Another Year...

2009 brought its fair share of disappointments and challenges, but we end on a positive note.

I'll see you on the beach.

...more Band-Aids...

Here is the 12" (extended) version. No actual video, but the full audio. Worth listening to for Phil Collins' drum solo and the assorted comments that begin at 2:50.

...and there won't be snow in Africa this Christmastime...

This tune got some attention back in 1984. Can you believe it's been 25 years?

Nowadays, it's easy to cynically dismiss humanitarian efforts by entertainment megastars as grandstanding at worst, or politically naive at best, and in most cases one or both are correct. However, I must admit I felt a little different about the whole Band-Aid effort. To my knowledge, it was the first recording by a supergroup specifically for the purposes of charity, and certainly the first for this generation of musicians. It's hard to question Bob Geldof's sincerity, particularly since he's given up much of his musical career for the sake of causes greater than himself, and Do They Know It's Christmas? was where it all started.

We Are The World and Live Aid would follow within a year, and before the decade was over we'd see Farm-Aid, Ferry-Aid, and various other permutations.

The slippery slope theory held true, and the sincerity of the celebrities became diluted almost immediately, but Geldof and his pals deserve credit not only for inventing the charity single (and reinvigorating the concept of a benefit concert) but also for giving a generation of self-absorbed stars -- including the one who first appears at 1:24 -- at least something of a conscience.

Finally, it's refreshing to hear the word "Christmas" used so freely in a completely secular recording. And it still gives me chills -- maybe because of where I was in 1984, or maybe because it's an absolutely brilliant song.

Ten Years Ago continued

The world we avoided. I only saw this commercial once, now it lives on courtesy YouTube.

A Great Season

Ten Years Ago

This happened.

Game 5 of the 1999 Division Series between the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox was one of the most memorable baseball games I ever saw. Boston had lost game1 in Cleveland in the bottom of the ninth, then got blown out in game 2 before the series moved to Boston. Nomar Garciaparra was not able to play game 3, but Boston rallied behind John Valentin and won 9-3. In game 4, the Red Sox scored three touchdowns and a safety to win a blowout, 23-7, and force the series back to Cleveland.

Pedro Martinez had perhaps the best season of a starting pitcher since Bob Gibson in 1968, winning the Cy Young and being jilted out of the AL MVP award because of perennial BBWAA voter stupidity, but that shouldn't detract from his 23-4 record, winning AL Pitcher of the month four times and, oh by the way, All-Star MVP in his home park. Nonetheless, Pedro pulled a muscle in his back in Game 1 and had to leave the game and looked to be done for the series.

The aforementioned box score tells the story of the game, but suffice it to say that the first two Red Sox pitchers failed to hold leads, the the Sox turned to Pedro, hoping he could give them an inning or two. Against an Indians team that featured Kenny Lofton, Roberto Alomar, Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, Harold Baines, Wil Cordero, Travis Fryman, and Richie Sexson off the bench, Pedro entered when the game was tied and proceeded to throw six innings without allowing a hit.

The Indians, meanwhile, imploded -- earlier in the game, they had intentionally walked Nomar to pitch to Troy O'Leary. O'Leary responded with a grand slam on the first pitch. In the seventh inning, Nomar came up again with first base open and was intentionally walked again. Up came O'Leary who, again, homered on the first pitch, giving the Red Sox a lead they would not surrender.

One rarely if ever should accuse a professional sports team of "quitting." Overmatched, maybe, not never "quitters." But in this game, the Indians did quit. After the second O'Leary home run, with Pedro already looking invincible, Jacobs Field became as boisterous as a tomb, and the Indians hitters walked liked zombies from the dugout to the plate and back. Indians manager Mike Hargrove didn't even go to his bench to try and shake things up -- maybe get a hit or something. Pedro blew away the final nine batters and the Sox would face the Yankees in the next round.

...which was more or less forgettable, but it was still an exciting end to a decade that had began somewhat dramatically as well.

So, even losing the first two games of a 5-game series (or, for that matter, the first 3 games of a 7-game series) doesn't mean it's over. It's been done before. I'm not sure what made me think of this...

The Editors Weigh In

NRO's honchoes speak out on Oslo's latest gaffe, making many of the same points I made in my previous post -- they say it better, but I'd like to point out that I said it first. For once.

"Wake up, Michelle!"

"...we didn't get the Olympics, but..."

John J. Miller on NRO appears to have been the first responder on this, and, as usual, I couldn't have said it any better.

Part of this reminds me of episode 30 of Hogan's Heroes, where Hogan tries to bolster Klink in the eyes of the Kommandant's prospective step-daughter by telling her that Klink is not only a Baron and the recipient of the Iron Cross, but also the Victoria Cross because even the British admire him. What's next? HEADLINE -- "OBAMA ELECTED EMPEROR OF JAPAN"

It's just not been a good decade for the Nobel Peace Prize. We've gone from General Marshall, Dr. King, the Red Cross, Mother Teresa, Lech Walesa, Elie Wiesel and the Dalai Lama to a failed secretary-general, an anti-semetic ex-president who lobbied shamelessly for the award for 20 years, an agency and its head who are more interested in appeasement than non-proliferation, and a filmmaker with some questionable scientific views.

So, since the turn of the century, if you bashed America, Israel, or just Republicans, and if you raised your profile by jet-setting around the globe doing the same, you could expect a call from Oslo.

Rather pathetic credentials in the eyes of this reporter, but credentials nonetheless. Now, as we embark on a new decade, it appears that the standards have been lowered even further to simply looking good on TV. Make a few good speeches, say the right things, and you're right in the running even if your resume could fit on a business card. Sorta like those baseball publications every March that project the "Rookie of the Year" winners for the upcoming season -- yeah, the potential's there, but they . . . haven't . . . done . . . anything.

So goes the world. It's just a shame to see a once-prestigious award that should be beyond politics being further debased. One last analogy -- that of the commentator in the 1880's who allegedly remarked that the progression of the presidency from Washington to Grant was the strongest case he knew against Darwinism.

Fools, Students, the Sleeping and the Wise

For some reason, I was thinking of this ancient proverb today:

He who knows not and knows not that he knows not is a fool; avoid him.

He who knows not and knows that he knows not is a student; teach him.

He who knows and knows not that he knows is asleep; wake him.

He who knows and knows that he knows is a wise man; follow him.

