GMVW # 42: "Seeing the Forest for the Trees"

Gem Music Video of the Week # 42:  Seeing the Forest for the Trees

Song: If a Tree Falls by Bruce Cockburn

(Songwriter Bruce Cockburn)

October 23, 2008

The Environment:  After faith, family, and friendship, it’s what drives me the most.  It drives what I do for work, and to varying degrees what I purchase, where I volunteer, home and yard improvements and several of my magazine subscriptions.  It factors into the family’s choices for vacation destinations and other recreational activities.  Unfortunately, it also has to weigh in to how I vote.  It does not, however, drive my choice of Gem Video. Great music drives that, and if the music is pulling me to this heavy subject, so be it. 

There have been a number of well-meaning musicians over the years who have tried writing good music about their concerns for the environment.  Few have succeeded.  This Gem is the rare environmental song that has hit home with me on all levels:  Bruce Cockburn’s ‘If a Tree Falls’.  The song is about the destruction of vast tracts of the world’s rain forests, and the common use of the charred land for pasture, allowing cheap meat to be processed for bulk sales to fast food chains and other quick eats locales.

Before the most recent of global environmental concerns, climate change, the big ticket item for me was rain forest destruction.  The problem has not really gone away, it’s just been trumped.  Since the rain forests are so diverse and complex, many biologists feel that there is so much we will never know about what has already been lost, which makes it a bit tougher of a pill to swallow than some of the other environmental crisis.  It’s been a tragedy on many levels. 

Although not completely unexplainable, I have always struggled to understand why the environment has become such a hot political subject in the last 20 years. After all, two of our most important environmental legislative bills, the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act, had significant development under the Nixon administration.  The most recent debate on whether or not climate change is being accelerated by human activities is a perfect example of how the environment has been politicized.  Since a vast majority of the worlds scientists believe human activity is a big factor in climate change, my question to the doubters is this:  What would it take to be convinced? 2 ice-free arctic shipping lanes? 3? 30 seasonal hurricanes?  40? Total loss of glacial ice in Glacier National Park? An Antarctic Ice Shelf calving the size of Rhode Island?  Connecticut?  Armadillos in the back yard? 95% scientific agreement that there is a significant human influence? 100%?  We don’t even have that yet for debate on the earth’s shape (spherical vs. flat).  If you are waiting for Rush to admit there’s a problem, don’t hold your breath.  He’s in too deep.  I do sense a positive change, however, in the political atmosphere. Hopefully it’s here to last.  I also sense a positive change in the American public, many of whom are realizing that bigger is not necessarily better.

As for my strong beliefs on these subjects, I have Dad to thank for sowing the seeds.  Dad always pointed out the natural wonders, small and large, on our hikes and journeys.  Dad also paid my initial membership fee to Greenpeace back in the mid-70’s.  At the same time he was subscribing Fred to the Wall Street Journal.  Perhaps Dad had a bit of the Irish in him with these decisions:  Like sending one son to the priesthood and the military.  More likely, he was simply recognizing his two son’s interests and inclinations.  In both cases, he nailed it. 

I’ll end this by making a plug for Cousin Tina Toran, who is doing her part to help the environment.  Check out her web site at: http://wavyo.com

- Pete

Gem Video “If a Tree Falls”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8CibAuvZM4

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About the video: Made for MTV type video (though rarely shown)

Video Rating: 1

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Best Feedback: Tina

oh pete, you really are so so so generous. thank you for calling attention to our site, more importantly,  i love the piece about your dad, and your gift subscriptions. again, thank you so much,

love tina

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And: Andrea

Dear Pete,

Tina forwarded your Gem Music Video of the week to all of her sisters and I just want to thank you for what you wrote, how passionate you are about life, faith, family and music. Your words, and you in particular, are an inspiration to me, how you and Nancy live your lives and more importantly how you incorporate love, faith, friends and family so seamlessly into your everyday existence.  Each and every time, without fail, when I am with any member of the Steeves family, I leave where ever I am, smiling and happy, grateful that I am related to such wonderful, fun people.  Your siblings have very diverse interests, views and jobs, but you are connected by threads of love, beginning with your amazing parents and kept alive by you, your brothers, sisters and spouses. My sisters and I have the same connections as you, although, I have to admit there is more crazy in the Toran family than the Steeves, but tons of love and respect of one another.   I can speak for the Toran sisters in its entirety, when I say that we are madly in love with our Steeves cousins and are grateful that cranky Jerry and fun Fred had our parents, so they could have us. 

