ON MUSIC ~ Meet The Beatles...

Before Sammy arrived, I remember everyone advising that when you have a child, it is so important for the parents to make time for each other together, alone. And while I agree that there should always be room for grown-up time, date nights and kid-free zones, I also think it is equally important for each parent to have their own alone time with their kid.

After Sammy came along, I chose to revamp my career path by finding a completely different full-time job that I could do from home, under flexible hours, that would allow me to be the primary caregiver in our son's life. So, while Sam does go to day care a couple of days a week, he is with me the majority of the time. I love the quality time that we get to spend together, the influence that I am able to have and the opportunity this one-on-one time provides me as a witness to our little guy's discoveries and growth. I am also entirely exhausted.

This is why I am the world's biggest champion of Daddy time. And thankfully, Sammy's Daddy embraces it as well. Andy gets Sammy up every morning; their morning routines just happen to coincide, benefitting my love for extra sleep. On the days that Andy is not bringing Sam off to day care, I roust myself up after they've had their breakfasts so that Andy can head out to work. This window of time in the morning has become a pretty special time for them. Instead of playing games or reading books, Andy has Sammy fully immersed in a Beatles education.

As you may or may not know, Andy (aka Concert Boy) is a huge fan of music. He loves to listen to it, collect it and study its history. He would totally be your phone-a-friend for all sorts of musical trivia. One of his favorite groups is The Beatles and therefore, his sister once gave him a box of coasters depicting each of the Beatles' album covers. Sammy used to love to play with them - stacking them, taking them in and out of the tin box. At some point, this evolved into Andy playing Beatles songs from the corresponding album that Sammy selects from the coaster collection.

As a result, Sammy is now learning the Beatles catalogue. He knows which albums Andy has on his phone and which Andy needs to hurry up and download. He knows which songs are on which album. He can tell you with certainty that the Beatles' names are George, Ringo, John and Paul. And he can identify them as well. He may not yet know the correct names for the songs (he gives them his own names), but he knows what track they are on each album and can press the right number to hear what he's in the mood for. He does not have the album names down yet, which is something Andy wants to emphasize. I'm kind of surprised he has not assigned Sammy any Beatles homework for me to work on with him during the day.

Sammy loves his Daddy. And in addition to Sammy, his Daddy loves the Beatles. It is only natural that Sammy would end up loving the Beatles too. I know Sammy's Daddy would love Sammy even if Sammy preferred Mommy's favorite, Led Zeppelin, but this common bond makes their alone time more special. I may not be a morning person, but it always brings a smile to my face when I come downstairs to find them in the middle of a Beatles lesson; Sammy in Daddy's lap, coaster in one hand and phone in the other, both singing away to Yellow Submarine (track #6 by the way, on Revolver).

Sammy's Beatles Playlist, in no particular order (his favorite album is Revolver and he appears to have an affinity for Ringo):

1. Yellow Submarine - Revolver (aka Submarine Song)
2. Octopus's Garden - Abbey Road (aka Octopus Song)
3. Good Day Sunshine - Revolver (aka Sunshine Song)
4. Doctor Robert - Revolver (aka Christopher Robin Song - Robin/Robert? not really sure why)
5. Drive My Car - Rubber Soul (no aka, he's got this one down)
6. Help! - Help! (no aka, he's got this one down too, with bravado)
7. And Your Bird Can Sing - Revolver (aka Bird Song)
8. Nowhere Man - Rubber Soul (no aka yet, fairly new preference)
9. Here Comes The Sun - Abbey Road (aka Sun Song)
10. Good Night - The Beatles/White Album (no aka, knows it by name and listens to this at night right before bed)

ON MUSIC ~ Double Dose Of The Stones...

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Welcome to the Live Archive, where Andy (aka Concert Boy) regales you with a recap of one of his many concert experiences through the years. Feel free to review his overall list and make a request for a future Live Archive post.

THE ACT: The Rolling Stones

THE SCENE: Sullivan Stadium in Foxboro, MA - football stadium with stadium and field seating (09/29 & 10/03/1989)

In 1989 the Rolling Stones announced their first tour since 1981/82. They were touring in support of their new album “Steel Wheels”, their first since 1986’s “Dirty Work”. The album was released on August 29th and the tour began on the 31st in Philadelphia. I was fortunate to score tickets to 2 of the 3 shows in Foxboro, MA on 09/29 & 10/03.

