What Happens In Vegas Stays On Blogger

Just came back from my first trip to Las Vegas. What an incredible trip it was! Three days of fun shared with my wonderful wife. And how else should I commemorate the trip than create a playlist of memories, another Playlist of Pooh!

Gram Parsons - Ooh Las Vegas

To get psyched up for the trip I thought I should listen to Ac/Dc's "Sin City" or ZZ Top's "Viva Las Vegas" but I never did, instead I played this song on my Ipod repeatedly in the week leading up to the trip.

Journey - Raised On Radio

We listened to the radio on the way to the airport, I had no idea that Steven Seaweed and his Hot Lunch program was still on the air. In high school I loved listening to that show on the now defunct KRQR radio station. The weed man wanted folks to call in requests with "radio" as the theme, I would have called this in if I had time to hear it before arriving at the airport.

The Beatles - Ticket To Ride

It was a long wait for our flight at the airport, it was delayed by about two hours. I have an extreme fear of heights and flying, so even though I watched plane after plane take off the runway without incident I was still going nuts. I tried to think of how many of my favorite entertainers have spent decades flying all over the world without problem. Or the other times I had been on planes and safely gotten from one place to another. Unfortunately, all these rationalizations didn't help much so my wife bought me a magazine about The Beatles to distract me.

Asia - The Smile Has Left Your Eyes


Our trip to Vegas was off to a bad start, the flight was delayed and then it took another 30 minutes for our shuttle to leave the airport because they were waiting for other passengers. Except they didn't tell us that, they sat us in the shuttle and left us there to the point we considered just walking to the hotel. Our hotel was The Luxor, a pyramid shaped place that reminded me of the Asia Alpha album cover.

Ohio Players - Love Rollercoaster

Once we dropped off our stuff in the room we decided to walk around. The New York New York section nearby so we went on the roller coaster. It was a great coaster with huge drops and loops throughout. Easily the best roller coaster we had been on in ages. My only problem was I rode the coaster wrong. How do you ride a roller coaster wrong? On this one you have to keep your head flat against the headrest or else it bounces between two neck bars like a ping pong ball. I didn't know that going in, the sides of my lower jaw are still sore. But what a great ride!

Sammy Hagar - I Love This Bar

We had a drink at a bar, I think it was called Diablo. There are tons of restaurant / bars on the Strip including Sammy Hagar's Cabo Wabo and another owned by Toby Keith. I was sort of interested in going to Cabo Wabo since Sammy Hagar is as close to a prophet / philosopher that I can think of in the world. But when I heard their music system pumping new wave music I thought "ehhh". In Sammy Hagar land there should only be Saint Sammy's jams on the speakers!

Quarterflash - Take Me To Heart

The next morning this song was running through my head for no apparent reason. Just seemed to fit the mood of relaxing opulence at The Luxor.

Bruce Springsteen - Atlantic City

Vegas is all about tourism, for many living there it is working in the service industry but for others it's sales and promotion. There is this place under construction called The Grandview which will eventually be 20 towers tall but only has six built right now. The Grandview has hired an army of blazer wearing folk to offer package deals of show tickets and gambling money in exchange for going through what I assume is a lengthy presentation to get you to buy into a timeshare at the new establishment. While the sales people are perfectly pleasant, they're planted like ant farms all over Mandalay Bay, The Luxor and The Excaliber making their repeated "Do you have any plans for a show this evening" or "How long are you in town" queries irritating beyond belief. I actually preferred the porn peddlers waving their leaflets in my face up and down the strip to The Grandview reps. At least those guys and gals understand my shaking my head and hands at them means "no" and don't try to overcome my objections. It doesn't quite fit, yet "Atlantic City" came to mind when dealing with these people. I don't blame the salespeople themselves they're just people trying to earn a buck just like me, but damn...

Bella Notte

We had a nice romantic gondola ride through an indoor area that is designed to be like Venice, Italy. The...I guess maybe they're called Gondalier? Anyway, the guy that moves the boat with a pole was friendly and an excellent singer. One of the songs he sang he prefaced as being from The Lady And The Tramp which was this tune.

Ray Lamontage - You Are The Best Thing

While spending time with my wife looking thru the mall stores, this song came on which fit the mood perfectly.

Kool & The Gang - Too Hot

Did I mention it is hot in Vegas? The temp was over 100 degrees every day until when we left, when it was a cool 97. Even at night you feel like you walked into a broiler. After walking much of the day we were exhausted and took a hasty cab ride back to our room for some rest. Then we met with some of my wife's relatives for a very pleasant dinner.

Queen - Body Language

Won't go into too much detail, I'll just say seeing provocative dancing to this song was the first time I enjoyed hearing this forgotten track. Thought "Body Language" overdid the dance angle of the band following "Another One Bites The Dust" in terms of Queen's music, but in this context it was the perfect tune.

She And Him - You Really Got A Hold On Me

In a rare quiet moment in this very exciting city, I sat down with my Ipod and listened to some She & Him while reading the hotel magazines. This song really popped when I heard it.

Duffy - Mercy

If there is a song The Luxor likes, it's definitely "Mercy". Heard this play throughout the hotel multiple times every day. It's amazing how these hotel / casinos are designed, they're like mini cities within themselves with tons of food, shopping and entertainment at your disposal (at a high price of course). Oh, if you're ever in The Luxor I recommend having the fried rice at Rice & Co. upstairs, it is insanely good!

The Heights - How do You Talk to An Angel?

It's my wife's birthday! We had a delicious breakfast at the Mandalay Bay, it was a fancy place with a great view of other buildings and palm trees. I had a Norway Benedict while she had smoked salmon with bagels. It felt like the setting for a scene in a tv show with rich people, like 90210. A wonderful time with my wonderful, beautiful wife.

Styx - Mr Roboto

After breakfast I took her to The Fremont Street Experience. The magazine in the hotel room promised shopping and art and a good time. What actually was there was old Las Vegas, the original Strip. The Fremont Street Experience was fascinating, a sort of land-that-time-forgot. A place that emphasizes the "loosest slots in town" and offer prime rib dinners for $4.95 on posters. The older casino / hotels retain much of the 70s style sense of glitz with tons of light bulbs flashing on signs everywhere. Signs you could easily imagine having held the names of legends like Sammy Davis Jr or Dean Martin at one point in time. There weren't many people there when we went, adding to a ghost town effect. When I told my wife the magazine said Fremont Street was 80s themed this year, she jokingly said that was the reason I took her there. The topic came up when "Mr Roboto" blasted on the Fremont St audio system while we looked at a kiosk selling 80s t-shirts saying something like "Vegas says Relax" (for those too young to remember, the 80s had a lot of "Frankie Says Relax" t-shirts. Right up there with oversized "Choose Life" shirts).

John Waite - Going to The Top

My wife has always wanted to go to France, so I took her to the Eiffel Tower in the Paris section of Las Vegas Blvd. The view was really awesome, I just wished my fear of heights could have subsided so we could have enjoyed it more.

Elvis Presley - Viva Las Vegas

In the early afternoon we made our way back to the Bellagio / Ceasar's Palace part of the Strip. It was there on a private balcony we witnessed the famous water fountain show at The Bellagio. Done to the tune of "Viva Las Vegas", it was truly a spectacular show. So glad we got to see this.

The Simpsons - Monorail

We rode the monorail back towards our hotel afterwards. I love monorails!

Black Crowes - Share The Ride

That evening we saw Cirque Du Soleil Ka which I will write a separate review on. Once that ended we tried to catch a cab back to the hotel, but the cab stand line was too long so we footed it. Before Vegas, I had taken maybe two taxi cab rides in my life. In Las Vegas it was a daily necessity. It is so hot outside you have to find other ways to get around. Most of the taxi drivers were friendly and amiable, others not so much.

