ON Music in general

I confess that I have not earned any degree from Trinity in music but that in no way is something which can legitimately hold me back when it comes to appreciating and talking about life in general and music in particular.

Before we officially launch into the realm of Rock music and start dissecting each and every form it is desirable to get a bird's eye view of the whole concept of music and it's antecedents.

My brain which is fond of instinctive speculation takes me away to the first century of civilization when Human intellect for the first time identified itself. Prior to this our intelligence had an unnoticed existence. By recognizing it's existence we validated it's purpose.

Music, brethren, is an intelligent form of human behaviour( although headbanging may seem to refute this claim)

The ability to identify musical patterns, appreciate them, compose them, perform and lastly enjoy them requires great proportions of sagacity and intellect. But what makes music such a delectable human activity is the fact that unlike other scientific pursuits music can be audaciously experimented with.

A tribesman who derived pleasure by playing on a piece of wood is as great a musician as Mozart in his hey days.

Music is a term so generous that it envisages almost every artistic amusement involving humming and swaying as music short of noise and rioting.

To fully appreciate music two things are necessary: Temperament and Temperance.

By temperament we mean looking upon music for it's own sake. By temperance we mean uncommon secularism when it comes to critically analysing art.

Any art to be fully appreciated requires that the person appreciating it divorces himself from preconceived prejudices, morality and biases.

Unless this is done no art can be properly understood.

Rock is not about drugs

Ever since I was a kid ( and I am not an octogenarian as I write this) have I seen this slogan being telecasted , printed and aired on every possible media- SAY NO TO DRUGS! DON'T SMOKE! etc. etc. etc.  Well, for all those chain smokers , drunkards and drug abusers out there , I have just two words - CARRY ON ! It's just that there is a little problem here , a small but real problem. Unless you are a Syd Barrett or Robert Plant or anyone related to those figures you may very well end up in a state owned Rehab. facility located on the outskirts of an obscure locality where sewage and drinking water share the same source and where food is not important for you'll be busy vomiting out truckloads of shit which you so religiously ingested over the years under the intoxicating effect of adolescence, youth and "Rock music"....did I get it right was it Rock music...yes it was . Iam pretty sure that when you first sniffed a drug it was because Kurt Cobain( God bless his soul) personally handed you the stuff. I really hand it to you guys, the only thing which Cobain handed out to me was a headache when he entered the MTV studio in New York without taking a bath. Any ways I surely am glad for all of you who feel that Rock music has something to do with drugs. After all every drug peddler needs to earn his living, that poor fellow shall die of hunger and frustration if people stop being gullible and injecting themselves with that cool stuff. I would have joined you in your exploration but I for one care more for that highly overrated commodity called good health. Someone once said (somewhere around 1200 A.D. ) in Arabia: That if you have health you have hope, and if you have hope you have everything. Unless hope is the name of a drug I think the message is quite clear. By the way that guy surely knew how to enjoy his music , though it may only have been a few Arabs playing a tambourine after gulping down a glass or two of  fresh camel milk.

Don't let the covers distract you Sir.

First impression is the last last impression. This has to be the most overused line in the history of behavioural sciences. Also , it is one of the most erroneous ones when it comes to picking up the best deal from the lot. Often the things which you repel you when you look at them first turn out to be the gems among the whole pile. I repeat 'often' for there are many things which are as pathetic as their first look signifies.

The image of rock as something more serious and heinous has always been a topic of discussion among the young followers of this phenomenon. No band has done more to promote this image than Iron Maiden not because they were repulsive to look act but because of their outrageous album covers and also their mind boggling fan base.

Iron Maiden makes music which is marked by innate energy and pump. The band always goes out for the kill. Be it in drumming, guitar play or vocals Iron Maiden's music never fails to enthrall the listener. The only thing which takes something away from the band(and it's fans may kill me for slighting them) is the conspicuous absence of variety and as some may call it finesse.

The band is undoubtedly Hard rock's most illustrious representative having brilliance recorded at various times in their long career.

The reason why this article may end up being short is that their music warrants so. You either love them or can't relate to them. Either ways you can't take away anything from the band who's fan following is sufficient to remove any doubts from anyone's mind regarding the stature of this veteran Rock act.

Sammy recommends:

Songs: Be quick or be dead, Hallowed be thy name, Killers, The ides of march-wrathchild, to name a few.

It is a serious advice that if you like even one of the above mentioned songs please make it a point to try out the entire album , it's worth it.

Thrashing out all the trash

The contents of this review owe their presence to my brother ( yes the same chap who's into guitars and bought that guitar self help book), who introduced me to a band which calls itself " METALLICA". I first felt that the band's name was too cliched . But then I realized that whatever we call trademark metal stuff today was actually the result of a groundbreaking musical movement of the 80's and Metallica was the pioneer. Interestingly unlike other pioneers who soon get eclipsed by their successors , Metallica grew as a music phenomenon at an unbelievably fast pace .

I f you ask me that " Dude , tell me ...what is this Band's music like?"
I would simply answer" Please don't call me dude and go listen to Battery followed by a extra helping of Ride the Lightning "

Sadly, my job permits me no such latitude and hence I can't be terse. So here follows a little something on one of the most closely knit units which the rock world has seen in the age of Music vandalism carried out by pop music and videos.

