The Big Four - Live from Sofia, Bulgaria blu-ray release pending - 1990’s Clash Of The Titans revisited!

 

I used to be a fan of them all. Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax. Today, I still follow on the sideline, and I am really excited about the “Big Four” blu-ray release coming up.

 

AMAZING video below.

I am no huge fan of either band any longer, I have to admit. Especially Metallica have let me down a little too often, with music releases of ridiculously low standard. They seem to have forgotten what metal is all about. Honestly, I lost a lot of respect for them after watching the “Some kind of monster”-movie. I have seen and heard various releases and bootlegs, and with a few exceptions here and there I don’t really find them to be a very good live act any longer. Back in the day they were a “must-see” live act, and we would always go. Metallica is probably the band I have seen the most times live.

 

 

 

Anthrax, I have to admit, has slowly slid out of my musical view, though I still own Among the Living and hear it every now and then. I have heard most of their most recent stuff, and some of it is really good. It just never really stuck. I do dig the song “What Doesn’t Die” from a few years ago. Super track!

 

 

 

Slayer have all my respect in the world, though they are probably the band that I dislike the most. They are a little too hard for my taste – especially getting older – but I deeply admire them for never losing focus and never selling out. I have seen Slayer live several times and they have always delivered – also in their latter years. Boy, could Metallica learn from them!

 

Megadeth? These days, my absolute favorites of the four bands. They still rock, they are still tight as a metal machine, they still write great albums and they are still a killer live act. What more can you ask for.

 

I know. It doesn’t really sound like I am very interested in the topic I am writing about.

 

However, spending an evening in the company of ALL of them, makes me giddy like a thirteen year old on his way to his first metal concert.

These guys were the all on the soundtrack of my youth, or at least a very large part of it. One of my favorite albums to date is still Metallica's Master Of Puppets - there is simply no metal album better.

I gotta say I was excited when they announced the Big 4 shows, and disappointed that I would not be able to attend one. This would have been a great revisit to my youth where we saw (most of) them live several times.

I fondly remember going to KB Hallen in Copenhagen on October 10th, 1990 for Clash Of The Titans, a gig somewhat similar to this, featuring Suicidal Tendencies, Testament, Megadeth and Slayer. I guess that was as close to a "Big 4" that could be done back then with all the rivalry between Megadeth and Metallica, but it was a great, fun time and a concert I will never forget. I am glad that I was completely oblivious to the feuds within the bands at the time. This night was ROCKIN’!

Now, 20 years later, it seems like almost "meant to be" that I get another shot at a Clash Of The Titans kind of gig with the upcoming blu-ray "The Big 4 - Live From Sofia, Bulgaria that is coming out 15th of October - almost 20 years to the date of my fond memory. With unconpressed audio on blu-ray, a five(!) hour concert event with additional 45 minutes of documentary running time, this should be rattling the speakers severely and be the perfect excuse to get the guys together for a couple of cold beers!

It is well worth noticing that Anthrax and Megadeth joins Metallica on stage for "Am I Evil?" during Metallica's set (I wonder what Slayer were doing? I only see Dave Lombardo on the snare – maybe they don’t play sissy commercial junk like Diamond Head?), and also that Anthrax supposedly does a Ronnie James Dio tribute playing a snippet of "Heaven and Hell" during "Indians".

 

 

The DVD cover for this release has just been made public, and it features the setlist for the concerts. These are uncut, full concerts from the Sonisphere festival, and it sound like an evening worth spending in its company. Details below.

ANTHRAX track listing:

01. Caught In A Mosh

02. Got the Time

03. Madhouse

04. Be All, End All

05. Antisocial

06. Indians/Heaven And Hell

07. Medusa

08. Only

09. Metal Thrashing Mad

10. I Am The Law

MEGADETH track listing:

01. Holy Wars... The Punishment Due

02. Hangar 18

03. Wake Up Dead

04. Head Crusher

05. In My Darkest Hour

06. Skin O' My Teeth

07. A Tout Le Monde

08. Hook In Mouth

09. Trust

10. Sweating Bullets

11. Symphony Of Destruction

12. Peace Sells/Holy Wars Reprise

SLAYER track listing:

