The difficulty with running a blog such at this one is the question of TIME, or at least, in my case, a distinct lack of it. As the constant writing of reviews based on my thoughts and passions to this subject gives me great joy and pride, during the last year, it has made me financially nothing. I now start to wonder if it is worth continuing.
The main problem in this situation is the not knowing if you are actually being read or not. One would love the idea of the fact that a blog is getting around a hundred hit’s a day, but is that reality? I doubt it. When if is easier to click onto the next blog and fail to leave a quick comment on the last, we don’t have to prove our existence on a web page, we would like to think that the author of that page dose not need reminding that someone has once passed through…
That’s fine for most writers out there who want to write down their thoughts and feelings or just what their dog has eaten today for just the sheer joy of seeing it on a web page, let alone if someone reads it or not. For me, the desire to find readers somewhat needs to hit home rather more successfully than for my fellow bloggers…
What was just a cloud like idea when my nephew approached me a year ago and asked if I would come and see him play in his band at a working man’s club, I have decided that it would be a real thrill to promote his band at little bit better than they had done themselves already. As I enjoyed playing around with websites and templates, I realised that I could hit a wider audience for my nephew if I just put out a small piece on his band out on a website or a blog.
Because we are all aware that there are some great free website builders and blogs out there, I decided that, because I was on small budget, I could somehow build as many websites and blogs as I could and spread the word around even further.
Well, after a while, I had an even better idea. What if I could promote ALL local (South Of England) bands and artists who play instruments and writer their own songs?! I felt the need to open my plan out to not just a select few but to everybody.
I get this really under way, I had to show that I could write good pieces in the first place, so I chose to write about famous bands and their best albums, this caused a growing audience and I learnt how to review correctly and as professionally as I could. All I needed to do was start up as many sites as I could.
So far I have three websites and three blogs, which is pretty hard going to maintain at the moment, but ever hu8ngry for more, I will not stop there. I hope to have at least twenty websites and an equal number of blogs around the Web as much as I can. I will probably need a heck of a lot of help when I get to that stage, but that is a little far off yet and I have a long way to go but I shall get there.
What I would like from you is your support. If you just like to read my blogs then that’s great, and I thank you very much for that. If you would like to donate then any spare change would be gratefully received. If I can’t back the idea then I will have to throw in the towel and the whole thing will shut down. If you really would like something in return and I don’t blame you, I know I would! Then please visit two of my shops that I have just opened at Café Press. I have launched a couple of simple designs that got together with the idea of the promotion. I would love to see the day when someone wearing one of my tee shirts is walking down the street!
So, the platform is getting bigger. If you have a band, musician or know of one who needs a little help. If they write their own songs and would like to be heard, then I can offer the very stage for them to be read about. If you would like to submit something to me so I can place if on one of my sites or blogs then I would be more than happy to help!
We need to hear great music again or it will die with the best names in the business. We all like to have a good old giggle at the X Factor or Pop Idol, but it is these very programmes that are killing off the hopes and dreams of the people who really o have a talent, and not just a good voice….
Lend a hand, if you can, in any way. If you just want to read, then please say a ‘hello’ on my comment board,
Just so I know someone is there…..
Many thanks….
Websites;
Never Mind The Bloggers This Is Generationsounds.
http://paperback-writer29.tripod.com
Never Mind The Bloggers
http://nevermindthebloggers.bravehost.com
Generationsounds Main Website
www.generationsounds.co.uk
Weblogs;
The Ramblings Of An Old Rocker
http://bohemianwaffle.blogspot.com
The Moped’s Musings
http://paperback-sam.livejournal.com
The Generation Sound Suite
http://www.angelfire.com/planet/soundsuite/rockcoccn
The Rhythm Rock And Blues Machine
http://paperback-writer29.tripod.com/blog/index.blog?topic_id=1079309
Friday, October 13, 2006
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Lest We Forget How Fragile We are...
From front man of one of the greatest new wave acts to come out of middle class Britain in the Eighties, to world -concerned, Global pioneer, singer songwriter in the Nineties. Sting has managed to launch a thousand careers from one voice in a fairly short space of time. Regarded as one of the most intelligent of pop music’s deep thinkers, this man grew from the moody, adolescent, self obsessed, trio we came to love as The Police.
With absolutely nothing in common with the actual boys in blue driving around in panda cars, this band gave us, not just a few songs to get sullen for, but the shy, blond mop top of Gordon Sumner. Sting himself.
Stretching out his utter most creative wings in 1982 with the dire ‘Spread A Little Happiness,’ it would have appeared to the discerning listener that his solo career was doomed to be short lived, but how wrong could we have been? Sting has made it a life long ambition to disperse his thought provoking melodies across our pop charts for now, over twenty four years. Daring not to rest for only one brief moment, only to perhaps ponder over the plight of the Amazon rain forests, he has never let his audience drift over to another artist for long.
