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syd

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Posts posted by syd

  1. Similar to the theme Under Fire, the movie The Killing Fields is a very horrific and accurate look at the Cambodian holocaust.

    The Killing Fields (1984), a remarkable and deeply affecting film, is based upon a true story of friendship, loyalty, the horrors of war and survival, while following the historical events surrounding the US evacuation from Vietnam in 1975. The authentic-looking, unforgettable epic film, directed by Roland Joffe was shot on location in Thailand (and Canada). Cambodian doctor, non-actor Haing Ngor, in his film debut, was an actual survivor of the Cambodian holocaust. He was tortured and experienced the starvation and death of his real-life family during the actual historical events revisited in this film.

    The film chronicles unforgettable scenes of suffering endured during the Cambodian bloodbath (known as "Year Zero") that killed 3 million Cambodians, when the courageous and indomitable Dith Pran endures the atrocities of the Pol Pot regime and is captured by the communist Khmer Rouge and punished for befriending the Americans. His struggle to stay alive in the rural, barbaric 're-education' labor camp, his two escape attempts from his captors, and his horrifying walk through the skeletal remains of the brutal massacres in the Valley of Death, the muddy "killing fields," all present potent apocalyptic images on his journey to Thailand.

  2. I believe that the European metal scene is much stronger than our North American scene. By stronger that means: more bands, more fans, more tours and festivals and better access to new metal through the media. In contrast, North America does not really have a TRUE metal scene at all. A string of Ozzfests does not constitute a metal scene, mainly because most of the bands on it aren't metal anyway. That's the problem over here. Things are based on trends and what's supposedly "in." I'm sure this is a problem everywhere but it is amplified over here as a result of crap like MTV dominating what's supposed to be cool (to me they define un-cool). That is not to say that there are not cool bands over here - for example there's Nevermore, Iced Earth, Annihilator, Steel Prophet, Kamelot, Crimson Glory, Jag Panzer, Virgin Steele, Morbid Angel, Deicide, Monstrosity, Testament, etc. etc. etc... However, talk to almost any of these bands about how they are doing in North America as opposed to Europe and you'll see that their primary reason for survival is the European scene. Many of these bands don't even do proper tours in North America!! I do feel that good music is not only ageless it's country-less. It's just that the band's from some countries are doing a lot more than others.

    In Europe the metal scene has what I view as some very strong elements such as the melodic death metal scene with bands like In Flames, Children of Bodom, Arch Enemy and Dark Tranquility. Then there is the large power metal scene with bands like Stratovarius, Helloween, Rhapsody and newcomers Sonata Arctica. Of course, we cannot forget the godfathers of metal - they are also from Europe. They are Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. I could go on and name 100's of other bands so please forgive me if I've skipped over your favorite band.

  3. The "Don't take the brown acid" incident can be seen on Woodstock ... 3 Days of Peace & Music (Director's Cut on DVD)forsure.

    It manages to not only cover the music and the surprisingly large crowd, but also the overall mindset of the audience, be it peaceful, politically frustrated, or just plain messed up. The sight of an emcee standing onstage and screaming to the audience, "The brown acid is bad! Don't take the brown acid!"

  4. Looking at some of the top artists of all-time and the number of songs under their repertoire, I have compiled a list of artists with the most songs.

    Elvis Presley 703

    Frank Zappa 676

    Elton John 514

    Bee Gees 498

    Kinks 443

    Barbra Streisand 436

    Van Morrison 422

    Frank Sinatra 420

    Bob Dylan 406

    Roy Orbison 406

    David Bowie 385

    Neil Young 357

    Now determining written credit would be a rather lengthy job.

  5. I?ve been watching old reruns of All in the Family on TV lately and find myself in stitches. On Saturday nights in the mid-Seventies, 60 per cent of all television sets were tuned into the landmark sitcom in which a Queens loading dockworker named Archie Bunker was the hero.

    In today?s world of equality, insuring equal rights for both women and different ethnicities I was wondering what people think about the underlying themes often brought to light in All in the Family? Are they found to be sexist and racist by today?s standards, or mild by comparison; does the over the top antics by today?s comics and musicians somehow differ from what at the time seemed to be a TV show pushing the limits on two very heated fronts. I would like to hear what you think or have to say.

  6. Here you go Carl.

    Volunteers was the sixth album to be released by Jefferson Airplane. It was the last album made by what many believe to be the classic Jefferson Airplane line-up. It reached 13th in the Billboard album charts.