Nearer My God to Thee

The next morning we went to see the Titanic exhibit at the Luxor. On the one hand, it may not have been a good idea to delve into one of the greatest disasters in modern travel on the same day as catching a flight. On the other hand, it was a well done exhibit. It is solemn, informative and involving. To see the personal effects of the travellers and remaining pieces of the ship is so sad. The recreation of the grand staircase is impressive. But what really stuck with me is the facsimile of the side deck at night, it makes you feel like you're really on a ship. A feeling of calm and beauty, unaware of the disaster looming before them. Violin music played in the background, which I believe included this song that may have been performed while the boat sank. After Titanic we walked over to the Shark Reef to see an impressive display of animals and sea creatures.

Gym Class Heroes - Cupid's Chokehold / Breakfast In America

To cope with the flying I had to drink a lot before the flight. While downing a beer this song played in the background at the bar, my wife hadn't heard it before so it caught her by surprise. I had to break the news that yes, even Supertramp is not immune to sampling. Can't say I dislike this tho, it's Supertramp with a modern beat.

Led Zeppelin - Fool In The Rain

We sat in rush hour traffic through San Francisco to get home. The radio played three Led Zep songs in a row, after "Fool In The Rain" we talked about our trip matching the cadence of the verses.

Smokey Robinson - Being With You

Thank you for the trip honey, I loved being there with you :)

Weezer - Memories

While driving to get some food today, the radio was all advertisements so I threw in the Weezer cd I had in the car. This song was perfect for the moment. All the memories make me want to go back there...

The Year That Was 2009 pt 1

I've been neglecting the blog lately and want to get back into posting so to start up again I'm going to subscribe to the "Out with the old and in with the new" routine. My first two posts of 2010 will be to review the year that was 2009. The first post is music and the second is everything else.

2009 was a year of big hype and modest pay offs in music. It was the year the King of Pop died, ironically sparking a career re-evaluation as audiences were able to separate the music from the person. It was the year of Glambert and Susan Boyle keeping reality tv's foot in the door of pop music. It was the year of free live concerts streaming on the internet. It was the year people went gaga for Gaga and told Kanye he's heartless. Maybe he was upset that it was the year of Taylor Swift, the lanky Country teen dominated everyone and everything else in her path.

For me personally it was the year I completed my Top 100 Favorite albums posts. It only took what, two years? I'm big on lists though, as my wife says I have lists of my lists. And true to my self, here's more lists-

To start things off, here's my Top 5 favorite albums of 2009:

5. Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs - Under The Covers Vol. 2 / Chickenfoot - Chickenfoot (tie)

When old timers pool their talents, sometimes they can come up with something a little fresher than if they worked on their own. Fan that I am of Matthew Sweet and of his first pairing with the lead Bangle (2006's Vol 1.) I anxiously looked forward to this set of 70's covers. And fan that I am of Saint Sammy, how could I resist a combo with guitar god Joe Satriani, ex VH Mike Anthony and funky drummer Chad Smith? In both cases, the teams came up with solid discs touched with earnest excitement and heavenly bright spots. Sweet and Hoffs were a little more mechanical this time out than on their first combo yet still found magic in well worn power pop(Raspberries, Todd Rundgren) and classic rock (Rod Stewart, Yes) scripture. Meanwhile AOR geeks rejoiced, basking in the glory of hard hitting guitar driven grooves ("Soap On A Rope"), high flying rockers ("My Kinda Girl") and power balladry ("Learning To Fall") that's Hagar's stock in trade.

4. U2 - No Line On The Horizon

The Irish quartet returned to save the world again with their most subdued effort since...The Unforgettable Fire (1984)? I was turned off by the weak techno pop lead single "Get On Your Boots" which turned out to be the hardest rocking thing on the album. That's not to say No Line is a bad album, it's actually pretty good. The dream reteaming of producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois ensures the dreamy atmospherics envelope everything in its path, creating a disc that is as grey and cloudy as its album cover. Though "Moment Of Surrender" is a nice ballad, I found myself really digging the clunky rocker "Stand Up Comedy" in addition to the classic U2 flag waver "Magnificent" and the catchy "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight". But U2's quiet ways were too mysterious with their mass audience leading to weak sales. Wonder if they'll bring back the thunder next time out?

3. Pearl Jam - Backspacer

When I first picked up this disc I was somewhat disappointed that it seemed a little weak lyrically and that they had removed the anthem rock element they just reclaimed on '06's self titled album. A little after that I was notified I would be losing my job and this album took on special meaning to me. The enervated vibe, open ended lyrics and classic Vedder clenched teeth me-against-the-world delivery provided the motivating soundtrack to a month of hell. I've already gone on about this album in other posts so I'll end it by saying my feelings about this disc has increased greatly since my initial review of it.

2. Dave Matthews Band - Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King

For most of the past decade, Matthews seemed to be on the run from his own band - creatively that is. DMB brought in producers to try to swerve the sound away from the intricate jam band tendencies they built their name on. But the passing of saxophonist Leroi Moore seemed to change all that and as a result we got the loosest, grooviest DMB disc in ages. The slam bang breezy rock of "Why I Am" was a highlight on an album packed with the natural, tight and instrumentally impressive music that made DMB famous. Other highlights included the gently loping "You and Me", the Cameo "Word Up" send up "Shake Me Like A Monkey" and the Lillywhite Sessions reminiscent "Lying In The Hands Of God". Of studio albums, this was the best of the year. But I'm not done yet...

1. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Live Anthology

I debated over whether or not to include this, seeing how its an anthology of performances spanning back to the 70's and not a disc of new material. It's just I'm so blown away by this set (if I had done a separate post to review it Dixie would have given ten barks) that I feel compelled to include it. This is an outstanding set, five discs in all, of live performances taken from all phases of Petty's career with the Heartbreakers. Big hits, deep cuts, covers and what not are sewn together to form the facsimile of a live concert. Each song features a strong emotional performance and stack together to form something greater than the sum of its parts. This is one of the best box sets I've heard, it captures a spirit of the different facets of a brilliant artist better than most other box sets and does it with live cuts. I was lucky to get this set as a gift and even though I haven't watched the DVDs that came with it yet I will say that if you have the money to spend on this, it's well worth the price.

And now, my Top 10 songs of 2009:

10. The Lonely Island "I'm On A Boat" and Bruce Springsteen "The Wrestler" (tie)

Is having a tie a way of cheating so I can include an extra song or album in a countdown? Yup, and that won't stop me either. Comedy rappers The Lonely Island floated in "I'm On A Boat" early in the year and I turned a deaf ear to it until it was featured on a mash up with the movie Ponyo. I haven't gotten the song out of my head since then, with my flippy floppys while you're at Kinkos straight makin' copies! On the other end, The Boss provided a song for a movie soundtrack finding him in grumbly acoustic serious guy mode. He captures the soul of a beautiful loser perfectly. Technically this song is from 2008 but since I didn't listen to it until I bought this years Working On A Dream album I'm including it here.

9. Green Day "21 Guns"

All in all, I found Green Day's heavily hyped follow up to their modern classic American Idiot to be a fair but bloated affair. Except for a handful of cuts, one of them being "21 Guns" with its steady march beat and defiant chorus. Never did figure out what the song is actually about, after watching the overblown video for it I went off the song for a little while. I went back to it later, when you get to brass taxes I just like the beat and melody here.

8. Foreigner "Can't Slow Down"

A full review is to follow of the new Foreigner disc I got for Christmas. There's a lot of slow numbers on the new one, but the opening cut is a hard charging rocker that shares its title with the album. The current lead singer gets his Lou Gramm on (Grammophone?) to great affect as the guitars hammer onward to a charged anthemic chorus. A slice of AOR awesomeness on a stick.