Have a great weekend and keep up the good work, you are a fantastic writer!

With love and admiration, your favorite cousin, Andrea

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And: Jack

Oh boy, nobody is going to respond to this one! :-) 

I'll give the quick and dirty here.  First of all, I am what you might call a Teddy Roosevelt conservationist, so I stand hand in hand with you on a vast number of environmental issues both domestically as well as internationally.  I would sum up the great divide in this way. 

The environmental movement has become much like the perverbial town drunk who attends the baptist church every week.  It isn't the movement itself, but rather the spokespeople for the movement who are either unqualified on a number of levels...or profiteers who use the movement for their own personal benefit,,,or simply due to crazy people who are operating on a different plane of reality...one particular politician comes to mind.  Hysteria doesn't resonate with people and eventually drowns out the positive changes for the better folks like yourself are trying to make.  In short, the movement has been highjacked to some degree.   

Unfortunately Pete, human nature dictates that man's passions are more often than not superseded by his drive for cold hard cash, (The love of money is the root to all kinds of evil),...and after all is said and done, countries often succumb to the temptation...which is why China, Russia and India are among the worst polluters in the world and getting worse.  From the viewpoint of economies of scale, THAT is going to be the worlds biggest challenge in the years to come...the big three over in Asia.  We're working on it...perhaps not as fast as we'd like, but in a measured way so as not to disrupt the economy any more than it is.  Just my 25 cents. 

-Jack

GMVW # 41: "A Rolling Stone Gathers Moss"

Gem Music Video of the Week # 41:  A Rolling Stone Gathers Moss

Song:  Waiting on a Friend by The Rolling Stones

(Songwriters: Mick Jagger and Keith Richards)

October 16, 2008

It’s always interesting to talk to a true fan of any musician/band:  Someone who never misses that band’s tours and has most of their albums.  I’m not talking necessarily about a person who collects memorabilia, constantly blogs, or attends band-centric conventions (which can be signs of a fan crossing over to collector, entrepreneur, or fanatic).  I’m talking about someone who really knows that bands music, say 3-5 albums by heart and a few others close enough.  In these cases you are usually bound to get some fascinating tidbits of information. 

Yet some fan bases are harder than others to feel kinship with for a variety of reasons.  For example, as with the man himself, Dylan enthusiasts are a complex bunch, which makes being a Dylan fan, for the most part, a solo experience. The Beatles fan base….too large and too diluted.  With so much written about them, it’s hard to come up with a new twist on the Fab Four.  As for the Who, it can be fun talking to a fellow fan, but many times I find myself repeating old subject matter. 

Rolling Stones fans:  Now you’re talking!  When I meet a Stones fan who can offer insight into a variety of topics from ‘Beggars Banquet’ to Mick Taylor’s lead guitar playing to ‘Exile on Main Street’ to the bands longevity to Brian Jones exotic instrument playing to ‘Between the Buttons’ to the supporting cast of musicians on stage and on albums to the early years to musical influences to ‘Goat Head’s Soup’ and on and on, I feel like I’m in good company.  A Rolling Stones fan can be equated with someone who gets it with Rock music in general.  It’s not to say that you can’t come at the music from another direction, but a Stones fan is an automatic Rock n Roll insider to me. 

Strange enough though, of all the bands I’ve enjoyed listening to over the years the Stones are the ones I find myself defending the most.  It makes sense to some degree:  More than any other band, the Rolling Stones consistently run the risk of looking like a caricature of themselves.  They walk a fine line between swagger and self parody.  It’s so easy to chuckle at the images that Mick and Keith portray:  The prima-donna and the waste product.  What the critics often fail to recognize though is that at the core of any critique of a band should be the music and on this front the Stones play second fiddle to nobody.  Their music, like the music of the early blues musicians, is a sound that can only come out of poor and desperate origins, often with brilliant results.

