Category: Media
Posted by Jay at 11:08 am
Over the last year or two, I’ve bought numerous albums from bands that I had ignored (at least all their new stuff) for a decade or so. And in many cases I have been very pleasantly surprised. Downright thrilled by a few of them. Here’s a quick selection of aging rockers who rock.
Iron Maiden: Wow! Just wow. Brave New World (2000) showed a return to form with some great tracks, Dance of Death (2003) was okay, and then A Matter of Life and Death (2006) blew me away. I’d easily put that last one in a top 5 list of best Maiden albums ever.
Dream Theater: They never really slowed down, but I didn’t know it, because I wasn’t buying their albums. They pretty much all rock, with Systematic Chaos (2007) being no exception.
Rush: Some of the best stuff ever on their latest. When Snakes and Arrows (2007) opened with “Pariah dogs and wandering madmen/Barking at strangers and speaking in tongues” to a heavy hitting sound, I was floored. I need to go back and pick up Vapor Trails (2002).
King’s X: Ogre Tones (2005) is glorious, full bore King’s X, with the diverse sound of the early albums that includes both Doug and Ty on lead vocals, but with much of the more hard-driving sound that was developed on Dogman.
Savatage: Probably need a separate entry on them, as their music is all over the map. But it used to rock, and it still does.
Megadeth: I only have a few tracks from The System Has Failed (2004), and I have not heard United Abominations (2007), but what little I have heard makes me glad Dave Mustaine recovered from his radial neuropathy.
Here’s a couple bands that didn’t make the list even though I have their newer stuff and still listen to them.
Dio: Killing the Dragon (2002) and Master of the Moon (2004) are okay, but don’t compare to Dream Evil (1987) and some of his other earlier work (not to mention Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules from his Black Sabbath days).
Queensryche: I like many of their more recent albums, but I just don’t think they stand up to Operation: Mindcrime (1988) and Empire (1990).
I’ve probably missed some good ones. What other established metal bands survived the grunge movement and have put out a great album recently?
Posted by Jay at 2:59 pm
Last night we had some friends over for dinner and at some point the conversation managed to wind its way around such that my reference to the Battle of Passchendaele made sense. And the question came up as to how I knew about this grim killing field from World War I, and of course the answer was Iron Maiden…
At which point I found myself explaining something that is probably utterly mystifying to anyone who did not grow up listening to heavy metal but is enjoyed greatly by those of us who did: much of Iron Maiden’s repertoire is based on references to literature, history, film, television, and mythology. And it is often done quite respectfully. Even, one might say, tastefully.
To make the point here, I’ll highlight a few of the songs that I’ve enjoyed and then ask my faithful readers who might have listened to a little Maiden growing up to chime in with further references. Of course, that assumes I have any faithful readers left. So here goes.
The Trooper - Tennyson’s “The Charge of the Light Brigade” and the Battle of Balaclava (part of the Crimean War)
Where Eagles Dare - book and movie of the same name
Flight of Icarus - Greek myth
To Tame a Land - “Dune” by Frank Herbert. Here’s a great detail from Wikipedia.
However, when Steve Harris requested permission from the author to name the song “Dune” and to use a spoken quotation as the track’s intro, his request was met with a stern reply from Frank Herbert’s agent: “No. Because Frank Herbert doesn’t like rock bands, particularly heavy rock bands, and especially rock bands like Iron Maiden”. This statement was backed up with a legal threat, and eventually the song was renamed “To Tame a Land” and released in 1983.
Children of the Damned - film of the same name
The Prisoner & Back in the Village (2 songs, 1 topic) - British television show “The Prisoner”
Run to the Hills - Europeans coming to the Americas
Aces High - British RAF versus the German Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain
Rime of the Ancient Mariner - though 13 minutes in length, it is still an abridged version of the poem
Posted by Jay at 7:06 pm
The song is performed by Abigail, but it was written by Abigail and her friend Molly Queal yesterday.
I Had a Little Monkey
Posted by Tricia at 7:34 am
Note: This post should have been done at the beginning of Lent, so forgive my tardiness. I will try and repeat this write-up again next year in order to give readers more notice.
But…if you are looking for a wonderful tool to use this season as you help your children and family prepare to celebrate Palm Sunday, Good Friday and the events leading up to and including Easter, specifically relating to the hymns which our churches often use for the celebration of the Passion of Christ, I highly recommend this:
It is one of a series of four books, all of which we own and love, which Joni Eareckson Tada and Bobbie Wolgemuth have collaborated on and which are designed to help introduce children to the richness of these hymns. The book presents twelve Passion hymns, and includes some of the history behind each song, wonderful accounts about the authors, and a devotional which aids children in gaining an understanding about each hymn, as well as written music for piano/guitar. A wonderful CD is included and features beautifully orchestrated versions of all the hymns featured, with children’s voices accompanying the two women’s. It is extremely pleasant listening, and we often play selections from these cd’s during the week to help our children prepare for Sunday worship using whatever hymns we might be singing that day.
Posted by Jay at 1:24 pm
Okay, you know the drill. No Google, just your innate knowledge of obscure lyrics. First person to name the band wins, um, nothing?
