Goin' Platinum?

I'm thinkin' it's a damn good possibility. Weird Al (who, go figure, has his own MySpace page) has done it again! On the heals of the brilliant You're Pitiful, Al has taken on one of the biggest hits of this past summer. Unless you've been living in a box, you've heard Chamillionare's Ridin' (featuring Krayzie Bone of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony). Not only is Ridin' a brilliant rap, but it's DAMN catchy. Al took the bull by the horns and has put together yet another parody masterpiece. Ladies and Gentlemen, put your hands together for a little somethin' I saw, posted earlier, by out blogger friend, Vermrion, on Electric Monkey Pants...

WHITE AND NERDY!

You Say You Want A Revolution?

Hello, and welcome, once again, to NRT - the place where you get the joys of reading my raves (and possible occasional rants) on the music industry. As promised, today I'm going to explore The Beatles' answer to Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys most hailed album ever. But first, a little history...

When Pet Sounds was released in 1967, it was Brian Wilson's answer to another fabulous Beatles album (and one of my favs from them): Rubber Soul, which brought us such great tunes as I'm Looking Through You and Drive My Car (both found only on the British version); as well as In My Life. But I digress... After Lennon sat down with Sounds, he decided that the Beatles needed a quintessential masterpiece of their own. Given that the entire gang was growing tired of touring, and 'Beatle Mania' was starting to decline due to Lennon's infamous 'Bigger than Jesus' comment, the boys set out to make a psychedelic album that could never be out-done. In less than six months time, they did just that. Presenting...

Often regarded as the most influential rock album of all time, and always finishing in the top two of any 'best of forever' list, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was released June 1, 1967, and a day later in the US. It went on to top the music charts of both nations, snagged four grammys, (including album of the year), and has sold over 12 million copies in the last 40 years. Sgt. Pepper's was the first of its kind. It defined the optimism of psychedelia and spread all kinds of goodness from acid to Eastern spirituality throughout the globe. Very few albums since Sgt. Pepper's have had such a wide-sweeping, immediate impact on society and I will not argue that this album is a great work of genius. The 'Fab Four' hook you as soon as you hear 'It was twenty years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play...' and you're more than willing to buy a ticket for the Magical Ride that will only last the brief 40 minutes (these guys perfected the 2 1/2 minute hit) the album takes to complete. As I feel that it's somewhat inappropriate for me to deeply analyze this record, I have instead (with lots of help from the YouTube community) decided to allow you to judge this one for yourself. Below, you'll find Sgt. Pepper's from top to bottom, with the exception of the Sgt. Pepper's (reprise) found on side two. Enjoy...

Side One:
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
With a Little Help From My Friends
Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds
Getting Better (Beware - the video is kind cheesy; but the song is there)
Fixing a Hole
She's Leaving Home
Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite (with a touch of It's Not Too Bad at the start)

Side Two:
Within You Without You (Harrison's masterpiece)
When I'm Sixty-Four
Lovely Rita
Good Morning Good Morning (sorry; no video - it was just too annoying!)
A Day in the Life

OK then, now that you've had some time to digest, I would like to offer up something more. Everyone consistently talks about how Sgt. Pepper's is the Beatles' best album. Although I will never argue that it's fantastic, I will say that they out-did themselves prior to Sgt. Pepper's release. Somewhere between Rubber Soul and Sgt. Pepper's, while the mania over Pet Sounds was screaming loudly throughout the land, the Beatles released what I consider to be their greatest work. Plain and simple, I LOVE this album:

Recorded at Abbey Road, Revolver was released on August 5, 1966. I have nothing to say other than each and every track is a pure work of genius and imagination. Here, again with the help of YouTube, is the complete album - all 13 glorious tracks. When you're through, ask yourself...

'All the lonely people; where do they all belong?'

Side One:
Taxman
Eleanor Rigby (possibly the best ever utilization of a sting quartet in a rock song)
I'm Only Sleeping
Here There and Everywhere
Yellow Submarine
She Said She Said (this video has "Butcher Cover" footage!)

Side Two:
Good Day Sunshine (Live)
And Your Bird Can Sing
For No One (Paul - solo)
Dr. Robert (With footage from the show House)
I Want to Tell You (From Concert for George)
Got to Get You Into My Life (Paul with Wings - live)
Tomorrow Never Knows

And that, ladies and gents, concludes my run on the Beatles. I hope that you have enjoyed. However, if you didn't get enough, the ear candy link this week is what I consider to be a gem. Here's your hint - it evolved from It's Not Too Bad, and was released as its own single, a double A-side, with Penny Lane.

And finally, in honor of the band, the primate of the week is one that enjoys beetles above all other insects.

Shiver Me Timbers!

Avast, me hearties!! 'Tis 'International Talk Like A Pirate Day'! Created by John Bauer and Mark Summers in 1995, it's become an international sensation!

So, join the rest of we lubbers and get your shanty on! If nothing else, it's sure to drive your mateys at work wild!

Aarrr...

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Avast! Me Pirate Name!

My pirate name is:

Black Ethel Cash

Like anyone confronted with the harshness of robbery on the high seas, you can be pessimistic at times. You're musical, and you've got a certain style if not flair. You'll do just fine. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

I cannot begin to tell you how much I love this time of year. The weather is starting to cool down, the trees will soon begin to change over into their beautiful fall splendor, and in a couple of weeks, pumpkin patches will be open for business. But most importantly, I am fully in my tom boy glory surrounded by sports heaven!

