Technicolor Dreams

This picture makes me so happy by the way, I just LOVE this watch

  

  I've been freaking out lately due to school and whatnot, so I figured I'd vent in a blog post. As you all know, I hate the American education system, and think it's highly flawed. So I've been spending a ridiculously large amount of time on the internet lately in an attempt to calm myself down. In doing so I found a band on Spotify (follow mine here :) called Sweet that were dominant in the mid-seventies glam scene. They sound like an offspring of Cheap Trick and the Bay City Rollers to me, and I really like them. Plus, look at their outfits:

They're so glamtastic, it hurts.

 

  Seriously, who can't love these guys and their outfits? I really like their sound, and especially their look. It got me thinking about how much I love sixties and seventies technicolor (even though in the seventies technicolor wasn't being used as much, when it was used, it was FAB), so here's a tribute to the songs and images that've inspired me within the past 24 hours.

1. "Ballroom Blitz" by Sweet
2. "I Only Wanna Be With You" by the Bay City Rollers
3. "Just Got Back" by Cheap Trick
4. "Hi Hi Hi" by Paul McCartney & Wings
5. "Saturday Night" by the Bay City Rollers
6. "Fox on the Run" by Sweet
7. "Blister in the Sun" by the Violent Femmes
8. "Float On" by Modest Mouse
9. "No Sugar Tonight" by the Guess Who
10. "Ashes to Ashes" by David Bowie

I Bless the Rains Down in Africa..

My favorite picture ever: Paul McCartney last week visiting Elvis' grave in Graceland and placing a guitar pick on it. 

Okay so this picture refuses to be rotated so there's my Jimmy Page pin! The lighting is horrible but I made it myself and I'm proud.

  Motivation seems to be something I lack constantly. For me, the last day of school is June 24th, and I'm counting down the days. 21 more, that means three weeks exactly. I have physics testing tomorrow and Wednesday though, so I'm dreading the next week. But besides that, things are going a bit better. I smoked pot for the first time this weekend, so.. yeah, that's new. I'm praying I don't become one of those people who talks about it constantly. But already trying a bit of it makes me feel a whole lot more connected to the musicians of the sixties and seventies that I love and adore.

  Besides that, nothing really has been going on. I'm stressing over projects and finals, I worked seven hours straight yesterday (11-6), and I'm just really tired and sore right now, I guess. A lot of various images and thoughts have been swirling in my mind. I'm obsessed with Monty Python's Flying Circus right now, which has really helped me focus on schoolwork. (Can you sense my sarcasm..? Heh, I'm hilarious, I know.) The Beatles are an ever-growing obsession point in my mind once more, which is also grand, as listening to music makes it difficult for me to focus as well. I'm also loving this guy who makes super cool soap box cars. OH! and I have my Rolling Stones concert in NINE days. NINE! Super psyched about that. Okay yeah keep calm carry on blah blah blah xxx

 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So yeah that's life, enjoy some songs I've been obsessing over lately:

1. "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris
2. "Wild Thing" by The Troggs
3. "Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis Presley
4. "The Rover" by Led Zeppelin
5. "All of My Friends Were There" by The Kinks
6. "Doom and Gloom" by the Rolling Stones
7. "Africa" by Toto

Friday on My Mind

Hello everyone! My spring break officially starts on this Friday at 2:17, when school gets out. (By the way, I feel SO weird calling it "spring break," I usually just call it "April Vacation.") That being said, I have Friday on my mind. This post doesn't really have a point, actually; I just thought I'd use it as an excuse to tell you guys that I'm excited for a break from school, and that I'd share some pictures with you. These pictures have no real theme; Most of them are from Rookie or Tumblr. If you want a specific source from one just let me know and I can find it. Anyway, enjoy it.

 
  Since I was too lazy to make a playlist and upload it here this morning on my personal computer (mainly because I didn't know what my blogpost would be about), here is another manual one. I'm sorry I don't have the files on a site like 8tracks :( I've also included a playlist from playlist.com, I'm not sure how I like it yet. I'd appreciate feedback! I miss 8tracks so much, agh.

