Mariah Carey: Noise pollution

This Destroy worries me, I'm scared my little diggets will suffer from some unknow disease just from writing down THE name. I'm not listing any songs here, just pick any of her songs and voilà, the damage is done.

AC/DC said ''Rock'n'roll ain't noise pollution'' and they were right. What they didn't know back then is that Mariah Carey's voice IS noise pollution.

Now if there's a performer in the world of music that truly should only scream or make weird vocal noise when she's by herself it's Mariah Carey. She should be left alone on a far away island where not a soul is allowed to go.

Radios should inform people in advance when they're gonna play her music (dare I say MUSIC!).

Fans of her music should isolate their houses so when her music is on there's no contamination possible.

TV shouldn't play her videos, they should ban them altogether. That would be like an Earth day, nothing that pollutes the air.

When I think of Mariah Carey these thing comes to mind: pathetic wannabe-singer that can't sing but makes verbal pollution, exorcism of all her followers to make sure they don't contaminate the normal people around them, go to a detox center where you have awful withdrawal syndroms and all you see or hear is Mariah (how EVIL is that!!!!), screaming sirens of ambulances (they remind me so much of Mariah's voice).

If Mariah performs in some arena near you there should be a warning sign that says: enter at your own risk, bring earplugs and beware that a few seconds of exposure to her voice can lead to permanent madness.

To end this, I know some people love her vocals (I sympathise with you all) but I must say my immune system can't fight such a disease so until there's a vaccine for it I'm standing away from it.

Anyones has medication they can share with me? I'm starting to feel dizzy.


p.s this Destroy is dedicated to rm who shares most of my views on THE subject.

Getting there slowly but surely

Ain't no better feeling than waking up on a sunny day. Well yes there are things that feel much better but after many months of cold weather, too much snow that fell on the ground, too long a period without a sun that warms the skin, that warms the soul.

There comes a time when a lil light can only do lots of good and that time is now. The ground's still covered in a white coat but slowly I can see signs of something better ahead, maybe I'm just needing it so much that I'm having fantasies about the nature's coming to life again even if we're not totally there yet. But there's something awfully nice about the thought of feeling the grass under my feet, the breeze that gently surrounds me....oh yes sometime in the near futher the sun will smile at us and shine its love upon us.

That thief named cancer

A blog's like a diary so I guess this is the perfect place for me to ramble on about cancer, about what it's doing to a man I dearly love.

Knowing you have pancreatic cancer is getting a death sentence, there's no cure for it and the disease spreads at an incredible pace within a short amount of time.

This man that I so dearly love was so full of life, he walked almost 3 hours daily, he went bicycling anytime he had the chance to, he was active from the moment he woke up until he went to bed. I'm using the past tense because he can no longer do any of those things, just walking 5 minutes is now much too hard.

There's nothing worst than knowing you can't do a thing to ease the suffering of someone you love, there's nothing worst than looking in the eyes of someone and seeing their desperation, seeing that they live in pain and in fear of what's ahead. How useless we can be when those situations arise, how thin the line is between life and death, how fragile life really is, no matter how strong we think we are, we're nothing but skin and bones in the end. Lately, it's as if death was lurking around and I'm afraid of it, I'm afraid of it taking that man away because he lived his life being such a good man, always being there to help others out and it's so unfair, it really is. Others go through life doing awfully wrong things and just enjoy their lives while good people get death sentences. For now all that counts is that he's still here among us, every day's like a gift. It just makes me sad, it really gets to me.

Exit ''Mr.Roboto''-by STYX

That damn robot, that damn song, the damn radios that played it endlessly until it suffocated me. Hearing the catch phrase '' "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto" in the song's chorus became the ultimate assault weapon that induced prolonged pain to my nervous system, that phrase echoed in my brain until it terrorized me forever. I couldn't bare the song back then and years later I still cannot overcome my profound aversion for Mr.Roboto. Hearing it was always a big challenge for me and now I can find some closure in putting down into words how much stress that song caused me from the day it first got airplay until now.

The Blue-Seeds

The Blue-Seeds is a Canadian band that put out their s/t album a few weeks ago and certainly they'll never get any airplay on the radio over here in Canada. Their music is profoundly moody, extremely dark.

