Van Halen
Cover photo of Van Halens CD's called The Best of Both Worlds -Van Halen
Van Halen in 2004 with Sammy HagarAbout two weeks after buying Van Halens The Best of Both Worlds CD’s, I was in my local video store and I went to the music section. There I saw the DVD “Live Without a Net” (1986). This is a DVD of Van Halen playing live in New Haven Coliseum, America in 1986 and features Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Eddie Van Halen and Alex Van Halen. So I went and hired the DVD and played it on my DVD player at home. Boy when I saw Eddie Van Halen in that DVD I was so impressed with his cute, good looks and his great, great guitar playing. Then I watched and watched that DVD over and over again.
Cover photo of LIve Without A Net (1986)
The 5150 Walk During The 1986 Van Halen Tour
Photo of Van Halen in 1986
A photo of young Eddie Van Halen
About two weeks later I bought the DVD “Right Here, Right Now” at a music shop in my local shopping plaza. That DVD is of Van Halen playing in concert from their world tour of 1992-1993. Eddie looks different in that DVD compared to the DVD “Live Without A Net”. I don’t know, he kind of looks high or drunk or something. But I still really dig that DVD and Sammy Hagar does a really good job at entertaining the audience with the song “Cabo Wabo”, “You Really Got Me” and “Finish What Ya Started”. Sammy says in the DVD that the Finish What Ya Started song is about how a guy has a set of blue balls when a girl starts the foreplay and doesn’t continue on with the act.
Photo cover of DVD - Right Here Right Now
Then another two weeks later I bought the DVD “The Van Halen Story – The Early Years”. The back of the DVD states: “The Early Years” chronicles the rise of our young musicians from their formative years to their transformation into a worldwide phenomenon.Witness the group’s gripping tale told by the people who were there when it all began – childhood friends, fellow musicians. Also has never-
before-seen photos help to further documents their remarkable story.
Van Halen - The Early Years DVD photo cover
Photos of Van Halen when David Lee Roth was in the band
In about April of 2007 I bought the Van Halen DVD called “Van Halen Video Hits 1″. This DVD features numerous of Van Halen’s video hits starting with when DLR was on vocals with the videos “Jump” (1984) and “Panama” (1984). The videos of when Sammy Haggar was in the band starts with “When it’s love”, “Finish What Ya Started”, “Dreams” (Live at the Whisky) 1992, Human Beings (1995) then the last video is with Gary Cherome as the lead singer of the band, that video is “Without You” (1998). Without You is set in an Igloo and the song is upbeat, and Eddie is looking good again there.
I don’t like the previous five videos before “Without You” in the DVD. All of these five videos features Sammy Hagar in the videos and these videos are all from the Balance record and the band look really daggy with their hair and clothes, the songs are boring and the videos are uninspiring. Well alot of people like Human Beings. But that song does nothing for me and I always skip over that video.
In July 2007 a friend of mine burnt a copy of the Van Halen DVD “Van Halen – The Dave Years”. This DVD features numerous of Van Halen’s in concert footage from 1978 -1985. Some of the songs include “Bottoms up”, “So this Is Love?”, “Dance The Night away”. Also included in the DVD is a music video of Pretty Woman, interviews with David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar, EVH playing the guitar, in the David Letterman studio on 1985.
This DVD is really good in that it shows a variety of different video footage.
In the proceeding months following May 2006 I have bought four other Van Halen CD’s. I own CD’s mostly with David Lee Roth on vocals. These CD’s are “1984″ (1984), “Women and Children First” (1980), Van Halen 1(1978), and “5150″ (1986). I really like all of these CD’s because they are so upbeat and rocky, and make you want to dance. Also Eddie’s guitar playing is so cool too.
Van Halen 1 CD cover
Women and Children First CD Cover & Inside photo from the CD
1984 CD Cover
5150 CD Cover
Blondie
I have liked Blondie’s music since I was four years old, which is the age where I received a Blondie tape for my fourth birthday. I used to listen to that tape on a portable tape player, which was also given to me on my fourth birthday. I remember taking that tape recorder/player with me everywhere from the ages of four to seven years of age. I used to also really enjoy that Blondie tape and played it numerous times. Sorry, I can’t remember what the tape was called!! hehe and the tape had a photo on the cover with Debbie Harry’s hair in a bun like hairdo. The songs I used to really like on the tape were “I’m a Gonna Love you to”, “Denis”, “I Know but I Don’t Know” and “Heart of Glass”. Also from the ages of 4-7 when I used to go to The Coast with my family and my parents would drive there, I’d listen to this Blondie tape and my Abba tape. Abba’s tape is also a music tape, which I used to play contantly when I was a kid.
