22
Nov

Chinese Democracy - One of the Biggest Albums of the Year!

By dranoel79 0 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized

This is the season of rock.

Firstly, I happened to watch the new PV of Gackt - Jesus. It seems his short break from releasing music material has certainly injected alot of rock vibes. Before I even have the CD, the PV has made an impact.

Secondly… I bought the much awaited Guns N’ Roses album - Chinese Democracy. The moment I played the CD in the car audio… every track… was fucking solid! I am really impressed that Axl Rose has managed to squash all the rumours that he will not be able to do a good job. Axl Rose has proved a point that Velvet Revolver is a failure. No doubt, there is no Slash or Duff McKagan; but seriously; if you ever loved Appetite for Destruction; you will love this album.

This is the equivalent to Appetite, in a sense that every track is a killer. [It's been a fucking long time since I bought an album where every track is a solid killer; other than Beyond albums] Velvet Revolver’s Contraband and Libertad can’t compare to Chinese Democracy; this is evidently pointing to the fact that Velvet Revolver would have made a bigger impact if Axl Rose was fronting it. Velvet Revolver sounds modern rock. The new Guns N’ Roses sounds modern rock with classic touches. It’s really good to hear Axl’s voice on new material; and I tell you; he sure can sing well.

I also bought Metallica’s album - Death Magnetic; but have yet to check out the music material.

What’s the difference between the 2 albums I bought? Chinese Democracy has a sticker on it that goes - “One of the Biggest Albums of the Year”. And there is nothing on Metallica.

And truly enough, Chinese Democracy is a must buy for all rock fans out there. I admit I am an Axl Rose supporter. But when I first bought the album; I was uncertain if Axl could deliver the album since his vocals seemed to have dipped. But when I played from track 1… Axl Rose proved me wrong. And the guitars… the guitars are fucking solid. You don’t hear Slash doing much solos in Velvet Revolver… but you hear fucking solid guitar solos in Chinese Democracy. Catchy riffs and heart-melting melodies and that ever nasal rough vocals of Axl. Seriously, $18.95 for one of the most highly anticipated decade-long waiting album isn’t too much to ask for. Seriously, if you hear songs like Catcher In The Rye… you’d be really surprised how Axl Rose can really bring the melody back to modern rock.

Axl Rose has proven… really proven that he is Guns N’ Roses; and Guns N’ Roses is him. Even my old friend - Shaun; had sent me an SMS earlier in the night to tell me that at last the long wait is over…

Do yourself a favour and go get the album; and rejuvenate in classic rock morphed into modern rock anthems.

This is truly the season of rock… with the reason Beyond concert; Gackt’s new single… Versailles upcoming new single… and CHINESE DEMOCRACY!

17
Nov

The Chinese Democracy

By dranoel79 0 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized
This is the year of great events to Rock N’ Roll - other than the evolution of Crush.

Firstly, Beyond holds a Next Stage concert and I get to see my Gods of Rock.

And now this…

Back in 1998.. if I am not wrong, Guns N’ Roses was scheduled to release their latest album - Chinese Democracy. HMV at Heeren had also indicated an anticipated album release of the year. Although, the Guns N’ Roses dd not comprise of Slash and Duff McKagan. The main man in that album is W. Axl Rose. He alone is Guns N’ Roses; and Guns N’ Roses is W. Axl Rose. It takes a mentally unsound man to worship a mentally unsound rock icon.

William Axl Rose - back in the 90’s

I remember waiting along with other friends, anticipating the release of the latest album. But as the wait grew on, hope vanished and even HMV removed the notice from the shelves - the notice that goes ‘The most highly anticipated rock album of the year’. So as years go by, the thing just dies down. But, I never fail to check out at the Guns N’ Roses department every now and then to see if the new album is already out.

Today… just a short while ago, I clicked onto the HMV Japan website… and there was an announcement… the official release of Chinese Democracy… out later this month. I checked on the CD Japan website and it also indicated a release of Chinese Democracy… I have waited a fucking decade for this album… IT’S GUNS N’ ROSES - CHINESE DEMOCRACY WE ARE TALKING ABOUT!

