The Music Banter Members' Journals Monthly Update Thread

[Janszoon]

Hey TH: Sorry for the late response, but thank you for profiling my journal a few weeks ago! It's always nice to hear some positive feedback.

[Scarlett O'Hara]

Yeah Trollheart thanks for the mention!

[Trollheart]

And so we're into the final update for May, as summer should be winging its way towards us --- unless you live in Ireland of course! Interesting and encouraging to see that the entire first page of the journals section is this week up for grabs, with a whole fistful of new entries and some resurrected journals too. So let's dive right in then.

Until Anteater makes his presence known in the journals again, it's at B we start and so to the Batlord, where in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...lks-about.html he's still on a female pop kick, with Britney already reviewed, now he's checking out Kylie and Ke$ha. Careful man: you're in danger of losing your post as Hardest Metal Guy on the Forum! Still, he does also review Lou Reed''s "Metal machine music", though he seems as bemused about it as most of us are.... Over in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...t-schemes.html he's looking at Dark Angel, the perfect antidote to those "up-and-at-em" mornings, apparently, and in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-fidelity.html he's started talking about the songs, with Neil Young, The Smiths, Aretha Franklin and more!

Gavin B continues his musical journey while talking about The School, April March and Aquaserge, Caro Emerald, The National.... look, there's just too much to note it all here. Just rest assured that you'll find something to interest you in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...use-songs.html, okay?

Goofle11 is talking about that Catherine Wheel album again! Check out what he has to say at http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-sessions.html

Another journal coming out of the archives is Hermione's http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ised-fire.html which seems to have had its last update in 2011. But now she's talking about Britpop, in particular the Stone Roses, so head her way to discuss.

Delight knows no bounds! Janszoon is back to tell us more about http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...sible-man.html and as usual you'll get not only great and strange music here, but incredible prose. This time our insubstantial friend is listening to Byetone, "Death of a typographer". Cool. You need to check this journal out. And Jansz, you need to update more!

Ki's taking a short break from his journal, but before he does he's taking a look at the new album from Daft Punk, which everyone seems to love. Not my thing, you understand --- disco, vocoders, all that --- but it's a pretty fine review. Catch it before he heads off on his holidays at http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...nal-music.html

And of course we then come to Ladyislingering, where she's paying tribute both to the late Ray Manzarek of the Doors, who died earlier this week, and legend Marc Bolan, who seems to be something of an obssession with her. They're all in her http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ic-memory.html, along with a lot of other cool stuff.

Pedestrian has completed her pilot script for a TV comedy! And it's pretty damn good, too. Check it out at http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...sswalking.html
and tell her what you think.

And Powerstars is widening his focus in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...sicalness.html with reviews of the Beatles (no, wait...) Sonny Moore aka Skrillex apparently, an album I sent hs way by 3 and, er, Super Mario Brothers. Hey look: if you can't find something there to pique your interest there's something wrong!

Another to return to us this week is Screen13, always welcome, and in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...album-day.html you'll find a feature on the movie Mondo Bizzaro: I don't know it but apprently it's very famous. Sixties nostalgia, eh?

I've been doing what I can to update my journals as regularly as possible, though I am currently writing a lot of material that won't see publication for some time. In http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...d-journal.html there's a review of one of what I consider a-ha's greatest albums, a new section called "Two sides of the same coin", along with a new "Words get in the way" and one of the closing few entries on my Rory Gallagher special. Red Dwarf season one comes to an end in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-emporium.html, and Supernatural is getting there too: two more episodes from that as well as another from Spooks, with the announcement too of yet another new series due soon, this being the much-loved comedy Frasier. What about http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...i-reviews.html? Yeah, I've managed to throw in a review there too, well sort of. Just have a look, you'll see what I mean.

And so on to http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...y-history.html, where Unknown Soldier introduces us to Angel, plus two live albums and a bunch of other albums that again, didn't make the cut for this year. So much to read, so little time...

But before US has the chance to lock the door Vanilla is sliding in (stop that, all of you!) and telling us all about the Pretty Reckless in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-eargasms.html. What a way to end!

Now, last week I promised Antonio I would feature his review on Tyler the Creator as the Showcase and, well, here it is.


Whether you're into this sort of music or not (I'm firmly in the latter camp) you really should read this because it is one hell of a great review. Sadly Antonio's journal has slipped off the front page, mostly I think because so many people are suddenly updating this week, but if you go to read this and his other material you'll be helping him by moving him back to page one, where he deserves to be.

