Welcome to my music discography and review page.
On this page, I
will try to list and update both old and new music that I like and listen too
. For me, music is, and should be, simply something that is listened and enjoyed,
just for what it is. I think all people tend to far over-analyze music and in doing
so, they forget to just ENJOY it!! Now music can do many things, it can make us happy,
make us sad, make us tap our feet, make us dance and even float us away and bring us back. It can even sometimes make our emotions go for a roller coaster ride from
hell!! But what it does best is to simply fill our souls with the melodies, rhythms
and bass and gives our minds that auditory stimulus that we all need.
Now, my musical tastes are far reaching and quite disjointed, but I feel that to limit
ones self to only one kind, or type of music is simply to deprive ourselves of soooo
much!! When asked that eternal and constant question of "What is your favorite kind
of music?", well the answer is both simple and complex at the same time. I don't have
a "favorite kind of music", rather I love the diversity that is music!! Anywhere from
classical to jazz, rock to opera, techno to blues, it's all there and when you find
the best that each genre offers, then you can find something truly worth listening
to!! Not all music is for all listeners either and I do recognize that, but still I
enjoy what I enjoy and hopefully, some of you may be interested in all, or part, of what I listen
too and search out some of it for yourselves. Hopefully too, you will enjoy what you
have found.
Now, while everyone likes many different types of music and I personally like many, many types
myself, there are some things that I just don't care for. This is not to say they are bad
or anything like that, rather it's just my personal choices and tastes. For instance, while
at one time I really hated rap music, I came to find out that what I didn't like wasn't rap
in general (I have found a number of "rap" songs that I really do like a lot!), but rather it was the hard, edgy, urban street rap that was what I objected too.
I still do, as that is just not my taste and quite frankly, it's message is quite ugly, gritty and mean (it's
supposed to be ugly, gritty and mean though, as that is what the artists are painting with their lyrics. But
that is a world that I don't choose to live in, nor do I want to imprint that landscape in my mind and soul.).
Also, I don't care for country music much either. There is nothing really wrong with country music
overall, it's just that I don't feel an affinity towards it. For me, music has to draw me into it
and most country just doesn't do that for me. I do, however, enjoy the roots of country music (bluegrass,
old country/western (with the emphasis on western), Celtic and or Irish folk music, ect...), but what
country music has become in the last 30 years or so, well a lot of it is like, 70's music with a twang and
a steel guitar and that is just not my tastes. Please understand, I simply put my personal dislikes
on here so that anyone reading this would be aware of my reasons why I don't list certain types of music
on this page. For you lovers of country, rap or whatever else, I am NOT putting down your
type of music, rather it's just not to my taste, as not all of my music will be to your tastes.
Just please remember this; Music is the one universal constant. All cultures have one form or another
that they play and/or listen too. Music crosses all divides and is one thing that can actually
cross borders without permission and without fear. Music is the background of our daily lives,
whether we are singing, whistling, humming or just listening to it as we go about out daily
lives. Movies use it constantly as a backdrop or to emphasize certain moments in the film. Tv
uses it as well and do they even make an automobile without a stereo in it anymore?? Grocery stores,
department stores and even doctors offices have it playing as do restaurants and coffee houses. Bar's
rarely ever have the juke box turned off, clubs play it both for shows and for dancing and they give you head phones on planes. Music is a part
of most everyone's lives whether they are true music lovers or not. It's just there. All of us
soak it in daily and absorb it. Music is a very big part of our lives and something that doesn't
always require thought, just the ability to hear and enjoy.
On this page, I will mainly put information and links where they are applicable
so that you can search out these goodies. To be taken to any of the links listed on
these pages, simply click on the pictures for the link you are interested in
and you will be trans-ported there. Please just remember to come back to me when your
done, as I would miss you soooo much if you didn't come back!! Because of copyright infringement laws, RIAA
and all that other legal mumbo jumbo, I won't be posting audio files. There are many,
many places on the web to find those for yourself or just go to your local record store
and buy the cd. One thing I have found on the web, is the abundance of free music that is
legal to download and enjoy. There are tons of unsigned artists that post their music files
on the web, and trust me, an awful lot of them are just as professional and talented as
their signed peers.
