Sejarah Edane

Edane adalah potret sebuah grup yang memiliki kematangan bermusik: dalam penggarapan album maupun ketika pentas di atas panggung. Pusat pesona grup terutama terletak pada Zahedi Riza Sjahranie alias Eet Sjahranie. Permainan Gitar Eet amat atraktif, memukau, dan edan. Beng Beng, gitaris Pas bilang, jika kita ingin menyebut siapa sebenarnya gitaris rock Indonesia, Eet itulah orangnya. Edane semula dikenal sebagai singkatan dari Eet dan Ecky Lamoh. Terbentuk tahun 1991, Edane terdiri atas Eet (gitar), Ecky (vokal), Iwan Xaverius (bas), dan Fajar Satritama (drums).

Setelah ikut mewarnai musik Edane dalam album pertama The Beast (1992), Ecky cabut. Edane tak berganti nama. Hari Batara atau lebih dikenal sebagai Ucok, masuk. Tapi kemudian giliran Ucok yang cabut. Posisinya diambil alih oleh Trison, mantan vokalis Roxx. Trison dipilih lewat seleksi ketat yang dilakukan selama dua tahap.

Namun pada pertengahan tahun 2003 lagi-lagi terjadi pergantian vokalis, pada tangal 9 juli 2003 tepatnya Trison mengundurkan diri dari edane, banyak cerita simpang siur terhadap pengunduran Trison dari edane tapi yang pasti setelah Trison mengundurkan diri akhirnya edane mendapatkan ganti vokalis baru ex. razzle band yaitu Robby yang biasa membawakan lagu-lagu guns n roses. Hadirnya penyanyi dengan karakter seperti itu bisa di tebak edane akan kembali mengusung musik beraliran hard rock atau yang sejenisnya mereka kelihatannya kembali ingin menonjolkan kemampuan individual masing-masing personilnya di album yang akan datang. Menurut Eet Sjahranie, gitaris Edane, pergantian vokalis ini terjadi karena di antara personel mulai disadari adanya ketidakseimbangan dalam hal memenuhi tuntutan musik Edane. “Sebenarnya itu sudah disadari sejak pembuatan album Borneo. Kita sudah memikirkan untuk membuat musik yang lebih luas dari sebelumnya. Konsekuensi dari itu, kita tentunya membutuhkan personel yang bisa memenuhi kapasitas itu,” ungkap Eet.

 

Kendati demikian, lanjut Eet, hubungan antara personel Edane dengan Ucok tetap baik. Karena Ucok sendiri yang berinisiatif untuk mengundurkan diri. “Malah Ucok juga setuju dengan audisi untuk vokalis baru.”

Telah empat album mereka keluarkan The Beast, Jabrik, Borneo dan 9299 (1999). Album 9299 (Aquarius) merupakan kompilasi lagu baru dan lagu lama. Tiga lagu baru adalah Untuk Dunia yang menjadi lagu jago, Dengarkan Aku, dan Rock On. Lagu lama yang masuk antara lain Jabrik, Ikuti dan Borneo yang kaya unsur etnik Dayak. “Lagu-lagu tersebut kami anggap bisa mewakili Edane,” ucap Eet.

Proses penciptaan musik Edane, tutur Eet dan Fajar, lebih banyak bertolak dari rif-rif yang dimainkan di studio. “Rif-rif itu kemudian berkembang menjadi komposisi dan akhirnya lagu,” kata Fajar. Ini sebabnya penggarapan album Edane selalu lama. Untuk satu album mereka bisa menghabiskan lebih dari seratus shift, jumlah yang cukup banyak (bisa untuk membuat tiga album) bagi grup lain. Namun, menurut Rudra, sound engineer album Edane, dengan proses semacam itulah musik Edane sangat kaya akan warna dan detail.

Edane memainkan hard rock. Tapi Eet lebih suka menyebutnya rock saja. Eet juga kerap diidentikkan dengan Eddie Van Halen, gitaris yang mempengaruhinya. Dari sini muncul plesetan Edane sebenarnya adalah singkatan dari Eet dan Eddie Van Halen. Pengidentikan itu, kata Eet, “membuat saya tersanjung dan kesal. Tersanjung karena Van Halen adalah nama besar. Kesal karena saya ingin menjadi diri saya sendiri, bukan orang lain.”

Sejak dirintis tahun 1991, manajemen Edane sudah berpindah dari tangan ke tangan. Pertama ditangani Ali Akbar, kemudian pindah ke Jimmy Doto, lalu ke Aci, dan pernah ditangani sendiri. Kini manajemen Edane dipegang Danny Wijanarko, manajer GIGI. “Bagaimanapun saya tetap berkonsentrasi di GIGI, tapi bukan berarti menomorduakan Edane,” ujar Danny.

EdanE adalah potret sebuah grup yang memiliki kematangan bermusik dalam penggarapan album maupun ketika pentas di atas panggung. Pusat pesona grup terutama terletak pada Zahedi Riza Sjahranie alias Eet Sjahranie. Permainan gitar Eet amat atraktif, memukau, dan edan. Beng Beng, gitaris Pas bilang, jika kita ingin menyebut siapa sebenarnya gitaris rock Indonesia, Eet itulah orangnya. EdanE semula dikenal sebagai singkatan dari Ecky Lamoh dan Eet Sjahranie . Terbentuk tahun 1991, Edane terdiri atas Eet (gitar), Ecky (vokal), Iwan Xaverius (bas), dan Fajar Satritama (drums).


