'Til All Are One

Dude, give me back my toy truck!

Well, I saw Transformers last night. Lots of people saw Transformers lat night. At least, the smart people saw Transformers last night.

But instead of getting an actual review today, I am instead going to write a little bit of defence for Michael Bay and what he has done with the Transformers.

It seems there are a wide selection of geeks that grew up with Transformers that have a problem with the new movie and designs for the Transformers. Apparently, Michael Bay has even been receiving death threats since beginning work on the movie. You only have to take a quick look at the IMDB message boards to see it is filled with disgruntled fans of the G1 Transformers and their constant whining and complaining - when they haven't even seen the movie yet! While I don't consider Transformers to be the greatest movie ever - and it does have it's flaws - I have one thing to say to anyone who complains about this movie not being like the Transformers of old:

This is not 1986.

I know, that's pretty huge coming from me - Lord knows, I seem to be permanently stuck in a time warp where it is 1987 and Miami Vice is still new and exciting. But the fact is, if the Transformers looked and acted like they did in this movie like they did 20 years ago, this movie would look stupid. How many trucks do you see around that look like Optimus Prime did? Who makes square cars anymore? So why would a robot choose that design if they were trying to disguise themselves? Personally, I thought the new designs were amazing; they had to be done if this movie was to work, and they came up with fantastic creations.

Also, there have been a lot of people complaining about it not following the original Transformers storyline. Well, I want to know what storyline they are talking about, because none of the comics or various cartoon inceptions of Transformers have ever followed the same story arc - not even in the 80's.

Look, I'm an 80's loving-internet living-Transformers geek-fanboy as well, but sometimes the bitching is pathetic and there is no need for it. This movie could never have followed the original movie because there would be far too many characters to bring in, and it would just turn into one big mess... which is why they will no doubt make a sequel. And while I was against that at first, I read that my two favourite characters will be featured in the sequel - and I can't even begin to imagine how amazing Unicron would be!

So anyways, the movie rocks and the animation is absolutely incredible; even if the movie is cheesy and predictable, I can't describe the action as anything but massive (it is a Michael Bay movie, after all) and in the end isn't that what "summer blockbuster" movies are supposed to be about? It certainly makes all these crappy sequels we've been getting all year look like... well, crappy sequels.

So go see it, enjoy the spectacle, then go see it again and let's show these losers they are wrong by making this one of the highest grossing movies ever!

Chris Benoit R.I.P

I know I'm breaking my self-imposed ban, but I it had to be done.

As some of you may be aware, WWF wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife and their son were all found dead in their home this morning (NZ time). I read the news when it first broke, and I knew I wanted to say something about this... but I didn't know what. I sat there for most of the next hour trying to find any information I could - hoping that it was just another addition to the 'Death of Mr. McMahon' angle - only to keep finding the same things. Little by little, information has been coming out as they piece together what has happened. I'm still in disbelief... in fact, I'm struggling to understand it, making my own scenarios...

I can't claim to have known Benoit, or have even met him, but I can offer my views as a fan. I realised today that I have been watching his work for 10 years now; when a friend of mine was getting me back into wrestling when we were 17, she always used to tell me about Chris Benoit and how he was her favourite. I remember not being impressed at first; he was awesome to watch in the ring, but he wasn't a big guy, and he didn't yell in promos at all! He always talked so softly, and I would be like "Come on, man, start shouting about tough you are!" But as I watched WCW more, I too began to appreciate "The Crippler" - he was far and away the best wrestler in the business at the time, and always seemed to put everything into his matches.

As years went on, Benoit just got better and better; and after heading to the WWF in 2000 we soon saw some seriously great action from him. He had become one of favourite wrestlers - I suffered many a crossface from Eamonn because of him - just because he was so darn good! He was intense, had serious skills in the ring, and the way he did everything you just thought he was going to seriously hurt someone. He would have to be my number 3 wrestler of all time... I don't think I saw many matches from him that I didn't enjoy. Even though he never did learn to shout in his promos.

I'll always remember how much commentators in WCW always referred to him as the greatest wrestler to never win a title - until he finally won his first in 1998 (and even then it was only a minor belt). And although he got a few title shots in the WWF, I think people were worried he was going to get the same treatment there too. At Wrestlemania XX in 2004, Chris Benoit finally achieved his dream and became WWE World Heavyweight Champion. I finally watched that match just a couple of weeks ago, and have to say it was one of the best Wrestlemania matches ever.

