Monday Lesson From History

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What else is left to be said regarding the horror of the attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001? What strikes me most about the above image is the sky. The sky is amazingly clear, a crisp, unblemished blue background shockingly disrupted by the ugly explosion in the foreground. This says it all, the sky representing the peaceful world Americans thought they lived in, before never really experiencing terror within our borders. And this peace has just been destroyed in the most grotesque way, as the explosion sends our country and culture into a world from which we thought we were protected. Media ‘protected’ us from certain images that day, but they need to be seen to remember exactly what happened, and what changed us.

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Provider v. Physician

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Lots of discussion on twitter regarding the use of the term ‘provider’ when it is applied to physicians. As usual, there are exaggerated responses on all sides. I do believe it is a bothersome term for many reasons. It obviously was generated by some admin types as the spectrum of medical care has been industrialized and micromanaged. When looking over balance sheets it was made easier for the bean counters to lump anyone who interacts with patients into the ‘provider’ category, as they tally up where they can cut resources here and boost revenue there. Is the term as offensive to a physician as the term ‘nigger’ is to a black person, as some have implied? Or for that matter as offensive as the term ‘kike’ to a Jew, or ‘cracker’ to a southerner? Hardly, and that type of overreaction immediately prevents the argument against the term from being taken seriously. I have fortunately engaged with administrators who understand the pride doctors have in being called physicians, and realize the provider term can be at its worst insulting. I refuse to respond to those that lump me into that designation, but I will not be offended by the word. Those that apply it to physicians demonstrate their laziness and ignorance of language, but I will not rise to their bait and lose my ability to respond rationally. Do I like the term? No. But let us discuss it with reason and not hyperbole.

Album Review Friday

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#10 Couldn’t Stand The Weather - Stevie Ray Vaughan

#9 Let It Be - The Replacements

#8 Learning To Crawl - The Pretenders

#7 The Smiths

#6 Born In The USA - Bruce Springsteen

#5 Reckoning - REM

#4 The Unforgettable Fire - U2

#3 How Will The Wolf Survive? - Los Lobos

#2 RUN-D.M.C.

#1 Purple Rain - Prince And The Revolution

1984 began as the year of Michael Jackson as his album Thriller dominated the pop world, sitting atop the Billboard charts for the first fifteen weeks of the year. To consider that 1984 would end commanded by an artist even more influential is a thought that would have been unbelievable at the time.  Yet by years end, Prince would control both the music and film world with his masterpiece album by the same name, Purple Rain.  Not only did the album spend the last twenty-two weeks of the year as number one, but two singles reached number one and one reached number two.  The movie itself did not fare too badly, either. It reached number one knocking off Ghostbusters, and went on to be the eleventh highest grossing film of the year.  If that were not enough, there was one week in the summer of 1984 when America switched from red, white and blue to purple.  Prince became the first solo artist to have the number one album, the number one single, and the number one movie.  All at the same time. 

 Prince could not have been more of a contrast to Jackson, both in his music style and methods.  Where Jackson worked with a team of songwriters and musicians, in addition to legendary producer Quincy Jones, to create Thriller, Purple Rain was Prince’s project from start to finish.  Though this was the first album Prince gave his band The Revolution a well deserved featured billing, he wrote all the songs, played lead guitar, back up guitar, keyboards and supplied lead vocals.  Oh, and he also produced the album, in addition to starring in the film that generated the soundtrack.  Though he was already a notorious workaholic before 1984, these efforts only confirmed his ability to master multiple talents and see them to brilliant completion.    

Most of the albums that made this top ten list did so by excelling in a specific genre, whether it was hip-hop, rock or blues. What makes Prince such a legendary musician is that on Purple Rain he shows his mastery of multiple styles, from guitar rock to soul to pop to funk.  The album opens with the instant classic “Let’s Go Crazy”.  Though it starts off with a sermon, the song is nothing you would ever hear in church.  Prince uses his rock guitar chops to tell us we are all going to die so we better live and enjoy life now.  And if you do not enjoy his guitar solo at the end of “Let’s Go Crazy” (easily the best guitar solo of 1984 if anyone is checking) than you certainly are not living. 

His ability to switch styles is demonstrated on the love song “The Beautiful Ones” .  Slowed down from the frenetic pace of “Let’s Go Crazy”, Prince delivers the lyrics with a soulful sincerity.  And his passionate howls as the song concludes are not filler or fake, as they represent the emotion felt not only by the character he’s singing for, but the emotion he clearly put into this entire project.  

Prince does not shortchange us on danceable club songs, something he was known for both on his recordings and in his live performances.  Tracks such as “Computer Blue” and “Darling Nikki” have enough guitar and synthesizer fuzz that seem to demand to be played at a party with the volume turned up loud.  But he also masters the ballad, evident in his performance of “When Doves Cry”.  Prince the vocalist delivers a passionate performace while Prince the guitarist plays bursts of Hendrix-style riffs throughout that support but do not overwhelm the track, creating an effect likely due to Prince the producer. 

