The Yearly Giving of Thanks

It's black Friday (at least it was when I started writing this post, I have a tendency to get a little backlogged) and you know what that means… Locking all the doors and windows, staying in the house watching Christmas shows, and eating leftovers! What? That’s just me? You do what at 3 a.m.!?! Well have fun with that but I personally do not want to take part in any heartwarming American tradition that inevitably seems to end in the trampling of innocent people on the way to cheap novelty toys. And luckily for me, my family shares my sentiment on this. With the exception of my poor dad, who had to brave the roads during Black Friday rush hour (7a.m.) to get to the firehouse where he will probably face a shift of trying to revive trampled people, the rest of us (that would be my mom and I) were content to stay in the house all day.

I’ve got a great family. I mean, yeah they’re a little nuts, but the best ones always are. When I’m looking around the neighborhood at all of the hip young couples and their hip young babies I am always glad that my own family seems to have run as far away from that cookie cutter as possible. We’ve got our quirks and sure there’s the occasional screaming match, but overall I think we pretty much like each other. Good for us. And for that I am incredibly, shouting from the mountain tops, thankful.

Yesterday, we all hoped in the car and drove to Pueblo to enjoy the traditional stuffing of face with our extended family (well part of it at least). It’s a little more than 2 hours in the car on a fairly blah stretch of highway with legions of other holiday commuters. I have the hips of an 80 year old and they ache something fierce when I sit it a certain position for too long. But still I love these kinds of trips because my parents let me plug in my iPod and be in charge of the music for the whole trip. Lucky for all of us, I have very obscure taste in music and my parents are just as big of classic rock fans as I am. So we bridge the generation gap and rock out for a while. It’s awesome and I’m thankful for those two hours.

Then, when we finally get to my aunt and uncle’s house, we are greeted with the world’s best aroma, tuuuuuurkey! And hugs, those are nice too. For the next hour it’s just a frenzy of everyone trying to help (or at least stay out of the way) in an effort to get the food to the table a little faster. Then the best part, tuuuuuuurkey! I don’t know if this happens at every holiday gathering or if it’s more Salagovic specific, but as soon as the food is out it goes practically silent for the next few minutes then the volume gradually increases as the plates empty. I’ve come to the conclusion that the volume of the group is inversely related to the amount of food on the plates. So there’s that and my uncle and his not so candid camera that we’ve all learned to ignore (the shots always come out quite nice), but other than that we really don’t have any major, holiday halting quirks. Between internet advice columns and holiday movies you’d think that every family has gory skeletons in their closet that come exploding out as soon as each seat around the holiday table has a butt in it. But I guess we just don’t. For that I am thankful.

I am also thankful for the Macy’s parade, it’s just so festive! I love it! And I’m thankful for the DVR that lets me record it because we always leave for Pueblo before it starts. This year there were some really great acts, and a ton of pop artists that I’d never heard of, but the presence of the amazing Arlo Guthrie and the fabulous Gladys Knight (though the Pips were mysteriously absent) made up for that. Also, I was pretty impressed by Jimmy Fallon (who I never realized could sing) and his band. They revived a retro piece that originally appeared as a superstar medley on a holiday telethon, “Feed The World”. The words are great and touching and they make you think about the rest of the world, plus it’s a pretty catchy anthem. “And there won’t be snow in Africa this Christmastime. The greatest gift they’ll get this year is life (Oooh)…” it’s just as true today as it was when the song first rocked in the 80’s. And I am thankful for that too. I am reminded that there are so many things that we all just take for granted (a bed, Thanksgiving dinner, clean water…) while there are people all over the world living without. And what is even more amazing is that many of these people, though they’ve never watched a single TV show or worn designer clothes in their lives, are truly happy and content. I am thankful that I have what I do but I also hope to be able to learn from those who make do without what I have.

I hope you are all equally as content and thankful. May we all go out and, little by little, spread a little love for the holidays!

Effortless Mastery

I have a musicology exam tomorrow. I feel pretty good about the subject matter, it's just the idea of writing about 3 essays in a bit less than 2 hours that's getting to me. There was a study group planned but it sort of disbanded. Two of us resolved to work on outlining the essays anyway. This is mostly because we know that if we don't sit down and do it with another person around to motivate us by making the other feel like a lazy slob for not working, there's a good chance we'll grow over confident in our understanding of the material and elect not to study at all. That would be a bad move. When we sat down to study we quickly discover that between us, we have the attention span of, I don’t know, a fly… trapped in a room full of people smoking pot… with all the windows closed. It’s that bad. So we decide to take a few hours off (not like that’s what I’ve been doing all day) before getting dinner which will focus our bodies and minds in order for us to have a productive and successful study session. Yep, that’s the plan. It’s totally gonna work!