Originally Posted by Antonio

ALBUM REVIEW
Tyler, The Creator-WOLF

If you have any of a handle on music today, then I don't think I have to tell you who Tyler, The Creator is or how WOLF is his third solo release following BASTARD and GOBLIN.

The thing with Tyler's solo releases is that much of the narrative and content focus on his personal life, both past and present. What makes it different from a number of other self reflective rappers is that Tyler doesn't necessarily go out of his way to explain everything. Alot of the tracks are wrapped up in subtle references to close friends, previous albums, and the OF collective itself. This may be confusing for some people who are just listening to Odd Future now; you may be wondering who this guy he's mentioning is or if he's talking about himself but differently or if what he's talking about is something that happened on a previous album. That being said, Wolf isn't exactly the first album I'd recommend to someone trying to get into Tyler's music or OF in general. I will say though, that there's this article written that more or less explains the "backstory" if you will of this trilogy and has some interesting clues and tid bits that make listening to this all the more intriguing. While I can't completely say that everything here is true, it's still an interesting read.

The themes central to this release are definitely a shift from some of the subject matter Tyler became well known for on Bastard and Goblin. There's still plenty of expletives and insults thrown towards everyone and plenty of "GOLF WANG, WOLF GANG, etc" calls that tells you you're listening to an Odd Future release. What changes here though is how much of Tyler is put in here. You can definitely map the change between the 3 albums from the more brazen and crude tracks that center around rape and cutting up bodies to the tracks that contain much more personal things like Tyler's estranged father, his past relationships and his feelings of isolation and loneliness. These were elements present in Goblin, and while some really good tracks were made it never really reached it's full potential musically. This is why tracks like Answer, Awkward, and IFHY(I ****ing Hate You) are great and the high point of this album; they really do well to convey the guy behind all the OF shoutouts and the Supreme clothing. IFHY and Answer especially, the instrumentals have this sort of broken melancholy to them, like a childhood toy that has been damaged beyond repair. That, along with his uneasiness and frustrations present in his rapping really do well to covey Tyler's sensitivity to these subjects and are two of the most introspective parts of the album.

It's clear that Tyler is a guy who makes music for himself and his friends, and whether you'll like the lyrical content of this album is highly dependent on whether you're interested or even know about Tyler's background or the inner workings of Odd Future. For people who are just looking for good lyricism though, you'll be able to find some really clever and even funny lines, but in terms of raw rapping it's a bit underwhelming compared to something like Bastard offered up. There's also a bit of overuse of those magical cursewords(f*ck, motherf*ck, who gives a f*ck, f*ggot) that Tyler just loves to use to the point of crutching it. Still, I always felt that his rapping, while pretty good in some points, was just half of what makes him who he is.

Where this release really shines is in its production. Even from the opening track Wolf, you can tell that the production has really improved and is starting to take shape with what he wants it to convey. The type of sounds you would expect from a release by him are still present(alot of synths, pianos and "cheap" sounding effects) but are more refined and have a certain cohesiveness to them. While some may see this and hate those types of sounds and find them mediocre, I find it as Tyler nailing down his own production style. Jamba comes up right after and is a pretty good following track, if not already expected, type of song befitting Odd Future. The chorus especially delivers this really cool arpeggio that really brings it together. Plus this is probably the best verse Hodgy Beats has ever done. No seriously; I actually didn't think it was him till I saw the feature, haha.

Slater and 48 both have these smooth RnB chords and sounds, and both feature OF alum Frank Ocean. Slater is a really chill, and to be honest aimless in a (good) way and 48 is something that I enjoy seeing Tyler doing; a legit RnB/rap track. While it talks about dealing drugs and it's less than good repercussions, it still has this nice feel to it that I have no problem playing in my car while I'm out on the town. Tyler has some aggression here, but in a way it's undercut by the production and really nice chorus.

A surprisingly good track on here is the 3 song PartyIsntOver/Campfire/Bimmer. Normally I'm not into multiple song tracks; I feel that most of the time the pauses between tracks breaks the flow and alot of the times the two tracks don't belong anywhere near each other, but the way these songs come together really works. They have a really nice set of instrumentals that are backed by Tyler's bassy monotone voice, as well as a few features that spice up the songs by adding some really nice melodies. My personal favorite is the group of kids singing on Campfire. At first this didn't really catch my attention but after a few more listens it really grew on me.

