chuck kottke

Well, I feel a bit responsible - I did bring them the keyboard part for Clocks, albeit largely a synthesizer part as well.. Perhaps that's all past now, and they will move on to greener pastures? Other inspirations? I do have more pieces to offer, though it's hard to judge if they would be as striking as what they had assembled on the AROBTTH album. Tell me what you think I should do then.

It has a nice ambiance quality to it.. if you wanted to make it more mainstream, you could add more dynamics - but the sound quality is excellent!

We haven't any woolworth's here, but the offer is sweet! I think better to switch to the darker fair-trade chocolates, though - better for everyone's health!

Lore, you could be my valentine!{:love:} I'll send you my next bar of fair-trade chocolate, if you like??;) (do you like yours w/ almonds, hazel nuts, sweet, or dark?)

Steaming 45 degrees! (I'll always remember that line from Midnight Oil!) Funny, I forget that as we approach spring (which seems like forever from this moonscape of winter), you're heading into fall! Well, at least the weather is pleasant in the shower!:thumbsup: ...reminds me of days at the university, with the swim, shower, and then out into the "splash" of cold air outside! Well done Miss Rachel Snicket!!:) (I like that - keep on laughin' mate - it's the only thing you can do for free!))

I've been composing something new on the piano..:)

Welcome Stephan!!:cool: Probably you just need to find a group that "gells" well.. It's great to write your own stuff - that I truly admire.. But most groups that bolt to success often do so by taking on older tunes, or someone else's works, and perfecting it; making it newer; but I don't know what the future holds for the music world - my guess is that we're in a transition period, and have been for some time.. Maybe more original stuff will become the norm?! Anyhow, keep on searching, and aiming to be the best!;) Sincerely, -Chuck.

Happy Valentine's Day to all three of you!!:hat::love::sunny:

Future Past Present Rock and roll came from (mostly) Irish sand dances and African rhythms (ca. 1830's, near NY), according to a Wiki article on it, so not too far a stretch logistically, but the dates are off a bit!:) It's the reverberation and repetition of these old folk tunes, and various new ones added along the way, that rock & roll stems from. We just think it all began in the 50's!:laugh3: What I think the Beatles, U2, and Coldplay do is to take the music to a more polished level, add their own twist, and they have the ability to project a range of human emotion so exceptionally and universally well; and with great marketing skills (ie - the Beatles invented Beatlemania). Plus, they retain their humble qualities, even while gaining stardom - something everyone likes, as it makes them all the more like all of us. (sure, they have a bit of an attitude, but then it's earned, and really propels them into other arenas, such as the global issues they each tackle. But each takes a different twist to it - Harrison was a Beatle, perhaps "the" beatle, but he wasn't the whole effort. U2 is really a team effort, as is Coldplay's. Where U2 goes to the heart of poverty and diseases, Coldplay aims to end the unfair trade practices that have undermined the south for centuries.. Each tackles a different aspect of working on global equality and care, bringing to the forefront problems many have given up on in the past, and with remarkable success! (with a long way to go still as well..) One thing to remember, though - the creative efforts were (and are) often done by others, often by those forgotten to all but music historians and collectors. Perhaps in their later accomplishments they grow more creative - I'm trying to recall what Lennon had said about which Beatles songs came from R&B artists, and when.. As the cause is good, it's great to see them going for the goals, and I wish them all the luck in the future - if the stars have so divined it, then let it be..

:sleeping2::sleeping:

Anotherwords, you have forever and a day for break??:P

Wwow! Your just a veritable fountain of poetry, miss Snicket!:) OOoo, but that first one is so sad.. I suppose, we've all felt that way sometimes, but quite the heart-strings to pluck. 2nd one is better for upbeatedness..:pleased: 3rd seems an accurate diatribe about our modern world, the business culture,- and it's feel of disconnect with anything truly "human" - but then the robots gave us the Internet! I'm only slightly aware of how it works; but as someone once famously said, "any technology sufficiently developed is indistinguishable from magic".:laugh3:Makes one wonder if we'll keep our sanity in the modern world..:glasses::wacko: And the last is quite thought-provoking - daring to ask the questions that we all have at times - politeness over deeper truths.. and how we defer to the former, and hide the latter. Oh well, time stands still for none of us, and best we can do is steer a clear course away from the rocky shoals and the stinging jellyfishes!:sunny: Great mind you have!! The shell. Once upon a computer dreary, while I pondered operating system theory, thence upon I hit a marvelous shell.. it was pulled shut tight, wedged between rocks and only showed itself when I would pry.. with clam knife, aha! open, I thought I had it, and then it yelled: "this program has performed and illegal operation, and (you) will be shut down!" and thus, the shell won, and will filter feed another day on streaming data from fertile ocean cables, just off the sound.. And mysteries abound..