So in the mean time I thought a little mind numbing stumbling would be a good way to relax (If you don’t know what I mean by stumbling, go to www.stumbleupon.com and watch your free time melt away). However, I kept getting this feeling the universe was trying to tell me something about my so called life as a musician through the “randomly” generated websites that kept popping up… granted it’s probably just the finals stress talking, but still.

One of the first sites I stumbled upon was a Wikipedia entry about something called effortless mastery. Effortless mastery is kind of the goal that all musicians are working towards, well, one of them at least. The wiki had this to say on the subject, “The concept is an attempt to give a name to the state of mind in which one can reach the potential of their musical abilities. This state of mind is characterized by a direct, fluid link between the physical processes of performance, and one’s individual creativity. Performers practice the act of tuning out distraction so that they can count on their ability to do this during the performing event.” Basically it’s 2 things:
1) Knowing how to play your instrument (voice included) so well that when you are performing you don’t have to think about how to make a particular sound but rather, which particular sound you will make next in order to express yourself and the piece you are playing.
2) Being in a state of mind while you are performing where you are strictly in the moment. You aren’t worried about what just happened (your voice cracked) or what is going to happen next (how you’re going to hit that high note), you are just focusing on making the sound coming out of you at that very moment the best it can be.

Sounds nice huh? Yes it does, especially for me whose knees shake every time I sing in performance class. So I may not be there yet, but I can still be inspired by those who are. And speaking of those thusly enlightened, the next thing I stumbled upon was this.



Sure the dude’s only got like three teeth and a crazy beard but the man can play! Do you think he’s hung up on what chord progression to follow or what the fingering is for the next chord? Hell no! The music is coming to his fingers and he’s concentrating on really performing it. Not in the show-stopping tap dance number kind of way, but he is performing for those people none the less. And it is obvious that the emotion and expression of his playing is not lost on them. Effortless mastery.


While I was thinking about the subject I was reminded of another performance that really spoke to me, the “Let it Be” scene in Across the Universe. This clip is either the audition for the part or a very early rehearsal.



Wow, right? That lady (Carol Woods) has got some pipes! As a singer, this performance really hits me. I am absolutely floored by how deeply connected she is to the music. She knows the words and the melody and the notes and the chord changes so well, they are so deeply internalized, that she doesn’t have to think about them at all. All she is focused on is really making them mean something. She delivers each line, each word to the fullest extent of her abilities and her emotions. You’ll notice that towards the end she even cries and her voice cracks when she so touchingly speaks the words “let it be”. In those few minutes, we (and the director) feel so connected to her performance that we can practically feel the pain she is expressing. Effortless mastery.

I guess this is what my voice teacher meant when she told me that in order to be able to use what she teaches me in performance, I have to get it into my “lizard brain”. She was talking about knowing something so well that it becomes instinct. That skill has been learned and repeated and explored so many times from so many angles that it is stored in the part of your brain that reminds you to breathe. It’s instinct, like a lizard finding a sunny rock to warm himself. It will be a long road for me to reach this point, if I ever do, but I can just imagine how amazing it must feel to be free of the nerves that accompany performance and really be able to bear your soul through the music. And after all, isn’t that what music is for?

Which Beatles album to download, Part II

                So I was taking a break from studying my French final when I started this post. I worked on it for about an hour, a little longer than I had intended to, but I did get through 4 of the 7 remaining albums with what I thought were pretty good reviews. Then, feeling guilty about my lack of studying I exited Word to work on other things with the intention to come back and finish the final albums later tonight. Well apparently closing a word document proved far too advanced for the likes of my computer skills and I managed to delete all that work… GAH! So here we go again… well not you because you never got to read the first one… here I go again.

Album: Revolver (1966)

Songs you probably know: “Eleanor Rigby” and “Here, There, and Everywhere”

My favorite songs: “Taxman”, “Good Day Sunshine”, “For No One”

General: This album is where things start to get druggy. The boys have all been smoking pot for a while now but now they’re getting into some harder stuff. “She Said She Said” for example, was inspired by John’s second ever acid trip. By this time they have a good fan base, i.e. screaming hordes of girls and a bunch of relatively sane people that you never hear about. They don’t have to worry so much about getting people to like them so they start experimenting. The subjects and lyrics of these songs aren’t all as happy and predictable as before (though that type of song is far from gone). Plus, musically, there are some things on this album that you just did not hear in 60’s rock. What sounds like some kind of Indian music on “Tomorrow Never Knows” is actually just a regular tape loop played backwards. They were just beginning to experiment with using studio techniques to create new sounds. And, speaking of Indian music, this is the first time we really see its effect on The Beatles. George had been studying sitar with Ravi Shankaar the previous year and (though he is not the one playing the sitar) “Love To You” is the first really Indian sounding Beatles song. This album is like a precursor to the psychedelic 60’s still to come.