On the song ''Barcelona'' it's as if Portishead's Bette Gibbons was taking over the vocals at some point during the song but that only adds to the magic of the song.

The piano at the start of ''Lost and Delirious'' paves the way for an intense journey through a damaged place in the heart and soul.

''Words from a Fairytale'' doesn't have much to do with a lovely fairytale, it's dark, sad, painful , desperate in more than one way. Yet that song has to be one of the best on the album.

''My Fair Weather Friend'' is more uplifting, the song that gives your mind a 3:29 rest.

You can hear folkish roots in some of the songs which suits the singer's voice perfectly.

Listening to that album is like reading a diary that was written when things were going wrong, when life was a mess, when a soul is deeply wounded, when love can't seem to be what you thought it would be like, when sorrow and desperation are all around, when one fights to understand all the reasons why.

Moody, dark, intense, soft and a fantastic album when you're having the blues.

9/10

The Blue Seeds

B-sides and otherwise/Pixies

As I am listening to the Pixies Complete B-sides album I realize how bloody great a band they were. Black's voice is always powerful even when he screams more than he sings, Kim has a voice that's both sexy and strong. There's the fabulous guitar distortion that I never get tired of hearing, the beat's so alive and kicking. ''Evil Hearted You'' which is sung completely in spanish has to be one of the best Pixies song ever. The band never stopped pushing the limits of music, they're what alternative music is all about. Sadly they broke up but they left us with a few great albums that were never really mainstream yet they got some recognition because they sounded like themselves and no one else.

Blank...but not quite

So I wanted to write a review but words won't come right now. My mind is sleepy, so am I for that matter. Maybe I should write another destroy, that should be easy! Then again I'd have to find an album worth putting in that category, a song that completely deserves the title. I know there are tons of songs that comes to mind but a proper destroy means I would have to put all my heart and soul into destroying it and I don't feel that destructive right now.

Masters of War/Working Class Hero

Anyone ever listened to Bob Dylan's album ''The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan''? Anyone a fan of John Lennon or at least appreciate his song '' Working Class Hero''? I adore that song, it's one of those song that doesn't need drum, bass or anything other than an accoustic guitar that's being pounded as if it were a machine gun. Well why am I talking about Dylan and Lennon? Simply because on that Dylan album (that came out in '63...years before Lennon's song) there's this great song called ''Masters of War'' that sounds strikingly familiar to the Lennon song. It certainly is a compliment to the Dylan song, I cannot even talk about plagiarism here because Lennon didn't need to sound like anyone else, he didn't need to steal music, lyrics, melodies. He was very creative and so was Dylan. Rather, it's more like being inspired by a song and giving birth to another song that sounds familiar yet is totally different. Those artists created songs that stand like a fortress in the temple of time.

Frigid mother nature

Another snowstorm has hit the province of Québec, when will winter finally leave? It's now officially Spring but who could that it is? I wonder if the Inuit gets to see more snow than we did in 2008? Right now we could ask them if they could help us built igloos, it would almost be safer to sleep in them nowadays. We hardly see the houses anyway so igloos would look perfect in this vast scenery. I'd have to get a tan to fit in though, as white as I am I could probably mix in the snow and look like a big snow flake. I wouldn't make a good Inuit though, I'm not too keen on red meat. But when all this finally stops, I'm gonna watch the snow melt and wonder if the roads have turned into rivers....a bit too late for an Easter miracle but it will definitely appear as if a dream has begun and the nightmare will soon end. Will it ever end? When will the sky stop shoveling the snow our way? I'm mad at mother nature, she's cold and acts like a frigid diva. I'm gonna love her when she's warmer to us, when she becomes the mother I expect her to be. Does that make me a bad child? I don't think so, I'm just rebelling in a very non-violent way.