It was to be his only World Title win. He was apparently booked to win the ECW World Title this past Sunday, but of course that changed when he didn't show up to the event.

This really is a huge tragedy for the world of pro-wrestling, to lose one of the most talented and respected athletes to ever grace the squared circle - and in such a dark, tragic way. My utmost love and heartfelt prayers go out to the family and friends that they leave behind.

And I must give a quick little nod to the WWE for how they have handled this: not only did they remove all articles relating to the 'Death of Mr. McMahon' from their website, as soon as the story broke they cancelled their live show and replaced the night's 3 hour Mr. McMahon Memorial Service with a tribute show to Chris Benoit - and sent all the wrestlers home to deal with their grief. Nice to see they are learning, and giving this great athlete the respect he deserves.

I'm going to go watch the Owen Hart tribute match between Bret Hart and Chris Benoit, from 1999. I'm glad I have at least 1 great match he was involved in.

Behold - It Is Coming!

I have had a few people discuss this, so I thought it best to air my thoughts in a public manner...

Unless you have spent the last few months blindfolded, your mouth sewn shut, your ears filled with cement and have been living with the Mandiko Tribe in deepest, darkest Africa, then you will no doubt be aware that the latest Transformers movie opens on Thursday (although it is different according to regions across the globe - America don't get it until next week. Take that, suckers!). Now, the deal here in Christchurch (and most of NZ, I'm assuming) is that we get the midnight screening tomorrow night/Thursday morning. However, The Edge are giving away tickets to a special premiere screening tomorrow night at 7pm.

While most people have been curious as to why I am not currently spending most of my time trying to win tickets to that screening, the people who have told me they are going - and the radio station running the competition - really made me certain that this is not the screening for me. Sure, you kids with your free tickets get to see it 5 hours before me - and for free - but in all honesty, I am much happier with the midnight screening.

You see, for most guys my age, Transformers is something like sacred ground. We all watched the cartoon show, we all had the toys (or at least wanted the toys) and we all wanted to go to Cybertron and help Optimus Prime destroy the Decepticons. Most of us also love the movie, hated Rodimus Prime, and couldn't transform the Megatron figure to save our lives. Some of us even wanted to build our own life-size Unicron... but only the really cool kids.

As I was saying...
This movie is pretty much going to be under a lot of scrutiny by people my age. There are already many people that are offended by the way the 'new' Transformers look (personally, I think they look cool - 80's cars and trucks would look very out of place driving around). But for the most part, people who have won free tickets to this premiere are nothing more than young people who didn't grow up with the show or have any idea who Unicron even is. I mean, hello you have to listen to the Edge for tickets - the station for brain dead teenagers who want to hear the same song by untalented people all day every day!

Whereas I feel the midnight screening is where the fans are going to be. The people who remember what it was like to watch Optimus Prime die. The people who remember that classic transforming sound. I people who will all smile when Starscream makes his first appearance. I don't think I could handle seeing this movie with people that don't even know who Starscream is.

No offense to those that have tickets - as I know of a few people that are going to that screening. I hope you enjoy the movie. This is just one of those occasions where age actually makes a difference.

So come 12:01 am Thursdsay morning, I will be sitting in my seat with my Decepticon t-shirt and surrounded by Transformers fans from the Golden Age of Cybertron, ready to relive the excitement we all felt as a child when we first saw the Autobots save Earth from the Decepticons.

Otherwise, a certain movie is going to blasted in my blog Thursday morning.

Oh Yeah, I'm Predictable

I realised this morning that my blogs are becoming increasingly predictable; they are either about wrestling, or just me bitching about Paul McCartney or George Lucas.

So on that vain, I thought we would continue this week's trends and just have a little look at

TODAY IN THE HISTORY OF THE BEATLES

Today, in 1964, The Beatles performed their concert in Wellington. That's pretty cool, in my books. Pity I was 16 years away from being born.

And in 1966, this was the last day of the Revolver sessions. That's also pretty darn cool.

And finally, on this day in 1968, The Beatles purchased their new Apple Offices on 3 Saville Road. It is of course, the building where they performed their famous rooftop concert. I might write a blog on that concert...

So was that interesting? Maybe not.

But isn't it a fun way to waste a blog?