November 2008 is the month - I get to see Beyond, Axl Rose releases his material at long last. This time… HMV can put - ‘Highly anticipated rock album of the decade’.

This Guns N’ Roses is definitely not the one that we all will be familiar with. But, it’s still Axl Rose. Before rocking to Beyond; I was headbanging to Guns N’ Roses - W. Axl Rose. You can take away any member in Guns N’ Roses, but take away Axl Rose; and it doesn’t seem right anymore. I believe Axl Rose still has the stage presence and aura to influence how rock is going to sound like. The only reason why classic rock n’ roll died was because, Guns N’ Roses faded away in the early 90’s; and there came the rise of grunge and other more modern sounds. This time round, I am really interested to see if the new Guns N’ Roses can still cause a tremor in the rock n’ roll scene. I believe Axl Rose would be able to.

2008 has been an eventful year for me. Getting the right to pilot my Lancer; stabilising the band; meeting Beyond; Dir En Grey releases a mammoth album; Luna Sea releases DVD of their reunion concert; 15th year tribute concert to 黄家驹; X Japan repackages themselves; and now Guns N’ Roses (aka W. Axl Rose) releases their latest material since 1991… This is all inspiring.

13
Nov

Uroboros - I want a record player…

By dranoel79 0 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized
Recently, I bought the latest album by Shin. Whereby, the cover indicates from Heavy Metal to Happy Metal. Alright, upon checking out the tracks briefly, it seems rather pop. I prefer the older albums.

I also just received a mammoth parcel from CD Japan… yes… the long-awaited album by Dir En Grey - Uroboros. This is a must-get for fans…

Firstly, it comes in hard cover box casing. There are 2 separate items within. One is a LP casing of the album recording. It contains two vinyl records and it really looks classic. I always wanted to try going into these old school big record players - the gramophone. Now, Dir En Grey’s Uroboros can be considered my very first owned LP.

The other item is also a hard casing where it contains 2 audio CDs and a DVD. One audio cd is the album itself, the other is a special acoustic tracklist. I have yet to check the contents of the DVD. The lyric booklet is actually one hard cover book… embedded in the casing itself…Solid.

There is also a sticker included.

This album limited edition is seriously meant for hardcore fans. I mean, why would you want an LP when you can’t play it? But really, the packaging and the design is rather classic. Simple and classic. However, the music is still an acquired taste. I read that this album is supposed to be a revisit back to their earlier style. But seriously, I don’t think they have gone back to their old style. It isn’t as growling heavy as The Marrow of the Bone, but I think both albums belong to the same genre. If you are a Dir En Grey old school fan hoping for stuffs like those found in their Gauze album… I guess you would be disappointed.

AND MY BEYOND - GOODTIME CONCERT DVD IS FAULTY!!!!

10
Nov

The Beyond Experience - 08/11/2008 and 09/11/2008

By dranoel79 1 Comment
Categories: Uncategorized
THE BEYOND EXPERIENCE I

This is the day when I met Beyond fans from China and HK.

This is the day of the concert. Straight to the point. I bought the package that contains the concert souvenirs like t-shirt and wristlet all at a hefty cost of $200/-. But, it doesn’t matter because it is authentic Beyond merchandise endorsed by Paul and 世荣.

For the first time, I saw this close to the stage since I was six rows away from the front. The moment the concert opened with 世荣, I was already standing up along with Jo, Andy and company. We were rocking to the music as the Malaysian fans had already went to the front. But the response from the audience was quite lukewarm. Seriously, I cannot fathom why the audience came if they kept remaining seated down. This isn’t some stage drama. This is a rock concert! Anyway, lots of dead fishes in the stadium. They only came alive when 世荣 sang Beyond popular hits like Amani and 海阔天空. But, the real anchor point in the concert was when 世荣 was about to go into the song - 岁月无声; and suddenly Paul was on stage! That was when I saw one of the China fans already at the front with the Malaysian fans. I signalled Jo to follow me and I ran from my seat round the block of seats to the centre aisle down to the front. And I realised Andy and the rest were also behind. We were rocking to Paul as he managed to conjure the mood up high and when he dedicated a song to the couples out in the audience. I knew it would be 情人. And seriously, this is one of the best performances of 情人 by Paul because he was just singing and he was walking around the stage and standing at the edge; and you can feel the raw power and sincerity in the vocals as he delivered the song.

