Song of the Day: L & H
A funky Al Green remix.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
The Division Bell Turns 18!
The final Pink Floyd album is remastered on iTunes!
Check out the single "High Hopes"
Friday, March 30, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Will Ferrell Announces "Anchorman" Sequel
Ron Burgundy appears on Conan
Will Ferrell announced the sequel to his wildly quoted cult classic Anchorman.
He came out in full costume (and flute!) as Ron Burgundy saying, "As of 0900 hours Mountain Time, Paramount Pictures and myself, Ronald Joseph Aaron Burgundy, have come to terms on a sequel to Anchorman. It is official, there will be a sequel to Anchorman."
No other info was announced but most likely his co-stars will be appearing: Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd and Steve Carell.
Adam McKay, the original director, might be on board too.
I have mixed feelings about this. The movie was great on its own, I'd hate to have a crappy sequel be related to it (Hangover 2 ring a bell?). However the cast is great and let's hope that they'll be many cameo appearances with some of the new comedians of today - Zach Galifianakis? Ed Helms? Jonah Hill? Kristen Wiig? Bill Hader?
On the cover:
The Hunger Games star - Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence calls Rolling Stone: "Dude! I'm lost as fuck! I've been driving around for, like, 10 minutes. Where the hell is this place?" She was talking about the horseback riding place in Malibu for the photo shoot.
The Hunger Games star is not too new to the big screen - she already had a Oscar nomination for Winter's Bone, she was apart of the X-Men, and was in Like Crazy.
"I have to pee so bad."
Lawrence, 21, has been known to have an interesting sense of humor. Her co-star Woody Harrelson tells Rolling Stone: "I was on my bus and on my bus I have a yoga swing. Jennifer comes on, and she goes, 'Hi, Woody, I'm J - is that a sex swing?' Her first sentence to me."
Josh Hutcherson tells Rolling Stone his first meeting with Lawrence. Apparently she went into a 45-minute rant about zombies and the apocalypse.
"I'm the fastest pee-er ever," she says. "I'm famous for it".
The film has made millions in the box office - 300 million, last time I checked. And with this recent success I'd expect Lawrence to appear in lead roles along with the next two Hunger Games movies - Catching Fire and Mockingjay.
Music Central Episode 8 (3/28/12):
Album covers and live stuff!
The show began with a live version of Break on Through from the 1991 album "In Concert". The track comes from a 1970 show in the Detroit Cobo Arena. The mix I played last night was a combination of the studio version of Break On Through and this track.
The second track was Strutter, it came from the 1975 Kiss live album "Alive!" Great track, amazing solo. A personal favorite Kiss track. The entire album is great.
New Aerosmith Album Due in Three Months, Band Confirms
'We will not let you down,' promises Steven Tyler
The band confirmed that their Global Warming tour will kick off on June 16th in Minneapolis; it's currently scheduled through August 8th, with Cheap Trick rocking the opening slot.
New Regina Spektor single Don’t Leave Me (Ne me quitte pas) of her new album coming on May 29th.
'We will not let you down,' promises Steven Tyler
The band confirmed that their Global Warming tour will kick off on June 16th in Minneapolis; it's currently scheduled through August 8th, with Cheap Trick rocking the opening slot.
New Regina Spektor single Don’t Leave Me (Ne me quitte pas) of her new album coming on May 29th.
Album Covers:
Will and I looked through the albums I had on my computer and discussed the amazing jazz album covers like King of Blue and Giant Steps. Look at 60's album art - very psychedelic. The Sgt. Pepper album cover is my favorite, along with Dark Side of the Moon and Axis: Bold as Love.
We also played Somebody to Love - From the album Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl.
New albums from Madonna, E-40, The All American Rejects, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie.
The Hunger Games gain over 200 million in the box office.
It had the third best opening weekend box office sales of any movie, and biggest of any non-sequel, in North America.
Finally we got to live performances. Really highlighted Zeppelin's use of being very tight at their concerts. The band lets each other shine. We played Rock And Roll from How the 2003 album How the West Was Won.
