’ tracks with guest vocals by artists like Bon Jovi. The album has the whole cheesy glam rock late 80s flavor but it carries a consistent flow and remains one of my favorite albums.

I loved the song Poison and I remember watching the music video on MTV when I was in fourth grade.

I always loved the end of the video when the temptress woman stands in the doorway dressed like Alice Cooper then she lifts up her head and takes her wig off revealing her blond hair and takes a sip from her wine glass.

But off to the side the real Alice Cooper is standing there holding up a tiny bottle of Poison.

Nice lil’ gotcha at the end showing her that she did not conquer him! It is cheesy and lame but I loved it.

I definitely over played Trash with my then brand new Aiwa system.

I also remember doing this silly experiment by attaching the sub woofer to my CD player and then turning it up to max volume! (80 watts) Then I would grab the stereo remote hit pause and then stand outside my bedroom doorway and hit play.

I would do this just to feel my windows and entire room vibrate from that bass! I don’t know why but it felt so cool even though I never would need to listen to anything at that ear splitting volume.

I also played certain songs that made no sense to play loud with bass, like I would pop in Chris Isaak’s album San Francisco Days and listen to the song 5:15 which was a very mellow song!

I guess I just liked hearing how any song sounded on that system!

I tried to recall what my first official download was when I got my MP3 player but I’m not sure since I downloaded a bunch of songs at once.

All I can recall is that Supersonic by JJ Fad and Wheel in the sky by Journey were in that block of my first downloads.

Farewell to my 90s memories when transitioning from cassette tapes to CDs was the latest trend and owning a bulky multi disc changer CD players was cool even though it took up the whole corner of your bedroom.

Check out the link below from Retro Time TV You Tube channel for Alice Cooper’s music video for Poison.

http://youtu.be/mMrcYDrtjng

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Pop Culture Reflection: Where Have All My Music Stores Gone?!

16 Dec

I’m reminiscent of my record store experiences, but local music shops are fading away while online stores like iTunes have stepped in.

Like the rest of the high tech world I also download and purchase new music from iTunes or Amazon.

I still want the hard copy cd when it comes to certain bands; R.E.M holds this priority. (note my previous two blogs dedicated to them)

I bought R.E.M’s definitive collection the day after its’ release date and realized that I had to go to either FYE or Best Buy just to find a store with a decent music selection.

The good independent music stores just aren’t surviving anymore at least not in metro Detroit.

My favorite local music store was Wherehouse Music (This was how the store really spelled their name it’s not a typo) unfortunately it closed several years ago but it was my go to place for music.

I would head straight to the used hard rock and punk sections at Wherehouse and search albums.

I loved this section because of course it was a way to build my collection cheap and you could listen before you buy.

I would pick out certain albums with cover artwork that interested me and I would check it out.

This method is how I stumbled into loving the band Pennywise.

I remember seeing their logo on the back of somebody’s shirt from an MxPx show and thought it looked cool so while I was skimming the used section at Wherehouse my eye caught that familiar Pennywise name again. The album I saw was About Time and the price was only $4.00.

The picture was of an alarm clock strapped to dynamite on a mustard yellow background.

I grabbed it up and instantly loved the fourth track “Every Single Day.”

From that album purchase I went on to watch Pennywise perform at the next Warped Tour and since then I have bought all of their other albums and I have went to a lot more of their shows.

Today stores like Target or Costco are not places I can go to and linger around the music section and they also do not supply the vast genre selection to allow me to discover underground and local bands in the way a music shop such as Wherehouse did.

I also upgraded most of my album collection from cassette tapes to cd from the used section at Wherehouse.

There were other local shops around that I less frequented like Flipside Records, Rock-A-Billy’s, Record Time and Hot Hits. Now all of those stores have closed except Flipside Records.

Buying my last official R.E.M album from Best Buy certainly was not the same experience of when I use to buy a new R.E.M release from a music store. Instead it felt like a quick errand of run in-grab the album-let the clerk ring it up-done.

I miss buying a new album from Wherehouse’s midnight sale special.

I am now left with memories of those early music store sales.

I remember when R.E.M released Reveal around 2001 you could get a special edition booklet but it was limited. I wanted to buy it early to ensure I got the booklet.

So right at midnight I stood outside of Wherehouse Music excited to pick up the new album. When I went inside the store there was a long line of people and at first I thought all that fuss was for R.E.M.

Wishful thinking on my part instead the big line of people where there to pick up Lateralus by Tool! Here I thought people were finally coming to their senses about R.E.M.

