The Voice of Michael Jackson

With all the drama and circus that has surrounded this truly gifted performer as of late, I think its best that we take even a moment to take note of what Mr. Jackson is most highly regarded for; his ability to perform and dance. I really don't have the skills or talent to describe somebody's voice, but this excerpt from Wikipedia will have to do!!!!! I've made some of my own comments in red. NOTE: I was never a huge devoted fan of Mister Jackson. But I really have a deep nostalgia for his place and celebrity in the 90s. His songs as I listen to them now sound timeless and fresh.

From Wikipedia:

Jackson did not use the hiccup technique— somewhat like a gulping for air or gasping— fully until the recording of Off the Wall: it be seen in full force in the "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" promotional video. [11]

The hiccup thing was so awesome! So fierce!!!!
With the arrival of Off the Wall in the late 1970s, Jac

kson's abilities as a vocalist were well regarded. At the time, Rolling Stone compared his vocals to the "breathless, dreamy stutter" of Stevie Wonder. Their analysis was also that "Jackson's feathery-timbred tenor is extraordinarily beautiful. It slides smoothly into a startling falsetto that's used very daringly".[170][171] 1982 saw the release of Thriller, and Rolling Stone were of the opinion that Jackson was then singing in a "fully adult voice" that was "tinged by sadness".[174]

This last observation about sadness in his vocals is something I think most of us overlook. I think this is really why his songs are so moving. 

When commenting on Invincible, Rolling Stone were of the opinion that—at the age of 43—Jackson still performed "exquisitely voiced rhythm tracks and vibrating vocal harmonies".[191] Nelson George summed up Jackson's vocals by stating "The grace, the aggression, the growling, the natural boyishness, the falsetto, the smoothness—that combination of elements mark him as a major vocalist".[175]

He had so much singing talent and it never went away. I really can't think of any other vocalist who kept such a great voice for such a long career. Its really sad to think about all the albums and records that could have been. I hate to end on a sad note, so here is a fun picture from back in the day:

iSteak

So recently I was about to grill up some steaks. I'll admit, I don't grill steaks very often at all, so whenever I do they either end up over done or under cooked. Enter the iSteak. I knew there had to be an app for this problem somewhere. So sure enough I went on the app store and found the iSteak for the ipod touch and iphone. A great little program that essentially has solved my steak cooking problems. It tells you exactly how long to cook your steaks depending on how you want them done and the cut of meat. The steaks turned out flawlessly!

http://www.vimeo.com/5476874

This American Life - My top 5

I've been listening to This American Life for a few years now. Heres some of my favorites. Each one here is world class radio. I've also included links in case you want to listen to them. Hopefully this show goes on forever...


5) Classifieds - Starlee Kine's segment where she puts together a band from the classifieds section should win an award of some sort.


4) 24 hours at the Golden Apple - What could be more interesting than interviewing everyone who goes to a diner over a 24 hour period. They should do more episodes like this!


3) 20 Acts in 60 Minutes - A lot of really great radio on this one. Lots of good stuff!


2) Breakup- Some of Starlee Kine's best work.


1) Scenes from a Mall - The stuff at the mall is okay, but this episode contains my all time favorite segment "Santa Fight Club" by Josh Bearman.



http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=223
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1276
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1179
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1274
http://thisamericanlife.com/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=241

What are your favorites??...

Angels and Demons

Angels and Demons...Wow! I really didn't like this movie. Pretty much it's one guy who is a knows it all solve a bunch of very cryptic riddles which is really no fun to watch. Theres a lot of running around and it's only at the end of the movie that things slow down, and we can have a true plot begin to develop. There was one cool scene with special effects but I don't want to give too much away in case you haven't seen it. Why can't Tom Hanks be in movies like he used to



That movie (NOT the influence for my Blog's name) is way more entertaining than Angels and Demons. Go see The Burbs. Not Angels and Demons!!!!!

Record Review: The Yeh-Yeh Girl from Paris! by Francoise Hardy

It’s really a shame you never hear about this album, but it’s a perfect pop record, a buried treasure in every sense of the word. Every song here is upbeat and the whole record has a light carefree tone. French isn’t my first language, but I can still make sense of the songs. The themes of the songs are pretty much what you would expect… “I love him, he loves me”, “he left and it sucks” “ill be fine” etc. etc.. It’s pretty much a record of radio ready singles (ready for 1965), full of hooks galore. Despite the fact that the target audience for this record when it was released in 1965 was probably 12-18 year old girls, it nevertheless stands up today for anyone of any age who wants to hear something that sounds really unique. It has aged well and is really hip in a strange way.
And that brings me to the production. Its pretty much Francoise singing in a longing , sometimes sad, sometimes happy tone. She’s backed by what sounds like a drummer, bassist, and somebody playing a guitar which I think sounds like a telecaster. That’s it. No double tracking or overdubs as far as I can tell. Well maybe some. Somehow that simple formula makes for one of the coolest sounding records I’ve heard in a long time and gives the record a very live feel. You get the sense that her and the band were just hanging out, having fun and recording a song every once in a while at a slow pace. I’ve heard some songs she recorded later in her career , but those are much more mature ballads with a full orchestra. Anyway, enough of my raving. If you want an enjoyable record full of fun songs you can listen to while doing whatever, have at it. If sugary pop, or the French language turns you off, then please steer clear.

Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)

Way Down Upon the Swanee River. What a nice song! and apparently Florida's state song. I wonder what Manitoba's provincial song is...
Here, enjoy this old rendition by an singer from France named Emma Calve. According to Wikipedia, Calvé was probably the most famous French female opera singer of the Belle Époque era. Contemporary accounts of her voice describe it as extraordinary


And of course, something more contemporary, a man playing it on a carrot


Enough for now. I think it is awesome that theres some really old songs out there with unreal melodies like this one.

Okay, just look at the covers of these albums. The similar style is striking. Either could have been a postcard sold in the 30s. But the similarities don’t end there. Billy Corgan said of Mellon Collie, its a record about
"the human condition of mortal sorrow". Aeroplane also deals with similar themes of loss and suffering and was influenced by the Diary of Anne Frank. Musically the 2 records are totally different. One is a radio ready hard rock record, while the other is a low fi folk rock record. One is two cds long, the other is only ten songs. Both however are populated by good songs, and the goodness far outweighs what is mediocre. Aeroplane is a lot more escapist, mellon collie routed in reality. Mellon Collie is double platinum, while aeroplane only sold a few hundred thousand. I think Aeroplane over the sea is the record Billy Corgan would have liked to have made. He was too confined in his own product line to venture into that territory however. Both are highpoints in 90s rock. Its interesting that Corgan and Mangum both had to go to the Century’s early years to find inspiration, at a time when that era seemed forgotten. ooo and if your looking for more similarities they both have 6 words in their title. any more?

PS I realize that a lot of ppl either love or hate either of these records...