Shout Out To Everyone!

Well, for those of you who can see this, this map shows the view stats of where people read this very blog. The stats themselves mention that I have over 100 views in Dennmark, twice as many as my own country(Canada). Also to mention(to the surprise of myself) is the few and far between views from people in Russia, China, France, Pakistan and South Korea. I'm sure they may have clicked it by mistake, but you never know. Also, as a British-Canadian(or English, I'm not too sure, correct me if I'm wrong), I'm very happy with all the views from the U.K.(all 17 of you!!). South Africa, and United States deserve their credit when given, so thank you as well.
As a final note, here are the stats to my most viewed posts: 1. Katy Perry vs Lady Gaga-63 views 2. Top 10 Lady Gaga Songs-38 views 3.(surprised!) Albums I'm Looking Forward To in The Months To Come-36 views.
Thank you all so much for everyting. I know it may not seem like much, but this really means a lot to me, knowing someone is reading this shit. I hope to continue blogging in the months to cum ;). Thank you very much again :)

R.A.M.O.N.E.S! A Ramones Tribute

In the short, exciting history of music, no band has made so little and received so much acclaim as the Ramones. They were the first real punk group, who were able to inspire millions, and lay the building blocks for a cultural revolution, and today, I pay tribute to one of my favourite groups and one of the best groups ever, the Ramones.

1. Beginnings: The first member of the Ramones, John Cummings(Johnny Ramone), was born in 1948, followed shortly by Jeff Hyman(Joey Ramone), who initially didn't share a friendship, much less a partnership or any interest in music. In fact the only way they knew each other was that Johnny was friends with Joeys' brother, who had an interest in music. While Johnny was always a guitar player, Joey initially started out as a drummer, and according to his drummer, he was a decent one at that. The two later met Dee Dee Ramone, who was suppose to be the singer/bass guitarist, but realized that he couldn't play and sing at the same time. This lead to Joey becoming the singer, and Tommy Ramone being his replacement on drums. They began to play at such iconic clubs like CBGBs, where they developed a reputation for their quick, intense song, essentially putting the "Rock" back in rock n' roll. They soon recorded their first album, titled Ramones, which became the benchmark in punk music. Many bands such as the Clash learned to play by playing along to the album. The second album Leave Home, was nothing special, and by the time of their "crowning" achievement Rocket to Russia, Tommy had had enough, and left the band in 1978.

2. Progress: The Ramones continued on, hiring Marky Ramone as their new drummer. The band has yet to have a breakthrough hit, and the next album Road to Ruin, was nothing special either(although it's my favourite album), and they continued touring. They didn't have much to show, and were desperate for a hit, and the following album ensued a collaboration with legendary producer Phil Spector for the album End of the Century. While the album may have been a mixed opinion by many fans, it proved to have their biggest hit, peaking at 44 on the Billboard charts. At the same time, they filmed the B-movie Rock N' Roll High School, something which I cannot comment on as I've yet to watch it(I can't find a copy to be honest).Pleasant Dreams continued the trend of End of the Century of sounding more pop, but was not as successful. They were no closer to their big hit and returned to a rawer sound with Subterranean Jungle, but at a price. Marky had a major drinking problem, and was replaced by Richie Ramone in 1983.

3. Decline: As the 1980s continued, the Ramones plowed on, even though their existed a riff between Johnny and Joey, after Joeys girlfriend left him for Johnny. Neither apologized, and never talked to each other, despite being in a band together. The Ramones released several forgettable album in the 80s(although on Animal Boy, it includes my favourite Ramones song, My Brain is Hanging Upside Down[Bonzo goes to Bitsburg]). Dee and Joey were doing much of the writing, but this ceased once Dee Dee Ramone quit in 1992(although Marky had returned to the band in 1987), and was replaced by C.J. Ramone. By the time the 90s rolled around, the Ramones were still together, but being one upped by every other punk band of the day, and with the rise of grunge, they were once again put into the shadows. In 1996, they did their final tour, ending in Los Angles. Johnny and Joey had become sort-of celebrities, hanging around people like Eddie Vedder and such. The final concert was filmed(once again, cannot comment on it), and that was the end of the Ramones, after 20 odd years together.