SPAM just had their 50th anniversary.. Where would Iowa and Hormel be without spam you might ask? Well, there's always deep-fried pork rinds, and corn and soybeans, paving equipment, and hog-calling contests..:P

Welcome!:)

Gleetings and salutations!:joker::elf::egypt:

Any of you ever work construction? You should realize how dangerous it can be, and the need for life and limb injury prevention is certain great! Keep up the good work, Ian!

Personally, I went for X & Y over AROBTTH because there's less gruesome connection to that image on the album cover! I mean, look at it - someone's head getting cut in two, and then some pinnacle of ice piercing the rest at some unknown velocity? I just this that's wayy too harsh, especially in light of all the sad chapters in recent history.. maybe it would have been fine had the artwork been less "graphic".. X&Y has multiple meanings, & is a very elegant naming.. much more peaceful.

one republic has that sad, mournful sound also.. It's endemic in modern music!:laugh3:

Doobie Brothers - Listen to the Music !!!:):):)

above is thinking.. how often do I get back to my tribal Teutonic roots??:P

:laugh3:Oh Canada, Oh Canada, god sheds his grace on thee.. I thought, given the difficulty of such a falsetto singing, that he did alright? OK - it wasn't recording-studio quality, but it was alright. Yea, it is rather almost an exact copy though.. Oh well, you'll recover Tracie!;) "Like water off a duck's back"

McCain is an enigma, because for someone who was held prisoner in a hole in the ground during the war with Korea, and who supported campaign finance reform (authored it in part!), he's lost a lot of his credibility with regards to funding and with regards to foreign policy. Maybe power really does do odd things to people, and they forget what conditions made them better aware of the need for both preventing wars and getting a better system for elections? I suppose, as the Eagles song goes, "it isn't such a bitter world, now that I've got mine.." So the old saying goes too - "a full belly never feels for an empty one" - people loose empathy over time, when their lives are pretty good.. Well, that's my 2 cents on McCain.

change #1. Al Gore won in 2000! (and our Supreme Court made the decision for Bush, which is a breach of the intent of the US Constitution.) #2. Unless a meteor strikes the US, a Democrat will win the Presidency in 2008! #3. There will be quite a lot of change as soon as we get a new President (and some turn-over in Congress), which is in the cards, as the economy has slowed, signaling a desire for change. #4. Election funding remains a big problem, as large "stakeholders" continue to affect our nation in negative ways. However, they may be well aware by now that the Bush admin. and Co. have wrought some economic havoc, and may now be siding more with enlightened Democrats. Our foreign policy had been one of "what's in it for me economically", and "how do I get the best return on the investments" - which is very narrow minded, to say the least. So, the enlightened Democrats and some Republicans have now realized the folly of this type of thinking, and I predict there will be a more sane foreign policy coming from the US. Preventing terrorism means reducing overall global poverty and injustice, and this is something our current administration has ignored, or at best given lip service to. I think Barack Obama, being the wise graduate of the University of Chicago, will undoubtedly see things in the right light, and work to correct our errors. And he has a much saner energy policy, which given the economic power the US has, should help change the direction of the energy sector of the global economy, and shift things towards efficiency and renewable energy, like wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass. So, hopefully we will regain our standing in the world, and get over the "virus" of isolationist 'bunker mentality' that had gripped much of our citizens here. I liken it to the land of Oz, and while the curtain hasn't been pulled back for all to see, broad swaths of the electorate are now aware of the hood-winking we've gone through, and the economic pinch wakes people up - especially with something like 2 million home owners suddenly in a credit crunch, with all the ripple effects.. So, yes, I would predict a major turn-around here, and better times ahead..:)

? Well, almost all musical talents get their start imitating other's works (ahem - Coldplay did this too..) And U2 - GLORIA? Eh, remember?;) So, look at it as flattering, even if you don't like the redone versions! Anyhow, that's my 2 cents worth..:P

Sure, it's -22C here; probably -40C with the wind chill - but hey, I just walked 5 miles to the corner store, and made it back fine! Sheesh, what's with my neighbors - they think I'm loony!:rolleyes: All they do is drive around and go out to eat.. I just think, if you dress for the occasion, there's no mountain you can't climb!:elf: we must overcome our fears of the world we live in..