There are innumerable three minute rock songs that can not end soon enough, that overstay their welcome after the first verse.  It is the rare rock song that clocks in at eight minutes and leaves the listener wanting more, hoping the fade out is just a tease into yet another brilliant verse or solo.  Maybe the best example of this is the final track on the album, the title track “Purple Rain”.  Prince redefines the power ballad, setting the bar to almost unreachable heights as he turns in his best vocal performance on the album.  Verses are delivered with tight vocals that are not overwrought, and the choruses have enough emotion to convey sincerity without being forced.  And the guitar work?  One criticism could be that it is indulgent, but if so, please sir may I have some more?  (If you have never witnessed his performance of this song at the 2007 Super Bowl halftime show, likely the greatest of all halftime concerts, then please enjoy the video below.  I guarantee that when it is over you will watch it again. )

All of Prince’s talents are on display for us to enjoy on the song “Purple Rain”, and not only does the track stand by itself, it wraps up all of the emotion of the whole album into eight glorious minutes. And the words he sings not only speak to the themes of the album, but also predict the future of music. 

 

                                                Honey I know, I know, I know times are changing

                                                It’s time we all reach out for something new

                                                That means you too

                                                You say you want a leader…

                                                And let me guide you to the purple rain

 

 After Purple Rain popular music would change, with Prince leading the way.  The album would sell almost 30 million copies, win Prince a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance and win him an Oscar for Best Original Song Score.  It is consistently ranked one of the best rock albums ever, and inarguably was the best album of 1984.  

Monday Lesson From History

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The old trope is that history repeats itself. While certainly true, almost as dependable is that Hollywood will sacrifice creativity for dollars. I do not need to expand on that idea anymore than has already been done, but simply look at the glut of Marvel movies, Star Wars movies, and pretty much anything that may resemble a film that made money in the past. And now Hollywood has latched on to rock star biopics, certainly coming off the financial success of 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody which told the story of Queen frontman Freddy Mercury. This was followed by Rocketman, the 2019 movie about the life of pop superstar Elton John. You can almost hear the studio moguls screaming “Get us a rockstar movie, pronto!” as they chomp the last inch of their soggy cigars. Which explains the recently announced project on the life of David Bowie, or at least a significant segment of his life when he was at his creative peak in the early 1970s. And what could be more ironic than a movie company following the herd and making a film about one of the most uniquely creative artists in music history? Of course, all judgement on the quality of the movie is held until it is released. But the idea itself seems lazy and safe. If Bowie (and history) taught us nothing, is that it is better be hardworking, creative, unique and true to yourself.

Album Review Friday

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#10 Couldn’t Stand The Weather - Stevie Ray Vaughan

#9 Let It Be - The Replacements

#8 Learning To Crawl - The Pretenders

#7 The Smiths

#6 Born In The USA - Bruce Springsteen

#5 Reckoning - REM

#4 The Unforgettable Fire - U2

#3 How Will The Wolf Survive? - Los Lobos

#2 RUN-D.M.C.

In 1982 the popular music scene was thankfully infiltrated by a fresh sound unfamiliar to the typical listener of American radio.  Though it only reached #62 on the pop charts, “The Message” from Grandmaster and The Furious Five marked a revolution in music.  A seven minute rap song that was getting play (albeit infrequently) and attention from rock music stations was almost unimaginable.   “The Message” was raw and blunt, with lyrics that detailed the specific brutality of daily life in America’s inner cities.  But even with the success of “The Message”, the rap genre’s entry into the popular music scene stalled.  Two years later however all would change when three artists from Queens, New York released their debut album on March 27, 1984.  Run – D.M.C., composed of Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels and Jason Mizell became one of the most important groups of the late twentieth century as they brought hip hop music mainstream.  Eventually they would garner countless accolades, from being on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine to the only hip hop act to play 1985’s Live Aid.   Their self-titled debut album introduced most of America to the evolving music style of hip hop, and their impact on popular music can not be overstated.  They were also that special group that not only impacted music but also popular culture.  Sure, other hip hop artist’s music soon was being played on radio stations due to Run-D.M.C.’s success.  But their Adidas sneakers with the laces untied, Lee jeans and black wardrobe adorned with the Oakland Raiders logo soon were a part of American pop style. 

 

Simmons (Run), McDaniels (D.M.C) and DJ Mizell (Jam Master Jay)  created a sound that was familiar to earlier rap, but at the same time completely original. Eschewing disco-like hooks and backbeats, they relied on Jam Master Jay to use sparse rock beats and percussion tracks to provide the foundation underneath the lyrics.  Jays contribution to their music has to be emphasized, as he found the right amount of music and beats to be the engine behind the lyrics being driven by Run and D.M.C.  Their style of ‘trade-off’ rapping, alternating lines and sometimes even single words soon became their signature, and this only succeeded with Jay’s masterful use of the underlying tracks.  This is seen most clearly in “Sucker MC’s”, where they attack those poseur rappers trying to imitate their sound with blistering lines that are more forceful due to the sparse percussion beat created by Jay.  Listen to the track, and you hear nothing but a simple drum beat which makes their message much more blistering.  