BONUS MATERIAL
I really wanted to play a track from Nirvana: MTV Unplugged in New York from 1994, but time ran out. It was an all acoustic live show, which is interesting because or Nirvana's famous grudge sound. The album featured the band playing material from all of their studio albums. However they left out their super hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit", which is great. They shouldn't feel obligated to do so.
The Thriller cover info.
On this day in Beatle history:
Recording Good Morning Good Morning and Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
March 28th, 1967 (45 years ago)
Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Geoff Emerick
The day consisted of John Lennon recording a second lead vocal for Good Morning Good Morning. Lennon had decided to include an array of animal sounds, which appears in the final mix.
This particular session ended at 4:45 AM! Before it did, Mr. Kite received further overdubs.
For the first half of the song, Lennon played organ while Harrison, Starr, Neil Aspinall and Mal Evans played harmonicas, and George Martin played a Mellotron.
Good Morning Good Morning
This particular session ended at 4:45 AM! Before it did, Mr. Kite received further overdubs.
For the first half of the song, Lennon played organ while Harrison, Starr, Neil Aspinall and Mal Evans played harmonicas, and George Martin played a Mellotron.
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
Good Morning Good Morning
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
On this day in Beatle history:
Mixing "Dig It"
Friday, March 27 1970 (42 years ago)
Room four, EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Producer: Phil Spector
Phil Spector was the man behind the mixing of the Beatles final release "Let it Be". The song came from a January 1969 session that involved a lot of John Lennon improvising. However only 49 seconds was extracted for the final release.
The song can be seen being played in the Let it Be film, however the full version runs for more than 12 minutes! Featuring Bill Preston on organ and George Martin on piano.
Here is the version seen in the film.
Here is the final version
Song of the Day: The Gunner's Dream
Off the very underrated Final Cut album
Pink Floyd is know for its titanic release of The Dark Side of the Moon and its rock opera The Wall - from the mind of it's lead writer, Roger Waters. When the The Final Cut was released, it was viewed as the disappointing sequel to the The Wall, however there are some hidden gems here. The Gunner's Dream is a very slow song, however it really highlights Waters' voice - something often forgotten in Floyd songs in favor of special effects and guitar solos. The highlight has to be the saxophone solo, though. It has given me goosebumps for a long time (and still does). The solo seems to be crying, moaning, it has a voice. I recommend the album for hardcore fans - however you might like what you hear.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Yellow Submarine Feature Film Restored For May Release on DVD and Blu-ray
Once upon a time…or maybe twice…there was an unearthly paradise called Pepperland…
And now the film has been restored in 4k digital resolution - all done by hand, frame by frame.
The 1968 animated classic has been digitally restored for DVD Blu-ray release coming May 28th and May 29th in North America. The film's song track will be reissued on the same date.
Most likely they will be using the remasters from the 2009 rereleases. I believe this is a great idea - although the rerelease of the song track seems unnecessary. And you know what this means? Let it Be, A Hard Day's Night, and Magical Mystery Tour might be getting the same treatment! Also hopefully a collection of Beatle music videos and live concerts!
Will buy this indeed.
Read the full story here:
http://www.thebeatles.com/#/news/Yellow_Submarine_Feature_Film
And now the film has been restored in 4k digital resolution - all done by hand, frame by frame.
The 1968 animated classic has been digitally restored for DVD Blu-ray release coming May 28th and May 29th in North America. The film's song track will be reissued on the same date.
Most likely they will be using the remasters from the 2009 rereleases. I believe this is a great idea - although the rerelease of the song track seems unnecessary. And you know what this means? Let it Be, A Hard Day's Night, and Magical Mystery Tour might be getting the same treatment! Also hopefully a collection of Beatle music videos and live concerts!
Will buy this indeed.
Read the full story here:
http://www.thebeatles.com/#/news/Yellow_Submarine_Feature_Film
21 Jump Street and The Hunger Games: Amazing!
21 Jump Street was really, really funny. Comedies are a hit and miss (mostly misses), but this movie passed all of my expectations. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum shine as a perfect duo. The two undergo a mission to infiltrate a high school to find a new kind of drug that killed a student. The two were in high school together themselves, cops, and now friends. Each scene around the second act was a non-stop laugh fest. Literally. Everyone in the theater was laughing once the two entered the high school. I recommend it completely.
