It’s Dark in London (1996, Serpant’s Tail) ***1/2

Ed: Oscar Zarate.

Various creators contribute short stories about London in this anthology.

Smart, literary-minded book from a publisher not usually associated with comics. The quality of the good stories far outweigh the bad. Particular standouts include ‘You Are Here’ by Woodrow Pheonix, Carol Swain’s ‘Come Down Town’, Home and Edwards’ ‘Too Late’ and Moore and Zarate’s ‘I Keep Coming Back’. The latter story will be of particular interest to readers of From Hell.

Melómanos aunque uds. no lo crean este cd de PROYECTO 1 salio en long play, especialmente para los Discplays o Minitecas. A ver, quien no aprendió a bailar merengue con esta agrupación o quien en bachillerato le cambiaba las letras o se las dedicaban a alguien?. A todos les traerá recuerdos, a mi por ejemplo me enseño una amiga en Puerto La Cruz los nuevos pasos de  merengue de la epoca con este disco y en todos los bonches de bachillerato de mi colegio era impelable que yo llevara este disco pero en cd, hace poco lo consegui en lp y al ponerlo hubo la explosión de recuerdos que trato que a uds les pase, este junto a SANDY Y PAPO y LOS ILEGALES era y aun es lo mejor de esa época inolvidable.

Los temas que escucharan son:

1. PUMPIN- ASPERO, CHEVERE, QUE ESTA PEGAO, DOPE HITTIN’

2. QUIERO SEGUIR BAILANDO

3. CANDELA

4. TE DEJARON FLAT- PLANTADO, EN PUERTO RICO SE DICE “ARROLLAO” Y EN SURAMERICA EMBARCAO. LEFT HANGIN’ OUT

5. LATINOS- QUE SI SON LATINOS

6. CUARTO DE HOTEL

7. QUE SABES TU? Y TU QUE SABES?

AQUÍ LES DEJO ALGO DE PROYECTO 1:

• Fue el primer grupo en dedicarse de lleno a fusionar merengue y hip-hop, aunque ya en los años ochenta la orquesta de Wilfrido Vargas había hecho merengue-rap.

• Después de ellos salieron otros grupos de características similares como sus compatriotas Sandy y Papo, el grupo Fulanito (más inclinado con la fusión con Cumbia, pero copiando mucho del estilo de proyecto uno), Los Ilegales y los venezolanos Zona 7.

• Sus primeros integrantes fueron: Nelson Zapata (Fundador y Creador del Grupo) & Ricky Echevarria. Luego se incorporó como miembro a Magic Juan.

• Al salir Ricky Echevarria se incorporaron, Johnny Salgado, y Erik Morales. Poco después salieron del grupo Magic Juan y Erick Morales.

• El último en incorporarse fue Spagga en el álbum de Pura Gozadera. Los miembros actuales son Nelson Zapata, Juan Salgado Y Jose “Spagga” Medina. Uno de sus mayores éxitos fue con el tema “El Tiburón” en la década de los 90´s.

• Debido a la evolución del mercado musical decidieron sacar canciones de Jazz, Bachata y Reggaeton, pero nunca abandonando el merengue.

• Los países en donde han tenido más éxito son: Chile, República Dominicana, Colombia, Venezuela, México, Perú, Ecuador y Costa Rica. La agrupación ha viajado por todo el mundo incluyendo Europa, Japón, Australia, y Tailandia.

• A VER MELOMANOS QUIEN NO SE ACUERDA DE BRINCA, ESTA PEGAO, EL TIBURON, 25 HORAS, TODO EL MUNDO Y TODOS NOS SABIAMOS LA LETRA Y LO QUE DECIA CADA GRUPO COMO PROYECTO UUUNO VEA, SIGUELO, YO SE QUE TU SABIAS.

• PUSE DOS TEMAS ADICIONALES SE LLAMAN 25 HORAS Y AL OTRO LADO DEL MAR LOS CUALES SE LOS DEDICO A ALGUIEN A QUIEN ME GUSTARIA QUERERLA 25 HORAS AL DIA Y 8 DIAS A LA SEMANA SI LE DA LA GANA… AUNQUE ESTA LEJOS, AL OTRO LADO DEL MAR QUE ES ALLA DONDE HE DE ENCONTRARLA PERO NO DEJO DE PENSAR EN ELLA. TE QUIERO…

• A BAILAR Y A DISFRUTARLO…

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

“Wild Horses” became a hit for the Rolling Stones back in 1971. Ever since then the song has been covered numerous times, including recently by Susan Boyle. While there are many great covers of his song, I’ve always liked the Sundays version of it that was on their 1992 album Blind.  I had never even heard of the Sundays or heard the song until I saw the 1996 thriller flick Fear (which is a surprisingly well-made movie.) on TV a couple of years ago, and they had the song playing in the background of one of the more infamous scenes of the movies (It’s best if I don’t go into detail.)

It’s really too bad that this cover never became a hit for this band.

