Top 5 Soundtracks! (read just like Abed’s line)
This one was a tricky one to pin down. Do I include original soundtracks? Half original and half borrowed? Juke box musicals? Disney movies? Well as I’m writing this I still don’t know how its going to turn out (chances are I’ll include everything then have a huge honorable mention list)
5) O’ Brother Where Art Thou? – The movie has taken a while to grow on me, but the music is just so good I was down with it from day 1. This soundtrack is the perfect fit, however unlike the other ones on this list, there aren’t any songs on it that are huge hits (although the album did win Album of the Year at the Grammys) except for “I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow” (see below).
“I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow” Soggy Bottom Boys & Dan Tyminski – My buddies Darren, Mike and Rachel played this freshman year for a class assignment. It sounded so good with Darren ripping it up on the slide guitar.
“Down To The River To Pray” Alison Krauss
4) Almost Famous – Great movie, great soundtrack. It brought together all of the best music from a genre that was dying and made it flow perfectly with the scenes in the movie. I could say that about most of these movies, since that is what a soundtrack should do, so from now on lets just come to that understanding so I don’t have to sound redundant. “You’re coming along in a very dangerous time for rock and roll. The war is over and they won”
“The Wind” Cat Stevens
“Feel Flows” The Beach Boys – The awesome sound from this song comes from Carl Wilson’s voice being recorded with reverse echo (a recording trick used to place the echo before the actual sound which makes it sound like the tape is being played backwards). Jimmy Page says he invented the trick (he used it on “You Shook Me” and “Whole Lotta Love” with Zeppelin as well as “Ten Little Indians” with the Yarbirds).
“America” Simon And Garfunkel
“Sparks” The Who – “Listen to Tommy with a candle burning, and you’ll see your entire future.”
3) Blow – This might be one of the finest collections of music I’ve ever experienced, but because I don’t like this movie as much as I do the next two, it’s coming in third. I would feel bad about doing this because this list should just be about the soundtracks, but at this point we’re just splitting hairs so I’m oddly ok with it. Sorry if that was too much of a run-on.
“Black Betty” Ram Jam
“Blinded By The Light” Manfred Mann’s Earth Band – But Mama, thats where the fun is! I LOVE this song
“Keep It Comin’ Love” KC & The Sunshine Band
2)) The Warriors – I wish more people knew about this movie. One of the best movies of the 70’s that no one knows about. The music in this movie is half original scoring and half soundtrack, but since it does take songs that were already recorded I’m including it. We can fight later if you want
“Nowhere To Run” Arnold McCuller
“Last Of An Ancient Breed” Desmond Child
“In The City” Joe Walsh
1) The Wackness – Set in New York City in the summer of 1994, this is one of the best coming of age movies you’ll see (in my personal opinion it’s up there with Stand By Me, but keep in mind I’m a little bias). This soundtrack fits this movie so perfectly. Firstly, it embodies what is going on in the movie. “Can I Kick It” plays when Dr. Kingsley is trying to quit drugs, and at the beach house towards the end of the movie they play Neil Diamond and Mott The Hopple to set a nostalgic mood when both Kingsley and Shapiro are completely lost (figuratively speaking) and are trying to find out how they can be happy. Secondly, the music fits New York City so well. I’ve been listening to this soundtrack for the last couple of weeks and whenever I do, I get in a mood that I only get when I’m walking around in the city (Manhattan, for those who aren’t from New York). Now more about the music itself. I’m a little shocked/disappointed they didn’t include any De La Soul in here. The Notorious B.I.G.’s debut album “Ready To Die” is prominently featured in this movie even though his album didn’t get released until after the summer was over. When Shapiro goes to buy from his dealer (Method Man), “The What” by Biggie Ft. Method Man is being played in the background except for all of the verses where Method Man raps. It’s in this scene that Meth gives Shapiro the Ready To Die tape…sorry for the spoilers. I REALLY wish that they had set the movie in the summer of ’96 instead of ’94 so that they could include Jay-Z’s debut album: “Reasonable Doubt” even though it would’ve taken over the whole soundtrack in place of Biggie’s “Ready To Die” (Biggie is on 5 songs, including 3 from his debut album).
Let me further clarify what I was saying before by saying that the vibe of the soundtrack which goes along with that of the city isn’t experienced by rushing everywhere, taking a taxi, going to see the empire state building or the statue of liberty. It is most certainly not experienced by driving around in a car. You need to be able to free your mind and just walk around for a while. Next time you’re there, try walking up Broadway from Chinatown to Columbus Circle with your headphones in and tell me you don’t feel something. To be honest its the reason I keep going back.
