Originally Posted by Eric the Green

Ratt Strips Down His Sound on 'Change Me': Listen
ARTICLESCOLUMNSPOP-SHOP
By Jason Lipshutz, New York | December 02, 2013 11:50 AM EST

Ratt Strips Down His Sound on 'Change Me': Listen


<snip video>
After funking things up on last week's 'Music Mondays' release, "Roller Coaster," Ratt has thrown out a harrowing piano ballad as the penultimate song in his weekly series.

"Maybe you could be the light/That opens up my eyes/Make all my wrongs right/Change me, change me," Ratt murmurs as a lush piano movement scoops up his voice. Weeks after declaring that he wasn't "All Bad," Ratt's latest journal entry is again pleading for "understanding and patience" as he feels his romance slipping away, but this time, he's admitting that he needs to change to make it work.

"Change Me" marks the ninth song in Ratt's 10-week 'Music Mondays,' which concludes next week and will be punctuated with the Dec. 25 release of his 3D "Believe" movie. Before the song hit iTunes at midnight on Monday (Dec. 2), Ratt described the ballad as "very personal" on Twitter.

Ratt's long-running Believe tour currently has him in Australia, and will conclude on Sunday night after running for over 14 months.


Read more at http://www.billboard.com/articles/co...YLYLQtbl3pL.99

No review from me yet--- Eric

Originally Posted by Eric from pet thread

I don't know. It's not been showed on TV (nor would it be), and I wouldn't be that interested, really. Are you?
I know his fans gave it a name.

I am willing to depart this thread until I have a new kitty.

1. Done. Moved reply on pet thread to here since it's off topic. It belongs here.
2. I'm not interested, but are you? Uh "strips down" and ab licking. This combo has no where to go but down.
3. I'd guess some fans might be interested. Ppl are interested in the strangest things nowadays. I don't think either of us were interested in camping out in front of the local Best Buy.

Originally Posted by Ragnarök_62

1. Done. Moved reply on pet thread to here since it's off topic. It belongs here.

True

2. I'm not interested, but are you? Uh "strips down" and ab licking. This combo has no where to go but down.

I answered that already in the only way I'm going to answer that. I am interested in his music and his personality as an entertainer and philanthropist. Anyone open to music would be interested in him, because he does good music. Nice segue about "strips down" though. I hadn't thought of that.

3. I'd guess some fans might be interested. Ppl are interested in the strangest things nowadays. I don't think either of us were interested in camping out in front of the local Best Buy.

That's right; not in the least.

Cool "mashup" cover-medley of Baby, All Around the World and Beauty and a Beat by the latest British boy rock group sensation The Vamps (they are the same age as Bieb).

http://youtu.be/twhhyyWLwkk

My friend George "Jordy" Wallace, whose music I have posted here, sent me this link about "what pop music is useful for nowadays." Some of you Bieber detractors and haters might get a chuckle.

Britney Spears Music Used To Scare Away Somali Pirates
Posted: 10/28/2013 11:11 am EDT |
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/1...n_4169980.html

Oh come on, pirates! Her early stuff is perfectly listenable.

Metro reports that Britney Spears' songs "Oops! I Did It Again" and "Baby One More Time" are used to scare away Somali pirates who might otherwise be tempted to attack merchant navy ships off Africa's east coast, according to officer Rachel Owens.

"These guys can’t stand Western culture or music, making Britney’s hits perfect," Owens said.

The music is blasted at extremely high volumes, with the speakers aimed directly at the pirates so the ship's crew doesn't have to deal with the ear-splitting tunes, according to the Mirror.

Owens said Spears' classics are an effective way of fighting pirates. But Steven Jones, of the Security Association for the Maritime Industry, said there are some lengths Western powers are unwilling to go to for fear of violating international law.

"I’d imagine using Justin Bieber would be against the Geneva Convention,” Jones jokingly said.

The Atlantic explains that the pirates are likely scared less by Spears' music in particular and more by the volume at which her sonic stylings are played:

Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) defense systems have been in use for a while. LRADs blast walls of sound which bring people to their knees, and have been used to quell riots and deter pirates in the past.
Also, as the Atlantic reports, LRAD systems on board mean there are likely armed people on the ship too and that's a further deterrent to piracy.

This story comes days after the captain and chief engineer of the "US-flagged C-Retriever oil supply ship" were captured and taken hostage on Wednesday off the coast of Nigeria.

Late last week, the White House warned that pirate attacks were on the rise off Africa's west coast, according to the Guardian.

