Wednesday, 18 November 2009

Bowyn's Top 5 Songs Ever

1. Crossroads
Cream
2. Motorpsycho Nightmare
Bob Dylan
3. Dun Ringill
Jethro Tull
4. Dont Stop Believing (Sorry, it would be a lie if I said i didnt like it)
Journey
5. One piece at a time
Johnny Cash

Listen and love people!

Wednesday, 4 November 2009

My all time favourite song

Mr Trigg

Thunder Road, Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band

I could debate for hours (and have done) a top ten favourite tracks; it's damn near impossible to distill a life's worth of amazing music into a small list and be happy with it. However, if I have to pick just one track as being head and shoulders above the rest, there's no contest... Thunder Road.

Featured on Springsteen's 1975 album Born To Run, Thunder Road is sufficiently epic to be the average album's centrepiece or deep closing statement; Bruce opens the album with it.

Thunder Road is a continual inspiration; lyrically, stirring lines like "show a little faith, there's magic in the night" and the climactic "it's town full of losers, and we're pulling out of here to win" never fail to raise a smile or send a shiver down the spine. Musically, the song has no strict structure and builds up from a harmonica and piano intro, adding layers of instruments as the E Street Band start to play, and ends with a triumphant piano and sax-led coda that has to be heard to be believed.

This song means a huge amount to me; like Mr McGee's Green Day track, I heard it in my first year of University and it immediately became my soundtrack for the next 3 years, through good times and bad. I connect totally with this song; I can listen to it endlessly, in any mood, at any time, in any place, and it will always make me feel something. Seeing Bruce and the E Street Band perform Thunder Road live in the Millennium Stadium, up close in the exclusive golden circle section, is the closest thing to a religious experience I think I'll ever encounter...just incredible. Perfect.

Bruce Springsteen claims Born To Run was his shot at "rock and roll immortality'; as far as I'm concerned, Thunder Road is the sound of Bruce achieving his goal.

My all time favorite song

Please add your own to this thread, and lets see how varied and diverse the musical tastes of Chepstow Comp are!!!


Mr. McGee

Minority, Green Day

This song first came out during my 1st year of university. To me, it sums up what leaving home for the first time is all about, being independant, making decisions for yourself and standing up for what you believe in. It also helps that it's great fun to jump around to and sing at the top of your voice!!!

Genius!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqdJBdErEnU


I defy anyone to watch this and not smile!

Monday, 2 November 2009

The top 10 rocking-est moments in movies ever, probably.

Here at the Chepstow Music Department, we are men of a great many interests; a great many interests indeed. For example, music and films. And, occasionally, beards.

Facial furniture aside, the purpose of this humble blog entry is to observe those glorious moments when rock and movies intertwine so beautifully, that the word 'rocking-est' had to be invented to cover the scope and breadth of just how awesome they are.

Thus, we present to you....the Top Ten Rocking-est Moments In Movies.

10. Rocky IV

Easily the best of the Rocky movies, mainly for its soundtrack of pure 80's cheese rock, lack of sentimentality or real plot, the fact Adrian's brother has a pet robot, and amusingly heavy-handed Cold War 'allegory' (American VS Russian boxers...subtle).
While there are some utter gems of musical moments here, in the form of Survivor's Heart's On Fire being played while Balboa runs up a mountain shouting his rival's name and old favourite Eye Of The Tiger, my personal rocking-est moment is Rocky's way of getting over his best mate Apollo's death - driving around town (licence plate SOTHPAW!) to Robert Tepper's There's No Easy Way Out enjoying a montage of his personal highs and lows. Awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IuueKw1m98

9. Terminator 2 - Arnie VS Guns N'Roses

Back before Arnie became the Governator, he was in fact an excellent bad actor, and the Terminator films are some of his best movies. Guns N'Roses' You Could Be Mine is used in the film, but the real genius lay in the Guns' music video for the song; skip to the end to see Arnie in full Terminator costume going to a G N'R live show, 'targeting' the band after it, and deeming lead singer Axl Rose a 'waste of ammo'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG9dJ5VMEos

