Small site update
Hi there,
a minor site update today: all classic albums and all album reviews that were published this year, have the year tag added. Thought it would be fun to see what years pop up most on the site. Alas it will take me too much time to rework that for all posts, so it will build from 2012 on.
cheers, Peter
2 years of YMB!
Hi there readers,
it just dawned on me that YourMusicBlog is active now for over 2 years! Happy anniversary to YMB, Hurray!
And since moving to this URL, things have gone better on many levels. Just the financial side of things could be better. (it helps if you click on the advertisements on the left) But getting more and more music is wonderful. Getting more and more visits is awesome. And some people even like a post or comment. Thanks for that!
One change I am making: the Classic posts will become more rarer. Not because I don´t have inspiration or material to choose from, but just because there are so many albums waiting to be played.
So onwards and upwards then.
Cheers, Peter
David Jerkins Battlestations – Special
So how come a guy that has created over 125 songs, does not have an album? Guess he never felt the need for that. And maybe it is because David does not want to limit himself to a specific genre. So when he got in touch asking if I´d give his work a listen, we agreed upon him sending me a cross-section of his output. With styles ranging from soundtrack, electronic, new age and ambient, to rock and metal in its various appearances.
David is a multi instrumentalist, creating images with sound. He does everything himself, delivering drums, percussion, guitars, bass, and all kinds of electronics on keyboards. He also sings on several of the tracks.
What became evident after listening to this compilation, is that he must have a vivid imagination. A track like Desert Sands convinces and could easily be mistaken for an original Eastern track. Beauty And Glamour is a pop song with a strong New Wave reference. Also his singing fits seamlessly. The groove is close to Midnight Oil´s Beds Are Burning. Cool vibe. Here To Love You mixes electronic dance with rock and works surprisingly well. Almost a more rocking version of Depeche Mode.
As it turns out, David is very comfortable playing guitars and keyboards. He has taste, knows his way around the instruments and is able to convert the images in his head to accessible music. So instrumental tracks like Sad Day and The Chase are great to listen to as well.
But there is room for improvement also. (Hard) rocking tracks like I Hate You, Image or Don´t Say I Didn´t Warn You would benefit from being sung by a real rock singer. David´s voice is a little too clean in my perception. Maybe if he would layer it with harmony vocals? Also the bass is primarily deep. So you feel it rather than hear it. But let´s be honest, all that might be a matter of taste rather than opinion. It still rocks!
So something for everyone and I would like to encourage you to take a dive and listen to this impressive body of work. Just follow the link.
The Beatles
This week I got a couple of Beatles Remasters, released in 2009 that I was able to buy at a recent sale. Well you know, even though a lot of their stuff was released before I was even born, I really dig their stuff. I mean, the sixties, and still a lot of people cite them!
Previously I had some of their output on LP (…for you youngsters, this is like a big black CD…) and on CD only the famous blue and red compilations. So owning some more on CD, with all the extended booklets, is quite nice.
I prefer the second half of their career (starting with Rubber Soul) and am amazed at how these remasters sound. Just realizing they did practically invent multi-tracking with all their wild and crazy ideas is kind of mind blowing. Makes me wanna buy all that stuff on CD, but alas my wallet won´t let me. Anyway, will soon hit play on CD 2 of the white album again and then it is on to Abbey Road. “You Never Give Me Your Money” anyone? 
Blog is still growing!
Just about 9 months under way and the blog is really going well. When I started I had little idea on how this would go, but with almost 200 posts and over 3500 visitors I reckon things are going quite well! Especially since opening a page on MySpace, visits have increased rapidly.
So again, thanks for visiting, and keep coming back.
And if you are in a band and would like to be featured here as well, get in touch!
Cheers, Peter
Happy New Year!
Dear Reader,
happy new year to you and your loved ones. Thanks for visiting.
Here’s one hoping for another year with great music. I will keep writing if you keep reading
Wishing you all the love and happiness,
Peter
Cover Albums – what are they good for?
The last few days I have been playing the “Through The Looking Glass” album by Toto a lot. And despite being a huge Toto fan (seeing them live on numerous occasions and owning all their releases), I kept thinking I was not sure I actually like this release. Which again led to the question why known artists record and release an album with covers anyway.
I mean, the last couple of years has seen several of those coming to surface (besides Toto, Rush and Queensryche come to mind, but there are more) and I really don´t see the point. Sometimes it is said to pay homage to the songs they grew up on. Nice, but why not encourage people to buy the originals? Post a message on your website!
Sometimes it is to have something on the market while on tour. I am thinking with better planning this could be avoided. Or release an EP. Value your fans!
Sometimes it is just because they want to. Come on, I prefer original material, sit down and write some!
Sometimes it is just because an artist made a not so nice comment… Yeah, that´ll show them!
For instance in the case of Toto they cover Watching The Detectives by Elvis Costello. And Costello publicly admitted to hate Toto! And to be honest, their version adds nothing to the original, which isn´t the best Costello song anyway, but that is just my opinion. So why bother?
And something else, if one decides to put out a cover album, why not put in some conscious effort to make the chosen songs your own? Is anybody waiting for a note to note perfect rendition? Why not recreate it so the song sounds home made? There are a lot of examples that show that can be done. And make it a much more pleasant listening experience. Like Toto´s beautiful version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps (George Harrison).
Is it just me, or what do you think?
still alive!
Wow, time really flies when you are having fun…
So don´t worry folks, I am still alive. Just been real busy with some things that needed attending to. But I will start posting new material soon. I even came up with a new idea; classic albums! Classic to my taste that is…
So I´ll be back.
Classic Music and Children
During our recent holiday I again noticed how my children react to certain tracks I play. Very unpredictable! Don’t know about you, but I choose to let them listen to the music I play, instead of them bringing in their own. I choose to think that is an important asset to their upbringing
The fun part is, it is hard to tell upfront what they are gonna like. So over the years I managed to make them enjoy a bunch of classics that are always welcomed with a roar from the back of the car. Among them are likely choices as Mike And The Mechanics with Nobody’s Perfect, Journey with Separate Ways, Marillion with Beautiful, Metallica with Nothing Else Matters, Kaiser Chiefs with Ruby, Europe’s Final Countdown, Rainbow with Long Love Rock ‘n Roll, Toto’s Hold The Line or Queen’s It’s A Kind Of Magic.
But the really nice thing is, they also dig songs like Carry On Wayward Son from Kansas (very popular), Wait For Sleep from Dream Theater, Kip Winger with Daniel, or Pride & Glory’s Hate Your Guts.
Another thing that I value is that my parents will play completely different music with our children around. Often classical.
So I hope some of this will stick and make them enjoy a broader spectrum of music while growing up.
Over 1000 Visits!
Hello dear Reader,
We are a little over 3 months under way and already over 1000 people have visited these pages. Actually a lot more than expected. And I didn´t even tell my friends to stop by
So that means I have to thank all of YOU for this!
As this is surely a stimulus, I will try to keep up the pace. Please keep coming and don´t be afraid to let me know you were here… It is always a pleasure to hear from you.
