The Music Banter Members' Journals Monthly Update Thread

[Trollheart]

A few changes in the format this week. Well, not that many really. Lots of updates, no new journals this particular week but some excellent entries, while one or two journals go unattended, but we know the writers are hard at work on some masterpiece and will only let it be seen once it's finished.

So what about the journals that have been updated? You know, I'm glad you asked...

Anteater is still proclaiming the merits of Crimson Glory in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...n-dollars.html: probably should really give them a listen, as soon as I get a spare minute...

After taking a break last week, The Batlord is back firing on all cylinders with three chapters of "The return of the Kings of Metal", so head on down to http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...t-schemes.html and get reading! No poseurs need apply...

DJ Chameleon is hitting "the Razor's Edge" hard this week, with reviews of albums from Gogol Bordello, Selena Gomez and Hands for Houses. He's also throwing in a new section, "Random thoughts", so get http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...chameleon.html and see what it's all about!

Bone Thugs N Harmony and Bus Driver both figure in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...dox-music.html

while Ki is reviewing an album by Tesseract and also considering whether or not Smashing Pumpkins are "Worth the Hype" (TM) in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...nal-music.html

and LadyisLingering plays some more extracts from her http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ic-memory.html for us, with T. Rex (surprise, surprise!), Genesis, Bobby Fuller and Billy Idol, to name but a few. Hope you'll be back fully online soon, Lil!

One of our other leading ladies, Lateralus has written a review of a gig she went to by Karnivool, and it forms part of http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...anderings.html, which are always good to hear.

Mondo Bungle is considering a month now in his new home, while also "Turning the Spotlight on" John Zorn. Get some http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...istortion.html in your life!

Powerstars is I think finding that maintaining the League Table is not as easy a job as it may seem. And don't forget, I used to have to do that AND write this update PLUS maintain four journals! Still, best of luck to him with and he's certainly made a great start. In http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...sicalness.html this week he has an interesting cover version of the Eagles' classic, "Hotel California". Can't say I love it, but it is different, I'll give it that.

Haven't been doing much work myself recently, which makes me guilty when I see the workload of the likes of Unknown Soldier or DJ, but hey, I've had other things to do. Still managed to get a new section into http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...d-journal.html called M*U*S*H (geddit?) which stands for Melancholy Unbelievably Slushy Heartbreakers, in other words, slow songs deconstructed. Sort of. Starting off with one from Gloria "Oye oye oye!" Estefan. Pickings have been a little slim over at http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-emporium.html too, with only the second episode of "House of cards" to draw people in. Nothing in either of my other two journals: oh the shame of it!

Just to make me feel even worse, Unknown Soldier seems to have been working flat out this week! As he begins his journey into 1977 there's music from BOC, Riot, Legs Diamond and Ted Nugent! Ah, the seventies! Tis well I remember them! Catch up on http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...y-history.html here.

Now, the burning question of our time, as I'm sure you all know, is, is Urban getting old? His last few journal entries have been about the "Now" series of crappy pop singles that have blighted the charts ever since the late eighties, in addition to praising Sir Cliff and now this week he's having fond memories about Tom Jones! Hey, has the big guy finally succumbed to old age? Says the guy who just turned fifty! Well no matter what his journal is always a good and entertaining read, and you can, as Black Adder says, get it here. http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...nal-stuff.html

Some pretty personal stuff in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-tripping.html, where Wolverine (I'm just going to shorten her name to that for now if that's ok) is doing a track-by-track review of the Lucius EP by Lucius, and let me say, it's something everyone should read.

This week's Showcase may in fact be the last one for a while. It may seem unlikely, but I appear to have featured everyone's journal now, and hopefully have drawn attention to those which deserved more readers. Mind you, if you feel your journal has been missed out and would like to be featured in the Showcase drop me a PM. I'm also not running the "Young guns and old hands" this week for pretty much the same reason. I may let this become more a monthly thing to see what develops. The last thing I want is saturation coverage or advertising simply for the sake of it. I want to bring your notice to journals that should be noticed, not just "the ones that are left". So this will be the last for a little while, but I think it's very well deserved.


