Interactive, musical fun

I read this Q&A with U2 axeman (I've always wanted to refer to a guitarist using that term) The Edge (I think he capitalizes the "The") and thought it would be fun to recreate it with my own music memories. I want to note right up front that I'm no rock star, so some of the categories don't apply to me. In those cases I either fudged it so I could answer, or threw out the question altogether. I don't actually own all of the albums I have listed below, but I can assure you that I either did at one time, or had enough friends that owned it that I heard it plenty.

As a bonus to this post, I thought that it would be fun to open it up to you, the discerning reader, to add your own memories in the comment section.

So, here are The Rules. I will answer the same questions posed to The Edge (with the aforementioned exceptions). After you read my post, you can click on the "Comments" link and answer the same questions. Fun, huh?

And so, here you have it:
My Life in Music: Wastebasket Confessional

The first single I bought:
Can I Play With Madness b/w Black Bart Blues
Iron Maiden, 1988

I didn't buy many singles. I preferred getting the full album, mostly because I didn't buy music unless I liked more than one song. iTunes has since alleviated this hang-up. I am assuming Edge was talking about 7" 45 RPM records when he was talking about singles, and since I'm old enough to have purchased my fair share of vinyl, this one qualifies. It was hardly my first ever music purchase, but this is the first single. As I think back, I did buy some 12" singles. I remember buying an extended version of Duran Duran's Wild Boys, but I don't think that quite fits the spirit of the question. Plus, I would prefer to forget about that period in my life.

I remember buying Can I Play With Madness at the mall because of the novelty of it. I mean, Iron Maiden putting out a 45? Weird. I was an avid Maiden fan and so I had to make it mine. Besides, I had never heard Black Bart Blues, and for about $2.50 I made it mine.

I also bought a Metallica single under similar circumstances, but I think it was after this one. I don't actually remember what was on side one, although I think it was Last Caress. But side two had Breadfan, which I remember liking a lot.

The record that reminds me of being a teenager:
Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 and 2
Billy Joel, 1985

AND

Misplaced Childhood
Marillion, 1985


This was a tough one, so I settled on a tie. Looking back, though, the one musician that was constant among all of my friends was Billy Joel. We all listened to his music. Dan mocked me for listening to the Ramones, John couldn't stand the Sex Pistols, Peggy hated Stryper, everyone hated John Denver--but Billy Joel was well liked by all. And we ALL knew ALL of the lyrics to every single song on this two record album. We all saw him in concert at one point or another. In fact, I heard Piano Man on the radio on the way home from work today, and sang every line at the top of my lungs. The songs on this album always take me back to the parties and other gatherings when my friends were singing along with me.

The selection of Marillion is a bit odd, because it's not an album that I have ever heard all the way through. But I heard side one over and over--and I still love it. The focus of side one is the song Kayleigh, which is still one of my all-time favorites. The songs before and after Kayleigh are Pseudo Silk Kimono, Lavender, and Bitter Suite, but they all blend together to make one long song. This is not a song I ever sang out loud with a bunch of friends, but it must have been on whenever we were on long trips to school competitions ("Blue Crew!"). I hate prog-rock in general, but this album should be in my collection.

The record that made me want to play guitar:
The Power Station
The Power Station, 1985

Okay, well I'm obviously not an axeman (AGAIN!) like Mr. The Edge, so I had to pick an album that made me dream the most of being a rock star. I actually preferred a different instrument on different tracks, but this album was the first one on which I remember playing air guitar. While purists hate the remake of T. Rex's Bang a Gong (Get it On) featured on this album, it was the version of the song on this album that first introduced me to the joys of the air guitar. For those that don't remember the Power Station, this was one of two of the "super groups" that came out of Duran Duran in the mid-80s (the other being Arcadia). It featured Robert "Addicted to Love" Palmer on vocals, the drummer from the 70s disco/funk band Chic, Tony Thompson, and the unrelated bassist and guitarist from Duran², John Taylor and Andy Taylor, respectively.

