Every year, the end of October happens at some point; usually towards the end of the tenth month of the year. This is bad enough due to the fact that it means we are nearing Christmas, so the rate at which Christmas related adverts are shown on TV, increases. It also means that the clocks change and go backwards an hour. This is a mixture of good and bad. Good because we get an extra hour in bed on the last Sunday of the month, but bad because it means the following 5 months get dark quite early. Halloween also happens at the end of every October, and this year, it's on a Sunday, meaning this year we annoyingly have 25 hours of Halloween due to the sodding clocks going back. Typical!
A lot of things I have grown to dislike as I have grown up like Christmas, patronising children's TV presenters and boredom. However, Halloween has been something I have disliked, nay - hated my entire life. As a child I was forced by my Mum yearly to dress up as a witch for Halloween, or whatever she had decided to buy that year. I never went Trick Or Treating either. That was partly due to the fact I was a fussy eater and rarely liked any of the sweets strangers would offer me. However, it was mainly due to the fact, that despite the fact no-one could see me behind my green witches mask, I got very embarrassed. I didn't like Halloween.
That is one of the only things me and my Dad actually agree with. Neither of us particularly likes Halloween; especially the Trick Or Treating part of it. As a result of this, many eggs have been thrown at our house. Most years it is the same routine. Children ring the door bell dressed in ridiculous outfits. We say 'No Thank-you', then moments later a few eggs are thrown and then they run away. Children who come after that, normally get sweets, but only as a bribe to not decorate our house in eggs brought from the store down the road.
Since when has throwing eggs at a house been a 'trick'? A trick is putting a whoopee cushion on a chair or gluing a pound coin to the pavement. Throwing eggs at a house is vandalism and also known as 'being a completely spoilt bastard who has a tantrum because you didn't get a sweet for dressing in the same costume as a bunch of other kids, and in turn deserve to have eggs crammed in their eyes and be forced to eat the eggshells of a dozen eggs that have been mixed with dog poo from down the road'. Well, that's what I call them anyway...
Throughout my life, I have refused, as best as possible, to celebrate Halloween in any way. It ranges from dressing up while being a kid, to going to Halloween parties, to watching scary movies on Halloween and even eating chocolate covered in foil which is decorated in a Halloween-esque way. I fail to the point. I may have liked it if we took up the name which some parts of Ireland have for it: ‘Pooky Night’, but we didn’t, so we’ll never know.
What does Halloween actually celebrate? Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Easter celebrates the death of Jesus Christ and his selfless sacrifice for us. Valentine’s Day at least is a way of celebrating your love for another human being. Bonfire night commemorates the time when Guy Fawkes (from the era of 'The Stuart's', for a pointless history lesson about my name-sakes), tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament to prove a political point. Halloween is just there to fill a gap; and that gap has been commercialised like every other celebration.
Halloween is so commercial now, just like Christmas, but just not as bad. Luckily, by the time shops start to think about stocking Halloween items, they find they have little room because they had already filled it with Christmas items in August. If Halloween was in June, I expect the shops would have crammed their stores full of stuff as soon as the Easter eggs went.
I have one idea which I think shops should stock in a bid to make money. They should sell eggs without a yolk. That way, you can make a point without damaging property, but you are also playing a joke in that the home owner would think you have thrown real eggs at their houses. You see. I should be a big salesman in London, pitching ideas like that to a load of fat, greying men in suits. There is a pun about ‘yolks’ and ‘jokes’ there somewhere, but I refuse to find it.
Anyway, I know I am a cynical person, but I do think that if you are above the age of 16 and you don't have any children, you shouldn't be celebrating Halloween, and should instead be getting a job or be looking in the mirror thinking 'I really have messed my life up', while probably also thinking 'I wish I had a boyfriend/girlfriend'. If you don't agree, then well, good on you. You're a happily naive person who lives a life without any real direction or purpose. YAY!
As is evident, I don't write blogs to make people like me.
P.S. You can’t even justify Halloween by mentioning The Simpson Halloween Specials, because the can sometimes be rather unfunny. Shame.
I always thought Christmas was in December. The 25th to be precise actually. The night before I always believed to be the time when Jolly Saint Nick would deliver presents to all the children of the world. I always believed that it was bad luck to put Christmas decorations to be put up before the start of December. I always believed that the classic Christmas Coca Cola advert would mark the start of Christmas celebrations in December. The previous 17 Christmases have therefore all been lies.
Card shops had huge sections dedicated to Christmas in mid-August. AUGUST! AUGUST!! AUGUST!!! What the bloody hell!? August is still technically summer, despite what the weather is like. I got very angry when I walked in a shop to be greated by a shop half-filled with festive joy. IN AUGUST! I'm surprised I wasn't escorted out of the shop for keep shouting 'It's bloody August!' in the middle of the store. It was just outrageous. I soon recovered and ignored the unpleasantness. Until a few weeks later.
