The Doors, "The Doors", Released January 1967

The first time I really listened to The Doors was when I was around 15 years old.  I was introduced to them via my brother and a kid named Morgan that we played soccer and roller hockey with after school and on weekends.  He owned a greatest hits CD (cassette?) and we took turns listening to and copying it.  Sometime in college I also acquired that greatest hits album...thanks BMG/Columbia House promotion.  Needless to say, I've always really enjoyed the music of The Doors.  I think they're unique in it's sound because of the incredible organ work of Ray Manzarek and of course Jim Morrison's lyrics and his distinct voice.  I also love the guitar work of Robby Krieger, who apparently had only been playing electric guitar for six months when he was asked to join the band.  No band sounds quite like them and I think it's definitely one reason why they've maintained their popularity even with Morrison dying in the 1971 at age 27.

Tracks 8, 9, & 10 were all new to my ears.  The others were on that greatest hits album I own.  I enjoyed these tracks as well and was glad to discover them.  I definitely intend to dig deeper into The Doors albums and find music beyond the "hits." 

If I had a music time machine, seeing The Doors would definitely be high on my list of concerts to go back and witness.  I can only imagine the atmosphere at a show when Morrison was at his most interestingly odd and engaged. And watching the audience trip on whatever hallucinogens might be  as interesting as the show itself.   People are still intrigued by Jim Morrison, partially because of his death at such a young age but also because people are also curious about what kind of music and lyrics he and his bandmates would have made as they aged.  Manzarek died in 2013 but Krieger and drummer Densmore are still alive. But the hits they made in that era will last forever, both for their quality but also for their influence.  They're definitely a band I would recommend anyone listen to if they enjoy rock music. 

Additional reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Doors_(album)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Morrison
 

Rear Window, released September 1954

Hitchcock made great films.  This isn't me making a bold statement but something I find it to be true every time I've watched one of his movies.  I've seen this movie before but I still enjoyed it just as much.  James Stewart is great and Grace Kelly compliments his acting so well and the supporting actors like the nurse (Thelma Ritter) and detective (Wendell Corey) were perfect casting. Even the people across the courtyard in the other building were well cast and somehow you can't envision any other actors playing those roles.  

I watched a short documentary of this movie that was included on the DVD I rented from my local library.  It explained that the apartment building and courtyard were actually completely built inside a building on Paramount's production lot. This took six weeks to complete!  I found this to be pretty cool considering the size of the building. The documentary indicated they had to take the floor out of building so that they could turn the basement into the courtyard area.  By the time this film was made, Hitchcock was well established as a successful director so I imagine the studio would spend nearly whatever money he required to make his films look as he desired.  Either way, it helped established the scale of the apartment building and how the tenants spaces related to one another versus just seeing them individually.  I liked the way the building looked and it also helped create some additional claustrophobia as you can only barely see the New York street. It gave you a feeling of restriction, the same that Stewart's character must feel sitting in his apartment with a broken leg.

I liked the dialogue between Stewart and Kelly and they were both so believable in their portrayals as a couple considering taking the next step to marriage.  And as he convinces her that Mr. Thorwald did in fact kill his wife, you can see him become more enamored with her and her sense of adventure to follow him down his path of proving it.  From what I've read, Jimmy Stewart was personally very fond of Grace Kelly and their charisma is clear on screen.

I would love to delve deeper into Hitchcock's movies as I've mostly only ever seen the most famous ones (Psycho, North By Northwest, Vertigo).  But I know that many of his lesser known movies are
just as great and influential.  If you've never seen any of his films, I strongly suggest you do.  They are from a different era of film making but are just as interesting and well made as anything made today. The dialogue is great and Hitchcock developed unique camera techniques, many of which are evident in this movie. 




Additional reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rear_Window
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Hitchcock

Next Week, #41

The Sex Pistols, "Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols"

 

West Side Story

Pink Floyd, "Dark Side of the Moon",  released March 1973

I've always been a fan of Pink Floyd, primarily because I like the guitar playing of David Gilmour.  He's one of those players that you know from playing just a few notes. And the work he did on this album is some of his best ever.  I'd definitely recommend the album "Division Bell" if you want to really hear how capable and great he is at guitar.  But aside from his playing, the band always made really interesting music and all were very capable musicians. Richard Wright (piano), Roger Waters (bass) and Nick Mason (drums) are all highly regarded as instrumentalists.  The band used and invented new studio techniques like looping, synthesizers, and multi-track machines to create new and unique music. 

