Earlier this Season during a timeout at a Celtics game, Lexington High’s Jeremy Fry  stood up and danced with the all he had. The super awkward teen (c’mon you can just tell) looked possessed by his inner rocker, or maybe it was just the powerful ballad by Bon Jovi whatever it was this will be a youtube clip to watch for a good laugh for a long time.

I dedicate this blog entry to every geeky kid who will one day get their day as a “star”

 

 

It’s been 5 years since we first heard “Uno, dos, tres... catorce” and with mixed thoughts we had new U2. Now we are just 6 days way from hearing what else U2 has to offer behind “Get On Your Boots” … or do we?

In this day and age it’s hard to keep a highly anticipated CD off the interweb. Illegal downloading has grown immensely since the turn of the Millennium, just look at CD sales. What bands have to do now; is let people hear what they can buy weeks before it’s released. U2 is just the latest in this trend using myspace to give fans the chance to listen to their entire album before it comes out.  Will this help or hurt album sales? Oddly enough it does help when an artists lets people listen before they can buy.

U2 leaked a few of there track off “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb” and the album went 3x platinum in the U.S.  Acts like R.E.M., Franz Ferdinand, AC/DC, Metallica, and Foo Fighters have leaked their own music over the past year and didn’t see a decline in sales of their albums. My thoughts are it’s because we want ownership of things we like. Can I listen to U2’s new album while sitting at my computer? Yes, but can I listen to it in my car or at the gym? No. We need to have our hands on the things we like, and that is why I believe people buy albums they can hear before it’s released. It doesn’t hurt that the band I am talking about is U2 and they are regarded as one of the best bands of all time. So this Tuesday will you get on your boots and head to your local CD store and purchase “No Line on the Horizon”? If so I will see you there.

Check out a video of U2 next big hit... 

If I asked you to name the top 20 all time best selling albums in the U.S. who would you name?  The Beatles? Rolling Stones? Led Zeppelin? Maybe even Mariah Carey?  Well here is the official list (according to Wikipedia)

20 - 30 x platinum

Year	Artist	Album	Label	Certification[1]
1976	Eagles	Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)	Elektra Records	29× platinum
1982	Michael Jackson	Thriller	Epic Records	27× platinum
1971	Led Zeppelin	Led Zeppelin IV	Atlantic	23× platinum
1979	Pink Floyd	The Wall	Columbia/Capitol
1980	AC/DC	Back in Black	Atlantic	22× platinum
1998	Garth Brooks	Double Live	Capitol Nashville	21× platinum
1985	Billy Joel	Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 & 2	Columbia
1997	Shania Twain	Come on Over	Mercury Nashville	20× platinum

15 - 19 x platinum

Year	Artist	Album	Label	Certification[1]
1977	Fleetwood Mac	Rumours	Warner Bros.	19× platinum
1968	The Beatles	The Beatles (White Album)	Apple
1987	Guns N' Roses	Appetite for Destruction	Geffen	18× platinum
1976	Boston	Boston	Epic Records	17× platinum
1992	Whitney Houston	The Bodyguard	Arista
1990	Garth Brooks	No Fences	Capitol Nashville
1973	The Beatles	1967–1970	Capitol	16× platinum
1994	Hootie and the Blowfish	Cracked Rear View	Atlantic
1975	Led Zeppelin	Physical Graffiti	Swan Song
1976	The Eagles	Hotel California	Asylum
1974	Elton John	Greatest Hits	Polydor
1995	Alanis Morissette	Jagged Little Pill	Maverick
1973	The Beatles	1962–1966	Capitol	15× platinum
1988	Journey	Greatest Hits	Columbia
1973	Pink Floyd	The Dark Side of the Moon	Capitol
1977	Bee Gees and others	Saturday Night Fever	RSO
1984	Bruce Springsteen	Born in the U.S.A.	Columbia
1999	Santana	Supernatural	Arista

Now that is the top 26 but is there one that stand out a bit more than the others?

I have to say Hootie & the Blowfish being in the company of The Beatles and Guns n' Roses makes me question all I know about music. Don’t get me wrong I love me some Hootie like the next guy, but really?

 

 

Let’s go back 15 years when the album was released and to this date was the hardest CD to find. There was no iTunes for you download the CD, there was no napster to steal it, you actually had to call your local CD store and ask for the album daily. The album was “Crakced Rare View” and anyone who was anyone wanted that album. “Cracked Rare View” included the immortal (hyperbily) hits like “Hold My Hand”, “Let Her Cry”, “Time”, and “Only Want To Be With You”. There popularity didn’t come without the lack of controversy.  In “Only Want To Be With You” they use lyrics from Bob Dylan, but not without crediting him. Dylan went on to sue The Blowfish. The two settled there case but the settlement was never announced to the public. My guess is that Bob Dylan didn’t let them release any of there music videos on You Tube… go ahead try to find one.

After all that Hootie & the Blowfish never quite had the same effect. Now they aren’t officially broken up but front man Darius Rucker as gone country and for the rest of the band, in the simplest of terms the Drummer cheated with one of the Guitarist wife and they now have a family. Hootie & the Blowish still play charity shows so get keep an eye out and if you get the chance to see them make sure to bust out that flannel shirt and tie it around your waste.

 

 

This Sunday is the 81st Academy Awards “The Oscars”’ and the looming questions are

With Heath Ledger win the Best Supporting Actor?
If Kate Winslet win another award will seem so over appreciated for the 1,0000 time?
Will a Wrestler take home some gold? (with a steel chair being involved)
Will a movie called Slumdog Millionaire win Best Picture?

We will have to wait until Sunday for those results but here is something you can vote on right now! Best Parody of a nominated movie. Watch these video than vote.

The Nominees are….

The Uncler (The Wrestler)

The Uncler w/ Uncle Sam and Alyssa Milano from Alyssa Milano

Sock Frost/Nixon (Frost/Nixon)


I Don’t know what to call this one but its really funny to watch (Slumdog Millionaire)


Cast your vote now!

Have a great weekend.

 

 

On this Friday the 13th (the first of two consecutive, go ahead look at March spooky stuff) I decided to share an odd link Matt one of our great Street Teamers sent me.

Head over to Google Maps and look up 8 Sampsonia Way, Pittsburgh, PA then switch to Street View, and look over to the left.

I don’t want to spoil it but check that out!

Thanks Matt

Happy Friday the 13th Everyone

 

 

Less than a week after I wrote how Limp Bizkit’s fame has faded and will never be seen from again, they announced (at the convenient time of 4am) they are reunited with the original line up, and plan on tour this summer. So dust of your red Yankees caps and turn them backwards and get ready for a summer of new metal revival.

In other revival concert news, MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice are playing a one night only show together! I know I am wicked excited too, oooo wait they aren’t coming to Boston…. New York…. Where are they playing? ....Utah… not even Salt Lake City they are playing in some city named Orem?!? So I hope all those Morons are ready for one heck of a show straight out of 1989. Go Ninja Go Ninja Go!

Here is the best video to preview the show