7. U2 "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight"

Easily the catchiest tune on the recent U2 effort, you know a song is listener friendly when you hear it playing over the sound system of Home Depot while you shop for bricks. In one of those lazy susan musical influence deals, "Crazy" bears some resemblance to the sound Coldplay has employed to amazing success, the sound that borrows a lot from Radiohead and U2. What came first, the chicken or the egg? Either way, this is a pleasant pop rock feel good song.

6. Franz Ferdinand "No You Girls"

New new wavers Franz Ferdinand went from future stars to yesterdays news in a heartbeat between their first and second albums. On their third disc a desperate move (infusing their angular guitars with techno dance sound effects / beats) paid off with strong results peaking with "No You Girls". Balanced on a groove that is almost disco, the Scottish quartet bring the alternative rock cool on and back it up with a killer hook. The chorus has me flashing back to Greg Kihn's "Jeopardy". Normally I hate when a song is referred to as "hip". Franz Ferdinand justifies use of that word.

5. Dream Theater "The Best Of Times" (pts 1 and 2)

My favorite song off the musically spectacular but lyrically insipid DT disc Black Clouds and Silver Linings. The heartfelt intent of the words to "The Best Of Times" (not to be confused with the Styx song) about a man thanking his dying Dad is enough to overcome the maudlin sentimentality of the piece. Best of all, the proggy metalheads weave a tight fabric of instrumental virtuosity that pays off with a stunning John Petrucci guitar solo at the end. It's epic in all the right ways that make Dream Theater great.

4. Mandy Moore "I Could Break Your Heart Any Day Of The Week"

Unlikely 70's inflected pop from a former teen queen Britney Spears type singer, Mandy Moore hauled in a hand clap beat and cheap keyboards to finesse a tune that would have sounded right on an AM radio channel in 1973. And I'm a sucker for songs that use the days of the week in the chorus (see "Seven Days" under Sting for details). Amid the heavy clutter of machines and calculated marketing moves that make up modern pop music, Mandy Moore sounded like a breath of fresh air in '09. And yes, this is the same girl who once sang "Candy" and starred in those teen romance movies.

3. Bon Jovi "We Weren't Born To Follow"

OK, you're Jon Bon Jovi and you think: you know what a new Bon Jovi album needs? "Born To Be My Baby" with different lyrics! Yes, that's precisely what was needed Jon Bon Jovi. That sir, is why you earn the big bucks. Musical cop out that it is, I freakin love this song. Maybe it was the timing, I certainly could use encouraging music from a familiar artist. "We Weren't Born To Follow" (just noticed this title even has "Born" in it!) hit home and meant a lot to me. And thank you Richie Sambora for redoing that guitar solo.

2. Lady Antebellum "Need You Now"

Well look at that, I picked a Country song for number two. My cousin gave me the debut album which I thought was decent pop rock done Country style so when their new song for their second album popped up I gave it a shot. Well, I was floored by how good the new song is. A straightforward pop rock duet rendered nicely with able vocalists. Sure, this is about as Country as say Restless Hearts "When She Cries" (meaning its not) but that's fine with me, I don't listen to hardcore Country. This is like Starship's "Nothings Gonna Stop Us Now" for the new millennium. Which I guess isn't that new anymore since we're up to 2010.

1. Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs "Go All The Way"

Duets are us it seems, Sweet and Hoffs Marvel Team Up hit a home run with their cover of The Raspberries / Eric Carmen classic "Go All The Way". The revved up guitar riff and intertwining voices make for audio ecstasy thanks to an inspired performance by the dynamic duo. It may also help that my copy of the original song sounds like crap even though it's from a Time Life collection. Anyway, this cover encapsulated everything that makes the pairing of these two great. (The only place I could find the song online is their myspace page, you have to click on the song to play)

2009, so glad its gone. Next is the year in movies, tv and whatever else I can think of media related. Vampires you say? That is so last year and I hear they suck.

Old Timers Day

Classic rockers did their best to not let Rock and Roll die, spending the decade releasing new music to their shrinking fan bases. Some proved they still had something relevant to say while others looked like they were going thru the motions.

The Future Past Of Rock And Roll

Probably the most visible (and biggest following) performer to make my list is The Boss, Bruce Springsteen. He was prolific, putting out like five albums. Of those, the one to impress me was 2007's Magic where I felt he had a good batch of songs ("Radio Nowhere", "Livin In The Future" and "Long Way Home" were highlights) and recaptured some of the 'ol E Street magic (I thought they sounded stiff on 2002's The Rising which is otherwise a good disc). The Boss's idol, or The Bosses Boss if you will, Bob Dylan, issued the excellent Love and Theft in 2001. Dylan's album had a ramshackle well worn feel alongside vibrant material (like the relaxing "Sugar Baby"). Meanwhile, Sir Paul McCartney came up with a winner on his Chaos And Creation In The Backyard (2005) by having quality tunes and a nice homemade feel. "Jenny Wren" had a great classic Beatles feel to it.

Let Your Freak Flag Fly

More prolific was Neil Young who should win the award for most faithful recreation of a 60's event by spitting out a vitriolic anti war album in Living With War (2006) which doesn't make my list for song quality yet deserves mentioning just for intent. Maybe the only 60's liberal rock survivor I can think of that used his flower power era anti establishment cred for something other than a marketable cache of cool. Agree or disagree with him, Young showed guts to stand behind his established politics even as it just made him seem that much more like a walking antique. But in terms of the actual music, I liked the acoustic Prairie Wind (2005) on which Young muses on fleeting personal mortality.

John Mellencamp also went acoustic and a little somber on Life, Death, Love and Freedom (that's probably not the right title but too tired to look up right title) the disc that turned around decades of hatred...for me that is. I hated John Mellencamp's music since 1982 yet this album grabbed my attention. This disc made me feel like American values of fairness and freedom for all were slipping through my very fingers. Impressive album.

Jackson Browne (a personal favorite of mine) also went anti war in a more low key way (because he is Jackson Browne after all) in 2008's Time The Conqueror. Browne's songwriting was as eloquent and So Cal with its laid back urgency (oxymoron alert!) as ever in an enjoyable way. And though John Fogerty made an anti war statement on the weak Deja Vu All Over Again (2004) CD, he turned it around musically by reviving his Creedence sound on Revival (2007). By getting back to his old swamp grounds Fogerty's anti Bush rants like "Gunslinger" carried more weight.

Peaceful Easy Feeling

Speaking of laid back So Cal urgency, Browne's fellow scenesters also dished out plenty of harmony driven goodness. Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks had nice solo turns with Under the Skin (2006) and Trouble In Shangri La (2001) respectively, outshining their one Mac disc together the spotty Say You Will (2003). Buckingham went the acoustic route with rewarding results. The minimal instrumentation gave a break from Buckingham's usually dense production style adding freshness to head boppers like "Show You How". Ms. Nicks pumped up her resume' with a polished disc containing older songs written in her songwriting prime. Hence the outstanding numbers "Sorcerer" and "Planets Of The Universe" saw the light of day with strong results.

Meanwhile Hell froze over again thanks to The Eagles double disc smackdown Long Road To Eden (2007). While far from an astounding album, it's solid and a firm reminder of their best qualities.