This album features several tracks that are now considered their "greatest hits" and has sold over 15 million albums in the US alone.  At 45 millions records sold nationwide, it is also one of the best selling albums of all time. The album art has become iconic and when you see it, you automatically connect Pink Floyd to the image.

I really enjoyed this album.  I knew all of the tracks with the exception of the few instrumental/transition tracks like "Speak to Me" and "On the Run."  If you've listened to any classic rock stations you've heard most of the hits this album produced ("Money", "Time", "Us and Them" and "Brain Damage" aka Dark Side of the Moon).   Their music has some oddities to it with the electronic sounds and odd screaming and talking parts but if you can get past those, the music is really great.  The lead singing is shared between Gilmour and Waters, both are great but I slightly prefer Gilmour's voice.  The track called "The Great Gig in the Sky" is iconic in it's own right and features a female singer named Clare Torry.  The saxophone solos by Dick Barry are also so incredible and noteworthy. 

If you love classic rock this is an album you've probably already heard. But if you haven't, it's definitely worth listening to from start to finish.  And I do agree with Rolling Stone ranking that this album is worthy of being in the Top 50 of all time.

Additional reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Side_of_the_Moon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Floyd

King Kong, released April 1933

I had never seen the original version of this movie.  I had only ever seen the 1976 remake with Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin and Jessica Lange.  While these older black and white films lack the high quality special effects of today's films, they are no less great.  In fact, in some ways maybe they're better.  To make this film look even partially believable as it does, the filmmakers had to invent new and recently invented techniques, both in film and special effects.  We take for granted how "easy" it is today to create a realistic looking giant gorilla.  So from that standpoint it's great that they undertook the task to make this movie.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Kong_(1933_film)#Special_effects 

The acting is generally pretty good and Fay Wray is beautiful and believable as a woman fearing her life in King Kong's massive hands.  The amount of screaming she did for this movie must have seriously strained her vocal cords. 

I'm learning to like these older black and white films.  I really haven't seen many in my life but I can understand why older folks like to watch them and why they're still considered some of the greatest ever made.  Once you get past the nostalgia of seeing something in B&W, the films generally feature great writing, acting, and directing.   I would definitely recommend this to everyone.  They consider it a horror picture but it's not that scary considering the quality of the special effects.  It might even be a film you could watch as a family as their isn't any nudity or cursing. 

Additional reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Kong_(1933_film)

Next Week, #42

The Doors, "The Doors"

Rear Window

Patti Smith, "Horses", released December 1975

Some things are great because they're first, some thing are great because they're just indescribably "great", and the best of the very best happen to be both.  It's my opinion that this album lies somewhere in between all of that.  This was one of the first punk albums to feature a female lead singer and in that role Patti Smith definitely did a very convincing job.  Punk was in its relative infancy in 1975 and Patti Smith is considered one of its pioneers and key influencers. For those reasons, it makes sense that this album is in the Top 50 list.

Her sound on this album has the stripped down, basic punk grit that convinces so many youth that they too can pick up an electric guitar, learn 3 chords, write a few songs (perhaps not as poetically as Smith) and form a rock and roll band. The band sound is pretty great and I actually enjoyed it more than I did the vocals/lyrics.  But I tend to connect to the music before the lyrics when I listen to new albums.  And punk music has never been my favorite genre anyway.  The guitar playing is good but not otherworldly, played by Lenny Kaye.  The other musicians are also very capable and help create a solid sound for Patti to build her vocals around. This is a unique album in that there are sections where she is simply speaking her poems and they merge into a song.  She puts all her emotion into her performance, sometimes for good and sometimes for bad, including maniacal screaming on several tracks. 

Patti Smith has definitely influenced artists beyond her time.  REM, Morrisey, The Smiths, U2 and Courtney Love have all cited her as an influence. As music has primarily been made by men, for women and teenagers it must have been inspirational to see and hear someone with Patti's abilities move to the front of rock music at the time.  I can't say it was my favorite album or even one I'd listen to again, but I can definitely appreciate the music and her effort to play it the way she wanted it to sound. She's obviously a talented artist (literally), poet, photographer and a rock music icon.

