Across The Sea with El Scorcho

Pinkerton is still my favorite album from Weezer despite being considered a flop and even labeled as one of the worst album in 1996 by Rolling Stones. Maybe there was a huge expectations after the success of Weezer's debut, The Blue Album and people expected music video ala Buddy Holly which they refused to do anymore.

Why I like the album:

• Straight forward and provocatively funny lyric. Most of the lyric was written from personal stand while Rivers was studying at Harvard. Even though quite a few times he admit that the album was hideous and it is like spilling your guts in front of everyone.
• GEEK - POWER POP - TEEN ANGST. It is dark and much more personal, teen angst with loud guitar...and I was 16 when the album was released. Make sense.
  
• Raw sound. I really mean raw, when I heard the sound of strings squeaked, fingers sliding on the strings and even the sound of guitar's amp humming. I can only imagine the mics are all over the studio and hi-hat and cymbals battering and the sound of amp tube. It is like jamming with the band in your bedroom.
  
• Gibson guitars. Les-Paul, flying V, SG give true meaning of garage band rocka rolla.
• The song "Butterfly". My favorite track from Pinkerton. The song gives significant end to the frenetic and noisy album.

The lyrics are damn funny, read some..

I'm dumb, she's a lesbian

I thought I had found the one

We were good as married in my mind
But married in my mind's no good
"Pink Triangle"

I asked you to go to the Green Day concert
You said you never heard of them
How cool is that?
So I went to your room and read your diary:
"Watching Grunge leg-drop New-Jack through a press table..."
And then my heart stopped, listening to Cio-Cio san
"El Scorcho"

All of the drugs she does
Scare me real good
She's got a tattoo and two pet snakes
Nobody knows me like her
Nobody knows her like me
"No other one"

At 10 I shaved my head and tried to be a monk
I thought the older women would like me if i did
You see mom, I'm a good little boy
"Across the sea"

When I look in the mirror, I can't believe what I see
Tell me, who's that funky dude, staring back at me?
"The good life"

I'm spread
So thin
I don't know who I am (who I am)
Monday night I'm making Jen
Tuesday night I'm making Lyn
Wednesday night I'm making Catherine
"Tired of sex"

On the contrary, this album in any other way influenced the emo/alternative/pop shitty bands that we have to suffer through today.

I came across to write this entry last week while I was doing 5S in my home office. I found 3 boxes containing cds and mp3s of bands/singers that I used to listen. Some of them still produce good music, some already dead and some have been abducted by alien and recently return to earth producing odd and weird new album like Silverchair. Ha ha.

Michael: Always Work With The Best

Michael Jackson punya cerita sana-sini. Sampai tahap kerani aku tanya, "Michael Jackson dikebumikan macam mana?".

Aku pun nak cerita jugak.

This is what I call a true entertainer and a musician. His music have effects on people's life and last forever. Aside from his personal life, as a musician he is truly a genius. I notice that one of the way he marketed his album was, hiring the best, the most hyped & the most popular guitarist on planet earth to play on his album. That was his niche.

Beside making your album looking supercool, when you work with the best, you can expect the outcome of the end product. That's why he managed to break the barrier between artistry and commercialism. This level of coolness was when people say "ehh...itu Slash siottt perform dengan Michael...!" That was 1992.

And you know what, Puff Daddy, Jay-Z, MC Hammer and the rest need to thank MJ, because, regardless what color MJ's skin was, in 1982 MJ was the artist that initiate the pressure on MTV to play a Black artist video clip. At that time, MTV primarily prefer to air white rock group videos.

The Thriller album was a huge pressure for MTV to mount at that time and MJ simply paved ways to other Black artist, and Billie Jean video was a breakthrough and the rest was history. This story was highlighted in MTV's Rockumentary last Saturday. Needless to say, one man, one album, did it all.

Michael Jackson (1958-2009)

Always go with the best. Below are the list of guitarist that worked with MJ.

Eddie Van Helen. "Beat It."

Steve Stevens. Billy Idol's guitarist, "Smooth Criminal."

Slash. Brader ni contribute dalam lagu "Black or White", &
"Give It To Me".

Carlos Santana. Track: "Whatever Happens",
album "Invincible".

p/s: The guitarist list was from him and the images are googled, banyak la free time arini. I must have rub some salt into Udin's wound to write this entry 90% in english....auww. Ha ha.

3 LITTLE PIGS from Green Jelly

Rewind 16 years ago.

I was 12 years-old and SBC 5 (later became TCS 5 and subsequently Media Corp) was my best friend. Saturdays just ain't the same without the Billboard 100 show. Masa tu jangan kata Astro, Mega TV pun takde lagi so Channel 5 was the main source of entertainment (ada jugak series yang lahanat macam Days of Our Live).

At that time I recalled one song that was among the top 20 and apparently was a hit because of the unique video clips. And the lyrics, is fucking funny. About this song, Green Jelly gave their own feel to the song, a metal feel and comedy. Another interesting fact about this song is, Maynard James Keenan (Tools & A Perfect Circle leadman) made a cameo, he sang the falsetto line "NOT BY THE HAIR OF MY CHINNY, CHIN, CHIN!!". Itulah highlight lawak untuk lagu ni, but to imagine Maynard doing that...funny but strange. (Maynard was the roommate of Green Jelly singer, Bill Manspeaker). Maynard is a damn serious dude.

The band's history, filled with controversies.

• Originally named Green Jello, but due to lawsuit by Kraft (owner of Jell-O brand) they change their name to Green Jelly. ha ha
  
• Sued by Kellog Company, due to the Toucan Sam character infringement. ha ha ha
  
• Sued by Metallica management due for duplicating the Enter Sandman riff for their song Electric Harley (House of Love). ha ha

So going to school, hearing classmates sang the line "NOT BY THE HAIR OF MY CHINNY, CHIN, CHIN!!"

I will replied, "ooo...jadi kau la babi tuh kan...ha ha ha".

So enjoy the one hit wonder...you big bad wolf!

Karma Police

For the past 2 weeks, I have been listening to Radiohead mp3 to-&-fro office. The band have been part of my teen angst "must listen to". I remember during the uni days, we played Creep (ada sekali atau dua kali, upon request from TM). The bridge was destructive enough, that I nearly bleed my finger & broke my pick. Since then, I prefer Jim Dunlop extra heavy pick or just cut-out prepaid top up card to make a pick. (plus that time I am always broke, masa student sengkek...just depend on scholarship to buy everything....) Hehe! For those kaki & tangan bangku, guitar pick is a plectrum use to strum the guitar.

Gua masih simpan! Kad bonus link yg jadi mangsa.

Radiohead lyric & video always thought provoking. Look for the song "Just" video from The Bends album in YouTube, and you'll know what I mean. Anyway, this is the song currently has been repeating over & over & over in my car. It's about the working class society. A metaphor. Note to my band: bole jam lagu nih?

Karma Police from OK Computer


Karma police, arrest this man, he talks in maths
He buzzes like a fridge, he's like a detuned radio
Karma police, arrest this girl, her hitler hairdo,
is making me feel ill
And we have crashed her party

This is what you get, this is what you get
This is what you get, when you mess with us

Karma police, I've given all I can, its not enough
I've given all I can, but were still on the payroll

This is what you get, this is what you get
This is what you get, when you mess with us

And for a minute there, I lost myself, I lost myself
And for a minute there, I lost myself, I lost myself
For a minute there, I lost myself, I lost myself