Antti Eskola kertoo Uhka, toivo ja vastarinta -teoksessaan (Kirjayhtymä, 1984, ISBN 951-26-2659-4) 80-luvun mielenmaailmasta, yhteiskunnasta pommin varjossa. Kirjastolaisiakin on haastateltu, joille annettua esseen kirjoittamistehtävää on pohjustettu tähän tyyliin

Kuvittele, että eletään vuotta 1996. Järjestetään suuri kirjastoalan konferenssi. Parin konferenssipäivän jälkeen se on pakko keskeyttää. Miksi? Mitä oikein on tapahtunut?

Opetusministeriön vastikään julkaisema Näkemyksiä tulevaisuuden kirjastomaisemista -artikkelikokoelma suuntaa vuoteen 2035.

(Näkymyksia tulevaisuuden kirjastomaisemista via Sorvipenkki)

#165 – La Bouche – “Be My Lover” – (1996)

Ah, another embarrassing entry from the ‘I Bought This CD’ file. I distinctly remember them performing on Regis and (Kathie Lee?) and explaining what ‘La Bouche’ meant in French. Wikipedia says it means “the mouth,” but how would I know? “Sweet Dreams” was the title track from the album.

“Hedonismo sintético en las noches de la carpa”.
Sónar 1996. Tenía 16 años. El del medio es el Lluent, el de atrás el Boix y el de la izquierda soy yo…

La foto nos la hizo un muy buen fotógrafo, digo que era bueno porqué le dijimos que no nos la hiciera!

La cuestión es que el fotógrafo volvió,  pasó corriendo y disparó mientras había flashes, casi ni nos dimos cuenta y cuando lo buscamos ya había desaparecido… La verdad ahora me alegro de que lo hiciera, en su momento no quisimos…  supongo que temíamos que nuestras madres nos vieran todo puestos.

Total, doble página en el extinto magazine Ajoblanco… hay que joderse

En el texto dice que era un festival familiar sin aglomeraciones, que podías saludar a Josh Wink… creo que ese fué el último año en que fué así… eso sí, esa edición fué acojonante… fué algo rarísimo asistir a eso en ese momento y con esa edad. Lágrimas en el océano. Luego se convirtió en algo ultra masificado, se acabó lo que tenía o creíamos que tenía de contestatario, el bombo omnipresente ahogó la sutileza de la experimentación y bueno… ya sabéis dónde estamos ahora… como dice Mr.Scruff  “you betta keep movin’ cos… or you’ll be left behind” – uno de los samplers principales es de la canción “Bird’s Lament” de uno de los mejores compositores de este siglo… Moon Dog.

Ese Sónar tocaron entre otros Autechre, me acuerdo del videoclip de un todavía desconocidísimo Chris Cunningham… y Ken Ishii con el mítico videoclip de Extra, animado por Koji Morimoto, el director de animación de la película AKIRA, basada en el cómic de Katsuhiro Otomo (colección que tengo entera en los tomos pequeños que salían de manera bimensual! a todo color… si no sois expertos en esto no sabréis lo jodidamente complicado que fue acabarla).

Pd: Señor fotógrafo, si algún día encuentra este post… diga hola!

These things take forever to type out, so heres the beginning for now:

Introduction:

Holy friggin’ crap!  It’s Whoopi time again bitches and we’re going to whoop it up!  (Pun completely intended)  If I were to compare my mystical journey to the Louis and Clark expedition again I’d say we’re about to enter Sioux territory.  Yes, unfamiliar territory, but the unknown must be discovered, and I must continue!  My Sacagawea Indian Native American Tonto lady, also known as Netflix, is pregnant…pregnant with Whoopi movies for me to deliver commentary to you!  (This pun is also very much intended)  Today’s viewing is “Eddie.”  I have no idea what this movie is, but the poster shows Whoopi with basketball, which, as you know, Whoopi and basketball go together like vinegar and baking soda.  This means this movie is going to EXPLODE with excitement like a volcano at a 5th grade science fair!  (Pun 3, completely on a roll, don’t stop me now)  Now, let the summary from Netflix with thrown in commentary commence!

Eddie, Whoopi Goldberg, channels her late husband’s passion for basketball by coaching inner-city kids (is there such a thing as an outer-city kid?) and cheering the New York Knicks, who are plagued by a losing streak (Doesn’t sound too fictional).

Yeah, That's Dennis Rodman

In a quirky twist (A TWIST!?  I thought M. Night Shyamalan was legally the only one allowed touse twists!), Eddie becomes the Knicks’ new coach and promptly whips them into shape  (Literally with a whip, until Moses was all like “Let my people go!”)  Guest appearances by few National Basketball Association (That’s what NBA stands for apparently) players, including Dennis Rodman (No need to insert a stupid joke after that), John Salley, Malik Sealy and Spud Webb, make this sports comedy a slam-dunk. (Seems Netflix beat me at my pun game, touché Netflix, touché)

Prediction:
Well obviously Whoopi’s husband dies.  Then she starts coaching basketball for under privileged kids, aka poor kids.  Her husband is going to visit her in spirit, most likely give her tips, and the occasional high five.  Then what happens?  The kids turn into basketball geniuses, because they all learn to work as a team, plus when they’re going in for a basket they all form what they call the “Flying V,” which is kind of like a formation birds make when they fly south for the winter, only much sportier. Then Whoopi is going to completely ditch the poor kids saying, “I’m going pro bitches!”  Then she’s going to coach the New York Knicks, and they’re going to win the Super Bowl.  Yeah, that’s right, basketball players winning the Super Bowl, put that in your VCR and play it!  Ok, I was trying to come up with something like, “Put that in your pipe and smoke it,” but really didn’t pull it off too well.  This prediction is retarded.  OK, so it’s going to be a mix of the Mighty Ducks, and Angels In The Outfield, except with poor kids and Dennis Rodman.