Additional reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horses_(album)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patti_Smith
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QNOPYpIa3Q&list=PLF3f9p4TI4j21qf-DPJiDiDKGbLuGSM67 (one of the tracks that best gives you a feel for the album)

The Birth of a Nation, released February 1915

I'm sure that in 1915 sitting down for a 3 hour silent film was a pleasure looked forward to by those that could afford it.  In theaters, the film was shown into two sections with an intermission in between. Seeing pictures move and put to a story must have been a real thrill. We take this for granted today and I find it hard to know what to compare it to in modern terms.  In 2017, having seen 'modern' films, watching this movie turned out to be an arduous task.  In fact, I had to fast forward through some of the sections just to make it through. 

As I undertook this '50 Weeks, 50 Greats' challenge, I legitimately wanted to watch all of these movies in their entirety.  But watching a silent film is a difficult thing to complete, particularly one of this length.  For me, the storytelling screens can only do so much to explain the story and the odd acting style distracted me to the point of not being able to follow the story completely.  I read the Wikipedia and AFI explanation of the film and I got an understanding of the film and also clarification on why this film is historically controversial.  The inference that the Ku Klux Klan is a heroic force was clearly off base.  And portraying black people as unintelligent and sexually depraved towards white women is why there was outrage at the films release and efforts were made by the NAACP to stop it altogether.  

In 1988, this movie was ranked #44 in the first list compiled by the AFI (American Film Institute).  In the 10 year updated list, this film had completely dropped off the list.  I'm guessing that has something to do with either the general racist content/statement made by the film or by the changing nature of how critics understand and judge modern movies.  The movie has historic significance as it was the first motion picture to be screened at the White House (under Woodrow Wilson).  Sadly, it also sparked a resurgence in Klan participation, It also has film making significance with director D.W. Griffiths pioneering new techniques like "close-ups, fade-outs, and a carefully staged battle sequence with hundreds of extras made to look like thousands.  It also contained many new artistic techniques, such as color tinting for dramatic purposes, building up the plot to an exciting climax, dramatizing history alongside fiction, and featuring its own musical score written for an orchestra."

In summary, silent movies are a unique watching experience in our day and age.  I don't fully understand -and am too lazy to read- why if they could record sound (there is a soundtrack to the film) why couldn't they just record the actors speaking and tell the story that way.  Either way, it was cool to see something that old, something that changed the film industry and I did actually think parts of it were interesting (the war scenes looked surprisingly real).   I'd recommend watching it in parts though as three straight hours for a silent film proved to be difficult.

Additional reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_a_Nation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_a_Nation#Significance
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_a_Nation#Ideology_and_accuracy
http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=1826 
 

Next Week, #43

Pink Floyd, "Dark Side of the Moon"

 

 

 

 

 

 

King Kong

The Band, "The Band", Released September 1969 

The Band has two albums in the Top 50 of this all-time greatest list.  This album ranked at #45 and "Music from Big Pink" at #34.  And yet most American music listeners can't name one member of the band.  But I suspect, based upon what I've read and know about them, that's okay with them as they preferred their quiet notoriety.  They first came to prominence as Bob Dylan's backup band.  Clearly, they had immense talent for someone of Bob Dylan's prominence to choose to work with them. 

I've always loved The Band.  With three very capable lead singers and incredible musicianship, their songs are soulful and absolutely great. With Levon Helms (drums), Rick Danko (bass) and Richard Manuel (piano) sharing lead vocal duties there is such variety in the presentation of the songs and the harmonies their voices get are just incredible.  I've always admired a drummer that can sing and in my opinion, no one did it as well as Levon Helm.  His drumming is subtle but that rhythmic shuffle is so distinctively his sound that I've never heard a drummer that can quite mimic him.  Strangely enough, this album was recorded in a pool house of a home owned by Sammy Davis Jr.!  But I have a feeling The Band could have recorded in a outhouse and made it sound amazing. 

This album features a few of their most well-known songs like "Up On Cripple Creek" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down".  But the rest of the songs are just as great and I really dug "Look Out Cleveland", "King Harvest" and "Whispering Pines" in particular.  It's a great album that combined all the styles of music they enjoyed and in the end created something uniquely their own.  People should dig deeper into The Band and discover all the hits plus all the other great songs that weren't "hits." They are one of America's greatest bands of all time (even though 4 of the 5 are Canadians).  :)

Additional reading/listening:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Band
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Band_(album)

A Streetcar Named Desire, Released March 1952

I wasn't sure what to think as I sat down to this movie. Released in 1952, it is the oldest live action movie (Snow White is older) on the list to this point.  It's shot entirely in black and white, which immediately makes it feel even older in my color oriented mind.  This film was adapted from a play written by legendary playwright Tennessee Williams. 

