Category Archives: Music

Rockin’ on Geritol

While my musical tastes have broadened over the years, at the core I’m a 70s rocker. That’s the music I began listening to in my formative, high school years. Do you ever outgrow your musical “first love”? Well, actually, the first album I ever bought was the Carpenters’ “Close to You.” I don’t listen recreationally to Carpenters music anymore…and yet, I perk up when I happen to hear a song from that album.

But at the core, I love “Old Time Rock & Roll,” “Jet Airliner,” “Joy to the World,” “Shambala,” and any of the great Stones classics. That’s been “my” music for 40 years. I can’t imagine out-growing it.

Now let’s extrapolate. When I’m 80 years old…will I still be grooving to “Brown Sugar” and “Proud Mary”? Or will I, at some point, graduate to Hank Sr. classics or showtunes? Can you imagine an 80-year-old, sitting in his wheelchair, wearing earphones attached to an iPod and listening silently to Boston?

And yet…why would that NOT be the case?

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Great New Song: More and More

We introduced Michael Neale’s song “More and More” today at Anchor. People loved it. Get it from iTunes. It’s really a great song.

I heard Michael Neale last September at the MinistryCOM conference in Nashville. The event was hosted by The People’s Church, and Neale is the worship minister there. He led worship each day, and that’s where I first heard “More and More.”

Pam and I returned to that church a month later while on vacation, attending a Sunday morning service. Michael Neale is truly a gifted worship leader.

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Randy Newman Fans of the World–Go Away, Please

I, like millions thousands hundreds scores several other people, was disappointed that perennial Oscar nominee Randy Newman didn’t perform anything at this year’s Oscar ceremony. Fortunately, there is water in our desert. Newman has released a whole album, based on the movie “Leatherheads.” I’m sure every song is typical Newman: nasally, whiny, generally unbearable, and most certainly Oscar-worthy. Something to look forward to at the 2009 ceremony.

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What Makes a Distinctive Rock Group

Coming home from Indianapolis Saturday, I listened to Creed’s “My Sacrifice” and realized, “There’s a group I miss.” Then I thought of Guns ‘N Roses, another band with a distinctive sound and a collection of great songs. Miss them, too. Nobody has replaced Creed or Guns ‘N Roses. They were unique.

What makes a band unique and memorable? This is what I thought about much of the way home. I decided on these traits:

  1. Great songs.
  2. An overall distinctive sound, unlike anyone else.
  3. A distinctive front man who is a big part of that distinctive sound.

And I began thinking of other groups that meet those criteria. Groups that, if they went away, would be missed. Or groups that have gone away, like Creed and GNR, and their sound is missed. These are the bands I came up with:

  • The Beatles (obviously)
  • Rolling Stones
  • Creedence Clearwater Revival
  • Boston
  • REM
  • Beach Boys
  • U2

And that’s about it. I considered Green Day, while listening to “I Walk Alone.” I considered Bon Jovi (a great body of work, distinctive lead singer, but not a distinctive enough sound overall). Aerosmith, Kiss, Eagles, the Who–no. Heart–closer. Springsteen–great songs, but you can’t pin him down to a certain sound. Styx–real close, but I’ll say no for now. Various singers, like David Bowie, sported a distinctive sound but weren’t associated with a specific band, so they don’t count.

Any groups you would include?

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The Little River Band

LittleRiverBand.jpgLast night the Anchor worship team skipped practice and, instead, went to the Auburn Fall Free Fair. The draw: a free concert by the Little River Band. I remember the 1970s and 1980s, when they had a bunch of hits. “Night Owls” was my favorite, but “Cool Change” was great, too. They were the first Australian group to make it big in the States. However, I think only two of the guys in the band last night were part of that version of the Little River Band.

They were very good, and it was fun hearing all those old hits. Kinda like listening to hymns, I guess, for some people. With nearly every song, I thought, “Oh yeah, I forgot they did that one, too.” And they left off perhaps their biggest hit, “I’m All Out of Love.” As a nice little touch, they did two encore songs, and one was a rockin’ version of “Drift Away,” the only non-LRB song of the night.

I know–the Little River Band was not exactly Guns & Roses. Maybe 60% rock and 40% pop. But hey, they were big in their day. And now they’re relegated to the county fair circuit.

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Give Me Down to There Hair

Tim will preach about Samson in two weeks, so last night at music practice we discussed possible songs to accompany the message. I mentioned the 1960s song “Hair,” from the musical by that name.

