Jackhammer Stripped

jackhammer · 09-03-2009, 02:34 PM

Expecting a naked pic of me? Sorry to disappoint you (or possibly make you thankful). Instead this is a journal with a simple edict: favourite bands. Many journals on here are dedicated purely to albums or tracks (and fine they are too) but I wanted to do something a little more personal and dedicate posts to my favourite bands and artists. Why I like them, how I got into them, brief histories and recommended releases, DVD'S, books etc.

Music should always be ultimately personal and not a mad dash to collect everything under the sun or to appear cultist for the sake of it. There is no 'in' crowd with me and some of my choices will be unashamedly mainstream and obvious and others not so obvious.

So just like your old uncle who regales you with tales of his wild youth and questionable music tastes, I will eulogise about what really makes me tick musically. Consider me stripped!

Astronomer · 09-03-2009, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackhammer

Expecting a naked pic of me? Sorry to disappoint you

Damn.

Nah, I'm really looking forward to this journal Lee

jacklovezhimself · 09-03-2009, 11:27 PM

Who's the first artist your going to do? I'm excited for this one.

Bulldog · 09-04-2009, 07:54 AM

Great idea for a journal this, and one I may have to pinch when it comes to filling out my own one as well

So, yeah, looking forward to to seeing what your choices turn out to be.

music_phantom13 · 09-04-2009, 09:27 AM

This is going to be an amazing journal, I'm guessing. Your's always turn out to be hugely eclectic and introduce me to bands that make very interesting, unique music. I can't wait for the first one!

Zarko · 09-04-2009, 09:48 PM

Journal no. 3 for JH, and it should be another stunner. Good idea, rather than have a '100 albums' type thread, I would prefer something like this as well.

jackhammer · 09-06-2009, 06:47 PM

The only place to start on my musical tastes is Iron Maiden. I consider myself fortunate to have grown up around music. The music itself is not what you could consider cool or edgy but nevertheless my father was and is music mad. Friends families woke up to the TV being on, in my household it was always the radio or an album even at 8 in the morning. However prior to the year 1986 (I was 14) I only had a passing interest in music and no defined tastes or an album collection of note.

The summer of 1986 signaled the decline of my parents marriage and couple that with the usual teenage angst I was subconsciously looking for some sort of outlet for personal identity. Our house at the time was 30 seconds away from a school playing field where I was a pupil in my junior years and I used to spend many summers on the grass field playing football and on this particular day there was just one guy kicking a ball against a portable classroom whom I knew vaguely at school. I went over to him and noticed that he had a walkman on and I asked him what he was listening to. The headphones were given to me and the sound blasting out was Iron Maiden and specifically the double live album 'Live After Death' (1985). Immediately I was hooked on the sound. I had never quite heard something as heavy as this at the time and the sheer energy and noise struck a chord within me. Within a week I had bought the album myself and spent hours endlessly poring over the artwork and band pictures.

That day literally changed my life and gave me a purpose and interest that still survives to this day and THE reason why I am now posting on MB and still have a burning passion for music.

Iron Maiden were not and will never be the coolest band on the planet, yet they are one of the few bands still working hard, still successful and still remaining utterly faithful to the music and the ethos that surrounds it. Many aspects of the band were and are cringeworthy. The ridiculous spandex outfits on stage, the sometimes cringeworthy lyrics yet their music is one of the purest forms of Heavy Metal still being played and along with their individualistic artwork and T Shirts, they are for me a massively important part of my musical identity and I still consider myself a fan and proud to say so.

Coincidentally the guy kicking the ball in that field is still my best friend 23 years later and despite him now living in Germany, we still got to see each other earlier this year and attended a Metal festival over there. We also last year got the classic Iron Maiden logo:

tattooed on the backs of our necks as a nod to our roots and our friendship.

Recommended albums:

Killers (1981)
Number Of The Beast (1982)
Live After Death (1985)

Recommended viewing:
Iron Maiden: The Early Years DVD
Live After Death DVD

One of the tightest and dynamic bands live ever:

Mojo · 09-06-2009, 07:31 PM

Iron Maiden werent a key band for me as far as getting into music in general, but they were hugely important for me getting into metal. A friend of mine is somewhat slightly obsessed and so made it easy for me to learn about them and borrow his records and so on. Yeah, maybe their lyrics are sometimes poor and they definitely have some old school cheese to their music and their live performances but they wouldnt be the same band if you took any part of it out of the equation. I'm not one for stageshows, and I may go as far as to say that sometimes massive, expensive, flashy or over the top stageshows just seem to be there to distract from a poor band but Iron Maiden are an incredible live band and even though their stageshows can certainly be a prime example of what I mean by old school and cheesy they just add to the excitment of their live performances. Iron Maiden have some great records but in my opinion they are very much a band that shine on the live stage which is why I have no problem with the sheer amount of live albums they have released over the years. I think to really comprehend what they are about you need to listen to the studio album and then either listen to or see the same material performed live. Plus i've never experienced a crowd quite like a typical Maiden crowd.

My favourite albums would be the self titled and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.

jackhammer · 09-06-2009, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mojopinuk

My favourite albums would be the self titled and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.

Most Maiden fans in the 80's hated 7th son with a passion and it definitely marked a decline in their output for a long while. I myself like a lot of the album yet my friend hates it. Infinite Dreams is a great track but I still will always prefer Killers to their debut.

Astronomer · 09-06-2009, 08:53 PM

I love that you are not afraid to talk about your musical influences without trying to be hip or cool or obscure. As I said before, really looking forward to the rest of this journal!