01. World Painted Blood

02. Jihad

03. War Ensemble

04. Hate Worldwide

05. Seasons In The Abyss

06. Angel of Death

07. Beauty Through Order

08. Disciple

09. Mandatory Suicide

10. Chemical Warfare

11. South of Heaven

12. Raining Blood

METALLICA track listing:

01. Creeping Death

02. For Whom The Bell Tolls

03. Fuel

04. Harvester Of Sorrow

05. Fade To Black

06. That Was Just Your Life

07. Cyanide

08. Sad But True

09. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)

10. All Nightmare Long

11. One

12. Master Of Puppets

13. Blackened

14. Nothing Else Matters

15. Enter Sandman

16. Am I Evil? (with the Big Four)

17. Hit The Lights

18. Seek and Destroy

I am sure this was a night to remember that evening in June, and I know it will be a night to remember watching it on the big screen at home in October.

 

This will of course also be released as a DVD, though I find the blu-ray much more interesting.

 

Should you opt for the DVD, you also have the choice of a deluxe box set which also contains 5 CDs with the full show. This boxset is already available for preorder at www.metallica.com – though I find dishing out $100 for this a little steep.

 

I will be more than happy when my blu-ray is sitting in my player, video projector is on and sound is cranked up! 

Of course, once I get my grabby little hands on this, a thorough review will be posted.

Ray Davies’ classics go classical - and still rocks!

A great afternoon in the out-doors was spent in the company of Ray Davies, opening act Katie Melua and a symphony orchestra with a choir. Yours truly was there, bringing his trusted cameras and keen eye for details. Review, photos and music from the show to be found below.

Last Saturday and Sunday, the legendary Ray Davies was doing a couple of spectacular concerts here in Denmark. I was lucky to attend the show Saturday, as the experience was much bigger than at the Sunday’s show for more than one reason.

The setting is Ledreborg Castle in the Danish countryside. A beautiful huge mansion, with an amazing park in the “back yard”. This is where the Danish National Radio Orchestra, DRs radiounderholdningsorkester, has their concerts each summer. They always have a special guest to front this, someone you mostly would not connect with classical music, though they are a philharmonic orchestra – but they are also so much more.

This year’s big event was the collaboration between the orchestra, their choir and none other than Mr.. Ray Davies, the “dad” of Metallica and “the founder” of Bruce Springsteen’s work place (as the thrashers and the Boss have referred to him). And of course the man famous for being the lead singer and founder of the rock and roll pioneers The Kinks.

I have to admit this… I am not a big fan. He is a living legend in my eyes, but I own no albums from neither him or the Kinks. “You really Got Me” was to – growing up in the 70’s and 80’s - a Van Halen song. I really only know the VERY big hits such as “Lazy Sunday Afternoon”, “Lola” and a few others. So please forgive me for not going into the minute details of each moment of the show. I simply would not know where to begin.

The bigger fan is my wife, who has his recent material and loves it. She is especially fond of the album “Other People’s Lives”, from which he, to some disappointment, played no songs. However, so much more happened that fully compensated for this, and turned an event I attended mainly for my wife into something I thoroughly enjoyed. This was indeed a good show.

The setting for the concerts at Ledreborg is a little different from what we normally see. People are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, tables and picnic baskets – though they did ask that you do not bring your own fence! - and spend the day in the beautiful park and in the company of friends, family and good music. This was a nice change of pace for me. We ourselves brought sandwiches and fold-out chairs and got comfortable on a little hill to the side of the stage. Very nice and cozy.

I myself have never been to a concert like this before. Normally my preferred venues smell like beer and has AC/DC blaring on the PA before the show. Very different from this.

I was very leery about the opening act. A tiny little girl called Katie Melua, famous for soft-spoken pop music and all-together completely not my choice of music. When we bought tickets for this concert, it was with Ray Davies in mind, not at all paying attention to the opening act, as I had never heard of her. My neighbor, who was going with us to the show, lent me a CD he had borrowed from the library. To me, she sounded like an even more boring version of Norah Jones. Yawn fest. Much too introverted and not something I could at all imagine wanting to be seeing live.

