Music

Open Music Catalog

2006-11-16T00:59:00.000+05:00

Here you go: http://www.itismusic.org/mp3/

A damn good site. Go knock yourself out - you can thank me later :P

More free music..

2006-05-23T22:09:00.000+05:00

2006-04-15T03:23:00.000+05:00

I get a lot of music from my friends. Their music mostly. Sometimes just songs they like and want to share with me. I like that.

Flipsyde - Happy Birthday...make a wish

2006-04-09T12:49:00.000+05:00

Verse 1:
Please accept my apologies, wonder what would have been
Would you've been a little angel or an angel of sin?
Tom-boy running around, hanging with all the guys.
Or a little tough boy with beautiful brown eyes?
I payed for the murder before they determined the sex
Choosing our life over your life meant your death
And you never got a chance to even open your eyes
Sometimes I wonder as a foetus if you fought for your life?
Would you have been a little genius in love with math?
Would you have played in your school clothes and made me mad?
Would you have been a little rapper like your papa da Piper?
Would you have made me quit smokin' by finding one of my lighters?
I wonder about your skin tone and shape of your nose?
And the way you would have laughed and talked fast or slow?
Think about it every year, so I picked up a pen
Happy birthday, love you whoever you would've been
Happy birthday...

Chorus:
What I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed (happy birthday)
What I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as it seem

I made a mistake!

Verse 2:
I've got a million excuses to why you died
Bet the people got their own reasons for homicide
Who's to say it woulda worked, and who's to say it wouldn't have?
I was young and strugglin' but old enough to be a dad
The fear of being a father has never disappeared
Pondering frequently while I'm zippin' on my beer
My vision of a family was artificial and fake
So when it came time to create I made a mistake
Now you've got a little brother maybe it's really you?
Maybe you really forgave us knowin' we was confused?
Maybe every time that he smiles it's you proudly knowin' that your father's doin' the right thing now?
I never tell a woman what to do with her body
But if she don't love children then we can't party
Think about it every year, so I picked up a pen
Happy birthday, love you whoever you would've been
Happy birthday...

Chorus:
What I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed (happy birthday)
What I thought was a dream (yeah, make a wish)
Was as real as it seem

I made a mistake!

And from the heavens to the womb to the heavens again
From the endin' to the endin', never got to begin
Maybe one day we could meet face to face?
In a place without time and space
Happy birthday...

From the heavens to the womb to the heavens again
From the endin' to the endin', never got to begin
Maybe one day we could meet face to face?
In a place without time and space
Happy birthday...

Chorus:
What I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as as it seemed (happy birthday)
What I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as it seem

I made a mistake...!

Flipsyde_-_Happy_Birthday.mp3

Song Links

2006-04-07T00:41:00.000+05:00

icyrage.googlepages.com/music

There are a few song links there. I find too many music sites/indexes to add them all on this blog now.

My Rapidshare Folder

2006-02-20T00:12:00.000+05:00

School of Rock Soundtrack, Black Sabbath, Whitesnake, Journey, Kiss, Bon Jovi, GnR etc.

Rapidshare Folder
Password: password16

Orkut

2006-02-06T02:32:00.000+05:00

Rapidshare mp3 links:

Punk Rock
Hard Rock
Hard Rock de Vardade!!!

Update 1: 20-02-2006

Free Music

2006-01-18T20:56:00.000+05:00

We didn't start the fire ~Billy Joel
Seasons in the sun ~Terry Jacks

I can't say much for the second link, but the first one'll stay. I was going to share my rapidshare folder but it's not reliable enough so multiply will have to do. Maybe later. I have found full albums in rapidshare but those'll have to wait too. Meanwhile, here are interesting articles:

Search College Networks For Free Music
Search Rapidshare For Free Music
Use Google To Find Free Music

Old stuff, but some people will always be new at it. Do check out the comments. It works for other files as well. Mess around with it. I had other articles like these, but I keep losing links!! Oh well.

2005-10-24T02:29:00.000+05:00

I just heard the most awfullest music ever..which really makes me appreciate the likes of Akshay and Kazim.

What happens when the heart just stops?

2005-10-03T22:51:00.000+05:00

U just have to..u just have to admire the net. Where it takes me 2 minutes to find the song I want and download it. Without sharing software.

I got my song from here.

Oh and I don't know what you're using for mp3 downloading right now..but I've tried 4 softwares. Kazaa sucks..always has, always will. Mmm..I can't remember much about filetopia..just that it was ok. For a long time before the famous crash I was using winmx..primarily because of my disgust for spyware and the like. I still think winmx ws great. Because of the large number of users online at any given time, you could find just about any mp3. Anyhow, what's gone is gone. (Check out p2p networks darken and guide to winmx). Now I'm onto Ares. I haven't been using it for long but it's been working out fine. Plus it's really, really easy to use (guide to ares). The only trouble is with finding rare mp3s, but if the users increase I daresay that will change.