So my mission for all of next week is to avoid the main three topics for my blogs, and see if I can still write anything worthwhile. But then again, I haven't managed to write anything worthwhile in a very long time, so taking away my main source of inspiration may not help.

Actually, as a warning to you all, next week could be a Transformers-heavy week, with the new movie out and all. I have my tickets - do you?

And to Add...

Just because that was so darn long...

I must point out that I haven't actually watched much WWF/E programming since 2001 (or was it 2002? I can't remember exactly). I made a point to start boycotting it then after watching a match that involved Chris Benoit where they just rehashed the Montreal Screwjob yet again.

I had been disappointed with all the trash that was going on, and for them to just bring up Montreal again and kick dirt on the legacy of Bret Hart one more time, I got fed up. I remember turning to Eamonn that night and saying "That's it - I'm not watching this show again" and I didn't until recent years. Eamonn kept me informed if anything cool was going on, although he was disappointed that the person who was responsible for his addiction was now refusing to watch it with him.

I broke my little boycott when living in Melbourne, and I was just so bored at one point that I began hiring out some pay per view videos that had come out. And that's how I discovered the joy of Matt Hardy's "Version 1.0" character. But that only lasted a short while, and I lost interest again.

Then the first WWE product I have bought was in 2005, when they finally released the Bret Hart Collection on DVD - I couldn't resist, as it was basically overseen by Bret himself. I figured that was an OK thing to break my rules for. And boy have I never regretted it! And I did watch WWE programming for the first time on televison in May this year when staying in Timaru; Raw was on Sky, and I thought "Hey why not? I haven't watched Raw in years"

It was OK. Nothing special. Pro-wrestling the last few years has had no real attraction to me.

And then I watched Wrestlemania XX (from 2004) just last week... just because. There were some good matches... not nearly enough bad promo action, but was still pretty good.

But I do admit that I still keep up to date with things online, and that's how I know of everything that happens. Sometimes it's cool, sometimes it's not. But like I said in my previous blog, I'm not going to be paying for anything from WWE again, or contributing to their ratings in any way by watching their shows. Especially if they continue to write junk like this.

The exception to this rule will always be Bret Hart. If he's involved then it's OK.

After all, they've been a lot worse to him over the last ten years.

But then again, he hasn't been watching the shows often

The Angry Mark Returns

I thought I would just post an email I sent this morning. In case many people aren't aware, the WWE recently started an angle where Vince McMahon was getting into his limo when it exploded. This was to get him off televsion for a while - and of course, boost ratings - but they are playing it up that he died in real life (which he didn't) and are just consuming the show with all sorts of tributes to the guy.

Personally, I find the entire angle distasteful. Getting someone off televison is one thing, but killing him off in such a violent way? And treating every show like a memorial service?

And to make matters worse, Sensational Sherri - a former WWF star - tragically passed away last week, and yet they can't seem to find time in their show to do anything to remember her. And so for this, I am changing my long time saying to this:

F*** You, WWE!©

So, a guy had this column on it (he's a cool guy - we've emailed a few times about various wrestling things) and I emailed him. And then I sent it to the feedback section at WWE.com.

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Just read your latest column on Wrestleview and I couldn’t agree more. This last week of programming has only served to gain more media attention for the McMahon family and belittle the REAL deaths of former wrestlers like Owen Hart, Eddie Guerrero and, most recently, Sherri Martel

Firstly, I have to say that with the lack of guys like Shawn Michaels and Triple H on the roster, I have actually been excited to see what WWE were going to do; I’ve been pretty sick of seeing these guys hog the main event spotlight (totally reminds me of WCW when Hogan reigned), and without them around WWE were finally going to have to start giving other people a real push in the main event scene. And you want to get Vince McMahon of television? You won’t hear any complaints from me – I’ve been hoping for that for years!

But I’m just so offended by the way they have gone about this angle. The whole thing smacks of the Vince Russo approach to wrestling; if it’s terrible, it will get people’s attention. Blowing up a limo and having him presumed dead? Just a little over the top… and completely ludicrous! And honestly, I could almost handle that… but then on the following 3 shows not only do we have to sit through a ten bell salute for someone who is NOT dead, we also get subjected to guys like Mick Foley coming out to pay tribute to Vince and all he has done. And don’t even get me started on the whole ‘Whodunit?’ crap we are going to have to put up with for the next year or so, only for Vince to come back on TV and confront the person responsible, and then fight them at Wrestlemania where he wins every belt in the company and inducts himself into the WWE Hall of Fame, alongside Dennis Rodman and Cyndi Lauper. Or will it be a repeat of that whole "Higher Power" angle, where despite logic it’s revealed it was Vince all along?

