In Defence of: Top Gun

Until about ten minutes ago I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about today. I didn’t want to do another My Collection, as I’ve done a bunch recently, and I don’t really want this blog to turn into me just ranting about music. It should be me just ranting. I didn’t have anything specific to rant about, so putting together a Rambling would have been a slog, and I’m not up for that right now. I got to thinking, what about an In Defence of? It couldn’t be on either of the two movies I had in mind when I came up with the category, as it’s been to long since I’ve seen them. Don’t worry, I’ll watch them soon and then post about it, but I didn’t want to do that right now. So, what can I defend? Well, I’ve seen Top Gun more than any other movie. Even Star Wars: Episode IV. It’s close, but clear. Just for shits and giggles I looked it up on Rotten Tomatoes. 53% – rotten. Really? I thought it was going to be a little low, but 53%? U.S. Navy recruitment went up something like 30% after that movie came out!

Let’s do this.

First of all, it has one of the greatest opening sequences of all time. I’m watching it on YouTube right freaking now. The silence, the Moroder beat, the anthem… Simple titles, credits, it all somehow adds a bit of plausibility to an unrealistic movie. I know Cinema Sins would sin the forced reading at the beginning, but I think it’s a little like the opening crawl from the Star Wars movies. When that music starts to build, and the title hits the screen, I’m hooked. Once I hear Kenny Loggins, I’m already strapped in and ready to fly. Even watching this opening sequence evokes such a visceral response from me, I’m a little in awe of it.

I am well aware of the movie’s flaws, of which there are many. It’s a Bruckheimer special to be sure, but it meets my one and only criterium for a good movie in spades: It is massively entertaining. It is fun. It’s Tom Cruise at his peak. He is never more likeable than he is here. Even if he does only come up to Tim Robbins’ nipples. When Kelly McGillis comes back to him in the end, with the Righteous Brothers in the background, I’m fist-pumping the fuck out of that shit.

I think most people get their nose out of joint when they take this movie as something it isn’t. I have an interview with Tony Scott in which he discusses the approach he wanted to take. He was struggling with how to present the material; as aerial combat and modern military pilots, in their true forms, don’t necessarily lend themselves well to a Hollywood movie. He ended up saying something that changed the way I view the film: It’s sports. That’s how he described it. It’s competition where there isn’t any. It’s emotion where there can’t be any. It’s breaking the rules where that can’t happen. I mean, come on, the volleyball scene? That’s more unintentional homoerotic comedy gold than should be in one movie. Carrie Fisher said of the Star Wars dialogue that it was stuff “you couldn’t say in real life.” The same could be said for Top Gun. As in, who talks like this?

And it’s funny. Even without the volleyball scene, or the club scene where they first meet Charlie, this is a one liner lover’s movie. Most of the best come from my man Anthony Edwards, but a few other actors are let in on the action too. This is not a serious movie. No matter what the look on Val Kilmer’s face says. This movie is an emotional ride. It’s funny, exciting, sad, frustrating: it gives you the full range of emotions, is packed with some great actions sequences (even if they reuse that same goddamn missle shot umpteen times) and somehow manages to bring it all home in the end. The music is pure 80’s and fantastic. Kenny Loggins was made to write movie music. Yes it’s a sappy ending. The guy gets the bad guy, gets the dream job, gets the girl. Guess what, I like that. I want to be happy at the end of a movie, not bummed out. To me this movie is a perfect example of movie critics missing the point. We need to have movies that are fun. That’s a big reason why Guardians of the Galaxy did so well. I want more movies to be like this. Well made and fun. Not all of them, the world still needs arthouse movies, it needs Schindler’s List, it needs American Psycho.

Top Gun? Well, I’m always up for watching it again…

My Collection: High Voltage

And so it begins. Yes, I have several AC/DC albums. Take heart. those who don’t like them, I won’t be covering anything from my box set, only single purchase studio albums. This time up, the 1976 epic, High Voltage.

I most likely have an above average interest in AC/DC. I certainly know people who are into them to a much higher degree than I am, but I would also certainly count myself as an ardent fan. Especially of the Bon Scott era material, although The Razor’s Edge (which I will be discussing) and the Who Made Who (which, as a soundtrack, I will not be covering) have significant personal memories and feelings attached to them.

My first experience with the band was the aforementioned Who Made Who. It was one of two albums that made up my first ever CD purchase. I’m going to keep you in suspense as to what the other one was. Hint: it was the ninties, so think hair. And Pie. Anyway, I had heard their stuff previously through an older cousin of mine, so I thought I was prepared for what was to come on the album. Nope. Right from “play” they had me. Later, when I figured out they had a different lead singer on their earlier albums (and one of the tracks on Who Made Who) I was skeptical, but quickly discovered that he was even better. Now I enjoy the vocal stylings of Brian Johnson, as apparently Bon did as well, but Bon was the man. Especially when in front of AC/DC.