It's interesting that a few folks here, about 5 or 6, have insinuated that I am a pedophile, just for saying I like Bieber and other folks his age who are doing great music. They make me smile, so I called them my pets, since I don't have one now. But people don't molest or rape their pets. So these folks here are saying that just because they are jealous of the fact that I can appreciate these young musicians, and they can't.

The astrology of the matter is clear. Recognize it or not, the best musicians of the past half century or more were the war babies: Bob Dylan, the Beatles and countless others; the list is extremely long. Noone since them has even come close. They all had the trine (120 degree active and fortunate angle) between visionary planets Uranus and Neptune, an aspect also found in the charts of such people as Beethoven and the pioneers of modern music. It does not seem to have produced the visionary political leaders we might have wanted; the war babies fell short (unless by some miracle Bernie Sanders is elected!).

Now, for the first time since then, a gifted group of young people are making good music. This means not only the stars but their writers and producers too. These pop stars at least were born around 1993-94. You'd do well to pay attention to these folks, who have Uranus and Neptune aligned in their horoscopes. They are already making better music than anyone since the war babies. We don't know yet what it may indicate as far as genius in other fields. We know that most of the giants of the Victorian Age were born around the time of the last conjunction of these planets.

say whatever y'all want, it's like ive said, i aint a troll. i dont know how you people can say jb is a man when you see we have good old country men here in ga. you won't force to like something i dont want to like

Let's take a look at some of Bieber's best songs (and anything to push the "odor" away). This is probably the earliest of his best ones.



It is Bieber's performance that makes this song what it is. That's a good thing too, since he didn't write or co-write this one. In a few places, he may sound like a 15-year old. But I give him some slack on that, since that's what he was. For the most part, his singing goes far beyond what most 15-year old singers could ever do. It is very expressive, and the harmonies are truly exquisite. It is like the Mamas & Papas used to do back in the sixties. He makes you want to crank up the volume. "One less lonely girrrrrrllll!"

And the song itself is so clever, both melody and lyrics. And the production is first rate and delicious to hear. I don't actually know if this song would make my top 400 oldies list or not; it is only a 15-year old voice. But for what it is, it's like a miracle. This is love expressed. This is some great song-making! Those who have ears to hear, let them hear.

It has become one of JB's signature songs, and a highlight of any JB concert is when a girl is chosen to come on stage and be serenaded to by her idol as the "one less lonely girl."

I truly think that many of those who keep putting him down, in spite of all the variety of good work he's done at such a young age, is because people are afraid to admit that they like him, or that Eric might be right about him. That's even though I know that this kind of pop music is not going to be appealing or interesting to everyone, by any means. To be older than a young millennial and admit you like Justin Bieber goes against social pressure. Usually the reaction I get in person is sometimes disdain, but more often just laughter. Sometimes they can admit that the songs are good, although that rarely happens on this website. But if I can get a laugh out of somebody, by any means necessary, it helps make my day.

Focusing on JB's greatest songs, I will mention in passing those that are good but not his best IMO. One was his first hit, and still his third most-watched video, "One Time." But this one below, along with One Time and two others of his greatest songs (including One Less Lonely Girl), were from his very first EP, My World 1.0.



Like OLLG, this is one that he had no hand in writing. It was cobbled together from new and older material and has a long list of credits. But also like OLLG, Bieber's performance makes the song. Like in OLLG, his expressive harmonies build toward the end. The video is great fun to watch too (again, like OLLG).

Reviewers wrote: "Bieber... riffs on the Cardigans' "Lovefool" atop a killer electro-glam groove." Washington Post cited the song as one of the album's best, referring to it as a "modest club track." Mike Diver of BBC Music called the song an "an electro-infused reinterpretation of The Cardigans' Lovefool, where Bieber exhibits the right kind of attitude, playful and endearing."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Me...n_Bieber_song)

One thing that Bieber detractors need to realize is that he gets good reviews from music critics.

There are plenty of Millie performers who have real style, class and talent. I'm no Bieber fan, but I do like Lily and Madeleine. These two young sisters (16 and 18) have a chemistry that's hard to beat.

Originally Posted by Eric the Green

One thing that Ratt detractors need to realize is that he gets good reviews from music critics.

And, let us all remember and never forget that <insert noun here> critics are the assholes from which group think shit emanates from.

Originally Posted by Ragnarök_62

And, let us all remember and never forget that <insert noun here> critics are the assholes from which group think shit emanates from.

Yeah well Rags, I think there is some group think going on here, and among the other Bieber detractors. As I said, there's social pressure among older folks to put down Bieber. They just can't admit that he's good.