4. Today: In 2002, the Ramones were inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the first band to be done so, but not without tragedy. Joey Ramone passed away from cancer in 2001 at the age of 49, and did not live to see the band inducted. 4 months after they were inducted, Dee Dee Ramone, who had a history of heroin and many other drug problems, overdosed at the age of 50. A little more then 2 years, Johnny Ramone died of cancer as well, at the age of 54.
The Ramones never had a hit record. In fact their biggest selling album is Ramonesmania, their first compilation album, barely went Gold(500,000 sold). The band was able to survive despite the many problems in the band. In addition to Marky drinking, Dee Dee's drug addiction and Joey and Johnny's riff, Joey had OCD which sometimes prevented him from doing his Ramones duties, and Johnny held a iron grip over what the band said and did, and was one of the few conservative people in music. It is clear that this was one of the most dysfunctional bands in history, and yet...somehow...they managed to not only revive interest in rock, but become pioneers in it as well.
By the new millennium, the Ramones started recieving the honors they deserved, placing 2ND on Spin magazine greatest bands of all time and 26Th on Rolling Stones list. Additionally, when Rolling Stone did its 100 greatest guitarists, it placed Johnny Ramone at 16. Despite all that they received, I was a little sad that on the 100 greatest singers, they failed to include Joey Ramone. But hey who am I to say what should or shouldn't be? ;)

Well, that's about all I can write for this Ramones tribute, I hope it is able to live up to that name. Today, most of the early Ramones albums are still around, and you can find nearly all of them in most record stores. they are so many songs on all these records that there are sure to be a few per record that you can enjoy so that's why I wouldn't recommend buying a greatest hits package though, because if you're like me, the hits you want you won't find on 1 single record.

Sex Pistols vs The Clash

In modern history, no music has ever been rejected(or accepted) by so many people as punk music. While the exact timeline of when punk music began, or who was the first punk band, with many saying New York Dolls, MC5 or The Stooges, many agree that the Punk Movement began in 1975, with the Ramones being the first "true'' punk band. However, as the years went on, Punk travelled the world, reviving and burning itself out many times over, giving birth to such greats as Blondie, Nirvana, and Green Day, to name but a few. But if you ask people who the greatest punk band is, you'd be hard pressed to get only one answer. However(I've already killed this word, I'll have to think of another in a few minutes), the top results are usually either the Sex Pistols of The Clash. So today, I'm going to go through each of these bands, finding their strenghts and weaknesses, and crown one band, the "Kings of Punk". (If any of you are offended by my exclusion of the Ramones, I'm working on a special tribute to the band that will be up shortly to satisfy you. Rest assured the Ramones will not be forgotten). So let's begin this under covering of English punk.

1. Attitude

This one seems like a breeze. Most people remember that the Sex Pistols were vulgar, rude and raunchy, doing it everywhere from TV to in concert. They never let their guard down, and always lived up to their reputation. However, lets not forget that The Clash had the "prestige" of being the first group labeled in British papers as "giving the Sex Pistols a scare". But as far as actually doing anything truly revolutionary, whatever they may have done, the Sex Pistols did it first. It's like being scared in a movie, you rarely get scared at the same part twice, and in this instance it proves true.

