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“Well, show me the way to the next whiskey bar”: The Top Alcohol-Related Rock Songs

17 Jul

“Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy.” Frank Sinatra

Tomorrow, I turn 21 years old. And, in the United States, that means I will be of the legal drinking age. Now, among the youth of the nation this is quite a remarkable day where friends attempt to kill you by shoving drinks down your throat while they proudly shout out “shot, shot, shot” like that idiotic song, turning you into a one-day drinking glutton with vomit-stained clothes. No, this is not your normal bar crawl, it’s your 21’st birthday alcoholic hullabaloo. If your 21’st does not turn you into a raging alcoholic (hey, at least you can buy the stuff now), it turns you off to drinking entirely and you never want to drink a beer again (not even take a shot)…at least for a week or two.

Yes, this is the 21-year-old misadventure, a stumbling art of regret. And, tomorrow I enter into the realm. No need to worry about me blogosphere, I have work on Monday and therefore, unless I want to throw up while conducting an interview, I will only be partaking in one or two recreational alcoholic beverages. But, being that I am turning 21, I thought we could temporarily turn the Music Court into a grand revelry. Time to party with a poll. What do you think the best alcohol-related rock song is?

This post was inspired by Weekly Rations blog: http://www.weeklyrations.com/?p=297

My five choices are below with video and a drinking quotation from the song. Have one you think should be on the list? Let’s talk. Vote other and comment below!

“Well my baby she gone, she been gone two night
I ain’t seen my baby since night before last
I wanna get drunk till I’m off of my mind
One bourbon, one scotch, and one beer”

“Well, show me the way
To the next whisky bar
Oh, don’t ask why
Oh, don’t ask why”

“Im Dizzy, drunk and fightin’
On tequila white lightnin’
My glass is getting shorter
On whiskey, ice and water
So come on and have a good time
And get blinded out of your mind”

“I blew out my flip-flop
Stepped on a pop-top
Cut my heel had to cruise on back home
But there’s booze in the blender
And soon it will render
That frozen concoction that helps me hang on”

“Well I woke up Sunday morning,
With no way to hold my head that didn’t hurt.
And the beer I had for breakfast wasn’t bad,
So I had one more for dessert.
Then I fumbled through my closet for my clothes,
And found my cleanest dirty shirt.
An’ I shaved my face and combed my hair,
An’ stumbled down the stairs to meet the day.”

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Response to Best Album Cover of All Time

4 Jun

The home lawn of Citi field spawns another Mets win and I leave the stadium thoroughly entertained! Now on to the post.

A few weeks ago I ran a poll on the best album cover of all time. I believe it is about time that I conclude that post with a response post of my own. After the vote, Nevermind and its heavily symbolic…and naked album cover won in a close race. I’m not surprised by this. Each album chosen can easily be considered the greatest album cover of all time. But, I’m afraid I have to disagree with the winner. Another album cover has always struck my eye, both for its interesting story and frighteningly intriguing imagery. This is the iconic album cover of In The Court of the Crimson King.

Let me tell you a little story about the album that Pete Townshend considers an “uncanny masterpiece” and I consider to be one of my favorite pieces of connected music ever. In 1969, a few talented and already accomplished musicians joined forces to play a euphonious mixture of modern classical, folk, jazz and pop music. The odd combination emitted a true ethereal sound that gave fans a real sensory music listening experience, especially when paired with the richly obscure and rather dense poetry of lyricist Peter Sinfield. When this all came together on King Crimson’s debut 1969 album In The Court of the Crimson King, music fans heard one of the finest examples of the newly established progressive rock genre (formed out of the art rock experimentation of The Beatles, Frank Zappa, Jeff Beck and even early Pink Floyd in the mid 1960s).