The record by a local hero that inspired me:
To Hell With the Devil
Stryper, 1986

Neither Sterling, VA nor Washington, DC have pushed out any rock star or other musical act that have especially "inspired" me, so I had use the same standard as The Edge, who chose to look at all Irish acts. Since I'm not Irish, I chose to look at my own home country as a whole, which just happens to be the United States. While that gives me a much better selection, I'm kind of hung up on that whole inspired thing...so I went with one that ultimately inspired my conversion to Christ.

It's hard to tell when I first truly trusted in Christ, but it actually became a memorable experience about 3 to 4 years after I first heard this album. To Hell With the Devil was the first exposure that I really had to evangelical Christianity, and it actually generated more questions than it answered. I trace my search for those answers back to this hair band classic.

My favorite U2 record:
War, 1983


I obviously can't contradict Edge with regard to the album that most inspired U2, since I don't personally know the blokes in U2, and even if I did, I can't "correct" their perceptions of what influenced them. So, I changed this category. If you're playing along at home and don't like U2, you can obviously skip this question. Or, you could be creative and list your favorite album from some other group you like. Say for instance that you like Hanson. You could list your favorite Hanson album. See how easy this is?

I don't like Hanson, but I have liked this album since the first time I ever heard it, which was sometime after I heard The Unforgettable Fire, but before I heard The Joshua Tree. This was the album I used to judge U2 during the 90s (after the release of Achtung Baby, which is a pretty good album) when they were doing all their crappy dance/pop/disco albums. With All That You Can't Leave Behind, U2 returned to their rock sound that is so fabulously exemplified by War, and I forgave them for their output in the 90s.

The record that restored my faith in rock:
Vol. 1
Traveling Wilburys, 1988

Faith in rock? Umm, that's a bit esoteric for me. I always believed, like Huey Lewis, that the heart of rock 'n' roll was still beatin' even when the old boy was barely breathin'. I chose the Traveling Wilburys due to the eras that were represented by this ultimate super group: Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and that other guy (Jeff Lynne from the Electric Light Orchestra-the definite yawn factor in this otherwise great lineup). You had the old and new all represented...okay, even Tom Petty was pretty old when this came out, but he was still current.

I think this album did a lot to reintroduce people my age to the rock and roll that our parents loved. There were precursors to the Wilburys, most notably the success of George Harrison's song I've Got My Mind Set on You (1987), and the re-charting of the Beatles' version of Twist and Shout after it was lip synced by Matthew Broderick in the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off (it went to #23 on the charts in 1986). But this album introduced a whole new generation of fans to new music from guys that they didn't know much about outside of the local oldies stations and their parents' record collections.

The last record I fell in love with:
Tigerlily
Natalie Merchant, 1995

I only heard this album in its entirety this year since I lived under a self-imposed rock throughout most of the 90s and never bothered listening to anything other than the hits from it before. There is no one that can match the voice of this chanteuse, and this album is absolutely beautiful. This was Merchant's first project after leaving the 10,000 Maniacs, and I would say that it was a good move. For you discerning readers that are regulars here, you have no doubt seen this album displayed prominently in the "Music Currently in Rotation" area located in the right margin. It's been there since I made this fine purchase.

The record I couldn't live without:
Unchained (American II)
Johnny Cash, 2002

This album absolutely rocks. And if you ever watch TV, you've already heard part of one track (I've Been Everywhere is featured prominently on that insipid hotel commercial).

Sonically, it is different from the other, more acoustic, arrangements on the other American projects (those produced by Rick Rubin on American records). This album features a backing band (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), and they really let it all hang out. Considering Cash was in his seventies at the time, and was in and out of the hospital quite a bit, this album sounds incredibly lively and crisp. It has everything on it that you could want--spirituality (Spiritual, Kneeling Drunkard's Plea, Meet Me in Heaven, Unchained), excellent covers (Beck's Rowboat, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' Southern Accents, Dean Martin's Memories are Made of These, and a most excellent version of Soundgarden's Rusty Cage), and classic Cash (Country Boy, Mean Eyed Cat, I've Been Everywhere). If you never pick up any of Cash's newer stuff again, check this out. It's been in my disc changer pretty much since I've owned it.