We've barely reached September before I am pestered by friend and family 'What would I like for Christmas'. No! I refuse to tell anyone until mid-November what I want for Christmas, which is usually nothing now I have reached an age where being cynical has triumphed over naive excitement. September! SEPTEMBER! I am a much organised person, but not that organised. I won't even start buying presents before December. During September, people felt the need to keep changing their Facebook statuses to saying how they have already started buying presents, or in one case: "Wow, I've finally finished buying every [ones] presents. Now to start wrapping them". That is an even scarier prospect; wrapping Christmas presents in Christmas wrapping paper in September. Of course, thanks to the shops stocked full of Christmas paper by August, it is possible.
Now in October, I am driving around, and houses are covered in Christmas lights. Christmas lights! October! I suppose I should be thankful they weren't actually turned on. These people are ridiculously prepared. I bet these are the kind of people that are prepared for Christmas early, but still have a huge pile of dirty laundry and their kids are going to school in smelly, dirty clothes because their parents are busy on the roof putting up flashing lights that they won't even turn on for another month or so. Sure, usually our house is covered in fairy lights of some flashing variety, but never before December; well some years we may start on the 30th of November, but I think that is acceptable.
Then the adverts. In September there were brief mentions of Christmas in the adverts, with Argos slowly starting to mention them and the sofa companies promising delivery before Christmas. Now we're in October, they are slowly increasing - as they do every year. I don't like that fact, but I am getting used to it. Now Argos has released their Christmas catalogue and more and more adverts are getting festive. They are slowly trickling through onto our televisions. However, and this is no word of a lie, I have honestly seen the Coca Cola advert on television.
A terrestrial channel. Getting late at night. I had to make sure I didn't dream the fact. I wasn't dreaming. The minute long advert with the Coca Cola trucks going through the snow to deliver the tooth-decaying goodness was on television. In October! The Coca Cola advert! IN OCTOBER!
Then I come to my final point. Pringles. Everyone likes Pringles. I actually love them. Well, loved them. They have just started selling their new festively decorated tubes. In October. IN OCTOBER! Let me just make sure you understand what I am saying. Pringles crisps now have snow on them. They have a Pringle wearing a Santa hat on them. They even have the words ‘Merry Pringle’, in some failed attempt at humour. IT’S OCTOBER! Of course, I am sure other companies are doing the same, or at least nearing the point when they do; but festively decorated packets of food in shops, in October are just morally wrong in my books.
Just to prove I haven't gone mad. IN OCTOBER DAMMIT!
So, I just ask, why is Christmas becoming more and more commercial, and therefore getting earlier and earlier each sodding year?
Everyone has their own opinion, but my answer would be 'True'. Final answer. Think back to your favourite program which is made in Britain. Think what your current, British favourite is. Now, think to what corporation made them. A few of you may answer 'Channel 4'. A fewer amount may say 'ITV'. An even fewer (and stupider) amount of people may even say 'Sky'. However, I bet the vast majority of people would actually answer with 'Yes Stuart, the corporation I am thinking of is The BBC', or something along those lines - depending on how eloquently you like to put things.
The instantly recognisable logo for The BBC
The BBC has infuriated me just the same amount of times as is has to the next man; what with the handling of 'SachsGate' (as it is now referred to as) being one of the BBC's worst mistakes. We all remember when the Media metaphorically bullied the BBC, Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross by kicking them repeatedly from their occasional moral higher-ground, just because of a series of out-of-taste answer phone messages left on the phone of Manuel from Fawlty Towers about his Granddaughter. A comedy back-fire, which instead of the BBC just shrugging it off as a mistake, decided to sack or reprimand numerous people, including Brand and Ross. All this because the stupid public believe they have a say in a huge, world-wide corporation, just because they currently have to play £145 a year, by law, to watch colour TV.
That is a lot of money, but as an 18 year old who currently lives at home with his parents, I do not have to pay that, yet. I've had 18 years of watching colour television for free. What right to I have to possess an opinion then? None really, but that has never stopped me.
The other day, I tried to think of a popular comedy sitcoms made in previous decades that have stood the test of time and remained popular for generations, that were shown and created by the BBC. I thought of lots. Only Fools And Horses, Fawlty Towers, One Foot In The Grave, Open All Hours, Blackadder, Porridge, Dad's Army, Last Of The Summer Wine, Red Dwarf, 'Allo 'Allo!, Steptoe And Son, The Royle Family, The Vicar Of Dibley, Men Behaving Badly and more, I know. Then I thought about popular sitcoms made in previous decades that have stood the test of time and remained popular for generations, which were not shown nor created by the BBC. Father Ted is the only one that really stuck out for me. ITV had George And Mildred and Rising Damp, but who watches them these days?
