Metal music - still in the thought stage

[marct]

the chorus resonates if you substitute 'you' for 'I.'

LOLOL - okay, I can see that ! Some of the other lyrics probably fit with general perceptions as well

Helter skelter in a summer swelter.
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter,
Eight miles high and falling fast.

and

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While the sergeants played a marching tune.
We all got up to dance,
Oh, but we never got the chance!
`cause the players tried to take the field;
The marching band refused to yield.
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?

I've got to ask - does an M-60 keep the rhythm during the song?

[Ken White]

...I've got to ask - does an M-60 keep the rhythm during the song?

so does an M 134 Minigun fired in bursts.

[marct]

so does an M 134 Minigun fired in bursts.

I can see the video now ! To bad YouTube wasn't around...

[Stan]

I've got to ask - does an M-60 keep the rhythm during the song?

Good question, and interestingly enough, there's a song reminiscent of gunfire (sorry, they weren't weapon specific in the early 70s).

Machine Gun (Commodores album)

The lead song features Milan Williams on clavinet, which led Motown executive Berry Gordy to the song "Machine Gun" as the clavinet work reminded him of gunfire.

[marct]

Good question, and interestingly enough, there's a song reminiscent of gunfire (sorry, they weren't weapon specific in the early 70s).

Machine Gun (Commodores album)

Interesting. The 70's and 80's seems somehat devoid of particular songs, except for a few classics that didn't get much mainstream play (I'm sutre and Tom remember this one!).

[Stan]

Interesting. The 70's and 80's seems somehat devoid of particular songs, except for a few classics that didn't get much mainstream play (I'm sutre and Tom remember this one!).

Fantastic blast from the past, Marc ! I listened to that several times at the Belgian military attache's house (despite the fact he had never seen a real Thompson (Zaire was mysteriously equipped with M3 greaseguns ).

BTW, Tom was our team's Warren Zevon fanatic

I'll assume you recall this famous song as well:

Machine Gun (Jimi Hendrix song) which debuted in 69 as a protest song to the Vietnam War

Machine gun
Tearin' my body all apart
Evil man make me kill you
Evil man make you kill me
Even though we're only families apart.
Well, I pick up my axe and fight like a farmer,
You know what I mean?
Hey, and your bullets keep knockin' me down..."

Hence the Geneva convention against using .50 cal on humans (forget that one).

[marct]

Fantastic blast from the past, Marc ! I listened to that several times at the Belgian military attache's house (despite the fact he had never seen a real Thompson (Zaire was mysteriously equipped with M3 greaseguns ).

BTW, Tom was our team's Warren Zevon fanatic

I can believe that -it's so "in character" !

I'll assume you recall this famous song as well:

Machine Gun (Jimi Hendrix song) which debuted in 69 as a protest song to the Vietnam War

Yup. Growing up in the '60's in Toronto (with a radical feminist for a mother) exposed me to a lot of the anti-war songs. By the time I was 12, I had Hair memorized .

One thing that has been floating around in my back brain is that therejust don't seem to be any major civilian songs about the current wars either pro or con. Okay, a few Dixie Chicks ones, but nothing like the 60's anti-war songs or the WW II songs (hey, unlike Ken, I do like Vera Lynn). I find that somehat indicative of a social disconnect, but I'm not sure what to make of it.

[Stan]

I can believe that -it's so "in character" !

Hmmm, don't tell Tom just yet !

Yup. Growing up in the '60's in Toronto (with a radical feminist for a mother) exposed me to a lot of the anti-war songs. By the time I was 12, I had Hair memorized .

I spent a few years in NE D.C. as a kid in the 60s.... only seems fair

One thing that has been floating around in my back brain is that therejust don't seem to be any major civilian songs about the current wars either pro or con. Okay, a few Dixie Chicks ones, but nothing like the 60's anti-war songs or the WW II songs (hey, unlike Ken, I do like Vera Lynn). I find that somehat indicative of a social disconnect, but I'm not sure what to make of it.

There's a few sites like this one Updates Anti-War Songs (ahem) Most Recent Major New Material. By no means hitting the Top 40's (whatsoever). Seems our Actors however are spending far too much time 'acting' and taking advantage of the current situation.

