David Bowie - Changesbowie

Probably the Best Compilation of this Musical Icon

I’m not sure if I share the following sentiment with the rest of my generation, but for some reason, I think I do. My first memories of David Bowie, the English Singer, Songwriter and Actor were when I saw him sing silly Christmas carols and even more sillier duets with the likes of Mick Jagger on MTV. For a long time, I always used to think he existed as a pretentious mainstream pop poseur for the older generation. 

Not until years later at the age of about 17, when I first heard "Changesbowie," a compilation of Bowie’s most notable work that was released in 1990, did I realize that Bowie had several incarnations prior to his 80’s self, some of which were downright brilliant and I felt like a fool not realizing this sooner.

Bowie was a legitimate fusion forerunner and probably the most enigmatic, unpredictable performer of his generation. And "Changesowie" is testimony because it includes pieces of punk, folk, jazz, straight blues, and most frequently, pure rock n roll. Listening to the album now, one can hear the origins of musicians as wide-ranging as the Talking Heads, Nirvana, Pavement, Beck, and even industrial rockers Nine Inch Nails. 

The music is mostly guitar chargedguitar-charged but in a variety of ways. On some tracks, like "Suffragette City," and "Ziggy Stardust," Bowie plays in fantastically pure punk and rock forms, respectively. On other tracks, like "Space Oddity," the Microsoft-adopted "Heroes (one of my favs)," and "Ashes to Ashes," he uses distorted guitar sounds with keyboards to create a new rock standard. Such sounds have become the mainstays of artists like Beck and Trent Reznor. 

In the days since my discovery of "Changesbowie," I have valued it as a musical foundation and pioneering piece of music. In fact, if you pay close attention, almost all pop music in the 90’s can be traced to or related through Bowie. 

Appropriately, the song "Changes" also provided authority-challenging youth one of their most poignant quotes: 

"And these children that you spit on 

As they try to change their worlds 

Are immune to your consultations. 

They’re quite aware what they’re going through.". 

If you never heard this album and in the mood for some Bowie magic, hear it now on Spotify. 

Pulp - Different Class (1995)

A superlative album for lovers of authentic Britpop !

Even though the English alternative Britpop band Pulp was around for over fifteen years when this hit album was released (in 1995 in England and 1996 in the United States and beyond), they never made much of a ripple outside of the United Kingdom, their home base. This Mercury prize winning, platinum ranked, fifth studio album Different Class, however, changed it all making them popular all over Europe, the US, Australia and even Japan marking a revival of sorts in the Britpop genre. NME magazine went as far as to rank it as one of the 500 Albums of all time, a distinction it still holds at number 6. 

The success of Different Class is understandable. This album does have a different flavour compared to all their previous releases and also the other brit albums of those years. A significant mention is that Different Class has a more potent lyrical content than any brit album of the 90s, with vocalist Jarvis Cocker's songs about longing, contempt and jealousy bringing to mind a younger Leonard Cohen. 

On the opening track, "Mis-Shapes," Cocker declares war on the filthy-rich upper class ("We'll use the one thing we've got more of -- that's our minds"). Over the course of Different Class, Cocker and Pulp put their minds where their mouths are. On "Common People," Cocker plays a poor man approached by a rich young girl who tells him, "I want to live like common people." The man gives in at first, but then tells the girl that she will never be common because, "when you're laid in bed at night watching roaches climb the wall/ if you called your dad he could stop it all." In the end, the man understands the girl's wish to be a commoner ("You are amazed that they exist and they burn so bright whilst you can only wonder why"). 

On "I Spy," Cocker plays the part of an adulterer ("I've been sleeping with your wife for the past 16 weeks/ smoking your cigarettes/ drinking your brandy/ messing up the bed that you chose together"). The reason for the man's interest in the affair isn't love or sex, but revenge. He even hopes to get caught in the act, just to ruin the husband's life. 

Next, "Disco 2000" tackles the subject of heartfelt longing as well as any song ever has. On this track, Cocker tells the tale of two children born the same day: the boy grows up to be a misfit and the girl becomes Ms. Popular. The misfit describes his longing for the girl and the pain he felt as a teenager watching "others try and get you undressed. Different Class reads like a novel, with the songs written here about so far only bringing you up to the fifth track! You may consider some of the music is average 90s Brit-pop material, but Cocker's lyrics lift every song up to the next level. 

When the music is as on target as the lyrics, such as on "Disco 2000" and "Common People," Pulp strikes a deep nerve. With this album, Jarvis Cocker and Pulp make an album that is truly in a class by itself, especially if you are a lover of authentic British britpop/britrock!

Natural Born Killers (1994) - Original Soundtrack

A Defining Movie Soundtrack from the 90's 

Film maker Oliver Stone couldn't have picked a better soundtrack producer for his 1994 ultra-violent cult movie "Natural Born Killers" starring Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Rodney Dangerfield, Robert Downey, Jr., Tom Sizemore, and Tommy Lee Jones than Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor. Reznor, the leader of Nine Inch Nails, was hired to sort through the more than 70 songs used in the film to create this a one of a kind soundtrack that would complement the controversial storyline incidentally based on a screenplay by Quentin Tarantino.

The final product is one of the more eclectic soundtrack compilations ever assembled. In addition to the 27 songs which appear on the disc, snippets of dialogue from 27 different characters in the film can be also heard. How many other discs could feature greats like Patsy Cline, Peter Gabriel, Leonard Cohen, and Bob Dylan with the likes of Rage Against the Machine, Marilyn Manson, Jane's Addiction and Dr. Dre? Fans of every type of music will find something they like on this soundtrack. 

The disc opens with Cohen's "The Miracle" and ends with Tha Dogg Pound's "What Would U Do?" In between, it's a ride through the vibrant landscape of music past and present. Nine Inch Nails is featured on three of the disc's tracks. Two of them, "Burn" and "A Warm Place," are great tracks. There is also a remix of "Something I Can Never Have" from the band's debut album. The new mix of this song includes sound bites by some of the characters in the film, and the dialogue adds to the dark mood of the song. Reznor also remixes the Jane's Addiction song "Ted, Just Admit It." The remix, titled "Sex is Violent," features an interesting section of Diamanda Galas' "I Put a Spell On You." Similarly, the Peter Gabriel track "Taboo" is an exotic affair featuring support for Pakistani Sufi Legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

While some soundtracks are nothing but boxed collections of the songs you hear in the film, this one stands apart because it captures the tone of the film itself and the music of those days. Although this album never sold as many copies as the likes of other 90 hit soundtracks, say "Forrest Gump" or "Bodyguard" soundtracks, it is more adventurous and creative than either of those. Even after 20 years, there is yet to release an album of such vivid contradictions and extreme variety blended in one soundtrack. Perhaps, with the "Natural Born Killers" soundtrack, Trent Reznor wanted to set the standard by which other future soundtracks would be judged. A challenge that is still to be bettered!

Friday Flashback - Hits from the 80s & 90s - Part 1

Forgotten Gems from the 80s and 90s

Its Friday and the first post for 2014. What better way than listening to some great forgotten pop rock tracks from the 80s and 90s featuring Bruce Cockburn, Del Amitri, Big Dish, Geneva and more!

This is also a fulfillment of a long pending promise (to many reader requests) to repost all deleted music blog posts. Its a start of sorts but this is a promise the Websnacker intends to completely fulfill! Now, lets get back to the music..

