Tribute to John Lennon by Paul McCartney
Today is the 30th anniversary of the death of John Lennon. Here’s a video of Paul McCartney offering a tribute to John Lennon.
Tribute to John Lennon by Paul McCartney Today is the 30th anniversary of the death of John Lennon. Here’s a video of Paul McCartney offering a tribute to John Lennon. Bullz-Eye’s Top Ten Music Moments of 2010: Staff Writer Rob Smith’s Picks In my mind, 2010 will be remembered more for moments of strangeness, oddity, and lessened expectation, than it will be for transcendent music. The throwaway nature of pop has never been more transient or incidental; technology enables us to hear as much as we want and, by the sheer volume of those possibilities, to actively listen as little as we ever have. How else to explain Ke$ha and the Glee cast recordings, much less the continuing nonsense of Black Eyed Peas? Raise your hand if you think Bruno Mars or Rihanna are still going to be churning out hits ten years from now, or that Katy Perry (more about her below) will still be squeezing into latex after she and her pasty Brit hubby have two or three little Russells to contend with, and things start saggin’. I will remember 2010 for several key moments: Top 10 Music Moments of 2010
Read the rest after the jump... Posted in: Adult Contemporary, Alternative, Documentaries, Funk, Hip Hop, Lists, Metal, Pop, Power Pop, Progressive, Punk, R&B, Rap, Rock, Soul Tags: Alex Chilton, American Idol, Anoine Dodson, Bret Michaels, Bullz-Eye Year in Music 2010, Insane Clown Posse, Katy Perry, Michael Jackson, Quasi, Ronnie James Dio, Rush, Steven Tyler, The Roots Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage
The film, produced and directed by Scott McFadyen and Sam Dunn, is novel for the access they had to band, the archival footage of the band’s early years, and key people in Rush’s career. The strength of this documentary is how much the of the early years is covered in exhaustive detail. From their difficulty in getting a record deal (a common tale for many ‘o bands), to being catapulted into A-list shows after hiring Neil Peart as their new drummer, to the lyrical and musical overreach with their album Caress of Steel. It’s all here in glorious detail from the band’s perspective. What most fans of the band know is that with 2112, the album that was middle finger salute to the record company demanding a more commercial sound, Rush finally connected with their audience in a way that made them untouchable to the meddling of the suits. In other words, with 2112 selling millions of copies, Rush finally became bankable and thus able to chart their own musical course with both long form and more compact albums – like the perennial favorite, Moving Pictures. While the documentary is quite good at presenting the details of their early and middle years of their career, the film falls short in exploring the years that divides many Rush fans: the “synth” years in the ‘80s. The filmmakers (probably owning to time constraints) weren’t able to go into detail on albums like Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows, Hold Your Fire, or even Presto, nor did they focus on Vapor Trials or Snakes and Arrows all that much. What they did focus on was the fawning commentary from artists like Billy Corgan, Jack Black, Sebastian Bach, and even Les Claypool. After a half hour of hearing how great Rush is, I was muttering at the TV, “Okay, I get it! You love the band. Do I really need to hear it every 10 minutes?” Still, these are just a few quibbles in an otherwise great DVD. And in keeping with giving fans more, the filmmakers include a bonus disc that has a number of live performances, expanded interviews, and even a dinner with the boys that shows what a bunch of goofs they are. As a gift for any serious music fan, this DVD is a must to put on your gift list. (Zoe Records 2010) Trek through Canada with the White Stripes During the summer of 2007 (seems like ages ago, doesn’t it?), the White Stripes stuck to their promise of touring every province in Canada. With camera crew in tow, Jack and Meg also stopped at an old folks home, rocked out on a public bus, and snuck in frames of bowling before their culminating gig in Nova Scotia. The result is Under Great White Northern Skies, a beautifully shot tour documentary due in March. Third Man is currently selling the documentary as part of a mega box set, which includes a live album, live DVD, and photo book. If you have $179 to spare and are a White Stripes nut, have at it. Posted in: Artists, Documentaries, Videos Tags: Headlines, Under Great White Northern Lights, Under Great White Northern Skies trailer, White Stripes, White Stripes Canada, White Stripes Canada tour, White Stripes documentary, White Stripes documentary trailer, White Stripes tour, White Stripes Under Great White Northern Skies The scoop on Jonathan Demme’s “Neil Young Trunk Show” While fictional biopics such as “Ray” and “Walk the Line” are worth your dollar if you want to see some great acting, I prefer to watch the actual musician(s) in their element. Being relatively young, I haven’t had the chance to catch some of my favorites live, so I get very excited when live DVDs and documentaries are announced. Still, those are often hit or miss. Thankfully, some filmmakers have, over the years, utilized techniques that really “capture” a performance in ways that even being attendance can’t produce. Take Martin Scorsese’s “The Last Waltz,” for example, or more recently, Davis Guggenheim’s “It Might Get Loud.” Neil Young is an individual who puts everything he has into his live act. This requires actual “thinking” on his part, and over the years he’s began combining different forms of art into a traditional tour date. Jonathan Demme (director of “Silence of the Lambs” and “Rachel Getting Married) has long been fascinated by the rock verteran’s otherworldly presence on stage. So far, in his planned trilogy on Young, Demm’s released “Heart of Gold,” a concert film documenting a performance shortly after the release of Young’s album “Prairie Wind.” The second installment, “Neil Young Trunk Show,” looks just as captivating.
“Neil Young Trunk Show” will run at the Woodstock Film Festival but a nationwide release date hasn’t been announced. He’s one of the few “older guys” I really want to see live. Hopefully this film comes out soon to tide me over. Posted in: Concert DVDs, Documentaries, News Tags: Jonathan Demme, Jonathan Demme Heart of Gold, Jonathan Demme Neil Young trilogy, Jonathan Demme Neil Young Trunk Show, Neil Young, Neil Young concert films, Neil Young concerts, Neil Young documentary, Neil Young DVDs, Neil Young films, Neil Young Heart of Gold, Neil Young Jonathan Demme, Neil Young movies, Neil Young Trunk Show |