The Unknown Pink Floyd

Who isn't familiar with "Dark Side" or "The Wall"?
I'm sure everyone has but many haven't heard of my favorite Pink Floyd Era which took place from 1967-1972.
During this period they released some of their best work and much of it has never been heard by you average person.
As far as full realizes the started with "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn", this album was very different than anything else they ever did. It was fronted by their original lead singer and songwriter Syd (Roger) Barrett. It was a pschedelic space rock sound with imaginative and creative lyrics. After the release of this album Barrett was kicked out of the band (will go over in separate post) shortly after David Gilmore was asked to join.
The bands next album was "A Saucer Full of Secrets" which like Piper was a psychedelic album but this time more progressive and a bit more rock was incorporated. This album had such memerable songs as the rhythmical written "Set the controls for the heart of the sun" and the always enjoyable "Corp. Clegg".
Their next album "Ummagumma" was much mre of an experimental or avant-grade sound. The album also included a separate record of some live performances from the band.
The next album and my favorite was "Atom Heart Mother". This Album was a very relaxed sounding and their first that included instumentation outside the band members. The album included the epic "Atom Heart Mother suite" and the smoothly melodic "Summer 68" as well as the simple yet perfect "If".
"Meddle" was the bands next release and it followed the tradition of its predecessor and would make way for their next album. this album also included a slight country-ish twinge on certain tracks. this album contained the amazing track "Echoes".
"Obscured by Clouds" was the last album before "Dark Side of the Moon" and it was their first album to contain a song that made the charts in the U.S. That track was "Free Four" which contained genius lyrics with a enjoyable almost fon rhythm. It also contained the last track in which Gilmore contributed lyrics until they weren't (or at least shouldn't have been) "Pink Floyd" anymore and that song was "Childhoods End". The album album also contained such great tracks as "Mudmen" and "Wots uhh... The Deal".



If you are wondering why I didn't include "More" or "Relics" on this its because they weren't original studio albums.

Fleetwood Mac didn't always suck

Who has heard good old Fleetwood Mac?
I'm not referring to the soap opera garbage of the Stevie Nicks or the all in all lame Bob Welsh formation (with a few good tracks).
I'm referring to the original fleetwood mac, the group led by singer/songwriter/guitar player, Peter Green.
Fleetwood Mac formed in 1967 and quickly gained popularity amongst British blues fans. They formed out of the previous group John Mayall and the bluesbreakers in which Green had already recorded an album with. Their first album Fleetwood Mac was a large success in England. They followed this up with a single that later became a hit for santana (although green wrote it) black magic woman.
The bands next album Mr. Wonderfull was made to be a bit different. they produced it to make it sound about 20 years older and there was even some horns work as opposed to just straight forward blues.
Around this time the Beatles were trying to get Mac added to apple records but withought success (dodged the bullet).
The third and final album that Green did with Fleetwood Mac was Then Play On. This album breached more into progressive blues and rock and roll.
Shorlty after the release of Then Play On the band was in Munich where someone had slipped acid into Green's drink and it caused him to shut himself away for a time and when he returned he discussed his want to gave the bands money to charity. At that point he "mutually" left the band.
Green decided to leave the band.
"His last show with Fleetwood Mac was May 20, 1970. During that show, the band went past their allotted time, and the power was shut off. Mick Fleetwood kept drumming, which for many symbolized either a salute to Green or Fleetwood taking the "reins" of Fleetwood Mac. The band, somewhat reluctantly, kept on without Peter Green and despite press reports suggesting Danny Kirwan would assume leadership, the media-savvy Fleetwood took over as leader of the band." (wikipedia)
After greens departure the band hired American Bob Welsh then later the band changed again but they would never be able to recapture the quality of music they had before nor their DEVOUT fan base that they once had.

