On a night where I really don't have a lot to say [I know - a rarity!], I've decided to go to an old standby...
10 Things iPod About You!
One of our favorite activities where we put iTunes to work in cranking out 10 songs on Shuffle and then I discuss said songs in some sort of random, half-ass fashion. Sound like fun?
Great! Let's begin!
MP3s included where possible!
1. The Bells Of Notre Dame from The Hunchback Of Notre Dame soundtrack
Awesome! One of my favorite Disney movies kicks things off with the opening song from the movie. For those of you who haven't seen the movie, here's what to do...
Step One) Take a giant step back
Step Two) FUCK... YOUR... FACE!
Sorry, I had "a moment" there. Seriously though, Hunchback is absolutely one of the most awesome Disney flicks where they actually make an effort to be a little bit darker than most of the Disney movies tend to be. Good music, an engaging story with a hell of a message, and one of my favorite Disney villains. Oh, the song? Well, it's important too because it tells the entire "setup" to the story in a few minutes - establishing the hero, the villain, and our basic plot. From Moment One, you can tell you're going to be watching far from the usual Disney movie. It'd be like an entire movie of that goosestepping hyena scene to "Be Prepared" in The Lion King - scary stuff.
2. Sign O' The Times by Prince
Eh. Not really one of my favorite Prince songs actually. It's okay. Prince always amazes me with the way he shoehorns lyrics into verses that just don't seem like they should fit in there. Like... I would imagine a song like this would be almost impossible to karaoke. Not that I've ever done karaoke. I'd hate to kill my image of omniscient rock god by standing on a stage and poorly singing some song that I can't remember the lyrics to. Anyways, I'm listening to this entire song for the first time in ages - I usually skip right past it when it comes up - expressly for the purpose of writing about it.
3. No One - cover of the Alicia Keys song by a band called Wakey!Wakey!
Fans of this blog know what a fan of covers I am. I'm a sucker for a good one - or a weird one - or sometimes even really bad, ill-advised ones. This one could really fit into any of those categories, I think. There's nothing really remarkable about it to set it apart from the original. It's not a straight take on it because it's stripped down of all the R&B elements to a guy singing with a... I'm gonna guess an electric piano of some kind. The vocals aren't especially good either. This is just... okay.
4. Don't Call Me White - cover of the NOFX song by Rancid
A while back, there was an album released of Rancid covering NOFX songs and vice versa. With those two being two of my favorite punk bands, I was all over it. Surprisingly though, I really didn't care for much of it. The covers just didn't seem as good as the originals and since they're both punk bands, there wasn't a fresh take on the song to take it. So, not shockingly, I much prefer the NOFX version of this song. This is passable but really nothing to go out of your way to hear if you know the original. I still dig both bands but I have to admit, the album sounded much better on paper than in practice.
5. Waiting For My Real Life To Begin - Colin Hay
Colin Hay owes his resurgence on my listening plate to Scrubs - plain and simple. He did an amazing "cover" of Overkill on Scrubs a few years ago and made me set out to check out new stuff whenever it comes out from him. I call it a "cover" because Colin Hay actually was a member of Men At Work so I guess it's not really a cover but rather... a solo reimagining? Anyways, if you're only listening to him for the Men At Work covers [while awesome], you're badly missing out. This is an absolutely fantastic song that should be on everyone's iPod/iPhone/mp3 player of choice. Next time you're on the iTunes Music Store, run a search for Colin Hay and soak up some of the greatness - it always goes down smooth.
6. Sympathy For The Devil - The Rolling Stones
This is going to sound really, really bad for a diehard music fan such as myself but honestly, I think the very first time I ever heard this song was the Guns N' Roses cover of it during the closing credits of Interview With The Vampire. To be honest, I never can quite decide if I like that version of it better. The Stones' version is more iconic and is usually the one I "play" in my head if I think of the song but there's just something about Axl's wild voice tackling it that adds a little spice to it. One of the greatest songs of all time - no matter the artist. The riff, the backing vocals, the main vocal, the drum line... man, all of it is almost instantly identifiable. This is one of those songs that I would love to have on vinyl in some form so that when I finally get a record player, I can spend a sleepy Sunday afternoon lying on the couch listening to the fuzz and hissy Mick Jagger as I'm knocking back a White Russian (been craving a White Russian for days - probably has something to do with reading the book about The Big Lebowski.)