The security officer was quite a pain in the ass. We were already so near to the front and I don’t understand why he did not allow us to move forward. Until, another security officer took over. I looked at him, smiled and inched forward. He smiled back and did not bother to stop me, and then everyone surged forward and I was just behind Vinny and company. The concert got to a high point when 世荣 appeared on stage with Paul and both bands appeared on stage together.

It was a solid concert and it was much longer than the one held in 2005. I could really feel the sincerity from Paul and 世荣; especially Paul. It had been a solid concert worth going to.

After the concert, we proceeded down to Lunar because we had information that Beyond would proceed there for a post concert party. We waited til it was past 2 am and we had a negative thought that Beyond would not appear…

But, when we were all getting restless… Beyond appeared. I rushed forward and the rest came along. But, there were other ‘fake’ Beyond fans crowding around. Bastards who claim to love Beyond but didn’t go for the concert. Anyway, the security was preventing people from going into the sofa seats where Beyond sat at. I saw a few high-classed prostitutes trying to get close to Beyond, but I can tell both of them were not really bothered. I shouted to Paul and when he saw me, he acknowledged and waved back energetically. And suddenly, he inched forward and shouted to me and asked me if the concert was good! Woohoo! It feels good to know that your God of Rock N’ Roll acknowledges your presence.

Anyway, they were ushered to the Yue Lounge. Now and then, the support musicians would come out and mingle with the fans for awhile and accepted drinks from the fans.

世荣 left early. I could tell he was pretty tired. But Paul stayed behind!

When Paul’s guitarist went to the toilet, I followed and waited for an opportunity to talk to him. I asked the guitarist if he could get me in to speak to Paul for awhile. He said he would ask Paul and I waited outside the room where Paul was at. And the rest of the Beyond fans came along too. the guitarist came out shortly and told me that Paul was in a game and he will come out shortly. And Paul really came out in a short while. AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY FUCKING LIFE, I SEE MY HERO TIPSY WITH ALCOHOL! WOOHOO!

Paul was really friendly and took photos with us. I couldn’t believe he took the effort to come out and see us - the few hardcore fans that tailed Beyond from the day they came to Singapore.

Look at Paul! He is tipsy! Woo-hoo!

We went back to our tables and waited. Whilst we were thinking if we should leave, Paul came out and walked past us! He told us that he would be performing on the stage later. We rushed down and …
Paul went on stage and gave an impromptu performance! He performed 打不死 and 我是愤怒. It was really fucking solid and high, because we were practically just infront of the stage and we were rocking to the music and getting crazy. I recorded down his performance of 我是愤怒 and this is a real upclose and personal recording . It’s really the closest one can get! And Paul proceeded to shake our hands from the stage

… and that was it. He left shortly after.

THE BEYOND EXPERIENCE II

I couldn’t wake up on time to send 世荣 off as I was down with a bit of fever and back aches from all the jumping and rocking. Anyway, I managed to arrive in time at the airport to see Paul off. Whilst the fans were gathering around him and asking hugs from him, he obliged and hugged all the female fans there. I was some distance away and didn’t expect a hug. But when Paul saw me, he actually said in Cantonese - 这个一定要的. And he proceeded to hug me! No… it’s not that gay hug, it’s that rock brotherly kind of hug. And he kept saying ‘take care’

Subsequently, he proceeded to check in. But shortly after he came out again and I managed to talk to him abit. I asked him if it would be possible to get him to record a song; and instead of giving a non-committal answer like ‘Yeah’, ‘Sure’… he actually gave me that serious look and asked me when would that be! I told him I am in an underground band, he told he it doesn’t matter because a band is still a band, and whether it’s underground or commercial, there aren’t much bands left. I could have talked to him further but other fans crowded around but I still managed to take one last photoshot with him and that was it.

