***** Bird’s Best Bop on Verve by Charlie Parker – This Is a Must Have for Any Inspired Young Musician

I thought for a few seconds that I might give this one 4 stars instead of 5 sighting the primitive production that the original recordings suffered from.  However, in this case, even with the poor production, Charlie Parker is a musician to be reckoned with.  Likewise, this album is chock full of standards that any jazz musician will be familiar with.  Get this album!  It is a collected history of recordings that have both good song writing and stellar skill.

***** The Thirteen Petalled Rose by Adin Steinsaltz – History Should Remember This Work Fondly

After reading this book, I definitely have to concede that it deserves a spot among my top 10 most favorite books though admittedly it is not #1.  Steinsaltz is probably the Maimonides of his generation.  The words of The Thirteen Petalled Rose exude like a magnificent display of fireworks.  However, The Thirteen Petalled Rose is a very difficult book.  Adin Steinsaltz is not easy reading.  I would say that it is his precision that makes this work difficult to comprehend in the same way I felt The Essential Talmud was difficult to comprehend.  I guess that much does not need to be said, for those are the people who will purchase this book, take a crack at reading it, become frustrated, and put it down.  Given the popularity of Kaballah, that is how the author will get much of his funds.  However, I don’t believe that was his mission at all, for as we know, not all pennies are created equal.

I wanted a hard copy of this work because I knew from the other rave reviews of this work that I wanted to have a printed copy of it, rather than just an electronic book.  If someone spots this book on my shelf, and has heard of it, I think it seeing its presence will possibly spur great conversations.

That I was able to read it, and benefit from it is probably due to all those countless hours I have toiled in Tanya study.  Otherwise, I may have become overwhelmed.  Additionally, The Thirteen Petalled Rose should not take the place of daily Tanya study though it has some information that the Tanya does not, and it is key information, especially since I can’t consider myself frum from birth.

*** The Very Best of by Emerson, Lake, & Palmer – Mostly Just So So Music

Track 1 is really good, and so are a lot of tracks on this disc.  However, there is not enough complexity to satisfy my craving for complexity in music.  I bought this because Emerson Lake and Palmer were recommended to me as an early progressive band.  However, though this may fit in the genre of early progressive there have been many albums put out since that even the best of Emerson Lake and Palmer doesn’t cut it for my taste for originality that is cerebral.

Track 2 makes me think of what the baby boomers considered great music.  It was nothing that was in comparison to the old jazz greats like Benny Goodman that the previous generation listened.  Truly the popularity of this is a part of the reason why my musical teachers rejected rock even as a valid medium for musical expression.

I personally did not give up hope in rock and I ended up finding some really good music there that is far more cerebral than this.  So there you have it, already by the second track on this album there is starting to be some mediocre rock of which by nature there is nothing really special about it.

The critic of this writing must face the fact that there are oodles of more cerebral jazz albums than even The Very Best of Emerson Lake & Palmer, and many more works that followed it in the vein of jazz fusion, making this album practically an irrelevant selection because there is so much stuff out there that is as good as this one.

I like track 3 and 4 though.  These are definitely a standouts.  However, this whole album would had to be at this level of quality in order for me to give it a 4 star rating.  Likewise, despite this bands luck as having a place in history, the time when audio recordings were really coming to be high quality, and due to their playability at home (which has done wonders for snuffing out the whole idea of live music), I believe that they will not stand the test of time, unless web pages keep them in their top 100 lists of bands.

When I bought this album I felt like I was unearthing old dinosaur hits that will be forgotten.  Why?  Though my son might be familiar with them, I would bet that he is the outlier, and that while Emerson Lake and Palmer may be able to live off of royalties in the lifetime.   I doubt that once they are gone, and the baby boomers that loved them are gone, people won’t search for them nearly as much.  The primary reason for they will be forgotten is that there has been a torrent of jazz/rock written at this level of quality, including both higher quality and lower quality.

Track 5, 6, 7, 8, etc, reek of mediocrity.  Some of them sound like movie soundtrack ideas that do not rise above my expectations.

Despite my criticisms that this band lacks in the technicality department, I do believe that these songs are pretty much beyond the scope of what a high school band could play.  In fact, very few cover bands at the adult level could play this music.  That is another reason why I expect Emerson, Lake and Palmer to be forgotten.

*** Thunder from Down Under by Frank Gambale – A Disappointment of Jazz Fusion Mediocrity

Jazz fusion is my favorite genre.  However, with this album Frank Gambale deals subpar work.  This is clearly not what attracts me to the jazz fusion genre.  Some folks may like it, and it is not as if I would have a problem with that.  I’ll be honest, Frank Gambale is an amazing guitarist, but the song writing on this is terrible.  However, I don’t see Thunder from Down Under blazing any trails for the jazz fusion genre.  Gambale would do better to pair himself with a song writer.

So what is with the stars anyway?  That is, why not 1 star instead of 3.  That is because these musicians are actually playing sophisticated music from their hearts.  As I have said before, an album need only be in the genre of what I would call jazz fusion to get 3 stars from me, and that is simply because I love it so much.  Maybe I would change that if there was more jazz fusion out there, and possibly give 1 or 2 star ratings, but it is not as if I look forward to such a world.

*** Veritas by Alex Skolnick trio – Needs Better Supporting Musicians

The first thing that comes to mind when listening to this cd is, “Wow!  That bassist sure knows how to come up with a pathetic groove.  Yeah, he might be able to hold down the fort in a metal band, but compared to a bassist well versed in jazz he comes across as a simpleton.”

The second thing that comes to mind is that this cd does have some redeeming tracks, and that Skolnick’s jazz version of a Metallica song for track 5 is flat out amazing.  If you are into collecting Metallica rarities, this version of a Metallica song is priceless.  In fact, what occurred to me is that this song could have made it as a jazz standard from the very beginning even if it was not a heavy metal song first.

I think Skolnick has the possibility of putting out better works than Veritas, especially if he plays with better musicians.

Let me put it this way:  About 15min away from me there is a music business that gives lessons for kids.  One of the best parts about this business is that the guy who runs it makes bands for the kids with folks at their age level.  Usually, the kids that play in the bands are 13 to 16 years old.  Some of them are quite impressive for their age and level of play.  Most of these kids from age 13 to 16 years old are at about the level that Skolnick’s rhythm section plays at.  However, for Skolnick himself, none of these kids I have known of have been able to play at his level of play.  Skolnick impresses me and I would call him a very gifted guitarist who deserves better surroundings, but I am a music snob, and Veritas doesn’t make the cut as far as really good jazz albums go.  That be the truth about this album.

