[MusicRatty] tag: topics

Number 505 - Pearl Jam

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 06:39:53 +0000

Number 505

Pearl Jam

“Even Flow”

(1992)

Genre:Alt Grunge

Pearl Jam, the working mans Nirvana. Here’s an old Pearl Jam joke, which they themselves come up with ….. Question: “How many members of Pearl Jam does it take to change a light bulb?” Answer: “Change?! Change? We’re not gonna change for anyone! Do you hear me? Not for anyone.” Nirvana may have changed the music world in the early 90’s but it was Pearl Jam who kept it running and all the time keeping the faith. I like this quote from Stephen Thomas Erlewine is the best, it sums PJ up to a T …. “The members of Pearl Jam have earned a reputation for taking themselves too seriously, fighting huge corporations, and refusing in general to play by the rock-and-roll handbook. And while they’ve tried to change their angst-ridden image, that’s a daunting task when you carry the burden of being branded the last great spokesmen of your generation.” Yep, thats the price of rocking in a free world.

The Band

Pearl Jam rose from the ashes of Mother Love Bone to become the most popular American rock & roll band of the ’90s. After vocalist Andrew Wood overdosed on heroin in 1990, guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament assembled a new band, bringing in Mike McCready on lead guitar and recording a demo with Soundgarden’s Matt Cameron on drums. Thanks to future Pearl Jam drummer Jack Irons, the demo found its way to a 25-year-old San Diego surfer named Eddie Vedder, who overdubbed vocals and original lyrics and was subsequently invited to join the band (then christened Mookie Blaylock after the NBA player). Dave Krusen was hired as the full-time drummer shortly thereafter, completing the original lineup. Renaming themselves Pearl Jam, the band recorded their debut album, Ten, in the beginning of 1991, although it wasn’t released until August; in the meantime, the majority of the band appeared on the Andrew Wood tribute project Temple of the Dog. Ten didn’t begin selling in significant numbers until early 1992, after Nirvana made mainstream rock radio receptive to alternative rock acts. Soon, Pearl Jam outsold Nirvana, which wasn’t surprising — Pearl Jam fused the riff-heavy stadium rock of the ’70s with the grit and anger of ’80s post-punk, without ever neglecting hooks and choruses; “Jeremy,” “Evenflow,” and “Alive” fit perfectly onto album rock radio stations looking for new blood. ~ [Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide]

Ten

Nirvana’s Nevermind may have been the album that broke grunge and alternative rock into the mainstream, but there’s no underestimating the role that Pearl Jam’s Ten played in keeping them there. Nirvana’s appeal may have been huge, but it wasn’t universal; rock radio still viewed them as too raw and punky, and some hard rock fans dismissed them as weird misfits. In retrospect, it’s easy to see why Pearl Jam clicked with a mass audience — they weren’t as metallic as Alice in Chains or Soundgarden, and of Seattle’s Big Four, their sound owed the greatest debt to classic rock. With its intricately arranged guitar textures and expansive harmonic vocabulary, Ten especially recalled Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. But those touchstones might not have been immediately apparent, since — aside from Mike McCready’s Clapton/Hendrix-style leads — every trace of blues influence has been completely stripped from the band’s sound.

shampoo? wha?

Though they rock hard, Pearl Jam is too anti-star to swagger, too self-aware to puncture the album’s air of gravity. Pearl Jam tackles weighty topics — abortion, homelessness, childhood traumas, gun violence, rigorous introspection — with an earnest zeal unmatched since mid-’80s U2, whose anthemic sound they frequently strive for. Similarly, Eddie Vedder’s impressionistic lyrics often make their greatest impact through the passionate commitment of his delivery rather than concrete meaning. His voice had a highly distinctive timbre that perfectly fit the album’s warm, rich sound, and that’s part of the key — no matter how cathartic Ten’s tersely titled songs got, they were never abrasive enough to affect the album’s accessibility. Ten also benefited from a long gestation period, during which the band honed the material into this tightly focused form; the result is a flawlessly crafted hard rock masterpiece. ~ [Steve Huey, All Music Guide]

The People vs Pearl Jam

With the success of Ten, Pearl Jam became a key member of the Seattle grunge explosion, along with Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden. The band was criticized in the music press; British music magazine NME said that Pearl Jam was “trying to steal money from young alternative kids’ pockets”. Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain angrily attacked Pearl Jam, claiming the band were commercial sellouts, and argued Ten was not a true alternative album because it had so many prominent guitar leads. Cobain later reconciled with Vedder, and they reportedly became friends before Cobain’s death in 1994. Pearl Jam was criticized early on - most notably by Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain - as being a corporate cash-in on the alternative rock explosion. Over the course of the band’s career, however, its members became noted for their refusal to adhere to traditional music industry practices; including refusing to make music videos and engaging in a much-publicized boycott of Ticketmaster. In 2006, Rolling Stone described the band as having “spent much of the past decade deliberately tearing apart their own fame. ~[wikipedia]

Roll Call…..