A man who makes no secret of his love (obsession?) of the Beatles, Powerstars is one of those who has not been here years, and yet in some ways it seems like he has. His journal is mostly reviews, but there's nothing wrong with that, and he is trying to flesh it out a bit more. What does shine through is both his love of music and writing, and his genuine interest in this place, proven by his taking over of the thankless task of maintaining and running the League Table, on which I'm sure he'll do a better job than I.

As I say, he's a Beatles fan first (and second, and third) and so it would be remiss of me not to point you in the direction of his excellent review of one of their more famous albums. It's not for me, but that doesn't mean it doesn't provide one heck of a read. And if you're a fan, well then you'll enjoy it all the more!

Originally Posted by Powerstars

Review #007 - "Let It Be" by The Beatles

Year: 1970
Genre: Classic Rock/Pop

1970 was a hard year for The Beatles. Having just recorded and released Abbey Road after suffering through the hellish "Get Back" sessions, the band's future looked bleak. One thing was for sure: They had to call in someone to make something of the trainwreck that was the "Get Back" sessions. They called in Phil Spector, infamous for his "Wall Of Sound" approach.

When Paul McCartney first heard Spector's version of "The Long And Winding Road," he was furious. It went completely against the stripped-down sound that the original song, and album, for that matter, was supposed to have. He angrily called Spector and demanded that he change it back. He didn't. So, was this album any good? Or was it The Beatle's darkest hour. Let's find out.

1. Two Of Us
Opening with a bit of studio banter from John, this first song really has more of the "raw and real" feel than any other song on the album. McCartney wrote this, presumably about his wife at the time, Linda, though for whatever reason, John barged in one time and claimed he wrote it. A lot of fans interpret it as being about John and Paul, which is an easy assumption, they sing it together. Overall, a real solid track

2. Dig A Pony
Cool, groovy lil' track. The only new song that John wrote specifically for this album ("Across The Universe" was written 2 years prior, "One After 909" was written WAY back before the Beatles hit it big, John's part of "I've Got A Feeling" was also written 2 years prior), the track consist of word salad lyrics that Lennon later dismissed as garbage. Doesn't matter John, you may not like it, but this song is instrumentally tight and generally good.

3. Across The Universe
Now for a taste of the over-production. I feel this song is better when it's not orchestrated. John said that it was a lousy track...of a great song. This is one of his songs that he still loved late into his life. He just felt it hadn't been recorded properly. The guitars were out of tune, he said, and so was his voice. I personally still love it though, but I felt 2003's "Let It Be Naked" got the best take on the lousy take.

4. I Me Mine
Ah, George. Good ol' George. Great song, but once again plagued by overproduction. Not only is there an unneeded orchestra, but Phil Spector took the track and looped a section over again to make the song longer. YOU DON'T DO THAT TO THE BEATLES! THE BEATLES ARE SACRED! Still, one of the best songs on the album, and one of George's best cuts with the Beatles. While The Beatles considered it filler, George was smart enough to know it was good, and his autobiography, named after the song, proves that he retained a liking to it.

5. Dig It
This song just makes me feel sad whenever I listen to it. Not because it's a sad song or anything, but because of all the wasted potential. It was a jam session, that originally lasted 7 minutes. They actually went and recorded it again, which lasted 12 and a half minutes. On the original "Get Back" album it was supposed to be cut down to 5 minutes. We get 30 seconds of it here. Then, when "Let It Be Naked" was released, it was removed entirely. Why, Phil Spector? Why would you cut it down when it had so much potential?

6. Let It Be
The title track also suffers from overproduction with an unneeded orchestra. Still, it is one of the Beatles' signature songs, and easily recognizable.

7. Maggie Mae
More filler, although I can say at the very least that it wasn't cut down, just short to begin with. Come to think of it, why did Phil Spector make "I Me Mine" longer, only to include 2 short filler tunes. Back to the song, it's John and Paul running through an old Liverpool standard, nothing special.