Now, don't think that this album is just a bunch of mellow, slow songs and that Tyler has just lost it or something. When Pigs and Parking Lot crash through, they deliver an anger laden and rough at best trip, outlining acts of violence with these sinister and almost unsettling beats. Rusty follows them up and diffuses some of the aggression, but still has it's own aggression to spare. In a way, Rusty really comes through and becomes one of the best parts of this album. Domo Genesis really delivers on his verse and Tyler has some good lines, but Earl Sweatshirt's feature felt underwhelming, where there wasn't as much of a personality that you had on his Earl album. It almost sounds like he's not really all there.

There's also tracks like Domo 23, Trashwang and Tamale which are tracks made to be the offensive and brazen OF you've come to know and love, and while I do enjoy Domo and Tamale, I fully acknowledge that the lyrical content is more shock oriented than clever or thought provoking. Still, Domo 23 is more or less a standard OF song, a la Rella from The OF Tape Vol 2, and Tamale offers a surprisingly catchy hook and the horns with the sample really add to the ferocity, especially when they go to a more sinister set of melodies halfway through. The fact that one of the first lines in this is "Tell Spike Lee he's a f*cking n*gger" really shows that this kid still has some teeth among the more reflective songs.

Trashwang is a different story. Listening to it I felt that they made it to be the Bitch Suck Dick of this album, but while BSD was a sharp and hilarious satire of rapping bravado and flashy posturing, Trashwang comes off as sort of limp. There's definitely some funny lines here, but the beat itself comes off as kind of lazy and too on the nose for something trying to make fun of "going hard" with a song.

That's not the only weak spot of this album, either. There's Colossus, which is pretty much meant to be Tyler's Stan, concerning an obsessive TtC and OF fan, but compared to the story with Stan who was obsessive to the point of fearing for your life, this fan just comes off as kind of creepy but ultimately harmless. The beat/composition of the song is nice, but the lyrics and the gravity Tyler is trying to give it come off as slightly pretentious and just ineffectual. I'm not too big of a fan of the song Cowboy either, it's beat just seems more paltry than purposefully minimalistic, and the chorus gets in your head, but I would just as soon kick it out once it reared it's ugliness.

There's also a point where a couple of songs aren't really that great of a fit for this release. Treehome95 is an RnB track that features Erykah Badu, but it's tone compared to the rest of the album is too different in my opinion. I like it, mind you, but it feels like this would have been better as a separate single. The closer Lone is an interesting track too, the production is much more jazzier than previously and almost seems unlike Tyler, but hey, that just means he's really spreading out his influences, right?

In the end, I really enjoyed this album. This wasn't a mindblowing release though(listen to Chance The Rapper's Acid Rap for that *wink wink*), but this was definitely a fine release from Mr. The Creator.

So I give it an 7/10.


Favorite Tracks-Jamba, Awkward, Domo 23, Answer, 48, PartyIsntOver/Campfire/Bimmer, IFHY, Rusty, Tamale
Least Favorite Tracks-Cowboy, Colossus, Trashwang

So that's it for another week. Great to see so many updates, renewals of journals and really top-notch writing all round. Keep it up, everyone!

Until next week,
Toodles!

[Powerstars]

lol I liked what you wrote about mine.

[Screen13]

Thanks for the mention. Mondo Bizarro is an Exploitation Movie fan's favorite, especially that of those who look into the pre-MPAA Rating era of Exploitation and Sexploitation which started in Nov. 1968, when a couple of the first X ratings were for Greetings, Directed by a young Brian De Palma and starring Robert De Nero, and Girl on a Motorcycle starring Marianne Faithful and later called Naked Under Leather in a early 1971 re-issue (In '69, small cuts would turn the film into an R).

Mondo Bizarro was certainly an inspiration for the Ramones to call their 1990 album by that title, proven by their covers album a couple of years later being called the Acid Eaters, a film Produced and Distributed through David F. Friedman who was a friend and competitor of Olympic International's Bob Cresse. You can point to The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film as being a spark for a lot of interest in these films in The 80's and Something Weird Video's growth in the Early 90's.

"Back in the Day", it was a hit in Adult/Sexploitation film circles, and even was part of Olympic's 1970 campaign to get it's films into the growing Adult Theater business after the X Rating made these films more playable, although it certainly would have got an R today (it was from 1966, keep in mind). It's enjoyable, although some of Cresse's humor in the fake mondo scenes will be certainly be tasteless to some. This does not mean it was well known in mainstream circles, but it played well enough for many to remember both it's tasteless fake mondo scenes, fake credits, and the inclusion of some real captures in LA '66.

