Image by kirainet via FlickrHope the Holidays are going well with everyone, time with family, friends and a little R&R. Life has been busy here, along with the Holidays I am the proud owner of new work hours. Naturally being thankful for being employed, but trying to adjust to the “Rabbit Hole”, I was hoping for the “Blue Pill”.
It's the overnight shift that I am trying to get used to and it's turned my world upside down. I have no doubt that I can adjust, millions of people have, it's just getting there. I miss my pod-casts and time on air and hope to be up and running again soon after all, new is just around the corner.
We are creeping up to the New Year and very soon the busy season will be behind us. I like new stuff because it's...well...it's new. The New Year is like a blank piece of paper, empty, unexplored newness to create whatever we are able to create.
The old piece of paper is marked with mistakes and corrections, our finest moments, accomplishments and the occasional “Oops”. The old paper is wrinkled from use and completely covered, no room for anything else, it's now old andused. It's what we do with the old that determines how we take care of the new.
Some will just toss the old paper away because after all, it's old. Others will smooth out the wrinkles, frame and hang it where they can use it for reference. I don't think there is a right or wrong way, only your way. Some are very confident on how the old piece of paper was used and shred it with the other unneeded documents on life. I fall into the paper hoarder crowd.
My file cabinet looks like someone eating with their mouth full, it's a small 2 door file cabinet with 3 decades of old paper. For me it has nothing to do with confidence, I just enjoy seeing where I have been. I can't wait for the New stuff, I cant wait to get used to the Rabbit Hole and I can't wait to see what my hobby, “Massive Multiplayer Online Games”, have coming in the new year.
Whatever your hobby, your get away, your R&R may be, I hope it's always fresh and new.
Due to Scheduling issues with work, we are needing to put the Live shows with GNET Radio and Blade Radio on hold. Holidays are a busy time anyway but with the new work schedule it makes it difficult to produce a live show.
When the dust settles we will be back in full flavor, sugar and spice, salt and vinegar, Rum and Coke. As time permits I will continue with the usual blurbage here at the blogspot.
Tonights scheduled show on GNET Radio will be MIA due to unforeseen circumstances. Unfortunately, Fridays scheduled show(12/10) at Blade Radio will be as well.
..my apologies, but next week all shows should be as scheduled.
We are back this week with another live show and as always, a couple of "Topic Teasers" until then...
"Bigger is Better"
“On the evening of November 21st, 2010, online gaming scenes were suddenly shown on the sky screen of The Place, which's located in Beijing and themed by "Everyone in Beijing Looks up". At 8:40 p.m. on that day, a man drove his car under Asia's currently largest LED screen that's placed above The Place in Beijing, opened his notebook PC with an access to the wireless network, and played the online game lying in a prepared lounging chair.” - MMOsite
"Game Addictions"
"Panorama reporter Raphael Rowe meets a mother who cut off her internet connection at home because she was worried about the amount of time her 19-year-old son was spending playing computer games." - BBC News (hit link for Video)
AC/DC our Artist Spotlight: Bon Scott or Brian Johnson "AC/DC’s Brian Johnson joined the Greg Billings Band last month at the Irish Rover Pub in Sarasota, Florida to perform a few AC/DC classics." - hennemusic
It was good to be back on air. Tonight we covered our normal chatter, weather, how fast this year is ending and we had a special surprise guest from my brother Steve.
...and the following.
Merchandising in and out of our games.
Giving in game gifts during the holiday season and the gift giving from our favorite MMO's
15. Did I mishear the lyrics of "Bad Moon Rising"? "Bathroom on theright?" I wasn't drunk.People usually misheard the chorus "there's a bad moon on the rise"as "there's a bathroom on the right". Today, Fogerty makes fun of itand purposely slips the "wrong" lyrics into the end of the song.
Remember the game Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising? A game originally developed by Perpetual Entertainment? Yes, yes the same company that started to develop Star Trek Online, put Gods and Heroes on hold and then went bust. It's like an artist painting an emotionally beautiful landscape never to be seen or an author spinning tales that could capture your heart and soul but is never read.
