I suppose the knee-jerk reaction to Sting‘s latest endeavor is to simply dismiss the whole thing and say he’s scraping the bottom of the creative barrel. And yes, it’s true Sting hasn’t released an album’s worth of original material since 2003′s Sacred Love which might indicate some sort of writer’s block. But whatever the case may be, Symphonicities is surprisingly an enjoyable listen. It’s far from being a perfect record, mind you, but even with the flaws, there’s just something about hearing a full orchestra reinterpret these ol’ tunes that make you wanna hit the repeat button again. and again. Maybe I’m just like the rest of Sting’s ever-aging fanbase who are all inclined to nostalgia but there’s just no denying the power of well-written melodies featured in songs like “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic” and “Roxanne”.
The new arrangements vary in quality though. Some are very inventive including the new versions of “I Burn For You” and “We Work the Black Seam” but others are unimaginative and basically play it safe like “Englishman in New York” (almost a carbon copy of the original down to the hip-hop drum break in the middle which is a bit lazy in my opinion), “I Hung My Head”, “When We Dance”.
But in the end, let’s just say the album is some damn fine ear candy for the middle-aged. and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Eagle Rock Entertainment has recently announced the next installment of their Classic Albums series for DVD and blu-ray. This time around, the focus will be on Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ 1979 Damn the Torpedoes album.
I personally love the format of the Classic Albums series. The original album producer along with band members usually sit at the mixing desk and go through the multi-tracks and explain the process of how the songs were recorded. You can’t get that level of detail anywhere else. Kudos to the director and producers of the series for not incorporating MTV-style hyper-editing or dumbing down the info. The show is a straight-forward documentary that will please the fans that prefer content over style.
I’m looking forward to this release. “Damn the Torpedoes” was a significant album in Petty’s career which featured the hits “Refugee” and “Don’t Do Me Like That”. Can’t wait to see it. Look for it in stores starting August 3rd 2010. (more…)
Here’s an interesting lil’ video clip I recently came across featuring an interview with Paul McCartney’s long time guitar tech Keith Smith (or as Smith says in the interview, “Paul’s Technical Manager”), backstage at the Israel gig in 2008. It’s a guitar fanatic’s dream to get to see some of the rare & valuable instruments Sir Macca uses on tour. And this is as good as it gets for most of us since we’ll never see these guitars up close and in person. Smith shares some neat tidbits about the various vintage guitars including the 1963 signature Hofner bass, the Epiphone acoustic and the extremely rare left handed Gibson Les Paul goldtop.
Congratulations! I’ve forwarded your info to the PR rep at Universal Music who will be sending the DVD directly to you.
Be on the look out for our next DVD drawing which should be posted real soon. and please join our new facebook page to keep up to date on the latest happenings on retroblog as well as to qualify for future drawings & contests.
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Charter. All opinions are 100% mine.
It’s interesting to note how the tables have turned in terms of the way we view television. Back in the day, viewers had to schedule their evening plans around their favorite television shows. Programs like The Ed Sullivan show and Texaco Star Theater featuring Milton Berle used to hold people hostage over their TV screens. Thankfully we’re no longer chained to the whims of network executives and their strategic programming schedules. We all have busy lives especially those of us having to chauffeur our kids to their many extracurricular activities day in and day out. So, the technological breakthrough of On-Demand TV is truly a godsend. No longer do we have to worry about missing a sporting event or fuss over a VCR. Digital cable providers like Charter make it simple and easy to access over thousands of movies and TV shows at any time. Charter On Demand has something for everyone in the family. I won’t have to worry about staying up past 11pm to watch FX’s latest comedy hit series, Louie. The Louie C.K. show is available whenever I want to watch it. The on demand feature is also great for kids. We no longer have to endure the kids’ whining about not having anything to watch on TV. SpongeBob, iCarly and Dora the Explorer are now just a click away. And I love the easy to browse through menu. Just sort by category and you’re bound to encounter something interesting. To learn more about Charter On Demand as well as what shows are available, be sure to check out their On Demand home page. And if you’re on Facebook, I’m pretty sure You will ‘Like’ their Facebook page as well. Oh, and if you’re worried about extra fees, Charter On Demand features a huge library of free programming available. It’s definitely worth a try and I’m pretty certain you’ll be hooked in no time. heh.
