Trollheart

Okay, well after the week I’ve had I could certainly do with some

so let’s have a look at a few more songs that just basically lift me when I hear them. Sometimes there’s no reason why songs like these cheer me up; sometimes they evoke a mood or memory, often it’s in the lyric or just the music, and then again there are times when I simply don’t know why they put me in a good mood; they just do. But I could definitely do with some cheering up right now, so let’s go…

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“Building a bridge to your heart” --- Wax, from the album “American English”, 1987


From the opening “One! Two! One-two-three-four -- hold it --- NOW!”” to the catchy melody line and the “Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!”s all through the chorus, this song just makes me smile whenever I hear it, which is nowhere near enough. Wax were a short-lived UK “supergroup” made up of Andrew Gold, best known for his hits “Never let her slip away” and “Lonely boy”, and 10cc guitarist Graham Gouldman. The band only lasted till 1990, when Gouldman returned to help reform 10cc.


“Happy hour” --- The Housemartins, from the album “London 0 Hull 4”, 1986


I know I’ve featured this track somewhere else in my journal, but it’s certainly a song you have to be made of stone not to smile at. The happy, jumping rhythm, the rapid-fire vocal delivery and the general sense of fun shows why the Housemartins were so popular during the late eighties, despite only putting out two albums between ‘86 and ‘87, before splitting to form the Beautiful South.


“Foreplay/Long time” --- Boston, from the debut album “Boston”, 1976

What do I love about this track? It’s kind of a hybrid song really. The powerful organ intro makes it seem like you’re going to be listening to a progressive rock track, if you don’t know Boston as a band, and then the drums kicking in and that soaraway rock guitar from Tom Scholz as the song really takes off: just love it. Mind you, it could end better, but then you can’t have everything..


“Let your love flow” --- Bellamy Brothers, from the album “Let your love flow”, 1976

Turned down by Neil Diamond, this went on to become one of the great Country crossover hits for the Bellamy Brothers, hitting number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and also becoming a hit in the UK as well as other territories. It has such an uplifting, if simple message, that it’s hard not to be drawn in. It also has little if any steel guitar, so doesn’t really sound that much like your typical Country song. Not that there’s anything wrong with Country songs. But this is just a great feel-good, kick back happy song.


“Ashes” --- Embrace, from the album “Out of nothing”, 2004


A song I knew nothing about until I saw it performed on MTV, or one of the many video channels available these days, it just struck me with its upbeat sound and feel, a great lyric and some superb instrumentation. Just one of those songs that captures the moment I guess. Again, it could do with a better ending, but I really love this song and it always lifts my mood when I hear it.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

Possibly the worst criticism a reviewer can give of a movie is to say “The only good thing I can say about it is that I came out humming the theme tune”, and it can definitely be true more often than not. Sometimes a movie is just so bad that the only thing that even slightly rescues it is the soundtrack. Now of course if a movie is good and has a great soundtrack too then that’s perfect, and naturally not every great movie will have a great score, which of course leads us to the bottom of the barrel, the movies that are terrible and have awful music. But the one I want to discuss does not fall into that worst category, although in fairness without the music that supports it it would most certainly be down there.

Yeah, I’m sure you all remember this classic! Stallone does his best (read, worst) to emulate Eastwood and comes off looking more like Duh!-ty Harry . It’s a truly awful movie, as can be said of the vast majority of Stallone’s cinematographic output. It did at least have a half-decent tagline, which got absorbed somewhat into the popular consciousness, though most people who use it today would probably be hard-pressed to remember where they heard it. To be honest, I don’t even know if it was an original line: maybe the writer stole it from somewhere else. But that’s not important.

Neither is the movie. It’s a pretty bargain-basement cop revenge thriller trying to masquerade as something of higher quality and failing utterly. Probably the only line I recall from it is Stallone, as Cobra, throwing a lighted match down on top of a suspect who had been doused in petrol and muttering “You have the right to remain silent!” Oh, hilarity ensued! And this man would later play my favourite of all crimefighters, the fascist totalitarian future cop Judge Dredd. And screw that iconic role up in a way that still has me occasionally waking up bathed in sweat and screaming “He took his helmet off! Dredd never took his helmet off!”