As a longtime Stones fan I was psyched to be finally seeing them in concert since I was too young to see them when they toured the States last in 1981. I remember waiting in line at the Sears Ticketron outlet all day and sweating it out but finally getting my precious tickets just minutes before they sold out. I think the tickets went on sale a couple of months before the show so I had to sit on them all summer – although, the summer of 89 was a good one for stadium shows at Foxboro as I already had seen the Who’s reunion tour in June and the Grateful Dead made a stop at the stadium on 7/2. All that was left was the Stones.

The Stones’ setlists are pretty similar night to night – they might mix up a few songs but they generally play the same set on a particular tour. They opened the show with Start me Up and played a few songs from the new album but one of the highlights for me was Ruby Tuesday, Play with Fire and Dead Flowers – 3 classic songs early in the show. Keith does a couple of his songs, Happy & Before They Make Me Run.

A surprise version of 2000 Light Years From Home and then the show heads into the home stretch and we get the classics Sympathy For The Devil, Gimme Shelter, It's Only Rock 'N' Roll, Brown Sugar, Satisfaction and Jumpin' Jack Flash to round out the show.

9/29/1989 Sullivan Stadium - Foxboro, MA:
1 Start Me Up
2 Bitch
3 Shattered
4 Sad Sad Sad
5 Undercover Of The night
6 Harlem Shuffle
7 Tumbling Dice
8 Miss You
9 Ruby Tuesday
10 Play With Fire
11 Dead Flowers
12 One Hit (To The Body)
13 Mixed Emotions
14 Honky Tonk Woman
15 Rock and a hard place
16 Midnight Rambler
17 You Can't Always Get What You Want
18 Little Red Rooster
19 Before They Make Me Run
20 Happy
21 Paint It Black
22 2000 Light Years From Home
23 Sympathy For The Devil
24 Gimmie Shelter
25 It's Only Rock 'N' Roll
26 Brown Sugar
27 (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
28 Jumpin' Jack Flash

PICKS (out of 5):


THE SCENE: Fenway Park in Boston, MA - baseball park with stadium and field seating (08/21/2005)

Since the Steel Wheels tour the Stones have released new albums and toured regulary and I have seen them again on the Voodoo Lounge tour in 1994, Bridges to Babylon in 1997 and the Licks Tour in 2002. All those shows were stadium shows but then they opened their 2005 Bigger Bang tour at Fenway Park in Boston. Of course going to that show was a must. They have been hosting concerts at Fenway since 2003 and I have been to a bunch of them – it’s more of an event as the venue was not originally built in 1912 for concerts.

The Stones’ stage at Fenway was HUGE. For this tour you could actually have seats on the stage in private boxes that flanked each side of the stage. I was not sitting in those seats. Our tickets were located on the side of the stage but we moved around the ballpark during the show.

Just like the first time I saw the Stones in 1989, they opened the show with Start me Up. The show was good but it was kind of a letdown too. They didn’t surprise me with any of the songs they played and since it was the first show of the tour they were not firing on all cylinders, I think. You always expect too much when you think you are seeing a “special” show because it’s a one time event in a place like Fenway. To the band it’s just another show in another town. Of course I had a great time at the show but I think it may be the last time I will see the Stones since Mick & Keith are pushing 70 now!

08/21/2005 Fenway Park - Boston, MA:
1 Start Me Up
2 You Got Me Rocking
3 Shattered
4 Tumbling Dice
5 Rough Justice
6 Back Of My Hand
7 Beast Of Burden
8 She's So Cold
9 Heartbreaker
10 Night Time
11 The Worst
12 Infamy
13 Miss You
14 Oh No Not You Again
15 Satisfaction
16 Honky Tonk Woman
17 Out Of Control
18 Sympathy for the Devil
19 Jumpin' Jack Flash
20 Brown Sugar
21 You Can't Always Get What You Want
22 It's Only Rock-n-Roll

PICKS (out of 5):

ON MUSIC ~ Posterity for Sound...