The record I'd like played at my funeral:
Sanctuary
Claire Holley, 1999

The Pope's declaration notwithstanding, my funeral will be a homecoming celebration. I found this little gem several years ago through some free downloads at Paste Music's site. It's a simple collection of old spiritual standards (and one original) accompanied by guitar, Hammond B-3, dobro, and mandolin. Her elderly father even contributes background vocals on Higher Ground. Clean, simple, and not the regular CCM schlock.

Let's hear how you would answer...click the Comments link and let 'em fly.

Of Papal Bulls and Papal Bull

Whatever.

15,000 Square Feet of Total Elvis!

I spent last weekend in Sevierville, TN with my wife's family. The company was great, but the location was not what I expected. While I knew we'd be in the vicinity of Great Smokey Mountains National Park, I had no idea that we would also be right around the corner from Dollywood and the aforementioned King. It was a redneck wonderland, complete with a NASCAR Speedpark.

Who knew that the road getting into town would be as busy as Myrtle Beach on Biker Week? To make the traffic worse, the town had a Super Wal-Mart, which turned out to be the busiest spot in town.

My brother- and sister-in-law (BIL and SIL) own a time share with a resort--one of those deals where you have your choice of several locations--and this was where we decided to go. As part of our incentive was the promise of free gifts for going and listening to the "90 minute presentation", which included a discounted room at the Governor's Inn (which, come to think of it, was located on Nascar Dr.). For you discerning readers that have experienced similar deals, you know about The Presentation. You go and the nice people try to convince you that you need to buy into the time share because you own it and can pass it on to your children. The most insulting part was where they told us that if we bought one and passed it on, that could be our "legacy". Gag.

I hope that I pass on more to my children than that.

But, back to Sevierville. I am constantly amazed at these United State of Generica. I can go to any city in this country and never really leave home. Think about it, you can read the USA Today in the lobby of your hotel as you sip your coffee from Starbucks. You can then go shopping at many fine outlet malls, which aren't really anything special, just strip malls for the impulsive buyer where you can get Nike tennis shoes, Bose speakers, and fine cutlery all at a discount. The difference between this outlet mall and the one near you? The location, because it certainly isn't the merchandise.

Besides the view of the Super Wal-Mart, my hotel balcony overlooked a Books-A-Million, a Texas Roadhouse (at which I did eat because as our parting gift following The Presentation, the little lady and I were given $75 in gift certificates to the place), and a bunch of other chains that just seemed to blend into the background. I cannot for the life of me imagine why anyone would go to such a place for vacation.

Just as an aside, I fear the generic-tization of things has now sadly crossed our borders and into other countries. In July 2001 I was in Dublin, Ireland on business. I asked my coworkers where a good place would be to grab dinner. The first response I got was an enthusiastic, "there's a new TGI Friday's!" Retch.

I mentioned Myrtle Beach earlier in this post. This town was very similar to Myrtle Beach except that a) there was no beach, b) there was no Ron Jon's, and c) the hooty bars and put-put golf courses were replaced with bust-yer-gut-all-you-can-stuff-into-yer-mouth restaurants that had shows. I am not kidding. There was a Chinese restaurant that featured an acrobat show, there was a wild west horse-riding rodeo show, there was a Dolly Parton owned and branded place, Southern Gospel singfests, Uncle Cracker-style comedy revues...and those were just the ones I could remember. To make it worse, when I went by them they were PACKED! Nothing like the smell of horse manure to go with your steak and potato! Ummm, that's good eatin'!

Apparently, this is what people in our country want. They want to get away and do all the stuff they usually do at home, only they want to do it several hours away from home...except for the shows...unless, of course, you happen to hail from Branson, MO.