Vol. 2 Episode 49

I happen to have some extra time over the long weekend so here is the next episode, enjoy.

The Clash – Combat Rock

This is the fifth album from the classic punk group The Clash. It was released in 1982. It was the last album to feature Mick Jones (fired from the band) and Topper Headon (kicked out because of heroin addiction). There were four singles that were released from this album that I am aware of. The first single released from the album is Know Your Rights. The song is about the base laws of the poor and the disenfranchised. Those three laws are as follows: 1. The right not to be killed. Murder is a crime, unless it is done by a policeman, or an aristocrat. 2. The right to food money, providing of course, you don't mind a little investigation, humiliation, and, if you cross your fingers, rehabilitation. 3. The right to free speech (as long as you're not dumb enough to actually try it). The next single from the album is called Should I Stay or Should I Go. This is a track that I remember listening to on the radio as a kid. My parents did not like the punk rock life style though. I did not exactly get it but thought the looks and the way that people dressed were so cool. When ever I tried to dress in an outfit that was similar to the punk rock look I was told to change or to wash my hair. I remember one time after Halloween I had sprayed a purple color in my hair and did not tell my parents that I had done it. I was going somewhere with my father. We had gotten halfway down the block and my father realized I had colored part of my hair. He went around the block dropped me off and told me to wash that shit out of my hair. That was how firm my parents, my father specifically, were against me or my sister looking or thinking like a punk. That did not stop me from liking good music though. The third single from the album is called Rock The Casbah. This is another track that I remember hearing on the radio. It was a big hit and was played very often on the radio station that I listened to as a kid. I remember thinking that this song has similarities to the song Puttin’ On The Ritz. Then I would think of the Mel Brooks movie Young Frankenstein because the monster sang Puttin’ On The Ritz with the Doctor. It always made me laugh when I heard the song Rock The Casbah. The last single from the album is called Straight To Hell. I don’t really remember hearing this track on the radio personally. The song is on the experimental side for the group. The song is more of a ballad for the group. The song is supposed to be partially about the Vietnamese children fathered by American soldiers during the Vietnam conflict. It is a great song, just not a rockin’ song. I wont say that the album needs to be heard by everyone but these four singles should be heard at the very least.

Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory

This is the first album from the group Linkin Park. It was released in 2000. I got into this group because of my ex-brother-in-law. I use to go skateboarding with him while he was still in high school. I had already graduated college at that point though. I had always liked skating but had put the sport out of my head for a while. When he showed interest in the sport I picked it up again. I had a great time with the kid. I probably inadvertently taught him some life lessons and he entertained me to no end. There was many a night that he would stay over at our house and we would stay up all night skating until we were tired then playing video games till we couldn’t keep our eyes open. This is one of the albums that will always remind me of these times. There were four singles released from this album. The first single is called One Step Closer. The song had some serious anger venting that happened. I liked the song for this reason. I have always had a problem explaining how I felt and why. With this song I could sing along and get out all of my frustrations through the words of this song. It is a great song just for this purpose. Especially while the lead singer is screaming the words, “Shut up when I’m talking to you!” The next single is called Crawling. This is another great song from the group that is a little bit slowed down. It is for sure not a ballad but slightly down tempo from their hard rock tracks. There is still a lot of screaming on the track though. The third single from this album is called Papercut. The song seems to be about being paranoid about ones own life. It is a good track with great music. The last single from this album is called In The End. This track is very down tempo from the rest of the album. It make you think about ones own past and how you can’t change that past. One can only learn from the mistakes that one has made and move on. This song always made me think about things like that anyway. This is a great introspective album from 2000 that everyone should hear at least once. If not the whole album then for sure the last single, In The End, and the first single, One Step Closer.

