I was struggling to find anything to write about but then I got incensed by the complete travesty, a mistake of monumental proportions in my musical world, Rush were inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.
My thoughts, leading up to it, were all positive, at last one of my all time favourite bands was being recognised finally for the talent and inspiration they are and I was pleased for them. Then I saw Dave Grohl's introductory speech and I was devastated, to paraphrase..."blah, blah, blah, when did Rush become cool? blah, blah, blah...."
They weren't cool, you moron, until you opened your mouth and now all the kids know you like Rush and will listen to them....NNNOOOOOooooooooooo!!!
Rush were the biggest cult band in the World, a secret that everyone knew about, but no-one in mainstream life knew any of their songs. They have a lyricist that is one of greats, possibly second behind Roger Waters, a genuine and understanding affection for each other.....I don't want that to change, they'll suddenly develop (late) midlife crisis's and start wearing fashionable designer clothes and "bling" and make music with warbling female singers and start a residency in Las Vegas and release singles!!....with videos!!! I feel sick.
I have to say that Dave's speech was fantastic, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLOUgvsfDtg, and Rush are long overdue some real peer recognition, where others have bowed down, Rush have always done exactly what they wanted. There are musical moments that are less good than others but I have loved this band since 1983, their individuality, their heart, the fact that the World doesn't "get" them but the multitude of Rush fans across the Globe do.
At the end of May, the UK contingent will come together for the 2+ hour concert that is a Rush show. My ticket is for the NEC and I can't wait.
I was running through so old recordings of various musical programs from my youth, TV shows that I had located at various times. One of them was a UK show called "ECT" and by and large is was diabolical, second rate rock bands with third rate songs but it did have Gary Moore and Phil Lynott playing a couple of songs. I was never really a Gary Moore fan, particularly his blues albums as I don't like blues very much and it seemed like a middle aged cop out on his part, to me. His rock playing was fiery and magical but his songs were sporadic but he and Phil Lynott were a great pairing. Interestingly, this clip has Gary Moore, Phil Lynott and the late great Cozy Powell. The other guitarist is Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and the keyboard player, I think, is the superb Don Airey.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2nVyHmHaSQ
One of my favourite guitarists is Randy Rhoads. He was the genius behind Ozzy's first two albums. Ozzy was always good at picking guitarists but Randy Rhoads was arguably the best (Jake E Lee was more natural and had the moves, the looks and the flash, possibly the coolest guitarist I've ever seen). Randy Rhoads died in a plane crash, leaving us with a whole world of "what if's". He planned to quit rock music and study classical guitar but never got the chance. The legacy he did leave is breath taking, fresh, exciting and sadly limited in quantity.
Randy Rhoads was the master of fills, the little solo bits that happen in the middle of the verse, usually under the vocal line. His solos were beautifully structured, he planned meticulously, ignore Ozzy's pained vocals and enjoy the work of a master: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcoweoZ6jpM
Lastly, it was the anniversary of the death of Pete Steele. I don't usually linger over dates, particularly as I have never viewed myself as a huge Type O fan...until I realised that I have all their albums and listen to them regularly. Here is a fitting tribute to a giant of a man, not just in size but in talent, a huge voice, immense song writing abilities and a superb producer.
This is the sound of Summer, I can feel the freshness and smell of a clean Summer morning. I think this is a fitting commemoration but more importantly, a great song that gives Summer a far more interesting turn, unleash the inner pagan and enjoy the naturalness of Summer and the World around you....Thanks Pete.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWAXFFU8Z6s
Monday, 29 April 2013
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Farewell to Britain's Iron Lady.
I had a friend ask about my next blog and I struggled to think about what to write about, I guess because I normally don't think about it, I simply write and post. When I did think about it I lost the will to live, boring myself to the point where I was wondering whether this was it, the end of the line, the end of my imagination.
But on really thinking about it, it has been a quiet year and I don't really have too much to say. However, just watching the funeral of Baroness Thatcher, surely in death we are all entitled to some respect? She wasn't Hitler or Stalin and I am sure that whatever decisions she made were calculated to bring benefit to the most amount of people in this Country. She was strong at time when we needed strength, I wish we had someone with her strength now, to make the hard decisions and stop getting bogged down in superfluous policies that waste time and money....but I digress.
Seeing the maggots that have crawled out of the woodwork to protest a funeral is a truly sickening sight. To see youngsters that weren't old enough to remember her time in power and weren't even born during the social unrest, continuous strikes, bodies unburied and the vastly rising unemployment that heralded in a change in Government in 1979, protest a funeral, views clearly handed down by the misguided socialist values of idiot parents that pass on their bigoted views to their children, is painful and embarrassing to watch. On one hand my blood boils, on the other I can't help but feel the pain that political blindness has on the moron class, so ingrained in their views that the Unions of the '70's, those that did hold the Country to ransom for monetary gain, those that ran the UK into the ground and made us the laughing stock of the World, those that ensured that "Made in Britain" was a joke, those that betrayed this Country for money, criticise "Thatcherism" for its Capitalist ideals.
