Friday, October 31, 2008

Halloween Music

Top 5 On Friday - Week 197 from the Music Memiors

Happy Halloween!

Top 5 Spooky Halloween Songs

My list ... well... I don't know how "spooky" it is, but it is definitely a Haloween list. And as I really like this kind of music, I'm going for a top 10. :)

10) Sympathy for the Devil (Guns and Roses).
A creepy song about the Devil. The cover has much more atmosphere than the original.

9) Nosferatu (Aztec Jade)
Another very atmospheric piece. About the classic movie vampire.

8)Ghost Riders in the Sky (take your pick)
A great classic ghost song of warning

7) Werewolves of London (Warren Zevon)
No list would be complete without this classic about Werewoves.

6) Thriller (Micheal Jackson)
The Evil of the Thriller. Great song, great video.

5)RE: Your Brains (Jonathon Coulton)
Satire on office culture, using Zombies as a metaphor. A great zombie song, whether you pay attention to the subtest or not.

4) Why can't I see you in my Mirror (Tonio K)
A song sung by a guy who is dating a vampire, but doesn't know it.

3)Phanotm of the Opera (Night Wish)
A Semi-metal cover of the classic ALW song. And the vocalists are both really good.

2) Zombie me (No More Kings)
Another Zombie song - but who can't love a song that includes the line: "Now I speak with all the eloquence of livestock"

1) Monster Mash (Bobby "Boris" Pickett)
This had to be the top - the quintessential Halloween Song.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

The Beatles in a Video Game

It was announced today that Apple Corp (the Beatles company) and the Beatles struck a deal with EA / Harmonix to do a standalone game to let people play Beatles music, and "Experience the Beatles Experience"

Due out Holiday season '09.

Details are sketchy. But all of us Rock Band fans are hoping for exportable songs for RB... but even if they aren't I'm getting this game the day it comes out.

The Beatles are arguable the most important and influential band in the history of Rock and Roll. It was really cool for them to embrace newer media formats, and not look down on video games.

With AC/DC Track pack for Rock Band, this, and Guitar Heros: Aerosmith (and upcoming) Metallica, Hendrix and maybe Van Halen, I think that single band games are going to be a staple of the music game genre (which is now the second largest genre for games, behind "action".)

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Calm and relaxed

Music Memoirs' Tuesday tunes

What is the best music to chill out too?
I have three kinds of music for that purpose.
1) a collection of new age, mellow electronica and light jazz instrumental stuff. George Winston, Mannheim Steamroller, Cusco, Tangerine Dream... that sort of stuff

2) novelty and humorous music. If I need to relax, nothing helps more than a smile. The mix includes things like Jonathon Coulton, Wierd Al, Ray Stevens, Barenaked Ladies, No More Kings, Cake, They Might be Giants.

3) Paradoxically Heavy Metal can chill me out. If it is older stuff (80's era) that I listened to a lot in HS - the familiarity can help mellow me out. Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Twisted Sister, Motely Crue, Poison, Ratt, Scorpions.

What artist do you think of when you see the word "calm"?

George Winston. His solo piano works are something I can always calm down to. If you don't know his work, highly recommended.

How does music help you to become calm or more relaxed?
I answered some of that above. Familiarity breed content. Soothing music soothes. Singing stuff helps me relax as well.

Friday, October 3, 2008

This is a blogpost doing a meme from another blog about music, and specifically really long titles.

The Music Memiors' Top 5 On Friday - Week 193

Top 5 songs with really long titles

The first two that come to mind:

Several species of small furry animals, gathered together in a cave, and grooving with a Pict - Pink Floyd (Ummagumma)

I was just flipped off by a silver haired old lady with a "Honk if you love Jesus" sticker on the bumper of her car - Antsy McClain (Trailercana)

Nothing else I can come up with are as epic as those two, but here they are:

The Lying Lies & Dirty Secrets of Miss Erica Court - Coheed and Cambria (From Fear through the Eyes of Madness)

Karn Evil Nine - First Impression - Part Two - Emerson Lake and Palmer (Brain Salad Surgery)

Attack of the Radioactive Hamsters from a Planet Near Mars - "Weird Al" Yankovic (UHF)

And Music Mistress, when you read this, could you explain why the Journey in my Tuesday thing surprised you? :)