Setelah ikut mewarnai musik EdanE dalam album pertama The Beast (1992), Ecky cabut. EdanE tak berganti nama. Hari Batara atau lebih dikenal sebagai Ucok, masuk. Tapi kemudian giliran Ucok yang cabut. Posisinya diambil alih oleh Trison, mantan vokalis Roxx. Trison dipilih lewat seleksi ketat yang dilakukan selama dua tahap.

Namun pada pertengahan tahun 2003 lagi-lagi terjadi pergantian vokalis, pada tangal 9 juli 2003 tepatnya Trison mengundurkan diri dari EdanE, banyak cerita simpang siur terhadap pengunduran Trison tapi yang pasti setelah Trison mengundurkan diri akhirnya EdanE mendapatkan ganti vokalis baru ex Razzle Band yaitu Robby yang biasa membawakan lagu-lagu Guns n Roses. Hadirnya penyanyi dengan karakter seperti itu bisa di tebak EdanE akan kembali mengusung musik beraliran hard rock atau yang sejenisnya mereka kelihatannya kembali ingin menonjolkan kemampuan individual masing-masing personilnya di album yang akan datang. Menurut Eet, pergantian vokalis ini terjadi karena di antara personel mulai disadari adanya ketidakseimbangan dalam hal memenuhi tuntutan musik EdanE. “Sebenarnya itu sudah disadari sejak pembuatan album Borneo. Kita sudah memikirkan untuk membuat musik yang lebih luas dari sebelumnya. Konsekuensi dari itu, kita tentunya membutuhkan personel yang bisa memenuhi kapasitas itu,” ungkap Eet.

Kendati demikian, lanjut Eet, hubungan antara personel EdanE dengan Ucok tetap baik. Karena Ucok sendiri yang berinisiatif untuk mengundurkan diri. “Malah Ucok juga setuju dengan audisi untuk vokalis baru.”

Telah enam album mereka keluarkan The Beast (1992), Jabrik (1994), Borneo (1996), 9299 (1999), 170 Volts (2002), dan Time To Rock (2005). Album 9299 (Aquarius) merupakan kompilasi lagu baru dan lagu lama. Tiga lagu baru adalah Untuk Dunia yang menjadi lagu jago, Dengarkan Aku, dan Rock On. Lagu lama yang masuk antara lain Jabrik, Ikuti dan Borneo yang kaya unsur etnik Dayak. “Lagu-lagu tersebut kami anggap bisa mewakili EdanE,” ucap Eet.

Proses penciptaan musik EdanE, tutur Eet dan Fajar, lebih banyak bertolak dari rif-rif yang dimainkan di studio. “Rif-rif itu kemudian berkembang menjadi komposisi dan akhirnya lagu,” kata Fajar. Ini sebabnya penggarapan album EdanE selalu lama. Untuk satu album mereka bisa menghabiskan lebih dari seratus shift, jumlah yang cukup banyak (bisa untuk membuat tiga album) bagi grup lain. Namun, menurut Rudra, sound engineer album EdanE, dengan proses semacam itulah musik EdanE sangat kaya akan warna dan detail.

EdanE memainkan musik hard rock. Tapi Eet lebih suka menyebutnya rock saja. Eet juga kerap diidentikkan dengan Eddie Van Halen, gitaris yang mempengaruhinya. Dari sini muncul plesetan EdanE sebenarnya adalah singkatan dari Eet dan Eddie Van Halen. Pengidentikan itu, kata Eet, “membuat saya tersanjung dan kesal. Tersanjung karena Van Halen adalah nama besar. Kesal karena saya ingin menjadi diri saya sendiri, bukan orang lain.”

Sejak dirintis tahun 1991, manajemen EdanE sudah berpindah dari tangan ke tangan. Pertama ditangani Ali Akbar, kemudian pindah ke Jimmy Doto, lalu ke Aci, dan pernah ditangani sendiri. Kini manajemen Edane dipegang oleh Heri ‘UCOK’ Batara dengan Rock On Management nya hingga sekarang
Personil EdanE

Personil Edane berganti-ganti dalam berbagai kurun waktu. Berikut adalah konfigurasi grup yang pernah terjadi:

EdanE I :
Eet Sjahranie : gitar
Ecky Lamoh : vokal
Iwan Xaverius : bas
Fajar Satritama : drum

EdanE II :
Eet Sjahranie : gitar
Heri Batara : vokal
Iwan Xaverius : bas
Fajar Satritama : drum

EdanE III :
Eet Sjahranie : gitar
Trison Manurung:vokal
Iwan Xaverius : bas
Fajar Satritama : drum

EdanE IV :
Eet Sjahranie : gitar
Robby Matulandi :vokal
Iwan Xaverius : bas
Fajar Satritama : drum

Iwan dan Robby akhirnya mengundurkan diri.

Diskografi Edane

1.The Beast, produser AIRO Records & EdanE ( 1992 )

2.Jabrik, produser EdanE ( 1994 )

3.Borneo, produser EdanE ( 1996 )

4.9299 (album kompilasi), produser ( 1999 )

5.170 Volts, produser Jan Djuhana (2002)

6.Time to Rock, produser Jan Djuhana (2005)

About Eet Sjahranie

Eet Sjahranie selalu dihubungkan dengan kepiawaiannya memetik dawai
gitar. Setelah Ian Antono, Eet disebut-sebut sebagai jawara gitar di
tanah air. Imej itu memang layak disandangnya. Terlebih-lebih ia kini
menjadi salah satu gitaris grup rock Indonesia yang cukup disegani, God
Bless–dan pentolan kelompok musik rock terdepan, EDANE. Dilahirkan di
Bandung, 3 Februari 1962 dengan nama Zahedi Riza Sjahranie, anak
ketujuh dari kedepan bersaudara ini mulai menyenangi musik saat
menginjak usia 5 atau 6 tahun. Maklum kakak-kakanya sering memutar
lagu-lagu barat, seperti Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The
Beatles, hingga BeeGees.

