black friday tragedy
November 30, 2008
It’s obvious that some holiday shoppers need to take a step back and re-evaluate what’s most important in their lives. I mean, come on, all this chaos and commotion over some low priced electronics? The tragic deaths on black friday at the Wal-Mart in NY and a Toys-R-Us in California is just madness!! Saving a couple bucks on some products you don’t really need, just ain’t worth it people!!
check out the AP coverage on the black friday deaths on youtube
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also check out this youtube video of some WalMart shoppers fighting over the remaining sale items. sad, sad, sad!
and lastly, here’s PopTub’s video summary of some typical Black Friday madness
let’s get a grip people! cheap electronics aren’t worth dying over!!
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and he finally did it with the recently released 
. Yes, I know Buckingham made a “comeback” of sorts with 
in 2006 but the understated acoustic album didn’t really count in my book. To me, Buckingham’s solo outings are all about the “excess”- you know, the “going overboard” with song ideas and production techniques that he couldn’t find a place for under the “Fleetwood Mac” umbrella. His 2006 solo effort was more of an anomaly with its hushed-vocals and lack of hooks or strong melodies. But thankfully Buckingham’s signature “big hooks” are in full force on his new album. The one-two punch of the openers “Great Day” and “Time Precious Time” feature Buckingham’s unique style of fingerpicking. The stereo output that he gets from his custom Rick Turner model guitar sounds absolutely phenomenal. I DO have to mention though that beyond his amazing guitar playing on the first two songs, there’s not much else to take away from them. They’re essentially there to set things up for the third track, “Did You Miss Me” which *finally* kicks the album into gear. Tracks like “Did You Miss Me”, “Love Runs Deeper” and “Bel Air Rain” are great reminders of what a pop genius can do in four minutes. As an added bonus we get to hear the rock solid Fleetwood Mac rhythm-section (Mick Fleetwood and John McVie) on three tunes – “Wait For You”, “Gift of Screws” and “The Right Place to Fade”.
I love the uncertainty in the lyrics to “Underground” which is a dig at his record company (They heard fifteen seconds and that was enough, the idea was new but the business was tough, I think I might wander underground). And it’s interesting to point out that he didn’t end up going “underground” and is still with Reprise Records. The album ends strong with a nice strum-along tune titled “Treason” about moving forward from all the lies and deceit. Like most of Buckingham’s lyrics, the song is wide open for interpretation – it could be about a destructive relationship or the dynamics within Fleetwood Mac or a jab at George W. Bush. But with a title like “Treason”, I suppose it’s Buckingham’s take on Bush. In any case, the song works on all levels and a good strong finish to a solid effort.
under a different alias, “The Fireman”. As “The Fireman”, McCartney is essentially free to explore other musical realms and not be confined to the “three minute pop song”. Partnering up with producer Youth (U2, the Orb) like he did on previous Fireman albums, McCartney’s goal here is not to produce a mega-selling hit album. And that’s a good thing in my book. Sir Macca sounds looser and more excited than he has in years. In fact, it’s a bit of a shame he didn’t release it as a legitimate McCartney album because it’s probably the best I’ve heard from him since… Flowers in the Dirt. It’s definitely a huge step up from his last effort, Memory Almost Full. Without having to worry about chart positions or sales numbers, Sir Macca and Youth have put together a refreshing batch of songs. It’s interesting to note that the previous Fireman releases were explorations in instrumental electronica but this release brings things closer into pop territory with McCartney singing catchy hooks.
album, the song went on to become one of his signature tunes (along with “Hello It’s Me”, “Bang on the Drum” and “I Saw the Light”). The song has been featured on a number of movies and TV shows including Vanilla Sky, Dumb and Dumber and Nip/Tuck. Over the years, the song has also been covered by a number of different artists which I’ll be covering here in the post.
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has been stained by 