That's all for now.

Limp Bizkit

2005-09-27T22:39:00.001+05:00

I lost some 700+ songs when my computer crashd. I think it's time I startd rebuilding again.

I'm posting a mp3 link just to see if the uploading/downloading thing on megaupload works: Eat You Alive - Limp Bizkit. Just one thing, the link expires in 30 days..or that's wht it says..koi bharosa nahin. If I suddenly start liking the idea of uploading songs with my ultra-slow net connection, then I might do ths again. If someone actually wnts me to..let me know.

All the standard disclaimers apply: This is just for listening purposes, I encourage you to buy the CD, blah blah, and more blah.

agressive undertones

2005-02-19T21:47:00.000+05:00

the thing abt rock is tht evn wen it is abt totally depressing things it still sounds cool.

some country song..

2005-02-14T13:00:00.000+05:00

you don't know how you met me
you don't know why
you can't turn around and say goodbye
all you know is when i'm with you
i make you free
swim thru ur veins like a fish in the sea

i'm singing follow me and evrything is alrite
i'll be the one to tuck you in at night
and if u wanna leave i can guarantee
u won't find nobody else like me!

Accidently in love

2005-01-13T23:06:00.000+05:00

it ws kinda baffling wen i opend the word analysis of one of my blogs and found all the queries pertaining to ths page..must've entered the same code into both.i've redone it now..and yeah it's kinda nice knowing ppl land here looking fer music info., althou i am sorry if u didn't find wht u were looking for...and for the pitiful lack of updates *looks guilty*

music in head:saki (musafir)
song of the..er..week:accidently in love (shrek2)

How blacks invented rock 'n' roll

2004-12-12T04:55:00.000+05:00

A paper i wrotes..*shrugs*..spent like 2 nights writing it but it ws fun researching for it.

How blacks invented rock ‘n’ roll
Overview

Blacks started rock music. Yet somehow over the years this important truth has been lost. My aim in this research paper is to document how the blacks were the driving force behind the emergence of rock ‘n’ roll and how this unique honor now goes to white musicians.

Introduction

Rhythm and blues is defined as a ‘variety of different, but related, types of popular music produced and supported primarily by black Americans beginning in the early 1940s ("Rhythm-and-Blues Music”, 2004). It replaced the term ‘race music’ which was considered offensive and has its origins in blues that was also developed by black artistes (“Blues”, 2004).
Much of rhythm n blues in the years leading up to 1954 could easily have been categorized as rock n roll because by 1954 much of rhythm n blues was rock n roll. Rock n roll is often defined as a merger of country music (another musical genre mostly developed by white musicians) and rhythm n blues but I believe rhythm n blues was the more dominant influence on the musical genre (Scaruffi, 2002).

Who started it?
Origins of the term “rock ‘n’ roll”

The words ‘rock’ and ‘roll’ were used by blacks as early as the 1920s to mean ‘partying, carrying on, and /or having sex’. In the 1930s the term was being linked to music with a strong beat. However, Alan Freed first used the term to describe a certain kind of music in 1952. Alan Freed learned of the popularity of this music when he visited a Cleveland record store and saw rhythm ‘n’ blues (R&B) records selling out rapidly to white teenagers. This made him change the name of his radio show to “Moon Dog’s Rock ‘n’ Roll House Party” and start playing R&B records. As Freed was playing black music to a white audience he used the term “rock ‘n’ roll” for the music instead of “rhythm and blues” because he feared the racial inhibitions of people might dissuade them listening in otherwise. (Adams, 1986).
Till white performers popularized rock ‘n’ roll in the mid-50s what was referred to as rock ‘n’ roll in white circles was still called the latest style of R&B in black circles ("Rhythm-and-Blues Music”, 2004).