I have been told several times that Katie Melua is actually a pretty big name in today’s pop music, having several hits on the radio and so on. However, Danish radio in general is not at all compatible with my musical taste, and I do not waste my time on it. There is not one decent rock channel, so I have long ago come to terms with listening to internet radio for my musical entertainment. I highly recommend 181.FM by the way.

Much surprisingly, Melua was introduces as the best-selling artist of the 2000’s. Really? I vaguely remember seeing something with her by pure chance on TV, but that is just about all.

I have to admit, I was put a little to shame for being too unwelcoming of her..

On stage she has more presence that I would have imagined and her little pop songs, at least the ones with a little back beat, actually worked well. The incorporation of the philharmonic orchestra suited the music well, and made it a happy little experience before the real show. Her voice is crystal clear and a real treat to listen to live. I have to say I enjoyed it. I even realized that I recognized a song or two. The opener, “9 billion bicycles” and the closer “The Closest Thing To Crazy”, which is featured below. I guess I have heard them on the radio somewhere out there.

VIDEO: Katie Melua – The Closest Thing To Crazy

(Now, I apologize for the dull video of these recordings. They were taken with my photo camera, so I had no way of really doing any details and only digital zoom, which makes the picture look horrible, was available. So I chose to just shoot the stage and leave it at that. What I hoped to capture was the music, and I think it accomplished that better than expected.)

After a short break, the main event was about to take place. Mr, Ray Davies entered the stage with the orchestra and choir. This was a really cool experience. The show opened with the orchestra doing a little Kinks medley, very neatly arranged. Check it out below.

VIDEO: Symphony intro to Ray Davies. A very cool little medley.

Ray Davies is no stranger to other genres than rock music. Danish National Radio (DR) – who set up this concert – aired a lengthy interview with Ray Davies, where he talks about his musical upbringing, the death of his sister and many other interesting stories from his life. Check it out here (go to the page, then click the link on the right side that says “Hear the entire interview with Ray Davies). I have sent the webpage, which is originally in Danish, through Google Translate for your convenience.

It was really cool to hear Ray Davies. He is a great story teller, and gave us neat little introductions and anecdotes before playing most of the songs. He was in a great mood and had quite a few little jokes that brought a smile to everyone's faces. This was indeed a happy afternoon.

VIDEO: Ray Davies – You Really Got Me

Ray Davies and the many musicians really managed to get this whole project to lift off ground. They had spent two days in rehearsal to get all the details down, and I have to say I was – and still am – amazed as to how well this worked out.

Davis has an interesting way of singing. Technically, I gotta say he is not very good. He often sings out of key, he has trouble reaching the high notes and overall he can sound fairly sloppy. However, he does it with a lot of soul, and it really brings out the story telling element in his songs. At first, I felt that it took away from the experience, but after a little getting used to it, it was no big deal. I assume he has sung like this his whole career.

Of course I know the classics from him, he is one of those musicians that is liked even by the people who have no idea who he is. He has the songs from our past and plays them with sincerity and passion still. – and dressing the songs up in classical music just made it even more interesting. I did not fully realize how many songs I knew from him until this concert. By far the majority of his songs were classics, and he was not afraid to use them. The new songs were interesting, and showed us that he is still a great story teller and that he still has the ability to write great songs. Great credits must also be given to the orchestra, the conductor and who ever wrote the symphony arrangements. I really enjoyed that they fitted the music well, and we not imposing on the songs, or in any ways taking the focus away from the original music. Classical music and rock’n’roll were strolling along hand-in-hand very nicely. My experience from various CDs are very varied. There are good examples, such as Deep Purples ventures, or Scorpions’ “Moment of Glory” albums, and there are horrible examples, where they fight to be the loudest, such as Metallica’s “S&M” or Kiss Alive IV. This was naturally not the same giant scale, but it worked out great.

VIDEO: Ray Davies – All Day And All Of The Night

We also got some lesser know songs from his back catalogue. These, he referred to as songs that had been forgotten or never were a success, but were still very popular in certain circles (i.e. the band). These I think were mostly pulled out of the bag because they would be interesting for them to arrange with the orchestra. I  - not really knowing his catalogue anyways – thought they worked out great, however quite a few people did start to pack up their stuff and getting ready to walk out. This was with maybe 20-25 minutes left of the show. They sure missed a LOT when the “dull moment” was over and they came back full force. Shame on them. By the time Davies and the orchestra got to the end of the show, everyone had gotten out of their lawn chairs and were cheering and singing along to Days and Lola.