But enough of such reminiscences. The thing that saves Cobra from being a total turd in all areas is the soundtrack. Peopled with the likes of John Cafferty, Jean Beauvoir and Miami Sound Machine, it’s a clear example of the adage, which I just made up and claim copyright to in perpetuity in all territories extant or to be discovered in the future, “Forget the movie, listen to the music” (Copyright Trollheart MMIII, all rights reserved). This movie has such a good soundtrack that you can almost --- almost --- forget how bad the actual film is. Of course, while watching it the one time I did, in the cinema, I was basically unaware of the music, as I tried to keep up with the plot --- bad mistake: there basically is no plot! But afterwards when I saw the album I thought sure why not? In fact, if I recall, I bought it for the song that becomes the opening track and in fact if I remember (and want to) closes the movie.

“Cobra” Original Motion Picture Soundtrack --- Various Artists --- 1988 (Scotti Brothers)


Now I believe I still have this somewhere in my record collection, but in 1988 I was mostly still buying vinyl, and truth to tell this didn’t see the light of digital release until four years later, so the vinyl copy is all I got. Sadly I no longer have a turntable, and though I got a USB one for Christmas last year (or was it the year before that?) I am too lazy to even open the box and so have never used it. Ah, don’t get me started!

So I’ve searched for it online but have had no luck. I’m therefore reduced to trying to recreate it, track by track, via YouTube, so if there are tracks I can’t get we’ll just have to muddle through as best we can. I’m sure you’ll be able to contain your disappointment. As it goes, I’ve noted in passing most of the better tracks are available, so we might just be missing one or two, perhaps instrumentals, but we’ll find out as we go.

That track I bought the album for initially is there. John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band rock us in with “Voice of America’s sons”, with a sort of John Cougar Mellencamp vibe melded to some heavy AOR, blasting keyboards and growling guitars, Cafferty’s voice a raspy growl as he laments the state of America for the ordinary workingman. A great hook in the song, punchy powerful and rocky, and indeed a good ending song for the movie --- I seem to recall Stallone riding off, stone-faced on a motorbike as the song played behind him, his mirror shades hiding the conflcting emotions that weren’t playing across his eyes as he departed with a grunt. Great guitar solo but in many ways it’s the peppy keyboards that carry the song with a real sense of upbeat, er, ness, and a nice little sax break there near the end.

You’d think after a powerful opener like that the chances of getting a good followup would be small, but you’d be wrong. Jean Beauvoir, known for his association with the Plasmatics and Little Steven from the E Street Band, hits us with a menacing, smouldering rocker in “Feel the heat”, which was in fact a hit for him, and you can see why he is so sought after, with the kind of voice that just screams AOR and hair metal. Slower than the opener certainly, more restrained and with a sort of oppressive feel about it, it’s still powerful and retains enough of the acceptable face of rock to have made it a hit for him.

Of course, every film (well, nearly every film) has a love scene and where would the ballad writers be without them? The “Cobra” OST has two, but I prefer the second one more, even though there are some fairly heavy hitters on “Loving on borrowed time”, with both Gladys Knight and Bill Medley taking vocals on the song. I don’t know who wrote it and I don’t much care; it’s fairly standard ballad materal, with a big shimmering digital piano opening and a melody that seems to evoke that other sugar-sweet movie ballad, “Somewhere out there”, but there’s no denying the talent of the two singers, who have both been around for a long time and really know how to turn it on, even if it is only for a crappy movie nobody will remember in five years time.

They’re well matched, and indeed Medley contributes to the other ballad, taking another female partner this time. More of that later, but right now all I can say about this song is that it doesn’t suck, but it’s not something you’d listen to much or put on any special playlists. But, you know, as I said, it doesn’t suck. Totally. And if there’s a ballad, you can be sure there’ll be instrumentals. And there are. The thing is, some of them are really good, like Sylvester Leavy’s (yeah I don’t know who he is either) “Skyline”, which just plods along at the right pace while still retaining enough suspense to make it something you want to keep listening to. Even a few touches of “The Wall”-era Floyd in there, if you listen closely, though mostly it’s carried, again, on some pretty super synthwork. There is, it has to be said, a pretty searing guitar solo near the end.