For more Pearl Jam visit Mellow Mix Vol 1 #116

For Jimi Hendrix see Number 718

For Led Zeppelin see Number 957 & Number 577

For Eric Clapton see Number 537

For U2 see Number 661

For more U2 visit Mellow Mix Vol 1 #129 & #038

For Robert Plant see Number 845

For James Hetfield visit Mellow Mix Vol 1 #033

What does Rolling Stone think of PJ?

All hail seattle’s new sons of Zeppelin, still kicking and shrieking with a whole lotta moxie. Soundgarden bolts out of the starting gate on Badmotorfinger with a nifty high-speed inversion of the “How Many More Times” riff on “Rusty Cage.” It then proceeds to upend the entire Zep-lick apple cart, stitching melodic fragments and jarring time signatures together with Frankenstein enthusiasm and hauling the results over hot guitar coals. “Jesus Christ Pose,” a searing put-down of somebody with a major crucifixion complex, is as good as Badmotorfinger gets, a runaway train ride of stammering guitar and psycho-jungle telegraph rhythms.

art by ~ sinke

On Ten, Pearl Jam – descended from the late, lamented Mother Love Bone – hurtles into the mystic at warp speed. Singer-lyricist Eddie Vedder sometimes lets his words get way ahead of his good intentions: “I don’t question/Our existence/I just question/Our modern needs” (”Garden”). Focus instead on his voice – a ragged, enraged mongrel blend of Robert Plant and James Hetfield – and the Pearls’ surprising, and refreshing, melodic restraint. They wring a lot of drama out of a few declarative power chords swimming in echo. Temple of the Dog is not a band but a one-off project recorded in memory of Love Bone vocalist and OD victim Andrew Wood, with members of both Soundgarden and the future Pearl Jam exorcising their grief with the amps at full crank. If for nothing else, buy it for the eleven-minute requiem “Reach Down,” a fiercesome death-rattle blues that may some day come to be regarded as Seattle’s own “In My Time of Dying.” ~ [RS:DAVID FRICKE 1991]

Other songs with reference to Pearl Jam #506, #521, #588, #590, #599, #677, #680, #864, #880, #975,

Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (we stay loyal to Kurt!) and the Album ranked at Number 207

This song has a crowbarred rating of 75.1 out of 108

Lyrics to the song

Previous Song 504 ….. Next Song 506

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Obama on 60 Minutes...

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 07:23:00 +0000

Watch CBS Videos Online

President-elect Barack Obama gave a very lengthy interview with 60 minutes, his first post-election interview. Topics include election night, his cabinet, the economy and much more.

Girl Power Digital Compilation 2

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Girl Power Digital Compilation 2
Deadline: Dec 17, 2008 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time

Acoustic Fuel is looking for artists to be included on their "Girl Power" digital download compilation. They are seeking songs that relate to topics that empower women, such as self respect, loving ones self, being strong minded, etc. Please no man hating tracks! Accepted genres include rock, hip hop, urban/r&b, pop, and reggae.

Submissions must be sample free; they may not contain foul language or negative imagery; they must also be of professional sound quality. These compilations will be distributed through Acoustic Fuel's Digital Download Store, with artists receiving 50% of the gross revenue from the sale of their single(s). Acoustic Fuel enters into non-exclusive agreements with artists so you still retain 100% control over your work.

This is a great opportunity for artists/bands looking to gain increased exposure, as well as create an additional source of income from their music. Acoustic Fuel promotes audio for the mind, body, and spirit. They have several similar compilations currently for sale on their website, including the "Create Your Own Serene Scene" compilation and the "Chill Out After Work" compilation. It is their belief that when the right music is played, it can have an indelible impact on the mind, body, and mood.