Here enters Barry Godber, the young computer programmer (yeah, they existed) and artist who painted the album cover. The tortured face on front (see above photo) is the frightened schizoid man (there is a song on the album called “21’st Century Schizoid Man”) while the seemingly stoned face on the inside cover is the Crimson King. Yet, intelligent guile on the part of Godber reveals a completely different Crimson King if you cover his grinning face. Go ahead, try it. After the album was released with Godber’s painting on October 10, 1969, Godber died of a heart attack at the age of 24 in February of 1970. The curse of the Crimson King. Or, just bad, bad luck. But, his legacy still lives on through the only copy of the original painting owned by King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp, and the many copies of the 12-inch LPs and CD’s that continue to be sold today with Godber’s perennial image permanently pasted on front. The paranoid face melting into the surrounding space, lost and alone…

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What is the Best Album Cover of All Time

14 May

There is an old music adage first said by the wise Technotronic. It goes, “Pump the jam, pump it up.” That’s right people, get those feet stompin’. Excuse me. Random Technotronic outbursts have always plagued me. But, this festive 80’s hit does make a point that has become stuck in many people’s musical psyche for the past 20 or so years. Just pump the tunes and let me dance. Popular music today has warped into an odd mixture of auto tune, remixed fast-paced beats, and alien-like dress.

Ra Ra Ah Ah Ah roughly translates to I come in peace

There has been less of a focus today on the true art of a putting together an epic LP, and more focus on single hits that can destroy the charts. The tangible CD is a thing of the past and if you ask a 10-year-old what a Walkman is, their response would most likely be a twisted version of the game Hangman. But, I must admit this all just a natural progression. 78’s turned in 45’s which turned in 12-inch 33’s which turned into 8-tracks and then cassettes, CD’s and finally MP3’s and those fancy schmancy IPod’s. You know in my day I had to hold my thin Walkman while I went running and it usually skipped. And, unless you are overly nostalgic or just a little crazy like me, a record player is an antique.

CD’s still exist though and while they are often burned onto an MP3 player, they have not been fully weeded out quite yet. But, what has seen a tremendous decline, is album art.

Album art used to be one of the most important parts of a record (when they were the size of a laptop computer). It drew people in as they shopped for music in record shops. If the album cover was intriguing, the chances of an indecisive person buying the album increased. Therefore, the majority of the amazing album covers are trapped in the past; most created before the year of my birth, 1989. It is unfortunate that album cover art has mostly been lost. Album art included pictures with subtle intricacies, interesting messages and, sometimes, humorous/austere elements that certainly were embedded in many memories. These masters of the square palette of colorful album creations do not get enough/any credit for their works. For example, when I think of Abbey Road, I am immediately brought to a scene of the four Beatles walking in a single-file line across the street, and if it wasn’t for creative director Kosh and photographer Iain Macmillan, we may have seen a completely different image.

So, in honor of the necessary art of album cover creation, let’s run a poll today on the Music Court. What do you believe is the greatest album cover of all time? I will include pictures. Also, I anticipate many other votes, so, if you have an album that you believe should be included please comment and let’s discuss.

Response to Poll: “Centerfield” by John Fogerty

27 Mar

Like many, my March Madness bracket is hanging on by a thread. My winner, Kentucky, went down tonight and my only hope lies in the Bears of Baylor. So, Baylor WIN!!!!!!! Well, that was unprofessional. I guess it is better to still have a hope. I know many whose Final Four picks have all been ousted from the NCAA Basketball Tournament. But, pick up your head and don’t be so crestfallen. Opening Day for all baseball teams is coming fast and I am ready for the Mets to begin. Nothing is better than the first pitch in April. This is one of the reasons why my favorite sports song of all time is baseball’s rock anthem (I guess it is not really an anthem) “Centerfield” by John Fogerty.

“Centerfield”:

How can you not love John Fogerty’s baseball bat guitar. That is just awesome. The song is great too. It just gets you in the mood to get up and do something…preferably play baseball. Besides the fact that the song is synonymous with countless baseball movies and videos, it is also well-written and melodious. It is an effervescent, fun-loving song and people can’t get enough of its great beat and message. It is optimistic, inspiring and its melody provides listeners with visions of outfield grass, home run hitters, stolen bases and…you get the picture. Happy baseball everyone.

Top 5 Sports Songs of All Time

26 Mar

March Madness has been mad. The tournament of 64 NCAA basketball teams encompasses the excitement of sports. Single-elimination, lay it all on the line entertainment. Sports are an invaluable part of our society and, because of this, musicians have explored this topic through song. There is a lot of pump-up music out there; music that inspires you to go out there and kick some tail. In this poll I have gathered five of my favorite sports songs together. I am anticipating a lot more opinions and I am looking forward to hearing them.

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