Because I had some difficulty with hearing the words (inferior sound production in 1952), I watched with the closed captioning on.  In hindsight, this was probably a good thing as reading/listening to the words helped me appreciate how talented of a writer Williams is and why he's considered an American icon.  It's a great story and I can understand why it does so well when produced on a stage. 

All the dialogue is very natural and the actors do such an incredible job "becoming" the characters.  This film was one of Marlon Brando's first and he was nominated for an Oscar Award (lost to Humphrey Bogart).  His performance helped launch his legendary career and today is considered one of the greatest actors of all time.  Vivien Leigh (lead actress), Karl Malden (supporting actor) and Kim Hunter (supporting actress) all won Oscars for their performances.  Vivien Leigh's performance is incredible and she carries so many scenes with the quantity of her dialogue. 

Seeing Brando and Leigh give such memorable and legendary performances was great.  The film is around 2 hours long, which is manageable.  Watching these older films is worth it to see how acting and film making has evolved.  Movies are different now but not necessarily better, especially with regard to the acting and writing.  I'd definitely recommend people see this movie, it's worthy of being in the Top 50 of all time.

Additional reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Streetcar_Named_Desire_(1951_film)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Williams 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlon_Brando
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivien_Leigh

Next week #44 

Patti Smith, "Horses"

Birth of a Nation 

Bob Marley and The Wailers, "Legend", Released May 1984

I've owned this album for years and have listened to it literally hundreds of times.  Obviously I'm a big fan of Bob Marley and the incredible music he produced in his very short life (died of skin cancer at just 36).  This album was released posthumously, features his best work from prior recordings, and has sold over 33 million records worldwide! 

Marley is probably the only reggae artist most people know, with the possible exception being Jimmy Cliff and Peter Tosh (part of The Wailers playing on this album).  He made reggae music accessible and popular for generations of listeners that perhaps didn't even realize Jamaica had its own distinct form of music. I'd certainly heard of Marley before I heard this album but I was introduced to his music through the song "I Shot the Sheriff", by Eric Clapton.  Once I heard that song was a Marley cover, I definitely wanted to hear the original and so began my interest in Bob Marley and his music. 

His songs are message driven but don't come across as preachy or sanctimonious because the music is so catchy, melodic and mostly peaceful in nature.   He's pushing his message and beliefs (both moral and religious) forward in such a beautiful way.  In Jamaica, the people revered him.  But the government certainly feared his popularity and his messages of solidarity and empowerment.  The establishment feared that he would lead an uprising and overthrow a less-than-moral government. 

There was an attempted assassination on his life where he suffered minor bullet wound injuries to his chest and arm.  Nonetheless, just two days later he performed a free concert meant to promote peace and unity and told the crowd, "The people who are trying to make this world worse aren't taking a day off.  How can I?"  Certainly a message of note in today's world, regardless of which side you fall.  He seemingly lived with little fear, knowing that his music could have effect change both in Jamaica and around the world. If it meant his life, he was willing to offer it to move the Jamaican/African people forward in their struggle.  Surviving the attempt on his life made him even more beloved in Jamaica but perhaps a bigger target for future attempts. On the advice of his managers and family, he took an extended vacation to England and ended up living there for two years.  This is where many of his biggest hits were produced, including many of the tracks on this album. 

In the years ahead, he would be diagnosed with malignant melanoma (skin cancer), but would continue to work to spread his message of peace and unity.  Sadly, the treatments he received did not eradicate the cancer and it spread to his lungs and brain.  He died in a Miami hospital as he was making his way back to his beloved Jamaica.  According to his son Ziggy, his dying words were "Money can't buy life."   What a beautiful legacy of music, influence and courage he left.  Check out this album, you won't be disappointed.