Pink Floyd – The Wall

This is the eleventh album buy Pink Floyd. It was released in1979. It was released as a double LP. The tour that followed the release featured elaborate theatrical effects. Later there was a feature film adapted from the album. The album is a concept album, as were the previous three albums. This one deals with abandonment and personal isolation. The album is a rock opera that centers on Pink, a character based on Waters or maybe Syd Barrett. Pink's life experiences begin with the loss of his father during the Second World War, and continue with ridicule and abuse from his schoolteachers, an overprotective mother and finally, the breakdown of his marriage. All contribute to his eventual self-imposed isolation from society, represented by a metaphorical wall. There were three singles released from this album. The first, and most popular, single released from the album is called Another Brick In The Wall Part 2. I won’t say that this is the most popular song of the day but it is one of my most recognized songs from this time. I heard it all the time in the garage when my father would work on cars. He always had the radio blaring as loud as he could get it. This was so that he could hear the music over the loud noises that he was already making as he was doing body work on cars. I was not in the garage all the time while he was working but I was in there often enough to hear this song and be able to sing along with it. Part II is a protest song against rigid schooling in general and boarding schools in particular, which led to the song being banned in South Africa during the apartheid regime. It was also released as a single and provided the band's only number-one hit in the United Kingdom, the United States, West Germany and many other countries. The next single from the album is Comfortably Numb. This is another great song from this album. It is a slow song but the vocals work so well with the music that it becomes comforting to hear the song. This may also be because I grew up hearing this song almost as frequently as the first single but that is just me. The last single released from the album is called Run Like Hell. I don’t know this song nearly as well as the other two songs. It is still a good song but I don’t have the same feelings about this song as I do for the first two tracks. Apparently the song is about a hallucination that the lead character, Pink, has while he is at a concert. He dreams that he becomes a fascist dictator and turns a concert audience into an angry mob. It is kind of a strange idea in my opinion but this is a song from Pink Floyd. Not so strange coming from them. This is a staple in rock music history. Everyone should at least hear the first two singles that were released from the album if not the whole album. But it is a rock opera and should be listened to from start to finish is you do choose to listen to the album.

Blur – Modern Life Is Rubbish

This is the second album from Blur. It was put out in 1993. I was not into the group until the next album came out, Park Life. After I got that album I did my normal thing and researched the band. I found out about the first two albums and then started looking form them. I found this album at a used record store. I actually found a demo copy/or a pre-release of the album because it was housed in a clear plastic CD case with just a circular sticker on it with the track listing, the band name and the name of the CD. I thought that it was unique enough so I bought it. I always thought that the album was special because it had so many tracks on it. I found out that the US released of the album had a few extra tracks so it was not that special. It is still in a special case though. I have never seen the case for the CD that I have. There are only three singles released for this album. The first single for this album is called For Tomorrow. The song was about the area in London called Primrose Hill. The lead singer also talks about a house next in Emperors Gate. This is mentioned because his parents lived in a flat next to The Beatles. I think that I read that The Lennon’s owned the flat actually. The next song is called Chemical World. When the video was reviewed on Beavis and Butt-head, Beavis said that he wanted to urinate all over the band and the wildlife, including a snail and Damon Albarn. I thought that this was very funny when I saw it. I did not know anything about Blur at the time though. Recalling the segment still brings a smile to my face though. The whole album is kind of slow so I could see why the two characters would think this of the group. The last single from this album is called Sunday Sunday. The song is about the typical activities that people from The United Kingdom take part in on Sundays. It is kind of a poppy track that picks up tempo in the middle and then drops it back down. It is a fun song. This isn’t the groups best album but if you want to get into the music of the early to mid 90’s you may want to look into this album.

I don't know if any of you care but I have been watching the US version of The X Factor. Bruno Mars, who I really don't care for, sang a cover version of the song It Will Rain (watch it here). There is a version of him singing this song that is going to be on the sound track for the movie Breaking Dawn part 1. I looked up the version that will be on the soundtrack and it seems to fall flat compared to the version that was sung on The X Factor. If you have a chance go to The X Factor YouTube channel and watch it. It is really amazing!

That is all for now.