40 Great Metal Bands and an Awesome Album by Each

The list author says: "First of all, I should not that this is not a direction I am heading in. In fact, probably the opposite is true. My favorite discs these days tend to be jazz fusion. The music here is primarily from the time of my high school and college, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like it either. So while my taste has evolved, it is still fairly clear in my mind what I think metal is, and while I have a taste for things other than metal, as I have always have, while retaining my taste in metal, I do realize that it is generally easier for me to make a list of bands, than a list of jazz musicians, who more than not cobble together albums rather than playing with any set group. Enjoy!"

1.          A Dramatic Turn Of Events by Dream Theater

2.  Rust in Peace by Megadeth

3.  Blessed and the Damned by Iced Earth

4.  Live From Mt. Fuji by Gwar

5.  Lapse of Reality by Ring of Fire

6.  Quantum by Planet X

7.  Edge of Thorns by Savatage

8.  Empire by Queensrÿche

9.  Dream Sequencer by Ayreon

10.  Ghost Reveries by Opeth

11.  Covenant by Morbid Angel

12.  Aenima by Tool

13.  Houses of the Holy by Led Zeppelin

14.  James LaBrie's Mullmuzzler 2 by James Labrie

15.  Low by Testament

16.  Kings of Metal by Manowar

17.  Evolution by Tony MacAlpine

18.  Destroy Erase Improve by Meshuggah

19.  Office of Strategic Influence by O.S.I.

20.  Sound of Perserverence by Death

21.  Surrealistic Madness by Candiria

22.  Them (Reissue) by King Diamond

23.  Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden

24.  Melissa by Mercyful Fate

25.  ...And Justice For All by Metallica

26.  Soul of a New Machine by Fear Factory

27.  In Consequence by For The Love Of

28.  Reign in Blood by Slayer

29.  All Out War by Earth Crisis

30.  Start Today [Explicit] by Gorilla Biscuits

31.  No More Tears by Ozzy Osbourne

32.  Divine Wings of Tragedy by Symphony X
33.  Visions by Stratovarius

34.  Painkiller by Judas Priest

35.  Disconnected by Fates Warning

36.  Vulgar Display of Power by Pantera

37.  Slave to the Grind by Skid Row

38.  Rage Against the Machine by Rage Against The Machine

39.  For All Tid by Dimmu Borgir

40.  IV: Constitution of Treason by God Forbid

**** Time Odyssey by Vinnie Moore – At the Guitar Virtuoso Level: Time Odyssey Is About Average

I can definitely recommend this album to someone who likes music like Jason Becker, Tony MacAlpine, Joe Satriani, James Murphy, Chris Poland, and the many others that put out albums where a soloing guitar player is central to the music.  This is the guitar virtuoso level, which is strangely a genre rather than an actual description.  This is because there are some folks who don’t play in the guitar virtuoso genre, that are guitar virtuosos nonetheless.  With the event of the earth’s population being in the billions, good guitarists grow on trees, and virtuosos are common enough.

I like this album.  I’d give every track on it a chance if you buy it.  You will probably like all of the tracks.  I know I did.  However, what I do have to say is that if you enjoy this genre, the guitar virtuoso genre, then Time Odyssey is only an average entry.  It is certainly not a bad album.  At this level, I’d rate an album that was a fizzle three, ***, stars, while I would rate a favorite five, *****, stars.

Pop music in my opinion generally ranges from 1 star to 3 stars.  I know that I drew a lot of angry comments from Smashing Pumpkins when I rated Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness only 3 stars.  Really, who thinks melancholy is all that great?  Lol!  Then, when I felt people were becoming over critical of my 3 star rating, I reduced it to 2 stars, the exact opposite direction.  That is when they really started to get angry, and millions of reviewers became rated higher than me.  Despite my lack of popularity, I was proud of myself for making my point provocative enough that people cared about it, even if it was only to try to demolish my point of view in favorite of the bitters of melancholy.

I pointed out that I don’t give starred ratings to music that I think has no redeeming qualities, which also seemed like Greek to those folks.  That’s right!  With me you have to earn every star you get!  Time Odyssey earned 4 out of a possible 5.  Therefore, Time Odyssey is a damn good album, that is definitely worth buying, and really what I mean by not giving it that 5^th star is that 100 years from now, I don’t believe people will still be seeking this album out for purchase anymore than they are now.

Like a Vincent van Gogh painting, I tend to reserve 5 star ratings for albums that might get remembered after the death of the artist, especially an artist who isn’t very popular in his or her lifetime, in the same way that generally folks ran as far as they could get when it came to Vincent van Gogh in his lifetime.  I have to admit, that does seem unfortunate, especially when you can probably figure that The Who will be remember 100 years from now, but would only draw 3 or 2 stars from me on most of their albums.

If the guitar virtuoso genre isn’t your thing, Time Odyssey may be easily overlooked, perhaps in favor of jazz album, or a good jam band album.  Whatever suits your taste, even if it be wasting away again in margarita ville .

**** Don’t Blame Me by Miles Davis and Charlie Parker: Nevermind the Musicians, This Jam Is Dated

It is too bad that the recording production on this one just doesn’t cut the mustard, and that is the sole reason why I subtracted a star. True, I probably wouldn’t say that if it was an aged guitar album, such as something Django Reinhardt released. I love Django Reinhardt and own a good share of his better music, which I have counted as precious as modern jazz albums. The same is true of some other early pioneers in jazz guitar.

As recording technology has increased, this album has increasingly been becoming a historical album and not a sensational album. True, Miles Davis and Charlie Parker were some of the greatest musicians that ever were, and these are some of the greatest swinging songs ever written. They are standards in the Real Book 1, which I had back in my younger days as a guitarist when I played jazz. Really, not only are these standards, but these songs are staples, the bread and butter of jazz. So, I encourage you to skip out on buying this album, and go to the local wine bar where you will get a chance to listen to these songs live and hopefully revitalized as they were meant to be listened to.

** Determination by God Forbid: It’s hard to tell where they went wrong on this one

This album was released during my stay at Gordon College.  It’s a long story why I was there, so I’ll skip it.  I saw Determination in a mall in northern MA, near Gordon.  I couldn’t believe it!  A band whom I had known when they were nobodies had made their way into a shopping mall.  I can’t say it is a sellout album either.  It is just that it is a mediocre album that really adds nothing to the genre that has not been done before, and it seems that the song craftsmanship had fallen short of my expectations I had since listening to Reject the Sickness.

**** Reject the Sickness by God Forbid - Years Ago What Came to Mind Is: Loads of Promise

I count myself as blessed to have been with God Forbid since the beginning.  I remember going to a show in NJ when hardly anybody was there.  I showed because I thought their demo Matt played for me had promise.  Reject the Sickness is a follow up 1^st real album that slams as hard as any band out there, especially those that walk the metalcore genre.

I remember talking with Dallas at a party near Rutgers University in Jersey and he was like, “We want to play hardcore shows because people are more into the music.”  He described how playing metal shows was like going to assembly of people that stood still with a scowl on their face and were boring.  To a certain extent I agree with that.  For example, starting a pit or any movement at all at Dimmu Borgir’s first USA show was futile. 