My top 10 favorite albums

10) Black Sabbath (Sabbath Bloody Sabbath)
9) The beatles (Rubber Soul)
8) The Cure (Boys don't Cry)
7) David Bowie (Hunky Dory)
6) Pink Floyd (The Wall)
5) Morphine (Cure for Pain)
4) Pink Floyd (Obscured by Clouds)
3) Fleetwood Mac (Then Play On)
2) The Pretty Things (S.F. Sorrow)
1) David Bowie (The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars) TIE
1) The Beatles (Abbey Road) TIE

Honerable mention: Velvet Underground and Nico (Velvet Underground and Nico)
Neil Young (Harvest, After the Gold Rush)
Beatles (everything not on list)
Pink Floyd (everything with WITH Roger Waters or Syd)
The Who (Tommy)
David Bowie (all with the Spiders band)

Reasons

10) In Black Sabbath's 1973 album Sabbath Bloody Sabbath they were taking a different direction that their previous four albums. The band slowed down their music and made it much more rhythmic, they had adopted a kind of progressive rock sound. Another addition to the band for this album was Yes keyboard player Rick Wakeman. I feel that this album was a more evolved sound from their previous albums and I also think that it is a proclamation for how good Ozzy could have been if he wasn't a sell out.

9) Rubber Soul was when the Beatles took their band to a new level, It had incorporated an early sound of a pschedelic rock. I also feel that this era of the band was especially Lennon heavy which I much prefer.

8) Boys don't cry is actually the Cure's secon album. But in the words of Robert Smith (singer/songwiter for the cure) "it was our first good album". This album has a poppy/punky/dark vibe to it and I thinks that the conglomeration worked perfectly.

7) Hunky Dory includes multiple tributary tracks including song for Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol, and oh you pretty things. Hunky Dory has a "a kaleidoscopic array of pop styles, tied together only by Bowie's sense of vision: a sweeping, cinematic mélange of high and low art, ambiguous sexuality, kitsch, and class." (wikipedia)

6) The Wall is an indepth rock opera about the inner struggles of a man going through a mental breakdown. Questioning sanity seems to be predominantnt theme in Pink Floyds music. From Piper at the gates of dawn through what should have been their last album The Final Cut (after that Gilmore ruined the band). The Wall is just a masterpiece of an album.

5) Cure for Pain was Morphines second album, this band was great. they had a jazz/grunge sound that singer and songwriter Mark Sandman fused together perfectly with his vocals anrhythmim.

4) Considered by some (not me) to be Pink floyds last good album.
This albums was also a soundrack to Frenchch movie "The Valley"
This album contains similarhythm'sms throughout most songs to create more of a "whole" soundThisis is mfavoriteit Pink Floyd Album anI i think that anyone who hears it will like it.

3) Fleetwood Mawasn'tnt always a lame pop band. In the late sixties Peter Green was the singer/songwriter/vocals for the band and they had a blues/rock/progressive sound to them on this albumThisis album iphenomenalal and Peter Green was geniusus at making you feecertainan things from his music.

2) For S.F. Sorrow please read my blog on the Pretty Things

1) Abbey Road: The last album recorded by The Beatles anI don'tnt know if they could have ended it better. Fom the opening track Come Together through the final Her Majesty you cold tell that the band knew it was the end and wanted to do the best thing they had ever done. This album blends together creating a "feel" that no other album has done. In the track the End Ringo did his only drum solo ever with the Beatles and all three other members do a guitar solo together, then the line that makes the album "and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make". That said everything it needed to say.

1) Ziggy Stardust: Another Rock opera, this one has the musical touch of David Bowie. Throughout the whole album you can distinctly hear his influence from the Pretty Things. The whole along with Abbey Road has a unique "feel" to it. One of David Bowie's best skills was making climactic songsThehe whole albums comes together for one final song "Rock 'N' Roll Suicide" that features an orchestral sound that sound perfect, then after a second of silence there is one final chord to signify the albums completion.
If you have not heard this album go get it and listen to it now! Also remember that it is to be played at maximum volume.

