Aimee Mann Rocks (and 'Charm's) Carnegie Hall | Billboard.com

Just saw this review of Aimee Mann playing Carnegie Hall over the weekend. Aimee is one of the great American songwriter's at a time when unfortunately pop music seems to be burying what is called "rock and roll". Aimee is a great talent, her solo album's are all excellent. I just did a post on the Kink's versus the Beatles and the relation to that post and this one is that Aimee is in my opinion a next generation songwriter whose influences can be seen from the Beatles, the Kinks, and others. Aimee has been very active is supporting those influences as evidenced by her involvement in tribute records-Badfinger-her cover of Baby Blue is excellent. She also covered One by Harry Nilsson on the For the Love of Harry tribute record which she did in the Carnegie Hall concert-again excellent cover. I want to ensure that while her "cover" versions are excellent, so are each and every one of her solo albums. I heartily recommend her CD's. Her husband, Michael Penn is also excellent, under-rated, and also under appreciated. If FM radio had some gonads-you would be hearing both of their songs on a regular basis. Check her out. Mr Bill



Aimee Mann Rocks (and 'Charm's) Carnegie Hall | Billboard.com

Earth Groaning-2012 Predictions

Today I heard on the radio here in Chicago that the earth appears to be groaning! Some are predicting it is the movement of the tectonic plates ala the movie 2012. You know that movie, it's where John Cusack breaks all human foot speed records by catching a plane taxing to take off in LA. I went to YouTube to see the video's that have the sound, sounds more to me like a barge moving down the Detroit River in Detroit. Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=hl2Q560V5P0

Now what's more interesting is when I watched the video turns out 1) part of the video was filmed in Windsor, Canada-on the Detroit River, next to Detroit-and it sounds like a SHIP HORN! NO SHIT. The good news with the search I did was I also found a map that shows the pending axis move of 40 degrees-again a 2012 like theory where the Earth will move and Chicago will now be on the Equator. Based on this I am cancelling my weekend trip to Fort Myers where I was going to start looking for a winter home. Based on this revelation I will actually have a year round summer home. Here is the for the new map of Earth--can't wait:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-l0SC3bRLn8

Finally this all lead to the new map of the Earth-another 2012 theory where again the world will change ALOT. Again for us in Chicago, especially the NW suburbs---I will soon own lakefront property. Take a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3tCQJ0mvrNU

2012's going to be an interesting year, first we now have proof that ship horns can be heard in Windsor, Canada. Next when the Earth shifts-I will have year round summer weather as well as it looks like I will be living on the Lake Michigan Beach-awesome! If the Earth is going to move 40 degrees as well as sink half of the US, well no wonder it is groaning.

Mr Bill

Kinks vs Beatles Debate or rather waste of breath

To all-I have been reading several blogs in the last week at the kindakinks.net site where several or rather a plethora of bloggers are stating that the Kinks are/were a better band than the Beatles. First I don't think any band had the impact of the Beatles. Next the by far best marketing or packaging of a band belongs to the Stones, yes Mick Jagger did go to the Economics school of London and learned alot! The Who are also a band to be more than reckoned with. That said to me Tommy is more than overrated, Who's Next a triumph that is in a class by itself. So what about the Kinks vs the Beatles? I don't think the issue is about the bands, its about the songwriters or in the Kinks case the songwriter. The Beatles, led by John Lennon were frankly unmatched by any band with regard to innovative, legendary pop songs-listen to a Hard Day's Night-if I remember John wrote 80% of that album. 1964 was important but with all due respect, while You Really Got Me was a game changer-it was one song. 1965 is when things started to change. We had Lennon still leading the Beatles with Paul starting to mature and breakout-in 1967 Paul would be the musical leader for the Beatles-listen to Sgt Pepper if you don't agree. Ray Davies frankly blew away the SONGWRITERs of the Beatles-they had two primary songwriters-with George providing "OK" songs per John and Paul. Ray Davies as UNCUT magazine wrote last year wrote, was unbelievable. A 21 year old wrote Well Respected Man, I'm Not Like Everybody Else, Sunny Afternoon, See My Friends, This Strange Effect, and much more. Ray and the Kinks had or rather DID not have the following going into 1966-solid management, access to the USA market, a album focused label,-all which resulted in music which is IMHO-which represents the best songwriting of the 1960's=or greater than the output of Lennon and McCartney. The Beatles had a brand, the Kinks-did not. The Stones-well the more I listen to anything past 1979, I wonder who the hell this band is, the more I listen prior to 1966, I hear a cover band that made it big with a Beatles song. As Andrew Oldman stated-All the Day and All the Night made his hair stand up, that was the Kinks, as Andy Partridge of XTC said, he still is trying to write a song like Autumn Almanac-a song few folks outside of the UK where it was a minor hit have heard. God Save the Kinks-Bill Cannon

PS thanks to JohnT as RMS high school for turning me onto this band!