One can’t neglect the heaviness of Reject the Sickness.  This album is far heavier than Slayer’s Reign in Blood.  Certainly, Dallas wasn’t meaning to disrespect metal bands like Slayer, that much is clear!  Around that time I had recently seen Slayer live in Jersey, and believe me the crowd had no shortage of movement, and that is not what he was speaking out against.  Thus, it is such, following in the way of their forefathers like Slayer, God Forbid instead of being a follower became heavier than their predecessor.  Slayer did the same thing with Venom, and Venom did the same thing with Black Sabbath and/or Deep Purple.  And, it is no doubt to me that every band has its influences.

**** The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien: The Virtue of Cassette Tapes on a Dominican Stereo

While this work is sufficient to stir the imagination, what it lacks is a character that I can relate to.  Generally, I am unable to feel much empathy with these characters, and even less so in the book than in the movie.  Though this book is well read – Rob Inglis did a good job - for the next book in the trilogy, I will try actually reading it instead of listening to it to see if that allows me to enjoy it more.

The recording was done on cassette tapes.  Wow!  What a blast from the past!  Additionally, this recording came out before the event of the movie, 1991.  It required me pulling out from the closet an old Aiwa amplifier/compact disk player/cassette recorder that I used back when I attended college.  The compact disk player part of the system has long been broken, but the tape player still works.  In fact, I thought of throwing it out, but then I decided to save it so that I could show my son Alex a piece of history, cassette tapes.  These things I can only do when he is old enough to understand.

I also have a compact disk player walkman that I used to plug in so that I didn’t have to buy a new stereo system when the compact disk player in this system broke, and an old pair of compact computer speakers.  The amplifier and the original speakers worked fine, so I thought to myself; why throw out the stereo if only one part of this is broken?  When listening to The Hobbit, however, I didn’t use the original speakers, however, but the compact computer speakers.  I didn’t need the volume or the quality; and, I desired to save space because my family has only a small apartment.

I call this a Dominican stereo, yet perhaps it is not loud enough to even call it that, as the stereo systems in the Dominican Republic are often a collection of random leftover parts.  The ability to adapt the compact disk player to the system comes via a common stereo cable that plugs into the headphone jack of the compact disk player walkman and selecting the auxiliary source to be amplified on the amplifier.  The speakers of the system have their own amplifier, such that it requires a male adapter to go from the large male plug in the system and the small male plug, which connects the speakers to the system.  That is though it is not a very large system, the power from the amplifier, if sent directly to the compact computer speakers would overload them, as the compact speakers require a load about the level that a head phone jack gives.  Thus, it is such that the volume on the compact computer speakers needs adjusting and the volume on the amplifier needs adjusting, and if the compact disk walkman is used, impossible in this scenario as this recording of The Hobbit was on cassette tapes, a third volume knob is added.

2013 100 CD Changer – Are These The End Times?

I review quite a bit of music, and mostly that is because I love music so much.  I have a 100 compact disk changer that mixes my music, and about once every 6 months, I give an update as to what is in it.  When I was about to post the June/July mix, it turned out that I got hospitalized in the psych ward for a month, so the time before this time I skipped the post because I had no computer access, much less internet access in the hospital, or even access to my own home where the cd changer is located.  This time I noticed that some of my favorites made it out of the disc changer without a review, and I honestly don’t know how that happened, but they will be back in when I can fit them in a slot.
1. Kings of Damnation Era by Black Label Society
2. Soul Sirkus
3. Without a Net First Set by the Grateful Dead
4. What If and Dregs of Earth by the Dixie Dregs
5. Mind’s Eye by Vinnie Moore
6. Grace for Drowning Vol. 2 like dust I have cleared from my eye by Steve Wilson
7. Stand Up and High Tension Wires by Steve Morse
8. Free Fall and Unsung Heroes by the Dixie Dregs
9. Time Odyssey by Vinnie Moore
10. Veritas by the Alex Skolnick trio
11. Night of the Living Dregs and California Screamin’ by the Dixie Dregs
12. My Favorite Things by John Coltrane
13. Self titled by Niacin
14. Islands and Larks Tongues by King Crimson
15. …And Justice for All by Metallica
16. Emergent by Gordian Knot
17. Greatest Hits: Back to the Beginning by Megadeth
18. Splendido Hotel by Al Di Meola
19. Back in the World of Adventures by The Flower Kings
20. Spontaneous Combustion by the Liquid Trio Experiment
21. The Kindness of Strangers by Spock’s Beard
22. Scenario by Al Di Meola
23. Mix w/ Allan Holdsworth, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Charlie Byrd, On the Virg, Al Di Meola, Scofield w/Medeski Martin Wood, Steely Dan, Benny Goodman
24. Question and Answer by Pat Metheny, Dave Holland, and Roy Haynes
25. I Care Because You Do by Aphex Twin
26. Machine Head by Deep Purple
27. Light Years by Chick Corea’s Elektric Band
28. Misplaced Childhood by Marillion
29. Bridge Across Forever by Transatlantic
30. Individual Thought Patterns by Death
31. Mix/ Tony MacAlpine and Led Zeppelin
32.  Aenima by Tool
33. Fire Garden by Steve Vai
34. Surfing With the Alien by Joe Satriani
35. Listen by Jordan Rudess
36. Start Today by the Gorilla Biscuits
37. The Essential Frank Sinatra (The Columbia Years)
38. The Very Best of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer
39. Doin’ something by Soulive
40. Bird’s Best Bop on Verve by Charlie Parker
41. Up All Night by John Scofield
42. Greatest by Bee Gees
43. Man Child and Dedication by Herbie Hancock
44.  Secret Story by Pat Metheny
45. Retrospective 1940-7 by Django Reinhardt
46. Grace For Drowning Vol. 1 deform to form a star by Steven Wilson
47. Deliverance by Opeth
48. Thunder from Down Under by Frank Gambale
49. Full House by Wes Montgomery
50. III by ChickenFoot
51. Mix/ Compact Jazz by George Benson and Idle Moments by Grant Green
52. Amazing Journey disc 1
53. This Godless Endeavor by Nevermore
54. The Very Beast of Dio by Dio
55. Kind of Blue by Miles Davis
56. Dear Old Stockholm by John Coltrane
57. The Artista Years Disc 2 by the Grateful Dead
58. True by Too Human
59. The Vibe by Roy Hargrove
60. A Picture of Nectar by Phish
61. Self titled and Mother’s Milk by the Red Hot Chili Peppers
62. Greatest disk 2 by the Bee Gees
63. The Blue Note Years: The Best of Kenny Burrell
64. Transgression by Fear Factory
65. Lovecraft by Cradle of Filth
66. Super Hits by Ted Nugent
67. Project by Jordan Rudess and Rod Morgenstein
68. Industry Standard and Full Circle by the Dixie Dregs
69. Coast to Coast and High Tension Wires by the Dixie Dregs
70. A Show of Hands by Victor Wooten
71. Friday Night in San Francisco by Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, and Paco de Lucia
72. Like Minds by Chick Corea, Gary Burton, Pat Metheny, Roy Haynes, and Dave Holland
73. School Days by Stanley Clarke
74. Youthanasia by Megadeth
75. Coda by Led Zeppelin
76. Vulgar Display of Power by Pantera
77. The best of Earl Klugh
78. A Dramatic Turn of Events by Dream Theater
79. Virtuoso 2 by Joe Pass
80. Live from Oz by Planet X
81. Fusion by Wes Montgomery
82. Shadows Fall
83. What Did He Say by Victor Wooten
84. Live by Bill Frisell
85. Midnight Blue by Kenny Burrell
86. Retrospective 3 1947-53 by Django Reinhardt
87. Retrospective 1 1934-40 by Django Reinhardt
88. OK Computer by Radiohead
89. Gretchen Goes to Nebraska by King’s X
90. Greatest Hits by Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble
91. Born this Way by Lady Gaga
92. Twilight in Olympus by Symphony X
93. Sex and Religion by Steve Vai
94. Notes on a Dream by Jordan Rudess
95. Pick Hits Live by John Scofield
96. Surrealistic Madness by Candiria
97. Character and Enter Suicide Angels by Dark Tranquility
98. Destroy Erase Improve by Meshuggah
99. When Gravity Fails by Neil Zaza
100. First Meditations by John Coltrane

