iTues #5 - "Beatle Girls"

Upon listening to The Beatles' eponymous 1968 ("white") album recently, it struck me that it contains four songs with a woman's name in the title. Further thought made me realise that there were several others over the years also - perhaps more than I'd noticed from any other band.

I decided to make a mix of these songs with the following two stipulations: the song had to appear on one of The Beatles' original UK studio LP releases and had to be an original composition by (members of) The Beatles. With this in mind I came up with the following compilation mix (which you can download here):

1. "Dear Prudence" (from 'The Beatles' - 1968)

2. "Lovely Rita" (from 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' - 1967)

3. "Michelle" (from 'Rubber Soul' - 1965)

4. "Martha My Dear" (from 'The Beatles' - 1968)

5. "Polythene Pam" (from 'Abbey Road' - 1969)

6. "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" (from 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' - 1967)

7. "Julia" (from 'The Beatles' - 1968)

8. "Eleanor Rigby" (from 'Revolver' - 1966)

9. "Sexy Sadie" (from 'The Beatles' - 1968)

All are great songs with at least half being genuine Beatles classics; in fact, "Dear Prudence" is very possibly my favourite Beatles song of all. Enjoy.

I'm Moving

The blog is moving here, just cuz it's better 'n' stuff. The next couple of posts will be in both locations, then I'll remove this one.

Come on over.

iTues #4 - "The D90 Walkman Mix"

As anyone of my vintage will know, Walkmans were portable cassette players that were the best thing ever in their day. Sony have finally - officially - ceased making them (though I think the name will continue for their new-fangled personal music players). *Sob* A "D90" was (is?) a 90 min blank cassette (45 mins per side) made by TDK - the choice of Walkman packin', mixtape tradin' music lovers everywhere.

Making a mixtape used to take time, care, attention and, yes love as one sat with a pile of LPs (link for the kids) selecting, sequencing and recording songs to tape one by one. The methods are easier (too easy?) these days with iTunes playlists, etc. but the fun can still be had. I have a particular friend with whom I engage musically by getting together and making mixes on the fly, one-upping one another with tracks as we go... the mix here is one that I did in this way a few weeks ago. Usually these mixes get shared with said friend, listened to a couple of times (at best) and deleted, but this one has insisted on repeated listens prompting me to share.

It's got a bit of new, a bit of old, a bit of soft and a bit of loud... it begins with a trio of girls and another finishes it off.

Here's the playlist:

1. Karen Elson - "The Truth Is In The Dirt"
2. The Kills - "Hitched"
3. Boss Hog - "Whiteout"
4. The Stooges - "Real Cool Time"
5. Tom Waits - "Goin' Out West"
6. Justin Townes Earle - "Mama's Eyes"
7. Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Fortunate Son"
8. The Howling Diablos - "Car Wash"

9. The Jim Jones Revue - "Good Golly Miss Molly"
10. Morphine - "Like Swimming"

11. Spindrift - "The New West [Vocal Version]"

12. Jeff Buckley - "Vancouver"

13. Hellsongs - "Welcome To The Jungle"

This mix fits on one side of the aforementioned D90... how about sharing your own for the other side (in the comments)..?

Kicking

Whilst perusing the online edition of the Sydney Morning Herald this week I came across this article on professional footballers in Australia who (together with their English counterparts and representative association(s)) are seeking to have so-called "party drugs" removed from the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) prohibited list.

I have to admit that - as a football fan ("Soccer" and "Gridiron" being my preferred codes) - I was somewhat dismayed to read this, though hardly surprised. Even on the other side of the world one hears about the English Premier League (EPL) stars enjoying their clubbing and all that goes with it and here in Australia if a footballer is not in the news for (allegedly) assaulting some young girl, then they're being caught falling out of some club completely wasted at 3 am.

To clarify, let me say that, in Australia, it is pretty rare for the culprits in these situations to be players of any codes other than Rugby League (NRL) or Australian Rules football (AFL) and I don't point this out to pick on the codes where I don't find much to enjoy about the games themselves, but because it's simply a fact. The games themselves are not the issue - I can appreciate the skill, discipline and commitment of any athlete in any sport and therein lies the real point... discipline.

At some stage these footballers were disciplined enough to develop their skills to a level good enough to take them into the big leagues, then upon their arrival they seem to wish to let that discipline fall away. The argument that is being made in their campaign is that these drugs are not performance enhancing, but I state that this is taking a narrow view... the specific characteristics of any drug are barely a footnote. If WADA is in a position to police the general drug behaviour of athletes I believe they should uphold that position. If anything, the "performance-reducing" qualities of these party drugs should be considered as (breach of contract) failures on the parts of the athletes caught as they are not living up to their end of the deal for which they are being paid handsomely - i.e.: to produce the best on-field perfomances possible every week.

Let's get real: these players undoubtedly have skill - some even have true talent - but the big dollars are being paid for a "job" that's really just a glorified weekend pastime. With the name in lights and the big salary comes big responsibility as a role model to kids (and adults for that matter!) and sports personalities make great role models when they are exhibiting their on-field qualities (strength, commitment, discipline, tenacity and considered decision-making, to name a few) off the field as well. But when they are behaving like the wanna-be rock star reprobates that more and more of them seem to be these days - bringing their game(s) into disrepute along the way - they shouldn't be in a position to influence anyone.