Destroy of the day/10cc ''I'm not in love''

A song isn't just a song. It can mean so much more, it can bring back memories, it can help you feel better when things are rough, you listen to a certain song and go ''yeah, it played when this was happening'' or sometimes it just makes your whole body ache for no known reason.
10cc did the incredible thing of having put out in the market a song that ALWAYS made me feel bad. Bad isn't the proper term here but there isn't a term that can describe how painful it is for me to hear that song, the mere thought of it being played in my presence puts me in an awful mood. There's no reason why it does that, I'm just having an everlasting allergic reaction to it, it will never stop. The first note that's played at the start of the song is enough to put me in a depressive state of mind. The voice gets to me in a bad way, the melody kills me over and over again. I wish that song never existed, I wish it could be wiped out of the pop/rock music repertoire forever.

The Kills-Midnight Boom

I loved The Kills even before I heard any of their songs, well almost. The name just sounded cool but I needed more than that to truly love the duo.

When their first record was released I bought it the day it came out, I was so excited to finally hear the whole album. I'm not into downloading stuff on the net, I rather wait and have the real thing in hand so when I heard the songs from start to finish it was an awesome experience, my ears were quite happy to hear their minimalist rock sound which sounded like tons of bricks thrown at me. To me, that's what The Kills are all about.

I was really disappointed with their second record, it wasn't reaching me at all. This time around their minimalist rock sounded way too empty. I can't even recall a song from that album while each song on their first record was a thrill to listen to.

So I was looking forward to hearing their latest record not knowing if it would be as great as their debut album or if it would leave me with a feeling of ''oh noooo''.

Well the new album is so damn good, it's very catchy.

It starts with the song ''U.R.A. Fever'' and there's never a dull moment throughout the whole cd.

''Cheap and cheerful'' is such a cool song, just a silly song that's enjoyable.

''Tape song'' is at the top of my list, the rhythm is irresistible. Just catchy lines from the moment it starts.

''Last day of magic'' is one of my favourite song, I just like how it flows. Simple yet affective.

''Hook and line'' brings me back to their 1st record which means I adore the song. Makes me wanna jump around, have a blast with myself.

''Black balloon'' is a little gem, it's a slower song that's poweful but definitely not a ballad. It's rock, it's raw but it doesn't roll. Pretty good song.

There are no weak songs in there, songs that are less effective yes but not weak. If I had to rate it I'd give it an 8/10



1st record-Keep On Your Mean Side

2nd record-No Now

3rd record-Midnight Boom

It goes on and on....

I realize I'm writing way too much about Elvis already but it's easy for me to give info on his LPs since I own a few pricing guide that deals with his material. Obviously in time I will talk about other music, I just thought it would be cool to post photos of older records or bootlegs so Elvis Presley's records allow me to do just that.

Also, since most of the good Elvis material is very rare (stuff from the '50s and some of his '60s songs are good, minus the awful soundtracks and shitty songs) I'm not gonna talk about any of his '70s albums since they pretty much suck big time. But the '50s were a good period in the music era, it was alive, it was becoming something important in the culture and Elvis way back then was a strong figure in the music movement. We can thank Elvis for artists like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan....all of them were greatly influenced by the young and wild Elvis of the '50s, the one that knew how to move his hips, use his lips and allowed the white folks to enjoy the black music. Because Elvis did what the black people did for years, only the fact that he was white made it somewhat easier for the white community to open up to the fantastic sound that was in fact black music. The rest is history. The king Elvis died on his throne...what a shitty one that was too.

Elvis Presley 1956 1 st edition

Elvis Presley's first record came out in 1956, 3 versions were made that year and all of them are worth something (the cover and LP have to be in excellent condition and include the original inner sleeve). I own a few copies of that LP and I'm lucky enough to have the 1st edition.

Shown on the photo is the 1st version- 1: LPM-1254 (M)''Long Play'' on label,''Elvis'' in pale pink, ''Presley'' in pale green on cover, pale green logo box in upper right front cover.

Songs on the LP are:

Blue Suede Shoes
I'm Counting on You
I Got a Woman
One-Sided Love Affair
I Love You Because
Just Because
Tutti Frutti
Trying to Get to You
I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)
I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')
Blue Moon
Money Honey

Elvis Presley: For LP fans only, 1st edition 1959

There have been a few editions of that lp over the years (9 editions alone were made between 1959-date the 1st edition was released- and 1977) some are worth something others aren't worth. Those that are worth something are the 1959 edition (LPM-1990-''Long Play'' on label) and one of the two version made in 1965 (LSP-1900-(e)-''Stereo Electronically Reprocessed'' on label; error cover with same photo on both front and back).