Personally, I couldn’t care less. The last ten years have shown me something truly awful about Vince McMahon and the WWE Creative team; if it happens to a wrestler, we can make it part of the story. First we had the Montreal Screwjob, which seems to get up brought up at least once a year as a finish to a match. Seriously, how many times have we now seen a repeat of that as part of the story? Then you get Raw is Owen after he falls to his death in the middle of the freakin’ ring; you can’t stop an event after it happens, but you can exploit it the next night on TV? And we are only just getting a break from the 18 months of exploitation of Eddie Guerrero – I honestly don’t know how these people can justify anything that has gone on with that. Heck, even Steve Austin’s broken neck got glorified – remember Owen 3:16? And now next week, we get a special 3 hour tribute show to Vince McMahon...

Shoot me now.

And yet, when a former WWE Superstar – and recent Hall of Fame inductee – dies tragically, what do they get? A moment of silence. I even just looked at WWE.com and under the 117 stories about Vince McMahon, there is finally some mention of Sensational Sherri right at the bottom of the page. So while the WWE makes the most they can out of pretending someone was killed on their show, they continue to ignore the real-life tragedy of someone that gave their all to the business that WWE claims to be. Way to show proper respect to your former employees who made your company what it is today.

I must add, that I’ve lost respect for Mick Foley over this too. For a guy who was so close to Owen Hart and Eddie Guerrero, and felt the pain of their tragic deaths, to play a part in this angle is not something I understand at all. I know people will say that "It’s his job" and "He still has to feed his family" and while I totally agree, you can’t tell me that a guy like Mick Foley can’t afford to say "NO" to this.

For me, this is the absolute final straw; after 18 months of watching Eddie Guerrero’s name being splattered all over the screen just to further Rey Mysterio’s career, after watching Vince McMahon call for a bell during a submission maneuver for ten years, and after watching countless legends get passed over so Vince can induct pointless celebrities into the WWE Hall of Fame, this story and it’s execution has just really bothered me far too much. Giving Vince McMahon even more airtime after his fake death is one thing, but to then place so little worth on the passing of a former superstar – a Hall of Famer, no less – is inexcusable. So, I am hereby boycotting WWE programming for the rest of my life. No longer will I spend money on Pay-per View events, live shows, DVDs or any other merchandise – I refuse to support and contribute to a company that shows again and again that human life is nothing they respect. To me, they are making a mockery of those that lose loved ones everyday, while continuing to ignore the contributions of Superstars of the past. If I get curious about what’s happening, I can always find results online – and at least then I don’t have to sit through all the crap they put on TV. But WWE are certainly not getting a single dime out of me again.

Its times like this I miss WCW even more. They may have done some stupid stories, but I know they would never have gone this low.

As far as I’m concerned, Vince McMahon, the Creative team and everyone at WWE involved in this angle can go to hell.

Making Fun of Old People is Fun

So today (or yesterday I guess) is Paul McCartney's birthday.

Happy Birthday, McMarketing!
Hope you sell more of your crappy new album.

I got thinking last week while I was writing my blogs on The Beatles, and during my usual digs about Paul McCartney and his never-ending desire to be loved by millions and make more money, I came to a startling conclusion:

Paul McCartney is the George Lucas of the music industry!

Think about it...

George Lucas is famous for making a movie 30 years ago (Star Wars) that was revolutionary and captured everyone's imagination. After that, he oversaw 2 sequels to that movie (The Empire Strikes Back & Return of the Jedi), and although he wasn't the director he still seems to get the most recognition for the films. After that, he managed to come up with the occasional story (Willow, Labyrinth), but soon realised that the best way for him to make lots of money was to capitalise on the success of Star Wars and find ways to market it in various forms; toys, clothing, lollies, games and action figures - anything fans would pay a dollar for. Not satisfied with his millions, and unable to think of anything new due to complete lack of talent, he then surrounds himself with 'yes men' that will tell him how great he is, begins reworking the original Star Wars movies to be more like his original vision and releases more Star Wars movies that not only stink up the screen, but should be destroyed from all existence so that humanity may be spared. And then he forces even more marketing saturation on us, putting the Star Wars name on everything in the world.

