Halloween has come around again. This Saturday evening little ghouls will be roaming our streets, dressed as princesses and superheroes, trick-or-treating. Older goblins will be revelling at parties. No doubt, at some point, you will hear "Monster Mash" or "Thriller". There aren't as many classic Halloween tunes as there are Christmas Carols but eerily the list keeps growing.
Halloween 2009 has at least 2 new songs for us from major artists. Veteran shock-rocker Alice Cooper released "Keepin' Halloween Alive" and it's classic Alice:
"Well I'm coming for you this Halloween
It's my favorite time of year, and I'm stealing the scene
I terrify the kiddies when I'm walking down the street
I got snakes in my hair, I got spiders on my feet
I keep it going, I keep it going
I'm keeping Halloween alive, honey 3-6-5
I keep it going, I keep it going
When the sun goes down I'll be creeping through your town"
The other new Halloween tune that I have heard this year is by John Fogerty on his 2009 album entitled The Blue Ridge Rangers Ride Again. The tune is called "Haunted House" and it is a remake of the classic rockabilly track by Jumpin' Gene Simmons. If you haven't heard it yet, here is a clip:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdciJwXN9Ak It has a great "Purple People Eater" quality to it.
For the classical music buffs, it's not Halloween without "Funeral March of the Marionettes", "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor", or "Night on Bald Mountain". For humor enthusiasts, Dr. Demento offers a great Halloween collection of songs on CD as well as on his online show. Some greatly demented Halloween tracks are "The Ballad of Bloody Guts" by Zilch Fletcher, "Bleh" by Eban Schletter, "Dinner with Drac" by John Zacherle, "Halloween" by Steve Goodie, "Halloween" by Stephen Lynch, "It's Halloween" by the Shaggs, "Monster Hash" by the Toyes, "My Son the Vampire" by Alan Sherman, "Re: Your Brains" by Jonathan Coulton, "Shrimpenstein" by Gene Moss, "Trick or Treatin' Blues" by Bob Rivers, "Werecow" by Flippy T. Fishead, and "Whatever Happened to Eddie" by Butch Patrick ("Eddie Munster").
Here is an alphabetical list of some of my favorite Halloween songs:
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes - Lewis Lee
Bela's Bash - Bobby "Boris" Pickett
Creature of the Black Leather Lagoon - The Cramps
Dragula - Rob Zombie
Emo Kid for Halloween - Jake Waters featuring Devo spice
Flip Top Box - Dickey Doo & The Don'ts
Goblin Girl - Frank Zappa
House of Frankenstein - Johnny Legend
I Hold Your Hand In Mine - Dr. Tom Lehrer
I Put A Spell On You - Screamin' Jay Hawkins
I Walked With A Zombie - Roky Erickson and The Aliens (also covered by R.E.M.)
I Want My Baby Back - Jimmy Cross
Little Ghost - The White Stripes
Marie Laveau - Bobby Bare
Monster's Holiday - Buck Owens
Monster Mash - Bobby "Boris" Pickett
My Old Flame - Spike Jones & His City Slickers
Psycho - Eddie Noack
Trick of Treat - Elvira, Mistress of the Dark www.elvira.com/home_2.html
and the ultimate Halloween track "WEREWOLVES OF LONDON" by Warren Zevon.
In honor of my home state of Texas, I should also highlight the many wonderful musical contributions to Halloween made by the great ROKY ERICKSON. His catalog sounds like a horror show..."Bloody Hammer", "Don't Shake Me Lucifer", "I Think of Demons", "If You Have Ghosts", "Night of the Vampire", "Stand for the Fire Demon", "Two Headed Dog", and the immortal "Creature with the Atom Brain", based on the 1955 sci-fi film of the same name. Here's the trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucCLeoRZo7k
Here's Roky being interviewed and singing "Creature".
www.nme.com/video/id/0PJ21m2PfhU/search/atom
Like Roky said, "Well, if you want to believe that story, you can."
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
U2 Concert: Out of This World!
On Wednesday, October 14, 2009, the U2 360 Tour played 1 of its 2 Texas shows at the Reliant Stadium. My best friend Rob was kind enough to drive us from San Antonio. The weather was beautiful, the road was open, and the livin' was easy. Great tunes on the iPod, great kolaches from Buc-EE's, and great anticipation to see U2 once again.
