The Music Banter Members' Journals Monthly Update Thread

[Unknown Soldier]

Originally Posted by Urban Hat€monger ?

Maybe I'll even get round to reviewing the other 3 Kiss solo albums from 3 or 4 years ago.

Which Kiss solo album did you do? Also I remember many years ago on here you were doing Alice Cooper as well?

As far as the Doctor Who journal goes, I need a rethink on that one, originally it was designed so I could knock out stuff quickly but it got to the point I was writing a novel every week and I just ended up losing interest because every entry was becoming too daunting.

I noticed this and as they say with these things, less is more

[Trollheart]

Ho ho ho! Last update before Christmas. Hope you all have your presents bought, and your credit cards are booked in for a nice relaxing rest after January! Let's see what's in Trollheart's sack shall we? Actually no: I might get arrested for that! Let's just check out your journals instead...


All those already aboard http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ravaganza.html (you know, it's going to be hard to maintain these nautical metaphors and puns for the next however-long-he's-doing-this-for) have already enjoyed some fine music and some finer writing from he who enjoys insects as part of his diet, and soon he'll be delving, he tells us, into Steely Dan's classic “Aja”, but for now there's a video on the making of it.

Who the heck is Deadpool? Well, if your idea of fun is to http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-oblivion.html, then the Comix Guru will answer all your questions.

Briks is dipping his toe into waters usually guarded by Pet_Sounds. Yeah, he's going all folk down http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...seur-cave.html , with a look at Simon and Garfunkel and more haiku reviews, as well as a review of Wishbone Ash's opus, “Argus”. Oh, and some losers called (wait for it) Dragon Guardian!

Another of http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...rly-years.html is the second album from Queen.

Frownland may be http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...wnapilago.html, with nobody coming to rescue him any time soon, but that doesn't mean he can't rant on about how much he hates the latest/last Pink Floyd...

It's 1997 too in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...63-2013-a.html and he's checking out music by God Speed You Black Emperor!, Electric Wizard, Idiot Flesh and one I've been listening to, Yo La Tengo.

And JosefK has started his own list, though he maintains it will be more a sort of hybrid between the above and Sidewinder's journals and the mighty Pounding Decibels. Time, as they say, will tell. You can check out the first picks for http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...year-year.html including 1965, for which his top six (?) begins with The Sonics...

Those Scrooges of the forum I spoke of last week? Ki's one of them, perfectly happy to “go die in a fire” (his own words) rather than celebrate the birth of our lord Santa Claus. He's grumpily firing off death metal salvos at the holiday season, including material from Lamb of God, Children of Bodom and Amon of Amarth (sorry, just Amon Amarth) in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...nal-music.html. He has also announced he'll be “taking a Trollheart”, I believe the phrase is. Different to “doing a Trollheart”, this one is defined as “reaching that point where you begin to burn out or for other reasons are tired of updating your journal and decide to take an extended break”. Best of luck to him. Better to burn out than fade ... oh. Wait...

Machine, on the other hand, is getting into the spirit of it all with a review of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...l-madness.html while http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-song-day.html come from MF Doom, Sunny Day in Glasgow, The Flaming Lips and Neutral Milk Hotel, something from Charlie Brown and Jesu, then in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...otistical.html he's getting over his self-doubts and talking about the influence jazz drumming had on his music.

In http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...dern-rock.html sometimes you need a First Aid Kit, so see Neapolitan about it...

Oriphiel has had his road trip delayed, so has used the time to finish his entry on Los Nuggetz, and also has time to add more to his western while he's http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ck-garage.html. Looks like he's angling for that Workhorse of the Week award again this week, and he's well on the way to getting it, with entries on post-punk, rockabilly bands and even The Bangles! And the Beatles! Does this guy ever sleep?

What have John Denver, Simon and the less talented one and Billy Joel all got in common? They're all to be found on http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...crap-heap.html! But school's out for this kid apparently, and he's celebrating with some of his favourite music.

It's 1996 in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ar-1965-a.html where he's reminiscing about Neutral Milk Hotel, Modest Mouse, Unwound and others. And now it's a year later, and he's looking at Ween, Radiohead, Mouse on Mars and Faith No More for 1997.