 

But they also innovated with their use of rock guitars and rhythms that would become so prevalent throughout their career. This would be the genesis to their 1986 smash collaboration with Aerosmith on “Walk This Way” and that style runs through the 1984 debut.  The albums second track, “Rock Box” makes it clear RUN-D.M.C. is here with an in-your-face sound that can not be ignored.  The opening phrase stands alone without music, before electric guitars blast in and keep the momentum of the song’s clear message that they are new kings of hip hop.  And this pattern extended beyond them, as the rock-rap connection would be used brilliantly by Beastie Boys who were coming up at the same time in the rich hip-hop scene of New York City. 

 

Either with heavy rock tones or bare drum backbeats, RUN-D.M.C carried on the tradition of using their music for social commentary.  Theirs was not music solely about women or getting high as so many rap critics believed.  They used their microphones to speak about the raw inner city troubles they grew up around, and to also speak to the people looking for hope to make it out like they did.  On “Wake Up” they sing about a perfect world seen in a dream, one where problems have disappeared to be replaced by “a feelin’ of peace all across the land”.  But this is presented as a dream they have had but that may not be reached,  as opposed to Martin Luther King’s famous ‘I have a dream’ speech.  MLK describes an aspiration for what America can achieve, while “Wake Up” describes a dream which is more of a mirage, as the visions of employment, peace and harmony are obviously not present in their reality.  

 

RUN-D.M.C. would go on to make albums that were more popular and financially successful than their debut, and it seems that their 1984 work is often forgotten in the shadow of those future records.  But while their second album was titled King of Rock, it was on their first where they rightfully laid claim to that title.  

Monday Lesson From History

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Pete Townsend of The Who takes flight

Pete Townsend of The Who takes flight

Fifty years ago, specifically August 15 through August 18 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair was held in the Catskills near Bethel, New York.  For five decades the American people have had this event crammed down its collective throat.  This concert has been hailed in songs, films, books, and magazines as a pivotal moment in the history of not only music but also politics and pretty all aspects of popular culture.   No doubt it represented a significant event as it featured many legendary acts of the 1960s, including The Who, Jimi Hendrix and The Band. 

 

But it is important in 2019 to realize that Woodstock should teach us that nothing is forever, times change and culture moves on. Hearing about Woodstock for the past fifty years has been exhausting.  It has been held up as an almost religious experience, an essential event in the understanding of America’s post World War II history.   Please.  Remember it for what it was, and move on.  And finally it seems that has happened. For a country that lives for sentimentalism, a concert to celebrate Woodstock’s fiftieth anniversary seemed to be a no brainer. But sadly, no.  Attempts to pull off a festival in its honor failed, due to mismanagement, poor planning and general lack of interest.  The lesson here is that no matter how important you think something is, that feeling will fade with time.  So simply enjoy it for what it was, and now maybe we can move on.   

Album Review Friday

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#10 Couldn’t Stand The Weather - Stevie Ray Vaughan

#9 Let It Be - The Replacements

#8 Learning To Crawl - The Pretenders

#7 The Smiths

#6 Born In The USA - Bruce Springsteen

#5 Reckoning - REM

#4 The Unforgettable Fire - U2

#3 How Will The Wolf Survive? - Los Lobos

If someone were asked to build a band that would make one of the best rock albums of the eighties, it would be unlikely their answer would be four Mexican Americans from California and a Jewish saxophonist from Philadelphia.  But that is exactly who Los Lobos were in 1984 when they released one of the finest albums of the year if not the decade.  How Will The Wolf Survive? was an unexpected breath of fresh air that swept in from Los Angeles and caught the popular music world off guard.  While the LA scene was certainly alive with groups such as The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Minutemen and Fishbone, it was the music of Los Lobos that rose above them all in 1984.   Their sound combined Americana country and blues, traditional rural Mexican folk, and just enough rock that made every song on How Will The Wolf Survive?  sound fresh, original and classic.  

 

Los Lobos was originally formed in the early 1970s, and quickly began experimenting with rock and roll intertwined with the traditional Mexican music of their youth.  David Hidalgo and Louie Perez started it all after meeting in high school in East Los Angeles, and enlisted Cesar Rosas and Conrad Lozano to complete the band. They took off slowly, but by the early ‘80s had attracted some attention in LA with their unique rock sound influenced by Mexican roots.  Eventually they hooked up with Steve Berlin, a saxophonist from Philadelphia, and the band created one of the finest collections of music heard in 1984.  

