THE IMPORTANCE OF EMILY DICKENSON

The recognition of Emily Dickenson's genuis didn't come until long
after her life had ended.Of coarse,in Amhearst,Mass. people in her family-sister-
brother-and even her Mother and Father-knew that Emily possessed a mind superior not
only to thier own-But to anyone else they knew or even knew of.In later years,
after her parents had both passed away and emily became the head of the Dickensons
large home in Amhearst and she became more reclusive and took to wearing only
white clothing,the people of Amhearst all had heard something about Emily's
brilliant mind and she became known as simply "The Myth".Why the Myth?
Because while it was plainly clear to Amhearst's resident's that emily's mind was
of an order far beyond thier own in Power-Intelligence- and Insight,it was
so far beyond thier own faculty's that it was impossible for them to understand
the kind of genuis that was Emily Dickenson.So she became "The Myth" and was
able to write in near total peace in the Dickenson home of which she was head of.
In Emily's mind there was activity an astounding nature.Thou people sensed this-
it was only after her death-when all her packets of poetry were discovered by her
younger sister-that the true scope of Dickenson's amazing mind was truely revealed.
It was quickly decided that a group of Emily's poems should be published.
It was so successful another quickly followed and the publishing of and noteriety of
Emily Dickensons poetry was revealed to a fasinated world.
Finally all her Poem's were collected into one large volume;"The Complete Poems of
Emily Dickenson".The book contains an astounding 1775 poems written in Emily
Dickenson's lifetime.In all of american letters and indeed the entire worlds-you won't
find a more penatrating and perceptive mind at work.Emily Dickinson's Poems in thier
entirity make for by far the most amazing book ever produced by a single mind in the
entire history of creative thought and writing.As Emily said in verse "I choose just a Crown".
With the publication of her entire body of work Emily now wears that crown-for Eternity.

-Written by Pete Holly-2009-Copyright-All rights reserved-

WHY THE BLUES ?

by Pete Holly

In american popular music-the 12 bar blues progression both on the guitar and the piano is
the most often used.Also in Blues,Rock 'n Roll,Jazz,Swing, and Country Western it is the most
commonly found musical form.Piece's of it crop up in the strangest places like Elton John's "Rocket Man"{Piano}and Paul McCartney's "Let Me Roll it to You"{Guitar}.Jazz's greatist innovator John Coltrane found a new and very cool way to treat it on the Saxaphone in his classic composition"Equinox".I was inspired by this mutated 12 bar blues form of Coltranes and used variations of it's style,but not exact copy's,in my song's-"Dark Black Night" which appeared on my "Riverside Drive" cd and on the piano song "Like John" on the "The Morrison Center Session" cd.Coltrane's "Equinox" isn't the only 12 bar blues mutation but i believe it is the most Effectual and the most Striking Musically.Why the Blue's? It just works.

written by Pete Holly-2009-copyright-all rights reserved

NO NON-SENSE CHOPIN

BY PETE HOLLY

BOTH FREDRIC CHOPIN THE PERSON,AND FREDRIC CHOPINS MUSIC ARE
NEARLY INSTANTLY EQUATED WITH ROMANTIC IDEA'S.YET BY ALL ACCOUNTS
HE WAS VERY MUCH A NO NON-SENSE TYPE OF MAN.NONE OF HIS COMPOSITIONS
HAVE ROMANTIC TITLE'S-JUST NUMBERS AND STYLES-ETUDES-NOCTURNES-
POLINAISE'S AND 2 CONCERTO'S-ALL STRICTLY IDENTIFIED SIMPLY BY A NUMBER
AND A KEY.THAT'S PRETTY STARK FOR SOMEONE-WHO-BY SIMPLY MENTIONING
HIS NAME BRINGS UP IDEA'S OF A ROMANTIC NATURE.
MANY OF THESE COMPOSITIONS WERE WRITTEN BY CHOPIN ONLY AS PRACTICE
EXERCISES FOR HIS MANY STUDENTS.HE MADE HIS LIVING MOSTLY FROM GIVING SUCH LESSONS.IT'S A DREARY NARRATIVE COMPARED TO THE MYTHIC CHOPIN WE
THINK OF TODAY.IS ALL THIS ROMANTIC THINKING SIMPLY A FORM OF NOSTALGIA
WE HAVE ATTACHED TO CHOPIN'S MUSIC? NOT TRULY HIS LIFE,HIS CLAIM OR GOAL.
MAYBE AND MAYBE NOT.PERHAPS CHOPINS STRICT ADHERANCE TO NUMBERS IS
A BUFFER HE USED TO PROTECT HIMSELF FROM PEOPLE READING TO MUCH INTO
HIS AMAZING DEXTERITY AND THE DELICATE PASSAGE'S PLACED INSIDE HIS
COMPOSITIONS AND FROM THE DARKEST NOTES OF HIS,AT TIMES, DARKLY
MOODED MUSIC.MEN DON'T ALLWAY'S WANT TO DISPLAY THIER INNER WORKINGS TO THE PUBLIC-SO PERHAP'S CHOPIN'S NUMBERS ARE JUST ROMANCE IN DISGUISE.
WHATEVER THE TRUE CASE MAY BE.HIS MUSIC IS BOTH ROMANTIC AND
CLASSIC AND NOT JUST ONE OR THE OTHER.