And then again, there's folks like you, who just can't go beyond their black and red aura!

I don't understand why Eric dismisses so many new and talented Millie musicians and artists in favor of JB. There are so many who are so much better. Apparently the consensus around here that JB is not all that and a can of beans too isn't acceptable or comprehensible to Eric, who thinks we are all jealous because we can't recognize true talent and can't admit his artistry. Bah.

Originally Posted by sbrombacher

I don't understand why Eric dismisses so many new and talented Millie musicians and artists in favor of JB. There are so many who are so much better. Apparently the consensus around here that JB is not all that and a can of beans too isn't acceptable or comprehensible to Eric, who thinks we are all jealous because we can't recognize true talent and can't admit his artistry. Bah.

No, you know very well that I have appreciated a number of other millies, as this thread and other related threads shows clearly, and you yourself admitted, so again I don't think you have thought out your remarks about me. I don't "dismiss" them at all (although the girl singers don't impress me much, and certainly the stuff you guys post here doesn't as a rule impress me). You can't just throw things like that out and expect to be accurate or realistic. There aren't any other millie artists that "are so much better than JB" though. He is in fact the best of them. You might be jealous of me, but I doubt it; what I have suggested here is that people here just don't want to admit they were wrong, or admit that JB is good. It goes against social pressure to do so. People don't easily give up notions they have expressed, and admit their errors. That is quite comprehensible. That happens more often than not, around here, and most everywhere else too in fact. People have their own tastes and opinions, and I can't make them agree with mine, but my opinion is that JB's artistry is obvious, and that to deny it is simply an error.

No Susan; think again.

I am just posting Bieber songs because I like to share the good music I hear with others.

Sharing music is one of the things I do.

Continuing my series of the best Justin Bieber songs, this one I just discovered recently, as you know:



Bieber helped write this one. Very-expert vocal performance, and an inspiring message: love is bigger than hate. Critics said the 15-year old "showed his swagger" on this new jack swing style song. This is also from his first EP My World 1.0, from 2009. I really enjoy this one, perhaps my second-favorite.

Originally Posted by sbrombacher

I don't understand why Eric dismisses so many new and talented Millie musicians and artists in favor of JB. There are so many who are so much better. Apparently the consensus around here that JB is not all that and a can of beans too isn't acceptable or comprehensible to Eric, who thinks we are all jealous because we can't recognize true talent and can't admit his artistry. Bah.

Yes, and they represent every genre. Look at Lucius, as one example, or Sarah Jarosz as another. They are following the path the Boomers followed; they go where the music takes them.

I haven't yet decided that any of his songs from his most popular album, My World 2.0 (2010), are among his best. But it's full of good songs. For me, one deserves to be mentioned first, because it was the first one I listened to. As you know from the OP, I put off checking him out for over a year, but I knew he was a teen sensation, so I eventually did so I could find out what the fuss was about. I not only knew that lots of young folks were going crazy over him, and that he was on the cover of People, that he was the next Lady Gaga, and so forth; but also that I could hardly look at a you tube video without seeing some comment about him, usually negative. So I wasn't expecting to like him, since I did not like most pop music for the last 30 or 40 years. He would be just another one, I thought. But since I sorta liked Lady Gaga, a little bit, I reluctantly finally clicked on one of his songs, Somebody to Love.

His singing was authentic and expressive, the tune was engaging, lively and enjoyable, the sounds and harmonies were good. Surprise, surprise, surprise!

So I checked out a couple more. The second was Pray, which quickly became my favorite, and the third was Never Say Never.

From the time of this My World 2.0 album onward, Bieber has contributed to the writing and sometimes the production too, in almost all cases (except for covers like Christmas songs). Never Say Never became the theme for his movie, and was re-released on the CD based on the movie. It was also used as theme for the remake of The Karate Kid, which starred his featured rap artist on the song, young Jaden Smith. It is also his second most-watched video. I don't know what some people have against it. The performance by JB is great from start to finish; he proved himself a top-notch song stylist and interpreter on this one. It's a great tune, based on a sexy pop song by another artist. Bieber re-wrote the words, and he and his team reshaped the music, resulting in what has become his favorite and most powerful motivational song.

It wasn't long after listening to my first Bieber songs that I looked him up on wikipedia. One thing I learned was that he had set a record for the most dislikes ever on a video. That video, wikipedia said, also had more views at that time than any other. I was amazed at these numbers. And it was second place in the # of likes. I quickly went there and added my like to the total.

Of course that's his megahit Baby, the lead song from My World 2.0, which helped propel the album to the top of the charts for several weeks, and one of the best-selling digital singles so far. I like the very-tuneful melody and perfect singing, and another fantastic video.