The Reliant Stadium is a stone's throw from the Astrodome, where we saw The Who in 1982. Twenty-seven years later, we were about to experience GREATNESS again. Arriving mid-afternoon, with General Admission/Floor tickets, we noticed that a sizeable line was already queued from the gates. Some stadium employee was moving down the line and writing on everyone's hands with a blue Sharpie. Me and Rob were numbers 753 and 755, respectively. When the gates open, we streamed in, some running, only to hear hopeless cries of "No Running!". Inside, we made our way to the giant "claw" stage and were lucky enough to be in the group of 2000 fans that would inhabit THE INNER CIRCLE. There, under one of the giant claw legs, we saw that there were ramps connecting the stage and the outer ring of the inner circle. Those ramps would later move, swinging over all our heads, as Bono, The Edge, Adam and Larry (when he switched from his drum kit to portable congas) walked over, around and often very near us. Everyone's phonecams were working overtime.
But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Before U2 came out, a great band named MUSE played. Their set was a melange of heavy and light textures (Rob, please note that I worked in "melange" and "texture"). MUSE played "Knights of Cydonia" and "Supermassive Black Hole" that were familiar to me and very enjoyable, plus several other very satisfying rock gems. If you're unfamiliar with MUSE, you should definitely check them out. The other very satisfying item during this phase of the evening was the Guiness Draft. Yes, it was ridiculously overpriced but is was so smooth and cold and refreshing.
OK, now it was time for the headliner. The pre-show music was now playing David Bowie's "Space Oddity" to get us in the mood for the trip we were about to take into Outer Space. U2 claimed the stage and held command of it through the 23 songs of the show. There was a logical progression of song styles and a wonderful mix of old and new. Here is the set list:
Breathe
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Mysterious Ways
Beautiful Day / Here Comes The Sun (excerpt)
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For /Stand By Me (excerpt)
Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of
No Line On The Horizon
Elevation
Your Blue Room (w/Intl Space Station Video)
Until The End Of The World
The Unforgettable Fire
City Of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (Redanka’s “Kick the Darkness” Dance Remix)/ Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) (excerpt)
Two Tribes (excerpt), Sunday Bloody Sunday
MLK
Walk On /You'll Never Walk Alone (excerpt)
Encores: (Desmond Tutu video) One /Amazing Grace (excerpt)
Where The Streets Have No Name
Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
With Or Without You
Moment of Surrender
Bono referred to their stage, with its massive 360-degree video screens, multitudes of speakers and lights, and futuristic "claw" shape, as their "SPACE STATION". The day before the concert, he and the Edge toured Johnson Space Center, near Houston, and went inside Mission Control. There they phoned the astronauts on the International Space Station. During the concert, Bono said, "We feel right at home here in this the home of space stations. Those men and women astronauts are 'heroes to us - to you they're just next door neighbours”. Later, when introducing his bandmates, he said, "Our Captain - The Edge, Chief Flight Engineer Larry Mullen, and Space Walker Adam Clayton". At the end of the night, Bono said "I don't want to leave". He said, "Texas to me is the center of the world right now". Me, Rob and our fellow Texans made enough noise to be heard in space that night.
For me, the best quote of the evening came when Bono said "Houston, we have no problem."
The Reliant Stadium is a stone's throw from the Astrodome, where we saw The Who in 1982. Twenty-seven years later, we were about to experience GREATNESS again. Arriving mid-afternoon, with General Admission/Floor tickets, we noticed that a sizeable line was already queued from the gates. Some stadium employee was moving down the line and writing on everyone's hands with a blue Sharpie. Me and Rob were numbers 753 and 755, respectively. When the gates open, we streamed in, some running, only to hear hopeless cries of "No Running!". Inside, we made our way to the giant "claw" stage and were lucky enough to be in the group of 2000 fans that would inhabit THE INNER CIRCLE. There, under one of the giant claw legs, we saw that there were ramps connecting the stage and the outer ring of the inner circle. Those ramps would later move, swinging over all our heads, as Bono, The Edge, Adam and Larry (when he switched from his drum kit to portable congas) walked over, around and often very near us. Everyone's phonecams were working overtime.
But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Before U2 came out, a great band named MUSE played. Their set was a melange of heavy and light textures (Rob, please note that I worked in "melange" and "texture"). MUSE played "Knights of Cydonia" and "Supermassive Black Hole" that were familiar to me and very enjoyable, plus several other very satisfying rock gems. If you're unfamiliar with MUSE, you should definitely check them out. The other very satisfying item during this phase of the evening was the Guiness Draft. Yes, it was ridiculously overpriced but is was so smooth and cold and refreshing.