For me, interest in the Stones started with Brian Jones, particularly his abandonment of the guitar in the mid-late 60’s for more exotic instruments, including sitar (‘Paint it Black’), recorder (‘Ruby Tuesday’) and xylophone (‘Under my Thumb’).  Next, I was interested in who was playing what on all the Stones recordings:  Bill Wyman’s ‘vrooming bass’ at the end of ‘Paint it Black’; Mick Taylor's lead guitar in the instrumental portion of ‘Can’t You Hear Me Knocking’;  Keith’s riffs in ‘It’s Only Rock n Roll’; all the musicians who contributed to ‘Exile on Main Street’, how the band came up with the sound to 'Moonlight Mile'.  The music was so good I found myself wanting to get these details down.  From there, it was simply a matter of enjoying the album-oriented songs the Stones are so good at, both live and on record. 

I’ve read a number of books on bands over the years, including the Rolling Stones.  They have quite a remarkable history.  Many musicians feel the same way:  When Pete Townshend inducted the Rolling Stones into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame he stated that the Stones were the only band he ever really wished he were in.  Listening to Alice Cooper as DJ, it is clear he’s a big fan (I also saw him at a Stones show).  To understand the fascination many have with the Stones a look at the individuals in the band over the years is a good place to start.  There’s the juxtaposition between one of the most fragile of all rock stars, Brian Jones, and the most durable, Keith Richards.  There’s the reclusiveness and unsung-hero status of Charlie Watts.  There’s the professionalism of Mick Taylor.  The band has had its own historian in Bill Wyman.  There’s the peace maker in times of internal strife, Ronnie Wood.  Finally, there’s the conqueror of the big stage, Mick Jagger (as long as he’s fronting the Stones).  No band has mastered the stadium show like the Rolling Stones, and Jagger has to take most of the credit.  When he’s on, it’s quite an experience.

It’s hard to find a good gem video of the Rolling Stones, because most of their videos are a complete goof off (See videos ‘She’s So Cold’ or ‘Worried About You’) or if live, don’t pick up the instrumentation as much as they should.  Like many Stones fans, for me their music peaked when I began listening (‘Some Girls’, ‘Tattoo You’), so the more recent music, although better represented in video form, does not rise to the qualifications of a Gem (Keith Richards would beg to differ, and in the process might  slit my throat).  Fortunately one of my favorite Stones songs comes across pretty good on video, so I will present it here as this weeks Gem.  The song, ‘Waiting on a Friend’ is one of the best songs I know about friendship.  Mick, Keith, and Ronnie dominate the video, but Charlie and Bill are there also, you just have to look down the bar a bit.

“A smile relieves a heart that grieves

  Remember what I said”

- Pete

Gem Music Video: Waiting on a Friend

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0NYKWLMgx0

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About the video: Made for MTV

Video Rating: 1

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Best Feedback: Paul

Nice Pete - if you could only see the truth/reality of the political scene I would crown you "Best Bro-in-law".  This is a phenomenal song by the stones and a good early video too - seeing Keith and Mick at "Peace" after the ugly few years that preceded it.  You can almost feel the love between the two.  It reminds me of one of my all time favorites (hint - you need to play this one soon) called Memory Motel off of Black n Blue - which is the song we named Hanna (our boisterous lab) after...

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And: Steve

I was introduced to the Rolling Stones and The Who by Pete way back in

1982! I remember meeting Pete for the 1st time in Ottawa where we both shared a suite in residence at Carleton U. It was a nice Sept day and we decide to go cliff diving into a rapids where 6 kids have drowned. Don't worry Mrs. Steeves, nobody got hurt but the water was freezing and the current was very strong. I remember standing up in the river quite a bit down stream looking for Pete when I feel this grip on my ankles, I look down and see Pete under water smiling up at me with his hands on my ankles holding on for dear life!

We hauled ourselves out of there and proceeded to consume a large bottle of rye to warm our spirits for the walk back to the U. On our back, Pete starts singing 'Sympathy for the Devil' and I am truly amazed that he knows every word. He gets me to join in with the 'Yewww, yewww' and pretty soon we are 2 drunken, wet, young men bellowing out a awesome tune on a beautiful day!

