Number 59

And the countdown continues for my favorite CD's of all time. The next CD sort of went with a theme I've often had with popular acts, I get into them after their initial peak. I didn't like Prince or Bruce Springsteen until a few years after they had their signature 80's albums (Purple Rain and Born In The USA, respectively) probably because between MTV and Top 40 radio a successful artist became omnipresent for a while. As good as the music was in all cases I resisted these artists because I felt like their music was being rammed down my throat. It was the same way with the artist at Number 59...

U2 - Achtung Baby (1991)

The first U2 tape I ever had was a copy of War (1983). I liked it as well as the song "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" in 1984 but was not a literal fan of the band. Then The Joshua Tree (1987) happened and U2 hit the stratosphere both commercially and critically. They were everywhere on TV, on the radio and in magazines. They stood for everything that was right in Rock and politics plus their religious background made them popular with the Christian Rock crowd. They were perfect. Perfectly annoying from my view.

Apparently, U2 felt the same way and after the bloated Rattle and Hum album (1989) decided to do something about it. Bono downplayed some of his messianic tendencies by throwing on some sunglasses and playing the rock star in all its excess. The band altered their signature sound by adding distortion, feedback, drum loops and hip hop shuffle rhythms into the mix. Best of all, dropped most of their preachiness (in song at least) and added a dose of self effacing irony. U2 became human and was much better for it.

This is where I came into U2's music, the first single "The Fly" was unlike anything I ever heard. The distorted guitars and vocals, the shuffling drum track and the alternately crooning and spoken word chorus captured my attention. A local radio station played the entire CD and I was impressed. My friend (a longtime U2 fan) asked if I would like to see them live and I went. Live, they had that rare sense of charisma that can make a sports arena feel like a small club. The playing was intense and unique (The Edge's helicopter sounding guitar riffs ensure that) and the songs were catchy and anthemic. I realized what I had been missing all those years and became a fan of U2.

Achtung Baby will not be remembered as the greatest U2 record, but it is their most varied and the easiest to relate to. The big hit, "One", has become a rock standard over time and is a wonderful ballad about the need to overcome differences whether they be personal, political or spiritual. Bono's impassioned vocal and the band's empathic playing as they build from a soft beginning to a big finish seals the deal. This album would be memorable for this song alone.

But there's more! "Mysterious Ways" balances a catchy chorus ("It's alright, it's alright, it's all-right/ She moves in Mysterious Ways!") with a spare shuffling drum beat with the Edge cutting in (no pun intended) with bursts of guitar and synthesizer. Plus, live the song featured Bono singing to a belly dancer! Another hit, "Even Better Than The Real Thing" with it's ironic lyrics and driving rock groove became the template for future U2 songs ("Discotheque" and "Vertigo" followed a similar pattern). My personal favorite on the disc, "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" finds the band doing an actual relationship song to a galloping beat and strident chorus.

Of course, even with relationship songs and irony U2 still has some of that political commentary they're known for. The apocalyptic "Until The End Of The World" with it's hard charging guitars is a great rocker with a distinct nihilistic feel to it. "Tryin' To Wrap Your Arms The World" shows Bono a bit worn but still worried about the state of the planet.

With Achtung Baby, U2 was able to drop their "holier than thou" act and play on a more human scale. They were also successful musically in adding a host of other musical styles and effects to their previously immaculate sound. U2 shows the passion and angst their known for but offsets it with humor and irony. This disc changed my opinion from annoying to a lifelong fan.

Number 60

Carlos Santana...legendary guitarist and new age flake that he is, has always seemed best to me in measured doses. Santana has been around since the late 60's and has delivered a variety of music through his career. Fusion rock, jazz, arena rock, pop and even subtle bits of hip hop have bore the Santana stamp marked with his screaming, stinging guitar lines and Latin based percussion. A sense of adventure and passion laid under an insinuating groove is his trademark. But, as great as he is, I can only take so much of Santana. There's nothing wrong with him or his music, it's just a gut reaction. That's why I'm well served by his CD at Number 60:

Santana - The Best Of Santana (1998)

Before his unexpected comeback with 1999's Supernatural CD, it seemed like Carlo's Santana was destined to eek out his living on the oldies tour circuit. Santana was mainly known for the early phase of his career, when the name Santana stood for an actual band. The Santana band of the first three albums, which included Chepito Areas (percussion), Mike Carabello (percussion), Mike Shrieve (drums), David Brown (bass), Gregg Rolie (organ and vocals) and Neal Schon (guitar) in addition to Carlos Santana played a style of rock that fused Latin rhythms and rock song style. It was a style never heard before and earned them a spot at Woodstock. Even now, 40 years later, these early songs still have a timeless majesty to them tied to indelible melodies.