OK, now it was time for the headliner. The pre-show music was now playing David Bowie's "Space Oddity" to get us in the mood for the trip we were about to take into Outer Space. U2 claimed the stage and held command of it through the 23 songs of the show. There was a logical progression of song styles and a wonderful mix of old and new. Here is the set list:
Breathe
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Mysterious Ways
Beautiful Day / Here Comes The Sun (excerpt)
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For /Stand By Me (excerpt)
Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of
No Line On The Horizon
Elevation
Your Blue Room (w/Intl Space Station Video)
Until The End Of The World
The Unforgettable Fire
City Of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (Redanka’s “Kick the Darkness” Dance Remix)/ Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) (excerpt)
Two Tribes (excerpt), Sunday Bloody Sunday
MLK
Walk On /You'll Never Walk Alone (excerpt)
Encores: (Desmond Tutu video) One /Amazing Grace (excerpt)
Where The Streets Have No Name
Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
With Or Without You
Moment of Surrender
Bono referred to their stage, with its massive 360-degree video screens, multitudes of speakers and lights, and futuristic "claw" shape, as their "SPACE STATION". The day before the concert, he and the Edge toured Johnson Space Center, near Houston, and went inside Mission Control. There they phoned the astronauts on the International Space Station. During the concert, Bono said, "We feel right at home here in this the home of space stations. Those men and women astronauts are 'heroes to us - to you they're just next door neighbours”. Later, when introducing his bandmates, he said, "Our Captain - The Edge, Chief Flight Engineer Larry Mullen, and Space Walker Adam Clayton". At the end of the night, Bono said "I don't want to leave". He said, "Texas to me is the center of the world right now". Me, Rob and our fellow Texans made enough noise to be heard in space that night.
For me, the best quote of the evening came when Bono said "Houston, we have no problem."
Sunday, October 11, 2009
U2 Concert: The Prequel
On Wednesday, my best friend Rob and I are driving to Houston to attend the U2 concert. The tickets have been on the shelf above my computer for months. Soon they will be used to gain entrance to the Reliant Stadium for a spectacular concert and their stubs will later be faithfully stored alongside many others in a binder of cherished ticket stubs. After each concert, when I put the ticket stubs in the binder, I look at my collection of old stubs, some dating back to the 1970's, and I remember the shows like they happened yesterday.
Cheap Trick...Paul McCartney...Robert Plant...Rod Stewart...Sting...Bruce Springsteen...I've seen some great great shows. Farm Aid II...The Blockbuster Music Festival...The Lilith Fair...Lollapalooza...there have been some doozies. For many, many years, the Gold Standard concert has been "The Who, 1982, at the Astrodome". My friend Rob and I were so juiced about seeing the Who that we forgot where we parked the car. After the concert I asked, "Dude, where's the car?" and Rob said, "No problema, mi amigo, it's right by the entrance." The Astrodome had 4 identical entrances, so we wandered around and around and around looking for the car. I remember Rob saying, "when everyone else is gone, it should be easier to find". Those were the days before we had the keychain button to push and make your car horn honk. Our respective wives were back at Rob's home, taking care of my 1-month old daughter at the time. They had been watching the evening news and saw that several arrests had been made at the Who concert and the ambulance had also been called out there, so they naturally assumed that we were either in jail, in the hospital, or dead. What a great concert that was.
Now that I think back on some of the great concerts we have attended, it occurs to me that I should share some of these events with you. Some of the most special events were not even evident to us at the time they were happening, but have come to be more special over the years. For example, when we saw the Ramones open for Pearl Jam at Southpark Meadows in Austin. At the time, we did not realize that it was the Ramones swansong. Now Southpark Meadows is history, Joey Ramone is gone, but what remains emblazoned in my mind is HEY HO, LET'S GO and the entire audience leaping up and down in unison like we were all connected. We were, in fact, all connected and we were propelled by the power of punk rock.
That feeling of unity will be evident again this Wednesday evening. Even with the great songs, the stirring message, the technological wonder, and the superb musicianship and chemistry of Larry, Adam, the Edge and Bono, the real show will be us. U2 fans make the concerts special. We create such a powerful positive party vibe that it is impossible for U2 to fail. It will be an epic show.