Turns out I was the only person who was there to pick up Reveal.

As I waited I overheard the guy in line behind me ripping on R.E.M’s performance from the Tibetan Freedom Concert and how lame Michael Stipe was for wearing eyeliner and a skirt.

The irony was that this guy had on a green t-shirt for the band Live, and the lead singer of Live is a major R.E.M fan and it was R.E.M.’s music that inspired this band.

Of course I didn’t say anything to the guy about his shirt but I did shoot him the look of death before I proudly requested my copy of Reveal.

I know It’s outdated to still want to buy cds but It’s the experience that is missed and my Wherehouse Music memories are golden to me .

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Pop Culture Reflection: R.E.M Album: Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982-2011

18 Nov

R.E.M might be ready to Begin the Begin to retire but the new songs included on their definitive collection still sound like classic R.E.M ballads which is comforting.

I give props to R.E.M for still having the song writing ability to remain as consistent as if they were writing music for albums in their I.R.S Records years.

While I liked the songs they selected for the definitive collection, I still feel like they exclude those real gems from the I.R.S. Records years like Feeling Gravity’s Pull, Auctioneer, Carnival of Sorts, Stumble, 9-9 and Lightin’ Hopkins.

If I could release my own R.E.M. hits collection I would choose the I.R.S years starting from Chronic Town to Document choosing only my favorites. It would go something like this:

The I.R.S. Hits

  1. Carnival of Sorts
  2. Stumble
  3. Radio Free Europe
  4. Moral Kiosk
  5. 9-9
  6. Sitting Still
  7. West of the Fields
  8. So Central Rain
  9. Pretty Persuasion
  10. Feeling Gravity’s Pull
  11. Maps and Legends
  12. Driver 8
  13. Auctioneer
  14. These Days
  15. Superman
  16. Welcome to the Occupation
  17. The One I Love
  18. It’s the End of the World as We Know It
  19. Lightin’ Hopkins
  20. All the Right Friends

I’m one of those fans that will never grow tired of owning the same great songs compiled in a different order. Even if I do already own that song on ten other albums in live and acoustic versions, and I’m pretty sure I do.

I listened to the new songs and A Month Of Saturdays was upbeat and gritty. The song reminds me of something that I would have heard included in their 1987 release Dead Letter Office.

The second song We All Go Back To Where We Belong was ok and had the same feel from their 1997 album UP .

 

But it was Hallelujah that stood out and I absolutely loved the song instantly. Thank you R.E.M for giving me just one more for the road.

Michael Stipe’s voice on Hallelujah gives me one more reason to love his vocal talent. His voice has always sounded distinct and it never ceases to amaze me.

I really could never compare his singing style to any other artist that I know. I also think he created the best way to sing the word hallelujah, without sounding like a church choir boy!

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Legends of Rock: R.E.M bid farewell to fans on 9/21/11 now it’s time to Talk About The Passion

8 Nov
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My Favorite R.E.M Albums

R.E.M’s music is anything but typical and once you really feel their offbeat groove, the impact hits you hard and leaves a mark.

The band will release their definitive greatest hits collection just a couple months after calling it quits. The album goes on sale November 15, 2011 as stated from the bands official website http://remhq.com

R.E.M has been my inspirational soundtrack since I was
12 years old, and my loyalty to
them is infinite.

From their underground start in Athens, Georgia to full fame; Michael Stipe [vocals], Peter Buck [guitar], Mike Mills [bass] and Bill Berry [drums] created an iconic music experience in their 31 year run.

In the early 90s my full attention was shifted to R.E.M when the song Drive came out in 1992. My brother had watched the music video for the song Drive and he called me over to check it out.

So of course I did and I not only loved the song upon first listen, but I thought it was the coolest music video I had ever seen.

As you can guess my first R.E.M. album was Automatic for the People (on cassette tape) and what a flawless master piece it is. The songs were great music overload for my young impressionable mind.

From that moment on, I instantly loved everything about their music and videos to Michael Stipe’s image and distinct vocals.

I remember going to Harmony House (old music franchise) to consider which R.E.M album I was going to buy next.My eyes landed on all of their other albums the store carried: Document, Green, Out of Time, Reckoning and Chronic Town.

I wished I could have bought them all at once. I think Document was the second one I bought.

Each time I went to the music store I bought an R.E.M album that I didn’t have until I finally had everything up to date.

It was a wonderful discovery process because I wasn’t familiar with any hits from their early IRS record albums like Murmur, Reckoning or Chronic Town.

