Albums that changed my life! Michael Jackson- Thriller!

It's been a year to the day the King of Pop passed away. I don't know the exact reasons for his demise, quite frankly I never bothered digging it up. He was hounded by people throughout his life for his talent, by people who wanted to be in the presence of something much larger than themselves, and I feel there is no use soiling his memory by speculating over his death. He should be remembered with grace and dignity and for the magic he created and the uniting force he was throughout the world. People who remember him in the vein of the scandals that dogged him in his latter life should really test their psyche checked. That's my opinion of it anyway, I found it very hard to concentrate on anything other than his music in the first place.
The album in discussion today is the most widely sold album of all time. with estimated sales somewhere between 75 million and 110 million albums worldwide, this single album has sold more than most artistes sell in a lifetime. It was path breaking, rejuvenating and still probably the most influential record till date. Recorded after the success of "Off the Wall", the team of producer Quincy Jones and Jackson struck gold with Jackson's sixth studio album. MTV made large profits off the album and especially with the video of the title track. It was the first instance of an African-American artist getting on MTV and it paved the way for all future superstars who have used MTV as a launch vehicle for their careers. The hip-hop that most youth swing to today wouldn't have been even nearly as popular if it weren't for "Thriller".
Onto the songs then, the album starts with "Wanna be Starting Something", a groove heavy drum and bass intro leads into a track which deals with the excessive media attention that dogged Jackson since he was a child. An often unnoticed aspect of his music is the fact that he is an exceptionally gifted singer. Unlike our present day pop-stars, Michael Jackson never followed the lip-sync routine on stage and managed to dance and sing with elan. Even when he was 50 years old a few weeks shy of his death. The documentary "This Is It" is ample proof of that fact. "Thriller" as an album was very dance oriented and when these songs were being performed live was the true testimonial to Jackson's genius.
There is not enough that can be said about the songs. "Thriller", with the fifteen minute theme video that changed the face of MTV and the music video forever. "Beat It", which showcased Jackson's leanings towards rock by having the mighty Eddie Van Halen and Steve Lukather play on the song, blitzkrieg solo and all. "Billie Jean"", which introduced the moonwalk to unsuspecting mortals and remained the signature dance song in his live set. The song was about a fan and how she alleged that Jackson was the father to her child. "The Girl is Mine", a collaboration with Sir Paul McCartney, this was before the relationship soured between the two of them. Sir Paul ha suggested that Jackson buy publishing rights to songs so that he could have more control of the way his songs were used. He said this because The Beatles had run into similar trouble and Sir Paul was trying his best to regain the publishing rights to the songs he and John Lennon wrote. Jackson took the advice to heart and went on to outbid Sir Paul for the publishing rights to the music of The Beatles, paying $750 million for the collection and souring his relationship with Sir Paul in the process. The song is about two friends fighting over a girl and showcases the mellow sides to Jackson's voice. "Human Nature" is probably the most introspective song on the track with lyrics that are very tender compared to the content in "Beat It" or "Thriller". A beautiful melody and lovely singing on top makes for one killer ballad. "P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing)" another classic track talking about, well pretty young things, very R&B in approach and continuing in the dance tradition that he set in all his albums.
The standout feature of the album from a producer's or mixer's point of view is the brilliant layering, the use of innovative instruments and the strong edginess to almost all songs in the record. Even if you were to hear "Thriller" now, you would be surprised at the number of small melodies playing in the background, unnoticed by the common ear but adding to the greater overall product that is so necessary when making a killer pop song, something I think the Bollywood music industry sorely lacks. Nonetheless, the album is one of the greatest of all time and is a must have for any music fan, irrespective of genre. Oh wait, it probably is already owned by every music fan in the world. If you don't have it, get it and be a part of history.

May your soul Rest in Peace

Albums that changed my life! Iron Maiden: The Best of the Beast!