For more info, visit: http://www.acousticfuel.com

Material

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:00:00 +0000

In the early 90's, the composer Hauke Harder & I started a music publishing project which we called Material Press. We never actually discussed precisely why Material was the right name, but I recall an instantaneous agreement on the matter, which is not untypical of my chats with Hauke. I suppose that the immediate rationale was that we simply wanted to provide performance materials — scores, some recordings, some special equipment — for music (by ourselves, some contemporaries, like Markus Trunk and Ann Warde and some esteemed senior figures, Lucier, Mumma, and, for a time, Young), which we thought was important. But, with all the benefits of hindsight, it's become increasingly clear that Material was exactly the right word, if, increasingly, because of a paradoxical effect: the moment in which musical material is articulated as a central feature is the same moment in which the ephemeral nature of musical material is most clear. (Together now, with that nostalgic refrain: All that is solid melts into air.)

Material Press is not an unusual development in terms of composers controlling their own publishing (Tom Johnson and Stockhausen provided some models), or in terms of doing it cooperatively (the Feedback Studio was one model, and both Frog Peak Music and the Thürmchen Verlag were like-minded contemporary efforts), but we were perhaps unique in a few aspects: our composers kept all of their royalties (that is to say, we're not registered as a publisher with a rights organization), have individual control over pricing, and our free to distribute the materials in any other ways they see fit. There are some things we could do better — the editions could be more beautiful (i.e. more suitable for library purchases), we could promote more, and we could use the web more wisely (i.e. making more scores available for download) — but, on balance, I think we do a good job on a break-even basis in supplying materials so that performances can take place.

In the new year, I'll be resuming a more active role in Material Press (Hauke took over when I moved to Budapest in 2000). Expect topics related to doing publishing better will probably appear here more often.

HARPER, ROY - HQ (1975)

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 01:00:40 +0000

Hats Off To (Roy) Harper

Released in 1975, HQ is something of a landmark album for the legendary Roy Harper. Not only does it boast a fascinating line up of rock musicians from the period, but it also contains the best song Harper ever wrote. Bill Bruford, David Gilmour and Dave Cochran are just three of the major players here, the album unusually (for Harper) having a distinct band feel. Indeed, "HQ" is strictly speaking by a one shot band called Trigger. The core of the band is Harper, Cochrane and Bruford plus noted session guitarist Chris ("Motorbikin'") Spedding, the other artists making sometimes brief guest appearances, mainly on "The game".

We open with what is arguably Roy's most progressive song, the 13+ minute, 5 part "The game". The song weaves its way through the full range of Harper's styles, his vocals often being multi-tracked. The lyrics cover a number of topics, at times being vaguely reminiscent of the style of "Thick as brick". There is little space for instrumentals as such, the band clearly revolves around Harper.

After this monster sized opener, we find ourselves into a succession of four more orthodox Harper songs. He reverts to his long held opinions on religion for "The spirit lives", a hard hitting straight rock number. The song segues straight into "Grown ups are just silly children", the lightest track on the album. The rhythm is based on a retro blues rock style, Harper doing a Buddy Holly/Elvis impression of sorts.

"Referendum (Legend)" sees Roy initially reverting to a slightly more acoustic style before Spedding's guitar restores the rock mod which prevails through most of the album. The song has a bit of a Strawbs feel to it, Harper's narration being reminiscent of the style of Dave Cousins. The brief "Forget me not" has a Lennon feel, the simple acoustic nature of the track softening the mood for the remainder of the album. "Hallucinating light" continues the reflective style, the vocals at time being barely audible despite the sparse instrumentation.

It is though the last track on the album which is the pinnacle of Harper's illustrious career. "When an old cricketer leaves the crease" is a magnificently atmospheric reflection on passing on. Harper gives a remarkable vocal performance as he uses a sporting analogy to pass gentle observation on a sensitive topic. The Grimethrope Colliery Band add a beautiful brass backing to the song, never intrusive but capable of bringing a tear to a glass eye. If you only ever hear one song by Harper, make sure it is this one.

In all, a fine album by Harper, which blends a harder rock style with his traditional acoustic pictures. Roy himself opines that this is the best album he ever made. Who am I to argue with that?