Actually, one of the background music selections was also used in Ray Dennis Steckler's flick Rat Phink a Boo Boo! Credited, too!

[Trollheart]

Ah, June is upon us! Two days into the new month, halfway through the year already and here we are with another look at what the residents of Journal Land are up to this week.

Antonio beats the Batlord to the opening review this week, and he's looking at another rap/hip-hop album in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ng-ground.html, this time Chance the Rapper, whom he says is what could be possibly described as a "nice" rapper. Interested? Head his way: his reviews are always detailed and informative, and well-written.

Champing at the bit to go, but held back by Antonio's incredibly clever decision to have a username beginning with A, we had better let the Batlord loose, for he doth have much wisdom to impart! In http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...lks-about.html he's continuing his girlpop kick and checking out Madonna's work, as well as more Ke$sha and, just to redress the gender imbalance (or more likely because he's getting bored), REM. In http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-fidelity.html he's up to page 37 and seems to have developed an unexpected appreciation for Bob Dylan...

Gavin B meanwhile is moving on to the Stax Records story and if you're not interested in that (and why not, I ask?) then poke around http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...use-songs.html and you'll also find a band called Piano Magic who have ... no piano in their music. There! Didn't I tell you there's always something different and interesting going on here? Don't doubt me in future, it makes me angry, and you wouldn't like me when I'm angry. Actually, you probably wouldn't like me when I'm calm. But enough of me, on we go...

Ki is next, and as he said, http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...nal-music.html However, he and I have a disagreement. He thinks Asia's "XXX" is brilliant, I think it's ... not. Well to be honest I think it's terrible, but there you are: the world wouldn't be half as interesting and forums like this would certainly not exist if everyone thought the same. Still, you should know that he is wrong. Check out what he has to say above.

And of course that takes us alphabetically to his better half, where Ladyislingering has once again astounded us with her http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ic-memory.html, where you'll find music form Heart, Squeeze and Weird Al (remember him?) as well as her opinion on legendary producer Phil Spector (she thinks he's a douchbag. She's right.)

Been a while since Plankton favoured us with an update, but then when you consider the quality of music he produces himself you can understand that. If you haven't already read my review of his album then head to my journal post haste, and thence to his website, there to download and enjoy! However, in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...um-bucket.html he's getting back to talking about his musical influences growing up, particularly those that impacted on his later guitar playing. Here he's paying homage to Rush, and with a guitarist like Alex Lifeson, who would question that?

Powerstars has started going through his brother's record collection, and selected some gems to review. It says here. Anyway, in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...sicalness.html the particular nugget he's decided on this week is Nirvana's "Nevermind". Not my thing, but he does a great review, and if you like Kurt and the boys then head his way.

Screen13 has also been busy this week. In the eerily-titled http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ies-other.html he's talking about a film called Times Square which, though something of a flop commercially, gave birth to a great soundtrack.

And so to me. What have I been up to? Nothing that could be proven beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law, I assure you! Oh, you mean in my journal! Well, let's see. In http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...d-journal.html there's a return for "More than words", as well as "Run for cover" which features Pulp and, er, William Shatner? I kid you not! There's also a new section in which I drone on about the albums I'm currently listening to, while http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...i-reviews.html has a review of an album by Images of Eden, with the final episode of season one of "Love/Hate" and an announcement of the soon-to-be-commenced reviews of "Frasier" in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-emporium.html.

Unknown Soldier is looking mostly at live albums in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...y-history.html with albums by Kiss, BOC and Grand Funk, but he also has time to talk about Uriah Heep and some band called Armageddon. All this, and sleep too! Amazing!

And everyone's favourite grump shows us all how it's done with his new journal, http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...79-2000-a.html, with albums already reviewed by Ry Cooder, The Undertones, Neil Young and Gang of Four. Shaping up to be one of THE journals to read!

Finally, Zero is no doubt contemplating summer in Ireland, as in his journal http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...nal-sound.html he's considering three albums for walking in the rain. Ooh yeah, bring on the summer, man!

And now, this week's Showcase...

I've criminally ignored this journal for weeks now, so it's time to put this to rights.

