Billy Joel lets loose with “The Stranger”

Billy Joel is perhaps the most prolific singer-songwriter-composers of all time. He can almost do any genre that he wants, but what he’s best at is, of course, the jazz-rock that embodies his work. He is the quintessential son of the Bronx.

Essentially, his music is like a window into what it is like to grow up in New York City as well as experience life with its inhabitants.  This rings true on his 1977 album The Stranger. Joel metaphorically wastes no time in telling his audience that this album is a bit different with the ode to independence, Movin‘ Out (Anthony’s Song).

However, Joel kicks things into high gear with the upbeat jazz-rock piece The Stranger. It only gets better with the

storytelling of Brenda and Eddie in the upbeat Scenes From An Italian Restaurant. The interesting thing about Scenes From An Italian Restaurant is that, regardless of where you live and when, it’s still a timeless story. It’s the story about how life changes.

However, Joel hits a sour note with the anti-Christian Only The Good Die Young. Though Joel has said that it’s not necesarily anti-Catholic but rather pro lust, it still comes across as anti-Christian because he does say

“They say there’s a heaven for those who will wait

Some say it’s better but I say it ain’t

I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints

the sinners are much more fun.”

But at the same time, it is a fun “forbidden love” song.

This was Billy Joel’s breakout album. Without it, his career would be a few hits and nothing more. This made him into a legend.

B+

 

5 recordings that beg to be in the National Recording Registry

The Wild Heart not to long ago came across the National Recording Registry, which is a branch of the Library of Congress. I must say, it’s a pretty cool ordeal because it seeks to preserve both historical recordings and essentially recordings that defined what life was like at the time of their release. According to their website, these are the qualifications that the recording must meet:

“Recordings selected for the National Recording Registry are those that are culturally, historically or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States.

For the purposes of recording selection, “sound recordings” are defined as works that result from the fixation of a series of musical, spoken, or other sounds, but not including the sound component of a moving image work, unless it is available as an autonomous sound recording or is the only extant component of the work.

Recordings may be a single item or group of related items; published or unpublished; and may contain music, non-music, spoken word, or broadcast sound. Recordings will not be considered for inclusion into the National Recording Registry if no copy of the recording exists.

No recording should be denied inclusion into the National Recording Registry because that recording has already been preserved.

No recording is eligible for inclusion into the National Recording Registry until ten years after the recording’s creation.”

While some of the recordings (rightfully so) belong into the Registry, however the Wild Heart thinks they forgot a few while in the process.

1. The Concert for New York City – This recording became eligible a few weeks ago. However this was one of the things that brought the city of New York together like never before, but nevertheless after the tragedy of September 11, 2001.
2. Woodstock: Three Days of Peace and Music – This recording has been eligible for at least 40 or more years. This festival defined what the 1960’s were all about.
   
3. Woodstock 99 – If Woodstock 69 (mentioned above) was the embodiment of peace and music, Woodstock 99 was it’s evil twin. Take in mind the time of 1999: 2 of the major news events that happened were the impeachment of President William Jefferson Clinton over his affair with a White House intern named Monica Lewinsky and the school shooting at Columbine Highschool, which killed 15 people including the shooters themselves. There were also many copycat crimes as well. It was a rather violent time. Woodstock 99 was almost like a violent reaction to that time, however in the same violent vain.
4. Dreamboat Annie by Heart – This was released at the peak of the second wave of the Women’s Liberation Movement. If anything, the fact that not one but two women head up this band. History was made with this album.
5. 52nd Street by Billy Joel – If I ever want to know what life is like in the Big Apple, I just pop in one of his albums. This was, to me, what I picture Manhattan to be like at that time. Especially with such songs as Big Shot, Half A Mile Away, Zanzibar and the album’s title track.

The Summit: 1975-2003 (& other legendary venues in Houston)

The Summit later became known as the Compaq Center in the 90's. It's now home to Joel Osteen Ministries, better known as Lakewood Church.

Today I stumbled across an old Stevie Nicks video called Whole Lotta Trouble. I remembered reading about how the concert video was filmed – more specifically its location. It was filmed in Houston, which is the home of the Wild Heart. More specifically, the Summit – the fomer home of the Houston Rockets. As a result, I thought of the 2 concerts that were held there in which I and my parents attended: Handel’s Young Messiah in 1992 and Handel’s Young Messiah Farewell Tour in 1995. Both were major tours within Contemporary Christian music at the time and boasted a “who’s who” of artists at the top of the CCM charts: Steven Curtis Chapman, Twila Paris, Sandi Patti, First Call, Point of Grace, Christian metal band White Heart, the list goes on and on.