Gotcha Covered

Because writing new compelling material is the ultimate challenge for every rock and roll artist, watching established performers turn to cover albums became a regular event. Of these, my favorite was the first Matthew Sweet / Susannah Hoffs team up Under The Covers Vol 1 (2006). They had a nice heartfelt vibe in paying tribute to power pop's past. Jack Blades (Night Ranger) and Tommy Shaw (Styx) also teamed up well on their paean to the early 70's with Influence (2007). Shaw / Blades had the best cover of Yes' "Your Move" ever (Sweet / Hoffs covered it in '09). In this list of Marvel Comics Team Ups I've got to throw in The Black Crowes with Jimmy Page Live At The Greek (2000) for tearin' it up on Led Zep covers. Let's face it, unless you were one of those Billionaires at the one and only Led Zep reunion show this is as close as you're gonna get to Valhalla. Bean town's Aerosmith rocked hard and well on their "blues" covers album Honkin On Bobo (2004) including a nice zipping take on "Baby Please Don't Go". Lastly, Def Leppard's best effort in the 21st Century was 2006's Yeah. Lep even got me to enjoy "Rock On", a song I personally loathe for just plain sucking in general.

Next, I'll run a catch all thru the remaining genres before naming my favorite album of the new millennium.

Empty Sky

I'm sure you don't need me to tell you today is 9/11, tonight's twofer music video is going to have that theme (I should note this was inspired after reading the blog Layla's Classic Rock) . The first song is a Bruce Springsteen song called "Into The Fire" which was written about the tragedy and heroism of that horrible day. The second song is Wilco's "Jesus etc" which was written before 9/11 but I didn't hear until years afterward. It has a melancholy tone and lyrics about tall buildings shaking that unwittingly fits the mood of post 9/11 well.

Happy Labor Day

Are you ready?

Today is Labor Day, a day of appreciation for the working people. With this in mind, I thought I would put together my Top 10 motivational songs for getting in a work mood. Some will be predictable choices, some maybe not and some will seem entirely out of context. So some of these song choices might seem a little out there, but I'm basing the listing on how these songs motivate me personally. listing how these songs strike me. In today's world I'm happy for every day I have a job so here's my Top 10 list:

10. Rush "Working Man"

Didn't I say there would be some predictable choices! What self respecting rock radio station doesn't play this song when the subject of work comes up? They call me the working man, that's what I am...

9. Bruce Springsteen "Working On A Dream"

The Boss has written a ton of songs about work (like probably half his songs) yet possibly because this is the most recent one "Working On A Dream" is the most motivating for me. Though I think Springsteen meant for this to be about the mood of the country, it fits for personal work as well. Why work if you're not trying to accomplish something?

8. Huey Lewis and the News "Working For A Living"

One of Huey's best in my opinion or as they say on the internet IMO, this rapid bar band blues boogie has energy to spare.

7. Kool Moe Dee "I Go To Work"

So, how do ya like me now? An actual rap song is on my list even if it is from like 1988. I go to work, trained to brain and outfox ya. Or something like that. It's all about attitude and I like the James Bond edge to it.

6. Metallica "Disposable Heroes"

Now we're really in "out of context" land, I think this song is about infantry soldiers blindly following orders to their death. In a work context, I think of the part with the rushing Metalli-riff and James Hetfield barking "Back to the front!!!" more than the part about being a fool or blind man. Very militant sounding tune.

5. Chris Rea "Working On It"

The hook to this song has stuck in my mind for two decades and just a month ago I found out who does this one. I found it on Itunes and didn't download it right away...my mistake because it was taken off Itunes shortly after. Although the song has a bit of a "get off my back" 'tude I think more about the down and dirty work vibe.
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4. Johnny Cash "I've Been Everywhere"

Part of having pride in your work is the belief you actually know what it is you're doing. With the man in black narrating a ride throughout the countryside name checking this place or that, you can hear the hard earned pride. I've been everywhere man, I've been everywhere.

3. Jackson Browne "The Pretender"

One of my favorite songwriters, Jackson Browne always has a flair for capturing melancholy disillusionment. As much as any of us would like to believe we could make a living for being swell people that suck air, the fact is that you have to work for what you want in life. "The Pretender" is a reminder to me of that simple truth, so I unironically say I'm going to be a happy idiot and struggle for the legal tender.

2. The Black Crowes "Go Faster"

Every day is a challenge to work as fast as possible.

1. Motorhead "Play The Game"

The theme song to WWE wrestler Triple HHH, "The Game"! Triple HHH earned his nickname by being an attentive and motivated student of pro wrestling to the point that people said he wasn't playing the game, he was the game. Or as he likes to say "I am the Game! Because I am That Damn Good!" This is a guy who tore a quadricep muscle in the middle of a wrestling match and still finished the match, hitting all his spots. If that's not work ethic, I don't know what is. Like Kool Moe Dee, this is an attitude song about being on top of your, ahem, game.

That's me list, I can't believe Loverboy didn't make it on here. They're number 11. Maybe because mostly I listen to rock songs, it's hard to find ones that say anything positive about working on something. I don't think I'm alone in changing the meaning of a song to fit a personal mood, as many times as I've seen "Taking Care of Business" used to mean a badass work ethic (when I read the lyrics a year ago I found out the song is about avoiding work). But as they say that's neither here nor there. Labor Day is almost over, tomorrow the game begins again!

10 - 9 - 8

The Police Sting

Time to jump into the Top 10 of my favorite albums of all time. Todo tiempo. Wrote a song about it, want to hear it? Here it goes...

10. Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska (1982)

The Boss went demo style on his '82 release, recording this album on his own with an acoustic guitar and some harmonica. Written at the height of his artistic power, Nebraska tells in detail the stories of hard luck losers who find themselves on the wrong side of morality through a combination of disposition, economics and fate. One of my favorite Boss tunes, "Highway Patrolman", is downright moving with its tale of law versus family. The soft beauty of "Mansion On The Hill" and the desperate march of "Atlantic City" add to the pile of brilliant songwriting. Ending with the rough yet optimistic "Reason To Believe", Springsteen plants a punctuation mark on an amazing album.

9. Metallica - Master Of Puppets (1986)

Tragically the final album with bassist Cliff Burton, Metallica's songcraft and sonic fury hit it's peak on the piledriving Master Of Puppets. The thunderous title track alone has become a live classic sung by Arenas around the world. "Disposable Heroes" has motivated me through my work day many times. "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" is a song I wasn't big on at first but in recent years has become a favorite, I love when they hit that bridge. "Battery" has long been high on my list of faves, a bone crushing rocker that I recently found out was named after Battery Street in San Francisco. And I will always remember this album for containing my wife's #1 Metallica song, "The Thing That Should Not Be". Pure Metal Madness.

8. The Police - Synchronicity (1983)

It was the hot, hot summer of '83 when my neighbor went on a major Police binge and bought all of their tapes (which meant I got to copy all of his tapes). Synchronicity was and is a flawless album where even the slight moments have magic. The second half reads like a greatest hits collection in itself: "Synchronicity II", "Every Breath You Take", "King Of Pain" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger". The first half had the killer "Synchronicity I", the percussion driven "Walking In Your Footsteps" and Andy Summer's demented "Mother". I spent a lot of sweaty summer nights rockin to this album and seeing them live that year was a definite highlight.

That's the first three of my Top 10, as I get closer to the end I'll go track by track on the albums to milk it for all its worth. :)

Midnight Madness - Easter Bunny Edition

Today is Easter, so Happy Easter everyone! While this day has religious meaning for many, for me it is the day of the Easter Bunny. As I like to call my wife Bunny, this is her day! Love you Bunny!!

Don't Mess With The Lohan - A rough week for Lindsey Lohan, Stevie Nicks publicly denounced Lohan's repeated attempts to get the rights to Nicks' life story. Presumably to portray the famed singer on film. Because if it's one thing Nicks can't relate to, it's a young person indulging in sex and drugs to the point of self destruction.

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Worst. Movie Title. Ever. - There's a movie being heavily advertised right now called Fighting. Wow, how many months did they agonize over that movie title? One thing if for sure, you can't say the advertising is misleading for this film.

We Pay - It had to happen sooner or later, ITunes went to a tiered pricing system with some songs now costing $1.29 per track. Will ITunes jump the shark boosting prices in the middle of a recession?