The rather bizarre sleeve has an image of Harper (looking a bit like the Messiah) apparently walking on water.

by Easy Livin

HARPER, ROY Music Online:
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50 Cent Steals A Dr. Dre Beat From Eminem; T.I. Choosing Paper Trail Follow-Up's Titl

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:37:20 +0000

posted by lewiss0741

p type="articleSubhead"Plus: Lloyd Banks brings iHalloween/i to November; is Corey Gunz the next member of G-Unit?br/By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes and Yasmine Richard/ppa href="http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1598907/20081107/50_cent.jhtml"img type="photo"src="http://www.mtv.com/shared/promoimages/bands/g/g_unit/g_unit_110608/281x211.jpg"//abr/i type="articlePhotoCaption"G-Unit/ibr/i type="articlePhotoCredit"Photo: Lloyd Campbell/i/pp type="articleText" pbrbrbArtist/b: a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/banks_lloyd/artist.jhtml"Lloyd Banks/a/ppbRepresenting/b: a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/g_unit/artist.jhtml"The G-Unit/a/ppbMixtape/b: iHalloween Havoc/i/ppb411/b: There's a lot of things Lloyd Banks wants to be the king of, but he doesn't want to be known as the best in one hip-hop category./pdiv style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;"embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:316030" width="256" height="223" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashVars="configParams=instance%3Dnews%26vid%3D31 6030" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" base="."/embed/divp/pp"I don't want people to talk about me and say, 'Lloyd Banks can dance his ass off!' " the Punch Line King joked, sitting in a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/50_cent/artist.jhtml"50 Cent/a's office in the Manhattan G-Unit headquarters./ppOf course, Banks wants to be heralded for his lyricism #8212; killing bars, if you will. After a hiatus from solo mixtapes preceding his a href="/news/articles/1536512/20060717/banks_lloyd.jhtml"iRotten Apple/i/a run, the former Mixtape Artist of the Year has a renewed commitment to the circuit. Yeah, 50 had Banks and a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/yayo_tony/artist.jhtml"Tony Yayo/a churning out verses on three Unit mixtapes earlier this year, but Banks says he's going it alone for the next few months with his own street-CD series./pp"I figured I'd give them both quality and quantity," he said. "I'll do it at a pace as nobody has ever before./pp"I was testing the waters," he continued, talking about his technique of releasing a freestyle every other day in anticipation of last month's iReturn of the P.L.K./i mixtape with DJ Whoo Kid. "I wanted to do something new. Instead of giving them a whole tape, I wanted to give it to them broken up. A freestyle Monday, Wednesday, then Friday. Let the weekend chill, hit them back again Monday. I did that for about four weeks until people said, 'When's the tape coming?' I knew what I was doing. I was working at such a fast pace, I wanted to judge what I should do next from their reaction."/ppBanks said he heard nothing but love from the fans but had a mixed reaction from the bloggers./pdiv style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;"embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:316043" width="256" height="223" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashVars="configParams=instance%3Dnews%26vid%3D31 6043" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" base="."/embed/divp/pp"I was like, 'OK, you're not hearing nothing else until Halloween,' " he explained. "I finished the tape on October 27, because I was flying back and forth. I was actually in Chile when the tape came out. It went through Whoo Kid, and it came out the right way. I'm on automatic pilot right now. I'm gonna just drill you until you understand. Nobody is gonna step up to this plate. This is how I spar. I just feel like at the rate I'm putting this stuff out, there's no way they're gonna be able to deny me in '09."/ppBanks has been keeping his ears tuned into the underground circuit as always. He listed Charles Hamilton, a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/budden_joe/artist.jhtml"Joe Budden/a and Philadelphia's Reed Dollar, Gillie da Kid and Young Chris as cats on his radar. He also wants to work with Jadakiss and Fabolous./ppMore than 100 songs for his third solo album have been recorded, but there's no timetable for the release. He has to figure out his contractual situation. 50's deal is up with Interscope, and the Unit will go with him, wherever he ends up. Yayo, however, owes the 'Scope one more album./pp"When all this corny stuff is out of here, they're gonna respect me for staying who I am," Banks noted about the hip-hop climate. "Not compromising me or my music to blend in with the times. I wanna imake/i the times."/ppbigbJoints To Check For/b/big/pp"Party and Bullsh--." "That's the first time I heard Biggie," Banks said about using the instrumental from the throwback a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/notorious_big/artist.jhtml"Notorious B.I.G./a jam. "That's why I did it. I had my little radio, and I'd be missing school because of Stretch amp; Bobbito's [radio show on] WKCR. Listening to them, I used to hear that record. That's back when a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/jay_z/artist.jhtml"Jay-Z/a was freestyling with Big L. Rest in peace. That always stuck in my head. I sat and thought about it [when making this tape]. I was like, 'Let me bring it back with this.' That's my tribute to B.I.G. My all-time favorite. That's why I started the tape off with that."