WGAF - aka FATTY MASS

Perhaps it is the fact that I am 40 that has caused me to reflect on my life. I thought it would be interesting to do a playlist (in the old days we would do a compilation) of songs that would chronicle my life in music. I would start with my introduction to rock (probably Springsteen) and pass through various phases. Some good, some not so good. There will be plenty of cheese along the way, but I think overall it will be an interesting experiment.

By the turn of the century, metal was truly back and this decade has provided more great metal than ever before. In 2000 solid albums like Starfire by Jorn Lande or We Are Motorhead can't crack the top 10, when they may have been Top 5 in some of the years in the 1990s.

10. HammerFall - Renegade

This was the last of the good HammerFall records. Clearly the ideas were drying up by now, but this album is well executed and worthy of inclusion with the first two releases.

9. In Flames - Clayman

Again, the last good release by this band as well. Solid Gothenburg style here, nothing really derivative from the genre this band helped define. After this record In Flames tried to be NWOAHM and abandoned their sound.

8. Persuader - The Hunter

The third Swedish band of the countdown. Persuader is a good power metal band. They may have over achieved here based on their later work, but this is a sold debut.

7. Iron Maiden - Brave New World

A more important album than it is a good album. The return of Bruce and Adrian saved Maiden and their later efforts are certainly great albums. This one is more like Virtual XII. Really I would define this as a shit sandwich. The first song and the last song are great, but the material in the middle is questionable by Maiden's standards. Still, overall a good effort.

6. Running Wild - Victory

Solid album for one of the most consistent bands in the genre. Nothing really ground breaking, but very proficient.

5. Enslaved - Mardum - Beyond the Within

A surprising pick here. Enslaved is generally heavier and less melodic that the music I typically like. Also, I rarely like Black Metal, though I think that label does not fit this record. There are several brutal sections here, but they are well placed and never ramble on endlessly, like so many albums of this genre do. Whatever you want to call it, this is a standout album from a good band.

4. Halford - Resurrection

After years of nonsense like Fight and Two, Rob Halford decided it was time to make a metal album again. He brought in a competent, but not brilliant band. He wrote some really good songs, and brought in a top producer in Roy Z. The result is a really good album and like Bruce Dickinson who made solo albums better than his former band, he forced the hand of his former band to fire their inferior singer and reunite.

3. Blaze - Silicon Messiah

Speaking of inferior singers….Really I don't get it. Blaze was bordering on incompetent with Maiden, especially live. However, despite this, he managed to create an album better than Maiden's. I still don't get it, but this album is really great, and that is all that counts.

2. Tad Morose - Undead

This is smokin'. Urban Breed is one of those singers that makes an average band extraordinary.

1. Helloween - The Dark Ride

Every now and then, an album comes from out of nowhere to knock your socks off. This album is better every time I hear it. This is probably the best Helloween album ever, and that counts all of the Kiske/Hansen efforts. I don't know why they never reached this level before, and never did again, but everything lined up right for this album.

There have been several news stories lately that have me thinking about politics. Of course there is the "Stimulus" package (aka Obama paying back his supporters). Then there is the continuous stories of celebrities touting the virtues of limousine liberalism from their ivory towers. It got me thinking:

Watching eyes of celluloid tell you how to live
Metaphoric motor replay give, give, give

Of course the last line in the Black Sabbath classic is for President Obama and his predecessor, the traitor George Bush:

Spiral city architect, I build you pay.

Presidents basically rape their constituents to give money to their political allies and supporters. Bush did it and now Obama is doing it.

Is this change, as Obama promised? Hardly. The only change is that Hollywood and the media love Obama and detest Bush. Quite honestly, in terms of economic policy, I really see little difference between the two men.

My reader knows that I am a metal fan. That being said, the reader is also aware of my fandom for certain artists of the non metal variety. Probably the most derivative and most prominent in my collection of these is Bruce Springsteen.

Springsteen has always been a left wing nut, and generally I do not like when artists put their politics on display. However, while we all knew his political stance for many years, it was not always so prevalent in his music and in your face at his concerts until this decade. Bruce sung about the struggles of his characters. He may have blamed Reagan for these struggles, but never really came out and said it. Since his 1999 reunion tour, Bruce has released several inferior records, including a new one that came out last week. I will not purchase it, based on the crap from Devils and Dust, The Seger Sessions and Magic. The Rising was barely tolerable in itself.

Anyway, the reason for this post is not to bash the Boss, but to further provide anectodal evidence that I just don't get it. As with Buffett, I refuse to drink the Springsteen Kool-Aid, but I never really did. Even before this recent stint of poor records, I never saw eye to eye with the common Bruce fan. I am in a very small minority who feel that Human Touch and Lucky Town are superior albums to Born in the USA and The River.

I will never forget the 1999 Reunion Tour, for it was a celebration of Bruce the way I liked it. No Glory Days, no Rosilita, no Born in the USA. His show on August 11, 1999 is still one of the best concerts I have ever attended. Look up the set list and you will see why.

I was browsing through a book store recently and came upon a book called the Top 100 Bruce Springsteen songs. I skimmed through the book and not surprisingly, thought this list would be completely dissimilar to mine. Perhaps in a later post, I will provide a reconciliation.

Really, checking in with no one, but still....Anyway, saw some clips of the inaguration. Yawn. I really do not understand what President Obama has done in his career that so many people have such high hopes for him. It just does not make any sense.

I need to face it, Barack Obama will be our new president come January 20. I intend to support him as much as I can. I will disagree with many of his policies; however, there is no need for sour grapes and anger. He won, the people have spoken. Let's move on.

If he governs as the centrist he claimed to be during the campaign, we could recover. However, this is no time for big tax increases and cuts in defense spending. What we need is better intelligence (that is guaranteed with Bush gone). Really, we need operatives who can speak Arabic and Chinese. Brave people who can infiltrate the ranks of the enemy abroad, and give us solid data on which to act. The intelligence failure leading up to the Iraq war was unforgivable. Heads should have rolled.

Domestically, Mr. Obama says he can balance the budget, prove it. I hope he can. That would be a good step to restoring the value of the dollar. Bush's economic policies were a disaster. Once Sept 11 hit, he needed to change gears. He didn't. He kept tax revenues down, while increasing spending. He has destroyed the political party I once believed in.

Looking forward, I have little hope for recovery under Obama. I think McCain would have made the necessary changes, without being radical. We'll see. I think all children should have health insurance, but once you are an adult, get off your ass and get it yourself. If the President is going to create a welfare state to make "Peggy the Moocher" happy, we are all in trouble.

This is the last political post I plan to have for some time. It is time to move on with my life and interests.

The top 10 Metal albums of 2000 are coming soon. Perhaps it is an appropriate time for this list as we hope for an economic Resurrection as we enter a Brave New World. Let's hope it is not The Dark Ride I fear it will be.