None More Black

AC/DC

Back in Black

1980, Albert Records

produced by Mutt Lange

Angus Young - lead guitar

Malcolm Young - rhythm guitar

Cliff Williams - bass

Phil Rudd - drums

Brian Johnson - vocals

singles - 

• You Shook Me all Night Long/ Have a Drink on Me
• Hells Bells/ What do You do for Money, Honey
• What do You do for Money, Honey/ Back in Black
• Rock and Roll Aint Noise Pollution/ Hells Bells

No other band has come back from the tragic death of their frontman better than AC/DC. Bonn Scott died in February of 1980, and by July the band had hired new singer Brian Johnson and released their follow up to Highway to Hell. This has become the best selling album of their careers.

The album cover is all black with the band name and name of the album outlined. This apparently was done as a show of mourning for their deceased singer, and unlike the parody allbum by Spinal Tap, the record company did not approve. I'm sure this also influenced Metallica when they designed their own black album a decade later.

This album is absolutely a must have for any fan of rock or metal. It shows that even after a seemingly career ending tragedy, a band with a distinct sound can still carry on and be successful.

The Revolution will be Bloggerized

I'm about to write all about old news.  And by old, I mean it has already been happening for a few years, but not necessarily covered by the local press/news media.  By now, it may be pretty clear that I'm a big fan of radicalism, or possibly just a radicalist tourist.  It is easy in this country to sit back and talk about taking the power back, and being able to rebel against the status quo and government like our patriot heroes of old, and as our constitution has given us the right.  But usually, realistically taking our government back seems like a longshot, not to mention completely unnecessary.  Also, it is usually crazy reactionaries like the Tea Party that cry about taking the country back.  Back from whom?  Did another nation invade and set up a puppet government, and I missed it?  

The problem with the Tea Party expressions of "revolution" is the extreme hyperbole used for fear mongering.  Tactics like this mask the true xenophobic, selfish and greedy aspirations of the conservative right.  No US congress, or executive branch would ever repeal the second amendment.  Also, civil rights is essential for strong family and community values, even if those civil rights smack traditional religion right in the face.  

This article does a good job at debunking common Tea Party rallying cries and talking points (Yes, i know it's a far left socialist blog.  Trust me).  

what is going on in this picture?

However, there have been several instances recently of the people standing up when it has been absolutely necessary, and taking back their countries from tyranical, oppressive, and irresponsible regimes.  My friend, and blogger extraordinaire, writes for EA World News, and the Interpreter.  He has covered the Arab Spring as it unfolded in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, the situations in Syria, and recently, the issues in the Ukraine.

Below are a few links to places I go to for news, getting far more and better information, and often first hand accounts of what is going on in places like Egypt, the Ukraine, Venezuela, and Syria.  

The Beer Bottle Cap Project

Something New!!

I started a third blog today.  I had this idea for a new project, to keep me busy over the winter. Since I was a kid, I've been collecting bottle caps, for, at the time, no specific end.  I just thought the designs and logos and typefaces were cool.  However, by the time I reached college, I began collecting them as a badge of accomplishment.  One cap from each type of beer I've drank.  And so... the collection grows.  Everything from Bud Light and Coors, to Belgian abbey ales and small defunct micro brews.  

Since this seemed far too involved and specific, I created a separate blog.  This blog will showcase them all, one cap at a time.  and I'll still write other nonsense here at the same time, cluttered by Batman, music, and other stuff, but uncluttered by bottle cap pictures.  Huzzah!  

click me to read about caps!

The Blind Baptist Live

The Reverend Gary Davis

At Newport

1968: Vanguard

produced by Sam Charters?

I will not tell a lie. The Grateful Dead sent me here. The Reverend Blind Gary Davis was an old school blues/gospel singer and song writer who made most of his music between 1920 and 1950. However, a folk and blues revival in the '60s rediscovered Rev. Davis, and plenty of new up and coming acts became influenced by his blues and songs.  

Peter, Paul and Mary, Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, and Hot Tuna all famously covered his work, which included the songs Candyman, Samson and Delilah (If I had my Way), Hesitation Blues, and Death Don't Have No Mercy. So, of course, having heard not just one of my favorite bands (the Grateful Dead), but also Hot Tuna (best blues band ever?), I decided I had to find out who this was and what he was all about. Funny how music can lead you on a journey, isn't it? On top of influencing this "new" generation of musicians who would become the cornerstone of modern classic rock, Rev Davis had previously influenced a whole generation of bluesmen, including David Bromberg, Ernie Hawkins, Larry Johnson, and Tom Winslow.  

This particular album is a live recording. It is actually so crisp and clean that it sounds like a studio record. Apparently recorded in Newport around 1968, the record jacket doesn't help at all, and there is no internet page anywhere with specifics. I'm guessing Samuel Charters may be the producer of the record, as he worked for Vanguard at the time, and worked on the Newport recordings for the Everyman series. But, that is just a guess.  

There is a pretty lengthy note on the back of the jacket detailing the last time the writer drove Rev Davis back to his home in Long Island. It is a pretty cool anecdote, but the author's by- line is missing. The mystery writer's jacket note reads like a biography, nothing truly profound or quote worthy, but still interesting to read. According to the writer, Rev Gary Davis ought to be heralded as one of the great blues men, if not the most influential. Of course, I agree.   

Star Wars: The Council of Disneyland

Awhile ago, Disney made a statement that, due to their new ownership of the franchise, and their interest and plans to continue the story, there is a group that will be deciding what stays part of the Star Wars cannon, and what will be thrown out.

This is great news!  I realized in the mid '90s that The Star Wars expanded universe had started to get out of hand.  I stopped reading the books at that point.  15 years later, it must be completely out of control and exponentially ridiculous.  This article on ars technica basically sums up how I feel about the giant dumpster that is the expanded universe.

Now, as a cynic, I won't get my hopes up.  This is Disney, after all.  They want to make as much money off Star Wars as possible.  However, there are going to be people not named George Lucas making decisions about story lines, characters, and other stuff not in the original movies.  Worst case scenario, the canon is streamlined and limited to the films and a few books and games from the expanded universe.  Keeping things simple, Disney would make some room to write and create after Return of the Jedi, without being held up by an already haphazardly established canon.

However, best case scenario, they scrap everything before and after the first three original movies (episodes IV, V, VI) and throw out everything else to start completely from scratch!  I wrote a post all about how to remake the prequels, relying heavily on Mr. Plinket's reviews from Red Letter Media to make my case.  This is the chance!

Disney could throw out the notion of midichlorians.  They could rewrite the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker, tossing out the "slave boy rescued from Tatooine" nonsense.  They could create a better, more plausible conflict that would be known as the Clone Wars.  Finally, Jar Jar Binks could be just a memory of a bad concept that fans rejected, instead of a recurring character that fans have to vehemently loathe.

io9 published a story the other day about this, as an open forum for fans to put in their two cents regarding what Disney ought to keep, and what they should toss out.  The link is below.  The comments are mostly worth reading.

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