PSoTD

Where some see contemporary Christian music as evil.

There is a great evil within many modern churches today in the music they actively promote.

That this is a new development can easily be identified by looking back even 50 years ago, where we find the majority of churches still singing out of hymnals to the accompaniment of piano and organ. Today, however, they have traded in their instruments for a base guitar and drums, and now sing and sway to so-called praise songs somehow projected on the wall behind performers they call worship leaders.

This is part of what is now called contemporary Christian music, and is called such because it is a break from the past. Traditional Christian music is no longer in style — it’s too old and stale, like a moldy piece of bread, to suit their tastes. Instead of what stirs the soul, this music clamors for what gratifies the flesh. Instead of heartfelt conviction, these churches demand that which will soothe their guilty consciences.

Now, that this is evil is without a doubt to those who are thinking individuals. Though its proponents parrot old arguments, they only further the observation that they are addicted to a herd mentality, oblivious to the cliff that lies before them. It is all too telling that they cannot find scriptural authority for their preferences.

Although I could offer several biblical reasons against contemporary Christian music (CCM), only two issues need be honestly considered by Christianity at large today: dishonesty and compromise. Forget about the issue of rebellion, the secret motivations of those who want to do their own thing and break from the past. And we can forget about those who serve as their predecessors, who also broke free of their own pasts, such as Lucifer, Adam and Eve, as well as Cain, the first murderer. We will not even consider their contempt for Bible doctrine and their assertion that there is only one that is important, all the rest being optional.

When I was about 10 or 11, I had a 45 of Harry Nilsson's "The Rainmaker" which my brothers and I thought was just the greatest song. I can't find a Nilsson version of it on YouTube, but the song, in a speeded up tinny sounded version with some weird sounding instrumentation, is available in a version by Tom Northcott.

At some point, a friend of mine convinced me to trade him this 45 for a 45 he had. I really, really liked the band I trade for a lot more than Nilsson, but this song is one of my alltime least favorites, partly because I felt it was a bad trade pretty quickly and then we moved, and I couldn't get my record back.

Godzilla.

Do The Strand.

After talking to my daughter and niece on the way to the airport last week, it's become apparent to me that "rock music", however defined, is being seen by a good chunk of their generation as "uncool". Rap is cool. Rock is heading towards the Boone Family territory.

Is there any point for anyone trying to do something to change that, and if so, what would that "something" be?

In many ways, I can't blame their generation. I try to listen to radio - to the stations that play "classic rock", and for a great portion of that experience, I feel the overwhelming urge to change the station too. It sucks. How is it possible to convince a generation that rock music is great by playing the biggest hits of Journey and Boston? It can't be done.

No, there is something going on with "classic rock radio" - and that something is a generational suicide of the music format. Yes, there is a generation or two that will still listen to most of that big hit crap, that time travel back to their days of yore and are so mesmerized by their memories associated with the music that they aren't cognizant of the major suckitude of the actual music. But why should any child of 12 or 14 or young adult of 20 listen to a music style represented so often on radio with the warbling banalities of Steve Perry? Who believes they should still have to listen to "We Built This City" 20 years after it first attacked the airwaves?

I cannot blame the upcoming generations.

So... the first thing that should be done is - kill classic rock radio to save rock music. If you really love rock music, quit listening to it on the radio. Buy it, borrow it, whatever, but don't support the local schmucks that think that playing the same three Bon Jovi songs every day is the golden goose. Slay their goose, for it is actually a big fat flightless pigeon infected with avian flu and West Nile Virus. Run away. Go elsewhere. Save rock music for a generation that hasn't had it poisoned with broadcast mediocrity yet. There's still hope, but we won't find it on radio call letters.

Here's my favorite video of the song.

This is a catchy song.

Where work just keeps rolling in, and other items still needed to be done, and I couldn't wrap my head around blogging.

I've always been able to wrap my head around this tune by Nils Lofgren... Moon Tears.

I see where Mike has "borrowed" the idea of posting 9 album covers and letting visitors guess what the albums and artists are. He's posted a tough set - go play!

I'm taking suggestions for appropriate responses for the category of

Worst Primary Lead Singer Addition/Replacement in Rock and Roll History

It could be a required or optional change, but it has to occur to a band AFTER they have released their first album. There are so many candidates to choose from, but list the band AND the singer, since some bands have had more than one primary lead singer change in their history. For examples, write

Van Halen, with Sammy Hagar

not just Journey, or Mickey Thomas. Give band and singer of poor choice.

After about a week of comment suggestions I'll create the poll.

... boys do what they can!

It's Sunday, August 31st. I wish I could go, but my son's birthday has priority. What a great chance to see Jorge Ben, though.

by an old buddy of Tom Petty, his stablemate on Shelter Records: Dwight Twilley.

Springsteen show, July 27, 2008.

Already over 25 videos from Sunday night's show posted on YouTube by Monday night.

Rule number one of our trip to the Meadowlands to watch Bruce Springsteen - don't get lost. Subset A of that, of course, was to, at no point and for no reason, go into New York City. It's not that we don't like New York City - it's just that we don't have maps of the City or GPS and to end up there would have been one of those horribly lost moments.

Rule number two of the trip - give ourselves plenty of time to enjoy the concert. Check. We arrived at the Meadowlands an hour before the gates opened, and what turned out to be 2.5 hours before the show started - but that was fine. We talked with other fans, and just checked things out - we've never been to Giants Stadium before, and they're tearing it down soon, so we'll probably not get back to this exact venue again. The time went fast.