That was my intro to Pete and the Stones, I wish I could see both of them again soon.

Cheers, Pete, Thanks for the memories.

Steve

GMVW # 40: "Misfits"

Gem Music Video of the Week # 40:  Misfits

Song:  Spike by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

(Songwriter: Tom Petty)

October 9, 2008

After coming home from a 4-year college stint in 1984, I spent a good year or so trying to figure out what the heck I was going to do.  I bounced around for a while in Franklin, commuting into Boston to intern for the National Park Service Regional Office.  I also got my bartender license seeing as I had to find some way to make money (since the responses to my resumes consistently included words like ‘However’ and ‘Although’).  It was quite a transition from campus life.

Most of the old Franklin crew was scattered, but Dave was still a reliable connection.  Our friendship normally covered the gambit, but that year it was primarily focused on one common denominator: Competition.  We matched up against one another in all forms of one-upmanship from Risk to ping pong, for the most part splitting the fruits of victory and agony of defeat.  In a way, I guess I was unconsciously preparing for the dog-eat-dog world that lay ahead (thanks, Dave).  For Dave, it was not too many years down the road before he had replaced me with an equally competitive wife, cousin Becca (observing them during the show Jeopardy is a treat).

The most consistent and competitive of our matchups was billiards and there was only one place to do that: The Train Stop.  Over the years, the Train Stop in downtown Franklin had been and would be the location for a number of big-event sport gatherings from Celtics-Lakers to “Squish the Fish”, all witnessed on the bar’s big screen.  The heart of the place, however, was the 4-table billiard room. 

When you played pool with Dave at the Train Stop, the chip on your shoulder grew a bit larger.  This was true when we played against one another, but was even more so when we teamed up against outsiders.  This was home turf.  We were supposed to be familiar with the nuances of all the pool tables.  I covered the tight slice shots, Dave did well with the cross corner banks. For the most part, we did the place proud. 

Most everyone who played pool at the Train Stop, including Dave and I, would try to get the pool table by the juke box.  The music on this juke box was pretty darn good, so having a few chosen songs playing in the background was an added inspiration.  There was one song in particular that I always loved to play: Tom Petty’s ‘Spike’, this week’s Gem Music Video.  To this day, it’s the first song I look for on any juke box.  The subject matter and tempo of the song was perfect for a smoky pool-hall atmosphere, which needless to say, fit the Train Stop environs to a capital T. 

In the song ‘Spike’, Petty as lyricist and vocalist, sings from the perspective of an antagonist in the dark corner of a Southern Dixie bar, poking fun at an unconventional townie named Spike, who just strolled in rather innocently.  Petty himself is from the South (Gainsville, FL), and for such a peaceful soul, does a tremendous job of play acting this intimidator (“Hey Spike, your scaring my wife!” : “Hey Spike, tell us about life…. Can you tell us about life, Spike?”).  Mike Campbell does a great job laying out the attitude (along with Petty’s vocals) on the lead guitar.  Spike was a real-life character from Petty’s home town, and was nicknamed after the spiked dog collar he wore around his neck.  It’s that dog collar that draws the attention of the guy in the shadows, who I always pictured as someone like the dude who blew away Peter Fonda’s & Denis Hopper’s characters (Wyatt and Billy) at the end of ‘Easy Rider’.

The real meaning of the song, though, is about intolerance and, in the case of Spike, independence.  It’s a testament to the oddballs of the world, and their ability to stick to their guns despite the abuses they face.  The Train Stop was frequented often by both of these extremes (the intolerant and the independent), and on this level proved to be an unexpected location for experiencing some of life’s most valuable lessons.  With ‘Spike’ playing in the background, how could it not?

Speaking of letting your freak flag fly, I hear that the best place in the world to do that is Whitehorse up in the Yukon Territories.  Talking to someone from Whitehorse recently, it sounds like the type of place that makes the characters in Northern Exposure look like the characters in the Andy Griffith Show (Barney aside).  Spike would have no problem fitting in there. 

Tom Petty is always a great take in.  I saw him again this summer with Mac, John and Steve Cummings.  Great show.  Petty is as steady as they get. 

Below the Gem link are the lyrics to the song for your sing along, clap along pleasure.