American Idol update - Adam Lambert kicked out the jams again with a stunning rendition of Tears For Fears "Mad World" while my fave Alison Iraheta gave a strong version of Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me". While Scott MacIntyre may have had the burning heart, his sloppy take on Survivor's "The Search Is Over" left him down for the count.

Zombies! - Actor Woody Harrelson's recent attack on a member of the paprazzi he explained was due to his mistaking the photographer for a zombie after recently wrapping a film where he fought the undead. I'll have to remember that excuse if I ever attack someone. "I'm sorry officer, I hit that man because I thought the dead had come back to life and wanted to eat my brains. It won't happen again."

The Big Muddy? - Bruce Springsteen is accused of cheating again, this time by an ex-husband in a divorce case. Both Springsteen and the ex-wife deny the accusation.

Real, Real, Real - Of the multitude of Real Housewives of... Tv series it looks like New York is the one that is catching on the most. We've watched the show and enjoy the fun of seeing rich people whose egos are bigger than their substantial bank accounts. And now with a Countess losing her Count and rumors of A Rod dating a cast member there could be even more drama coming up.

Terminated? - The Sarah Connor Chronicles saw its rating dwindle this season and had to switch from Monday to Friday nights, partially because of a boring second season. Then, in the final two episodes they upped their game by killing off people and finally, finally bringing in some excitement. But is it too little too late? With a cliffhanger season ender, if the show gets cancelled we'll never know what happens...other than what comes up in Terminator: Salvation of course.

Wanted Dead or Alive - The band Bon Jovi is suing an all girl tribute band for naming themselves Blonde Jovi over the name. Really? Good thing I didn't title this blog "Blog Jovi".

Double Trouble - The Arc Angels have returned, Charlie Sexton, Doyle Bramhall II and Chris Layton have come back. Cool! To wrap things up, here's some Arc Angels for ya.

Arc Angels

Artist Spotlight: Bruce Springsteen 1988 - 2009

Touchdown! Bruce Springsteen cements his place in rock & roll history with a triumphant set at the Super Bowl.

The first half of Bruce Springsteen's career 1972 - 1987 is the stuff of legend. His albums were practically flawless, his live shows were the Gold standard of endurance and entertainment and even his B Sides were better than most people's full records. In the mid - 80's, Springsteen was the musical equivalent of Superman: A dark haired, chiseled higher life form with the perfect life fighting for truth, justice and the American way. To many fans, Bbrruuucceee was the human embodiment of working class Americana. Bruce Springsteen was "The Boss".

Riding high on hits like "Born to Run", "Born in the U.S.A.", "Born in East L.A"-no wait, that last one was Cheech Marin, "Hungry Heart", Springsteen seemed unstoppable in 1987. His then recent marriage to pretty actress Julianne Phillips seemed to complete the picture of him being the ultimate American hero. But while on tour supporting his Tunnel of Love album (an album filled with romantic doubt, interestingly) pictures surfaced in the tabloids of Springsteen sitting with his background singer Patti Scialfa on his lap. Rumors flared about a steamy relationship between The Boss and his employee, rumors that proved to be true. Springsteen and Phillips divorced and the "perfect" public image of Springsteen was cracked. It was like finding out Superman was cheating on Lois Lane with Lana Lang. When talking to people at the time, many seemed to feel Springsteen could no longer claim the moral high ground he had touted in his music. In effect, The Boss had been fired by his public.

Springsteen married Scialfa in 1991 and moved to L.A., away from his famed Jersey roots. He broke up the E Street Band in search of a new sound and brought in session players to fill the gaps. By 1992 he was ready to return, armed with two simultaneous album releases a'la Guns N Roses. How would the public react?

Human Touch (1992)

The main record of the two being released was Human Touch, an album that continued Tunnel of Love's penchant for relationship songs. But where Tunnel dug in and had a sense of feeling and honesty, Human Touch sounds contrived and empty to me. There were some bright spots, the title track is a favorite of mine and the quiet With Every Wish was memorable if only for its parable like chorus. The rest of the album just kinda lays there, a slick sounding disc with pumped up guitars and a whopping beat (courtesy of the late Jeff Porcaro). 57 Channels is a risk that pays off with a spoken word delivery and throbbing bass line. Midway through recording, Springsteen brought in one former E Streeter Roy Bittan to help flesh out the music. His impact is noticeable, particularly on the near classic E Street sound of Roll of the Dice. But it also ends up being a cheat, Bittan's presence ties the sound so closely to Springsteen's previous work that the changes that are made hardly seem noticeable.

Lucky Town (1992)

The story is that Springsteen went back to the studio to record one more song for Human Touch and instead wrote a whole album. Though simultaenously released, it's considered Touch's junior and was virtually ignored. That was too bad, because Lucky Town was everything Human Touch wasn't: raw, relevant and a sense of honest feeling. It's Springsteen's most personal album, the one that I see get cited the most when fans relate their life events directly to his music. Lucky Town packs in the thrill of forbidden love (the title track), the pride of having children (Living Proof), the Scarlet letter shame of being found out (The Big Muddy), the loss of no longer being The Boss (Local Hero) and briefly casts an eye on the nihilism around him (Souls of the Departed). The stripped down rock sound of Lucky Town gives character that's missing in the haze of over production on its counterpart. It's not a GREAT record, but if you're a fan then this is a good one to hear.

Greatest Hits (1995)

Springsteen isn't an artist who lends himself well to single disc comp packages considering how many of his album tracks fans took to heart over the more promoted material. But the hit Streets of Philadelphia from the film Philadelphia demanded a cash in of some kind. That song, with its sparse mechanical drum beat and Springsteen mumbling over a wash of synths, was a huge hit song all over the radio and pointed into the direction he would take. For Greatest Hits, Springsteen reformed the E Street Band to record strong tracks like Murder Incorporated (one of my personal faves). Yet it was another sparsely arranged tune, Secret Garden, that hit the radio again and became the ersatz theme to the movie Jerry Maguire.

The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995)

True to form, following the two CD rock sound of his 1992 releases Springsteen went back to an acoustic format for his following disc. The Ghost of Tom Joad was touted as a return to Nebraska like starkness and Joad is pretty darn stark. Maybe it was living in L.A., no longer having a mandate to comment directly on middle America Springsteen championed a new set of people - migrant workers and people on the fringe. The Ghost of Tom Joad is a folky album of downbeat tales about the poor having wealthy America kick them in the face and leaving them desperate, robbing, killing, dealing drugs and dying forgotten. This album was hard for me to take, not because it was poorly written but because it had almost no melody (the excellent title song and Youngstown are the exceptions). It's like a book on tape with some guitar and keyboards. Still, years later the fan in me wants to give this disc another chance. So I did. The power and detail of the storytelling is impressive. Now that I'm older, I can appreciate the stories better even with the lack of melody. This is sit-down-with-Bruce-at-the-campfire-and-hear-sad-stories, it's an album I appreciate a little bit more now. And it might give you something to think about next time you see a group of day laborers hanging out near the hardware store.

Tracks (1999)

After decades of hearing how great Springsteen's unreleased material was, he finally put together a four CD set of this stuff. Much like tracking his career, the quality of the material is uniformly strong until you get to the last disc (the 90's). Great songs like the Rosalita jr. that is Thundercrack, the high speed "Dollhouse" and the rollicking "Where The Bands Are" proves that the rumors were true-Springsteen's throwaways were better than most other artists prime material. And the acoustic version of Born in the U.S.A. impressed me much more than the full band version ever did. At this time Springsteen brought back together the E Street band and garnered a lot of ill will for writing the song American Skin (41 Shots) about the New York City killing of an innocent man by police mistaking the man for a criminal. A pivotal track, "Skin" was the first time Springsteen would take the moral high ground in song in over ten years.