Kendati diakuinya hal itu sedikit banyak mempengaruhi kepekaan
rasanya dalam bermusik, bukan gara-gara itu yang menggugah hatinya
belajar gitar. “Justru yang membuat saya mendalami musik karena melihat
Koes Plus. Asyik banget melihat aksi panggung Yoek atau Yon Koeswoyo,”
ujar Eet mengenang. Awalnya ia belajar gitar dengan seorang anak yang
jadi yang juru parkir di depan sekolahnya di Kalimantan Timur, tempat
keluarganya bermukim saat itu. Sehabis pulang sekolah, ia selalu
mengajak sohib-sohibnya belajar gitar bersama. Sejak itu “secara
alamiah saya belajar sendiri,” tuturnya. Mulai dari lagu daerah,
folksong, dangdut sampai lagu-lagu pop yang sedang populer saat itu ia
coba untuk mencari akord-akordnya.

Di masa kecil, sesekali Eet sering diajak ayahnya, Sjahranie yang
pernah jadi Gubernur Samarinda 1967-1977, ke Jakarta, sekalian
mengunjungi kakaknya yang sedang studi di Ibukota. Sang kakak kebetulan
mahir bermain gitar klasik. Kesempatan itu tidak disia-siakan Eet untuk
mencuri ilmunya. “Lumayan ia mengajarkan satu lagu klasik,” katanya
Sekembalinya, Eet menunjukan kebolehannya di hadapan teman-temannya.
Merasa mendapat perhatian lebih dari kawan-kawannya, Eet kian percaya
diri untuk lebih mendalami teknik permainan gitar. Lagu-lagu yang
rhythm dan petikan melodinya enggak gampang, ia jelajahi. Keinginannya
pun semakin menggebu ketika orangtuanya membelikan gitar elektrik.
Berbeda yang ia alami saat memetik gitar akustik, dengan gitar elektrik
ia mulai tahu sound-sound aneh. Refrensi musiknya sedikit demi sedikit
mulai bertambah. “Orientasi saya tidak lagi dengar lagu-lagu Indonesia,
tapi lagu-lagu barat. Kayaknya lebih asyik,” tutur Eet.

Pada 1978, keluarga Sjahranie boyong ke Jakarta. Ia melanjutkan
sekolah di Perguruan Cikini. Tahu Eet jago main gitar, teman-teman
sekolahnya yang suka ngeband mengajaknya ikut Festival Band SLTA
se-Jakarta. Tak disangka, Eet mendapat gelar gitaris terbaik, sedang
Cikini’s Band menduduki peringkat kedua. Selain itu, Eet ikut membantu
pengisi musik untuk operet sekolahnya. Di situ ia bertemu Iwan Madjid,
yang lalu mengenalkannya dengan Fariz RM dan Darwin. Temu punya temu,
mereka sepakat membentuk grup band. Namanya WOW. “Tapi belum terealisir
saya sudah kadung pergi ke Amerika,” ujar Eet. (WOW sendiri sempat
mengeluarkan album, minus Eet). Di negeri Paman Sam, Eet mengambil
workshop recording sound engineering di Chillicote, Ohio selama tiga
bulan. Selama di sana, ia banyak bertemu musisi Indonesia, yang juga
sedang studi musik, antara lain, kawan lamanya Fariz RM dan Iwan
Madjid, serta Ekie Soekarno. Pertemanan mereka berlanjut sampai di
tanah air. Dalam beberapa kesempatan, Eet kerap diajak rekaman. Saat
Fariz RM menggagas proyek album Barcelona, Eet mengisi sound gitarnya.
Atau waktu Ekie Soekarno membuat album Kharisma I dan Kharisma II. Saat
menggarap album Ekie, Eet bertemu Jockey Suryaproyogo, yang lalu
mengajaknya masuk God Bless, menggantikan posisi Ian Antono. Tak hanya
sebagai player, Eet juga ditawari produser rekaman untuk menggarap
beberapa proyek album solo rock. Dari beberapa nama yang diajukan, Eet
memilih Ecky Lamoh. Alasannya, ia sudah tertarik dengan warna vokal
Ecky sejak sama-sama mengisi album Kharisma-nya Eki Soerkarno. Tapi,
Eet ingin format solo album dirubah menjadi duo. Titelnya “E dan E”,
singkatan dari Ecky Lamoh dan Eet Sjahranie. Namun, ditengah jalan,
kedua musisi ini malah membentuk grup band. Fajar S. (drum) dan Iwan
Xaverius (bas) yang sejak awal ikut merancang konsep album mereka,
diajak bergabung. Jadilah namanya berubah menjadi EDANE.

Bersama Edane, Eet mencurahkan kemampuannya dalam bermain gitar.
Impiannya menjadikan grup rock, yang paling tidak secara musical sama
kualitasnya dengan grup-grup rock dari luar, berusaha ia wujudkan.
Hasilnya, semua orang mengakui Eet terbilang berhasil mempresentasikan
musik rock yang bermutu. Sayatan-sayatan gitar yang bertehnik serta
eksperimen distorsi sound-nya yang njelimet, banyak membuat orang
berdecak. Maka, tidak terlalu berlebihan jika ia dijuluki salah satu
kampiun gitar rock di Indonesia.