A magical afternoon indeed.

Ray Davies really got his audience on his side Saturday afternoon, and it would turn out to be a much better experience than the Sunday show. Sadly, Katie Melua had stomach problems and after several delays they decided to cancel her part of the show. So what was left was only the Ray Davies part, which was performed in pouring rain.

The whole concert experience was filmed for National Danish Television. I hope to be able to catch it one more time. A home made DVD as a memory of this afternoon would be really nice.

Of course, I can not end this posting without the probably most important song from Ray Davies. Here is a nice recording from earlier this year, at the Glastonbury Festival. Enjoy!

VIDEO: Ray Davies – Lola
…and the alternative, yet amazing, version:

VIDEO: “Weird Al” Yankovic - Yoda

(all photos copyright http://www.kingkeld.com/ – contact me if you want to use them.)

How to keep your privacy private on Facebook

Facebook is now launching a new feature, called Facebook Places. I just learned about it today, and I am - to put it mildly - not happy about it.

The whole idea is that you can now "check in" wherever you are, so your friends can keep up with you. This way you can see who is in the same place as you and what they are doing. You can of course also use it to brag about your whereabouts at that ultra cool concert or in-place you want everybody to know you are frequenting.

At first glance not too bad an idea. If you do NOT want to share where you are, just don't check in. Right?

Wrong.

See, the thing is that YOUR FRIENDS also have the ability to check you in. If they see you somewhere - anywhere - and decide to check you in, it will be shared on your facebook wall and in your friends updates for all your friends to see. You are with Facebook Places no longer in control of the information shared about your whereabouts.

Do you really want your boss to know if you decided to go out on your sick day? Do you really want your wife to know when you go purchase a gift for her? Do you really want to opt out of the option of telling that little white lie about where you are right now?

We all know that it is generally a bad idea to announce on Facebook that you will be away from your home for a longer time. This could easily be interpreted as an open invitation for burglars. "Oh, Kingkeld will not be home for the next three days. That should give us plenty of time to go get all his über-neat stuff!".

I can only imagine this becoming a much bigger problem with Facebook Places. Now there is no point in keeping it secret if you are leaving town. Your friends can easily snitch on you anyways, just because they have a gadget in their hands and like playing with it. They will probably not even think of it as being harmful or hurtful.

Of course, it is always considered courteous to not wish people a great vacation or nice trip on Facebook, unless the person has already announced it. This should go without saying.

As if it is not bad enough that Facebook in a sense now is stalking you, they also keep the information. All the check-ins that are done in your name goes in a database to be used for advertising etc. This is also where all the other information about you goes. Who are your friends? Are you going the same places? What places are they? I really don't feel that Facebook needs to make money and specific advertising for me that way.

Usually I am not really needing to lie about my whereabouts. I have no problem letting anyone know what I am doing, or where. I just don't like the thought of "Big Brother" watching me, disguised as my best friends. What a horrible, horrible idea.

How would you like to see status updates such as "(your name) has been checked in at the STD clinic" or "(your name) is taking a massive dump at the local gas station. Guess he couldn't hold it"?

I would rather be without them.

If you are like me, you turn off the Facebook Places features ASAP.

Because, as a light at the end of the tunnel, there is a way turn the Facebook Places feature off. It is very simple, and in my opinion very necessary. We don't really need the whole world looking over our shoulder whenever or whatever we are doing, do we? Instructions to be found below.

Now, the other side of the coin... all the postings that will most likely come. Are we really interested in knowing where everyone is at all times?

Personally, I am sick and tired of being informed how many Sheep brother Bob needs for his farm and how many gold coins cousin Erika just made playing hide-and-go-seek. Facebook Places will be one more feature to annoy and clutter what Facebook is doing best - keeping in touch with your friends and contacts.