*** Spock’s Beard by Spock’s Beard – Not Technical Enough To Draw My Praise

If an album is a good technical album, like any progressive rock album should be, you should be able to listen to is far more times than this one.  The song that says, “Photographs and fallen leaves,” I have to admit was very catchy to me at first.  However, like the rest of the songs on this album, they are only worth a moderate amount of listens and then you might as well dispose of the album.  True, I was captivated at first, but unlike some other prog rock bands like Rush, Queensryche, and Savatage, I did not get much more than a fizzle of solid enjoyment from this album.

**** Ragged but Right by the Homegrown String Band – Good Southern Family Music From a Family

The first thing that stood out to me when I saw the Homegrown String band live is the extent that the violinist is gifted.  She sounds like she should be playing for as a guest on Prairie Home Companion.  They mentioned that she had been trained by an extraordinary teacher.  However, what makes the Homegrown String Band special is that the band is literally a family, sort of like the Jackson Five, except the parents are playing with their lovely daughters.  Often the apple doesn’t fall from the tree, and that is what happened this case; the whole family is very gifted as musicians.  There are no bad apples in this family.

**** Madness by Tony MacAlpine – MacAlpine Should Have Been a Household Name for Musicians

I have quite a hard time differentiating MacAlpine’s early albums stylistically, but in this case that is a plus.  Cerebrally, he rocks hard, as some that is physically and spiritually gifted.  If you like the guitar virtuoso genre, then don’t miss this one (or any other of MacAlpine’s work for that matter!), and even someone who generally listens to good music and general will probably find this album to be a treasure.

* Gentle Hearts by Greg Howe, Tetsuo Sakurai, Dennis Chambers – I Guessed a Winner, But…

This album does have some decent chops, and is not a total loss.  However, I recommend that folks look elsewhere, as there are a gazillion albums with decent chops (more than one could hope to digest in a lifetime).  Usually, both Greg Howe and Dennis Chambers are artists that never fail to produce greatness, but the album only has one song that is good, while it has several songs that range from mediocre to terrible.  Thus, since there is so much else out there that is good, I advise overlooking this one.

**** Freedom to Fly by Tony MacAlpine – Great Album from a Guitarist that was Virtually Unrecognized

Tony MacAlpine is one the great success stories of the guitar virtuoso movement.  He made his way to the top the hard way, by releasing album after album of solid great music, even when largely going unnoticed, except for a few small elite listeners.  His story has been a story of determination.  This is one of those albums that helped MacAlpine prove himself, and if you listen to his music, you’ll know that at every stage of his game, he has been better than his white skinned “virtuoso” peers that have raked in the big bucks.

I picked up on Tony MacAlpine around the year 2000 when he joined up with Planet X.  By then, Tony MacAlpine had already released several great albums, the best of which is probably Maximum Security.  I got to know Planet X, because I was a fan of their previous keyboardist, Derek Sherinian, whom I should also say has put out many outstanding solo albums.

**** Black Market by Weather Report – One of Those Great Albums that Will Always Sound Fresh

Weather Report is a pioneering jazz rock fusion album.  It was released before anyone knew what they were doing.  It was a totally different style of jazz.  Many people were angry about it because they saw rock n’ roll as a sellout genre that could only be simple.  Let me tell you something; this album ain’t simple.  However, the greater question that should be answered is whether or not the album delivers.  Compared to some of the later efforts of musicians that played on this album, I would say that overtime the sounds got more refined, and often better.

Black Market sounds like a bunch accomplished musician’s trying to prove themselves.  Wait a minute, that sounds like a contradiction, but it is true.  What Black Market lacks is the jelly jam to hold together the fruit.

Nevertheless, the music on the album is still of superior quality, when compared to the alternative, which would have been staying on course with the jazz swing oblivion where the music never gets better, and most of everything that is worth playing is already recorded.

A definite plus to this album, is that there will probably never come a time when its audience can’t say, that sounds like it was released, yesterday.

***** Land of the Midnight Sun by Al di Meola- Definitely Add This Hard Jazz Rocker to Your Collection

When I got Land of the Midnight Sun, the main thing I wanted to know was whether or not it was on par with Al di Meola’s other classic albums I own, particularly, Hotel Splendido, Elegant Gypsy and Casino.  I was not in the slightest way disappointed.  Land of the Midnight Sun is as great as these three primary records that are recommended for purchase, especially if you are interested in jazz guitar.  In fact, the style is not really distinguishable from the other three, as all four of these album make one think of blazing fast Spanish jazz rock fusion.

I’ll go so far as saying that Land of the Midnight Sun is more solid straight through, but lacks a majorly outstanding track or two - think Race with the Devil on a Spanish Highway -, which is why I think this album failed to get heavy entries in the “This Is  Jazz,” series of sampling of great songs from the most important jazz musicians.

In fact, based upon the tracks from this one that are in the “This Is Jazz” collection, it would appear that they don’t represent the totality of Land of the Midnight Sun to the point of deception.  This album by itself is better than the This Is Jazz compilation entry for Al di Meola.  However, there are no weak tracks on Land of the Midnight Sun.  So, I would urge the potential buyer.  Don’t buy something from the This Is Jazz collection, but pick up one of the big 4, such as Land of the Midnight Sun.  I guarantee you that you will not be disappointed by going this way.