Additional information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend_(Bob_Marley_and_the_Wailers_album)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Marley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvNlAZ3xqwI (Trailer for the movie, "Marley", the movie is great)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-5yg7C5o4Q  (Live in concert)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2035116/  (I watched this several years ago. Great doc showing several of his kids attempting to put together a concert in South Africa to honor and celebrate the legacy of their father)

A Clockwork Orange, released February 1972

If you thought "Taxi Driver" was demented and dark, this movie takes it to whole other level.   The early part of the movie features scenes of assault, rape and murder.  Upon release, this movie was rated "X" but director Stanley Kubrick edited approximately 30-seconds out from two scenes to garner an "R" rating for a release months later. Most of the DVD's of this movie are the "X" rated version but carry the "R" rating. It definitely is not a movie for the faint of heart or those easily offended by themes of violence and sexual deviance.

Kubrick was a director that took chances and did things other "mainstream" directors might not, but to me it doesn't come across as gratuitous or pornographic.  The scenes serve the purpose of the story so I certainly think they should be included and shown in all their brutality.  Movies can be either an escape from reality or a forceful showing of the brutal realities of life. I can appreciate both. The second half of the movie isn't quite as graphic, unless you consider the scene where Alex (played by Malcolm McDowell) has his eyes forcefully held open as he goes through a new prisoner reform technique called "Ludovico".  I've seen several Kubrick movies (Full Metal Jacket, Eyes Wide Shut, The Shining) so I was prepared for the violence and sadistic nature of the film. 


The movie was Oscar nominated for Best Director (Kubrick), Best Film Editing (Bill Butler), Best Picture (Kubrick), & Best Adapted Screenplay (Kubrick) but won none of the awards that year.

Overall, I guess I liked the movie, although I don't think I'd put it in my personal Top 50 list.  The acting is very good and Malcolm McDowell is very believable as the main character Alex.  It certainly set him up as a capable actor and set a foundation for a fairly successful career in Hollywood.  The supporting cast is also very good.  For some reason I can never spot a bad acting performance in films that feature nearly all English actors.  The British must send the best of the best to Hollywood because they're all good, at least in this movie. I also liked the music of the film which features Beethoven symphonies as a central part of the plot. 

I wouldn't recommend the movie for the casual movie watcher.  I think the darker themes will turn many people off.  But it's worth a watch to see a Kubrick film that many (including the people that put together the AFI Top 50 List) consider one of his very best.
 
More information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Clockwork_Orange_(film)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Kubrick
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPRzm8ibDQ8 (original trailer which does a good job selling it's oddness)

Next week #45

The Band, "The Band"

A Streetcar Named Desire

John Coltrane, "A Love Supreme", released January 1965

It's my experience that people either really love jazz or really dislike jazz.  I suppose I find myself somewhere in the middle . It's not my most favorite form of music but I always appreciate the musicians talents and their art of creating music.  To me, listening to live jazz is an experience different than what you'll get at a rock/blues/country show.  If you've never done that, I encourage anyone to seek it out, there's plenty of high quality jazz clubs in most large cities. But jazz can be a very difficult genre for a casual music listener.   Certain jazz forms are more easily "digested" than others and the jazz featured on this album is of a form that even casual jazz listeners may struggle with comprehending. 

Coltrane was experimenting with forms of jazz that were in their infancy and being built upon by musicians like himself.  This certainly isn't the jazz album you'll want to put on as background music to your evening meal.  The album can be both melodic and jarring.  At times soothing, at other times challenging.  Coltrane was a most capable player.  Incredible speed and rhythm but also taking turns at sheer maniacal wailing on his tenor saxophone.  With smooth melodic chords and progressions being played beside loud arrhythmic drumming (timpani on a jazz record?) and odd piano phrasing accompanying it all and moving the music forward.  It's a lot for the human ear to process.  This is free form jazz at its birth.  I try to imagine what was going on inside Coltrane's, and the other musicians, head as they formed these pieces.  The use of mind altering drugs (particularly heroin) during this period of jazz is well documented; I believe that certainly had something to do with the experimentation and unique sounds they pieced together.   It's evident why artist like Carlos Santana found influence in it's experimental approach.  The talent on the other instruments is enormous with McCoy Tyner (piano) and Elvin Jones (drums) standing out in particular.  Bass player Jimmy Garrison also does some unique, noteworthy soloing towards the end of track 3. 

As someone who has attempted to play several musical instruments (bass clarinet, piano, & guitar), I definitely have a full appreciation and understanding of what it takes to make music.  And to do it well is unique. To understand the way chords and progressions work is a mathematics of sorts. And no musical genre attempts to master the math like jazz musicians.  All generations are trying to progress their musical genre but this era of jazz was it's most exploratory.  Talents like Coltrane, Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk, Charlie Parker were attempting to take it in new and never before heard places. For the most part it works and you listen with amazement at what incredibly talented musicians these people were.  The art they created was unique and progressive and in that way, it is critical and worthy of being considered one of the top 50 albums of all time.