That story may not be as relevant in recent years, with Channel 4 now making Sitcoms as notably good as the BBC, during the 00's. Channel Four have brought us Peep Show, The IT Crowd, Phoenix Nights, Black Books, Spaced and The Inbetweeners. ITV have done nothing worth cheering about. In fact, should you think about it too much, you will soon start crying. The BBC recently have had Outnumbered, The Mighty Boosh, The Office, Gavin And Stacy, My Family, Not Going Out and The Thick Of It, to name the most popular.
The BBC does lots more. Whether you like them or not, they constantly bring us brand new dramas which are just as gripping. They capture the audience whether they are a small child or a person knocking on the gates of heaven. I will just say two words: 'Doctor' and 'Who'. A program which is basically set around an alien, who looks exactly like a human man, moving around the Universe in a blue box with a light on it, and defeats other, nastier aliens with help of people who represent British culture of the time.
Vintage Doctor Who Logo
You can say whatever you like about the BBC, but just remember who still continues to create the longest serving, most popular drama which has the power to grip people across the globe, and still keep it fresh. Doctor Who is a significant part of British popular culture, and has inspired and gripped countless numbers of people and is the big must-see television favourite, and has lasted 769 episodes, with lots more upcoming. Name another British Television Corporation that has done that. Exactly, you can't, can you? Would any other channel even attempt to do something to that scale? Do you still want to argue that the BBC isn't value for money?
Fine. I will name two more television shows which are on the BBC. Have I Got News For You and Qi. Just between those two shows, the BBC achieves its three main goals to: Entertain, Inform and Educate. The Government says it has to do those three things for it to receive its public funding; and it does that easily. Also, to Inform and Educate people while Entertaining the audience and making them laugh, is quite challenge. No other British channel really has shows which can do that. Well, apart from Dave, but that’s only because they’re showing BBC shows. Think about it - without the BBC, the channel Dave would not be able to exist. Without the existence of Top Gear alone, the schedules on Dave would be empty.
Still not convinced? CBBC and Cbeebies. Without those two channels, Children would be stuck with Disney, Boomerang and Nickelodeon, and our children would grow up being stupid and stuck with American values. Trust me - we do NOT want that. I know the BBC show American Children's shows like Arthur and Scooby Doo, but they vary their range. There are those programs which are just really fun with no hidden motive to educate, then you have the ones which do. My prime example is Horrible Histories; a program which teaches children about history in a very funny way. I watch it. I consider it be of a better quality to many comedy shows on TV now. As a BBC 2 Sketch show, it would work well.
Vintage logo for what is now 'CBBC'
CBBC shaped me to be the person I am today. Some may say an angry, cynical teenage boy isn't a good thing to be, but that is beside the point. Watching Arthur everyday made me who I am. Enjoying Postman Pat made me who I am. Fireman Sam made me the person I am today. Even Pingu has made me the person I am. Blue Peter has made me the person I am today. Thanks to that show and their constant appeals, I have learned that if I don't do anything, other people will and charity still wins. It made the lazy man I have become.
Still not convinced aye? Radio. The BBC spurts out 12 different radio stations, all transmitting different genres of music, interesting facts, amusing shows and high-brow debates amongst the middle classes, through the airways of both the analogue and digital type. You cannot get that type of varied entertainment anywhere else. I can switch between Chris Moyles or Chris Evans in the car of a morning and I can listen to these high-brow debates amongst the middle classes on Radio 2 during my travels in the day. I can then come home and listen to the laugh-out-loud 'I'm Sorry I Haven't Got A Clue’ on Radio 4's iPlayer. You cannot tell me all that variety, plus all their TV channels and excellent shows, their news coverage, website and iPlayer systems are not worth the money we pay them. Well, you can try, but I will brand you an ignorant, naive liar!
Just a side note on the business of Chris Moyles having a rant about his pay on his breakfast show: I believe he is more than entitled to do so. That is partly because I believe people should rant more in the mornings as it is a way of engaging and stimulating the brain, but that isn't the main reason. He hadn't been paid for a few months due to a technical error. Now, it doesn't matter how much you earn, you still deserve to be paid for the job you do. I don't think there are many people who would wake up early in the morning and go to work - every single day still, despite not receiving a wage for months. I think he should be praised for his loyalty, and if it takes a rant to sort it out, then let him. Anyway, back on topic.
Not on my side yet? Fine - two words. 'Monty Python'. Maybe it requires a slightly acquired taste of humour, but one of the greatest comedy sketch shows to come out. Their jokes have remained popular and overly quoted for some 40 years. This isn't the only great comedy sketch show to come out of the BBC. The Two Ronnies is another great example. Yet again their sketches remain popular and relevant today. Other comedy acts like Eric And Ernie or Vic And Bob have come from the BBC, all popular and well liked and watched during their popularity hype. You cannot say that the BBC are of no worth, when they are pretty much the only producers of decent comedy on the television, for our nation.