Well in case you have not heard, Heatwave Interactive, a game development studio and online publisher located in Austin, Texas has obtained the rights to develop and release the property earlier this year.
I spent some time in the early beta under Perpetual and was excited where they were heading. My first impressions of the combat dynamics were 3 letters “OMG”. At the time of development, combat in our MMO verse was anti-climatic. We had decent enough combat animations which ranged from a particle flash to limited physics, the head bob, you know....Newtons Law or laws (To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction) there are actually three laws but I digress, this isn’t a physics lesson. Gods and Heroes had taken this to the next level for MMO's.
I had always thought that combat animations should be similar to the days of Tekken or Street Fighter, more excitement for the encounter. For me Gods and Heroes somewhat delivered that adrenaline rush.
See below for an early development example, courtesy of IGN
I realize there is more to any MMO than just combat animation or physics but I hope that Heatwave is adding and not subtracting as they continue to work on this property. I had the opportunity to participate in the “Gods and Heroes Dev Chats”
...below is the result
I will most definitely be keeping an eye on this as well as trying to participate in the Beta. Plus I will be covering this on Wednesday nights Show on GNET as well as my Friday show with Blade Radio
Art's Closet on Blade Radio aired live Nov 19th 2010
-Emily Diehl-
ArenaNet's Community and Content Manager Emily Diehl is leaving ArenaNet to go to Undead Labs. (Undead Labs, the studio founded by a few ex-ArenaNet employees,)
She started at the studio in 2006 as a member of the systems design team.
Since I’ve worked closely with many of you on this site, I wanted to let you know that my last day at ArenaNet will be this Friday, November 19. Starting next week, I’ll be heading over to join my friends at Undead Labs, working on their unnamed zombie game.
For folks that know me, it’s no secret how much I love horror stuff. The first movie I ever remember seeing was Night of the Living Dead (when I was four), and I’ve been obsessed with horror ever since. I love Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 with a passion, but in this case, having the privilege to work on a zombie title is fulfilling a lifelong dream of mine.
Izzy is Game Designer on GW2 but was already part of the team on the first episode. Yeah, remember. He was the one who got most of the players raging about class balancing in GW.
Hearts of the North is the next installment of Guild Wars Beyond, an ongoing campaign that expands upon the Guild Wars storyline and lays the foundation for the upcoming Guild Wars 2. It began yesterday! Hearts of the North, the next phase in Guild Wars Beyond, tells the story of the union of Gwen and Keiran Thackeray. You'll reunite these legendary heroes and help prepare for their wedding through a series of all-new quests and missions. You can even dress for the occasion in one of our elegant new wedding costumes! http://www.guildwars.com/heartsofthenorth/
-ZAM-
ZAM is proud to announce the launch of our new Guild Wars 2 community site! Check it out for forums, news, information and more!
My name is Jeahr, though some older members of the Guild Wars community may also know me as JR. I've been involved with the fansite business for many years, and I'm pleased to have the opportunity to work with ZAM on opening this site. Guild Wars 2 is a game I'm incredibly excited for, and we're hoping to provide the best experience for every community member here.
-Star Trek Online News-
Enterprise Bundle in the C-Store
Buy all four Enterprise-themed extras and save 20 percent! This pack includes theFederation NX Class Starship Replica, Federation Costume Pack: Enterprise, Federation Costume Pack: Enterprise Mirror Uniforms - Circa 2160, and the Federation Costume Pack: T'Pol.
Turbine Point Cards are prepaid cards that you can purchase at your local Target, Best Buy or GameStop retailers. WHAT?? WAIT PAID GAME CARDS FOR FTP??
Get your cards at GameStop, Best Buy or Target today and receive FREE Turbine Points with every purchase. The $10 card gives you 120 FREE points, for a total of 750 Turbine Points. The $25 card gives you 450 FREE points, for a total of 2,000 Turbine Points. These offers are valid only while supplies last at participating GameStop, Best Buy and Target retailers, so don't wait!