- Pete

Gem Music Video: Spike

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MIHNuv2sjY&feature=related

or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMXVQYQ6pKc

“ Oh, we got another one, just like the other ones

Another bad ass, another trouble-maker

I'm scared, ain't you boys scared?

I wonder if he's gonna show us what bad is?

Boys, we got a man with a dog collar on

You think we oughta throw ol' Spike a bone?

Hey Spike what do you like?

Hey Spike what do you like?

Here's another misfit, another Jimmy Dean

Bet he's got a motorbike,

What'a y'all think?

Bet if we be good we'll get a ride on it

If he ain't too mad about the future --

Maybe we oughta help him see

The future ain't what it used to be

Hey Spike, you're scarin' my wife

Hey Spike what do you like “

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About the video: Filmed live at Farm Aid (1986)

Video Rating: 1

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Best Feedback: Dave

Pete, you have brought a tear to my eye, perhaps the recollection of the heavy smoke in the Stop, cough, cough..... wheeze...

I do miss the non-stop competition; I still have a small taste with Bec and Sara, but nothing like it used to be.

Have not heard this one for quite some time.

Dave

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Also: Steve

Hi Pete;

I like this line, 'I guess I was unconsciously preparing for the dog-eat-dog world that lay ahead'

Then you go work for the US gov't for 20 years! You are also right on seeing some very interesting characters in Whitehorse. I've been to Whitehorse twice, Yellowknife a bunch of times and lived in Iqualuit on Baffin Island in the Arctic for 6 months.

People in the North are there for a reason - they're crazy! Think of the wildest, stupid, drunken thing you've ever done - they would think that's lame. Always a good party in the North! Come see me sometime, I'll be your tour guide!

Cheers

Steve

GMVW # 39: "It's the Singer, Not the Song"

Gem Music Video of the Week # 39:  It’s the Singer, Not the Song

Song:  Withered and Died by Richard and Linda Thompson

(Songwriters: Richard and Linda Thompson)

October 2, 2008

Most everyone on this email list has experienced it at least once: My sister Amy’s singing at a wedding.  Here’s how the scene typically unfolds: Folks shuffle into the church, a variety of thoughts on their minds; perhaps some still have the taste of that last parking lot Bloody Mary on their lips; perhaps a few laughs about the idea of putting a ‘kick me’ sign on an uncle’s back at the reception; a few meets and greets for friends and extended family whom you have not seen in a while; and then suddenly….Amy starts singing! Everyone is immediately brought to the moment at hand.  It never fails, and there’s a reason for it.  I hope to explain it here.

In Gem # 15 I discussed the bass guitar, along with the songs and musicians that showcase that instruments potential.  Following up on the theme, this gem focuses on another musical ‘instrument’:  Lead Vocals.  In a way all the gems thus far are a testament to the lead singer, because as Pete Townshend once wrote:  “It’s the singer, not the song that makes the music move along”.  Fans of Whitney Houston, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and Billy Holliday probably know that better than most of us.  Vocals can make or break a song.

For me the lead vocal doesn’t have to dominate a band’s sound like it does in the music of the 4 singers listed above. I’m not looking for crooning, or shattering glass.  All I really need is balanced emotion, originality, and a few intangibles.  Even the cigarette ravaged vocals of Keith Richards can work on occasion (as in ‘Before They Make Me Run’, with a little help from Mick Jagger).  Yet, where other instruments in the mix can sometimes get away with the music for hire mentality (studio musicians have played on a number of great recordings over the years, walking in for the day, doing their part, and leaving) the one person in the band you cannot fill in with a studio musician is lead vocalist. 

Like other band members, the lead vocalist can take a while to find his/her sound.  I consider Roger Daltrey (and to a lesser degree John Entwistle) as the only member of the Who that was not gifted from the start with raw talent.  He had to work at it, and struggled for a while to carry his weight in the band.  By the time the Who went on tour in 1969 with ‘Tommy’, however (and even more so by the release of “Who’s Next” in ‘71), Daltrey had made himself irreplaceable.  The same could be said for Bob Weir with the Grateful Dead.