Tytuł, o którym chciałbym dzisiaj co nieco napisać uchodzi za jeden z pierwszych, który zapoczątkował modę na multipierdolca związanego  z postaciami z gier komputerowych. Zjawisko to zazwyczaj objawia się w taki sposób, że obok premiery gry komputerowej na rynku pojawiają się równocześnie: film na jej podstawie, odrębna ścieżka dźwiękowa, t-shirty czy futra z norek sygnowane logiem gry. Oczywiście takiej mnogości gadżetów przy pierwszym Tomb Raiderze nie uświadczyliśmy, ale przygody Lary Croft stały się inspiracją do wykorzystywania jej wizerunku w każdy z możliwych sposobów. Czy to dobrze, czy źle pozostawiam do indywidualnych rozważań.

Lara po raz pierwszy

Historia zaczyna się w czasach kiedy bawełna na ciepłe majtki Lary Croft jeszcze nie wykiełkowała, bo gdzieś w nieokreślonej przeszłości.  W tajemniczym Los Alamos dochodzi do potężnego wybuchu, który spowodował trzęsienie ziemi, a w efekcie taniec potężnych artefaktów wydobytych z pustynnych piachów znajdujących się pod jurysdykcją rzeczonej osady. Wtem, po kilku wizjach z tego tajemniczego intro, lądujemy w teraźniejszości u boku Lary Croft.

Nasza bohaterka to wzięta panna archeolog z szlacheckim rodowodem, która nie narzeka na brak zajęć, ale wkrótce jej życiu dostarczony zostanie dodatkowy zestaw emocji, który rozpocznie właściwą przygodę pierwszego Tomb Raidera.

Otóż kontakt z Larą nawiązuje niejaki Larson Conway, służbowy pies dony potężnej korporacji Natla Technologies, niejakiej Jacqueline Natli.

Owa businesswoman doceniając  walory Lary (w tym wypadku rzeczywiście chodzi o dobry poziom wyedukowania bohaterki oraz  inne umiejętności niekoniecznie związane z pysznościami) zleca jej odnalezienie tajemniczego artefaktu o nazwie Scion. Brytyjska panna archeolog nie rozważając długo propozycji, zlecenie przyjmuje i natychmiast wyrusza przetrzeć szlaki Donaldowi Tuskowi, a więc w kierunku słonecznego Peru.

Jak się jednak wkrótce okaże Jacqueline Natla, nie tyle uchodzi za bogatego zleceniodawcę mającego kaprysy, a za zimne i wyrachowane babsko, która rozgrywa swoją grę na kilka frontów… tak aby zrealizować demoniczny plan.

Na kilku krańcach świata, a nawet i w jego wnętrzu

W pierwszym Tomb Raiderze zwiedzimy łącznie piętnaście dużych poziomów rozmieszczonych w kilku państwach. Zaczynając od Peru (Jaskinie, miasto Vilcabamba, Zagubiona Dolina i grobowiec Qualopec), przez Antyczną Grecję  (klasztor św. Franciszka Szalonego, eee… greckie Koloseum, Pałac Midasa, cysterna i grobowiec Tihocan), po Egipt (miasto Khamoon, obelisk Khamoon i Sanktuarium Scionu), ku Zagubionemu Światu vide Atlantydzie (kopalnie Natli, Atlantis i Wielka Piramida).

Główną bohaterką gry jest oczywiście Lara Croft. Poza wspomnianym już angielskim pochodzeniem i błękitnej krwi płynącej w jej żyłach, nie sposób nie napisać o innych zaletach Lary. Chodzi mi tu o wyjątkowo sprawne posługiwanie się berettami i innymi rodzajami uzbrojenia, dużą zwinność, wyjątkowy intelekt i piękne, duże… oczy.

Po drugiej stronie barykady dużo namiesza Jacqueline Natla, która jest święcie przekonana o swoim pochodzeniu sięgającym aż do czasów Atlantydy, którą miała władać.

Stali współpracownicy Natli to flejowaty Larson Conway dysponujący intelektem i siłą wynoszącymi w sumie zero oraz znany Larze już przed laty (a więc przed pojawieniem się pierwszej części Tomb Raider) Pierre Dupont, który będzie jej dosyć skutecznie utrudniał życie, a także kilku mniej istotnych goryli Natli (m.in. Skateboard Kid i Kold).