7. Bubble Pop Electric - Gwen Stefani
Hrm. Well. This is one of those songs off the first Gwen solo album that I really want to like. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't. Tonight, I wasn't very overjoyed to hear it come up. I'd like to skip it. And so, since I'm in control here - I shall!
8. Gleaming Auction - Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol holds a spot on that very small list of bands that I had tickets to see that I ate the cost of because I decided I didn't really care to see them that badly. I don't much care for this song either. The verses aren't bad. The chorus annoys me. Thankfully it's short!
9. House Of Pain - Faster Pussycat
I think I stumbled upon this song when I was looking for Bret Michaels solo songs. Hey! Fuck you too! Anyways, this is a perfect example of an 80's arena rock ballad anthem. This is the perfect singalong song that you can totally envision a bunch of heavily leathered, mega hairsprayed, barely in their skintight tops rocking out to with their lighters in the air. Real lighters too. Not this cell phone bullshit that people do these days. I actually really like this song as a power ballad and think most people would have it stuck in their head after a listen or two if they give it a shot. Go ahead. Click the link above and listen. I dare ya. Come on, pussies. Do it. All the cool kids are doing it. If you don't do it, you might as well join the marching band or keep stats for the volleyball team or something. Do it! DO IT!
10. What It Feels Like - Lola Ray
As this song starts, I have a strong suspicion that the song will cut off before it's over. I'm almost positive this mp3 isn't complete which means I have no earthly idea where it came from and why since I haven't used a filesharing service in ages. This song is kinda catchy too. I'm not overly fond of it. I have a hard time imagining the moment where I'd go, "Hey, I want to hear that song by Lola Ray!" I also harbor a suspicion that Lola Ray is in some way related to Sugar Ray and I ain't havin' any of that shit, I tell you that! Ever since I saw Sugar Ray at Warped Tour years ago and realized they could have been an okay band until "Fly" came out and the shit hit the fan and then Mark McGrath [that's his name right?] was on every fucking channel on the television. That fucker was a TV whore. He'd host anything that anyone wanted him to fucking host. MTV Awards? Done. VH-1 Honors? So there. Teen Choice Awards? Where do I sign up? Jet Magazine's "I LOOOOOVE BLACK PEOPLE!" Celebrity Extravaganza? I'm soooo fucking in. Anyways, I digress - the song cut off and now some god damn Chris Issak song is on so I'm going to wrap this up before I drown the keyboard in the blood from my slit wrists.
Showing posts with label iTunes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iTunes. Show all posts
2008-11-17
2008-03-21
Top Five Friday
With two and a half hours until "deadline," i've struggled to find a good Top Five for this Friday. Mrs. Blue has given me a bunch of possible topics that I've cruelly shot down one by one much to her dismay.
Finally, she picked one that I had kind of thought of earlier in the day. So, with options running out, I present...
The Top Five Places To Buy Music [All-Time Edition]
5. Best Buy
Oh come on. Sometimes you just need to find something fast and somewhat cheap. However, Best Buy was much cooler when they first opened when they were actually trying to run out all the music store chains. The prices were cheap, the racks were well-stocked and organized. Now, they just don't care because they figure that you can't go anywhere else. So, basically, they suck now but they had potential once upon a time.
4. Virgin Megastore
And I'm talking a very specific Virgin Megastore - the one that formerly existed in the Triangle Square shopping center in Costa Mesa. I have very fond and vivid memories of going to that store with my friends for a few years [about 1994-96.] It really was unlike any store we'd ever seen. So massive, so many choices... and all those awesome listening stations where you could hear all the stuff that you'd never heard of before. It was expensive as shit though. I remember going there before my first concert [Stone Temple Pilots at formerly Irvine Meadows] and buying the Beastie Boys disc that had "Sabotage" on it. I don't even own that CD anymore I don't believe but at the time, it was the shit. That store is gone now like most music stores seem to be but the memories live on.