On this album, the international release, you start off with seemingly straightforward, signature, AC/DC sound: It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll). That ryff, those guitars, Bon’s voice. The thing that really sold me on this track? The bagpipes. Now that’s Scottish rock. The theme continues on track 2 with Rock ‘n’ Roll Singer. This song is made by the lyrics. I really think Bon’s lyrics were under-rated. Some of his lones are absolute gold. Best line in this song? “I hear it pays well.”Solid track after track follow until we get to a little magic on track 5. T.N.T. motherfuckers. If that song doesn’t make you want to pick up a guitar (or at least an air guitar) you might be a little dead inside. Right from the opening power chord, the chant. I still get chills when I hear it in headphones.

Hold on, I’m going to plug in right now…

Mmmmmmmmmm, yeah. Brings back memories of senior prom. Seriously.

Next up is a throwback to earlier releases, from the ’74 Aussie only relase, Can I Sit Next to You Girl pulls its weight on the album and fits really well, but is hardly memorable when juxtaposed with them. Little Lover is Bon slinking around vocally, a precursor to some of their better slow paced material. Finally, the last two tracks are the best song I’ve ever heard played at a wedding, She’s Got Balls, and the title track High Voltage. Both are classics in their own right, with High Voltage seemingly forgotten by current playlists. Tragic, as it is as good an example of what makes AC/DC endure. Solid guitar work, relatable lyrics, and fun.

I’m Going to Ramble Now

Okay, so I was busy. Really busy. That’s why I missed an update last Firday, and am late with this one. Sorry!

I’m not sure who I’m apologizing to, as I don’t think more than one or two people read this, but I’m Canadian, it’s what we do.

So, I’m a nerd. If that hasn’t been made perfectly clear yet, I’ll just lay it on the table now. But I’m not just a little nerdy, I’m all kinds of nerdy. Literally. If Dan is NerdCubed then I’m at least to the 4th or 5th power. How am I a nerd? Let us count the ways: I like both Star Trek and Star Wars (like may not be a strong enough adjective, but we’ll go with it for now), I like comics and used to collect them (still read webcomics!), I love games (both board and computer), my preferred genre of literature is Sci-Fi/Fantasy, I play Dungeons and Dragons (since 2nd edition!), and I can go on. Do I need to go on? Okay, I will. Ready? I’m still in school. That’s right, I’m in grade 26 or so and still not quite done yet. Why? Because I like it. I’d like to think I’m good at it, but I just really like learning stuff.

Anyway, I’ve been busy, but I will be ready with the next update Friday. Prepare yourself for the next My Collection: we’re into my AC/DC catalogue.

My Collection: Trusted by Millions

So I wanted to look at when my 54-40 albums were released, and I popped into Wikipedia. As I’m perusing their discography, I am drawn to their later releases. Now, I remember Casual Viewin’, but after that nothing. I had no idea they released anything post 2000, save for the singles collection I have, Radio Love Songs (2002). Heading down to the list of singles and their release dates, I am still not recognizing anything post-2002. So, I guess they fit the profile for “fade away,” rather than “burn out.”

To the album.

I really like the movie High Fidelity. I’m a big John Cusack fan, and the movie uses music to enhance the story in a terrific way. There’s a scene in the record shop where the guys are listing their “top five track one, side ones.” I think Cheer Up Peru from Trusted by Millions might make my list. If not top five, then honourable mentions. It’s exactly the catchy upbeat song that I like a happy album to start out with. Now, clearly that’s not the only way to go. We’ll get to my all time favourite track one, side one, when we get to The Hip, and it goes in a totally different direction. But this works well for this album.

The album keeps up the pace with Stick to Milly, a song where you would never be able to guess the title from the lyrics. Those tend to amuse me ever since a previous guitar teacher of mine asked the class to name as many songs as we could that didn’t contain the name of the song in the chorus. From here the album moves along nicely to 54-40 mainstay Love You All, and my favourite 54-40 track, Crossing a Canyon. This is an example of a phenomenon I encounter partially due to my love of album construction: my favourite song from a band isn’t on my favourite album of theirs. Here we see one example, and another I can think of off of the top of my head is from my punk catalog. I’m pretty excited for us to get to Bad Religion.

Unfortunately after Crossing a Canyon the album starts a gentle slide downhill. HJooked on Bliss is a rather undistinguishable track. Not unpleasant to listen to, and it fits well on the album, but it’s just not overly noteworthy. The album looks like it might recover from this with the surprisingly good Couldn’t be Sorry. This is a groovy little tune that probably could have done pretty well as a single. I like it, and generally wouldn’t skip over it when listening to the CD. Tragically, this is where the wheels really start to come off. the next song is vying for the “worst track on the album” title. This Is My Haircut would have made the album better with it’s exclusion. The next few songs are musically unremarkable, though there seems to be an attempt to try some different things musically. Sadly nothing really works. I am slightly amused by the title Frankl’s Revenge, as I find the existentialist in me hoping it’s a reference to Viktor Frankl, the founder of logotherapy. The lyrics certainly suggest that it is, and that’s awesome. Muscially it’s the best of a bad lot, in my opinion, as it’s followed up by I Love Candy, and Cry a Little.

