DVD Giveaway: RUSH 2112 & Moving Pictures

I have a treat for Rush fans! I just received a copy of the new DVD release from Rush and would like to pass it on to one of you. If you're interested leave me a comment and I will draw a name next week on Wednesday.

Here is a description:

The latest addition to the acclaimed & award winning Classic Albums series tells the story behind the making of two legendary

albums from Rush. 2112 was the album that saw Rush break through to major chart success, going to No.1 in their native Canada

and Top 75 in the USA where it would eventually be certified triple platinum. Moving Pictures opened them to a mass audience for

the first time and remains the biggest selling album of their career. It also went to No.1 in Canada and went quadruple platinum

there while hitting No.3 in both the UK and USA. Rush members Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart talk us through the

making of the albums, together with original producer Terry Brown via interviews, demonstrations, archive videos and use

of the original multi-track tapes.

BONUS FEATURES

Over 50 minutes of additional interviews, archive footage and new demonstrations not included in the broadcast version.

Here is a review I found on Amazon written by Greg. He gave me permission to re-write it here:

I find this DVD a worthwhile addition to my Rush collection. After recently buying remastered versions of 2112 and Moving Pictures (Eco) (Rpkg), and seeing (and buying the DVD of) the excellent documentary, Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage [Blu-ray], I questioned the wisdom of yet one more bit of Rushverse memorabilia. Turns out I still have more to learn, and I was especially interested in learning more about the connection of the story in 2112 with the Ayn Rand work, Anthem, Expanded 50th Anniversary Edition. I knew that 2112 was influenced by Rand, but was under the wrong impression about what that influence had been. That's just an example of the types of revelations on tap in this documentary.

And the guys are as low-key and approachable as ever. I said it about "Lighted Stage" and I'll say it about this Classic Albums DVD...the personalities of the Rush bandmates, and their friendship with each other, and their gonzo commitment to their musical vision, make them extremely attractive as artistic icons, even if some of their music is, let's face it, as annoying as hell. (But that doesn't apply to anything on the two albums showcased in this documentary--this is cream-of-the-crop Rush.)

ALSO: Stay tuned for a review from me on another new DVD release that is TOO GOOD to give away, I have to keep it for my collection :) (hint: another band that starts with the letter "R")

Nominees for 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

What do you think of this years nominations?
Who would you vote for?
Are you one of the critics of this award or do you like it?
Here's a link to the official site:  http://rockhall.com/inductees

• 
  Alice Cooper
• 
  Beastie Boys
• 
  Bon Jovi
• 
  Chic
• 
  Neil Diamond
• 
  Donovan

• 
  Dr. John
• 
  J. Geils Band
• 
  LL Cool J
• 
  Darlene Love
• 
  Laura Nyro
• 
  Donna Summer

• 
  Joe Tex
• 
  Tom Waits
• 

Best Songs of the 60's

Plagarism? You Decide

I truly love Led Zeppelin, but they have constantly been accused of plagarism. You decide after viewing this video.



My opinion is they were "inspired" by many different musical sources. Even if they blatantly took chords and words, they truly made their own music.

Let me know your opinion.

Happy Birthday, Bruce

Sept 23! I celebrate it every year.

Love you, Bruce!

Keep Rocking on. You make 61 look damn young!

Leonard Skinner Dies

Story Here

I was born about 10 years too LATE (thanks, Dan)

Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood and Ric Grech

Drummer and Founding member of Dream Theater, Mike Portnoy, to leave band after 25 years

Somehow last week I missed this...  The press release from Mike Portnoy himself:

Wednesday September 8th 2010

I am about to write something I never imagined I'd ever write:

After 25 years, I have decided to leave Dream Theater....the band I founded, led and truly loved for a quarter of a century.

To many people this will come as a complete shock, and will also likely be misunderstood by some, but please believe me that it is not a hasty decision...it is something I have struggled with for the last year or so....

After having had such amazing experiences playing with Hail, Transatlantic and Avenged Sevenfold this past year, I have sadly come to the conclusion that I have recently had more fun and better personal relations with these other projects than I have for a while now in Dream Theater...

Please don't misinterpret me, I love the DT guys dearly and have a long history, friendship and bond that runs incredibly deep with them...it's just that I think we are in serious need of a little break...

Dream Theater was always my baby...and I nurtured that baby every single day and waking moment of my life since 1985...24/7, 365...never taking time off from DT's never-ending responsibilites (even when the band was "off" between cycles)...working overtime and way beyond the call of duty that most sane people ever would do for a band...

