Thursday, March 29, 2012

Top 200 Albums of All Time: The Who

The Who: My Generation (1965)
The band dismissed My Generation as a “rush job.” However, it included classics such as “My Generation” and “The Kids Are Alright.” As a result, it appears on many best of lists.

The Who Sell Out: The Who (1967)
This is one of the most underrated albums of all time. It explores and mocks commercialism with phony advertisements in a pirate radio format. The cover shows the band hocking imaginary products. It also includes “I Can See For Miles.”

Tommy: The Who (1969)
Pete Townshend needed to move the band forward creatively and he contrived a rock opera based on a “deaf, dumb, and blind boy” who becomes a messianic figure while playing pinball. Genius!

Live at Leeds: The Who (1970)
The Who’s only live album recorded while they were recording and touring regularly is Live at Leeds. The record captures The Who’s stage presence and dynamism. It is generally considered the greatest live album of all time.

Who’s Next: The Who (1971)
Originally, Townshend wanted to do another rock opera. The so-called Lifehouse project confused everyone except Townshend and he scrapped it. Who’s Next emerged from the ashes and is about as good an album as has ever been recorded. Every track is top notch and four of the nine songs are classics.

Quadrophenia: The Who (1973)
Pete decided to write another rock opera and created Quadrophenia. The album centers on a schizophrenic boy named Jimmy. Jimmy had four distinct personalities, each representing a band member. It also explores the Mod-Rocker cultures of Townshend’s youth. In the end, Jimmy discovers himself.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Top 200 Albums of All Time: Weezer

Weezer: Weezer (1994)
Weezer’s debut is a masterpiece of 90s alt rock. Since its release, the album has grown in stature and is now considered one of the great albums of the decade. Rivers Cuomo’s playing on the album is unique for the period. At the time, he was one of the few not copying Eddie Van Halen or grunge.

Pinkerton: Weezer (1996)
Originally, Cuomo wanted to create some sort of space opera, but he scraped it for the painkiller induced Pinkerton. The Weezer front man had leg surgery and wrote the album under the influence. At the time, no one understood the album and it was a disappointment. Fifteen years later, no one understands the album and it is considered artistic genius!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Sci Fi History: Flash Gordon (1934)

The first Flash Gordon comic debuted in 1934. Inspired by Buck Rogers, the story recounts a polo player and their battles with Ming the Merciless from the planet Mongo. Eventually, Flash and his compatriots defeat Ming and establish a peaceful Mongo. The series featured faster than light space travel and adventures across many star systems. The comic led to serials and films, most notably starring Buster Crabbe. In 1980, Hollywood produced a major film version that critics panned, but had a good soundtrack. There has also been a television series, cartoons, comics, novels, radio serials, and a Sci-Fi channel live action series in 2007.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Kid Nichols: Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 1949

Kid Nichols
Born: September 14, 1869

Debut: April 23, 1890 (Boston Beaneaters)

1900: Wins 300th game (Youngest to ever do so)

1901: Became part owner of a minor league team in Kansas City

1902-03: Pitched for Kansas City

1903: Returned to Majors with Cardinals (80-88 record)

1904-05: Managed Cardinals

1905: Picked up off waivers by Phillies

1906: Retired

After retiring, he opened bowling alleys and partnered with Joe Tinker to distribute movies.

1933: Won a Class A bowling tournament

1949: Elected to Hall of Fame

Died: April 11, 1953

Accomplishments:
361-208

.634 win %

2.96 ERA

532 complete games

28 shutouts

5067.1 IP

15+ wins: 12x

20+ wins: 11x

30+ wins: 7x

Led league in wins: 3x

Sub 3 ERA: 8x

Sub 2.50 ERA: 4x

Led league w/50 games (1898)

10+ CG: 15x

20+ CG: 13x

30+ CG: 12x

40+ CG: 7x

Led league in Shutouts: 3x

Led league in saves: 4x

200+ IP: 13x

300+ IP: 12x

400+ IP: 5x

Led league w/368 IP (1897)