Still not agreeing with me? The charity work they do - the BBC use hours upon hours of their scheduling for charity-related shows. Sport Relief, Red Nose Day and Children In Need are all things you will see on television annually. Without questioning, they have top celebrities helping out. They will always have the number in the corner of the screen, urging people to donate money. They raise absolutely millions of pounds of charity - in just the one evening. Granted, that money comes from us the general public, but I doubt us idiots would even contemplate it without any of that charade sometimes. Remember all the charity events you have watched on the BBC. Now, if that doesn't sway you - then God will hate you. And if you don't believe in God - Cheryl Cole won't believe in you; and if she doesn't believe in you - you know you're in trouble...
The slightly older logo for Children In Need
You can live with God hating and Cheryl Cole not believing in you, can you? You still don't believe the BBC is worth the money? I'll pull out my top trump then. Adverts. Everyone complains about adverts. Just as a show gets to a good bit; they cut to an advert. The adverts are full complete rubbish, all advertising their cosmetic lies and poisonous chemicals that only kill 99.9% of bacteria. The BBC, have none; apart from a minute between shows, to advertise their own shows. They have no adverts. What would Chris Tarrant do if Who Wants To Be A Millionaire was a BBC show? He would never be able to say the words everyone hates 'We'll find out in a minute'. Well, he could I suppose, but he'd have to get up and dance to fill the time - and if he done that every week, we'd hate him. A lot.
You see, by paying the BBC this £145 a year, we have no adverts. We have top quality programming. We have a range of formats from Radio, to Internet, to TV. We have a range in shows from Classical music to the ridiculous BBC 3 documentaries of the absurd. It doesn't matter about your opinions of one particular show, because with this huge range they have on all of their media formats, everyone is bound to find shows they love on the BBC. I mean - Doctor Who. It’s a top quality show with some truly awe-inspiring special effects and some mostly great writing. That can be said for so many of their shows.
All the other channels in the UK only exist by paying top talents like Ant and Dec millions of pounds annually to front their shows or by showing American shows. They don't really create anything that can stand the test of time and that can set a person’s imagination running wild. The BBC do. Sure, they do show American shows, but they level it out with their ability to create this top class, popular, well created shows which do inspire people everywhere, and indeed inspire me.
So, next time you want to complain about the BBC and the money they receive, and the next time you read in a tabloid newspaper that the BBC are a waste of tax-payers money, remember all the things they have given you; either present of many years ago in the golden age of comedy. Think for yourselves you idiots! You don't have to have the same opinion that the Newspapers tell you to have - or in fact what I tell you to say. You don’t have to listen (read) to a word I have said (typed). However, I do fell I stated a very strong case for the BBC and how they are worth every penny, and don't deserve to have millions of pounds cut from their budget by the Conservative Party.
Also, remember to pay your license fee!
P.S. If you wanted to listen to a catchy musical version of this blog, listing reasons to be proud of the BBC, then you should probably listen to this if you haven't done so already: Mitch Benn - Proud Of The BBC.
We have now reached my seventh and last edition of blogs reviewing my favourite albums of the year. Of course, I couldn't not review the new Maroon 5 album considering the love affair I have had going with them since 2004 when I first heard 'This Love'. That is a song which basically got my love for music kick-started when I heard it on the radio. Anyway, after this blog, I will be taking a much needed short break from blogging. I have done nine blogs in ten days. Anyway, let's get going on this album review.
I am slightly biased to this album for the fact that Maroon 5 are one of my favourite all-time bands. My first proper album that I ever brought was Maroon 5 - Songs About Jane. Okay, I had previously brought The Fast Food Rockers album, but you can't hold that against me - I wasn't old enough to know that was essentially the cheesiest of all the cheesiest albums ever produced.
On my first listen through of this album, I was a disappointed that the songs were not as great as I expected. Anyway, on my second listen, I couldn't see my problem and rather enjoyed it (despite one song, but I'll cover that later). It just proves - you shouldn't always judge on your first opinion.
First song: 'Misery'. This is the single which isn't getting much radio time, which is good because it stops me from hearing it too much. As Maroon 5 singles go however, it isn't one of their best. Still rather good, I'll give them that, but lacking that 'raw emotion' we see in the first album singles. However, it is very similar to their singles from the second album. The second song,' Give A Little More' is rather nice and as second songs go, it was alright. It was nothing that jumped out as amazing, but still perfect for the album.