Top 10 Anti-War Movies

I guess -- by default -- the song writer could be considered a war monger or protester

[marct]

There's a few sites like this one Updates Anti-War Songs (ahem) Most Recent Major New Material. By no means hitting the Top 40's (whatsoever).

Hardly the power house that was running around in the '60's !

Seems our Actors however are spending far too much time 'acting' and taking advantage of the current situation.

Top 10 Anti-War Movies

I guess -- by default -- the song writer could be considered a war monger or protester

Well, folk songs especially have always played a pretty heavy role in that (despite Lehrer's jabs at them ). But even if we go back to Gulf War I, there was still a some songs that were heavily associated with the war in the civilian world that became icons, and we don't see that with these wars which makes me wonder.

[Rank amateur]

Jimi is always worth a look. He looks high as a kite, but he doesn't look like he'd be dead in three weeks.

Marc, don't forget Green Day. Here's a potential cause for the difference: no draft.

[marct]

Hi RA,

Marc, don't forget Green Day. Here's a potential cause for the difference: no draft.

Could be... I've been wracking my brain to try and list out some of the social differences and, in the US, the draft/no-draft is probably one, although that wouldn't effect Canada. What does strike me, however, is the political differences in the popular theorlogy. In the 1960's the popular theorlogy was Liberation Theology which gave a major moral boost to the anti-war movement, but today, the popular theology tends to be a variant of evangelical or charismatic Christianity which, as a political grouping, tends to be pro-war.

[wm]

Interesting. The 70's and 80's seems somehat devoid of particular songs, except for a few classics that didn't get much mainstream play (I'm sutre and Tom remember this one!).

MarcT,
I think your point here needs a lot of support. I could probably list many metal hits from the 70's and early 80's--let's just start with Machine Gun, Hendrix, '70; Iron Man, Black Sabbath, '71 Smoke on the Water, Deep Purple '72, Edgar Winter, Frankenstein, 1973; Golden Earring, Radar Love (not head-banging metal I admit), '74;Walk this Way, Aerosmith, '75(another iffy metal call, but metal in the 70's was not the same as metal in the 90's or the new millenium).

I was OCONUS 77-80 and forced to listen mostly to what AFRTS jammed into my ears or AAFES had in the PX as music so I am a little short off the top of my head for cutting edge metal for that time period.

[marct]

Hi WM,

I think your point here needs a lot of support. I could probably list many metal hits from the 70's and early 80's--let's just start with Machine Gun, Hendrix, '70; Iron Man, Black Sabbath, '71 Smoke on the Water, Deep Purple '72, Edgar Winter, Frankenstein, 1973; Golden Earring, Radar Love (not head-banging metal I admit), '74;Walk this Way, Aerosmith, '75(another iffy metal call, but metal in the 70's was not the same as metal in the 90's or the new millenium).

Sorry, I should have made that comment clearer - it was meant in the context of popular pro/anti-war songs. I'll certainly grant you Hendrix and Black Sabbath, although I'd query Smoke on the Water. Definitely agree with you on the differences in metal - I may not listen to it, but one of my students is a freakin' expert and I have to read his papers (and he plays it for me too, especially Burzum).

[wierdbeard]

As a big time audio-phile i was the goto guy for music in theatre, I had two major playlists for everyone, one was lots of heavy industrial, punk, and metal most guys would listen to that prior to heading out and the other was chillout electronica and trance that most listened to when they came back to settle the nerves a bit. I usually ran an Ipod through a FM transmitter to listen to stuff in my NTV, and did have a few very intense short playlists that we utilized during pre-dawn raids, played extremely loud through the PSYOPS guys speakers on their gun truck. If your interested i can email you these playlists.

[marct]

Definitely! PM sent!

[Stan]

If your interested i can email you these playlists.

Please email me too !

I recall my days along the MDL attempting to sleep as the North Korean loudspeakers blared their propaganda at all hours. Not one hint of music (unless you just got into that whining sound).

I reckon folks subjected to our PSYOPS had/have the same opinion, or, like most of us in Korea, it later merely lulled you into a deep sleep and literally became a routine.

Secret living in the Shadows - serving at the North Korea border - Brief Article