EET SYACHRANIE

Nama: Eet Sjahranie
Nama Lengkap: Zahedi Riza Sjahranie
Tempat/Tgl Lahir: Bandung (Jawa Barat), 3 Feb 1962
Gaya Permainan: Rock
Group Band terdahulu: Superdigi, God Bless, Cynomadeus
Group Band sekarang: Edane
Pengaruh musikal: Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Halen, AC/DC, Peter Gabriel, Yes, Trevor Rabin, God Bless, Koes Plus, Bimbo, Fariz RM
Gitaris mancanegara yang dikagumi: Too many of them man ! Van Halen, Trevor Rabin, Angus Young, Tony Iommi just to name a few
Gitaris senior lokal yang berpengaruh: Ian Antono (God Bless), Odink Nasution (Guruh Gipsy)
Gitaris senior local lainnya yang dikagumi: Albert Warnerin (Giant Step), Yopie Item, Gideon Tengker
Gitaris muda yang dikagumi: Wow banyak ! Beberapa diantaranya adalah Baron, Pay, Rama, Ivan (Boomerang), wah... banyak man, gak mungkin gua tulis satu-satu
Zodiac: Aquarius
Softwares: ProTools LE
Pendidikan non formal: Recording Workshop (Chillicothe, OH, USA)

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Sejarah Dan Asal Usul Orkes Dangdut New Pallapa Beserta Lagu Gratis

Saat ini anda telah membaca artikel "Sejarah Dan Asal Usul Orkes Dangdut New Pallapa Beserta Lagu Gratis". Sejarah Dan Asal Usul Orkes Dangdut New Pallapa Beserta Lagu GratisIseng-iseng mendengerkan lagu Om New Pallapa yang beralbum Duet Romantis yang dibawakan oleh penyanyi yang bernama  Tasya dan Gerry Mahesa sayapun mempunyai inspirasi/ide untuk membuat artikel mengenai sejarah Orkes Melayu Om New Pallapa. Setelah lama mencari informasi di google tentang sejarah OM Palapa dan New Pallapa tersebut akhirnya saya bisa menulis dan merangkumnya ke blog saya.

Berdirinya Group New Pallapa tersebut sudah pernah didahului oleh group yang bernama Om Pallapa saja yang didirikan pada tahun 1998 di Kota Sidoarjo, Jawa Timur dengan dipimpin oleh Totok Ispiranto dan Istrinya yang bernama Juana Sari.

pada saat itulah Group Om Pallapa terkenal di provinsi Jawa Timur dan Jawa Tengah. Tetapi perjalanan karir Group Om Pallapa tersebut sempat terhenti karena terjadi masalah konflik Internal yang dikarenakan adanya perselingkuhan Pimpinan Juana Sari (Istri Totok) dan Personil Kendang kempul yang akrab disebut Cak Slamet yang menimbulkan penceraian antara Totok dan Juana Sari bercerai. Totokpun meninggalkan karirnya sebagai pimpinan Om Pallapa dan pergi ke Jakarta.

Pada Tahun 2004 Setelah Group Om Pallapa itu ditinggal Oleh Totok(Mantan Suami Juana) dan akhirnya Cak Met menikah dengan Juana Sari (Mantan Istri Totok). Dari Percerain Antara Totok dan Juana Sari yang mengakibatkan Totok Ispiranto meninggalkan Om Pallapa. Juana pun mendirikan Orkes baru yang bernama Om New Pallapa yang dipimpin sendiri oleh Juana Sari yang sekarang lebih dikenal dengan nama Juana Aurora.

Hal ini karena dari pemain inti yang tidak berubah sama sekali jadi cuma menambahkan New dan tidak membuang nama Pallapa adalah nama yang cocok untuk groupnya itu. Beberapa nama pemain atau personil New pallapa sebagai berikut Cak Slamet(Kendang), Sodik(gitaris),Nono(gitaris), Solik(suling), keybord dan kecrek masih gabung di sini.

Pada saat ditengah janlan Group New Pallapa terjadi Konflik baru yang menimbulkan Sodik dan Nono hengkang dan gabung dengan Group OM Monata. New Pallapa terus berkembang dan  mengundang artis-artis seperti Brodin, Agung Juanda, Gerry Mahesa, Tasya Rosmala, Lilin Herlina, Evi Tamala, Via Vallent, Anjar Agustin, Rena Kdi, Devi Aldiva, Ratna Antika, Wiwik Sagita dan Artis-artis yang tenar tempo dulu seperti Jhoni Iskandar, Mansyur S, Yus Yunus dan lain-lain Sehingga Sampai kota Banyuwaingi yang sedang tenar saat ini di Jawa Timur dan Jawa tengang seperti Kang Demy dengan lagunya yang berbahasa asli Banyuwangi Seperti lagu Kanggo Riko, Kelangan, Hang Isun dan lainnya.

Untuk personil New Pallapa yang Selalu tampil eksis yaitu Cak Slamet (Penabuh Kendang) yang sekarang menjadi Ikonnya New Pallapa karena Cak met adalah Penabuh Kendang yang terhebat sampai sekarang dan sampai sekarang belum pernah lihat penabuh kendang sehebat Cak Slamet ini. masyarakat pun mengakui, Cak Slamet pun mempunyai julukan sendiri yang dijuluki best of the bestya penabuh kendang seantero group dangdut koplo saat ini

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Can You Have a Personal Connection With Someone You've Never Met?

Media is a funny thing (and by media, I mean print, television, radio, music, movies, etc). It allows us, especially in 2016, to have instant access and communication with people all over the world at the press of a button (or a finger on a touchscreen, as is more common these days). Ironically, along with this increased closeness with strangers around the world comes an increasing sense of isolation amongst those we're closest to in our real lives. However, that overarching theme is not the point of this post and is best left for a different discussion. Where I'm going with this is the strange and true way in which media, regardless of which kind, can allow us to feel a deep and personal connection with people we have never met and who, in most cases, never will meet.