I highly recommend "Fluff Busting Purity" (they are no longer allowed to be called "Facebook Purity" as that was apparantly (and likely so) infringing trademarks. However, the site is still the same, and what they do is still awesome.

Fluff Busting Purity simply removes all the clutter from Facebook through a customisable interface that gives you the option to sort all the junk out of your Facebook page. This makes it so much easier and fun to use Facebook. A quick download using very easy instructions as you are good to go. Link Below.

I hope you find some of this information useful. Personally, I can't stand the thought of Facebook Places, and Fluff Busting Purity has made Facebook an enjoyment for me.

Rant over. Have a great day. :)

How to turn off Facebook Places, so only you can check in.
How to install Fluff Busting Purity.

A funny sign

I came across this sign today. I thought I'd share.

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Hasta La Vista

When I record my music, I usually post it to Riffcaster, a website connected to the recording software RiffWorks. A great, easy and free way to distribute your music. Riffcaster has a great community of fellow musicians, and everyone is eager to present their stuff.

I love going through the stuff that the users post, listen to all the great songs that probably will never be released, just because we are amateurs with no connections.

Every once in a while, I come across a track that I think is out of the ordinary. This song, Hasta La Vista, from a user who calls himself Phil HomeStudio, is such a track. I heard it on there and felt that it would maybe be something that my blog followers would enjoy. I love the laid back feel of it. Great vocals and great musicianship all over. Thanks to Phil for letting me post this.

So here it is, in all it’s glory. Enjoy. :)

In the future, it is very likely that I will post more music from RiffCaster. Now, go and check it out for yourself.

“Hasta La Vista ( ***)” Comment & more at RiffWorld.com

Funny quotes from The Beatles

(I found this at kulichki.com – I felt it was worth sharing. :))

"When the Beatles conquered the world, it wasn't just the music that captured people. 
The Beatles became very known for their wit in press conferences."

Press: Does it bother you that you can't hear what you sing during concerts?
John: No, we don't mind. We've got the records at home.

Press: How did you find America?
John: Turn left at Greenland.

Press: Are you a mod or a rocker?
Ringo: I'm a mocker.

Press: Are you afraid military service might break up your careers?
John: No. There's no draft in England now. We're going to let you do our fighting for us.

Press: Are you going to have a leading lady for the film you're about to make?
Paul: We're trying to get the Queen. She sell in England, you know.

Press: Are you scared when crowds scream at you?
John: More so in Dallas than in other places, perhaps.

Press: Are you wearing wigs or real hair?
Ringo: Hey, where's the police?
Paul: Take her out!
George: Our hair's real. What about yours, lady?

Press: Aren't you tired of all the hocus-pocus? Wouldn't you rather sit on your fat wallets?
Paul: When we get tired we take fat vacations on our fat wallets.

Press: Beethoven figures in one of your songs. What do you think of Beethoven?
Ringo: I love him. Especially his poems.

Press: Can we look forward to any more Beatle movies?
John: Well, there'll be many more but I don't know whether you can look forward to them or not.

Press: Did you really use four letter words on the tourists in the Bahamas?
John: What we actually said was "Gosh".
Paul: We may have also said "Heavens!".
John: Couldn't have said that, Paul. More than four letters.

Press (to George): Did you write "Ringo's Theme"?
George: No, did you? You haven't been reading the little bits of paper, have you, that says who writes "Ringo's Theme"?

Press: Do any of you have ulcers?
George: None that we've noticed.

Press: Do you ever think of getting a haircut?
Paul: No, luv. Do you?

Press: Do you fight amongst yourselves?
John: Only in the mornings.

Press: Do you get much fan mail?
Ringo: We get 2,000 letters a day.
John: We answer every one of them personally.

Press: Do you have any special advice for teenagers?
John: Don't get pimples.

Press: Do you have any special message for Dutch youth?
John: Tell them to buy Beatle records.

Press: Do you like topless bathing suits?
Ringo: We've been wearing them for years.

Press: Do you plan to record any anti-war songs?
John: All our songs are anti-war.

Press: Do you speak french?
Paul: Non.

Press: Do you wear wigs?
John: If we do, they must be the only ones with real dandruff.