Panna archeolog zmierzy się bezpośrednio z częścią wyżej wymienionych postaci, ale główne walki przyjdzie jej stoczyć z pupilami Gucwińskich: misiami, gackami, lwami, szczurami, centaurami, wilkami, krokodylami czy innymi większymi gadami i jaszczurami (z dinozaurami włącznie). Osobną kategorią stanowi Natla po transformacji, ale to już pozostawiam każdemu do własnego przeżycia.

Nie byłoby Tomb Raidera bez elementów zręcznościowych polegających na walce, wspinaczce i unikaniu pułapek, ale  i bez zagadek logicznych, których w grze naturalnie nie zabraknie.

Głos zza monitora

Pierwszy Tomb Raider, znany w niektórych kręgach jako “Podziemny Rajdowiec” (sic!), to klasyczna gra akcji z widokiem TPP.

Panna archeolog z Wimbledonu w pierwszej części swoich komputerowych przygód prezentuje się ładnie po dzisiejszy dzień. Grafika i animacje zaprojektowane przez Core Design wytrzymały próbę czasu, o czym świadczą liczne reedycje pierwszego Tomb Raidera. Ok, może młodszemu oku nieco dokuczać kanciastość postaci, ale uwierzcie mi, że owe kanty naprawdę fajnie prezentują się trochę wyżej pępuszka Lary.

Dubbingiem głosu Lary zajęła się niejaka Shelley Blond, która ze swojej roli wywiązała się naprawdę dobrze. Jest to jej jedyny udział w Tomb Raiderze dzięki czemu urosła do miana postaci kultowej, wielokrotnie wspominanej jako ta, której zabrakło w następnych częściach. Na pocieszenie można dodać, że głos pani Blond mogliśmy jeszcze uświadczyć m.in. w Black & White Molyneuxa z 2001 roku.

Poza oralnymi wdziękami Shelley Blond o mocnej oprawie audio w Tomb Raiderze świadczy też fakt, że obok podstawowej wersji Tomb Raidera w czasach premiery można było nabyć soundtrack do gry. Ścieżka muzyczna jest rzeczywiście niezła, ale i same odgłosy w grze wypada ocenić dobrze (ze swojej “naturalnej” roli wywiązują się perfekcyjnie).

Reasumując trzeba powiedzieć, że postać Lary Croft i pierwsza część Tomb Raidera przyczyniły się w wielkim stopniu do rozwoju gier TPP, w których mieliśmy do czynienia z bardzo dobrze rozwiniętym indywiduum. Tym większa zasługa twórców Lary, że nie tworzyli swojej historii na podstawie istniejącego już pomysłu (vide Indiana Jones), a wykreowali coś zupełniego świeżego, nieznanego wcześniej, czyt. niebezpieczną seks bombę, której popularność zbliża się do popularności Che Guevary.

Zatem: Lara na koszulki!

Musisz sięgnąć jeśli… lubisz czuć na skórze pejczyk przeznaczenia .

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Screeny pochodzą po części z własnego źródła, a po części w internetowej encyklopedii o Tomb Raiderze.

1º Campeonato Hockeys, 5º Campeonato de Aravaca

Campeonato organizado por Jesús Morales García

Como curiosidad podemos ver, entre los competidores, alguno con corbata.

Competidores:

Fernando Fernández, Ramón Pomas, Gonzalo Lobato, David Pérez, Gustavo Pérez, Diego Moreno, Arturo Gómez, Carlos Rodríguez, José Miguel Conesa, Marino Morales, y otros muchos más…  

Club Madrileño de Lucha de Brazos

http://www.teampozuelopulsos.es.tl/INICIO.htm

Otro video histórico editado por Marino Morales

Campeonato organizado por Fernando Saugar, Jesus Morales García y Marino Morales Gamo.

“Campeonato de Lucha de Brazos celebrado en el Centro Cívico y Social de Aravaca, Madrid, en el año 1996 creo….

En este Open de Madrid, ya se empezaba a ver despuntar a algunos de los actuales y antiguos campeones comp por ejemplo Gustavo Perez, Marino Morales, Gonzalo Lobato, Jose Mª Murillo, Fernando Rodriguez, Rocky Ares, Sergio Balcones, Niko, etc…

También podemos ver compitiendo al actual presidente de la AELB, Fernando Saugar Quiros.”

Club Madrileño de Lucha de Brazos

http://www.teampozuelopulsos.es.tl/INICIO.htm

#152 – Toni Braxton – “Un-Break My Heart” – (1996)

Braxton’s somewhat husky voice was definitely a departure from most of the pop of the 90s. Judging from the video she fancied herself a Whitney Houston – she wasn’t, but the song was close (as far as success goes). Secrets spawned two other number one hits including “You’re Makin’ Me High” (“Un-Break My Heart” stayed at #1 for 11 weeks). “Let It Flow” was the other – it was also included on the 1995 soundtrack for the film Waiting to Exhale.