1. "Friday on My Mind" by The Easybeats
2. "I Wanna Be With You" by The Raspberries
3. "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) by Edison Lighthouse
4. "The Sun Ain't Shining No More" by The Asteroids Galaxy Tour
5. "I Want You" by Bob Dylan
6. "Humanoid Boogie" by The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
7. "Hurdy Gurdy Man" by Donovan
8. "Peaches En Regalia" by Frank Zappa
9. "Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)" by The Doors

OH! And this is my hair, for those of you who asked. K BYE HAVE A NICE DAY

Daydream Believers

Look how trippy this sleeve looks! How can you not dig it? :)

  Last year when I was obsessed with The Beatles (see previous post, haha), I naturally became obsessed with their almost knockoff band, The Monkees. Now, I am NOT saying that the Monkees were ripoffs. What I am saying is that they were very similar to The Beatles and were created to be a TV show version of the band.

The Monkees! From left to right: Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Peter Tork, Mike Nesmith

  For those of you who don't know the Monkees, they were a band that had their own TV show, which ran for two seasons from late 1966 to early 1968. There were four members- Mike Nesmith, the "leader," Micky Dolenz, the quirky also-sometimes-leader, Davy Jones, the lovable tiny one with a British accent, and Peter Tork, the slightly dumbed down yet just as lovable one. Their TV show episodes usually consisted of the group getting into typical sitcom drama, quirks and whatnot, which usually resulted in a song, performed by the band.

Look at those groovy hats!

  There are a few reasons why The Monkees receive so much hate. The first is because people believe they were directly copying The Beatles. Yes, there are a few similarities- Both band's names are about animals, they both misspell one letter in their band names on purpose, there are four members, each member took a turn at singing lead vocals, etc- but the bands are actually quite different. Whereas The Beatles got their start in Hamburg in the late 50's and early 60's performing both skiffle and rock n' roll, The Monkees started their career when sixties psychedelia was just blooming, and therefore most of their music was entirely psychedelic or poppy and upbeat. The Monkees as a band broke up in 1970, the same year as The Beatles. But I personally believe The Beatles had much more musically variety than The Monkees, as The Beatles covered not only psychedelia but also pop, soft rock, country (See "Don't Pass Me By, heh), hard rock, blues, ballads, and much more. That's not to say The Monkees were musically lacking, but of course, The Beatles covered more genres.

The Monkees on their beachy TV set. Groovy!

  Another reason people typically bash on The Monkees is because they were a band specifically created for a TV show. Whereas Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork identified themselves as musicians, Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones classified themselves as actors when asked. They were pieced together by producers rather than finding each other on their own and forming a band first. At first they also didn't play their own instruments on recordings and often didn't write their own lyrics, either. But after long struggles with their producers, they were finally able to play instruments on some recordings. Not all, but some.

  So, judge for yourself- are The Monkees an actual band? I think so. Although they were created for commercial purposes, they did play their own instruments eventually and did actually sing. They also toured as The Monkees, too, before Davy's unfortunate death in February of 2012. And if you didn't know who The Monkees were before this post, I'm glad I could introduce you too a new band!

  I hope you liked the post, have a fabulous Thursday!

Zor & Zam from itsamodmodworld on 8tracks Radio.

For this playlist I've included a few Monkees songs, Beatles songs that may or may not have inspired Monkees songs, Monkees solo career songs (mainly by Mike Nesmith), and just a few other 60's pop songs I thought fit in. Enjoy!

1. "Pleasant Valley Sunday" by The Monkees
2. "I Feel Fine" by The Beatles
3. "How Can You Kiss Me" by Mike Nesmith
4. "Let's Spend the Night Together" by The Rolling Stones
5. "Pictures of Lily" by The Who
6. "Ticket to Ride" by The Beatles
7. "Hurdy Gurdy Man" by Donovan
8. "For Pete's Sake (Closing Theme)" by The Monkees

If you like The Monkees, check out these other awesome songs by them that I like:

• "Randy Scouse Git," which is actually about The Beatles. (Specifically the line 'The four kings of EMI.')
• "Your Auntie Grizelda," featuring a rare vocal performance by Peter Tork.
• "Daily Nightly," a trippy number that I happen to adore.
• "Words," another psychedelic one (I know I've used that word a lot in this post, bear with me!) that sounds almost dark and dreary at first.
• "I'm a Believer," a classic in Monkees tunes, and I think in tunes in general.
• "Daydream Believer," the Davy Jones classic!
• "Valleri," starts off with a Spanish acoustic guitar riff that rocks my world. Love it!
• "You Told Me" pays hommage to the beginning of The Beatles' "Taxman."
• "Daddy's Song" just.. pure fun!