The third song, 'Stutter', is when it all starts. This is the first song on the album that jumps out, grabs you with both hands by the ears and forces you to pay attention. It takes you by surprise and I certainly love the song due to it being incredibly catchy and the lyrics are very nice also. Remember it as one of my favourites. The follow up song is 'Don't Know Nothing', and it seems to work very well. A very well placed song within the album. It has a great catchy tune which has the power to stick with you for hours after listening. The lyrics are also great; but the chorus in this song is beautifully crafted with immense power.
The next song is' Never Gonna Leave This Bed' and is what I would describe as classic, with it having the easy going sound to it and also the deep, meaningful lyrics we expect from Maroon 5. This song goes back to their roots and has everything we expect in a Maroon 5 song, and the first of many which appear on the album; with track six being another example. 'I Can't Lie' is an incredibly catchy song and is, again, what I would describe as a classic Maroon 5 song. It again has that easy, slow sound with a distinctive beat. Not only is the beat catchy to this song, but so are the lyrics.
Then we seem to receive a metaphorical shovel to the head. This is the worst song on the album, and maybe even one of their worse songs ever, due to it sticking out like an out-and-proud gay person in a business meeting. Track seven, 'Hands All Over', which also happens to be the album title track, is what I would describe as 'The black sheep of the album'. Don't get me wrong, it is a good song and it is a catchy song, but it is a song that really does not fit into the album. It sounds like Kraftwerk have done a duet them, and that isn't a good thing, even if Kraftwerk are quite good. It is just completely inappropriate for the album. I have now reached the stage where I just skip it every time I play the album. I want to like it; and maybe I would of if it were in Maroon 5's previous album It Won't Be Soon Before Long.
Then you have track 8, a song called 'How'. It really doesn't work following that disastrous song, but forgetting that, it is such an incredibly beautiful and amazing song which is exactly what I expect from Maroon 5. I adore the song, and it is completely reminiscent of the Songs About Jane album. It is one of those emotional songs that can lift your spirit. In fact, so are the following three songs. They may possibly be my favourite Maroon 5 songs, ever. They are so good; I don't feel at all angry about that absurd song preceding them.
'Get Back Into My Life' has a brilliantly catchy beat to it, and the lyrics are rather powerful and lovely; I also love the harmonies in the song. 'Just A Feeling' is another slow and calm song, which I think to be just very beautiful. It is a song where you cannot help but listen to the lyrics and they are a joy to listen to. I am just in love with the song. It’s moving; yet catchy. 'Runaway' is my favourite of the favourites. The very first song I heard of the album as it was playing when I walked in HMV, and I feel in love instantly. It’s a short song, but catchy, epically powerful and very, very deep.
The final song on the normal album is 'Out Of Goodbyes', which is a duet done with a new, similar band called Lady Antebellum. It is a rather lovely song, but it is very odd hearing a female voice on an album by an all-male band. However, that's not to say it's bad, it's just a tad odd. It has a lovely, country sound to it which I find rather pleasing to the ear.
Due to me buying the 'Deluxe Edition', I get an extra 6 six songs, for not very much more. ‘Last Chance' and 'No Curtain Call' are the last two unique songs on the album and they are very good. The former of the two songs is an incredibly catchy song with great power and is yet again a tad reminiscent of Songs About Jane. 'No Curtain Call' is probably the most powerful song of the lot with the loud, distinctive drum beat which gives it this poignant feel. The lyrics are also really good and it is yet another song on the album I like.
We then get treated to acoustic versions of two songs on the album: 'Misery' and 'Never Gonna Leave This Bed'. Both originals are very good, but I would be very quick to point out that the acoustic versions are actually better. They seem to have more meaning without all the added, unnecessary production. One thing they do, which is cheesy in their acoustic songs, is start with '1, 2, 1, 2, 3' and I just wish they didn't.
The album ends with two covers of other people’s songs, which I they do very well, but I see no obvious point to them. The covers are Alicia Keys - 'If I Ain't Got You' and Queen - 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love'. They work really quite well and they certainly have done the songs justice. It also is a very nice way to end and round off a very good album
Despite the Deluxe Edition carrying on for little over an hour, the album doesn't feel very long. You can listen to the whole album of 18 songs, and still think 'That didn't last long' and then realise you've lost an hour of your life. I don't know why that it is, but either way, it is one heck of an amazing album. I have become addicted to the album. Maroon 5 are my drug at the moment. I can't listen to one song, without having to listen to the rest. It has incredible power.
Would I recommend this album? Most certainly yes! I love it. Better than their last album and a close contender with Songs About Jane. If you love Maroon 5's original songs, then you will love this album (despite the one song). It isn't as depressing as their last albums either, and that's what makes them even better. My top album of the year, easily!
Most of the albums I have reviewed thus far regularly contain the words 'deep', 'meaningful' and occasionally 'powerful', when describing the songs. To be honest, it just shows how rubbish I am at reviewing albums. I just sound like a broken record; but you can bet that the record that is broken could be described as powerful, meaningful and deep. Anyway, I shall try and expand my vocabulary before attempting this again, but let us crack of with today's album review.
