Bands that I love more than life itself

October 20, 2023 MiaLeave a comment

I love music, and I listen to different kinds of music. I don’t like some music styles, but there are only a few. This post is about bands that I love more than life itself. They are bands I’ve listened to for decades. They are bands that no one can compare with today’s bands. I don’t follow the music scene as I used to when I was younger. If someone asked me about bands that young people listen to now, I wouldn’t know. I’m too busy listening to bands I already like. They still make music and perform for people. These bands are not in order. Let’s get started.

TAKE THAT

They are a boyband from Manchester, England. Members were/are called Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Howard Donald, Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. You can’t longer call Take That a boyband since they are over 50. They were formed in 1989, but it was in 1992 when they released their debut album ‘Take That and Party’. They were most popular in the 1990s, mainly in Europe. I’ve liked them since 1992 when I saw an interview with them on cable. Their humour was one of the reasons why I took notice. They were a big part of my teenage years. Without Take That, life would have been empty. Also, the solo artist Robbie Williams wouldn’t be there without them. The band split up in 1996 but returned in 2005 as a four-piece. They are a trio today, and their new album ‘This life’ will be out on November 24, 2023. They still sound great. They’ve been to Finland twice, but that was 29 years ago. Their concert here this year was cancelled, which is a shame because I was looking forward to that. They’re going on tour next year but won’t come here. Their most famous song is ‘Back for Good’. It’s a single they released in the USA, but they didn’t get the big break over there. They’ve sold millions of albums and sold out concerts in the UK, so it doesn’t matter. They have so many good songs that I don’t know which is my number one favourite. It could be ‘Pray’ or songs that weren’t released as singles.

DURAN DURAN

Now, this is a band that I’ve seen live. It took them 40 years, but it was worth it. It’s already over a year ago since I saw them in concert. You can read about it over here. Since I saw the video of ‘The Reflex’, I wanted to see them live. They’re a band that was formed in Birmingham, England in 1978. There were 5 members: Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, Andy Taylor, Roger Taylor and John Taylor (no relations). They’ve changed the number of band members over the years, but Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes have remained the same. I don’t know when I heard their music for the first time, but it must have been in the late 1980s. I remember my mother taped music from the radio and ‘A View to a Kill’ on that tape. It’s a James Bond tune, one of the few Bond songs that became number 1 in the US music charts. The song and video that could have been the first one I saw of them was ‘Rio’. It was released in 1982. Either way, it was in 2010 that I became a fan. Before that, they were a band that I liked and nothing else. I own all their albums except one because I didn’t find it anywhere. Their next album is called ‘Danse Macabre’ and is released on September 27, 2023. It’s their 16th studio album. I can’t wait for it. The most popular song of the band is ‘Ordinary World’. It’s been covered a few times by different artists. One of them is Adam Lambert, and that version is excellent. My all-time favourite song of Duran Duran is ‘Save a Prayer’. I have many others too because they have so many great songs, so choosing one is tricky.

PET SHOP BOYS

They’re a duo from London, but you can still call them a band. The members, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, started in 1981. Their music style is synth-pop. I saw them live this summer and loved every minute. I don’t remember when I heard their music for the first time. It must also been in the 1980s. The song could have been ‘It’s a Sin’ or ‘West End Girls’. Their videos were shown on MTV and other cable channels, so it could have been anything. Still, they make great music after all these years, and their older songs sound like they were made yesterday. My all-time favourite Pet Shop Boys song is ‘Heart’. FYI, the legendary actor Sir Ian McKellen appears as a vampire in the video. It’s an excellent video. The band have fantastic videos. YouTube is a great place to find them. PSB is also making and mixing songs for other artists. There will be a new album from them, but there is no release date yet. It will be their 15th album. Their talent will never die.

BON JOVI

The American rock band was formed in 1986 in New Jersey, USA. One of my classmates was a big fan of this band. She even had her hair a bit like Jon Bon Jovi. I also liked this band, but I didn’t become a fan. The band is one of my favourites, and that’s it. I don’t remember when I heard their songs the first time. Maybe it was ‘You gave love a bad name’. That’s one of my favourite songs of the band. ‘Living on a Prayer’ was the first video I saw of them. It was during the time when their album ‘New Jersey’ came out in 1988; that’s what I remember. The first album I got was ‘Keep the Faith’ when my friend made a copy of it. It doesn’t have the whole album because the tape ended. I liked the band already before that. Another album I got is ‘This House Is Not for Sale’, released in 2018. I’ve listened to the band on Spotify. They’ve often been to Finland for concerts, but I have never been able to go. Maybe I would if they came on tour over here. The drummer, Tico Torres, said in an interview that the band will record a new album in 2024. I will be looking forward to that. I hope it will come true.

I also like many other bands, but those are my favourites. To mention a few, Queen, The Rasmus(Finnish band), Aerosmith, Green Day, The Beatles, Toto (I saw them in concert a couple years ago) and Roxette. There are many more, but that list would be too long to post. I don’t like or care about some bands, but I only want to concentrate on the ones I like.

Scars on this guitar

September 10, 2019 MiaLeave a comment

Bon Jovi is one of my favourite bands of all time. I liked them since the ’80s and they get better with age. This is a great example. It’s from their latest album ‘This house is not for sale’ Songs doesn’t need to be a lot of instruments. This is just Jon Bon Jovi and his guitar.