More information on John Coltrane and the album:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Love_Supreme
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Coltrane

Taxi Driver, released February 1976 

"Are you talking to me? You talking to me?"  This scene from the movie, "Taxi Driver" has become absolutely iconic, with most people not even aware of where it came from within popular culture. This is a pretty dark movie with serious anti-hero overtones and psychotic level behaviors.  This film does feature early work from several actors that have each gone on to very successful Hollywood careers including: Robert DeNiro, Cybill Shepherd, Jodie Foster, Harvey Keitel, and Albert Brooks. This is also one of the first feature films from legendary director Martin Scorsese.

I'd seen this movie in the past but didn't remember all the scenes.  It was much more graphic than what I remembered, both in terms of language, content and visual effects. Of course, DeNiro played his role so perfectly and he really inhabits the multilayered Travis Bickle character.  He uses a technique called method acting and apparently worked as an actual taxi driver in preparation for this movie. Commitment to a role has never been his weakness.  Cybill Shepherd, at age 26, has so much charisma and sex appeal on camera and the chemistry between her and DeNiro feels very real.  A fourteen year old Jodie Foster has the acting chops of someone 3 times her age.  I watched a behind the scenes on this movie where Jodie Foster said her mother was called to bring her in to audition for a role (an underage prostitute) and upon walking in they were certain she was perfect for the role.  I can't imagine having a child as a working actor and signing off on letting her play a street walker.  According to the movie's Wikipedia entry, the producers made her see a psychologist regularly to ensure that they weren't doing any long term damage to her young, impressionable brain.  Now THAT'S commitment to getting and keeping an acting role!

I also enjoyed the soundtrack and score of this movie.   It was done by Bernard Hermann, who also scored movies such as Citizen Kane (#1 movie of all time according to AFI), Vertigo, Psycho, North By Northwest (Hitchcock), and many others. There is also a sequence in the middle where a pop song is played.  It's a song by Jackson Browne called "Late for the Sky".  Music has always been a big piece of all Scorsese movies, almost like a character of sorts.  He also directed what most regard as the finest live action music movie called "The Last Waltz" about The Band's last concert.  He also directed the Bob Dylan documentary, "No Direction Home" and Michael Jackson's video for the song "Bad". Clearly, music is important to Scorsese and this film definitely sets a mood using the music. 

I believe this movie is definitely one worth seeing at least once. It's great to see DeNiro and Scorsese becoming one of the greatest actors/directors of their generation and arguably of all time. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxi_Driver

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQkpes3dgzg "Are you talking to me??"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqYiHkx7ils "Late for the Sky", Jackson Browne

Next week, #46

Bob Marley, "Legend"

A Clockwork Orange

 Public Enemy, "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back", released June 88

This album was released in 1988; I was just 10 years old.  This album was definitely not allowed in our house (no explicit lyric labels allowed), so I've never heard most of the tracks.  Aside from the few radio friendly hits this album produced, the album was mostly a mystery to me.  I was looking forward to reviewing this album because I enjoy old school hip hop WAY more than the rap albums being released today.   Sadly, I can't say I enjoyed it much and only listened from start to finish just one time.  Instead, I listened selectively to the tracks I preferred.  I definitely like the way Chuck D (raps) his vocals and his delivery is iconic in the history of hip hop music.  The downside is having to hear Flavor Fav be Flavor Fav, which to me comes across as somewhat cartoonish.  I'm sure when this album was released it didn't come across that way and it's only over time that his off album persona has affected the way I perceive and receive his music.  I do recall from my youth the impact their personal style had on popular culture.  Seeing the Malcolm X "X" hat and the round colored medallion of the African continent was commonplace, even among white youth. Their impact on hip hop culture and style is certain and unquestioned. This album established them as a political music group to be heard and reckoned with as social awareness increased in that period.