The first rock ‘n’ roll song

There is a dispute as to which song was the first in this brilliant musical genre. According to Scaruffi (2002), the first rock n roll song is possibly The Fat Man (1949) by Fats Domino who even back then was recording in a style quite indistinguishable from rock n roll. In 1951, ‘Rocket 88’ by Jackie Brenston and the Ike Turner band, which is widely accepted as the first rock ‘n’ roll record, was released. Scaruffi (2002) also mentions the song We're Gonna Rock by Gunter Lee Carl being released in 1951 going on to say ‘Therefore, everybody was already "rocking". Alas, they were mostly black, i.e. distributed only locally.’
This is true. Till around 1954 rock ‘n’ roll was still not widely recognized. The musical genre had great potential and the record companies were already eyeing the market but a black man couldn’t break it. Scaruffi (2002) wrote: ‘White people had the money, but black people were making the most exciting music. This created a niche for independent labels recording black artists for the white audience, but it could never become a mass market. The USA was still largely a racially divided country. There was little chance that a black singer could become as popular as, say, Frank Sinatra. When Sam Phillips founded Sun Records in Memphis (Tennessee), he made the famous statement "If I could find a white man who sings with the Negro feel, I'd make a million dollars".’
In 1952, white singer Bill Haley began recording with his band the Comets. He was originally a country singer who crossed over into the rock ‘n’ roll genre along with several others because of the ‘implications of financial success’ (Bulmer, 1997). In 1954 Bill Haley released Rock Around the Clock which went on to become a smash hit. He was never again able to release another song of the same caliber and his success waned. This was partly due to the emergence of Elvis Presley as a rock idol. Sam Philips found his ‘white man’ in Elvis Presley. His first single That’s All Right was released in 1954 and he never looked back.
Other major of that time are Little Richard and Chuck Berry. Chuck Berry released Maybelline in 1955 which Turner (1997) refers to the ‘Real Thing’. The same year Little Richard released his single Tutti Fruiti.
In 1953 Big Joe Turner sang Shake, Rattle and Roll, which is also held by some to be the first rock tune. The issue of which song was the first rock song is highly contentious. Everyone has their own idea as to which song was first, some even claiming that the blues recordings from years earlier were rock tunes.

How blacks-the inventors of rock-lost out

While talking about who invented most of the time the debate centers around Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry although a number of other artistes are also worth a mention.

Elvis Presley

Ask people ‘who started rock?’ and the prompt reply is Elvis Presley. On July 5, 2004 thousands gathered in Memphis to commemorate the song That’s All right which has been labeled by the city and others as the tune that started rock ‘n’ roll (Moody, 2004). Rolling Stone agrees ‘Presley’s debut song marks the birth of rock’(Moody,2004).And he is known far and wide as the ‘King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’. John Lennon even went so far as to say, “Before Elvis there was nothing.”(Denton, 2004)
Who made him king? White men did. How? Because back then they were the ones who had the power to make the label stick and stick it has. Crediting one man with the start of an entire musical genre that slowly evolved over years is wrong. Rock is a mixture of various styles that were around long before Elvis. Furthermore, if you must label someone king of the rock genre make it a black man. All white men did was copy the black music, attitude and dance moves, and of course steal their thunder. Christian (2002) writes, ‘Yes, Elvis Presley and the Beatles are given the most credit for performing rock ‘n’ roll, but, let’s not forget that Elvis and the Beatles often openly acknowledged that they were heavily influenced by Blacks!’
By the way, this surprisingly is also the argument Elvis fans use while defending their idol. To them the fact that Elvis acknowledged that his musical influences came from black people is enough. But what about the mass recognition and the financial gains the blacks whose music was appropriated were entitled to?
Amid the ‘Elvis Presley 25 years on’ celebrations in 2002, Kolawale published an article in The Guardian entitled ‘He wasn’t my king’. Elvis is important in this argument because in the words of Kolawale (2002) Elvis ‘signifies the foul way so many black writers and performers, such as Little Richard, were treated by the music industry. The enduring image of Elvis is a constant reflection of society's then refusal to accept anything other than the non-threatening and subservient negro: Sammy Davies Jnr and Nat King Cole. The Elvis myth to this day clouds the true picture of rock 'n' roll and leaves its many originators without due recognition. So what is left for black people to celebrate? How he admirably borrowed our songs, attitude and dance moves?’. Not surprising the letters sent in by the infuriated public once again utilized the ‘he said he was influenced by blacks so he wasn’t a thief’ argument. What they fail to realize is this isn’t about Elvis the man, it is about Elvis the institution and the big CEOs who exploited blacks every chance they got. Thankfully one of the readers got the point and even provided an example: ‘The black American singer-songwriter who did lose out to the music industry was Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, who saw two of his songs - That's Alright Mama and Baby Let's Play House - recorded by Presley (Letters, August 17). As Arthur had sold his copyright, he did not benefit from the millions made by the song's publishers. With the help of a couple of white blues fans he nearly reached a settlement, but the corporate lawyers deliberately delayed until Crudup's death.’ (Murphy, 2002).
Other contemporaries of Elvis such as Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry saw their contributions to rock’s development undervalued or outright ignored. Little Richard commenting on the rewards he got for writing and singing some of rock ‘n’ roll’s best songs said, ‘I didn’t get a dime for it’ (Stanage, 2004).

