Bruce Springsteen... Darkness of the Edge of Town

Released:June 2, 1978
Recorded:October 12, 1977–March 19, 1978 Record Plant Studios (New York, New York)
Length:42:55
Label:Columbia
Producer:Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau, Steven Van Zandt
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Over the years, there are albums that never really get much play, not because they’re bad. It just doesn’t work out for whatever artist, they maybe going through an evolution, or maybe it’s something that has happened in their lives that inspired an album that doesn’t resonate with everyone.

Take Bruce Springsteen’s Darkness on the Edge of Town, I never heard it before. But one day when I was listening to 100.3 FM the sound a song, that I had never heard caught my attention called “Prove It All Night”. Yeah it’s a thinly veiled song about sex, but its kinda sweet in many more ways than one. I love the all the instruments and the lyrics the way they’re sung really seems like a working class love story, it makes allot of sense to me.

I didn’t get to actually listen to this album till last week, when I finished last week’s blog entry, but upon giving it time immediately afterwards the song “Adam Raised A Cain” really caught me because to me it didn’t fit my idea of Bruce Springsteen but more of Glen Danzig, lyrically and vocally. Oh yeah and the music really has a real dark feel to it which probably makes me think Danzig.

We’ve all had darker days, from love or what have you and you just want to be alone. The song “Streets of Fire” seems like that feeling, while driving alone at night with a kind of anger that is best to be left alone inside that car. Time alone is the best while just rushing down those streets trying to burn out that feeling while going nowhere, those streets are the therapy.

LEE's got another good show coming up this week on Wednesday so check out the Pinata Hour

This album speaks for itself so you give it a chance and PASS IT ON
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All songs written by Bruce Springsteen.

"Badlands" – 4:01
"Adam Raised a Cain" – 4:32
"Something in the Night" – 5:11
"Candy's Room" – 2:51
"Racing in the Street" – 6:53
"The Promised Land" – 4:33
"Factory" – 2:17
"Streets of Fire" – 4:09
"Prove It All Night" – 3:56
"Darkness on the Edge of Town" – 4:30

Van Halen... II

Released: March 23, 1979
Recorded: December 1978 - January 1979, Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood, CA
Length: 32:00
Label: Warner Bros.
Producer: Ted Templeman
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Ok so this week’s album choice Van Halen II, I think is an awesome album even if for one song “Dance the Night Away”. I find myself singing this song randomly, and I it’s always during the “Ooh baby baby” part. Sometimes at work when this song comes on the radio I can hear other people in the shop sing it to, that always puts a smile on my face. It’s a happy song that’s fun to sing to even when people are around.

Anytime I hear "Light up the Sky" I think of my friend Juan, who once told me a joke about Eddie Van Halen that goes something like this “do you know why you always see Eddie Van Halen smiling in all his pictures?” I replied “I don’t know, why?”, “it’s because he’s FUCKING EDDIE VAN HALEN!” I laughed my ass off, and that joke seems fitting for this song . Theres soo much that is awesome in this song, that if I wrote this song, I’d be smiling all the time to… LOL

Metalocalypse really drew my attention to Van Halen with the Dr. Rockzo Character who sounds like David Lee Roth. Yeah it’s funny and all but it made me actually stop and listen to Van Halen, as I didn’t grow up with their music in my house. So when I heard the song “Beautiful Girl” It really reminded me of the Dr. Rockzo character which was the reason I took the time to listen.

Hope other people enjoy this album as much as I did (BTW another good song that isn't on this album is "Intruder" which leads into a cover of "Pretty Woman" on the Driver Down Album).

So PASS IT ON and don't forget to check out my buddy LEE's Pinata Hour show
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1. "You're No Good" (Clint Ballard, Jr.) 3:16
2. "Dance the Night Away" 3:06
3. "Somebody Get Me a Doctor" 2:52
4. "Bottoms Up!" 3:05
5. "Outta Love Again" 2:51
6. "Light Up the Sky" 3:13
7. "Spanish Fly" (Instrumental) 1:00
8. "D.O.A." 4:09
9. "Women in Love..." 4:08
10. "Beautiful Girls" 3:56

Jean Grae... This Week

Released: September 21 2004
Genre: Underground Rap
Label: Babygrande Records
Producer: Joey Chavez, Shan Boogie, The Belief, Dirty Swift, LT. Moe, William Tell, Sid Romes, Adam Deitch, Bruce Waynne, 9th Wonder
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Yeah so a few years back I thought Hip hop was dead, if not just a joke. Till one day when I meet that Sweet Jane girl and she made me listen to Jean Grae… and in those first few lines in A-Alikes really spoke to me. Hip hop wasn’t dead and women could rhyme and not sound like a weak imitation of some moron talking about cars he doesn’t even own.

