sing a long

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The awesome 80’s. Fuck yeah! Something less heavy musically but still intense subject matter.

This is “Distant Early Warning” from Grace Under Pressure. From 1984! At that time there was real fear among many that the US and Russia would somehow get into a nuclear exchange thereby bringing on Armageddon.

Many TV shows and movies of the time played up this “End of World” theme: “The Day After,” “War Games” (Ally Sheedy ), “World War III,” “Special Bulletin,” and “Red Dawn” are a few that I have seen. From what I understand, the threat was very real. The “Terminator” movies also played up the nuclear apocalypse theme although that was the result of “computers taking over” (another common fear of the time) and eliminating humanity. And gave rise to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career.

This video definitely is showing its age. But is still very cool. Sort of like me.

I’m surprised the technology depicted was not more “state of the art.” The radar screens and aircraft launching the missle carrying the little boy look like something out of 1930’s sci fi.

Rush as always is awesome. These guys are still playing as far as I know and I like the “Miami Vice” jacket and hair that Geddy Lee (bass) is wearing. Speaking of Geddy Lee, that is allegedly his son in the video. Not much older than me. Shit, why couldn’t MY dad have played for a rock band instead of working for General Motors? Anyway, If I were to choose one of them to be my “dad” it would have to be Neil Peart--God of drums. Would have loved to find a red Tama double bass set like that under the tree for Christmas.

Hope you enjoy this look back!

(Originally Rush intended to carry out the video to its logical conclusion. With the boy crashing into a city and the nuclear warhead detonating. This apparently was considered too intense and edited out. I have not been able to confirm this.)

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Heard this one earlier today. Haven’t listened to it in years. From the first “Transformers” in 2007. My wife was playing an iHeart channel featuring Paramore and related bands while she was working on her computer. I think hoping that I’d like Hayley again. Aww… That’s really sweet.

Most of the music on this channel I would classify as lighter “nu metal,” “pop,” and “emo.” Some Evanescence. Amy. No Slayer, Ozzy, or Metallica.

This song plays at the end of the movie as the credits begin and is heard on Bumblebee's radio when Sam drops Mikaela Banes off at her house. Mikaela is of course played by Megan Fox.

Good song and follow-up to the one above. We still have a lot to learn.

RIP Chester (1976-2017).

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Read somewhere that Rebecca Black had turned 22 this year and is still pursuing a career in music and modeling. Everyone made fun of her song at the time (2011) but it got her a lot of publicity and started a career. Nothing wrong with that. I once heard a cover she did of Miley’s “We Can’t Stop” and thought it was pretty good. They also did away with the “drug” references.

Anyway it got me thinking: “Wonder if my friend Leo has ever covered ‘Friday’?” Turns out he has.

Just hope the Barbies in the video are “over 18.”

(Below is a pic of Rebecca from her Instagram. Dated July 2019, so she’s just turned 22.)

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Hope you like this one. No “nu metal” this time. I promise. From the album “Ultra” released in 1997. This was my first girlfriend’s favorite song. Brings back a lot of good memories.

Best YouTube comments:

“Aquaman brought me here.”

“It’s so good music.....Thanks DM.”

“Groovy...” (Me: Yeah, I guess it is. But this was the 90’s. Not the 60’s… Or is “groovy” coming back? )

“Disco times are remembered by this great song.” (Me: Disco!!! Jesus. That was the 70’s. How old do you think I am? On second thought, maybe you were born after 2000 and the 80’s and 90’s just seem like the 70’s? )

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Shit. You knew it wouldn’t last. Here’s Pantera. Happy Thanksgiving! These guys had a big influence on me and my musical tastes. This album “The Great Southern Trendkill” was released in 1996. Of course I lifted to it and it was one I listened to a lot before games.

This is what Wikipedia had to say:

Being Pantera's most aggressive album to date, The Great Southern Trendkill is known for featuring lots of screaming, most notably on "Suicide Note Pt. II" and "The Great Southern Trendkill" while also featuring some of the fastest tempos and most down-tuned guitars ("The Underground in America" and "(Reprise) Sandblasted Skin" were played in drop G tuning) that the band ever recorded.

“Dimebag” (1966-2004) and Vinnie (1964-2018). RIP

Best YouTube comments:

“Very brutal song off Pantera's best album in my opinion. Love it.”

“Pantera wrote the hardest mid-tempo grooves that make you feel like you're made of pure steel.”

“This song predicted the future of nu metal.”

“I wasn't into Pantera until I heard this album. This blows my mind.”

“Vince’s drumming in this is out of this world.”

(True story: Soon after we met, my now wife and I stopped at a “Dollar General” on the way home after one of our first dates. I made a joke about “The fucking dollar store.” She laughed. She knew what I meant! Not long after, I asked her to marry me. )

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Years before there was “nu-metal” there was this. “Left Hand Path” is the debut studio album by Swedish death metal band Entombed, released on June 4, 1990.

My “introduction” to this style of music came a few years later when an older kid in our neighborhood let me borrow his copy of “World Downfall” by Terrorizer. My parents, especially my Mom, hated this type of music. Even Metallica and Slayer were preferable. So naturally, I loved it.

True story: My friend also loaned me a CD of “Eaten Back to Life” by Cannibal Corpse. I kept this one hidden and was careful not to play it when my parents were around. Still, my Mom found it and threw it in the trash. I had to buy my friend a new CD.

According to Wikipedia, the title of the album refers to the “Left-Hand Path” belief system. Guitarist Alex Hellid found the term in Anton LaVey's book The Satanic Bible. The more melodic, ambient section that comes in at 3:54 of the title track is a cover of the theme from the 1979 horror film Phantasm.

The album is known for defining the style of Swedish death metal by being the first studio album to use the "buzzsaw" guitar tone. The tone was created by heavily detuned electric guitars used with a maxed out Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal Pedal and the DS-1 Distortion pedal into a Peavey amp. The originator of this guitar tone was Nihilist guitarist Leif "Leffe" Cuzner.

"Drowned" was featured in the 2009 video game Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned on the radio station Liberty City Hardcore.

You learn something new every day…

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“Stormbringer” was from Deep Purple’s 1974 album of the same name. This is the live version from “Made in Europe” (1975). One of my favorite bands from the past.

One of the most striking things was the picture of the tornado used on the cover. We get a lot of them in the mid-west United States. Have seen quite a few since I’ve lived in Indiana. Always wondered if this was “real” or not. Turns out it is. It was taken from an early photo of a tornado that struck Jasper, Minnesota, July 8, 1927 (photo courtesy NOAA).

Ritchie Blackmore (guitar) and Ian Paice (no his drums aren’t set up backwards, he’s left handed) especially stand out to me. David Coverdale handles vocals in this line-up. Jon Lord on keyboards, And Glenn Hughes on bass.

“Stormbringer coming. Time to die.” Yep. Sounds like something I would’ve listened to…

(The color picture is from the vinyl re-master of 2009. )