Album:  Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

Songs you probably know: “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “With a Little Help from My Friends”

My favorite songs: “Within you and With Out You”, “Getting Better”, “A Day in the Life”

General: Before I tell you about this album let me just take a moment of silence in which to pay homage to its excellence… okay. This album has been hailed as the high point of The Beatle’s career and often of the history of rock and roll so far. There are books written about it by the same people who write about Beethoven and Brahms.  The boys were fed up with how difficult touring had become and decided to stop; the idea was for this album to go on tour for them. As such, they spent and unprecedented amount of time and money recording it. It has become known as a concept album (even though it didn’t start that way) in which The Beatles take on the fake persona of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, an Edwardian era brass band, putting on a live show. This album was kind of Paul’s baby, they say he got the idea when he was traveling in Nairobi and had to wear a disguise to get around quietly. He thought it would be great if the whole band could have a disguise to escape the pressures of having to constantly churn out the same old songs, hit after hit. Perhaps this is why they all sported moustaches at the time? This album is just pure creative freedom. It is completely off the beaten path of 60’s rock. There are classical touches on psychedelic lyrics (thank you musicology class for that line), rock guitars and orchestras and Indian instruments, all ending in an “orchestral orgasm” that should “sound like the end of the world”. They experimented with rhythms, melodies, instruments, subjects, lyrics, all kinds of weirdness! And because they are creative geniuses, it worked. I mean it really worked. If you are only going to download one album, this is it. 

Album:  Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

Songs you probably know: “All You Need is Love”, “Hello, Goodbye” and “Penny Lane”  

My favorite songs: “Strawberry Fields Forever”, “I am the Walrus”, and “All You Need is Love”

General: First of all I want to point out that this was released just a few short months after Sgt. Pepper, you’d think they would want to take a break after changing the history of rock and roll. This album has found its place firmly in the category of the psychedelic 60’s. The lyrics and music are pretty out there and occasionally event meant to confuse us. I guess they figured that all the weird stuff they did in Sgt. Pepper worked out really well so why not try weirder stuff? This album also had a movie that went with it but I’ve never seen it (please, control your cries of outrage) because it’s proving tricky to find. It is supposed to be just about the worst movie ever, a sort of mini documentary in which The Beatles and some friends all pile onto a groovy bus and drive around the country and… well, I don’t really know what they do. Let it be known however, that I liked The Who’s rock opera movie Tommy so when I finally get my hands on this I’m sure I’ll end up loving it. Anyways, this album sound like the sound track to a drug trip, and it probably was for a lot of people in its time. But don’t worry, even if you don’t drop acid or smoke weed you can still enjoy this album and all of the wild place it lets your mind wander to.   

Album:  The Beatles aka: The White Album, due to its plain white cover (1968)

Songs you probably know:  “Blackbird” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”

My favorite songs: “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, “I Will”, “Revolution 1”

General: This is The Beatles first and only double album. Most people agree, including their producer, George Martin, that there are enough songs that nobody would miss had they been left out that it would have been fine as a regular sized album, but hey, it’s The Beatles, who’s gonna say no? By this time they were beginning to feel all of those concerts, travel, recording sessions, and press events together catch up with them.  Yoko was hanging around more and everyone was annoyed with everyone else. To most Beatles fans this album marks the beginning of the end. But, despite its somber label it’s still got some really great songs to offer. Unfortunately some of a fan’s favorites tend to be smushed between inconsequential little tunes. Then there is “Revolution 9”, less of a song on more the sound track to a nightmare. We can all thank Mrs. Ono for helping out on that one. But, as if to redeem her, the amazing Eric Clapton also laid down an amazing, unaccredited, lead guitar part on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” for his buddy George. 

Album:  Yellow Submarine (1969)

Songs you probably know: “Yellow Submarine” and… well that might be the only one

My favorite songs: “All Together Now” and “Hey Bulldog”

General: This is by far the least Beatle-y Beatles album out there. As you know, this went with the movie Yellow Submarine a cartoon aimed at kids in which the Beatles didn’t even do their own voice acting. This album has a few rereleases and a very few new songs. The entire B side, which would just be the last 7 songs to you because you will be buying it on iTunes rather than vinyl, is made up of wordless orchestral pieces meant to go with the movie and arranged by George Martin. They’re good, fun instrumentals but not really The Beatles you’re probably looking to hear. It’s probably more of an album for the hardcore fans. But the few new songs on it are quite fun at you have luxury of just buying those rather than the whole album. Fancy!