Metallica's music does not reflect richness in variety. In a way that is it's USP. Metallica's tracks are easily recognizable . Hetfield voice lends a heavy touch to the band. Metallica's success is chiefly attributable to their age old policy of sticking to the basics and strengths. A legendary bassist, Ferocious riffs, typical thrash drumming all contribute to Metallica's die hard fan following. Metallica is surely Rock's face from the 80's .
Metallica also holds the distinction of being the only band who's music never showed signs of softening up time. In fact St. Anger will have to go down as the band's hardest work after the masterpieces from the 80's.
It shall be quite improper if I don't talk about Metallica's exploits in the area of softer and slower ballads like "Nothing else matters " etc. Undoubtedly these songs prove that Metallica knows the essence of rock.
Personally, I am not into Thrash metal and stuff but the baNd's creative sincerity has wheedled out of me a lavish and decorative review of this band's work; but I must say Metallica deserves every bit of this praise.

Sammy recommends:

out here my choice of songs and albums may differ a little due to reasons stated above:

albums: Ride the lightning , Load ( I regard it as the Band's best album )
songs: Battery, Fade to black, Bleeding me and almost all the tracks from Load.

Happy thrashing folks!

Deep as it gets.

My affair with Rock music started on a cold December day when I listened to what would turn out to be my first Rock song, which was "Smoke on the water performed live in Oslo, Norway " By a band called Deep Purple.

My first reaction when I finished listening to the track was : "Oh! God! This is what I always wanted in my music" I won't be exaggerating( though people say I often do that) if I say that I may have rewinded and played the tape at least a score of times to really swallow the enormity of the spectacle.
The fact that it was a much quicker interactive performance added to the song's instant charm. Later I discovered that the Band 's music revolved around this maddening fanaticism for bold stage overtures , theatrics and an equal or far greater intensity in their music.
Blackmore was a Genius, Gillan a romantic , Paice the foundation. The Band has had around 5 lineups. But none of this has dented it's credibility as an unrelenting rock machine over the years.

Through and through a Hard rock act , the band stands out for it's slower and more melodic compositions. Black night, Smoke......, Mistreated, Lay down stay down, The mule etc are classics.

As a band Deep Purple can't claim too high a status, probably because of Blackmore's infamous superciliousness which led to a chronic recurrence of rifts in the Band 's extended history. As musicians though, Deep Purple was a rich storehouse.
The Band's music reflects a great degree of variation and variety. All albums produced in the 1980's for eg. are a clear departure from the Band's material from the early 70's. Interestingly of all the bands which originated in the glorious 60's Only Deep Purple managed to register those subtle changes in their style which helped them to merge with the decade in which they found themselves.

For all those who are new to the rock scene I would suggest a crash course of sorts in which the newcomer ought to listen to at least 3 songs from each of the Band's albums till date. This will be a good foundation for anyone who wishes to appreciate the origins and transition of Hard rock as a genre.

Sammy Recommends:

albums- Machine head, Nobody's Perfect, California jamming ( vocals by Coverdale), Abandon.
songs- Smoke on the water, Mistreated, You fool no one, The mule, Fingers to the bone, Knocking at your backdoor, Black Night......frankly the list is endless...tragically I haven't found a "best of" collection album as yet which covers the essential sound of this Band.

Creedence Clearwater Revival- The soul of Rock

Around two years ago I was browsing through a "Learn your self- The Guitar guide book". The book's title cover showed a man who resembled Jesus in in his outward appearance holding a guitar in his hand with a strange pheasant like expression on his face as if to say "Sonny make my Day, buy this book; it's worth it "

After this rather interesting but not by any means encouraging start my brother who is into this whole guitar thing decided to give it a shot and shelled out a substantial amount on the Book( substantial because the book according to us both wasn't really worth it !).
Well after purchasing it came the next step was to go through it and as I was saying earlier that two years ago I undertook this task to browse through that Guitar guide book. My eyeballs quickly scanned the contents page to see the likes of Led zeppelin , deep purple , nirvana on the sample notes page.
Cutting to the chase ,one name appeared at an alarming frequency . It was a name which I hadn't heard before. But a name I would never forget after that. CCR.

It took me a week to find out the full form of this rather dubious acronym. On the seventh day Google told me : Son what the heck are you doing? it's CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL for God's bloody sake.
Never in my life (and I am no Noah) have I come across a band with mindboggling fan following, painfully simple musical philosophy and no bull shit.
Listen to " Bad Moon Rising" ; the track is a classic example of all those virtues. Simple to play, simple to follow and simple to digest. This my friends if I can call you that , is the essence of rock n' roll.
This does not however mean that the band lacked lyrical depth . To remove your doubts I would like to recommend two songs worth their salt:
Born on the bayou
fortunate son
Both cover different issues . One is a country boy's cauldron of emotions while the other is a brilliant satire shot at all those " fortunate sons around"

I in particular love born on the bayou because of it's southie touch and vocals.

Anybody who wants to go neck deep into the world of rock cannot do so without giving CCR a patient hearing.
Their songs reflect the purity of rock which all the progressive rock bands of the 60's and 70's lack.

Sammy Recommends :

The Chronicles of Creedence Clearwater Revival (Vol. 1 and 2)

Go buy the set. Ya, torrents are available . Piracy is a crime but it suits one's pocket.