Gary Wright is, according to Wiki, one of the members of sixties group Spooky Tooth, and whether he’s the same Gary Wright who pens “Hold on to your vision” or not I don’t know, but it’s the first point where the album diverts from what I would call rock and hits into electropop territory, and even the presence of some decent guitar can’t take from the lighter feel of this song, not helped by the whistling keyboard that runs though it. Sounds like something you’d hear on the soundtrack of a really crappy mov ---oh, wait… Yeah, about the first time I felt the quality of the album, such as it was, began to slip, and while I can certainly listen to Gloria Estefan, I’ve never been a big fan of her work with Miami Sound Machine. “Suave” is not the song that was ever going to change that stance, with its upbeat salsa rhythms, boppy brass and overall sense of fiesta. Pass.

That’s the last low point, for me anyway, of the album, the second of Sylvester Levay’s instrumentals recalls the dark tension of “Terminator”, grinding along on swishy wind sounds and a growling, menacing synth. It’s probably the one that opened the film credits, as it definitely has the sort of introduction sound to it, and I think I can remember this being the case. Things keep rocking for Robert Tepper’s superb “Angel of the city”, with its industrial, mechanical rock themes and its weary vocal somewhat reminiscent of Joe Cocker punches its way in on the back of some almost Genesisesque synth and then just takes off with some really nice female backing vocals. Interestingly, Tepper’s first big hit was from another Stallone movie, released in the same year, and which you’re all more likely to know: “Rocky IV”, so 1986 was obviously a good year for him. This is certainly one of the better tracks on the album, and it’s followed by the second, and final, instrumental. Our friend Mr. Levay, who holds the dubious distinction of having the same first name as the star of the show, returns to hit us with “Chase”, which turns out to be the only track I can’t find online, but with a name like that you can guess how it would have gone. All squibbly keyboards, screeching guitars and a sense of pursuit and capture. To be honest, I can’t remember myself how it goes but I’m sure that’s close enough. Probably some fiddling around with siren-like sounds too, I'm sure.

We end then on a high note, with the second ballad which, as already mentioned, features a return for Bill Medley, this time duetting with a lady by the name of Carmen Twillie, though who she is or was I couldn’t tell you. I do actually remember this one, as it did play over a love scene and I remember thinking what a good song it was. It may also have been a factor in my decision to buy the album when I saw it included, I don’t know. Again it opens with the dreaded digital piano, but somehow it’s more restrained this time, less as if it’s taking over the song. When Twillie’s voice joins the song you do have to wonder what happened to her, as she really has a nice voice, one that complements Medley’s well. Which is not to say that Gladys’s didn’t, but she’s a well-known and legendary figure in music. This lady, to my knowledge, is not, and bearing that in mind she does a great job.

There’s some real passion in the song, which makes me wonder if there was something between the two vocalists, though maybe not. Absolutely mind-blowing sax break then, which the piano works with very well and it all builds to a crescendo, but sadly fades out and rather too soon, but still it’s a great ending to the album.

TRACKLISTING

1. The voice of America’s sons (John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band)
2. Feel the heat (Jean Beauvoir)
3. Loving on borrowed time (Bill Medley and Gladys Knight)
4. Skyline (Sylvester Levay)
5. Hold on to your vision (Gary Wright)
6. Suave (Miami Sound Machine)
7. Cobra (Sylvester Levay)
8. Angel of the city (Robert Tepper)
9. Chase (Sylvester Levay)
10. Two into one (Bill Medley and Carmen Twillie)

I suppose I should in some ways not slag off the movie so badly, because I’m pretty sure that had I not endured --- sorry, watched it, I would most likely have passed this soundtrack by, and thereby missed a lot of really good music that should in fairness not have to be associated with such a turkey of a movie. But if sitting through an hour and a half of watching Stallone play tough and trying to struggle with his limited lines is the price I paid for getting this album, then it’s one I’m happy enough to have paid.