#154 – Quad City DJ’s – “C’mon N’ Ride It (The Train)” – (1996)

Although being somewhat similar in overall nature, but because they were both released at about the same time, this song was massively overshadowed by the “Macarena.” After viewing just a sample of the video I’ve linked to above, I feel that this song will not be looked too kindly upon by future generations. Oh, and I would be remiss for not recommending their other hit from the same year: “Space Jam.” I’m really not sure what the ‘Quad City’ is, but it sounds like a big-time small-town ATV dealership. The DJ’s also appeared on the 69 Boyz’s 1994 Jock Jams hit “Tootsee Roll.”

User Interface Strategies (UIS) 1996 transfer of the website Concepts & Goal Setting Presentation. UIS is an annual series of interactive satellite broadcasts, which addresses the hot topics in human-computer interaction. These programs bring some of the best minds in the field together almost five hours thought-provoking presentations and question-and-answer sessions.

Recommend : home DIY motivational-tutorials.blogspot.com/ http://life-coaching-network.blogspot.com

In primul rand, cum si cand a aparut internetul?

Inainte de a fi internetul public, a fost reteaua ARPAnet, ce a fost fondata de catre armata Statelor Unite dupa razboiul rece pentru a avea un centru militar de comanda si control ce putea face fata unui atat nuclear. Scopul era, bineintes, sa poata trimita informatii la distanta intre doua calculatoare.

ARPAnet a luat nastere in 1969 si a creat standardul de comunicare TCP/IP ce guverneaza transferul datelor pe internet si in ziua de astazi.

Primul e-mail din lume

In 1971 a fost transmis primul e-mail intre 2 calculatoare. Tomlinson a fost cel care a creat un program numit SNDMSG care a trimis un e-mail simplu catre un calculator din apropiere prin reteaua ARPAnet. El a fost si cel care a pus @ in adresa de e-mail. Prima adresa de e-mail din lume a fost „tomlinson@bbn-tenexa”. Tenexa era numele sistemului de operare pe care il folosea, iar BBN erau initialele unui angajat al lui Tomlinson

Intre 1989 si 1991, Tim Berners-Lee a definit alaturi de altii, limbajul HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) folosit pentru crearea paginilor de internet, protocolul HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) folosit pentru download-ul paginilor de internet si URL (Universe Resurse Locator) folosit pentru localizarea paginilor de internet.

Primul banner din lume

Primul banner care a aparut a fost facut pentru AT&T in octombrie 1994, era de format 468×60 si arata cam asa:

O chestie urata si colorata, care fiind atat de noua, i-a facut pe cei de la AT&T sa fie atat de convinsi ca vizitatorii (cati erau ei saracii) vor da click pe banner no matter what, asa ca bannerul in asta a constat efectiv: Ai dat click vreodata aici? O vei face!

Internetul in 1996

Revenind, in 1996, „Internet Archive” a inceput un proiect numit Wayback Machine. Scopul acestui proiect a fost sa arhiveze tot internetul. Sigur, nu era o mare problema la vremea respectiva. Nu insemna prea mult internetul pe atunci.

Intre timp, s-au strans peste 55 de miliarde de pagini web daca iti poti imagina! Sunt atat de multe pagini web incat daca ai incerca sa le printezi, ti-ar lua 28 de ani pana ai termina!

Putine dintre site-urile din 96 au fost insa arhivate, majoritatea fiind din domeniul fast-food (McDonald’s) si bauturi racoritoare (Pepsi, Coca-Cola). Sunt convins ca au investit destul de multi bani in site-urile respective, neexistand pe atunci prea multi web designeri. Insa si cei care erau… n-aveau prea multa imaginatie si nu erau prea competenti, rezultatele fiind umilitoare.

E adevarat ca tehnologia nu era la nivelul celei de azi, insa designerii (daca le putem spune asa) nu se sinchiseau sa faca mai mult decat cate un gif animat, o poza pe colo pe colo si restul text. Internetul din 96 arata acum cel putin copilaresc si total neprofesional.

De exemplu…

McDonalds.com

Asta era prima pagina. „Did you know … more than 11 miles of thread holds the giant Arch Deluxe burger in place.” – Designerul se pare ca nici macar nu a stiut sa gaseasca semnul intrebarii pe keyboard

Asta este pagina a 2a a site-ului. Daca nu te intereseaza a 2a pagina, ai incredibila oportunitate sa intri in site ca si adult sau ca si copil. Vrei sa spui ca inca nu am intrat in site? Fraaate… Pai in 96 imi lua efectiv 20 de minute sa incarc pagina asta. Incredibil! Pai atunci… unde e site-ul efectiv? Exista un site efectiv?

Am dat click si pe adult si pe kids si ce sa vezi? M-au condus amandoua linkurile catre aceeasi pagina, unde gasim o alta imagine de cacao. Iti bati joc de mine?

NyTimes.com

Google (1997)

Yahoo (1996)

BestBuy.com

MSN

Ciudata pagina… se vede de ce yahoo este mult mai folosit decat msn… pentru ca msn e praf!!

WhiteCastle.com

Slyders?? Ce dracu`i aia?