It is perhaps, not totally surprising when on embarking on a more in-depth look at this album, ‘All This Time,’ to find that it was actually recorded on the 11th of September 2001. None of us, naturally, need any reminding as to what this day stood for in the history of the human race. It also goes without saying that in the greatness of respect to those who lost their lives, this album was solely dedicated to them.
Is it then that we see this album in a sobering light? With this dedication on the first page of the inside sleeve, that we change our mood somewhat vigorously, especially when it is only the lyrics to the opening track, ‘Fragile,’ are the only ones included in the sleeve booklet. The rest of the pages are dedicated to the various moody poses of Sting, the God of lyrics.
Age brings an introverted and retrospective influence to the fore when one is an artist of a certain calibre. With Sting, the World in it’s current state became simply a source of defining music around heart felt lyrics. The very essence of the man and his music plays no more of an important part in engaging his audience in this album as it has done in any of the other collections of Sting melodies. What is defiantly significant is fundamentally, the date on which it was recorded, at Il Palagio in Italy.
As a live recording, it flows, especially in the second track, ‘Perfect Love…Gone Wrong.’ as the mood is more Dave Brubeck than up to date Sting. Each musician takes a two minute centre stage in true Gladys Knight style to cool applause. In ‘All This Time,’ the opening flutter with the drum stick across the side puts the listener immediately in thought of Belinda Carlisle’s ‘Circle In The Sand.’ Yet it is with this lighter moods that we discover the idealism of Sting. He had learnt, at some stage in his existence how to master each genre he put his creative abilities into. He is as much at home with a group of stunningly pronounced Ethnic backing singers as he is with the edginess and rawness of ‘Every Breath You Take,’ which you will be pleased to know makes an appearance as the last track of the album. It gives us a familiar wink as it has hardly changed at all to fit in with the rest of the gentle touch of the album.
What we do have here is a mixture of Sting and Police collaborations and some new twists on these old songs will not be appealing to some hardened new wave ears, mine included. If we put aside our own musical up bringing, then life being breathed into these old songs again, isn’t so bad. What is interesting is how the Police tracks sound so strange, slowed down to Sting mode, yet his own tracks sound beautifully drenched in emotion, romance and dream like qualities, that they seem to be quite angelic. Some of us cringed at the new workings of ‘Don’t Stand So Close To Me,’ and ‘Roxanne,’ which, has been unduly slaughtered here. The latter has never once been designed to be a drippy slow folk song. Not ever….
However, some of these reworkings do actually work, dare I day it. Even the ‘Set Them Free,’ sounds predominately better when a few trumpets and some stronger drum beats are added. Even ‘Brand New Day,’ gets The Commitments treatment .There is one track that he could never tamper with and that’s the pasteurised ‘Fields Of Gold.’ Could it be said that actually, anything that Sting turns his hand to, turns into fields of gold. A nice jazz touch is added to ‘If I ever Lose My Faith In You,’ but it is with tracks as strong as this, that their structural impact could never be destroyed, no matter what genre you decided to dip them into.
Despite the sobering dedication at the beginning of the sleeve, the majority of the album can be described better as a visual description rather than musically. Picture a smoky bar with dimmed blue lights. Imagine a cool looking black guy rocking ever so easily while his teases the keys on a shiny piano with his freshly manicured fingers. Think of the singer, half perched on a tall stool, black leather clad shoulders, hanging on to the equally tall microphone stand for all his worth. The music may not actually stir up any emotions other than the usual respectful head swaying at the genius of Sting, but what it will do is appreciate him as an English institution. His music may not be full of boxer like punch anymore, but he has found, that it doesn’t need to be. He has made, certainly more of a statement about himself since embarking on his journey through his mind and the World around him, than he ever did as a young, impressionable singer.
He continues to please with his charming melodies as well as educate us to appreciate the World. We may still long for the days of the monochromed Police but that was only to train Sting for the great outdoors- the World beyond new wave. He has shown us over the years that he has grown, although we all may not have grown with him.
I for one, still dust off the vinyl once in a while for a fix of the old days, but, Sting, in recent years, has taught us to listen.
Tracks include;
Fragile,
A Thousand Years,
Perfect Love,
All This Time,
The Hounds Of Winter,
Mad About You,
Don’t Stand So Close To me,
When We Dance,
Dienda,
Roxanne,
Set Them Free,
Brand New Day,
Fields Of Gold,
Moon Over Bourbon Street,
Shape Of My Heart,
If I Ever Lose My Faith Ion You,
Every Breath You Take.
All songs written and composed by Sting,
(additions by Kipper, Kenny Kirkland and Dominic Miller.
Produced by Kipper and Sting
A+M Records Inc. 2001.
HMV £9.99 (2004)
With absolutely nothing in common with the actual boys in blue driving around in panda cars, this band gave us, not just a few songs to get sullen for, but the shy, blond mop top of Gordon Sumner. Sting himself.