Last year, an investor named Erik Novak broke the record for the largest single expenditure in a virtual world, paying $330,000 for a space station in Project Entropia, an online science fiction world where the economy for laser rifles and body armor ultimately comes down to U.S. dollars. But now a group of investors has set a new record, operating in the same game, paying $635,000 for Entropia mogul Jon Jacobs' "Club Neverdie." More than half of that, $335,000, came from a single investor.
The club's previous owner was earning $200,000 a year by taxing every virtual transaction that occurs within the confines of the game space. Panasjuk and the other investors hope to be able to start turning a profit with similar numbers.
-Die2Nite- Game review English-language beta of free to play zombie apocalypse survival game
« A little after midnight, a deathly silence fell all around you, as if all life had suddenly come to a halt. The night was icy cold... Then you saw them, dozens of them... hundreds even, meandering towards you... Their hands grasp you, grab you, pull and claw at you... Then they drag you with them throughout the night, to be devoured in the small hours. »
Yes...Dead, dead and eaten ...
BETA
A Real-time multiplayer browser game – It's the kind where you log in throughout the day to check your status and perform actions – Reminds me of Zynga games, Facebook games.
Originally a French game that was praised by said press.
I spent hours searching for salvage out in the desert, and when I finally came back I came back empty handed and the gate was closed.
..yep and in order to get in ..you have to frantically post on your communities forum to get in.
You get dropped into a village with a randomized name with several other players from your time zone, and the goal is to survive. Every night the village gets assaulted by zombies, and every day you head out into the desert to scavenge for items. Items them to build anything from walls to guard towers to workshops.
Your village has a wall around it and can only be entered through a main gate, which in turn can only be opened or closed from the inside. If somebody closes the gate too early, the stragglers have no choice but to leave a frenzied posts on your town’s forum to try and save themselves from becoming a late-night snack. If nobody remembers to close the gate, Your town ends up a drive thru.
You can die.The whole town can die.
This is why the size of the player base is so perfect. When there’s only 40 of you, you’re all important. For one thing, new players aren’t added after your village is created, and for another thing any dead players become more zombies. Also, in a group that small it’s easy for anybody to rise up and become leaders by giving advice and issuing orders on your town’s messageboard, and anyone trying to be a lone wolf and look after themselves (taking items from the town’s supply dump, say, or stealing) will not only make a noticeable impact, but it’s a relatively easy process to turn enough of the town against them to get them banished, or even hung.
COLONY OF NIGHTS WITHOUT END (2)
No news from our 7 courageous citizens who ventured into the World Beyond yesterday. If in doubt, pillage their house...
It should be noted that last night, some citizens report having seen EvilG opening the gates just before the attack. There are also some who say that it wasn't entirely accidental... Result: 7 deaths.
- The Crow
“What am I playing”
Priston Tale II the 2nd Enigma
Unreal Engine
April 12 2010 Game Bridger unveiled today the name of its new free-to-play games portal, GamerKraft
Due to the Holiday, We will not have a live show or a Podcast for this week but will return in pure Wardrobe fashion the following week.
We have been busy in our 4X4 world, and I want to take this opportunity to share the news. Along with a live show and recorded Podcast with our friends at GNET Radio, we have added more Closet time with another project.
Over the last few weeks Art's Closet has also been found at Blade Radio. Blade Radio has been the Internet Radio Station for Guild Wars over the last several years and are beginning to branch out into other games. Currently, Blade Radio has entered into Star Trek Online and of course will be catering to Guild Wars 2 upon release.
At Blade Radio, our format is just little different. We host a three hour show with weekly segments: Every Friday at 12pCST
“Gaming News” - Commentary on random news topics from the gaming world.
“It's a Gamers Life” - A lighthearted look at the life of Gamers, in and out of the game.
“Twin Journey's” - 2 Halfling brothers who just don't know what game they’re in (Halfling Skits)
“Closet Mail Bag” - Listener e-mail
“Closet Rock Block” - This segment varies from playing music to talking about it.