With most classic songs, the lead vocals just fit:  Great, but not dominant. Occasionally, however, the lead vocals are THE brilliant part of a song.  There’s Curtis Mayfield’s ‘Freddie’s Dead’ (from the ‘Superfly’ soundtrack);  any song by Joan Baez off the ‘Any Day Now’ album (and a thanks to Jeff Strause for introducing me to that album); Roger Daltrey’s fantastic vocals in the more recent Who song ‘Real Good Looking Boy’; Mick Jagger singing ‘Worried About You’ off the Stones ‘Tatoo You’; Van Morrison singing ‘You’re My Woman’, ‘Madame Joy’ and so many other songs; Roy Orbison near the end of his life singing ‘Not Alone Any More’; Robert Plant singing ‘Down by the Seaside’ off ‘Physical Graffiti’.

And then there’s Gem video of the week, ‘Withered and Died’, sung by Linda Thompson off the Richard and Linda Thompson critically-acclaimed early 70’s album “I Want To See the Bright Lights Tonight”.  There is an amazing depth to this song, and it lies in Linda Thompson’s vocals.  Linda Thompson doesn’t electrify a crowd like the 4 singers mentioned near the top of this email, but she conveys emotion as good as any of them.  Ideally, I would have the studio version to present, because it is there where you get the true depth of her vocals to this song, reflecting the lyrics precisely.  The live version in this url link was performed in the early 80’s at a time when Linda Thompson was suffering from a form of stage fright which was soon to drive her from the stage for 17 years.  The Gem works to a degree, but I recommend the studio version off the album.

So, this gem is for all the inspirational vocal chords of the music world, and particularly to Amy, who sings to us with deep emotion at the most inspiring of times  ** In fact, if I had a home brewed video I would probably showcase Amy here (note to self: get nephew Joe on that one) **

- Pete

Gem Video: Withered and Died (this video has been temporarily lost *Dec, 09*)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcKyZEnPWBQ

I’ve also included a performance of the album’s title track:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQBjaUZ_kUE

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About the video: A rare video of Linda Thompson singing (with Richard & band) circa 1983? The video was removed from YouTube.

Video Rating: 2 (how I would love to find something better)

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Best Feedback: Amy, responding to a follow up question on songs (vocals) that inspire her:

Let's see.
Off the top of my head, these are some of my all-time favs.  I'm sure I'm leaving out quite a few:

Son of a Preacher Man, Aretha Franklin
Bobby McGee, Janis Joplin
What's the matter here - 10,000 maniacs
Under my thumb, Stones
Just like a woman, Dylan (entire tribute album)
Last Dance with MaryJane - Petty
Once in a very blue moon - Nanci Griffith
Sunday Papers, Joe Jackson
I Must Have done something good, Sound of Music
How to Handle a Woman, Camelot
Sister Golden Hair, America
Famous Final Scene, Bob Seger Silver Bullet Band
Pictures of You, Cure 
Catch, Cure
Cool, Gwen Stefani
Video, India Arie
Underneath it all, No Doubt
Stop your Sobbing, Pretenders
Pete, the Pretenders came out with a new cd.  I heard a song from it yesterday called "Chinese Plastic"  I almost went off the road, it was so cool.  Paul ordered it for me last night.

GMVW # 38: "I Want My MTV!"

Gem Music Video of the Week # 38:  I Want My MTV!

Song:  King of Pain by The Police

(Songwriter: Sting)

September 25, 2008

Foxboro Stadium, 1983: Part 3 of 3

The 3rd and final band to hit Foxboro in 1983 was the Police. The Police rise to fame was rapid and was enhanced by the emergence of MTV at the same time.  Along with their numerous videos, the Police were regular guests with the MTV ‘VJs’, and as time went by, it was apparent that there was no love lost between the band members, particularly Sting and Stuart Copeland (reminiscent of Lennon vs. McCartney in the movie ‘Let it Be’).  By 1983, tensions were high and the end was near, but the show went on, and the tour was a grand success on all fronts.