Okey dokey, let's get this party started!
Now, one of the places that is a great starting point to find new talent
and lots of great free and legal to download mp3's is;
This links and ratings page was setup and maintained so that musicians and also listeners can find pages
that feature new talent (and sometimes well established groups that just put out some of
their music for free, as sort of a thanks to their fans or whatever.), so that it's easier
for us to discover what is being offered. Some of the links on that page will take you to
pages that offer tens of thousands of mp3's from all genre's, so surely there is something
for most anyone. Anyway, check out that gateway and see if you can't find something that you
may enjoy!!
Alrighty now, one group producing some of the most cutting edge and incredible psy trance
music out there today is, INFECTED MUSHROOM. They have put out soooo much really awesome
music over the last few years and this years offerings are no exception!! Their newest cd,
I'm The Supervisor, is probably the very finest yet!! I thought that they had taken it to the
very edge with their previous, 2 cd set, Converting Vegetarians, but noooooo!! These folks
from Israel are truly amazing to say the least and continually innovative in their sound crafting!!
Musically, there are some very wondrous things coming out of that part of the world and hopefully,
that is a trend that will continue for many, many years!! This site deals with the Israeli trance scene
and the musicians that make up that scene. There are many of them to be found and this site is a grand
gateway into that realm.
Okey dokey, while the group, Juno Reactor, has been around for over 11 years now, only recently has
something of theirs captured and held my full attention. In all honesty, I haven't been moved by
music this way in the last 30 some years!! Their cd, Labyrinth (released in oct. 2004), is by far and
away, the most awesome spectical of sound that I have ever heard!! First listen brought out emotions
that were unbelievable and I found myself floating along happily, then brought to the edge of tears!
They have crafted, using both electronic and live musicians, a musical masterpiece that will surely
go into the books as pure classical!! My best synopsis would have to be, Mozart vs Wagner ala psytechno!!
The beginning song is a two parter, Conquistador. It's something that you must experience to know! And while
there are 9 totally incredible tracks on this cd, it's best to simply listen to the cd in it's entirety. Mozart
was once asked to shorten one of his works, as it was deemed to be too long. He simply replied,"Which notes should
be removed?". Similarly, trying to pick which piece on Labyrinth is best gets the same basic answer from me. There isn't anything
on here you can miss, as it all works together in a purely symbiotic way. Put it on, sit back and be taken
to that special place. AMAZING!!!
Something fairly recent that caught my attention is by a group named, Snake River Conspiracy. Their
cd is called, Sonic Jihad. They are fairly hard to define musically, but to try, I would say
they are hardcore alternative dark rock. I'm not really sure if that would qualify as a sub-genre, but
never the less, they are well worth several long listenings!!! They remind me of a very refined King Crimson
in the way they craft their songs.
While we are still on the techno/trance/house side of things, the european scene is bubbling over
with talent and truthfully, they are staying on the cutting edge. I have found tons of tunes from
unsigned artists (which means free to download legally.), that are both talented and full of energy
and you should find most anything that suits your particular tastes. As there are numorous listings,
you simply need to find the genre that you are interested in and sample different tunes.
Trance/techno/house, while all are different in their own ways, they still have similarities and many
of the performers crossover quite often with amazing results. Now, there are many, many artists in this
genre of music and to name a few of the more prolific ones, DJ Tiesto, Paul Van Dyke, William Orbit,
Tall Paul, Paul Okenfold, Kimball Collins, John Digweed, Eddie Baez, and the list goes on and on (I listed
the ones I did, because that is the only names that I can remember for now, but then again, why not go out
on the web and find out just how many great's are out there waiting for you to discover them!!)!!
There are several other sub-genres that I love that perhaps you should check out for yourselves. First
there is acid jazz (jazz with a most defined edge and perhaps over the edge to it.), Trip hop (while it's
based on hip-hop, it's really not the same at all.), Hard and deep house (both of these are more dance oriented
and still allows the artists to flow on their own way and beyond.),Dark wave (as the name implies, very goth
inspired and not happy-go-lucky stuff!!), Bebop jazz (Such as Brian Setzer and other new age big band groups.