The Rising (2002)

Even with the E Street Band back in tow and the scandal of his cheating erased by time and his stable marriage to Scialfa, Springsteen still was not quite The Boss again. Then, 9/11 happened and Springsteen came flying back to action with an album to address it. Focusing his songwriting about the terrorist attack, victims and its effects, The Rising takes a look at sacrifice, heroism, loss and the need for communication. Tracks like Empty Sky, You're Missing and Into The Fire go to the heart of the matter. The rousing title track brings becomes a call to arms for the country to rise up against a common enemy. My City of Ruins was originally written with New Jersey in mind, it's inclusion at the end of this album made it the "go-to" song for media covering wide spread disasters. Musically it's a decent album, the E Street Band sound a little stiff to me and thematically it doesn't flow as smoothly as I thought it should. The Rising is a strong disc though and it propelled Springsteen back into Bosshood, he was once again the voice of the People.

Devils & Dust (2005)

After John Kerry's Presidential bid bit the er, dust (Kerry was strongly supported by Springsteen) The Boss released not an acoustic album but a more subdued rock album sans E Street. The title track solidified Springsteen's latest direction, creating music that tries to capture the times from his perspective. In this case delving into the confusion of Iraq from the first person point of view of an imagined soldier. Like Ghost of Tom Joad, Devils went into a series of character studies but with his Boss status regained Springsteen could broaden his approach to almost anyone. A mix of love, sex, loss and mojo are shot through Springsteen's story telling here. Controversy was sparked by Reno, a sort of Leaving Las Vegas: the not Sheryl Crow song detailing sex with a prostitute. For me, the highpoint was the high voiced All I'm Thinkin About which trust me is a song you never want to hear me sing. Or any song for that matter, but this one definitely.

We Shall Overcome: The Pete Seeger Sessions (2006)

Another critically acclaimed move that left me cold, Springsteen swerved into some ancient sounding folk music here. Once again I gave his music another chance, I was put off by the old tymey vibe the first time around. Still, this is Springsteen's most jubilant effort. Even when singing sad songs he sounds really happy. Maybe it's knowing that this was a one-off that makes me a little less critical of this album now. I enjoyed this disc in parts, O Mary Don't You Weep was fun as well as Pay Me My Money Down and We Shall Overcome. The use of older songs gave The Boss an opportunity to dig into Civil Rights and protest music in a safe form for the public. A pleasant curio, makes me want to ride a horse in a bowler hat and shoot someone with a Derringer. I have caught you cheating at the gentlemanly game of Black Jack sir, you card sharp! You foul fiend!

Magic (2007)

I initially thought this disc was about middle age, turns out it was a diatribe against the Bush years. In any context, this was easily the best Springsteen disc I had heard in a long time. The E Street Band, given some time off for Devils & Dust and Seeger, return and are on target for Magic. They are relaxed and fired up for full tilt rockers like Radio Nowhere or Last to Die. Some classic boardwalk strut hits Living in the Future while the Boss croons a bit to the swirling Girls in their Summer Clothes. By putting politics into a relationship song format, Springsteen is able to have his cake and eat it too. I was a little disappointed at first because there was nothing as classic as say "Dancing in the Dark", yet I played this disc for over a year and found new insight the longer I played it. By the end I liked this album a lot. An album that grows in quality over time, Magic shows a man taking a hard look at his Country and bemoaning its lost values. Long Walk Home sums up his stance most effectively and is a kickin song to boot. He really was the Boss again.

Working On A Dream (2009)

With E Street organist Danny Federici passing away and the nation in a serious recession you would think Springsteen would be even more downbeat. But he had shown the misery last time, now it was time to bring in the promise. A bookend to Magic, Springsteen seemed to feel a little more positive this time out. Where the last three albums found The Boss in a mood to protest about the direction of the Country, Working placed Springsteen between 60's reverie and hope for the modern day. Couched in orchestral ambiance, Springsteen takes a trip to remind us of what is great about America with an audio tour of modified hippie idealism. The whistling solo of the title cut, squiggly guitar lines of Life Itself and the old school organ playing of Surprise Surprise recall a flower power world of Peace and Love. And if anyone forgot the Boss was once called "the new Dylan", he gets really Dylany on Tomorrow Never Knows in full on "I Want You" mode. A touch of domesticity is also celebrated on cuts like Kingdom of Days or Queen of the Supermarket. This is Springsteen's most open and optimistic album that I can remember, though it's not quite as good as Magic. Happy music is a tough sell in rock & roll, often undercutting some of its power. However, Springsteen's an artist able to rise to the challenge and has made an album that is a good fit for the new Obama administration's themes. Working On A Dream is a winning disc that will give a smile right from the start when you realize the orchestra is pumping Kiss's "I Was Made For Lovin' You" during the first song Outlaw Pete.

Bruce Springsteen's Super Bowl performance was the capper, his return to being spokesman / conscientious party guy for a generation was complete. Also riding high on a song for the film The Wrestler, Springsteen has performed the near impossible feat of remaining relevant while still retaining his classic rock status. Like Van Zandt shouted at the Bowl, it's Boss time!

Mr Mike Project 1981

OK, we're up to 1981. A year that saw the people who practically invented the genre make their final significant contribution to their legacy (The Stones, The Who). Arena rock was in full swing with Styx, REO, Foreigner and Journey dominating the charts. A year to remember indeed.

One of the big debates I had with myself was where to draw the line between mainstream rock and Arena Rock. It was a tough call sometimes. I immediately removed anything that seemed hardcore Metal, so no Metallica, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, etc. New Wave artists who were considered Arena Rock later on, i.e. The Police and U2, didn't make the cut. Also, I had to rule out most Midwestern rock, so no John Mellencamp (though "Hurts So Good" came close to making my list), one Bob Seger song and no Tom Petty. The only major Midwest rocker I included was Bruce Springsteen, just because I've seen him twice and its hard to sit through a stadium of people sing along to "Hungry Heart" and not consider him a little Arena Rock. That and other people on my discs were heavily influenced by the Boss so it seems strange to not have him there.

What made it close even for Springsteen is what I consider to be the overriding element of Arena Rock: Cheese. There must be cheese. Not smooth, tasty cheese either. It must be government cheese, cheap and strong like a pimp's cologne. You can smell it a mile away. It must be overblown and a little pretentious to become real AOR. Like standing downwind from a sewage treatment plant, you must sense the overpowering nature of Arena Rock!

Disc 1:

Loverboy - Working For The Weekend

The Canadian rockers pumped up the wavy synths and came up with the all time anthem for weekend warriors everywhere. Get ready 'cause it's flag football time.

AC/DC - For Those About To Rock

No subtlety allowed in the land of Album Oriented Rock, you gotta give it up to a band that literally pulls out the canons to blow you away.

Rush - Tom Sawyer

It's probably my old age, but geekdom was tougher in the old days. You didn't have as many computers to do the thinking for you, games required dice and calculating imaginary statistics. Watching movies required going to a movie theater. And the bands you listened to had musical prowess and science fiction lyrics. Yet all the wisdom points in the medieval world couldn't match the awesome power of Rush. If you spent hours playing Star Raiders on Atari with a wore out joy stick then this is your jam.

Pat Benatar - Fire and Ice

Remember those old all weather tire advertisements that would put the tire through heat and cold? That has nothing to do with this song, Pat wails about those head playin' dudes.

Jefferson Starship - Find Your Way Back

Guitarist Craig Chaquico tears it up with this catchy rocker that plays well off of Mickey Thomas' soaring voice. Did Paul Kantner have a clue that he was losing control of his band? Hmmm...