I like this album cover with the lead singer of The Divine Comedy, Neil Hannon, sitting in a bath, dressed as an aristocrat, with a black Labrador; which is a symbol for the song 'Bang Goes The Knighthood. It is different, and it strikes me as looking slightly 'Pythonesque'; as if he would fit in nicely in the 'Ministry Of Silly Walks' sketch.
The Divine Comedy is not going to be an album in which I will regularly comment on how deep and meaningful the songs are; because they really are not. As the band name suggests, the album is just a load of comedy songs. Maybe not songs that make you fall about in hysterics, but if you think about them and listen carefully, then you can chuckle. I have always quite liked them; and this album isn't any different. As producers of music, they are quite catchy songs too; so it's all good!
The first song is 'Down In The Streets' which is pleasant and has a very nice beat. It really is just an introductory song, and it works in that way. It is a good song. The next song is 'The Complete Banker'; a song about the recession essentially, and it happens to be my favourite on the album. It is very catchy and easily gets stuck in my head, and if you listen to the lyrics carefully, you hear the humour. If you don't listen, well it still makes for a good song.
'Neapolitan Girl' is on the subject of exactly what the song title is. It is another well made, catchy song, but there isn't a lot to say about it, other than that I like it. The album title track; 'Bang Goes The Knighthood' is a song about aristocrats and their risky sexual adventures. It isn't a great song but it is still good and has a nice, swaying beat. 'At The Indie Disco' is obviously about young people and their social and musical ways. It’s a nice song to just listen too with good music production again.
'Have You Ever Been In Love' does exactly what it says on the title. It's about the joyous event of finding love. It has a lovely symphony behind the song and it is quite nice, lovely, and pleasant; as a song of this topic should be of course. 'Assume The Perpendicular' is also a nice song, but I'm not a hundred percent on its actual topic. Anywho, it's still good to listen to. 'The Lost Art Of Conversation' is a great, catchy song which yet again is exactly what it says on the tin. The lyrics are on the random side, and it lifts the album up again. It is full of beautiful whimsy.
'Island Life' has a lovely tune but as for the actual song, I'm not entirely sure of its point, but it doesn't ruin the album, and with it having a lovely, calm feel to it; can easily be listened to. The actual music sounds like it could be from an old Disney film from the 1950's which is set in Victorian Britain. 'When A Man Cries' has (Yes, he still manages to say it in this review) deep emotion as it is a thoughtful evocation of mans vulnerability and it has this powerful element. The orchestra in the song also make it sound magnificent and poignant.
'Can You Stand Upon One Leg' is a lovely, silly song and is full of whimsy, and is another edition to 'The Best Songs On The Album'. I actually rather love the lyrics, and it is partly about the writing of a funny song. The lyrics "Can you write a silly song? It's harder than you think" stick out for me. Towards the end he holds a note for rather impressive 30 seconds, which lasts to the end of the song. It's a daft song! The final song on the album I like and is called 'I Like'. It is a lovely, catchy love song and is still lovely and daft. The line in this song that sticks out to me is "I love your mild, political stances". A nice end to the album.
I will admit that the album has its occasional misfires such as 'Island Life', but I really like the album. It blooms at the start, and then withers a tad in the middle before reviving and coming back into bloom towards the end. The Divine Comedy is essentially a Comedy, Orchestral Pop band, which is still going strong, even with this being the tenth album.
It is a shame though, because they still don't really get the praise they truly deserve. Their most popular song happens to be 'National Express', which people may not know by name, but if you were to listen to it on YouTube, I expect you would recognise it once it got to the chorus. It is a shame. My favourite song of The Divine Comedy is 'To Die A Virgin', which has some of the best lyrics I have heard in my opinion. One of the little gems in the song in my opinion is "With all the bombs and bird flu, We'll all probably be dead soon, And here we are in your bedroom, Oh did I tell you I love you...” just for how apt it is and also it's clever rhyming. Anyway, I recommend this group to anyone who likes subtle satire and orchestral music.
I should just point out, in case you have not yet figured it out from these music blogs; you shouldn’t expect great in-depth analyse of the production of the music. I don't know enough to even try and blag my way through pretending. To be honest, I just know what sounds good and what don’t; what works and what doesn't and why I like it or why I don't like it. You could say I am naive and ignorant to the ways of music. I am a user. I will happily take the music and listen to it, but I'm not giver. I don't know all about riffs and the like. Anyway, I have more albums to ignorantly review.