Pepsi.com

CocaCola.com

Nick.com

Lego.com

Incredibil cum aratau paginile in 96!
Daca internetul era atat de diferit acum 13 ani, oare cum va arata in urmarii 13?

Right – now we’re talking. Liking the Spice Girls puts you immediately on the defensive – either you’re a tokenist air-kissing irony boy or your brain really has turned to mulch. No, neither, sorry. Here are some feted 90s recording artistes who have yet to make a record as good as “Wannabe”: Oasis, Radiohead, Beck, Neutral Milk Hotel, All Saints, the Divine Comedy, the (collective not solo) Wu-Tang Clan, Roni Size, Belle And Sebastian, Steps. That the glorious cocktail of sass, contempt, and showbiz that bursts open the opening bars of “Wannabe” is denied by so many purported pop-lovers is a source of as much inchoate rage, frustration, and grief to me as any other act of wanton neglect in pop history. Twelve million bought it? Not enough.

The Spice Girls are manufactured, which is only to say they’re something we own. The saddest sight in celebrityland lately has been Sporty’s welshing on the pop deal, scrabbling to get back some kind of identity of her own. People thought she and Geri were lesbians – “that’s so funny“. The joke’s on her – for as long as the Spice Girls are in the limelight they are whatever you or I want them to be. And what a lot of people wanted them to be was tough, brash, up for a laugh, independent – Girl Power was an ad slogan which got caught in the media-public feedback loop and became real for enough people that it didn’t matter any more than it was a slogan. Unless, of course, you were outside that loop or had made it your business to comment knowingly upon it.

Forget it – arguing the Spice Girls were ‘important’ is as silly and, yes, defensive as saying the reason you should listen to the Stooges is their ‘importance’. You should listen to the girls because they’re brilliant pop music, because the advice “Wannabe” gives you is at base pretty solid, and because when Geri blurts “And as for me, ha-ha, you’ll see”, the record comes together and sounds as hungrily confident of immortality as anything else I’ve ever heard.

Sporty, Scary, Baby, Posh and Ginger’s opening salvo was a straight-on-target bullet at the heart of female solidarity. Boyfriends? Largely rubbish. Gal pals? Ace! Two and a half minutes of relentless frivolity, Wannabe introduced the brilliantly nonsense phrase “zigga-zig-ah!” into the lyrical lexicon and gifted the world the first glimpse of Victoria Beckham [then Adams]’s pout – an enduring commercial currency nobody could have possibly foreseen. For its duration, the five were not just invincible, they even seemed to rather like each other.

Format: Demo
Year: 1996
Label: Self-released
Country: Venezuela
Genre: Death Metal
Official Website

01. Bianco Fiore (Intro)
02. Cadena Perpetua
03. Chacal
04. No a la Invasión
05. Apocalipsis
06. Sacrificado por el Sistema
07. Falsas Religiones
08. Aponwao… (Un Sacrificio Invaluable)

Download
Download @ Jamendo

This week the train stops at hip hop royalty LL Cool J’s greatest hits album “All World”. Released in 1996 it is the only album thus yet to contain his hits ranging from his debut album at Def Jam ”Radio” to his 1995 album “Mr. Smith”  and has been certified platinum by the RIAA. LL is one of few rappers of his era to have a career thats has spanned over two decades. A staple in Hip Hop history LL is the one who fused love ballads with rap songs creating hits such “I Need Love”, “Around the Way Girl” and “Hey Lover”.

*EDIT* :For those who don’t know LL Cool J stands for Ladies Love Cool James

Track List

1.I Can’t Live Without My Radio
2.Rock the Bells
3.I’m Bad
4.I Need Love **
5.Going Back to Cali
6.Jack The Ripper
7.Jingling Baby (Remixed But Still Jingling)
8.Big Ole Butt
9.The Boomin’ System**
10.Around The Way Girl**
11.Mama Said Knock You Out
12.Back Seat
13.I Need a Beat
14.Doin It**
15.Loungin (Who Do Ya Luv)**
16.Hey Lover**

(BOLD) = Standout Tracks

** = My Fav’s

#157 – Donna Lewis – “I Love You Always Forever” – (1996)

This song from Now In A Minute would have hit number one it the “Macarena” didn’t completely destroy the charts that year. There are two other songs that kind of fall under the mid-90s female-pop umbrella with this one. First, “I Know” by Dionne Farris’ Wild Seed – Wild Flower (1995) and secondly, “You Gotta Be” by Des’ree, from her 1994 album I Ain’t Movin’.

Hi There Everyone,

Great News I now have an official Facebook Fan Page!

Simply search for “Ashleigh Alexandra Louise Smith” on Facebook and Join my Fan Page today as that is where
photo’s and Video’s and News is being posted more regulary than at this blog.

So my advice is to join my facebook fan page and keep checking back here on a regular basis as the plan is to release
some exclusive photo’s and videos via this blog every now and again which will not appear on my facebook fan page and
then also put some stuff on Facebook which won’t appear here!

As you can see in the above video I sleep very well even when in noisy room’s, indeed
I reckon I could sleep through an earthquake I take after daddy like that : ) !