Bruce Cockburn - If I Had a Rocket Launcher (4:59) 

Big Dish - Miss America (3:56) 

Geneva - If You Have To Go (4:07)

Jimmy Davis & Junction - Kick The Wall (3:38) 

Eddie and the Tide - One in a Million (4:07) 

Eight Seconds - Kiss You (When It's Dangerous) (4:05) 

La Marca - Hold on Blue Eyes (The Wraith Soundtrack) (4:01)

Del Amitri - Buttons On My Clothes (4:05)

Friday Flashback - Hits from the 80s & 90s - Part 1 from Websnacker on 8tracks Radio.

Généalogies d'un crime (1997) / Genealogies of a Crime

A whimsical and surreal piece of french cinema

Feeling more like a vintage restoration than an original film, this crime drama by the maverick Chilean director Raoul Ruiz (1941–2011) stars Catherine Deneuve in a dual role of a psychologist and an attorney, both caught in a web of crime and deception. 

The movie has a lot going for it: wittiness, precision, and latent wisdom within the script; captivating cinematography; and well seasoned actors. Yet, somehow it falls flat, making the end result less than thrilling (and possibly alienate a few viewers too).

The film begins with a Chinese ghost story about a young man predestined to kill a girl who then, inconveniently, falls in love with his vengeful ghost. Deneuve plays the young Rene's (Melvil Poupaud) psychiatrist aunt. She makes Rene her patient and is later murdered. Next, we see Deneuve as Rene's attorney. She investigates the crime and in the process, becomes enamored with Rene and discovers the many characters involved with the aunt's murder, including a wickedly funny Michel Piccoli as fellow psychiatrist Georges Didier. 

If the viewer believes the narrator, the murder was a perverse version of a therapy session. But Ruiz has no interest in giving the audience any real clues. None of the characters seems less than conniving and duplicitous. This makes for some interesting and witty banter especially between Didier (Piccoli) and his nemesis (Andrzej Seweryn).

The dual climactic sequences within the movie leave the viewer drained before its the eventual conclusion. Still, the presence of Catherine Deneuve and Michel Piccoli, two of Frances greatest actors, a clever- actually way too clever-plot, and alluring cinematography of Paris make this a film that rewards the intelligent filmgoer.

Blondie - Greatest Hits and Other Favorites !

It was 6 AM on a frosty, chilled morning and I was in a lousy tent on a hiking nature school camp. Not much fun really! I was the first one to wake up and I turned on my guide’s Walkman to the sound of Blondie, I lay there in my sleeping bag listening to the sound of their hit single, "Denis" and my first contact with Debbie Harry, her boyfriend guitarist Chris Stein and company.

"Denis" a cover version of Randy and the Rainbows' 1963 hit was a huge hit of those days from their 1978 album – Plastic Letters and put the young US band, (considered an underground act until then) on top of the world rock charts. There was something about "Denis". You cant be sure if it was the detail that De-nis was pronounced De-nee or that part of the song was sung in French. Whatever it was, Blondie were hailed as the forerunners of the new punk revolution and more so, as it was fronted by a female vocalist.

In 1978, Blondie were leaders in the new wave, punk rock movement but they went on to flout that classification too. The late 1970's saw the release of several Blondie albums "Blondie" (1976), Plastic Letters (1978), Parallel Lines (1978), Eat to the Beat (1979) and a string of hit singles. It's hard to pick the most outstanding - "Picture This", "Hangin on the Telephone", “Sunday Girl”, “Atomic” and "Heart of Glass" all come to mind. The last of those were the group's first US No.1 hits, building on the success that they originally found in the UK.

Something extraordinary happened as the '80's dawned, Blondie the punk band transformed themselves into more of a Pop rock, new wave band with strong dance and pop influences. Examples would include the Richard Gere starrer "American Gigolo" soundtrack which featured "Call Me" collaboration with composer Giorgio Moroder that became a worldwide super hit. Their 1980 album 'Autoamerican' a stepping stone to more success produced hits like "The Tide is High" with its strong reggae and ska references and rap-influenced “Rapture”.

Debbie Harry meanwhile released a solo album of her own of 1981, "Koo Koo" featuring the small hit “Backfired” and probably caused the inevitable brief break-up of the band released. In 1982, after a quickpatch up, Blondie released their 6^th Album “The Hunter” in 1982. While a critical failure, it still gave them 2 hit singles “War Child” and “Island of Lost Souls”. 

The 80's and 90's were definitely wilderness years for the entire Blondie team. The renamed Deborah Harry found modest success with her solo projects which though promising much, lacked direction or originality in terms of music while the Blondie, the Band toured across the world.

Their defining moment perhaps was the release of their 1999 album 'No Exit' and “Maria” , the hit Single. ‘Maria’ is a sexy pop rock anthem that is a powerful ambassador for the rest of the album. Not many know that “Maria” also gave the band the unique distinction of being one of only two American acts (the other being Michael Jackson) to ever reach number one spots in the UK singles charts in the 70s, 80s and the 90s.

Subsequently, Blondie released several more albums The Curse of Blondie (2003) that featured the hit “Good Boys” and the more recent Panic of Girls (2011) which featured “Mother” and “What I Heard”.

However, No Exit remains in my view, their best effort and my favorite Blondie album. Besides the superb “Maria”, it features 2 more great tracks “Nothing Is Real but the Girl” and the title track “No Exit” featuring rap superstar Coolio.

Rather than sticking to the winning sound of the late 70's, the band built a strong new identity in No Exit. The persuasive musical influences were still all very there, with strong references to the punk and pop sounds of their past but fused with the current sounds of the 90’s pop and rock scene. What this concoction produced, once out of the blender, is an remarkable album of quality punk pop rock. Combining the novelty of their new found maturity with the wisdom of their vast experience "No Exit" is a glowing testimonial to everything Blondie have always been known for and why they are still considered one of the best selling bands of all time. 

Click HERE to sample and download all my favorite Blondie Hits in this special selection. Remember to also checkout the official Blondie Website for recent news, music, band profile, tour dates, photographs, discography, biography, merchandise, links and more!

Driving Across Oblivion !

Driving Solo on the Surreal Highway to Nowhere

I am on the highway to nowhere on a lousy rental car but thank god, at least its big, the AC works and it doesn’t stutter. And the CD deck is belting out Thom Yorke’s 'Clocks' with pristine clarity!! Or maybe I am hearing it inside my head!! 

The road is wide and seemingly nice but I can’t find any car or truck for company, I probably should have covered more than 250 miles! That has been my feeling for the whole 3 hours I have driven through it. It is not a place you want to break down after dark. 

Small derelict houses and burnt trucks tucked in by the side of the road. The scenery seems like a scrawny sick patient that sticks up into the mountains and it's nothing but crumbling, old coal mines. Most of them are practically ghost relics and there's nothing in between them but this empty highway, twisting through the hills with only enough light to keep you on the road. Sinister and weirdly disheartening. 

And the hills do look like a brown green wall from a distance, covered in some sort of pine or eucalyptus so dark-needled that it looks like the folds of land are sheathed in a dark gloomy mantle, it's an uninhabited plateau all around. But that's not all. 

I have been driving across this sort of strange, empty plateau until I came closer to the brown wall. If you drive from the East you will cross the weird, alkalai, patchwork desert terrain first, it looks endless and awful and then there's this strange, dark line on the Western horizon, miles after you've left the last gas station. It grows and grows into this massive wall that stretches across the entire horizon. It looks like a curtain of brown impassable stone. I can see nothing ahead. Just this doom and gloom wall and me. If you were lost here, you would probably fall down and cry, sure that you would die here. 

