It's Another Open Mic Night on the BAB

Doug: I was looking ahead in the queue and noticed nary a thing scheduled for today. Can't have that... So today why don't we have a little potpourri, a bit of a smorgasbord if you will, of conversation topics? It's Open Mic today, so whatever you've been wondering, worrying, or pontificating about, bring it before the throngs of BAB readers, won't you? I'll start --

I've been back into the Monster of Frankenstein trade that reprints that character's Bronze Age appearances. I'd gotten about halfway through it last year when the Halloween season ended. It was shelved until this year and I have to say it was worth the wait. When I left off I had just gotten into the B&W reprints from Marvel's Monsters Unleashed mag. Wow. I've said it several times before and will again -- I most regret, in all the Bronze Age offerings, missing out on the Marvel magazines. The art by Val Mayerik is phenomenal. He was very Wrightson-like in his detail, and the format really suited his style. Doug Moench was the author of those tales and successfully created the mood necessary for stories of that ilk. I've just gotten back into the color section, with a reprint of Giant-Size Werewolf by Night #2. Don Perlin and Vinnie Colletta were the art team, and while it was a jarring difference from the previous several stories, it wasn't horrible. The trade concludes with a couple of Marvel Team-Ups, so that should be fun.

I recently recorded and watched Logan's Run. It had been many years since I'd seen the entire picture. I had forgotten how quaint the special effects were, and the morality lesson in the dialogue toward the end. Maybe you've forgotten all that, too. But I know, if you were a red-blooded boy when it first ran back in the mid-70s, the one thing you did not forget was Jessica-6: Jenny Agutter. It's tough to believe that it's been 40 years since Logan's Run was in the theaters. Ms. Agutter is forever frozen for us as a 30-year old "runner" (she was actually 24 in 1976). Thank you, celluloid. 

Lastly, I've been digging the Billy Joel channel that's been playing again on Sirius-XM channel 18. As you may recall, my wife and I saw Joel at Wrigley Field back in August. I'm a sucker for covers, and there are a few that play in rotation on that channel. I also enjoy the narrative portions where Joel sits at the piano and discusses his homages to certain songs from the past in his own hits. Speaking of covers, one of the albums that's been in my own personal rotation over the past few weeks is The Smithereens Covers. There are 23 cuts from a plethora of artists -- all times, all genres. It's a lot of fun. The Billy Joel channel also features a bunch of live Joel, and that has also brought me several times back to the Deluxe Edition of The Who: Who's Next. There are 29 tracks on the album, about half of which are live versions of well known Who hits. Money.

OK -- I've been varied. Your turn. What's on your mind?

Star Trek at 50: Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage

Karen: Today we're taking a little break from the episode reviews so I can share with you a fantastic experience I had this last Sunday, April 3rd. My husband and I went to the Mesa Arts Center to see and hear Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage, a live concert experience featuring the music of Star Trek! This is a touring show, which started in January of this year and sadly is coming to a close this month. You can find the schedule at this link. If you can find a venue near you, I highly recommend that you go. The music was performed by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Justin Freer. Interestingly, Freer was mentored by composer Jerry Goldsmith, who was responsible for the music for Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

From Row G at the Mesa Arts Center before the show (no photography allowed during the show)

Karen: We were seated close, in the orchestra section, row G, and had a wonderful view of the very large screen on which all the TV and film clips were shown. We could also see the performers easily, although during the performance they were partly occluded by the set design, which looked somewhat like the Next Generation bridge. During the show, the lighting would change colors from purple to blue to orange and so forth with the different musical pieces. It was a very unique and beautiful staging. 

Karen: The show featured music from every TV series and many of the films, It was broken into two hours, with a 20 minute intermission. The show interwove both chronological themes, starting of course with the original Star Trek, but also featured themes such as exploration, the captains, lifeforms, close bonds, and so on. Michael Dorn, the actor who played the Klingon Worf on both Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, narrated the program. Sometimes entire scenes were shown with dialog and sound effects; other times, montages of clips were shown, mixing different shows, casts, and eras. All of it flowed well. Some of the more memorable music for me included 'Main Title', 'Klingon Battle', and 'Ilia's Theme' from Star Trek: The Motion Picture,  'The Ancient Combat/2nd Kroykah' from the 'Amok Time' episode of classic Trek -with full scene shown!-, and 'The Inner Light Suite' from Next Generation. 

Photo from Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage website

Karen: If I had any criticisms, it would be that the music could have been louder. It seemed a bit restrained in volume for my tastes. I spoke with a friend in California who saw the show there and he echoed my sentiments, so I don't believe it was just a problem with my venue. Also, while I enjoy the film clips, I'd like to have less dialog, so I could enjoy the music more. But honestly, we had a great time and I would tell all Trek fans to run out and see this show! Trek, in its many incarnations, has had some beautiful music. Composers like Alexander Courage, Gerald Fried, Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner, Jay Chattaway, and many others have contributed so much to Trek with their compositions. The Czech National Symphony Orchestra, conductor Freer, and Cineconcerts have done them proud.

When It Came On, I Couldn't Sit Still

Doug: Back on January 31, I was charged with driving my sister the 50 miles or so up to Midway Airport so she could catch her flight home after a short visit. It was really early on a Sunday morning, so I needed some tunes on high just to keep me awake for the ride back home. I had the Sirius-XM set to "70s on 7" because, after all, I am a Bronze Age Baby. I really like that station, because you could get Led Zeppelin, Al Green, the Bee Gees, and the Knack all back-to-back-to-back. And then it came on -- the Spinners' Rubberband Man. At no point for the next three minutes was I in any danger of falling asleep at the wheel. I'm sure other drivers gave a sideways glance at the champagne-colored Highlander and wondered who the whackjob behind the wheel was.



Doug: Enjoy a live version of the song in question. And of course, what makes you move to the music?

Been A Long Time Since I Rock and Rolled...

Karen: Today's post was suggested by BABster Joseph -thanks for the great idea! Knowing how folks around here love to talk about music, why not discuss some of our favorite live music experiences? I'm sure that many of you have great stories to tell, and we'd love to hear them.

Karen: To get the ball rolling, I can say that my fondest concert memory is from 2005. It wasn't too long before I knew I would be leaving the Bay Area to move out to Phoenix, and a very dear friend and I got tickets to see Robert Plant and his band play at the Paramount Theater in Oakland. His album, Mighty Rearranger, had come out that year and was doing pretty well, and I had enjoyed that and Dreamland from a few years prior, so I was really looking forward to the show. Neither my friend nor I had been old enough to have experienced Led Zeppelin when they were touring, and I had no expectations that Plant would cover his old band's material, but still, to see him live, a true rock legend, would be exciting. Plus I knew I didn't have much time left to hang out with my friends as I would be moving soon, so every chance I got was special.

Karen: Well, I was in for a huge surprise: about half of Plant's set was Zeppelin tunes! He was in great form and his band was fantastic. My pal and I rocked out like we were teenagers! It was a magical night and when the show was over the place was full of smiles. I think a lot of folks were transported that night. 

Karen: Let's hear your stories now!