MOG - nesrednadivad's Posts

Second Best Christmas Song (last year)

nesrednadivad — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 06:42:49 GMT

And so Relient K comes in second. Call it a guilty pleasure - but I really enjoyed this tune. Truly inspired by the Beach Boys. It was a tough call between this and the upbeat "Sleigh Ride", but this is the winner.

The Best Christmas Song (last year)

nesrednadivad — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 06:36:31 GMT

Well, I did something different this year: I bought a few Christmas albums. Traditionally, I have despised Christmas music (R n B versions of Winter Wonderland are pure trash and acapella groups singing any Christmas songs at all make ill), but this year I thought I'd give it a try.

I bought three albums: 1. Jars of Clay - Christmas Songs 2. Relient K - Let It Snow Baby, Let It Reindeer 3. Sufjan Stevens - Songs for Chritmas

I listened to them from November all the way until now. This turned out to be my favorite. It's dark and moody, so what can I say?

My kids loved Relient K, and the Jars of Clay album left everyone a little flat.

Anyway...here it is...

Recent Listening - As Cities Burn

nesrednadivad — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 06:26:52 GMT

I'm really enjoying this new band I picked up: As Cities Burn. As always, I am trying to find Christian rock that doesn't all sound exactly the same. These guys have definitely been listening to whole Mars Volta/Sparta/At The Drive-in collection, but they really do a good job cutting their own groove. It seems like a friend of the band died or something as this album has a decidely darker and questioning tone, as evidenced by this song.

Anyway - I like it. Enjoy.

Ruined - August - Sketches In Your Bones

nesrednadivad — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 05:36:27 GMT

This was the first of the Ruined set, recorded in August 2007.

Enjoy.

Ruined - September - Declaration 1

nesrednadivad — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 05:26:51 GMT

OK - so this was my second song, written and recorded in September. Give it a spin.

Ruined - October - Ruined

nesrednadivad — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 05:21:03 GMT

OK, so this song is called "Ruined". It took me all of October to record it, and I'm still not pleased. It's really not a self-indulgent thing. In fact, I named THIS song before I named my "band".

Anyway - this is the song called Ruined by the band called Ruined.

Enjoy.

Ruined- November - Declaration 2

nesrednadivad — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 05:13:35 GMT

I've been working since August to crank out some tunes I've been stewing on. I really wanted to push the envelope on worship - you know, experiment with geniune worship that was packaged in a non-three-chord way. So, I've compiled four songs - one for each month.

I've also named my little effort "Ruined". This refers to Isaiah 6, where Isaiah talks about being "ruined" in the presence of God. I dig that image, so I named a band after it. Hopefully it does not mean that I have "ruined" worship.

My site is over at www.myspace.com/ruinedworship

Here are the tunes in reverse order - starting with November's "Declaration 2".

Enjoy!

Great Worship - The Glorious Unseen

nesrednadivad — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 05:04:33 GMT

These guys are unique in the worship scene, in that they know both how to direct worship to God (instead of just singing about Him) and their music is ethereal and interesting. Give it a spin.

They're album "Tonight the Stars Speak" is available over at iTunes.

Later,

Work - Jars of Clay

nesrednadivad — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 04:51:21 GMT

I was really surprised by this album. Jars of Clay came out back in the early 90's and they were always the sissy band, all disaffected and effeminate. So I heard them on the Relevant podcast, and man, they sounded good.

So I checked out their 2006 album, Good Monsters, and it is great. Buy it. Their Christmas album sounds pretty decent, but after browsing their 13-year library of music, Good Monsters is by far their best album.

Peace out.

1984 - All The Rest - SOML Post 29

nesrednadivad — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 03:42:57 GMT

Between MTV, my cassette club and my friends dealing me Christian rock, I had more influences than I could count in 1984. I'm doing my best to remember when I really ran into these things, but I believe it was '84.

I loved Krokus' "Screaming In The Night", and a kid at school gave me a dubbed copy of Judas Priest's "Screaming For Vengeance". Lots of screaming, I guess.

There was also Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It". Who DIDN'T get influenced by that song, one way or another?

My brother exposed me to Jon Anderson and Yes, with "Owner Of A Lonely Heart", although at this time I mostly listened to it because of my brother. I thought it was a bit girly at the time.

Here they all are, as I consumed them, as they appeared on MTV:

Screaming In The Night - Krokus

The Hellion/Electric Eye - Judas Priest

We're Not Gonna Take It - Twisted Sister (Man, I love it when the kids turn into the band members)

Owner Of A Lonely Heart - Yes

1984 - Run Into The Darkness - SOML Post 28

nesrednadivad — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 05:56:35 GMT

There are three truths in life: 1. We all die 2. There is a God 3. Van Halen was better with David Lee Roth

Now, this may not seem like as much of a journey into evil as Iron Maiden, but David Lee Roth did embody all that was evil about rock n roll. Van Halen's "1984" and Sammy Hagar's "V.O.A." album also came in the first shipment from my record club. I didn't like these as much, but man, Eddie Van Halen could play guitar. The guitar hero in me was born, and although I never reached Eddie's agility and creativity, I loved to listen to their music.