This Beyond experience from the day they came to Singapore til the day they left has been a real enriching one. I got the chance to meet my Gods upclose and personal; experience electrifying rock performances unlike any other. And I had the chance to meet other like-minded Beyond friends from Malaysia and China. It has been a good journey. And I believe there will be more to come.

06
Nov

The day Paul Wong signed on my Washburn WG208.

By dranoel79 1 Comment
Categories: Uncategorized
6th November 2008 is a day I will never forget…

我们曾经一样的流浪；一样幻想美好时光。。。

It all started the day before when I saw Amelia on MSN and she told me that Beyond will be touching down the next day at about 3.30pm. And that’s it… that was all it took for me to know that I have to get my guitar down and get Paul to sign and take a photo with both Paul and 世荣.

The wait at the airport was quite nerve-biting… At last… Paul came out and he recognised me! Needless to say, I asked him to sign on my guitar - the Washburn WG208… that is now priceless. He agreed and took my guitar. He carried the guitar all the out of the airport as I walked beside him! The spirit of his solid playing has been imbued into the guitar… And he signed on the guitar once we were outside…

And then 世荣 was out too! And of course, I went over and took a photo with him.

I also got him to sign on a photocard… And I am keeping the pen that he used…I then rushed back to Paul since I remembered I wanted him to sign on the photocard too. Yes… the marker he used is also going to be kept by me… And of course… another photoshot with him.

I actually asked Paul to take a photo with me along with 世荣, he agreed to. But the damn security officers spoilt my chance and off they went.

I was abit disappointed actually… but nevertheless, I proceeded to send Vinny to the checkpoint at Woodlands, as Amelia and Wing were saying they wanted to go to Marina Mandarin to wait for Beyond. Needless to say, I followed…

At the hotel lobby, Kelly called me to tell me Beyond was on air interview, but when I told her I was already at the hotel lobby… guess she must be thinking I am one crazy fuck. I called Jo and Andy… I told them Beyond would be coming down at 7pm as informed by the senior sister - Amelia. They were quite unsure at first… but thank the Gods, they decided to come and I bet they never regretted.

At about slightly past 7pm, when 世荣 came down to the lobby, Jo was so excited… he was stunned to be precise. And Andy too. The two cocks were quite stiff and didn’t know what to do at first. After helping them to take a shot with 世荣 and sign their cds, Paul came!

I noticed Paul walking from the other side, and when Jo and Andy saw them… Yes, that same jaw-widening effect again.

And I got my dream fulfilled…

When I was approaching for this photo… Paul spoke to 世荣 and said that I am one of the diehard fans! Woohoo!

The feeling was good. When Paul was leaving and stepped into the van. I waved at the both of them and they noticed and waved back. And that was it… they left for dinner.

It was a day well spent with the Beyond fans from Malaysia - Vinny, Amelia and Wing. I have to thank them for their information and their help for this to happen. Amelia for letting me know Beyond is coming… Vinny for helping me ask Paul to sign for me on the guitar… and helping me to get the marker pen… Wing for helping me request from 世荣 and Paul to take a photo with them both; and also for keeping me company when we were waiting at the hotel lobby; as Amelia was talking to the other Beyond fans.

The feeling was great because this is the first time in my 13 years as an ardent Beyond fan that I managed to get this close to them and having all the autographs and photos. And the feeling of hanging out with the Beyond friends is fantastic… words can’t express the joy of getting to know these Beyond friends. All the way, the music in the car was playing Beyond and Beyond and Beyond…

This is a cheap Washburn WG208… but now… it’s a priceless artifact to me…

Yes… I am already 29 going on to 30. I am supposed to be some mature man who would not go crazy over celebrity idols… But BEYOND is not any idol celebrity. They are the founders of independent Chinese Rock… They were the musicians who influenced me heavily… For BEYOND, I would go back to being a child once again and chase them like a mad fan…

If you were in my shoes… you would too.

04
Nov

Korean Pop Night! Korea! Korea! Chae Yeon! Korea! Singapore…?

By dranoel79 0 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized
I was at the Korean Pop Night concert at the Indoor Stadium. Seriously, I wasn’t looking forward to the concert, basically because its a pop concert of various artistes whom I do not know. But, nevertheless, I removed about that biased rocker-mentality and embraced the concert with a very neutral mindset.