It’s really leaving an impression on me. I didn't have any idea there were place like this in real life, just in movies. Driving solo and long distance in a foreign country can be a surreal experience..this seems exactly like the one!! Like the truck accident I saw in the morning. Something really bizarre about watching the rising trail of burning oil and molten metal from the middle of the endless hills and a long, winding road.... It really did seem like a movie. 

Considering the amount of sleep I got last night, is this a dream....I am really astonished at how extraordinary outback country is. I never thought I'd say this, but I think driving across tany cavernous highway is a dreamlike trip all of you should take sometime. Ok..let me get back on the road..again!! The Journey is not yet over!!!

Waking Life (2001)

Richard Linklater's Brilliant Animated MindTripper!!

Waking Life (2001) is a dazzling mess. There are probably more ideas generated in those 100 minutes than in all other movies currently playing around town combined, even if its over 10 years old. Richard Linklater's film is presented as one long hallucination by its nameless central character, an observer of conversations about existentialism, rebirth, free will, bereavement, warfare, technology, faith and, most of all, the nature of dreams themselves.

Like virtually any work that dares to ask big, unanswerable questions, Waking Life can be pretentious and even exhausting but you also get euphoria from its unquenchable curiosity about the world, like a skyfall.

As in Slacker (1991), Linklater's first film, there is virtually no conformist story, making it easy to lose yourself along the way. The imprecise rotoscoped animation only enhances the feeling of displacement but that's specifically the point. In other words, getting lost with Linklater is a lot more enlightening than being spoon-fed, hand-led and patronized by a lot of garden-variety filmmakers more concerned with filling the theater than filling your brain.

Brimming with references to Jean-Paul Sartre, D.H. Lawrence and countless others, Waking Life is at times encumbered by its assault of ideas; still, it stands in direct hostility to an entertainment culture where being "about nothing" is a insignia of respect.

Sure, it'd be nice if people in this movie occasionally just talked about baseball or the weather to balance things out. There's also no denying that some of the images in Waking Life are breathtaking but at length, many might feel that this is an agonizing exercise in hedonistic, snotty filmmaking, that will ignite arguments over its apparent intrinsic worth and, no doubt, be touted by some as a masterpiece.

Nonetheless, Waking Life sticks with you in a insightful way, its ideas buzzing through your mind like fireflies. And I was beginning to think the sheer possibility was but a dream.

Free Streaming/Movie Download - Video Link: VeeHD

Donnie Darko 2001 (+ Directors Cut)

Richard Kelly’s Inventive Exercise in Surreal Teen Angst

I just finished reading Richard Kelly’s “The Donnie Darko Book”, a fascinating addition to the inventive 2001 time travel cult hit - Donnie Darko. The magnetism of Donnie Darko which originally saw a very limited theatrical release but a subsequent fantastic run on DVD and Cable, lies not really in its focal stars – Jake Glyllenhaal, real life sister Maggie Glyllenhaal or Jena Malone (who plays Rocket in Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch) nor in its hypnotic subtle special effects, serviceably effectual as they may be. Although, we have to admit Patrick Swayze's turn as a slimy motivational speaker is wickedly genius, easily his best performance since Point Break, the Kathryn Bigelow directed Keanu Reeves smash hit)

No, Donnie Darko simply works because it's completely original even with its sci-fi undertones. Its portrayal of late-1980s suburban American disquiet and crippling teenage perplexity is so authentic that a talking six-foot tall metal-faced rabbit named Frank is rendered only slightly less than completely plausible.

Donnie Darko succeeds because of first-time writer/director Richard Kelly’s (who went to make the equally surreal Southland Tales) complex script, which - at once candidly determined, mournfully delicate and strikingly intelligent - is also wise enough to make Donnie's parents caring and insightful, knowing that need not preclude the troubled kid from hating them. It works because Jake Gyllenhaal (in one of his best performance since October Sky and Bubble Boy) brings a restrained, tormented charm to the primary character of Donnie. And not to mention and this is the aspect that will haunt you afterwards - the stellar music of Michael Andrews and the befitting 80’s new wave soundtrack including "Mad World", the haunting No.1 Gary Jules piano-driven cover hit of the Tears for Fears single.

By portraying so honestly the time in which it’s set, Donnie Darko captures a dreamlike world of feeling and detail that transcends time, which is what the movie is all about in the first place. Or is it?

Present below are Video links to the original version and the extended Director's Cut which was released in 2004.

Free Streaming/Download Avi Links :

Donnie Darko (2001) Original Version : VeeHD or StageVu

Donnie Darko (2004) Directors Cut : VeeHD or StageVu

Gary Jules : Mad World (Tears For Fears Cover) : Youtube Video

10 Great (and Bad) School Songs

10 School Inspired Songs from the Websnacker Archives

In a move obviously perpetrated by ignorant politicians, obsessive academics and greedy education companies, kids these days are having a really short vacation and are going back to school much, much earlier. In fact most of them are back at School already.

Whatever happened to free time for children, of not having to go back to brainwash camp and why did needlessly anxious parents and other such minions of school evil allow these sinister changes? It's not like this extra time in the school trenches is making the kids any smarter, so why not let the little brats have some more summer vacation?

Anyway, instead of harping on the nation wide super sale of Apple iPhone4 or Justin Beiber T-shirts (De rigueur for the fashion forward trend-following teen-sheep), lets dust off the old tape recorder and review some of the world's great and not so great songs (read bad songs) about school (from my archives) to the test. Don't worry if your favorite school-themed song isn't on here, it probably sucks anyway. Why? Because I'm the teacher now and I said so.

1. Beach Boys: Be True to Your School

Uggh. No disrespect to Brian Wilson and his Manson-friendly brothers, because they definitely churned out some important and lovely psychedelic harmonic pop, but this glee-club disaster of a song sucks. The devotion to your alma-mater lyrics sound like something the super dad on "7th Heaven" would write, and the "Rah, Rah, Rah, Sis-Boom-Bah" background vocals are about as square as music can get without somehow involving both Kenny G. and a church youth group. Youtube

2. Chuck Berry: School Days

An exemplar specimen, not just of the school songs genre, but of Rock n' Roll in its entirety. This song, with its wonderful guitar work echoing Berry's witty lyrics, paints a truly amazing, portrait of teenage life during the dawn of Rock n' Roll. A true joy, we only wish all of our current staple of songs on air were as clever, catchy and poignant as this 1957 classic. Youtube

3. Dead Prez: They Schools

Wow. Hip hop Duo M-1 and Stic man really break it down on this one, spewing not only fury and rage but also some serious knowledge and insight into just how screwed up America's school systems are, especially for Afro Americans. The only thing keeping this track from being a straight up winner is the somewhat weak R&B style hook which manages to detract from the overall power and impact of the verses. Youtube

4. MC5: High School

Those were the days when Wayne Kramer and his boys seemed to be coasting on proto-punk "Kick Out the Jams" White Panther reputation and hence, this lackluster celebration of youth gone wild. Certainly not their best work. There's potential here, but these guys need to buckle down and apply themselves if they really want to spark a revolution. Youtube

