Thursday, April 24, 2008

10 SONGS

 What do our musical choices say about us? Let’s find out, as we play...THE NEXT TEN SONGS ON MY IPOD!

   My ipod shuffle, which has about 250 songs on it -- pulled from a fairly extensive playlist -- is set to random. And here we go:


One Day More -- Les Miserables Soundtrack (London Cast): I’ve been going through a bit of a broadway revival lately. I hadn’t listened to any musicals for some time, suddenly I had the craving. I love this song. It’s a turning point in the story, where all of the various story arcs come together (and where the intermission is in the play -- no that that’s relevant). Incidentally, the London cast recording of Les Miserables is far superior to any of the other versions out there, for one reason -- Colm Wilkinson, as Jean Valjean. Actually, I’ve always thought it kind of strange that it’s the English version of a French Story that everyone loves so much...

Welcome to the Jungle -- Guns ‘n’ Roses: Wow, that’s a good way to strip your gears.  This is a pretty disturbing song, but man it sounds cool. The beginning of this song is one of the best ever. And the louder you play it, the better it sounds. What ever happened to these guys?

Ice Harvest, Miller’s Mill, New York -- Charles Kuralt: This is a recording from one of the On The Road segments that Kuralt used to do for the CBS Evening News. Charles Kuralt is one of my heroes. He spent his life traveling around the nation and telling us all about ourselves. His life’s work is the great epic poem of America. This particular story is about a community in New York that keeps the centuries old tradition of cutting and storing lake ice in the middle of the winter, to be used for the ice cream social later that summer. Vintage Kuralt.

Think of Me -- Phantom of the Opera soundtrack: There’s that broadway thing again. I actually haven’t listened to Phantom for a VERY long time. It’s nice to come back to it. There are some amazing vocal performances on this soundtrack. Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman defined these roles. I have to be honest, I like Les Miserables better -- it’s a better story and a better live production. It’s kind of like the Beatles/Rolling Stones thing, everyone has to have a favorite. 

The Impossible Dream - The Man of La Mancha Soundtrack: I read Don Quixote several years ago, but I was unfamiliar with this musical, until last year, when we went to see it at the Hale Centre Theatre. It’s was amazing. The idea of this song gets a little lost on people sometimes, I think. It’s not about facing tremendous obstacles, and eventually triumphing. It’s about fighting the good fight even though you know you cannot win. It’s an impossible dream, not an almost impossible dream. 

Through the Trees -- David Tolk: David Tolk is a local guy here in Utah. He plays piano for Peter Breinholt, but he also has several solo albums. I really like his music (oh it’s piano music, by the way) it’s simple and beautiful. And easy for a “by ear” piano player to pick up. 

 Wish You Were Here -- Pink Floyd: Pink Floyd used to scare the crap out of me. I had always heard of them as a kid, but had never actually heard their music. People described them as “acid rock” and I wasn’t sure what that meant (I’m still not sure it actually means anything -- no one even uses the term any more), but it sounded scary, so I wanted nothing to do with them. Then during my sophomore year in High School, my best friend Aaron came across this album -- The Delicate Sound of Thunder. It’s a live concert album. We listened to it. We weren’t seized upon by demons. And we never looked back. This is one of my favorite albums of all time. As good as Pink Floyd is, they sound even better live. That’s rare. I love this song -- and it’s fairly easy to play on the guitar. 

Love One Another -- (Shameless plug alert!!) Chris Thornblad: Yes, I listen to my own music. Sorry. This is the classic primary song (known in some circles as “As I have loved you”). Sharon, my wife, asked me to record a version of this song for her, as a birthday present a couple of years ago. I wasn’t sure how to make it interesting, so I put a bridge in the middle of it with a portion of another primary song, Heavenly Father Loves Me (or Whenever I hear the song of a bird...).

Old Paint -- Peter Breinholt: I’m surprised that it’s taken this long for a Peter Breinholt song to come up. I listen to his stuff more than anything else. One of the things I love about his music is how rich and interesting it is. His lyrics are a little confusing (it gets a little “stream of consciousness-ish” occasionally. But, he uses so many varied instruments in his songs, that they are very fun to listen to. This song descends into a vaudeville style melody, complete with trombones toward the end. And there’s a really tinny, barroom piano too. Oh, and a banjo. 

 I’ve Got You Under My Skin -- Frank Sinatra: I’ve always been a fan of Bing Crosby, but I’m a recent convert to Sinatra. He is so smooth. Frank Sinatra just makes everything sound cool. In fact, you just feel cooler when you listen to him.     