The Hunger Games was great too - especially if you read the book. However, you don't need to read it to understand the movie, it does a good job explaining everything. The story takes place in North America in the future. Every year, a certain number of teenagers are chosen to participate in the Hunger Games in a fight to the death - in order to achieve greatness. Jennifer Lawrence is great and steals the show, however Josh Hutcherson is finally picking up the pace after a slew of corny children's movies (watch The Kids Are All Right, he's great in that too.) I recommend it too, however expect tween fans there.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Rock Question of the Weekend:
Which of these is the greatest album cover?
The Velvet Underground & Nico
Abbey Road - The Beatles
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Guitar Solos
What makes a great rock song? The lyrics, the drum beat, the sweet, sweet solo. All of the above. This week on Music Central we focus on some of the greatest solos in rock history. From the Rolling Stones to Jimi Hendrix to The Strokes and the White Stripes. Be sure to turn it up to 11!
Here's a taste of what we will be covering.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Albums I'm excited for this year - 2012
The Shins Port of Morrow - March 16, 2012
It's been five years since 2007's Wincing the Night Away. "Simple Song" has been released earlier this year and I liked it - not as good as "New Slang" but I'm excited for this album.
Check out the music video:
Jason Mraz Love Is a Four Letter Word - April 17, 2012
In 2008 Jason Mraz scored big with hits like "I'm Yours" and "Lucky", which played on the radio forever. Now, he's been hidden from the charts. Mraz relased "I Won't Give Up" on January 3rd, which didn't get a lot buzz, toping number 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100. With Adele's huge success, she isn't leaving much room on the charts for other artists - however Mraz's heart is in the right place - it's a solid song but didn't top "I'm Yours", hopefully this album will have more catchy doo-wop songs.
Jack White Blunderbuss - April 23, 2012
"Love Interruption" was released on January 30th, and it made me excited for Jack's new album. I'm ready for White Stripes sounding record or something similar to it. Jack seems to be the only mainstream artist that has a good grip of rock 'n' roll and blues, I trust him. He ruled the 2000's - years after rock was dead and grunge was disappearing, The White Stripes brought a new generation of rockers (The Strokes, The Black Keys) - we'll see if Jack stands shoulder to shoulder with these guys - or is better!
Norah Jones Little Broken Hearts - May 1, 2012
Look sharp! Her single "Happy Pills" will be released on March 6th, so this review is a bit premature. However, I like Norah Jones. Her 2009 single "Chasing Pirates" was great and 2004's Feels Like Home is great! Also Danger Mouse is producing this!
Tenacious D Rize of the Fenix - May 2012
It's been since 2006 and it's time for new music! Their first album is funny and really great at the same time. Let's hope for some metal fun.
Smashing Pumpkins - Oceania - Early 2012
Smashing Pumpkins - Oceania - Early 2012
Happy Birthday, George Harrison!
Beatles singer would have been 69. Born February 25th, 1943.
George Harrison "the quiet Beatle" was responsible for writing hits such as "My Sweet Lord", "Something", and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Beginning in 1966, he grew as a powerful songwriter, challenging the extreme force that was Lennon/McCartney, who wrote some of the biggest hits of the early 60's. After a trip to India, George studied Indian culture and practiced the sitar with Ravi Shankar himself during the summer of 1966. He remained spiritual after the break-up of the Beatles and released "All Things Must Pass" in 1970 - a triple disc 6x platinum album that scored two hit singles. We miss you, George!
Watch his first hit single live!
Davy Jones dead at 66
Monkees member died of heart attack on February 29th, 2012.
The Monkees were a popular musical group in the 60's. Inspired by the Beatles success, they had a hit TV series that ran until 1970. Davy Jones is know for singing 'Daydream Believer'. Check out The Best of the Monkees (2003) with over 20 Monkees hits! Rest in peace, Davy.
Hear "Daydream Believer" now!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)