Just having missed the update for last week by a few hours, Tristesse returns http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...tristesse.html, and celebrating the U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! He's looking at bands like Semisonic, Capital Cities and Matchbox Twenty.

Won't forget me this time around! So what's been happening in my journals, you ask? You don't ask. Well I'll tell you anyway. It's basically Christmas overload in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...d-journal.html as I continue to open more presents that have been left Under Trollheart's Tree from Christian Benteke, YorkeDaddy, Bob, James, Mordwyr and Blarobarg, among others, while we get a really WEIRD Christmas going with the first six selections of the most unusual Christmas songs suggested by your good selves, and look at a Christmas album from Yes's Jon Anderson. There's non-festive fare too, as we look at the new album from (cough) Nickelback (Praise be to the Chad!) and also tackle a classical opus, while down on http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-emporium.html there are more Christmas TV specials from Blackadder and Supernatural, with the Scrooge Showdown continuing in earnest and introductions to The West Wing and the original Star Trek. Dredd's fight against Call-Me-Kenneth hits something of a bump when he's taken captive by the killer robot in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...d-2000-ad.html and if you're wondering what happened to Strontium Dog, well, just stay tuned...

Unknown Soldier takes us out this week as Metallica's “Kill 'em all” takes third spot for 1983 in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...y-history.html.

And now it's time to award the

which I did consider, seriously, giving to Orph again this week, but though he's done sterling work on his journal I'm loath to offer the award to the same person two weeks running. So I've been looking at the work one member has not actually done, but plans to do, and the research he has put into his project for next year.

Yeah, it's not necessarily for his current journal (as I think this will be a new one) but he has really thought out his metal year, due to begin in January, which he's calling "The Devil's Dancefloor", and with the amount of research he's done, not to mention having one month already pre-written (THAT'S how to do it guys!) I think it's only fair to give him the award this week. Well done Justin, and we look forward to seeing the fruit of your labours in the coming year!



This week I'd like to look into the journal of someone who doesn't always get the credit he deserves, and yet the views on his journal show that he's as well-read and popular as many of us. Yeah, it's time to pay homage to that master of the one-liner, the calm voice in the storm of drama, the one, the only, (don't call him Neap!)

Neapolitan actually has two journals, as I'm sure you'll all know, but this one started while I was away and has already got some great stuff in it. After a brief introduction explaining what http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...dern-rock.html was all about, Neapolitan got right into it with an entry on Solid Space, followed by Burning Hearts and then Crystal Stilts. If you haven't heard of any of these bands call in and see Mr. N, as he seems to be quite the authority on them. Having begun his journal in September, there was a gap of a month between Burning Hearts and Crystal Stilts, but this guy was never one to throw in four entries a day like (ahem) some people I could mention: as Urban would say, quality over quantity, and that's certainly what you get here.

That brought us up to date, at least to the point where I revitalised this thread, so although it was a short look it was a very productive one, and if you've been meaning to check this journal out but never got around to it, make the time to do so. You won't regret it.



Continuing our look into the very beginnings of Unknown Soldier's "Pounding Decibels", we're now up to 1973, which kicked off with the usual intro and then Montrose took tenth spot with their self-titled debut, followed by what had become by now mainstays of this era in his journal, Zep with “Houses of the holy” at number 9 and then a new entry at number 8, where we met an Aussie band called Buffalo and their “Volcanic rock”. Grand Funk were back at number 7 with “We're an American band” while Nazareth came in at number 6 with “Razmanaz”, leaving Free to take the midway point with their last ever album, “Heartbreaker”. Alice was back at number four, grinning and holding a chainsaw as “Billion dollar babies” was just beaten out of the top three by Blue Oyster Cult with “Tyranny and mutation”, which was also US's Album Pick for that year. Into the top two then with “Never turn your back on a friend”, good advice from Budgie, leaving Ozzy and the boys to take top slot with “Sabbath bloody Sabbath”.