8. I've Got A Feeling
My favorite song on the album, this is possibly the last time John and Paul wrote a song together. It is not plagued by overproduction, it just feels right. Combining John and Paul's concepts for songs in a perfect way, this song may be too perfect for any more words. Just listen to it now.

9. One After 909
An old Beatles number that they didn't think was good enough to include on any of their albums until this one. I disagree. It really showcases the Beatle's influences in the most Beatley way. Listening to the 1963 version on "Anthology," I can tell you that they reinvented this song. They made it so much better and it became something truly great. Paul remembers it as not a great song, but a great favorite of his.

10. The Long And Winding Road
Ugh! Phil Spector turned this jazzy tune into a more easy listening song. This is not a good thing. You can't ruin this song, but Phil Spector came close...and his version became the hit! Listening to the "Let It Be...Naked" version just kind of makes me angry at how he drowned out the original drums, guitar, and even McCartney's voice! The anthology version is also less easy listening, but more spacey and folkish, which is a really cool sound. I can see how Paul would've been mad with what he did to this version. It's a meh take on a stellar song.

11. For You Blue
Another song that Spector (thankfully) didn't try orchestrate. Bluesy tune, I was completely obsessed with it for a time. As George puts it, it's a simple 12-bar song. Simply, catchy, and damn good. I really love the lap steel solo by John.

12. Get Back
The original title track, Spector thankfully left this one pretty much as is, although I prefer the single version by a small margin. This one is a good note to end on though and overall, there wasn't much he could've done to ruin this song anyways.

Conclusion: Some songs suffer just a bit from Spectorization ("I Me Mine," "Across The Universe"), while others are drowning in it ("The Long And Winding Road"), while others yet suffer none at all ("Dig A Pony," "Get Back," etc.) It's a good album, but unbalanced and suffering bad production. Overall though, Phil Spector can decrease the quality, but he will never ruin the Beatles

Final Score: 78/100 (Go, Johnny, Go)

So that wraps up another journal update. As I said in the introduction, there are notable absences in some journals this week, but that's ok: people need to recharge and I'm sure once the reviews are done or the ideas sorted out they'll all be back with a vengeance. Not everyone updates every week (sometimes even I find it hard) but to quote the Wise Old Man of the forum, Urban: "Quality, not quantity". How right he is. So take your time, guys and gals, and we'll breathlessly await the wondrous creations you have in store for us. What do you mean, you haven't any wondrous creations? Well, create some! Right away please!

Now if you'll excuse me it's way past my naptime. Where's my cup of warm milk? Ahhh...

Till next week, then.
Toodles!

[The Batlord]

Originally Posted by Trollheart

After taking a break last week, The Batlord is back firing on all cylinders with three chapters of "The return of the Kings of Metal", so head on down to http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...t-schemes.html and get reading! No poseurs need apply...

Dude, it's only one chapter. There's a 20,000 character post limit, and the last chapter apparently went over 40,000 so I needed three posts just to upload it.

[Trollheart]

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Dude, it's only one chapter. There's a 20,000 character post limit, and the last chapter apparently went over 40,000 so I needed three posts just to upload it.

Oh, okay. Fair enough; I've had that same problem myself. Just uploaded my review of "Downfall" and it is over 42,000 chars long, so had also to be posted in three parts. Still, looks good!

[Trollheart]

Allright, step lively there! Stick with me and please, no flash photography. We need to protect the copyright of everyone who lives here. You do not want to have to face Mister Burns's legal team! Yes, that's it, on up to the desk there, and make sure you present your passport. Now, everyone accounted for? Grand. Follow me then as we take another tour of the wonderful land we call Journal! Some of you, of course, have been here many times, for others it may be your first visit. So what has been happening this week at the Ideas Factory? With apologies to George Lucas...