Press: Do you worry about smoking in public? Do you think it might set a bad example for your younger fans?
George: We don't set examples. We smoke because we've always smoked. Kids don't smoke because we do.
They smoke because they want to. If we changed we'd be putting on an act.
Ringo (whispering): We even drink.

Press: Does all the adulation from teenage girls affect you?
John: When I feel my head start to swell, I look at Ringo and know perfectly well we're not supermen.

Press: Does your hair require any special attention?
John: Inattention is the main thing.

Press: Don't you ever get a haircut?
George: I had one yesterday.
Ringo: You should have seen him the day before.

Press: George, is the place you were brought up a bit like Greenwich Village?
George: No, more like the Bowery.

Press: Girls rushed toward my car because it has press identification, and they thought I met you. How do you explain this phenomenon?
John: You're lovely to look at.

Press (to George): Hi, you're not married.
George: No, I'm George.

Press: How come the Beatles, rather than 200 other groups, clicked?
Ringo: Sometimes I try to figure that out, too.

Press: How come you were turned back by immigration?
John: We had to be deloused.

Press: How do you feel about teenagers imitating you with Beatle wigs?
John: They're not imitating us because we don't wear Beatle wigs.

Press: How do you add up success?
All four: Money!

Press: What will you do when Beatlemania subsides?
John: Count the money.

Press: How do you feel about a nightclub called Arthur, named after your hair style?
George: I was proud--until I saw the nightclub.

Press: How do you spend your time when you're cooped up in a hotel room between the shows?
John: We play tennis and water polo, and hide ourselves from our perol officers.

Press: How do you stand in the draft?
John: About five feet, eleven inches.

Press: How does it feel to be putting on the whole world?
Ringo: We enjoy it.
Paul: We aren't really putting you on.
George: Just a bit of it.
John: How does it feel to be put on?

Press: How tall are you, Ringo?
Ringo: Two feet, nine inches.

Press: Is it true none of you can read or write music?
Paul: None of us can read or write music. The way we work is like, we just whistle. John will whistle at me and I'll whistle back at him.

Press: Is it true you can't sing?
John (pointing to George): Not me. Him.

Press: Is your wife expensive?
John: Quite, quite...
Paul: How much did she cost when you bought her?
John: Er, she was about fifty pounds in Nairobi.
George: But she was second hand, wasn't she?

Press: Was she second hand??
John: How dare you!

John: No more unscheduled public appearances. We've had enough. We're going to stay in our hotel except for concerts.
Press: Won't this make you feel like caged animals?
John: No. We feed ourselves.

Press: Paul, you look like my son.
Paul: You don't look a bit like my mother.

Press: Recently there has been an article published in Rolling Stone magazine stating that Day Tripper was about a prostitute, and Norwegian Wood was about a lesbian. What was you're intent when writing these songs?
Paul: We were just trying to write songs about prostitutes and lesbians.

Press: What was the inspiration behind Elenor Rigby?
John: That one's about a couple o' queers!

Press: Ringo, how do you manage to find all those parties?
Ringo: I don't know. I just end up at them.
Paul: On tour we don't get out much. Ringo's always out though.
John: Ringo freelances.

Press: Ringo, what started your practice of wearing four rings at once?
Ringo: Six got to be too heavy.

Press: Ringo, why do you wear two rings on each hand?
Ringo: Because I can't fit them through my nose.

Press: Some people have been calling your work "unamerican". How do you respond to this?
John: Well, that's very observant of them.

Press: The French have not made up their minds about the Beatles. What do you think of them?
John: Oh, we like the Beatles. They're gear.

Press: Were you worried about the oversized roughnecks who tried to infiltrate the airport crowd on your arrival?
Ringo: That was us.

Press: What about the recent criticism of your lyrics?
Paul: If you start reading things into them you might as well start singing hymns.

Press: What about this campaign in Detroit to stamp out the Beatles?
Paul: We're starting a campaign to stamp out Detroit.

Press: What are some of your favorite programs on American television?
Paul: News in Espanol from Miami. Popeye. Bullwinkle. All the cultural stuff.
John: I like American TV because you can get eighteen stations, but you can't get a good picture on any of them.