5. Nirvana: School

Sure it's not quite as catchy or dazzling as “Smells like Teen Spirit”, but this is good solid genre work. Cobain's pained wail and the repeated refrains of "No Recess" and "You're in High School Again" skillfully, if simply, articulate the utter torturous anguish that, for most of us, was (or is) High School. Youtube

6. Replacements: Fuck School

Very early Replacements at their shoddy, patchy, punk/drunk rock best. Its 90 secs of pure midwestern youth insurgence and it earns a considerable credibility bonus by virtue of the fact that bass-player Tommy Stinson was all of just 15 years old at the time and probably had to skip his 10th grade Social Studies to make the recording session. Youtube

7. Van Halen: Hot For Teacher

This song rocks. An under rated Van Halen gem. A perfect riff and some great rocket-ship soloing from Eddie combined with David Lee Roth's perfectly lascivious hard rock vocals form a classic tune. It's too bad David Lee Roth called it quits afterwards only to be replaced by what many fans call an insipid and second-rate imitator in Sammy Hagar (which I completely disagree though). Youtube

8. Pixies: Weird at My School

This Doolittle era rarity is an attention-grabbing Country and Western flavored tune about a kid that lives at his Catholic school and wants to have sex with the nuns. Not bad at all but from alternative chart regulars like the Pixies, we would expect a little better. Youtube

9. Ramones: Rock n' Roll High School

A lot more fun in theory than practice, this is probably one of the Ramones' lamer songs. It's just a little too '50s kitsch for tastes. Still it is the Ramones, a perpetual Teacher's favorite, so it squeezes in just above the mark of mediocrity. Youtube

10. Sam Cooke: Wonderful World

On first listen, this song sounds almost as square as, if a lot more expressive as, "Be True To Your School," but a deeper listen reveals it’s many saving graces. Cooke's voice is so smooth it's spiritual, his lyrics are self-deprecatingly endearing, and most importantly… he's trying to get laid. You can't fault a guy for that. Sam may not claim to be an A Student, but he was one of the pioneers of Soul music and with this majestic performance he earns top marks. As a side note, at the height of his popularity, Cooke was shot dead when was 33 years old under rather mysterious circumstances. Bet they don't teach that at school. Youtube

Notable Mentions (with Youtube Links)

Alice Cooper - “School's Out”

Boomtown Rats - “I Don't Like Mondays"

Bryan Adams - “Summer of 69”

Crash test Dummies – “Mmm Mmm Mmm"

Jackson 5 - “ABC”

Pet Shop Boys - “It's a Sin"

Pink Floyd - “Another Brick in the Wall”

Billy Idol – Cyberpunk (1993)

Remembering the Original Cyberpunk

3 times Grammy nominated William Michael Albert Broad, better known as Billy Idol was the original MTV pioneer and quintessential punk rocker who mined platinum for years with numerous hit albums including the hugely popular Rebel Yell (1983) (featuring the international hit “Eyes Without a Face”) which catapulted him to superstar status, 1986’s Whiplash Smile and 1990’s Charmed Life. Although immensely popular and successful, his latter music sounded increasingly outmoded, relying far too often on his typical scorn and the Billy Idol trademark howl than on any new musical direction.

Then the accomplished punk rebel discovered the futuristic worlds of Neal Stephenson and William Gibson, one of the greatest Science fiction writers of our times who helped define the cyber world genre. Gibson’s vision of an ultramodern future where information is the most valuable commodity and where console cowboys physically jack into their computers to cruise through cyberspace captured Idol’s imagination. He bought a computer, learned how to use it DIY and starting hanging out in cyberspace.

Soon, Idol made what, in many minds was the predictable evolution from a regular punk to a cyber punk, with his 1998’s experimental concept album aptly called 'Cyberpunk', an electronic tour de force of intense techno beats and cyber-lyrics that has one foot in Rock and the other in the brave new cyberdelic world of the early 90s.

Inspired by his trek into the computerized world of electrons, cybertrons and fiber optic cables along with his overzealous fascination with sci-fi culture, Cyberpunk touched upon many of diverse themes the cyber subculture of those early days of the Internet (usenet) embraced.

Lyrically presenting a revolutionary world controlled by corporate overlords and populated by cybernetic cowboys, ardent religious fanatics and a zombie working class held in virtual slavery, Cyberpunk worked well as one of the first musical interpretations of cyberpunk culture and idealism, acting as a bookend and a shining example to new artists exploring unchartered musical frontiers. In fact, Cyberpunk was the first album by a mainstream artist to feature an email id !!!, a special edition multimedia floppy disk (as CR-ROMS were expensive then), a supplementary Shock to the System VHS cassette or actively embrace the Internet in its development and promotion.

While many fans and critics disagreed, the new-fangled change suited him well, breathing new life to his style (Billy Idol was James Cameron's first choice for the T2 Cyborg in Terminator 2) and a raw electronic energy to his music. And although a critical and commercial failure some calling it 'one of the worst albums of all time'; musically at least, Cyberpunk offered some of the best that Idol had produced since the days of "White Wedding" or "Dancing With Myself," recapturing the original strength, appetite and ferocity that originally fired Idol into stardom and led to his previous successes.

Lyrically entrancing and tunefully diverse with a strong electronic flavor, “Cyberpunk” is rhythmic, provocative and often times disturbingly dissonant, much like the discordant society being described, the world that we have now become.

I have not added the entire album of 20 tracks here but only the notable hits and some of my personal favorites including "Shock to the System", "Heroin", "Adam in Chains", "Power Junkie", "Love Labours On" and "Mother Dawn", a fast paced duet with Durga McBroom (of Blue Pearl)

12 tracks in playlist, average track length: 5:11

Playlist length: 1 hour 2 minutes 12 seconds

1. Billy Idol - Wasteland (No Religion 11) (3:54)

2. Billy Idol - Shock To The System (3:37)

3. Billy Idol - Tomorrow People (5:05)

4. Billy Idol - Adam In Chains (6:20)

5. Billy Idol - Neuromancer (4:36)

6. Billy Idol - Power Junkie (4:46)

7. Billy Idol - Love Labours On (3:53)

8. Billy Idol - Heroin (Velvet Underground Cover) (6:56)

9. Billy Idol - Shangrila (7:24)

10. Billy Idol - Concrete Kingdom (4:51)

11. Billy Idol - Venus (5:47)

12. Billy Idol - Mother Dawn (featuring Durga McBroom) (5:03)

Free Mp3s - 95.61 MB Single Zipped Folder - Megaupload Download link

THIS IS A NON-COMMERCIAL FAN MIXTAPE. IF YOU LIKE BILLY IDOL, PLEASE BUY ORIGINAL BILLY IDOL MUSIC.

You can buy original CDS/DVDs & Mp3s of Billy Idol at his official site, his myspace page and also at other sites like emusic, amazon, itunes, other online stores or your nearest music and movie retailer.

15 Best Female Rock Songs for the New Year

Pop Rock Hits from 15 Best Female Vocalists (That I Can Think of Now)

My first Music post for the New Year and what better way to celebrate than a smashing collection of 15 awesome songs from 15 best female vocalists that I can think of (now)- including personal favorites like Sarah McLachlan, Lene Marlin, Beth Orton and Michelle Branch. 2 Things to do now - click the download button, enjoy!