I could feel the fervour from the audience and I seriously think it was a good move - using music to help build bridges between 2 countries. That is the magic of music. Only music can help to bond nations and different cultures together, unless you have the mentality (like some divorced mum I used to know) who can only listen to ‘ang moh’ music. So, I would say it was a wonderful concert.

Chae Yeon is hot. When I saw her, as much as I was acting cool, in my mind, I was drooling. She almost robbed Yoon Eun Hye from my heart. But, thank the Gods, I am devoted to Yoon Eun Hye.

The Andy guy was also quite entertaining. He was the co-host. And then, talking about co-host… the female co-host is also a stunning beauty. I meant the Korean one… not the Singapore DJ.

Carrie Yeo sang well. Although, I never knew her before today. Why didn’t they get the Superstar or Superband Idols? Why did they get Carrie Yeo? Because, it would cost to get the Super Star Idols? Or because, the organising committee knows that the winners of the Superstar etc Idols don’t have what it takes but won on pure unfair votes? OR is it both?

Jewelry and Wonder Girls… hot… very hot. I was practically babe-watching. But on a more serious note, they sure can sing and dance well.

Now, during the concert, I did sleep. I started sleeping when 2pm (they must be fans of 4PM - the band that sang Sukiyaki - English version) performed. Okay, they got the crowd going, I know. But, I was sleeping. I woke up when U-Kiss was performing and during the interval, one of the members spoke in English. When U-Kiss went on to sing the second number, I realised something. The vocals were all level, and there was no panting during the singing. It felt too studio perfect… it dawned on me that they weren’t singing… only their lips were moving. This is my personal observation and I may be wrong. Although, I believe I am not wrong. I started to cry foul and Evil-Lyn wondered what happened.

What shocked me was not U-Kiss lip-synching… what shocked me was when Evil-Lyn commented that U-Kiss looks better than 2pm; when I told her that U-Kiss was lip-synching. Okay, now the issue isn’t about U-Kiss lip-synching anymore. The issue is Evil-Lyn actually supports the boyband because they look better?! What happened to music? I can’t believed she told me that. I was flabbergasted. I would rather listen to a flat singer than watching a bunch of pretty boys dancing and opening and closing their mouths to the recorded music. One word - disappointed.

But other than U-Kiss, the rest of the concert was entertaining enough. Although, I was hoping to see Yoon Eun Hye or some singers singing songs from familiar tracks of dramas I’ve seen.

This is a destination I would love to see Crush arrive at.

Anyway, collected the parcel from YesAsia. And yes! I’ve got the Let’s Fight t-shirt package and the Beyond 2003 photobook.

This is out of point, but I was trying to be artistic when I took the shot.

03
Nov

Monday, bloody Monday; alternatively; memories remain.

By dranoel79 0 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized
Okay… I was at IMM yesterday and it was the first time in my life there. All the while I thought IMM was just some kind of big warehouse departmental store. And I realised that it is a shopping centre… Fantastic place to explore for a ’swaku’ like me.

The cool part was getting a Maybank IU cover; and parking free somemore…

Dinner was at Holland V and I got a call from Gene.

Had a chill out session at Mr Bean and for the first time, Evil Lyn and Mars got to meet the original bassist of Defuse. The bassist with Defuse when Defuse won some J-Rock competition in 2001. Meeting up with Gene was quite a blast back to the past, and memories of those good ol’ days came rushing back. And when he said he felt demoralised after being kicked out from Defuse, I just realised how poorly I must have managed the band back then. But we agreed on one thing though, if the band back then had kept the faith and stuck to doing real shit, Defuse would have been something more than what it is now - mere broken pieces of an arrogant rock n’ roll glamoured-up dream.

Anyway, check out these video clips. It’s damn solid seeing Paul doing commercial performances alongside members of 太極 and the Wynners.

