retroblog.net

When bad remixes happen to good songs.

Asia – Go (remix) : Here’s a 1985 DANCE remix of Asia’s rock song “Go”. Obviously the decision of a clueless record exec who somehow thought a british classic rock band needed a dance club makeover. I’m not sure who actually DID the remix but Geoff Downes’ keyboard takes center stage on this one.

Yes – Owner of a Lonely Heart (1983 Red Blue mix) : in the same vein as the Asia remix, here we have a classic rock band with a dance mix of their rock classic. I can’t actually imagine this one even making it onto the dance floor. it just sounds bizarre… sort of like the “Art of Noise” randomly playing around with different settings on the Fairlight synth while this song was playing in the studio.

Wings – Let ‘Em In (Wing It Mix) : Reportedly Paul McCartney commissioned a set of remixes to be released along with the WingSpan documentary in 2001 but the remixes never got officially released. Listening to this remix, you can hear why. Pretty bland and ultimately pointless.

Big Country – One Great Thing (Big Baad Country Mix) : Like a good number of remixes in the mid-eighties, this Big Country remix simply sounds like someone having some fun with a Fairlight. and due to the heavy Fairlight use, it sounds more like Trevor Horn/Art of Noise than Big Country.

ABC – Be Near Me (Munich Disco Mix) : The obnoxious sounding drums and handclaps added to the 1985 remix obscures the charm and personality of the original. Yes, it’s sorta fun and goofy to listen to now but in terms of songcraft and production quality, the remix is definitely a big step down.

I recently ran into an old friend of mine that I used to play in a cover band with back our youthful college days. He’s a bit older than me and was a monster on the bass guitar. We caught up with each other over some lunch at a local burger joint. I was sadden to learn that he hasn’t played bass in over ten years and he’s currently fretting over his daughter entering college next year. contrary to what I initially thought, he’s more worried about paying for college than about his daughter being out on her own. I encouraged him to check out scholarships.com for access to an extensive list of college grants and scholarships that are available to students. His daughter’s first choice is a prestigious drama program at a small private school that’s located about two hours away. It’s very expensive but obviously worthwhile if she gets accepted. I’m sure my friend would be truly grateful if he ends up receiving scholarship or grant money to help pay for his daughter’s tuition.

the countdown is on ’til the official debut of Arnel Pineda fronting legendary rock band Journey live in concert in Chile, February 19, 2008. Pineda told abs-cbnNEWS.com recently that he’s preparing for the upcoming tour by hitting the gym regularly as well as getting his vocal cords conditioned for the road. As you can imagine, performing Journey material night after night can put a tremendous strain on a singer’s voice. Just ask former Journey lead vocalist Steve Augeri who knows first hand about the damage the songs can do to one’s voice. Augeri had to leave the group after repeatedly having severe vocal problems while out on the road in 2006. Pineda is currently back in the Phillipines anxiously waiting for the tour to begin. He is quoted by abs-cbnNEWS.com in saying “Everything hasn’t sunk in yet. It’s like a dream.” fans are still waiting for word from Journey’s management about upcoming live dates for the group. besides the four gigs in Chile (Feb. 19, 21, 23 and 24) and a private Remax Convention in Las Vegas on March 6th, no other dates have been confirmed.

Journey – Loved By You (a great power ballad sung by Steve Augeri)

..As the sunset disappears across the northern sky
You look for forever in my eyes
All I can say as long as I have a voice
I’ll thank God above that I was your first choice
If I should die before I wake
I’ll go into the night whispering your name
If lying in your arms is the last thing that I do
At least I know that I’ll be loved by you …

I love my iPod. I just can’t seem to leave home without it. It’s got 8 gigs worth of my favorite tunes and I’ve got a customized playlist for any and all activities. no matter what I do, I’ve got a playlist already set up. running, shopping, relaxing, stretching, thinking, working – you name it, the iPod is right there with me playing all my favorites. since it’s such an indispensible part of my life, I protect it from everyday wear with one of those full body ipod cases from invisibleSHIELD. it’s a thin, clear cover that protects my precious iPod from those unsightly scratches. you can barely tell it’s there but it gives me peace of mind knowing that my music player is completely scratch-proof.

Todd Rundgren has confirmed his plan of unleashing an “Arena Rock” album sometime this year. During his short stint through the midwest he offered some new tidbits about his upcoming album in a couple new interviews. Rundgren is quoted in the Toronto Star saying that the album will consist of “big, fat guitar hooks and singalong choruses, like the songs Boston and Journey and Foreigner used to play – classic arena rock“. He goes on to say in an interview with billboard.com: “It’s… essentially the kind of music that works well in an arena. Everything has to be very deliberate and there’s often a lot of air in it to allow it to spread out and fill the space.” In the same article, Rundgren also mentioned that the New Cars was a bit of a bad idea and that he won’t be involved in the project in the forseeable future – “We couldn’t get the rights to use the name the Cars, and the New Cars just confused everybody. We didn’t want to have to start all over again. And I’ve got my own music and my own audience; I had no reason to start trying to begin a new career with another band.”

