Michael Jackson will always be a pop icon. There is probably no one in the world that does not know his name and his face. He always had a very different life than most people. He was always in the news for doing something out of the ordinary yet his musical greatness was never questioned. Although he is sadly no longer with us, his cd sales are off the charts and dvd duplication of his concerts are in full swing.

During the eighties and nineties Michael Jackson took off as the King of Pop. His original music had never been heard before. There was really no one to compare him to since he had a sound that was completely his own. He came up with great music videos to go along with the songs. You didn’t just want to hear the song. You went out of your way to see his videos because you knew they were going to be interesting and captivating.

Michael Jackson was also very well known for his attire. He had a very unique style. His classic one gloved look is still to this day emulated by artists. There are many different people who have done versions of his songs. While none of them can compare to Michaels versions they all still sound great because they were Michaels visions.

Michael Jackson is one of the most imitated man ever. There are pole that get plastic surgeries just to look like him. They imitate him in casinos and night clubs. Every night trying to do the moon walk and sing just like he did. No one can even hold a light to the entertainment that Michael could provide. There will never be another artist that will be able to compare to the originality of Michael Jackson. His greatness could never fit into any mold. He was one of a kind and will truly be missed from his fans though out the world.

If you read through the lyrics to more serious songs then you can often some very wise words indeed. Someone once said that we ‘do not need to go to school; we only have to listen to Dark Side of the Moon.’ That may be taking things a little too far, I mean who would fill those locum doctors jobs. But there are certainly plenty of knowledgeable nuggets waiting to be discovered in the words of many songs.

How about this piece of advice to bad-ass teens from Michael Franti?

‘The bass, the treble,

don’t make the rebel…

having your life together does.’

Pretty good stuff from such a hip guy.

And that is only one good example. Here are a few others-

‘Life is a one-way street, ain’t it?

If I could paint it, I’d chalk myself going in the right direction.

So I go all the way, like I really, really know,

But the truth is, I’m only guessing.’

‘Just a Thought’

Gnarles Barkley.

‘Give me your eyes that I might see

The blind man kissing my hands.’

‘A Strange Day’

The Cure.

‘Cause love’s such an old fashioned word.
And love dares you to care
For the people on the edge of the night.
And love dares you to change our way
Of caring about ourselves.’

‘Under Pressure’

David Bowie and Queen.

‘Life is a strange thing…

Just when you think you’ve learnt how to use it;

It’s gone.’

‘Hello, Hello? (Turn Your Radio on)’

Shakespeare’s Sister.

‘And if I ever lose my legs
I won’t moan and I won’t beg.
Oh, if I ever lose my legs
Oh well…
I won’t have to walk no more.
And if I ever lose my mouth
All my teeth, north and south,
Yes, if I ever lose my mouth
oh well…
I won’t have to talk…’

‘Moonshadow’

Cat Stevens.

By far the biggest and best gig I have ever been to was Muse at Wembley around three years ago (I think it was three years, all I remember is that I went to it while I was studying for my locum doctor jobs qualifications). The newly built stadium was impressive enough, but when they filled it with the best live band in the world and around 70,000 fanatical fans, the day became amazing. Muse played there two nights in a row and rocked out in a way only they can. I had only bought one ticket but after seeing the show on the first night, I felt a desperate need to go back again for the second night and bought a couple of cheap seated tickets off someone who couldn’t go.

Muse were the first band to play the new stadium, other than George Michael, but he isn’t a band and he isn’t any good either, he also did not get a sell out crowd. To them it was their biggest gig ever, their first stadium show, and I was loving the fact that I was going to be there for their crowning moment in music. Some would point to the headliner slot at Glastonbury festival, but seemingly anyone can get that these days.

The first night I was standing quite near the front. The show actually started quite early with a few support bands. Belle and Sebastian kicked things off very well and other bands such as My Chemical Romance and Dirty Pretty Things along with The Streets also turned up to play. Of course, everyone was waiting for Muse (and waited for a long time I can tell you) and when they came out, they did not disappoint.