Photo of a portable tape recorder, similar
to the one I had years ago.
I started to re-like listening to Blondie’s music when I was in Year 10. In about 1993 I bought the Best of Blondie. Some of the songs on that CD are: “The Tide is High”, “In the Flesh”, “Sunday Girl”, “Picture This” and “Rip Her to Shreds”. What I also like about the CD is the cover as it shows Debbie Harry in a really nice white dress and there are great buildings in New York shown behind the band’s photo.
Cover Photo of The Best of Blondie
About five years ago I also bought Blondie’s 1978 CD called Parallel lines. I bought it because it’s got some really great songs in it such as ”Hanging on the Telephone”, “Sunday Girl”, “One Way or Another”, “11.59″ and “I Know But I Don’t Know” etc.
Cover Photo of Parallel Lines
I also like a few of Blondie’s videos, which I have seen on Youtube and which I used to listen to and watch on a late night music video show called Rage. These videos are “Rapture” and “Heart of Glass”.
Youtube Video of Rapture
In 1998 Blondie reformed as a group and released a new album called “No Exit”. In the same year I bought a CD single from that album which is called “Maria”.
Cover Photos of "No Exit" and the CD Single "Maria"
About three years ago I rented a DVD movie with Deborah Harry in it, which is called Life Without Me (2003) In the movie Deborah Harry acts as the mother of a lady who is dying of cancer. The reason why I hired this movie is because Scott Speedman was in it and I was/ am a fan of this very attractive American actor.
Photo of Scott Speedman
Photo of Deborah Harry in Life Without Me.
That’s it for today folks. Thanks Frances
Donna Summer
I don’t have a long story regarding Donna Summer, but the first and only Donna Summer record I bought was in around 1990. I bought this double record set of hers called “Bad Girls” (1979) at a local second hand market. Well I really liked that record of Donna Summers back then and would play it on my record player. Some of the songs on that record included: “Dim all the Lights”, “Walk Away”, “Bad Boys” and ”Sunset People” etc.
In about 2003, I had to throw away my old record player as it wasn’t working properly anymore. Due to that I couldn’t listen to the Donna Summer double record set anymore. In about 2004 I bought the double CD set of the same title (Bad Girls). Also in the same year I was doing a Communication and Media Diploma. Part of the Diploma entailed making up a short video. So I used the Donna Summer song “Hot Stuff” and produced a music video. Five other people were also in the music video. I also included a lot of different effects, which my teacher at the time helped me to do.
Youtube video of Hot Stuff - Donna Summer
I don’t really listen to the double CD set “Bad Boys” by Donna Summer anymore as most of the songs include sappy love songs. The songs which really stand out for me from the double CD set include Hot Stuff, Dim all the Lights and Bad Girls. I don’t really get into constant love songs. But I do like the CD cover, which gives the records a lift.
Donna Summer - Bad Girls album cover
In about 2006 I bought the Best of Donna Summer at a local CD shop. That CD has got some really great songs. Some of which are: Love to Love you, On the Radio (1978), Hot Stuff (1979), I Feel Love (1977), McAurthur Park (1978), I Feel Love, ”No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” (1979), ”Last Dance” (1978), MacArthur Park (1978) (Casablanca), ”Hot Stuff” (1979), 1982: “I Feel Love” (1982)
Photo of Donna Summer in the late 1970's
Photo of Donna Summer and Barbara Striesand. They sung Enough is Enough as a duet together in 1979.
Various photos of Donna Summer
That’s all from me today folks. Frances
My Sweet!!
I first became aware of the Sweets music when my sister bought one of the Sweets single records called Ballroom Blitz in 1989. I really liked that song and had aspirations of doing that song at a lip sync concert when I was in Year 10 at my High School.
Well that never eventuated because I didn’t have anyone to be in the concert with me. Plus I was way too shy to do a concert in front of the school. I also wanted to do the concert as my sister had been in one of the school concerts when she was in Year 10 with her three friends. She did the lip sync song with three of her friends called Rock Lobster by the B 52’s and came second in the competition. Also I enjoyed copying what she did when I was much younger. Not a good thing to do, I think now.
Later on in Year 11 I bought a second hand Sweet record from a local selling of goods market. The record was called “Strung UP”. Some of the songs in that record include “Hellraiser, Burning/Someone Else Will”, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Disgrace”, “Need a lot of Lovin” and “I Wanna be Committed”, “Set Me Free”. I used to play that record in a caravan I used to live in, in my parents backyard. That record is so good and I used to really enjoy listening to that record Bad think is that the live part record from Strung Up was taken out. In addition, it’s a pity that today I can’t play that record as I don’t own a record player anymore. However, a cool thing is that I still own the record.