Winner: Sex Pistols

2. Public Image

Now both bands are strictly punk bands, both with lyrics meant to hurt, and an image to live up to. But when does the point come where you become more well known for your image then for your actual music. In the case of the Sex Pistols this proves to be true. They is only really one studio album(Never Mind The Bollocks) and only lasted 26 months. The first members weren't even the trademark members of Johnny Rotten or Sid Vicious(it was Paul Cook and Steve Jones), who didn't even join until the peak of the Sex Pistols fame. Now The Clash had the same group for most of their career, up till the last album(which many say isn't even a Clash album) and they worked together making tight albums and touring constantly. Both bands made movies which have strong cult followings, and both have managers that are as famous as the bands themselves with Malcolm McClaren and Bernie Rhodes respectively. To top all this off, both Johnny Rotten and Kevin Levine(early guitar player for The Clash) later formed a group called Public Image Ltd. or PIL, with a song called (guess what) "Public Image". But the real reason that the Sex Pistols win is the fact that they live up to the rock and roll standard of burning out before fading away, living fast and dying young(well, Sid Vicious did anyway, most of the original members are still alive). But in spite of this, the Sex Pistols did re-unite, though strictly for the money, proving that some bands will never stay dead. To this day, while the Sex Pistols have continued to do reunion concerts, since the breakup and death of Joe Stummer in 1984 and 2002 respectively, there has never been a Clash reunion, something that has stood for over 25 years, even though they had a career of over 7 years. This category is too close to call, and I'm not willing to side with either, for the other has good evidence as well, so I call a draw on this due to both bands showing some standards of punk ethos.

Winner: Draw

3. Music/Lyrics

Both bands wrote some of the greatest songs of all time: "God Save The Queen", "London Calling", "Should I Stay Or Should I Go?", "Anarchy in the U.K." are all among the greatest songs of all time, and punk anthems for many and far between. Now it's sort of unfair to compare this, because of The Sex Pistols brief career, and the long(not to mention HUGE!) albums of the Clash. The Sex Pistols had 1 real album, and a number of random compilation albums, while The Clash have 3(or 4) albums, 1 double album, and a rarity in the music industry, 1 triple album. So you see that there is far more material to look off. But while the writing of both bands started off as bands who were angry individuals at the established order, The Clash were the band who were responsible for challenging the order at every chance they got, be it the angry confrontational, or quiet pot shots. Many people got more informed about world affairs by listening to The Clash, whereas the Sex Pistols were more of a in-the-moment sorta thing. The Clash were genuine in their writing, and not doing it just to get a giggle, or a scare out of it.

Winner: The Clash

4. The Band

Musically, members have to get along with each other, be able to play off each other, and work together both in and out of the studio. That's how a band work, otherwise, it's not a true band. In this department, the choice is quite clear. Joe Stummer and Mick Jones of The Clash/Johnny Rotten and Glen Matlock were the groups songwriters. All were somewhat skilled musically(I leave it up for debate whether Johnny Rotten could sing). But once Matlock was booted, and replaced with a boy who couldn't play to save his life, the group ceased to function or write. To contrast, Stummer and Jones were skilled writers, being able to write more then 100 songs, with help from bass player Paul Simonon and drummer Topper Headon. The Clash practiced frequently, putting their all into the band, and once Topper was booted in 1984 along with Mick Jones, the band was finished. The Clash put more effort into their music then the Sex Pistols, and were a little bit better, in my opinion. The Sex Pistols could barely function with Sid Vicious, and this caused Johnny Rotten to leave and form his own group, and stop being friends with all the members of the Sex Pistols. Bottom line, the Sex Pistols were a group, but The Clash were a band.

Winner: The Clash

5. Endurance

Obviously both bands have had an impact on popular culture, and many people will continue to debate on which was better(online, no doubt). Both bands went on many tours, released many singles, and never really made much money out of it all. Both were inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, and there were rumors that The Clash would reunite at the Hall of Fame in 2002, but Joe Stummers death put an end to those rumors. The Sex Pistols refused to attend their ceremony, but have re-united for many concerts starting in 1996 and continue to do so to this day. But if you are to ask people which was better, there is really only one answer. The band that commented on every major political event, toured constantly, wrote some of the best songs ever, gaining the respect of most people on both sides of the Atlantic, living, breathing the punk ethos, a band that may take a while to accept, to grow on you, and eventually win your mind and heart, let it be known that the greatest punk band, the true successor of the Ramones and a worthy counterpart to them, "The Only Band That Really Matters", The Clash.