The Pretty Things

Easily one of the most overlooked bands in history. Many people are familiar with the fact that in 1967 two major albums were recored at the same time and the same studio. These famous albums were Pink Floyds's "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" and The Beatles "Sgt. Peppers". Alot of people agree that the beatles actually borrowed a bit of their "new sound" from Pink Floyd.
What alot of people dont know about this situation was that there was another band doing something greater than both. The Pretty Things a priemere brittish psycedelic band had arived at abbey road (shortly before either Pink Floyd or The Beatles) to record the worlds first ever rock opera "S.F. Sorrow". Based off of a short story "Cutting Up Sergeant Time" by the bands lead singer and songwriter Phil May. I recently Bought a copy of this at a used record store, after i listened to it i was amazed for multiple reasons. One reason was that this was one of the best albums I had heard in my life. Another reason was that this band is not anywhere near as recognized as it should be.
The pretty things in a way startedin the late fifties. Mick Jagger later from The Rolling Stones and Dick Taylor later from the Pretty things, used to play in a band they staret called "Little Boy Blue and the Blue Boys". Dick Taylor then left the band to attend art school. a year older than him was Phil May later became singer of the Pretty things, and Keith Richards. One year under Taylor was David Bowie. Bowie was very influenced by the pretty things and named a song after them. Oh you Pretty Things was on Bowie's album "Hunky Dory". The song explains their style as a unique garage pschedelic sound, that doesnt mean that they the played in a garage but it means they had a jam band sound to them.
So I hope that whoever reads this will check out The Pretty Things because they were one of the best bands to come out of england and they should be heard.

What Happened to Creativity in Music?!

Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile, I've been on vacation.
That being said, whatever happened to ARTISTS making music. A huge percentage of the modern music I hear has no talent. What ever happened to people writing music? It seems as though the primary objective is no longer to share ideas or express yourself, but simply a contest of who can look the best. Whenever I hear those "hit songs from hot new artists" (models) I cant stop thinking to myself "who wrote this" and "how gullible do they think we are"? I think it was destiny's bastard child that I heard say at an award show saying how much this music meant to them. What the fuck? They didn't even write their music. To me its all the same. Some guy making a lame, generic beat and some beautiful person having there voice altered to sing it. Then they have "concerts" where someone plays the track and all they do is lipsync.
Here I am listening to some Pink Floyd while others say it sucks and how much they prefer their Ashley or Jessica Simpson music. They go on to explain how "artistic" they are. Then I usually have the same reaction, The want to vomit!
This also goes for acting. A while ago I read on a fellow bloggers page "He is a real actor...not a movie star" (taken from The OCD Gen X Liberal, 3/5/06). Basically what I'm wondering is what's people like Paris Hilton's talent? Why are people like her famous. I've seen her show, She and her friends go to rural town and teach them how to be (or try to be) as slutty as they are. I personally think that's NOT good. Is anyone else nauseous?
Someone needs to put an end to this.
if you support my cause then email at leave a comment on my blog, please also include why you have decided to take a stand against these impostors that get to win Grammy's.
If nothing is said nothing can be changed so please email this story to people that you know.

On to the Music

It was brought to my attention that on my blog I am not yet posting about music.
so here is a list of some of the stuff I really like.

classic and psychedelic rock. Also garage psychedelic
vanilla fudge, Traffic, King Crimson, Planet Melvin, The Flamin Oh's (hoorah for locals), Mott the Hoople, Robert Zimmerman, Nazz, Todd Rundgren, The easybeats, Chad Allan & The Expressions (guess who they are), morphine (check them out if you can), Roxy Music, Black Sabbath (Ozzy sucked as a solo, this goes to show how ego can kill quality) Badfinger, CAN, Japan, The Cure, Jethro Tull, Neil Young (best With Crazy Horse), Soundgarden (I Hate Audioslave), Yes, The Kinks, David Bowie (with the spiders from mars), Pink Floyd, Pantera (none of that bull-shit mask gimmick stuff, just rednecks and hard music) Nico, Lou Reed, The Suburbs, the replacements (Pre Slim, No offence I think stinson had more heart) The Beatles, Hot Tuna, The Polyphonic Spree, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cat Stevens ( Yusuf Islam, What happened?) Fleetwood mac (peter green and bob welsh NO STEVIE NICKS), Tool, the who, the pretty things, the stones, velvet underground (best with nico)., ., ., I also wanted to add Korn Should be castrated for their shitty cover of another brick in the wall part two, try to pick a song all the fake pink floyd fans love more if there is one, dipshit (well maybe money). And much more...

also for my Mom
Rhinestone Cowboy by Glen Campbell

I Feel Special, how about you?