I personally can’t wait for the new record and hope that Rundgren actually does end up in arenas across the country performing these larger than life songs.

as a taste of things to come, let’s take a moment and enjoy some old arena rock favorites…
[Note: the following are downloadable via mediafire]

Def Leppard: Rock of Ages – C’mon, rise up gather round, rock this place to the ground, burn it up, let’s go for broke, watch the night go up in smoke

Journey: Only the Young – Only the young can say, they’re free to fly away, sharing the same desires, burnin’ like wildfire

Asia: Don’t Cry – So leave it all behind you, it took so long to find you, I know that we can last forever, ever and more

Boston: More Than a Feeling – I looked out this morning and the sun was gone, turned on some music to start my day, I lost myself in a familiar song, I closed my eyes and I slipped away

..and say so long to The New Cars: Not Tonight – So put me in your Blackberry and I’ll take your E-mail and we’ll meet when the time is right but not tonight

Just got word that Asia’s upcoming release is still on schedule for April. I’m still amazed that Steve Howe and John Wetton are still able to work together at this point. I was SO sure old disagreements/issues from the 80’s would re-surface and rip the group apart by now. or at the least, Howe’s commitment to his other group, Yes, would have stop this project cold at some point. but I haven’t heard about any activities from the Yes camp so maybe Howe will indeed continue on with Asia for the rest of the year. I don’t know… I’m still expecting something to crop up and throw a wrench into this whole thing…

here’s the press release from Frontier Records:
Geoff, Steve, Carl and John have been busy in the studio, adding finishing touches to their new CD “Phoenix”, the first studio album from the band’s members since 1983. Eagerly anticipated by fans all over the world, “Phoenix” contains an eclectic selection of songs bound by the unique Asia trade mark.
In 1982, Asia’s inimitable sound underpinned a 9 week domination at of USA’s Billboard charts. Only a couple of acts have been at number 1 for longer. The band confirms that “Phoenix” has been influenced by the same fusion of talents and heritages which so excited the world in 1982.
“Phoenix” will include rockers such as “Never Again” and “Nothing’s Forever”, power ballads such as “Heroine” and “I Will Remember You” and a couple of mini-epics too, among a dozen new songs.
The Asia reunion was temporarily rocked when lead singer/bassist John Wetton underwent an emergency triple heart by-pass in August last year. John was inspired to write “An Extraordinary Life”, based on such personal events, which have made the concept of Carpe Diem dramatically pertinent.
The band is pleased that after 5 months in the studio writing and preparing the album, it will be delivered to Frontiers on time, ready for an April release, though the world tour which starts in March will feature a couple of the new songs.

Catch these legendary musicians out on tour starting in March:

March 1 – Falmouth Pavilion
March 2 – Bournemouth BIC Pavilion
March 4 – Liverpool Academy
March 7 – Ebbw Vale Leisure Centre
March 8 – Frome Cheese & Grain
March 9 – Wolverhampton Civic
March 11 – Nottingham Rock City
March 12 – Oxford Zodiac Club
March 13 – Manchester Academy
March 16 – London Shepherds Bush
March 18 – Newcastle Academy
March 19 – Glasgow Academy
March 20 – Perth Concert Halls

April 4 Wilkes Barre, PA – Kirby PAC
April 5 Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Casino Wolf Den
April 7 Harrisburg, PA – Sunoco Performance Theater
April 8 Alexandria, VA – The Birchmere
April 10 Collingswood, NJ – Scottish Rite Auditorium
April 12 Westbury, NY – North Fork Theatre
April 13 Peekskill, NY – Paramount Center For The Arts
April 15 Verona, NY – Turning Stone Resort & Casino
April 16 Red Bank, NJ – Count Basie Theatre
April 17 Englewood, NJ – Bergen Performing Arts Center
April 19 Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
April 20 Chicago, IL – House of Blues
April 21 Indianapolis, IN – Music Mill
April 23 Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater
April 26 Marksville, LA – Paragon Casino
April 27 Dallas, TX – House of Blues
April 29 Espanola NM – Big Rock Casino
April 30 Phoenix, AZ – Celebrity Theatre
May 2 Agoura Hills, CA – Canyon Club
May 3 Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
May 4 San Juan Capistrano, CA – The Coach House
May 5 San Francisco, CA – Grand Ballroom @ The Regency Center

May 8 Fukuoka, Japan – Shimin Kaikan
May 9 Osaka, Japan – Koseinenkin Kaikan
May 11 Nagoya, Japan – Shimin Kaikan
May 12 Tokyo, Japan – International Forum