 

Famously inspired by a National Geographic article on the survival of the North American wolf, How Will The Wolf Survive? explodes out of the speakers with the hard edged “Don’t Worry Baby”.  Not a band to hind behind too much metaphor, they make it clear that they want to tell their story, the story of how difficult life’s struggle can be for Mexican-Americans.  Rosas minces no words when he snarls –

 

                        Don’t worry baby

                        What the world will bring

                        Don’t worry baby

                        Wouldn’t change a thing

                        Life is a fight

                        And then you die

 

And by track two, you already witness the flexibility of their talent, as they quickly pivot into a softer, country blues song to tell the story of a man trying to find the best for his family. “A Matter Of Time” has some of the most beautiful music on the album, and the sincerity of the vocals only serve to drive home the story’s message.  But though they wanted to show their rock and country talents, they take every necessary opportunity to flex their traditional Mexican folk muscles.  “Corrido #1” is probably the tightest mix of rock n roll with Mexican folk. Its relentless beat, driven by Hidalgo’s accordion,  turns it into the song to turn up loud whenever a party starts to drag and you need everyone dancing.  “Serenata Nortena” continues the folk tradition, with more accordion and Rojas’ Spanish lyrics creating a tune that slows down and speeds up with the rhythm of a locomotive chugging down the tracks. They roll this train into “Evangeline” which is two minutes of  rockabilly that is instantly fun, danceable and shows off the guitar chops of Hidalgo. Following “Lil’ King Of Everything”, a pretty Mexican roots instrumental, we reach the final and maybe best song on the album.  “Will The Wolf Survive?” captures the essence of why this album is so wonderful.  The songwriting hits all the marks, telling the story of the Mexican immigrants’ determination to preserve their family and heritage in a world that always seems to be against them.   The lyrics are poignant and the music strengthens what is an apt finish to an almost perfect album.  

 

Los Lobos would reach higher public acclaim later in the 1980s when their version of “La Bamba” , off of the movie’s soundtrack,  reached number one.  But creatively their work would never exceed that of How Will The Wolf Survive?. This album succeeded on all levels, with crisp songwriting and accomplished musicianship creating songs that remain a joy to listen to over thirty years later. 

Album Review Friday

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#10 Couldn’t Stand The Weather - Stevie Ray Vaughan

#9 Let It Be - The Replacements

#8 Learning To Crawl - The Pretenders

#7 The Smiths

#6 Born In The USA - Bruce Springsteen

#5 Reckoning - REM

#4 The Unforgettable Fire - U2

Although one of the most popular and biggest selling acts of the past thirty years, U2’s creative efforts rarely attract universal praise.  While some artists have albums that seem to be loved and admired by all (Springsteen’s Born To Run, the Stones’ Let It Bleed for example) each U2 album almost always has a love or hate critical reaction.  Probably their most universally appreciated album was 1983’s War, which became their first number one album in the UK largely due to the anthems “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “New Year’s Day”.  The music on War is aggressive, political, and angry, which pretty much described the band’s identity at the time.  But their next effort remains a flashpoint of criticism even three decades later.  The Unforgettable Fire, released in 1984, is one of those albums the listener either loves or hates, either listens to regularly or rarely can stomach more than a few tracks.  Count me in to the former, as it is not only one of my favorite U2 albums, it is clearly one of the best albums of 1984.  

 

Great artists do not follow the predictable path. Dylan went electric, the Stones embraced country, the Who wrote an opera.  U2 fell into that lineup with The Unforgettable Fire.  It would have been all too easy to come out with another War, another album of stadium friendly, angry and bombastic political songs (do not forget, the four members of U2 are Irish).  Instead, The Unforgettable Fire is, I believe, one piece of music divided into ten chapters that together deliver a message on life’s spirituality and fragility.  Recall, they began as a band with strong Christian influences, and God and religion have been a continuous theme in their music.  On The Unforgettable Fire U2 puts their struggle with religion and their own future front and center.  

 

Have no doubt, though, that U2 was still a confident and arrogant band.  They had to be to release an album filled with atmospheric and panoramic sounds that on first listen seemed to stray from their prior work.  But the music on The Unforgettable Fire really is not much of a departure as the critics would have you think. Listen to “The Ocean” or “An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart” off of their debut album Boy and you hear similar ambient soundscapes that permeate so much of The Unforgettable Fire.  This is a band in evolution, confident to stretch their talent and experiment rather than settle for the sure thing that worked in the past.  They created a story on this album, and to appreciate each chapter it is essential to look at each song and how it contributes to the narrative.  

 

A Sort of Homecoming – The opening track.  The grandeur of the slow lead in bolstered by Larry Mullen’s persistent drumbeat sounds like he’s announcing the arrival of a marching army. And that is exactly what is happening. U2 is declaring their arrival, and Bono is clear that they have struggled with the rock star/spirituality conflict but are moving on when he sings “on borderland we run/And still we run, we run and don’t look back”.  The song is less heralded than other stadium pleasers, but is one of their very best. 