Paul McCartney is famous for making music 40 years ago that was revolutionary and captured everyone's imagination (Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band). After that, he was part of more legendary albums by The Beatles (The Beatles, Abbey Road), and while he wasn't responsible for the greatest songs of these albums he still seems to get the most recognition for them. After that, he managed to write the occasional good song (Jet, Band on the Run), but soon realised that the best way for him to make lots of money was to capitalise on the success of The Beatles and find ways to market himself and The Beatles in various forms; toys, clothing, lollies, games and action figures - anything fans would pay a dollar for. Not satisfied with his millions, and unable to think of anything new due to complete lack of talent, he then surrounds himself with 'yes men' that will tell him how great he is, begins reworking original Beatles albums to be more like his original vision (Let it Be... Naked) and releases more solo music that not only stinks up the airwaves, but should be destroyed from all existence so that humanity may be spared. And then he forces even more marketing saturation on us, putting the McCartney name on everything in the world.

So what I'm trying to say is this:
Both men are incredibly rich and famous for things they accomplished decades ago. And while both were very talented, they have both gotten so wrapped in their own egos that they haven't made anything worthwhile since their heyday, and as such continue to pump out material void of any creativity because fans are stupid enough to still give them money - just because of who they are! It's amazing just how much George Lucas & Paul McCartney fans continue to support their heroes, no matter how terrible their work gets.

So I just have a few messages for some people...

George Lucas: leave the original Star Wars movies alone - they were fine the way were and no one likes Hayden Christensen, so keep him out of Return of the Jedi. No one is going to forget who you are, just please let the saga go. You can still enjoy your billions of dollars and surround yourself with people who think Jar-Jar was a great idea.

Paul McCartney: The Beatles were 4 people - they weren't called Paul McCartney & The Beatles. And you haven't written a halfway listenable song in a decade, so it's time to let it go. There are still plenty of people out there willing to say you are great, and you've shown us that with your money you can still get a young wife.

And to the fans of these two "icons": STOP BUYING THEIR RUBBISH AND ENCOURAGING THEM TO MAKE MORE!!!

More MySpace Bulletins

And does anyone else find the Boy/Girl bulletin a little odd?

I mean, first of all who doesn't like hoodies?  I don't think that would make anyone more of a man.  Saying dogs are better than cats isn't manly - just ignorant. And someone being obsessed with Power Rangers only proves they were a child when the show was on - not really an indication of sex.  It's like saying that because I love Transformers, I must be a guy, when it really means I was a child in 1984.  And I am a complete geek.

I don't know anyone in this country that collected baseball cards.

And yet the girl questions are so stereotypical it's ridiculous; no guy owns a skirt or a dress, and that was used for 2 seperate questions!  Talk about desperately trying to be condescending.

Most terrifying of all, though, is the calculations that are then used to determine your 'Male/Female Levels'.  Most people scored highly in their own sex (duh), but then some also scored quite well in the opposite sex and gained a total higher than 100%.  Brumbys actually scored 126% as a man - double my score - and then a further 28% as a woman.  Does this make him twice the man I am?  And 1.5 the person the rest of us are?  And being a half a person more than anyone, does he have any superpowers???

So if you still feel the need to do this quiz and determine your sex, I have devised my own that should help you:

BOY
[ ] You have a penis

GIRL
[ ] You have a vagina

Now there's two words I never thought I'd ever see me write!

And I realise some people may tick both answers, and they are a special breed of people.  They are called "Fashon Designers" and can be seen on a show called Project Runway.

Man I wish TV3 would hurry up and bring that back.

Justify Myself

And for those wondering just why music is so important to my day, it is mainly because of great conversations like this:

Julian: Logan, can you please call this company and get a reference for their bank account number? [shows Logan company invoice]
Logan: I've already set them up
Julian: I know, but I need to check their details
Logan: Well, I just copied the info from their other account so there aren't any problems
Julian: Have we paid them before?
Logan: Yes.
Julian: Well, you need to call them and get something sent through because I'm not happy with that and I can't find any record of them being paid before.
Logan: It's in the system - I will show you

[Logan brings up prior records, showing supplier payment history]

Logan: I don't think they would have changed account in a couple of months

[Julian goes quiet and goes back to his office. Then from his office, the following phone call can be heard:]

Julian [on phone to supplier] : Hi could I please get a reference for your bank account number?