At a time in my life when my friends and I had formed a band and the time had come to play a gig, we had to audition for a slot at a musical gathering held at XLRI (Tata Auditorium). All those who are from Jamshedpur must surely be knowing about this place but for the uninitiated, these are the specs. It's a 1400 seat indoor auditorium and pretty much the best place to play in Jamshedpur. Anyway, we were playing Bon Jovi and Eagles at the time and just learning what distortion meant and the various possibilities that presented itself with overdriven sound. We were told that the person who would listen to us play was a major fan of all things metal and we should play something a bit heavier to further our chances of getting the gig. So my bandmate told me about Iron Maiden (Yes I needed the telling) and how they are an amazing heavy metal band and he had a couple of their albums and wanted me to listen and try to pick up some of the songs.

Enter "The Best of the Beast". The first thing about the album is that you don't even have to turn it on to be drawn in. The artwork on the sleeve of the album is just fascinating. I was told that the zombie with the evil grin had a name, "EDDIE" and that there were different versions of "EDDIE" for every song and that this particular album sleeve had the Eddies of all the songs in it. It was as metal as could be and the forerunner of so much that defines the genre in terms of visual imagery. Obviously the fact that my friends were positively gaga about the band drew me in, their endless discussions on who the better guitarist was. Most of my friends leaned towards Janick Gers because of his amazing show antics. I however chose Adrian Smith for his amazing riffing and tightly constructed solos as opposed to the blues flash of Dave Murray or the undefinable of Gers.

This much without even turning on the CD. To the first song then, and the concept of riffing would never be the same. "The Number of the Beast", with the intro of words that did send a chill up my spine and that riff. There is little wonder as to why Maiden fill arenas like it were nothing more than a drink at the bar. The scream of Bruce Dickinson filled my ears as I was taken to the sacrificial pit of metal, yet another lamb slaughtered. No points for guessing which song I am listening to. \m/

Another key aspect of all Maiden songs are of course the solos. I don't think that enough can ever be said about the twin axe ( now triple axe) attack that Maiden unleash on their audience. The sheer melody brought across by the different guitar players are an aural treat. It helps that they have different personalities and look for different things in their music so their solos are instantly recognizable in terms of tone and note choice. Go listen to the song in audio or watch them live. It's different to what your mom told you about the good things in life.

"Can I Play with Madness" up next and the song title drew me in and the unusual cowbell playing almost through the song doesn't take anything away from the lyrics and the progressive feeling of the track. Despite being metal guitarists, all guitarists and Steve Harris on bass use Fender guitars and basses. Steve Harris has been playing the same bass for the last 25 years or so.. Some Fender that is. The only guitarist who does change it a bit is Adrian Smith who plays the occasional Les Paul or SG and now plays Jackson strats. No Ibanez metal chugging here I'm very happy to say, since I am a strat player myself.

"Fear of the Dark". I don't think I need to say anything more. If you haven't heard the song yet then you are reading the wrong article. Put your life on hold. Take out 8 minutes and change yourself forever.

"Run to the Hills", the staple song at the end of the set which sees Maiden sending the heathens back to the holes they crawled out of to watch the beast. One of the standout features of Maiden's music is in fact the lyrics. Simple and effective, they put the point across despite the many interpretations. Very rarely would you able to interpret their lyrics as pro-religious or pro-anything for that matter. Perfect for all teenagers coming to grips with the various issues that surround them.

"Bring you Daughter to the Slaughter" is the only UK #1 that Maiden have enjoyed till date. It also enjoys the dubious distinction of being the only track to be #1 one week and out of the top 100 the next. The lyrics are positively evil and suggestive of all things that good innocent girls might want to stay out of, or have guys stay out of!!

Well pretty much all the Maiden anthems make it to this CD but the notable ones of course are, "The Trooper", "Hallowed be thy Name", "Wasted Years", "Aces High" and "2 Minutes to Midnight". Concert necessities, these songs have changed the way of life for 3 generations and shall continue to do so for some time. The "NEW WAVE OF BRITISH HEAVY METAL" could not have a better pioneer and frontman than Maiden and Bruce Dickinson, singer/Olympic fencer/pilot/god knows what else. A true legend who can single-handedly bring together crowds at a gig, no matter what the size of the arena. The typical Maiden "Gallop" is on display with songs like "The Trooper" and "Evil that Men Do".

