WHAT A TEMPER!: BOTH PUNKS AND BUNNY'S MAKE HIM DANCE

It's amazing how quickly the week passes, dropping me on Friday night's doorstep. If people knew how government was spending their tax dollars working (or not working) for us, there would be many more Republicans out there. An attempt will be made to break free of the home and go skiing with my son this weekend.

Culture of toughness
Sedative masks nations pain
Their moral weakness

Master of machines
Men of the atomic age
Still part of the past

Lists of things to do
The choices falling like rain
Small bucket of time

The evening started off with another variation of Van Halen's October 15, 1977 show at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. By my count, there are about eight variations of this show out there under separate cover. This may be because the show is a high quality soundboard recording of the band from the pre-VH1 days. Van Halen played only one more live show before that first album was released. A great sound that gets the listener up on their feet.

Stringed saber in hand

Deftly wields his sharp edged sound

Cuts right to the heart

Download it here:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5QAVHTJI

It arrived in the mail today. The Echo & the Bunnymen's DVD Dancing Horses, recorded in November 2005 at London's Shepherds Bush Empire. The video captures a good night when the Bunnymen deliver a tight set of their old and new songs. Naturally, the camera focuses on both Ian, cigarette almost constantly in hand, and Will, who attention is focused on his superb guitar work and never seems to look up at the adoring fans. The family was out this evening and so I had the house to myself, cranking up the sound on the television, rocking out there before the flat screen stage. Such a major contrast in style between the Bunnymen and Van Halen! But both strike a cord deep within me and I love'em both.

A reviewer of the DVD says this:

"The band plays like a storm, the double guitars of Will Sergeant and Gordon Goudie creating the vast layers of melodic noise that has been the band's enduring signature. The set is well constructed, punctuating noisy rockers like "Villiers Terrace" and "The Cutter" with softer, dreamy tunes like "Bring on the Dancing Horses," "Nothing Lasts Forever," and Donnie Darko's favorite song, "The Killing Moon." What really sets a good Bunnymen night apart, however, is how engaged singer Ian McCulloch is in the performance. His voice is a lot raspier than it used to be, and he doesn't dance around as much as when I saw him in the mid-90s (if he does at all, which is not really; you've never seen a singer wear a heavy coat through a whole show and not break a sweat the way he does), but he is incredibly present on Dancing Horses. The show ends with the softer "Ocean Rain," and his voice is honeyed and sweet. Maturity has actually improved it."

Hunger and unrest