Change of Seasons

This time of year brings us our two major sports simultaneously for two months, and always makes me think of the comparisons between the two drawn by George Carlin (text version here).

And there's always Tom Boswell's comparison from his classic anthology The Heart of the Order, reproduced here. Granted, a few of the items (43, 44 & 66, for example), are obsolete, but it's still worth reviewing a few times a year. I think #30 is my favorite...

Seventy Years Ago

No, that's not a reference to a Twila Paris song...

Today (9/1/09) marks the 70th anniversary of Germany's invastion of Poland, which sparked World War II. The maps featured with this posting are scans of actual newspaper Londaon clippings I acquired in the early 1980's and have scrapbooked away.

It is also the 20th anniversary of a certain college sophomore being the only person in a class of about 700 who knew the significance of this date at that time, which was of course the 50th anniversary.

Remember me, Dr. Hess? (No, not Rudolf)

61* in '61

I finally got around to watching Billy Crystal's HBO movie 61* -- that is to say, I finally found it at the Library and didn't have to pay for it. Even a member of the loyal opposition can appreciate the history of the Evil Empire, and the heroics of Mantle and Maris nearly 50 years ago.

On one level, there is a great deal of nostalgia. Whether Crystal was trying to depict it or not, even a baseball movie from as recently as the decade in which I was born makes you yearn for day games, reasonable salaries (Mantle made about $70,000 that year, which less than Babe Ruth had made in his prime more than thirty years earlier), and accessible ticket prices. Baseball truly is -- or was -- the people's sport, being played every day with the intent that you can take your son or sweetheart to the game that afternoon without a great deal of saving, planning or a second mortgage.

Unfortunately, however, while 61* is about baseball's most accessible era, Billy Crystal makes it inaccessible to young fans. Why he finds it necessary to include a plethora of foul language and a little too much detail on the Mick's extracurricular habits makes the movie unsuitable for children, much like today's game (with 8:30 PM starts and decent tickets starting at $100) is also out of reach.

One other minor complaint -- several times in the movie, the Whitey Ford character addresses Mantle as "Slick." In fact, Slick was Ford's nickname (and the title of his autobiography), because Ford was the "City Slicker" of the bunch.

Some viewers also find fault with the film being bookended by the performance of Mark McGwire in 1998, breaking Maris' record, given how McGwire has disgraced himself since then. A fair enough criticism, although it should be noted that 61* was made in 2001, when McGwire still held the record and was still active (Bonds set the new record later that year). This viewer found it a curious cinemagraphic tool which probably made sense in Crystal's mind in 2001 -- who would have expected it to be somewhat jarring to the audience eight years later. Those who feel more strongly may want to Give It Back to Maris.

For Diehards Only

And for Red Sox fans with a lot of time on their hands, click here.

Good Luck, cont'd

One other thought on "Good Night and Good Luck" -- there's a scene where the Fred Friendly character (played by George Clooney) interrogates a military officer, asking him (amongst other things) who made the decision and if those people "were elected." An interesting thought coming from a member of the Fourth Estate.

Good night, good luck, and merry Christmas.

Being an old media hack, I figured I'd take in Good Night, and Good Luck. It's certainly well-filmed and well-cast (although the ridiculous subplot, which you can read more about in this review (scroll down!), may be the worst I've ever seen).

I won't nitpick the details with a view towards exposing the prejudices of the filmmakers, because we already know the conclusion of that. Since all I know about the 1950's is what I've read, or heard, or seen on Happy Days, I'll leave much of that judgment up to people who were there.

However, I do find it interesting that a movie full of caterwauling about the integrity of the media and its centrality to the preservation of democracy, produced by a cadre of well-known leftists, leaves us wondering how, exactly, Edward R. Murrow and his colleagues would evaluate the current state of media proselytizing, particularly their awestruck worship of the (eventual) commander-in-chief over the past 18 months or so, and their failure to find any flaws in his administration since January. I'm not naive enough to expect total impartiality, but I would like to see something close to the incisive and tenacious journalism that See It Now employed against the junior senator from Wisconsin.

Good night, and good luck -- to all of us -- that we would be saved from ourselves.

Hemmingway on Hughes

Interesting article on John Hughes by Mark Hemmingway.

I haven't seen too many of his movies, although I did see The Breakfast Club about 3 times, and I never decided if I liked it or not. I supposed I should have, since I was in high school when it came out, but I wasn't sure if I was John Bender, Andrew Clark or Brian Johnson. Maybe a hybrid.

Sheriff at the Gates

For those who appreciate great satire, with a Shakespearean twist.

Watch out for the "Fool" in Act III.

Born on the Fourth of July, cont'd

Taken earlier today a few miles from my home. Three observations --

(1) Yes, the sign is still up, 3+ weeks after the holiday with which it is affiliated.
(2) No, they haven't fixed the fairly obvious typographical mistake, and
(3) Yes, these people are retailing highly combustible, unstable and dangerous materiel to the general public.

Is this really happening?

You couldn't just stop at inciting further racial hatred and making police work more difficult. Now you have to invite everybody to the People's House (at the people's expense) "for a beer."

Ah, yes -- ALCOHOL. The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems, as Homer Simpson might say.

I really can't believe I saw this.

Real Heroes

Yeah, sure, Walter Cronkite, journalism legend and whatnot. Most trusted man in America, etc., etc. If I've lost Walter Cronkite, I've lost Middle America. And that's the way it is. WHATEVER. "Uncle Walter's" politics -- like that of his successor -- were no great mystery, and there are not a few of us who consider his anchorship to be the beginning of the slippery slope away from any manner of objectivity in the major media. And we can probably thank him for keeping the somewhat shaky reporting of the Watergate scandal alive when Woodward and Bernstein were floundering.

There are newsmakers and newsbreakers, and Cronkite's reporting began the blurring of the two where the reporter became the story. Personally, I'd rather see more reporting today on a Henry Allingham, a real hero from World War I who passed away a few hours after Cronkite. Now there are only four of them.

Wide World of Sports

Afternoon comes early for some retired players --

"I have a new TV show airing Saturday mornings at 12:00 Noon." -- Keyshawn Johnson


As for pitchers hitting (or flailing) in the All-Star Game --

"I know everyone tuned in tonight to see a Roy Halladay at-bat." -- Joe Buck


and some rare fiscal honesty from the C-in-C --

Joe: "They haven't won an All-Star Game since 1996. Maybe the National League needs a bailout."

