90's music

Hello Friends,

New music is something I have the luxury of working with each week as part of my job. It's amazing to me that this actually happens :)

I was at my older brother's place this past weekend for a birthday party. While I was there I noticed his CD collection in boxes. He's been going through them one at a time uploading them to the computer. It's a long daunting task - but necessary to do. Once complete - the CDs will act as art and art alone :(

I went through them for ages and grabbed about 20 discs that I didn't have - so I too could add them to my collection too.

I spent Sunday listening to them whilst uploading and wow it was an eye opener. The CDs I borrowed are from the 90s and majority of it sounded so dated.

Crazy how there's a distinct sound to an era. I don't mean something that brings you back to a time or period in your life either. I actually mean - the music sounds very early 90s. The crazy thing is that only certain bands/artists are able to transend time. I mean - listen to The Beatles, The Stone Roses, Joy Division, Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, Led Zeppelin or U2. They all stand-up today and don't miss a beat if you heard them in a bar or club today.

The 90s was a very strange time for music. In Canada in particular (this is all I know;).

This was the time of Grunge and Boy Bands, and East Coast vs. West Coast hip-hop. It was a transition decade much like the Toronto Maple Leafs is going through now. People defined themselves by the music they listened to unlike anything before or anything that came after. Today you are more open to being eclectic...and it's wonderful.

Here are 5 stand-out tracks I listened to today while sifting through the CDs...

1. Meat Puppets - Backwater
2. The Cult - Heart of Soul
3. The LAs - There She Goes
4. Liz Phair - Supernova
5. Blur - There's No Other Way

Blur was the only one that didn't sounded dated in this list 

Thanks for reading.

Gregg

Hello friends,

I saw a facebook posting from a friend the other day about their favourite song/track of 2009. Pretty bold, if you ask me, as it's only midway through October. Regardless - she got me thinking about the year 2009 (thanks Stacey) and god damn have there been some monster jams released.

It's fine because this is just a bloig anyway - but a dangerous thing to do if it were a print publication. Anyone that has ever worked in this industry knows that the record labels have some seriously big names dropping albums around the end of the year (last quarter of fiscals) to make sure that they make the year on paper. There also seems to be lots of 'Greatest Hits' 'Collections' 'Box Sets' and even 'Unreleased' albums put out at this time...with the same goal in mind (making the year financially).

I digress...

The year 2009 has seen some great music come out on all levels. This is tough as last year was one of the most amazing years for anyone like myself whom eats sleeps and breathes British Pop. I mean Oasis released their last studio record.

• Kim and Jessi - M83


• Kingdom of Rust - Doves


• Empire State of Mind - Jay Z featuring Alicia Keys (special mention 'What We Talkin About')


• Heavy Cross - Gossip *also amazing in concert - saw them last week


• I'm Not Alone - Calvin Harris


• Skeletons - Yeah Yeah Yeahs *start to finish album is soooo good!

Special mentions go out to the following for making me smile...

• Passion Pit


• Phoenix


• Drake


• Muse


• White Lies


• Jack Penate


• Eminem


• Kasabian


• U2

Still lots of 2009 left - so this will be revised come new year's day!

Thanks for reading.

Gregg

oh you've got green eyes, oh you've got blue eye

Hello,

After meeting at a Sex Pistol's gig in 1976 something very special was born. The band began as Joy Division and continue on today as New Order.

Joy Division were the first to sign to Factory Records in which co-owner actually signed them in his own blood. Factory records was one of a kind in it's day - and took chances on the artists that they believed in and allowed them the time to create and record.

Joy Division only ever released 2 albums including 'Unknown Pleasures' and 'Closer' but the power of songs in the 2 alone would be enouogh to give them the the right to stand-up with some of the most influential bands of all time.

Ian Curtis committed suicide in 1980 bringing the original formation to a hault. The band didn't skip a beat and continued rehearsing and soon found themselves to become the rebirth in the form of a band now called New Order.

I have to digress at this point to tell you that it was this band alone that got me interested and excited about persuing a career in music.

As a child I used to go to the elementary school that my mother worked at during the summertime to be looked after. I was too young to be on my own - so as my mom was the secretary at the school and in the summer time it was just her and a janator - I would go and hang. I would bring my skateboard and was allowed to skate the hallways and gym. Amazing summer for a 12 year old kid.

One day the janitor was sweeping and cleaning all the old lockers. On the ground was binders and crap left behind from the school year. I came across a gold cassette tape with lipstck on it that was clearly a mixed tape of some cool grade 8 student. I took that thing home and the first song to play knocked me on my ass as it was 'Bizarre Love Triangle'. There was something about it that was unlike anything else I had ever heard before. This was the era of Whitney Houston and Debbie Gibson - so to hear these riffs was amazing. Thank you whom ever left that tape behind.

New Order have release 8 studio albums and countless remixes, box sets and live recordings since Ian's untimely departure.

I had the pleasure of seeing New Order perform in 2004 at T in the Park Music Festival and it was truly amazing. The only downfall was Brandon Flowers of The Killers joined them on stage for a song ;)

The band are truly one of those that you can play today and it stands-up and doesn't sound dated. Here's a quick list of the New Order tracks I would recommend you add to a collection if you don't already have.

1. Shellshock
2. True Faith
3. Temptation
4. Crystal
5. Blue Monday
6. Bizarre Love Triangle
7. *Love Will Tear Us Apart

Alright - gotta make a playlist of the some New Order.

Thanks for reading.

Gregg