Press: What careers would you individually have chosen had you not become entertainers?
Paul: I dunno. Maybe something with art in it?
Ringo: A hairdresser.
George: I had a short go at being an electrician's apprentice. But I kept blowing things up, so I got dumped.
John: No comment.

Press: What do you think of the pamphlet calling you four communists?
Paul: Us, communists? Why we can't be communists. We're the world's number one capitalists. Imagine us, communists!

Press: What did you think when your airplane's engine began smoking as you landed today?
Ringo: Beatles, women, and children first!

Press: What do you call that hairstyle?
George: Arthur.

Press: What do you do when you're cooped up in a hotel room between shows?
George: We ice skate.

Press: What do you look like with your hair back on your foreheads?
John: You just don't do that, mate. You feel naked if you do that, like you don't have any trousers on.

Press: What do you think of the criticism that you're not very good?
George: We're not.

Press: What do you think you've contributed to the musical field?
Ringo: Records.
George: A laugh and a smile.

Press: What excuse do you have for your collar-length hair?
John: Well, it just grows out yer head.

Press: What is the biggest threat to your careers, the atom bomb or dandruff?
Ringo: The atom bomb. We've already got dandruff.

Press: What is the reason you are the most popular singing group today?
All four: Don't know. No idea.
John: If we knew, we'd get together four boys with long hair and be managers.

Press: What is the secret of your success?
John: We have a press agent.

Press: What is this about an annual illness, George?
George: I get cancer every year.

Press: What is your favorite food?
Ringo: I'm hung up on hamburgers.
George: All four of us are mad about hero sandwiches.
Paul: I have a yen for grilled cheese sandwiches.
John: George and I usually wait until someone else orders, then say "I'll have that, too".

Press: What will you do when the bubble bursts?
George: Take up ice hockey.
Paul: Play basketball.

Press: What would happen if you all switched to crewcuts?
John: It would probably be the end of the act.

Press: When are you going to cut your hair, Paul?
John: What do you mean? He got it cut yesterday.

Press: When are you going to retire?
Ringo: In about 10 minutes.

Press: When are you starting your next movie?
Paul: In February.
George: We have no title for it yet.
Ringo: We have no story for it yet.
John: We have no actors for it yet.

Press: When you do a new song, how do you decide who sings the lead?
John: We just get together and whoever knows most of the words sings the lead.

Press: Where did you get your hair style?
Paul: From Napoleon. And Julius Caesar too. We cut it anytime we feel like it.
Ringo: We may do it now.

Press: Where did you think up the hairdos?
Paul: We got them from a German photographer who wore his hair this way.
George: It was while we were in Germany. I went swimming and when I came out I didn't have a comb. So my hair just dried. The others liked it the way it looked, and there we were.
John: We've told so many lies about it we've forgotten.

Press: Which of you is really bald?
George: We're all bald. And I'm deaf and dumb.

Press: Who in the world would the Beatles like to meet more than anyone else?
Ringo: The real Santa Claus.

Press: Who thought up the name Beatles?
Paul: I thought of it.
Press: Why?
Paul: Why not?

Press: Why are your speaking voices different from your singing voices?
George: We don't have a musical background.

Press: Why don't you smile, George?
George: I'll hurt my lips.

Press: Why is it that you Ringo get more fan mail than the others?
Ringo: I dunno. I suppose it's because more people write me.

Press: Will you sing something for us?
All four: NO!
Press: Can you sing at all?
Ringo: No, we need money first.

Press: Would you ever accept a girl in your group if she could sing, play an instrument, and wear the Beatle haircut?
Ringo: How tall is she?

Press: Would you like to walk down the street without being recognized?
John: We used to do this with no money in our pockets. There's no point in it.

Press: You and the snow came to Washington at the same time today. Which do you think will have the greater impact?
Ringo: The snow. We're going tomorrow.

Press: You were at the Playboy Club last night. What did you think of it?
Paul: The Playboy and I are just good friends.

Enjoying a nice cup of Joe...

Time for that delicious, all-important, cup of Joe. :)

 

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Metal Madness - New Mix!