Perhaps, the greatest reason I give this album praise, is that I think it’s Al di Meola’s hardest rocker, but I can’t honestly say I know that yet, especially since I haven’t heard all of his albums, which are many.

Perhaps, the thing I like most about Al di Meola is that practically anyone is going to enjoy much of his work.  I’ll call Casino, Elegant Gypsy, Hotel Splendido, and Land of the Midnight Sun the big 4, especially if you want to rock out and have a martini, and use this as background music.  I, myself, am feeling like having a tequila sunrise about now and head to the beach, and scope some full bodied Spanish women out!  It hasn’t gotten to cold just yet!

*** Tour de Force by Al di Meola– Reworked/Remixed Classics With Clapping in the Background

Tour de Force should be thought of as secondary to the major Al di Meola albums.  Really, this album seems to be more for an Al di Meola buff, rather than someone who wants to collect great music.  So, what’s the problem?  The problem is that this is not new material.  It is reworked material with clapping in the background.  It doesn’t add much, and frankly, clapping is boring to listen to.  Clapping might as well be random static.  Really, only in rare cases am I a big fan of clapping.  For example, I really like the way the crowd is mixed in on Iron Maiden’s live album, A Real Live, so it not that I can say that I simply detest all live albums.

The other fact is, since these are some of Meola’s best songs, I had already heard them many, many times by the time I picked up Tour de Force.  Really, Meola’s catalog is more dense than he would have you think when listening to Tour de Force.  However, Tour de Force is a great way to get sick of the same old same old goodies, rather than unearthing some of his real treasures, such as the openers to Land of the Midnight Sun.

*** Chasing Time by Fates Warning – Don’t Like The First Few Tracks? That’s okay! Listen on.

Fates Warning has been ruminating around for decades as a lesser progressive rock/metal band.  In that sense, that are much like King’s X.  Today that means they could open for an arena rock bank, but that they probably aren’t popular to tour enough by themselves, especially not arenas. 

Chasing Time doesn’t really get moving until track 4.  Many of their riffs are atonal, and do not mix well with the vocals.  Frankly, sometimes  it sounds to me like their guitarist had no material ready for the album so he just steps on the distortion pedal and precedes to first thing that comes to mind, rather than crafting a song.  Later in their career, however, that changed.

**** Coast to Coast by Steve Morse – Was a Totally Awesome Free Gift From a Guitar Teacher

When one of my guitar teachers during my collegiate times at Rutgers was converting from being a progressive rock buff to a jazz student, I was coming to him as a guitar student that was left handed and needed to work on my right hand.  Though, I am thankful for that gift, it amazes me to this day how one could view an album like Coast to Coast as anything but totally awesome, or of less quality than jazz.  In my opinion, be it progressive rock, progressive metal, rock fusion or even straight jazz, I do not see one of these genres as inherently better than the others.

I have to recognize that an album like this one would fill only a small niche in music these days because it is totally instrumental.  Most regular folks without any experience from a music teacher rarely head for music without a vocalist.  However, speaking from my own personal stance, many of my most favorite albums are all instrumental, meaning that they have no vocalist.

In fact, this music is so original sounding to me, it sounds like it could be called progressive instrumental country, but despite my own inability to describe this album, it is really good.  One thing you may expect, and be disappointed or elated by is that Coast to Coast is that it will feature the Steve Morse, while the rest of the band is poor background noise, as in the case of the Joe Satriani band.  That is not the case with the band, Steve Morse.  The only band I know that sounds like it is Steve Morse’s other band, the Dixie Dregs.

**** Seven Worlds by Eric Johnson – He Deserves to Be More Popular

This album is chalk full of great music.  It is smooth, easy, and catchy song writing with tasteful production that won’t scare away women.  Seven Worlds is no disappointment.  Eric Johnson is quite similar to Steely Dan, Bryan Adams, or Dave Matthews.  However, I think because he was initially billed as a guitar virtuoso, rather than just pop music for the yuppies of the 1990s, that he never was able to achieve the following that other similar acts did.

*** My Life by Bill Clinton (audiobook) - Some Contradictions and a Deplorable Delivery

Clinton paints a complex picture full of out of the box predicaments.  Much of it is lacking.  Clinton is not eager to forgive the Republicans, though he embraces humanity in its sinful nature, which is not a contradiction until Clinton adds that he does this in order to form a more perfect union.  Put 1 and 1 together and he might have well just say, “I, myself, am a sinner.  I don’t forgive sinners for the sake of unity.”

His delivery is charismatic, but also predictable in the same way as that of Martin Luther King.  Nearly every sentence starts with a low note, quickly rises and then trails to lower pitches, with occasional rises on the downward trail.  At one time, I fell asleep listening to this incessant pattern over and over.  A typical delivery of Clinton goes as follows (I made up the words), “I (low tone) found (middle tone) some (high) hope (high).  Then (middle), the Republicans (middle) attacked my character (low), and (middle) the hope (low) went away (lowest tone).”

**** Whargoul by Dave Brockie – A true testimony to the power of Jesus.

The main character, “Whargoul” heads straight for gore very much the same way a soldier’s courage might drive him straight to the center of wartime conflict, such that this book satirically delves into the seemingly amoral nature of being a soldier through satire in the same way that The Prince by Machiavelli delves into the amorality of politics.  This book crosses the line between the sacredness and profanity of wartime killing, and immorality that often reportedly happens during war.  The book often reverses and confuses right and wrong in an environment where discernment is next to impossible because of immersion in gore similar to the Garden of Eden in Genesis.  Whargoul, knowing nothing but gore, first innocently engages in immorality for lack of discernment, sometimes concluding what he has done is wrong, but that he did the immoral thing because he learned wrong before right.  Whargoul has no parents, which similar to Adam.  Whargoul rapes, which is similar to Genesis: “This is bone of my bones.”  Whargoul eats a baby, which is similar to eating the forbidden fruit Genesis.  Then, Whargoul murders, which is similar to the Genesis story of Cain, and his life is cursed and bitter toward God, similar to the curse of Cain. As in the song off GWAR’s Ragnarok album goes, Whargoul is, “Uncool,” in the way that Machiavelli’s Prince, is not cool.  Finally, at the end Whargoul becomes a Christian.

***** Samsung A157 Go Phone: Unbeatable Price – Go For This Phone

This phone is totally awesome.  It is excellent for text based internet, like Facebook.  I totally love the T9Eab function, such that I find it more useful and quicker to use once (once you get used to it).  So for, cell phones that have a keyboard, generally I feel that once you get used to T9Eab, you will never want to go back.  Additionally, as a bonus with this function, you can add words to the T9Eab vocabulary.

It does have a small screen.  That can either be a bonus or a bane.  For me, personally, it's a bonus.

The A157 is also perfect for checking one's email.  I use Gmail, and here and there during most days, I use this phone to read my email.