“Hair” was the first rock song I ever heard. Our family had gone to the Cook home, and their son Rodney and I went up to his room. “I want you to listen to something,” he said. He then put on an album or .45 (I don’t remember which; cassettes hadn’t come out yet) and played the song “Hair.” I was immediately drawn to it–the whole rowdy, rock sound. I had never heard anything like it before, and though entirely beyond my experience to that point, the sound connected with something in me.

And yet, at the same time, I felt like I was doing something naughty. That if my parents heard us listening to this music, they would be upset. They wouldn’t have been, but something in my upbringing (not particularly strict by any means) told me we were listening to something forbidden.

And now, 40 years later, I might actually play that forbidden song in church. Talk about going liberal!

Gimme head with hair
Long beautiful hair
Shining, gleaming,
Streaming, flaxen, waxen

Give me down to there hair
Shoulder length or longer
Here baby, there mama
Everywhere daddy daddy

Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair

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Chris Daughtry Rocks

daughtry.jpgSpeaking of American Idol–and isn’t everybody?–I need to give a thumbs-up to Chris Daughtry’s album, “Daughtry.” I listened to the clips on iTunes several weeks ago and liked them all, so I downloaded the whole album. And I tell you–it’s really good. A solid, hard-rocking, “no compromise Chris” album.

I would go see Taylor Hicks perform. But I’m not sure I’d want to listen to his album recreationally. But with Daughtry’s album, I can fire up Photoshop for a design project and crank up the volume, and all is well in my world.

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Those Unrepentant Dixie Chicks

I was a big fan of the Dixie Chicks (how can you not love “Goodbye Earl”?) until Natalie Maines spouted off in England about being ashamed that they come from the same state as President Bush. The problem was the context: they were in another country on the eve of war, dissing our President. Had they been in the States, I would have been okay with it. Had those words come from, say, Sean Penn, I would have just chalked them up as the ramblings of a confirmed idiot. The fact that the words came from a women’s trio…I do think the reaction was based on a good degree of sexism, the feeling that pop-culture women shouldn’t be speaking forcefully about politics. Leave that to the menfolk.

Dixie ChicksSo the context really stunk, and Natalie should have been more discrete. But when you have strong opinions about something, and you’re in the public eye and performing regularly in front of thousands of people–well, you’re bound to say some inappropriate things. I certainly excrete plenty of stupid, brash, and ill-conceived nonsense on this blog. The difference between me and the Chicks is: nobody cares what I have to say.

But now, the Dixie Chicks have this new song out, called “Not Ready to Make Nice.” And let me just say: I think it’s a marvelous song. And I admire this threesome’s spunk. Most male musicians, faced with a staggering career setback, would have caved in and uttered an apology, eaten some dirt, groveled, etc. The Chicks didn’t. While regretting perhaps saying those words in that particular context, they haven’t backed off from the sentiments. Good for them! It’s costing them lots of money, but they’re not backing down.

And as for the song: I love it. And the music video is absolutely stunning. I catch it some Saturday mornings. Here are some of the opening lyrics and then the chorus. I think this is superb writing.

Forgive, sounds good.
Forget, I’m not sure I could.
They say time heals everything,
But I’m still waiting

I’m through, with doubt,
There’s nothing left for me to figure out,
I’ve paid a price, and I’ll keep paying

I’m not ready to make nice,
I’m not ready to back down,
I’m still mad as hell
And I don’t have time
To go round and round and round.
It’s too late to make it right,
I probably wouldn’t if I could,
Cause I’m mad as hell,
Can’t bring myself to do what it is
You think I should.

These gals have courage and convictions, and I admire it. And they’re articulate, able to defend themselves without sounding like celebrity airheads. But Natalie–please, think before you spout off again. In the end, your words in England simply weren’t worth it.

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Songs I Never Get Tired of Hearing

I’ve got several thousand songs in iTunes, which enables you to rate songs on a scale of 1-5. In the spirit of Darwin, natural selection takes over to give the lesser songs the John 15 treatment (lopping them off), leaving me with only the better songs (and more disk space–that’s the real issue).

This unnatural selection leaves me with quite a few songs sporting a “5” rating, the highest. But among them are a handful of songs which, if I could, would get a “6.” These are songs which I never, ever get tired of hearing. When I hear the song, I stop and pay attention. They aren’t necessarily by my favorite artists. In some cases, I don’t care for anything else by these artists. No, there’s just something about these particular songs. They resonate with something in me.