This album led me to be a lifelong fan of the band. It also led me to be a better guitar player. I remember the nights spent trying to understand what was being played in the "Hallowed be Thy Name" solo before I accidentally stumbled upon the technique of legato. They are one of the true powerhouses of metal with a rigorous touring schedule that defies their advancing years. They are revered in the metal world and are alongside the likes of Judas Priest and Black Sabbath for the respect they garner everywhere they set foot.

UP THE IRONS!!!

Why aren't we a major sporting nation?

This post comes at the time of the FIFA World Cup and therefore I guess the issue is tugging at my heartstrings. South Africa 2010 has begun and the world awaits it's Champion with eager anticipation. I have certain loyalties as well(Portugal), but that's not what this post is about. Although I shall use this event as an example. South Africa has almost the same population as Gujarat, it was banned from all international competitions till 1992 as it was under apartheid. 1992 onwards, with the release of Nelson Mandela and the abolition of apartheid, they have hosted the Rugby World Cup 1995, the Cricket World Cup 2003 and now the FIFA World Cup 2010. This makes them very eligible to stake a claim to host the Olympics in 20 years.
Hosting events like this requires massive development work in the country which shall only benefit it in terms of foreign investments, tourism revenues etc. South Africa has made full use of this and the results are there for all to see.. Brilliant stadiums for the matches to be held, fantastic lodging services for the fans to stay and convenient travel for those who want to follow a certain team( country specific fans). These require planning and investment for sure but they also have massive returns. The image of the country changes in the eyes of the citizens as well as the world.
Coming back to India, yes we have hosted the Cricket World Cup on numerous occasions and the results are for all to see. BCCI is the richest sporting body in the world, ahead of all football clubs and what not. They are the cash cow for the ICC and with the DLF IPL being the massive success it is there is no stopping cricket in our country. That is however only one sport. Our nation doesn't even begin to have the same kind of enthusiasm for other sports. Our national sport, hockey, neglected, treated like a step-child by the authorities has a team which has been performing poorly at all major tournaments for some time now. A great hue and cry is raised each time they underperform, the spirit of Dhyan Chand is invoked and the coach is sacked. No funding for improvement at grassroots, or for better infrastructure or anything of the sort though. At the very least, India is still in the top 10 of the world when it comes to hockey. One mention of world rankings and the Indian football fans let out a collective groan. The beautiful game never caught on commercially like the gentleman's game did in our country. We do hope that football catches the imagination of the common Indian the way cricket has.

I wonder why India don't host anything substantial. The last time they did it was the Commonwealth Games in 1982 in New Delhi. South Delhi still looks better than other Delhi areas as a result, 25 years on. Just goes to show the pace of development in our country. New Delhi is hosting the 2010 Commonwealth Games and East Delhi has been revamped to match the occasion. So if hosting such showpiece events results in a better image of the city and country then why aren't we going ahead with this??

One of the reasons that comes to my brain is our elected officials, those shining lights who lead our country. Everybody knows that a politician is corrupt, not only in India but everywhere. Power corrupts everywhere, not just in India. Then why is it that other nations are able to do so much more than we despite us having greater manpower than all of them combined. Beijing hosted the Olympics with aplomb and their political machine is as slow as ours!! There was this paper written by a Harris White where he explained that a country with a semi-regulated economy(like ours) is better off being corrupt than clean.
So there you go, better dirty than clean. I'm OK with that. I have a simple analogy here. If a politician has 10 projects worth 10 lakh each and he takes in all the money from all the projects then he has 1 crore and no work is done. If the same guy has 1 100 crore project and he takes 1% then he has 1 crore and all the work is almost done, a simple sanction asking for extra funds would finish the work. He'd have the same amount of money and work would be done too. It is common knowledge(IPL again) that when people decide to go for something big there is a lot of money at stake. I somehow feel that the politicians should just aim bigger, eat a smaller percentage and land up with the same amount of money and we'd be better as a nation. However that's a very very basic analogy. There must be a 100 factors involved and some which I won't even be able to imagine.
Anyway, maybe this is the rambling of an unsatisfied citizen who is also a sports fan and doesn't like to see his country lagging behind. Nonetheless, I thought that something had to be said so I did. Hopefully things shall change for our nation and we shall be viewed as slick and swanky, not as a cowshed. Cheers!