Winner: The Clash

Match: The Clash

And so ends my review on the Sex Pistols and The Clash, I hope you enjoyed it, and please don't spam me with anti-Clash mail, because I love both these bands, I just found The Clash to be better, that's all. My Ramones tribute should appear sometime in the near future, but until then, thanks for reading, have a good day, hope you get what makes you happy.

Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Experience

Well last night I went to see the Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Experience at Hamilton Place. Well to start off, for a Led Zeppelin sorta thing, the venue wasn't even full, at least from what I could see(I was in the front row on the 2nd Balcony). That being said, the people who were there were(I assume) bigger Zeppelin fans then I was. I mean, the only album I've really listened to is the debut, and I though that it was brilliant. Other then that, I've only had a passing interest in them despite having nearly all the albums(Physical Graffiti still eludes me).

But anyway back to the concert. Even if it was a tribute band, I was impressed by the band. The guitar player was incredible, playing just like Jimmy Page himself. He had the guitars, the moves, he even had the hair(I think he did anyway). The lead singer took a while to warm up to me, but by the end, I thought he was also up to par with the group. He had the voice, the screech, the howl, and the vocals of Robert Plant, despite not having the hair. Jason Bonham, of course, was what I could expect for the reputation that he lead. He plays the drums as good as his father ever could, and he plays them with power. He did all of the big Zeppelin songs(Stairway, Kashmir, Lotta Love, Moby Dick, Black Dog, Rock N' Roll) and some lesser known songs (Dazed and Confused, Your Time, Good Times).

As far as a concert goes it was great, and I felt like I really was at a Led Zeppelin concert(like I would really know anyway). Jason Bonham is the second person that I've seen of the Zeppelin lineup from 2007(the first being John Paul Jones in Them Crooked Vultures back in May). Because of this, I think I'll try and see the remaining two members when and if they go on tour. I don't know about Page, but Robert Plant has a new album out, so maybe I'll get the chance to see him.

In conclusion, if you are a fan of Zeppelin, or classic rock in general, then I would recommend going to see this while you can. It was one of the coolest events I've ever seen and I'm very glad to have seen it in my life.

Movie Review: Hereafter

3.5/5

I should've known that Clint Eastwood films were this long in length. This movie clocked up 2 1/4 hours(or 135 minutes), and I believe that this was a bit two long(although according to my father, Invictus is even longer!). But for a Saturday Night movie, it was pretty good. It had a terrific opening(rare in his movies I'd say), but started to lag as the movie went on. I think this is because of the 3 story lines going on, with one(French women/girl/person/newswomen/whoever) being a bit too focused upon, while the other two (Matt Damon/English kid) being underplayed. I was far more interested in these stories as opposed to the former story. It still was a good movie, with a good sense of humor, drama, and the question of afterlife. Most of us don't go around thinking about what happens when we die(emo/goth/loser), and this question is brought up just enough times in the movie. The main flaws in this film was the ending. It suffers from the fact that it can't decide when to end, much like Wall Street 2. I didn't even know who the director was(which is a big factor for some people, me included) and I found this film to be enjoyable, although not up to par with some of his other films, mainly Gran Torino and Unforgiven(I known there are many films that he has made that are also considered classics, but I haven't viewed all that many. The man has over 31 directing credits and even more acting credits!). I will say this was far better then the above mentioned Wall Street, but that's not a hard task to accomplish.

Album Review: My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky

Unknown

I have never heard anything quite like this before. This is the most unique piece of music that I've ever heard. In fact the only group I can think to compare them to, is Sonic Youth, and even that is a stretch. The reason for that is because Sonic Youth, and only because of the usage of noise. I don't know what else I can say about this album. This is either a work of genius(such as Daydream Nation), or a joke(similar to Metal Machine Music). I have no rating for this album. All I can say is listen to this yourself, if you can find it. It was released this month, I bought mine on vinyl. It should be available on iTunes, otherwise search around(if you really want to). This has left me speechless, and I don't know what else to write.