Ironically, Sammy Hagar would ruin this once great band with gillion-dollar superstardom. But his album wasn't nearly as good as 1984. I mean "Voice of America"? Stupid song. "I can't drive 55" was rendered irrelevant thanks to president Clinton. Now it is just a relic of the past.

Anyway, although I've never understood the lyrical content of Panama, my guess is it has something to do with cars and things you really shouldn't do while driving. Here it is...

1984 - Run From The Darkness - SOML Post 27

nesrednadivad — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 05:46:18 GMT

And then my friend Eddie sold me Daniel Band's "Run From The Darkness". It had an AC/DC feel to it, and had some pretty cool tunes, of which my favorite was the title track.

Eddie sold me a cassette which had been eaten at some point, and so glitched right in the middle of the rockin-est song on the album "Walk On The Water". I remember I would occasionally have to pull the cassette out and wind in the tape that was threatening to get eaten by my tape player.

Once again, I was unable to acquire this particular song on CD (I'm not even sure it has been released), and so this is rendered from the original Daniel Band cassette, purchased from Eddie in 1984.

Enjoy this slice of Christian music history...

1984 - Run Away From The Light - SOML Post 26

nesrednadivad — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 05:35:37 GMT

And the first crate of "buy 11 for just 1 penny" cassettes arrived at my house. Among them was Krokus "The Blitz", the K-Tel "Masters of Metal" compilation disc, and the darkest gem of all: Iron Maiden's "Number of the Beast".

Where Black Sabbath just felt dark, Iron Maiden looked like pure evil. Just look at the cover below. These Brits blew me away with great songs, some epic in length (like this one). Their albums were like a really thick steak - something to savor.

I had picked them out because even some of the freaker kids at school felt they were too evil. And I wanted the evilist of the evil.

I was a bit disappointed when I realized that the songs weren't really all that evil. Most of the songs were dramatizations of historical and literary events. It was actually kind of "high-brow" in a dumb, British metal sort of way. Even the title track was just a rock opera of the book of Revelation, as seen through the Hal Lindsey eyes of the day.

But as long as everyone THOUGHT they were evil, then I could say I listened to them. And then everyone around me would know I was a real risk taker. I was a brave dude. I listened to Iron Maiden.

Hallowed Be Thy Name grew to be my favorite track off this album, probably because of its length and dynamic arrangement. I was always a sucker for musicals. Here it is in all of its REAL 80s metal glory...

1984 - Not Going My Separate Way - SOML Post 25

nesrednadivad — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 05:20:29 GMT

A brief pause from thought track. In 1984, I spent a lot of time listening to Journey's Frontiers album. It was perfect. I loved every song, even that quirky backbeat "Back Talk" song. I listened to it at my grandmother's apartment with giant headphones. I somehow got the album on vinyl.

I remember when I listened to it. I thought all the guys looked like construction workers and had beards. This was based on my seeing other bands that looked like that, and for some reason I projected it onto Journey. I was so surprised when I saw the Separate Ways video on MTV and saw that most of the guys were clean cut.

Anyway, After The Fall was really my favorite song off this album, but Separate Ways had the biggest impact, so I felt I had to include it here.

1984 - Run To The Light - SOML Post 24

nesrednadivad — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 05:11:43 GMT

OK. So in 1984, I was still very interested in staying on God's good side. As you can see, almost all of my influences up to this time had been, let's say, not so good. But I really did want to do what was right. I mean, even though I loved all that dark rock n roll, I wasn't a bad kid.

In the seventh grade, some friends of mine turned me on to Christian rock. I was totally stoked. I could listen to all the great rock sounds, but without the evil stuff that was going to make God angry with me.

The funny thing is that my mother did not really want me to listen to the Christian rock either. I think she was beginning to suspect I had some bad music tastes, and she pretty much thought it was all rock - not just the truly bad stuff.

1984 turned out to be a double-minded year. At the same time my parents tried passively to prevent me from listening to Christian rock, they let me join a record club. I still don't know what they were thinking, but now that I am a parent, I certainly cut them a lot more slack. Between my friends and the record club, I delved equally deep into both ends of the moral spectrum.

I'll start this pivitol year with the Resurrection Band, obviously on the Christian end of things. I bought the cassette "DMZ" from a friend and played it until it was almost worn out. I still think it is one of their best, if not popular, songs. The guitar solo is so melodic and dynamic - I can honestly say I have tried to mimic it in many a performance.

This album was released in 1982 on Light records and I failed to pick up the CD version when it was available at Cornerstone '95. As such, I recorded this version from the original cassette. I know the sound is not great, but here is the best Christian rock song of 1984 for me...

1983 - The Rest Of The Early '80s - SOML Post 23

nesrednadivad — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 04:47:47 GMT

So, after the re-emergance of hard rock and heavy metal in my life, I still hung onto some pop culture. Once again, Billy Idol was at the top of my list. Rebel Yell was a great album, and quite honestly, I still love it. It might be in my top twenty of all time. Who knows?

Anyway, the early '80s had lots of good tunes that I liked. But these other songs had no real ties to them. Mostly I liked what my brother liked.

