Me and my journey through life, from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows and all wacky, funny, deep, depressing and interesting points in between. My interests are varied from one end of the spectrum to another. Basically, the disappointing side of mediocre.
Released on this day in 1973, Tres Hombres (their 3rd album) became the commercial breakthrough album for ZZ Top.
The album peaked at #8 on the Billboard pop albums chart. The only single released from the album was "La Grange" which peaked at #41 on the Billboard Hot 100. But on album rock stations "Waitin' for the Bus" (have mercy!) and "Jesus Just Left Chicago" are very popular and played as much as "La Grange", and since those two songs segue into each other, they are usually played together.
Also released on this day (in 1983) is the follow up to Asia's huge debut album. This one was called Alpha and had yet another Roger Dean cover.
Alpha focused more on mainstream Pop/Rock sounds, and is less characterized by progressive rock elements than its predecessor. The album did go platinum however and reached #6 on the Billboard album chart. It had two singles reach the Billboard Hot 100: "Don't Cry" (#10), and "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes" (#34).
Asia is the self-titled debut studio album by British rock supergroup Asia, released on this day in 1982. Upon its release the album enjoyed massive commercial success, reaching #1 in the US and spending nine weeks at the top of the Billboard album chart. According to both Billboard and Cash Box, it was the #1 album in the United States for the year 1982. It was certified 4x-platinum in the US by the RIAA on 10 February 1995. Asia's total worldwide sales are estimated at over ten million copies
It contains their biggest hit and signature song, "Heat of the Moment", which reached #4 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Only Time Will Tell" reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart as well.
Released on this day in 1980, Drama is the tenth studio album by British progressive rock band Yes. It is also the first Yes album without vocalist Jon Anderson (gasp!).
This is from the YesYears box set and shows the many incarnations of Yes, and how they connect to other bands such as King Crimson, Asia, The Moody Blues, ELP and Genesis (up to 1991).
So things are finally settling down some. The park hours are cutting back, it's cooling down a bit, and the Electric Light Parade is coming up to its final performance (Oct 9th)! After that, they have no idea what we will be doing at night. No really, there is nothing scheduled as of yet to replace it. Get ready for more Move It, Shake It dance parties!!! Meh.
Yeah, I know it has been awhile but I have been dealing with the culmination of the whole bad apartment management scenario. Basically, I wouldn't put up with their condescending (and anti-white person) attitude and just moved out. Me and a good friend were wanting to be in a house again, found one we liked, and moved in over the last two weeks. Sawyer Estates can suck it! So now I am trying to get back into the normal routine around here, and that starts with music!
You know, I keep trying with the video/podcast thing and keep running into roadblocks. This week I am just going back to old school while I sort out my options (that and I am so far behind this week I don't have time to do the full version anyway. Sad but true.) Oh well, it's all about the music anyway:
Hey, guess what movie comes out today? Have you heard? I am not one of the lucky ones getting to see it today. Instead, all I have is music. Sounds like I got a bum deal on this one but here goes:
Well last week was the Halloween edition with a song for every day in October. Now it is time to turn the calendar over to November and start worrying about the holidays to come. Yeah, it's all out there in front of us. The Magic Kingdom is all decked out for Christmas already with decorations and the big tree going up. I walked through Town Square today with "Winter Wonderland" playing at a nice chilly 88 degrees. Florida sucks y'all. Music, please take me away from this madness...
You know, sometimes I am right about things. In this Random 10 back in January, I first mentioned "Deflate-Gate" and how the NFL wasn't going to shut up about it. It was still being picked apart in the Super Bowl edition, and now that the penalties have been handed down four months later in May (4 game suspension, fines, loss of draft picks) you would think people have lost their minds. The appeal is going to get real ugly people, so stay tuned for that.
Meanwhile in the real world, how about that Random Ten last week? You can take a quick review by following this link, or trying to figure out the artists from the cool picture below:
As always the rules and whatnot are up there ↑ at the top next to the Home tab.