The management at Blade Radio are working on an area to host “Art's Closet” with a Blog and per-recorded shows. When everything is finalized all links will be found here.
This Blog will continue as well our relationship with GNET Radio, we are just branching out.
I want to wish everyone a happy holiday filled with good times, good food and family fellowship.
I am a gamer. I game, that is my mission in life. To boldly go where no armor clad male has gone before....riding a Rabbit.
Game Bridger announced earlier this year it's new "free to play" game portal Gamekraft, a global gaming platform where gamers can download and play free online games.
Priston Tale 2: The Second Enigma by YD Online, a Korean based game publisher and developer, was their flagship "Free To Play" title. This was highly anticipated by their fan base and has done very well among the critics and Blog-a-sphere. Of course I like free so off I went.
This really isn't a review, more like an observation. The anime, soft child like features that seem to be the recognized graphic trademark, are always expected. The acceptance of non-gender specific roles, where a certain class is only male or female. This of course is something that gamers have grown past over the years. Nobody really cares if you play a male or a female toon anymore. All of these are expected traits....but the bunny was a new one for me.
Right after character creation you have available, in your inventory, armor, weapons, health potions and a mount. Don't see many games giving you a mount within the first few seconds of entering the new world, even if it does have a fluffy tale. It was a Sick Rabbit.
I saw what was described as the "mount" icon in my inventory and it said "Sick Rabbit". Of course I never read on how to play a game, controls, the guides, until after I have died, got lost, or ride a bunny. Actually I still haven't read any of the instructions to this game yet. I know..I deserve all the hurdles I go through.
When I materialized my Mount to ride off into adventure, I had this voice in the back of my head yell "HEY ROCKY, WATCH ME PULL A RABBIT OUT OF MY HAT!" Rocky and Bullwinkle fans will appreciate that, others will wonder who the hell Rocky and Bullwinkle are.
As I squeaked and hopped around the courtyard staring between floppy ears to navigate, I just couldn't feel tough enough. I can play a female toon, but I just can't ride a rabbit. I guess after a few more years of MMO gaming it won't be what you ride, but how you ride it.
Tonight we talked about dieing on air, Deadly Kool-aid and it's shelf life. Fast Food and the McDonald’s Happy Meal that wouldn’t die, and of course cold weather, yep it's beginning.
..of course the following topics...
Gaming topics of the week.
All Points Bulletin, The Second Coming.
Earlier this year Realtime Worlds fell apart and the game “All Points Bulletin” became another Game casualty.
Get the DVD of Gamers, a documentary film that explores filmmaker Ben Gonyo's two-year journey into the subculture of MMO games like World of Warcraft. Great for players and anyone wanting to understand the lure of the virtual universe.
Celebrity interviews include Red Sox great Curt Schilling, Best-Selling author RA Salvatore and comedian Jay Mohr. Game developer interviews with Jeff Kaplan of Blizzard, as well as Gamersfirst, 38 Studios, Cryptic and more.
the acting out or performance of a particular role, either consciously (as a technique in psychotherapy or training) or unconsciously, in accordance with the perceived expectations of society as regards a person's behavior in a particular context
When you are at the Character Creation Screen, are you role-playing?
In your fav First Person Shooter, are you role-playing?
Some role-players build a back story on their character and write it into the game story line.
Music/Song/Artist Spotlight of the week.
Randall William Rhoads(December 6, 1956 – March 19, 1982)
Classical Music, Artistic freedom and a legend is born
Getting a spot with the Ozzman, 2 albums and 3 years later it all comes to an end.
At the age of 14 Rhoads formed a cover band called Violet Fox (after his mother's middle name, Violet), with his older brother Kelle on drums. Violet Fox staged several performances in the "Grand Salon" at Musonia, Delores Rhoads's music school.