1. Adrienne Pierce - Downside Of Love (3:20)

2. Aimee Mann - Thirity One Today (4:52)

3. Beth Orton - Thinking About Tomorrow (6:40)

4. Jane Wiedlin - Blue Kiss (3:28)

5. Lene Marlin - Another Day (4:07)

6. Lucy Woodward - What's Good For Me (3:59)

7. Melissa Etheridge - Come To My Window (3:57)

8. Michelle Branch - Goodbye To You (4:11)

9. Mieka Pauley - (Prologue) All The Same Mistakes (4:19)

10. Minnie Driver - Down (4:36)

11. Sarah Bettens - Stay (3:17)

12. Sarah Mc Lachlan - Sweet Surrender (3:59)

13. Serena Ryder - All For Love (3:58)

14. Sheryl Crow - Love Is All There Is (4:01)

15. Adele - Chasing Pavements (3:31)

Free MP3 Download – Zipped Folder - 78.43 MB – Megaupload link

THIS IS A NON-COMMERCIAL FAN MIXTAPE. IF YOU LIKE THESE ARTISTS, PLEASE BUY THEIR ORIGINAL MUSIC & PROMOTE THEM

You can buy original CDS/DVDs & Mp3s of the above artists at emusic, amazon, itunes, other online stores or your nearest music and movie retailer.

Singing in the Rain - 20 Great Rain Songs!

Free Hit Mp3s to Relish the Bountiful Rains

It’s been raining, rather incessantly for the past 3 days. Maybe, the man above has finally heard my complaints - blessing me (and a thousand others) with a million gallons of water plus a day off on a Monday! So, what better way to spend a bonus weekday holiday than listening to great rain songs, sipping hot mushroom soup and savoring the cold wet weather with the family!

Featuring fantastic hit tracks from the likes of Sarah Brightman, Paramore to Queensrÿche, The Cult, personal favorites like A-ha, Garbage, Cold besides Billboard hits from Zoe, Milli Vanilli and more, I hope you all share my enthusiasm for the rains, like my rain love and enjoy the free rain music!

1. A-Ha - Crying In The Rain (4:21)
2. All That Jazz - Open Rain (5:09)
3. Benjamin Diamond - The Rain (4:37)
4. Cargo Cult - Rain (3:27)
5. Club 8 - Spring Came, Rain Fell (2:36)
6. Cold - Rain Song (3:37)
7. Garbage - Only Happy When It Rains (3:56)
8. Hunz - Ocean From Rain (5:23)
9. Kate Ryan - The Rain (3:18)
10. Milli Vanilli - Blame It On The Rain (4:19)
11. Paramore - When It Rains (3:35)
12. Queensrÿche - Another Rainy Night (Without You) (4:29)
13. Sarah Brightman - Let It Rain (4:17)
14. Sneaker Pimps - Walk The Rain (4:56)
15. Something Stranger - And The Rain (3:15)
16. The 77's - Rain Kept Falling In Love (4:57)
17. The Alarm - Rain In The Summertime (5:11)
18. The Cult - Rain (3:58)
19. VAST - Where It Never Rains (3:30)
20. Zoe - Sunshine On A Rainy Day (3:57)

Free Mp3 Download – 97.93 MB Single Zipped Folder – Megaupload link

THIS IS A NON-COMMERCIAL FAN MIXTAPE. IF YOU LIKE THESE ARTISTS, PLEASE BUY THEIR ORIGINAL MUSIC & PROMOTE THEM

You can buy original CDS/DVDs & Mp3s of the above artists at emusic, amazon, itunes, other online stores or your nearest music and movie retailer.

Gothic Rock Greatest Hits - A Websnacker Exclusive!

The Very Best of Gothic Rock Hits - Goth Rock, Dark Wave & Gothic Metal Mp3s

I had planned this Gothic Hits compilation to coincide with Halloween (Oct 31) but thanks to my terrible time management skills, it has taken me 3 weeks to finally bring it to fruition. In fact, this is my first music post in the last 45 days so I will make it special.

For many “Gothic Rock” is an acquired taste with a bad reputation! At heart, "Goth Rock" refers to the musical style invented by second-generation British Punk bands like the hugely popular The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees and the post-punk Joy Division (the predecessors of New Order) – gloomy, melancholic music that embraced darkness and excessively gloomy imagery but the Gothic style is actually quite broad and has serious cultural antecedents in the work of writers like Mary Shelley and Horace Walpole. The pop "Gothic" style has deeply influenced our culture and is today represented in the music of a wide variety of bands, from Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry’s Dead Can Dance to the more popular Marilyn Manson. At its worst, Gothic music is pathetically hackneyed, a collection of clichéd lines about lost vampires, blood and arcane creatures of the night. At its best, Gothic rock and its subgenres can be frighteningly morbid, darkly romantic and melodiously tuneful all at the same time.

And here’s your chance to sample this great often neglected genre. Featuring some of the very best Gothic tunes – from plain vanilla gothic rock and gothic metal to dark wave, electronica tinged gothic synth pop plus a little symphonic dark metal too, you’ll hear them all. And I have intentionally kept it as accessible as possible!

Included are some of my personal favorites too - “Cry Little Sister” by the talented English singer-songwriter - Gerard McMann (from the “Lost Boys” Soundtrack), “Kaiser Star” by the Danish indie dark rock act - Ruined By Martin (or RbM) and “Heaven’s A Lie” by Lacuna Coil, the famed Milanese Italian gothic metal band of Andrea Ferro and Cristina Scabbia.

Other acts featured here include Mono Inc and Wolfsheim, both from Hamburg; Within Temptation, the Dutch metal/alternative rock band; Switchblade Symphony, the San Francisco ensemble; Sisters of Mercy, the English gothic rock band and Sirenia, the well-liked symphonic gothic metal band from Norway. I have a penchant for Finnish music so have added 3 acts – HIM, the Helsinki rock band of Ville Valo; Amorphis, a Nordic melodic metal band and Nightwish, the symphonic dark metal band famous for “Nemo” from the soundtrack of the underground horror thriller “Cave” and perhaps Finland’s most successful band export.

14 tracks in playlist, average track length: 4:50
Playlist length: 1 hour 7 minutes 53 seconds

1. Amorphis - Silent Waters (4:50)
2. Gerard McMann - Cry Little Sister (Lost Boys Soundtrack) (4:47)
3. Him - Join Me In Death (3:36)
4. Hungry Lucy - Bound In Blood (5:19)
5. Lacuna Coil - Heaven's A Lie (4:46)
6. Mono Inc. - This Is The Day (5:18)
7. Nightwish - Nemo (Cave Soundtrack) (4:19)
8. Noctorum - My Museum (4:59)
9. Ruined By Martin (RbM) - Kaiser Star (4:07)
10. Sirenia - Save Me From Myself (4:14)
11. Sisters Of Mercy - Temple Of Love (8:07)
12. Switchblade Symphony - Dissolve (remix) (5:44)
13. Within Temptation - Jillian (4:48)
14. Wolfsheim - I Won't Believe (2:59)

Free Mp3 Download - 85.66 MB Single Zipped Folder – Megaupload link

THIS IS A NON-COMMERCIAL FAN MIXTAPE. IF YOU LIKE THESE ARTISTS, PLEASE BUY THEIR ORIGINAL MUSIC & PROMOTE THEM. You can buy original CDS/DVDs & Mp3s of the above artists at www.emusic.com, www.amazon.com, www.itunes.com, other online stores or your nearest music and movie retailer.

Garbage Greatest Hits – A Websnacker MP3 Exclusive!