“Flava In Ya Ear” Craig Mack Ft. The Notorious B.I.G., LL Cool J, Rampage & Busta Rhymes – The first 10 seconds when P. Diddy is hitting the bottles against each other is a play on the last scene from The Warriors (Diddy only has 2 bottles, but in the movie there are 3) which is also in the beginning of “Last Of An Ancient Breed”(see above). “You mad cause my style you admiring. Don’t be mad, UPS is hiring”. P.S. I’m throwing up the video simply because I’ve never seen anyone act as cool and collected yet so pimpaliciously gangster (coining that) in a video as LL does here. Check It
“Out On The Weekend” Neil Young – I love the harmonicas that he uses. They add such a nice touch to the song
“Bonita Applebum” Tribe Called Quest – The 7 note riff that plays right before the first chorus starts was sampled in The Fugee’s “Killing Me Softly” (which Lauryn Hill goes nuts on)
“Around The Way Girl” LL Cool J
“The World Is Yours” Nas – I feel like a lot of people from the west don’t know about Nas, which is sad because 1) his lyrical content is on point, and 2) without him Jay-Z wouldn’t have sat down for 2 days, written The Blueprint, recorded it in 2 weeks, then released it unto the world. Also, Kanye would’ve had to wait longer for his big break, and he would have had to give “Heart of the City” to someone else which is nothing short of blasphemous. The line at the end of the first verse “I’m out for presidents to represent me. I’m out for dead presidents to represent me”, was sampled by Jay in the chorus of “Dead Presidents II” on Reasonable Doubt. Later, when he released The Blueprint, his song “The Takeover” (Produced by Kanye as well) features the line “So yea I sampled your voice, You was usin’ it wrong. You made it a hot line, I made it a hot song”, referencing “The World Is Yours” and “Dead Presidents II”. Back to my original point. If you haven’t listened to Nas, go download Illmatic and thank me later.
“Everyday Struggle” The Notorious B.I.G. – This is my favorite Biggie song and definitely my favorite song on this soundtrack. I really could go on and on about what I like about it, but I found these two youtube comments (give it a chance…) that perfectly describe how I feel:
“One of the realest songs ever written. If you didn’t know this already, this was Christopher Wallace’s favorite song… And if you’re thinking, who is Christopher Wallace and why is his opinion important? Please leave this page immediately. No more R.I.P. because legends never die.”
“Biggie wasn’t fat, he was just full of lyrics”
Post Script: In Reference to my last post, I should’ve included Snatch in my favorite scores list. Sorry guys (and girls), I’ll do better next time.
Post Post Script: I decided two seconds, give or take, after I wrote the first paragraph that I wasn’t going to include musicals and all the other options I mentioned because that takes a lot of research and one big honorable mention list wouldn’t do them justice. So there is a good chance you’ll see those later. Cheers
“Blogging isn’t writing, it’s graffiti with punctuation”
My buddy Ryan is going to EDC this year in Vegas and it’s pretty much all he’s been able to talk about since he bought his tickets last month. I found this article on Pasquale Rotella, the founder of Insomniac Events which puts on Electric Daisy Carnival every year, that I found pretty interesting. Also, some sick EDC videos (because I can’t get enough of them), some of which are from the Electric Daisy Carnival Experience documentary (Highly recommend you see it).
Don’t you just love viral youtube videos that make you remember you should go to your movie shelf and watch a certain movie…Well here you go…enjoy this cute, silly, musical number by the muppets!!!
By a raise of “like”s and “comments”, which we probably will just get one or two, who just loves the show “Freaks and Geeks”….I DO I DO.
GOOD!! CUZ IF YOU DONT!!! GET OUT!!!!
Anywayzzzz…i was in a store, minding my own buisiness, humming the tune to sweet emotion, i have no idea why, and then all of a sudden i hear in the far distance…”IIIII’mm sailing awaaaaayyy, set an open courseeee, on a viiiiirrrgginnnn seaaaaa” and for some reason i think “FREAKS AND GEEKS”
I later wondered “why sebastian?? why??”
Well just watch and you tell me doesnt that song make the episode THAT much better.
Thank you
Start it at 1:38 if you want to skip to the song
Between the best blockbuster and the best documentary of the year I will choose the latter 9 times out of 10. Movies that force you to take a step back and take a look inside yourself are really something special because 1) they don’t come around that often, and 2) to be honest we take them for granted. So much of our time is wasted on escaping from the world instead of being a part of it. I say this with a little irony seeing as how all of the things I write about here are a part of my own personal escape, if you will. I’ve openly voiced my guilt towards this method of coping in the first post I put up when I told the story about that christmas six years ago when I sat in my room listening to The College Dropout all day.
“Beyond the labels of “Generation X” and “Generation Y,” the feature documentary film ReGeneration takes an uncompromising look at the issues facing today’s youth and young adults, and the influences that perpetuate our culture’s apathetic approach to social and political causes.