8. The Blues Brothers - The Palace Ballroom

Rock is derived from blues so I can include the Brothers here - this was a tough call, as the whole film is basically a load of nonsense linked together by fantastic music, but what's more rock n'roll than evading an entire room full of armed police by belting out Everybody Needs Somebody then legging it while the crowd goes wild? I bet Keith Richards was impressed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1m0p0cSTg0

7. Bill And Ted's Bogus Journey - Saving the world through rockin'

Bill S Preston and Ted 'Theodore' Logan had to be on this list, they rip some air guitar whenever they're happy. After being killed by their own clones, beating the Reaper at chess, Twister and battleships, making robot versions of themselves, meeting 'medieval babes' and saving the universe, Bill and Ted kick off the shreddiest version of Kiss' God Gave Rock And Roll To You ever. Amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cEdqWZi13I

6. Tenacious D In The Pick of Destiny - We challenge you to a rock-off

The D spend this entire ludicrous film looking for a magical guitar plectrum that will make them
the greatest band in the world, and end up having a rock-off with none other than the Devil. You have no idea how hard it was finding a clean version of this clip. This film also deserves special mention for having Meat Loaf playing Jack Black's dad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkwubOcjlI8

5. High Fidelity - Life lessons from Bruce

The Nick Hornby adaptation is a love letter to music geeks everywhere - if you've ever alphabetised your music collection or bickered over soundtracks, you need this film. The ultimate 'cool' moment in this very cool film is when John Cusack seeks advice on meeting his exes...from none other than Mr Bruce Springsteen,aka The Boss, aka God.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZE7OchG3DY

4 . Crossroads - Guitar battle

Long before any Guitar Hero shenanigans, this was the best guitar battle going, between Ralph Macchio and the Devil's own guitar player. It features some facemelting axemanship, and more importantly shows self-indulgent poodle-permed bore Steve Vai getting out-shredded by the Karate Kid. Mega.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTDhubVihIQ

3. Wayne's World - I am just a poor boy, from a poor family

Yes, it's the famous Bohemian Rhapsody bit. While cruising round Illinois in the 'Mirthmobile', Wayne, Garth and a few fellow metalheads crank up the classic Queen and mime/falsetto/scream along, complete with synchronised headbanging at the Brian May riffing 'rock' part. So ingrained in popular culture, it is actually physically impossible to listen to Bo Rhap in a car without re-enacting this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9umpJj3D4d8

2. Back To The Future - the Johnny B Goode bit.

After going back in time to the 1950s, befriending harmless madman Doc Brown, dodging fights with local bullies and trying to avoid kissing his own mother, Marty McFly takes to the school disco's dancefloor armed with a snazzy red Gibson and only goes and ruddy invents rock and roll. After managing to get his parents together and stopping himself disappearing, he struts on to the stage and plays a ripping version of Johnny B Goode, complete with massive 80s metal guitar solo. As you would, of course.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFgI1FaLpGM

1. Spinal Tap - These go to 11

Nigel Tufnel, guitar god extraordinaire for the Tap, shows off his extensive axe collection, and comes up with eminently quotable nonsense about his Les Pauls like 'Don't touch that one, don't point at it, don't even look at it' and 'the sustain...you can go and have a bite, you'll still be hearing that one'. However, Tufnel's crowning glory is his Marshall amp that goes up to 11, instead of the usual 10. Why? It's 'one louder, innit'. The most rock and roll bit in the most rocking-est film ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll7rWiY5obI

So, those are the rocking-est moments in movies as far as we're concerned. If we've learned anything from this, it's that a) if you've read this far you're either a top-drawer rock fan or just have too much time on your hands and b) rocking-est is not a word that will be entering the Oxford English Dictionary anytime soon.

Thanks for reading and feel free to comment on your own most rocking-est scenes!