After the dissolution of Violet Fox, Rhoads taught his best friend Kelly Garni how to play bass, and together they formed a band called The Whore (rehearsing during the day at Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco, a famous '70s Hollywood nightspot), spending several months playing at backyard parties around Los Angeles. Together the pair went on to form Quiet Riot when Rhoads was 16.
In 1979, ex-Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne was forming a new band...
Randy Rhoads departed for the UK to write and record with Osbourne in November 1979.
The band, then known as The Blizzard of Ozz headed into the studio to record the band's debut album, which would also be called Blizzard of Ozz. Rhoads's guitar playing had changed due to the level of freedom allowed by Ozzy and Bob Daisley and he was encouraged to play what he wanted. His work with Quiet Riot has beencriticizedas being "dull" and did not rely on classical scales or arrangements.
Jeff Healey is our Artist Spotlight for this week. Norman Jeffrey Healey or commonly known from the Jeff Healey Band, so I thought I would share just how amazing Jeff was....
Along with our set topics we opened with apologies for missing last weeks podcast. Mhykol talks about the His DJ gigs, smoking ban at home and touches on Medical Marijuana.
Game topics from the week.
"....we need more Cowbell."
Rocking in Lord of the Rings Online
Compose your own music or play a cover from Coldplay....
LotRO allows you to grab an instrument and jam..in game.
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterized by the lyrics, vocals and flute work of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.
Initially playing blues rock with an experimental flavor, they have also incorporated elements of classical music, folk music, jazz and art rock into their music.
One of the world's best-selling music artists, the band has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide in a career that has spanned five decades.
While the previous album Aqualung stretched the band's wings further from the blues of the first three albums, it was still basically mainstream rock. Band leader Ian Anderson was surprised by the critical reaction to Aqualung as a "concept album", a label he's firmly rejected to this day.
In an interview on In the Studio with Redbeard (which spotlighted Thick as a Brick), Ian Anderson's response to the critics was: "If the critics want a concept album we'll give the mother of all concept albums and we'll make it so bombastic and so over the top."
Ian Anderson has been quoted in concerts (most recently 8/14/2009, Schwetzingen Castle, Germany) as stating that Thick as a Brick was written "because everyone was saying we were a progressive rock band, so we decided to live up to the reputation and write a progressive album, but done as a parody of the genre."
With Thick as a Brick, the band created an album deliberately integrated around one concept: a poem by an intelligent English boy (named Gerald) about the trials of growing up. Beyond this, the album was a send-up of all pretentious "concept albums". Anderson also stated in that interview that "the album was a spoof to the albums of Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmermuch like what the movie Airplane! had been to Airport". The formula was successful, and the album reached number one on the charts in the United States.
Interesting facts
Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi played guitar for Jethro Tull briefly in 1968 following the departure of Mick Abrahams.
David O'List briefly played with Jethro Tull in 1968 after the expulsion of Mick Abrahams.
Genesis' Phil Collins was Jethro Tull's drummer for only one gig:
Image via WikipediaHis famous tendency to stand on one leg while playing the flute came about by accident. As related in the "Isle of Wight" video, he had been inclined to stand on one leg while playing the harmonica, holding the microphone stand for balance. During the long stint at the Marquee Club, a journalist described him, wrongly, as standing on one leg to play the flute. He decided to live up to the reputation, albeit with some difficulty. His early attempts are visible in The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus film appearance of Jethro Tull. In later life he was surprised to learn of iconic portrayals of various flute playing divinities, particularly Krishna and Kokopelli, which show them standing on one leg.
Sorry thats its been quiet here, quiet is not a plan but a state of mind over matter because I don't have a mind and it don't matter<---"vicious run on with rambling". I admit that I have been somewhat sidetracked this last week, but all is well.
In any case, Art's Closet is back on track this week. As usual we will be live "on air", Nov 3rd at 10pm CST on GNET Radio. Grab the "Whats Next" link for this weeks topics.
These investors are not looking to sink money into the next PlayStation or Xbox game; rather, they are looking for the next Zynga -- the San Francisco-based company that makes "Mafia Wars," "FarmVille" and other social-network games. Still privately held, Zynga landed $180 million in funding late last year from Digital Sky Technologies, or DST, the Russian outfit that also bought a large stake in Facebook.