Speaking from personal experience, this is most clearly felt when it comes to my favorite music and musicians. Whether it's stuff from before my time in the 1960s and 1970s or what I grew up listening to in the 1980s, 90s, and beyond, I've definitely felt an almost personal connection with many of the creators of this music. Obviously the majority of this is through their music and the continual enjoyment I derive from it, but much of it also comes through the various media in which I've been able to learn about them. In my younger days, it was through newspaper and magazine interviews, videos, and the radio. In recent years, it's been even easier to have access to those we're fans of through the internet and social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Today's technology allows for an instant channel of communication from fans to celebrities, and in many cases back in the opposite direction (of which I've been fortunate to be a part of numerous times). While this has the potential to get ugly since fan hate can now be spewed without thought of consequence at the swipe of a finger, and though the anonymity of the internet has resulted in many ugly episodes, the majority of the time this method of rapid interaction has allowed fans an actual concrete feeling of connection to those they admire.

All of this leads me (finally) to discussing this strange phenomenon, or in the words of the recently departed David Bowie, "strange fascination," with having a connection beyond that of being just a fan, and whether or not it results in anything worthwhile. Personally, while I am a huge sports fan, I don't cheer for or pay attention to athletes unless they play for one of my beloved Boston teams; I suspect this is typical of most sports fans. However, when it comes to music, which is the biggest passion in my life after my family, it's a different story. Let me get it out of the way now that I don't blindly hero worship anyone and I realize that everyone, whether famous or not, is human and as such nowhere near perfect. Regardless of your station in life, we all have our faults and problems. I also wholeheartedly subscribe to the bromide that you should never meet your heroes (although I've been lucky in that the few times I have actually met some of mine, they turned out to be genuinely nice people). When I speak of a "connection," I mean that there's something there beyond simply being a fan, although what exactly this something is can be quite difficult to articulate. For me, the musicians who fall into this category would be the ones I have the highest degree of fandom for such as the Beatles, Blur, the Who, the Kinks, and several more which I won't mention for fear of this list getting too long. Through everything I've absorbed and studied about them, it almost feels as I though I know them, not in a literal sense but certainly in terms of what I know about them. Obviously, I'm not so delusional that I feel as though I truly do know them, but it definitely feels as though I have a fair understanding of what they're all about. This sense of connection can get scary, though, when people end up convincing themselves they're actually friends with those they admire, often having tragic consequences (see the murders of Selena and John Lennon, or Charles Manson's murder spree as but three examples). Even when it doesn't lead to such tragic endgames, many stalkers are born from thinking they are friends with their favorites, exacerbated these days with social media's instant access (I'm reminded in particular of the unhinged fangirls Blur guitarist Graham Coxon seems to unfortunately attract through no fault of his own).

When I stop to think about it from my own perspective, I probably know more about Paul McCartney or Damon Albarn or Pete Townshend or Ray Davies than I do some of my oldest and closest friends, simply by virtue of the fact that nearly every thought and detail of their lives has been made public for the entirety of their adult lives. While us "normal" people (are any of us truly normal?) can still keep things private such that only those closest to us know them, famous figures have every bit of their past and present combed over and written about, so it's inevitable we'd know more about people we've never met than people we see on a regular basis. In many ways, this feeling of connection has helped me (and others, I'm sure) in tough times...knowing that someone else, no matter how remote they are, has gone through something similar and seeing how they channeled that into their work (which, in most cases in my life, is music) can be a great source of comfort and strength to draw upon. While I certainly rely first and foremost on family and friends for the support I need, the extra bit that can come from someone you feel connected to from afar can make all the difference. Additionally, there are some of these people whose deaths have affected me almost as much as though they were someone I knew and was close to personally (most notably, John Lennon, George Harrison, and most recently David Bowie). I mourn them not because they were beloved friends, but because I know so much about their lives and their music has deeply touched mine...a feeling shared by their countless fans around the world as well.

I think I'm going to stop here because I'm finding it increasingly difficult to articulate exactly what I mean in a way that I feel makes it crystal clear, and I know from personal experience that there's nothing worse than having someone beat you over the head with something they've written as they start to go around in circles because they just can't find the right words to fully convey their idea. For those of you who do understand what I'm trying to say, what do you think? Is it possible to have a connection with someone you've never met, regardless on what level? To what extent? And if so, who is it for you and how has it affected you, either positively or negatively?

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BOOK REVIEW: Echoes: The Complete History of Pink Floyd

Similar to all-encompassing chronicle books on the Kinks (All Day and All of the Night, which I've reviewed previously) and Beatles (The Complete Beatles Chronicle 1962-1970, a book which I've owned for years and intend to review in the future), author Glenn Povey has spent years researching and writing a comprehensive day-by-day diary of Pink Floyd's career. Spanning the births of the band members through the band's official 1965 founding all the way up to 2006 (when it was published), Echoes documents every concert, recording session, single and album release, television, radio, and promotional appearance made by the band over their long and successful career.