Anteater is wrapping up the Crimson Glory story (sorry) in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...n-dollars.html: wonder what he has for us next? One thing is not in doubt, and that is that it will be great.

"The return of the Kings of Metal" is coming close to a climax (oh he'd just love that, wouldn't he? Sexual innuendo in the review of his journal!) so if you're not up to speed on The Batlord's inspired writing yet then get on down to http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...t-schemes.html and breathe it in, people!

The Big3 is back http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ming-moon.html and this time he's screaming about Clutch, who he says are an underrated band and have a lot to offer. Check out his journal to see what else he has to say about them.

Lot of people who haven't written for a while coming back this week with entries, none more welcome than Big Ears, who's doing a great review of Genesis's seminal "Selling England by the pound" in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...s-journal.html

And also back is Kay! Yay! Well, not quite, but she's certainly posting about posting, and says we can expect her next review soon in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...s-journal.html --- waiting breathlessly, girl!

Ki has a song stuck in his head. What song is it? Well, to find out you're going to have to mouseify this link http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...nal-music.html. And while you're there you can also read his entry on video game music ("Robot Unicorn Attack 2"? Who couldn't love that title!)

"The top 10 music listening experiences" for Mondo Bungle are on offer this week in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...istortion.html, along with some personal stuff about his own life. If you like Disembowellment (not literally, of course!), Planning for Burial (again, not literally) and Slint among others head in his direction.

There's another Song Overthinker in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...sicalness.html

And even I've been trying to up the quota myself, so in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...d-journal.html there's a new section called "The Hook", a return for "Variations on a theme" as well as another "Album from Hell", and in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-emporium.html there's more Frasier as well as my review of the incredible film "Downfall" ("Der Untergang") chronicling the last days of Hitler. If you haven't seen it, you should remedy that immediately! Also squeezing in a review of the latest album from Visions of Atlantis in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...i-reviews.html and listening to more of those http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ver-heard.html, this time it's the Sisters of Mercy and Neutral Milk Hotel.

1977 continues to be a good year for hard rock and heavy metal, and Unknown Soldier's http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...y-history.html this week looks at important albums from that year from Judas Priest and Aerosmith.

Continuing her track-by-track review of the Lucius EP, Wolverine is up to track four now in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-tripping.html: man, you can just feel the love she has for this band in her writing!

YorkeDaddy has started releasing tracks from the soon-to-be unleashed album from his band, which interestingly enough bears the same name as that of one of our members! In other news, I've been asked to review the album so that will be a worldwide exclusive, stay tuned for it. For now, you can hear some of the music here http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...sterpiece.html, with more to come. Oh, and you can also catch the freeaky album cover they made!


As I mentioned last week, I won't be doing any more Showcases for a while, as I don't want to cheapen the section by just choosing whatever's left that I haven't yet done, and that's no slight on anyone who hasn't been featured. The Showcase is meant to throw a spotlight on a particularly good journal, and while everyone here writes well and on interesting subjects, the ones that have really impressed me have been those I've chosen for the Showcase and now I need to wait till some other incredible talent (yeah, you lot out there!) come up with something that catches my attention.


For now then, I'm going to fall back on an old idea and choose my Post of the Week. This can be from any journal, young or old, and can have been written any time; it doesn't have to have been written this week, or even this year. It can be on any subject but will be something either very different, very deep or just very well written and from the heart. For my first selection I'd like to take this very personal offering from Mondo Bungle, which he wrote this week.

Originally Posted by Mondo Bungle

Forgive me for interrupting my list, but I'd like to post these couple passages that I wrote back in Reno, before I left. It was mid-late June when I wrote them.


We weren't even living in our new house for four months when I came home late one day to my dad sitting alone in the living room. "You'd better start packing your sh*t," he said, "we've got till the end of this week." Things haven't worked out in a while.