Stretching out his utter most creative wings in 1982 with the dire ‘Spread A Little Happiness,’ it would have appeared to the discerning listener that his solo career was doomed to be short lived, but how wrong could we have been? Sting has made it a life long ambition to disperse his thought provoking melodies across our pop charts for now, over twenty four years. Daring not to rest for only one brief moment, only to perhaps ponder over the plight of the Amazon rain forests, he has never let his audience drift over to another artist for long.
It is perhaps, not totally surprising when on embarking on a more in-depth look at this album, ‘All This Time,’ to find that it was actually recorded on the 11th of September 2001. None of us, naturally, need any reminding as to what this day stood for in the history of the human race. It also goes without saying that in the greatness of respect to those who lost their lives, this album was solely dedicated to them.
Is it then that we see this album in a sobering light? With this dedication on the first page of the inside sleeve, that we change our mood somewhat vigorously, especially when it is only the lyrics to the opening track, ‘Fragile,’ are the only ones included in the sleeve booklet. The rest of the pages are dedicated to the various moody poses of Sting, the God of lyrics.
Age brings an introverted and retrospective influence to the fore when one is an artist of a certain calibre. With Sting, the World in it’s current state became simply a source of defining music around heart felt lyrics. The very essence of the man and his music plays no more of an important part in engaging his audience in this album as it has done in any of the other collections of Sting melodies. What is defiantly significant is fundamentally, the date on which it was recorded, at Il Palagio in Italy.
As a live recording, it flows, especially in the second track, ‘Perfect Love…Gone Wrong.’ as the mood is more Dave Brubeck than up to date Sting. Each musician takes a two minute centre stage in true Gladys Knight style to cool applause. In ‘All This Time,’ the opening flutter with the drum stick across the side puts the listener immediately in thought of Belinda Carlisle’s ‘Circle In The Sand.’ Yet it is with this lighter moods that we discover the idealism of Sting. He had learnt, at some stage in his existence how to master each genre he put his creative abilities into. He is as much at home with a group of stunningly pronounced Ethnic backing singers as he is with the edginess and rawness of ‘Every Breath You Take,’ which you will be pleased to know makes an appearance as the last track of the album. It gives us a familiar wink as it has hardly changed at all to fit in with the rest of the gentle touch of the album.
What we do have here is a mixture of Sting and Police collaborations and some new twists on these old songs will not be appealing to some hardened new wave ears, mine included. If we put aside our own musical up bringing, then life being breathed into these old songs again, isn’t so bad. What is interesting is how the Police tracks sound so strange, slowed down to Sting mode, yet his own tracks sound beautifully drenched in emotion, romance and dream like qualities, that they seem to be quite angelic. Some of us cringed at the new workings of ‘Don’t Stand So Close To Me,’ and ‘Roxanne,’ which, has been unduly slaughtered here. The latter has never once been designed to be a drippy slow folk song. Not ever….
However, some of these reworkings do actually work, dare I day it. Even the ‘Set Them Free,’ sounds predominately better when a few trumpets and some stronger drum beats are added. Even ‘Brand New Day,’ gets The Commitments treatment .There is one track that he could never tamper with and that’s the pasteurised ‘Fields Of Gold.’ Could it be said that actually, anything that Sting turns his hand to, turns into fields of gold. A nice jazz touch is added to ‘If I ever Lose My Faith In You,’ but it is with tracks as strong as this, that their structural impact could never be destroyed, no matter what genre you decided to dip them into.
Despite the sobering dedication at the beginning of the sleeve, the majority of the album can be described better as a visual description rather than musically. Picture a smoky bar with dimmed blue lights. Imagine a cool looking black guy rocking ever so easily while his teases the keys on a shiny piano with his freshly manicured fingers. Think of the singer, half perched on a tall stool, black leather clad shoulders, hanging on to the equally tall microphone stand for all his worth. The music may not actually stir up any emotions other than the usual respectful head swaying at the genius of Sting, but what it will do is appreciate him as an English institution. His music may not be full of boxer like punch anymore, but he has found, that it doesn’t need to be. He has made, certainly more of a statement about himself since embarking on his journey through his mind and the World around him, than he ever did as a young, impressionable singer.
He continues to please with his charming melodies as well as educate us to appreciate the World. We may still long for the days of the monochromed Police but that was only to train Sting for the great outdoors- the World beyond new wave. He has shown us over the years that he has grown, although we all may not have grown with him.
I for one, still dust off the vinyl once in a while for a fix of the old days, but, Sting, in recent years, has taught us to listen.
Tracks include;
Fragile,
A Thousand Years,
Perfect Love,
All This Time,
The Hounds Of Winter,
Mad About You,
Don’t Stand So Close To me,
When We Dance,
Dienda,
Roxanne,
Set Them Free,
Brand New Day,
Fields Of Gold,
Moon Over Bourbon Street,
Shape Of My Heart,
If I Ever Lose My Faith Ion You,
Every Breath You Take.
All songs written and composed by Sting,
(additions by Kipper, Kenny Kirkland and Dominic Miller.
Produced by Kipper and Sting
A+M Records Inc. 2001.
HMV £9.99 (2004)
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