Chuck Berry

Kenyada (n.d.) describes Chuck Berry in these glowing terms, “While no individual can be said to have invented rock and roll, Chuck Berry comes the closest of any single figure to being the one who out all the essential pieces together. It was his particular genius to graft country and western guitar licks onto a rhythm and blues chassis in his very first single ‘Maybellene’. Combined with quick-witted, rapid-fire lyrics full of sly insinuations about cars and girls, Berry laid the groundwork for not only a rock and roll sound but a rock and roll stance.”
Kenyada (n.d.) is not alone in his praise of Chuck Berry. The man is considered a leading pioneer of rock music and some even go so far as to call him the father of rock music.
On his 75th birthday in 2001, Stevie Wonder wrote, “There's only one true king of rock 'n' roll. His name is Chuck Berry.”(as cited in in Suhr, 2001) Unfortunately, Chuck Berry also numbers among the black singers who lost out on the movement they started. His song maybelline reached the pop charts and was #1 on the R&B charts. Even so to get airplay 2/3 of the song credits were given to Alan Freed and his associate Russ Fratto. This was done without the knowledge of Chuck Berry (Kenyada, n.d.).
Many of Chuck Berry’s songs have been used by other music bands to the point that they are no longer even recognized as his. Two of Beatles greatest hits Roll Over Beethoven and Rock And Roll Music are Berry originals. According to Bulmer (1997), “the British invasion of the 1960's was based on the work of the such black artists as Berry.” Chuck Berry was never financially successful (Bulmer, 1997)
Chuck Berry was jailed for two years in 1962 for illegally transporting a minor across state lines. Racism played a part in his sentence due to which there was a retrial: the original sentence was five years. Chuck Berry never recovered from his imprisonment and his popularity, which had been soaring before the arrest, never quite reached the old heights again. (Kenyada, n.d.) .
In the 1950s Chuck Berry was the leading factor uniting blacks and whites in music. The importance of Chuck Berry in rock ‘n’ roll can be judged by the fact that he was the first person to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. (Bulmer, 1997)

Richard Penniman

Little Richard, as he was called, was another pioneer of rock ‘n’ roll. Like Chuck Berry many of his singles from the 1950s appeared again during the British invasion of the rock scene in the 1960s. His is a fine example of how black artistes were robbed of their rights. Two of his hits were covered by Pat Boone and though covering (described as ‘one artist releasing another's song’) was common in those days, Pat Boone’s appropriation of Little Richard’s songs was definitely not a friendly venture designed to get his song on the air-waves; it was an appropriation for financial means. (Bulmer, 1997)

Conclusion:

All the examples above detail clearly the kind of unfairness with which early black rock pioneers were treated. The 1950s and 1960s are rampant with such examples. The problem was that inspite of the efforts of Freed and other, black music was still not acceptable on many white-owned radio stations so covering of black music by white artistes was common at this time especially due to its enormous potential. Often watered down versions of the originals were released geared to a more sensitive white audience. Somewhere in this process the reality that rock ‘n’ roll took birth from black blues music and was initially played by black artistes got lost. People today are surprised to see Black displayed so prominently in the rock ‘n’ roll museum so deep-rooted is their thinking of rock ‘n’ roll as solely white music (Kevin,1997).
Even so with all the people who do know how blacks were responsible for this genre Kravitz believes the real inventors of rock will never be recognized.
"The guys who invented rock 'n' roll, we probably don't even know who they are," he said. "We can talk about all the Bo Diddleys and the Fats Dominos and all the great guys and Chuck Berrys who were the pioneers, but I’m sure there were a bunch of guys sitting on porches somewhere in the backwoods and we don't even know who they are."( as cited in Moody, 2004)

References:
Adams, C. (1986). Who invented the term "rock 'n' roll"? Retrieved November, 2004, from http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_027b.html

Blues. Retrieved November, 2004, from Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2004
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2004 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Bulmer, J. Devil Music: Race, Class, and Rock And Roll. Retrieved November, 2004, from http://www.capital.net/~jbulmer/devil.htm

Christian, M.A. (2002) Lenny Kravitz: sexy rock `n' roll performer tells why he keeps `our' music alive. Retrieved November, 2004, from http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_14_101/ai_84396653

Denton, P. (2004).Elvis Presley in brief. Retrieved November, 2004, from http://www.pauldenton.co.uk/Page48.htm?o=0

Kenyada, R.(n.d.) The One and Only…Chuck Berry. Retrieved November, 2004, from
http://kenyada.com/chuck.htm

Kevin, C. (1997) How blacks invented rock and roll:R&B stars created foundations of
multibillion-dollar music industry. Retrieved November, 2004, from
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_n3_v52/ai_18980636

Kolawale, H. (2002) He wasn’t my king. Retrieved November, 2004, from
http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/elvis/story/0,12333,774842,00.html

Moody, N.M (2004) Rock 'n' roll's true birthday debate begins. Retrieved November, 2004, from http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-07/06/content_345933.htm

Murphy, F. Elvis Presley was never a thief. Retrieved November, 2004, from
http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/elvis/story/0,12333,776853,00.html

Rhythm-and-Blues Music. Retrieved November, 2004, from Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2004 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2004 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Scaruffi, P. (2002) The history of rock music. Retrieved November, 2004, from
http://www.scaruffi.com/history/

Stanage, N. (2004) Rock ‘n’ roll’s heart of darkness beats
http://www.sbpost.ie/web/DocumentView/did-964941030-pageUrl--2FThe-Newspaper-2FSundays-Paper-2FAgenda-2FOffmessage.asp