The Best of Garbage - All the Garbage You’ll Ever Need and More!

If you have never heard of Garbage, the fantabulous 7 times Grammy-nominated electronic alternative rock band (famous for the James Bond theme song ‘The World Is Not Enough’), now is the time.

An exceptionally talented ensemble featuring Shirley Manson on the vocals with Steve Marker, Duke Erikson and the hit producer Butch Vig for support, Garbage play a inimitable kind of alternative rock that seamlessly blends rock, electronica with elements of grunge, power pop, new wave and even trip hop.

Butch Vig incidentally is the producer of such multi-platinum selling albums like Nirvana’s Never mind, Smashing Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream besides acts like the Soul Asylum, AFI and more recently Green Day’s 21st Century Breakdown, which won this year’s Grammy for Best Rock Album.

From their self-titled debut in 1995, to their second album in 1998 – Version 2.0 to 2001’s Beautiful Garbage, 2005’s Bleed Like Me and other singles, you’ll find almost all their best hits plus my personal favorites in this exclusive compilation not available anywhere else on the web or at your nearest record store. Download and enjoy the Garbage..its good as gold!

26 tracks in playlist, average track length: 4:05
Estimated playlist length: 1 hour 46 minutes 16 seconds

Garbage - Drop Dead Gorgeous
Garbage - Stupid Girl
Garbage - Cup Of Coffee
Garbage - A Stroke Of Luck
Garbage - Crush (I Will Die For You) ( Romeo & Juliet Sdtk)
Garbage - You Look So Fine
Garbage - So Like A Rose
Garbage - Bad Boyfriend
Garbage - Androgyny
Garbage - Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)
Garbage - Special (Rickidi Raw Mix)
Garbage - When I Grow Up
Garbage - The Trick Is To Keep Breathing
Garbage - I Think I'm Paranoid
Garbage - Milk
Garbage - Shut Your Mouth
Garbage - Breaking Up The Girl
Garbage - The World Is Not Enough (World Is Not Enough Sdtk)
Garbage - Run Baby Run
Garbage - Special
Garbage - Push It
Garbage – Parade
Garbage - My Lover's Box
Garbage - Only Happy When It Rains
Garbage - Deadwood
Garbage - Queer

THIS IS A NON-COMMERCIAL FAN MIXTAPE.
If you like this Garbage compilation, please buy Garbage. You can buy their music at www.garbage.com or directly at www.store.livenation.com/Store.aspx?cp=13281_16771_16025 or at www.itunes.com, www.amazon.com and other music retailers.

Free Mp3 Download - 98.35 MB - Single Zipped Folder – Megaupload Link

a-ha’s Greatest Hits - A Websnacker Exclusive Compilation

Awesome Hit Mp3s from the Norwegian New Wave Trio

Founded in 1982 by Morten Harket, Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and Magne Furuholmen, a-ha (spelled only in lower-case) is Norway’s best selling, Grammy nominated new wave band that has internationally sold over 40 million albums, won a phenomenal number of critical and popular awards and the first (and perhaps the only) Norwegian band to hit the No.1 spot in the U.S. charts.

Yet, a-ha is often misconstrued as an one-hit wonder for “Take On Me”, the extraordinary billboard no.1 hit of 1985 which alone is estimated to have sold over 10 million copies globally and the equally popular hit video that won 6 MTV Video Awards in 1986 including the Viewer's Choice award, Best New Artist, Best Direction, Best Special Effects and Best Concept Video (as it featured the rotoscoping technique for the first time).

With over 9 hit studio albums, beginning from their 1985 debut ‘Hunting High and Low’ to ‘Foot of the Mountain’ which was released in June 2009, a-ha are one of few remaining pop/rock bands from the 80’s that have transcended their original days of glory and have continued to be successful to this day. In fact, after they announced a formal split in Oct 2009, tickets for their Dec 2010 farewell show at Oslo were sold out in less than 2 hours. a-ha also incidentally hold a Guinness World Record for paying audiences as their January 1991 show at the Rio festival in Brazil attracted a paid audience of over 198,000 fans – the largest in the world for a single act !

I was first introduced to a-ha in 1989 when a friend of mine loaned me a tape of their ‘Stay On These Roads’ album which also featured the title theme song of “The Living Daylights” - the James Bond film. Since then, I have bought all their albums, been hooked by their infectious Nordic blend of breezy synthpop, Morten Harket’s moody vocals and amazing lyrics.

As a fan tribute, I have compiled a special handpicked 2 hours+ compilation of their greatest hits from 1985 to 2009, cult favorites like “Take On Me”, "The Sun Always Shines on T.V.", "Summer Moved On," and some personal selections like “I Wish I Cared” for you to download and enjoy. I am confident you’ll love this unique a-ha music assemblage.

27 tracks in playlist, average track length: 5:05
Playlist length: 2 hours 17 minutes 21 seconds

1. a-ha - Analoque (3:49)
2. a-ha - Cry Wolf (4:07)
3. a-ha - Crying In The Rain (4:21)
4. a-ha - Don't Do Me Any Favours (3:50)
5. a-ha - Early Morning (2:59)
6. a-ha - Foot Of The Mountain (3:57)
7. a-ha - Forever Not Your Yours (4:01)
8. a-ha - Hunting High And Low (3:46)
9. a-ha - I Call Your Name (4:53)
10. a-ha - I Wish I Cared (4:21)
11. a-ha - Little Black Heart (4:36)
12. a-ha - Manhattan Skyline (4:50)
13. a-ha - Minor Earth Major Sky (5:24)
14. a-ha - Mother Nature Goes To Heaven (4:08)
15. a-ha - Nothing Is Keeping You Here (3:17)
16. a-ha - Scoundrel Days (3:57)
17. a-ha - Shadowside (4:55)
18. a-ha - Stay On These Roads (4:46)
19. a-ha - Summer Moved On (4:35)
20. a-ha - Take on Me (Original Version)
21. a-ha - Take On Me (Techno Remix) (5:55)
22. a-ha - The Living Daylights (The Living Daylights SDTK) (4:16)
23. a-ha - The Sun Always Shines On TV (5:08)
24. a-ha - The Sun Never Shone That Day
25. a-ha - Thought That It Was You
26. a-ha - Velvet (Stockholm Mix)
27. a-ha - You'll Never Get Over Me

Free Mp3 Download - 2 Zipped Folders – Megaupload link - Disc1 , Disc2

THIS IS A NON-COMMERCIAL FAN MIXTAPE. IF YOU LIKE A-HA, PLEASE BUY ORIGINAL AHA MUSIC!

a-ha Music available on a-ha.com, Amazon.com, iTunes.com and your nearest music retailer.

Depeche Mode’s Greatest Hits - A Websnacker Compilation

Grrreat Music from the Godfathers of Synthpop!

From Depeche Mode - the World’s most successful synthpop, electronic new wave rock band, comes this MP3 selection of some of their greatest hits and personal favorites that will make you realize why they have sold over 100 million albums, singles and remixes worldwide.

Formed in 1980 at Essex, England; the 5 time Grammy nominated Depeche Mode was originally a 4 piece electronic band featuring Dave Gahan, Andrew Fletcher, Vince Clarke and Martin Gore. In 1981, they released their successful debut album “Speak & Spell” which entered the UK Top 10 but soon Clarke departed and was replaced by Alan Wilder. 1n 1995, Wilder quit and since then, Depeche Mode have continued as a threesome producing numerous No.1 hit albums, Billboard hit singles and remix releases.

