Friday Music Madness

Little bit of music for you folks today. This way people at the Coffeehouse think that I am working. Suckers.

I Am Africa - Book of Mormon (Musical from the South Park guys)

This is a pretty good song as far as songs from musicals go. I understand the the musical itself is very good.

Down There By The Train - Johnny Cash

I love Johnny Cash and anyone who has paid attention to this blog knows that. I think that this is one of his great songs. So good and so real in terms of his voice and the depth of his feeling. This song is from one of his American Recordings albums. I hope to meet Johnny down there by the train myself one day. Him and a few other people. I also believe that Tom Waits either covered it or perhaps even did it first. I am sure that his version is stellar as well.

Today is one of those grey sky and gloomy days in the valley. I think this is the kind of day that people who hate Oregon weather complain about. It isn't raining it is just kind of gloomy in the air. Most of the time I am totally okay with this kind of weather but I understand why some people just are unable to handle it. That is for sure.

Nice Day For A Sulk - Belle and Sebastian

This is another lovely song. It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone at this point. It seems that all their songs are good ones and easy ones to listen too.

The Power - Manowar

Yes, Yes, Yes. Time to rise up in your cubicle and start your moshing.

Aces High - Iron Maiden

This is one of my favorite Maiden songs. Just a classic and it has all the markings of classic Maiden. The song basically tells the story of being a fighter pilot. All of the classic Maiden songs tell a story of some sort. That is what makes them classic. They do not put out concept albums they put out concept songs and I love them.

Sixteen - No Doubt

This is one of the few songs that wasn't a huge hit off of this album. But I like it. It is a little more rock then Ska but I still find it listenable. I miss No Doubt. They were a fun band.

Hey! You guys have a great weekend and I hopefully will talk to you on Monday.

Wacky Wild Wednesday

It is Wednesday and I am trying to keep the music coming for you guys. One thing that it is important for me to remember is that I do enjoy writing and I need to do it. It really doesn't even matter what reason I use to give me the push to write. I just need to do it. The reality is that the more that I do it, like anything really, the better I get at it. It takes practice to do anything.

Dancing Queen - ABBA

This is a classic number and I believe one of ABBA's biggest hits. It has been sampled numerous times over the years and even been redone in more modern ways but I really can't recall if I have ever heard a bad version of it. It has one of the classic tunes and has actually aged pretty well. A classic number.

Little Rock - Collin Raye

I honestly have no idea where this came from and why it is in my music library. It isn't a horrible song but I have never heard of this man before. He is having some real emotional problems in Little Rock. I do hope things get better for him.

Alice - Tom Waits

Tom Waits takes some getting used to. But I feel that he is worth the effort. There is a real depth to a lot of his music and sure some of the songs are very somber but some are also very upbeat and happy. This one is not one of the happier ones but it is a good one. It is thinking mans music.

Slip Away - Clarence Carter

Great just great, back to back for sad songs. Thanks a  lot music player. This song is on the Almost Famous soundtrack and is justifiably a great song. I think it is a classic soul tune. They don't make them much like this one anymore at all. They should because this is a good one.

Panic In Detroit - David Bowie

This is a song from one of my favorite Bowie albums 'Aladdin Sane'. The album came out in 1973 and just has some amazing tracks on it. But Bowie is a musical genius so it shouldn't be a surprise that to anyone that is a good song. Bowie had some misses over the years but very few of them and taken as a whole most of his music never fails to satisfy.

The Trooper - Iron Maiden

One of my favorite Maiden tunes. This one was written by their bassist Steve Harris and is a great one. MAIDEN ROCK FOREVER!!!

That is all folks. Have a good day and keep on rocking.

Fantastic Friday...

Is it really fantastic, Lance, is it? Well you don't have to be like that about it. I mean it is Friday after all. I suppose I could have called it "Freaky Friday" but it isn't that either. Can't you just be happy that I wrote something at all and gave you some fun music to listen to, isn't that enough for you? 

It Takes a Woman's Love - Kansas

This is a nice deeper cut of Kansas and for sure is a song that you are not going to hear very often on the radio. That is if you even listen to the radio at all. I suspect that my regular readers do not listen much to the radio. I try to make a point of listening to it now and then. But I really do not do it very much at all. I like discovering my own music or asking friends what they like to listen too.

Black Death 1349 - The Middle East

This is a band from Queensland, Australia and I really do like them. They just have a sound that I can just kind of sink my teeth into.

