August 28, 2023 - Essential Albums: A Night At The Opera

 No. 4 Queen - A Night At The Opera (1975)

Another album that owes it's existence to multi-track studios.  Like the albums before it on this occasional list, I don't think A Night At The Opera could have existed without the ability to record parts separately, layer them, and mix/edit them into something new.

By this point in time, artists were using the studio as more than just a place to record.  studios were now becoming a place to write, work on ideas, and experiment.  Often to a degree not thought of in the past.

In the past, studios were a place to record songs that had mostly already been written and played with the structure already in place.  Working with a producer and engineers, bands finalized their ideas with a hopefully sympathetic team to realize their potential.

A Night At The Opera changed all that.  The band itself had a strong vision, and the chops to pull it off.  Expanding the ideas used on their previous album, Sheer Heart Attack, Queen continued to experiment with different styles on the album.

Despite all the ways it could have gone wrong, including songs that prior to that time might be considered too long for airplay, being difficult to recreate live, and generally greatly expanding what a rock band could do; it was a rousing success.

Even tough Freddie Mercury died in 1991 at age 45, this is still an album that gets played and has earned it's place in pop culture.  It should also be in your music collection.

January 3, 2023 - Essential Albums: Tubular Bells

No. 3 - Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells (1973)

Continuing with the theme of the more tracks the better and the studio as a place to create, we come to Tubular Bells.

Recorded by a nineteen year old Mike Oldfield who plays and sings nearly everything on the record, I'm not sure if Tubular Bells could have been created anywhere outside a multi-track studio.  Of course, it's much easier now with digital recording, but at the time it was quite the feat to start and stop the tape to record and playback what was being done and still have a usable recording when finished.

The album got a boost when music from it was used in the film The Exorcist, and launched both Mike Oldfield's career but also Virgin Records.

July 22, 2022 - Esstential Albums: Dark Side of the Moon

 No 2.  Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon  (1973)

With over a thousand weeks on the Billboard Album chart, I'd be surprised to meet anyone who doesn't already own this album, or heard it.

Much like Sgt. Pepper, the recording and production of the album are both integral to the finished product.  Also like Sgt. Pepper, I view it as a complete piece to be listened to start to finish.

Pink Floyd were already a well established band by the time they released DSOTM, as it is often abbreviated online. But this is the album that pushed them into the stratosphere.

From themes of mental illness, to isolation, this album resonated with people; and you could argue that those themes resonate even more in our current world, nearly fifty years after its release.

Probably best listened to with headphones, or with a properly set up stereo system, the album rewards careful listening to the sonic landscape.  This is after all, the album that for many heralded space-rock for many people with voices dropped in and the creative use of panning and placement of things in the soundstage.

At this point, I think I have four, or more, copies of the album.  You should too.

June 13, 2022 - Essential Albums: Sgt. Pepper

 No. 1:  The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

For me, this is ground zero - where what we accept as classic rock comes together.  For many, this was the first time an album brought together all the elements that make up an album.

There was a lot to digest when this first came out - certainly more than just the music.  At a time when many albums were vehicles to collect past hit singles plus some filler tracks, Sgt. Pepper was meant to be an album where there was a flow and a narrative from song to song. The idea came to be known as a concept album and many bands attempted it.  But, arguably, The Beatles set the template.  It was an album of new music. There was a story that connected the songs.  The band itself played the parts of a fictional band.  The bookending of the album, more or less, with an opening and reprise.

The packaging was as innovative as the music inside.  A gatefold cover, the cutouts insert, lyrics printed on the cover, and that wonderful front cover of the band amid celebrities, cutouts, and some in jokes.  There was a lot to look at while you listened to the album.

You could probably spend a day or more reading about the music or the impact the album had at the time.  And you could certainly spend a week or more listening to the album and it's various reissues and remasterings. Then there are the tribute albums inspired by Sgt. Pepper.

All of which are tributes to the importance and influence of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in popular culture.  And why you should have it in your collection.

May 16, 2019

Bucket List #1

To drive across the country.

Because Canada is such a large country, it would be very cool to see it through a windshield on a cross country drive.  A very quick online search says it would take five straight days of driving!

Since you can't see much at night, and driving five days without stopping seems a little ridiculous - I have decided that such a trip would be wasted doing it 'Cannonball' style.

I have an advantage living on one coast of the country - the option of either starting or finishing near my home.  Or, if I felt really ambitious, a round trip!

There are lots of ways to tackle such a drive, shortest route through Canada, most scenic, perhaps looking for the fastest, or perhaps navigate by attractions: Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia, Niagara Falls or the CN Tower in Ontario, and so on.

At this point, if I were doing just the one coast to coast drive, I think I would look at buying a car on one coast with the intent of driving it cross country one the way home.  A five thousand kilometer journey in an unknown car; what could go wrong!  It would certainly add to the adventure aspect!

Something to think about!

December 31, 2018

New Year's Eve

It has been an interesting year; there have certainly been ups and downs, but I am content.

There have been some gaps in my scanning project.  If I miss a day, it seems as if that turns into more than a day I missed. On the other hand, when I stay with it, steady progress is made.  I still have boxes and boxes of things to scan, but if I get some done every day, I will continue to make progress!

As a side project to the scanning, I have been working on family genealogy/history.  As I have previously mentioned, I am the last of my immediate family so many many pictures and papers have ended up in my possession.  Although it can be a bit melancholy at times, it is a fun project to connect with my past, and find relatives I never knew I had.  We have been able to share some information, so I have been able to fill in some gaps in my family knowledge.  When all is said and done, I will give the curated information to my nephew - so he won't have to go through the work I have to go through!

Projects got put on hold this December, not because of the holidays, but because I hit a deer on my way home early in the month.  Sadly, insurance did not cover any of the damage.  My car was eighteen years old, and after briefly thinking of repairing it, I decided not to.  Mostly, due to the parts availability/cost/time equation.  I need a car to get to work (75 kms each way), so replacement was the best option.  So, December was filled with car shopping and research issues.  The replacement arrived in my driveway on Christmas eve, so I think/hope I am good for a while now!

I have managed to mature a little this year - and managed to put some personal issues behind me.  I have come to realize and accept that there were certain things I was holding on to (emotions, grudges and the like) that were not healthy and belonged in the past.  Letting go of those things, and the negative emotions, is a good thing and something that makes me feel better internally.

I know that 2019 will have it's share of ups and downs, but I am interested and excited to see what the new year holds.

Happy New Year!

December 12, 2018

It's been an interesting year, so far.  Many things did not go as planned - like this blog!

Let's see, the photo scanning project has been moving forward in fits and starts.  As long as my daily routine stays about the same, I can get some done every day.  It's when something else goes sideways that it gets pushed to the back burner.

The best advice I have seen on working on a project like this is to touch it every day. That is to do something every day - no matter how small.  The idea is that you do not lose forward momentum.

Recently, I had a deer hit my car.  That was a setback in many ways. Most obviously, the loss of the car.  The damage wasn't that great, but it is/was an eighteen year old car, so not really worth my time to repair in terms of dollar value and the time it would take to find parts for an eighteen year old car.

The past ten days, or so, have been spent looking for a replacement.  I think I found one last night, so I'm allowing another week to get everything done - license, insurance, and whatever the new-to-me car will need.  I know it immediately needs snow tires!

Life goes on.