One of the letters in the alphabet and it's social significance.

This is different from the usual fare on music but it strikes me as something I should atleast say something about. Like it says in the title, one of the letters in the alphabet, and apparently a very important one. The letter K has been defining the modern Indian housewife's consciousness for the past few years. Of course I am referring to those mind-numbing serials that parade on television every single day, probably every single hour for those who can stand it. Now the few questions that might crop up might be..
1> When exactly are you watching all these television series?
2> This thing has been going on for some time. Why dig it up now?

In reply to first I say, my mom( and regrettably my dad) is an ardent fan and her day is incomplete without a sumptuous helping of over dramatization.
The second answer is, for the past four years I have been more in college than home, so I never cared when I came home to find the TV on Saas-Bahu mode. Now that college is over, the magnitude of the situation hits me. They have repeats in the afternoons if the evenings weren't bad enough. The situation is so bad that I wait for my parents to finish dinner with the final soap of their choice before I dare venture into the kitchen for my own dinner!!

Anyway, on to this thing then. What is the K-serial??
As always, it is possible to have differing opinions but I shall try and give a basic summary. It is an alternate universe wherein there is background music( bad background scores man, like all the dholaks in the world for hired for this only), overtly sanctimonious people( whether their character is good or bad), lack of middle ground, common sense, and even the most honest people are dishonest like you wouldn't believe it. If they were students in my school they would be having a lot of things for their parents to sign in their school diaries! Plus, irrespective of how wealthy or not they are, all women are bedecked in the most obscene gold jewelery. Like I said, it's an alternate universe( any ideas of the bullion on Earth would have them ducking for cover). Additionally, they wear the most expensive sarees and jewelery to bed! Granted I might be harping too much on the women here but that's the entire point of these serials. It is to deliver the Indian middle class female from the drudgery of their daily lives into the drudgery of someone else's life on TV, especially since they are well dressed and seem to be rich.

That's just a basic picture, I could go on but I could be accused of standing in the way of female empowerment, and I have always wanted to champion the cause of females.
Onto the social significance of this then, I have often asked my mom whether she realizes this is as far away from real life is as the Sun is from the Earth. She always says yes, but whenever she is watching a particularly gripping scene with a lot of background music( thunder, lightning, drums, high sitars and the camera takes a still of every person in the shot thrice), she bursts out saying something to the effect of this is what happens everywhere today. I ask her where she has seen something like that and she looks at me like I was the biggest dunce on the planet. Honestly man, I didn't know that my family knew people who were that rich that they'd be fighting over tonnes of money.
What intrigues me is not the fact that they have all the females in the country watching, irrespective of social standing, profession or anything. They have hit upon the magic formula and they are exploiting it to the fullest. Even my household help sits with my mom, watches the serials before she goes about her work. I'm sure she has other houses to go for work but she'd rather watch and screw with her job. Incredible. But this doesn't intrigue me because there are many things that I don't understand. Like why do people in our country spend hours and hours watching cricket. Anyway, that's for another day and I think Sachin Tendulkar is God so I might be a little harsh there. What has me going is that now the settings have been changed yet the people watch this the same way they watched everything else before this.

