A Historic Day

Wow, time files. I meant to post on MLK Day but did something else and now I've almost missed Inauguration Day. As everyone on the planet knows, today was Barack Obama's first day as our new Commander in Chief. I watched the CNN coverage until a little bit after his official inauguration and his excellent speech. It's great to have a President who is up front about the challenges facing us and inspires hope with intelligence and leadership. But enough politics, I was going to use Aretha Franklin's song from today to end this post but I thought that was a little lazy, so I racked my brain to see what other song I could come up with to fit this moment. Journey's "Don't Stop Believin"? Great song, though I still think of the White Sox and The Sopranos. A Bruce Springsteen song? That's as predictable as using an Aretha Franklin song. Stevie Wonder, U2? Both are great inspirational artists that often get used for these purposes. Van Halen's "Dreams"? It fits, I just usually think of military action from that song. Must have been that Blue Angels video. Nope, I wanted to dig a little deeper. Oddly, the song that eventually sprang to mind is one of the lesser known songs from one of my favorite bands . Yes' "Open Your Eyes" was a pretty good fit for me, it espouses optimism and breaking free from old established ways. So on this great day can I post some Yes? Yes I ...well, you know the rest.

Yes "Open Your Eyes"

Mr Mike's High School Record Collection: Jackson Browne - Lives in the Balance (1986)

What a weird photo, it's like saying "I'm sensitive because I glare while turning the other cheek."

I'm a fan of Jackson Browne, I just like how the guy writes songs. His lyrics are usually thoughtful and he can turn a phrase pretty well. Musically some of his stuff can suffer from sounding the same album to album (he recycles songs sometimes in my opinion). Just not to the point I discard him. When Browne is on target, I relate to his songs more than most other songwriters. So it's a bit ironic that the first tape of music an apolitical guy like me was Browne's most political effort, Lives in the Balance.

1. For America

This is the song that got me hooked, it was straight up AOR. Big beat, steely synths, strident melody - you know, the stuff dreams are made of. I also liked the lyrics about a redemptive type of patriotism versus blind faith, not realizing before buying the tape that it was a set up for a whole agenda. Cap it all off with a Clarence Clemons sax and you've got mid 80's magic.

2. Soldier of Plenty

I never knew what this song was specifically about other than abuse of power until I saw this You Tube clip, where he says it's about the person who commands the soldiers (I took it to mean the President). It has that world beat mixed with rock sound that kinda works, kinda doesn't for me. Was never my favorite from this album. Usually hit the fast forward button on this one.

3. In the Shape of a Heart

Probably the best known song on the album, it tells the story of love going down the tubes with a touch of quiet resignation and pain. The only part that sort of stuck out wrong is a section that alludes to domestic violence, just because six years after the release of this album actress Daryl Hannah claimed Browne was abusive to her (Browne has denied this vehemently). Hannah and Browne were a high profile couple at the time. In happier times, they appeared together in Browne's team up with the Big Man on their hit You're a Friend of Mine a year earlier. Though watching this video, you might think Browne and Clemons were the couple.

4. Candy

Another straight up AOR gem about a girl named Candy. Sort of Cars sounding to me, I liked this song a lot because it fit what I listened to perfectly. Other than the compassionate take on a young girl's dreams, this could have easily been done by John Waite or a multitude of other 80's rock bands. I actually mean that in a good way.

5. Lawless Avenues

As gang violence was escalating in the streets, Browne decided to write about people looking for hope in the "Lawless Avenues" of Hispanic neighborhoods. The section in sung in Spanish was fun because High School Spanish was still fresh in my head. Couldn't tell you much of what he's singing now. Anyway, at the time I bought the tape I was visiting L.A. and though I didn't see any gangs there this song made me feel like I knew what was going on in the "streets". Of course I really didn't, but that's part of being a teenager.

6. Lives in the Balance

Browne aimed his cynicism at foreign affairs and came up with this gem, one of the few political songs I really really like. He uses strong lyrical imagery on how War can be used to further power and money at the cost of human life in the name of freedom. The acoustic version on Solo Acoustic Vol. 1 is downright moving.

7. Till I Go Down

When I think Jackson Browne, I think...reggae? Browne gets his groove on with a bit of defiance. And no, it's not pretty.

8. Black and White

This was one of two that fit in the "Jackson Browne classic sound" territory ("In the Shape of a Heart" is the other) where the lyrics are introspective. With "time running out" he decides to make a difference. A few years back I was surprised to hear this in a supermarket. Amazing how I can hear better music buying groceries than on the radio.

This album was the beginning of Browne's commercial slide, people coming here to find another Late For The Sky were disappointed it seemed. That and laying out extensively liberal politics, particularly in the Reagan era, was like painting a bulls eye for people to slag him. His follow up, the weak World in Motion, ended his relevance but that just makes this album stand out more. A strong AOR album with some Springsteen elements and a well rounded theme.

Tribute to an "Old Friend"

Of course, I never knew Ricardo Montalban. It seemed fitting to name this post that title because after seeing Star Trek II my best friend at the time and I used to refer to each other in the same way Kirk and Khan did. That sort of spiteful tone on a seemingly cheerful title, "Old Friend", was fun to mimic. Such was the impact the actor Ricardo Montalban had on my life, a suave commanding presence capable of portraying villains and heroes alike. A great actor who passed away today at age 88.

Montalban first became known to me through Fantasy Island, his Mr Rourke was a sort of benign omniscient character of relaxed elegance. His performance made the character interesting as I can't recall much background or personality traits about Rourke, just that he was a well heeled man of mystery. Although I hadn't realized it, I had seen Montalban before as Khan in the original Star Trek. I just didn't know it was him. But by the time his Wrath had been put out, I knew full well what he meant to Star Trek.

Montalban became William Shatner's best foil, a cool smooth intellect bent on vengeance versus an emotional firehouse. Their battle formed the core of one of my favorite movies of all time. Montalban took the Moby Dick heavy monologues he was given and infused them with the obsessive bitterness needed to make it truly memorable. That whole "I'll chase him round the outer nebula and round the Antares maelstrom and round perdition's flames before I give him up!" part is still fresh in my memory 27 years later.

Even after Khan, Montalban proved he could do comedy as well. His appearance in The Naked Gun was fantastic. His career continued and was consistently good when I would see him appear in movies or tv here or there. He even made a voice appearance on Family Guy last year. While he has had a long and esteemed career, there's no doubt that his performances in the late 70's and 80's had the most impact on me-even if it was just entertainment. So with sadness I say thank you for years of great entertainment Ricardo Montalban.