Cheap Trick...Paul McCartney...Robert Plant...Rod Stewart...Sting...Bruce Springsteen...I've seen some great great shows. Farm Aid II...The Blockbuster Music Festival...The Lilith Fair...Lollapalooza...there have been some doozies. For many, many years, the Gold Standard concert has been "The Who, 1982, at the Astrodome". My friend Rob and I were so juiced about seeing the Who that we forgot where we parked the car. After the concert I asked, "Dude, where's the car?" and Rob said, "No problema, mi amigo, it's right by the entrance." The Astrodome had 4 identical entrances, so we wandered around and around and around looking for the car. I remember Rob saying, "when everyone else is gone, it should be easier to find". Those were the days before we had the keychain button to push and make your car horn honk. Our respective wives were back at Rob's home, taking care of my 1-month old daughter at the time. They had been watching the evening news and saw that several arrests had been made at the Who concert and the ambulance had also been called out there, so they naturally assumed that we were either in jail, in the hospital, or dead. What a great concert that was.
Now that I think back on some of the great concerts we have attended, it occurs to me that I should share some of these events with you. Some of the most special events were not even evident to us at the time they were happening, but have come to be more special over the years. For example, when we saw the Ramones open for Pearl Jam at Southpark Meadows in Austin. At the time, we did not realize that it was the Ramones swansong. Now Southpark Meadows is history, Joey Ramone is gone, but what remains emblazoned in my mind is HEY HO, LET'S GO and the entire audience leaping up and down in unison like we were all connected. We were, in fact, all connected and we were propelled by the power of punk rock.
That feeling of unity will be evident again this Wednesday evening. Even with the great songs, the stirring message, the technological wonder, and the superb musicianship and chemistry of Larry, Adam, the Edge and Bono, the real show will be us. U2 fans make the concerts special. We create such a powerful positive party vibe that it is impossible for U2 to fail. It will be an epic show.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Sick...but not in a good way.
We're sick with the flu. Not H1N1 Swine-variety, or Avian Flu, or Martian Death Flu, just run-of-the-mill everyday flu. But, it's not pleasant. The word "SICK", in the new urban lingo, now means "cool, crazy or interesting", such as taking your skateboard on some "sick jumps", or like the Verizon commercial "How sick is the web browsing?" My wife and I are not that kind of sick.
Songs have long told of people who are "heart-sick". "It's A Heartache", "I've Got Heartaches By The Number", and such songs. There are even songs, like Lou Reed's "Sick of You", that describe another kind of sickness. The virus that has taken up residence in my lungs, muscles, and bones (it seems), is not that kind of sickness.
"Doctor, doctor, give me the news. I got a bad case of lovin' you". Nope, not that kind of sick either.
We got what Johnny Rivers called "The Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu". And, like Willie Nelson, I feel "Too Sick to Pray". I got the "Fever" (The Cramps, and others), a "Chest Fever" (The Band, Three Dog Night), and a "Cold Sweat, Pt.1" (James Brown). I am "Sick Again" (Led Zeppelin) and, this time, I am "Sick As A Dog" (Aerosmith). In fact, I feel like I'm in Jim Carroll's punk classic "People Who Died". Sadly, Jim Carroll died this year on 09/11/09. For more about him, go to http://www.catholicboy.com/
I never want to leave you on a downbeat, so let me remind you to stay well and in the words of the great old song "Button Up Your Overcoat" from 1928 by Henderson, DeSylva and Brown:
"Button up your overcoat,
When the wind is free,
Take good care of yourself,
You belong to me!
Eat an apple every day,
Get to bed by three,
Oh, take good care of yourself,
You belong to me!
Wear your flannel underwear,
When you climb a tree,
Oh, take good care of yourself,
You belong to me!"
Until next time, take good care of yourself, and don't get sick.
Songs have long told of people who are "heart-sick". "It's A Heartache", "I've Got Heartaches By The Number", and such songs. There are even songs, like Lou Reed's "Sick of You", that describe another kind of sickness. The virus that has taken up residence in my lungs, muscles, and bones (it seems), is not that kind of sickness.
"Doctor, doctor, give me the news. I got a bad case of lovin' you". Nope, not that kind of sick either.
We got what Johnny Rivers called "The Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu". And, like Willie Nelson, I feel "Too Sick to Pray". I got the "Fever" (The Cramps, and others), a "Chest Fever" (The Band, Three Dog Night), and a "Cold Sweat, Pt.1" (James Brown). I am "Sick Again" (Led Zeppelin) and, this time, I am "Sick As A Dog" (Aerosmith). In fact, I feel like I'm in Jim Carroll's punk classic "People Who Died". Sadly, Jim Carroll died this year on 09/11/09. For more about him, go to http://www.catholicboy.com/
I never want to leave you on a downbeat, so let me remind you to stay well and in the words of the great old song "Button Up Your Overcoat" from 1928 by Henderson, DeSylva and Brown:
"Button up your overcoat,
When the wind is free,
Take good care of yourself,
You belong to me!