The book is laid out in similar fashion to the aforementioned Kinks and Beatles books, moving chronologically forward year by year with entries for each appearance by date. Split into distinct eras of Pink Floyd's career, the beginning of each chapter consists of long and detailed write-ups describing the band's activities during that time period, accompanied by numerous photographs or the band and various bits of memorabilia. Following the chapter introductions, the entries themselves contain as much information as Povey was able to uncover in his research, and the amount that is included is rather impressive. Beyond set lists for the concerts, rehearsal times, track lists, and broadcast dates for the TV and radio appearances are included, as well as track and session notes for Pink Floyd's recording sessions. These entries include, when applicable, contemporary reviews from prominent newspapers/magazines/periodicals of the times, shedding an interesting light on how Floyd's music, both on record and in concert, was initially perceived. It can make for some fascinating reading, especially when reviews back then contrast so sharply with retrospective analysis (in particular, I'm recalling the scathing 1975 review for the Wish You Were Here album which was included in the book, especially when it's compared to modern views of the record). Also, it's interesting to see that certain obscure songs were actually played onstage, including some you'd never even consider, such as "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast" at the tail end of 1970! The book does a good job showing just how relentlessly punishing and grueling Pink Floyd's concert itinerary was up until the end of 1973, as well as how little they actually toured from 1974 onward. The book's timeline ends with the final ever Pink Floyd concert, their 2005 reunion for Live 8, and the death of founding member Syd Barrett in 2006. Short diaries of the solo careers of all five Pink Floyd members follow, and the book concludes with a comprehensive discography.

There's not too much more that can be said about a book like Echoes...these type of day-by-day chronicle books can either be done extremely well or they can come off as shoddy, poorly researched jobs. Echoes continues in the tradition of the Kinks and Beatles books mentioned earlier as one of the very best. The amount of research the author put into the book is staggering, especially considering what he was able to dig up for the band's early years when they had a loosely held together, constantly rotating membership and changed their name as frequently as their socks, playing various small student gatherings and underground gigs before solidifying into Pink Floyd in 1965. Echoes is readable from front to back, but it's also quite useful as a reference book; just pick a years or event of interest, flip to that section, and the information is right there at your fingertips. Echoes is a valuable and informative tome that is essential for any Pink Floyd fan, especially its value as a comprehensive reference for collectors of the band's live and promotional work. A few minor typos aside, this book is as good a day-by-day chronicle of Pink Floyd's history as there ever will be and is worthy of being on any Pink Floyd fan's bookshelf.

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Star Wars

I'd been kicking around the idea for this post for a while, but the recent release of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens back in December gave me the necessary kick in the arse to sit down and write it now. You see, I've been a huge Star Wars fan for my entire life, or at least as much of my life as I can remember, which goes back to about the age of three. While I'm not one of those fans who dresses in costume, learns to speak the alien languages from the films, or tries to use the Force to move objects around, I have seen the movies an obscene number of times and known way more about the minutiae of the Star Wars universe than I probably need to. It's not the only science fiction franchise I'm a big fan of...I also love Star Trek, for instance, but for different reasons. While Star Trek appeals more to me because of the deeper themes, more complex storylines, and it being a more realistic vision as to what the future may hold, Star Wars is just rollicking good fun. Creator George Lucas has stated numerous times that he was inspired by the Flash Gordon serials he loved to watch a a kid, and the label of swashbuckling space opera that has been levied on Star Wars seems more than appropriate to me.

In discussing my love of Star Wars, let me point out that I was born at the beginning of 1980, so even though I was too young to see the original trilogy in the movie theaters, my parents did and I grew up never knowing a world in which they didn't exist. I was three years old in 1983 when Episode VI: Return of the Jedi was released and I had (and still have) a lot of memorabilia from that era. I used to have several of the action figures and playsets, including the Ewok village, but all I can find now in my garage and my parents' basement are a few scattered figures (the Rancor keeper, General Madine, an AT-ST walker) and two books: one a full color picture book of the movie and the other a pop-up book with highlights from the movie's story. My love for all things Star Wars really blossomed in the late 1980s when I saved up enough of my money from Christmas and birthday gifts in order to buy the original trilogy on VHS...in fact, it was a boxed set of all three movies, plus a fourth tape about the behind-the-scenes making of the films called From Star Wars to Jedi. I've still got the tapes somewhere, but from that moment I probably watched the films every few months and learned all I could about the characters, alien races, planets, and backstory of the Star Wars universe. This was aided greatly by some books my mum bought me in the early 1990s: three of them were on the making of the films and included a wealth of information, concept art, and special effects secrets, while the fourth was a Star Wars encyclopedia. I was able to come full circle when the original trilogy was re-released in movie theatres in 1997 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the the first of the series to be released, Episode IV: A New Hope. While it was a thrill to see all three on the big screen and with surround sound, it was quite jarring to see how George Lucas had modified the films I had memorized by heart over my entire life up that point. While some of the additions weren't too bad (for example, adding more X-Wings in the background during the assault on the Death Star), others were unnecessary (changing the band and music in Jabba's palace), clunky (re-inserting the deleted scene in A New Hope where Han Solo now talks to a CGI Jabba the Hutt, a scene that is actually beneficial in explaining why Jabba is after Han, but which suffers from primitive CGI), to the downright stupid (having Greedo shoot first). I vowed there and then that I would never watch the modified versions of the films again, although this became increasingly difficult to do as Lucas made sure only the special editions were available to buy on DVD and digital download going forward.