At least I can confidently say that something good came out of that movie for me, which is a claim I fear most others who went to see it can’t make.

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Trollheart

Darkness on the edge of town --- Bruce Springsteen --- 1978 (Columbia)

The electric precursor to "Nebraska"? This certainly stands as one of Bruce's darkest, most mature albums prior to the recording of that acoustic, stripped-down effort that bared his soul, and that of middle America, for all to see. Not a commercially successful one (which must have really pleased his label after the runaway success of his breakthrough album "Born to run", released three years previously) it's still highly respected and thought of by Springsteen fans, and like "Born to run" it features accessible, relatable, real characters who ride or drive or just shuffle through its songs like lost souls looking for a home. Of course, much of this could be taken to be allegorical, and in songs like "Factory" and "Streets of fire" Springsteen is obviously using the characters as examples, as metaphors for an injustice and a lack of caring far more than just personal.

But it starts off very upbeat, and through most of its run continues so, even if the lyrics themselves are pretty unremittingly bleak for the most part. A big rolling thunder drum starts off "Badlands", as Springsteen, in the guise of the protagonist, aches to be out of this small town he lives in and do something with his life: "Talk about a dream/ Tryin' to make it real/ You wake up in the night/ It feels so real/ You spend your life waitin'/For a moment that just don't come" and the energy and exuberance behind the darkness says that anything can be conquered if you have the guts, determination and the will to see your dreams through. The E Street Band is in fine form here, and it's sad to think that they'll never be again together, not in this life anyway. Max Weinberg thumps away with enthusiasm and a certain anger as Springsteen, in his characteristic drawl, spits out his fury at being trapped in this one-horse town. The song builds to a climax as Bruce snarls his challenge to anyone who cares to hear it: "For the ones who had a notion/ A notion deep inside/ That it ain't no sin/ To be glad you're alive/ I wanna find one face/ That ain't lookin' through me/ I wanna one find one place/ I wanna spit in the face of these Badlands!"

I never was crazy about "Adam raised a cain", with its almost negro-chorus style, but it's a grinding, angry song that certainly fits in well with the rest of the album. A thick blues guitar gets it going with a thumping bass from Garry Tallent and honky-tonk piano from Roy Bittan backed up by the late Danny Federici's wailing organ as Bruce growls the vocal out with all the defiance he can muster. Still, I find it hard to muster any real enthusiasm for the only song I feel is weak on this album. Memories of that soon disappear though in the piano and rolling drum intro to "Somewhere in the night", as Bruce wails like a wounded animal before settling down into the vocal. It's a slowburner, with a certain country flavour, as some of the tracks here possess, but probably the best part is near the end when everything stops bar percussion and Bruce sings the vocal in a defeated tone before the band come back in and the whole thing powers right back up to the end.

One of the shortest songs on the album then, "Candy's room" opens on ticking drum and pattering piano as Springsteen mutters the vocal, more spoken than sung, then he switches to singing and as the percussion thunders in with rolling piano the song takes off and it's a fast rocker running on mostly Bittan and Weinberg's teamup though Steve Van Zandt throws in a fine guitar solo. If you listen to this on headphones, the sound is arranged so that when Springsteen sings What she wants is me" every second word comes out of the opposite speaker, so that the phrase seems to dart across your head, left to right and back. Very effective. One of the standouts comes next in the beautiful stark piano ballad, "Racing in the street", which chronicles the desperate attempt to do something to fill up the hours and make something of yourself, as guys race their souped-up cars on the deserted streets after darkness. Lovely whistling keys add to this and provide a motif that runs right through to the end.

