In Honor of Super Bowl XLII

Some MC Hammer commercial love - Pepsi 1991

RS - Rock List: Readers' Best Eighties Movie Themes

Gotta love it! I was just checking my music feeds and Rolling Stone posted up the Best Eighties Movie Themes. Personally, it's a toss up between #5 - Joe Esposito's "You're the Best Around" from Karate Kid and #23 - OMD's "If You Leave" from Pretty in Pink. Of course, two songs scored from the greatest soundtrack of one of my favorite movies of the decade... Top Gun. But just in case you need a little more to get you to hit the jump, here's the top of the list at #25 - Starship's "We Built this City" from Mannequin 2.

Which 80's ditty gets you going?

U2... up close and very personal

I know I promised this earlier so here it is... Everything I've read about U23D: The Movie is right on. "Everything" being rave reviews... giving it five stars... all that. Incredible... awesome... amazing... immersive... Ok, enough with the ambiguous adjectives.

It's not your normal 3D experience where the filmmakers attempt to startle you with hokey gimmicks and corny effects. There's simply a crisp realism in the shots and after the first song or two, you feel as though you are "there." So much so, that at one point I literally moved my head so I could see around some offensive object obstructing my view... The Edge's mic stand. When I caught myself, I had to laugh.

I appreciated the fact that the camera gave equal airtime to all members of the band. One moment you are closeup with Bono or posing with Adam Clayton and the next you are looking over The Edge's shoulder at 80,000 screaming fans. This in itself is a departure from the much smaller arena venues played here in North America and amazingly translates to a relatively small room with a capacity of only 400.

The film was shot entirely during the South America leg of the Vertigo tour and the crowds really brought the concert to life. Bono also played on the fact that he was South of the Equator by singing several lines in Spanish including the entire bridge of Beautiful Day.

Our particular viewing at the Channelside IMAX theatre in Tampa had some real fans. During the show, you could hear people singing along and at times even clapping which seemed completely normal even though we were in a theatre. At one point, my wife even stood up and no one seemed to give attention.

The set is similar to the Chicago DVD with some welcome variations including Bono singing the opera which completely blew me away. I've never really cared much for Atomic Bomb's Love and Peace but this one made me a believer. Some of the visuals during the song were incredible including Bono lightpainting with his finger which appeared to be right in your face.

In short, it's an experience all it's own. It's not a mere concert film and it's not a live experience either. You're all over the place in the stadium. The only complaint I have (if you can call it that) is that I wished the editor would have lingered on some of the shots a bit longer so we could take it all in. The cuts were a bit fast and I found myself really wanting to drink in the entire scope of some of the wider shots. Other than that, it's an outstanding and groundbreaking piece of work. If you are within an hour or two drive, make the effort... it's def worth it. Here's a little teaser I took for you from the iPhone of my favorite member, Adam Clayton... not that it'll do you any good without the glasses.

U2 3D: The Movie

So I know this is old news but I'm ramping up for the release on January 23rd. Hit the jump for all the details.

Baby Jams and Lullaby Renditions

I love covers and renditions but this takes the cake... your one-year-old baby's birthday cake that is. Rockabye Baby! offers your favorite bands in lullaby form to get your baby started early with those oh-so-luscious jams you've grown to love. I'm not so sure how healthy it would be, but you could if you wanted to. Believe it or not, they offer lullabies of Tool, Metallica, The Cure, Nine Inch Nails and more. Of course, if you or your baby aren't into the harder stuff you may like my personal favs U2, Coldplay, and a few others that won't require the Exorcist to make a visit.

Rockabye Baby! transforms rock songs into beautiful instrumental lullabies, sending your little one to a slumberland of sweet dreams.

It's worth making the jump and taking a listen... it's actually quite entertaining.

Please Hammer Don't Hurt Us

I love MC Hammer. I still jam to my favorite Hammer hits at full volume and I know every word. Well, Hammer is making his comeback and insists that he still has more hits in him. I couldn't agree more although I don't think I'll be posting up any dance videos of myself on his latest venture... www.dancejam.com. Hammer and his business partners are attempting to take a cut out of YouTube by launching a user-generated video website that focuses on sharing and watching dance videos.

"DanceJam then hopes to make money by grabbing a piece of the rapidly growing Internet advertising market, which is expected to rake in $27.5 billion in 2008, according to eMarketer.

"If the business pans out, DanceJam could help Hammer compensate for losing his fortune when he went bankrupt in 1996 with nearly $14 million in debts."

"Drawing upon the popularity of reality shows like "Dancing With The Stars," DanceJam will stage head-to-head competitions where contestants submit videos that will be judged by viewers."