You can imagine my excitement and surprise when I started college and heard that Lucas was going to make Episodes I-III! New Star Wars movies...what more could I ask for? Ever since I was a kid and had read that George had originally planned nine movies in the series, I'd always hoped that someday he'd make them. The excitement in the build-up to the release of Episode I: The Phantom Menace in 1999 was unbelievable, and not just personally but for all Star Wars fans. However, my initial reaction after I saw the film three times in the theatres was that it was just okay. I enjoyed it because if was Star Wars, because it set up the beginning of the story that would lead up to A New Hope, and because there were some fantastic characters and actors in it (Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn, Ewan McGregor's superb portrayal of young Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ian MacDiarmid as the younger Darth Sidious/Senator Palpatine, Darth Maul, Christopher Lee as Count Dooku in Episodes II and III). However, there was also some terrible acting, most notably Natalie Portman (Padme Amidala), Jake Lloyd (young Anakin Skywalker in Episode I) and Hayden Christensen (teenage/adult Anakin in Episodes II and III). Portman and Christensen are usually decent actors who nonetheless delivered wooden, stilted performances in these films. Granted, the dialogue George Lucas wrote (one of his self-admitted weaknesses) didn't help, but still, good actors should be able to overcome. Even Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu, while passable, was hampered by the dialogue that left his character a bit less than what he should have been.  Episode II: Attack of the Clones was a bit better than Episode I although some of the romantic dialogue between Portman and Christensen was unbelievably bad. Again, though, I enjoyed it because it was Star Wars, but for me the only one of the three prequels that approached the brilliance of the original trilogy was Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. It had action and adventure, emotional pull (Obi-Wan expressing his anger, disgust, and heartbreak at Anakin's ultimate fate at the conclusion of their epic battle is a favorite scene), some very efective editing (the cuts back and forth between Luke and Leia's birth and Anakin's transformation into Vader), and the climactic moment we'd all waited for when Anakin took his first breath as Darth Vader. In fact, I rank Episode III in my top three films in the series. If I rank the films in order of favorite to least favorite, it looks like this:

1. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
2. Episode IV: A New Hope
3. Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
4. Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
5. Episode VII: The Force Awakens
6. Episode II: Attack of the Clones
7. Episode I: The Phantom Menace

That being said, I continue to enjoy all of the films and have come to appreciate them more with the passage of time, especially the prequels. (I even don't hate Jar-Jar Binks as much as I used to, even though I could still do with MUCH less of him in Episode I). I also need to mention that Ewan McGregor's portrayal of the younger Obi-Wan Kenobi was tremendous throughout all three prequels and he is firmly cemented as one of the great characters and performances across the entire series. Even the way he appropriated Alex Guinness' mannerisms and accent from Episodes IV-VI in order to make him wholly believable as the younger version was masterful (not to mention he's long been a favorite actor of mine). The original trilogy will always hold the most special place in my heart as those were the original three movies that hooked me and everyone else, and as you can see above they make up three of my top four films in the series. Even though I ranked the new film fifth, I thoroughly enjoyed it and think it is a worthy and perfect continuation of the series, capturing the spirit of fun, adventure, and humor that was at its most effective in the original trilogy and which was slightly lacking in the prequels. (I'm deliberately shying away from saying anything more about the new film in case any of you reading this still haven't see it yet!). Seeing so many of the old characters in the film and falling in love with the new ones was really cool and struck the right balance between nostalgia and something new that was needed to appease the older fans while bringing in the new ones.

What's been the best thing for me lately about Star Wars, besides it giving me an excuse to relive my childhood (some would say I still haven't outgrown it) and revel in my geekiness for all things Star Wars-related, has been getting my kids into it. In particular, my second oldest daughter and my son sat and watched all six films in order with me in the weeks leading up to the premiere of the new one. My son has been into Star Wars the past couple of years in terms of toys and costumes (he's been an X-Wing pilot the last two Halloweens), but it's turned into a full-blown obsession akin to how I was at his age. He dressed in his X-Wing pilot costume and my daughter dressed as Princess Leia (complete with the hairstyle, courtesy of my talented wife!) when we went to see The Force Awakens. Although I don't think their goosebumps matched the nostalgic rush of mine when the opening fanfare and story crawl first hit the screen, they were definitely on the edge of their seats with excitement as much as I was.

Getting back to my son, he has loads of Star Wars action figures, Legos, cars, etc, and now that he has learned to read he is devouring every book about the films and the Star Wars universe that he can get his hands on. He is even blowing me away with his knowledge of the different creatures, planets, vehicles, characters, etc. He knows which movie certain events happened in and at the age of six and a half, as well as how and why they connect with the other films. Another thing that has struck me is that since he has grown up in a world where the six films have existed, some of his favorite characters and moments actually come from the prequels. Yes, he loves Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, Yoda, and Darth Vader, but he also routinely lists Mace Windu, Anakin, General Greivous, Qui-Gon, Darth Maul, and Count Dooku as some of his favorites. His willing acceptance and enjoyment of the prequels for what they are allowed me to watch them with a less cynical eye and realize that while they are for the most part definitely weaker than the original trilogy, they also suffered from the unrealistic weight of expectations leading up to their release (especially Episode I, which had sixteen years of anticipation and a huge amount of hype leading up to its release that it could never meet or exceed) and they have been overly vilified by fans and critics alike.  Sure, they're weren't as good as the originals, but they certainly weren't as bad as the conventional wisdom makes them out to be, either. That's my opinion, at least.

With all of this being said, my kids and I are now eagerly counting down to the release of Episodes VIII and IX. While I consider myself fortunate that I've been able to see all of the films on the big screen, I'm also glad that my kids will get a chance to experience the excitement and anticipation of each new film in a new trilogy. Additionally, their experience of seeing the six films in order from I-VI as opposed to how I and others of my generation experienced them (IV-VI, and then I-III) is different enough that I'm glad it gives them their own unique way to experience the wonder and fun of the Star Wars saga. In the end, sharing in all of this fun and sense of wonder in the realms of imagination with my kids is the best part about the entire experience for me.

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How To Speak Like Yoda

In fortuitous timing as I'm currently working on a full length post about Star Wars, I saw this infographic from Grammarly about how to Yodify your language and I got a real kick out of it. As a huge Star Wars fan, I've memorized so many of Yoda's quotes and have been goofing around with my kids and speaking in his voice and style. Who knew there was actual structure to how he speaks?