Just One of Those Days...

Ever one of those days where you just have no idea what to listen to?

I do... quite a lot sometimes.  Most of the time - being the music obsessed individual I am - I know exactly what I want to hear.  But then every so often, I look through my music collection and find nothing interesting.

And today is one of those days.

I don't have much at work with me, and I think that is the problem.  I started the morning with the desire for some punk, so I was going to kick things off at work with some My Chemical Romance, and then maybe some Razorlight.  Alas, neither band are currently in my work CD folder.  So I keep browsing the folder and nothing stands out... in the end I settle for Sarah Blasko's What The Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have (not at all punk, but hey what can you do), and after a couple of listens I find myself back in the same position I was in before.  So what comes next?   Well, how about a dose of American Idiot... that really only lasted 1 full spin (although I did listen to Whatsername 3 times - awesome song).

And that brings me back here; bored and unable to find anything to listen to.  I have to admit, writing this blog has made me rethink giving Sarah Blasko another spin - brilliant album.  I have currently tricked myself into putting on one of my self-made mix albums, filled with classic songs like Mr. Big's Green-Tinted Sixties Mind and Breathe by Michelle Branch.

Oh dear Lord Robbie Williams is on here!  Let me just hit fast forward...

Oh ok that takes me to Kylie Minogue... I remember why I made this cd; we were on the road and I needed to learn some Kylie Minogue songs before I got back for a performance, and putting them on a cd was the best way to go.  Heck, let's just see what else is on here...

Well, a few songs from Kylie... then some classics from kid ego - they never get old... some Daniel Bedingfeld...

Must have been going through my weak pop phase.

And then Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb (live)

Wow... one of the worst CD mixes I think I have ever made.  Nothing fits with anything else.  And I'm still no closer to finding anything I want to listen to!

I think I will return to my earlier decision...

Where's David Hasselhoff when you need him?

[sings] Jump in my car...

What's Fun on Trademe Today?

I like to pass my time looking at pointless things on Trademe, so I thought I should share some of my current favourtie things for sale:

My New Favourite Wallpaper

Yum Yum, Baby!

and

a board game that Sherie really needs to own

yes that is all
boring I know
welcome to my world

I Don't Want Your MTV

Reading this large MySpace survey that people have been filling in (and I have refused, due to the ridiculous questions), I see that when given the choice between MTV and BET everyone I know chooses MTV.

I want to know WHY?

Seriously, there is nothing good about MTV. Let's start at the beginning with their initial advertising in New Zealand; computerised images of naked people do not make good commercials. I may love Atari 2600 graphics, but they should never be used to draw a penis. Especially on tv.

And then there's the shows; you get rednecks running around hurting themselves because they don't know any better, celebrities showing off how rich they are and the ludicrous things they have bought, and people doing up cars in such a way that would inspire every boy racer to spend the rest of their life spending money on their cars. Because that's what the world needs - more loud, obnoxious cars with fancy things.

And then you have the music - the M in MTV.
Someone want to tell me where that is? This isn't the 80's anymore, when MTV was actually revolutionary and played music all the time. Now it's just a subtext to everything; the channel is much more about the culture and helping to push trends.

Most importantly, MTV is just big marketing tool used to push products and make kids think something is cool.

MTV sucks

And Speaking of The Beatles...

The latest buzz is that all of their original albums are finally on course for a re-release; apparently some guy has been remastering them for a few years now, and now that they finally settled the lawsuit against EMI, The Beatles (or to be more exact, Paul, Ringo & the widows) are looking to have the new and improved albums out later this year.

Remastering old material can have various benefits; sound recording technology has improved so much in the last few decades that there is no denying the overall sound quality can be improved in amazing ways, and it also gives you the ability to improve glitches and so forth. The Cure have been slowly working through their back catalogue for the last few years, and very much to fans approval. And I also have the entire Queen catalogue digitally remastered, which again I will say suits the music in many ways (especially given how revolutionary they were in the studio).

But when it comes to The Beatles, did this really need to happen? Yes, the remastered Yellow Submarine Songtrack released many years ago showed a huge improvement in the sound quality, but there was one major difference to that album: George Harrison. Harrison was completely in the know when it came to this technology, and as such oversaw the complete restoration of that album, as well as his first solo album All Things Must Pass. He had planned to remaster his entire catalogue, but sadly, passed away before he could complete any more.