Be warned though, there are some features of websites that this phone can't handle, such as buying at amazon.com.  If you use Amazon, then I recommend connecting with a computer with a larger screen.  Thus, though this phone can't buy via Amazon.com, it would probably not be good enough as a computer to use Amazon's functions anyway, and that is neither plus nor negative.   The reason being, size.  If you want a small phone, that is well constructed, and has some internet function capabilities, go for this phone!

I personally use my phone as an emergency phone, usually paying just $15.  I spend $5 for internet, and roughly $9 in emergency calls.  That is unbeatable!

The one thing I feel that is actually lacking with respect to the A157, is that it can't interface with say a laptop or a desktop to be a source of internet capability.  Yet, for $20, I still feel that you really can't beat the price of this phone for the functionality of it.

*** Gretchen Goes to Nebraska by King’s X – Good, but There Are More Complex Prog Rock Bands.

I favor what is more complex, just as a matter of personal preference.  I think King’s X are  good band, and though you probably won’t love them, they won’t disappoint you either.

When I listen to this album I can’t help but think that King’s X is incorrectly billed.  To me, King’s X does not seem like a Prog Rock band.  The music comes up just shy of why I would deem as Progressive Rock.  When I think of Prog Rock, names that come to mind are Rush, Dream Theater, Planet X, Queensyrche, and Ring of Fire.  There is no way that this album is in the same league as what those bands and several others regular output.  That actually might be a plus for King’s X, because sometimes complex music can be exhausting to listen to.  That said, compared to what you are likely to hear on the radio, King’s X is probably more complex than what the local rock station will consistently play.

I don’t hear anything different from King’s X and many other bands that are just considered to be rock.  Take for instance maybe the Dave Matthew’s Band, Chicago, or Steely Dan.  They aren’t billed as progressive rock, even though there music is superior, in my opinion to King’s X.  For example, I estimate the complexity of this band as slightly above or at the level of the rock band AC/DC.  I’ll also add that they rock fairly hard.

This makes me suspicious that this band was billed as a progressive rock band instead of a rock n’ roll band because corporate America correctly estimated that this is a way that they could achieve more sales, all the while not offending anyone, and filling a very small niche, which might be termed a Pseudo Progressive Rock.  That is, there is a gazillion Indie bands, but there aren’t so many Prog Rock bands, and that is probably because many musicians prefer to play jazz and classical to rock, especially from the generations King’s X appeals to.

As a general rule those that like progressive rock in my experience have a much more voracious appetite for music, and would be more likely to give a band that they had never heard of a chance, even though they had never heard them before.  Unfortunately, I have yet to hear of a radio station that specialized in Progressive music, and it is such that this whole genre while at the national level, is virtually what many would call underground.  That is, while the market is saturated with Indie rock bands and has been for some time; it is not saturated with Progressive Rock bands, and though the number of Progressive Rock fans are far outnumbered by Rock fans, there is a market for bands that can sneak in under the billing of being a Progressive Rock band, and be more likely to make a living through a marginally questionable categorization.

This is a trend that I feel is quite common in music.  For example, Stratovarious is billed as Progressive Power Metal, but realistically there is hardly any difference from them and bands like Hammer Fall that don’t  claim to be progressive and play “Power Metal,” and the same is true that Stratovarious as a Progressive Rock band fails to achieve the complexity of Metallica, Slayer, or Megadeth when they are playing speed metal. 

**** Madness by Tony MacAlpine – Better Than What I Usually Hear On the Radio Waves

This album is much in the style of Joe Satriani.  However, it is better.  MacAlpine’s skills are nothing short of astonishing.  It is difficult to describe why, except that the musicians seem to be more in synch.  I would definitely say that though the drums on Madness are reminiscent of whoever drums for Satch, but they are generally more complex and also boldly unafraid to be assertive than what Satch allows his drummers to play.  I wouldn’t be surprised if MacAlpine counted Satch as one of his favorite musicians when he crafted this album.

*** "HDE brand" Notebook Protector – Chemically Stinky and Needs a Zipper Though I Can’t Argue with the Price

I am definitely going to keep this product and use it, though I am somewhat disappointed by it.  That is, it should do the trick, but there is room for improvement.  For example, this product would function better if it had a zipper.  In addition, during the period I have been writing this reviewing this product, it is quite stinky, meaning that it gives off a horrible odor that smells of some weird chemical with a very long name.  Other than that, it seems to have been the best notebook protector for the price.  If you are looking to save some money and in addition get some modest protection for a laptop, this product is a fairly good choice.

***** Maximum Security by Tony MacAlpine - Possibly the Best Shred Album Ever

Move over Joe Satriani.  There is someone who has fewer fans than you and is far more gifted.  Maximum Security is one of Tony MacAlpine’s better albums, and it is far better than anything the far more popular Satch has released.  What makes this album so awesome is the control MacAlpine exhibits over his guitar playing.  He isn’t just playing the notes; he is feeling the notes, such that the subtleties of this album that make it so awesome are probably measured better with microns rather than the larger unit of measurement, the millimeter.  This is a achieved because Maximum Security has a lot of bends and whammy bar work that is exceptionally tonally precise.  If you know anything about music, then you know that there can be more than 12 tones before reaching an octave.  For example, one can bend a note a quarter of a note, which is different than a quarter note of time.  What I am referring to his a quarter of a tone, not a quarter note, which refers to the length of time that the note plays for in notation.  The subtleties of this album probably make such that it would be impossible to tab it or use musical notation to describe the song unless one has heard one of the songs on this album first.  Sit back and listen, and stop guess exactly how much MacAlpine bent the note, and just appreciate the tremendous song writing and virtuosity on this album, which is great from start to finish.

*** Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence by Dream Theater – Dream Theater’s Worst Album

In my opinion, the only good song on this album is the subdivision Solitary Shell, which is a part of the Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence song.   The rest of Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence has its moments, but on the whole, with almost every song I feel like there is too much repetition.  It is as if Dream Theater was simply adding filler so that they could release a double album instead of a cd.  That said there are definitely some redeeming parts of Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, and that much was demonstrated on later discs, such as Score.  On the album Score, all the parts of Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence are astounding.  So perhaps you may think that it is the recording quality that I am complaining about and not the song writing itself.  That is almost certainly not the case, because I have heard 4 Degrees of Radio Edits and every track on that cd blew my socks off.  Four Degrees of Radio Edits essentially takes most of the filler out of Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, making the songs more action packed and more impressionable.  So while Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence is only a three star album, I would give Four Degrees of Radio Edits five stars.  Likewise, 4 Degrees cuts to the chase and is only 1 cd long, where 6 degrees of Inner Turbulence probably should not have ever been released though it is the favorite album of many of Dream Theater’s fans.  For example, I think Awake is far superior to Six Degrees, but the last I check at allmusic.com Awake was absurdly rated 2 or 3 stars, while Six Degrees was absurdly rated 4 stars.