Scaruffi, P. (2002) The history of rock music. Retrieved November, 2004, from
http://www.scaruffi.com/history/

Suhr, J. (2001). Chuck Berry Celebrates 75th Birthday. Retrieved November, 2004, from http://www.chuckberry.de/birthday.htm

Music Against Bush

2004-10-25T01:35:00.000+05:00

i went to a music outlet yesterday and asked fer the latest rock and the guy handed me 2 rock against bush volumes..the quotes below are a small part of a long list tht appeared in today's paper..the television's full of news abt the latest celeb to lash out against bush..i swear i personally dun kno a single person who's for bush..there must b some out here but i dun kno ne..

ppl here nevr care who become's prez. over at US of A but ths guy somehow shattered their apathy and if he can do tht does he really deserve to b re-elected?

notice i'm not talking abt kerry.got nothing for or against the guy..its bush i hv a prob. wid.

"With what I see in the world today, I cannot justify not standing up and saying, 'I feel with every bone in my body that this country is going in the wrong direction.'...We've got to get somebody new in the White House." – Dave Matthews

"It pisses me off when people call us unpatriotic. True patriotism is loving your country enough to try to make it better. We are f***ing travelling the country to spread the word. That is what patriotism is." – Fat Mike of No Effects

"It's important for all of us to be aware of what's going on. I know it hurts to pay attention...For young people especially, it seems like politicians aren't speaking about our lives, but Kerry is passionate, he's trying to get young people to pay attention. So that's pretty cool." – Alicia Keys

"You can be conservative and still not like George Bush. People like him because he seems like a strong guy that would be good to have a BBQ with. But shouldn't you hold the president to higher standards than who would you like to have a BBQ with?" – Moby

"I have no sense of Bush as a man...I don't think I've ever heard him speak on an issue where it seemed to be coming directly from himself." – Mike D. of Beastie Boys

"Before he was elected president, [Bush] bankrupted three companies, was an alcoholic for a while, and had six years of government experience. His decision–making process and communication skills are so bad that there's nothing he can do without pissing off the world." – Tom DeLonge of Blink–182

"It's like we've got a bad CEO. Nothing personal, Mr. Bush, but I don't think you're running this country well. I think you're running it into the ground... You're fired. That's all. Nothing personal, man." – Mickey Hart of The Dead

"You've got books full of facts that show how Bush has failed...we have to stop treating the rest of the world like our subjects. What is the only institution more powerful than the United States government -- one that can move things in a different direction? It's the American people It's the voters." – Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam

i ws googling to guage the level of antagonism against bush and i ran across the rock against bush website http://www.fatwreck.com/RABepk2/. here's an extract frm the place so u can see how popular it is:
Rock Against Bush charted #54 on Billboard, scored the #1 slot on the
indie chart, and held fast as the #2 internet record. It remained in
the Top 200 for two months straight.

more info. courtesy http://www.buzzflash.com/farrell/04/04/far04014.html (i've just given the headlines of some..u can check it out if u wnt to):
on the dixie chicks:
Neil Young (who includes a Clear Channel poster with the words "Support our War!" in his movie/stage production of his latest album, Greendale [Rolling Stone]) took issue with George Bush's stance. "The real point was, somebody asked the president what he thought and he said,'It's America, it's a free country, they can have their opinion, but there's nothing we can do about it if nobody goes to their shows or plays their songs.'But he's so out of touch that his advisers haven't told him that [the Dixie Chicks'] record sales spiked upwards when that happened, and while the airplay went down the sales went up and their concerts all sold out," Young told the Guardian.

In the aftermath, the Dixie Chicks contributed $100,000 to Rock the Vote and inspired others to vote, organize and speak out. Here then, are some of the ways musicians are doing just that:

1) Activism

So a new man in the White House
With a familiar name
Said he had some fresh ideas
But it's worse now since he came
From Texas to Washington
-- "To Washington," John Mellencamp

In Nov. 2003, Rolling Stone spoke to thirty musicians regarding a variety of issues -- from Iraq to the economy to the environment to the media -- with each agreeing that their one overriding concern was dumping Dubya come November. "Welcome to the increasingly partisan world of popular music -- where President George W. Bush is a marked man," Rolling Stone's Damien Cave wrote, in his aptly named "Rockers Unite to Oust Bush." [Rolling Stone]

In all, hundreds of musicians have organized, and while some have openly endorsed their favorite candidates, others have been active in other ways. Consider the following:

PunkVoter

Approximately 200 bands, including Green Day, the Foo Fighters, Offspring and Pennywise have forged an alliance through PunkVoter, with the single-minded intention of mobilizing America's youth to vote against President Bush in November. Founded by Mike Burkett (otherwise known as Fat Mike of the band NOFX) PunkVoter has been involved in everything from voter-registration drives to a Rock Against Bush Tour to the production of a two-volume "Rock Against Bush" compilation (the first of which was released on April 20, 2004).