It just seems that since he’s been gone, there is no longer anyone to stop Paul McCartney and his ‘vision’ of what The Beatles should have been. George died, and 2 years later we got the tackily titled Let It Be… Naked – purely because Paul had always hated the original mix of the album, blaming Phil Spector for turning the album into something that “didn’t sound like The Beatles”. John and George of course had no problem with the album, with John once stating "He was given the shittiest load of badly-recorded shit with a lousy feeling to it ever, and he made something of it." And so I am left asking, what will become of The Beatles’ music? Will we lose the fun little nuances and things that made them so special?

I don’t know, maybe I’m just cynical and stuck in my ways, but I don’t see much point in giving Paul McCartney more money just so I can have music I already own, without as much character. Maybe it’s just the idea of the pointless and self-rewarding project that was Let It Be… Naked being repeated on all The Beatles albums that came before it. When I think it about it a little – and I ignore a little bit of history and just focus on Yellow Submarine – then I begin to think that maybe this could be a good thing.

There is no denying that The Beatles suffered greatly due to the lack of technology (although, Wikipedia actually dares to call to Abbey Road “state of the art” during the recording of Sgt. Pepper’s – even though it was constantly criticized by The Beatles for being completely behind the times; they were still having to use a 4-track recorder, while studios in the states were starting to use 8 and 12 track recorders) and because of that, their music does lack something. I will even admit that I would kind of like to hear a remastered version of Abbey Road, just to hear it in all its splendour and glory. And the original mono mix of Sgt. Pepper’s is apparently very different from the stereo version we hear today, as it was the only mix that was overseen by The Beatles, and therefore more what they wanted from the album, so using this as a tool to present the music the way they wanted could be good. Although, what do you think the chances are of someone releasing an album in mono in this day and age?

I guess I’m just not really convinced yet; The Beatles were recorded in analog, the early recordings will sound like that regardless – a sound which I think they suit, being old rock’n roll songs that should be played on vinyl - and I don’t see much need for a 24-bit digitally remastered recording of From Me to You. Unless the improvements in sound quality are vast. And Paul McCartney keeps his ugly old mug out of the mixing room. And if I see a single song credited as McCartney/Lennon, I am personally going to fly to London and beat Sir McMarketing with a remastered limited edition of my microwave!

It Was 20 Years Ago Today...

...Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play




Well, actually it was 40 years ago last week. I'm a little late, I know

Firstly, I just want to say that for an album that is widely considered the greatest rock'n roll album of all time, does anyone else think that there was almost a complete lack of acknowledgement of this? They better do something special in ten years time. I'm talking a big parade through London - that would be cool

I was going to write a huge blog (well, I'm kinda halfway through) where I sat here and went on and on about the album, and then gave my thoughts on each song... but I realised that wouldn't be any fun at all. And I can't be bothered

I guess that's why no one did anything special for it's 40th birthday

First off, I must be honest and say that this is not my favourite album from The Beatles. While I appreciate how much it revolutionised music recording, I still prefer the pop glory of Rubber Soul, the dysfunctional insanity of The Beatles (The White Album), the artistic first steps in Revolver (which really paved the way for Sgt. Pepper's), and the overall brilliance of Abbey Road.

For me, the album just is not consistent; it starts off strong with the title track - a surprisingly rockin' number from Paul, where the driving bass & drum tracks are somehow complimented by odd sounding guitar riffs. Total early punk. Then you get With a Little Help From My Friends, a very catchy song that John & Paul wrote speicifically for Ringo. And that's followed by Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - one of the most imaginative and brilliant songs The Beatles ever recorded. From the phase shifting on John's vocals, to the vast array of instrumentation, this song was ground breaking in every way. And Getting Better is not too bad - a great collaboration between Lennon/McCartney that really showed their contrasting styles and how well they matched each other.

But from there, the rest of the album just turns to a big pile of blah. Fixing a Hole, with it's droning harpsichord and pointless lyrics about fixing a hole is just the typical souless pop Paul McCartney makes on his own. She's Leaving Home, though filled with lush strings arrangements, doesn't quite grab the emotion it's reaching for. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! just sort of comes across as Lennon being terribly stoned and writing a song while reading a circus poster - oh wait, that is what happened! Bah... it's still much better than some of the other songs on the album.

