Sunday, August 17, 2008

BACK TO BASICS

A combination of steady day-long rain and other activities within the house caused me to do my concert thing late in the evening, parking on the prairie sometime after 11 PM. So I was in the mood for a short music set, leaving me no choice but to pick their studio issue "OU812", the eighth album released (May 24, 1988) by Van Halen but only the second with Sammy in the band. OU812 is the license plate on the red Ferrari that Red and Chong drive in Cheech and Chong's Next Movie (released in 1980). I was temporarily confused until I remembered that the track listing on the back cover is arranged in alphabetical order, instead of chronological. Its' a really good album and I can understand why it quickly hit number 1 on the charts. Although I was expecting a short stay in the outdoors, I found myself listening to several tracks over and over again because they are so damn good (and the cigar lasts so long), forced to stop only when the rain resumed and I found myself getting soaked standing outside.

Trees sway in the wind
Trunks blackened by the cold rain
Tapping on the roof

Patchwork of black clouds
Drift across the cold night sky
Moonlit from behind

Blanket of moisture
Passes in the air above
Raindrops on his face

The sky's orange glow
A brightly lit horizon
Vapor lamp's false dawn
Sits in the background
Pounding drums rally the tribe
Alex keeps the beat

Outside the spotlight
Lives beneath Eddie's shadow
Michael's deep bass groove

Stands at the helm
Influence charts new course
Sam leads to new heights
Pounding in his head
Addicted to the loud beat
A love forever

Music feels so good
Grows with the passage of time
Running back for more

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