The Police are proof positive that even yuppies can write good music (hold on, Glenn Frey already proved that!). A little harsh, perhaps, but that’s the way they appear to me as I view their old videos again.  After all, how many bands have done a video on the ski slopes (see the “Do-Do-Do-Do-Da-Da-Da-Da” video below, which is this weeks “Gem Light”).  Ok, I do seem to recall a certain Beatles film in 1965 that included skiing, but by this time John Lennon was yelling for ‘Help!’ (often admitting that these were his ‘bloated Elvis’ days), and it was not long before he was doing bed-ins with Yoko and practicing primal scream therapy.  For his turn, George Harrison was soon playing sitar with Ravi Shankar and squatting with the Maharishi (One other thought:  In the movie Help! the Beatles come across as pretty bad skiers… knowing Sting, he probably had a skiing form that would put

Picabo Street

to shame).

By 1983, Sting was on the verge of some life changes himself, however.  His solo career was about to take off.  More importantly, he was soon to become a staple in a variety of charity and protest concert tours in the late 80’s.  When I think of rock musicians that have dedicated themselves to charitable causes, the names that come to mind are Bruce Springsteen, Joan Baez, Peter Gabriel, CSN, Bono….and Sting.  Sting, as was the case with Lennon, realized a life of excess was not all it was cracked up to be and turned his life around to the benefit of himself and others. 

The Police were a band of extremes with their songs.  They were either playing music for the masses with a simple message and a simple sound (‘Every Little Thing She Does is Magic’, ‘Every Breath You Take’, and the aforementioned Gem Light) or they were waxing philosophy (‘Synchronicity II’ a song/storyline built on Carl Jung’s theory of meaningful coincidence). Another deep song was this week’s Gem, ‘King of Pain’, my favorite Police song.  Below the video url link are the lyrics to the song, which is said to be about clinical depression.

The recent reunion tour was nice to read about, but I didn’t have the urge to go myself:  In the case of this band, one show was great, and one was good enough for me. 

The Police were a rare breed of 3-piece bands.  Can anyone name at least 4 others?

- Pete

Gem Video of the Week: King of Pain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K72P09J7un4

Gem Light: Do-Do-Do-Do-Da-Da-Da-Da

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SojAZ0X1e0

Lyrics to ‘King of Pain’

There's a little black spot on the sun today

It's the same old thing as yesterday

There's a black hat caught in a high tree top

There's a flag-pole rag and the wind won't stop

I have stood here before inside the pouring rain

With the world turning circles running 'round my brain

I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign

But it's my destiny to be the king of pain

There's a little black spot on the sun today

(That`s my soul up there)

It's the same old thing as yesterday

(That`s my soul up there)

There's a black hat caught in a high tree top

(That`s my soul up there)

There's a flag-pole rag and the wind won't stop

(That`s my soul up there)

I have stood here before inside the pouring rain

With the world turning circles running 'round my brain

I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign

But it's my destiny to be the king of pain

There's a fossil that's trapped in a high cliff wall

(That`s my soul up there)

There's a dead salmon frozen in a waterfall

(That`s my soul up there)

There's a blue whale beached by a spring tide's ebb

(That`s my soul up there)

There's a butterfly trapped in a spider's web

(That`s my soul up there)

I have stood here before inside the pouring rain

With the world turning circles running 'round my brain

I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign

But it's my destiny to be the king of pain

There's a king on a throne with his eyes torn out

There's a blind man looking for a shadow of doubt

There's a rich man sleeping on a golden bed

There's a skeleton choking on a crust of bread

King of pain

There's a red fox torn by a huntsman's pack

There's a black-winged gull with a broken back

There's a little black spot on the sun today

It's the same old thing as yesterday

I have stood here before inside the pouring rain

With the world turning circles running 'round my brain

I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign

But it's my destiny to be the king of pain

King of pain

I'll always be king of pain

I'll always be king of pain

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About the video: Live from the 1986 tour

Video Rating: 2 (although it was hard to find a quality live version of this song)

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Best Feedback: Most everyone replied to the question regarding 3-piece bands, including Steve:

Hey Mac;

Do you still weigh 140lbs soaking wet?lol!

How about;

Triumph

Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Dinosaur Jr.

Beastie Boys

Dust

WolfMother

Blue Cheer

Ben Folds Five

Chevelle

Urge Overkill

Ten Years After

also, Sonic Youth and Talking Heads started as trios and added a fourth

member later

Cheers

Steve