Music To Paint By

We interrupt the flow of the CD Odyssey for Creative Maelstrom's Extreme Home Edition.

This weekend, Sheila and I painted our hallway and living room. The cats "helped" a couple of times, and were paid for their efforts with a wet towel massage. It wasn't until the last day that I realized if I just put objects at the outside corner of the hall, they wouldn't rub into the wet paint. Devil logic! - where were you when I needed you on Saturday!

Anyway, it was a hell of a job, and like any rotten job, made a lot more enjoyable by music.

But just what kind of music is best to paint to? Sheila and I agree it should have some good energy. Nothing too slow or oppressive.

Each day we would select 2 albums each for the carousel, plus a fifth "agreed on" album. If we needed more time, we would add one more each.

Here's what we ended up with after three days, and about 6 gallons of paint. I've put in the years out of general interest

Logan's picks:

Cake: Comfort Eagle 2001
Lyle Lovett: Road To Ensenada 1998
Steve Earle: El Corazon 1997
Beastie Boys: Paul's Boutique 1989
Queen: A Day At The Races 1976
AC/DC: Powerage 1978
The Cars: Self-Titled 1978
The Pogues: Rum, Sodomy and the Lash 1985

Sheila's picks:

Rilo Kiley: The Execution of All Things 2002
Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here 1975
ELO: Time 1981
Soundtrack: Magnolia 1999
Shins: Wincing The Night Away 2007
Gorillaz: Demon Days 2005
REM: Automatic For the People 1992
The Who: Who's Next 1971

Joint Selections:

Soundtrack: Elizabethtown 2005
Alice Cooper: Muscle of Love 1973
White Stripes: Icky Thump 2007

Albums withdrawn after protest:

Tool: 10,000 Days (Sheila) - I found it too oppressive for painting.
James Brown: Make It Funky (Logan) - Sheila found it too repetitive.

So, if you're going to paint - these are some good albums to do it to. Except maybe not so much the Lyle Lovett - great album, but too slow.

CD Odyssey Disc 2: Piece of Mind

There are times when the randomness of the universe is a real gift. Of my hundreds of discs, the second disc in the CD Odyssey after rolling Judas Priest is...Iron Maiden. You just can't script this kind of stuff.

I've done a lot of driving today, so I am already through disc 2! At this rate I could be finished in two years! I'm sure that's what Odysseus said as well. Instead, his buddy Aias went crazy and stabbed himself in the thigh, then Odysseus spent 10 years as Calypso's love slave and got home a decade later to find his house overrun with freeloaders.

But I digress...

Disc 2 is...Piece of Mind


Artist: Iron Maiden

Year of Release: 1983

How I Came To Know It: In my youth, I loved Iron Maiden. Love is not too strong a word. I could sing the lyrics to 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner'. I knew that Bruce Dickenson put his pants on one leg at a time, but I still thought he made gold records (yeah, I know that's a different Bruce Dickenson). Due to financial consideration, I never owned Piece of Mind as a kid, but I knew many of the tracks. I'm glad to bring it back to its righftul home (mine), now that I am an old rock n' roller with a paycheque.

How It Stacks Up: I have 7 Maiden albums. I'd put this one 3rd best, and a strong third at that! The only reason it is third is that 1 and 2 are that good - but let's not get ahead of ourselves, we've got a lot of sailing left before we reach the Blessed Isles...

Rating: 4 stars

Piece of Mind has everything a young (or old) metal-head could want. Bruce Dickenson has the best metal pipes in the business (Dio's are pretty good as well) and he wails. The guitars rule. In particular, I love the crazy-assed shit that Maiden will write about.

This album features songs about:
- The 1968 Action/War film "Where Eagles Dare"
- The Book of Revelations
- The myth of Icarus, who died flying too close to the sun.
- World War Three
- Man Discovering Fire
- Dune (more specifically, an ode to Paul Atreides).

Also, all these songs are good! OK, the one about discovering fire is not so good, but the movie covering the same topic is far worse.

In addition to reminding me of a great myth, "Flight of Icarus" always reminds me of an art project some guy did in my "Greek Mythology" class when I went to UVIC.

We were tasked in making a creative interpretation of a a Greek myth. One day during the assignment - the class arrives to find all the curtains in the room drawn (it was the second floor of Clearihue Building).

As everyone settles in, we start hearing "No Icarus! Don't fly so close the sun! The wax holding on your wings will melt! No, Icarus! No!!!!" It sounds like someone in the courtyard outside is off their rocker. As he yells, someone pulls the curtains back. On the roof outside, he has placed the bottom half of a mannequin - looking like it has crashed through the roof, face first (bottom up - and prominent).

