Category Archives: pdawg
Hello…Is It Lionel Richie Doing Country You’re Looking For?
When I was a mere 10 years old I found Lionel Richie almost inescapable. I wasn’t a fan – was more of a pop/rock guy at the time – and it seemed like his music was everywhere. From Toronto Rocks and Video Hitz to the CHUM 30 Countdown, you couldn’t avoid the numerous singles from his 1983 Can’t Slow Down album. I guess that’s what happens when an album produces five top-10 singles and stays in the Billboard Top-10 albums for 59 consecutive weeks spanning 1984 in its entirety, and then some.
Like this:
Big Wreck Return To Canadian Airwaves With a Big Sound
In the late 90’s, modern-rock radio was phasing out the sounds of grunge and embracing ‘alternative’ acts like Radiohead, The Verve, Blur and Oasis. On pop radio, electronic acts like Prodigy, Chemical Brothers and Daft Punk were breaking big on the charts and pop/rock bands like Third Eye Blind, Ben Folds Five and Blink 182 were ruling the airwaves and MTV. There was little, if any, classic rock or arena rock on the radio.
In Canada, things were a little different as guitar-based rock was still as viable as ever with bands like I Mother Earth, The Odds, Big Sugar, Moist and Our Lady Peace delivering arena-friendly guitar anthems. One band that flew under the radar for me at the time was Big Wreck. Their debut album, In Loving Memory Of…, featured three solid singles, including the US top-10 single and Canadian top-5 single “The Oaf (My Luck Is Wasted)”, “Blown Wide Open” and “That Song”. The guitar sound delivered by frontman Ian Thornley was massive as he demonstrated a big voice and some impressive six-string skills that blended classic rock with a more progressive sound.
Saturday At The Movies: Journey 2: Mysterious Island Is Pure Family Fun
Last week I took my two kids, ages 7 and 9 to see Journey 2: Mysterious Island. I’d heard good things about the film and I think Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is just about perfect at picking roles that play to his strengths. Making the experience even better was the fact that Journey 2 is playing in 3D, and unlike the recent release of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, it was conceptualized and filmed for 3D…and you can tell.
Bruce Springsteen Takes a Wrecking Ball To The American Dream
Somehow Bruce Springsteen has managed to do what thousands have been trying to do for months with very little success. Without occupying anything, Springsteen has created an album of new material that perfectly captures the sentiment of our times.
Wrecking Ball is the 17th studio album by the man they call ‘The Boss’, and in many ways, it may be his best – or at least his best in the last 25 years. While it’s not a full E Street Band record (members of the legendary band appear on numerous tracks) it’s also not one of his purely solo efforts in the vein of Nebraska or The Ghost of Tom Joad. Wrecking Ball is a concoction of folk, rock, roots and soul music blended together with looped drums, choir chants, horns and string instruments to create a protest record that doesn’t sound like a protest record.
Like this:
March Madness: Madmen Of The Studio – Brian Wilson and Phil Spector Bring The Crazy To Some Of The Best Pop Recordings Of All Times
Rock ‘n’ roll mythology is filled with stories of madness. Most of these tales are less about mental instability and more an example of what happens when fame, fortune and indulgences in various forms guide the behaviours of the young.
There are, however, a number of legitimately mad men (and women) who have shaped popular music as we know it. These artists are part of a time-honoured fraternity of great and influential artists who have either been driven by or driven to new levels of madness as a result of their artistic endeavours. Consider these three ‘Vans’: Ludwig van Beethoven allegedly suffered from bipolar disorder which many believe helped him fuel his creativity. Vincent Van Gough spent years in a French insane asylum battling depression and severe mood swings. And finally, Eddie Van Halen…wel,l he may just be part genius/part alcoholic but he certainly has had his moments of instability.
Sometimes you have to wonder what came first…the madness or the music. In the case of Brian Wilson, founding member and creative force behind The Beach Boys, it’s hard to say. Wilson had a self-described difficult childhood, growing up with a brooding and abusive father, but that only made him more determined to please his dad and drive his band to great success. Even the early years of The Beach Boys, Wilson was shy, introverted and much more comfortable behind the scenes creating the surf sounds and harmonies.