Instead of doing separate posts for all of them, I have simply linked to their YouTube locations and left it at that. The more important tuned will be covered individually in future posts.

That's enough...

1983 - Cuz Baby I'm NOT Foolin' - SOML Post 22

nesrednadivad — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 05:44:10 GMT

The third and final band I picked up in drama class in 1983 for $4. I bought the cassette Pyromania by Def Leppard. It was...how can words describe? It changed my world. It was loud and dark and they were blowing up a building on the cassette cover.

And when I saw the video on MTV, I was blown away. The entire album was great. Truthfully, I saw "Photograph" first, which, incidentally, was one of the first songs I ever learned to play on guitar. "Billy's Got A Gun" and "Die Hard The Hunter" were also great tracks.

As much as I loved this album, I hated everything they did after this. I think I have "indie-kid syndrome", even at this early age. I loved a band and they were MINE. If they made it big and popular, then I lost interest in them.

Prior to Pyromania was "Diver Down" and "On Through The Night" which I understand were really popular albums if you were British. I heard "Me And My Wine" once on Headbanger's Ball, and I thought it was cool. Also, who could forget "Bringing On The Heartbreak", another common Headbanger's fixture?

To really put things in perspective. 1983 - Foolin and Rock of Ages After 1983 - Pour Some Sugar On Me

Parden me, I just had to stifle my gag reflex. Def Leppard lost their dark roots after Pyromania and plunged headlong into stupid party lyrics and banal double-etendres about "stickiness". Shame on them. And all it really gained them was millions and millions of dollars (well, pounds I guess - or Euros now). Couldn't they just take one for the team?

Anyway, this was the last of the three bands that corrected my course and send me careening into the darkness of the early 1980s...

1983 - Something About Yelling At The Devil - SOML Post 21

nesrednadivad — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 05:28:45 GMT

One night I heard the local radio station play a song that was unlike anything else I had heard. It was loud like Quiet Riot, but lacked the party feel. It was the closest to Black Sabbath I had heard a band come in a long time.

In it's most elemental form, Looks That Kill by Motley Crue has the same "blunt object applied to brainpan" feel that Black Sabbath had along with all of the evil trappings.

People! Do you remember! The pentagram shoots off of Tommy Lee's drum and electricutes the wild rock girl who is chained to the whipping post! A pentagram!

Man, I loved all things that even LOOKED evil. But Motley Crue was 100% NOT MOTHER APPROVED. They were so cool. I, like many others, felt they sold out on subsequent albums. The plodding stupidity of Shout At The Devil is simplicity at its best. Why muttle the image with happy tunes or that insipid party sound? Heavy Metal was SERIOUS business.

And even though they plunged into mediocrity and settled for multi-million dollar stardom (which they surely would not have achieved with pentagrams on their kick-drums) Shout At The Devil is one deliciously dark piece of vinyl that made a twelve year old boy feel very very happily bad.

1982 - Metal Health Will, In Fact, Drive You Mad - SOML Post 20

nesrednadivad — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 05:14:12 GMT

And then, once again, everything changed. Thanks to MTV, I had slid into the quagmire of common listening. I only listened to what they told me to listen to. And although the next three posts fall firmly into the category of popular music, their affect on my life was to correct my course and send me into what could only be described as "Metal Health".

Three bands moved me from pop syrup to heavy metal: Quiet Riot, Motley Crue and Def Leppard. They reignited the passion for loud and heavy music in my life. And even though these bands weren't particularly heavy, they pointed my compass in the correct direction. Dio, Iron Maiden and Metallica, were just over the horizon...

I remember being on the soccer field in 8th grade, and hearing a kid in my class say he went to the Quiet Riot concert. I seriously doubted the validity of his claim, but I wasn't about to get my butt kicked for countering some one who MIGHT have been at a Quiet Riot concert. I wasn't exactly a athletic kid, and come to think of it, I believe that was the last time I was on a soccer field.

Anyway, he said when Quiet Riot sang this song live they didn't say "Girls rock your boys". They said something much more explicit in the place of "rock". I was floored. Rock n roll bands weren't allowed to cuss like that on stage were they? I mean, wouldn't the government or something get involved?

Once again, I was caught in that desire to experience the darker side of music. Quiet Riot's was bad, I mean really really bad, and even more bad if what the kid on the soccer field said was true. I had to have it.

And then the video broke on MTV, and I think this was the first time I really wanted to be a musician. Check that - not a musician - A ROCK STAR! When those giant speakers blew down the walls and there was the band, I said to myself "I don't just want to listen, I want to BE this music!"

Oh, and the fire was lit. The clouds rolled in and darkness fell over the land. It was my flame, and I fanned it into dark deliciousness.

1982/1983 - Thriller - Need I Say More? SOML Post 19

nesrednadivad — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 04:55:25 GMT

It really was a landmark video. And an album as well. I could just have easily put "Billy Jean" here (it's probably a better song), but Thriller steals the day for Michael's influence in my life. Man, how many times I am reminded of the zombie's arm falling off while he shuffles forward! And today the dancing undead is just way too funny. But it was serious business back in the day.

We had a weird sense of serious in the '80s.

Anyway, the last of my pop video influences.