Down in the courtyard, it was our classmate yelling - rooms all around were looking down, thinking him quite mad.

I thought he was quite awesome. Kudos to you, fellow Myth Student - whoever the hell you were. Thanks for the memory.

OK - back to the record:

Best tracks: Flight of Icarus, Revelations, The Trooper, Sun and Steel, To Tame A Land.

Do you have an opinion about this album? Post it! Or lurk - that is good too.

CD Odyssey Disc 1: Screaming for Vengeance

The CD Odyssey begins again! Last time, this quest took almost three years, and that was about 5 years ago, so I expect it will take a little while longer this time.

For those of you who would wonder why the hell should I bother I will only say, "Do you want to climb this mountain or just get to the top?"

This year, on the advice of my friend Karen, I am going to roll randomly to determine what order I go in. Full CD Odyssey "rules" are on the sideboard.

Disc 1 is...Screaming For Vengeance


Artist: Judas Priest

Year of Release: 1982

How I Came To Know It: In my youth, I was a heavy metal meat-head, so this album has been in my life a long time. Admittedly this was the second JP album I ever knew - the first was Defenders of the Faith. I'll talk about that when I roll it...

How It Stacks Up: I currently have 8 Priest albums. I'd put this one 3rd or 4th in overall awesomeness.

Rating: 4 stars

Screaming For Vengeance is a seminal album in the history of heavy metal. Many would say Priest and Maiden are the first two true heavy metal bands. My money is on Black Sabbath, but I think there is an acceptable (preferably drunken) argument for Priest/Maiden.

This album is the poster-child for what good Metal is all about. It is full of Rob Halford belting his guts out, screaming guitar solos (the guitars are screaming for vengeance, no doubt), incredible riffs and symphonic sound.

A big shout out to my buddy, Ross the Boss. Ross is the biggest Priest fan I've ever met, and he helped rekindle my love for JP. That was a good deed indeed.

As many of you know I saw Priest in concert last year. To paraphrase Tennyson, though they are not that strength that in old days moved earth and heaven, that which they are, they are. And what they are still rocks.

Best tracks: Electric Eye, Bloodstone, Screaming for Vengeance, You've Got Another Thing Comin'.

Do you have an opinion about this album? Post it! Or lurk - that is good too.

Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown

This week my drive home has featured Green Day's new album "21st Century Breakdown". My buddy Spence taught me a valuable lesson years ago - always give a new album three full listens before you decide what you think.

Many people have mixed emotions about Green Day as a band. Generally, I think they are very talented - and I like them enough to own all their albums with the exception of that "International Mega Hits" one. Is that even an album? Frankly, if it is the title turns me off. Let's keep such titles for an actual "best of". If it is a "best of" - I'd rather make my own, which I'm sure would be better. And less radio friendly. But I repeat myself.

Anyway, Green Day gets blamed for a lot that is not their fault - mostly for the crappy bands that try (and fail) to reproduce their sound. It really isn't fair - after all it is not Pearl Jam's fault that Creed exists.

By the way - this argument does not extend to Nickelback - not only is it their fault that Daughtry exists, but Nickelback are themselves, an abomination inflicted on the music world (note to the MMVAs - please stop encouraging them!)

But, I digress.

21st Century Breakdown:
The album that is a little too long for what is essentially, a lesser blending of the sounds from two better albums ("American Idiot" and the often-underrated "Minority". "21st Century" has the pretensions of "American Idiot" but it has the poppy sounds of "Minority".

Did I say this album is overlong?. It is 18 tracks and almost 70 minutes. I am a firm believer that very few albums can justify going above 12 or at most 14 songs. "21st Century" could easily trim 6 very forgettable tracks and be a lot tighter of an album. Let's call this the "law of vinyl"; when in doubt, it should fit on a record.

There are some high points - I am partial to (what I am told) is the radio release - "Know Your Enemy", and I also like "!Viva La Gloria!" (while decrying the punctuation). I think it ends strong as well, where it captures a piece of the American Idiot angst with "21 Guns" and "American Eulogy".

The production is a tight - something I always enjoy about Green Day - and has always offended punk purists who wanted them all muddy (attention punk purists - throw out your Clash albums if that's how you feel). Besides - Green Day isn't punk and never has been - sometimes rock n'roll is all you need.

The drummer is actually pretty good - but I'm not naming him, because he has a silly name. As I get older I find I am hearing the drummer more and more. Maybe I just can't hear anything else...

If you are a Green Day completionist - buy this album - it is worth a listen. If you are just looking for an album not called American Idiot or Dookie - then get Minority. It is an underrated album with some great tracks.

Logan's rating (see sideboard) 2 with a thumbs up - but only because I don't allow myself the luxury of the half star.