3. Tower Records
Whether it was the Tower Records in Costa Mesa or the historic one on Sunset, most people miss Tower Records. Me? I miss the one that was in West Covina. You see, that particular Tower was off the freeway on the way from my aunts' house going back home. So, if I was really annoying, I could sometimes get my mom to stop there on the way home so I could race inside and spend some money. I was way too young to appreciate the awesome selection and basically ended up dropping money on some cassette singles at $3 each [see, even as a kid I knew that the record industry was putting out shit for full albums.] In my later years, I didn't shop there so much because the prices were so high but I never thought the whole chain would fold up like they did last year. I went in to the local Tower to pick up some "going out of business" stuff but it was so sad being in there. I might have even shed a tear if it was at _my_ Tower.
2. The Mad Platter
I think that everyone who goes "away" to college has their local music store that brings back so many fond memories. The Mad Platter in Riverside was mine. Tucked away on a side street in the "not-so-nice" side of town, the Mad Platter sold tons of local bands, tons of ska and punk, and tons of used CDs that I could thumb through for hours trying to find what to spend my hard-earned Work Study money on. They would even open the CDs for you to listen to on the in-store CD players if you asked. For a youngster, the most eye-opening thing to discover were bootlegs. I'd always _heard_ of bootlegs but actually discovering that you could get an entire concert of your favorite band for $20-30 bucks was amazing. I still treasure the Pearl Jam Rarities bootleg that I bought there that had their entire MTV Unplugged set plus "Sonic Reducer" that I used to shove in the face of people who thought they were hardcore PJ fans. Ahhhh, the innocent days of being a music snob. The Mad Platter was also the source to discover all the shows coming to town... you know, before the Internet. This store is gone too. Sounds like a broken record, huh?
1. Amoeba Music
In the heart of Hollywood, I had heard of this store for ages but never actually made it up there until May of '06. Needless to say, I instantly fell in love with it. Two stories of greatness, tons and tons and tons of CDs everywhere to be found. New CDs, used CDs, local CDs, big time CDs. There's racks of vinyl [something I'm efforting to get into very soon.] There are little side rooms that cover Jazz and Soundtracks. There are sections for country, for international, for... just about anything you can imagine. They even have DVDs upstairs if that's what you're looking for. The walls are absolutely papered with posters for bands and movies and... yeah. I can spend hours in the store digging through the entire used music section, wander upstairs with a handbasket overflowing with CDs pulled off the racks, and then listening to them all on the listening stations upstairs that scan the barcode to pull them up in the system. Yeah, sometimes that system doesn't work but dammit, it's the thought that counts. Honestly, it's a good thing I live an hour away from Amoeba because if I was any closer, they might get almost every dime I have. Oh, and they also feature in-store concerts from time to time... something I've failed to see so far but intend to remedy soon. It's still open... for now. Show 'em some love and keep it that way, okay?
And that's that.
On a side note, I had an internal debate on whether or not to include iTunes Music Store in this list seeing that's where I buy most of music nowadays. I decided not to because it's an uneven playing field for convenience but if you're looking for music in a hurry and at [usually] the most reasonable price you can find, you can't beat the ITMS. For those of you who prefer an actual disc or piece of vinyl in your hands, head on down to Hollywood.
Finally, she picked one that I had kind of thought of earlier in the day. So, with options running out, I present...
The Top Five Places To Buy Music [All-Time Edition]
5. Best Buy
Oh come on. Sometimes you just need to find something fast and somewhat cheap. However, Best Buy was much cooler when they first opened when they were actually trying to run out all the music store chains. The prices were cheap, the racks were well-stocked and organized. Now, they just don't care because they figure that you can't go anywhere else. So, basically, they suck now but they had potential once upon a time.