The next thing that happened was unexpected, as the spirit of Black Sabbath was resurrected in my life...

Stay tuned for the next post!

1982/1983 - What Were These Guys Running? SOML Post 18

nesrednadivad — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 04:47:47 GMT

Short post: Who wasn't affected by Dexy's Midnight Runners and "Come On Eileen"? Catchy and infectious. Nobody knew what the song was about, but we loved it just the same.

In memorium: Here it is.

1982 - 1983 - Don't Pay The Guy In The Grim Reaper Outfit - SOML Post 17

nesrednadivad — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 04:41:10 GMT

Alright, so I watched a LOT of MTV in the early 1980's. As opposed to having any one specific memory for the next few posts, I simply have an aggregate glob of MTV tar blotched on my brain. The doctors thought it was a tumor, but...

Anyway, like it or not, these songs affected me. And sometimes, in my cheesiest moments, they come out.

I can never forget the pretentious pipings of Chris de Burgh in this over-the-top "art is too serious for YOU" video "Don't Pay The Ferryman". At the time, I really thought it was cool. The darkness and, you know, like, the way he sang and stuff.

So here it is.

I am following quickly with a number of other influential videos from the era.

Peace,

1982 - White Wedding - That's Right: Billy Idol - SOML Post 16

nesrednadivad — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 22:18:30 GMT

OK - I've been busy, and the last couple times I've tried to upload, MOG has been slow. But here I go - continuing the Sountrack Of My Life posts:

As far as guilty pleasures go, this is it for me. Ummm, along with Journey...and a few other cheesy bands. I love Billy Idol. "Rebel Yell" was his best album, but I still remember how it all started.

It actually started in 1981 with "Dancing With Myself" and MTV. Way back in the beginning, MTV was lame and had VJs and played videos ALL THE TIME. (Commentary: Now they are just lame - or maybe I got OLD). I thought "Dancing With Myself" was pretty cool, but I didn't really dig watching some English guy sweat and sneer at me for three minutes. So, I pretty much let it go.

It's funny, but 11-year-olds are just not that picky about what they watch. I know I was just like a sponge soaking up everything I happened to stumble across. And unless it was girly I watched it. Billy Idol was pretty girly.

But then came "White Wedding". The song was more seductive and moody than the perky "Dancing". It was dark and somehow seemed like if my parents knew I was watching it they would make me stop. So I loved it.

It lodged permanently in my cortex and to this very day, Billy holds a He will show up on this list again. Oh yes, he will.

1981 - The Beat - SOML Post 15

nesrednadivad — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 01:09:57 GMT

In 1981, Dad gave me his old stereo. It was a RadioShack classic - a wood-panel, silver-knobbed Realistic AM/FM receiver. I tuned it into Q104 and KY102 here in town. On KY102, I heard AC/DC for the first time. And late one night I heard "Whole Lotta Love". I had one of those giant sets of headphones on and the swirling back and forth sound was darkly delicious.

Q104 was the local pop station. Here I heard the J. Geils Band, who I firmly refuse to publish in these annals. But the one that lasted, like stale cotton candy that never truly gets old, was the Go-Gos "We Got The Beat".

I still like this tune, and remember the late nights in the green glow of the Realistic receiver's dial listening to this tune. Five stars! (Or at least three).

Latest Recommendation - Hundred Year Storm

nesrednadivad — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 00:56:30 GMT

Hey all.

I've been listening to this band over the last two weeks. This song sticks out as extra cool. Enjoy.

1981 - As If "Don't Stop Believing" Weren't Enough...SOML Post 14

nesrednadivad — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 19:43:05 GMT

In 1981, my sister got a stunning piece of '80's vinyl. The black n white countdown screen forever stuck on "4" was somehow nostalgicly clever, even for a ten-year-old. That's right - it was Foreigner's fourth album, aptly titled "Four".

I don't know if you loved that album, but she played it enough in her bedroom that I got to hear some of the tunes. A lot of them were simply too boring for a kid my age, but "Jukebox Hero" was a rock-star wannabe's dream song.

"Standing in the rain, with his head hung low". I could see the poor kid, drenched with long stringy hair. When the kid puts his ear to the wall and hears that one guitar like a distant scream, I could hear it with him, completely lost in the building frevor of the song.

I had seen a Blue Oyster Cult live show on TV for some reason, and they all had beards and sunglasses. From that time on, I pictured all rock stars as having full beards and '70s sunglasses (you know, mirrored and gold-rimmed).

So when the distant scream one guitar comes in, I imagined the lights coming on the stage, and the bearded, sunglassed lead singer belting out the rest of the lyrics.

I think this is where it all began. The spark that would ignite my desire to become a genuine, bona-fide jukebox hero. This was the spark that would turn into a flame down the line with other bands.

I can barely listen to this song anymore because of it's gratuitous cheese content (well over the FDA regulation). I revived it in the early '90s and it showed up on just about every mix tape I made for friends, as Bil and Doomsayer can attest. But every once in a while, when I'm feeling like I may have passed my shadow by the backstage door, this song shows up in a rotation or on the radio in a barber shop or something. And when it does, I'm that kid in the rain again, wishing I had a ticket and setting my jaw in determination that one day I WILL ROCK!