38 Special - Hold on Loosely

What can I say about this song I haven't said already? How about calling this "Important dating tips from heavily bearded men."

Foreigner - Urgent

"You're not shy / You get around" Lou Gramm sets up the story early about his hard rock bootie call punctuated by Junior Walker's magnificent sax solo.

Rod Stewart - Young Turks

I couldn't fit "Infatuation" in on 1984, hated "Baby Jane" and didn't think "Lost in You" had enough impact so I settled for "Young Turks". My wife said I didn't like this song. Maybe I didn't, but it fits the bill in representin' Rod in the AOR 80's.

Rick Springfield - Jessie's Girl

Two words: Pure. Genius.

Def Leppard - Bringin' On The Heartbreak

The Lep make the jump to the big time with this pounding ballad, can't you see...can't you see......No! No-oauh! Noooaahhhh! And then a decade later Mariah Carey would transform this song into an epic disaster.

Point Blank - Nicole

Two fisted drinking bar band sound with a slight California polish. Makes me want to grab Janet and Chrissy for a drink at the Regal Beagle.

Triumph - Fight The Good Fight

The poor man's Rush set their flash pots for kill on this, er, triumphant salute to power rock. Oh, and I totally mean that as a compliment, I love Triumph!

Styx - Too Much Time On My Hands

Tommy Shaw's sardonic tale of unemployment blues strikes a chord as much now as it did then.

Rainbow - I Surrender

Restraint has never been Richie Blackmore's strong suit, but here he stays out of wailin' Joe Lynn Turner's way.

Spider - New Romance

Would you believe this early 80's band wrote and performed John Waite's "Change" and Tina Turner's "Better Be Good To Me" first? I couldn't either but it's true. Classic upbeat 80's power pop dressed up as AOR.

Santana - Winning

One of the great sports montage tracks of the time, I remember a local commercial featuring a lot of jogging in slo mo to the tune of this track.

Bruce Springsteen - Hungry Heart

Really this came from '80 but I decided to place the Boss on my discs at the last second. Would you believe this was originally written with The Ramones in mind?

Kansas - Hold On

Another 1980 track, I just had to have some classic lineup Kansas thrown in if I could.

Disc 2:

The Rolling Stones - Start Me Up

Is that the sound of Window's '95 loading? The last great Stones rip gets their swagger on in a big way. I'm still curious about how this sounded when they tried to make it reggae.

Chilliwack - My Girl

Always loved this bands name. Alternating between sunny and dark as the girl in question stone cold leaves Chilliwack in the dust.

REO Speedwagon - Take It On The Run

Arguably the Illinois band's best known track, we all took the "Heard it from a friend who" section hook line and sinker.

April Wine - Just Between You and Me

Myles Goodwin gets all sentimental and French thinkin' misty eyed thoughts.

Journey - Who's Cryin' Now

The addition of keyboardist Jon Cain gave vocalist Steve Perry the writing partner he needed to sell heartfelt ballads to the muscle T masses.

Blue Oyster Cult - Burnin For You

You know you want to throw on some shades and drive your El Dorado to the park to chug a lug some brew when you hear this song. Admit it!

Peter Frampton - Breaking All The Rules

Because I wasn't covering the 70's I was really worried I would have nothing to represent the guy who ushered in the Arena Rock era in earnest. Then I found this cut on ITUNES. I was so freakin' happy.

Night - Hot Summer Nights

I found out about this group on ITUNES too. Never heard of them before that, but you can't beat this laid back good time rock with a quintessential 80's band name.

Red Rider - Lunatic Fringe

This is one of those songs that hung around all decade long but never seemed to become a big hit.

Van Halen - Unchained

My all time favorite Van Halen track, monster guitars and David Lee Roth throwin' attitude all over. Hey hey, one break comin' up!

Prism - Don't Let Him Know

Another of Canada's finest serves up electro hand claps and razzle dazzle keyboards to a marching beat.

Sammy Hagar - There's Only One Way To Rock

...and it's Sammy's way.

Genesis - Abacab

I don't know much about playing musical instruments, but I was blown away when it was revealed the title is a chord progression.

ELO - Hold On Tight

A great song. So why have all my memories of this cut been obliterated by a commercial for pain relievers?

Stevie Nicks - Edge of Seventeen

My favorite witchy woman let's her white winged dove loose to a jittering guitar riff.

The Cars - Shake It Up

Is it mainstream rock or is it New Wave? We'll never know, The Cars were the only band to straddle that line perfectly.

The Who - You Better You Bet

How many CSI shows do you think they'll have to make before this gets made a theme song? You Better (shine a flashlight on a dead body) You Better (look constipated viewing through a microscope lens) You Bet (act like a big shot at a crime scene). CSI Tacoma anyone?

The Little River Band - The Night Owls

When the bass player sang lead on this track, little did they know that it would eventually result in his taking over the band. He wasn't even an original member! But Little River Band still tours to this day, the bass player is the only guy that was there for the hitmaking years.

That's 1981, my next set of CDs go to the year that got me hooked on music - 1982.

Midnight Madness - Super Bowl Edition

"The Catch" part 2: The Steeler's make a touchdown pass reminscent of the 49ers famous snag.

We Will We Will Rock You! Just warming up for the...oh, that was last week? Yeah it was, the first Super Bowl I've watched in about 20 years or so went pretty well. I don't really follow sports or watch it on tv much, I enjoyed playing the games more than observing them (a victim of my short attention span, I love highlight reels because you see the exciting parts without all the strategy and what not) and can't recall watching a Bowl game since that one with Da Bears. You know the one, the one where Jim McMahon tried to show off early on with a bootleg and got turned inside out on the tackle. Anywho, this Super Bowl was an exciting game where the Arizona Cardinals (still St Louis to me) was narrowly beaten by the...jeez, I can't remember who won. The Pittsburgh Steelers, that's who. Glad to see the Terrible Towels are still around. I forgot his name already, but I can't recall seeing a quarterback as big as a lineman before (the Steelers guy) who was mobile as hell. My wife and I had a friendly wager that resulted in me winning a "pamper day" (not the diaper) and yesterday we had a nice day of pizza and DVD watching :) Thank you Bunny! Now, on to the Madness!

Cranked Up? - The famed Super Bowl commercials didn't really impress me much this year, what stuck the most is the one with Jason Stratham going Grand Theft Auto through a series of decades. That wasn't bad, the "I'm Good" beer commercial I can see catching on too. My favorite was the hip hop astronauts getting their moon buggy's tires stripped while they were collecting moon rocks.

Save Jack - Which reminds me, the current series of ads that started at the Super Bowl of Jack from Jack in the Box being in a major accident is a major bummer. He's my favorite fast food pitchman, it's like they're blowing up the clown all over again.

It's Boss Time! - Bruce Springsteen pulled out the stops for his half time show, scampering around, sliding into cameras and slinging his guitar around with a big grin on his face. And the way Ticketmaster is selling his tour tickets, the Super Bowl coverage is probably the best seats anyone will score for seeing him live this year.

Devils & Dust- The Boss' business blues continued with regretting his Wal - Mart deal following a backlash from fans. At least his new CD Working On A Dream went to #1 on the charts.

Going Bat Sh*t - First, Batman gets no respect from the Oscars with hardly any major noms. Then a tape recording of Christian Bale going all Hollywood tantrum on a lighting guy from the set of Terminator: Salvation hits the media. The fit Bale threw was so extreme the actor could barely defend his own "I'm in character" excuse. Any other working person would be fired for the behavior Bale displayed. Ah the perks of being a movie star.

At Last - Etta James goes off on both Beyonce and President Obama following the Bootylicious One's performance of "At Last" during the Presidential Inauguration. She went as far as to say Beyonce was going to get her ass beat, which would be a threat if it wasn't for her age. Ah the perks of being unable to carry out threats.