All I Got to Be is to, Be Happy! (Dedication to the Ever-Lovely George Harrison)

The ever-heavenly Friar Park, former home of George Harrison.

  Last year was when I really started my Beatles obsession. I had known the Beatles before and had actually a large liking of songs like "Hey Jude" and "A Day in the Life," but I hardly knew anything else. This all changed when I heard "She Loves You"- it was like I was being transported into another time when things were simpler and the music was happier. As I'd learn, the 60's weren't all fun and games, but that didn't stop me from my obsession.

A (terribly put together) panorama of my room from about three or so months ago. It's missing a few guitars, but the band-obsessed point definitely gets across.

  At first, my favorite Beatle was Paul McCartney. Ah, Mr. McCharmly, the "cute" Beatle. When I first started my plunge into Beatlemania, I didn't know too many of the Beatles' personalities. I just knew that Paul was cute and in my opinion was the best singer vocally, and most of his songs were upbeat and catchy. In my books at the time, that instantly meant favorite.

Who couldn't love that face? ;)

  As time went on, I started to look more into the Beatles themselves, and not just as a band. I soon took a liking to George Harrison, the awkward and shy guitarist with a liking for Indian meditation. I instantly connected to him (I call last year my "finding myself year," I looked for a lot spiritually and discovered a lot about myself.) and realized George was my favorite.

And who couldn't love this face, either? ;)

  My Beatles obsession instantly branched into my likings of other bands, but it all started with the "originals."Since I loved George so dearly last year, my iPod consisted mainly of Beatles songs and his solo career. But as time went on, my iPod erased many, so I had to re-save songs, sadly skipping over many George classics. I still loved him, believe me- I just forgot about many of his songs.

George Harrison c. 1968 is seriously the most underrated George ever. I mean, look at his hair! He looks DEVASTATINGLY handsome, mmm mmm mmm.

  Last night I stumbled upon George's solo career again, and believe me, I've fallen in love. I've decided not to include a playlist for today because 8tracks only lets you upload two songs per artist, and there is a minimum of 8 tracks total. So I decided I could just recommend some for you! Okay, here we go. (Warning: This is mainly going to be me rambling. Enter at your own risk!)