Despite that fact that I have only ever owned, and indeed listened to, one Train song previous to this album, I was already a huge fan. For as long as I can remember, I have had their song 'Drops Of Jupiter' on every single computer, laptop, Phone, MP3 Player and iPod I have ever owned. I never looked up any other songs or albums for fear of being disappointed, due to 'Drops Of Jupiter' being such a fantastic and influential song to me. It is definitely in my top 5 songs - ever. I approached buying their newest album with great trepidation; worried that I may ruin the magic they have created in my head. Thankfully, it wasn't a waste of money and my respect for them has only increased. Some of the most beautiful songs I have heard for a long time.
The first song just so happens to be the album title track: 'Save Me, San Francisco'. It’s a happy song; a very happy song. It’s a catchy song; a very catchy song. I like it rather a lot. It doesn't have the deep meaning which other songs have, but it’s just a song, and a very pleasant one at that. A good opening song; and it convinced me straight away I hadn't made a mistake buying it. The next song is 'Hey, Soul Sister' which is their single and is also one my many favourite songs from the album. It is from the same league of 'Drops Of Jupiter' in meaning, emotion and catchiness. I think the song is really good and I can just keep listening to it.
'I Got You' is another example of a Train song being very catchy and having the ability to evoke deep meanings. It is a distinctive song which almost seems to have a soul feeling. I can imagine an American black soul choir being able to sing the song. I very much love the song. 'Parachute' is yet another song which is just squashed full of deep meaning and emotion (are you noticing a trend with this album yet?), and as a result, it is a great song with immense power.
As you can probably predict by the song title, 'This Ain't Goodbye', this is indeed another song which is full of emotion. It is yet another great song on the album that is easy to get stuck into your head and fall in love with. I adore this song just because of how much deep meaning this song must have. 'If It's Love' is the next song and it still has that emotion, but this time it evokes happy emotions, which is a nice change. The song is very catchy and, yet again, I love the song.
'You Already Know' is the catchiest of them all I think; once you have got past the one minute long introduction. You will be sat there pre-empting what I’m about to say, that ‘the lyrics are deep and meaning’... And you’ll be correct - it is. I also really love this song and it yet again has that happy emotion and also has such huge power. The, despite the fact the first note he sings has the ability to take you by surprise and scare you, 'Words' is a very good song. It has a powerful, dramatic feel to it and surprisingly has that air of emotion to it.
'Brick By Brick' is very pleasant with the usual and expected deep meaning that makes up every other song. It sounds great and the power of the singer’s voice really makes the song seem special. 'Breakfast In Bed' is in the line-up for my favourite song on the album. It has deep meaning, is catchy and it is just an amazing song in my opinion. When listening to this song, I like to just sit back, close my eyes and think (apart from when I'm driving - that'd be dangerous). I adore the lyrics of the song too. "You're the best book I ever read, You're the smartest thing I ever said". Sure, they may be a touch on the cheesy side, but it just an example of how superb, at least I, think they are.
Obviously, 'Marry Me' is a lovely, poetic song with lots of deep, beautiful meanings. I think maybe this song is just taking it a bit too far for them. It's a good song, and I like it - it's lovely, but I can't help think maybe they have exceeding the emotion limits for the album. That is my only criticism of the song. Otherwise, it's great. The last song is the cherry on a delicious cake. 'Drops Of Jupiter (Live)'. Okay, so I do have the real version of the song, but it is nice hearing it live; you appreciate just how good they are as artists. Also, you can't have too much of a good thing!
I am overjoyed that I brought the album now. The album makes for fantastic listening in my humble opinion, and is one of the best albums of the year. There isn't one song on it that I don't like, and it is just very consistent throughout. I cannot fault it at all. I find it hard to choose which song is my favourite. I think if someone put a gun to my head, I'd say either 'Hey, Soul Sister' or 'Breakfast In Bed', but I'm afraid they would have to shoot me after that, as I can't honestly choose between the two. I am now driven to buy some of Train's previous albums, now I know that 'Drops Of Jupiter' wasn't just a one-off song.
We're now half way through my all my album reviews (well, technically, half way is half way through this very blog), and I am trying my best to be as 'professional' with it as possible. However, I seem to have used the words 'deep', 'meaningful' and 'powerful' quite a lot; and this blog is no different and nor do expect it to change too much. It just helps prove that music reviews are not my forte.
The album is full of completely different songs which are all sung by different artists.
The only common factor in all the songs, surprisingly, is the man with the big black hat playing guitar, incredibly well, on every track. Infact, you can guarantee every song to have a guitar solo of some sorts; and why not – it is his self-titled debut album after all.
The first song is ‘Ghost’, which is sung by our English Ian Astbury from The Cult. He seems to have a good voice which really works with the song and also the heavy guitar music. It is a very interesting song with the range of this man’s voice, mixed with the range of instruments from, the distinctive drum beat to the powerful guitar solos. It’s a good first song which I rather like.