Focused on how today’s education, parenting, and media can shape us, the film follows three separate walks of life representing today’s generation. Each brings their own unique perspective – from an inspired collective of musicians working outside the corporate system, to a twenty-something conservative family about to welcome the birth of their second child, and a group of five high-school students from the suburbs looking for their place in society. Their stories are interspersed with the knowledge, wisdom, and personal reflections of some of the country’s leading scholars, social activists, and media personalities, including Andrew Bacevich, Noam Chomsky, Talib Kweli, and the late Howard Zinn, among others.
Within the film, the discussion of apathy found in today’s generation leads to exploration of technology, our disconnection with nature, how much we consume, our loss of history, and the economic factors holding many of us back from becoming more active participants in our communities. With such a varied and intelligent group of interviews, we come to a deeper understanding of the numerous influences shaping today’s culture where one universal feeling is shared – our society is at a crossroads, economically, environmentally, and intellectually – and we must change ourselves and the world for the better.”
REGENERATION IS THE STORY OF TODAY’S GENERATION …
Up until this movie comes out in April, I’ll probably be more excited about its release than I am about the new Batman movie. It’s scary, honestly, to think about ourselves in a deeper light than we normally do, but maybe (and this is how much I feel movies and other art can change how we feel and act) this documentary will push us to better ourselves just a little bit. If that happens then I think this was a job well done. Enjoy
Check out other clips: http://www.regeneration-themovie.com/trailer.html
“if you go deeply into a local problem, you come out with universal ideas”
I met Dr. Squires in the spring of ’94. First as a client, then as a patient. At the beginning we didn’t talk about much of anything. I don’t know why I kept seeing him, to be honest. But sometimes it’s nice to have someone to talk to. Even if you’re just talking shit. He told me the drug thing was a cry for help. Maybe he’s right. I am Luke Shapiro. I’m a drug dealer.
Hear my cry. My occupation takes me to exotic places like Brooklyn and Queens. Now, I like it most in the summer when no one’s around. Just me, the sweaty girls in their short skirts with their breasts and their panties, which I like to see when I can see them. I like fly ladies. I like tank tops. I like short skirts. I like my impure thoughts, which go a little something like this.
I hate high school so I’m alone a lot. Which is fine by me. Sometimes it gets lonely, I guess. But I don’t need high school friends. One week they’re listening to Kris Kross, the next, they’re listening to Pearl Jam. I’m not like that. I’m loyal. I mean, I still listen to cassettes. But tomorrow my life changes. Tomorrow I graduate.
And then I go to my safety school. And then I get older. And then I die.
…unless I’m having it with a bunch of phonies!
This band, from the one and only Brooklyn, NY, has been around for a couple of years now and, to put it simply, they are dope. 1) I love the big band style (Roots anybody?)…honestly if I could be in any kind of band it’d be a big band rap group 2) they have three dudes that can all sing and rhyme and 3) they mesh together so well, live especially, in a way that draws you in and makes you want more.
This video was what had me hooked on them in the first place last year
Download their first EP: “WTF is PhonyLand“
Because I feel bad that I haven’t posted in a while, here are 5 songs who’s genres coincide with the previous post …just for you:
“Until They Kick Us Out” Knife Party – If Knife Party ever comes to your area, make sure to go see them. These guys go so hard its insane. This won’t be the only song of theirs on this list. This song is good until the voices come back after about a minute and a half. I love it because it gets to the point right away and the drop is just so funky.
“Save The World” Swedish House Mafia*** – This was the song that made me lose my voice on NYE. Watching this makes my heart speed up and puts goosebumps on my arms.
Oh, and the remix by Afrojack is SO dope. Check it.
“Crush On You” Nero (Knife Party Remix)*** – Same band who made the song “Promises” that got 10 times better after Skrillex got a hold of it. Same is the case with this song
“Internet Friends (You Blocked Me on Facebook)” Knife Party – Easily one of the most original songs I’ve heard in a while. My buddy Ryan (who I went to Legends with to see Feed Me on NYE) was there when Porter Robinson played this last month/year. Before the drop everyone had their iPhones up right when the ringers went off. Then it dropped. Hard. (Ryan keeps telling me he played mad Daft Punk which I’m a little bummed about missing).
“Collect Call” Metric (Adventure Club Dubstep Remix)
***Played at Legends on NYE (which may have pushed it onto this list over other songs)
How does Greendale always get so many students to go to their school functions?
As I promised on our fan page this week, today is Fan Friday! So without further ado, for my buddy David Butler in Brooklyn, here are the Top 5 concerts I wish I could’ve gone to.