Although he only began his journal last October, Big Ears has put an amazing amount of information, research and time into http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...s-journal.html, and I can only really compare his writing, in terms of research and knowledge of his subject, to that of Unknown Soldier. Yeah, I know: it's that good. Here's an excerpt:

Originally Posted by Big Ears

Hearing Earring: A Biography of Golden Earring

Golden Earring was formed as The Tornados by George Kooymans and Rinus Gerritsen, with guitarist Hans van Herwerden and drummer Fred van der Hilst, in the Hague, the Netherlands, in 1961. When the Tornados discovered their name was already being used by Billy Fury's band, the name The Golden Earrings (in the plural) was adopted. With Frans Krassenburg on vocals, Jaap Eggermont replacing Van der Hilst on drums and Van Herweden jettisoned, their debut single 'Please Go' was also the first hit, reaching number eight in the Netherlands' chart in 1965. An album, Just Earrings, produced by manager Fred Haayen, was released in the same year (Peter de Ronde also plays rhythm guitar). Haayen arranged for the next single, 'That Day', to be recorded at the Pye Records studios in London, a decision which paid off, as it reached number two in the Dutch charts in 1966. 'That Day' was only kept from the number one spot by The Beatles' 'Michelle'. Augmented by session piano player, Cees Schrama, the Golden Earrings recorded the Winter Harvest album, which was released in January 1967.

Original singer Frans Krassenburg was replaced by Barry Hay in 1967 and a year later, the band finally achieved their first number one hit in the Netherlands with the typically Euro-titled, 'Dong Dong Diki Digi Dong'. The same line-up of Hay, Kooymans, Gerritsen and Eggermont recorded the Miracle Mirror, which was released in 1968. On the Double, in 1969, was the last album to feature Eggermont, with Sieb Warner replacing him on drums for Eight Miles High in the same year (released under the name The Golden Earring - singular). Eggermont switched mainly to production work and later became known for the 'Stars on 45' dance medley records of the early 1980s. DJ Neil Kempfer-Stocker began playing the band on US East Coast FM radio and they embarked on two North American tours in 1969, however the Perception Records label in New York failed to capitalise on the Golden Earring album, aka Wall of Dolls, with the Back Home single, in 1970. Golden Earring is the first album credited to 'Golden Earring' and introduces drummer Cesar Zuiderwijk. This 'classic' line-up would remain intact for more than 40 years.

During this period with Barry Hay, Golden Earring evolved into a hard rock band. They enjoyed brief international superstardom in 1973-74 when the shortened version of 'Radar Love', from the Gold-certified album Moontan, became a hit single in both Europe and the USA. For a while, Cesar Zuiderwijk was a minor celebrity for jumping over over his drum-kit at the end of TV performances of 'Radar Love'. Between 1969 and 1984, Golden Earring completed 13 US tours. They performed as the opening act for such luminaries as Santana, King Crimson, The Doobie Brothers, Rush and .38 Special. When 'Radar Love' was a hit, they even had Kiss and Aerosmith as their opening acts. Being signed to Track Records, a UK label, the band hired the quadraphonic sound system used by The Who. Indeed, because of their successful transition from makers of hit singles in the early sixties to full rock band in the seventies, they were compared to The Who.

Eelco Gelling joined Golden Earring, as a second guitarist alongside Kooymans (replacing occasional keyboardist, Robert Jan Stips of Supersister), in 1973, and first appeared on Contraband (1976) which was released in the US as Mad Love. Gelling's haunting slide work is highlighted on a number of tracks, particularly on the single Bombay. The group released its first live album, Golden Earring Live, in 1977, on which Kooymans's and Gellng's dual guitars breath new life into extended versions of the classics, including 'Radar Love'. An edited version of the latter returned Earring to the UK singles charts in 1977. Gelling also played on the group's Grab It For A second album of 1978. During a tour of the United States, he left the band, following differences over improvisation, and after his favourite guitar (a Gibson Les Paul Custom) was stolen from a cab in New York. Returning to the Netherlands, he played in several bands including his own Eelco Gelling Band.

Golden Earring enjoyed a short period of US stardom but were unable to secure further chart success until 1982's Twilight Zone. An accompanying music video, directed by Dick Maas, was one of the first rock videos played on the recently launched MTV and helped the song become a top ten single. 'When the Lady Smiles' was an international hit in 1984, reaching number 3 in Canada and becoming the band's fifth number one hit in their native country, but it received a disappointing reaction in the United States. The reason for this lack of success was attributed to the promotional video being banned from MTV, due to nudity and a scene portraying the rape of a nun. An edited version of the video was shown, but to little avail. While touring the US, the band played at the Great Arena of Six Flags Great Adventure on 11th May 1984, when a fire at the Haunted Castle began on the opposite side of the theme park, killing eight teenagers. Following this tour, Golden Earring returned their focus towards Europe, where they continued to attract large audiences.