BHO: "Sorry. We're out of money."

In your spare time...

I added EyeblastTV to my links (at right) in case any of you still harbor questions about major media prejudices and/or you can stomach seeing and hearing the evidence. There's some other good stuff too.

It's sponsored by the Media Research Center, whose link is also provided and has been since the inception of Salad Days.

I replaced the YouTube link, since that site seems to have fallen off a slippery slope, although I'll still link to it from time to time.

Born on the Fourth of July

Well, not exactly, but Johnny Cash should have been.

Happy Independence Day!

The Mighty 44 (well, some of them)

Presidential junkies might find this site interesting. It doesn't have all of them, but a pretty good assortment of presidential documents.

I still think these two speeches were pretty good. Worth re-reading -- parts prophetic, parts ironic, and some parts that make you wince a little, but their characterizations of their predecessors are dead-on.

RIP

You can have your angels, your eccentric song-and-dance entertainers with questionable habits, and even your career second bananas. I'll take Mladen George Sekulovich any day of the week.

RIP Karl and thanks for an amazing career. An incredible filmography in countless pictures, including the "original" Herb Brooks.

More 80's Nostalgia

I stumbled on this article last year but wasn't able to find it again until today. Amazing what a little down time wrought by minor surgery combined with patience will lead you to discover.

Although the premise of the story is flawed -- the 1988 election wasn't really that close at all -- I'll accept for the sake of argument that it was at least "winnable" for Dukakis had a few things gone differently. I started reading this article thinking it was your typical left-wing whining about if-only-the-people-were-as-smart-as-we-were, but it's actually somewhat plausible.

Of course, then this speech would have been a little different.

Top Christian Albums of the 1980's -- Honorable Mentions

KINGDOM OF LOVE – Scott Wesley Brown (1984) – A tough call between this and Somebody’s Brother, but we’re going with the earlier work simply because of its success in blending both the traditional and contemporary.

COMIN’ ON STRONG – Carman (1984) – A truly original work and perhaps Carman’s most complete album to date, unfortunately marred by inferior production quality that probably keeps it out of the top ten.

D&K – DeGarmo & Key (1987) – So hard to leave DeGarmo & Key out of the top ten, as they were consistently solid performers throughout the decade, and so hard to choose among their many solid albums. Street Light, Communication, and The Pledge all warrant strong consideration, yet the fact that none stands out from the other probably keeps them from the top ten. They are also handicapped by the fact that the volume of their production led to a fair amount of "filler" on each of those albums, debasing each collection in spite of each one also containing some memorable tracks.

LEAD ME ON – Amy Grant (1988) – Very highly rated by some. A watershed work, as Amy Grant would soon drop the "Christian" from "Contemporary," but nonetheless refreshing and authentic, far more than the overwrought Unguarded that preceded it or the schlock that followed it. It was her The Big Picture, breaking free from the strong but "ordinary" work of her early years and not matched since.

FACES – Hogland Band (1988) – Virtually unknown -- good luck finding this one, even on the Internet -- yet an original European-flavored collection that is consistent top to bottom. Only the lack of notoriety keeps it out of the top ten.

CRACK THE SKY – Mylon LeFevre & Broken Heart (1987) – Mylon cranked out nearly one album every year in the latter part of the decade. Face the Music and Sheep in Wolves Clothing were also highlights, yet the sheer volume of work (much like DeGarmo & Key) keep any one album from standing out. Nonetheless, there’s still nothing quite like listening to Reach for the Sky at high volume.

ANOTHER FRIDAY NIGHT – Kenny Marks (1989) – A Sentimental choice that showcases a fellow Falcon maturing as an artist, singing about conflict and resolution without being over-bearing, and helping me get through an otherwise dreadful year.

7 – David Meece (1985) – Meece rescues this otherwise straight-forward synth-rock fare with his creativity and charisma. An upbeat, positive collection boosted both by Meece’s talent as a songwriter and his strong voice.

Telling It Like It Is

I miss Rodney Harrison already, but at least he knew not only when to retire, but how to retire.

Another piece on that subject here.

Top Christian Albums of the 1980's

To Re-Cap -- The first date is the year the album came out; the second date represents the year I first remember hearing it. There's somewhat lof a delay in all but a few cases. Something to do with being 8,000 miles away during much of the decade. I've also linked each title to the original posting, which in retrospect seems kinda pointless -- if nobody read it the first time around, why would anybody read it again?

(1) THE BIG PICTURE – Michael W. Smith (1985) (1986)

(2) RUSS TAFF – Russ Taff (1987) (1988)

(3) MELTDOWN – Steve Taylor (1984) (1985)

(4) BEAT THE SYSTEM – Petra (1985) (1985)

(5) SO YOU WANNA GO BACK TO EGYPT...? – Keith Green (1980) (1980)

(6) THE IMPERIALS SING THE CLASSICS – The Imperials (1985) (1985)

(7) DON’T WAIT FOR THE MOVIE – White Heart (1986) (1987)

(8) PICTURES IN THE SKY – Rich Mullins (1987) (1988)

(9) NO MYSTERY – Rick Cua (1983) (1986)

(10) PASSIN' THE FAITH ALONG – The New Gaither Vocal Band (1983) (1985)

Some honorable mentions to follow...

It is a good day to...

Well, for most of the morning I was in a semi-comatose state in a local hospital before, during and after a relatively routine medical procedure and, during my more conscious moments, pondering the future of my existence and reassuring myself that (1) my eternity was secure and (2) I had plenty of life insurance, and then not only does this happen, but this. And, as Worf would say, "the day is not yet over."

Talk about being upstaged.

The Smoltz Brigade

With John Smoltz making his Red Sox debut tonight, I thought this would be worth posting -- I saw Smoltz pitch for the Richmond Braves (AAA) almost exactly 21 years ago, in July of 1988. He gave up a run in the first inning following a leadoff walk, lost a tough 1-0 decision to the Syracuse Chief (Toronto's AAA entry). Lonnie Smith was the Braves' cleanup hitter and Jeff Blauser was their shortstop. According to this source, the team also included (at one time or another) Ron Gant, Dave Justice, Tommy Greene and Derek Lilliquist, all of whom had respectable MLB careers, but I don't recall if any of them appeared in that game in July when John Smoltz recorded his 100th strikeout of the season. For whatever reason, I snapped the above picture from my seat a few rows behind the 3B (visitors) dugout. I obviously didn't have my flash with me that night, or perhaps had the aperture set wrong. Remember those?