Football is up and running at full speed and I couldn't be happier. Pro, college, whatever - I'll watch. My Giants are off to a 1-1 start with their OT win over the Eagles today (!), but sadly, the Packers are at an 0-2 start (Brett, dude, I'm not going to say it, but you know where I'm coming from). In other good news, my college boys are doing well thus far with Penn Sate at 2-1 and Wisconsin sitting pretty at 3-0 (Go Bucky!!).

Not only has football begun, but baseball is entering the most exciting time of their season with October just right around the corner. Hooray for weeknight prime time ball games! My Yankees (please, no griping - I've been a fan since I'm 2 1/2) are in prime position to take the AL East, but I have this feeling that the playoffs are going to be a bit tough this year. Oh well, I'll still love Jeter no matter the outcome. And with the preseaon started in the NHL, I'm gearing up to start pounding on the glass from the blue line...

Good Vibrations!

Yeah, I know. I didn't post last week. Sorry 'bout that - WAY too much going on. However, I have returned to bring to you the first in a two part series on what are considered by many to be most influential albums ever recorded. I have chosen to do this for two reasons. The first is that as I was flipping through my new Rolling Stone, I ran across a page announcing the 40th anniversary of the album I'm presenting this evening. And the second is that, growing up, I believed that the two greatest loves in my mother's life were not my sister and me, but rather The Beatles and The Beach Boys. With that, I give you...

Hailed as Brian Wilson's greatest masterpiece, and one of the greatest and most influential albums of all time, Pet Sounds was released in May of 1966 and has since sold over a gazillion copies (hell, I think my mom has two) and has been ranked in the top three of every 'greatest album ever made' list known to man. After The Beatles released Rubber Soul in 1965, Wilson challenged himself to put together an album that would have the flow and collectiveness he heard on Rubber Soul. And so, Pet Sounds was begun. When they were finished, The Beach Boys had a Pulitzer for your record player, telling the story of maturing into adulthood in the 60s from the eyes of Wilson. The album opens with the incredibly harmoniously layered Wouldn't It Be Nice and hooks you for the ride. You're taken on a tour of Wilson's heart, right brain, and melodic genius only to find the first side ending with Wilson's version of a traditional West Indies folk song: Sloop John B, which perfectly gears you up for side two. Flip that bad boy over, drop the needle on the edge and you're greeted with the lovingly sweet God Only Knows. You move through to the very telling I Just Wasn't Made For These Times and then, finally, your heart is broken, in less that three minutes, with Caroline No. And thus, ends Pet Sounds. What's so tragic about this is that soon after, Wilson began work on what was to be the greatest accomplishment of his musical career - Smile. However, sadly, due to intense 'creative differences' between band members, arguments with new Wilson collaborator and lyricist Van Dyke Parks, and Wilson's escalating drug use, Smile was shelved before its scheduled release in 1967. One good thing did come of it though, and you'll find that in this week's ear candy.

And so concludes my brief presentation of The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds. I hope that your ears enjoyed. Next week, I plan to cover The Beatles' answer to this album, which I have to say, I enjoy much more. Sorry, Brian! I'm just much deeper into your early, 'more childish' songs such as I Get Around, Help Me Rhonda, and Surfer Girl. I still dance and sing along when I hear them.

Finally, in honor of our beach loving friends, the primate of the week is a fine swimmer. Check it out - you'll learn something.

For my friends who ran from Lower Manhattan that day as I watched in horror on a small television screen in Wisconsin. For my friends who phoned me in panic telling me that they couldn't contact their loved ones and that the east coast phone lines were so jammed that I was one of the few people with whom they could connect. For the thousands who perished, and for the thousands more that still suffer to this day. And finally, for the countless numbers of NYC's finest who did what they were born to do only to find that it was too late, know that we will NEVER forget...

Steve Irwin: February 22, 1962 - September 4, 2006

I wasn't in my office for more than 15 minutes when I opened Internet Explorer to find that Australian naturalist and wildlife expert, Steve "The Crocodile Hunter" Irwin, died yesterday from a stingray barb wound that he suffered during a dive for a documentary. I will certainly edit this post later today with more detail, but I wanted to get something up early as it's a very sad day for all those in the animal kingdom. RIP, Steve.

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Now that more news is available on this tragedy, I thought I would update the story. It seems that poor Steve's luck finally ran out. Stingrays are very gentle creatures until you piss them off (aren't we all?) and Steve just happened to come up behind one that was burrowed in the sand and was apparently quite annoyed that his nap was interrupted. Steve sadly took a barb in the chest - one of only two places on the human body that a ray bite has the ability to cause death (the other being the abdomen). According to what his poor camera man witnessed, Steve was able to remove the barb, but the poison had already reached his heart - killing him within minutes.

Australia is currently arranging for a state funeral, should the Irwin family wish for that to occur. My thoughts and sympathies go out to his entire family - his wife, children, and his family at the Australia Zoo in Queensland. He will be deeply missed by all he touched - including the many animal species he dedicated his life to protecting and saving in the Australian Outback, and beyond. I know that the conservation organization that Steve and his wife Terri created - Wildlife Warriors Worldwide - will continue to work towards one of the many goals Steve Irwin set forth to do: ensure that all creatures great and small were granted every opportunity to thrive. Thanks, Steve. You will be missed.

The End of an Era

After 21 years and 60 singles titles (including eight Grand Slam titles and one career Grand Slam - a feat only five men are able to boast), Andre Agassi retired from professional tennis today to thunderous cheers and a standing ovation of 20,000+ fans at Arthur Ash stadium in Flushing Meadows, NY. In response, I have just this to say:

Gonna miss you, man. Gonna miss you...