**** Ayreon 01011001: Planet Y – Like the Other 01011001 Disc It Adds Nothing New To Ayreon

Planet Y is indistinguishable from the other disc of 01011001.  In some ways, that is a strength because both of the 01011001 discs are really good.  However, the sound of each of discs is indistinguishable in style though each of the songs on both albums are easily recognized.  So, what I am not saying is that Ayreon may be summed up to this point in that all their songs are indistinguishable.  In fact, every Ayreon song that I have listened to is easily distinguished from any other Ayreon song.  The problem is that Ayreon seems to be re-releasing the same style of music on his albums, such that there is no need to buy all of them.  I remember as a child my aunt describe this phenomena to me with respect to Pink Floyd in that if you have heard one Pink Floyd album, then you might as well have heard them all even though virtually no person would be incapable of discerning the exact song Pink Floyd is playing in their  catalog.

So, my recommendation with respect to this album is that if you haven’t heard Ayreon before, then this is a great place to start.  However, if you own several Ayreon albums, then you can be assured that you already know what you are going to purchase, should you purchase this album.  So, it comes down to whether or not you have heard enough of the Ayreon sound in my commentary as to whether or not you should buy this album.

As far as the musicianship goes, Ayreon is somewhere between progressive rock and progressive metal, and they are at the top of their genre as far as skill goes.  I am a huge fan of both of these genre’s which are actually very similar.  Like a metal band, they like distortion and spookiness.  However, Ayreon mixes in very well into a shuffled collection of heavy rock too.  I would also say that Ayreon is more than music that only musicians can appreciate.  Pretty much just about anyone can understand this sound, although anyone may or may not enjoy it as a matter of preference.

**** Review of School Days by Stanley Clarke - A Good Album that Changed the Evolution of Music

This album was made in 1976, so it is before my time.  It was made back when jazz musicians where trying to figure out how to fuse rock n’ roll and jazz without losing any musical sophistication.  I can appreciate this one today as a 4 star album, but at its time it was pioneering though it has been all but forgotten in the shuffle of seemingly countless albums that may be purchased.

Stanley Clarke was never really a household name and really it was only commonly known among those that loved bands like Return to Forever and Weather Report, which have also been practically forgotten in musical history.

Unfortunately, for most people their knowledge of fusion doesn’t go much beyond this time period, and there is tons of great new fusion that never achieved the popularity of Stanley Clarke, but for many young kids getting into fusion their knowledge of music doesn’t go this far back extensively.  Those that have heard of him are probably either jazz musicians or bassists that can count themselves among the elite of any genre.  Those that probably love him today are kids that are musically talented and love jam bands, because really there is no difference between a jam band and the genre of jazz known as jazz fusion.

Though this one is relatively unimportant as far as being known to the consciousness of modern music, it is deeply imbedded in the subconscious of modern music.  In fact, if Stanley Clarke came out today, then he probably would have achieved greater popularity than he ever did with this album, and School Days is possibly his most important effort.  My guess is that though people did not know much about what Stanley Clarke was doing at the time he released this album, that he would have been very successful among the Millennial Generation as a jam band.  That is, Stanley Clarke is one of the founding fathers of bands that made good music that would later enable bands like Phish to fill stadiums, and though I often criticize popular bands, I have to admit that Phish is quite talented.  However, Phish does not hold a candle to the musical skill of Stanley Clarke.

Like most good jam bands, Stanley Clarke’s music is capable of inducing a peaceful state of mind comparable to hypnosis.  However, most of the rhythms of music are capable of inducing a hypnotic effect, it is just that Stanley Clarke does it in a way that I would estimate that more people would find pleasant than say heavy metal, and in some ways that makes me a minority.

Stanley Clarke has been called a virtuoso by many musicians, and I won’t subtract that from him.  So, you might wonder why I subtracted a 5^th star in my review.  The album lost the 5^th star is that it suffers a little bit from being artsy fartsy, where this particular style of artsy fartsy is not my favorite, and I tend to like music that sounds heavier, more than music that seeming tranquilizes me into a pretzel of rhythmic thought.  That is, what this music album is any hooks.  It is ultra complicated jazz, and though it does have its regressions, they just don’t seem all that great.  Thus, it is not on complexity that this album loses a star, but in its failure to have any catchy simple parts, such that there never seems to be any building of a foundation, and playing off of that foundation, and when there is a simple foundation given, it is not stupendous enough for the 5^th star to be given.

As the Victor Wooten album says, “Yo!  Victor, you can’t hold no groove unless you have a pocket.”  I don’t seem to be able to find enough pockets on School Days, and when I search for them, and in this way the album seems to put me in a daze.  Thus, it would seem that “Days” in the title is an attempt to play on the word, “Daze,” of which I generally prefer music that makes me feel stone cold sober, if not aggressive.  I would imagine that someone who loves Phish or the Grateful Dead would possibly better be able to progress onto this style, and likewise listen to it with more enthusiasm than I do.  Thus, for a person that may prefer a legal high, as opposed to doing drugs, this album is possibly a cheap high that might put one in a stupor.  As for me, I don’t feel like a free man when I am in a stupor, but rather I feel that stupors are enslaving.  Perhaps, that means I should listen to the album some more, and thus it will probably be the next one to go in my 100 disc changer mix.

The rhythms of this album are comparable to the rhythms of the wind, just a few steps below.  When it comes down to it, though sometimes I like to listen to the rain, and sometimes I like to listen to the wind, buying an album for me that is so artsy fartsy that it might be comparable to these things is beyond me.   That is, why put School Days in the player when you might be able to open your window and listen to the way the wind blows and get the same quality.  Or if it is cold outside, why not just turn on a fan or a microwave and listen to the patterns of their humming instead of listening to School Days?  Thus, this is really just a matter of preference, an opinion only, and that opinion is that I prefer music that has a pocket, or at least seems like it has a pocket, especially as a way for me to enter into the rhythms of the song for the purpose of grooving to it, as opposed to flopping to it.

**** Review of Ah Via Musicom by Eric Johnson – Cliffs of Dover Probably Attracted You, But…

I can still remember hearing Cliffs of Dover on the radio in Falmouth, MA when my parents were taking my too Old Silver Beach.  To say that this song made a lasting impression on me is an understatement.  I was probably only 12 years old, born in 1978.  That song thus makes this album very special to me.

In fact, I actually probably didn’t get it on cd until high school.  This should beg the question: Why 4 stars and not 5?  The answer is that, in my opinion though the rest of the album is good, it is unlike Cliffs of Dover in that the rest of the album is not as good.  That is, this album has 1 5 star song, a few 4 star songs, and a few that aren’t really worth listening to.  It’s all over the place in quality.