The next song on the album is the oddly named ‘Crucify The Dead’. Then you realise it’s sung by Ozzy Osbourne and then the song title finally makes sense. When it comes to Ozzy’s voice, I am a hard one to please. On occasions it can sound awful, but on others it can sound really good. This is one of those times. The song isn’t full on hard rock like I expected, and it is really good and, believe it or not, I believe the song to have some depth.
‘Beautiful Dangerous’ is sung by Fergie from The Black Eyed Peas. I have mixed opinions about her. I dislike her in Black Eyed Peas, but on her own, she is very pleasant. Her voice really is brilliant with the power she has to put into this rock song for it to work. I actually really love it, and I wish she would do more like this; she sounds great in the chorus when she really has the powerful voice; I bet she had a sore throat the next day though.
‘Back From Cali’ is sung (and written) by Myles Kennedy. This too is a great song, which is characteristic of what one was expecting from this album, with it being a typical powerful rock song. It has the loud powerful voice and the great guitaring, obviously.
The next song is one of my favourites, which is completely different to the previous track. This song is ‘Promise’ sung by Chris Cornell, who hit his popularity peak a few years ago. Anyway, this song has this uplifting feel which always lifts my mood. It is a powerful rock song, but yet it seems to have this deep emotion, and it is purely beautiful. It’s a song I can listen to over, and over again.
‘By The Sword’, with Andrew Stockdale from Wolfmother (Yeah, I know rock music better than I thought) singing, is an okay song. Nothing which got me excited, but as a piece of music it is very good. The tune is really good and I like it, but I’m just not overly keen on the slightly whinny voice of Andrew if I’m honest.
Unsurprisingly, this next song is my favourite. ‘Gotten’ is sung by Adam Levine, and in case you don’t know, he is the lead singer in Maroon 5. It is a classic Maroon 5 song with its emotion and power. I am pleased that he has stuck to his normal voice, rather than try to emanate a classic rock voice. This is another song I can listen to over and over and over again, and I love it. I love its deep meaning, and I even love Slash’s solo. It’s nice to hear Adam’s voice without the rest of the Maroon 5 clang.
‘Doctor Alibi’ is sung by another English rock star Lemmy Kileister. I don’t like him really and I don’t particularly like his band Motorhead. I like hard rock music, but that is just over the limit for me. The song is okay but out of my own personal preference, I don’t like it that much. However, that doesn’t matter on an album like this though, with so much variety.
‘Watch This Dave’ isn’t sung by anyone. It is instead a jamming session between Slash, Duff McKagan on another guitar and Dave Grohl on the drums. If you can appreciate pieces of just music without any singing, and you like rock, then you can like this song. It is quite nice to just listen to their musical abilities. It’s a good song.
‘I Hold On’ is sung by Kid Rock; another rock singer I don’t always like. In this instance it is quite a nice song and I think it works particularly well, with it being toned down a bit and being of the slightly ‘emotional’ type. That is what makes the album so good, with its different ranges. It has a rather good, catchy beat which you will find yourself tapping the table to, while listening to it.
‘Nothing To Say’ is by M.Shadows (Wikipedia tells me he is in Avenged Sevenfold). His band’s music, I either like or loath as yet again it can be just over my limit, so I didn’t hold out high hopes. I don’t have any strong feelings for this song. It’s okay. If I comment on the guitaring in this song, I will be quick to say it is brilliant, but as for the singing, well I won’t be quite so quick to say that it’s brilliant. It is (or at least feeling like) a very long song…
Myles Kennedy returns to sing another song he’s written called ‘Starlight’; another song which I really like. I really like his voice on this song and with the guitaring of Slash, it surprisingly works well and I really quite like it. It seems to have this deep meaning and has quite a powerful impact. Myles is from a band called Alter Bridge (according to Wikipedia again), so I may have to listen to some of their stuff.
‘Saint Is A Sinner Too’ is sung by someone called Rocco DeLuca from a band called Rocco Deluca and the Burden (Thanks Wikipedia). I really like this song; it is rather beautiful and I really like his voice. It is a great song. You don’t hear a lot of Slash’s guitaring in it, but it still is a great song. Another band for me to research and listen too – I think I might quite like him.
The final song is a happily named ‘We’re All Gonna Die’, sung by ‘That Disgusting Man From The Annoying Insurance Adverts’ Iggy Pop. I quite like his music, so I was looking forward to this. It is a rather good song and I quite like it; even though Iggy does half through seem to do an Elvis impression. Not sure it is a great final song for the album, but that is just a technicality.
If you like rock music, you are sure to find songs which you like, but don’t expect to like every song due its range. As for Slash, despite the fact it is his album, he doesn’t impress anymore. If you like Slash, you know how good his guitaring is, but don’t expect to listen to the album, expecting him to push himself to the limit of his guitaring ability.