/pp"Shine Through." "The J-Rock record 'All My Life,' I did that over," Banks said. "I saw the video, heard the song. I said, 'I like this right here.' I'm not biased towards anybody. If I like the music, I'll put my twist to it. It was something I did for me. My grandmother just passed of cancer. I was kinda dealing with that since my pops passed. It was one thing after the next. When she finally passed, it was hard for me. I wanted to find a way to express myself through the music. That's what I did, as well as pay tribute to the homies that are gone. I'm 26 years old now. But when I got my deal, me and my homies was running wild. Unfortunately, I was the only one who could rap. I didn't really have the finances to hold up my whole crew at that point when I'm 19 years old. I lost a lot of friends, as well as family. I wanted to dedicate that to them. That record means a lot to me."/pp"Beneath Me." "How you gonna put me in a category that came on the train when it was moving?" Banks says about a line in the song, in which he implores people to not compare him to two of his former G-Unit mates. Game caught the train in L.A. Buck caught the train in Cashville. "That's smacking me [in the face] for everything I did," he said about his loyalty and long tenure with the Unit. "I worked hard at this. I had to get from a point when they was calling me 50 on mixtapes."/ppbigbDon't Sleep: Other Notable Selections This Week/b/big/ppb#187;/b Crooked I - iThe Block Obama 2/ibrb#187;/b DJ 31 Degreez and Fabolous - iMr. Fab/ibrb#187;/b DJ 4Sho - iYes We Can/ibrb#187;/b DJ Skee and Evidence - iThe Layover Mixtape/ibrb#187;/b Mick Boogie and DJ Treats - iLeaders of the New Cool/i/ppbigb'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar/b/big/ppb#187;/b a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/common/artist.jhtml"Common/a - "Changes"brb#187;/b Crooked I - "Sunshine"brb#187;/b a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/jadakiss/artist.jhtml"Jadakiss/a (featuring Max B) - "When I Grow Up"brb#187;/b Jay-Z - "History"brb#187;/b a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/sheek_louch/artist.jhtml"Sheek Louch/a - "I Like It"brb#187;/b a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/p_styles/artist.jhtml"Styles P/a (featuring Snyp Life) - "Fly Like an Eagle"brb#187;/b a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/t_pain/artist.jhtml"T-Pain/a (featuring a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/timberlake_justin/artist.jhtml"Justin Timberlake/a) - "Can't Believe It" remix/ppbigbThe Streets Is Talking: News amp; Notes From The Underground/b/big/ppWe had a chance to chop it up with b50 Cent/b a couple of times last week. First, in Queens at the opening of a href="/news/articles/1598481/20081103/50_cent.jhtml"his community garden/a, then we sat for quite some time in his Manhattan office./ppThere should be no doubting Fif right now. He thinks he can smash the game and promises those bEminem/b verses he has on a href="/news/articles/1596508/20081007/50_cent.jhtml"iBefore I Self Destruct/i/a are going to hit you harder than a bulldozer. The duo have a record called a href="/news/articles/1597623/20081021/50_cent.jhtml""Norman Bates Motel,"/a and you can guess what's going on in the song from its title: pure anarchy./ppbSha Money XL/b and bTony Yayo/b tipped us off to another record that might even surpass that one. It's an untitled (as in, nobody wants to say the name of the song right now) a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/dr_dre/artist.jhtml"bDr. Dre/b/a joint that Fif snatched from Em's hard drive./pdiv style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;"embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:316026" width="256" height="223" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashVars="configParams=instance%3Dnews%26vid%3D31 6026" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" base="."/embed/divp/pp"I did a song produced by Dr. Dre," 50 said. "I got the production from Detroit, because Dre was working with Em right before I got out there. I just missed him. I went through Em's computer and found what I needed. Yes, I did. I got me the record I needed. I was like, 'Wait till they hear this.' I wrote it; Em heard it. He was like, 'You gotta keep that for yourself. This is too crazy.' First, I think he was gonna take it from me, then he was like, 'He gotta use that for himself.' "/ppAs far as the bG-Unit/b goes, you already heard about bLloyd Banks/b' next album, Yayo is dropping sometime next year, and don't forget: a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/young_buck/artist.jhtml"bYoung Buck/b/a told us on the set of a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/jeezy_young/artist.jhtml"bYoung Jeezy/b/a's a href="/news/articles/1597908/20081024/jeezy_young.jhtml""Who Dat" video/a that he was personally talking to people about being bought out of a href="/news/articles/1584971/20080407/g_unit.jhtml"his G-Unit contract/a./ppWhat does the G-Unit General have to say about that? "Those offers aren't real offers," 50 scoffed. "I would be the one to receive the offers, not him. It's just people making conversation with him in the street. But if they actually had interest, I'd be the first person they'd contact. And I haven't been contacted by anybody."