So here with are with March coming in like a lamb? Lion? Giant magnifying lens between the sun and Florida? Yeah that one. It was 87 degrees here yesterday. 87 m'effin' 87! Y'all that ain't right. I know you think we are all lucky down here, but we dread the heat like you dread the winter. Let's just say it's a nice place to vacation, but you wouldn't want to live here. By the way, those states that "arrested" Elsa from Frozen because of the cold and snow, please keep her locked up. All of us at Disney would appreciate that for non-weather related reasons. K thanks. Now on to the reason we are here: random music! So I am setting my media player on random and letting it play, then listing the first ten songs that pop up. That's how it works. As always the rules and whatnot are up there ↑ at the top next to the Home tab. As a quick review of last week, you can follow this link, or try and figure out the artists from the cool picture below:
Well as we approach another weekend it is time for a little bit of randomness. The new format seems to be working so I guess it's a permanent thing now. I'm still worried about the time it takes, but as long as I can keep my Friday's off I should be okay. That's not the case today, but I'm up early enough to get it done. As a quick review of last week, you can follow this link, or check out the cool picture below:
As always the rules and whatnot are up there ↑ at the top next to the Home tab.
The whole point of covering The Age of Plastic by The Buggles in my last post, was to introduce what happened next, and also how it reverberated more than 30 years later. In 1980, Horn and Downes began work on a second album, working in a studio next door to Yes, who had recently lost vocalist Jon Anderson and keyboardist Rick Wakeman. Both members of The Buggles, and Horn in particular, had been long-standing fans of Yes. The Buggles offered a song to Yes, We Can Fly from Here, but at the suggestion of Brian Lane, manager of both bands, Yes' bassist Chris Squire invited them to actually replace Anderson and Wakeman as members of Yes. Horn and Downes accepted the offer, and joined Squire, Steve Howe, and Alan White to record the Drama album which I covered here and here.
So after covering side one, and trying to sort through the whole John Lennon/Yoko Ono thing (whut?), it is time to move on to the second half of The Ladder.
In my long search for a sponsor for my blog (it's been about a week) I figured maybe I would give Viggle some love since I talk about them and use the app all the time. I have been pretty diligent about using it lately and actually was able to get another t-shirt. Assuming it fits me (they had no XXXL), I will post a pic when it comes in. And the ladies all swoon... So if you take a look back at last week I was trying to come up with an idea for Exile Island. I decided on the old Foursquare (now Swarm) idea of having a "mayor" by the number of times sent out. The current mayor is Chicago, even though they escaped last week. So from now on, everyone will see who is exiled, and for how many times. Like this:
Get it? Got it? Good. As usual the rules and whatnot are up there ↑ at the top. And now, on to the music!
1) Jimi Hendrix/Red House - Oh this is how we're starting today. Nice.
2) Rick Wakeman/The Peregrine Falcon - I guess this is his album about birds. Or things that fly. Still, RW on the piano is magic
3) Vanessa Carlton/More Than This - I have no shame here. I like her. Also, more piano.
4) Joan Jett & The Blackhearts/You Don't Know What You Got - Kick ass.
5) Faith No More/Just a Man - This is from one of their other albums and a song I have never heard before. It doesn't suck.
6) Jimmy Buffett/Distantly in Love - Every time he shows up I get worried that Media Player is messing up again. He shows up like five times when that happens.
7) Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers/American Girl - Good ole southern boy. You know, him and Joan Jett have awesome name for their backup bands. They should get together. They could do a duet and be backed up by the BlackHeartbreakers. Yeah.
8) Camel/Mother Road - I still like these guys. Don't know a thing about them other than that they're smooth.
9) Asia/Russian Dolls - This is the original Asia (minus Howe) back again . Album cover winner obviously, because Roger Dean:
10) Dennis DeYoung/Won't Go Wasted - The man can sing. I'll give him that. I think he has too much Broadway in him now to ever go back to Styx.
And there we have it. That was a pretty good mix of songs. I added several 70's and 80's compilation CD's to my inventory so I was expecting to hear some truly random (and unknown) stuff. Maybe next time.
The STCS for this week is Pink Floyd/Don't Leave Me Now. You know what that means? The Beatles are finally free! Not only that, no one got exiled. The island can be taken over and overgrown by nature again.
As always, stay cool? warm? comfy! and dry wherever you are and Roll Tide!
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