09-03-2003 Ron
Nirvana was the excellence in grunge, the punk and heavy metal fusion that appeared in the late 1980s. The trio formed by Kurt Cobain (singer and guitarist), Chris Novoselic (bassist) and David Grohl (drummer) ended in 1994 with Kurt's suicide, leaving behind a spectacular CD called Nevermind, released in 1991. Regardless of the very good songs it was revolutionary in a way because Kurt sang as if his heart were going to come out of his mouth, which gave impressive energy to the music.
I didn't like the 1994 MTV Unplugged in New York. Taming the vigor of the group made it sound familiar and uninteresting. In 2002 a compilation called Nirvana came out. Not bad but doesn't make sense purchasing it if you have Nevermind.
10-21-2002 Ron
Since last year I've listened to dozens of CDs, trying to find good ones to laud and buy. One of the very few I strongly suggest purchasing is Highly Evolved by The Vines. This new group mixes rock, heavy metal, and grunge into engaging and powerful songs.
10-04-02 Ron
Surprisingly, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' two latest releases are very good. Californication is my favorite among all the band's albums but By the Way, this year's production, is not far behind.
This American quartet from California started in 1983, led by singer Anthony Kiedis and the bass player Flea. Big bucks and fame, however, arrived only in 1991 with Blood Sugar Sex Magik, which includes the hit Give it Away.
In 1994 or 1995, I'm not sure, I saw them play at the Rose Bowl (where Brazil won its fourth World Cup title) as the opening act for The Rolling Stones. Back then they were pitiful, impoverished if compared to the Stones and their megashow.
I thought they would never triumph again but for the delight of thousands of music fans around the world the band proved me wrong. I strongly recommend Californication.
05-21 Ron
The heavy bands Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, and AC/DC, the "light" bands Beatles, Rolling Stones, Supertramp, and Queen, the singers/composers Santana, Phil Collins, George Winston, Sarah Brightman, Enya, Emma Shapplin, Andrea Bocelli and Placido Domingo are some of the favorite among our readers.
04-01 Ron
Which are the greatest CDs ever released? Who are the singers and bands worth listening to? Write to english@lynnandron.com .
My favorite band of all time is Led Zeppelin. All their albums released in the late 1960s and in the 70s are fantastic. But if I had to pick just one CD to take to a deserted island, for example, I would choose Legend by Bob Marley and The Wailers.
Mon. 3/4 The Grammies, aired last Wed. , turned out to be surprising...not the awards themselves but the depth of the entertainment. All the stars were out...both introducing and performing. And the show, itself, moved along at a rapid pace, not that long, drawn out event an award ceremony usually is.
11-20-01 Ron
Paul "Bono Vox" Hewson (vocals), David "The Edge" Evans (guitar), Adam Clayton (bass), and Larry Mullen Jr. (drums) form U2 (name of an American spy plane), arguably today's greatest rock-and-roll band. In activity since 1976 these Irish have produced three marvelous albums: Boy (1980), War (1983), and, I think everybody's favorite, The Joshua Tree (1987), which includes "Where the streets have no names", "I still haven't found what I'm looking for", and "With or without you."
In 1991, they released Achtung, Baby. Many don't like this album but I consider it their last superb job. On the other hand, I heard that their show in Brazil, circa 1998, was amazing. I still hope to watch them live one day.
11-05-01 (Ron)
Last week was a good one because I was able to find two fine CDs. Down on the Upside is another group of fantastic hard rock songs by Soundgarden, released in 1996. This follow-up to the praised Superunknown lived up to my expectations.
My other worthy find was Blur's The best of, an enjoyable British pop compilation out in 2000. It's not completely inventive but includes the explosive "Song 2."
There are two soundtracks I would also like to comment about. The first is Moulin Rouge. Produced by Baz Luhrman, who also directs the film, it includes performances by Bono, David Bowie, Beck, Jose Feliciano, Christina Aguilera, Fatboy Slim, and the actors Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor and John Leguizamo. The overall result, unfortunately, is tepid. The CD sounds lifeless and corny without the film's extraordinary energy and vibration.
The second is Duets, a 2000 compilation of popular songs such as "Bette Davis Eyes", "Copacabana", and "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)", sung by, among others, Huey Lewis and the actors Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Giamatti, and Maria Bello. If you like oldies, soft music, and don't mind vocalists different from the original you should buy this one.
I have just purchased Play, by Moby. Many critics elected this album the best of 1999, which I agree entirely. The mixture of techno and dance is magnetic and miles apart from other technologically produced sounds.
10-08-2001 (Ron)
If you crave listening to a tremendous heavy metal CD try Soundgarden's Superunknown. This 1994 album is not all heavy and consists of much grunge, a mixture of hard and punk rock popularized in the early 1990s by Nirvana. In 1997 Soundgarden released a compilation album called A-sides. Unfortunately the band ended that same year.