Glenda Jackson, a very hardcore socialist Labour MP, you remember her, ex-actress, took the opportunity, now that Margaret Thatcher is dead, to attack her on every level, as an MP, Prime Minister, Woman, etc. This would be Glenda Jackson that hasn't known poverty or real life in 40 odd years. It is very easy to have morals when you have money isn't it Glenda or George Galloway, aka the embarrassing cat man, you know, him of the ironically named "Respect" party.
I am really sickened that people take the opportunity to speak ill of the dead. If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing. Before you open your mouth to criticise the legacy of any politician, look first at what they inherited and then look at what they left, if they left Office and we had more than we started with, their legacy can only be good.
History is a very good measure of a person, I am sure that we won't be remembering Glenda Jackson or George Galloway but Margaret Thatcher was divisive and decisive, traits that I admire as it is the spirit of someone that will lead, not a follower.
David Cameron had said that she was "a Patriot Prime Minister" and that she was "a Great Briton". I hope that those that protest can now find some peace and the many more that agreed with her policies and admired her strength, enough to vote her in for 3 terms, can honour her death with some dignity and respect.
Without doubt she was a tough lady that ruled in the toughest of times. She transcended gender and showed all of us that a woman is as capable and often more so, than a man. If ever Womankind had a role model, she was it. She was harder, stronger and cleverer than the wilful and headstrong cabinet that she had around her. She fought tooth and nail to impose her will on this Country, trouncing the best the opposition had to offer, fighting battles at every turn and turning the UK into the best of Europe. Not every decision she made was great but she left the Country with money in the coffers, employment and manufacturing rising and Europe on its back foot regarding the UK. She brought us into the 1980's and for those of a certain age, the music was better under Thatcher was it not?
So finally, farewell to Britain's Iron Lady, Prime Minister, Politician, Chemist, Mother, Wife and Grocers Daughter, the end of a defining era for Britain.
But on really thinking about it, it has been a quiet year and I don't really have too much to say. However, just watching the funeral of Baroness Thatcher, surely in death we are all entitled to some respect? She wasn't Hitler or Stalin and I am sure that whatever decisions she made were calculated to bring benefit to the most amount of people in this Country. She was strong at time when we needed strength, I wish we had someone with her strength now, to make the hard decisions and stop getting bogged down in superfluous policies that waste time and money....but I digress.
Seeing the maggots that have crawled out of the woodwork to protest a funeral is a truly sickening sight. To see youngsters that weren't old enough to remember her time in power and weren't even born during the social unrest, continuous strikes, bodies unburied and the vastly rising unemployment that heralded in a change in Government in 1979, protest a funeral, views clearly handed down by the misguided socialist values of idiot parents that pass on their bigoted views to their children, is painful and embarrassing to watch. On one hand my blood boils, on the other I can't help but feel the pain that political blindness has on the moron class, so ingrained in their views that the Unions of the '70's, those that did hold the Country to ransom for monetary gain, those that ran the UK into the ground and made us the laughing stock of the World, those that ensured that "Made in Britain" was a joke, those that betrayed this Country for money, criticise "Thatcherism" for its Capitalist ideals.
Glenda Jackson, a very hardcore socialist Labour MP, you remember her, ex-actress, took the opportunity, now that Margaret Thatcher is dead, to attack her on every level, as an MP, Prime Minister, Woman, etc. This would be Glenda Jackson that hasn't known poverty or real life in 40 odd years. It is very easy to have morals when you have money isn't it Glenda or George Galloway, aka the embarrassing cat man, you know, him of the ironically named "Respect" party.
I am really sickened that people take the opportunity to speak ill of the dead. If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing. Before you open your mouth to criticise the legacy of any politician, look first at what they inherited and then look at what they left, if they left Office and we had more than we started with, their legacy can only be good.
History is a very good measure of a person, I am sure that we won't be remembering Glenda Jackson or George Galloway but Margaret Thatcher was divisive and decisive, traits that I admire as it is the spirit of someone that will lead, not a follower.
David Cameron had said that she was "a Patriot Prime Minister" and that she was "a Great Briton". I hope that those that protest can now find some peace and the many more that agreed with her policies and admired her strength, enough to vote her in for 3 terms, can honour her death with some dignity and respect.
Without doubt she was a tough lady that ruled in the toughest of times. She transcended gender and showed all of us that a woman is as capable and often more so, than a man. If ever Womankind had a role model, she was it. She was harder, stronger and cleverer than the wilful and headstrong cabinet that she had around her. She fought tooth and nail to impose her will on this Country, trouncing the best the opposition had to offer, fighting battles at every turn and turning the UK into the best of Europe. Not every decision she made was great but she left the Country with money in the coffers, employment and manufacturing rising and Europe on its back foot regarding the UK. She brought us into the 1980's and for those of a certain age, the music was better under Thatcher was it not?
So finally, farewell to Britain's Iron Lady, Prime Minister, Politician, Chemist, Mother, Wife and Grocers Daughter, the end of a defining era for Britain.
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