Sort of Count Bassie on acid, what can I say, it's old, but ohhhh sooooo new!!), One of my favorites, Psytrance
(Infected Mushroom, Juno Reactor are two examples of that genre. While psytrance is somewhat ambient in nature,
it can be as hard and fast as the finest techno or house there is!!). There are many other sub-genres out there,
these are just a sampling of what is available in our musical world!! Do yourself a favor and check out as many
of the sub-genres that you can. You may discover something new that you would, perhaps, never have thought of!!
A group that has been around for quite awhile now, Lords Of Acid, has soooo much really great stuff
out there and is just the ticket for high energy listening!! One of their, errr, ahhhh, "mainstream"
tunes is a re make of, Lady Marmalade, that tears it up!! They have tons of awesome tunes and need to
be checked out asap!!
Ok, do I love show tunes? Well that depends on the show and the tunes!! heheheheeee There are some almost
heavenly works out there now, but it's a pick and choose world, that's for sure!! Moulin Rouge brought us
a treat with it's music!! It's already listed in the all time top ten of musicals and rightfully so!! Listening
to the sound track is amazing to say the least, but I must admit, watching the musical on vid or dvd, was for me,
a very depressing thing. Please understand, it is a truly beautiful and sensory treat all the way around and you
should watch it, however, the story is one of the saddest and emotionally wrenching story lines that I have ever
witnessed (warning: Do Not Watch this film if you are feeling even slightly down, as it will only magnify those
feelings one hundred fold!!). Musically, it is 100% wonderful!! Another newer musical that is moving through our
little world is, Hedwig and the Angry Inch. There is some vaguely redeemable reason to watch this, but while the
story is both sad and funny at the same time, if you think too much about the what's and why's, you will discover
it to be another pretty depressing show. Unlike Moulin though, it doesn't depress you to watch it, rather with the
costuming, actors and songs, it keeps you moving along and doesn't allow for you to think too many dark thoughts
along the way. Well worth seeing and the sound track is quite good overall!! Now the Biggie of the new millennium is,
Chicago, the musical!! Now aside from it being hyped to death in the media, this is truly a spectacular body of work
in the vein of Chorus Line, All that Jazz and The Cotton Club. It has all the elements that make a huge stage production
work on the big screen!! The songs and dance numbers make this one a musical to see over and over again!! The sound track
is one of the very best ever and is something that ever serious collector must have!! The only thing I didn't like, was
that it wasn't longer!!! AMAZING!! The heyday of musicals has past us many years before and left soooooo many grand efforts
in it's wake, but every now and then, film studios will take a chance and make a new one and fortunately for we music lovers,
we get the goodies ala sound tracks!! Support these musicals when they come out by seeing them in the theaters and by buying
the sound tracks so that the big movie studios will continue to produce these gems for us!!
As my musical tastes vary soooo much, there are many other forms of music that I totally enjoy. As I do enjoy the club scene,
a lot of what I hear is both pop and dance tunes. There is a lot of really good things happening in that genre these days as well
and the list of really good artists is numerous!! The main problem occurs that when some of the pop performers hit it big, they
seem to disappear from the scene. That can be a shame, as some of them are true stand outs but that is the nature of this genre.
Also, a lot of times these artists get caught up by their own popularity and instead of producing new works, they try and reproduce
very similar tunes that made them famous to begin with and thereby sealing their own fate. Repetition breeds contempt. While a slight
variance in this genre is the introduction of hip hop, re mixed into a more (mainstream) danceable form is bringing some of the more
hardcore rappers/hip hop artists into the mainstream club scene. DJ's are the ones to thank for this, as through their re mixing, they
have opened the eyes (well ears, actually) of many that before, wouldn't have given those tunes a try. Once the big names in the music
industry got out and heard what was being done to their music via re mixes by the club house DJ's, they quickly learned that it behooves
them to hire some of these guys and gurls to do their re mixes in house and on their albums. Madonna was one of the first to see the
validity in doing this and ushered in a new era in studio music production. "There's gold in them thar re mixes!!" heeheheheee Anywho,
for those of you that may not get out to the clubs, you can still enjoy the club "house sets" that are being produced both by independent
DJ's and also on studio productions. The keyword is re mix. For such a small word, it surely opens the doors wide!!