Rated as the world’s only electronic band to have achieved super-spectacular success across the world to being called as “the most popular electronic band the world has ever known”, Depeche Mode has been a pioneer across the electronic-laden new wave synthpop music space, providing inspiration to scores of musicians including big names like Linkin Park, Shakira, Pet Shop Boys and many more. In fact, their signature hit song “Enjoy the Silence” has been recorded as a cover version by over 100 international bands and artists till date.

Now, go ahead and download this extra-special Mp3 compilation featuring all-time hits like “Try Walking In My Shoes”, “Personal Jesus”, “Dream On” to personal favorites like “Precious”, “Useless”, “Its No Good” and “The Things You Said”. I have also added the Kruder & Dorfmeister Remix of “Useless”, the German Industrial Metal band -Rammstein’s awesome cover of “Stripped” and 21 of their most memorable hitsongs. Enjoy.

30 tracks in playlist, average track length: 4:52
Playlist length: 2 hours 26 minutes 2 seconds

1. Depeche Mode - Black Celebration (4:53)
2. Depeche Mode - Blasphemous Rumors (6:22)
3. Depeche Mode - Breathe (5:17)
4. Depeche Mode - But Not Tonight (5:12)
5. Depeche Mode - Dangerous (7:11)
6. Depeche Mode - Dream On (4:20)
7. Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence (Single Mix) (4:06)
8. Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence (6:12)
9. Depeche Mode - Everything Counts (3:57)
10. Depeche Mode - Freelove (Maximal Chorus Mix) (5:42)
11. Depeche Mode - Get The Balance Right (3:12)
12. Depeche Mode - I Feel Loved (Danny Tenaglia Mix) (6:55)
13. Depeche mode - I Feel Loved (4:20)
14. Depeche Mode - I Feel You (4:36)
15. Depeche Mode - I Promise You I will (3:40)
16. Depeche mode - It s No Good (5:58)
17. Depeche Mode - It's No Good (Ross Fortune Edit) (6:41)
18. Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough (3:44)
19. Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again (4:48)
20. Depeche Mode - New Life (3:28)
21. Depeche Mode - Policy of Truth (4:55)
22. Depeche Mode - Precious (4:10)
23. Depeche Mode - Shine (5:32)
24. Depeche Mode - Stripped (Rammstein Heavy Metal Mix) (5:15)
25. Depeche Mode - Tainted Love (2:42)
26. Depeche Mode - The Things You Said (4:02)
27. Depeche Mode - Try Walking In My Shoes (2:30)
28. Depeche Mode - Useless (Kruder & Dorfmeister Remix) (6:15)
29. Depeche Mode - Useless (5:12)
30. Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus (4:55)

Free Mp3 Download - 2 Zipped Folders – Megaupload links - Disc 1, Disc 2

IF YOU LIKE EM, BUY EM!!

You can buy Depeche Mode Music at the Depeche Mode store on Amazon or at the official DM Store. Depeche Mode also available on itunes.

Friday Flashback - Goodness from the 80's

Terrific MP3 Hits from the 1980's for you to Download

Here’s some 80’s goodness for you to download and enjoy where I have also added a few specific requests apart from my favorites as usual. Starting with the lovely Annie Lennox -Eurythmics' 1986 hit “The Miracle of Love" from their third album ‘Revenge’, I have added the vintage funk band The Bar-Kays' re-release of their 1984 hit “Sexomatic” for its groovy soul flavor and the three-time Grammy Award-nominee Joan Armatrading’s UK top 40 hit "Drop the Pilot" from her 1983 album ‘The Key’.

If you are a fan of the new wave band “the Cars”, you’ll certainly enjoy Benjamin Orr’s 1987 radio hit “Too Hot to Stop”. Orr was the Cars’ bass guitar player and one of the vocalists behind many of their greatest hits including “Drive” and “Lets Go”. However, he is no more passing away in 2000. Other new wave additions include Jerry Harrison's (keyboardist + guitarist of Talking Heads) haunting “Man With A Gun”; British synth gay pop trio Bronski Beat’s 1984 anthemic hit "Smalltown Boy" and former Haircut 100 front man Nick Heyward’s 1988 hit “Tell Me Why” from his solo album ‘I Love You Avenue’

80’s rock fans will enjoy my addition of Billy Satellite’s 1984 debut Billboard Hot 100 hit "I Wanna Go Back", Pat Benator’s Grammy Award winning Billboard No.1 hit "Love Is a Battlefield" from her super successful 1984 album ‘Live from Earth’ and ex-Eagles Don Henley’s Grammy nominated all-time biggest hit "Dirty Laundry".

Considered as one of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time by Rolling Stone, Robbie Robertson’s “Shake This Town” is a request from a friend and is a great song with brooding undertones. Other requests include the former Chicago front man Peter Cetera’s "Daddy's Girl" from the 1987 hit soundtrack of ‘Three Men and a Baby’ and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Jackson Browne’s “In The Shape Of A Heart”.

"Hold Me", a top 40 dance hit of Laura Branigan from her 1985 album of the same name and the 1988 Dance hit “I Want To Be Your Property” by the British act Blue Mercedes are personal favorites that I wanted to add in my last upload. Download and enjoy!!

1. Annie Lennox - Miracle of Love (4:33)
2. Bar-Kays - Sexomatic (12'' Mix) (6:25)
3. Benjamin Orr - Too Hot to Stop (4:19)
4. Billy Satellite - I Wanna Go Back (3:52)
5. Blue Mercedes - I Want To Be Your Property (3:15)
6. Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy (4:06)
7. Don Henley - Dirty Laundry (5:36)
8. Jackson Browne - In The Shape Of A Heart (5:42)
9. Jerry Harrison - Man With A Gun (4:37)
10. Joan Armatrading - Drop The Pilot (3:44)
11. Laura Branigan - Hold Me (4:47)
12. Nick Heyward - Tell Me Why (3:48)
13. Pat Benatar - Love Is A Battlefield (4:09)
14. Peter Cetera - Daddy's Girl (3:46)
15. Robbie Robertson - Shake This Town (5:23)

15 tracks in playlist, average track length: 4:32
Playlist length: 1 hour 8 minutes 2 seconds

Free Mp3 Download - 84.7 MB Zipped Folder – Multiupload link - http://su.pr/2OxVCQ
(links to Rapidshare, Megaupload, Deposit Files and More)

IF YOU LIKE EM, BUY EM!!

Flashback Wednesdays - Free Music Takeaway

Hard to Find Mp3 Rarities and More

This MP3 download post is a friend request that’s been pending for a long, long time. Not that I have been slothful but digging them out has been a herculean task of epic proportions. I use the word ‘Herculean’ since I have a colossal collection of ripped MP3s of various genres scattered around several computers and hard disks besides hundreds of cds and dvds of assorted denominations. Rummaging this enormous digital library of mine assembled over the last 10-12 years in one go this weekend had indeed been a taxing experience albeit a nostalgic trip to my evolving musical tastes and I enjoyed every bit of it.

I am sure you’ll all love this special collection of pop, pop rock and new wave hits (many of which you’ll probably hear for the first time). But before that, here’s a little history lesson on what’s in store inside.