Again there's great use of a buildup in the song, where everything drops away to just Bruce and piano for the last part of the song, with a rising choral vocal which I think is created on the keys, then the drums slip in after one final solo flourish from Bittan, the whistling keys painting the signature across the song while the rest of the band comes back in and the whole thing fades out perfectly. "Promised land" is another uptempo song full of hope, with a big bluesy harmonica from The Boss leading the way as Bittan's piano again drives the song matched closely with Federici's organ. A song of dawning adulthood and the responsibilities that come with it, Springsteen sings "Mister I ain't a boy/ No I'm a man/ And I believe in a promised land!" If there's something missing from this album I feel it's the Big Man. He's just not as visible on this as he was on "Born to run", but here he storms back in with the kind of sax solos we've come to know him for, and it really adds extra heart and passion to the song. Rest in peace, Clarence: you're missed.

That country influence is back, and never stronger for "Factory", a short song, shortest on the album, barely two minutes. A simple song of working men, it chronicles the people Monty Burns once called Eddie Punchclocks as they eke out their existence, working on the assembly line like robots and drinking to cover the pain and the numb tedium and the hopelessness of it all. Like I said, it's not just about those factory workers: this is literally a song for America, and everyone who wastes their life in a job they hate, simply because there is no choice and men must eat. "Streets of fire" is led in by Federici's sonorous organ before it explodes into life and Bruce screams "I want streets of fire!" It's Danny's chance to shine and he really does drive the song, helped by Bittan on the piano and then Bruce weighs in with an almost industrial strength guitar solo.

A simple song of passing the time making love in an attempt to leave the darkness behind, "Prove it all night" is uptempo but its lyrics speak of desperation, as do many songs on this album, an almost wilful reluctance to face the bleak reality of life and a grim determination to enjoy it as much as possible, with a perhaps fitting motto of "not here for a long time, just a good time". Clarence is back with another sweet funky solo which metamorphoses from sax to guitar as Bruce takes over. The title track then is a dour, bitter, country-styled total classic, again driven on slow piano, slow and measured, almost defeated in tone, something of a contrast to the raucous, defiant tone of the preceding tracks. There are explosions of anger and passion in the song, but they're quickly subsumed as the chorus ends and the verse goes back to a slow, sullen tone, with the song fading out at the last.

TRACKLISTING

1. Badlands
2. Adam raised a cain
3. Something in the night
4. Candy's room
5. Racing in the street
6. Promised land
7. Factory
8. Streets of fire
9. Prove it all night
10. Darkness on the edge of town

I got into Springsteen through "Born in the USA", not the best introduction to the complex songwriter and performer this man is, I know, but I quickly decided I loved his music and went back through his catalogue, right the way to "Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ", which I must admit I found mostly quite staid and boring, but that's another story. But of the triumvirate of albums that make up what I think of as Springsteen's golden period, this is the one I like best. Of course I love "Born to run" --- what Springsteen fan wouldn't? --- but although I also like "The river" I find it a little overlong ( it is a double album, of course) with some slightly below par songs, I believe this is where Bruce finally found his voice. After declaring his intentions in no uncertain fashion with "Born to run", it was I think suddenly a case of yes, born to run, but where to? And in this album I think he realised that destination was, in fact, nowhere.

It's well named as an album, because it really is dark, and as I say there would be nothing like it in his catalogue until 1982, when he would unleash the quiet monster that is "Nebraska" upon us, and Springsteen fans would never quite be the same again. Even the love songs, the have-fun songs here are tinged with sadness, desperation, bleak humour and an unremitting recognition that all our struggles in the end come to nothing. The darkness is always waiting, there on the edge of town, for us to move towards it, or let it move towards us. A serious, mature rock album that has deservedly taken its place in the pantheon of classics, if you haven't heard this album before, where have you been, and why are you still here? Dark emo-rock? Pfft! The Boss was doing it, and doing it better, thirty years before any of those bands were even alive.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

Ah, don’t you just love it when a crusty old fifty-year old tries to “get down with the kids”? Not literally of course: that would be illegal and possibly land him in jail! But trying to keep up with all the slang and buzzwords, and the new meanings for old words (“Sick” now means “great”, apparently!) can be wearing for an old codger like me, whose best friend is Mister Oxford and Mister Roget (forget it: if you didnt get that reference -- hah! --- you’re too young and I ain’t explainin’ it to ya youngster!) but I do my best. I do know though that these days when the kids refer to “epic fail” hey generally mean something has not gone as well as it should, in fact, it has gone spectacularly bad. Hey, even I can understand the thinking behind that!