Open up and Bleed - Iggy and the Stooges

This is classic Iggy and the Stooges. So good. I really have to be in the right mood for me to fully enjoy this music. But when I am in the mood I just love it. I love that he had such a close friendship with David Bowie and that he has such an odd presence in popular culture.

The Magic Flute (Queen of the Night aria) - Niobeth

Here is a classical Mozart piece but done in metal style. Just sit back and feel your mind get blown at its power and majesty.

I know that most of you were just not mentally equipped enough to handle the power of that musical piece. Maybe the next one will be more to your liking but I doubt it. Because nobody rocks as hard as Big Lance!! NOBODY!!

Lightening Strikes twice - Iron Maiden

Yes, yes, yes. There is nothing better then Iron Maiden at their finest and while this isn't their finest it is still pretty good.

Holiday - Bee Gees

There we go. Lets end things on a nice mellow note with a classic Bee Gees song. These guys were so much more then the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever. It is unfortunate that the popularity of that film and soundtrack kind of overshadowed the entire musical catalogue of this band.

I hope you enjoyed todays music.

Random Thursday

Oh..my neck is sore today. I am feeling very groggy, I think the lack of sleep has finally started to catch up to me. I imagine a crash will be coming soon.

Picky Bugger - Elbow

It has been a pretty rough few weeks since Eric left us. I supper pretty rough doesn't do it justice at all. It feels like things have gone totally off of the rails or I suppose I should say that things are barely on the rails and it is taking most if not all of my focus to stay on the track and even then I am not sure that I can keep things on the track long term. There are fleeting moments of laughter but even that takes place in kind of a grey flatness and I am not sure who to even describe what that means. If you have been there then I suppose you know.

Liar - Queen

It is easy for me to start to feel acutely alone right now. On an intellectual level I totally realize that it makes no sense for me to feel that way and that I do have a lot of friends around me. But on an emotional level the intellectual just gets wiped out. The lack of predictability of the mood swings is almost maddening to me. There are moments during the day that I feel actually pretty good or I will be with someone and they are a good enough distraction that I am able to shut out the clamoring chorus of "Why" and "How Come". But I can't be around people 24/7 and the moments when I am laying in the dark and trying to actually get some sleep is when the voices seem loudest.

A Life For Revenge - Dark Moor

I have some really, really good friends that are doing all that they can to keep me busy and that means a lot to me. I think that in some ways actually in many ways I am scared to fully let myself go and experience the grief of this whole thing. I am scared as to what the end result will be of it. So because I am trying to keep everything totally locked down and only releasing the valve in fits and spurts I feel like I have a little bit of control over this. I fear that if I fully release things I may not be able to close the valve back up and I do not know how deep the reservoir is and I don't know what happens if I empty that.

The Educated Fool - Iron Maiden

 As usual I honestly do not know what any of this means. I am hoping that by writing I am able to achieve a little bit of control over this process and I can let the pressure out in a more controlled less insane manner. I do not need to be clutching randomly at strangers or hanging all over my friends because I am desperately craving the touch of another living being. I know, once again, intellectually that this is not socially proper behavior at all . But it feels at times like there is a emotional beast raging inside of me that just wants me to hug everyone around me to let them know that they exist and I exist and there is realness to the physical contact. I want to make eye contact with them and to hold their hand and let them know that they have value to me. I want to absorb their sadness into myself and give them some freedom from it and the only way that I know how to do that is to be able to put my hands on them and sadly not everybody is comfortable with that.

Hope Once Again - Kansas

So I guess if you want a hug or are okay with some hand holding and potentially uncomfortable intimacy then feel free to look me up.

In case you weren't sure I am obviously the curly haired one with my back to the camera. 

More Music (Iron Maiden)

Today is Friday and it is the eve of Christmas Eve and, according to my Google music player which seems to think that alphabetical means by the first name of the artist or group, I am supposed to play for you some Iron Maiden. I have 18 of this bands albums. I like them and I have been lucky enough to see them in concert a small handful of times. So lets get to it shall we. ON WITH THE METAL!!!

"Aces High"



"Run To The Hills"



Those are two of my absolute favorites from the early 80's. What about Iron Maiden in the 90's?

"Run Silent Run Deep"



"Fear of the Dark" (This one was amazing live)



Okay onto the 2000's and the band is still going strong.

"Out of the Silent Planet" (C.S. Lewis)




"The Pilgrim"



Finally on into 2010 and beyond!!!!