But I've come to the conclusion that the DT machine was starting to burn me out...and I really needed a break from the band in order to save my relationship with the other members and keep my DT spirit hungry and inspired.

We have been on an endless write/record/tour cycle for almost 20 years now (of which I have overseen EVERY aspect without a break) and while a few months apart from each other here & there over the years has been much needed and helpful, I honestly hoped the band could simply agree with me to taking a bit of a "hiatus" to recharge our batteries and "save me from ourselves"...

Sadly, in discussing this with the guys, they determined they do not share my feelings and have decided to continue without me rather than take a breather...I even offered to do some occasional work throughout 2011 against my initial wishes, but it was not to be...

While it truly hurts for me to even think of a Dream Theater without Mike Portnoy (hell, my father named the band!!), I do not want to stand in their way...so I have decided to sacrifice myself and simply leave the band so as to not hold them back against their wishes....

Strangely enough, I just read an interview that I recently did that asked me about the future of DT and I talked about "always following your heart and being true to yourself"...sadly I must say that at this particular moment, my heart is not with Dream Theater...and I would simply be "going through the motions", and would honestly NOT be true to myself if I stayed for the sake of obligation without taking the break I felt I needed.

I wish the guys the best and hope the music and legacy we created together is enjoyed by fans for decades to come...I am proud of every album we made, every song we wrote and every show we played....

I'm sorry to all the disappointed DT fans around the world...I really tried to salvage the situation and make it work...I honestly just wanted a break (not a split)...but happiness cannot be forced, it needs to come from within....

You DT fans are the greatest fans in the world and as you all know, I have always busted my ass for you guys and I hope that you will stay with me on my future musical journey, wherever it may lead me....(and as you all know my work ethic, there will surely be no shortage of future MP projects!)

Sadly...
Your fearless ex-leader and drummer,
MP


"Move on be brave, don't weep at my grave, because I am no longer here...
But please never let your memory of me disappear...."
--- The Spirit Carries On

This is like a sucker punch to the gut to me. I actually started listening to Dream Theater BECAUSE OF Mike Portnoy... Honestly, there are no other bands I can think of that I started listening to primarily because of the drummer (there are plenty that I started listening to for other reasons and came to enjoy and respect the drummer later though).

One of the biggest thrills of my life was seeing Dream Theater live back in 2002. Portnoy was throwing drumsticks into the audience, one of them literally ricocheted out of my hand before I had a chance to grasp it and was caught by the guy sitting behind me (D'OH!)

In addition to being an exceptional drummer, the songs he's written or co-written for the band have been some of my favorites, and he was also the band's archivist-- he's kept a library of most (if not all) of the band's live performances. Some of which have actually been released and sold legitimately via the band's own Ytsejam Records label... And the icing on the cake he and guitarist John Petrucci have been co-producing most of the band's albums since about 1999 (the last one produced by a producer outside the band was 1997's Falling Into Infinity).  So he was no mere drummer... he was so much more! 

Dream Theater may find another drummer-- and there are some good ones out there.  But they'll never be able to fully replace Portnoy.  He was just too big a part of that band for too long.  With Portnoy's departure the only founding members remaining in the band are guitarist John Petrucci and bass player John Myung.

*edit* For further information, Mike Portnoy was interviewed with Eddie Trunk over the weekend.  You can find the transcript here. 

ELO's Original Cellist Killed

Sadly (or should I say oddly) enough ELO cellist Mike Edwards, 62 (known as Swami Deva Pramada at the time of his death)  was crushed by a 1300+ lb. bale of hay over the weekend.

The Full Story

I guess, sometimes when your number is up, it really is up... There's no real way to prepare for something like that... I mean eating healthier, not smoking, staying off drugs, practicing safe sex, even driving carefully... well none of that can save you from an errant 1300+ lb. bale of hay. 

New Music Blog

This is a fun blog, each day he posts a song from the 70's - 90's.  Its called "I Remember That Song".  Check it out!

Don Kirshner's Rock Concert

I could never wait until this TV show came on every week. It was broadcast late Saturday night when all your parents were in bed and all us young music lovers were looking for the best new musical performances.

As the above video testifies to the validity of this show, you just never knew what band would show up next. The next video is actually a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. ABBA was great at creating that wall of sound and catchy melodic hook.



Each week brought a new live concert like the following.



Kirshner actually had a long line of artists who wanted to appear on the show at scale, which was much less than they would get normally, but they knew what the exposure would do for their careers.

Let us know what your favorite Rock Concert performance was.