/pp50 is looking for some new talent ("I'll just look until I find somebody who I'm passionate enough to go all the way with," he said). Might that be the stylistically deadly bCorey Gunz/b? He's young, lyrical and doesn't have a label./pp"Corey, I met with his father," 50 said of possibly bringing the Gunner into the Unit. "They have a great relationship with Shaq. It was a long time ago. We sat down, he came to my office, and we talked about it. I told him I wished him the best of luck. He did a song with Tony Yayo recently on a href="/news/articles/1597881/20081024/50_cent.jhtml"the iS.O.D./i mixtape/a, and since then, [the streets] been saying I've signed him."/pdiv style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;"embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:316029" width="256" height="223" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashVars="configParams=instance%3Dnews%26vid%3D31 6029" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" base="."/embed/divp/pp"I didn't hear about that," Corey said about doing business with the Unit. "I know Yayo and them are definitely family. There's some Corey Gunz things under construction. I'm working with After Platinum #8212; that's my family outta Arizona. We're really grinding and trying to find the right situation. But Yayo is definitely my family. Working with him is crazy. Shout-out to the whole G-Unit. Banks is my man. 50 already knows what it is. That's my people. G-Unit is already family."/ppRegardless of who Corey signs with, he wants to release his album toward the middle or end of next year. "iGod Forgives, I Don't/i will definitely be coming out in the summer," Gunz said. "If not the summer, then the fall. I'm taking my time critiquing it every step. It's gonna be a classic." .../ppJust like bT.I./b couldn't fit all the superstar MCs on a href="/news/articles/1593422/20080823/t_i_.jhtml""Swagger Like Us,"/a he couldn't manage to find space on a href="/news/articles/1595195/20080918/t_i_.jhtml"iPaper Trail/i/a for all the records he liked. There just wasn't room./pp" 'It's All G' #8212; that was one I really liked," Tip said of some highlights that didn't make the cut. "The one with a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/fall_out_boy/artist.jhtml"bFall Out Boy/b/a: a href="/news/articles/1590835/20080714/fall_out_boy.jhtml"'Out in the Cold.'/a The one with bThe-Dream/b: 'Like I Do.' 'Let My Beat Pound' #8212; there's a few of them."/ppThe King said there's a possibility that all or some of those records will appear on his iPaper Trail/i follow-up. "I'm starting on my next project," he revealed. "I just gotta figure out what I'm gonna call it."/ppTip has loved his new music since going back to the method of writing lyrics down, as opposed to composing verses in his head. Still, he's not sure which technique he'll use on the new opus. "I'mma figure that out, man," Tip told. "I might use a little of both. I might use the iPaper Trail/i method." .../ppBack to Young Buck. He may still be bound to the G-Unit, but he said he's ready to put all his prior beef out the window #8212; and maybe even do some collaborations with these people./pdiv style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;"embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:316042" width="256" height="223" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashVars="configParams=instance%3Dnews%26vid%3D31 6042" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" base="."/embed/divp/pp"bJadakiss/b, for one," he said. "He's out here. bJim Jones/b, we all good. I got music with everybody. Even with the bGame/b situation. I'm looking to collaborating with those who wanna collaborate with me. At this point, I didn't have a conversation with bFat Joe/b. I seen [bDJ/b] bKhaled/b. We ain't had no conversations, but I'm right here, they right there. It's a respect thing. I don't carry no situations that was there with G-Unit at this point. That was dead weight."/ppBuck has a mixtape out now called iCashville: The Takeover/i and another one "cooking up."/pp"I'm trying to take that title a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/lil_wayne/artist.jhtml"bLil Wayne/b/a has when it comes to the mixtapes," he said. "We showing up."/ppbFor other artists featured in Mixtape Monday, check out a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/topics/m/mixtape_mondays/index.jhtml"Mixtape Mondays Headlines/a./b/p /pbRelated Videos/bullia type="relatedVideo" href="http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1598792"Mixtape Monday Video: 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks More/a/li/ulbRelated Artists/bullia type="relatedArtist"href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/50_cent/artist.jhtml"50 Cent/a/lilia type="relatedArtist" href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/eminem/artist.jhtml"Eminem/a/lilia type="relatedArtist" href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/dr_dre/artist.jhtml"Dr. Dre/a/lilia type="relatedArtist" href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/t_i_/artist.jhtml"T.I./a/li/ulbr style="clear: both;"/ img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=1687febafe1dc67b9408a7693e60b64c" height="1" width="1"/img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=1687febafe1dc67b9408a7693e60b64c" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MTVNewsLatest/~4/448449216" height="1" width="1"/