...Then I shake it off and get back to making sure the $10 rookie barber isn't shaving my 10-year-old's head bald.

Enjoy.

1981 - Grandma Helps The Journey Again (Pun Intended) - SOML Post 13

nesrednadivad — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 04:16:09 GMT

In 1981 my grandmother handed me a cassette she had received by accident from her record club. The little cassette case had a picture of space or something and beetle-like spaceship thing bursting out of some sort of space cocoon. It looked cool and it was free. Mt grandmother said she thought it was probably rock n roll.

Times were changing. LP albums were still my standard fare, but now this new way to package music, the audio cassette, was making waves. My dad had given me a single-speaker cassette recorder for Christmas, so I knew I could listen to this one at home.

It was incredible. There were no bad songs on this album. Every song rocked. Even that song about divorce or something was great. Then there were these guys writing or riding or something. It was all very confusing and delightfully exhilerating. I soaked in the intoxicating sugar that was Journey. The album was Escape.

I could almost see Steve Perry "in the heat with his blue jean girl", but I wondered what it meant to be "stone in love". The phrase didn't make any sense, but I figured it meant he liked her.

This was rock n roll unlike anything I had heard so far. The singing wasn't all flat and nasally like Black Sabbath or high and warbly like Led Zepplin. The guitars moved a lot and did cool things, and the melodic tones were so passionate and earnest. I could just steep in the emoting goodness. It was like eating lots of pancakes with extra syrup.

But the song about "don't stop believing" was a notch above the rest. Some boy from the city and some girl from the small town go to the big city where they see lots of things that I couldn't understand in my ten-year-old mind. But the ambience of the song just exudes mystery. I always wondered who "streetlight people" were, and I could never understand half of the lyrics, but the song has earned a permanent place in my heart.

It is total American cliche today, and viewed as one of the cheesiest pop songs ever written, but every time I go to play a melodic guitar solo, in truth, I am only trying to sound like Neil Schon on "Don't Stop Believing".

Enjoy.

2007 - Calexico Again

nesrednadivad — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 02:14:32 GMT

Have I mentioned how cool Calexico is? I just love their music, and every once in a while I discover another gem from their collection.

"Letter To Bowie Knife" is the latest. It makes me pause to turn up the speakers when I'm running the 14-hour shuffle. That's worth noting. I share it with you now.

Enjoy

1980 - The Night Chicogo Died - SOML Post 12

nesrednadivad — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 02:08:25 GMT

It's been a while since I last posted. Things have been busy in the real world, let alone the virtual one. I have a bunch of DoomSayer's posts yet to review...but I will, I will.

This is my final post for 1980. My sister got a "Best of" LP from somewhere, I never knew where. But it had three songs from the British band Paper Lace. I loves all three of them as they spun on my little plastic turntable and I pay homage to a couple of them here.

First up is "The Night Chicago Died" set in the Prohibition era US. It's a cool story song and I never knew what it was about when I was a kid. But it sounded ominous and I was OK with that.

Second is "Billy Don't Be A Hero" which I loved just about as much. When you're a kid you can really feel the emotion when his girlfriend says "Keep your pretty head low". I guess I liked songs where people died. You can see the You Tube video for this song below.

I'll start in on 1981 soon enough, because that was the year everything began to change. I intentionally skipped Styx and J. Geils Band here in 1980, because they make my skin crawl. They were in here somewhere, but I'm not paying for their music.

Enjoy!

1980 - While Riding In My Cadillac...SOML Post 11

nesrednadivad — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 02:15:07 GMT

In 1980, I received a long-playing (LP) record from someone (I can't remember) that included the song "Beep Beep" by the Playmates. This classic piece details the tragic tail of a Rambler passing a Caddie.

I really don't have any great stories about this song, but I know I loved it. I listened to it over and over again when I wasn't listening to Black Sabbath and Uriah Heep.

Said Sower - Unlame Worship

nesrednadivad — Sun, 27 May 2007 04:53:12 GMT

Alright - I ran into an ad for this band, Said Sower (whatever that means), in a recent Relevant mag that Bil loaned me and...I really dig what they are doing. There are some pretty straight acoustic tracks on this disc, which don't vary enough from standard worship fare for me, but are solid nonetheless. But there are a several gems on here as well.

The main high marks for these guys as that they do not SOUND like a worship band. They borrow heavily from music usually played by and listened to by guys with thick black-framed glasses (if you get my drift). The production is raw and personal, not slick and glossy like most worship fare. But they certainly function as a worship band.

The track I have selected is "How Majestic" which takes its lyric from Psalm 8:1. It captures a true intimate worship vibe, whereas some of the other tracks might serve only to depress. Oh but this is the challenge of worship music these days.

Go buy their disc - they deserve it for a well-done first spin. www.saidsower.com.

Ark - Obscure Jesus Rock From 1978

nesrednadivad — Thu, 24 May 2007 04:36:59 GMT

I've been hanging out on Heavenly Grooves, a blog where the owner is posting digital versions of old '60s, '70s and '80s Jesus Rock vinyl. I've been looking for standout tracks, and the band Ark has been one of the best finds.