200+ Strikeouts: 2x

Led league in WHIP: 3x

Postseason: 2-0, 1.00 ERA, 18 IP, 2 CG, 1.167 WHIP (1 series)

As a manager: 80-88 record (.476)

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Charlie Gehringer: Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 1949


Born: May 11, 1903

1922: Enrolled at the University of Michigan

1923: Discovered by Bobby Veach & signed by the Tigers

1924: Played in Minors

Debut: September 22, 1924 (Detroit Tigers)

1925: Spent most of year in minors (8 games w/Tigers)

1927-31: Played in over 500 consecutive games

1929: Tigers win “Charlie Gehringer Day” 17-13 over the Yankees

1933: Played in first All Star Game

1934: Part of the greatest infield in history (Greenberg, Owen, Rogell, Gehringer)

1934: Tigers win pennant (Lose World Series to Cardinals)

1934: Toured Japan with MLB All Stars

1931-35: Played in over 500 consecutive games for the second time

1935: Tigers win World Series

1937: AL MVP

1937: Won Batting Title (.371)

1940: Tigers win Pennant (Lose World Series to Reds)

1942: Retired

1942: Enlisted in the Navy

1944-1945: Considered comeback, but went into sales

1949: Elected to Hall of Fame

1950: Became Tigers GM

1953: Quit as Tigers GM and became vice-president. After, went back to sales

1953-1990: Member of Baseball HOF Veteran’s Committee

1974: Retired from sales & sold business

1983: Tigers retired his #2

1986: Honorary Captain of the AL All Star Team

Died: January 21, 1993

1999: Finalist for All Century Team

Accomplishments:
1935 World Champion

6x All Star

1937 AL MVP

1937 Batting Champion

.320 average

2839 hits

574 doubles

184 home runs

1427 RBI

181 steals

1186 walks-372 strikeouts

.404 OBP

.480 Slugging

.884 OPS

Led league in games played: 4x

Led league in runs: 2x

100+ runs: 12x

Led league in hits: 2x

200+ hits: 7x

Led league in doubles: 2x

30+ doubles: 10x

40+ doubles: 7x

50+ doubles: 2x

60 doubles: 1936

Led league in triples: 1929 (19)

10+ triples: 7x

15+ triples: 4x

20 home runs (1938)

100+ RBI: 7x

Led league in steals: 1929 (27)

100+ walks: 2x

.300 average: 13x

.350+ average: 3x

.400 OBP: 9x

.500 slugging: 7x

.900+ OPS: 8x

Postseason: .321 average, 1 HR, 7 RBI, .782 OPS (3 World Series)

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Three-Finger Brown: Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 1949

Mordecai Brown

Born: October 19, 1876

Sometime in his youth, he suffered an accident costing him his right index finger.

1901: Minor Leagues

Debut: April 19, 1903 (Cardinals)

1903: Traded to Cubs

1906: Cubs win Pennant (Lose World Series to White Sox)

1907: Cubs win World Series

1908: Brown beat Christy Mathewson for the NL Pennant

1908: Cubs win World Series

1910: Cubs win Pennant (Lose World Series to A’s)

1912-13: Released by Cubs, signed by Louisville, traded to Reds

1913: Jumped to Federal League

1914: Managed St. Louis Terriers of Federal League (50-63)

1916: Purchased by the Cubs

1916: Brown and Mathewson started against one another one final time. Matty won. Brown finished 13-11 against Mathewson

1916: Retired from majors

1917: Began playing Minor League Ball. Was still playing in 1928.