 

Pride (In The Name of Love) – Their first US top forty hit, and deservedly so.  Probably the most ‘traditional’ U2 song on the album.  Edge provides guitar work that sounds like it will explode any second, but never gives in which creates a tension that is matched by the simple yet profound lyrics from Bono.  Clearly describing the pain of Martin Luther King Jr’s assasination

 

Wire – Coming off two epic tracks “Wire” sneaks up on the listener expecting relief only to be met by Adam Clayton’s thunderous bass line that gives this track energy and spirit.  Even with that groove the lyrics return to life and its struggles, this time supposedly about drug use the cost of the wrong choices.  “Throw your life away/Such a nice day…So lay me down/The longest sleep”.

 

The Unforgettable Fire – The album is often described as atmospheric, and the title track certainly is responsible for that description.  It is the first song of the album to truly have that ethereal feel to it, with guitar and drums taking a backseat to synthesizers. The music and Bono’s vocals work together to create musical imagery unlike anything the band had made up to that point. 

 

Promenade – A little over two minutes but just enough time to create a dreamy feel of Bono’s reportedly improvised lyrics.  Edge fills just enough space to match the words that again reflect their focus on life and what comes after.  “Earth, sky, sea and rain/Is she coming back again?/I’d like to be around in a spiral staircase/To the higher ground”

 

4thOf July – An instrumental piece that opens side two of the album, continuing the scaled down more atmospheric sound.  Reportedly recorded by their producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois without the band’s knowledge, it is primarily Clayton’s bass line slowly weaving between skeletal riffs from Edge’s guitar.  Its place on the album is crucial and why it is so important, because it almost bleeds right into the first notes of the next track that take that simple rhythm and expand into an unmatched classic.  

 

Bad – An instant classic, the song is a thinly veiled narrative of a struggle with heroin addiction, written about a personal friend of Bono’s who died of an overdose.  The repetitive guitar riff from Edge would become a staple of future U2 songs, but here it appears in its original form.  The song builds behind the power of Clayton’s bass beat and Mullen’s relentless rhythm and climaxes with Bono’s sincere cry of being ‘wide awake’ to the tragedy around him.  This remains U2’s best, and certainly is in the conversation of greatest rock song ever with “Gimme Shelter” from The Rolling Stones and “Like A Rolling Stone” from Dylan.  The live version consistently get more praise than the album track, and their performance at Live Aid is legendary.  

 

Indian Summer Sky – The song begins as if the listener came in late, with the beat sounding like a horse galloping from a distance and approaching at a breakneck pace.  And that pace does not slow, with Bono delivering the lyrics with urgency as Clayton’s bass propels the song to an exhaustive finish.  

 

Elvis Presley And America  -  Probably the most criticized song on the album, this is reportedly Bono adlibbing vocals to an altered rework of the backing track from “A Sort Of Homecoming”. It is actually an essential chapter to their story on this album, and its position on the album allows the listener to come down from the frenetic track before it and prepare for the conclusion that is soon to come.  It also is the clearest example of the band’s new fascination with America, which would be front and center on their next two releases The Joshua Tree and Rattle And Hum. 

 

MLK – I see this song in the same vein as “40” from the album War.  A tribute to Martin Luther King, the music and Bono’s gentle vocals drive home what becomes a spiritual requiem to their hero.  It is a fitting and audacious song to close the album, and emotionally leaves you exhausted, spent, but at the same time energized.   

 

The Unforgettable Fire was recorded in a castle, a fitting setting for four Irishmen that were ready to battle to be the best rock band in the world. The album, tour, and Live Aid performance would put them in contention for that title.  And this was possible because they pushed themselves to change, to defy expectations, to try and make themselves better than they even thought they could be.  To look at this album as ten separate songs that do not sound like the U2 of War is a mistake.  This is a ten chapter story, a story of struggle with the temptations of life’s reality, and the struggle of a band searching for greatness. 

Wednesday Wisdom

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What you swiftly realize if you peek over the wall of your own immediate neighborhood or environment, and travel beyond it, is, first, that we have a huge surplus of people who wouldn’t change anything about the way they were born, or the group they were born into, but second that “humanity” (and the idea of change") is best represented by those who have the wit not to think, or should I say feel, in this way.

Christopher Hitchens, Letters To A Young Contrarian

Monday Lesson From History

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I leave this week’s Lesson From History to Rick Perry, former governor of Texas. He wrote this article about Ross Perot shortly after Perot’s death last month. “We need more of this” just does not seem adequate.

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This week, the nation remembers Ross Perot for his success in business, his two independent White House bids and his no-nonsense, straight Texas talk. His love of country, larger-than-life personality and generosity are all part of his legacy that will live on. But there is another little-known part of the life of Ross Perot that should be told now that he is gone. He was a tireless, but private, supporter of our wounded veterans.