To finish for today here’s a quick video clip which daddy made by accident when he
was trying to take a picture of me on his mobile phone..

So Remeber to go to Facebook and search for “Ashleigh Alexandra Louise Smith” in the Manchester Network (England)
and join my Fanpage today!

Keep checking back as I have some important and amazing news coming very soon!

Hugs

Ashleigh

Classic Sounds….

Like…

Nasir Jones’ sophmore release was the Very First album that I sought out and purchased myself.  I was 13 and figured it was time for me to define my music taste and hip-hop expertise by actually owning some full length albums made by the very artists who I spent hours upon hours sitting in front of the radio recording. So as I outgrew the craft of sticking pieces of toilet paper in the corners of whichever of my big sister Veen’s tapes I deemed wack or something she wouldn’t miss, it dawned on me that even though I was Thee Nicest at the skill of strategically pausing the recording right before the station identification, or the annoying Funkmaster Flex drop would come on, Maybe I should join the actual big boy club and have the uncut, uninterrupted project in my hands. Maybe then I’d know just what these Euro-chic and gangster flick references were about that all of the popular New York rappers at that time sprinkled in their raps .

Nope!

I still Never quite understood any of that,

but what I was surprised and ever so pleased to find was a full print out of almost all the lyrics contained on said album.  I bought It Was Written in the summer of 1996 at a Wiz in downtown Manhattan. I’m really showing my age here because If I’m not mistaken, The Wiz doesn’t even exist anymore! Anywhere!

But this purchase was on the heels of deciding that Nas was the most relatable rapper to me at the time. I didn’t know I was going to be a rapper. I had…uhhh…retired after a 2 year stint in a kiddie rap group a la Da Youngstaz. The thing is that, this particular summer would be the first time since I was 10 that I picked up a pen to attempt to start rapping again. It was actually the first time I picked up a pen, since I used to write my rhymes in my head (Word to Big!).

But anyway, Nas fueled my inspiration to re-enter the world of hip-hop and write narrative street tales because in the previous year, the spectrum of New York rappers was limited to killers, drug dealers, players, hardcore keepers of the funk, or obscure backpackers who nobody wanted to be.

Nas represented someone who strangely sat in some semblance of a middle ground where all these characters existed together.  No one ever questioned how hood he was, but the general consensus was that he’s not the shooter, rather the guy chronicling the shooting. Not the kingpin, but perhaps the guy who was cool with the Kingpin’s people and maybe did some jobs for him back in the day on the come up trying to stay fly.

We respected Nas for being something that we never had before; An authentic street poet. Not a preacher like Chuck D, Not a Teacher like KRS, Not a God like Rakim, not a Killer like Kool G, Not a gangster like Ice Cube – not even angry. Just a poet.

So I figured, I’m from the Hood, My teachers told me I was an excellent poet in school. I can slide in that same spot that Nas Held. He opened a door that wasn’t there before.

This was all until I popped the cassette in (yes I said Cassette) and got engulfed in a blitz of Mafioso-drenced, King of New York delusional episodic raps and psuedo-intellectual musings on Hood happenings.

I would find out later that this album was filled with subliminal shots at the other contenders for legendary status at the time, and was actually Nas’ idea of attempting to garner mainstream attention. I guess in a way it worked, because he got much more notereity from the singles released off of this album than his debut. Although Illmatic gets all the praise and critical acclaim, it’s not up for debate that chics or radio weren’t checking for mr. Jones until “If I ruled the world” featuring the then unstoppable (and sane) Lauryn Hill came out.

Anyway, I loved this album so much that I took it with me all the way down to Atlanta that same month when I went to spend some time with my cousins who had recently moved there from Brooklyn. They were fans of M.O.P. (Who they grew up with), and anything that was New York-Centric, so I knew they would love it as much as I did. And they did. We played it in the house, in the parking lot, on the way to Kroger. On the way to Publix. On the way to and from the studio and the airport. It was fun times.

Until somebody’s little daughter was over one of the apartments with us, and as the video game playing and beer drinking ensued to the soundtrack of  track 7 “Take it in Blood“, there was one moment of parental instinct that kicked in when my female cousin Rainy interjected and told us to cut it off after some lyric where Nas blurts out “..Pussies and Buttholes…”

At first I was like damn, why we gotta cut off the Nas just because somebody’s little bebe kid is over here with the grown ups (and uhmm…almost…grown-ups??). But then it made me wonder, damn… as someone who didn’t use those kinds of words himself, how much did I actually relate to Nas? And what the Hell was Nas talking about anyway??

So upon a more scrutinizing listen after that epiphany, I realized that Not even Nas knew what he was talking about half of the time.  Although I was blown away by the creativity of “I Gave You Power“, it seemed those clear, focused moments of consistent and linear lyricism and storytelling were few and far between.