This time period is well represented on Best of which includes the instrumental "Jingo", "Evil Ways", "Oye Como Va" and the Fleetwood Mac song that would become their signature tune, "Black Magic Woman". These songs and a few others on the disc dominate the Best of and show how powerful a band they were. Sadly, after three albums this version of the band broke up (maybe not too sadly, as the remnants of this band became Journey).

The other known phase of Santana came when he adopted an Arena Rock sound along the lines of Journey. The Latin percussion was downplayed in favor of sturdier, more predicable rhythms and blazing fast guitars over an anthemic chorus. This version of Santana is also represented with "Open Invitation", "Hold On" and my childhood favorite "Winning". Also included is "All I Ever Wanted", the first Arena Rock song my wife knew that I didn't (she was really happy about that).

When not in either of these phases of his career, Carlos Santana had a tendency to get ambient and jazzy as reflected in "Europa" and "Bella".

As much as I liked this CD and the hits included, I'm pretty satisfied with the songs I have here. Supernatural was a Grammy winning hit album and featured my favorite Santana song, "Smooth". He's had a few other pleasant hits since then, but for my money nothing can match his Best Of CD.

Casino Royale

James Bond is Bourne again in the latest installment in the longest running film franchise in history. Taking a nod from Matt Damon's Jason Bourne movies, Casino Royale focuses on characterization and a semblance of realism in its portrayal of a super spy. Many of the reviews of Royale have buzz words like "gritty" and "tough", the movie not only lives up to the early buzz but surpasses it. Casino Royale goes in the opposite direction of the Brosnan Bond films and benefits from the change. That's not a slam on Brosnan, he's still my favorite James Bond.

When Daniel Craig was selected to succeed Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, the world (myself included) did a collective head scratch. Craig was physically fit, but he was not a commercially known actor and had the face of a fifty year old. This plus the announcement by producers of going in a different artistic direction left a big question over the future of the franchise.

After all, serious James Bond films are historically the least popular in the series. The last Bond film to take itself seriously, 1989's license To Kill, was a commercial disaster that almost ended the film series. Also, Brosnan had repeatedly proven himself as an actor and star to the point he's was nicknamed the "Billion Dollar Bond". The previous actors in the role had all made a mark on the character's well, Sean Connery (original Bond), George Lazenby (lame Bond), Roger Moore (funny Bond) and Timothy Dalton (boring Bond) each had played the role. Even with the announced intention of making a serious film, Craig was an unknown quantity. What kind of Bond would he be?

Casino Royale takes 2 1/2 hours to answer that question, but the answer arrives with a resounding triumph. Daniel Craig is bloke Bond. He's less suave or stylish but enjoys the finer things and has a desire to prove himself. He's the Bond an audience can relate to as a person which draws them behind him in a way that I've never seen. In a scene where Bond resists excrutiating physical torture with humor, the audience roared in support. As an audience, we learn about Bond's conscience with murder and struggle as a government assassin. We learn about his background (he's an orphan) and what drives him to be a government agent. For the first time in years, Bond fails at missions and important events and doesn't laugh it off. This Bond is more of an everyman, capable of great things but also flawed as an agent and person.

Craig's performance is so strong it carries Casino Royale to the next level. The storyline is refreshingly small scale and direct: Bond is assigned to beat a high stakes gambler named Le Chiffe who launders and invests terrorist funds. To do so, much time is spent with Bond at the card table against Le Chiffe as a government handler (ably played by Eva Green) named Vesper Lynd ensures Bond doesn't exceed his spending limit. Green and Craig have an effective amount of chemistry to their relationship and their characters interact as people more than the predictable archetypes the series is known for.

The tone of the film matches the Ian Fleming books to a T. James Bond is confident but has occasional doubt, is intelligent but does not know everything and has concern over how killing effects his soul. The deaths in Royale are more brutal and graphic than any previous film (including Dr No, in which Sean Connery's Bond shoots an unarmed man and slits a guards throat with a knife). The gadgetry is kept to a minimum and the movie allows Bond to express a full range of emotion.

Not that all of the previous Bond movie traits are eliminated. Some of the action set pieces, such as a huge fight between Bond and a terrorist in a tanker truck at an airport is so large scale it felt like a different movie. The scene was highly remiscent of the Die Hard films and Raiders of the Lost Ark and didn't quite match the rest of the movie for me. Another action set piece at the end of film was also a bit overblown compared to the sleek simplicity of the rest of the film.

The movie came in second at the box office this weekend, being beat out by the penguin movie Happy Feet. That's unfortunate in that the opening may discourage the filmmakers from making serious Bond films in the future. Hopefully that won't happen, as Daniel Craig has proven himself to be an outstanding James Bond. Casino Royale is one of the best films in the entire franchise and entertains as a stand alone movie as well. My score for Casino Royale, 9 out of 10. Almost perfect.