During my time as governor of this great state, I had the honor and privilege of knowing countless warriors who stepped forward to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan and returned home with horrific wounds of war. U.S. Army Cpl. Alan Babin Jr. is one such hero.

While serving in Iraq in 2003 as a medic in the 82nd Airborne, Alan was shot in the abdomen while tending to a fallen comrade. While Alan survived his injury, he faced a long and difficult road to recovery, complicated by the onset of meningitis and a stroke-induced coma that left him confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

On the one-year anniversary of his wounding, I joined Alan and his family for a small gathering. He was still in very bad shape, neurologically and physically incapacitated. When I asked his mother, Rosie,  what I could do to help, she said she was eager to get him out of the hospital and back home, but struggling with the prospect of transporting Alan to his many medical visits.

I knew there was one person to call: Ross Perot. What happened next still amazes me to this day. The next morning, Ross personally called Rosie and made arrangements for his plane to pick up the Babins in Austin and fly them to Dallas where Alan could be seen by leading neurologists at Zale Lipshy University Hospital.

When the hospital elevators opened, Ross was standing there to meet Alan personally and ensure that he got the best of care. Later that day, Rosie was handed a key to a hotel room across the street so she could be close to Alan throughout his extended stay.

It didn't stop there.

When Rosie returned to the family home in Round Rock for her daughter's prom, Ross visited privately with Alan to sit with him and make sure he wasn't alone.

After three weeks in Dallas, Alan and Rosie returned home to Austin on Ross' plane. When they arrived home, a fully customized luxury conversion van equipped with a wheelchair lift was waiting for them in their driveway.

Later when they spoke, Ross told Rosie two things: "One phone call is all you ever need to make if you need anything. Now, I want you to focus on Alan." And that is exactly what happened.

In 2005, when Alan needed to return to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Ross flew the Babins to Washington, D.C., and arranged for a private ambulance to pick him up on the tarmac and transport him to the hospital.

Today, Alan and his parents live together in a specially adapted smarthome provided by the generosity of another great champion of our wounded warriors, Gary Sinise. Thanks to the support of patriots like Gary and Ross, Alan has progressed in his limited physical ability to become an accomplished adaptive skier, hand cyclist and golfer.

Over the years, Rosie has come to call those who rushed to Alan's aid "Alan's Angels," but the title "Big Angel" is and will forever be reserved for Ross Perot.

While alive, Ross would have shunned any effort to grant him credit for his support of Alan and the untold others he quietly helped through unimaginably challenging times. But now that he is gone, everyone should know the quality of the man that our state, our nation and our wounded veterans have lost.

God bless Ross Perot.



Album Review Friday

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#10 Couldn’t Stand The Weather - Stevie Ray Vaughan

#9 Let It Be - The Replacements

#8 Learning To Crawl - The Pretenders

#7 The Smiths

#6 Born In The USA - Bruce Springsteen

#5 Reckoning - REM

The origin of the alternative country (alt-country) sound is typically credited to Uncle Tupelo in the early 1990s.  They were able to successfully combine the simple yet sincere songwriting of artists like Hank Williams with music infused with the edginess of punk and rock and roll. While many before them had fused country music with rock, it was Uncle Tupelo’s debutNo Depression that is often considered the first album that crystallized the alt-country sound.  But the argument can be made that the true origin of alt-country traces back to REM’s second full length album Reckoning, released in 1984.  On Reckoning,REM merged simple yet heartfelt lyrics with by a unique straightforward rock sound that certainly has its inspiration in both the punk and country scenes of the 1970s.  While they would show flashes of this style across their later recordings, it is the beauty of the ten songs that comprise Reckoningwhich make it one of the best albums released in 1984.  

 

Before Reckoning, REM was known most for the muddled and often incomprehensible vocals from their frontman Michael Stipe. While their debut album Murmur received widespread praise, it was often tempered with the difficulty most had with actually appreciating lyrics that could not be understood.  Murmur certainly showed REM’s unique sound but was too inconsistent to predict success for a band that was little more than a darling of college radio stations.  But with Reckoning, REM declared themselves as the alternative rock band to pay attention to, for the sound on this album would inspire and influence bands for the rest of the decade and beyond.  Stipe’s vocals are clear, Peter Buck’s guitar sound and talent is mature, and Mike Mills’ bass with Bill Berry’s drums provide a dynamic foundation to what would become possibly the best alternative album of the 1980s.  

 

While Stipe gets the credit the vocal power behind the songs on Reckoning, listening to the album again reveals how much Mills’ harmonies add to the texture of the music.  Just listen to “Pretty Persuasion” as Stipe’s almost flat delivery is elevated every time Mills comes in with his backing parts.  This combo is put to perfection on the opening track, “Harborcoat”.  It is Mills’ counterpoint to Stipe’s lines that make the song so interesting and layered.  Whether the song is really about Anne Frank or the Russian Revolution does not matter, it catches you and tells you this album is going to be worth a full listen. 