Image courtesy KGBKitchen via Flickr

You may have noticed that it is Audio Book Week in the bookish part of the blogosphere. But this week, the Library of Congress also announced the 2009 selections for the National Recording Registry. This is a list of sound recordings - be they speeches, musical performances or narrations - considered historical in nature and in need of prominent preservation for the benefit of our culture here in the U.S. and the historical impact that they have had in the world of sound recording in general.

This year's 25 new selections to the list range from Opera to Bill Cosby. All musical tastes are represented spanning incredible generations. There are military battles captured live, war protest songs as well as town hall debates. Sound's impact from the world of film is represented by Jiminy Cricket and Hal 9000. The Band, REM, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson and Patti Smith represent more modern selections. Howlin' Wolf, Little Richard and Tupac leave their mark as well. Classical, Jazz, Cajun, Blues, and Latin are registered. And there are interviews with everyday people as well as the narration of a favorite children's story. Some day perhaps we will see modern narrations from audio books appearing on this registry.

Looking at the overall registry (minus this year's selections) that has been compiled over the last 8 years, I was happy to see these selections in particular - though I wish there were links to the audio available from the registry's site:

• Casey At The Bat - DeWolf Hopper (1906)
• "Rhapsody In Blue" first recording - George Gershwin (1924)
• Crash of the Hindenburg live reporting - Herbert Morrison (1937)
• "War of the Worlds" - Orson Welles (1938)
• "Who's On First" earliest radio recording - Abbott & Costello (1938)
• "In The Mood" - Glenn Miller Orchestra (1939)
• "Peter and the Wolf" - Boston Symphony Orchestra (1939)
• "White Christmas" - Bing Crosby (1942)
• Mary Margaret McBride interview of Zora Neale Hurston (1943)
• Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" first LP recording - Louis Kaufman (1947)
• Problems of the American Home - Billy Graham (1954)
• "Songs for Young Lovers" - Frank Sinatra (1954)
• "My Fair Lady" - Original Cast Recording (1956)
• "Kind of Blue" - Miles Davis et al (1959)
• "At Last" - Etta James (1961)
• "Crazy" - Patsy Cline (1961)
•  Inaugural Address - JFK (1961)
• Address at West Point - William Faulkner (1962)
•  I Have A Dream - MLK (1963)
• "Live at the Appolo" - James Brown (1963)
• "Respect" - Aretha Franklin (1967)
• "Are You Experienced" - Jimi Hendrix (1967)
• "The Allman Brothers at Fillmore East" - Allman Brothers Band (1971)
• "What's Going On" - Marvin Gaye (1971)
• A Prairie Home Companion first broadcast - Garrison Keillor (1974)
• "Songs in the Key of Life" - Stevie Wonder (1977)
• "Star Wars" soundtrack - John Williams (1977)
• "Thriller" - Michael Jackson (1982)
• "Nevermind" - Nirvana (1991)

Which of the recordings on the registry make you all tingly inside?  Which do you feel are missing?  Anyone can submit nominations for consideration!  Make sure your favorites aren't overlooked.

ON MUSIC ~ Roger Waters...

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Welcome to the Live Archive, where Andy (aka Concert Boy) regales you with a recap of one of his many concert experiences through the years. Feel free to review his overall list and make a request for a future Live Archive post.

THE ACT: Roger Waters

THE SCENE: Tweeter Center in Mansfield, MA - outdoor pavilion & lawn seating (09/06/2006)

Roger Waters was one of the principle songwriters and creative forces of Pink Floyd. He went solo after he left in 1984 while David Gilmour carried on with the Pink Floyd name.

I was more of a Waters fan and was not interested in the post Waters albums and tours of the late 80s and early 90s.

I saw Waters in 1987 on the Radio KAOS tour and it’s one of my favorite shows. I saw him again in 2006 when he toured and played the Dark Side of The Moon. The first set was comprised of Pink Floyd classics and assorted songs from Waters’ solo catalog. The second set was the entire Dark Side of the Moon and the encore was all songs from The Wall.

The show was great and the band was incredible. Go and catch Roger Waters this year when he tours The Wall.