1920-45: Ran a gas station

Died: February 14, 1948

1949: Elected to Hall of Fame

1999: Finalist for All Century Team

Accomplishments:
2x World Champion

239-130

.648 win %

2.06 ERA

271 CG

55 shutouts

3172.1 IP

1.139 WHIP

Led league in wins: 1909 (27)

15+ wins: 9x

20+ wins: 6x

Led league in ERA: 1906 (1.04)

Sub 3-ERA: 12x

Sub 2.50 ERA: 8x

Sub 2 ERA: 5x

Led league in games: 2x

Led league in CG: 2x

10+ CG: 13x

15+ CG: 11x

20+ CG: 8x

32 CG (1909)

Led league in SHO: 2x

Led league in saves: 4x

13 saves (1911)

Led league in IP (1909): 342.2

200+ IP: 11x

250+ IP: 5x

300+ IP: 2x

Led league in WHIP: 3x

Sub 1 WHIP: 5x

Postseason: 5-4, 2.97 ERA, 3 shutouts, 9 starts, 5 CG, 57.2 IP, 35 Ks (4 World Series)

As a Player/Manager: 50-63 (.442)

Monday, March 12, 2012

Top 200 Albums of All Time: The Velvet Underground

Velvet Underground and Nico: The Velvet Underground (1967)
The Velvet Underground served as Andy Warhol’s house band. Their first album, with Warhol girl Nico, broke new ground in experimentation and subject matter. While most acts of the period sang of love, the Underground covered heroin addiction. They also explored sadomasochism, prostitution, and other taboo topics. The Underground proved a decade ahead of their time.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Top 200 Albums of All Time: Van Halen

Van Halen: Van Halen (1978)
Van Halen’s debut record changed hard rock for two decades. After its release, every guitarist tried to imitate Eddie Van Halen’s playing style or David Lee Roth’s showmanship. A multitude of clones followed. The first VH record itself is a masterpiece of rock loaded with classic tracks. Both Rolling Stone and Guitar World have placed it on their best of lists.

1984: Van Halen (1984)
Van Halen has two diamond albums to its credit, the band’s aforementioned debut and 1984. At first, the album bred controversy since VH incorporated keyboards into the act. The end result was a crossover smash. “Jump” became the band’s only #1 hit to date. Supposedly, DLR came up with the lyrics during a leap year (1980?) and after witnessing someone on TV threatening suicide on a ledge.

5150: Van Halen (1986)
1986 was the year of 5150. Van Halen jettisoned DLR for Sammy Hagar and embarked on a new direction. Hagar kept the band relevant for a decade before inner turmoil broke it apart. Warner Brothers tried to get the band to drop the Van Halen name, but the brothers refused. Despite controversies around the band’s name and DLR’s departure, 5150 became Van Halen’s first album to hit #1. Although they enjoyed platinum albums in the past, someone else always blocked their path to the top of the charts.

For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge: Van Halen (1991)
Van Halen is one of only a few bands to peak in popularity more than once. In 1984, the band enjoyed the height of their popularity only to repeat their success in 1991. The album features many Hagar-era Van Halen classics including “Poundcake”, “Runaround”, “Top of the World”, and “Right Now.” The last hit became an omnipresent anthem during the period.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Top 200 Albums of All Time: U2

War: U2 (1983)

U2 changed with War. It is the moment the band became overtly political. Whereas their previous works focused on the spiritual and youth, War made them activists. U2 wanted to be the Clash. In 1983, they made the first foray into their hero’s territory.

The Joshua Tree: U2 (1987)

U2 loves America. The Joshua Tree is part rock album and part sociological examination of the U.S. The album portrays the band’s love of America, but also criticizes some elements of the country. It is America through the eyes of four Irishmen. The Joshua Tree is as close to social science as music can become.

Actung Baby: U2 (1991)

U2 can be pretentious. This pretentiousness almost ended their career. In 1991, U2 reinvigorated themselves in Berlin and released Actung Baby. The four decided to embrace celebrity culture, consumerism, and lightened up. The end result is a brilliant reinvention that embraced alternative rock, classic rock, industrial, and Euro influences.

All That You Can’t Leave Behind: U2 (2000)

Once again, U2 had to reinvent itself. The “Discotheque” video from 1997 nearly destroyed the band. Refusing to destroy themselves, U2 returned to their 80s form with All That You Can’t Leave Behind. With the album’s release, Bono claimed U2 was reapplying for “best band in the world.”