I'm not so sure about his takeover of Silicon Valley and I'll skip a predictable end-line about him being 2 Legit 2 Quit, but I sure do hope it leads to him cranking out another album soon.

via FOXNews

What do Jay-Z and Desperation Band have in Common?

Not much to be sure but I did you use some leftover holiday iTunes credits to grab some new music from them both. Jay’s Show Me What You Got from his latest CD, Kingdom Come, is a fun little jam and the video of Jay rolling with Dale Earnhart, Jr. while racing Danica Patrick around Monaco makes me wanna hot dog really bad. Don’t know why I said that but it’s a funny line from a movie I’ve never seen. Anyway... Desperation Band’s new one, Everyone Overcome, is a sure winner.

I’m not going to try and sound like a Rolling Stone review, I’ll just tell you that the song Overcome is meaning more to me with every listen. At 9:02 into the song, a young man starts a series of people telling how God has helped them overcome...

"I was afraid and insecure but God helped me overcome..."
"I was complacent but God helped me overcome..."
"I was empty and wanting purpose but God helped me overcome..."
"I was dependent on myself but God helped me overcome..."
"I was angry and confused but God helped me overcome..."

And, on and on it goes... “...and God helped me overcome... and God helped me overcome... and God helped me overcome..." God help us overcome.

Overcome flows right into Maker of Heaven

You are the Maker of Heaven
You turn my world around
You’re making all things new again
Through it all I know You are God alone

New... it seems that the themes of CMC always mirror the themes of my own life. In spite of all my failings and the place of healing we find ourselves in, I’m truly finding out what this word means. The authenticity and realness required to find it though can be daunting at times but there is a freedom that is found in allowing others in. My only New Year’s Resolution... let people walk beside me and help me.

Sony | Music Like No Other

Last month, I posted about Sony's Bravia Play-Doh ad. And then subsequently, the Behind the Scenes look. Well, Sony has slipped out another ad... this time for the Walkman. Of course, I'm a huge Mac fan and love my iPod/iPhone so I'm not going to run out an buy a Walkman but the ad is definitely worth the look.

"It shows 128 musicians gathered in Alexandra Palace Theatre in London, with each one given just one note to play from a piece of original music composed for the ad by Peter Raeburn. Featured in the spot are 32 electric guitars and 32 drums among the many other instruments." Watching this ad, I was reminded of the Nooma short film, Rhythm.

Like the Play-Doh ad, the Behind the Scenes look gives me more appreciation for the final product (view below). The production and coordination were much more difficult the final proof suggests.

Wave of Sorrow

In gearing up for the release The Joshua Tree 2007, U2 released this video of Bono talking about and singing Wave of Sorrow, a song that didn't make the cut on the original album. U2.com writes...

Twenty years after its original release, The Joshua Tree has been remastered for release in a series of special formats. As well as a fourteen track bonus-CD of b-sides and rarities, the 2007 release features a live concert DVD from Paris in 1987, liner notes from band and producers and previously unseen photos in a limited edition booklet.

The Killers | Sawdust

I love The Killers. Brandon Flowers' kind of takes me back to the glam-rock of the 80's but their sound is definitely fresh. They just released Sawdust, a b-sides-and-rarities comp that has some different sounds on it. My favs are "Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf"...especially the last few measures. And, "All the Pretty Faces." "Where the White Boys Dance" kind of reminds me of Prince for some reason. Anyway... Check it out on Rhapsody...

I prayed for Kanye this morning...

If you haven't heard, Kanye West's mother, Donda, died Saturday night reportedly due to complications with her plastic surgery. So, I prayed for him this morning. I know that may seem kind of random and you may be asking "why." Well, in a broad sense, he is an influencer. And, I like his music although the lyrics leave a bit to be desired. But it was really more from a very basic level... I know what it's like to lose someone close and so I was just asking God to keep his heart soft and not bitter and hard... To extend grace.

The first two words in my journal this morning were "Radical Grace." Kanye needs God's radical grace... I need God's radical grace. You need God's radical grace. I asked the question this morning... Who does God love more... the murdered or the murderer? Who does God love more... the oppressed or the oppressor? Hilter or the Jew? The aborted or the doctor?

Radical Grace...

I prayed for Kanye this morning...

No mo' Benjamins...

I love how music and art not only shape culture but also reflect it. You want a sign that that dollar is indeed weakening, check out the new Jay-Z and Pharrell video, "Blue Magic." Instead of flashing "Benajamins," they're rolling in Euros. I think that's the funniest thing but the statement it makes is pretty strong.