Lately life has been so stressful. I can't recall the last time I was truly happy or at ease. I've wanted to find solace in companionship, but my brain is forcing me to think that my friends don't want me around. I don't know how they feel about me sometimes. I've always felt removed from the group. I'd still like one more chance to hang out before I leave. After my overwhelming surge of emotion and loss of control last Saturday, (it may very well have been a mental breakdown) I've grown more and more depressed. I'm not looking forward to moving to a new town at all. My whole life is here.

I feel like I'm losing it. I can't sleep to well, my mood is shifting rapidly. Each day has been interweaved with moments of extreme depression, severe anxiety, and violent anger. I have no one to turn to. I'd wish to go back in time, but I'd always know that this is the future.

I was hoping for a better summer. WHY THE F*CK DOES SHI*T HAVE TO SUCK. maybe moving will be good, no one will know me in a new town.

I NEED DRUGS AND ALCOHOL F*CK DAMN IT F*CK.

People care more than I think...........why is my brain a piece of sh*t? why won't you let me be happy? Deep down somewhere I know that my friends care about me, but stupid things make you push those thoughts away.

I told a friend I would be leaving, and he said they all were gonna throw me a party

I knew my friends cared. I should try to understand that they all have jobs now, and I don't. But our little get together was fun. I was considerably more drunk the next morning though, after making like ten delicious vodka cranberries. I got a ride to my old house but my dad was at a storage unit. I misunderstood him on the phone since I was so drunk. We had to free buffet coupons, so we ate like kings that night, we probably wouldn't have much for a while afterwards.

I'm living in a garage, f*ck yeah! I haven't taken a shower in a week and a half, and I just can't get enough stale bread. THINGS ARE SOOOO GREAT. At least I'm leaving soon.

I'm leaving tomorrow, so today I went up to my friends' neighborhood for one last day. I took a shower first, because I desperately needed one. We just sat around talking that afternoon, I left before it got dark.


That's about as good a summary as the last two-ish weeks in Reno as any, but it was the week before where emotions really started to run high.

And finally...

Already famous for his "25 albums you should hear" journal, Janszoon wrapped that up --- rather courageously and pragmatically, I thought: I would have been tempted to have stretched it out and probably delayed ending it --- and then began http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...sible-man.html, in the inimitable way only he can, thinking of things only he does and working out concepts few if any of us would even think of attempting. Sadly, in one way, it's now to be found on page three of the journals section, having been last updated , but in other ways this is not such a bad thing, taken overall, as this has occurred mostly due to the plethora of new journals that have started up since the lonly insubstantial one last trod the murky night streets in the rain.

Nevertheless, it ranks as one of the better journals certainly of this year, and I would hope that we haven't seen the last of it. I know everyone is busy and more often than not, a journal is not something that ranks high on anyone's list of priorities (unless they're really sad, like me), but I certainly hope that Janszoon manages to update this again some time soon. As I've said before, the music in itself doesn't interest me but that's secondary to Jansz's great and insightful writing. We need to hear more about the adventures of the Invisible Man. What about it, Jansz?

For those who have not yet read it, or even those who have, here's where it all started...

Originally Posted by Janszoon

One night. Twelve hours. Twelve albums. One lonely, see-through bastard.

7:00 pm
Bud Powell—Time Waits: The Amazing Bud Powell (1958)

The invisible man sits at a table by himself, munching on a bread roll. He loves this restaurant—the godfather booths, the mood lighting, the jazz on the speakers—the whole kit and caboodle just has such fantastic ambiance. Normally just being here makes him feel mellow and content, but tonight he's feeling kind of anxious, worrying if his date is going to show up. She's almost forty-five minutes late and he's starting to wonder if he's been stood up, or for that matter, if she even knew they were supposed to meet in the first place. It wouldn't be the first time that's happened—meeting someone he likes at a party only to discover later that she had mistaken him for a coat hanging on a door and assumed she was talking to the cute guy standing nearby in line for the bathroom. He's not generally a morose sort of person, he usually tries to see the bright side of things, but it's moments like this when his condition definitely feels like a burden. He slouches down in his chair and tries to immerse himself in the sounds of the bebop album that fills the air around him, Time Waits: The Amazing Bud Powell.

