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Court Links: Prince Loves the Vikings and We Are The World

22 Jan

Prince is a great musician and that is something that no one can deny. He is also a big Minnesota Vikings fan and after witnessing a win to propel the once inept football franchise to the NFC Championship game he went straight home and recorded a “Purple and Gold” fight song. He said that the song came very easy to him because he was so inspired and excited. The Vikings are flattered and plan to put the song on their website. So, I think Prince just set a standard that other musicians who happen to be NFL fans must now match. The Saints, Colts, and Jets all need a fight song. Unfortunately most famous Jets fans tend to be comedians and up to a few weeks ago I would have said that made sense.

Check out the song: http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/sports/prince-reveals-song-for-vikings-saints-game

Where's Waldo?

I also came across some inspiring news today. Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie, the co-producer and co-writer of “We Are The World” which became the most successful charity single ever in 1985, are planning on remaking the classic with a list of singers who will certainly participate. Originally the plan was to simply celebrate 25 years since the original and to raise money for Africa like their original piece did, but after the disaster in Haiti the entire plan was rescheduled for a day after the Grammys on Feb. 1. All money raised will go to Haiti.

Check out the article and the original “We Are The World”: http://www.billboard.com/news/quincy-jones-to-remake-we-are-the-world-1004060769.story#/news/quincy-jones-to-remake-we-are-the-world-1004060769.story

SWOD (Song of the Day/Word of the Day) #4

20 Jan

Today’s Word:

Perambulate (Verb): To walk through or over

Walking all over you with her boots

Musical Example: “These boots are made for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do one of these days these boots are gonna perambulate over you.” Yeah, I just did that. Nancy Sinatra, the daughter of Frank Sinatra and his first wife Nancy Barbato, released “These Boots Are Made For Walkin'” in 1966. It quickly shot to #1 on both the U.S and U.K pop charts adumbrating covers of the song by future female singers including Jessica Simpson (who only reached #14 on the charts so score one for the original). Also, the song may go down as the best example of a girl saying screw-you to a man. It is the momma of modern day man-hating songs. A humorous side note. When Nancy Sinatra was recording the song, the writer of the song Lee Hazlewood encouraged Sinatra to sing the song like a sixteen-year old girl giving the middle finger to a forty-year old man. What!?! I have a brief change in lyric. “These boots are made for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do, if you don’t leave me alone I will call the cops on you.”

The Best Guitar Solo of All Time Response: “Comfortably Numb” by David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)

19 Jan

Final Tally:

“Comfortably Numb”: 4 Votes

“Eruption”: 1 Vote

“Maggot Brain”: 1 Vote

Winner: “Comfortably Numb”

My Winner: “Comfortably Numb”

Wow, I am quite surprised that no one voted for the pre-poll shoe-in “Free Bird.” I am actually very surprised that my pick “Comfortably Numb” won and I am also glad that “Maggot Brain” got a vote because that is a very underrated song and guitar solo (Edie Hazel is the best guitarist no one has ever heard of). Since there were no resounding “Free Bird” requests from the crowd we can move on to the winner of the poll: the solo from “Comfortably Numb.” On the page of the poll I posted a video of a mind-blowing live version of the “Comfortably Numb” solo. I will post it below so you can all take another listen to it.

Let me premise this defense by admitting a slight bias. Pink Floyd is my favorite band. But, since this is just about guitar solos I will admit that Jimi Hendrix is my favorite guitarists and I am not defending “All Along the Watchtower” which no one voted for. So, the aboveboard nature of the post is kept in check. Let’s get to the reasoning behind why the majority of people, including myself, believe “Comfortably Numb” is an out of this world solo.

I believe that the most important part of music is feeling. The emotion one struggles to find words with in a lyric. The emotion of a straining vocal, or a soft grainy one. In this case, we have the emotion of a solo. A solo on the instrument that was practically made for extended note crunching, the guitar. While a blues solo encompasses this feeling more than any other type of rock solo, “Comfortably Numb” takes all solos to a new level of artistic prowess and blissful spacyness (Yes, we are going to call that a new word meaning having to do a stupor one is put into by a musical solo…not drugs!) I do admit that Clapton or Hendrix or Hazel (for that matter) putting feeling into a blues of funk guitar solo is remarkable. Yet, David Gilmour just takes the level of soloing to a new height in the hit off of Pink Floyd’s rock-opera The Wall. This 1979 song blows all other songs from The Wall out of the water and like “Hey Jude” or “Let it Be” it proves that sometimes the best songs by the greatest bands are released late in the height of the band’s production.

Put on the video for a second. Listen to the crying of the guitar. The easy moaning of the other instruments keeping the rhythm in the back. The solo continues with skilled runs by Gilmour. He has no fear of exploring the fret board and demonstrating his control over his guitar. Close your eyes and let the guitar seep through you. The solo bedraggles your clothes and soaks you in the straining sound of the electric guitar. Gilmour after 3:00 into the video lets his guitar howl in a revolutionary bend, while the capsule above the stage opens up and the wall comes crumbling down. The solo crescendos and then falls into a distant echo, a soft lull. Show me any other solo that does that.

Court Links: Support for Haiti and Are You Ready For Some Football?

18 Jan

Yesterday at the Golden Globes awards show, George Clooney announced to the Associated Press that more than 40 celebrities will attend the “Hope For Haiti” benefit scheduled for January 22. It is being hosted by Clooney and Haitian-born singer Wyclef Jean. It will be broadcast on more than a dozen networks and will feature performances by Bono, Sting and Alicia Keys to name a few. It is certainly a big event for a necessary cause…so watch it and please donate whatever you can to help the struggling Haitians!

Article: http://www.billboard.com/#/news/bono-sting-timberlake-to-perform-on-haiti-1004059789.story

I am still rather shocked that the New York Jets pulled off a major upset last night. All can be said to celebrate the victory and to look forward to next week’s match-up, but to avoid many words, I will simply ask you. Are you ready for some football?

Don’t Stop Believing: Lets Go Jets

17 Jan

Greene saw green and made Jets green look great

I know this post may be lame but I cannot help it; Journey explains it well in their overplayed classic. I am beyond shocked with my J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets and because of their win I present to you “Don’t Stop Believing” by Steve Perry and Journey. Also, a special non-musical video (music to my ears though). The hilarious locker room speech (the censored version) by Tyrannosaurus Rex Ryan.

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