Saturday, April 23, 2011

For Paul

I am finally getting to one of the greatest and one of the top under rated bands Rush.  I know I am going with the very obvious pick here but Moving Pictures is an awsome album! It is the album most casual fans know, and it is great.  I love the lyrics in these songs and the music is top notch.
You start with Tom Sawyer, the song we all know.  But the lyrics are deep and the music just rocks.  To hear the opening cord just gets me fired up and ready to take on anything.  Red Barchetta is such a neat song.  And with gas going to $6 a gallon muscle cars might be outlawed.  You just feel the excitement and the danger in the song.  All serious musicians start off trying to learn YYZ.  Limelight explains alot of truths in the music and fame business that most of us don't think of.
Once again I know it is the easy pick for a Rush album but most of that is cause it is a great Rush album. Hemispheres, Power Windows and Grace Under Pressure are great to go to next.  The band hasn't gotten its due and why they aren't in the Rock and Roll hall of fame is beyond me.  Rush has influenced so many bands and like I stated before I know many musicians try to learn YYZ and many other Rush songs.  Why? It is because the music is just that good.
This one is for my buddy Paul, a huge fan and I went to see them in concert with him.
Till next time

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Stay out of it Nick Lachey

Once again I start with my post of my favorite albums.  This week is a dirty little confession.  First I want to say my wife bought this album, but it is the greatest break up album ever.  Newlyweds was a great show but we all knew it was going to end between Nick and Jessica, what we didn't know was the product of the train wreck would be one of the greatest break up albums ever!
What's Left of Me was the album Nick released after the very public break up and wow it was really good.  Every song on the album is so angry and bitter. It is just dead on what people feel when they break up.    The title track says it all What's Left of Me, man that hurts.  Then you have I Can't Hate You Any More, another crushing song.  Shades of Blue, Outside Looking In are the other titles, wow can you say PISSED.
The truth is Nick has a really good voice and these are really good pop songs.  It is very brave and I think therapeutic of an album.   Should it have won a Grammy, maybe for pop.  The emotions are very raw and real, and you can sing to them.
Clearly he was the more talented of the ill fated two.  Would I ever buy another Nick Lachey album, I don't think so, but he hit it out of the park here.  So if you are going through a break up, or just want to remember how tough they can be, I would give this album a listen.