Photo of Sweet’s record called “Strung Up”
Two years ago I bought the greatest hits from “Sweet”. It’s got some really cool hit songs like “Funny, Funny”, “Alexander Graham Bell”, “Spotlight”, “Love is like Oxygen”.
Youtube video of “Love is like Oxygen” by Sweet
Photos of Sweet in concert in the early 1970’s
Well that’s all folks. That’s all I have to add about Sweet!
The Beatles
I remember that my Grandma and Pop bought the Beatles, Red and Blue double albums for my parents back in Christmas 1978. The Red album is The Beatles greatest hits from 1962-1966 and the Blue album is The Beatles greatest hits from 1967-1970. For me 1978 and 1979 were the years in which I really enjoyed listening to those records. I remember really liking the song from the Blue album called “Here comes the Sun” (1969). At the ages of four and five I used to get my mum to play that song often and would listen to the song when I was outside in the backyard. Also when I was four and five I used to enjoy wearing long pretty dresses.
Cover photo of The Beatles Red Album
Cover photo of The Beatles blue album
I re-started my love of The Beatles music when I was in Year 10, which was in 1989. I remember in Year 11 that my brother bought for me a cassette by The Beatles called The Beatles Remastered, which contained The Beatles re-makes of songs by other artists, some of the songs included on the cassette were called? I used to play that cassette on my stereo system when I was living in a caravan in my parents’ backyard. The songs I really dug from that cassette were “Long Tall Sally” and “Twist and Shout”!! I used to feel good and like dancing around to those songs. I also used to constantly listen to The Beatles, Red and Blue albums when I was living in the caravan. (Today those records are a bit scratched) oops.
Also in 1990 I bought a poster book of The Beatles. Back in 1990 – 1995, I had some of The Beatles posters hung up on the walls in my caravan. These posters were of The Beatles from the years 1963-1965. Here are few photos of The Beatles from 1963 and 1965.
The Beatles in 1963
The Beatles in 1964
The Beatles in 1965
When music CD’s came out and in the years following I bought the
following Beatles CD’s: “Rubber Soul” (1965), “Beatles for Sale” (1964),
“Help” (1965), “Revolver” (1966), “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts club Band”
(1967), and “Abbey Road” (1969). What I like about their records is their
change in music style through the years and the way they used to dress
and have their hair. This meaning from the years 1964 – 1970.
In my opinion their radical change and altering of music styles is
what made them so appealing. Just from 1964 -1967, their change
from straight to psychedelic. They changed the face of music and the
way people write music. The Beatles made musicians want to and feel
more comfortable about veering away from writing and performing
conservatively.
The Beatles in 1963 vs The Beatles in 1967
Well if you would like to comment about my The Beatles blog feel free
to do so. That’s all from me today. 23/10/2007
Led Zeppelin
I have enjoyed and been a fan of Led Zeppelin music since around 1989. However, I first became aware of Led Zeppelin music after I was looking through my Auntie and Uncles record collection in the early 1980’s. The record that they had was Led Zeppelin 11. I remember someone at the time putting that record on in my Auntie and Uncles lounge-room.
Album cover of Led Zeppelin 11.
Photo taken from the Led Zeppelin album
At the time that Led Zeppelin record didn’t really impress me, but later on in life i.e. at the age of sixteen and later on I began to more fully appreciate Led Zeppelin music. This was when my sister bought the Led Zeppelin record called Led Zeppelin, in late 1989. This was the year in which I was in year 10.
When I was in Year 11, which was in 1990, I was living in a caravan in my parents’ backyard. Well, the caravan was more like a bedroom and study room. My brother actually bought the old 1960’s caravan in around 1985. He lived in it from 1985 -1988. Then my sister lived in it from 1988-1990. I was living in the caravan from 1990-1995. Back to Led Zeppelin. In 1990 or 1991 I bought two Led Zeppelin records, these were Led Zeppelin III and House of the Holy.
Cover photo of Led Zeppelin 111
Now they are really great records. I had a record player in my caravan at the time and would quiet often listen to both records. I especially liked The House of the Holy record. The House of the Holy record has got some really groovy synthesizer effects and the guitar playing in it is really good as well.