Eat an apple every day,
Get to bed by three,
Oh, take good care of yourself,
You belong to me!
Wear your flannel underwear,
When you climb a tree,
Oh, take good care of yourself,
You belong to me!"
Until next time, take good care of yourself, and don't get sick.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Haters, Stop Hatin'
If you're a loyal U2 fan, such as myself, you may have noticed that there are a lot of U2 haters out there these days. Their primary complaints are two-fold: 1) U2 hasn't released a good album since Achtung Baby, and 2) Bono thinks he's Jesus. I will strive today to dispel both of those myths.
Many "U2-Hater" blogs recently have lodged the complaint that, while U2 has some great songs, they have not released any "classic" albums other than Achtung Baby and The Joshua Tree. Let me attempt to counter that argument by using a food analogy. Most people like pizza. Unless you are lactose-intolerant and can't take the cheese, you like pizza. Admit it. What kind of pizza is your favorite? Survey says... Pepperoni. News flash, some people HATE pepperoni and only want straight cheese, or veggie, or sausage. U2 has always given us a buffet of many choices. They have re-invented themselves so many times, experimenting with new sounds and new genres, from Punk to Americana to Alternative to Pop, and so on. That tends to alienate some people who are not willing to broaden their music landscapes. My point is this, any "U2-Hater" blog that you might read which suggests that certain U2 albums are "classics" and others are not is invariably biased by the personal preferences of the writer. One person's opinion or, dare I say, even popular opinion (Billboard sales figures), do not dictate whether an album is good, great or a classic. That distinction remains in the ear & mind of the beholder.
Secondly, many U2 haters are getting tired of Bono acting as the World's Saviour. They claim that he is just pretending to care about the poor and downtrodden of the world, AIDS in Africa, the indebtedness of poor nations, and all manner of injustices, while he sips expensive champagne on the Riviera. My response to those criticisms is pretty simple. Get over it, you jealous fools. Because Bono is rich and a celebrity, he can command the attention of the fellow rich, financiers and world leaders. He is using his celebrity for good. Instead of merely raking in the bucks and sipping champagne on the Riviera, he is also spending his time and effort championing worthwhile causes. He also knows that his multitudes of fans will listen, learn and perhaps also care about the plight of the sick and the poor. While that does not make him Jesus, it makes him a decent fellow who is not afraid of wearing his compassion on his sleeve.
If will tell the U2-haters this, instead of envying the band and hating Bono's alleged God Complex, you should stop hating and start doing something to make the world a better place. If you feel that Bono is no better than yourself, then prove it, and you go change the world.
Many "U2-Hater" blogs recently have lodged the complaint that, while U2 has some great songs, they have not released any "classic" albums other than Achtung Baby and The Joshua Tree. Let me attempt to counter that argument by using a food analogy. Most people like pizza. Unless you are lactose-intolerant and can't take the cheese, you like pizza. Admit it. What kind of pizza is your favorite? Survey says... Pepperoni. News flash, some people HATE pepperoni and only want straight cheese, or veggie, or sausage. U2 has always given us a buffet of many choices. They have re-invented themselves so many times, experimenting with new sounds and new genres, from Punk to Americana to Alternative to Pop, and so on. That tends to alienate some people who are not willing to broaden their music landscapes. My point is this, any "U2-Hater" blog that you might read which suggests that certain U2 albums are "classics" and others are not is invariably biased by the personal preferences of the writer. One person's opinion or, dare I say, even popular opinion (Billboard sales figures), do not dictate whether an album is good, great or a classic. That distinction remains in the ear & mind of the beholder.
Secondly, many U2 haters are getting tired of Bono acting as the World's Saviour. They claim that he is just pretending to care about the poor and downtrodden of the world, AIDS in Africa, the indebtedness of poor nations, and all manner of injustices, while he sips expensive champagne on the Riviera. My response to those criticisms is pretty simple. Get over it, you jealous fools. Because Bono is rich and a celebrity, he can command the attention of the fellow rich, financiers and world leaders. He is using his celebrity for good. Instead of merely raking in the bucks and sipping champagne on the Riviera, he is also spending his time and effort championing worthwhile causes. He also knows that his multitudes of fans will listen, learn and perhaps also care about the plight of the sick and the poor. While that does not make him Jesus, it makes him a decent fellow who is not afraid of wearing his compassion on his sleeve.
If will tell the U2-haters this, instead of envying the band and hating Bono's alleged God Complex, you should stop hating and start doing something to make the world a better place. If you feel that Bono is no better than yourself, then prove it, and you go change the world.
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