Like most facebook users, I’ve been utilizing the FB news feed to keep up with my favorite websites and blogs. It’s just a convenient online tool to stay connected with all your favorites sites similar to how RSS feeds are used. So I figured I’d create a facebook page for RetroBlog to give readers another option to help keep up with the latest goings-on here on my site. Yes, I know I will never have the readership of popular pop-culture blogs like StereoGum or PopDose but you know me, I’ll try just about anything to help the cause.
So if you’re on facebook, why not support this lil’ ol’ blog and “Like” the Retroblog facebook page. It’ll definitely make this ol’ blogger real happy!
Oh and by the way, I’m planning on incorporating the facebook page in future CD/DVD giveaways so you might as well join the page now so you’ll automatically be eligible for the drawings.
Ringo and his All-Starr band had a gig at Radio City Music Hall in NYC and played their usual set. But it wasn’t just another ordinary day, it was Ringo’s 70th b-day. So to commemorate the occasion, a whole slew of famous friends attended the show. Most came on stage to singalong to “With a Little Help from My Friends” including Yoko Ono, Jeff Lynne, Joe Walsh and Max Weinberg. But the biggest thrill of the night came afterwards when Sir Paul put on his signature Hofner bass and counted out the start of “Birthday”. Definitely an amazing moment. Thankfully it was captured on video for all to enjoy. kudos to the original uploader for sharing the video clip! (more…)
Did you guys catch the premiere of Louis C.K.‘s new show “Louie” on FX this week? They’ve been promoting the hell out of the show for months so it’s great to see that it lived up to the hype. As a matter of fact, “Louie” is probably my favorite new TV show right now. I’m not that pleased with the 11pm time slot but with the R-rated language, I guess that’s what they had to do to be on basic cable.
The show is a bit like Seinfeld with stand-up bits weaved-in with the storylines but there are unexpected left turns (i.e. the opening poker scene and the part when Louie’s date got into a helicopter for a quick getaway. heh) that definitely brings the tried and true framework to another level.
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of faceVsion Technology USA. All opinions are 100% mine.
I remember the primitive days of streaming webcams where the jerky video images were thumbnail-sized and in black & white. Back in the day, a lot of time was spent being frustrated with buggy software as well as having to deal with the oh-so-dreaded blue screen of death. Boy, we’ve come a long way since those days. Webcams can now be found on most laptops and most folks are pretty familiar with the video conferencing feature on Skype. With the combination of faster computers and broadband connections, video calling is pretty much a no-brainer nowadays.
And now the hard working team over at faceVsion are introducing the next step in webcam technology – Hi-Definition video webcams. Why settle for fuzzy video images when you can achieve crystal clear 720p resolution video with the new FV touchcam N1. The TouchCam N1 is the world’s first Skype-certified webcam that can deliver full screen HD video over the web. The key to the hi-def video is the embedded H.264 encoder which converts the HD images into substantially lower bitrates. The touchcam also features a high quality wide angle lens which helps keep the images sharp, in-focus and with truly realistic color depths. The super clear video images will make a huge impact on your next family video skype call. The professional quality video is also ideal for business video conferences. When you need to make a good impression with a client and you can’t be there in person, having a HD quality conference call is the next best thing. It’s definitely worth the upgrade.
You can find out more about the new FV touchcam N1 at the faceVision on line store. The site also features the FV ExpressCombo that includes an express card that provides 720p 30fps video images regardless of CPU power. If you’re ready to step up to HD video calls, the new FV touchcam may be right up your alley. FV touchcam is now available through shop.facevsion.com and other value added partners.