WRITTEN BY PETE HOLLY-2009-COPYRIGHT-ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

HIPPIE'S VS POLITICAL GROUPS

One of historys most missunderstood times was the hippie culture centered
in San Fransisco and the radical political groups that mostly sprang up from
university campus's.Most people fail to see that these were two totally differant
groups of people.The hippie movement was totally non-political-they hated
radical political groups like the SDS and the weather underground.(so much
for tolarance} they wanted nothing more than for them to completely disappear
which they eventually they did{some of them hid from the law for 20 or thirty years}
The change the hippies wanted came from inside-not unlike a religion.The political
groups wanted change from and on the outside-political change.This was a major
differance which literally put the groups at war with each other.They were
never in agreement on even one single issue.By the end of the sixties the
hippies grew up and eventually became yuppies.The radical political groups
had -shall we say-a more difficult time.

MULTI- INSTRUMENTALIST'S/THE BEATLES

OF ALL THE BEATLES,PAUL COULD PLAY THE BIGGEST
VARIETY OF INSTRUMENTS.HE COULD PLAY GUITAR,BASS,DRUMS,& PIANO.
ON HIS FIRST SOLO ALBUM-"McCARTNEY" HE PLAYED EVERYTHING ON THE
RECORD AND DID ALL THE VOCALS.THE RECORDING BOARD HE USED WAS
PRETTY PRIMATIVE AND ALTHOUGH IT COULD MAKE MULTI-TRACK
RECORDINGS-IT DIDN'T HAVE ANY MIXER-JUST A VOLUME KNOB.THE
MACHINE I USED TO RECORD "THE LOOK'S" AND MY ACOUSTIC TAPES
FUNCTIONED IN A SIMULIAR FASHION.WHEN YOUR WORKING WITH A
BOARD LIKE THIS-THE ONLY WAY TO GET A GOOD SOUND-IS BY
MAKING SURE ALL YOUR INSTRUMENTS ARE IN GOOD SHAPE AND ARE
PRODUCING THE BEST SOUND POSSIBLE AND MICROPHONE PLACEMENT-
AS WELL AS THE TYPE OF MIC YOU USE BECOMES THE MAIN-MIC
PLACEMENT IS REALLY THE WAY YOU MIX RECORDINGS LIKE THESE.
McCARTNEYS ALBUM HAD A REALLY NICE SOUND-SOME OF THE SONGS
WERE VERY PLAYFULL-BUT A FEW WERE PAINSTAKINGLY PRODUCED
AND SOUNDED EVERY BIT AS GOOD AS ANY OF "THE BEATLES" RECORDINGS.
THE MAIN ONE BEING "MAYBE I'M AMAZED" WHICH HAD A SOUND
AS GOOD OR BETTER THAN ANYTHING THAT HAD BEEN RECORDED
IN ONE OF THE TOP STUDIO'S OF THE DAY.IT WAS PRETTY IMPRESSIVE.
SOME CRITICS DIDN'T CARE FOR THE MORE PLAYFUL AND LOSELY PUT
TOGETHER SONGS AND INSTRTUMENTALS BUT I THOUGHT THEY WERE
GREAT.THOUGH RECORDING ALONE IS A TEDIOUS PROCESS THERE ARE
SOME ADVANTAGES.YOU HAVE MORE CONTROL OVER HOW THE SONG
FINALLY SOUNDS ONCE ALL THE PARTS HAVE BEEN RECORDED AND
YOU NEVER HAVE TO ARGUE WITH YOUR PRODUCER OR ANOTHER
BAND MEMBER ABOUT HOW EACH TRACK SHOULD BE PLAYED OR
RECORDED OR EVEN WHAT SONGS YOU CHOOSE RECORD.THIS IS
MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOU MIGHT THINK.MANY GREAT BANDS
WHO MADE FANTASTIC DEBUT ALBUMS ON THIER OWN WITH A
SMALL AMOUT OF EQUIPMENT AND FOR A FRACTION OF WHAT IT
COST'S A MAJOR LABEL BAND TO MAKE A RECORD.
THESE RECORDS WERE SO GOOD THAT THE GROUPS WERE IMMEDIATLY SIGNED BY MAJOR LABELS,ONLY TO FIND THAT THE MAGICAL
SOUND THEY GOT ON THE RECORD THAT THEY MADE ON THIER OWN-COULD
NOT BE DUPLICATED IN A STATE OF THE ART STUDIO WORKING WITH A BIG-
TIME PRODUCER.IN FACT JUST THE OPPOSITE HAPPENED-THE EFFECTS
OF THE STUDIO EQUIPMENT ANF THE MANIPULATION OF THE BANDS SOUND
BY THE PRODUCER RUINED THE SOUND THAT THE BAND HAD WITHOUT A DOUBT
WORKED YEARS TO ACHIEVE.
McCARTNEY'S ALBUM MAY ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN THE FIRST LO-FI
RECORD EVER MADE.THAT IS-HE PURPOSELY RECORDED TRACKS WITH
A MINAMAL AMOUNT OF INSTRUMENTION AND THE ALBUM AS WHOLE
SOUNDS LIKE McCARTNEY'S HAVING ALOT OF FUN WITH THE LYRICS AND
JUST PLAYING SIMPLE BUT ROCKING GUITAR RIFF'S.THERE'S EVEN A DRUM
SOLO ! NOT TO MANY PEOPLE WOULD HAVE TRIED THAT.WORKING ON HIS
OWN McCARNEY WAS A BETTER DRUMMER THAN HE DISPLAYED ON THE
BEATLES TRACK-"BACK IN THE USSR".ALLTHOUGH IF YOU DON'T LISTEN TO
CLOSELY TO THE DRUMMING IT SOUNDS FINE.IF YOU BREAK OUT A PAIR OF HEAD-PHONES AND DO LISTEN CLOSELY YOU'LL McCARTNEY GET TOTALLY OUT
OF SYNC WITH JOHN AND GEORGE THE ONLY OTHER BEATLES WHO PLAYED
ON THE TRACK.
HE ALSO RECORDED WITH ONLY JOHN-THE SONG "THE BALLED OF JOHN AND
YOKO".NO MISTAKES ON HIS DRUMMING HERE-IN FACT THE WHOLE TRACK
IS NEARLY PERFECT WITH JOHN AND PAUL DOING SOME OF THIER BEST
HARMONY SINGING EVER.AT A TIME WHEN THE BEATLES WERE FALLING APART
IT'S VERY TELLING THAT JOHN AND PAUL COULD STILL GET TOGETHER AND
KNOCK OUT A NEAR PERFECT TRACK WITH COMPLETE INSTRUMENTATION.