To me, the message and lyrical content of the album, which was somewhat unique in it's aggressive approach, sometimes gets lost in the production.  The sheer quantity of sound sampling on most of the tracks is mind numbing and today would be way more expensive (impossible) to produce given the changes in modern music licensing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Takes_a_Nation_of_Millions_to_Hold_Us_Back#Track_listing). The repetitive looping of certain sounds (screeching, high pitched horn) I found to be grating on my 38-year old ears. I had to hit the fast forward button to get past several tracks. This became such a signature sound for them and I imagine when it was released the hip hop audience loved it's tone and production (beats, loops, rap, etc.).   But for me, I don't enjoy it. 

All music is of its time and stands as a testament to that generation and what was being felt in the country at that particular time. The best of it stands up to the test of time and can be listened to forever.  To this end, Public Enemy spoke to and for their audience and that's why this album is rightfully considered the 48th best of all time.  

I do find it somewhat surprising that there is only one hip hop album among the Top 50 list that Rolling Stone compiled (only one even in the Top 100).  But given that the magazine is more rock based, I'm sure the individuals responsible for compiling it have a certain bias towards that sound versus hip hop.  In my mind, perhaps because of when I was born and subsequently discovered rap music, the Dr. Dre album "The Chronic" or Snoop Doggy Dogg's debut album "Doggystyle" are my go to albums for old school hip hop and should definitely be included in the Top 50/100 albums of all time. 

 

Jaws, released June 1975

Duh-nuh...duh-nuh...duh-nuh... JAWS!!  This movie is so iconic and great for more than just the movie.  Obviously the soundtrack (musical score) is recognized all over the world.  But this was only director Steven Spielberg's second theatrical film and helped launch a now legendary Hollywood career.  The film is based upon a book written by Peter Benchley and the screenplay was a team effort that included Spielberg, actors and many unaccredited writers that he used to put a sensible story together, similar to the book but also different in certain aspects.  I was surprised the film had an initial budget of just $3.5 million and only 55 shooting days. The film has become notorious for production problems with the mechanical shark and costs did overrun the initial budget.  But the problems actually helped create more fear by not seeing the shark more often in the film.  And when you do see it, it's clearly fake so maybe it worked for the best that the mechanics didn't work well during production.  I do wonder why this film hasn't been remade; with modern CGI technology, it could look amazing.  

The initial offer to play Chief Brody was to Robert Duvall with Charlton Heston interested as well. Ultimately, the role went to Roy Scheider, who does a terrific job as a seaside sheriff fearful of water.  His acting is very natural, particularly the scenes with his movie wife (Lorraine Gary). The scenes with the child actor playing his youngest son at the dinner table following a rough day watching shark attacks at the beach were also noteworthy to me. The camaraderie between he and actor Richard Dreyfuss felt very real, like they'd known each other for a long time.  Also, the line "We're going to need a bigger boat" was improvised by the actor and has become one of the most memorable lines in the movie but also a commonly used expression to relay feelings of being overwhelmed by a situation. 

The roles of Quint and Hooper were not yet cast as close as nine days prior to initial shooting.  Interestingly, those roles were offered/considered to actors such as Lee Marvin, Sterling Hayden, Jon Voight and Jeff Bridges.  After much discussion and script modification to fit the characters to the actors playing them, Robert Shaw (Quint) and Richard Dreyfuss (Hooper) were hired.  The acting in this movie by Robert Shaw is legendary, particularly the scene where he's describing the true story of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the subsequent shark attacks that killed all but 316 naval soldiers. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9S41Kplsbs
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Indianapolis_(CA-35)

The score was handled by composer John Williams and has become his most iconic, with the possible exception of the Star Wars films. This was one of John William's first movies and, similar to Spielberg, it launched his now legendary career.  Not much more I can say about how great the score is and how it clearly enhances the scenes and creates suspense.  Masterful!

Upon release, the film became the highest grossing picture and to date has grossed $470 million.  Over time the movie has succeeded in overseas markets like Brazil and United Kindgom as well. 

I've seen this film numerous times and I always enjoy it.  Despite not being the most realistic from a production standpoint, it still manages to create fear and suspense.  It's got a Hitchcock quality to it that I really love.  And the fact that it gave Spielberg a chance to make more films is great as well.  If you haven't seen it, do.  Just don't do it on vacation near the ocean!

For more information on the film:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaws_(film)
http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=55193

"Hoosier Jaws"(a silly video I made years ago with my dog Hoosier as I messed with my GoPro and iMovie):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prUzO6dJCFw

Next week #47

John Coltrane, "A Love Supreme"

Taxi Driver