Smoltz was a brash 21-year-old that season, and I also saw him in a television interview at another point that season where he came off as somewhat in love with himself. He's also had some rough spots in his personal life (although I have no knowledge of unexplained absences from work due to trips to Argentina), but he's obviously matured and today strikes me as a pretty classy guy with a strong work ethic, and, I would say, likely on his way to Cooperstown. It's great to welcome him to Boston for what will hopefully be a productive "twilight of his career."

An Interesting Conversation

With the passing of Ed McMahon, the Boston Globe ran a feature on famous sidekicks, including Johnny Pesky to Ted Williams. The following screenshot is from the article. It must have been an interesting conversation, as Williams died in 2002. Although he does look a little cold...

Top Christian Albums of the 1980's -- #1

THE BIG PICTURE – Michael W. Smith (1985)

Prior to The Big Picture, Michael W. Smith was a talented keyboardist and songwriter. His first two albums were solid efforts with some still-classic songs, worth hearing but overall not much beyond the ordinary. By contrast, The Big Picture exploded with energy, and brought Smitty to the forefront as a complete musician and producer, becoming then and now one of the leading figures in his industry. He could do more than play the synthesizer and hit the high notes on Friends – on this album he surrounded himself with other equally-talented musicians and created complex, multi-layered arrangements that leave you breathless.

Top to bottom, nothing else compares. Lamu sets the stage with a wall of drums and guitars that attack you on multiple sides. Wired For Sound is perhaps the most dynamic Christian song ever recorded. Old Enough to Know became an anthem (alone on the top floor of a youth hostel on a numbingly cold night in the Netherlands). Pursuit of the Dream spins your head around. Rocketown is the obligatory radio-friendly ballad, while Voices is so moving that I considered transcribing the lyrics onto my high school yearbook page. The Last Letter provides hope for the distraught. Even the weaker tracks – Going Through the Motions, Tearing Down the Wall and the enigmatic conclusion You’re Alright are still outstanding for their musical originality and deep lyrics.

MWS followed-up with the strong i (2) eye and then the forgettable and seemingly incomplete Go West Young Man before finding a new niche as a praise & worship performer. He has given us an outstanding body of work and has never compromised his values. Still, it is the album he produced at age 27 that stands far above not only his other works, but the works of a genre over an entire decade, and the standard by which others are judged.

Welcome Back

It's been said that when Dan Duquette stole Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek from the Seattle Mariners for Heathcliff Slocumb, he thought that Lowe was left-handed. You can't really blame him -- Lowe exhibited many of the classic left-hander qualities while in Boston: Hard-throwing, good sinker, somewhat erratic, and prone to losing control both on and off the field.

Lowe nonetheless had a pretty good run in Boston as both a starter and reliever, including a no-hitter in 2002, and is best remembered for his 2004 postseason Renaissance in which he was the winning pitcher (twice as a starter, once as a reliever) in all three clinching games that October. Since leaving the Hub, he's gone 61-53. Not exactly Cooperstown stuff, but about what you'd expect by today's standards.

Lowe was back in Boston this weekend as an Atlanta Brave, re-opening the debate that maybe the Sox should have kept D-Lowe around, or at least brought him back when they had a shot at him via a trade or free agency. Well, maybe, but the opinion here is that it was best for him to leave as a hero than to return and, once the glory of 2004 faded, face again questions about his psychological makeup and mental toughness. Of the players they lost after 2004 (Lowe, Pedro, Roberts, Mientkiewicz, Leskanic and a few others), I would have rather seen the Sox keep Orlando Cabrera at SS. Edgar Renteria? Eeesh.

Top Christian Albums of the 1980's -- #2

RUSS TAFF – Russ Taff (1987)



Eponymous albums are usually debut works, but Russ Taff was hardly a rookie when he released this album in 1987. His work leading the Imperials (Stand by the Power, Priority) earlier in the decade produced several memorable works, none more agonizing brilliant than Be Still My Soul which he co-wrote with his wife Tori. He then produced two solo projects that were solid showcases of his vocal talent, but it wasn’t until this third solo project that Taff produced a project that would be head and shoulders above the rest of his work.


The production (Jack Joseph Puig, before he was famous), the musicianship, and the range of material combined with Taff’s natural talent result in a complete project that is about as close to perfect as a album could be. Some have pointed out the conceptual nature of the album, beginning with the angry Shake, peaking with the cathartic I Still Believe and resolving with the compliant Healing Touch. That may be, and it may or may not be intentional, but it doesn't matter -- it runs strong from start to finish.


Others on this list had difficulty abiding by the one-album-per-artist rule; not here. Oddly enough, and perhaps unfortunately, Taff took his subsequent work in a different direction that may have been artistically satisfying to him, but which came nowhere close to repeating the chemistry of this blockbuster. And like anything else, one can nit-pick (the second side is somewhat weaker than the first; Steal Away doesn’t quite fit, and I’m not sure why the tracks are listed in alphabetical order on the label). But it’s still Russ Taff at his very, very best.

Independence Day

It never hurts to be reminded where we came from:

Our Judeo-Christian Heritage from Randy Forbes.

American Again from Carman (not the actual music video, but close enough).

Any questions?

Memo to Brett Favre

JUST.

GO.

AWAY.

PLEASE!!!

Your career -- which was never that good to begin with -- is OVER. O-V-E-R. DONE. FINISHED. KAPUT. FINITO. We don't care about your shoulder, we don't care about your "heart," we don't care about the Vikings, we don't care about you. In case you missed it, your last season was a disaster. You should have taken that team to the AFC Championship, but instead decided to take the second half of the season off. You're DONE. COOKED. BAKED. STICK-A-FORM-IN-'EM DONE. Go back to Mississippi and stay there.

Top Christian Albums of the 1980's -- #3

MELTDOWN – Steve Taylor (1984)



Steve Taylor produced only five regular albums, the first of which was a 6-track "EP" and the last of which appeared in 1993. Yet each one was special in its own right, and the quality of the first four make this by far the most difficult call for the one-album-per-artist rule.




Meltdown is Steve Taylor’s first full-length album, although it contains at least two tracks intended for I Want to Be a Clone, the debut EP that appeared two years earlier.