    The Volunteers didn't have political origins according to Balin;

    One morning somebody was banging the garbage cans outside my window. I looked out and it said on the truck 'Volunteers Of America.' I leaned over and wrote, 'Hey, what's happening in the street. Da-Da-Da...' Paul put some music to it, and it became a kind of anthemic thing for us. I say it's about a truck picking up some garbage and people don't believe me.

    Hope that helps.

  7. I found this for Beatles songs.

    Main songs - all compositions released in 50s-60s by the Beatles - 215

    Rare songs - songs released after the group broke up (live versions, studio takes, demo, radio sessions, etc.) - 264

    Non songs - conversations, talks, instrumentals - 64

    Other songs - undefined or very rare songs, songs written for other artists - 22

    Full song index - list of all compositions from all categories - 565

    I think it is safe to say that Dylan has many more compositions then this.

  8. I suppose I am going to have to be the guy that disagrees with everyone here. I thought it was an okay movie but nothing that stands out as an over the top horror/suspense movie. The premise behind the movie I thought was a bit different, but the shock value and suspense was lacking, especially for the storyline being conveyed. I felt like there were some holes in the movie that were too large for the plot to cleanly jump, which I found to almost jostle you out of the terrified mood the movie was trying to develop. The scenes didn?t always fit together and didn?t complement one another, reducing the overall style of the movie to random attempts of over the top shock value scenes tied together by a thin plot.

    I can think of a few great horror/suspense movies that uses a fraction of the gore that Saw did but were able to truly grip and hold you in a frightened state for the length of the movie. The best one that comes to mind is Session 9, it builds its suspense off of real fears, such as the fear of the dark, being alone in an abandoned building or playing off the idea of seeing something that may or may not have been there. I think that this idea of building from real fears and then heightening those fears with elaborate and gory scenes was poorly done in Saw. I mean who isn?t afraid of having a reversed bear trap on their head, but how often does one worry about it. Yet how often, as a child or even today, are we home alone at night and find ourselves with all the lights on, or unwilling to make a trip in the basement to get a drink. I think that Saw is the latest movie that tries to go overboard in terrifying the viewer with blood and gore when with the right ideas one could truly scare people without the need to cover the scene in blood.

    P.S. This isn?t a rant for someone against blood and gore, I?m a fan. I?m just tired of movies that assume we the viewers are idiots and that flash over substance is the only way to entice us to the cinema.

    But hey, what do I know. Thanks for listening.

  9. I think that the amount of talent Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones has could offset their age. Some of the notes may not be able to be hit like they once were, but if anyone could do it it would be this trio. And although John Bonham is gone, arguably one of the greatest drummers of all time, there are replacements out there, good ones. In my opinion, one such drummer would be Neil Pert, he has some amazing skills and after seeing one crazy 20-minute drum solo last summer I think he?d be on the short list.

  10. It is true.

    This is from a link from one of the bands websites.

    As for "Jane Says," it's a character study based on a real person, Farrell explains. There was an actual Jane -- with an actual heroin habit and an abusive boyfriend named Sergio -- who lived with Farrell and nearly a dozen others in a group house in Hollywood as the band was forming in the early '80s. Yes, she talked endlessly about scrimping for a jaunt to Europe ("Jane says, 'I'm going away to Spain / When I get my money saved' "), and yes, this tempestuous muse took an occasional swipe at a housemate, but she never seemed to connect. ("She gets mad and starts to cry / Takes a swing but she can't hit.")

    Farrell has lost touch with Jane, but it turns out that finding her isn't all that hard. It took only a few phone calls to determine that she's still living in California, and though she's quoted in the song predicting she was "going to kick tomorrow," it took a little longer. Today, however, she's proud to say she's clean.

    "The story of Jane has a happy ending," says Jane Bainter on the phone from Los Angeles.

  11. There has been an increase in rumors of the possibility Led Zeppelin touring this summer. Does anyone out there have any information on the subject?

    If they somehow put together a tour, I think it?s safe to say it would be one of the greatest tours to grace classic rock fans in many years and I would easily give my eye teeth to see them.

  12. The top 10 albums of all time, tough task. Here are my favorites, some of which no doubt deserve to be in the top 10 of all time.

    The Wall: Pink Floyd

    Sgt. Pepper?s Lonely Hearts Club Band: The Beatles

    Led Zeppelin II: Led Zeppelin

    The Doors: The Doors

    Led Zeppelin IV: Led Zeppelin

    Wish You Were Here: Pink Floyd

    Are You Experienced?: The Jimi Hendrix Experience

    Cosmo?s Factory: CCR

    Who?s Next: The Who

    The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars: David Bowie

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