Movie Review: Match Point

4/5

You know those movies that you can watch, leave and come back and immediately pick up on where you left off. Match Point was that movie for me. I watched it December last year, got halfway through it, rented it again last week, picked up where I left off, and my emotional state didn't change toward it. It still is a good movie. I've not seen many Woody Allen films(exception being Vicky Christina Barcelona), but I can tell that he's a man with style, who wants to tell a story the way he wants it told, and doesn't care what you think about it. He's had many misses and hits, but strangely the one film that he said was the best he ever did, is Match Point. I can certainly see his appeal. The character of Chris is a psycho, by the very definition of one, very similar to Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. He lets lust get the better of him, and instead of let it destroy his life, he destroys the lust in his life, but it leaves him empty in the end. Scarlett Johannson is excellent in this, after coming right off Lost in Translation, she plays the same sort of character, just wanting love in her life, and not being able to obtain it. She's a tragic hero, who suffers because of her involvement with Chris. The rest of the characters are unnecessary, as are some spots in the movie. The movie may seem long, and drag on, but if you are in the right mindset you could find some appeal in this. I will say though that it is written with intelligence, shot with art form, and presented as a film for many, but not everyone.

Album Review: Tubular Bells

4/5

What a strange album this is. There is little dialogue, many instruments, 2 tracks, both at great lengths, and yet it doesn't sound dated to me, and still sounds as good as ever. This album was created in 1973 by Mike Oldfield, who was only in his 20s at the time. He plays nearly every instrument that you hear(at one point you hear him announce which ones, on Track One), and he does so with great skill. Reminds me of Sting, being so multi-talented and versatile on all the instruments. This album got famous as the opening bars were used in the 1973 film The Exorcist(maybe I'll actually watch this movie this Halloween, as it's one of the few "scariest movies ever made" that I've yet to see, along with the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre and A Nightmare on Elm Street). There isn't much to say about to say about this album, it's very relaxing, good for studying/reading good literature, with all the key changes, it's a good album for studying...umm......I don't know actually. I'm not a good enough musician, but I'm sure somewhere, if there are still classes trying to interpret what John Lennon was really talking about in I Am The Walrus, then there probably is a class studying and learning all the notes of Tubular Bells.

Movie: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

2/5

For me to give this any higher then a two is not doing the film justice. This film was just too boring, too complicated and too over-the-top(but not in a cool Inception kind of way). The only reason I can even give this film a 2 is the names they got. Michael Douglas, Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan, Frank Langella, all great actors, all having some sort of award/nomination by the Academy. Oh, Shia Lebouef is in this as well, but he's not important, he's only the lead actor. Ok, to be fair, he does a half decent job with this, and I wasn't bored by him, some of the time. My favourite actor in this film is Frank Langella, whom I've been a fan of since the amazing Frost/Nixon(and if you're a Deep Space Nine fan, he's in the 3 part episode arc at the beginning of Season 2 as Minister Jaro). His part in this film is brief, but by far my favourite, more then Gekko, who is just going through the motions of the last time. I dunno why people keep wanting to see villians in a second movie, it doesn't work, not for Hannibiel Lector(Red Dragon; Hannibiel) and it didn't work for Gordon Gekko. Also, I was VERY irritated by Carey Mulligans character. Why should I "char" about this character who just cries, and cries and CRIES!! It's so fuckin annoying to watch(but it shows that she can show emotion I suppose) and it turns a semi- interesting character into a typical female character. It's been done to death. also, may i note at how many times I thought this movie would end, but ended up going on for another half hour. True, it wasn't that bad, but what preceeded it was. I had high hopes for this film, but I don't think this was as good as it could've been. Overall, if you like stocks, finance and the first Wall Street, then you may enjoy this, otherwise, you'll be bored to tears and just wanting to run out of that theater(P.S. please note the Charlie Sheen cameo halfway through the film. Was that really nessecary? )