While it lacks the biting satire of Clone, and the production quality isn't quite as polished as On the Fritz and I Predict 1990 which followed, and each album contains a jaw-dropping range of musical styles and versatility (not to mention the ongoing satire), Meltdown gets the nod because it brings Taylor into his own not just as a songwriter, but as a complete musician.




Ironically, Taylor's three best songs of the decade (Bad Rap from Clone, To Forgive from Fritz -- one of the greatest songs of the decade -- and I Blew Up the Clinic Real Good from I Predict 1990) are found on other albums. Again, it's almost unfair to limit Steve Taylor to only one entry on this list, but rules is rules, and Meltdown is the clearest example of the Steve Taylor experience, from the jarring opening title track to the stirring closing ballad Baby Doe and everything in between.

Geography Lesson

So I'm getting ready to exercise this morning and I have the morning news on while the DVD player is warming up and there's a story about the indictment of R. Allen Stanford for an alleged Ponzi scheme.

Fine. But then the reporter goes on to talk about how Stanford is one of the few Americans to have been knighted, noting that he received the honor from "both Antigua and Barbuda."

Emphasis added.

Good grief.

And these people wonder why nobody trusts the media.

Top Christian Albums of the 1980's -- #4

BEAT THE SYSTEM – Petra (1985)

Remember the "one album per artist" rule? Second only to the soon-to-be-revealed #3 on this list, this was the most difficult call.

I had to think long and hard on this one -- Petra did virtually nothing wrong this decade. Never Say Die, More Power To Ya, Not of This World, Back to the Street, This Means War!, On Fire! and Beat the System right in the middle. If I'm picking a personal favorite, I almost have to go with Not of This World. Almost. Greatness, however, has to go beyond simply "favorite." Beat the System makes this list because it presents the classic Petra lineup at its peak, turning in a strong, consistent performance from beginning to end. They were able to introduce the synthesizer -- all too ubiquitous in the 80's -- as complementary and not alternative instruments, allowing Bob Hartman's superstar guitar work to continue to highlight the album.

Purists might prefer Not of this World or More Power to Ya among their earlier works, and strong cases can be made. The forgotten Back to the Street gave us the best song of the decade (by Petra or anybody else) in Fool’s Gold, and the band rounded into form with This Means War! that followed, with the excellent John Schlitt now firmly established as lead vocalist. All are great compilations, but Beat the System got the alchemy exactly right for ten outstanding tracks.

Nine Years Ago

That's hard to believe. We all were so young, and you were too. Still missed today.

We'll see you soon!

Top Christian Albums of the 1980's -- #5

SO YOU WANNA GO BACK TO EGYPT...? – Keith Green (1980)

Released in May 1980, it's really a 70's album, but it still makes the cut for this decade. Keith Green released four albums in his lifetime and all were outstanding. His first two don't qualify for this list chronologically. Songs for the Shepherd would follow and have slightly better production values; many consider it the first "worship album." Egypt gets the nod regardless, however, as it presents Keith Green at his most versatile, inspired and passionate, and even features Bob Dylan on harmonica.

It was also the album which introduced this writer to CCM, and I remember not only being impressed with the musical quality and creativity, but with the booklet that came with the album and included the lyrics, the background of each song, comprehensive Scripture references, and reprints of several tracts from Keith's outfit Last Days Ministries. A tour de force from an artist taken from us far too soon, and greatly missed nearly thirty years later.

Top Christian Albums of the 1980's -- #6

THE IMPERIALS SING THE CLASSICS – The Imperials (1985)

Not, as some might think, a greatest hits album, although it comes closer to that than anything else on this list. Rather than performing their classics, the greatest vocal band in Christian music history performs ten songs made famous by other performers, but heard here in their own classic style.

The Imperials struggled for an identity in this decade, trying to establish themselves in a market that was getting younger and adopting a harder musical edge. Nonetheless, they produced some great work. Heed the Call is a near-miss on this list, featuring the incomparable Oh Buddha, and Stand by the Power follows closely as an excellent compilation in its own right. Other efforts were solid but reflected their identity crisis. However, when they returned to their roots in 1985, they gave us their best work of the decade, and an album for the ages, re-introducing ten great songs and a great band to a new generation of fans.

Zen-Master vs. the Red-Master

So here we go again. The LA Fakers are on the verge of another championship which, if they don't blow it this time, will put Phil Jackson ahead of Red Auerbach in total championships won as a coach. Both currently have 9.

Phil Jackson is a great coach. He's proven his ability to win and manage superstars, and if the ownership group had cooperated in Chicago he probably would have won a few more rings.

But, seriously, when you talk basketball coaches, there are two categories -- Red Auerbach and everybody else. Phil Jackson has won with talent assembled by his predecessors; Red had to start from scratch. More than once. Phil won in an established league where revenues were never a problem. Without Red, the NBA would not have survived the 1950's, and Phil would never have had a chance to play for the Knicks or even coach the Albany Patroons, much less find success in Chicago and LA. He's probably still be in Deer Lodge, Montana coaching his granddaughter and 4 of her closest friends as they battled in the quarterfinals of the Powell County playoffs.

Finally, one can argue that Red has 16 (or even 17) rings, as he had a significant part in every one of the Celtics' championships from his seat in the front office, up to the point of hiring Danny Ainge who put the pieces in place for last year's banner. I somehow don't envision Phil having the patience to fill such a role. He's not exactly known for sticking around when things aren't going his way.

The yankees have updated their website...

to reflect their new ownership:

And outside Fenway Park last night...

A conventional broom just wasn't big enough for this job...

Meanwhile, STILL in Tampa...

Top Christian Albums of the 1980's -- #7

DON’T WAIT FOR THE MOVIE – White Heart (1986) –

The first five White Heart albums, from their eponymous debut (with Steve Green as lead vocalist!) through Emergency Broadcast each had defining tracks as the band successfully tread the ground between contemporary rock, radio-friendly ballads, and heavy metal. The later works were somewhat more ordinary. Don’t Wait for the Movie makes the list because its musical and production quality is outstanding without being overbearing, and it is easily the most consistent work of the first five -- not to mention the best album cover of them all.

Ironically, it was a debut album of sorts, with a new lead singer (Rick Florian replacing Scott Douglas). Each of the other four albums is worth hearing, and Emergency Broadcast features their best song of the decade (No Taboo), but Movie is the best of the bunch.