I studied the whole lyrics sheet for the rest of my ATL stay and I still didn’t understand  most of what I was reading. What the fuck is “Blood money in a pimp’s cum” ? That math equation that he clearly wrote for Foxy’s verse on “Affirmative Action” not adding up, “dipped attache” “mad man Cassius Clay“…huh??! The average casual hip-hop listener couldn’t tell you what Nas’ point is on the average Nas song. It just sounded good. And there you have the biggest thing about hip-hop; The sound.

And the sound is what makes this such a classic to me. Besides all of the sentimental attachment I have to this album, the biggest influence it had on me was that sonically, it was like nothing else.

It proved that hip-hop had matured to a point where you can defy the standard and rap over MUSIC. This was music. These beats kind of set a marker for Nas. He became known for picking these melodious instrumentals to tell these cinematic story raps over and it was a perfect marriage.  The beats on this album were straight up Beautiful! haha!

Nowadays you only hear these kinds of beats on underground projects and rarely on Major releases. Yet ironically, these are the very kinds of beats that are behind most peoples favorite songs on most albums. Those songs that are the most memorable, and have the most feeling to them. Almost every song on this album had that kind of sound.

Some of the beats outshadow the rhymes due to Nas’ habit to dip into non-sequitters and randomness, not to mention overall unbelievable claims ( “Take it in blood” being a prime example), But my favorite moments are when he gets it just right and makes perfect sense all throughout one song with the perfect beat. The next best thing is when enough of the verses are followable and it’s just that damn dope that you don’t even care if it’s the most authentic or logical.

Having that said, my favorite songs off of this album are

“Black Girl Lost”

“Watch Them Niggas”

of course this hidden gem that only the cassette holders (such as myself) knew about – “Silent Murder”.

Despite all my perceived gripes with this body of work, it remains the very album that started my collection and began my journey. Anybody who knows me knows that I have a Love-Hate relationship with Nas and it’s due to his inconsistency of Character, and sometimes hunger (“Live Nigga Rap” is the only track on the album where he doesn’t sound asleep. Maybe Mobb Deep put the battery in his back). I would say he’s a victim of how people envision him as some kind of prophetical griot who is just so deep, but he Fuels and fosters that very idea himself in the midst of delivering the most blatant contradictions hip-hop has ever seen way beyond anything 2pac could have done. He’s shown that he wants to be considered the King of New York as bad as Jay or Big wanted to, he just dressed it up with less glitzy fanfare and didn’t say it straightforward. He rarely says anything straightforward!

But it’s all because he’s a hodgepodge of things. As noted on the album he exhibits this himself when he professes “I’m all about techs, good jux and sex, Israelite books…” when you start a sentence off like that, where the fuck else can you possibly be going??

While he may not be My Favorite rapper, he is definitely one of my biggest influences, and this album changed my life and the way I view rap albums forever.

If  I may be bold enough to rate it on my 16 Candles scale, I would say it falls just short of Phenomenal and give it 12 Candles out of a possible

4, 8, 12 or 16.

4(Classic Just because where it stands in Hip-Hop, whether it be the time of it’s release, it’s influence, or the popularity of it’s singles overall)

8(Classic because it was solid for it’s time, but may be a little dated or less than amazing by today’s standards)

12(Classic as a complete release and probably celebrated widely on the surface, but possibly lacking one key element – be it one song that doesn’t fit, a wack guest appearance, lyrics, lack of depth or beats)

16(Classic all around)

I could not have imagined these two as once being the best of friends.

In this buddy crime comedy, hard feelings must be set aside when undercover cop Rock Keats (Damon Wayans) is first shot by small-time crook Archie Moses (Adam Sandler), then forced to team up with the bungling oaf when both men are targeted by crime boss Frank Colton (James Caan). Upon Rock’s release from the hospital, he finds out that Colton’s hit men are after him and Archie. High jinks ensue when the dueling duo run from the baddies.

First of all this film’s premise is the same exact premise that I have seen over and over again. Two buddies pull crimes together and one’s actually a cop, oh what a time of inventiveness!

The whole film is not about this over-used premise though, it’s just basically a story that jokes can work out of. The jokes that happen in this movie are rarely ever funny, and are just put in to show if Sandler and Wayans can actually make a good comedy with just their own ad-libbing. However, it fails, with way too many sex and fart jokes this film started to really become an annoyance for me.

The one big problem with this film is that it’s leading actors are very funny in a lot of other material, but in this they don’t show one bit of good chemistry. I didn’t feel like these guys we’re ever once friends in their life. Sandler is funny in this at times, and I found him to be a lot better than Wayans, but really if you think about it Sandler isn’t that much of hard ass to be a drug dealing criminal.

There is one part that I actually thought was fresh when in the beginning of the film I think I saw Wayans accidentally slip up, and how they left it in there. This felt fresh and I wish there was more of this freshness to this film, but every time it get’s knocked back down with lame jokes and even lamer action.

There is one part that I really felt was great and showed how much of a superstar Sandler really is. But I can’t speak about it anymore and let me just show you:

Consensus: Bulletproof features some good stuff from Sandler, but is weighed down by a horrible script, bad chemistry, and an even worse premise.

2/10=SomeOleBullShitt!!!!!!