So this section will focus on ideas down through the years in music that were bad ones, ill-advised ventures that were never going to sail (ooh-hoo! Slick little segue there, see ahead!) and make you ask “what in god’s name were they thinking?”



In the Navy --- Village People --- 1979

Yeah. What an inspired idea! Down at Navy Headquarters they’re watching how the YMCAs are filling up with eager young men on the back (ooeer!) of the iconic disco hit by Village People and thinking “We want some of that!” (ooeer again!) so they contact the guys, who duly oblige by recording the above hit single, proclaiming the benefits of the US Navy, a fine marketing and recruitment tool.

Dear God help us. Were the “Top Brass” not aware of the excessively gay nature of YMCA, to say nothing of Village People themselves? In long-running British soap “Coronation Street”, one of the characters, cunningly pretending to be gay so that his live-in mate can be seen as his lover and so not be charged extra rent (seriously: I don’t make these things up!) uses the Village People album in a display to show how gay he is. VP were always considered the gayest band ever and have been parodied many times. They are, to be quite honest, synonymous with the gay culture.

Not that, I hasten to add, there is anything wrong with that, or anyone’s sexual choices or preferences. I don’t like Village People’s music, but not because it’s linked with the gay movement. It’s just not for me. Kylie is also a gay icon and I like a lot of her stuff. Oh, also her music! But if you’re going to promote one of the roughest, toughest institutions in America, try to get people to join up --- “Join the Navy! Become a Man!” (BIG emphasis on the capital M there!) --- then surely it makes little sense to use a band who are inextricably tied in to the world of homosexual preferences and acceptance? Isn’t it the Navy who had the “Don’t ask don’t tell” policy till a while ago? And yet, here they are, using Village People to try to get people to join up? I mean, you might as well have had Motorhead spearhead a teetotal campaign, or asked Kerry King to run anger management classes!

It;s a sad irony, surely, that the military service who prevented homosexuals from serving would use the most iconically gay band in the world to advertise their services. I don’t honestly know if Village People are gay, and it doesn’t really matter. The point is they were, have been, and always will be identified with being gay, and that’s surely not the image the manly US Navy wants to project to the world?

In the end, as it goes, the project was pulled over protests that taxpayers’ money was being used to shoot a music video, as the Navy provided a warship, dock and setting --- and obviously financial backing --- for what would go on to be a huge hit for the pop group. Not the done thing, and quite right too. But it does make you wonder, do the chiefs at the navy still drink rum, and if so, did they perhaps overdo it the day they came up with this concept?

And did they actually entice any recruits with this song? If so, and if these guys harboured a particular desire to be among other men “in that way”, then I think the US Navy only has itself to blame.

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Powerstars

Good work using 5 year old internet slang, TH! xD

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Trollheart

As we move into December and the big day looms closer, you'll be seeing my journals take on a distinctly Christmassy flavour. There'll be plenty happening in "The Couch Potato" of course, with Christmas TV being such a part of the yuletide season, but here too we'll be decking the halls.

For the craic, I'll be running a competition-type thing, sort of a treasure hunt with a macabre twist --- okay, there's no macabre twist. But definitely a treasure hunt. Well, a word hunt. Kind of. Anyway, I'll talk more about that tomorrow. You can win prizes and everything! Hey, it is the season of goodwill! So get off my back unless you want a punch!

I'll be of course posting my favourite --- and perhaps not so favourite --- Xmas songs, reviewing some festive albums and who knows what else? And of course anyone who wants to drop in with a Christmas message is welcome. No, Batlord: "**** you and your Christmas" is not a Christmas message!

This doesn't of course mean that the usual things won't be happening, or that I'll be shipping in busloads of elves to help out --- where IS that bus? They should have been here hours ago! --- but I'll be doing my best to make this "the most wonderful time of the year". Yeah, good luck with that, I know.