Album:  Abbey Road (1969)

Songs you probably know:  I honestly hope you know most of them… you probably do. But still, “Come Together” and “Here Comes the Sun”

My favorite songs: “Something”, “Oh! Darling”, “The End” (that was really hard for me)

General: This is the last album the boys recorded and a damn good one at that. Obviously they had been through a lot together and I think on some level they knew the end had arrived. So they pulled themselves together and put together a bang with which to end. This one was recorded much more like a real band than the last few, a lot less over dubbing and separate recordings being pieces together. I think that’s probably why it has all the authenticity of one really amazing band but with all of the musical knowledge and mastery gained over 10 years (I’m counting before they started recording) of experimenting and working together.  This is really one of the greats and if you don’t already have it now is the time!

 Album: Let It Be (1970)

Songs you probably know: “Let it Be” and “Across the Universe”

My favorite songs:  The above plus “I Me Mine” and “Two of Us”

General:  There is always some confusion about this album. You say, “But you said Abbey Road was the last thing they recorded, why did this come out later? Hmmmm?” Settle down and keep your accusatory Hmmming to yourselves! All of these songs were part of what was going to be a movie, a real documentary type thing about the song process and all, but as far as I know it got scrapped. I think some version of it was eventually released but it’s just a lot of pretty random footage from around the studio. Being so close to the end it feels almost tense in a way. I’ve heard an early take of “Dig It” where they stop a little ways in and start snapping at each other… sad indeed. Musically though this has got some really lovely songs, most are very soulful and contemplative.

And that’s it….

Well a few more things.

1)      iTunes also has the remastered box set available which is all of these albums plus things like booklets, a video of a concert, and a possibly a few other video clips and outtake type things that aren’t available elsewhere. I’d be interested to see these things but certainly can’t justify the $150 for music I already have.

2)      The blue and red album thingies are just chronological compilation albums. Maybe a god choice if you just can’t decide.

3)      These are all the stereo versions. Probably to accommodate all the fancy speakers we have these days. 95% of this music was written with mono in mind and whoever transferred them to stereo had to take some creative liberties. So in a way they are a bit less authentic but in some cases they do sound a little nicer

The end, I hope you can now go forth upon iTunes and make a Beatles purchase you will love!

What better way to begin than with The Beatles...

That’s right, there is no better way. But before I get to the good stuff (if I dare call it that), I suppose I should take care of the obligatory blog intro. I am starting this blog on a whim. Why? Because I fancy myself to be a fairly whimsical person. Seriously though, I suppose I started a blog for the same reason any one starts a blog, because I like to think my opinions are interesting and/or important, because I like the idea of speaking frankly to no one when I know that it could really be anyone, because deep down I’m a little narcissistic, because I enjoy writing… you know same old reasons. So this blog is potentially no different than any of the other million and ten blogs written by bored college students who think they’re funny, and I’m okay with that. The important thing is that I’m here and you’re here (supposedly) and we’re all enjoying ourselves (hopefully).

Now, on to matters of substance!!!

If you know me at all, or have seen my iPod or my facebook page, or watched me walk around humming (or possibly straight up singing) you will know that I am a Beatles fan. It’s just a little teeny obsession I have. It’s no secret, I just really love them. Their music, their personalities, their history, their wit… it’s all great. Most of my friends have come to accept this quirk of mine, in fact some feel the need to forward me anything Beatles related they see and occasionally they even give me Beatles themed presents (these are my favorite people;) ). I love that you all associate me with such an amazing legacy!

                As you certainly know, the Beatles music has officially come to iTunes. I bet a bunch of you own Beatles 1 or Abbey Road and you like what you hear. You’re interested in downloading an album or two but which one to choose? That, my dear friends, is what I am here for; to be you Beatles guru! You are also welcome to ignore me if you so chose. So here we go (chronologically of course)...

Album:  Please Please Me (1963)

Songs you probably know: “Love Me Do” and “I Saw Her Standing There”

My favorite songs: “Please Please Me”, “Love Me Do”, “I Saw Her Standing There”

General: This was the first album the boys released. Amazingly, it was all recorded in one day with the help of a big bowl of throat lozenges.  Being so early in their career a lot of these songs are covers of popular songs of the day but their distinct sound is already there.  I love the uninhibited swing of this album. It falls right in the middle of the birth of rock as we know it. Sure it sounds tame to our ears but think back to the stuffy British parents of the day who only condoned classical music and a public radio that played less than an hour of rock per day. This album embodies teenage rebellion before it became cool to be rebellious.