SET 1:
01. Opening theme
02. In The Flesh?
03. Mother
04. Set the Controls for the Heart Of the Sun >
05. Shine on You Crazy Diamond *
06. Have A Cigar >
07. Wish You Were Here *
08. Southampton Dock
09. Fletcher Memorial Home
10. Perfect Sense (Parts 1 & 2)
11. Leaving Beirut #
12. Sheep #

SET 2:
01. Speak to Me >
02. Breathe >
03. On the Run >
04. Time
05. Great Gig in the Sky
06. Money
07. Us and Them >
08. Any Colour You Like
09. Brain Damage >
10. Eclipse
11. Band Intros
12. E: The Happiest Days of Our Lives >
13. E: Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)
14. E: Vera >
15. E: Bring the Boys Back Home >
16. E: Comfortably Numb

THE BAND:

Roger Waters - vocals, bass, acoustic guitar
Andy Fairweather Low – guitar, vocals
Snowy White – guitar
Dave Kilminster – vocals, guitar
Graham Broad - drums
Jon Carin – vocals, keyboards
Harry Waters – Hammond B3 organ, piano
Ian Ritchie - baritone & tenor saxophones, penny whistle
Katie Kissoon - vocals, backing vocals, percussion
PP Arnold - vocals, backing vocals, percussion
Carol Kenyon – vocals, backing vocals,percussion

THE LINKS:

Official Website = http://www.roger-waters.com/

Resources = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Waters_-_The_Dark_Side_of_the_Moon_Live

http://www.floydpodcast.com/

PICKS (out of 5):

ON MUSIC ~ Molly's First Dead Show...

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Welcome to the Live Archive, where Andy (aka Concert Boy) regales you with a recap of one of his many concert experiences through the years. Feel free to review his overall list and make a request for a future Live Archive post.

THE ACT: The Grateful Dead

THE SCENE: The original Boston Garden - Boston, MA (09/25/1991)

The Grateful Dead’s 1991 fall tour brought them back to the Boston Garden for the first time since 1982.  Boston had the final 6 shows of the tour after 3 in Richfield, OH and 9 at Madison Square Garden. The shows were Friday 9/20 through Sunday 9/22 and Tuesday 9/24 through Thursday 9/26. This run of shows is generally considered as one of the best in their later years.

THE GANG: Me & Molly

THE OCCASSION: To introduce Molly to her first live Grateful Dead show experience.

The Dead had established a unique mail ordering ticketing system for their fans and while I had seen them in concert before, this was the first show I mail ordered for tickets. Since I was still in college I could only afford a pair of tickets for one show. My tickets arrived sometime in August about a month before the shows. I was living in Boston at the time and there was much anticipation leading up to the shows as many friends were going and people were coming in from out of town. The town was buzzing when the Dead pulled into town and it was a lively scene around Casuseway Street and the old Boston Garden the entire week.

While I ordered tickets only for the one show, I actually ended up with a ticket for one of the previous shows on the 22nd. However, the reason I chose to review the show on the 25th is because it’s the first concert I took Molly to – it wasn’t really a date, though – we weren’t dating at the time and I happened to have an extra ticket and she had never seen the Dead.

THE RUNDOWN:
The Grateful Dead is an improvisational band but their concerts have a certain structure and most songs are either first set songs or second set songs. This has been the format of their live shows since the late 70s. The first set is generally more song based and the second set is where they will get out there and the songs usually flow together into their drums & space segment of the set and then usually 3 or 4 songs out of space to close out the show. Usually only a one song encore and it’s considered a real treat to get a two song encore, usually including “And We Bid You Goodnight” as the second encore. The Dead’s repertoire includes hundreds of original and cover songs, some that they only play one or two times a year. They play a completely different set every night and don’t write setlists before shows (except after Brent Mydland died after the 1990 summer tour and new keyboardist Vince Welnick was brought on board – they wrote setlists for the 1990 fall tour).