For example, I’ve given a “5” rating to a number of Bruce Springsteen songs, like “Glory Days,” “Darlington County,” “The Rising,” and “Into the Fire.” I love those songs. But there’s something about “Born in the USA” which is on another Cosmic Level of Existence. It’s the only Springsteen song which makes me pay attention every time I hear it.

Here are the other songs I would put in this transcendent category.

  • “The Rose,” by Bette Midler (1979). Might be my favorite of all.
  • “It’s Only Rock’n’Roll,” by the Rolling Stones (1974). There’s something restrained (for the Stones) about this song, like a thoroughbred with a restrictor plate (to mix racing metaphors). Do you remember the TV awards show where they performed this wearing white sailors’ outfits in a plastic bubble which filled with bubbles as they performed?
  • “Never Been to Spain,” by Three Dog Night (1972). The lyrics say, “I headed to Las Vegas, only made it out to Needles.” The starting point could have been Lake Havasu City, Ariz., where I once lived. We always traversed Needles en route to Vegas.
  • “What’s Up?” by Four Non-Blondes (1993). I use a line from this song as a heading in the Anchor Church site.
  • “All She Wants to Do is Dance,” by Don Henley (1984). Love the bass line. Interesting nuclear-wasteland video, too. Don’t like anything else by Don Henley. In general, drummers shouldn’t sing. (Hear that, Ringo? Phil Collins? Tommy Lee?)
  • “What a Wonderful World,” by Louis Armstrong (1968).
  • “Scarborough Fair,” by Sarah Brightman (2000). Yes, a Simon and Garfunkel song by somebody else. I love Sarah Brightman’s voice.
  • “Sweet Child of Mine,” by Guns N Roses (1987). Sheryl Crow’s version is very good, too–a 5, but not a transcendent 6.
  • “Old time Rock & Roll,” by Bob Seger (1978).
  • “Dancing in the Street,” by Mick Jagger and David Bowie (1985). A joyful, fun-loving song. “They’ll be swinging, swaying, records playing, dancing in the street….”
  • “More than a Feeling,” by Boston (1976). I still remember the first time I heard it: 1977, in a room in Wright Hall, third floor north.
  • “Don’t You Forget About Me,” by Simple Minds (1984). Icing on the cake: it concludes my favorite movie, “Breakfast Club.”
  • “Behind the Wall of Sleep,” by the Smithereens (1999).
  • “Can’t Keep a Good Man Down,” by NewSong (2000).
  • “I Can Only Imagine,” by MercyMe (2001).
  • “Keep Your Hands to Yourself,” by the Georgia Satellites (1986). Good ol’ Southern rock.
  • “Transcendental Blues,” by Steve Earle (2000).
  • “With or Without You,” by U2 (1990).
  • “Beautiful Sunday,” by Daniel Boone (1972). A joyful song from the 1970s. Takes me back to Electronics class at Lake Havasu City High School.
  • “I’m a Bit**”, by Meredith Brooks (1997). Can I spell that out?
  • “Born in the USA,” by Bruce Springsteen (1984). Title track of one of my favorite albums.
  • “Colorful,” by Verve Pipe (2001). First heard this at the end of the movie “Rock Star” (the coffeehouse scene) and fell in love with it. Tracked down the original version on iTunes.
  • “The Way,” by Fastball (2002). First heard this in a Best Buy store, and loved it, but didn’t learn the title or artist for at least another year, when I stumbled across it on a borrowed CD.
  • “Heroes,” by the Wallflowers (1998). Better than Bowie’s version.
  • “American Pie,” by Don MacLean (1971). Doesn’t get old.
  • “American Pie,” by Slaughter (1997). Same song title, totally different song. Has the same restrained feel as “It’s Only Rock and Roll.”
  • “Take My Breath Away,” by Berlin (1986). Yes, the song from “Top Gun.”
  • “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” by Green Day (2004). The latest addition to this list.
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What a Piano!

piano
Isn’t that an awesome piano? It’s called the Pegasus, and it’s made by the Schimmel Piano company in Germany. The modern exterior houses a traditional (as in non-electronic) grand piano. Though “traditional” doesn’t normally include a hydraulic lid or ergonomic keys with a slight curve. I think my church needs to get one. Are you paying attention, Pastor Tim?

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