 

The content of the lyrics do not get lighter, as topics include the untimely death of a friend in “So. Central Rain” and failed relationships in the dark but beautiful “Camera”.  But regardless of the content, the music remains consistent. While sometimes criticized for ‘all sounding the same’, it is this unique sound that gives the album its beauty. One track blends into the next, and the bright guitar sounds of Buck provide the thread that connects them all. That sunny Rickenbacker tone set REM apart in the 1980s, and it became a signature of their future albums. 

Probably the biggest hit off Reckoningis a prime example of how the band  had already grown into their sound and was willing to experiment.  “Don’t Go Back To Rockville” is an instantly catchy song, with easy sing-along choruses, and certainly has the Buck guitar signature all over it.  But it is the backing piano and country flavor that give it enough texture to make it more than just a catchy pop song.  And this combination would be seen more on their next few records, which were their peak.  Fables Of The Reconstruction and Life’s Rich Pageant really show REM at their creative best, balancing the deep sound with enough rock and pop to make the albums interesting decades later.  They lost that ability to check their pop indulgences with later recordings, most famously on Document, Green and Out Of Time.While more commercially successful, they lost the artistry that made the early albums so special.  They would not find that perfect recipe again until 1992’s Automatic For The People, which became one of their finest.  

 

REM was certainly one of the most influential bands of the 1980s, and with Reckoningdemonstrated their unique, individual sound.  The sincerity of their songwriting coupled with the straightforward guitar centered music influenced bands for years to come, and made Reckoning one of the best albums of 1984, if not the decade.  

Monday Lesson From History

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On June 28, 1941 Lyndon Johnson was about to become the youngest senator in Texas history.  The day of the election, emboldened by a large vote lead from early precinct reporting, he allowed his staff to publicly release the numbers of votes he was in front.  At his campaign headquarters, his staff began partying and carrying him around on their shoulders in victory.  But it was not to be.  In the cutthroat world of Texas politics, and early vote count only served to tell your opponent how many votes they would need to ‘find’ in order to secure their own victory.  And that is exactly what happened.  LBJ’s opposition had enough time to collect just enough votes secure a comfortable lead. Governor W. Lee “Pappy” O’Daniel would be the next senator from Texas, and LBJ would learn the lesson of celebrating too early.  This is most visible in the world of sport, and one that never seems to be fully appreciated. 

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Album Review Friday

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#10 Couldn’t Stand The Weather - Stevie Ray Vaughan

#9 Let It Be - The Replacements

#8 Learning To Crawl - The Pretenders

#7 The Smiths

#6 Born In The USA - Bruce Springsteen

Up until now the albums chosen on this list have been defended for their position, their claim to the spot on the ten best records released in 1984.  With number six, it almost seems necessary to explain why it is not among the top two or three.  An honest dilemma for sure, especially if you just look at the numbers.  Thirty million copies sold.  Seven top ten singles.  Number one on album charts all over the world.  One of the best selling albums of all time.  Consistently ranked among the top albums ever.  But consistency is exactly why it does not place at the top of this list.  Born In The USA, the seventh studio album by Bruce Springsteen, is not only inconsistent, it is not even his best display of musicianship or songwriting.  As well, looking back thirty five years, it marks a turn in his career that may not represent a positive change in his music, although it did turn him into an international icon.  That story is beyond the scope of this article, but while an excellent and often glorious album to listen to, Born In The USA has too many missteps to rise higher than sixth place.  

 

Born In The USA would change Springsteen’s music forever.  It is the last album to feature the core E Street band,  that power backing group that provided such energy and life to his studio albums and legendary live shows.  Clarence Clemons, Roy Bittan, Garry Tallant, Danny Federici and Max Weinberg would all be cast aside following this album, only to be used in sparse combinations until the reunion tours over ten years later.  And the album was so impactful and pervasive, all of Bruce’s music afterwards has to be viewed in its reflection.  Is his career after 1984 better or worse because of Born In The USA? That certainly is debatable. 

 One dilemma in ranking albums is the conflict of consistency.   Does a ten song album lose stature if nine songs are great and one is unlistenable? Do all the songs have to be great for an album to be considered one of the best?  I believe this is so, that all the songs have to be excellent at a minimum, have some value they add to the entire work or else the album loses its importance. And this is the case with Born In The USA.  Broadly it is a fantastic album, well worth its praise.  But there are glaring weaknesses in the songwriting and production that weaken the entire project, which limit its rank among 1984’s greatest.  Let’s examine those weaknesses first.  