“Metal Madness - 2nd mix” Comment & more at RiffWorld.com

As I was not happy with the original mix of Metal Madness, I decided to remix, adjust and tweak it somewhat, to get a little more energy and “oomph” in the sound. I think I have accomplished a much more appealing song this way. I hope you agree with me.
As I stated first time I posted it here, it’s a little tribute to the “true” metalheads out there – the bands like Manowar who takes it all dead serious. …or do they? I gotta say, I admire them for their dedication to their music and the style, and their willingness to wear skimpy leather speedos on stage. Death to false metal!
As always, please help me spread my music. I put a lot of work in these and would love for as many people as possible to hear it. If you like the music, or just feel like passing it on to someone who might, please send them a link, post this on Facebook, stumble it (use the button on the top of the page) and anything else you can think of.

Welcome To Mars!

 

Today, I found something fun. I was digging around on my PC and stumbled upon the Grønth – or Grønt Græsh sessions.

A little back story:

Grønth, former Grønt Græsh was a little Danish hippie rock quartet/trio (depending on era) with heavy roots in the Led Zep camp and inspired also my a lot of Danish 70’s bands. Pure rock, with lyrics in Danish, written by the amazing Bjarke Slot.

Back then, I played bass. Still do, if we ever get to play music together again. Technically, we never split up.

Anyways, we got together for a couple of sessions at Bjarke’s recording studio, Soundvice, to have a little fun, and we ended up recording two amazing songs.

The first one I will introduce to you today. It’s called Velkommen til Mars (Welcome To Mars) and is about arriving on mars and meeting all the martians there.

To play “Velkommen Til Mars”, click play on the music player above.

I hope you like it. More to follow.

Metal Madness – new mix

“Metal Madness - 2nd mix” Comment & more at RiffWorld.com

As I was not happy with the original mix of Metal Madness, I decided to remix, adjust and tweak it somewhat, to get a little more energy and “oomph” in the sound. I think I have accomplished a much more appealing song this way. I hope you agree with me.

As I stated first time I posted it here, it’s a little tribute to the “true” metalheads out there – the bands like Manowar who takes it all dead serious. …or do they? I gotta say, I admire them for their dedication to their music and the style, and their willingness to wear skimpy leather speedos on stage. Death to false metal!

As always, please help me spread my music. I put a lot of work in these and would love for as many people as possible to hear it. If you like the music, or just feel like passing it on to someone who might, please send them a link, post this on Facebook, stumble it (use the button on the top of the page) and anything else you can think of.

Sunday.

Hi gang,

It’s Sunday, and we are now 11 days into the horrible time called “Monique’s Vacation”. Affirmative. I am without my wife for two weeks. TWO WHOLE FRICKIN’ WEEKS!

No no no, this is NOT a good thing, guys. In contrast to most guys I really LOVE my wife and I want to spend my time with her. So I miss her.

Considering that it is only I and Dee at home (and of course, Lasercat), the house is surprisingly clean. I wonder if that is because I am getting old?

I hope not. I am not ready to grow up just yet. I am having WAY too much fun.

Today, I was really hoping to work on more music, but I have not gotten a chance. I’ve had visitors, and now I am doing various chores, laundry, dishes, cleaning, and general picking up (NO! I AM NOT OLD!), and the studio keeps calling me. But I must resist. I know there is no such thing as “just 30 minutes” in there. If I go in, I stay for a long time. And a long time will not do. Not today.

I am getting up early tomorrow, going to work early to save up some hours. The plan is to be able to go home early Wednesday, when Monique comes home. I miss her badly, and I want to spend the day with her.

I know she has had a wonderful vacation, visiting friends and family in the US, I can see her smiling and lighting up when we talk on Skype or Oovoo, but I hope she will be just as happy coming back home to us. She has had a rough year’s time, and I hope that is about to end. Luck and Fortune will come to us soon. Better jobs, more money, more time together, more happiness. :)

Love is a strange thing. We don’t really need to be doing a whole lot together. I just need to be with her. All I need for her to do is to be around. …and of course her cooking. I love her food. You know what they say about “the way to a man’s heart”.

Anyways, this is for you, Babe. I love you more than anything, and I can’t wait to see you home with me again. I miss you like crazy. So does Dee and the cat.

I love you forever, Monique.