"Sidewalk Preacherman" is the song I enjoy the most off the album - so far. Enjoy!

1979 - Rock N Roll Introduced Again - SOML Post 10

nesrednadivad — Thu, 24 May 2007 04:29:11 GMT

In 1979 Grandma decided I needed to know what rock n roll was. She perceived that my mother was sheltering me from a musical phenomenon that "all the other kids" were getting into. And so Grandma solved the problem by buying me a record player and 45 single of "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" by Chicago. She presented it to me and said "It is time for you to learn what rock n roll is".

Weird.

Anyway, I graciously accepted the 45 while wondering to myself if it could stand up to the other devil rock that my brothers had introduced me to. I gave the 45 a spin, and I loved it! I looooovvvvved it. It was bright and airy and sounded smart. It didn't have anything in common with the dark, brooding stuff I'd been listening to. I wondered if Black Sabbath was just music for dumb people.

Anyway, it served to broaden my tastes and whet my appetite for MORE music. And the most important part of the deal: GRANDMA BOUGHT ME A RECORD PLAYER! I had my very own. It was mine. Allllllll mine. Suddenly, a whole new world opened to me. I no longer had to hide in the shadowy catacombs of the basement. Now I could listen "top-side" in the light.

Anyway, that song reintroduced me to rock, and it IS a great song. Heralding from 1969's "Chicago Transit Authority", here is "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHZJCJerqhM

1978 - Something More Appropriate For An Eight-Year-Old - SOML Post 9

nesrednadivad — Sat, 19 May 2007 04:49:00 GMT

In 1978, I was in the basement looking through my brother's albums while he was away, and I came across Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kicker's "Monster Mash". The version my brother had featured a menacing, down-right demonic vampire stylistically rising from a coffin with red cat-like eyes. The image was centered on a white background. I listened to the whole album, and although I cannot remember another song from it, the "Monster Mash" always stayed with me.

I laughed when the Crypt-Kickers did their "Ahhh-oooo, tennis-shoe" back-ups. I thought it sounded dumb, and they reminded me of Velma from Scooby Doo (back when Scooby stunk the first time). I would picture two or three Velmas singing the back-ups while some long-haired scary looking guy sang about being a vampire. That, of course, was before Type-O Negative.

Now, I'm painting with a pretty bleak brush here. By age eight, I was hooked on Black Sabbath and Monster Mash. It really explains a lot of things...

1977 - Another Song From The Back Seat (and this is not a double entendre) - SOML Post 8

nesrednadivad — Thu, 17 May 2007 03:51:56 GMT

I'm really ready to move on from 1977, but I couldn't resist adding one more song. This is another song from the murky mists of time that I remember distinctively hearing riding in the back seat of my Dad's green Plymouth Fury.

In 1977, Linda Ronstadt released a "best of" CD with a cover of Roy Orbison's "Blue Bayou". My Dad loved the song, and whenever I hear it I am transported to being seven years old again. In my head it is always drenched in nostalgic reverb like in the movies when someone is remembering something important that will figure into the plot in just a couple minutes. It never figures into my plot, but I get all mushy and take on that dreamy stare whenever I think of "those fishing boats with their sails afloat".

Enjoy, back for another spin, Linda Ronstadt's Blue Bayou. See if you can hear the echo...

1977 - My First Album - SOML Post 7

nesrednadivad — Sun, 13 May 2007 04:42:46 GMT

In 1977 my brother cleaned out his record collection and gave me a couple albums: Black Sabbath's Paranoid and Led Zepplin IV (ZOSO). Besides being the younger brother astonished by being the recipient of this inconceivably generous gift, it was a dark and wicked gift.

My parents had no idea that my brother had opened the portal into the world of evil rock n roll for me. I remember thinking they must never know I had this genuine disc of doom. It felt hot in my hands, and faintly I wondered if I would still get into heaven if I listened to it. But the dark allure of long hair and droning guitars was too great for me to resist.

I played the disc endlessly. The label was pea green and the cover was worn and faded. I never made it to side two because of the song "Electric Funeral". It's plodding descension into destruction was hypnotic. I would listen to the song while I played on my dad's abandoned train table (it was huge!). I don't think I really understood what the song was about, but visions of doom swirled in my head. Multi-colored eddies of black and pea green and smoke: lots of smoke. Evil rock guys needed lots of smoke so God wouldn't see what they were doing. I assumed the song was talking about the Devil somehow. It wasn't, but that didn't make any difference.

Compared to Black Sabbath's other tunes, this is really not their best work, but there's no telling that to a seven-year-old boy hiding in the basement hoping the rock n roll smoke is enough to shield him from God, and more importantly - his parents.

1976 - Hauting Harmonies - SOML Post 6

nesrednadivad — Sat, 12 May 2007 04:55:33 GMT

I just got back from Anaheim, California where I was attending the Vineyard Leadership Conference. I was so busy doing stuff I had no time to continue my Soundtrack of my life posts. So now I will pick up where I left off...

The Eagles released One Of These Nights in 1975, and in 1976 my brothers AND my father played the heck out of "Lyin' Eyes", one of the hit singles off this album.