Passings - Both keyboardist Billy Powell (Lynyrd Skynyrd) and drummer Dewey Martin (Buffalo Springfield) passed away over the last two weeks :(

Year of the Dragon - is the name of my favorite Mickey Rourke movie, a brutal cop film in which he plays a detective that's racist against Asians while working a case in Chinatown. It's one of those movies that's so awesomely bad it's good. Speaking of Rourke, he dropped out of Wrestlemania as quickly as he announced his participation in it. Someone must have tipped him off that Best Actor nominees don't win if their next career move is actual wrestling.

A plot to take over the world? - Pearl Jam, Van Halen and Spinal Tap - yes, THE Spinal Tap, are either working on or planning to work on new music. It could be the perfect storm of hard rock thunder.

Bikini Wax - The most notable contestant so far in this year's American Idol, Bikini Girl, ran her 10 seconds of fame right down to it's annoying end this week. Too soon to tell if anyone truly talented is in this year though there are flashes of promise.

Bridgestone Tires Ad

Midnight Madness - "Sully" Sullenberger Edition

Hero of the Day - Chesley Sullenberger III

It's been in the news a while now, still I thought it would be good to give a shout out to real life hero "Sully" Sullenberger for safely landing a jet in the water following engine failure. He saved a lot of lives that day by doing exactly what he was supposed to do and responding to a grave emergency with skill and dedication. It's been a long time since we've had a national hero, nice to see one with old school values that includes modesty. The rest of the crew and rescue teams also responded well to the disaster. I'll wrap up by saying thank you, Mr. Sullenberger, for a job well done.

Now, on to the Midnight Madness:

A Dark Night - For Batman fans hoping to get a little respect from the Academy. The Oscar noms limited their love for The Dark Knight to the late Heath Ledger (in the major categories at least). You would think Batman was some type of outlaw, running from the police after seeing how the Academy treats him. Bats is in good company though, Bruce Springsteen was also snubbed despite his excellent song for The Wrestler.

Hit The Lights - Meanwhile Metallica fans have reason to bang their head, the Metal band is going to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Jeff Beck and Run D.M.C. are being inducted as well (Little Anthony & the Imperials and Bobby Womack round out the induction honorees this year). I know it won't happen, but if the ending jam session with these guys includes Run D.M.C.'s It's Tricky that would make my day. Let's see James Hetfield cold bust some rhymes with some Jeff Beck soloing on top. Too cool.

Hell Yeah! - The awards season is in full swing, the first inductee to the WWE Hall of Fame is none other than the Rattlesnake! Stone Cold! Stone Cold! What? Stone Cold Steve Austin!

No Rod the Mod - Rod Stewart has put the kibosh on rumors of a Faces reunion. I guess we'll get stuck with whatever other ancient genre he decides to tackle next instead. I can see it now: Rod Stewart sings 19th Century sea shanties now on sale for $10.99. Hear Rod's new single "Blow the Man Down" available exclusively at Wal Mart. It comes with the bonus track "Row Row Your Boat".

Lemon? - The new U2 single Get On Your Boots is out and I have to admit to being a little disappointed. With Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois and Steve Lillywhite back in the producer's chair I was expecting something a little more classic leaning like their last album. Instead it seem's they're reviving some of that electronica Pop sound from the '90's. I'm still looking forward to the new disc and maybe this song will grow on me. Based on the few times I've heard it the song does get better on each listen. It wouldn't be the first time U2 put out music I was resistant to at first and dug later on. I did notice one of the other song titles on the new album is "Fez - Being Born". Did they write a song about that kid on That 70's Show?

Do You Really Want To Hurt Me? - Boy George has been sentenced to 15 months in jail for imprisoning and beating a male escort. Church of the Poisoned Mind indeed.

She's a little bit Charm School, He's a little bit Rock & Roll - The Osbournes are coming back to TV in a variety show planned for Fox. Sorry Ozzy, now that you're no longer a drug addled burn out you're just not as funny anymore. We all know you've cleaned up and are just fakin' it now.

Hey You Guys! - The Electric Company is returing to television. Can they get Morgan Freeman back?

Yippie Ki Yay! - While watching music videos I came across this parody of the Die Hard movies. It's pretty funny, what makes the clip really worthwhile is the amazing Bruce Willis imitation this guy does.

Die Hard Parody - I Love My Wife

Midnight Madness - Tina Fey Edition

Tina Fey has always been funny, but this year her intelligent lacerating wit served with a smile seemed to strike a chord with people. Her career has been on fire this year and while I can't claim to be a die hard fan or anything like that, I've often enjoyed her humor. I played her SNL clips often as they were easily the funniest thing I saw this year. And this year some humor was definitely needed.

Entertainer of the Year - Tina Fey won the AP prize by having success on both the small and big screen during '08 and capped it with the most buzzworthy comic performance of the year as a certain Alaskan Governor.

Rorshach Test - A judge ruled in favor of Fox Studios that the Watchmen movie should not have been made without first being offered to them. The decision leaves the film up in the air about how or when or if it could be released. Bummer.

Radio Friendly Unit Shifter - A smashed guitar once owned by Kurt Cobain sold for $100,000.

Since U Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson's new single "My Life Would Suck Without You" is said to be coming out in January. Will she be able to comeback from the commercial disaster she pinned her Artiste' name on My December? It all depends on if Clarkson is willing to play the Pop star game this time out.

For Those About To Write - AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson is going to write a memoir. You mean AC/DC lyrics aren't autobiographical? Johnson doesn't spend all day drinking and ludely coming on to women? The illusion is shattered, my friends.

Purrr Batman - Eartha Kitt, a performer I mainly knew as Catwoman from the 60's Batman tv show, passed away on Christmas Day at age 81. I had no idea she sang "Santa Baby" until the news reported her passing.

Attention Wal-Mart Shoppers! - Bruce Springsteen looks to get in on the Wal-Mart cash cow by releasing a Greatest Hits exclusively to the department store chain. Isn't Wal-Mart the same place that had a problem with "Reno" from the Devils and Dust album?

Blue Morning, Blue Day - Bud Prager, the manager of Foreigner who played an important role in the forming of that band, passed away at age 79.

This Could Be The Right One - Canadian rockers April Wine are lined up for a 2009 Canadian Hall of Fame award just like contemporaries Loverboy. Yes!

Uprising! - Jennifer Aniston's hot streak continues, besting Brad Pitt at the box office with her movie Marley & Me.

Holy Bat Hype! - For a few weeks there's been a lot of buzz on whether or not The Dark Knight will dominate the upcoming Oscars in nominations. Can an Action film take home Oscar gold in a year with little competition? I hope it does, if only to drive a bunch of press about the "unwashed masses" over running the Academy. Should be fun.

Delaney Bramlett - A musician and songwriter who was a fixture in the classic rock scene passed away at age 69. Bramlett co-wrote Eric Clapton's "Let it Rain" and the classic ballad "Superstar".

Second Time Around - All my favorite shows are going into reruns until February. Time to catch up on DVD watching.

No Tube - Warner Bros. pulls their music vids from You Tube over contract negotiations.

Is that The Spirit? - Commercials for the new movie The Spirit features that Frank Miller graphic novel on film look (a lot of black, white and grey tones and what's that called...chiarosquiro (sp?)...lighting enhanced by CGI) that Sin City popularized a few years back. While I thought Sin City was great, I have to admit I'm finding this stylized look annoying in other movies. Probably just me though.

Last Christmas - Every year a certain Christmas tune seems to get played, or maybe I just notice it, more than the others. Last year Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime" was omnipresent on the radio and shopping malls. This year was filled with various versions of Wham's "Last Christmas". None of the remakes can top the original though, so here's Wham!

Wham! "Last Christmas"