Doug Berger – Page 161

May 1, 2005April 18, 2020

New Music Recommendation

I have a secret.

I am a HUGE fan of swinging full blown 60’s style pop music. Think Burt Bacharach or Dozier/Holland/Dozier from Motown. The music is lush with the standard pop sound layered with strings and horns. You had artists like LuLu, Dionne Warwick, Petula Clark, The Supremes etc…

You really don’t find that much new music in that vain so when I do find those rare albums I am in heaven (if I believed in one). My favorites include Basia and Swing Out Sister but they haven’t had a new album in years.

This past week I found one. And the artist who put out a full album of great tunes will surprise you.

“Free Me” is the album and the artist is Emma Bunton from the UK. In case your cultural history is too short, she is the former “Baby Spice” from the all girl Spice Girls group.

I was browsing the music videos on iTunes and saw a video for the song “Free Me”. The album was released in the states in January.

Free Me just blew me away. I downloaded the album and I would have spent twice what I paid. I also loved “Maybe” and “I’ll be there”. I also chuckled at the campy “Crickets Sing for Anamaria” which comes across in the style of “Girl from Ipanema”

Here is a clip from a review at AllMusic Guide:

Taking a cue from the stylish update on swinging ’60s London that Saint Etienne pioneered in the ’90s, Free Me is a breezy, effervescent set of light pop. Hints of Bacharach and bossa nova are scattered throughout the album, strings sweep songs into their choruses, beats are strong but take a backseat to melody. This music is stylish without being flashy, thanks in large part to the charmingly tuneful, sturdy songs (all but one bearing a writing credit from Emma). While Bunton may still have a small, sweet voice, she’s developed a stronger presence on record, giving this album not just a face, but a fetching persona that’s hard to resist. Unlike the Spice Girls albums, or most other dance-oriented pop albums, this is not a singles-and-filler record — it’s a collection of strong, effervescent tunes that are immediately winning and get better with repeated listens. If Bunton weren’t a former Spice Girl, Free Me would still be a terrific album, but given her past and how she was pretty much considered a has-been, the strength of this record is all the more remarkable.

http://tinyurl.com/a76g9

Oh, and she is not bad to look at either…..

http://www.emmabuntonofficial.com/

April 3, 2005April 18, 2020

Brief thoughts on the passing of Pope John Paul II

Couldn’t avoid the death watch the past few days. CNN had wall to wall coverage since Friday.

I just shook my head as millions of Catholics prayed for the Pope’s recovery then of course it was changed to praying for the Pope as he makes his way to Jesus.

John Paul II was an interesting person. Very active and he traveled a lot.

I didn’t and still don’t agree with his religion but respect him more than some of the political leaders during his 26 year reign.

Read some interesting comments about him. One was that he despised totalitarianism (having lived through the Nazi occupation of Poland and the Soviet domination) and he called it false religion yet he made his own decisions that are seen just as dictatorial. He wanted to improve the status of women but dictated that no women could be priests and came out against abortion for example.

Then there is the continued road blocks the Vatican has put up when trying to work on the issue of population control.

His Papacy set back US Catholicism 30 years and aligned it with the evangelical Christians.

Saw a quote in an AP article this evening that pretty much explains why someone like me could never be a member of any church:

“The church cannot be an association of freethinkers.”

March 26, 2005April 18, 2020

Moving Sucks!

I’ve been low key for the past month.

Due to an issue with my landlord, I had to move.

I had been at my location for 11 years and had just started my 12th. Let me give some advice. Take the time to simplify your life before you are forced to do it when moving.

I had collected a lot of junk, stuff I didn’t need, but hadn’t thrown out. Trying to move my belongings on a time deadline forced me to make some choices. Some were easy and some were tough.

Now all my personal belongings that I kept is on the floor of the bedroom at my new place. I get to go through it all and throw out more stuff that made the first cut.

If you want to simplify your life then check out the following website:

The Simple Living Network

February 17, 2005April 18, 2020

Want to revisit the past?

Have I got a deal for you.

Since I have no social life, I had time to put together and open a message board dedicated to the 1970’s and 1980’s culture.

Yes, my friends, if you miss the gas crunch, President Reagan, disco, Rubik’s Cube, bell bottoms, The Cure, YES, or the host of movies and TV shows from the 70’s and 80’s then Our Generationis for you.

Some people don’t want to relive the past and that’s ok, but haven’t you once wondered “Whatever happened to Rodney Allen Rippy?”

Did you want to know why leg warmers and sweat bands were popular in the 1980’s? Or why the 3 Mile Island melt down was so scary?

Our Generation is for those us who came of age or who can’t remember the 1970’s and 1980’s.

It is our past, it is our generation.

February 11, 2005April 18, 2020

Hockey owners are like kids in a candy store

Well this weekend the NHL season may end if no agreement is reached on a collective bargaining agreement. Over half of the 2004-2005 has been wiped out because of a lock-out. A lock-out is a strike in reverse. Here the management prevents workers from working by locking the gates. As a strike is used as leverage by labor, a lock-out favors management.

The issue in the dispute is clear. The team owners want what they call “cost certainty”. This is just a another way of talking about a hard salary cap. Player salaries would be limited for each team based on overall revenues.

Over the years the percentage of revenues spent on salaries has gotten out of control and the owners have failed to keep a check in their check book. Not to mention expanding the number of teams to 30 including some in non-hockey markets has put a high price on the talent needed to win (due to a lack of supply of labor).

The players are being asked to take the hit because the owners have no will power.

That would be like banning parents from a candy store because their child can’t control themselves.

I like hockey and I have missed it. As time goes on I will miss it less. That is the danger of scrubbing the season.

National Hockey League Player’s Association