I really don't have much of a memory around this one - mostly a feeling. I can remember standing in the basement near the foot of the stairs. This was on the other side of the basement from where my brothers' lair was. I remember hearing this song echoing off the concrete walls and penetrating my young impressionable mind. I was playing cars or something, but I remember pausing and feeling a wave of indescribable sadness welling up inside. The harmonies were so sad. I didn't really understand it all, but I knew that the girl in the song was the one who couldn't hide her lyin' eyes. I wondered what made it so she felt she had to lie. And if lying made her so sad, why did she keep doing it? I felt sorry for her.

Anyway, lots of people think this is carbonated fluff, but it holds a place in my heart, and on my list.

1976 - Then Everything Changed... SOML Post 5

nesrednadivad — Thu, 03 May 2007 04:45:11 GMT

In 1976 my brothers exposed me to the dark side of rock n roll. No more harmless cowboy ballads or quaint country songs. Now I was listening to the dark stuff - the songs steeped in mystical images of demons and wizards and dragons. That's right - my brothers picked up 1976's "The Best of Uriah Heep", and it remained on the turntable for many years to come.

It all seemed so wrong, so secretive. You knew you weren't supposed to listen to this music, but it was so alluring, like the mythical sirens calling to the weary sailors. It was like being part of secret society you could never tell your parents about.

A corner of the basement had been given over to my brothers, and this is where my musical psyche would be molded for years to come. It was a patch of thin green carpet spread in the corner. An old couch and a coffee table held the center. And the main feature was the big stereo cabinet that held the mammoth turntable and receiver. My brothers had also bought the "psychedelic" lights: various globes with colored facets that rotated and shone light patterns in the room. No conventional lighting was allowed.

And there my brothers would sit; dissaffected teenagers, high on weed with their little brother tagging along. I was just six, but I did everything I could to spend time with them. I revelled in the dark excitement only a little brother can experience when he is tolerated in the "inner circle" of the older brother society.

July Morning is an epic song - over ten minutes of swirling stoner rock. It's a song about a lost love, but that was hard to hear through the grinding guitar and distorted moog. The song became the cornerstone for my personal tastes. I have written at least five songs longer than ten minutes and every one has just been a feeble attempt to recreate the sense of dark delight I felt those days listening to July Morning in the basement.

Enjoy...

1975 - In The Basement At Home - SOML Post # 4

nesrednadivad — Wed, 02 May 2007 05:18:15 GMT

In 1975, Three Dog Night released their greatest hits album, and my brothers wore the LP out on the turntable. My brothers were 10 and 12 years older than me, and so were teenagers exposing their little brother to the evils of rock n roll.

I know this song is considered a cheesy '70s throw-back that you can still hear on the radio today, but at the time, hearing the song over and over again in the basement, it took on an eerie hypnotic quality. That single note over and over and over again. This is one of my many guilty pleasures that make up the soundtrack of my life.

This also set the stage for the basement to be an experimentation base from which would launch the music that continues to influence me most still today...more to come.

1975 - Grandma's Turntable in Carrollton Missouri - SOML Post 3

nesrednadivad — Tue, 01 May 2007 01:16:56 GMT

Summer at Grandma's house in Carrollton. I have to say that my Grandma played a significant role in my musical development, as you'll see in subsequent posts.

I remember Grandma's house, a white ranch house in the little town of Carrollton Missouri. It was full of old people stuff: plastic fruit, a crochetted toilet paper roll cover that looked like a dog with arms, glasses and cups that were made out of clear colored glass and were all bubbly and misshapen.

And Grandma sat me down in front of her old turntable. It was enormous and had a huge gray plastic square cover and huge silver knobs. She played Hank Williams (Senior) and old fifties and sixties country. But the song that she played over and over for me was Porter Waggoner's "The Carroll County Accident". I think I loved the song because it was about a car accident. But it also had a schticky mistique about it no country artist has been able to capture in quite the same way. I guess it was the time, the age and the place. It still holds that place of mystery in my heart.

I pulled it for this collection and was amazed to actually learn what the song was about. Funny how a five-year-old can appreciate the song at the most basic level...

1975 - Sitting In The Dining Room

nesrednadivad — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 05:22:21 GMT

The window air conitioner lulled me to sleep in the dining room more than once. Dad sat up his stereo equipment behind the dining table on a long wooden table with pea green speaker covers built into them. They were made out of that scratchy burlap-like material.

Anyway, he fired up the Realistic receiver and hooked up the 8-track. He loved the cowboy ballads. Pancho and Lefty were in there somewhere as well, but the song that I remember most is Marty Robbins' "El Paso". When I hear this song, I can remember stretching out on the floor with my hands behind my head just listening to Marty's smooth voice. And it was GOOD.

1975 - Plymouth Fury

nesrednadivad — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 04:08:47 GMT

1975 and five years old. Sitting in the back seat of the big green Plymouth Fury. My Dad sets the radio and I am introduced to some of the earliest sounds. At this stage it's just music. I don't even know if I like it. Something about Delta Dawn and Flowers On The Wall.