History Lessons

Bob Ryan offers one here on the Yankees' ongoing ability to rack up #27. Somewhere in the Bronx there's a 8-year-old wondering why the Red Sox always beat the Yankees.

And of course I could like to everything Victor Davis Hanson writes, but this refresher on American history is worth a review in light of claims of the current administration.

Top Christian Albums of the 1980's -- #8

PICTURES IN THE SKY – Rich Mullins (1987) – Ah, yes -- freshman year in college, waking up to Screendoor every stinkin' day at the unearthly hour of 7:00 AM thanks to this album in my roommate's clock/radio/cassette. It was my first introduction to Rich Mullins (and an inauspicious one, I daresay), but I eventually cut through the early-morning blahs and came to appreciate Rich's creativity and originality. Nonetheless, I had to buy the CD before I realized that Screendoor was not the album's opening track. My roommate had kept the cassette on "side 2" that whole year.

Other artists had their peer group; not Rich Mullins. His sound was (and is) unique; original in its own right, and emulated by none since. Pictures in the Sky showcases Mullins at his versatile best, with each track unique yet with an overall cohesion. Along with another artist on this list, taken from us far too soon, and greatly missed.

Top Christian Albums of the 1980's -- #9

NO MYSTERY – Rick Cua (1983)
Rick Cua’s first five albums were all good, but No Mystery, his second, provides a little more polish than his debut Koo-ah and precedes his slide into over-produced top-40ish rock. Ten solid tracks of power rock and power ballads with no weak spots, including The Power, the signature tune of a noteworthy weekend college radio show at the end of the decade. One Way Out is unquestionably Cua's best song from this era (probably ever), but it's hard to pick favorites. Like #10 on this list, it's a shame it's hard to find, but worth the expense if you can locate it. And, incidentally, doesn’t this guy remind you of Billy Ray Cyrus?

Top Christian Albums of the 1980's -- #10

PASSIN' THE FAITH ALONG -- The New Gaither Vocal Band (1983)

Surprised? While there’s a lot to be said for complexity (see #1 and elsewhere on this list), simple pleasures are often the best. The legendary Bill Gaither continued writing great music throughout the decade, and the GVB in various incarnations was his vehicle for recording it. The vocalists are the musicians, with the bare minimum of instrumentation to complement, not smother, their voices, and the songs are crisp, diverse and original. By producing a contemporary sound without compromising his principles, Gaither provides more evidence (as if any was needed) that he's among the best songwriters and producers of the last 50 years. Still enjoyable (if you can find it!), a quarter-century later.

Another list to argue about...

Not on the list...

For the past several months, I've been compiling a list of my ten favorite Christian Contemporary albums of the 1980's. I guess it's about time I published them, so they'll be following in regular installments in the weeks to come. Feel free to post your comments and suggestions.





First, the ground rules. Very simply:


• One album per artist makes the list. Thus, it's not only the ten best albums, but the best album from each artist.
• Release dates 1980-1989
• No greatest hits, compilation albums with multiple artists, live albums or soundtracks.





Second, the criteria (and perhaps a guide to understanding my descriptions to follow):


Consistency – In today’s MP3 society, listeners tend to take their favorite 2-3 songs from an album and forget about the rest. In fact, the entire concept of an "album" is rapidly becoming obsolete. I’ve got nothing against "Greatest Hits" albums, but a regular-issue album, including those that are somewhat uneven, still represent a snapshot of that artist at that particular time in the artist’s performing career. Undeniably, many albums contain more than their share of "filler," thus the evolution to the cherry-picking we see today. Thus, a key criterion in compiling this list was to have an even performance from the first track to the last, both in terms of musical quality and production effort.



Maturity – We were looking for albums that, where possible, captured the artist at the peak of its performance ability and musical style, reaching a sound with which the artist was clearly comfortable. Thus, few debut albums, however good they may have been, are included on this list as the artist may have needed to go through a few production cycles before reaching a point of musical maturity.



Influence – Both on other artists, and on the listener.





More to come...

65 Years

This D-Day tribute is worth 10 minutes of your time. Make sure you watch it all the way to the end.

The Victor

Dr. Victor Davis Hanson, as always, gets clearly and concisely to the problem of racial preferences in the Sotomayor worldview. Worth a look here.

Government CEO

Briefly yesterday I was tuned into a radio host (I think it was Jim Quinn) in the midst of a solioqy about the ineffectiveness of governmental management. He rattled off a long list of big-government failures (and a few small-government failures), from public schools to the post office to the Department of Energy, and concluded by asking (supposedly rhetorically) "Name one thing the government has managed successfully!"

Although I was in sympathy with his argument, I nonetheless came up with something right away -- "World War II."

Which then led me to thinking -- if the only thing government can do right is manage a war (and then, not always with equal degrees of success), why is that the one thing that left-wingers don't want them to manage?

Not exactly the deepest thought I've ever had, but it kept my brain occupied for a few seconds.

The Times They Are a-Changin'

Over twenty years ago, as I was starting college, I picked up a stereo set at a yard sale that had an 8-track player. So while my colleagues were building their CD collections, I was plunding Goodwill stores for 8-track cassettes. Today, as the world has moved to MP3 technology to the point of even making CD’s obsolete, I find myself accumulating compact cassettes at an alarming rate, including an eclectic box of about 45 of them that I scored at a flea market last week for the grand total of $1.00.

I’ll keep maybe 6 or 7 of them – I wanted the box more for the cassette racks included therein – but I figured I’d at least listen through them to see if there’s anything worthwhile I might be overlooking.

Working alphabetically (naturally), I come upon two compilations of Joan Baez, including her live set "From Every Stage" produced in 1975. A great voice, certainly, but the lyrics (both hers and the artists she interprets) reflect the pattern of the times, and are what you’d expect from someone in their early 30's with a well-established reputation for social activism. The opening a capella number, for example, contains a reference to "that killer Kissinger" amongst other harmonious diatribes.

Nonetheless, I was struck by her introduction to "Natalia," which is reproduced here verbatim:

[This song is] written about a political prisoner in USSR. And in USSR, when you do something naughty they throw you in the mental hospital and tell you you’re "cuckoo" and try to get everyone else to believe it. The terrible thing is that, eventually, sometimes, you get to believing it, too.