Then we get George's only contribution. And by George, I mean George and a bunch of Indian musicians. None of the other Beatles felt the need to join in for the recording of Within You Without You. But then again, this was one of the few songs he actually played on the record, so I guess it was just a case of role-reversal. More on that later. This was to be the beginning of George's ill-feelings towards Paul, as the only other song he offered, A Northern Song, was completely ignored and that was to be a pattern of things to come. The song would later be used for the Yellow Submarine soundtrack. I'm not sure if it's just the way it was recorded, but it was probably a good decision by Paul.

Oh yeah, Within You Without You; it's long, the lyrics are awesome, and if you like Indian music, then you would like this song. If you like Indian music. I believe it was this song that caused Ravi Shankar to teach George how to actually play the Sitar.

Next up is possibly the worst song by The Beatles on any record! When I'm Sixty-Four is everything I dislike about Paul McCartney's music; stupid childish lyrics with no soul along a predictable melody, and the same boring music structure all the way through. I can' t find anything redeeming in that song - it sounds like it was written by a 10 year-old. Oh wait - he wrote in the 50's, so I wasn't far off.

Again, Paul really isn't the main one to blame there, as I'm sure if George and John had paid more attention to making this album and less on having pot smoking competitions with Bob Dylan then junk like that would not have made the cut.

In fact, I hate (yes, HATE) the song so much that it deserves another John Lennon quote:

"Paul completely. I would never even dream of writing a song like that. There
are some areas I never think about and that is one of them."

Thankfully, after hitting rock-bottom, the album picks up steam again with the delightful Lovely Rita - Paul's quirky lovesong to a "Meter Maid". Did I just say "delightful" and "quirky"? I think all this Paul McCartney sugar-flavoured bubblegum is starting to get to me.

Praise The Lord! Lennnon returns with Good Morning, Good Morning. Inspired by a cornflakes commercial, the song is not quite the lazy work that Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite! is. Actually, it's a pretty darn good song; the lyrics are great, the melodies in the pre-chorus and chorus are fantastic, and the horns really add great character. Ringo's drumming is quite interesting... as are the constant animal noises. Following is Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise), which rounds off the album nicely. This was the last song recorded for the album, and is almost like a quick, poppier version of the opening track.

And of course, we end things with the coup de' grace: A Day in the Life. Quite possibly the greatest rock'n roll song ever recorded - despite teenagers theses days thinking unintellilgent grunge songs like Smells Like Teen Spirit deserve that honour. I'm sorry, but in the context of music, no song comes close to capturing the same thing this song did, except maybe Stairway to Heaven a decade later. This is a genuine one-of-a-kind song and executed to perfection; if Lennon was going through the worst creative time of his life, then this song was his saving grace. I especially love the way it makes such an awkward change into Paul's segment, but yet finds it's way back to John with such power and, well, an almost natural musical progression. This was one of the last real collaborations between Lennon/McCartney, and an absolute testament to how much an amazing songwriting team they were.

So while choc-full of filler, the brilliant songs on this album make it totally listenable. And as much as I bash Paul McCartney, he really was the only major force on this album; George and John were growing so lazy from their constant use of marijuana at the time, that had very little to offer creatively. John managed to pull himself out of bed every so often to provide some of the most magical moments of the album, but George's interest just never seemed too high. maybe he was still bothered by Paul overdubbing his songs on Revolver, George's contributions to the album consist of 1 Indian-spiritual song, playing Indian musical instruments on a few songs, a couple of guitar tracks here and there and some tambourine for good measure. Of course he more than made up for that with the next album & singles, but I often feel that if he and John had pulled it together this album could have been even better.

But hey, it's still the number one album of all time
So it can't be that bad, can it ;-)

I'm Still Punk

Well, for once I took Lou's advice.

Lou commented on my previous blog that I should forward the enitre thing - expressing my disgust at giving Vince McMahon an honourary doctrate (from a Catholic University of all places).

Well, I did. And not just to some generic email address. No, I went to their website and found the contact details for ALL the administration; the President, the two Vice-Presidents, their assistants and the Vice-President for Human Resources. If I'm going to rant to somebody, I'm going to rant to the people that make these stupid decisions.

It's nice to know that at my age, there's still a bit of punk in me.

Even if it comes out of a computer.