Now, we come to an interesting track. Here, right at the very end of the album, 54-40 chooses to stash Lies to Me. Really? Here? Talk about a deep cut. This peppy little number is a short, catchy jaunt that sounds great on the album, and plays even better live. I honestly think the album would have worked much better if they had dropped This Is My Haircut and Cry a Little, and moved Lies to Me up into it’s position in track 7. Less dead space, tighter, more focused album. I don’t really have anything against Cry a Little, it just really doesn’t work where it is. It seems to be a little experimental for the album (their version of Revolution No.9) and doesn’t fit well.

So, all in all I like the album. Some great tracks, and a good feel to it. Just a little too long, with a couple duds on it. I would say that it’s probably not as good an album as Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret, but it’s a case of the high’s being higher, but the lows being lower.

My Collection: Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret

To begin, a few ground rules. These posts will be about my CD collection. My first albums were on cassette tape. I did have a couple of albums on vinyl (still do), but the vast majority of my early acquisitions were tapes. I still remember the first album I purchased for myself: Killers by Kiss. You’ll have to wait for my first CD acquisition, it’s down in the W’s.

I was debating just posting about the albums as I felt like talking about them, but I decided going in a specific order would force me to talk about more of my collection than I would have otherwise. I won’t be doing compilation albums (greatest hits, retrospectives, tribute albums, soundtracks), just straight up studio albums. Sorry, no live content. I’ll be going through the artists in alphabetical order, and when I have multiple albums from the same artist I’ll try to do the albums chronologically, but I make no promises I won’t screw up. In fact, you might want to count on at least one.

I was also thinking of going track by track, but for the most part, I think that would leave me with a whole lot of comments like “I don’t really like this track. Next.” So I will generally just be giving my overall impressions and thoughts on the album, plus whatever little nugget pops into my skull while I’m writing about it.

Without further ado, I give you 54-40’s 1994 release, Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret.

I tend to think of 54-40 as an iconic Canadian band. I was aware of them before they played my frosh week in university, but only peripherally. Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret wasn’t the first album of theirs that I purchased, and I don’t remember what specifcally drew me to it, but it turned out to have a fantastic example of a surprise gem. Sometimes you buy an album because you like the band, or want to try them out. Sometimes you buy an album for a track or two. In this case I bought the album for a few of the tracks: Blame Your Parents, Radio Luv Song, Assoholic, and Ocean Pearl specifcally. Sure I think that they’re all great songs, but as it turned out, my favourite track isn’t any of those. It’s What Buddy Was. To me, this was a surprise gem on the album. Sunk deep into the album at track 13, you’re mired in the midst of the weak tracks. However, right from the get-go it sinks its hooks into you. There is something to be said for a simple drum beat and baseline. Almost a little Daft Punk-ish.

Generally I really like this album. It’s pretty solid through and through, with a good lineup of solid tracks and the aforementioned surprise gem. I think it does have a few duds (I’m looking at you Don’t Listen to That, Friends End, and Save Yourself), but even those serve as a kind of palate clenser. Also, I can’t really blame an album for having a few duds. I find it incredibly rare that I can site and listen to an entire album without wanting to skip a few tracks. Sure, some of them grow on you in time, but it is truly a feat (and probably a bit of luck) to create an album of 10-15 songs that are all great, or even good. Overall this album has more ups than downs, and is a solid effort from a solid Canadian outfit.

See you Tuesday.

 

 

Hi.

If you are a dreamer, come in,
If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer…
If you’re a pretender, come sit by my fire
For we have some flax-golden tales to spin.
Come in!
Come in!

Invitation by Shel Silverstein

So I went and did it. I had been thinking about it for quite some time, threatening it for a little while, and now I’ve done it. This is my blog. Well, my grown-up blog. I had (have) a LiveJournal account that’s still kicking, but it’s pretty painful for me to read now. This is something different. Less diary, more writing. That’s really what this is all about, writing. I don’t think I’m very good at it, and in taking the advice of my favourite author, I’m going to work on getting better by writing more. Yes, there are going to be errors. Punctuation, spelling (less likely, but nonetheless), syntax, sentence structure, etc. I’m probably going to irritate someone at some point. Hell, I irritate myself sometimes. But I’ve got a plan…

So I’m thinking I’ll do several different types of posts, posting something twice a week. I think I’m going to do Tuesdays and Fridays. I can’t say how long each post will be, and I surely cannot guarantee any quality, but it should be interesting. To me at least…

So, types of posts: I have always wanted to write about music, so one type will be me talking about albums in My Collection. I know the previous statement dates me, but I still much prefer obtaining my music through albums. There is something about the song selection and overall composition of an album I find appealing. The possibility of unearthing a hidden gem. The way one song can flow into the next. The anticipation of the next song.

The next type of post will be what I’m going to call In Defense of. This is going to be where I take something, usually a movie but not limited to that, and talk about why I think it has a bum rap. I might think of it as under-rated, or it might actually by bad, but I’m going to try and argue why it should be at least appreciated. Look for the year end In Defense of My Blog in December…

And finally, you, my dear reader, will get to read my Ramblings. These will be my mind-wanderings. Probably my own personal written versions of Flula’s two minute videos. These will probably be when I haven’t prepared, or don’t want to write, a real post. Yeah, these might be most of my posts.

So, onward. I have lies to tell. Lies, damned lies, and statistics…