The Summit was to performance/sports venues in Houston what Madison Square Garden is to New York City. Though yes, we do have the Toyota Center (which is the current home of the Rockets), but as a music lover who resides in this great town I keep wondering why do we keep getting rid of our historic musical venues? Let me ask you this: what would New York City be without Madison Square Garden? What would Los Angeles be without the Staples Center?

The Sam Houston Coliseum hosted numerous musical legends such as the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Van Halen just to name a few.

Unlike San Francisco, Houston has a nasty habit of getting rid of historical buildings: the Sam Houston Coliseum, the Music Hall. Okay maybe they didn’t have landmark status, but considering some of the acts that walked onto their stages: the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney just to name a few – these venues deserved that status. However, they are all demolished now or turned into a megachurch. Could we not make the needed changes to these places to cater to Houstonian music lovers? Where there’s a will, there’s a way!

The interior of the Music Hall. Isn't It beautiful?

All we have now is the Toyota Center, Minute Maid Park, Reliant Arena, H-Town Arena Theater, Verizon Wireless Theater, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavillion, and the House of Blues. Though these are great venues, they somehow don’t measure up to their predecessors. Essentially what we need in Houston is our own version of places like the Fillmore.

The Music Hall in its heydey

 

Talking Heads – Life during wartime

Talking Heads – Life during wartime LIVE – Stop making sense 1984 HQ – YouTube.

On this day in rock history rock club CBGB’s is given an eviction notice. CBGB’s was best known as the place that launched the careers of the Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads, etc.

Joe Jackson mesmerizes with “Night and Day”

photo courtesy of amazon.com

Chances are, if you were born after 1986 in the US, you have never heard of Joe Jackson. That is because by some, he has had very few hits in the US, the 2 being Is She Really Going Out With Him and Steppin’ Out. However, he is one artist that needs to be heard much more on this side of the pond due to both his songwriting and sophisticated style. He’s hardly a rocker these days, but he is the embodiment of cool.

With Jackson’s 1982 release Night & Day, Jackson both captures both what it is like to live in New York City in 1982 – both the wonder, excitement, and even scariness. He also captures the music of the various districts, including Spanish Harlem with the latin jazz-tinged Target. With that track, its just a mere warmup to the albums most popular track, the no. 1 single Steppin’ Out.

Steppin’ Out perfectly captures both the promise of whatever you want to happen in life: love, success, or both. Jackson sings “Now/ the mist across the window hides the lines/ but nothing hides the colour of the light that shines/ electricity so fine/ look and dry your eyes/ we/ so tired of all the darkness in our lives/ with no more angry words to say can come alive/ get into the car and drive/ to the other side.”

Two songs deal with rather touchy issues even to this day in some circles: cancer causes and the gay lifestyle on such songs as Cancer and Real Men. Jackson attacks the fact that all these medical reports, in some way shape or form, tell you that you will contract cancer if you ingest modern-day things such as nicotine, booze, or even protein. Real Men deals with the social expectations of men as seen from the point of view of a gay man living in New York in the early 1980’s.

Overall the album is pretty good, but at times a tad bit repetitive with the drum bits – it has the same parts at the same time. However this is the albums only real weakness. It was nominated for the 1982 Grammy Awards for both Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance Male.

 

The Police shed lots of light on the “Ghost in the Machine

The Police, as a band, are completely unpredictable. No two releases or songs are like the other. Ghosts In the Machine (1981) is no exception. One minute you maybe listening to a straight-up pop number and the next minute you maybe listening to a reggae-tinged song.

The album’s overall strong points are the first tracks, which are the album’s singles: Spirits in the Material World and Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.

However, there is a little bit of weakness on this album. On Invisible Sun, the overall sound is very monotonous with a catch on the chorus.

But the album kicks into overdrive with a fretless bass line that every bassist would dream to play on Hungry For You (J’aurais tojours faim de toi). The bass lines only get better on the next track, the one and only Demolition Man – which is only 6 minutes long. As a novice bass player, I shudder but accept the challenge to play this particular bass line.

One thing that is unique about this album is the usage of the french language. Though most of The Police’s albums have french title, such as their previous album  Zenyattta Mondatta, this one has an english title but contains a song in almost complete french – Hungry For You (J’aurais tojours faim de toi).

Overall the album is a great album. B+