In 1991, Golden Earring released the excellent Bloody Buccaneers album and scored another hit in the Netherlands with 'Going to the Run', about a motorcycling friend of the band who who was killed in a road crash. A 'run' is motorcycle jargon for a group of motorcyclists riding to a particular destination. Until recently, Golden Earring were performing over 200 concerts a year, mainly in their home country and occasionally in Belgium, Germany and the UK. These performances have been released on several live albums: the aforementioned Live, recorded at London's Rainbow Theater in 1977; 2nd Live, 1981; Something Heavy Going Down, 1984 (also released on DVD as Live from the Twilight Zone); and Last Blast of the Century, a live recording of their last concert of the 20th century (available on both CD and DVD). Furthermore, there are the band's acoustic live albums including: The Naked Truth (1992), Naked II (1997) and Naked III (2005). Their latest live album, Live from Ahoy 2006, is a DVD with bonus CD.

Golden Earring have not toured outside Europe since 1984. However, the Millbrook USA album was recorded at Frank Carillo's studio in New York. They performed two gigs in the UK, for the first time in 30 years, with one concert on 14th March 2009 at The Shepherd's Bush Empire in London and another on 13th March at Ipswich Regent Theatre. Golden Earring celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2011 and have been performing almost continuously since their formation in 1961. From 1970 onwards, they have had the same core of four musicians, occasionally augmented with keyboardist, Robert Jan Stips of Supersister, and of course for a while, Eelco Gelling, making them one of the longest surviving unchanged lineups. Barry Hay relocated to the Dutch Antilles island of Curaçao in the Caribbean.

On 10th October 2011, at the Historical Museum of The Hague, PostNL presented the first postage stamp with music, issued in honour of Golden Earring's 50th anniversary. When the stamp is held up to a smartphone with a special app, Golden Earring’s 'Radar Love' plays. This stamp is the first in a series of music stamps with real sound, highlighting the most successful pop albums released in the Netherlands. PostNL was the first post office in the world to initiate this concept. Band member and co-founder Rinus Gerritsen accepted the first sheetlet from PostNL. The 50th anniversary was also celebrated at the museum, with a special temporary exhibition on the band, called 'Golden Earring - Back Home', featuring their music, background and influences.

Originally written in March 2012

A good way to wrap up the first journal update of June indeed, and with summer peeping over the horizon there are bound to be plenty of outdoor festivals and gigs happening, so if you're looking for something to start a journal about, there's an idea.

See you all next week!
Toodles!

[Screen13]

One question...is there any way I can change the title of the journal just to Screen 13's 80's Cut Out Memories? It seems like the original title was way too long.

[Trollheart]

Oh don't do that! If you have to shorten it call it "Ghost Mall": that was the phrase that attracted me to the journal originally. It will lose a lot of its character if you take that away. Either way, I'm sure one of our friendly mods will help you out. Or maybe Urban...

[The Batlord]

Originally Posted by Trollheart

In http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...lks-about.html he's continuing his girlpop kick and checking out Madonna's work, as well as more Ke$sha and, just to redress the gender imbalance (or more likely because he's getting bored), REM.

Even I can only listen to so much emotionally vapid music before I feel the need for some substance.

[Screen13]

Many, many thanks (Double Double Good! There's a "Happy" reference for Monday!)!

A request to shorten my journal name to Ghost Mall Music, please. That will bring more ficus on what I'm trying to steer it to. Through the last few weeks, I have been thinking it many times over, and right now I have seen quite a few used albums that have both sold very well and went C/O - Devo's classic Freedom Of Choice being one of them (C/O on the upper right hand side, possibly due to maybe the band discontinuing the catalog that was in the original pressing and the label trying to get rid of them!). I thought that it was going to be an all too easy task, as my used album shopping was made easy for me looking for the dot or cut, but once I started to see albums like Rod Stewart's Tonight I'm Yours (C/O in The US possibly due to overpressing), it was going to be a crazy ride.

So, yes, give "Cut Out" the Cut, due to over-planning so that I can seriously focus on 80's Music in general. My used album buying still has that focus and I have some general articles about the business in the plans.

Please make my journal Ghost Mall Music. Thanks.