I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: THE ENGLISH BEAT Live at KEXP , March 8, 2007 (2007).

After enjoying the 2010 Bumbershoot concert I found this earlier in-studio show from The English Beat.  It’s amusing that it’s longer than the Bumbershoot concert (they play three of the same songs and eight in total).  This set introduces a few less “famous” tracks, like “Hands Off She’s Mine” and “Ranking Full Stop.”  They also play a “new” song called “Said We Would Never Die,” a sweet ballad in which he sounds a bit like Bob Mould singing.

When they play “Save It for Later,” they introduce the song with a verse from Pearl Jam’s “Better Man,” which must be a nod to Pearl Jam’s constant placement of “Save It for Later” in the jam session at the end of “Better Man” when they play it live.  The song ends with a lengthy sax solo.

Overall, this set is slightly less enjoyable for me than the Bumbershoot one.  The band adds a bit more jam into the set–the songs are longer and a bit more mellow feeling, which doesn’t work for ska.  But they all sound good and Dave Wakeling is very funny in his chats with the DJ.  He talks about his guitar being in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and the history of the ska movement.  How labels felt burnt that they missed the Sex Pistols and wanted to get whatever the next trend was.  This was interesting in that he talks about reggae and punk bands playing together on the same bill (before the skinheads went racist) and how the mellow reggae and the fast punk kept the dancefloor full if they alternated.  He also says that when they introduced the Beat Girl, it made the boys in the audience stop getting into  fights with each other and try to impress the girls.

As they head into their final song (“Tenderness”) Dave notes that “the first 27 years are the hardest.”  Hear if he’s right.

[READ: January 31, 2012] Rachel Rising 5-7

I have finally gotten around to reading some more Rachel Rising (it’s only been ten months), and I see that there are already several new issues out (I should get a subscription).

As I mentioned in the end of my review of the first four books, Terry Moore has gone to a really dark place with this series.  By the end of Book 7, my mouth was left agape, because I never thought that Terry would go quite so dark!

I like the way that Book 5 is more or less split in half with the first half being all about Rachel trying to fit back in with her friends (Jet reminds her of their pinkie swear to tell the truth about everything).  And yet there’s also Dr Siemen who states matter of factly (at the dinner table) that Rachel is the Angel of Death.

The second half of the book involves the little girl (she’s so cute with her pigtails).  A foster family is coming to take her for the night while the authorities try to figure out what happened to her house and family.  Moore goes dark right away with the man of the foster family showing his true colors, but the girl will have none of it.  And there’s a scene in an elevator which happens in movies, and yet in real life, I’ve never heard of an elevator door that doesn’t open when something gets stuck in it.

Book #6 shows how creepy Dr Seimens actually is.  And, really, just how creepy all of the citizens of Manson are.  Like the man who picks up a battered and beaten woman and tries to play doctor with her.  She has a surprise for him.  When we see Rachel, she and Johnny and Jet go to the scene of her last accident to discover what happened.  Rachel sees the woman who fell off the roof with her, but no one else can.  But they all see the little girl with pigtails hiding in the alley.  The girl won’t talk until she’s in the backseat with Rachel.  She tells Rachel that she also sees the woman who only Rachel could see.  And every time she appears, someone dies.  Just as they crash into an 18-wheeler.

Book #7 confirms Jet’s death (with a broken neck).  There was  potentially creepy scene with the coroner (thankfully Moore didn’t go in for necrophilia, too), but it turned out tender instead.  Until Jet opens her eyes like Rachel.  Then it’s back to the girl (who was unharmed in the accident).  As she is walking home, bodies start crashing out of graves in the cemetery creating an eerie pattern.  And the girl, whose evilness is unclear, runs away in terror.

Moore has never shied away from violent and disgusting images, but man, he is really pushing boundaries with this new series–there’s more death here than in most graphic novels.  And since Moore’s style is so “realistic,” they seem even more gruesome.  While I happily recommended his other two series to others, this one is definitely for a more acquired taste.  It’s a fascinating story, it’s just not for the average reader.

Also, I have literally no idea where he’s going with this story. Two main characters are dead, the third seems like a murderer and of the others, one is disabled in the hospital and the other is a creepy doctor.  And then there’s the invisible, supernatural scary woman.  I can’t wait to see what he’s got in mind and I feel excited that there’s already six more books out.