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BOOK REVIEW: This Bird Has Flown: The Enduring Beauty of Rubber Soul, Fifty Years On

The 2010s are a remarkable decade as every year seems to be a 50th anniversary for something or other that happened in that most epochal of decades (at least in terms of music and cultural change), the 1960s. Since 1965 is often considered the year that pop music truly transitioned to "rock," it only makes sense that there would be a book dedicated to the groundbreaking album released by the biggest band of them all at the tail end of that year. In this new book (with a rather unwieldy title), author John Kruth aims to delve into the Beatles' first masterpiece in terms of both songwriting and production, placing it in the context of its time as well as detailing the aftereffects of its impact to the present day.

***special thanks to Wes at Backbeat Books for sending a copy of the book to review!***

Upon starting the book and noticing that it was two hundred pages, I was a bit skeptical as to how the author was going to fill it all up talking about a single album and its two associated non-album singles ("Day Tripper" and "We Can Work it Out") that clock in at less than an hour total. The first couple of chapters were of a personal nature, with the author describing his childhood and how he got into the Beatles, as well as what was happening in the 1960s around him. However, it didn't really make a lot of sense as he was describing 1960s America which was across the pond from London where the Beatles were living and working. This US/UK dichotomy ended up being one of the most confusing and frustrating things about the book...the author used both the original UK Parlophone edition of the Beatles albums (which is how the band always intended them) as well as the bastardized Capitol US versions interchangeably. For seasoned Beatles fans such as myself it was an annoyance, but I could see how a more casual fan would be thrown off by this.

In fact, this is but one of the many small annoyances I had with this book that made it a frustrating and unsatisfying read overall. The author's writing style was not to my particular liking, coming off a bit too youthful and somewhat clunky. There were some typos and grammatical errors throughout the book, although I'll chalk those up to editors rather than the author himself.  The general layout of the book after the personal introduction consisted of a couple of chapters setting up the recording and release of Rubber Soul, followed by chapters dedicated to each song. It got a bit confusing, however, in that the author included the songs from the American version of the album (arguably the only time a Capitol-altered version of a Beatles album didn't ruin it, and according to many fans, actually improved it) as well as the British version. This means that many songs from the UK Help! album are discussed, which in my opinion doesn't really make sense since those songs were written and recorded six or more months before Rubber Soul (with the exception of "Wait," written and initially recorded during the Help! sessions but not finished or released until Rubber Soul). The end of each chapter then includes a short section called "Rubber Covers" detailing notable cover versions of the particular song discussed. Most chapters include some basic session info for each song as well as the inspiration behind each song, although there was nothing new for obsessive Beatles fans and much of the source material and quoted passages were instantly recognizable as being from various books or the Anthology. There were also a lot of factual inaccuracies throughout, although how many were due to the author's ignorance as opposed to his clunky writing style I can't say. One glaring instance is where he mentions how very shortly after John met Yoko in late 1966, they recorded the infamous Two Virgins album and became a couple, leading to John abandoning his wife Cynthia and son Julian, which actually didn't happen until almost two years later. Now, it's very possible that the author is well aware of this (and he should be...it's incredibly well documented) but the way the passage is written makes it seem as though it happened mere weeks after their initial meeting. There are many sections of the book like this which became increasingly frustrating to read. Whether they were because of Kruth's lack of knowledge or his confusing writing style, either reason is unacceptable and, in my opinion, should've been corrected at the editing stage.

I had more problems with this book that I'd like to bring up, too. First, the background chapters on the 1960s and Beatles influences ended up feeling more like a general history of the decade (and of Bob Dylan in particular). While I get what the author was trying to do here and readily acknowledge the huge influence Dylan had on the Beatles (and John in particular), it began to distract from the point of the book and dragged on far too long. Second, the "Rubber Covers" sections didn't really add anything interesting to the chapters and in many cases became very repetitive as the same tribute albums and/or artists were mentioned over and over. Third, there seemed to be more of a focus on 1964 and 1966 in many of the chapters than on 1965, the year in which Rubber Soul was actually conceived and created. While I can at least see that the trends and experiences of 1964 factored into the creation of the album, 1966 and beyond had nothing to do with it. While the Beatles certainly built off of the achievement of Rubber Soul as they went into 1966 and beyond, the book didn't really need to expound as much on what they did after as it did, at least in my opinion. Finally, Kruth clearly has a lot of admiration for John Lennon, which shone through loud and clear, but while he also credited Paul McCartney for his talents, there were a lot of subtle and snide swipes at McCartney's personality, shortcomings, and his solo career. It got tiresome reading the same tired tripes about how John was the better of the two (as I've said repeatedly, they were BOTH essential) and really, in a book about an album smack dab in the middle of the Beatles' career, why is Paul's solo career being repeatedly brought up and picked at?

While a scholarly, thoroughly detailed look at Rubber Soul and its place in both the 1960s and 20th century history would be a welcome addition to the Beatles literature, This Bird is Flown isn't that book. To me, it felt exactly like I thought it would when I first started reading it: a short book about a single album that was padded with a lot of blandly-written extraneous material in order to justify its length as a book rather than a pamphlet. I will come right out and flatly say that I didn't enjoy this book and I didn't learn a single new thing from it. Perhaps being as fanatical and knowledgeable about the Beatles and their music as I am is the reason I feel this way, and I'll concede that this point may very well color my opinion. But unless one is a very casual or ignorant (in the literal, not pejorative sense of the word) Beatles fan, this book is far from essential.

MY RATING: 5/10

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