On top is the hit single “Every Beat of the Heart” by the British rock band Railroad Children from their album “Recurrence" which became a No 1 Modern Rock hit in the US and also a Top 40 Hit in the UK. I have also added music from 3 Scottish Bands that demand a special mention. Del Amitri, the pop-rock guitar band from Glasgow; Geneva, British indie band from Aberdeen and my personal favorite pop rockers - The Big Dish with their immensely popular Top 40 UK hit single "Miss America".

For those of you, who thought Rupert Hines was just a producer for great acts like Underworld, Chris de Burgh, Tina Turner, Bob Geldof, Thompson Twins, Rush and many more, I have added a hit number “Arrested by You” from his solo ventures. You’ll also find Bruce Cockburn’s appealing anti-war anthem "If I Had a Rocket Launcher" (#88 in the US charts), WHO’s frontman Roger Daltrey’s 1985 hit “After The Fire" (#48 in the US charts), Warren Zevon’s sardonic radio hit "Searching for a Heart" and American songwriter Robbie Dupree’s 1981 hit "Brooklyn Girls" which scaled at #54 in the US charts.

Not forgetting my New Wave bias, you’ll find Eight Seconds' 1987 top-30 single "Kiss You (When It's Dangerous)" from their full-length album 'Almacantar', Eddie & the Tide’s “One in a Million” from their 1985 album “Go Out and Get It”, the 1987 hit “Kick the Wall” by Jimmy Davis & Junction and the super hit “To Live and Die in L.A.” from the movie/ soundtrack of the same name by the progressive British New Wave band - Wang Chung. It should be remembered that the movie’s director William Friedkin (Exorcist) was so impressed with their music that he purposely sought out Wang Chung to score for this 1985 cop drama starring Willem Dafoe and William Petersen.

For rarities, I have added Nick Gilder’s “Sabotage”, the hard to find Prime Movers' "Strong As I Am",

Shriekback's "This Big Hush" and Red 7's "Heartbeat” from the atmospheric soundtrack of Michael Mann's “Manhunter” – a prequel to the “Silence of the Lambs” that also incidentally starred William Petersen plus 2 superb tunes namely Tim Feehan’s “Where's the Fire” and La Marca’s “Hold on Blue Eyes” from the equally rare soundtrack of the Charlie Sheen supernatural flick “The Wraith”. Download and enjoy!

19 tracks in playlist, average track length: 4:21
Playlist length: 1 hour 22 minutes 54 seconds

1. Big Dish - Miss America (3:56)
2. Bruce Cockburn - If I Had a Rocket Launcher (4:59)
3. Del Amitri - Buttons On My Clothes (4:05)
4. Eddie and the Tide - One in a Million (4:07)
5. Eight Seconds - Kiss You (When It's Dangerous) (4:05)
6. Geneva - If You Have To Go (4:07)
7. Jimmy Davis & Junction - Kick The Wall (3:38)
8. La Marca - Hold on Blue Eyes(The Wraith Soundtrack) (4:01)
9. Nick Gilder - Sabotage (3:56)
10. The Prime Movers - Strong As I Am (4:36)
11. Railway Children - Every Beat of the Heart (4:08)
12. Red 7 - Heartbeat.mp3 (4:20)
13. Robbie Dupree - Brooklyn Girls (3:26)
14. Roger Daltrey - After The Fire (4:37)
15. Rupert Hine - Arrested By You (5:07)
16. Shriekback - This Big Hush (Manhunter Soundtrack) (6:10)
17. Tim Feehan - Where's the Fire (The Wraith Soundtrack) (4:25)
18. Wang Chung - To Live and Die in LA (4:53)
19. Warren Zevon - Searching For A Heart (4:18)

IF YOU LIKE EM, BUY EM!!

Link deleted! Sorry!!!

Beautiful European Pop Music to Download

Websnacker's Euro Hits Music Sampler

Lately, I have been receiving a lot of flak from readers of my former music blog. Many seem to be convinced I have completely deserted my music credentials, some caustically ask if I have chickened out (like so many other music bloggers across the web arena) while some (and i.e. a very few), plead me to restart my music uploads/reviews. I wouldn’t blame any of them cos they are all (to a degree) absolutely right. And besides, they had been solely responsible for giving my earlier blog the extraordinary popularity it received but probably did not deserve so, I give them all the freedom to complain. Anyway, before I begin this post, for all my readers, an immense thank you.

When you are young, you seem to have all the time in the world but as you age, grow older, time flies and soon, it’s never enough. I guess I have reached that period - one reason why I really don’t have the time to pursue my musical interests anymore in full speed. Nonetheless, like I always like to justify, old habits don’t just die hard, they actually never die. So, my dear friends, I will make an effort to kick start those MP3 genre samplers again and keep up the tempo alive.

And to begin this August month, I present you a MP3 sampler from my collection of beautiful non-English Pop hits from the world over but focused more on European pop music, mostly French/Italian Pop and French Pop Rock (though I have also added a sprinkling of other genres as well).

Here goes the sampler description. You’ll worship the first track – ‘Dragostea din tei’ also known as ‘Numa Numa’ - the super successful single by the Moldovan pop group O-Zone. This track was so popular that it rose to the No.1 rank on the Euro chart Hot 100 and solidly remained for 3 months straight in mid 2004. It also reached the number 1 spot in the German and French Radio charts, number 3 in the UK and a respectable 72 on the U.S. Pop 100.

‘Moi... Lolita’ sung by Alizée – a French singer is a popular track, which released as her first single from her debut album Gourmandises in 2001. France-born R&B singer Nâdiya follows with her best-selling single ‘Parle-moi’ which entered the French singles chart at number 79, moving all the way to number 2 in the next week and remaining in the French top ten for 9 weeks. Grand Popo Football Club soon join in. This is a French electronic music group comprising primarily of Ariel Wizman and Nicolas Errèra. Together, this electronic duo create superb Gallic pop that seems to equally admire and berate the music of senior peers like Daft Punk and Air identical measure.

And if you love Enigma, you’ll like Achillea’s ‘Amor Parte II’ as Achillea is the world music influenced musical creation of Jens Gad, the co-producer for the musical project, Enigma. You’ll also find the Italian compositions featuring Mina + Adriano Celentano and the Australian singer Tina Arena quite lovely.

Jean-Jacques Goldman’s ‘Sache Que Je’ needs special mention as he is or at least was the second-highest-grossing French pop singer, after Johnny Hallyday. Mylène Farmer, one of the most successful recording artists of all time in France with sales in excess of more than 45 million records is also worthy of a mention as she brilliantly compliments with Indochine, the French new wave/rock band in the duet rockish track – ‘Le Grand Secret’.

From Latin America, I have added Pato Fu, the Brazilian pop rock band plus the multiple Latin Grammy award winner Colombian rock musician Juanes’ double act with Nelly Furtado on ‘Fotografía’ which re-introduced Furtado to the Latin American market and paved the way for Furtado's eventual stardom.

You’ll also find other great acts like the Italian indie pop band - Baustelle, the French singer De Palmas, Michele Zarrillo and A Europa. As a bonus, I have also added a European sounding English track ‘Doot Doot’ by Freur, one of my personal favorites which you may have possibly heard on the Tom Cruise starrer “Vanilla Sky” soundtrack. Incidentally this was the only hit single of the band before they disbanded to eventually form the popular electronica band - Underworld.

These songs may not be in English but they are all great tracks that you'll love to hear. Try them out!

Free MP3 Download - Megaupload - 16 Free MP3s - 82.7 MB - http://su.pr/2jBrZQ