A personal note. When I was a child I applied to a guitar course but I didn’t get in. I bet I would be a much better player than the guy that lives below my dad’s flat. There is at least 3 kind of guitar players. Those who can play the guitar. Another is they can’t play at all and those who think they can play but they actually can’t. I had a classmate who could play but that guy below dad is not one of them. He’s also a terrible singer. Luckily he hasn’t played in a while. My ears say thanks.

Symphony for my ears

August 3, 2017 Mia2 Comments

symphony

Not only the voices of actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston and Lee Pace are a symphony for my ears but also music. My taste is wide-ranged and listens to a lot of different styles. However, there are certain and bands that are closer to my heart. I’m not that into these new artists even though the likes of Adam Lambert and Kelly Clarkson is quite high on my list. But they don’t give me the same feeling older ones get. Most of the bands and artists I like are still making music. Instead of making a list of all my favourites, I’m gonna mention a bit more of my most precious likes.

Duran Duran
I’ve mentioned this band in my older posts. I’ve liked them since the 80’s. They’re from Birmingham, England and they’ve been around since 1978 so it’s gonna be 40 years next year. They’ve changed its members a few times and some have come back. They still going strong despite all the problems. That’s saying a lot about them. They made great music in the 80’s and they still got it. They have so many great songs, I can’t choose one. They released their latest album ‘Paper Gods’ in 2015. They’re on tour right now but unfortunately not even close to Scandinavia. No one knows how long they will be touring so they probably won’t come to Finland. I really hope they do because in 2010 their concert got cancelled and that would have been my first ever concert. Going to see them live abroad is too expensive for me. Unless I win the lottery but that will never happen. Every song they’ve recorded makes me feel better. When my mother died, their music helped me get through my sorrow.

Bon Jovi
Like with Duran Duran, I’ve also liked them since the late 80’s. I think ‘Living on a Prayer’ from the ‘Slippery when wet’ album was the first song I heard and that was in 1986. My friend taped me their album ‘Keep the faith’ but I’ve never bought their albums. Their latest is called ‘This house is not for sale’ which is the first one I bought. I listened to it every day since it was released in 2016, that’s how much I love it. My favourite song of them of all time is, ‘You gave love a bad name’ You really don’t need to buy albums anymore because of Spotify but I actually prefer them. I’m not always online and a band like them, old school is always the best. They’ve been to Finland a lot of times which proves how popular they are here.

Take That
They were the first band that I became a big fan of. They’re from Manchester, England. I bought all their albums and watched their videos. I have a lot of VHS tapes that I recorded from different interviews and TV appearances. They’re really funny which is one of the reasons why I loved them so much. They split up in 1996 but reunited 10 years later as a 4 piece. Now they’re a trio and still sell millions in their country of UK. I don’t own their latest albums but I listen to them online from time to time. I’ve seen their concert in the movie theatre but that’s the closest I ever got. I’ve seen them live on TV before. They still sound great live. They also have so many great songs I can’t choose which one I love the best.

Robbie Williams
Next Thursday one of my dreams will come true. I’ll attend my first ever concert and he gets the honour so to speak. I’m very excited about this I can hardly contain myself. He was a member of Take That in the 90’s. He’s been through a lot but pulled through. He’s one of the best selling artists in the world and now I’m going to see him play live. The only time I’ve seen him live was in the movie theatre but it wasn’t enough to feed my needs. My favourite song is ‘Strong’ because he really is strong and it’s a couraging to all of us. His music gets right to my soul. I can’t really explain the feeling his music gives me. As I write this, I listen to his latest album ‘The heavy entertainment show‘ on Spotify. He’s getting better as the years go by. He as a person is also great. He was so funny when he was in Take That and that humour is still there. That’s one of the reasons why he’s so well liked.

Michael Jackson
He really was the King of Pop. He made great music and his dancing was amazing. A lot of artists have him as a hero and so is he to me. He was not only a great entertainer but he cared a lot about the world. I was really sad when he passed away. No matter what people think of him, without him there wouldn’t be other artists. He was an inspiration to everybody. My favourite song is ‘The way you make me feel’ because of the beat. It’s really amazing how many people can make the moves he made. I’ve seen his live performances on TV and there’s a lot of those videos on Youtube. He really made a real impact in pop culture and he should always be remembered as a great musical genius.

Madonna
She’s my female hero. Like with Michael, she’s an inspiration to many. She never cared what others think of her. She’s never been afraid to be different. That’s what I most admire about her. I wish I could be as brave as her. She’s a pioneer and she’s proved that a woman can do things men can do. Like with some other artists and bands I’ve mentioned, I liked her music since the 80’s. My favourite song from that area is ‘Who’s that girl?’ Honestly, her older songs are better than the one in 2000’s. Even though I like some of her newer stuff as well. I don’t only like her music but also as a person. She’s really caring about the world and her children are very important. She’s open- minded and she’s showed the world you’re worth the same no matter what sexuality or colour you are.

So there you have it. I have so many other favourites but those are the most loved. Any kind of music is a symphony for my years but pop and rock are number one. I couldn’t live without music. If I only had one reason to live, it would be that one. It will never die even if the person does. Some become classics and still sound great after decades but some will be forgotten. I’m not judging but what people listen to these days are appalling but each to their own. New bands and artists come and go but music, in general, will always remain.