No Line on the Horizon: U2 (2009)

After experiencing wild success in the 2000s with their return to form, U2 experimented again in 2009. No Line on the Horizon incorporated Middle Eastern influences into the record, which sold “only” five million copies. The band was disappointed with album sales which may indicate another “return to form” in the offing.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Top 200 Albums of All Time: T artists

Remain in the Light: The Talking Heads (1980)

The Talking Heads wanted people to realize they were a group and not David Byrne with a backing band. Remain in the Light included African rhythms and studio innovations such as samples and loops. Byrne used Africa as lyrical inspiration. Despite this, the album’s most endearing work, “Once in a Lifetime” deals with a midlife crisis.

Aenima: Tool (1996)

The album’s title combines enema with anima. Much of the work connects song to song through short segues. The band itself is camera shy, so their videos tend to exclude them. For example, the video for “Stinkfist” is all Claymation.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Quotes of the Month: February 2012

Quote of the Month: 

"It's not much different to being 109."

-WWI Vet Florence Green on what it’s like being 110

Dumb Quote of the Month:
“Obama‘s ideology is based on “some phony theology. Not a theology based on the Bible. A different theology.”

-Rick Santorum


"I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it.”

-Mitt Romney

“My husband can not throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time.”

-Gisele

“And Randy, not like any other superstar I've met, he has more quit in him than any of those other players.

-Cris Carter on Randy Moss

“I wish management would come out and either trade [Pau Gasol] or not trade him."

-Kobe

“Satan [has been] attacking the great institutions of America, using those great vices of pride, vanity, and sensuality as the root to attack all of the strong plants that has so deeply rooted in the American tradition."

-Rick Santorum

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Andy Van Slyke: A Timeline

Born: December 21, 1960

1979: Drafted by Cardinals in 1st Round (6th overall)

Debut: June 17, 1983 (Cardinals)

1985: One of five Cardinals to steal 30 bases

1985: Cards win Pennant (Lose World Series to the Royals)

1987: Traded to Pirates

1988-1992: Won five straight Gold Gloves

1990-1992: Pirates win three straight Division titles, but lose the NLCS each time

1991: Angered Canadians by calling Canada a “pacifist, socialist country”

1992: In Game 7, NLCS, Van Slyke tried to reposition Barry Bonds so the leftfielder could throw out Sid Bream at home in the event of a hit to left. Bonds flipped off Van Slyke and was out of position when a hit came in his direction.

1995: Signed with Orioles as a Free Agent

1995: Traded to Phillies

1995: Retired

2001: Received no votes for the Hall of Fame and was removed from the ballot

2006-09: Coach for Detroit Tigers

2006: Tigers win Pennant (Lose World Series to Cardinals)

2009: Wrote book on 2008 Tigers

2010: Wrote The Curse: Cubs Win! Cubs Win! Or Do They?

Accomplishments:
3x All Star

5x Gold Glove winner

2x Silver Slugger

.274 career average

Hit .300: 2x

835 runs

100+ runs: 2x

1562 hits

Led league with 199 hits (1992)

293 doubles

30+ doubles: 2x

Led league with 45 doubles (1992)

10+ triples: 3x

Led league with 15 triples (1988)

164 home runs

20+ home runs: 2x

792 RBI

100 RBI (1988)

245 stolen bases

20+ steals: 6x

30+ steals: 2x

.349 OBP

.443 slugging

.500 slugging: 3x

Led league in Sac Flies with 13 (1988)

Postseason: .190, 1 HR, 10 RBI (5 series)

Thursday, March 1, 2012

History Shorts: Fall of the Han Dynasty (220 A.D.)

China's greatest civilization collapsed in 220 A.D. Corruption weakened the dynasty and barbarian invasions overrun the empire. On top of this, high rates of taxation and natural disasters further undermined the Han. The following are a couple of student reports on the Han Dynasty. I could not find a good pop culture interpretation of the Dynasty, but the Han's fall was too big to ignore for History Shorts!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfAT9X2VcSs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKHTfRm1HQs