A word about MTV. It's a shame that the channel that made music clips popular now worries about idiotic game shows and cares more about actors and presenters babbling than singers and bands playing music. Didn't Thriller become the biggest-selling album in history because of, among other reasons, the awfully good response it received from the well-produced clips aired on MTV? I wish I could turn my TV and have the choice of "watching" all types of music, any time of the day or night.
An option for those who have cable is TVZ on Multishow (Net's channel 42) at 10 AM and 7 PM, Mondays through Saturdays.
10-23-00 (Ron)
Here's a list of the Top 20 Pop Catalog Albums as of the week of October 22, 2000, according to Billboard:
(This chart is compiled from a sample of stores and Internet sales in the United States collected by SoundScan. Catalog albums are two-year-old titles that have fallen bellow number 100 on The Billboard 200 or reissues of older albums. Weeks on the chart reflects combined weeks the title has appeared on The Billboard 200 and Top Pop Catalog Albums.)
- Creed : My Own Passion 4 million copies sold in the U.S.; 159 weeks on the chart
- Godsmack : Godsmack 3; 93
- Dixie Chicks : Wide Open Spaces 10; 142
- Shania Twain : Come on Over 17; 154
- Metallica : Metallica 12: 479
- Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band : Greatest Hits 4; 312
- Pink Floyd : Dark Side of the Moon 15; 1230
- Bob Marley and The Wailers : Legend 10; 591
- Lenny Kravitz : 5 2; 127
- Cat Stevens : Greatest Hits --; 54
- 'N Sync : 'N Sync 10; 134
- Bon Jovi : Cross Road 4; 68
- Deff Leppard : Vault -- Greatest Hits 2; 206
- Dr. Dre : The Chronic 3; 97
- Matchbox 20 : Yourself or Someone 11; 189
- Styx : Greatest Hits 0.5; 51
- Andres Bocelli : Romanza 3; 150
- Abba : Gold 3; 184
- Tim McGraw : Everywhere 4; 175
- Backstreet Boys : Backstreet Boys 13; 166
I would like to say a few words about two of the albums above. The first is Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. It's, hands down, the epitome of progressive rock. Roger Waters (vocals and bass), David Gilmour (guitar), Richard Wright (electronic piano), and Nicholas Mason (drums) play in this 1973 release, but only Waters composed the lyrics.
Pink Floyd --the name is a homage to American bluesmen Pink Anderson and Floyd Council -- started playing in 1965 and its members remained the gods of the "psychedelic" segment until 1983 when Roger Waters parted company. They haven't been the same since.
The other album -- the one I would choose from my collection, if I were asked to pick my favorite -- is reggae's super classic Legend performed by Bob Marley and The Wailers. Reggae is a combination of rock and roll and black rhythms like samba, and it almost reaches perfectness in this formidable compilation of hits.
10-6-00 Ron
Who doesn't enjoy watching or listening to The Rolling Stones? It is certainly among the greatest rock bands ever. In addition, the live shows are fantastic.
Too bad their last superb album, Tatoo You, came out in 1981, 19 years ago. They've been around since 1962 and it's understandable that the Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' creative juices have stopped flowing. However, there's an awesome triple CD collection released in 1989, called Singles Collection, the London Years, that includes all their classics. Every music fan should have this one because it is rock n' roll in its purest form.
Ron 9-11-00
What is your take on movie soundtracks? Isn't their quality level low? Most of them comprise a bunch of crummy songs dotted by one or two fine tunes. I've heard tens of CDs and too few were alluring. One of the best of all time, in my opinion, is The Commitments, a 1991 British movie directed by the competent Alan Parker about a group of people who try to form a band. I'm never tired of listening to the rock ballads sung mostly, and very well, by Andrew Strong.
Ron 9-4-00
On September 1 I had a chance to watch Marisa Monte at Palacio das Artes in Belo Horizonte. She's an extremely talented composer, a very good singer, and deserves all the praise she gets. The show was visually electrifying but I yawned too many times during the almost two hours on my tush. I missed a stronger beat and livelier rhythm between the first three songs at the beginning and the encore. Don't get me wrong. The mellow melodies were beautiful but she could've mixed things up. And her account about Gentileza, a bum from Rio she likes, was too long and uninteresting. It was wonderful entertainment, nonetheless.
RON RECOMMENDS
Led Zeppelin
This British rock band, that played from 1968 to 1980, is among history's best. It was formed by Jimmy Page, guitarist, John Paul Jones, keyboard player and bassist, John Bonham, drummer, and Robert Plant, the vocalist. Not only the music they played was excellent but also their lyrics, written mostly by Page and Plant.
Their records were very creative and presented a combination/influence of rock 'n' roll, blues, folk, progressive rock, and heavy metal, Led Zeppelin IV (released in 1971) being their masterpiece. Music enthusiasts should not be considered so if they don't have such an awesome CD, especially because it includes one of the most beautiful songs ever written, Stairway to Heaven.