The weather sucked as we drove into New Jersey, however, rain and wind and we were afraid it was going to return for the concert. We packed 99 cent ponchos in our pockets, just in case, but we never needed them - it sprinkled a smidge near the end, but for the most part, it was a perfect weather evening.

Which was appropriate for the love-in we got to see. I never saw the Grateful Dead, but I've never seen a crowd so in love with a musical artist - and the artist feeling the same for the fans - as I did last night in New Jersey for Bruce Springsteen. For me, rarely do crowds really enhance a concert, but last night was different. Half the songs were practically anthems with the crowd singing along with Springsteen, a sea of waving arms whenever Springsteen waved his guitar back and forth - it was a love fest, and it was great.

Springsteen played for 3 hours and 12 minutes, straight. If there was ten minutes total of non-music time I'd be surprised. 30 songs, and according to this, "the longest show time-wise of any show on this tour". Like I said - a lovefest. Here's the set list:

"Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out"
"Radio Nowhere"
"Lonesome Day"
"No Surrender"
"Adam Raised a Cain"
"Spirit In the Night"
"Summertime Blues"
"Brilliant Disguise"
"Atlantic City"
"Growin' Up"
"Janey Don't You Lose Heart"
"I'll Work For Your Love"
"Youngstown"
"Murder Incorporated"
"The Promised Land"
"Livin' In the Future"
"Mary's Place"
"Working On the Highway"
"Tunnel Of Love"
"The Rising"
"Last To Die"
"Long Walk Home"
"Badlands"

Encores
"Girls In Their Summer Clothes"
"Jungleland"
"Born To Run"
"Bobby Jean"
"Dancing In the Dark"
"American Land"
"Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)"

I have no real complaints about that list, although I would have liked to see him do "The River", but that's just nitpicking. I'm really surprised what ended up being my favorite performances of the night:

Rosalita (well, not really surprised about that)
Murder Incorporated
Mary's Place - I don't know what to say about this song. The band, Springsteen, and the crowd just kicked ass through this song - the crowd's singing was a big part of it.

But the biggest surprise for me is my top choice for song performance last night:

"Spirit In the Night"

I mean, it's a good little song, but somehow they elevated it yesterday in a way that I can't keep from humming it. I hope somebody YouTubed it with a good recording.

There was something else interesting in the crowd last night, the dynamic of when Springsteen spoke his 45-second or so piece about the last horrible eight years of the Bush Presidency (there was a guy nearby who was yelling at Springsteen to shut up, like that was of any use) and especially when he performed "Last to Die". There was a big shaved-head guy a couple of sections away that stood and gave the finger to Springsteen during the whole song, and there were male fans of Springsteen that were outraged by this and were pointing and angrily motioning at the guy to stop (of course they were at a distance and even though there could have been a fight, it never came close to that - the finger giver shrugged at those who were yelling at him as if to say it was something he had to do). Love hate relationship, the shaved-head paid his $100 plus to get in to see Springsteen, seemed to enjoy most of the show, but had to express his anger about the subject of this song. But afterwards, back to the love.

I saw Springsteen in Mountain View, California, in 1988, and it was a great show, but the audience, while into it, was pretty mellow. Last night the audience felt like a home sports crowd in a playoff game, and Springsteen and the E Street Band was their team and winning handily, and they were completely celebrating it. Completely different experiences.

Obviously a gotta-play:

And here's a few blog posts I found interesting:

The escalators may not be working at Giants Stadium. Won't matter for us, we're not going up any escalators.

Cool, Nils Lofgren is definitely going to be playing tonight as well.

Apparently, Giants Stadium is going to be torn down in 2010, so these may be the last Springsteen shows there.

I kinda hope this guy doesn't perform "Dancin' in the Dark" tomorrow night.

I'm surprised that with his concert tour return to the United States, he's not a bigger blogging subject right now.

English posts that contain Springsteen per day for the last 30 days.

Get your own chart!

I'm sure we'll hear this one Sunday night...

The Springsteen Clip Fest will go on through Sunday...

to the Springsteen show...

Springsteen.

With Potato Radio.

I kinda wonder why nobody highlights anymore the drums and the percussion like War did in Lowrider... our kids LOVE that song.

I don't know why The Kings weren't more successful.

You may know them better from this hit.

Wow, this seriously could be the worst effort to select the top 25 of anything, ever. I don't know who Rob O'Connor is, but he's destined to be the drivetime DJ of hell.

Man, I need one of those blue suits.

I had a girlfriend back in the day that loved the Kinks, and in particular, loved this song...

Laurie Anderson.

My daughter today had the nerve today in the car to declare that she's the "rocker" in the family. Ummm, no, I said, you can't claim that title until you go to as many rock concerts as I have, have spent as much time listening to rock music as I have. She insisted. She apparently still doesn't know what I like listening to... so, game on. We made a deal, she's going to listen to at least three of my albums a week, just to introduce her to the music. She can listen to them while playing computer games or when she goes to bed, times she normally listens to some music (and no, I don't think that every song that uses that stupid bubble bipping synthesizer of Low is really music) and we'll see what she has to say in a few weeks.

She likes a lot of female artists, so I thought she might enjoy Beauty and the Beat by The Go-Gos while she was playing on the computer. Her review? Meh.

I think I prefer the piano version better, but this Coldplay acoustic version is pretty catchy...

from The Stranglers...