Media reports said the investment gave Zynga a market valuation between $1.5 billion and $3 billion. The company reported 100 million unique monthly users in November, and reportedly has about $250 million in annual revenue.
According to The Beatles: The Biography, Ringo recorded 18 takes of the drum part on September 9, 1968. The very last take was the one used for the master recording, and it’s also the one in which Ringo performed one of the greatest tantrums in rock and roll, screaming out “I’ve got blisters on my fingers!” at the end of the take. You can hear Ringo’s outburst at 4:24.
….and others
10. The Beatles – “Helter Skelter” (The Beatles, 1968)
“Helter Skelter” is one of The Beatles’ most frenzied songs – in fact, a case could very well be made that it has a lot in common with the prototypical heavy metal that would soon follow. One of the most fiery aspects of the tune is the intense drum performance by Ringo Starr. According to The Beatles: The Biography, Ringo recorded 18 takes of the drum part on September 9, 1968. The very last take was the one used for the master recording, and it’s also the one in which Ringo performed one of the greatest tantrums in rock and roll, screaming out “I’ve got blisters on my fingers!” at the end of the take. You can hear Ringo’s outburst at 4:24.
9. Joe Satriani – “Surfing with the Alien” (Surfing with the Alien, 1987)
Joe Satriani’s sci-fi tones and out-of-this-world phrasing aren’t just the result of inspiration and perspiration – sometimes a little bit of serendipity and a whole lot of electronic malfunction play a role, too. For the lead guitar tone on Surfing with the Alien’s title track, Satriani used a wah-wah pedal and a harmonizer. The former worked perfectly, while the latter was in its death throes. Satriani told Guitar World, “The sound that came out of the speakers blew us away so much that we recorded the melody and the solo in about a half-hour and sat back and went, ‘Whoa! This is a song, man!’” Then the harmonizer broke down and couldn’t be fixed. “We couldn’t do anything,” he said. “We lost our tone. When we finally got it working again, we weren’t able to recreate the original effect. It just sounded different. So rather than screw up a wonderful-sounding performance that may have had a couple of glitches, we decided to just leave it, because it was just swinging.”
8. Frank Zappa – “Muffin Man” (Bongo Fury, 1975)
Frank Zappa often said he saw lyrics as a necessity that he didn’t quite enjoy. In his autobiography The Real Frank Zappa Book he said he felt that if he had to write lyrics, he might as well make them something that appealed to his particular skewed worldview. Nowhere is this more evident than the monologue at the start of “Muffin Man,” where the text and the voice he reads it in so appeal to Frank’s worldview that he breaks character to laugh at himself (0:48), before saying “Let’s try that again” and giving the line another shot.
7. Megadeth – “Paranoid” (Nativity In Black, 1994)
Megadeth’s take on this Black Sabbath classic was recorded for an all-star tribute which also featured Type O Negative, Sepultura, Biohazard, White Zombie, Corrosion of Conformity, Ugly Kid Joe, Faith No More and others. Megadeth’s version of “Paranoid” was a little faster and a lot angrier than Sabbath’s 1970 original, and the anger was ratcheted up tenfold when drummer Nick Menza continued playing by himself after the song was supposed to have ended (2:23-2:30). Menza is cut off by Dave Mustaine shouting “Nick… Nick …NICK!” – and when he realizes his mistake Menza berates himself with some choice words of his own.
6. Metallica – “The Four Horsemen” (Kill ’Em All, 1983)
One of the most unique features of Metallica’s classic track “The Four Horsemen” is its distinctive simultaneous two-headed guitar solo, heard from 4:10 to 4:30. You can hear two Kirk Hammetts, one in each speaker, playing roughly similar but still quite different solos. In 1991 Hammett told Guitar World this cool effect was entirely a fluke. After recording two takes of the solo, Hammett and Co. were trying to decide which one to use. “I listened to both tracks at once, to see if one would stand out,” Hammett said. “But playing both tracks simultaneously sounded great, and we decided to keep it like that on the record. Some of the notes harmonized with each other, and I remember Cliff [Burton, bassist] going, ‘Wow, that’s stylin’ – it sounds like Tony Iommi!’”