Rick Derringer was someone you should “Also check this out” with his album “All American boy”, and some albums not to make the cut included more from Alice, also Uriah Heep, Lizzy and Aerosmith. Their time would come! Heep actually made a showing elsewhere, in the “Live Album section” with the imaginatively titled “Live”, while “Hard, Heavy and a Classic” featured Mott the Hoople's “Mott”, as well as the eponymous debut from The New York Dolls. And ZZ's “Tres Hombres”. AND The Stooges' “Raw power”. 'AND ... “Kings of oblivion” by The Pink Fairies! '73 must have been one hell of a year! I was only ten, what do I know?

Part two of “In the shadow of Sabbath” featured Pentagram and Necromandus, and then we were into 1974, which opened with, after the usual intro, a Double-Header from Deep Purple at number 10, with “Burn” and “Stormbringer” sharing the slot, while number 9 saw another Double-Header in Kiss's debut and “Hotter than Hell”. Buffalo were back at number 8 with “Only want you for your body”, and number 7 featured BTO's “Not fragile”, before he went all Double-Header on us again and awarded Nazareth two slots at number 6, with both “Loud'n'Proud” and “Rampant”, with Aerosmith making a showing at number 5 with “Get your wings”. Number four had “Phenomenon” by UFO, then the top three were, in order, Bad Company's debut, Budgie with “In for the kill” (also his AOTY) and BOC with “Secret treaties” taking the top spot.

In “Also check this out” we had Granicus's (who?) self-titled debut, and this year there were a lot of albums that didn't make the cut, including offerings from Lizzy (again), Montrose, Scorpions, Rush and Grand Funk to name but a few. Before we left 1974 US decided to talk about Queen and Hawkwind in two two-part articles, and in “Hard, Heavy and a Classic” we had The New York Dolls again, this time with “Too much too soon”.

And so we bade farewell to 1974, I turned twelve and started thinking that there might be more to music than what was on the radio...

I have to break this up into two sections again, thanks maximum image count! Be right back....

[Trollheart]

This week one exchange just tickled me, and though generally I would not nominate my own posts, this was in Batty's journal so I think is okay. Also, for the first time ever I'm quoting two posts, but only because without each the joke is not as funny. Not that it's that funny in the first place, but, you know, it made me smile, which is why this double entry is my

Originally Posted by The Batlord

No, I was mocking you, implying that your computer was having so many problems with the images because of a virus. And I never removed any of them, so me no know what you talkin' 'bout.

This


and his rather sheepish response

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Ah ****. I cleared out a bunch of my Photobucket pics and apparently just about all the stuff on this journal got ****ed. Well... damn.

Before I go then, and wish you all a Happy Christmas, let me just run one more thing by you:


I used to really enjoy this journal. Silenzio had a great way with words and listened to some really different stuff. I wonder why she stopped writing? If you're out there, girl, we miss ya! Here's an example of what she used to write in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...mix-music.html

Originally Posted by Silenzio

One of the most famous composers of the Baroque era is Johann Sebastian Bach. He is well-known for his revolutionary compositions.
Works like the Brandenburg Concertos, the The Well-Tempered Clavier and a loads of cantatas are still very popular in the 21st century.
I wonder if any of our Pop-stars will be appreciated the same way in 400 years from now!

The Cello Suites: Inspired By Bach - Yo-Yo Ma



In my opinion, the Six suites for unaccompanied cello are one of the most interesting chamber compositions of Bach. I personally like them a lot, since the cello has such a warm sound.
I as well enjoyed the rich tone that Yo-Yo Ma creates, although I don't know extremely much about chello playing techniques, I think he does that really well. The arpeggiated patterns sound at least perfect!
The album was released in 1997, quite some time back.