Alrighty, rock and roll brings up many discussions but simply put, it is many things to many people. There is Hardcore, Grunge, Metal, Death metal,
Rock-a-billy and on and on and on. It runs the gamut from Elvis Presly to Tool to Marlyn Manson and everything in between!! There is probably not
one person in the world that hasn't at least heard a rock tune at one time or the other. While not all rock and it's many forms is for everyone
and certainly not me, I'm sure that at least some of it can find your ear friendly towards it. Some of my rock faves that have lasted over the years
are Pink Floyd, Rush, Golden Earring, Lou Reed, The Cure, ELP, Journey, The Corrs, The Cardigans, older Elton John (11/17/71 is the best he ever did.
Live at A&R studios in NYC!!), Blondie, David and David, Jethro Tull, ZZ Top, Van Halen (early stuff only), My gawdddd, this list does go on and on...
suffice to say, there were and are, many rock acts out there that are amazing and wonderful in their own ways. As with most music, I tend to find that
while I enjoy certain groups, I can't find myself liking everything they did, but that's the way it is with music in general. And aside from Pink Floyd,
almost every band that retired and then came back to do a "come back" tour, blows big chunks!! Sorry folks, but when your voice and playing ability goes
it's time to stay retired!! And for some of the "super groups" that are still out there making music, well... the Rolling Stones in particular, it might
be time to think about calling it a day and enjoying the fruits of your labour. Now, conversely there have been far too many groups that were deemed "one
hit wonders" and cast aside that had sooooo much more to give and never had the chance!! And noooo, I'm not talking about Ah Ha or Wham, those groups died
mercifully fast and that is a good thing!! But there have been many over the years that truly should have hit the big time and stayed there that didn't.
The reasons are varied and in some cases not avoidable, but still, wouldn't it have been a treat and perhaps a blessing if Soundgarden had continued to make
new musical journeys. And there have been many, many more that desevered to live on, but alas, it just didn't happen.
I do also love classical music. There is many varied and far reaching things availible out there and while a lot of it is not for everyone, there is plenty
of it that will work for most anyone, given the opportunity to experience it. Too many times, people have a pre-conceived notion of what classical music is all
about. That is sad, as if given the chance, many listeners would discover that classical music isn't solely written for the "upper crust or the elite". There
in lies the heart and soul of most all modern music and sometimes even still surpasses the music of today. What many have also failed to notice is that many films
and tv show's use classical music in the background or as opening and closing themes. And, "Yes Virginia, there is modern classical as well!!" Some composers, such
as John Williams (think Star Wars for instance..) are still writing and making popular, these "new" classical pieces for films, shows and other assorted things.
And the quality is still the same as those written 400 years ago. Of course now, a lot of times, the use of electronic elements and instruments are being put into
these new classics, as they allow for soooo much more freedom to take the listener to places here before unreachable!! One of the "new classics" that is probably
going to stay one of my all time favorite works forever is the London Philharmonic Symphony doing Pink Floyd!! It is an incredible performance and one that is even
more beautiful with every listening!! If you have never heard this recording, you really owe it to yourself to give it a long listen!! Now, while I am not a true
opera lover by any stretch, a fairly newer film came out with a number in it that was opera ala techno-jazz. The film "The Fifth Element" (which is an awesome film
to say the least.), has a scene in it when the "diva" (an alien performer/singer) takes off on an operatic jaunt that starts off slowly and builds into a crescendo
of pure vocal energy and scale running that has to swoop and dive 5 or 6 octaves!! It was an amazing piece of work and how I wish there was a whole new genre out
there that would allow for much more of this!! Ah well, in my perfect world......