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Life in the Years Song Contest

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Life in the Years Song Contest
Deadline: Mar 31, 2009 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time

"Life in the Years" is a custom compilation CD from Musicians For a Cause. The CD is being sponsored by AARP to benefit the Moore Center of New Hampshire. The Moore Center supports individuals with developmental disabilities, acquired brain injuries and the elderly, and this project is specifically targeted to support their program for the elderly called "Moore Options for Seniors".

Musicians For a Cause is looking for the best possible songs to create awareness and compassion for the elderly, using music to help the Moore Center and AARP develop a broader and more committed base of supporters. Songs can be about anything that creates awareness and/or inspires compassion for the elderly, growing older or issues facing people as they age. Please see the detailed guidelines for specifics on the song topics.

This CD will feature 3 to 4 established artists. The remainder of the songs - a minimum of 10 - will be selected from the contest. There will also be at least 10 honorable mentions. Natalie Merchant is graciously lending her voice to the CD and the announcement of the remaining established artists will take place no later than 12/1/08.

The "Life in the Years" project offers a level of exposure that would be difficult to attain for most artists. It will have visibility to over 250,000 people through distribution via an email campaign and/or direct mail to the Moore Center base of supporters and AARP New Hampshire members. Additional visibility will also come from inclusion in press releases, newsletters, advertising, concert promotion, and additional event sponsors.

There will be a minimum or 10 winners who will be invited to be on the "Life in the Years" CD, and one song will also be selected for use by AARP. The specific AARP song requirements can be found in the detailed contest guidelines. There may also be an opportunity for several of the winners to perform at a CD release and benefit concert in April 2009.

For more info, visit: http://www.m4ac.org/currentcontests.html

Random Acts of Thinking

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 03:01:00 +0000

We've still got a couple of the seven-inchers (laughs at censor's attempts to stifle) from Auld Lang Syne available as mentioned here. A very unique item with two terrific songs and cool packaging. All it takes is an email and it's yours, and as mentioned, we pay mailing to anywhere on the planet...A big thank you to the nice folks over at Trakwerx for the 17 Pygmies-Celestina CD. Not only some of the best music we've heard this year, but another example of really cool packaging, too. Actually, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to all the labels that send music to us; all are a real pleasure to correspond with and make this endeavour quite enjoyable...Those of you that frequent here on somewhat of a regular basis make have noticed posting has become a bit inconsistent lately on a day-to-day basis. Simply put, the closer to a scheduled shuttle launch the busier I get, so obviously work takes priority over a hobby. There is a fair chance I may have to discontinue writing this at the end of the year due to a possible reassignment at work(for the better) and it would demand more of my time, but that's down the road a bit and we'll see what happens...I'm really grateful that our daily numbers are up around 350-500 visitors a day, chump change to some blogs but something I'm really proud of here. That's hardly due to what I write, it's a testament to all the great music we receive. Thanks to everything that takes some time out of their day to stop by, and thanks to those blogs that see fit to link to us...A couple of year-end things in the works: a 50-track favorite-songs-of-the-year type of post, and a 20-to-30 CD giveaway. Details when the time is right...Finally, I have received a few emails from folks that what to know why I don't inject more personal data about me into the blog. Simple-it's about the artists and their work, not about me. The Space Images I share are enough, people seem to really enjoy them. My personal views on various topics are rather inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, and I choose to keep them to myself. I'm hoping this blog serves as a bit of an escape from the real world and its issues, even if only for a few minutes...As always, if there is something you'd like to see, read or hear here, just shoot me an email and I'll take it to our advisory committee(me), our creative staff(me), our musical review board(me) and our graphics department(me) for due consideration!

Above The Law - Vocally Pimpin' (July 16, 1991)

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 09:00:00 +0000

In researching artist discographies for this very blog, I came across a somewhat surprising consistency: nearly every artist affiliated with N.W.A. has released an EP early in their career. At this point, you should have already read about Eazy-E and Ice Cube's shorter sophomore selections. MC Ren's solo debut was an EP, as well (one which we'll get to in due time). Of the main members of N.W.A. that actually matter, only Dr. Dre seems to have bypassed the EP as a quick means to an end, but when you look at it, nothing that he does can ever be considered quick, since he's only released two solo albums in the past sixteen years. (Fucking Eazy-E has released more albums than that, and the guy is dead.) I will note, for the record, that DJ Yella, who was a founding member of the crew even if his contribution was constantly overshadowed by the good Doctor, managed to release a full album as his debut shortly after Eric Wright's passing, but since he didn't actually rap on it, it doesn't count.