Please tell me now what life is
Please tell me now what love is
Well tell me now what war is
Again tell me what life is
For the greater good of God
He gave his life for us he fell upon the cross
To die for all of those who never mourn his loss
It wasn’t meant for us to feel the pain again
Tell me why, tell me why
Posted by Jay at 9:00 am
I didn’t notice that my brother had tagged me. Here goes…
1. One book that changed your life:
Through New Eyes by James Jordan (free version)
I read it in college and, quite frankly, didn’t agree with very much of it. Yet my enjoyment of the Bible started growing exponentially afterwards, and I’ve never looked back.
2. One book that you’ve read more than once:
Magician by Raymond Feist (along with the rest of the Riftwar series)
I’ve always enjoyed this series and have read through it every 7 or 8 years.
3. One book you’d want on a desert island:
Fifty Wooden Boats ???
I’m reading this question to mean “one of the books” rather than “the one book”. Too much pressure otherwise.
4. One book that made you laugh:
Parliament of Whores: A Lone Humorist Attempts to Explain the Entire U.S. Government by P.J. O’Rourke
5. One book that made you cry:
The Endless Knot by Stephen Lawhead
My eyes leaked at the end of this one.
6. One book that you wish had been written:
A Young Man’s Illustrated Primer
I suppose only Neal Stephenson fans will really get that.
7. One book that you wish had never been written:
Dragons of a Fallen Sun
I could do without the whole Dragonlance thing. If anyone out there doesn’t like the Fantasy genre, I blame it on the likes of Dragonlance.
8. One book you’re currently reading:
Future Grace by John Piper
My brother gave this to me years ago… I’m finally enjoying it.
9. One book you’ve been meaning to read:
The Resurrection of the Son of God by N. T. Wright
I had started it, we had another baby, and I once again lost my ability to concentrate well enough to read big theological books.
10. Now tag five people:
No thanks… hope no one minds.
Posted by Jay at 1:43 pm
What’s up with this? I was listening to one of my customized radio stations on Pandora (once you open that box, you won’t want to close it) and the song Truth Be Told by Megadeth came on. Its on Dave Mustaine’s comeback album, The System Has Failed, which I guess indicates he’s recovered from the radial neuropathy that put him into retirement back in April of 2002.
So here are the lyrics to Truth Be Told. What do you make of them?
Read the rest of this entry »
June 19th, 2006
IPTV
Posted by Jay at 9:07 pm
I just watched much of the Rice win over Miami in the College World Series on ESPN2… even though we don’t have cable. Here’s how.
Posted by Jay at 11:06 am
Everyone probably has a favorite band that never hit it big, that obviously (to you) deserved commercial success but remained on the fringes. Mine is King’s X. They have produced some of the most interesting rock albums of the past two decades, while remaining rather obscure as far as I know (aside from a brief opportunity to open for AC/DC in the early nineties). A trio with incredibly harmonies (they more or less use the background vocals as another instrument to round out the sound), shifting lead singers (mostly the bassist, but also the guitarist), and competent, sometimes complex music, I find I continue to enjoy their albums 15 years after I first heard them (oddly enough, I didn’t like their sound all that much when I first heard them). But their lyrics set them apart as they spell out a journey from faith to frustration to bitterness.
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Posted by Jay at 12:40 pm
Our family has been struggling through a multitude of illnesses these past two weeks, so we’ve been stuck inside for most of the time. Thankfully, I bought Hoodwinked a couple weekends ago and it has probably been watched every day since.
In brief, Hoodwinked takes up the story of Red Riding Hood at the moment that Red, the wolf, Granny, and the woodcutter are all in the home together and proceeds from the point of view of a police investigation. Beyond the weirdness in the home, everyone is trying to figure out the identity of the Goodie Bandit. This setup is used to make a fantastic point that my kids have gradually absorbed: the challenges caused by multiple perspectives on a single story if folks aren’t willing to listen to one another. As Flippers (the police investigator) summarizes at the end of the movie, if a tree falls in the forest you’ll get three stories: yours, mine, and the tree’s.
It’s a fun feature-length parable of such proverbs as Proverbs 18:13 [+/-]ERROR: You have exceeded your quota of 500 requests per day.
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, with a strong dose of the importance of telling the truth. The animation isn’t up to Pixar standards, but it does the job, and the script is solid in support of the overall theme. And the wolf… he’s there for the parents, with a deliciously understated sarcasm that I still find funny after numerous viewings.
Posted by Tricia at 1:14 pm
“A man’s heart — aye, and a woman’s, too — should be light in the spring. The spirit of resurrection is abroad, calling the life of the world out of its wintry grave, knocking with radiant fingers at the gates of its tomb. It stirs in human hearts, and makes them glad with the old primal gladness they felt in childhood. It quickens human souls, and brings them, if so they will, so close to God that they may clasp hands with Him. It is a time of wonder and renewed life, and a great outward and inward rapture, as of a young angel softly clapping his hands for creation’s joy.”
—from Further Chronicles Of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Leslie has nurtured my appreciation for wonderful quotes, so when I read this for the first time just a few days ago I knew I wanted to post it on our blog for the first day of spring. And so, here we are!!
Recently I picked up Chronicles of Avonlea and Further Chronicles Of Avonlea at a secondhand book store. Those of you who have read and loved the Anne and Emily books by LMM will enjoy these two volumes of short stories that are set in the world of Anne of Green Gables, the beautiful Prince Edward Island. They are delightful, heart-warming little stories which I’ve been enjoying in small bits during Josiah’s feedings. I recommend them highly.
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