Well I didn't expect this kind of response from my blog.
I'm happy to see that you people are reading it and I want to thank you for your interest.
Today I would like to talk about the crusades.
I don't mean the crusades of 1096 A.D. but I mean the crusades that are currently going on.
Its no secret that our president seems to be an imperialist, but as a nation is is our duty to question this.
Too many people have told me that they actually believe that it is Bush's intention is to spread democracy to the middle east.
I however feel that it is a religious crusade.
Bush has already been proved to have lied to us about this war in the past (weapons of mass destruction) about this war.
The idea of spreading democracy to a country that is so used to a dictatorship wont work. In a recent survey in Russia people were asked if the would prefer freedom or a strong leader and the vast majority chose a strong leader. You can also use Mexico as an example, they have a constitution that mirrors ours but do you think its as effective?
basically all I'm saying is that to have a working representative democracy the people are the ones that matter as to who really believes in it. Remember everyone, your the ones that power a democracy so raise your voices and take a stand.

The Ideas Of Great Minds Never Die!


I'm sick and tired of hearing things
From uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocritics
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth
I've had enough of reading things
By neurotic, psychotic, pig-headed politicians
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth
No short-haired, yellow-bellied, son of tricky dicky
Is gonna mother hubbard soft soap me
With just a pocketful of hope
Money for dope
Money for rope
No short-haired, yellow-bellied, son of tricky dicky
Is gonna mother hubbard soft soap me
With just a pocketful of soap
Money for dope
Money for rope
I'm sick to death of seeing things
From tight-lipped, condescending, mama's little chauvinists
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth now
I've had enough of watching scenes
Of schizophrenic, ego-centric, paranoiac, prima-donnas
All I want is the truth now
Just gimme some truth
No short-haired, yellow-bellied, son of tricky dicky
Is gonna mother hubbard soft soap me
With just a pocketful of soap
It's money for dope
Money for rope Ah,
I'm sick and tired of hearing things
from uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocrites
All I want is the truth now
Just gimme some truth now
I've had enough of reading things
by neurotic, psychotic, pig-headed politicians
All I want is the truth now
Just gimme some truth now



Lyrics taken from John Lennon
The song was on the great album "Imagine" (1971)
John Lennon was one of the best musicians and thinkers of all time.
Although I obviously didnt write this I still find it to be good addition to my Blog.

Its 10:00 and do you know where you money is?


Well as some of you readers may know, I hope to one day be the President.
Some of the things I would like to do as President is add trained Therapists and Social Workers to public schools.
I would like to have a good ratio of students to them as well, so that help is ALWAYS available when needed.
Having been in (what seem like a different life) a scape-goat at a public school I know what it feel like to be miserable due to school situations and have nobody in that setting you can truly talk to about it.
One guidance counselor for hundreds of kids is ridiculous.
In my old school the guidance counselor had no idea what so ever as to what he was doing.
I can't be the first one too have made this connection, but doesn't it seem like the largest "known" issues are occurring in public schools?
Obviously I would like to bring on universal healthcare, but I don't think I need to go in-depth as to why.
One thing I will have to do is raise taxes, it seems obvious that the Republicans have a theory for re-entering office.
Their idea is too run us so far into debt that when a competent leader enters office he has no other choice but to raise taxes.
The current national debt as of 3/14/06 is $8,270,260,017,
Recently Bush's administration held a meeting about this problem, however their meeting was not to devise a plan to help this situation but to raise the national debt limit to 9 trillion dollars which for those of you keeping up on this situation, is enough money to buy 28 Eiffel Towers made of gold.
Just in case any ignorant religious right-wingers come across this article I want to set down for the record that truly love this country...
But if positive changes are not made soon we are apt to become a TRUE poverty stricken country (if we still exist at all that is).
I feel that the true power of America should not be millitary based, but I feel it should be academic and available to all.
Maybe instead of donating 1.9 Billion dollars a day to the military we can think of the future of our nation.
So I say to you all now, learn and protect your rights, the less we know the more we can be fucked with.