Earlier there was Saas-Bahu from the ultra-rich, ultra-chic, elitist families with more money than they could count. The funny thing would be that if someone lost their memory in one serial, very shortly all of the other serials would have a major protagonist lose their memories. Amnesia is only an example, it stretches to everything, like deaths, rebirths, affairs, the whole shebang. It's like they have a master script and they are tweaking all serials accordingly.
Now the deal is that all the serials have a rural setting, yet they wear awesome jewelery. So OK they might be rich village folk or something. Technically the K at the start of the serials has been replaced by anything that has a rural twist in the title. And it's not just one or two, all of them are like this now. It's just the funniest thing. The background music does not change, neither does the camera panning on everyone thrice when in a climax scene, the extra emotional doses are very much there and they all have a similar subplot. In the series now, there is a matriarch who more often than not is a dominatrix who is not in touch with the present days and times and therefore makes life a living hell for everybody in the surrounding area.
The standout feature of all of these soaps is... MISERY. The amount of glycerin used here could keep entire factories running on overtime. That's the major attraction of it. It refers to the sacrifices that women have to make in the course of living and how they can bounce back from everything, and I mean everything, every female protagonist dies at least thrice in each serial only to be either miraculously saved or to be reborn with the same vengeance in her heart. It's almost like if weren't true..O wait a minute.. it isn't. But who's to tell my mom, or the other millions.There is a better chance for a stable government in Jharkhand.

In concluding, hats off to Balaji Telefilms and their driving pioneer, Ekta Kapoor( are there more K's in her name?? I could have missed out on some). I sometimes think whether this is some kind of plan to take over the world and she is in reality a rebirth if Adolf Hitler, carrying forward his message of torture and conquest, she has definitely achieved both. Nonetheless, a very astute businesswoman, she has single-handedly revolutionized the way TV is viewed in our country and abroad( where these networks are aired). So, all credit to her for that, brilliant market research and an even better business plan later, she's the undisputed mogul of Indian Television. If there was one thing I had to tell her, turn the volume down, get better background score, and for God's sake, introduce some characters with shades of gray, watching only black and white on a colour TV is sad.

Albums that changed my life! G3- Live in Concert!