"I decided to use my influence to get bands together to speak out about the president," Burkett said. "I think it's our responsibility as citizens and musicians to do so. He's wrecking the country and the world." [PunkVoter.com]

Musicians United to Win Without War

The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network

Meanwhile, Simmons' Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) hopes to register 4 million voters before the 2004 election. [Hiphopsummitactionnetwork.org]

"The right wing fears the influence of hip-hop translating into political power, and they attack it every time there's a glimmer of a political connection," HSAN's Ben Chavis recently told Salon.com. "Hip-hop transcends race in America. That's the greatest fear of the right wing: a generation who would dare to transcend racial division and embrace a vision of a new America that is more inclusive." [Salon.com]

MoveOn.org

The 'Tell Us the Truth' Tour

Bands Against Bush

2) A World Gone Mad

You build more bombs as you get more bold
As your mid-life crisis war unfolds
All you wanna do is take control
Now put that Axis of Evil bullsh-- on hold.
– A World Gone Mad, The Beastie Boys

In addition to notable activism, musicians worldwide have assessed the current situation:

"America, what the hell? What are we doing? Like, I can't believe it's gone this far... I can't believe that we're going to war. I still can't believe that we're a democracy and the President was voted in in a non-democratic way by the Supreme Court who were put in place by his father...It's shooting fish in a barrel, isn't it?" -- R.E.M's Michael Stipe, at the Bono MusiCares Person Of The Year event in New York City, Sept. 2003

"I think 9/11 gave this generation an identity, and its identity is potentially fascist. My skin crawls when I think of the first week after 9/11. I was looking out of the window and there were people marching down the street carrying flags. It reminded me of spontaneous, angry Nazis and I thought, 'Oh, man, we are in a lot of trouble'. There's a whole bunch of people who have flags hanging from their cars and who are mistaking fascism for patriotism." – Rickie Lee Jones, the Guardian, Oct. 18, 2003

'Why am I, a country singer who has never been involved in politics publicly, the one asking questions?'" -- Natalie Maines, Rolling Stone, Nov. 26, 2003

"We have been lied to and terrorized by our own government, and it is time to take action." -- John Mellencamp, on his Web site, Oct.2003

"Americans are asleep at the wheel. We're not getting involved in our own political process." – James Taylor, Rolling Stone, Nov. 26, 2003

"This is a time, I believe, of great inner turmoil for the majority of the American people. There is a new morality coming out of this administration -- fundamentalist religious views; a holier-than-thou attitude towards the rest of the world -- that is not classically American. I don't think Americans felt holier-than-thou in the twentieth century. We were happy and successful, with a great lifestyle. But something else is going on now." -- Neil Young, Rolling Stone, Aug. 21, 2003

"The majority of people out there seem to link September 11 and Iraq. It seems to me that the government hasn't really put any evidence out there. There hasn't been a compelling case linking the two, so I think it's really important to separate them." -- Mike D., The Beastie Boys, MTV.com, March 11, 2003

"I hate to see the American flag hanging out of every bloody station wagon, out of every SUV, every little Midwestern house in some residential area....It's easy to confuse patriotism with nationalism. Flag waving ain't gonna do it." -- Ian Anderson, Nov. 2003 (After which, the New Jersey classic rock radio station WCHR-FM "forever" banned Jethro Tull from its playlist)

"What is the motivation? Regime change? Shouldn't that be up to the people of the region and the people of Iraq? . . . Surely it is more likely that an attack on Iraq would only strengthen Al Qaeda by feeding Anti-American sentiment. Putting out the fire with gasoline, so to speak. It is certainly not to liberate the people of Iraq who suffer under Hussein's rule, unless we call killing hundreds of thousands of Iraqis liberation. . . Bottom line: this war is wrong and this war is un-American." -- Dave Matthews, on his Web site, Feb. 2003

"The question of whether we were misled into the war in Iraq isn't a liberal or conservative or Republican or Democratic question, it's an American one. Protecting the democracy that we ask our sons and daughters to die for is our responsibility and our trust. Demanding accountability from our leaders is our job as citizens. It's the American way. So may the truth will out." -- Bruce Springsteen, as quoted in the Madison Capital Times, Sept. 27, 2003

"We're all going to die when George Bush has his way. It's good to go out with a bang." -- Coldplay's Chris Martin, at the Brit Awards, Feb. 26, 2003

3) Choice Words

He's an ugly man
he always was an ugly man.
He grew up to be just like his father
an ugly man.
And he'll tell you lies.
He'll look at you and tell you lies.
He grew up to be just like his father
ugly inside – -- "Ugly Man" Rickie Lee Jones

Artists have also had some choice words for G.W. Bush:

"Shout a little louder if you want the president impeached." – Bruce Springsteen, Oct. 4, 2003 (as reported in Rolling Stone, Nov. 26, 2003)

"Bush has polarized the country and is creating this breeding ground for an opposition. In the next couple of months, they'll probably make it unpatriotic to be Democrat. It's pretty crazy." – Neil Young, the Guardian, May 22, 2003

"The America we believe in can't survive another four years of George Bush." -- Moby, Rolling Stone, Nov. 26, 2003.