Each Rating is out of TEN stars. ★★★★★★★★★★

1. "My Sweet Lord" from All Things Must Pass, 1970 ★★★★★★★★★★ 10/10 (What a pure CLASSIC this song is. It was George's first #1 hit when he went solo, and it's easy to see why. I could go on and on about this song but I won't- you'll simply have to listen to its beautiful acoustic guitar, backing vocals, and passionate lead vocals by George. Passion in what you're singing is so sexy- guys, take note from this!)
2. "Awaiting On You All" from All Things Must Pass, 1970 ★★★★★★★★★★ 10/10 There is a slowed down version which I love, and the album version is good, too- but the best is by far the live one. This song is just George saying that the lord is awaiting on everyone to give up their material possessions and just chant, which would lead to being "free." Although I'm not religious, this tune seriously kicks ASS.)
3. "The Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let it Roll)" from All Things Must Pass, 1970 ★★★★★★★★★★ 10/10 This was my favorite George song for nearly a year. His guitar work is so light and airy, a thing common in tons of solo George songs, and it really makes you feel calm and cloud-like.)
4. "Run of the Mill" from All Things Must Pass, 1970 ★★★★★★★ 7/10 (This song is just.. cute. I don't know how else to describe it but cute. It's slow and calm and full of plenty of instrumentation often featured in typical 70's songs, but something about this makes it much better. I highly recommend the demo version as well, it's even cuter.)
5. "Apple Scruffs" from All Things Must Pass, 1970 ★★★★★★★ 7/10 (This song was written about the Apple Scruffs- a group of girls who loved the Beatles and hung outside of their Apple Corps. and Apple Studios when they were recording. It's a simple ditty, and is full of harmonica and campy-style guitar, which I happen to love. Also- this song makes me CRAVE apple pie. Just thought I'd share that, heh.) 
6. "Wah-Wah" from All Things Must Pass, 1970 ★★★★★★★★★★ 10/10 (This is the most kick ass song, EVER. And I mean EVER! It starts off with this great guitar riff, which just leads into more and more instruments building up, and it's all done so damn LOUD! I fucking love it. Plus it's about John and Paul blabbing and giving George a headache. Revenge is sweet, and often times makes AMAZING songs.)
7. "Isn't it a Pity" from All Things Must Pass, 1970 ★★★★★★★ 7/10 (This song was written about George's love with Pattie Boyd, and I think it's absolutely beautiful. That is all.)
8. "Don't Let Me Wait Too Long" from Living in the Material World, 1973 ★★★★★★ /10(This song is just.. cute. But a different type of cute from "Run of the Mill." This song is more upbeat, and a lot happier. Plus it's SUPER catchy.)
9. "Try Some, Buy Some" from Living in the Material World, 1973 ★★★★★★★ 7/10 (This song is so light and calm and airy and just pretty- but lyrically, it lacks, so hence, the 7.)
10. "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" from Living in the Material World, 1973 ★★★★★★★★★ 9/10 (This was George's second #1 hit, and one of the first songs I learned to play on guitar, along with "My Sweet Lord." It's very happy and calm, but just lacks the passion I think "My Sweet Lord" did.)
11. "Miss O'Dell" from Living in the Material World, 1973 ★★★★★★★★ 8/10 (If you haven't read Miss O'Dell by Chris O'Dell, I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT! That's all I have to say. Read the book to find out why I like this song, Mwahahah.)
12. "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" from Dark Horse, 1974 ★★★★★★★★  /10 (This is a novelty song, of course- but it is my absolute favorite to listen to on New Year's Eve. Why? Because it's one of the very few New Years songs there actually are! I luuuurve it.)
13. "So Sad" from Dark Horse, 1974 ★★★★★★★ 7/10(This is the only song we know of written about George and Pattie's breakup, and, since you all know about my extreme Pattie Boyd love, it means I love this song too. The lyrics are great until the boring chorus- hence the 7.)
14. "The Answer's at The End" from Extra Texture! (Read All About It), 1975 ★★★★★★★★★ /10 (Sadly, this is the only song on this flop of an album I actually like. This is a slower song, but it's so beautiful, and its message is lovely. I recommend this song highly as well.)
15. "Beautiful Girl" from Thirty Three & 1/3, 1976 8/10 (This was written about George's second wife, Olivia. I love this song so dearly, please Georgie, write something like this about me...? :)
16. "Blow Away" from George Harrison, 1979 ★★★★★★★★ 8/10(This is one of those songs that just sounds cheesy, but is so cute and upbeat and lovable. You have to listen to it. Plus the music video features a giant rubber duck!)
17. "Love Comes to Everyone" from George Harrison, 1979 ★★★★★★★★★  9/10 (I really love this song. Since it's from 1979 its starting to build up to the cheesiness of the 80's, but it's still super cute and I just love it so much.)
18. "Got My Mind Set On You" from Cloud Nine, 1987 ★★★★★★★★★★ 10/10 (After a very long hiatus, George came back with this, his final #1 hit. Although the lyrics are from another song and are kind of creatively lacking, this song will get stuck in your head for DAYS. And you will love every second of it.) 
19. "When We Was Fab" from Cloud Nine, 1987 ★★★★★★★★ 8/10 (This song.. I don't know how to describe it. It's dark, yet upbeat. Take a listen yourself, I guess..?)
20. "This is Love" from Cloud Nine, 1987 ★★★★★★★★★ 9/10 (This is the ultimate 80's love song. I love it so so so much, I wanna squeeze it and shower it in kisses.)