A long hiatus.. and the world has changed. Fine, not exactly, but my station in life has. I managed to land a job and managed to get a few avenues from which to launch myself as a musician. The deal is now that I have decided to not take up the job and I haven't yet launched myself as a musician. So maybe my station in life hasn't changed. Nonetheless, at least I'm done with college( Yes, I passed). So after the long break, I am finally posting again.
This is the third installation of albums which changed my life. Like the previous albums discussed, I heard this when I was around 11 years old and was getting acquainted with the acoustic that my brother had. The album is nothing short of groundbreaking in all possibilities of the word. This single album revived guitar rock like nothing before it, and even though the 80s had gone by and glam metal was passe, suddenly guitar gods were back in fashion. The beauty of the album is that the concept survives till date, a testimony to it's longevity, both as an idea and for the songs in it.
The album I first heard was the audio format of it, not the more popular video that has spawned the G3 culture. Being a novice at the guitar, I couldn't understand much of what was going on then. Hammer-ons, pull-offs and sweeps were included in my vocabulary years later but the sheer force of the album was evident even then. When I watched the video years later and Satch begins the show with "Cool #9", the bass line started running through my head even before Stu Hamm had touched his instrument. The songs, the musicians, the musicianship, all of them are quintessential Instrumental rock, covering various genres from rock and blues( Eric Johnson), to space age experimental( Satch and Vai). Of course future editions have included other genres like neo-classical( Yngwie Malmsteen, John Petrucci) and that pop-loving guitar maniac Paul Gilbert( he is a genre unto himself).
The various sets then, beginning with Joe Satriani. What can one say about the man who single-handedly created an empire for where guitar geeks like me can take refuge at a billion notes per second. His musical CV and heritage is undoubted, combine that with his technical aptitude for the instrument and his desire to impart knowledge through lessons or clinics makes him a perfect role model for guitar players worldwide. The set begins with "Cool #9", aptly named, for the hypnotic entry into the song has cool written all over it. A testimony to the fact that Mr. Satriani never launches into mindless self indulgence, the tune is as memorable as it is difficult to execute. He never makes songs that would be rocket science for the common man and that perhaps lends him greater credibility as a songwriter than some of his peers in the same category. The next song is "Flying in a blue dream" starts with almost a "Foxey Lady"esque hold on a single note harmonic before the lilting chords kick in. One of the most standout features about Joe Sat's playing which is illustrated in this song is his sudden burning of the fretboard using single handed legato. The tones and control are exemplary, song construction phenomenal, just has every quality to draw you in. The last song in the set is "Summer Song", that harmonic freak-out start that scores high on the cool and technical quotients. The chord progressions just flow and the musicians hold it together very tight. Just an amazing set, a sure set sign for all the good things that followed.
Next up, Mr. Eric "Note-Choice" Johnson. Of melodic licks and impeccable tone, this versatile guitarist was never the shredder but has the chops to die for. Blues and rock based in his approach, Eric Johnson has been playing in a band since he was 14 and the experience shows. When I first heard the album, Joe Sat was my all-out favourite, when I first saw it, Steve Vai twisted my insides with his pyrotechnic 2 handed tapping before "For the Love of God". But ever since I have learnt how to play the guitar properly, my firm favourite has been Eric Johnson and his unique brand of Blues Rock guitar music. The expressions conveyed, the phrasing, the sheer beauty of his playing is more a treat to me than 22 notes per second hyperspeed( although I love that as well). The first song in his set was "Zap", starts off with trademark pentatonic runs that leave most guitarists scratching their heads and lends itself towards clean jazz runs( at this point the dandruff on the head is gone on account of the scratching) before going into the most amazing melodic 70s prog riff to have you firmly in grasp. Mr. Johnson prefers using a Fender Stratocaster as opposed to the Ibanez totting gunslingers in Satch and Vai, and the warmth in the tone is evident. A self confessed gadget freak since his very early days, he was one of the first people to use amp-switchers in an effort to have more control of his tone. The next song was "Manhattan", where he uses his Wes Montgomery thumb picking style to great effect. A stellar tune, with amazing tone and note choice, this surely ranks amongst the best compositions of the Grammy winning guitar player. The song to finish out the set was "Camel's night out" though I preferred "SRV", the dedication to Stevie Ray he played to close out his set in the video version. Perhaps the only disappointment is that he didn't play his signature tune, "Cliffs of Dover". Nonetheless, the most musically compelling set amongst the three.
Last and never least, Steve Vai. Of 80s hair and alien guitar technique, Vai is like the Bruce Lee of guitar, a pioneer and an innovator. Casual in demeanor, uncompromising in his composition and zen-like in his goal to be a better guitar player and musician, Mr. Vai has no peers. Even though 98% of those who hear his music won't understand most of what's going on in there in terms of melodic content, let alone technique, it doesn't change his approach to songwriting, truly holier than thou. The first song in the list is "Answers", the song with one of the funkiest riffs from the Vai catalog. The movements through the song are deliberate, even though it is a fast song. It makes for a very compelling listen. Followed by "For the Love of God". What can I say about this song, emotional, technical and of pure worship, one of the masterpieces of modern day guitar. Words can never completely describe it's majesty, give it a listen( any version). Closing the set is "The Attitude Song", the true meaning of the song can be seen only in the live where the band members go wild onstage. A hard hitting riff and some very fancy legato work later, the set is completed. Vai fans get what they want, massive dive bombing on the floyd rose, two handed tapping of the highest order, crazy antics onstage to match and their favourite songs, one of the last remaining showmen around.
Now to the G3 Jam, this thing has become a thing of legend. Three guitarists side-by-side, ripping endlessly on their fretboards, bags of tricks and never ending cadenzas of shredding. It's just fun for guitar players around the world to watch and to emulate(and fall flat on their asses trying). The songs in the jam were "Going down" which Joe Sat killed with his plectrum tapping away at hyperspeed, "My guitar wants to kill your mama" where Eric Johnson had Steve Vai staring with his note choice, and "Red House" where Eric Johnson's vocals led the way for the perfect ending with all three guitarists ripping it to good effect.
All in all, a fabulous album, and a must for every guitar enthusiast. Hear it, see it and get addicted. The guitar world changed for the better with this album, if not anything else this is a history lesson in guitar!! Cheers!