But there is one woman, named Natalia Gorbanevskaja, who never believed it. She was very, very strong. She wrote a poem about the invasion of Czechoslovakia – she thought it was a very poor idea. And when she wrote the poem, the government of the USSR thought she was a very poor idea and they put her in the ol’ bughouse. She was pregnant at the time – she was very strong, and she convinced herself she would be fine, she would have her child, she would go on speaking out – so every time she comes out of the looney bin she writes another poem, and the put her back in. But – it is because of people like Natalia Gorbanevskaja I am convinced that you and I are still alive and walking around on the face of the earth.

>>>>>>READ THE LAST SENTENCE AGAIN!<<<<<<

Ah, for the days when being a liberal meant that you believed in liberty, and not being a syncophant parroting clever bumper-sticker philosophies while blindly following the mass media with sheep-like docility.

Maybe the Dixie Chicks can adapt this idea for their next album and include a song about the human rights violations in Iraq under Saddam Hussein. I mean, when they and their acolytes are finished blaming President Bush for everything...

A footnote -- Joan's Wikipedia biography contains a paragraph about her trip to North Viet Nam with Jane Fonda et al in 1972. Whatever her feelings towards Viet Nam (and every western military action before or since, apparently), Joan at least saw through the charade of the communists. Read the rest of the bio and you'll have no doubt that she was (and is) a firm left-winger, but, to her credit, not a Phoanie.

Better than his Brother

One of my favorite residents of Marion, Massachusetts has passed away. I knew a Ed.D. and a Structural Engineer from that town, but there was only one Professor.

He was also an author -- Real Grass, Real Heroes -- an account of the 1941 baseball season. We could use some of those real heroes right about now. And I do mean real.

Ultimate Ring Toss

This is what can happen in your back yard when the township doesn't pick up the recycling in time and the kids get home from school early...

Have the ADA people seen this?

I have to admit I had worked in this building for over 3 years (3 of those months in a wheelchair) before I was struck by the irony of this sign.

Quarterbacking the Elephants

It was January 1988 and I was a senior in high school, on a Model United Nations trip in Den Haag (The Hague). We shared a youth hostel with a school from Massachusetts. Hanging out with them one night, I asked them -- being the amateur political scientist that I was -- if they were all Dukakis fans. Oh, no, they replied -- they were all Republicans. Then you must all be for Bush, I inferred. This time the objections were even louder -- no, NO, NO! they insisted. They wanted Jack Kemp. All of them -- male, female, black, white -- nodded in agreement.

I can't say I was too familiar with the former AFL quarterback, then a Representative from western New York, or even that I knew he was running for president. A passionate supply-sider and Ronald Reagan's true ideological heir, Kemp never stood a chance against an incumbent Vice President, not to mention an over-confident televangelist who split the conservative vote.

Kemp, ever the good soldier, would go on to serve in the first Bush administration, somewhat miscast as HUD Secretary, then with Bush's defeat in 1992 he formed a conservative group which nearly everyone saw as a stepping stone to another presidential run. Yet he sat out 1996, and was on nobody's short list when Bob Dole tapped him as his running mate.

It was an inspired choice -- or so it seemed -- and for a few heady days that summer following the convention, the symmetrical Dole-Kemp ticket actually led in several polls. Kemp rallied diehard conservatives to the Republican ticket and it actually seemed like the GOP had a shot against the well-oiled, well-managed Clintonista regime. Here was a candidate who appealed to conservatives without offending liberals, who had legitimate deep roots in two bluish states (CA and NY, which, believe it or not, were still considered somewhat in play in 1996), who had genuine credentials with African-Americans, and who was solidly pro-Life without it being a hallmark of his ideology. Too good to be true -- right?

It was not to be, and although Clinton's re-election was almost inevitable, it could have been closer if Kemp hadn't completely disappeared in the last two months of the campaign. His pitiful peformance against the robotic AlGore in the VP debate that year was unforgivable, and was a signal even to the most devoted Republicans that the election was over.

But Quarterback Jack's most productive days had predated his 1988 campaign and subsequent falterings. He had advocated the Reagan economic agenda with more passion than anyone except perhaps Reagan himself, and set the course for a decade of prosperity and the defeat of Communism. The rest is a footnote. He will be missed.

They don't allow SCATES either...

This sign wouldn't be so egregious if it wasn't posted on the door of the local library.

Seriously.

Rumor has it...

that Arlen Specter is switching parties. But according to confirmed reports, he's still a Democrat. So I don't really know what the big deal is...

Thou Shalt Not Steal

Unless you're Jacoby Ellsbury against the Yankees on Sunday.

Meanwhile, in Tampa...

Harry the K (1936-2009)

He wasn't the greatest broadcaster ever. An article even appeared in a Philadelphia magazine a few years ago speculating that he was "losing it." But, my goodness, what a voice! Maybe the best I've ever heard, on or off the radio. Some random memories of Harry Kalas --

(1) His call of Mike Schmidt's 500th career home run is my first conscious memory of hearing his voice, on a short-wave radio on the southern tip of Africa.

(2) I was a rookie radio "board op" in upstate NY in 1993. Driving to work one day, I had the station on and heard Larry King interviewing Harry Kalas and other radio voices (I think Jon Miller was among them). Our was, of course, a voice-oriented business, and we had fine-tuned ears to identify stronger and superior vocal talent, trying to develop our own vocal cords to a higher level and maybe land a job that would get us out from behind the board and instead behind a microphone. I had heard Harry before, of course, and knew his voice well. Upon arriving at the station, the operator I was relieving was sitting there in almost reverent silence listening to the conclusion of the interview. "Did you hear that voice?" she asked in a near-whisper, "I've never heard anything like that!"

(3) Beyond all that, however, he'll always be remembered in the Salad Bar for his narration of the commemorative video of the 2001 New England Patriots.

Rough Start

What a rotten week. We've lost a highly promising young pitcher, the greatest voice in radio history, and one of the most colorful diamond performers this side of Babe Ruth.

And the standings in the American League East are inverted.

Things can only get better...

Ahhhhhhhhh Spring!