Anyway, sod you all: I'm gonna do it and if you don't like it you know where you can stick it! What? I've only got so much Christmas spirit in me, you know!

So let the countdown begin: twenty-four shopping days left from tomorrow! Unless this gets posted tomorrow, in which case twenty-three ... oh, you know what I mean!

Now, where did I put my copy of "Santa's Greatest Hits"? Ah there it is!

SMASH! CRACK! TINKLE!

Good. There'll be none of that this year. Heh.

Well, maybe some. Christmas is a time for miracles, after all...

See yaz tamarra! Or tonight. Oh, this is too confusing...

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djchameleon

"Don't ask Don't tell" wasn't about preventing homosexuals from serving. They could sign up but they just had to keep it to themselves. The Navy had that reputation long before attaching the image of the Village People. If you wanted to be tough and join the military you would go into other branches like Marines and the Army.

I just went searching because I was curious about the origin of the homosexual stereotype associated with the Navy and I found some info.

There is also the stereotype of sailors going out during port calls and fucking any woman walking by especially women of the night.

The stereotype is now mostly associated only with guys that are on subs because women aren't allowed to be on subs. They might be making progress to change that though.

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Fame, fortune, power, titties. People say these are the most crucial things in life, but you can have a pocket full o' gold and it doesn't mean sh*t if you don't have someone to share that gold with. Seems simple. Yet it's an important lesson to learn. Even lone wolves run in packs sometimes.

Trollheart

Yeah I know. My point was that, whether acknowledged or not, the Navy has always had a thing about allowing gay men (or women I guess) to serve. The DADT was just a way around it. But for a military service that prides itself on, as you say, sailors being so macho and manly, it just seemed odd that they should approach one of the most openly gay bands with a recognised gay anthem, to help them recruit.

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djchameleon

I think you misread what I said. The US Navy isn't known for being manly. They know the stereotype and decided to reinforce it by using the village people to recruit. The other branches of the military are viewed as the manly ones. It would have been odd if they used the village people in a Marines recruitment video.

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Fame, fortune, power, titties. People say these are the most crucial things in life, but you can have a pocket full o' gold and it doesn't mean sh*t if you don't have someone to share that gold with. Seems simple. Yet it's an important lesson to learn. Even lone wolves run in packs sometimes.

Trollheart

Trollheart's Christmas Message: win big prizes! Well, prizes anyway...

Just for the fun of the season, I'm going to be hiding my Christmas message in sections throughout my journals over the next twenty days. The message is sixty words long, and each day I'll post three words from it in one or the other of my journals. The words will be hidden in a review, feature, comment, somewhere, but they'll always be there. To single them out from the rest of the text they will be spelled backwards, but they will always be in sequence, and the second three words will follow on from the first, and so on, until the message can be read.

Anyone who has that much time on their hands that they collect all the words and assemble the message will be in with a chance of winning five albums of their choice in digital format from my favourite music vendor. Two runners-up (should there be that many people interested!) will each win an album of their choice. First to send in their correct entry will be declared the winner, and the full message will be revealed on Christmas Eve, along with the winners.

So put on your sleuthing caps, and start tracking down those words. The sections will appear in my journals from today up to and including December 20th. Good luck!

Some small rules:

1. My decision is final (duh!) and no correspondence will be entered into
2. All prizes are digital, probably in mp3 format though some may be in FLAC, according to availability
3. In the unlikely event of two entries coming in at the same time, the forum timestamp will declare who was first, even if that's only a second in the difference
4. The message must be complete and exact, so no guessing. And make sure you double-check before sending your answer
5. Entries to be sent via PM to me with the heading “Trollheart's Christmas Message”
6. Prizes will be despatched on or before Christmas Eve, in compressed file format to a free file hoster, most likely Zippyshare, though if a winner wants the files delivered by email or some other format that can be arranged. No physical discs will be sent.
7. Trollheart makes no claims or guarantees regarding the quality or integrity of the files, but has not had any problems with this vendor for several years.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018