SET 1:
Help on the Way> Slipknot> Franklin's Tower
Walking Blues
It Must Have Been the Roses> Dire Wolf
Queen Jane Approximately
Tennessee Jed> Music Never Stopped

An excellent opener of Help on the Way into the instrumental Slipknot and then Franklin’s Tower. These 3 songs are usually always grouped together and are sung by Jerry Garcia. Garcia and rhythm guitarist Bob Weir usually rotate songs, with the occasional song sung by bassist Phil Lesh. It’s a great way to open a show. We were on the left side of the Garden in the loge section underneath the balcony and it was bouncing up and down above us during Franklin’s – “Roll away…The Dew” Jerry Garcia sang and we were off. Next up was Weir’s take on Robert Johnson’s "Walking Blues." Jerry’s ballad “It Must Have been the Roses” led into “Dire Wolf”, a crowd favorite – Don’t Murder Me, I beg of You. The obligatory Bob Dylan 1st set cover was “Queen Jane Approximately”. One of my favorite Dylan songs and Bob Weir leads the band through a solid version. I really enjoy Jerry’s guitar playing on this one. Jerry’s “Tennessee Jed” – Drink all Day, Gonna Rock all Night – into Bob’s “Music Never Stopped” has the crowd worked up into a frenzy to end the set.

SET 2:
Victim or the Crime> Crazy Fingers> Playing In the Band> Terrapin Station>Drumz> That Would Be Something> Playing in the Band> China Doll> Throwing Stones> Not Fade Away

ENCORE:
Mighty Quinn

This music isn’t for everybody. 9 songs around 90 minutes straight through with the exploratory Drums/Space segment in the middle. If you are a fan of top 40 music or music w/boundaries this probably isn’t your cup of tea. They opened with Bob’s "Victim or the Crime," not one of my favorites. This is a newer song and it is sometimes paired with another new one, "Foolish Heart." However, tonight they go into Jerry’s classic “Crazy Fingers”. That leads into “Playing in the Band” and “Terrapin Station”. All these songs segue into each other and then everyone leaves the stage except the 2 drummers, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart. After 15 to 20 minutes or so they leave the stage and the guitarists come back for the exploratory Space. The other musicians come back onto the stage and they go into a song they are playing for the first time ever – Paul McCartney’s “That Would be Something” off of Paul’s first solo album. That leads back into “Playing in the Band”, Jerry’s delicate “China Doll” and the closing rockers “Throwing Stones” and Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away”. The encore of Dylan’s “The Mighty Quinn” brings the house down.

THE LINKS:

Official Website = http://www.dead.net/

Live Music Archive Downloads & Streaming = http://www.archive.org/details/GratefulDead#forum

Dick’s Picks #17 – official live release in the Dick’s Picks series of live shows as selected by archivist Dick Latvala = http://store.dead.net/1990s/dicks-picks-volume-17

Live Download Sites = http://bt.etree.org/index.php?cat=8 & http://www.shnflac.net/

Setlists & Other Info. = http://www.deadbase.com/

Resources = http://www.dozin.com/

What Molly remembers is the shaking balconies above scaring the crap out of her, feeling the awesome Drums segment rockin' away in her chest, and that Andy was so proud to introduce her to the really cool scene that was a Dead Show.  She had a ton of fun with a general recollection of the evening.  She keeps Concert Boy around when she needs to know all the details of their musical adventures.

PICKS (out of 5):

ON MUSIC ~ Govt. Mule...

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Welcome to the Live Archive, where Andy (aka Concert Boy) regales you with a recap of one of his many concert experiences through the years. Feel free to review his overall list and make a request for a future Live Archive post.

THE ACT: Govt. Mule

THE SCENE: Chevrolet Theatre - Wallingford, CT (02/26/2005)

THE GANG: Me & some Boston friends meeting up with some CT friends

THE OCCASSION: To meet up with friends and enjoy a good show

THE RUNDOWN: Warren Haynes is a guitarist for the Allman Brothers Band and he started Govt. Mule as a side project in the mid 90s w/fellow ABB member, bassist Allen Woody (r.i.p., 8/26/00). Rounding out the lineup was drummer Matt Abts for a down and dirty trio.

Govt. Mule is now a four piece with bassist Jorgen Carlsson, who replaced Andy Hess in 2008 and keyboardist Danny Louis.

The Mule is Warren’s main gig now even though he still plays with the Allman Brothers Band.

This show was the last date of a 14 show February tour in 2005 and the band was in fine form. The Chevrolet Theatre is formerly the Oakdale and this was my first time there. I have been to another show there since and I think it’s one of the better places to see a show in New England. It’s easy to get to and parking isn’t a problem.