Songs included on that LP are:

1. That's All Right
2. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
3. Mystery Train
4. Playing For Keeps
5. Poor Boy
6. My Baby Left Me
7. I Was The One
8. Shake, Rattle And Roll
9. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone
10. You're A Heartbreaker

No turntable!!!!!!!

Getting back to the music that started it all for me. I have to write about the time when I was young and had a fight with my mother (one of many) and I got so mad I absolutely wanted to leave home so I did. I took what was the most important for the young child that I was, my so precious 45 rpms, all of them. Now I was quick to put them under my arms and leave as fast as I could but when kids are in a hurry then tend to forget things, imporant things. How was I gonna play those old 45 rpms (the equivalent of that now would be cd singles)? Afterall I didn't bring my cute ladybug turntable with me!

Damn, I had to go back home realizing it wasn't the right time to leave home. Same thing happen a few times afterwards. I guess I was pretty stubborn and stupid back then.

Frozen moments and a brain that's fried

What's are frozen moments? Photos are one of them. I wanted to upload a pic and display it as I would display an avatar but heck I don't seem to know how to go about that.

Fried my little brains.... that's how I feel right now and nope it ain't because of illegal substances as I am clean as it gets. Is there any link between frozen moments and having a brain that's fried? Absolutely none. Who knew my Brainstorm-Interlude would mean so much right now. I was also talking about brain masturbation lately to my friend roark, I guess it comes in handy today because it feels like my brain is actually climaxing but not in a good way. The Interlude should end now, until another interlude comes along and gets frozen for a single moment in a day where time passes by so quickly and the clock keeps on tick tick ticking away.

Music

So I'm starting my blog, I'm probably gonna screw something up but who cares.

I had to post something about music, it had to be what my first post was about. Actually I'm gonna have a hard time not writing long posts about music, it could go on forever.

Anyway music is my saviour, it's my food, it's always been important to me when I was a young kid, it was something I turned to when I was pissed or hurt or sad or happy. It's something I desperately miss when it's not surrounding me. I used to sleep with music on, that's how bad I needed it back then. It secured me I guess. But it also made me wanna learn english, it made me wanna play music, it made me wanna buy tons of albums. I think a day without music would be pure torture, I'm addicted to it so I would probably go cold turkey if I didn't hear any music for too long.

Where should I start? What was the first band/artist that did it for me?

I have two older brothers so obviously they kinda made me discovered many artists when I was a kid. I used to wait till they were out and I'd put their LPs on the turntable. I LOVED Pink Floyd's ''Dark side of the moon'' what a fabulous album that was for a kid that was hearing new sounds. I kept on listening to ''Time''which is still one of my favourite Pink Floyd song ever.

Then I would play David Bowie. My bro had a greatest hits album but heck it didn't have ''Station to Station'' on it, how could that be? But Bowie and Pink Floyd made me wanna discover more bands. Although both were important to me it was Blondie that was my favourite icon back then. She was afterall the leader of a band. She was in control, she was talented, she looked pretty good. Most of all her voice and the music did it for me.

But my dad died when I was young, Elvis Presley's music was in at that period. The last gift I got from my dad was a week before he died, he gave me this 7 LPs box-set that had 7 posters in it. It was a pricy gift back then. But I was young, I used to destroy the covers litteraly, I would put them on the walls so the LPs had no covers. Basically I ruined my collection by the age of 11. What a shame. Elvis always reminds me of my dad, ALWAYS. I overgrew my Elvis passion and went on to listening to Classic Rock and other style of music. I loved most of it, I've always had an aversion for techno music simply because I love the rich sound of real musical instruments.

Anyway a few years ago I had this urge to rebuilt my Elvis collection. Just because it reminded me of my dad and I needed to do it. It took some time but I managed to find many LPs I had before I destroyed them all. I even found some original versions of Elvis' first LP or mono versions that dates back to the late 50's, early 60's and some rare issues along the way.

But Elvis is simply a reminded of my childhood life. The music that I truly love with a passion is what plays today. I'll get back to that next time.