The thing I hate about it is that the ones who are getting hammered by the exchange rates are the missionaries over in Europe and elsewhere. They are losing money left and right and are having to work twice as hard at raising funds. And to be honest, a lot of them aren't very good fundraisers. That's not their calling or gifting, yet they are forced to do what they must. That's a whole other post about what's broken in that system so I won't go there here. But, if a missionary comes to your mind, pray for them and also consider what you might be able to do to ease the pressure from the weak dollar.

Aqualung

I'm loving my Keane Channel on Pandora. It's by far my fav because I'm finding all kinds of new music. And by new, I mean new to me of course. One that keeps popping up is Aqualung. I'd heard of him before but never gave it a listen and now I'm loving it. Strange and Beautiful is supposed to retell the story of Aqualung (aka Matt Hales), who had already become a familiar voice in the UK by a popular VW Beetle commercial featuring his song, “Strange and Beautiful,” in 2002.

Listen to my Pandora Keane Channel or sample Aqualung below.

Rolling Stone Interview with Bono

The U2 frontman sits down for Rolling Stone's 40th anniversary to talk about the future, activism, and idealism. You have to hit the jump to hear Bono grapple with the question, "If you could only pursue U2 or activism, which would it be?"

Apple to remake YouTube ad

The latest in consumer-generated content comes from Nick Haley, a native of Warwick, England, from the University of Leeds, where he is a “fresher,” or first-year student. An Apple fanatic, he created and uploaded a self-made iPod Touch commercial to YouTube. As of yesterday, it was viewed over 2,100 times. Well, among the viewers were marketing employees at Apple who asked staff members on the Apple account at TBWA/Chiat/Day to get in touch with Mr. Haley about producing a professional version of the commercial. Quoting the New York Times...

“I was sitting on the bus and I got this e-mail on my phone,” Mr. Haley, a native of Warwick, England, said in an interview yesterday from the University of Leeds, where he is a “fresher,” or first-year student.

The message said, ‘We represent Apple and we’ve seen what you have produced and we’d like a chat with you,’ ” Mr. Haley recalled, adding: “This seemed ridiculous and far-fetched. My initial reaction was, someone wanted to steal it.”

He was soon convinced that the message was real and came to Los Angeles this month, in his first visit to the United States, to work on a broadcast-ready version of his spot with creative executives at TBWA/Chiat/Day...

As for how faithful the professional spot is to the amateur version, Mr. Clow said, “we didn’t mess with his content” because “it has a charm to it, a youthful fun.”

The changes include more polished editing and filming the new version in high definition.

“My input was totally respected,” Mr. Haley said, adding that he considered the agency’s commercial “pretty similar” to the original. Speaking of the original... view it below.

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Open Pandora's Box. You'll like it....

If you love music and love discovering new music, then Pandora is for you. I signed up some time ago but forgot how cool of a concept it is. You create your own radio stations based on the criteria you select and it picks music for you. You'll find some obscure bands and sounds that you will absolutely love. It's great to just let play in the background while you work. Read about the music genome project here.

DRM is Dying... Yay!!!

Just read a piece on Wired about the trend in the music industry away from DRM (Digital Rights Management). Just look at iTunes and how that has changed the music industry. Amazon now has DRM-free music as well. That means the songs you purchase are "unlocked" and can be put on as many devices and burned as many times as you like. Distribution no longer holds the power... or at least it's moving that way.

In case you missed Radiohead's album release last week... it rocked the music world. Quoting Influx Entertainment... "Radiohead delivered onto the world a complete surprise; they released an album when everyone was expecting to have to wait a year for. They announced it a few days before launch. There's no ad campaign, no PR campaign, no hype, no leaks, no listening parties, no preview issues sent out to critics and journalists. No experts listening ahead of time and writing reviews, just everyone sharing the same experience at the same time, without the noise or clutter of expert opinions in the air.

The band made the news for the pricing story, but cutting out the hype, the critics and going straight to the user the band has created a communal listening experience, that's just as revolutionary as its famed "name your own price" model."

I think the downloads reached 1.4 million on the first day. Welcome to another music revolution.

Catalyst - Session 009

I missed part of this session because I was having coffee with my friend, Jeremy DeWeerdt. I have so much respect for him and Jen and it was great to be able to sit for a few minutes and catch up.

I walked into the arena and a man named Wintley Phipps was talking about the song Amazing Grace. He told the story and sang it beautifully (below is a YouTube video of the same thing in another setting). But, the powerful thing he had to say was...

"It is in the quiet crucible of our personal private sufferings that our noblest dreams are born and God's greatest gifts are given."

What is your first response to this thought?

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