The first set had a nice mix of some new and old songs but the highlight was a cover of the Beatles’ "She Said, She Said" > "Tomorrow Never Knows." This pairing has been in Mule’s repertoire for a long time but it never fails to deliver. A strong "Thorazine Shuffle" sent us to the beer stands happy.

The second set was worth the price of admission alone. Opening with a song Warren also plays with the ABB, "Soulshine," the set was off to a nice start. Next up was an excellent cover of "Hunger Strike" (Temple of the Dog) that they just started playing recently that they paired with the Traffic standard "Dear Mr. Fantasy." A Mule favorite, "Blind Man in the Dark," led into Matt Abts’ drum solo and then a blistering rendition of Willie Dixon’s "I Can’t Quit You, Baby." A couple of new songs from the recent album Deja Voodoo closed out the set.

A spectacular encore with a couple more cover songs closed out the show and the tour – Neil Young’s "Cortez the Killer" and Tom Waits’ "Goin’ Out West."

SET 1:
Bad Man Walking
Bad Little Doggie
Left Coast Groovies
About To Rage
Slackjaw Jezebel
She Said, She Said >
Tomorrow Never Knows
Separate Reality
No Need To Suffer
Thorazine Shuffle

SET 2:
Soulshine
Hunger Strike >
Dear Mr. Fantasy >
Hunger Strike Reprise
Blind Man In The Dark >
Drums >
Bline Man In The Dark Reprise
I Can't Quit You
Mr. Man
Lola, Leave Your Light On

ENCORE:
Cortez The Killer w/ Scott Metzger from RANA
Goin' Out West

THE LINKS:

Official Website = http://www.mule.net

Fan Site = http://mulearmy.net/

Charity X-Mas Jam in Asheville, NC = http://www.xmasjam.com/2009/

Live Soundboard Downloads (at cost) = http://www.muletracks.com/

Live Audience Recording Downloads (free) = http://bt.etree.org/index.php?cat=12

PICKS (out of 5):

ON MUSIC ~ Neil Young & Crazy Horse...

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Welcome to the Live Archive, where Andy (aka Concert Boy) regales you with a recap of one of his many concert experiences through the years. Feel free to review his overall list and make a request for a future Live Archive post.

THE ACT: Neil Young & Crazy Horse

THE SCENE: Boston Garden, 02/08/1991

THE GANG: Me & my best friend Al

THE OCCASION: Al's 21st birthday was the day before

THE RUNDOWN: This was my first time seeing Neil Young and it was with his longtime band Crazy Horse. Neil was touring on his latest release Ragged Glory. We were finally going to legally purchase beer at The Garden. The country was on the brink of war and the show opens with a recorded version of Jimi Hendrix's "Star Spangled Banner." A few songs into the concert and they break into "Blowin' in the Wind." It was really moving considering the events going on over in the middle east. Crazy Horse never took their foot off the gas and powered through favorites "Cortez the Killer," "Powderfinger," "Rockin' in the Free World" & "Like a Hurricane." I've seen Neil 3 or 4 times since and although they are all good, this show is the one I always think of first.

THE LINKS:

Setlist = http://www.sugarmtn.org/sets/19910208.html

Live album Weld from tour = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weld_%28album%29

Official website = http://www.neilyoung.com/

Live Neil links & radio = http://www.rustradio.org/

PICKS (out of 5):

ON MOVIES ~ School Days...

Feature Presentation...

MONDAY MOVIE MEME

Molly looked around for a weekly meme about movies and did not have any luck. So therefore she decided to start her own! Andy will play along as well - hopefully you will too. Go to your blog and create your own post on the topic, linking back to us in your post, then come back and leave a link to your post here in our Comments section. If you don’t have a blog, just share your response in the Comments section.

This week's movie topic is all about School...

September is drawing to a close and that means that lots of Moms & Dads out there are rejoicing that the school system is taking their children in during the week to educate their minds and give the parents a breather. There are lots of college students back in the full swing of course work, research and all nighters. And then there are us Bumbles who have no little ones to send off to school and are far removed from our own school days. So instead, we think of movies that portray various levels of schooling and themes surrounding them. Here are some that we've enjoyed. Share on your blog movies touching upon the world of education and then link back here at The Bumbles. And don't forget to visit your fellow participants!