Okey dokey, there is a lot of "back to the roots" sort of music out there these days. Some wonderful and some not so, but never the less, there is a lot to choose
from. These days, I find myself drawn much more towards music that allows for the inclusion of electronic influences and a group that has maintained a cutting edge
to their work over the years is, Bella Fleck and the Flecktones. These folks are simply the best of the new-grass groups that are out there and cross genres at every
turn!! They run the gamut from jazz to bluegrass to light techno during a single number!! To try and explain what their music is, is akin to opening a fresh from the
tree coconut. You must first hack through and pry off the outer layer, then you are faced with a rock hard casing and even after cracking through that shell, you
find that you still have to pry the meat loose to finally know what its all about. Well trust me, the only way to know what Bella Fleck's music is all about, is to
simply listen to it!! Now on that note, I highly, highly recommend seeing this act live in concert!! A couple of years ago I took a friend to see them perform at a
local concert hall. I tried to tell him ahead of time what he was about to see, but finally I simply told him, "This concert will be like nothing you have ever heard
before.". During the show, his emotions ran through it all, from sitting transfixed to getting up and dancing to almost tears of joy!! After the show, I asked him to
describe to me what he witnessed and he simply said,"Just like you said hon, you have to see it to know!". At the very least, do yourself a major favor and get their
cd, Live Art, I really don't think you will be unhappy with it and you may find the more you listen to this musical landscape, the more you will find yourself being
whisked away by it!! It's a two week cruise in an hour without leaving your home!!
There are a lot of misc. assorted musical groups and styles out there that I simply adore for many varied reasons. Some such as Mono, Annie Lennox, The Verve Pipe,
Van Morrison, The Doors, Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, Kings X, KD Lang, The Robert Cray Band, Vangelis, and again, this list goes on and on.... I am finding
myself though this listing, at a cross roads of sorts as to all the music that I have listened to over the years and am listening to now. There is sooooo much in the
world of music, that it is almost scary. I can never understand how anybody can pick one particular type of music and not want to explore all that is out there!!
But I guess that what is the most important is that everyone at least have the chance to experience some of the differences in music that is to be found. Come on now,
get out there and find something new today to listen too, who knows, perhaps you will find that most perfect tune that works soooo well for you and will keep you
humming day after day because of it!! Just enjoy......
As new (and old for that matter) music comes to light for me, I will continue to update this page, so come back and see what else I have found. Hopefully, my listing
will help you to perhaps find new music and to experience new musical vistas. I will keep adding links to this as well so that you can find the gateways easier. Again
I do hope you enjoy my pages and please sign my guest book on my main page or email me and let me know what you think or if you have a link you wish added (you can also
femail me at the addy on my main page, simply click the link below and your there!!)
Click on the pretty gurly above to take you back to my main page.
[Note: All the graphics on my pages are either the property of Chyna Blue or were gathered freely off of the web from public domain
sites or as free for public use. If you feel that you have been omitted from my pages and wish to be linked too on here or if you wish
to use any of the pictures or graphics simply ask me by femail and I will do my best to make that happen. Use of pictures/ graphics
from these pages is prohibited and well be dealt with by the strongest curse of the evil shoe goddess!! Also, all the opinions on my
pages are mine and mine alone. I get no monies, gifts, ect.. to put these opinions on here, so I am simply doing so as a way to express
my own likes, dislikes, ect... . In no way do my views express those of anyone else, either good or bad, and while others may agree
that is up to each individual. Also, I represent anyone or any business, so my postings are simply my own personal ramblings. Any
business or individual that feels that they don't want to be listed on my pages for whatever reason need to contact me via femail and
let me know what and why. If I have posted something (that IS my personal opinion) that someone finds they disagree with, well that is
fine with me, as that is what this world is all about. No one is going to agree with everything someone else thinks and/or says, but we
are allowed to, and supposed to be that way and I will not apologize, nor retract my personal opinions. I simply put this out here for
those that are interested and for no other reasons. There, enough of all that disclaimer clap trap!! Just relax and have fun with life,
it's wayyyy too short not too!! Cya's my lovelies. Kissesss, chyna blue]