WRITTEN BY PETE HOLLY-2009-COPYRIGHT-ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

THE GREATIST RECORDINGS OF ALL TIME

44."THE RITE OF SPRING"-IGOR STRAVINSKY
{"LE SACRE DU PRINTEMPS"}

CON.- MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS ORCH.-SAN FRANSISCO SYMPHONY

LIKE JIM MORRISON'S 'TEXAS RADIO" AND "THE BIG BEAT" STRAVINSKY'S
"THE RITE OF SPRING" COMES OUT OF THE SWAMP AND IS DIFFICULT AND
HARD TO MASTER.IF IT SOUNDS LIKE THE SOUNDTRACK TO SOME ANCIENT
SACRAFICIAL RITE-THAT'S BECAUSE THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT IT IS !
DRUM SOUNDS THUNDER OUT OF THIS BATTLEFIELD OF ARMAGEDEN-
AND YOU'RE EITHER IN FOR THE WHOLE 9 YARDS OR YOU NEVER HAD A
CHANCE AT GETTING WHAT STRAVINSKY'S ALL ABOUT IN THE FIRST PLACE.
THIS IS LIFE OR DEATH MUSIC HERE-FENCESITTERS WILL BE ANNIALATED,
AS THEY APPEAR ON THE HORIZEN AND TRUE BELIEVERS WILL BE REWARDED
WITH PEACE AND EXSTACY.YET ALL MUST BE WILLING TO MAKE A SACRIFICE.
WIN OR LOSE.IT'S PART AND PARCEL OF "THE RITE OF SPRING".

THE GREATIST RECORDINGS OF ALL TIME

43."ISLE OF THE DEAD"-SERGEI RACHMANINOFF
CONCERTGETOUN ORCHESTRA/VLADIMIR ASHKENAZY

AS A COMPOSER RACHMANINOFF IS RESPONSABLE FOR SOME OF THE
MOST BEAUITIFUL,ROMANTIC AND ENCHANTING MUSIC EVER IMAGINED.
HE ALSO HAD A DARK SIDE.IN "ISLE OF THE DEAD" THAT DARK SIDE OF
SERGIE IS MORE PRESENT THAN EVER.THE PIECE WAS INSPIRED BY
ARNOLD BOCKLIN'S GREAT PAINTING OF THE SAME NAME.IT'S A
BEAUTIFUL PAINTING AND SO IS THE MUSIC THAT RACHMANINOFF
WAS INSPIRED TO WRITE BY IT.FROM IT'S DIFFICULT 5/8 TIME SIGNATURE
TO IT'S TORRENT OF POUNDING DRUMS AND SLOWLY BUILDING EVOCATIVE
MELODIES-THERE'S NOTHING EASY OR LIGHT ABOUT THIS COMPOSITION.
TO MY MIND-'ISLE OF THE DEAD " MAY BE RACHMANINOFF'S GREATIST
MASTERPIECE.IT'S A UNIQUE JOURNEY THAT IS BOTH INFINATLY REWARDING AND HYPNOTICALLY ENTICING.