Albums I'm Looking Forward To(In The Months To Come)

Okay I'm running out of stuff to write about, so here's a haphazard attempt at what albums I'm gonna buy in the next 4 months or so: Lady Gagas' Born This Way, Kings of Leons' Come Around Sundown, Untitled No Doubt Album, Elliot Smiths' An Introduction to..., John Lennons' Double Fantasy(Stripped), Untitled Avril Lavigne Album, Untitled Strokes Album, The Whos' Floss and of course, Untitled R.E.M. Album.
These albums will most likely get reviews for, and will be taken seriously, and carefully. I hope that whoever reads this blog waits around that long for those to happen.

:)
P.S Happy Birthday Randy Quaid

Album Review: The Suburbs

5/5

Arcade Fire, I bow down humbly towards you. This is the one of the best new albums I've heard since Metrics Fantasies. This is an album by the true meaning of the word. None of these songs sound like they should be similar. This is the Album of the Year for me. Much like The Beatles Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, this album has a theme, which is life, and living it how you do, in the sense of how you were brought up. It is an hour long, and that hour is one of the highlights that I've ever had from listening to albums. This is a landmark album, right up there with such albums like Nirvanas' Nevermind or R.E.M.s' Automatic for the People. These are the albums that make music fun to listen to, the reason to listen to, not just some release to find your feelings, this album gives you good feeling, instead of you feeling how the album feels(if you understand what that means). I have never been a huge fan of Arcade Fire, but I respected them, and though I never bought their second album(Neon Bible) I did quite enjoy their first album, which I bough brand new this year (Funeral) . I'm happy that this album got to Number One(abet 1 WEEK!?), and hope that more people understand what this band is, and what they're trying to do. What are they trying to do you may ask? With albums like this, they're not trying to return to they way things were, but to better the future, and to rid the world of people like Katy Perry and Justin Bieber(the last part is just my personal opinion of course). If you have not listened to this, you are really missing out on something truly great. Don't miss it(although please don't buy 8 different copies of the album to try and get the different covers. Just wait and buy them used if you must, cause your gonna blow your money doing that). (Also, may I note that the vinyl changes track 9 to track 15. I dunno why)

Movie Review: Meet Joe Black

3/5

This movie was a bit of a surprise to me. It was a surprise enough that i actually found myself liking this movie, and this normally wouldn't be my kind of movie. It's a bit dated, but no more so then what say A Clockwork Orange is. The story is about Anthony Hopkins' character dying, and Brad Pitt being Death, coming to take him away. Along the way he falls in love with the soon-to-be-deceaseds' daughter, although he's not really sure what is love(cue instant music refernece here!). The movie may or may not be too long (3 hours), but i found it enjoyable. Now, when i say this, I don't mean I enjoy the long(and I mean LONG!) pauses in between dialouge with Brad Pitt. I mean the scenes with Anthony Hopkins, one of my favourite actors of all time, doing a fantastic job with the material, and turning this shitty movie into a watchable movie. You want to watch him, as when you look at him, no matter how he smiles, how he talks, how he looks, he's still Dr. Lecter, which is the reason some people(including me, admitingly) watch his movies. The movie does get a fair bit over-dramatic, mostly with scenes involving Brad Pitt(in his Pretty Boy era look), but don't worry, they only last 10 minutes too long each time. I mean, my God, do we have to see EVERYTHING that this man is thinking. he's about as charming as a poster, which ironically, is what he was around the time. The only time he's somewhat watchable is when he's not Death(spoiler), but I won't ruin that for you. If you have some time to kill, and you enjoy overly long 90s dramas(see The English Patient/Forrest Gump/Dances With Wolves) then you may yet enjoy this mixed bag of a film, but other then that, I'd put it in the catagory of The Reader, for a movie of overly long/but good acting/drama