Photo of Led Zeppelin in 1969
When music CD’s started coming out in 1993 or 1994 I bought the Led Zeppelin CD’s: Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin 11 and Led Zeppelin 111. Led Zeppelin is the CD, which has Stairway to Heaven in it. I don’t know why but that is a really popular song. I don’t really like that song very much. The songs that I do like in the Led Zeppelin CD called Led Zeppelin include: “Rock and Roll”, “The Battle of Evermore”, “Misty Mountain Hop” and “Four Sticks”. Some of these songs like “Rock and Roll” and “Four Sticks” are rocky and upbeat tunes which liven your spirits up and make you feel alright.
Album cover for Led Zeppelin 1
Photo of Led Zeppelin taken sometime in the early 1970's
In 2004 my friend had her brother burn for me the Led Zeppelin DVD called “The Song Remains The Same”. This DVD contains footage of Led Zeppelin playing live in concert in New York’s Madison Garden in 1973. The DVD also contains:
1. Snippets of Led Zeppelin band members with family members or by themselves at the beginning of the DVD in England.
2. Led Zeppelin music videos from their House of the Holy record
3. Bad and good experiences with different people, which were carrying on during the Led Zeppelin concert.
What I like most about this DVD are these two things:
1. The music video footage from The House of The Holy record. These videos are: No Quarter and The Song Remains the Same .
2. Other part I like is the concert footage of Led Zeppelin where Jimmy Page the guitarist shows off his guitar talent in different parts of the concert.
Well that’s all I have to add about my thoughts on Led Zeppelin music and my past and present likes of their music. I hope you enjoyed reading my blog! Frances 17/10/2007
I found out last week that Led Zeppelin are reuniting to play a special gig in London on Dec. 10 and they have supposedly also signed on to play at Bonnaroo in 2008.The Who
I really hated all of my High School years (1986-1989) and that had made me start getting turned off the music of the time. (I went to a Catholic High School). My turning off the music of the time began in 1989. Also in 1989, I remember that my sister or brother bought a record called “Who’s Better, Who’s Best” by The Who. I’d listened to this record and was really impressed by the music from that record. Later on The Who’s music made me feel good and made me think less about how much I hated everyone and everything about my High School. So I finally started to feel better about life, when I started and after I’d begun listening to The Who’s music! Also with listening to The Who I used to wear 60’s psychedelic dresses!
Photo of a 1960's Psychedelic dress
I really loved that record Who’s Better, Who’s Best! Not long after that I bought the video of the same title of the record. They have some great music clips in that video. My favourite music clips from the video “Who’s Better, Who’s Best” are: My Generation (1966), The Kids are Alright (1966), Happy Jack (1967), Pictures of Lily (1967), and Magic Bus (1968).
Cover photo of The Who's record: Who's Better, Who's Best
Video clip taken from "Who's Better, Who's Best" video titled "My Generation" (1967).
On TV back in 1989 or 1990 they aired a couple of old school rock festivals on TV, which I had tapped. These were Woodstock (1969) and Monterey International Pop Festival (16th - 18th January 1967). In these rock festivals The Who play numerous of their hit songs. Those being “Summertime Blues”, “See Me, Feel Me” and “My Generation”. Back in 1989 and the early 90’s I watched those tapping’s many times. Keith Moon was The Who’s drummer from 1963 – 1978 and from watching those tapped rock festivals, in my opinion his drumming was absolutely fantastic.
THE WHO at WOODSTOCK SUMMERTIME BLUES 1969
From all of these The Who, music clips which I watched I thought that Keith Moon just rocked. His carefree, rebelious attitude and great drumming in them were a real turn on for me! My utter obsession for this man went for about five years! By the Way, Keith Moon died in September 1978 from a overdose on alcohol prescribed drugs.
Photos of Keith Moon
Keith Moon smashing up a hotel room in the late 1970's
Also in about 1990 I bought a video called The Kids Are Alright. The Kids Are Alright is a rocumentary film, which includes live performances, promotional films, and interviews from 1965 to 1978. This film is widely hailed as one of the best rockumentaries ever created.
Photo of an Interview segment with The Who taken from the video The Kids are Alright. (1974 or 73)
Also for my 16th birthday I received the records Sell Out and and A Quick One from my parents. I can honestly say that their music videos and live performance footage are much better than their records! Oh an exception is the record I have which I bought in about 1990, which is called Live at Leads (1970). That record has some really superb drumming and guitar playing in it.
Record cover of Live At Leads
Video footage of the song Young Man Blues from Isle of Wright Festival
I really enjoy old 1964-1978 live video footage of The Who. This is mainly because of Keith Moon’s presence on the drums in them. He had a captivating and wild behaviour whilst playing those drums in most of the music clips. He was also extremely good at playing the drums. In addition, Keith Moon was acknowledged as being one of the best drummers in the world during the 1960’s and 70’s. I also really like the clothes he used to wear in the old live video clips.