Track list

Suite No. 1 in G Major -- BWV 1007
(Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Menuett, Gigue)

Suite No. 2 in D Minor -- BWV 1008
(Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Menuett, Gigue)

Suite No. 3 in C Major -- BWV 1009
(Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Bourrée, Gigue)

Suite No. 4 in E-flat Major -- BWV 1010
(Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Bourrée, Gigue)

Suite No. 5 in C Minor -- BWV 1011
(Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gavotte, Gigue)

Suite No. 6 in D Major -- BWV 1012
(Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gavotte, Gigue)

Structure of the suites
Basically, all have 6 movements:

Prelude: most literal it means introduction, a brief yet improvisatory piece of music
Allemande: In French it means "German", must-have of a suite, a serious dance
Courante: literally means running, it's a passionate piece with a clear melody
Sarabande: A dance in triple metre, originally a slow, stately Spanish dance
Galanteries: movements that initiate a change of style, after that follow mostly non-familiar pieces;
(Bach used Minuets, Bourrées and Gavottes in his chello suites)
Gigue: Final dance of a suite. It seems a bit lively since it often has accents on the third beats in the bar.

To me it was important to listen to the full work to inhale the complete flair of the baroque style. Usually I just listen to a prelude and the melody gets stuck in my head.
As I know from practicing baroque pieces, it's maybe even better to be considerate and keep an overview. Although, it's really lovely to get lost in music!
Luckily I convinced myself to listen to the other suites. I must admit - I actually only ever heard the first one.
I'm sure you all know the prelude of the first suite very well. It's used for many TV ads!

The 1st prelude is a reminder of the Prelude in C major of the Well-Tempered Clavier. That is the technique characterizes Bach! To tell the truth, I never expected the other suites to be that interesting.
The highlight of the 2nd suite is maybe the Sarabande, it's deep. In contrast, the following suite seems to be really sunny. The 4th suite sounds pretty complex in general. The 5th seems to rely on feelings.
Last but not least - the 6th suite to be so dramatic and ambitious. The final Gigue is a duo for a solo instrument. Incredible!

I can imagine it must takes months to be able to play any of these suites, stunning! Truly it is admirable, with what kind of ambition and feeling people play their instrument and create such wonderful sounds.
It may sounds funny, but it's worth taking time, sitting down and just listen closely.

So that's it for this week, and indeed for the last update before Christmas. I'll see some of you around in my or your journals, and on the forum, but to anyone who I may not see and who's reading this, have a great Christmas and I'll see yaz all again next Sunday, when it's all over!

As we say here in Ireland, Nollaig Shona!
Or if you prefer
Toodles!

[Urban Hat€monger ?]

No mention of my exceptional (and quite frankly better written and more to the point than your long winded effort) Nickelback album review?

Originally Posted by Unknown Soldier

Which Kiss solo album did you do? Also I remember many years ago on here you were doing Alice Cooper as well?

http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ml#post1063929

I didn't so much as stop the Alice Cooper one, I don't think I've listened to him since I last updated it save the odd bootleg or two.

[Trollheart]

Originally Posted by Urban Hat€monger ?

No mention of my exceptional (and quite frankly better written and more to the point than your long winded effort) Nickelback album review?

There's always one, isn't there? There you are: I'm not perfect. But in reality I don't wish to bring down the wrath of The Chad upon us. Beware, for he may be near, and if you speak his name ... oh no! Too late!

[Isbjørn]

JustinJJustin is, as already mentioned here, doing Devil's Dancefloor next year, and I've decided to join him by featuring the section in my journal as well. However, I will not go very in-depth about the albums (unless I've known them for a long time and have a lot to say), and I won't do all of them, since I don't have time to write long-winded reviews about 15-20 albums a month.

[Pet_Sounds]

I'm going to review Wolves in Sheepskin's Knuckle in the Mud and one of Plankton's albums (listened to three, not sure which to review yet), some time in the new year. Other than that, I have no idea, but that's kind of the point with my journal. I might post some of my own piano noodlings -- show all of our hotshot guitarists how to play a real solo!

But I know you all want me to review Billy Joel's entire discography in extreme detail, so I might do that too.

[Machine]

I'm taking a week off of My Album/Song Of The Day next week, in fact I might not be constantly active on here next week, or you know maybe I will.

[Unknown Soldier]

Originally Posted by Pet_Sounds

But I know you all want me to review Billy Joel's entire discography in extreme detail, so I might do that too.

I'll be interested in seeing this.

[Pet_Sounds]

Originally Posted by Unknown Soldier

I'll be interested in seeing this.

If two more people second (and third, I suppose) this, I'll do it.

Rather shocked that you'd be interested, BTW.