 

At that time in my life when I was reintroduced to Hip Hop, I was going through allot of emotion bull (all of which didn’t mean anything in the long term). But “Give it up” was the theme song to those childish pining days, even though those days mean nothing now… Jean Grae’s soulful lyrics still ring true. Relationships can be confusing and consuming but question that come from it need to be answered at the time.

A perfect theme for my writing would be “Don’t Rush Me” nothing but the truth in this song like if it wrote it as one of my poems, but being sober and self reflective with lyrics like “Listen, there's nothing like knowin' yourself, Like the way I know that smokin's kind of broken my health, Like the way I know my flow don't make appropriate wealth, I can't change that, But funny I'm sayin' that when it's money I'm aimed at” every line in this song I can relate with, like people and the world expecting something out of you, things that aren’t part of your plan and there is no time limit to, I think most people can find something in this song.


Here's another Example where I was Amazed at what was behind the doors I ignored for years, so that's where I say what I always say PASS IT ON

Don't forget to check out my buddy LEE's Show 

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Track listing

1. "Intro" (featuring Ruddy Rock)
2. "A-Alikes"
3. "Cuervo Loco (Skit)"
4. "Going Crazy"
5. "Skit"
6. "Style Wars" (featuring Block McCloud)
7. "Not Like Me"
8. "Supa Luv"
9. "Give It Up"
10. "Whatever"
11. "The Wall"
12. "Before The Spot (Skit)"
13. "You Don't Want It"
14. "Watch Me"
15. "P.S."
16. "Don't Rush Me"
17. "Fyre Blazer"

 

AC/DC... Back in Black

Released: 25 July 1980
Recorded: April–May 1980 at Compass Point Studios in The Bahamas and Electric Lady Studios in New York
Length: 42:11
Label: Albert/Atlantic Records
Producer: Robert John "Mutt" Lange
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I don’t care what anyone says but AC/DC kicks ass. See I didn’t grow up with Rock or anything heavy other than Punk so I missed out on allot of the obvious foundation of Rock, so as an adult when I actually stopped and listened to what was considered to be “Redneck music” I was blown away with how awesome AC/DC was. Like most things, I was told was lame, was actually allot better than anything those people listen to now.

There was soo many things I missed out on, because of the close mindedness I was taught, but listening to “Shoot to Thrill” I wanted to jump up and sing along with the song even though it was the first time I ever heard this song. It was soo much a shock to me that I had to find this album and dig deeper like I always do, and Back in Black delivered what I missed and then some.

I read somewhere that Richard Ramirez felt the lyrics to Night Prowler described himself, but in my opinion I would say that “Let Me Put My Love into You” is something he probably listened to or played in his mind. But that all aside, this is a hardcore song that has all the fury in the world, aggression, and animalistic lust in it those are the things that come to mind when I hear this song. Arguably the best song on the album, never heard it on the radio, but its FUCKING AWESOME!!!

Everyone would say that I have to add the album titled song Back in Black in this blog, but this is mine so I’m going with "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution", Because it’s a powerful anthem, to the whole Rock genre. After work on a Friday when I get paid I blast this song in the Caddy, windows down all the way and the volume up all the way till they start rattling all funny like. I get weird looks from the Paisas when I roll to the liquor store to buy my Modelo Especial, but fuckit “Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution, Rock and Roll will never die”.

This weeks entry is a PERFECT EXAMPLE of trying something different you maybe surprised, so that means you  should PASS IT ON

also don't forget to check out LEE's show the Pinata Hour

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1. "Hells Bells" – 5:10
2. "Shoot to Thrill" – 5:17
3. "What Do You Do for Money Honey" – 3:33
4. "Given the Dog a Bone" – 3:30
5. "Let Me Put My Love into You" – 4:16
6. "Back in Black" – 4:14
7. "You Shook Me All Night Long" – 3:30
8. "Have a Drink on Me" – 3:57
9. "Shake a Leg" – 4:06
10. "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" – 4:15