"None of us feels very comfortable with what Bush is putting forward and the way that Bush is representing the United States, and I don't think he represents us. . . . I mean, you just look at the TV and see this guy who's supposed to be representing us and it just feels ridiculous." -- MCA, the Beastie Boys, MTV.com, March 11, 2003

"We must all unite and work for whomever opposes Bush, regardless of whatever differences we may have. Our motto: Anything but Bush." -- Lou Reed, Rolling Stone, Nov. 26, 2003

"I just look at that man [Bush] and get perturbed, but I figure the true ugliness is inside, so the cross-eyed smug thing is nothing compared to what is going on in that little, twisted head of his." – Rickie Lee Jones, the Age.com, Jan. 5, 2004

"And this big deal about Bush landing on an aircraft carrier? Talk about a six-year-old kid with a Tonka toy - we got it here." – Neil Young, The Guardian, May 22, 2003

"We'd like to dedicate this to Johnny Cash and to John Kerry who hopefully will be your president one day." -- Chris Martin, the Grammy Awards, Feb. 9, 2004

"That's for the soldiers who die in Iraq every day, because of this stupid plan that the administration didn't have. They didn't know what the hell was going to happen. Bush makes Clinton look like sandpaper -- that's how slippery he is." -- Neil Young, on why he ended his song, "Rockin' in the Free World" (an anthem originally intended to protest Bush #41's policies) with military funeral music, Rolling Stone, Aug. 2003

"We have to get George Bush's ass out of office.. .He doesn't care about Black people. he doesn't care about young people and he certainly doesn't care about all those mothers who have lost their sons in this war in Iraq... Let's register everyone to vote-20 million strong and get him out of office." -- Sean "P-Diddy" Combs, Feb. 7, 2004 at the Rock The Vote Lippert Awards

4) Herd Mentality

And the bewildered herd is still believing
Hell they won't lie to me
But how much is a liar's word worth
Everything we've been told from our birth
Not on my own damn TV
And whatever happened to peace on earth?
-- Whatever Happened to Peace on Earth, Willie Nelson

With pending anti-First Amendment decency legislation crouching in the wings, artists' concerns about free speech are stronger than ever. This is what some have said about the restrictive post-9/11 atmosphere:

"We all live in fairly dangerous times in terms of freedom of speech and freedom of expression. . .. A lot of the songwriters that I've admired and learned from ... are people who spoke in matters of conscience as well as matters of the heart. I think that it's essential that we defend that right." -- Elvis Costello, at an event where he was being honored by songwriters society ASCAP in Beverly Hills,CA, May 20, 2003 (via Billboard.com)

"I think that these are times when it's more important than ever to demand the truth, when there's been a squelching of political debate in this fog of deceitful patriotism." -- Tom Morello, Newsweek.com, Nov. 26, 2003

"Did someone just say 'shut up?' I don't know if you heard about this thing called freedom of speech, man. It's worth thinking about, because it's going away . . ." -- Eddy Vedder, after relaying an anti-war conversation he'd had with a Vietnam veteran and being told to "shut up" by a heckler at a concert in Denver on April 1, 2003

"It is the people who scream loudest about America and freedom who seem to be the most intolerant for people with a differing point of view." [The Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines] was just expressing a feeling and an opinion, you know. She wasn't trying to insight a riot. I really cannot believe the backlash. It is as if we have not learnt anything from history. It is like McCarthyism all over again." – Rosanne Cash, Undercover Media, March 2003

"[The attacks on the Dixie Chicks] reminded me of things I'd read about Berlin in 1938. It pissed me off." -- Merle Haggard, Rolling Stone, Nov 26, 2003

"It's funny, having all but obliterated free speech in the press here in the US, [Bush] would remark on the free speech taking place in other countries. You know, people in America are afraid to say anything. . . " -- Rickie Lee Jones, The Guardian, Oct. 18, 2003

"You know it's ironic that we're fighting for democracy in Iraq because we ultimately aren't celebrating democracy here. Because anybody who has anything to say against the war or against the president or whatever -- is punished, and that's not democracy -- it's people being intolerant." – Madonna, VH1 (as reported by CBS News, April 18, 2003) [Madonna also partook in self-censorship by canceling the release of her "American Life" video [Salon.com] after Matt Drudge deemed it "the most shocking anti-war, anti-Bush statement yet to come from the show business industry."]