The whole show was a spectacle from start to finish. It was a visual treat just as much as anything else as we were treated to sparks, flamethrowers, lasers, spotlights and flying gymnasts. The crowd was electric as well and there were a few very crazy mosh pits that yours truly was involved in.

I left that first night in awe and both physically and mentally exhausted. The second night I was able to take it all in and relax in a seat, which was a nice change and another great way to see the show. Both nights were unbelievable and I can’t imagine them ever being topped, even by another Muse concert.

I’m not sure where the Indy music thing is heading, but if the last few years are anything to go by, it may not be as much to look forward to as we had all hoped. Maybe that’s being a little harsh; yes, there have been numerous fresh up and coming bands over the course of the last five years. Acts like Arcade Fire, Bloc Party and others have thrown new light on a somewhat exhausted genre, but there’s a worrying and repetitive trend even among the albums these have two have produced. Take Arcade for example. Their first album was incredible in many ways – quirky, inventive, and laced together by an organic, old-school feel that allowed them to connect with many more people than the standard Indy / rock outfit ever could. But the band’s second album, Neon Bible, was arguably flawed and did not fare well by comparison. It seemed that the troubles that dogged other bands had finally caught them up, sending them round in a circle of non-progression, so much so that even the CD packaging looked the same.

Indy is a tricky genre simply by its definition, but while there is only so much you can do with some guitars and drums, there has to be more out there. You don’t need to look far back in to history for examples of cutting-edge music: Kate Bush may not exactly fit the Indy mould, but her music blew people away in precisely the same way that many Indy acts from back in the day did. And maybe these bands can learn something from Kate. Or maybe learning isn’t the problem, perhaps its formula: many bands achieve success and, it seems, simply can’t find the energy to shift themselves in a new direction. Because of this the same music gets recycled, and the world of Indy – what should be a dynamic driving-force of any music scene – is getting left behind.

Washington D.C. main-stays Fugazi, somehow, and this is almost criminal, managed to slip coolly under the radar of rock / Indy lovers everywhere for almost the entirety of their career. Nobody but legendary front-man Ian Mackaye could have pulled it off.

It was Mackaye’s infamous dogged dedication to D.I.Y. home-grown music that did it; over a number of albums he produced on his own label, Dischord—including early greats 13 Songs, Red Medicine, In On The Kill Taker and Repeater—that both made him a worldwide hero to a select hardcore and also a hate-figure for a million non-straight edge rockers who believed adamantly that Mackaye was raging not only against the machine they all feared, that of capitalism, but against those close to him: fellow musicians of rock and roll.

Instrument, is the definitive Fugazi documentary film (as well as classic all instrumental album). Chronicling the bands journey over the years, and filmed in a hazy mix of low and high tech video, it featured intimate footage of the band both performing first shows, and interviews with members of the band, most notably with Mackaye himself.

But Instrument is so much more than just a documentary. To classify it as such is verging on insulting: as well as a document pertaining to the inner workings of a band so contemptuous of big ticket sales and huge stadium gigs, it enters and embraces the private world inhabited by Fugazi’s hardcore fans. And not just any fans. These are people from all walks of life, obsessed with Fugazi not only because of their music but their morals: this dynamic, rarely found in music, is Fugazi’s backbone—simply put, these people, in all their conflicting dress-codes and classes, fell in love for the same reason. It is this miraculous convergence of people that divides Fugazi from a generation of music so apparently similar, but so obviously different.

As a sidebar I just checked out the enigin scam updates. I really don’t believe a word of it to be honest, but check out the blogs and decide for yourselves!

Okay, so if you want to get technical about it then ‘The Reptile House’ is not actually an album; it is a 6 track EP. However, it is not written as an EP; it has clearly been created as a mini-album.

So there.

