Showing posts with label Presidents Rulers and Leaders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Presidents Rulers and Leaders. Show all posts

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Presidents, Rulers and Leaders: Get Outta Here Hitler


Cinemechanica: Get Outta Here Hitler 
[purchase]

The theme isn’t limited to presidents, so I figured, what better time to post this song? It is an instrumental, and listening to it, I hear no obvious connection to Hitler, who was, of course, known as the Führer, which means “leader” in German. And what better sentiment could be expressed about the leader of Nazi Germany, whose insane policies resulted in the death of millions, but “Get Outta Here”? I never tire of quoting Indiana Jones, who said, in The Last Crusade, “Nazis. I hate those guys.”

I know little about Cinemechanica, except that they are from Athens, Georgia, and sound very different from most other bands that I’m familiar with that call that city home. Their allmusic.com page has no bio (actually, they have two separate pages, one for each album, which indicates to me that no one is paying attention). Their Facebook page has a recent entry that indicates that the band is finishing up a new album, though. And their myspace page (yes, myspace) has some links to get merch, listen to songs, buy music, etc.

I’ve seen their music classified as “post-rock,” a genre that definitely is one of those, “I know it when I hear it” kind of things, and “math rock,” which is also a strange genre, and confuses me, because I like the song, but don’t really like math.

“Get Outta Here Hitler,” is, as I said, an instrumental featuring loud, abrasive guitars and busy drumming at the start, then moves into a complex, less abrasive section with ringing guitars in an odd meter (aha--math rock!), before returning to the crunch of the opening section. I originally downloaded the song because the title amused me, but it turns out to be a pretty good song. And not one that Hitler would have liked.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Presidents, Rulers & Leaders: Her Majesty

 
Jon Albrink: Her Majesty
[Purchase]


The Beatles Complete on Ukulele project, spearheaded by Roger Greenawalt, aimed to offer up the entire Beatles collection for free. The main caveat: there had to be a ukulele in the music. For the first few years (there are currently in excess of 180 songs in the collection), you could download each and every song in the collection. Not so any more. I haven’t been able to find out the reason for the change: the collection is still available for listening online (http://beatlescompleteonukulele.com and/or http://thebeatlescompleteonukulele.com), but they are now charging to download the songs.
The Beatles included Her Majesty  on Abbey Road. As with all the other downloadable copies of these songs, the downloadable ukulele version includes informative inline notes – both about the ukulele version and about the original. For this song, these notes claim that “… the song was originally placed between Mean Mr Mustard and Polyethelene Pam… “ but McCartney asked to have it removed and destroyed. However, EMI policy was that no Beatles recordings should be destroyed and the song eventually ended up as the close to the album (in spite of the song “The End”, which should have been the end of the album.) I assume "her majesty" is Queen Elizabeth?
This version, by Jon Albrink, includes additional lyrics and it sure sounds like he is having a good time. He does the guitar and vocals (http://www.jonalbrink.com/) while John Benthal plays the uke in this 2011 recording. Depending on your browser, the linked file may well show you the "liner notes" I reference above.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Presidents, Rulers and Leaders: Hail to the Chief / The President

Unknown Artist: Hail to the Chief

Unknown Artist: The President

How cool is it to have your very own anthem? That’s what the U.S. President has with “Hail to the Chief” a fanfare typically played by a military band before his appearance and after four “ruffles and flourishes” played on drums and bugles, respectively. In true military fashion, there are U.S. Department of Defense directives that afford official status to “Hail to the Chief.” Having worked for the U.S. Marine Corps, I’m quite confident that there’s probably also a voluminous manual of policies and procedures that apply to the protocol and decorum of a Presidential speech and the performance of “Hail to the Chief.”

Songwriter James Sanderson (1769 – 1841) is credited with setting to music, in about 1812, the verses of Sir Walter Scott’s “The Lady of the Lake.” Although the song is rarely sung today, Scott’s poem starts off with:

Hail to the chief, who in triumph advances,
Honour'd and blest be the evergreen pine!
Long may the tree in his banner that glances,
Flourish the shelter and grace of our line.

A self-taught English violinist and conductor of the Surrey Theatre in London, Sanderson wrote many songs for theatrical productions during the 1790s and early 1800s. The song's association with the President first occurred in 1815, when it was played (under the name "Wreaths for the Chieftain") to honor both George Washington and the end of the War of 1812.

On a lighter note, I also found a children’s song about Washington and Lincoln. I like little ditties that help kids (and even us older folks) remember little facts about various things. After listening to “The President,” you probably won’t forget that Lincoln was our 16th President. Or that:

The President … is in charge of the nation
Let's all … have a celebration
Let's remember … Washington and Lincoln
Without them, our country would be sinkin'!

There may be other songs out there that help us recall little known factoids and trivia about our Presidents, or perhaps even a rap song that just helps one remember the order of them. If it hasn’t been written yet, maybe someone ought to?