Old School (2003) - Utter ridiculousness from Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, et al about grown-ups not being able to let go of college living

Back to School (1986) - More silliness, courtesy of Rodney Dangerfield, about a grown-up enjoying college living

Lean on Me (1989) - Why we love Morgan Freeman, portraying real-life controversial inner city Principal

Dead Poets Society (1989) - Robin Williams inspiring private school boys to embrace poetry

Stand and Deliver (1988) - Edward James Olmos portrays real-life high school teacher trying to turn delinquit students' lives around with math

The Breakfast Club (1985) - John Hughes classic snapshot of high school cliques

Grease (1978) - The original high school musical featuring Olivia Newton John and John Travolta

Rock & Roll High School (1979) - The Ramones help a high school revolt against a music hating administration

School of Rock (2003) - Jack Black is the elementary school substitute teacher we wish we'd had growing up, teaching us about the history of rock & roll and the power of music

Revenge of the Nerds (1984) - Anthony Edwards, before he was cool in Top Gun & ER, leads a rag tag bunch of geeks in college against the jocks who hate them

Carrie (1976) - Sissy Spacek starred in this horror flick about the worst prom ever

Class (1983) - This movie about a prep-school student having an affair with his roommate's mother actually was pretty horrible, but Molly has a thing for Rob Lowe - so there

Do you have a topic to suggest to the Monday Movie Meme? Leave it in the Comments section or send us an e-mail.

ON MUSIC ~ Music Chatter...

While sitting around the fire at our awesome campsite on vacation on a rainy night without a deck of cards to entertain ourselves we fell back upon our old standby - listening to tunes and discussing music.

I am at a severe disadvantage in this realm because Concert Boy is all knowing. If ever you need a phone a friend for music, Andy is your guy. He regales me with history lessons of the Beatles catalogue, comparative opinions on Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix as master guitarists, and his top 5 list of essential artists, albums or songs - depending upon the terms I dictate for the desert island game.

I certainly hope that Andy and I are never actually stranded on a deserted island together with only 5 albums to decide on between ourselves, because one of us would be very unhappy. We can agree on everything but this. He would have Bob Dylan there and no Led Zeppelin. All the other choices vary depending on the day, and I have no issues with them. But I have never been able to talk him into Zep. Here's an example of how this little debate goes:

ANDY:
First of all, I grew up listening to Zeppelin and had all their albums on cassette first and then rebought them all on cd, it's just that I don't really listen to them anymore. There's nothing new coming out and I've heard it all a thousand times. And when I suggest putting some Zep on I always go for Presence, since it's my favorite album. It's not Molly's, so we end up listening to Houses of the Holy again...

Anyway, I'm supposed to be defending Dylan. He doesn't really need it, his music and songwriting speaks for itselft. I really don't think I can articulate it. You either love him or hate him or just know the greatest hits and don't have a deep appreciation for Dylan. I will admit that I don't really follow him too much anymore and I haven't bought one of his new albums or seen him in concert in 5 or 6 years.

His music has changed so much over the years and he always uses different musicians and producers and is changing around arrangements of songs.
I would have to have a whole separate Dylan section for my island. Essential albums:

• Highway 61 Revisited
• Bringing it all Back Home
• Blonde on Blonde
• John Wesley Harding
• The Basement Tapes
• Blood on the Tracks
• The entire Bootleg Series, volumes 1 - 7

MOLLY:
Dylan is a fantastic songwriter - his lyrics are thought provoking. His voice sucks. And stop dissing Zep for not putting anything new out. Their drummer died. And how did we get from debating 1 artist over the other to you having a whole entire section from 1 artist? I'm sending you to your own mini-island with your mellow Dylan albums and I'm staying on the big island to rock out with Zep and all those other essential artists you wanted to bring along. When you realize that non-stop Dylan is ingratiating you can paddle your way on over to party with me - if someone hasn't rescued me already. Because you know they would hear Robert Plant's voice over Bob's. But don't worry - I'll leave Houses of the Holy behind for you.

And so you can see why it is better for us to remember that deck of cards the next time we have nothing to do camping in the rain while sitting around listening to tunes. And if we forget again, I may just quiz Concert Boy on music trivia instead. Stomping off in disgust to a shared tent isn't that satisfying.