09-03-2009, 02:34 PM	#1 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	Jackhammer Stripped Expecting a naked pic of me? Sorry to disappoint you (or possibly make you thankful). Instead this is a journal with a simple edict: favourite bands. Many journals on here are dedicated purely to albums or tracks (and fine they are too) but I wanted to do something a little more personal and dedicate posts to my favourite bands and artists. Why I like them, how I got into them, brief histories and recommended releases, DVD'S, books etc. Music should always be ultimately personal and not a mad dash to collect everything under the sun or to appear cultist for the sake of it. There is no 'in' crowd with me and some of my choices will be unashamedly mainstream and obvious and others not so obvious. So just like your old uncle who regales you with tales of his wild youth and questionable music tastes, I will eulogise about what really makes me tick musically. Consider me stripped! __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

09-03-2009, 11:27 PM	#3 (permalink)
jacklovezhimself five years Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Chicago Posts: 1,248	Who's the first artist your going to do? I'm excited for this one. __________________

09-04-2009, 09:48 PM	#6 (permalink)
Zarko Barely Disheveled Zombie Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 1,196	Journal no. 3 for JH, and it should be another stunner. Good idea, rather than have a '100 albums' type thread, I would prefer something like this as well. Last edited by Zarko; 09-05-2009 at 04:18 AM.

09-06-2009, 06:47 PM	#7 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	The only place to start on my musical tastes is Iron Maiden. I consider myself fortunate to have grown up around music. The music itself is not what you could consider cool or edgy but nevertheless my father was and is music mad. Friends families woke up to the TV being on, in my household it was always the radio or an album even at 8 in the morning. However prior to the year 1986 (I was 14) I only had a passing interest in music and no defined tastes or an album collection of note. The summer of 1986 signaled the decline of my parents marriage and couple that with the usual teenage angst I was subconsciously looking for some sort of outlet for personal identity. Our house at the time was 30 seconds away from a school playing field where I was a pupil in my junior years and I used to spend many summers on the grass field playing football and on this particular day there was just one guy kicking a ball against a portable classroom whom I knew vaguely at school. I went over to him and noticed that he had a walkman on and I asked him what he was listening to. The headphones were given to me and the sound blasting out was Iron Maiden and specifically the double live album 'Live After Death' (1985). Immediately I was hooked on the sound. I had never quite heard something as heavy as this at the time and the sheer energy and noise struck a chord within me. Within a week I had bought the album myself and spent hours endlessly poring over the artwork and band pictures. That day literally changed my life and gave me a purpose and interest that still survives to this day and THE reason why I am now posting on MB and still have a burning passion for music. Iron Maiden were not and will never be the coolest band on the planet, yet they are one of the few bands still working hard, still successful and still remaining utterly faithful to the music and the ethos that surrounds it. Many aspects of the band were and are cringeworthy. The ridiculous spandex outfits on stage, the sometimes cringeworthy lyrics yet their music is one of the purest forms of Heavy Metal still being played and along with their individualistic artwork and T Shirts, they are for me a massively important part of my musical identity and I still consider myself a fan and proud to say so. Coincidentally the guy kicking the ball in that field is still my best friend 23 years later and despite him now living in Germany, we still got to see each other earlier this year and attended a Metal festival over there. We also last year got the classic Iron Maiden logo: tattooed on the backs of our necks as a nod to our roots and our friendship. Recommended albums: Killers (1981) Number Of The Beast (1982) Live After Death (1985) Recommended viewing: Iron Maiden: The Early Years DVD Live After Death DVD One of the tightest and dynamic bands live ever: __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

09-06-2009, 07:31 PM	#8 (permalink)
Mojo Melancholia Eternally Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: England Posts: 5,018	Iron Maiden werent a key band for me as far as getting into music in general, but they were hugely important for me getting into metal. A friend of mine is somewhat slightly obsessed and so made it easy for me to learn about them and borrow his records and so on. Yeah, maybe their lyrics are sometimes poor and they definitely have some old school cheese to their music and their live performances but they wouldnt be the same band if you took any part of it out of the equation. I'm not one for stageshows, and I may go as far as to say that sometimes massive, expensive, flashy or over the top stageshows just seem to be there to distract from a poor band but Iron Maiden are an incredible live band and even though their stageshows can certainly be a prime example of what I mean by old school and cheesy they just add to the excitment of their live performances. Iron Maiden have some great records but in my opinion they are very much a band that shine on the live stage which is why I have no problem with the sheer amount of live albums they have released over the years. I think to really comprehend what they are about you need to listen to the studio album and then either listen to or see the same material performed live. Plus i've never experienced a crowd quite like a typical Maiden crowd. My favourite albums would be the self titled and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. __________________ Last.FM \| Echoes and Dust

09-04-2009, 07:54 AM	#4 (permalink)
Bulldog why bother? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: UK Posts: 4,840	Great idea for a journal this, and one I may have to pinch when it comes to filling out my own one as well So, yeah, looking forward to to seeing what your choices turn out to be.

09-04-2009, 09:27 AM	#5 (permalink)
music_phantom13 Music Addict Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 942	This is going to be an amazing journal, I'm guessing. Your's always turn out to be hugely eclectic and introduce me to bands that make very interesting, unique music. I can't wait for the first one!

09-06-2009, 08:53 PM	#10 (permalink)
Astronomer we are stardust Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 2,894	I love that you are not afraid to talk about your musical influences without trying to be hip or cool or obscure. As I said before, really looking forward to the rest of this journal! __________________