Adventures in HD Music Selections

We got a 1080p plasma for the house. I was watching Comcast HD music channel. Regrouped Asia and Yes - Pathetic. Steve Howe is basically a skeleton holding a guitar. Also carried Royal Albert Hall clips of the Who in 2007. Roger's voice is godawful. The Seeker is already sounding well tired. Bright spot in group is Simon Townsend. Handling the high vocal parts and looking like he is actually enjoying being onstage. The rest are stiffs. Pete Townsend,too. Deep Purple - a train wreck. Only decent sounding band is Rush in a Frankfurt concert. But they are obviously only going through the motions. Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart are middle aged in appearance and spiritually fat. Geedy Lee always looked bad and that is nothing new here. Bryan Adams doing some solo guitar performance at some peace festival. Looks like hell but has a surprisingly strong and decent voice. Haven't watched old Joe Strummer video yet. More ugh for sure.

R.I.P. Richard Wright

Go listen to the live disc that was part of Pink Floyd's "Ummagumma" release. Richard Wright provided the keyboards to "Astronomy Domine" and "Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun". In a few words, haunting, otherwordly, hypnotic. Good music to travel by in the wee hours. Or put some headphones on and slip into your isolation tank. Space music for you to expand by. Another fave of mine is the work Wright contributed to the Floyd disc, "Animals". His axes included vocoder, organ, synthesizers. Beautiful, fluid work. Displayed nice chops when he accompanied David Gilmour on his recent "solo" tour. I didn't see the live show but caught a tour video. Turns out Wright sang the early, warped Floyd single "Arnold Layne". He did it again for the Gilmour tour. Hard to believe 40 years passed by at all. Surely, a virtuoso of the colorful, economic, tasteful, flourish and fill. Wish he had been heard from more.

The Rock Lifestyle

Listening to the recent Nickelback cut, "Rockstar" brings to mind other peons to the life of a rock star. A few of my favorites in this group include The Kinks' "Rock and Roll Fantasy", and "Life on the Road". The Who offered "Success Story" and "Long Live Rock". The Byrds summed it up by asking "So You Want To Be A Rock and Roll Star" and chronicled some of the highs and lows of the experience. The money apparently is VERY good.

Noise That Hurts

Fun With The Nero Sound Recorder

I was performing a rudimentary test of the sound editor function on my work computer and I came up with this scratchy-mic soaked trifle. I like to pile on the effects.

Pop Mediocrity Knows No Height It Can't Scale

Natasha Bedingfield sings of a "Pocketful of Sunshine" in her bland pop tune. Truth to tell, it will be a "pocketful of gold" more likely judging from the overwhelming popularity and response to the ditty. Fool's Gold.