I graduated high school in 1992 and this was the album and sound track for my freshman year in college. I think this gives me a unique perspective to review this new release. I just know there are 36-34 year old people all across the country playing both back to back just like I am right now to compare and contrast, to relive a little of the feeling of what it was like when WE were it, and that rocks!

This album is a prime example of popular music or an individual album becoming the sound track to a period in time. This is not any different than “Blonde on Blonde” by Bob Dylan or “Beggars Banquet” by the Rolling Stones in that respect. This view is shortsighted and wrong in my opinion. This album ( or the original ) belong in the same sentence as the pivotal albums that came generations before it.

So many people often try to filter this time period, the album and the experience down to a simple flannel shirts and the simple grunge scene look. To me that view or representation comes across like an Associated Press (AP) story picked up by you local home town news paper. It’s a cheapened and trivialized view of what the music and the time represented.

To the music:
In general it feels like the producers got more to the core of the songs by exposing more of the vocal track (Eddie) and talented musicianship of the Mike McCready (Lead Guitar). It is enjoyable and often catches your ear if you are familiar with the original.

My favorite improvement is – Deep
My least favorite adaptation was – Alive

Overall I’m thankful that this new collection got me to re listen to the album, both old and new a few times over, but I give it an A for re-marketing and a B for actual musical improvement or embellishment.

I now have to turn off the turn table and put the kids to bed. I’m old.

But seriously folks…

It seems that every year I see someone who looks familiar walking around in PC and I can’t place the face. Then, they turn out to actually be some sort of celebrity I should recognize, but probably couldn’t pick out of a line up. Today was different. I know who Roy (David Benman) is.

I think I got more enjoyment out of seeing him than if it was someone like Martin Scorsese or Tom Cruise . I’m not a big fan of “Hollywood” movies produced and sponsored by Taco Bell and Pepsi. However, I’m a huge fan of the Office.

Kelly and I used to come up to PC during the weekends and look people watch during the shows. It’s a blast. Everyone is in black, talking on a cell phone, wearing a pass of some sort and trying to be mistaken for a famous director or something. It’s such a departure form the typical fur wearing families on vacation from Miami. (It’s odd here)

This year it seems like everyone is in Park City. It’s probably from the lack of work going on right now due to the writers strike.