May 17 – Santana 27 – Bilbao, Spain
May 18 – Hall de Martigues – Martigues, France
May 19 – Luz de Gas – Barcelona, Spain
May 21 – Lisbon Coliseu – Lisbon, Portugal
May 22 – Joy Eslava – Madrid, Spain
May 24 – Tenerife Auditorium – Tenerife, Canary Islands
May 26 – Zenith- Lille, France
May 27 – O-13 – Tilburg, The Netherlands
May 29 – Prague, Czech Republic
May 30 – Petofi Hall – Budapest, Hungary
May 31 – Divadlo Arena – Bratislava, Slovakia

man, it feels like forever since I’ve been anywhere and/or done anything worthwhile. with a busy career, kids, a house and a long running to-do list, going out and enjoying oneself ends up pretty low in terms of priorities. but there comes a time when you just need to put your foot down and demand some “me-time”. So, I’m thinking of taking a quick flight to New York to take in some live shows. there’s just so many things going on in the big city that it ends up being a bit tough to take it all in. and looking through the concert listings I just noticed that They Might Be Giants will be at the Beacon Theatre next weekend. oh man, Bob Mould and Hot Chip will be playing at the Highland Ballroom that weekend as well. cool stuff. i have to say, the suburban middle-aged life has sucked me dry, my friends. recharging my batteries in the greatest city in the world would be exactly what the doctor prescribed. I’m going to head off to DialaFlight.com and book my trip right now. see ya in the big apple!

Don Henley and Glenn Frey made it pretty clear that they’ve reunited The Eagles for the money. They obviously don’t enjoy each other’s company and all that they’ve done recently seemed to have been motivated by the almighty dollar. From the jacked-up prices of their concert tickets to the exclusive deal with wal-mart, it’s all just to pad their bulging retirement fund. and who suffers from all this greed? the fans at large obviously. we’re the ones that have to listen to their inferior product that they’re trying to pass off as an Eagles album. They should have left their legacy well enough alone. Now all is tarnished by their long-awaited double-album called Long Road Out Of Eden. I guess it’s sort of fitting that it’s only sold at Wal-mart and Sam’s Club alongside discount televisions, cheap shoes and frozen pizzas. the new album is nothing more than a corporate product. there’s absolutely no creativity to be found here. the album just feels overly-calculated and sterile. this is where you can find the death of popular music. recycled ideas, themes and chord progressions abound in this tired sounding set of songs. They spent the last couple years in the studio to come up with lyrics like:
It’s too late for saving face / Don’t just stand there takin’ up space / Why don’t you do something (the Henley penned “Do Something).
yikes. and come on, it just doesn’t seem right for fifty year old men singing lame-ass lines like..
I believe in second chances / I believe in angels too / I believe in new romances / Baby I believe in you (No More Cloudy Days).
geez. it’s simply sad to hear these 70’s country/rock legends going through the motions with songs like “Fast Company” (with ol’ man Henley singing in falsetto. ouch!), “What Do I Do With My Heart” (cliche-city) and “I Love to Watch a Woman Dance” (snooze-fest). yeah, these guys will earn millions for their retirement fund but sadly they sold their souls to do it.

The Eagles – Busy Being Fabulous music video

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you may or may not remember the fantastic giveaway Overstock.com put together over christmas called All I Want for Christmas. Well, they are at it again with a new promotion called the Game O Love. Beginning January 25th, you can head on over to their website and sign up for a chance to win any item of your choosing (item valued up to $500). This is of course in celebration of Valentine’s Day so be sure to pick something out for your loved one. there’s no problem figuring out what my spouse would want for Valentine’s. if it’s jewelry, she’s happy. it’s a no brainer. So when I sign up at Overstock.com’s Game O Love website (starting tomorrow), I’m picking something out of Overstock’s jewelry department. they’ve got a great selection of diamond earrings that the spouse would absolutely love. and with all these bills to pay from the recent christmas season, I would SO love to WIN something for the wife for this coming valentine’s day. it’d be easier on my wallet that’s for sure.
So, anyway, I’ll be sure to swing by their site beginning January 25th. It’s very simple to enter with no long forms to fill out and no difficult trivia questions to answer. the promotion ends February 11th so you can enter everyday until the 11th for the most chances to win.

It was truly tragic to hear about this yesterday. Heath Ledger was a gifted actor that I’ve enjoyed watching over the years. He will be missed. may he rest in peace.

So here’s my song of the day, dedicated to Heath Ledger

Life is always strange,
you just get used to it
Once in a while something reminds you
Then your forget about it

It’s all over, no more imagining
It’s all over, is that a tragic thing?
I know it’s all over now but for the wondering…
- The Wondering by Todd Rundgren
[download via savefile]