Saturday, November 25, 2006

3 Days...


Before I move somewhere I have never been. I have only visited once and the last time I moved to a city where I knew no one was 28 years ago. Can I do it? The opportunity to feel "awe" again really appeals to me. This is the test we all are looking for. Are you as good as you think you are? Can you do it again? Do you still have it in you? Do you desire it as much as you used to? Can you out work the competition again? we shall see.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Forever The Beatles, Amen.



LONDON (AFP) - Fans have rushed to buy the first "new" Beatles album for a generation -- a radical remixing of some of the group's most famous songs -- more than 35 years after the break-up of the iconic band. "Love", which has the backing of surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, comprises 26 of the Fab Four's hit songs, but many of them mixed together using previously unheard material from the studio. "I hope this will help people to hear Beatles music again," said Giles Martin, son of the group's original producer Sir George Martin who is often referred to as the fifth Beatle.Martin and his son worked for three years on the project, which forms the soundtrack to a Beatles stage show of the same name, put on since June in Las Vegas by Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil. Using archives and master tapes at the Abbey Road studios in London originally used by The Beatles, they put together songs by a complex mixture of overlaying, dubbing and synchronizing to produce sometimes startlingly new compositions. For example, elements of "Penny Lane" are mixed with "Strawberry Fields Forever", while "Blackbird" is combined with "Yesterday" in a process called a "mash-up" by sound engineers. Other track combinations on the new album include "Get Back" feeding into "Glass Onion", before weaving into the chords of "Eleanor Rigby", giving an appropriately psychedelic texture to the 1960s originals. At each stage the surviving Beatles -- plus John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono and George Harrison's widow Olivia -- were consulted on the developing work, and they were almost always approving. On one occasion though, as a test, the Martins presented McCartney with a version of "Hey Jude" featuring a reggae intro. "It was a Jamaican 'Hey Jude'. You had to see his face. He just said: 'I don't think that really goes'. It was wonderful," George Martin said, according to The Guardian newspaper. In theory, the producers' golden rule was that only original Beatles music could be used. But there was one exception: an acoustic version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", for which George Martin wrote an original orchestral score. "The project was a labour of love and rounds things off. In 1965 I did my first score for "Yesterday" and this is my final score ... it's a sort of top and tail of my life," said the 80-year-old producer on Monday. The Las Vegas show, which features an international cast of 60 acrobats performing aerial gymnastics, extreme sports and urban, freestyle dance, has been a roaring success. It has been staged for the last five months in a custom-built theatre at The Mirage hotel with 360-degree seating and high definition video projections of 100-feet (30-metre) high moving images. The album's producers are reasonably confident the record will enjoy similar success, and that the late Beatles Lennon and Harrison would have approved of it.
"I think they would have liked it," said the elder Martin at the album launch. "To be honest, I believe they were there with us as we worked on it."

The 100 Most Influencial People In American History



The Atlantic Magazine has put together a list of the 100 most influential people in our history. Do you agree?

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

The Top 40 Hottest Car Movies



From Hot Rod Magazine (they oughtta know).
Can't argue a single movie on this list.

Monday, November 20, 2006

State Championship Game!!


I like living in Kirkwood. It has a very old fashioned small town feel about 12 miles southwest of St. Louis. It has a great school district and it seems to be a very close knit community. How cool must it be to be my daughter right about now, last month, the Cardinals win the World Series and this month...

...her high school football team plays for the state championship!! We thought last year was the year but it looks like this year is it. They play three time state champs Ray-Pec (Raymore and Peculiar two towns just south and east of KC) but Ray-Pec has lost three games this year. The game is on Saturday night at 6:30 at the Edward Jones Dome. How fun. Go Pioneers! Undefeated and now maybe champs? My high school team went a total of 7-24 the three years I was there, so this is very neat!

The Modern Man


The genius of George Carlin on display

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Random Shit


I'm going to be a grandfather again. Damn! I am very proud, but DAAAMMMMMNNN! I am much too young. Love you, Jess.



I hope good things are happening to my friend Jay. It appears so. Maybe the karma train has arrived and not departed.



It was Paul's last home game at Notre Dame. "It went by so fast", no shit, Sherlock get used to it. He's on his way to LA to see the USC game. Damn kid has done more at 22 than I have at 50.



Arriving at Chapter 27. Chapter 26 has no more pages, it's over. I hope.



I was flattered by a particular offer I received. It was to do something completely different in the radio field. I would have loved to try it, but the shift I was supposed to do was so important. I don't think that's a place where a guy learns a new craft, drive time. Now, if this guy EVER gets an overnight opening or something like that, let's roll. Very. nice. guy. GREAT CITY. Thanks, Steve.

Brush With Greatness Part 11-Saga


In 1982 and 1983, KY 102 in Kansas City conducted what was known as the "Rock Awards". The public could vote for their favorite guitar player, group, vocalist, newcomer of the year...whatever. The ballots were at the local Wendy's outlets, I believe. This was back in the day when KY102 was lke the equivalent of KSHE at that time. We owned the city. The Rock Awards were held at the Hyatt Regency and it was basically conducted like the Emmys or Academy awards. Jocks got dressed in tuxes and gave out awards with notable rock stars. At this particular rock award, we got Billy Squier to play. Billy also gave out an award with me and tried to pick me up. He was pretty drunk. We always got the band who won best newcomer to play...Quarterflash was the other best new band winner. The Awards got real expensive and disappeared after year two. They were alot of fun and the first time I ever met Steve Perry. Anyway, this is the band Saga who got the award for best new band. This must have been 1982. Saga did a couple of songs called "On The Loose" and "Wind Him Up" and another ballad hit in about 1993.

Back row from left: Program Director Joe MacCabe, good friend Jon Hart, overnight guy (and eternal good dude) Vaughn Mac, saga dude, saga dude, night gal Katey McGuckin, saga dude, Lynne Dean

Front row; midday guy Paul (Fredrocks) Fredrichs, me, the ledgendary Skid Roadie, legend.


Buy Saga here

The Traffic Jam 1987-88


From left Jim (baggadonuts)Evans-bass, sax. Steve (Big Man)Pecaro-guitars. Randy(what the hell am I doing with two hats?)Raley-drums,percussion. I had major dental work done earlier in the day. Can't you tell?

What To Say?


My summer by Randy Raley: Contusion, Confusion, Evolution, Desolation, Illusion, Saturation, Humiliation, Annihilation, Revolution, Persuasion, Creation, Salvation, Inspiration, Elation, Communication, Resolution, Compassion,

SOLUTION!!

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