The Sisters of Mercy have gone through several major line-up changes over the years and ‘The Reptile House’ was recorded during their first phase. It is minimalistic, cold and dark; a ‘Floodland’ stripped down to its bare bones. There is nothing slick here; no big production, no big budget and no rented New York choir. ‘The Reptile House’ is far more basic than that.

But rather then fighting off its low budget and limited recording equipment, it revels in it. Most bands would desperately have tried to hide the fact that it was early days and they were skint. Except The Sisters did the total opposite. They embraced the limitations of the basic recording conditions and used them to create something truly powerful. Even the artwork on the sleeve is done in much the same way.

‘The Reptile House’ is ‘afterhours’ music and should be listened to at night; if it is not then it will take away the sun. The whole thing is so incredibly atmospheric. Eldritch’s voice has never sounded so sinister and on ‘Fix’ it’s downright chilling. Adding that to Hussey’s strangely jangling guitar sound, Gary Marx’s throbbing bass lines and the hypnotic drums of Doktor Avalanche results in something pretty special. Why did things ever have to change???

Any self-respecting Goth should have this in their record collection. In fact, any true Goth (or Gothess) who does not deserves to be force-dressed in a shell suit and to have their hair dyed blonde by a bunch of R’n’B fans.

Whatever way you look at it, ‘The Reptile House’ is one of the darkest and most Gothic-orientated albums ever made. Just don’t say anything like that to Andrew Eldritch as he has a problem with it; apparently, The Sisters of Mercy have never been Goths…

Found a great new site, enigin PLC design, its actually a personal blog, but well worth a look if you are into online design!

Sade’s newest album “Soldier of Love” is the artist’s first release in ten years since her acclaimed “Lover’s Rock” album of 2000. Released by Sony, Sade’s unique style has not changed over the years, and life-long fans of the artist will surely be pleased. Perhaps this was her goal, for this album will likely not create any new followings. Her sound remains the same, with few changes to her categorical sound.

The main fault in “Soldier of Love” is the lack of cohesive and accessible lyrics. Sade seems to struggle in creating an easy to follow story line on most – if not all – of her songs. This is especially true for the singles “Be That Easy” and “Baby Father”. The lyrics are repetitive and nonsensical. This is where Sade really seems to lose the charm that made the artist so popular.

However, Sade remains powerful when it comes to her singing voice. She delivers her vocals with perfection that old fans will surely be pleased with. This coupled with the fact that she kept the same team, creates a not-so-unfamiliar sound.

While many artists try to recreate their sound to attract new audiences, Sade seems satisfied with her tried and tested styling, which raises the question “who is this album for?” Many can argue that Sade released this album for herself knowing full well that her long time fans will follow. This is not a negative trait, mind you; in fact it is a refreshing change from the fickle musicians of the generation.

If you’re looking to find a new sound from Sade, “Soldier of Love” will surely disappoint. But if you’re desire lies more with hearing more of Sade’s unique vocals, then look no further than her latest release. This album may not be the best place to start your Sade adventure, but it is not likely to disappoint.

So really quickly, I have something to admit. I love bill owen (sorry Stephen). I was going through the most recent season on dvd well into the night and the acting was marvelous! I would highly recommend this one to all of you…

In 1992, Henryk Gorecki’s Third Symphony was released in remembrance of those whose lives were lost in the holocaust. The sheer size of its success could never have been anticipated.

Gorecki had actually written the symphony fifteen years earlier, but it had gone largely unnoticed. In fact, most of his work had been overlooked by everyone except a few devout followers. But with his Third Symphony (entitled; ‘Symphony of Sorrowful Songs’), he managed to connect with an enormous amount of people all around the world. The CD sold over a million copies and left his record label stunned.

The style of Gorecki’s music is a perfect way to illustrate the grief and sadness surrounding the loss of so many innocent lives. His symphony has a very minimalistic sound, but this does not make it cold. On the contrary, there is an incredible amount of emotion in the work and Dawn Upshaw’s beautiful voice brings a lump to the throat and tears to the eyes. It is a very spiritual piece of music with a strong feeling of the otherworldly.

