The Ladders - A Tribute to the Beatles - 2014

I discovered this band as I was building my Beatles cover song compilation last month.  Their versions aren't spot on, and most of them are trying to be direct translations.  But, there's something about their passion and hard work that I find endearing and inspiring.  You can tell that they are having the best of times while doing this....

I know that not everyone is a fan of the Beatles. But, to understand Rock n Roll today, you have to realize that if it wasn't for the work that those four musicians did in a short span of 6 years, we wouldn't be where we are today.  They inspired millions of people and introduced a format of writing and album-making that was unheard of before.  And, as proof here, they still inspire people today.

AND...  some more inane and boring soul-searching on my part.  Skip the purple if you're not interested and head straight for the bottom.....

I'm still feeling pretty rough today.

It's not like I was happy and carefree, and this one incident sent me over the edge.  I can handle A LOT of shit before I melt down.  I just see my life as one crisis after another, overlapping and layered one on top of another.  One crisis doesn't even get resolved before another one pops up.  Sometimes it just gets too much to handle, and I crack.  And after I crack, I fall into a depression that seems bottomless.

I know I have personal flaws that cause a lot of my issues...

1 - My Attention Deficit Disorder affects my ability to stay focused on any one project for very long, especially if I don't enjoy what I'm doing.

2 - I find it hard to filter my thoughts when I speak.  Sometimes I'm either too direct and my words are cutting or hurtful, OR I just say stupid shit, as it's the first thing that pops in my mind.  Usually, it's something that is totally the wrong thing to say at any given time.

3 - My tactfulness is for shit.

4 - I tend to over think things way too much, to the point of causing enough anxiety to make me sick.

5 - I have a history of making the wrong choices in my life.

6 - I can be lazy.  Especially if I am unmotivated.

As for things outside of my control....  I can only think of one...  Due to the economy, the job market in my city/state is horrible.  My only skill sets that I have nurtured (sales) limit me in what I can do.  Sales jobs are a dime a dozen, but most of them involve a lot of cold-calling which I suck at, or are selling products that are near impossible to sell and make a living at (which is why they are available to begin with.  Nobody wants them.)

It's like a vicious cycle, and the best thing I can do is distract myself and escape into music, or politics, or my love for Star Wars, Japanese tokusatsu, Sci-Fi, fonts or cooking.  I tend to let my troubles and distractions take priority over things in my life that are important like basic housekeeping, home repairs, looking for other jobs, and most importantly, time with my family.  When I do spend time with my family, especially during these crisis modes, the underlying anxiety causes me to be on edge and short with people, especially when they don't deserve it.  And there are times, more often than not, that I try and use humor to disguise my pain, but it's relatively transparent and obnoxious.

Hopefully, there won't be too many more posts like this.  It has suddenly become a journal for me to get my feelings out, and try to understand them myself.  If I can articulate them, maybe it will be easier for me to work with them, change them, overcome them.  For the time being, at least it makes me feel a little better.

Boy, I really feel vulnerable right now.  I've been airing my issues to thousands of people.  It's like I posted a dick pic of myself or something.  Fortunately, all I am to you is a computer screen.  I'd be even more embarrassed if you actually knew me.  Hopefully, maybe, in expressing my pain and problems, I'm helping people realize that they are not alone in the world.  I know that I can't possibly be the only one who feels this way.  And we all know that misery loves company.

Let's all hope these depressing posts end soon!!!!

Thanks for listening to my problems...

The Ladders - A Tribute to the Beatles - 2014

Covering the Beatles - Volume One

My Dad is the one who introduced me to the Beatles.  I grew up listening to the Beatles Red and Blue compilations from my earliest memories.  My favorite tracks were the ones released between 1965 and 1969.  I strongly preferred the "psychedelic" side to their music, I found it more creative than the rest.  I never got into the early 60s stuff, even though it was good, simply because it sounded a lot like all the rest of the bands from that era, and to me it got repetitive.  And, the stuff from the White Album on seemed a little too stoner hippy type music, a more Classic Rock/Prog Rock sound of sorts.  Just didn't dig it.

In the late 90s I really got into their work, purchasing all of their albums as they were remastered and released, memorizing every track.  Every time I listen to them, I am constantly reminded at what master songwriters they were, and I marvel at their creativity.  Their body of work can be matched by no other, in my opinion.  Not the Stones, not Floyd, not Led Zepplin, not U2, NOBODY.  There are bands and songs that I like better, but from an educated and learned position on music, I thoroughly respect and admire all that they did while they were together.

I've read that neither Paul or John were satisfied with the end results on their songs.  They both felt (especially John) that a lot of their most well-recognized hits were never fully realized.  Never finished as they should have been in their eyes.  Sometimes, they've even admitted that other artists were able to perform the songs better than them (hard to believe, really).  I have to admit, that over the years, I have heard versions of their songs that I find breathtaking.  Sometimes there are artists who can really reach into the song and pull out the inner beauty in ways like no other.  Sometimes, there are artists that play a perfect homage to the Beatles, giving heartfelt versions that honor the work the Fab Four did together.

After I got the "Across the Universe" soundtrack, which is magnificent in itself, I began a long an arduous search to find as many covers and the best covers of Beatles tunes.  With 300-400 different cover versions of their songs that I find acceptable, I have barely scratched the surface (but there's a lot of shit out there, too)  I've been able to pull together some of my favorites into one set.  This "Covering the Beatles" though, is only Volume One.  I will eventually be compiling Volume Two and Volume Three, for sure, and maybe more as I find more versions out there.

All of these songs represent my favorites at this point in time.  Some more than others, obviously, but all of them positively permanent renditions in my eyes (ears?) Some of my favorite highlights on this specific set...

-  The opening stanza of Cheap Trick's MMT.
-  Cornershop and the Vickers are both covering the same song on this comp, but the versions are so dramatically different, I had to put them both on, if anything, to compare to one another.  They both kick ass.
-  U2's version of LItSWD from Across the Universe.  Not the best film, but an excellent soundtrack version.
-  The Ladders' Paperback Writer, an Italian cover band who have done a spot-on version with their own little flare.  I'll be posting more of these guys in February.
-  Julie Fowlis' version of Blackbird sung mostly in Gaelic.
-  Paul Moody's version of WMGGW.  A youngster who played and recorded this version with his computer in his bedroom.  YOU WILL BE ASTONISHED.  (Find his videos on Youtube)
-  And Sean Connery's version of In My Life.  This version will be played at my funeral when I die.  I've insisted, and my wife and children have promised.


Of all the comps I'm doing this week, this one is probably my favorite.  It was also the most fun AND the most difficult to assemble.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Covering the Beatles V1