Like our transparent friend sitting alone in the the restaurant, this album is generally upbeat but with a depressive undercurrent running throughout that it fights very hard against. It opens with the latin-esque "Buster Rides Again", which is one of those swinging, upbeat songs where it's almost impossible to keep your body from moving while listening to it, due in a large part to the interplay between Powell's rhythmic keys and the shapeshifting patterns of drummer Philly Joe Jones. The second track, "Sub City" is a little more mellow, but still a toe-tapping bebop classic, with somebody, probably Powell, off-mic scatting nonsense along with the melody. It's not until track number three, the title track, that the album slumps down into melancholy. Sure it tries to sound simply relaxed, but the subtly dissonant, off-kilter piano staggers reveal a heart that belongs more to the sad sack passed out at the bar than the hipster smoking a cigarette by the stage. Once revealed, the sullen soul of this album can't hide itself despite it's best stabs at being cheery. On the subsequent tracks, "Marmelade", "Monopoly" and "John's Abbey", for example, the tunes pump along in groovy bop fashion, but those off-mic vocals show up again, sounding less like scatting and more like a testy drunk arguing with himself in an alley. Beyond that, on the last of those three, the entire piece feels like it's teetering on the verge of mania. On the one hand it's straight-up bebop, but on the other, like a lot of classic bop, its formalism barely able to contain itself within a mechanism that's flying out of control. In the end, the album turns introspective again with "Dry Soul", another late night rambler that sounds anything but dry.

The despondency that seeps in around the edges of this album is unfortunately no surprise. It was recorded late in Powell's career, when his alcoholism and personal baggage were just on the verge of obliterating his talent. His brother had died less than two years before, in the same Pennsylvania car wreck that killed legendary jazz trumpeter Clifford Brown, but even before that Powell was not the most stable of characters. He was abnormally sensitive to the effects of alcohol and sadly also came to be dependent on it. He spent several years of his life in mental institutions, overmedicated and subjected to electroshock therapy. The result was a shattered man. A genius on par with Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk, but one who was so tragically broken that in end he died young—only eight years after this album—of tuberculosis, alcoholism and malnutrition, no longer even able to play piano like he used to.

So it's time once again to depart Journal Land, head to the border and check your passport, have it stamped and noted, and shuffle towards the waiting bus, taking one last longing glance back. You know, you can easily be a part of this vibrant, ideas-filled village. It's easy to join. You know how by now. And you'll always find friendly advice and help once you step beyond these gates. Why not join us? We're waiting for you.

That's it for another week. Stay tuned for Powerstars, who should be along later with this week's League Table. Till next week,
Toodles!

[The Batlord]

Originally Posted by Trollheart

"The return of the Kings of Metal" is coming close to a climax (oh he'd just love that, wouldn't he? Sexual innuendo in the review of his journal!) so if you're not up to speed on The Batlord's inspired writing yet then get on down to http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...t-schemes.html and breathe it in, people!

*snort*

[Powerstars]

Oh my gosh. Thank you so much for the mention and for the spotlight. You don't know how much it means to me. I will continue maintaining both my journal and the table not just for Trollheart, but for everyone!

I LOVE YOU GUYS.

[Powerstars]

I may have made some mistakes in the table this week. If anything seems amiss, PM me and we'll work out The Kinks (Everybody's Gonna Be Happy! That means you and me, my love. Everybody's GONNA BE HAPPY)

[Powerstars]

A new, slightly delayed league table. Apologies to DJ Chameleon, who I neglected to include last week.


Trollheart sends himself into the top spot, with Batlord also rising up. Big Ears also enters the table with his Rabbiting On journal.

[Powerstars]

I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry, the league table is stressful, so I will not be continuing on...if someone wants to take up the reigns, feel free. I will send you all you need...but, I'm sorry MB community. It's too hard for this user...STOP BOOING ME.

[Burning Down]

So Trollheart's not doing the league table anymore either?