Since he achieved such a huge amount of success, Gorecki has returned to his life of privacy and solitude. The ‘Symphony of Sorrowful Songs’ put him firmly on the map in the Classical world and he could easily have used that publicity. He preferred instead, to return to his life of obscurity and to stay away from as much of the limelight as possible.

Anyone who enjoys music that is built on feelings cannot go far wrong with the work of Henryk Gorecki. He manages to stir a variety of emotions with the use of very few instruments. If you are interested in listening to his music then Symphony No. 3 ‘Symphony of Sorrowful Songs’ is the best place to start.

If I were going name a singer/songwriter from the last forty-odd years who had truly helped to change the face of modern music then David Bowie would have to be one of my first choices. He has done so many songs in so many styles; he has set trends and broken down boundaries. Rather than trying to think of what genres he has worked in it would be far easier to try and list the ones that he has not. For all intents and purposes, Bowie is one of the most influential musicians to have ever been in the business.

And out of the huge amount of his studio albums, I would cite ‘Diamond Dogs’ as his very best of all. Just having the initial idea of creating a concept album around George Orwell’s ‘1984’ is ultra-cool; but when you consider just how damn good an album it is, then it really does demand your respect.

Bowie actually approached Orwell’s widow and asked her for the rights to the novel. She refused, but he was not going to be put off that easily. David Bowie may not have been able to name his album after the classic book by Orwell, but he could still base it around it.

‘Diamond Dogs’ really is an absolute belter of an album. Bowie managed to capture the bleak mood of the novel perfectly and balanced it with eleven exceptional songs and some wonderful growling guitar. The whole thing is steeped in the atmosphere of a dark Science Fiction tale and the lyrics are made to measure.

It has the rock of ‘Ziggy Stardust’, the emotional detachment of ‘Low’ and the quiet insanity of ‘Aladdin Sane’. Every song is brilliantly written and the sequence of tracks is perfection uninterrupted. When David Bowie recorded ‘Diamond Dogs’ in 1974, he transcended everything he had previously done; it is pure genius.

Before I run, the val d isere ski bookings for our New Years trip have been sorted out. Next monday is the cut off for the overall cost, please get it to me when you have it.

When you think about movie soundtracks, it is not going to be very long before you come up with the name of Ennio Morricone.

His prolific career has seen him compose the music for around two-hundred films and many television dramatisations. In the world of movie soundtracks there are not many people who have this amount of work in their portfolio…

Morricone is still best known for his first big break; the trilogy of spaghetti westerns by Sergio Leone. Just about everyone on Earth instantly recognises his music from; ‘A Fistful of Dollars’, ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ and ‘For a Few Dollars More’. No-one had ever written scores for movies that were anything like this. Ennio Morricone used a variety of different instruments, styles and vocals for these films that resulted in a trilogy of musical masterpieces; hints of Flamenco guitar, spooky bursts of harmonica, bells and chanting vocals.

The influence that Ennio Morricone has had on modern music is incredible. His style can be heard in many genres of music from Pop, Rock and Heavy Metal to Grunge and Rap. Erasure covered one of his songs, Jay-Z cited him as a major influence and Muse’s ‘Knights of Cydonia’ draws heavily on his spaghetti western style both for the song itself and its accompanying video.

Just about every area of music has been touched by the work of Ennio Morricone. Lee Perry’s Dub tracks all had Morricone style titles and if he hadn’t of recorded those tracks then Rap would never have even come about.

Sergio Leone died in 1988 but Ennio continued to work with him right up until then. He is still writing soundtrack to this day and he is now in his eighty-first year. Above all else that Ennio Morricone has achieved is his making an art form of the film soundtrack. Until he came along the music was simply another part of the movie.

One more quick thing, I have just checked out the web design for this human resources software page and I have to say in my web trained opinion it is incredably eye-catching. I was having a laborious time actually finding any particulars about the company or services however, which made me wonder what is more significant, attractiveness or usability?