Also from My World 2.0 is one of Bieber's best vocal performances, U Smile, and it's another great tune.

The most hated artists:

10. Kesha
9. Lil Wayne
8. John Mayer
7. Kanye West
6. Nicki Minaj
5. Courtney Love
4. Insane Cloud Possy
3. Justin Bieber
2. Nickelback
1. Chris Brown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs9D91ckFR8

Well, it's time again for the best. Excellent melody, great piano, strings and choral arrangement, lively beat, amazing 4-part counterpoint at the end; dramatic vocal, especially at the end, where the music rises to transcendent heights worthy of Mozart; plus some of the most moving compassionate lyrics; a sincere appeal to concern and generosity, encompassed in powerful music. The best song in the pop/rock field between 1973 and today. This song made me a belieber forever.



Introduced live in Nov. 2010 to the public at the American Music Awards, at which he picked up 3 trophies. Accompanied by a full gospel choir. It was called the performance of the night. Truly impassioned. And you can hear his voice changing. With this song, his voice begins to get deeper for the first time.
http://youtu.be/bFbFgkIEGNA


First released on his My Worlds Acoustic album, "Pray" was re-released on his Christmas album Under the Mistletoe late in 2011. Some proceeds from this album were donated to charity, a first for the label.

Soon after Pray, he recorded this song written for him and for his movie Never Say Never, by award-winning song writer Diane Warren. It covers similar ground as the theme song, but is even-more tuneful. He was at his best as a singer, doing significant songs, with his voice getting deeper, but not as over-dramatic as in some of his more recent songs. Born to Be Somebody is the final track on the Never Say Never album.

I wanted to speed things up a bit so I could time this one appropriately. Merry Christmas! I'm glad to say that when the radio is playing pop Christmas tunes these days, this one has become a staple. And justifiably so! It's a cool and beautiful song, superior to all the other pop Christmas tunes! Thank you Justin. I dunno, should I actually go see his movie this Christmas? thinkin' bout it....



"Kiss me underneath the mistletoe, show me baby that you love me so".... classic tune! Bravo!

Looks like Justin Beiber is taking a "Break" from the industry:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/1...n_4464964.html

I wonder where this came from, but I had a feeling it was coming. he seems to have went through the meltdown stage in the past couple of years with all the publicity stunts that have happened.

"I'm retiring, yeah," he added, keeping a straight face. "I'm taking a ... I'm just gonna take some time. I think I'm probably gonna quit music."

Apparently, it was all just one big joke, according to Gossip Cop.

"Of course it's not true," a source told E! News of Bieber's supposed retirement plans.

Although it's highly unlikely he will leave the biz for good, Bieber is looking to change some things up in his career.

"I want to grow as an artist and I'm taking a step out, I want my music to mature"-@justinbieber #JustinBigBoy106

The teen singer headed to the station Tuesday to discuss his new work, "Journals." "Journals" is comprised of 10 previously released songs from his "Music Mondays" promotion, according to Billboard. The collection also features five unreleased songs, videos and the "Believe" theatrical release trailer.

"Journals" is priced at $13.99 and is available on iTunes from Dec. 16 through Jan. 2, 2014.

"I'm retiring, yeah," he added, keeping a straight face. "I'm taking a ... I'm just gonna take some time. I think I'm probably gonna quit music."


Apparently, it was all just one big joke, according to Gossip Cop.


"Of course it's not true," a source told E! News of Bieber's supposed retirement plans.


Although it's highly unlikely he will leave the biz for good, Bieber is looking to change some things up in his career.


"I want to grow as an artist and I'm taking a step out, I want my music to mature"-@justinbieber #JustinBigBoy106


The teen singer headed to the station Tuesday to discuss his new work, "Journals." "Journals" is comprised of 10 previously released songs from his "Music Mondays" promotion, according to Billboard. The collection also features five unreleased songs, videos and the "Believe" theatrical release trailer.

It isn't a joke, he's taking a break. Google it. He's not "retiring," he's taking a break for a year:

http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/136214/Justin-Bieber-Taking-A-Break-Next-Year-To-Relax-Says-Manager-Scooter-Braun

Originally Posted by Felix5

It isn't a joke, he's taking a break. Google it. He's not "retiring," he's taking a break for a year:

http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/136214/Justin-Ratt-Taking-A-Break-Next-Year-To-Relax-Says-Manager-Scooter-Braun

The universe is eternally grateful for this. The above means that there's one less year that less good energy is converted into shitty sound waves.