Photos of The Who playing live in concert during the 1960's and 70's.
I also bought the record, called Tommy in either 1990, or 1991. Tommy surrounds the story of a handicapped child who is abused by family members and others and goes on to become a spiritual leader. Its story covers murder, trauma, bullying, child molestation, sex, drugs, illusion, delusion, altered consciousness, spiritual awakening, religion, charlatanism, success, super-stardom, faith, betrayal, rejection and pinball. The album chronicles the story of a boy who becomes deaf, dumb and blind after witnessing the murder of his father. Through his mastery of pinball, he is cured, elevated to prophet status and then turned on by his followers. Without his major senses, Tommy is left to feel everything through rhythms and vibrations. In later years I bought the movie Tommy.
The rock opera record was made into a movie In 1975. The director of the movie was Ken Russell and he released his film version of Tommy, starring the Who, Ann-Margret, Oliver Reed, and Jack Nicholson. The film also featured appearances by Eric Clapton, Tina Turner and Elton John. The following is a scene from the Movie Tommy.
Then in Christmas 1990 I received a cassette tape from my brother of The Who’s called Who’s Next (1972). I really like the songs Behind Blue Eyes and Baba Oriely in this tape.
Photo of The Who in 1972 or 1973
Also back in 1989, 1990 and 1992 I bought different books about The Who and poster books. I used to live in a caravan in my parents back yard and had my Who posters stuck up there. I mainly had posters of Keith Moon stuck up there. He was so cute!! Well, my utter obsession kind of ended in 1995 when I found another rock star to idolize about. That person is David Bowie!! I hope you have found my entry on The Who entertaining. Well I must go now. Bye for now Frances.
As an end note, Mike Myers is supposed to be staring in a movie which is about the life of Keith Moon. The movie is long overdue.
KISS
I have been a fan of KISS music since about 2001.
Personally, I only enjoy CD’s of theirs which have Ace Frehley on guitar in them. He was in KISS from around 1973 – 1982.
What I like most about KISS from 1973 – 83 is the outfits they wore and their make-up was pretty way out there too. It hid their identities from the public for numerous years. I think that the mystery of their identity was a huge part in why they became and were so popular.
I have several of KISS’s CD’s they are: Alive 1(1975) and 11 (1977), Greatest KISS, Dynasty(1979), Unmasked (1980) and Psycho Circus (1998). Alive 1 and 11 are pretty good CD’s because they are so upbeat and rocky. I also have several of KISS’s DVD’s. The parts I enjoy in these DVD’s are where they are playing live in concert from the late 70’s and early 80’s. I just love their stage persona and the way they really knew how to rock and entertain the audience in the videos. Some of the videos I like in the DVD’s are Black Diamond, Cold Gin, Makin’ Love and Nothin to Lose.
Here is a youtube video of Ace Frehley playing Shock Me! - 1977.
Ace Frehley: Gotta Love Him! Youtube video
Back to Ace Frehley. What I like about Ace Frehley is his superb guitar playing, also it’s just so amazing how, while he was performing on stage he would let fireworks off on his guitar head. I also liked how he would let smoke bombs explode from the middle of his guitar while he was playing it. Wow!! what an exciting sight. Also in my KISS Dvd’s I love his long brown hair and KISS costume. Now that sight is just so gorgeous! I saw KISS live in concert in Melbourne in March 2003. In my opinion from being at that KISS concert, age certainly hadn’t made KISS boring. That concert was just the best. The stage set up was just superb. I saw Gene Simmons spurt out what looked like blood from his long tongue. In another part Paul Stanley rode a bike out on a platform which was suspended in the air over the audience. They also had a huge multimedia video screen at the back of the stage for the audience to get a better look at the band playing in the concert. It was a pity that Ace Frehley didn’t play at the concert. However, a man wearing an Ace Frehley out fit and his makeup up style took Aces’ place. His name was Tommy Thayer. He did quite well at the playing the guitar that night. Well I don’t want to bore you anymore with my ramblings about KISS. So bye for now Frances!
KISS in concert
Hi and welcome to my weblog. This is a great photo of Gene, Paul and Ace in 1977. As usual Ace looks just gorgeous! The stage setting from that year was really bright and stairy!
Originally uploaded by franny10
Kiss Houston 1976 - Let Me Go Rock 'N' Roll
Here is another photo of KISS in concert. Photo taken in 1976. It's COOL MAN!!
Here is a photo of Gene Simmons and his long tongue. The photo doesn’t have much to do with KISS in concert, but I thought I would add it in this blog anyway. hehe.