Album: With The Beatles (1963)

Songs you probably know: “All My Loving” and “Roll Over Beethoven”

My favorite songs: “Please Mr. Postman”, “Till There Was You”, “You Really Got a Hold on Me”

General: Another early album. Not terribly different from Please Please Me, there are still quite a few cover songs (my favorite Being “Please Mr. Postman”, which was originally sung by The Marvelettes, a sweet female Motown group) but they’re a little cleaner and more put together, like the guys are really starting to get a feel for the band and what kind of sound they were going for. Essentially it’s the material they would do in a live show because that’s all they knew so far. Just pretend you’re rocking out at the Cavern Club!

Album:  A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

Songs you probably know: “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Can’t Buy Me Love”

My favorite songs: “And I Love Her”, “Things We Said Today”, “A Hard Day’s Night”

General: I think it’s pretty amazing that by this time in their career (only their third album in just about a year and a half) they were already popular enough for this album to do incredibly well for itself as well as support an accompanying full length movie by the same name (it’s hilarious by the way). Beatlemania has started! This is a quintessentially pop-y album, the majority of the songs are upbeat and not very complex, the epitome of 60’s rock. There are, however, a few outstanding tracks which are already venturing away from those standards. Perhaps they are an early sign if the artistic genius the band would soon obtain.

Album: Beatles For Sale (1964)

Songs you probably know: “Eight Days A Week” and “Every Little Thing”

My favorite songs: : “I’ll Follow The Sun”, “What You’re Doing” (largely because of the fun opening drum part), “Every Little Thing”

General: With no accompanying movie or other crazy media tricks this album is more back to normal, just a band playing songs. What I find most notable about this album is the general feeling of security. They are now writing all of their own song and have settled into their own sound.  You can tell that they are already experimenting with studio effects to enhance, alter, and add expression to their songs. “Eight Days a Week” is the first song to feature a fade in, something that they couldn’t do in a live show (yes, I did get that directly from musicology class if you recognized it). There seems to be change in the air for the honest little rock quartet.

Album: Help! (1965)

Songs you probably know: “Help!”, “Ticket To Ride”, and “Yesterday” (see, more and more hits)

My favorite songs: “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away”, “I’ve Just Seen a Face”, “Help!”

General: Yep, they’re pretty much super powers of the music world by now, the swarms of screaming girls are growing with every show.  This album also goes hand in hand with a movie, also by the same name, also hilarious. Ringo (Oh God, spell check doesn’t think that’s a word!) gets a ring in a fan letter from India. Being the fine connoisseur of man jewelry that he is, Ringo puts it on only to find that he can’t get it off. Apparently he who wears the ring must be sacrificed to the dread Kailei, of course the band won’t stand for that and they go on a wild chase that takes them to the Bahamas, the Alps, Stonehenge, and more! It is absolutely ridiculous, thanks in large part I think, to the copious amounts of pot they were all smoking at the time.  The music on this album is good vintage rock. It’s creative and unique but still light and fun.

Album: Rubber Soul (1965)

Songs you probably know: “Drive My Car” and “In My Life”

My favorite songs: “In My Life” (quite possibly my favorite Beatles song) and “Norwegian Wood”

General: Now that I look at it there aren’t really any well known, big hit types of songs on this album which, in my opinion, makes it kind of a secret gem in the Beatles arsenal. I feel like this is the first album where they really started breaking out of the typical 60’s rock band mold. They get into some really cool musical and theoretical stuff in this one. “Norwegian Wood” for example is in Dorian Mode (a really fancy, complicated kind of scale for those of you who are fortunate enough to have never taken a music theory class) and “In My Life” has an amazing harpsichord like solo. This album is half regular old pop and have conservative experimental, it can’t really make up its mind, which is perhaps why there are such mixed feelings about it. It’s got some amazing work and some songs that I wouldn’t listen to nearly as much if they weren’t on the same record as some of my favorites.

                Rubber Soul also marks about the middle of The Beatles recording career and the end of what I will call Part 1. It’s late, there are still 6 more albums to discuss (including some of the most fascinating), and I have a French final tomorrow. I would like to promise you that I’ll do the rest of these tomorrow or the day after but, while I’m excited about this blog right now, there is no guarantee it won’t go the way of oh so many of my dairies and journals throughout the years, neglected until I’m upset about something or procrastinating about something else. But, hey, people might actually be reading this! So I guess I can try to make it not suck… again, no promises.

Peace and Love!