4. Virgin Megastore
And I'm talking a very specific Virgin Megastore - the one that formerly existed in the Triangle Square shopping center in Costa Mesa. I have very fond and vivid memories of going to that store with my friends for a few years [about 1994-96.] It really was unlike any store we'd ever seen. So massive, so many choices... and all those awesome listening stations where you could hear all the stuff that you'd never heard of before. It was expensive as shit though. I remember going there before my first concert [Stone Temple Pilots at formerly Irvine Meadows] and buying the Beastie Boys disc that had "Sabotage" on it. I don't even own that CD anymore I don't believe but at the time, it was the shit. That store is gone now like most music stores seem to be but the memories live on.
3. Tower Records
Whether it was the Tower Records in Costa Mesa or the historic one on Sunset, most people miss Tower Records. Me? I miss the one that was in West Covina. You see, that particular Tower was off the freeway on the way from my aunts' house going back home. So, if I was really annoying, I could sometimes get my mom to stop there on the way home so I could race inside and spend some money. I was way too young to appreciate the awesome selection and basically ended up dropping money on some cassette singles at $3 each [see, even as a kid I knew that the record industry was putting out shit for full albums.] In my later years, I didn't shop there so much because the prices were so high but I never thought the whole chain would fold up like they did last year. I went in to the local Tower to pick up some "going out of business" stuff but it was so sad being in there. I might have even shed a tear if it was at _my_ Tower.
2. The Mad Platter
I think that everyone who goes "away" to college has their local music store that brings back so many fond memories. The Mad Platter in Riverside was mine. Tucked away on a side street in the "not-so-nice" side of town, the Mad Platter sold tons of local bands, tons of ska and punk, and tons of used CDs that I could thumb through for hours trying to find what to spend my hard-earned Work Study money on. They would even open the CDs for you to listen to on the in-store CD players if you asked. For a youngster, the most eye-opening thing to discover were bootlegs. I'd always _heard_ of bootlegs but actually discovering that you could get an entire concert of your favorite band for $20-30 bucks was amazing. I still treasure the Pearl Jam Rarities bootleg that I bought there that had their entire MTV Unplugged set plus "Sonic Reducer" that I used to shove in the face of people who thought they were hardcore PJ fans. Ahhhh, the innocent days of being a music snob. The Mad Platter was also the source to discover all the shows coming to town... you know, before the Internet. This store is gone too. Sounds like a broken record, huh?
1. Amoeba Music
In the heart of Hollywood, I had heard of this store for ages but never actually made it up there until May of '06. Needless to say, I instantly fell in love with it. Two stories of greatness, tons and tons and tons of CDs everywhere to be found. New CDs, used CDs, local CDs, big time CDs. There's racks of vinyl [something I'm efforting to get into very soon.] There are little side rooms that cover Jazz and Soundtracks. There are sections for country, for international, for... just about anything you can imagine. They even have DVDs upstairs if that's what you're looking for. The walls are absolutely papered with posters for bands and movies and... yeah. I can spend hours in the store digging through the entire used music section, wander upstairs with a handbasket overflowing with CDs pulled off the racks, and then listening to them all on the listening stations upstairs that scan the barcode to pull them up in the system. Yeah, sometimes that system doesn't work but dammit, it's the thought that counts. Honestly, it's a good thing I live an hour away from Amoeba because if I was any closer, they might get almost every dime I have. Oh, and they also feature in-store concerts from time to time... something I've failed to see so far but intend to remedy soon. It's still open... for now. Show 'em some love and keep it that way, okay?
And that's that.
On a side note, I had an internal debate on whether or not to include iTunes Music Store in this list seeing that's where I buy most of music nowadays. I decided not to because it's an uneven playing field for convenience but if you're looking for music in a hurry and at [usually] the most reasonable price you can find, you can't beat the ITMS. For those of you who prefer an actual disc or piece of vinyl in your hands, head on down to Hollywood.
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