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Pop Rock Nation

Tag: In Defense of…

  • In Defense of…Boston??

    boston

    Hey folks. If you remember a couple of weeks back, my buddy Pat posted a piece about why he kinda sorta digs Nickelback (and I second that emotion). Now, he’s back, defending the indefensible once again. While everyone can get behind Boston’s smash debut and its’ hit single “More Than a Feeling”, it’s a bit more difficult to come out in support of the band’s third album, “Third Stage”. For those of you having trouble remembering the album, it’s the one with “Amanda” on it. Unfortunately (for Pat, I guess), I can’t get behind this one, since I remember “Amanda” as being perhaps one of the worst power ballads of the decade. Ah well, we’ll always have “More Than a Feeling”. And hey, different strokes for different folks, right?

    Take it away Pat…

    One of the joys of the music website Pandora is not only the ability to listen to your favorite types of music, but the chance to discover, or in my case rediscover, songs that you’re not as familiar with.

    In case you’re not a Pandora fan, the process is simple: type in the name of a band or singer, and the site will pull music from that genre into your own little commercial-free radio station. While you’ll usually hear music you’re familiar with, there’s a good chance you’re going to discover something new and exciting for your listening pleasure.

    Such was the case when I decided to build a station around the band Boston. Any classic rock aficionado most likely has Boston’s hugely recognizable debut album, appropriately titled “Boston”, in their music collection. If you’re a big fan of the band, you most likely have their extremely successful follow-up, “Don’t Look Back”, in there as well, but that could be where your Boston tunes end. It would be a shame, because as I’ve discovered, Boston’s third album, titled “Third Stage”, belongs in there as well.

    It’s easy to think why “Third Stage” wouldn’t sound recognizable. “Third Stage” was released in 1986, a whopping 8 years after “Don’t Look Back” and 10 after “Boston”. Many reasons plagued the long delayed album: band member changes, lawsuits, and record label shifts. But at the time when other 70s rock bands such as Heart and Fleetwood Mac were finding new success in the pop-power ballad movement of the time, Boston sounds as if it never missed a beat from its mid-70s success. It’s no surprise to learn that Boston founder Tom Scholz worked for years through all the difficulty the band was experiencing to produce this album.

    And what an album it is. Starting off with the immediate Boston classic “Amanda” and following with another Boston staple, “Get Ready,” the album shows a continual growth and confidence from its earlier work. “The Launch” and “Cool the Engines” fire off a journey of looking ahead, not worrying about the difficulties that have plagued your past. They show their tender side with “To Be a Man” and “Can’tcha Say (You Believe in Me)” before closing out with “Hollyann,” a song that bookends the album with the opener “Amanda.” As “Amanda” seems to be all about looking forward, “Hollyann” is a quiet reflection of one’s past with that special someone.

    It wasn’t until listening to “Third Stage” that I really felt sadness about lead singer Brad Delp’s suicide. While a success, this album didn’t achieve near the popularity of the band’s previous two. Regardless, even though it’s 23 years later, it is worth a listen.

  • A Few Words in Defense of…Nickelback

    by Pat Johnson
    I know I’m supposed to hate Nickelback, but…I just can’t.

    Before I go on I should mention that I have not downloaded a single Nickelback song ever.  They are completely absent on my iPod.  I have never seen them in concert, and I probably never will.

    I am well aware of the disdain people have for Nickelback.  I know of the many popular Facebook groups denouncing their existence.  Hell, when I’m in a conversation with someone about their hatred for this group, I don’t even defend them.

    But I can’t hate Nickelback, and that’s because of one thing.  When I’m in the car listening to the radio, or one of their songs comes across my XM receiver, I do one thing: I fucking wail.

    That’s right, I admit it, I am a car singing man that will rock out to Nickelback.  I’ll belt out the chorus, I’ll hum along to the verses, or sing the wrong words.  And for a few short minutes I’ll bob my head to Chad Kroeger’s strained vocals as he sings about…something.

    I’m not sure where this association comes from.  Perhaps it’s because Kroeger doesn’t really have that good of a singing voice, thus it’s easier to sing along with.  Maybe it’s because his refrains have an annoying ability to get stuck in your head.  Or maybe it’s because a small part of me actually likes them  –  dear god, could that be true?

    I know what’s going through your head: Nickelback sucks.  But I can’t hate them.  I remember on 9/11 when we needed to get away from the news and there, on MTV, was the video for “How You Remind Me” playing over and over, and I remember singing along with friends because we were able to do something than watch the horrible images of the day.

    I just can’t hate a band whose last 4 albums have sold almost 17 million copies, here in this age of illegally downloading music.

    I know some hatred could come from being overplayed on the radio, but hey, crazy me thought that you were played on the radio because you were popular, not because you sucked.

    So there you have it.  I won’t buy your music Nickelback.  I won’t go to your concerts.  I won’t even defend you in a conversation where people put you down.  But don’t worry.  You’ll always have me in my car singing along to whatever song of yours comes on the radio.