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Old 04-29-2004, 10:42 PM
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Rick and Roll Rick and Roll is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Baltimore suburbs
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My tortured mind asks.......

Please read the stream of consciousness below and let me know what you all think.....

I put City of Fear by FM (bought last week) in the CD player. I'm in the car, thinking, "no one has ever heard of these guys", but a lot of people have heard of Ben Mink without realizing it (k.d. lang or Rush).

Anyway, "Krakow" comes on - love that tune. I'm reading the CD (not paying any mind to the road), and mentally note that I know three other tunes really well. They are the title cut, "Surface to Air", and "Nobody At All". The reason I know these so well is that I used to record cassettes of favorite songs by bands. Sometimes one tape per band, sometimes mixed tapes. I'd give them goofy names or simple alliterations. The tape I made with these songs was "FM Favs".

I realize I can't remember the other songs. I have not played an album for five years, at least, and this was not really played for at least 15. When I was in college I wore the vinyl out of this record, but have forgotten a lot from those days! I also apparently have lent my record to someone to burn (a year ago!) and this bootleg CD has no info of any value. So I'm guessing this came out in 1983.

I get this dreadful feeling - what if I don't like the other songs, what am I going to do? Other drivers pay no attention to my angst, they're on their cell phones. Song 2, "Power", comes on. It's a basic rock and roll song, only Ben plays his violins like lead guitars. Words are flowing out of my mouth...I remember all of the words. This is unbelievable. See, I can't recite lyrics, but once the song plays I'm there. It amazes me how musicians can sing and play at the same time. So weird, I missed that gene. I always think of Geddy Lee in concert - usually doesn't hit a note at the exact same time he sings (maybe it's not just me then).

Song three "Truth or Consequences" appears. Even more of a basic song. Rockin the crap out of me. All the words, inflections, every note of each instrument (there's only three or four!) just come flooding back. I wind down the window to annoy others, but I'm not on a populous road (and the wind dulls my enjoyment) so it goes back up.

"Lost And Found", tune four. A haunting tune, a change of pace. Full of angst...just very cool. Tunes five and six, "City of Fear" and "Surface To Air". The latter might be the best driving tune ever made. It's so happy.

"Up To You" next. A very commercial tune. Then after following along with the lyrics, I realize - I've been had. The song is intentionally commercial, and is a tongue-in-cheek sendup. It's got a cool percussive middle section to break it up, too.

Tune 8, "Silence", another soft tune (in the verses anyway). Good stuff.

"Riding the Thunder" next. Completely balls to the wall, features Ben on some heavy electric mandolin and guitar, makes no apologies. I screech the vocals until I talk like Phyllis Diller. Lovin it.

Finally, "Nobody At All". One of the prettiest tunes ever made. Listen to it once without any distractions (lots of luck!).

I had to ride out of the way 10 extra minutes to finish the CD. I get out of the car, decompress for a minute, then as the family greets (ignores) me, not knowing what I did during my ride home, I realize - too bad these moments are so fleeting.

Why am I writing this? Well, Zvinki asked me how the CD sounded, and I came to the conclusion that there a lot of CD's out that are seemingly not Moon material, yet are not correctly classified as "Guilty Pleasures" either.

It's a damn shame there's no outlet for music like this. Of course one could argue that other great basic rock and roll CD's such as Wishbone Ash's "Argus" (which is on the Moon) falls into the same category. Popular bands like Yes have "90125" on the playlist which is no more complicated than this CD. Where to draw the line? An interesting question.

As Cameron Hawkins sings, "I know that it's commercial but it's up to you".

Any other CD's anybody thinks fit into this category? Another example I think would be XTC's "Skylarking".

Fire away!
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