6/25/14

Music, Bands, Me.

My 3 favourite bands are The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Coldplay with their positions in the top charts of my head being pretty interchangeable. Currently #1 is Coldplay, #2 is The Beatles #3 is Led Zeppelin.
Led Zeppelin is considered the biggest rock band ever. The Beatles is considered the best band ever musically and lyrically. And Coldplay is a big name in today's world in Soft Rock.

Led Zeppelin:
The four big names right after the The Beatles probably. Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham, John Paul Jones. The music that these four created is intricate complex material. Every song is different in their layers, patterns, timings, feel even though Robert Plant was essentially a raw blues singer. He moulded his voice to suit all kinds of songs and the result of course, was terrific. John Paul Jones was the man behind the layers of music and the different instruments used in their song and very much away from the limelight that the band enjoyed. Jimmy page is said to have sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for his monster guitar riffs. He still enjoys a place in my head as the best guitarist ever. The patterns, melodies and the tones used are haunting. And finally the drums, John Bonham. Crazy man used to drum with his hands till they bled. Noted in the history of rock as one of the craziest people that ever breathed, his early death called for the end of Led Zeppelin. My favourite tracks from the band would have to be Since I've been loving you, What is and what should never be, That's the way, Tangerine, Heartbreaker, Whole lotta love and Rock n roll. What tops this chart are the songs Fool in the rain and All of my love. All of my love has to be the best song ever by Led Zeppelin. It's suddenly a different sound and feel altogether,a break away from the usual drums and guitar riffs and Plant's drawls and shrieks, especially the trumpet solo. If you  thought Led Zeppelin is all about the bass, guitars and the drums, this song will change your world of Led Zeppelin.

Coldplay:
In the times that I live and breathe, I am proud to be a contemporary of this band. Chris Martin, Johnny Buckland, Will Champion and Guy Berryman. Chris Martin's lyrics are deep and artistic in every sense. The band uses layers and layers and a huge variety of instruments to churn out one hit after another. Chris Martin's voice is almost ambient, blending with your surroundings as does their music. Coldplay is best suited to drive your blues away, meditate or throw your hands in the air and get lost. Johnny Buckland is no Jimmy Page but he does create a different world which blends with Coldplay's music and again, gets you lost somewhere. Guy Berryman is the bassist in the band and provides beautiful basslines to songs like Speed of Sound and Shiver. Shiver itself is a such a blissful piece of music. Will Champion is a mutli talented persona again. Is it essential to have one such person in your band to keep it alive? He plays the drums brilliantly without ever having learnt the drums in his life.
My favorite songs from Coldplay are too many to list. I have all the albums on my phone's MP3 Player, all the songs so that its understood how big a fan I am.

The Beatles:
I regret the fact that I am not a contemporary to this band. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. The lyrics, the music, the melodies and the harmonies. These are characteristic of the band and cannot be compared to anyone else. The Beatles were geniuses in their own way. Paul McCartney breathes to this day and is still the genius and probably more than he was. The Beatles have a song for every occasion. I have always said they are the English equivalent to Rabindranath Tagore who has written songs and poems for every situation in life possible. The Beatles ruled for 10 years and produced one album after another with a huge number of hits in their kitty everytime, Needless to say, my favorite songs are too many from this band  that doesn't allow me to share them. Again, I have all the albums in my MP3 player to listen to when I am happy, sad, joyous, excited, crazy, drunk etc etc. You name it, they have it(a situation song i.e.) Lennon and McCartney's song writing with inputs from Ringo Starr and George Harrison especially is laudable work for everyone. The quartet wrote songs,directed and acted in movies, provided film scores etc at a very young age at the peak of their career. John Lennon's death broke up the band itself.
A musical adaptation of The Beatles songs called Across The Universe was released a few years back and the response to it was phenomenal. The songs were sung by the actors themselves and each song composed differently . I think I like some of the movie's songs better than the original Beatles songs themselves.

6/17/14

Peace Out

I think the word Armada is very grand. I was watching Pirates Of The Caribbean:At World's End yesterday out of lack of feeling like doing anything as such. And they mentioned it somewhere. "We face an armada". It made me feel like I am on one of those ships of the armada itself and pretty much made me feel grand myself.

Alligators are weird. I mean, they aren't crocodiles even properly. They should have at least looked different. They confuse people.

The football World Cup is on. And Cafe Rio on Sony Six had John Abraham on the opening day in the studio. Why? The opening ceremony was the worst I have ever seen in years. Did not understand when it started and when it ended. The World Cup official theme song sucks. I haven't heard a single soul hum it, keep as a phone ringtone, or sing it, or do anything with it. I can still sing Wavin Flag  with as much gusto as 4 years back. This year's song is called Ole Ola. Its like those Bollywood songs that actually mean nothing: Chinta ta Chita, Dhinka Chika, Pak Chika Pak, Dhadang dhang, Kendi Po Po Po, Aa ee oo oo oo; THIS list is endless. I wonder where the words have gone. They could at least refer a dictionary in case of such problems.

I hate sleeping. I think its such a waste of time. There is so much to do, know, read, learn I really don't know where I would get time otherwise with all the business of growing up, keeping promises, meeting deadlines, keeping people happy. I think it's better that way too. Keeps me happy and thin. :D 

WWE is so stupid and funny to watch now. Fat guys, tall guys, short guys skinny guys in their underwear feigning fights to win golden belts. I don't know what to make of it right now except that its such a huge money churning industry for decades now.

I designed my guitar. It's so damn cool right now. Looks too damn cool right now. I made artwork on it. Album art from various bands and artists. My favourites. All of them are right there on that guitar now. I want a new guitar now. So that I dont have to play this one and spoil it. Its already getting spoilt. Wonder if they laminate guitars.

Am not even talking about love here, but people just don't even keep the basic faith anymore even. You can never trust anyone anymore. You don't know what they will do next. However well you know them, that surprise/shock factor lives on and springs anytime. Friends are cautious too. Keeping touch has become so virtual already, wonder what will happen a few years down the line. The souls keep getting sold. And there's no turning back.

I don't understand India. It's a country where in one state, the people boast of prowess and progress, while in others, the CEO of a company gets killed from harsh beating from his workers, a young man gets his fingers chopped off and acid poured into his eyes for parking in the wrong spot and the Police say, Such one or two incidents WILL happen, we cant help it and so on. Last week the whole country was shocked by news of rapes, killings, robberies. Why this sudden upsurge? There's no trust anymore, everyone wants to be at the top of the ladder without doing a single piece of work while those who want to work for it ,stare on. This country was and will always be a third world one, the 'developing' nation. There is no way 'developing' will turn into 'developed'. Its all in the roots itself. I don't understand the country at all anymore.

For a change I am sleepy now. I need to buy a lot of things immediately. I start gym and swimming very soon. The Russian football coach on TV right now looks like a bad cross between Sylvester Stallone and Clark Kent. He is got that lip and the glasses. Don't know what to make of it. 


Vodafone nailed it:
 
Everyday i want to fly,
stay by my side,

Everyday i want to dream,
stay by my side,

Every morning i wish i could just play,
Wish the mornings would just stay....


But The Beatles are the best ever. There is now way anyone else can take their place.

Scared and Safe

 It seems like I go through these sine waves of anxiety and determination. I ride out the waves differently of course. It seems like the anx...