Twilight of my Career

About five months ago, my daughter decided she wanted to play basketball. So we signed her up with the local youth association for their 5th & 6th grade girls league. The problem was, about 60 girls signed up and there were only four coaches. The math (15 to a team) wouldn't work at that level, so the coordinate sent several begging, pleading, desperate e-mails asking for some more coaches. Finally, I wrote back to him -- saying, basically -- I ruptured my right achilles tendon last April, so I can't run, can't jump, and, beyond that, even with two healthy legs I was a terrible player, and I'd never coached before and had no idea how I'd relate to a bunch of 10-12 year olds, but, if he was that desperate, I'd do my best to help out. As I've often said, crisis forces people to do strange things, so he accepted my offer, such as it was.

I was then warned, by others, that I would have two more problems -- the kids wouldn't listen, and the parents would complain. For whatever reason, neither of those conditions ever came to fruition. The young ladies were of the highest quality character, and many of the parents helped out with coaching and other stuff. We lost our first four games, but came together at the end to win our first playoff game, finishing the season somewhat shorthanded in our final playoff game, but a good run nonetheless.

So I guess I have to do this again next year when my daughter is in Sixth grade. I can only hope that I'll be just as lucky (if luck was involved) with the quality of the players and parents on next year's team.

I let them choose their team name -- they almost unanimously chose "Twilight" -- one of those irritatingly inflexible singular sports franchise tags (ie "Minnesota Wild" -- "Utah Jazz" -- "Stanford Cardinal" -- how do you cheer for one player?). I think it had something to do with vampires, but whatever. It was fun.

Cavalier Attitude

Hard to believe that it was twenty years ago this month. One of the few bright spots during the darkest of years. And one of the few good pictures ever taken of me, here with my first car, purchased March 9, 1989, and departed this world May 9, 1997. Taken to his final resting place under his own power November 14, 1997. "Roger," my 1985 Chevrolet Cavalier -- dependable, durable, reliable, loyal. Like his namesake, he never missed a start. Unlike his namesake, he was faithful to the end, and our treasured companion through the changes of life. through 73,700 miles, 5 addresses, 4 insurance carriers, 3 states , 2 engines, and zero accidents. RIP old friend -- you earned it.

Paul Harvey (1918-2009)

My comments as posted on the official Paul Harvey website:

"Paul Harvey was, almost without question, the greatest radio broadcaster in history. Nobody did it better, or longer. And what a terrific voice! He instinctively knew how to blend solid reporting, great writing, broadcasting style, salesmanship and humor. Many have tried, and most have failed, to achieve even a portion of his success, relying instead on celebrity or pomposity as their foundation, neglecting those fundamentals that Paul Harvey mastered early in his career. There will never be another Paul Harvey. RIP."

Fair-Not Doctrine

The passing of Paul Harvey (official website here) marks the end of one of the greatest careers in broadcasting, lasting over 50 years and continuing almost to the end of life at the age of 90. Nobody did it better, or longer, than Paul Harvey.



The broadcasting industry -- specifically radio -- has been in the news recently with discussion of the "Fairness Doctrine" in the back rooms of the Nation's Capital, the purported goal of which is to give the left-wingers a stronger foothold on our radio waves, equal to or greater than the dominance they already have in the rest of the media.



Fair or otherwise, their ambition betrays the same lack of understanding of the free market that they have consistently displayed in the past 200 years or so. Their allegation that left-wing forays into radio have failed because of a lack of exposure is absolute nonsense, but it is akin to their equally inane postulate that people are unable to succeed on their own without help from a higher resource (ie the government re-distributing taxpayer money).



In other words, the reason left-wingers have failed is because they can't sell, and the reason they can't sell is because it runs against their deeply-held convictions. It has nothing to do with their political or social positions, their broadcasting talent (or lack thereof), or "exposure." As nouveau-socailists, they simply fail to understand that radio stations outside of NPR exist TO MAKE MONEY, and those stations and their owners will carry any program that can sell itself to the station's (and network's) advertisers.

That's why Paul Harvey, Rush Limbaugh and (to a lesser extent) G. Gordon Liddy and Sean Hannity have succeeded, and Mario Cuomo, Bill Press, Randi Rhodes, Alec Baldwin and the whole sorry cast of Air America failed. The first group could sell ice to the proverbial eskimo; the latter group doesn't understand the basic principles that drive the free market in the first place.

Maybe if they had listened to Paul Harvey over the years, they'd understand the rest of the story.

Losing the Battleground

It's been a bad two months for fans of the 1949 movie Battleground. We lost Van Johnson in December, Ricardo Montalban in January and now James Whitmore this week. His role as Platoon Sgr. Kinnie earned him an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.

Denise Darcel ("Denise") and Jerome Courtland ("Abner") are, to my knowledge, now the only surviving actors from Battleground, although there may be a few still living who had minor parts.

See the movie. Please.

Harry the Great

WWII buffs, particularly those who have read and seen sagas of POW's (from Hogan's Heroes to Stalag 17 to The Great Escape) will enjoy this link to Tunnel Harry. This link forwarded to me by RAH, whose father was one of the heroes of WWII.

To the Victor

Victor Davis Hanson offers his take on GWB here. Somewhat more positive that Murdock's, offered below.

I've personally found the media coverage of the past few days absolutely intolerable. There's the swooning Koolaid-drinkers of the far left and mainstream media (pardon the redundancy), and the nitpicking nabobs of negativism on talk radio that are launching premptive strikes before the moving vans have unloaded. I'll match my VRWC credentials against anybody, but I'd at least like to see the ink dry on the cabinet papers before we get too carried away.

NRO has been somewhat of a refuge, providing both candid coverage of the outgoing administration, and surprisingly positive commentary on the new one, as old friend Jonah Goldberg writes here.

That being said, I do think this Geithner thing is going to come back to haunt BHO. He should have pulled the plug on this one. But that would have been too drastic of a change.

The final legacy of the second Bush administration will be the Obama administration, and we'll see what kind of legacy that will be. But whatever our complaints against the former president, we have to thank him for keeping us safe for 2,688 days, for dealing with a nearly incomprehensible crisis, and for making the tough decisions when the chances of success were slim. Thank you, Mr. President. May history judge you with greater fairness than your contemporaries.

Parting Shots

DeRoy Murdock presents a detailed criticism of the outgoing administration on NRO.

I have long maintained -- and Murdock seems to agree -- that the central flaw of Bush II was a failure to communicate (with apologies to Cool Hand Luke).

Or, as Steve Taylor once said ("Bouquet") -- "Nothing's sadder than the words, 'what might have been.'" (FYI the above link has the lyrics wrong).