5. Steve Vai – “Sex & Religion” (Sex & Religion, 1993)
These days Devin Townsend is known as a heavy metal auteur, solo and with Strapping Young Lad. But when he was 20, Townsend found fame as the singer in Steve Vai’s band, alongside T.M. Stevens on bass and Vai’s fellow Zappa alumni Terry Bozzio on drums. A vocal follow-up to Passion & Warfare was always going to be a bold move for Vai, but nobody was prepared for the hyperactive Townsend, who soared into gorgeous melodies before plummeting down to the lowest pits of hell with piercing screams, often in the space of a single bar. At the end of the album’s title track, Townsend really goes for it with a perfectly pitched but very intense melodic scream which lasts for a whole 18 seconds (from 4:05 to 4:23) – and he doesn’t quite make it back. Townsend passed out after the take, and Vai kept some of what he said after he came to. “Oh I hurt your brain? Oh. My fingers are numb… right now, they’re numb… can I deprive my brain of oxygen?”
4. The Police – “Roxanne” (Outlandos d’Amour, 1978)
“Roxanne” is a classic for its melody, its vocal performance, its orchestration and the instrumental timbres, but it’s also unique for a different reason. The mysterious piano chord heard at 0:04 is an unusual, atonal cluster that has nothing to do with the rest of the song. So what gives? Well it turns out Sting slinked back to relax on a nearby piano but didn’t realize the lid was up, so he unwittingly played that gloriously dissonant chord with his butt. This also explains his laugh at 0:06.
“Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” is an eerie, moody track to begin with, but if you listen very closely you’ll hear a ghostly voice at 1:43. What is it? A backwards-masked magic spell? Some kind of ghostly incantation? Nope. That’s actually the sound of Robert Plant singing along with drummer John Bonham during tracking, and there was no way to delete Plant’s singing from the drum tracks. Whether that’s his actual naked voice leaking through the drum mics, or perhaps being blasted through Bonzo’s headphones, perhaps we’ll never quite know, but it sure sounds cool, and adds yet another interesting layer to discover among Led Zep’s tapestry of orchestration.
2. Radiohead – “Creep” (Pablo Honey, 1993)
One of the most unique parts of Radiohead’s hit “Creep” was the salvo of chunky, deadened notes played by Jonny Greenwood right before the chorus at 0:58, and again at 2:00. Bandmate Ed O’Brien told Selectmagazine that Greenwood’s ear-catching decision was actually born of frustration. “That’s the sound of Jonny trying to [expletive] the song up,” O’Brien said. “He really didn’t like it the first time we played it, so he tried spoiling it. And it made the song.”
1. Van Halen – “Everybody Wants Some” (Women and Children First, 1980)
This Van Halen classic features oodles of the loose party vibe the band were known for in the early days – you can almost hear the clinking of beer bottles and the boogying of bikini babes. Almost. One thing you can most definitely hear though is the sound of David Lee Roth totally flubbing a lyric. According to his autobiography, Crazy From the Heat, the line was supposed to be something along the lines of “I’ve seen a lot of people just looking for a moonbeam.” But that’s not what came out. Instead, at 1:58, Dave sang something resembling “Ya take a moople-ah, wookie pah-a moopie.” The band decided that the vibe of the new line worked just as well, and the messed-up take was left in the song, an enduring legacy to just how hard Van Halen rocked it.
Image by kirainet via FlickrHope the Holidays are going well with everyone, time with family, friends and a little R&R. Life has been busy here, along with the Holidays I am the proud owner of new work hours. Naturally being thankful for being employed, but trying to adjust to the “Rabbit Hole”, I was hoping for the “Blue Pill”.
Image by FadderUri via Flickr