Yet I bought those albums anyway because I knew I would love the songs since I loved Automatic for the People and Document so much.

R.E.M was also the first band I ever saw live in concert.

I was 14 years old when they came to Detroit on June 7, 1995 for their Monster tour.

Luscious Jackson was the opening band for them but I was too anxious to
care about openers.

Plus I was holding tickets to decent main floor seats in row fifteen, seat 5!

I loved the show and of course instantly loved their stage presence.

For years I remembered and could recite their whole set list played at that show.

Now 17 years later I can only remember the first three songs which were: I Took Your Name, Turn You Inside Out and I Don’t Sleep I Dream.

The encore of course was It’s the End of the World as We Know It.

Michael Stipe had pages of lyrics in front of him and he admitted that he couldn’t remember the words to some of the older songs, so he kept the words in front of him.

He was modest and an excellent frontman.

Also, Bill Berry had recently recovered from his brain aneurysm while on the tour, so during the entire concert every now and again this loud drunk guy sitting behind me would yell: “Yeah! Bill lives!” For some reason it lingers in my memory.

I am so happy that I can say R.E.M was my first big venue concert, especially the Monster tour since Berry was still in the band before he decided to retire in 1997.

I have been lucky enough to see them in concert three times.

I’ll admit that I felt Berry’s departure left a dent in R.E.M. The last few albums just didn’t fully have the enigmatic effect that I loved about their other albums.

I do have my favorites from the albums recorded after Berry such as: She Just Wants To Be, Lotus, Final Straw, Around the Sun and Uberlin.

I guess as a trio R.E.M switched to more of an acoustic style and I kind of found
that appropriate.

I also disagree with all the negative reviews claiming that Around the Sun was their
worst album.

I think that album contains a few great songs like Final Straw and The Outsiders which features Q-tip from A Tribe Called Quest, and for that reason alone this album can never suck…so eat it critics!

Accelerate is the album I don’t care for.

But even if a couple of albums were not their best work R.E.M prevails over all the good and bad since they stayed together respectfully for 31 years.

My top five R.E.M albums that I still love to listen to from start to finish:

1. Chronic Town
2. Murmur
3. Fables of the Reconstruction
4. Automatic for the People
5. New Adventures in Hi Fi

R.E.M has been a part of my life for 19 years…needless to say I did not outgrow them.

Their music has an attractive quirky coolness quality in their brilliant ballads.

Whenever I am discussing music with friends or co-workers they are usually surprised to find out that R.E.M is my favorite band of all time.

I also commend R.E.M’s pact to never publicly make a negative display of any personal tensions between the band.

“We have always been a band in the truest sense of the word. Brothers who truly love, and respect, each other. We feel kind of like pioneers in this — there’s no disharmony here, no falling-outs, no lawyers squaring-off. We’ve made this decision together, amicably and with each other’s best interests at heart. The time just feels right.” stated Mike Mills on the bands official website.

From Chronic Town R.E.M was singing: “We’ll stumble through the years.” In Collapse Into Now, they bid their fans “All The Best.”

I want to thank R.E.M for becoming a band and writing great songs that got me through
my teen years and made me feel cool to be me. My heart holds on tightly to their music.

I have linked my favorite R.E.M video ffrom Maccafixx You Tube channel for the song Driver 8.

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Gem of the Week: Local Record Store Closing Sale!

25 Feb

My latest album hunt has been at Record Time in Roseville.  The store will be closing during the first week of March and everything is for sale including glass cases, record players, magazine racks…you name it.  The records are $1.00 each and used cds are mostly 75% off.  I hate to see that they are closing since it’s one of the few music stores left standing.  I know everybody downloads and buys music online but I still support the good old fashion experience of walking into a store and buying music.

If you collect records like I do then it’s worth checking it out since the back of the store is still full of boxes.  I also saw small amounts of t-shirts, posters, old issues of rock magazines and pins spread throughout the store. I even spotted some VHS tapes and 8tracks for any of you pop culture collectors.

The only setback is that most of the selection has been picked over. The records are spilling out of bins and boxes so you literally have to hunt through each box one by one if you’re looking for something specific.  I would estimate a good half hour if you want to dig through it.  I walked out of there with six cds and three records for $11.87!    As I was searching through used cds I had fun flash backs of names I had forgotten like Haddaway, Tonic, Young MC,  2Pac and Tag Team…just to name a few.  The store is also hosting local bands each weekend until they officially close the doors.  Check out their website for more information  http://recordtime.com

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