 While the album begins with a thunderclap, the title song is followed by “Cover Me”, maybe the most misplaced song of Springsteen’s career.  More fitting for his “LA Bruce” years of the early 1990s, this song, which he originally wrote for Donna Summer, does not belong on this album.  All the energy infused by the preceding “Born In The USA” is drained immediately by this clunker.  The lyrics are repetitive, as is the music.  While there are flashes of impressive guitar work, they do not overcome the boring backbeat that just seems uninspired.  “I’m On Fire”, which closes out side one, is a song of unquenched desire backed by simple guitar and synthesizer.  But the message is not delivered, as the production seems empty, without soul or heart that is needed to support the lyrics.  A more fitting song would have been “Fire”, a staple of Springsteen’s live shows that carries the drama that “I’m On Fire” just does not have.  The most glaring misstep is the album’s first single, “Dancing In The Dark”.  The second side to Born In The USA is brilliant, and “Dancing In The Dark” is the reason why it falls short of perfection.  Reportedly the last song to be recorded, when Bruce was instructed to write a pop song that could be a hit single, “Dancing In The Dark” leaves the listener empty.  The lyrics feel rushed, the production is synthesizer heavy and slick.  It is unlike any song on the album, and not in a good way.  It would be redeemed in later years with an energized live version, but that is not the song that brings the album’s greatness down a notch. 

But there is so much that makes this album special, and one worth revisiting three decades after its release.  The title song is a tour de force, kicked off by an anthemic synthesizer and drum riff that begins four minutes of pure energy and power that made the live shows of Bruce and the E Street Band legendary.  I will not go into the politics around the song, and how it was so often misunderstood as jingoistic, but it is a good example of Bruce’s tendency to mismatch his music with his lyrics.  He has been criticized for combining upbeat music when the songwriting describes despair or heartbreak.  Just listen to “Hungry Heart” from 1980, as the singer tells the tale of an affair and leaving his family while the upbeat melodies inspire fist-pumping dancing whenever its played live. 

 Two songs on side one, though, show Bruce at his best, using his writing to tell simple stories transformed into beautiful songs.  “Darlington County” and “Working On The Highway” are a joy to listen to as they show off the skills of the band and its leader at their peak.  “Darlington County” echoes the lighthearted melodies of “Sherry Darling” off of The River, Bruce’s double album masterpiece from 1980. “Working On The Highway” seems to be from the same vein, and comes across as the more danceable than “Dancing In The Dark”. 

The songs of the album’s second half, excluding “Dancing In The Dark”, show the strength of the band coming together delivering Bruce’s messages of the complexity of relationships, family, and the belief in oneself.    “No Surrender” is just an all out rocker, while “Bobby Jean” is a triumphant sounding love song, though in this context a goodbye to Springsteen’s longtime bandmate and confidant Little Steven Van Zandt. And if you are not tapping your foot and singing along to “Glory Days” by the time the chorus comes around, check your pulse.  The album closes with “My Hometown”, which though a somewhat cheaper version of “Used Cars” from Bruce’s Nebraska, it still is the right ending to the record.  The synthesizer is used well here, giving just enough background to Springsteen’s description of the despair of economic, political and racial hardship.  

 

Born In The USA was Springsteen’s most accessible record and the effects of becoming an international icon would impact him for the rest of  his career. While not his best work (listen to The River to hear him at top form) it deserved much of the accolades it received and can be considered one of the best of 1984.  

Monday Lesson From History

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I came across a very good piece recently in the online magazine Areo, “What the Intellectual Dark Web Can Learn from Orwell”.  A thoughtful discussion on the intellectual dark web and tribal politics in the twenty first century, which uses several lessons from George Orwell to drive home its theme.  An important article to digest, even if I do not agree with all of author Matt Johnson’s points.   What he does seem to suggest though, is something that is essential to understand, and which has become a focal point of recent social politics.  That message is words matter.  What is written or said is hugely powerful, and to appreciate the importance of singular words and to read analytically is a skill not often emphasized.

Johnson calls out the IDW, prominent members including Jordan Peterson, Dave Rubin and Eric Weinstein, for not being consistent with their emphasis on free speech and avoiding inflammatory language.  Some of his examples are correct, some stretched to fit his theme, but still interesting to review.  But the takeaway for me is the reminder of how important language is in the age of identity politics.  I would hope all see the folly when the left labels anyone opposing any of their beliefs as “Hitler”.   Or the irony in masked Antifa rioters beating innocent bystanders in the name of fighting fascism.  Or the blatant ignorance in calling Orthodox Jew Ben Shapiro as an anti-semitic member of the alt-right.

But back to the importance of language.  Review this recent tweet from the Associated Press:

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Sounds as if Kennedy’s car had a mind of its own, crashed off a bridge and through the grace of luck Kennedy was able to survive.  The words used (intentionally, no doubt) gloss over that he was drunk, fled the scene leaving Kopechne to a death that almost certainly would have been avoided if he acted with the minimum concern for her life as opposed to his own reputation. 

 

A recent brief video on Jordan Peterson touches on the importance of words, inaccurate labels, and the power of distraction.  Words matter, and never doubt that more than ever it is essential to carefully choose every word one writes and more importantly analyze every word one reads.