"The pressure coming from the government and big business to enforce conformity of thought concerning the war and politics goes against everything that this country is about -- namely freedom. Right now, we are supposedly fighting to create freedom in Iraq, at the same time that some are trying to intimidate and punish people for using that same freedom here at home." – Bruce Springsteen, on his Web site, April, 2003
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and so it goes..

also check out http://www.punkvoter.com

back again..

2004-10-20T01:11:00.000+05:00

finally got my led zeppelin cd but instead of recording me one of his four best albums the guy made me a blend of the four AND didn't write down the song list for me so i hv no idea wht songs i'll be listening to.
am recording rasmus 'guilty' and 'in the shadows' for kukker.she hardly sits on ths computer now but wth.
tblog's down...tht's kindo y i'm writin' here.

song of the day:comfortably numb by pink floyd
song in head:in the shadows by rasmus

update

2004-10-10T20:03:00.000+05:00

mom liked the songs i downloaded for her..

song of the day:parents just don't understand by will smith
song stuck in head:miami by will smith

old rock

2004-10-09T20:50:00.000+05:00

i just bought a lot of old rock today for some..sure i buy plenty as it but never so much all at once..
so nehow i got pearl jam, scorpions, deep purple, led zeppelin and pink floyd today..different cds frm the ones i already hv and well i hvn't heard deep purple b4 so tht'll b a first.

song of the day:the reason by hoobastank
song stuck in head:we don't need no education by pink floyd

for yesterday-
song of the day:waqt by ep
song stuck in head:rahguzar by ep

hmm...ws really bummed abt not being able to go to the ep barzakh tour concert tht's today so i kind of over-listened to the band the last coupla days...

i like my music like i like my life..everthing louder than everthing else

2004-10-09T20:37:00.000+05:00

Everything louder than everything else
MUSIC: Jim Steinman - LYRICS: Jim Steinman
I know that I will never be politically correct
And I don't give a damn about my lack of etiquette
As far as I'm concerned, the world could still be flat
And if the thrill is gone, then it's time to take it back
If the thrill is gone, then it's time to take it back!!

Who am I? Why am I here? Forget the questions, someone gimme another beer
What's the meaning of life, what's the meaning of it all?
You gotta learn to dance before you learn to crawl
You gotta learn to dance before you learn to crawl!!

So sign up all you raw recruits, throw away those designer suits
You got your weapons cocked, your targets in your sights
There's a party raging somewhere in the world
You gotta serve your country, gotta service your girl
You're all enlisted in the armies of the night

And I ain't in it for the power, and I ain't in it for the health
I ain't in it for the glory of anything at all
And I sure ain't in it for the wealth
But I'm in it 'til it's over and I just can't stop
If you wanna get it done, you gotta do it yourself
And I like my music like I like my life
Everything louder than everything else
Everything louder than everything else
Everything louder than everything else

Everything louder than everything else
Everything louder than everything else
Everything louder than everything else

Wasted youth! Wasted youth! Wasted youth! Wasted youth!
They got a file on me and it's a mile long
And they say that they've got all of the proof
That I'm just another case of arrested development
And just another wasted youth

They say that I'm in need of some radical discipline
They say I've gotta face the truth
That I'm just another case of arrested development
And just another wasted youth

They say I'm wild and I'm reckless, I should be acting my age
I'm an impressionable child in a tumultuous world
And they say I'm at a difficult stage

But it seems to me to the contrary
Of all the crap they're going to put on the page
That a wasted youth is better by far than a wise and productive old age
A wasted youth is better by far than a wise and productive old age
A wasted youth is better by far than a wise and productive old age
A wasted youth is better by far than a wise and productive old age
A wasted youth is better by far than a wise and productive old age
A wasted youth is better by far than a wise and productive old age

If you want my views of history then there's something you should know
The three men I admire most are Curly, Larry and Moe!
If you don't worry 'bout the future, sooner or later it's the past
And if they say the thrill is gone, then it's time to take it back
If the thrill is gone, then it's time to take it back

So sign up all you raw recruits, throw away all those two-bit suits
You got your weapons cocked, your targets in your sights
There's a party raging somewhere in the world
You gotta serve your country, gotta service your girl
You're all inducted in the armies of the night

And I ain't in it for the power, and I ain't in it for the health
I ain't in it for the glory of anything at all
And I sure ain't in it for the wealth
But I'm in it till it's over and I just can't stop
If you wanna get it done, you gotta fight for yourself

And I like my music like I like my life
Everything louder than everything else
Everything louder than everything else
Everything louder than everything else
Everything louder than everything else
Everything louder than everything else[etc..]

turn me on..

2004-10-08T01:18:00.000+05:00

listened to the radio again ths morning first thing...some nice songs there..again in the car later in the evening and night..tuned in to mtv
bummed abt missing atif's concerts..2 of em' and ofcourse ep's barzakh tour..they jus can't stop harping on it at fm89.

song of da day:turn me on by kevin lyttle
song stuck in head today:she will b loved by maroon5 & turn me on