Minimum two-year bans along with community service in drug programs for second-time offenders. Or do you think I'm being too soft..?

iTues #3 - Fireball Ministry

I've been having a bit of a rave about these guys (& gal) of late... they bring The Rock! Check out the vid below & the links here. Enjoy!

Stryper Review - Metro Theatre, Sydney 26/08/10

It’s been over half my life since I last saw Stryper and admittedly they’ve dropped off my radar a number of times in those intervening years (their ’90’s inactivity notwithstanding). However, they do hold a unique and special place in the development of my musical (and other) interests and leanings so when I found out that they were finally returning, I knew I had to be there.

I was pleased to see a full (if not officially sold out) and energised venue as Stryper took to the plain stage with a minimum of fuss and kicked into “Sing-Along Song” - one of many tracks from their ‘To Hell With The Devil’ magnum opus from 1986. Insisting upon crowd participation from the outset (as if the first track wasn’t a clue!) the band proceeded to impress with lively renditions of both favourites and a few surprises from across their entire studio catalogue, with the exception of 1988’s ‘In God We Trust’ (a minor disappointment, though it is arguably their weakest album). Each band member was on top of their game and they gelled beautifully, exceeding expectation with their tightness. Everything from Michael Sweet’s voice to his and Oz Fox’s harmony leads, to the rhythm section and the backing vocal harmonies of Oz and Tim Gaines were delivered with a relaxed professionalism that provided the performance with a great flow and momentum.

At about the mid-point Sweet took a moment to speak to the crowd on a more serious note than the previous light-hearted banter that had peppered the set, specifically to clarify their message about the salvation to be found in the work of Jesus and point to that as their primary reason for doing what they do. He made this statement clearly, yet concisely so as not to mess too much with the aforementioned momentum and in so doing, displayed great experience and understanding of his craft along with credence and conviction in his message. Aside from this point and a short closing prayer (and the obligatory bible tossing) the focus lay on the music and to illustrate this point, the next track was an enjoyable (if perfunctory) run-through of Judas Priest’s “Breaking The Law” as a nod to their musical influences and a taste of their forthcoming covers album.

With the first half of the performance focussing on older material, it was pleasing to hear some of their newer numbers mixed in for the second half; also pleasing was the syrupy ballad quotient being limited to a stripped-down version of “Honestly”. “The Way” was a fitting end to a terrific main set, with the guitar lead work on fire and Sweet’s ability to hit the high scream also impressive. After a short break the band returned to hit us with the one-two that we’d been waiting for: “To Hell With The Devil” and “Soldiers Under Command”. I must admit though (returning to my earlier point about the missing ‘I.G.W.T.’ material) that I would have liked to see “Soldiers...” slipped in late in the main set and the band being a little more adventurous in ending with something like “Come To The Everlife”, just to mess with us. A small point though and I hope they don’t let another 22 years pass before gracing our shores again!

Set list:

1. Sing-Along Song
2. Murder By Pride
3. Loud 'n' Clear
4. The Rock That Makes Me Roll
5. Reach Out
6. Calling On You
7. Free
8. More Than A Man
9. Breaking The Law
10. Peace Of Mind
11. Honestly
12. 4 Leaf Clover*
13. Open Your Eyes
14. All For One
15. The Way.....................................
16. Abyss / To Hell With The Devil
17. Soldiers Under Command

* (I may have this in the wrong position, it might have been before “Honestly”... let me know in the comments if you know.)

(I didn't take a camera, but there are some shots here.)

How To Create Angels

It has concerned me of late that a lot of people are confused about the existence of angels, how they come to be and what their purpose(s) is/are, even whilst believing in their existence. Even though I am not a student of angelology I feel compelled to attempt to clarify at least the basic, most important points as best as I can within the framework of a blog post.

My concern has arisen from frequently hearing people referring to loved ones who have died as now being “angels in heaven” who have been called home by god (small “g” intentional) and as such I feel a need to point out the differences between humans and angels.

Just as humans are beings created by God, angels are too. In itself, this is enough to suggest that the two types of creatures are not aspects of one another based upon their present physical condition. By this I mean that a human’s spirit does not become an angel after physical death (it remains a human, albeit temporarily in a non-corporeal form); in addition, an angel is not an aspect of a human or a human in a particular plane of existence, but a unique, non-material creature that can - on rare occasions - be given the ability to appear in humanoid form.

Angels exist in vast numbers, reside with God in the heavenly realm and are used by God to assist Him in His earthly work. Some angels also spend their “lives” in perpetual worship of God. They are ageless and sexless. They are in some respects “greater” than humans and in some ways “lesser” and in all of this they are quite simply very different from ourselves.

I am aware that I have really only just touched on this subject and I plan to write a more detailed post in future, more specifically dealing with different aspects of angels and providing references to accompany the points made. This post is simply designed to prompt further thinking on a dangerously misunderstood subject. Please know, reader, that we are all immortal beings with two choices as to where to exist in our immortal state. The only way to join the host of angels in God’s presence is to put our faith in His son Jesus who died to provide us that very opportunity.

For the moment, let me leave you with the knowledge that whilst we will never become angels we are better off for this fact because God has imbued them with abilities that we don’t have and employs them to assist us - unseen - all throughout our lives; indeed, I don’t think one needs to be a Christian to recognise that sometimes things transpire in our lives to suggest that we are - sometimes inexplicably - being looked after by a “guardian angel”, not a person previously lost to us, but an agent specifically created by God to help us.