The next best track is Desert Rose, which is track 2.  It is different from Cliffs of Dover in that it has vocals, and that the guitar isn’t quite as majestic.  I do enjoy the vocals, and they seem to be intellectual.  In addition, you could listen to any song on the album around children.  Though I’d call Desert Rose a 4 star song, it is somewhat of a letdown from Cliffs of Dover.  I hadn’t heard this song, or any other songs on this album until I actually purchased, so I when I bought it, I thought I was going to get something different than what the album was in reality.  There it is.  Eric Johnson is putting me into the john by track 2.

Track 3 is somewhere between 3 and 4 star quality.  I like to listen to it.  I don’t mind it when it is on.  Generally, when I listen to the album I let it play through, but I don’t put the cd in the player to listen to this song in particular.  That said, between tracks one, two, and three, you may have something that you can put into a car cd player and enjoy, especially with a girlfriend, or wife.  This album is definitely family friendly music..

Before this album, so far as I know Eric Johnson was a nobody.  I have heard some of his early stuff and some of his later stuff, and it is about on par with this album.

I don’t know if I would call Eric Johnson a virtuoso though often he is famed as one.  He is definitely a good guitarist, and he was even included on the first G3 live album, where his contribution is decent.  I think Eric Johnson is about as good as Eric Clapton, no better and no worse.

Track 4 is the first weak track on Ah Via Musicom.  It is terrible.  Though terrible tracks add to the lengths of albums, they detract from the album as a whole.  However, then Johnson rebounds with track 5, which is good enough to call a 4 star track.  I dare you to find one person that will honestly admit to loving this album most for track 4.

Thus, as an album, the quality of the song writing seems to vary drastically.  However, on the whole it is a great album, and it does have Cliffs of Dover, which is one of my all time favorite songs.  Ah Via Musicom is definitely worth purchasing, and if you like sophisticated, family friendly rock, I can almost guarantee that on the whole you won’t be disappointed, but you may decide to skip through the tracks a bit, rather than listen to it as a whole.

2nd Dante’s Inferno – A Response to a Comment Made to My Amazon Account

I am not going to try to invalidate your point because it is a valid opinion.  Thank you for taking the time to comment.  The reason I don’t think very highly of Inferno is that it does not speak to all generations.  That is while this book was influential, it speaks very little to me in the here and now.  It is a has been.  It has been both outdone in antiquity, and it is outdone in modernity too.  That is, authors put out better books than Inferno today, and Inferno doesn’t hold a candle to say a book of antiquity like Plato’s Republic.

Look if you want to get inside this book and read it for the mindset for which it was written, then you are correct.  Inferno is a real shocker.  However, the precise reason you like this book is the precise reason I have not thought it that great.  My opinion is that, if it were a good book, it would speak to all generations, such as a book like Darwin’s Origin of Species, which is as valid today and as controversial today as the day it was written.  Darwin’s books will probably still be as controversial as they were from even a thousand or more years from now.

I should also add that books like Inferno have been outdone by movies.  For example,  in the theater, the recent Tolkien trilogy blew me away even though  I am not a huge fan of fiction books.  Books like The Hobbit didn’t blow my socks off as literature though they blew my socks off in the theater.  Maybe this could be done for Inferno.  I am not incorrect for having that as opinion.  Someone who prefers movies to books with respect to fiction has every right to describe why they think the way that they do.

I am not saying is that this book is beyond recovery out of its historical shell, but I will say that it is fading, especially as time goes by and the history of this time period becomes blurred due to the need doctors of history to come up with new thesis about the way the past was.  Perhaps, Inferno will be able to be reclaimed, such that it speaks to all generations, but as for me and my opinion of Christianity, the same people what worship Christian deities are the descendents of the people that worshipped Greek deities, and the deities before those deities.

Guess what, most people aren’t as knowledgeable these days about Greek or Persian deities anymore as they fall out of popularity.  For example, who would remember a book that was a rebellion against the Zoroastrian priests, but a bunch of college history buffs?  I don’t know if such a book exists, but I do know that Zoroaster created what was at one time one of the world’s major religions, such that some people probably felt the need to rebel against it at times.  Thus, it is such that should Christianity fall out of popularity through replacement by another religion, I think Inferno may be all but forgotten to common people, in the way that any books rebelling against Zoroaster are unbeknownst to me.

I’ll give you another example.  Take for instance the book, “The World’s Sixteen Crucified Saviors,” by Kersey Graves.  Though some people disagree about the historical reliability of this text, the fact is that myths surrounding all 16 of these supposed saviors exist.  Jesus is one of these saviors, of course, but the point is that the crucifixion myth did not start with the idea of Christianity, but my guess is that most people don’t know all that much about all 16 to the point that it would be difficult to unearth some of these stories even for folks that commonly go to the theater.  In consequence, a book must speak to all generations in order to be remembered for all generations. 

**** Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight Karl Rove – Thought Provoking

Rove would put drugs in Halloween candy if he thought he could get away with it, and then think that he had been a, “Compassionate conservative.”  In Karl Rove’s mind, putting drugs in children’s Halloween would be his way of trying to teach kids that Halloween is an evil pagan holiday, such that they stop celebrating it.

He seems to try to create a hypnotic push and pull in the listeners mind, making it easy to forgive him when he messes up.  His philosophy is a lot like the New Testament, it is difficult to attack it precisely because it has contradictions.  This is his style:  It’s like this.  This is the ideal.  Now it’s that, and I have completely forgot this.  Won’t you forgive me?  If you remind me that I have contradicted myself, then I will remind you of what I have said that is most convenient for me.  I make mistakes.  For example, Karl states his belief in the intelligence of voters before insulting them.  Another example or a peculiarity is as, “Now I, Karl, am a tough gun touting Clint Eastwood type,” and then, “Now I’m a frank intellectual.”

It is no wonder he has gained so many people’s attention.  There is something in him for everyone to like, and something in him for everyone to hate, and in my opinion he uses these emotional appeals in a manipulative way such that people with different ways of operating will overlook the parts of him that they don’t like.  Sometimes I find his emotional appeals distasteful and more importantly the least reasonable choice possible, but the sentiment he leaves to his words is thought provoking because he uses different tones than the usual.  By changing the common tone I often hear words delivered in, it makes for bittersweet thoughts.  I like that.

 The most likable trait about Karl is that he doesn’t fit nicely in a box.   If I had to describe his philosophy, the word, “Jelly,” comes to mind.  Sometimes he will make you angry, and sometimes he is likeable, but be warned Karl seems like the type that acts like a friend so that he can take beat on you in his, “Fight.”

He acts as if he is baffled when he has opponents.   He makes you angry.  Then, he makes friends again.  Next, he gets you fired up, just before he returns back to the same old same old, “Why do they want to attack me?  They must be crazy.  I am such a goody two shoes,” waiting for you to give in so that he can win you over.  The inner workings of this man are much uglier than he wants to believe.  Accurately he is like the Tool song, Sober, if you don’t like him, then this is how he appears, “I will find a center in you.  I will chew it up and leave.  Trust me.”