Although Above The Law weren't technically part of N.W.A., they were signed to the same label (Ruthless Records) and made prominent guest appearances on what would become the final album from The World's Most Dangerous Group, the post-Cube Efil4zaggin. In spite of multiple label switches and various other bullshit, Above The Law would manage to thrive, if only on the West Coast. To whet the appetite of their core audience, they dropped the Vocally Pimpin' EP in between their debut and their second proper album, Black Mafia Life, which wouldn't actually be released for two additional years, a business move which may sound goofy when you get toward the end of the write-up. With the exception of one track, which you'll read about shortly, this EP is comprised of all original material, and at nine songs deep, it's certainly the longest EP I've come across in a while.

Read on.

1. PLAYLUDE
One of those rap album intros where the artists wax philosophical over an instrumental. At least the music sounded good.

2. PLAYIN' YOUR GAME
This is some smoothed-out pimp shit, but at times, it's actually a bit too smoothed out, in the "listeners may find themselves trying to wake up" manner. Perhaps the instrumental backdrop should have contained harder drums?

3. DOSE OF THE MEGA FLEX
Although sampling the Tom Tom Club's "Genius Of Love" is a concept that's as old as time itself, I still thought this shit kind of rocked.

4. 4 THE FUNK OF IT
G-Funk by way of P-Funk. It's not bad, for what it is, but I didn't really care for it. So, of course, this track will reappear in two more incarnations before Vocally Pimpin' is finished.

5. WICKED
And then Above The Law throws in some politically charged shit for good measure. This shit is nice. It manages to discuss serious topics while still maintaining a sense of humor, which isn't as easy as Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert make it look (even with the current administration).

6. LIVIN' LIKE HUSTLERS (G-MIXX)
I still haven't yet learned how exactly one can manage to eat chicken "like a motherfucker". Oh well. The original version of this song plays out much better than this remix.

7. 4 THE FUNK OF IT (RADIO EDIT)
Sounds exactly as it reads, although I must note that the radio edit is much shorter than the original.

8. B.M.L. (COMMERCIAL) (INTERLUDE)
A commercial for Above The Law's next project, Black Mafia Life. It's amusing, but it underscores just how unnecessary this EP actually is. Especially since it would take two more fucking years for the album to see the light of day.

9. 4 THE FUNK OF IT (PIMPSEXTRAMENTAL)
And we're out.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Vocally Pimpin' should only be seen as a bridge between the gap that Livin' Like Hustlers and Black Mafia Life created. There's certainly no coherence, but it's an EP, so that's to be expected. With the exception of the "Livin' Like Hustlers" remix, though, it's clear that the songs on here weren't simply leftovers, which is a bonus. There isn't anything here that fans absolutely must hear, though.

BUY OR BURN? Good luck tracking this one down, as it's out of print, but I'll make it easy for you: don't bother. There is no reason you should go out of your way. Just pop their debut back into your car stereo and drive around your neighborhood. Trust me, you'll feel better.

BEST TRACKS: "Wicked"; "Dose Of The Mega Flex"

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
Above The Law - Livin' Like Hustlers

Jesse Sterling Harrison - Jackhammer Soul

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 08:21:18 +0000

Jesse Sterling Harrison is a musical innovator and his latest album Jackhammer Soul a combination of rock, southern soul, jazz, and folk, is proof.

Harrison’s creativity and passion for music shines through on every track of this amazing album. As both a guitar player and a song writer Harrison’s music is very personal and after you finish listening to Jackhammer Soul there is no denying the connection you feel between the artist and his music.

The song lyrics from the album “Jackhammer” are often comprised of witty one-liners and ironic play on words that range from topics such as politics and war to everyday life and love. Harrison’s lyrics complimented by the melodic melodies and mellow rhythm of his music and the rough sound of his voice is musical harmony at its best.

The composition of Harrison’s music suggests a deeper understanding of the musical world than most contemporary artists. Harrison took major risks to create this album combining some of the best elements of musical genres. Jesse Sterling Harrison understands that being an artist is more than just playing music; it’s about taking chances to create something new and exciting.

Lauren Stair-MuzikReviews.com Staff

October 30, 2008