This is the clip where you get to see a medley of solid tracks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z54QHnmMR7I

This is the clip where you get to see Paul trying to dance… and obviously, it’s a comical sight… He is damn stiff lah… which concludes one simple theory. In general, rockers can’t dance. Someone says Paul dances like King Kong… I can’t deny… Wahahahaha!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sty9Up14ND4

Sugizo’s latest compilation album - Cosmoscape is quite solid. I like the cover art. The 12th track - Sweet; is rather catchy and I just happened to check the lyrics… and the chorus goes - ‘My Sweet My Dear Lover My Sweet My Dear Allah’… interesting

Sugizo - Cosmoscape

Anyway, I flipped through the pages of the lyric booklet and found two interesting pages which send a rather strong message to the bungling nincompoops at Middle-East.

The first page shows Sugizo dress in an Arabian outfit holding his ESP like some machine-gun and there is a print that reads - ‘Father, forgive them, they know not what they do’

And then the second page shows Sugizo dress in an American soldier’s outfit, once again holding his ESP as though it was a machine gun, and his expression shows the face of a solider charging into battle, and a print that reads - ‘Hoping one day this planet will be one with this love’. A very interesting design.

I think it is an interesting album to get, though, it is an acquired taste.

And, today is the start of my week long holiday… Saturday… Next Stage…

27
Oct

I am unhappy, very unhappy with work.

By dranoel79 0 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized
I just returned from the trip to KL. The only good thing about the trip there was being able to get some DVDs and CDs which can’t be found in Singapore anymore. Other than that, I am totally drained.

Took alot of photos, including crappy ones… check out the album in the Photos department.

It’s not even November 2008. I wonder how I can survive til the end of 2008. I can’t stand it at the new place any longer. I am dying. And now they want to know if I am trained and they are thinking of putting me the Equipment Room… let us get this straight… I am only meant for the Dispatch Department. If I am all quiet and all-obliging don’t really mean I am easy to be stepped upon. Just abit more of it and I am writing in a letter of complaint to the big boss.

There is no point working in a place if I don’t feel happy. What is the point of an ‘enriching’ exchange programme when I am not being enriched in any fucking way at all? If any complaint to the big boss doesn’t change things, I just pray some tree crashes on me and I get a 2 month stay-home MC leave…

23
Oct

Amani… Nakupenda… Nakupenda… eh? string snap?? Amani!!

By dranoel79 0 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized
I got home abit early. I should have been packing for the trip tomorrow. But instead, I blasted the CD player and played the guitar along to nearly 30 Beyond tracks at one go…

As I was playing Amani, my mother came inside and told me that it is late and the neighbours’ babies and children need to sleep. But, I just went wilder and played til the strings snapped, and I just continued twanging the guitar til it got out of tune and it sounded out of order, but it seemed to fit perfectly in my crazed state of mind.

After listening back to those old hits, I just realised that they really have lots of good tracks to rock along with. The only problem is… non- Beyond fans will never know why Beyond is a solid rock band. They hear only the commercial tracks played on radio… and even that isn’t plenty.

The Beyond fever is back and stronger than ever before.

I just can’t describe the magic of the Beyond journey.

21
Oct

Hey! I am a taxpayer!

By dranoel79 0 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized
I read the news. It’s on the Straits Times Home cover page on 22/10/2008.

He maintained that police officers are trained to identify and handle persons suffering from various medical conditions, including epilepsy

I read this and I am utterly flabbergasted…

All I want to say is this, our policemen are here to help keep the streets safe. Loads of us out there may not feel that way about policemen. That’s fair enough. But, let’s not expect too much from these men in blue. Because, they are also human beings and they have their own cross to bear too.

Let’s show our policemen with love.

And it starts from every one of us. Firstly, let us refrain from saying things like,” I am a taxpayer!”. Because, policemen also pay tax. Secondly, let us be humane and don’t expect the policemen, or even firemen, or even ambulance staff, to do the impossible.

I am writing this from a very sober state of mind. I am writing this as a concerned Singaporean, a Singaporean who is afraid that someday soon, the societal structure of Singapore will crash because Singaporeans are getting out of hand and are too service-demanding. If this day ever comes, what is the point of hosting an F1 event?

I’d rather we stick to selling pirated DVDs and pornography.

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