   Well, there you go.  I don't know what that says about me -- you'll have to be the judge. Thank you for playing THE NEXT TEN SONGS ON MY IPOD!                        

3 comments:

Aaron said...

You need help.

The funny thing about that is how close our music choices were in Elementary, Junior and High School and how diverse they are now. I think maybe our wives have influenced that to some point. I like some of those but would not choose them for myself. I have been stuck in Joe Satriani (mostly the slower stuff) for years and when I get to choose my music, that is a big winner. My “Impossible Dream” is to road trip with Catey and see him in concert.

I don't get into Rock n' Roll anymore (Van Halen, Poison, Guns n' Roses, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi) its not there for me anymore...I will throw them on every once in a while (2 or 3 times a year) for a few min to reminisce, but it never lasts more than a few songs. Music used to be such a large part of my life and it has faded as I don't have the time to indulge... We could play 10 songs from my iPod......ready? (This is not really accurate as I am at work and don’t have my full collection and have a lot of Satriani so don’t be surprised)

1 – Istanbul – They might be Giants – Great song, stupid but that is like life sometimes….just silly to be silly because it is silly. “Even old New York was once New Amsterdam, why they changed it I can’t say….people just liked it better that WAYYYYYYYY”….love it

2 – Cryin’ – Joe Satriani – One of his top 5 best, this one reminds me of times in High school. I picture a slideshow of us in High School with a few live action video clips thrown in, all slow motion. Just remembering the times we will talk about in the eternities.

3 – One and Only – Jim Brickman – I don’t particularly like this one as much as others on the album, but I really like Jim. I bought this album in St. Louis for a road trip to Nauvoo Catey and I took for the rededication of that temple. We sat in the Celestial room. Great trip, even if it was only three days.

4 – Secret Prayer – Joe Satriani – Truly a sign of a master, changing time signatures right off the front riff on every measure then coming together for a great road trip type song…..trees, brush going by, red rock canyons in the distance…..truly awesome.

5 – Cliffs of Dover – Eric Johnson – He is like Satriani but not as good. This is a good “summertime jam” song, lemonade, kids, $10 plastic pool full of water and grass clippings..sprinklers on, you get the idea.

6 – Catching Twilight – Jim Brickman – Perfect ending of the “summertime jam”, kids are in bed, Catey and I on the back porch, the clouds are pink, dog barking a few streets over, a new baby quietly cries inside the house, the brighter stars showing through…..awesome.

7 – No One Is To Blame – Howard Jones (Live - Acoustic piano only) – A Throwback to Juinor High, but the logic is real. I think one of the purposes of life is to teach us the value of work and want. This song is a great example

8 – Journey – Jim Brickman – I think my iTunes shuffle is broken…I promise I have more on here that Joe Satriani and Jim Brickman….oh well, another great one by the great one.

9 – The Game of Love – Michelle Branch – I love this song. This is what I would want to listen to or dance to at a club or beach party with Catey on our vacation when we finally get one. This is another song that fits my “Summer” category. Only this time, I am in the Cheeseburger in Paradise, Maui Hawaii and Michelle and Santana show up to play a set unannounced and Catey and I are front row and dancing while the sun drops below the horizon…….ah….Maui….

10 – Walking in Memphis – Marc Cohn – I don’t know anything else this guy has done, but this song reminds me of my mission, I was in the south (Georgia) and would hear this song now and again while there, I don’t think it’s the words, but the sounds of the song that take me back to the last month of my mission, knowing it was ending and that a new part of my life was starting soon while another was ending. Reminiscent of a time when everything was starting to change for the rest of my life….


Well there you go. Hope that was worth all the time….

Chris said...

Okay, I know you dig Satriani, but Howard Jones? I don't think I could go back there, though you've always had more of a stomach for the 80's stuff than I have. Actually, I'm glad that "We are the world" didn't come up on my ipod - that would have been a hard one to explain (my favorite part is the Steve Perry/Darryl Hall section -- and there is WAY too much Bruce Springsteen!) I'm surprised you didn't comment on my preference for Les Miserables over Phantom of the Opera -- I specifically put that in there to get a rise out of you.

Aaron said...

Ah...Catey likes Les Miserables better too....most people I talk to do. I guess it was because the only time I have seen Les Mis was a slightly-better-than-high-school production and I saw Phantom on Broadway in LA with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman.....can't beat that.
However, I am going to see WICKED on Broadway in New York next month....21st row on the floor. My 'favorite' may change, you never know.