5) Daft Punk Alive 2007 (Coney Island August 9th, 2007) – If you guys have been following, you’ll notice that only a few of my top 5 recording artists (A Penny Hardwick Tribute) are on this here list. This clearly being one of them. I started listening to Daft Punk thanks to (co-founder) Sibi, a mere 3 months AFTER they did this show. Then after about 6 months when I got every song they had ever made, re-read their wikipedia page 6 times…etc, an acquaintance of mine told me he saw this show 6 months previous. I’ve always been bitter about that horrible timing, however, I have heard rumors about them going to Electric Daisy Carnival so we’ll see how that works itself out.
“The thousands of clips on the internet are better to us than any DVD that could have been released” – Thomas Bangalter
4) Queen at Wembley (July 12th, 1986) – Known as “The Cathedral of Football”, Wembley Stadium (actually Empire Stadium) was the best known, and one of my personal favorite, soccer stadium(s)…Period. Before the stadium and its twin tower’s demolition in 2003, it hosted the Olympics, European Cup Finals, a World Cup Final, Live Aid and Queen. I really don’t need to build this up anymore, because all I have to say for my reasoning is Freddie Mercury (RIP). He was one of the, if not the best frontman ever and his voice is one of the best I’ve ever heard despite him never having had professional voice lessons as a child/young performer. Also, the way he rocks the bottomless mic-stand (oxymoronic, I know) is just so awesome. It almost adds depth to the performance in some subtle way. “The King. There is only one Freddie.”
One of my favorite Queen songs (very original, I know…get over it). I’m gonna point out that this was the 20th song in their repertoire and the way he was able to tear this song up without his voice cracking every measure amazes me.
3) Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock (August 18th, 1969) – I was watching a special on Woodstock a while back and one of the interviewees said “If everyone who says they were at Woodstock was actually there, the earth would have tilted on it’s axis.” Even if that could be true, there was no tilting when Jimi went on. Wanting to close out the festival as a headliner, he was scheduled to play Sunday night at midnight even though the people in charge of the festival told him and his manager Saturday night would be the best night to play. After a rain storm delayed the concert, he finally went on stage Monday at 8:30 am. What had previously been an estimated crowd of 400,000 was now no more than 30-40,000 because of the muddy conditions and lack of food. With the “Voodoo Child” teaser leading into “The National Anthem” then transitioning into “Purple Haze”, this might be the most epic 3 song segment of any set ever played. Quite fitting for an event dubbed as “The Greatest Concert To Ever Be Put Together”.
The band had been up for 3 days straight prior to going on stage, which explains the congo drummer at the beginning looking like hes going to collapse.
2) Guns N’ Roses Live at the Ritz (February 2, 1988) – “The original fab five bad boys of rock n roll have their finest hour on February 2, 1988 at the Ritz in NYC. They perform their best songs off their classic album “Appetite for Destruction”, and all five band members are on fire. The chemistry and panache are amazing.” – LiveThunders.com
This song makes me wanna break some rules
1) Jay-Z Live at The Garden (November 25th, 2003) – Reasons why this concert would have been so epic:
1. It was promoting The Black Album which got beats from Eminem, Pharrell, Rick Rubin (Legend), Just Blaze, Kanye and Timbaland.
2. Michael Buffer
3. The Black Album was supposed to be his goodbye album so he got EVERYONE to come. Lets take a look, shall we? Mary J. Blige, Foxy Brown, Missy Elliot, Memphis Bleek, R. Kelly, Twista, Pharrell, Ghostface Killa, Beyonce and Beanie Siegel (somehow they got him between jail sentences). Oh and The Roots led by ?uestlove (who also was the musical director for the show) were his backup band. So far we got the whole Black Album…and all of his best hits. As a wise man often says, “enough chatter”… On to the next part.
Watch this whole thing. Michael Buffer kills it. Jay destroys Jigga What? Jigga Who? Then to top it all off he does a shout out to the 5 boroughs (and Jersey, for some odd reason). I’ve seen the movie about 5 times now and I still get chills when he asks “is Brooklyn in here tonight?”(11:00). Just noticed right now that when he says Manhattan they show the whitest girl dancing…probably from the upper east side.
Start this one at 1:06 (goes till 4:20) unless you’re not like me and aren’t sick of “A Hard Knock Life”. He gives a perfect tribute to Tupac, Left Eye, Big Pun, Jam Master Jay, Big L, Aaliyah and The Notorious B.I.G. If seeing 20,000 people rap a Biggie verse a cappella on a tv gives me goosebumps, I wonder what it was like for Jay to be there directing it all.
Fun Fact; Biggie, Jay and Busta Rhymes all went to the same high school in Brooklyn. Jay was talking about it during an interview a while back saying that Biggie would always be laid back, never bragging. Busta on the other hand would always go around talking about how he’s the best rapper and how he freestyles like crazy. Best of all, during lunch they’d all battle each other.
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“Your career right now…this is the end of Carlito’s Way. You just trying to get one more last job in before you get out. But I’m trying to tell you that I have the song. I have the beat that describes that moment accurately.”
WeDontBelongg 