It all blurs this many years later, but I can still remember hearing Sundown by Gordon Lightfoot. My Dad loved the Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald as well, but Sundown was the song that still sends me right back to that back seat, where all I can see is the back of Mom and Dad's heads just over the top of the bucket seat. When I didn't have to sit on the hump, I could lean my ear close enough to the little speaker in the back and hear this tune...

It may not really be the first, but we'll just say it is for the sake of argument.

Soundtrack Of My Life Project

nesrednadivad — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 06:17:22 GMT

Starting in the next couple days, I will launch the Soundtrack Of My Life Project.

My life has been filled with music. Every song that I know and love has a memory tied to it. The SOML project will travel throughout the years of my life noting the songs that significantly affected me.

We'll start in 1976 and move all the way up until now. Each week I will cover another year or so until I am done, or I am bored.

The order of songs is determined by the year I heard the song, not by the year it was released.

We'll see how it goes...

Goodbye

nesrednadivad — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 06:12:54 GMT

So - today was my last day at Sprint. I am officially unemployed. So, I have a traditional "goodbye" song.

It is surreal to be quitting this job after nine years. I'm not even mad at Sprint or anything. I just have something else I need to do.

Anyway - enjoy.

Love Of The Groove

nesrednadivad — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 02:56:31 GMT

I have always loved Clutch - even on their first album. On their third album this is their hidden track. It has a mean groove and I really grew to like this song more than any other song on the album.

I have no deep theological comments for this song. It just rocks.

Something Interesting

nesrednadivad — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 01:36:24 GMT

My buddy Doomsayer2001 has been introducing me to some great underground music. Here's one of the tunes he posted that I really dug. Maybe you will like it as well.

He Set Me On Fire

nesrednadivad — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 23:25:51 GMT

So, I often complain about how plain worship music is. Most of it is written for corporate worship, meaning lots of people worshipping together like at church. This isn't bad, but it leads to a "lowest common denominator" style of music writing. The song needs to be palatable to as many people as possible in the congregation, so it is written in typically the most simplistic musical terms. It usually works for everyone except the musicians in the crowd.

Don't get me wrong - this form of music is an excellent form for praise - it's just not the most musicially compelling.

David Crowder Band is one of the only exceptions, and even they have just a few exceptions. The music is more compelling than the average worship song, but less compelling than many other forms of music. However DCB excels lyrically.

Here's an example of their more interesting personal worship.

Rock Thunder

nesrednadivad — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 01:39:46 GMT

Sometimes you just need to rock. For the most part, this band is pretty common sounding. But this song truly rocks. I don't know what they're saying...something about "All of my people - we're gonna rise up NOWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!"

If you want the truly heavy stuff you'll have to visit my buddy Doomsayer at his mog. He'll hook you up with stuff that makes your ears bleed when you turn it up, just like back in the day. Ahh the memories and the headaches (and neckaches).

Let loose the unrestrained testosterone!!!

By Way Of Explanation

nesrednadivad — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 01:20:19 GMT

OK - so I got a cryptic vaguely anti-God response to my last post. I pulled my post down because it felt really preachy.

I really don't care for Christian-speak, but the fact is I am a follower of Christ. I wasn't always one, and it even amuses me sometimes that I'm one now. It seems very unlikely that I would be one of "those Christians". But I am.

You see, God does still speak. He provides direction for those who seek him. I'm serious. I thought it was a bunch of nonsense, but now I know I was wrong. We often don't hear God because we aren't listening.

Anyway, I am closing in on "preachy" territory again, so I'll finish with this: God gave me clear direction to quit my job at a major corporation to seek doing his work full time. It sounds hoaky, but it's for real. April 27th is my last day. It's a step of faith. But God has always provided. Why would I ever believe he won't provide this time?

And now for the tune...

Calexico

nesrednadivad — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 22:47:17 GMT

Here is a cool song by Calexico. They are cool.

I'm Not Ready

nesrednadivad — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 22:29:11 GMT

In nine days and 23 hours, I am quitting my job at Sprint. Then I will be going to an internship with my local church.

This song just about sums it up for today...

Serial Sleepers

nesrednadivad — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 01:28:47 GMT

I like this song.

I spent last week at RadioShack HQ in Ft. Worth, and I got some time with this album. It's a great album. These guys are talented and interesting.

See what you think...

Inspiration Aspiration Expiration

nesrednadivad — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 03:43:12 GMT

This song came to me during an intensive on healing. The speaker said "The journey of understanding Christ's message begins in the end with Revelation 21 where Jesus says 'Behold I make all things new.'"

Everything

nesrednadivad — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 03:24:15 GMT

A worship pastor once told me "No one plays major sevenths anymore". He's pretty much correct, but most of modern worship is dreadfully dull. Lyrically inspired, but musically designed for mass consumption.

So I wrote a song that uses almost exclusively major seventh chords (four to speak plainly) back in 2000 with Dion Tyler (Hot Pink Turtle), Donovan White, and Jimmi Florez (DigHayZoose). This song is a reclaimation project, turning something originally designed to express the absence of God in my life into something that (hopefully) honors God. It makes me smile and it's got a decent hook.

Enjoy. Or don't. It is what it is.

David Andersen