The Most Poignant Elvis Costello Lyrics Of All

Throughout his career, Elvis Costello has to his credit explored many different genres of music, from the spiky guitar pop of his early albums, to the country and western projects of the early 80s and mid 90s, to his experiments with The Brodsky Quartet and writing collaborations with the likes of Allen Toussaint and Paul McCartney.
However, it is on the song Shipbuilding that Costello seems to find a lyric that combines a righteous anger with a level of compassion and sensitivity perhaps not normally associated with his songwriting, and it is this song I find contains the most poignant Elvis Costello lyrics in his entire catalogue. Most interestingly, the melody had already been written by a Costello producer Clive Langer - but, being unhappy with his own words, gave it to Costello who thus expressed his deep disenchantment with The Falklands War, as presided over by the Margaret Thatcher government at that time in the UK.
Initially, the song was recorded by ex Soft Machine drummer Robert Wyatt, reaching the lower end of the top forty in Britain in 1983, but Costello was to record his own version for the later album Punch The Clock.
Here are some sample lines
Well, I ask you
The boy said "Dad, they're going to take me to task,
But I'll be back by Christmas."
The above is a clear reference to the UK military contingent, sent to The Falkland Islands in 1982 and named by the Conservative government as the British Task Force. The conflict came into existence when Argentina, then under the rule of a military junta headed by one General Galtieri, invaded the islands in an attempt to 'reclaim The Malvinas' which the country had historically considered rightfully theirs. The USA, represented by their Secretary of State Alexander Haig, embarked on a frenetic course of "shuttle diplomacy" in an ultimately fruitless quest to prevent an outbreak of hostilities. The UK regained control of the islands within the year and Galtieri was toppled from power.
With all the will in the world
Diving for dear life
When we could be diving for pearls
Costello accurately captured the despair at his country being involved in something ugly and destructive, instead of something beautiful. Written prior to the sinking of the Argentine battleship, General Belgrano, the song assumed a greater degree of poignancy and prescience as time went by. The writer would never really scale these heights again.

How to Work Out How Much You Should Be Paying for Wedding Entertainment

Today I will talk about what you should expect to be paying for a professional wedding band for an evenings entertainment. The key word there is professional. A band that does it week in week out and knows what is expected from a wedding band.
I've been in 3 or 4 different wedding bands, and worked with at least 50 others on a weekly basis, trying to help couples find the perfect band for their weddings. A lot of people ask me how much wedding bands should be charging for an evening of music. Personally, If I had never booked a band before I would have no idea how much live music should cost.
There are a lot of differing thoughts on costing with regards to value to the customer and value to the musician. Both parties need to be satisfied for the evening to work out. If the bride thinks she is paying too much then she won't be relaxed, happy and enjoying her perfect evening with family and friends. If the band aren't safe in the knowledge they can pay their rent / eat more than rice and peas this week, their performance will suffer.
There are a few different factors to bear in mind when looking at a bands costs the main two are distance from the venue and number of musicians.
With petrol prices being what they are a band will need to charge for travel and the bigger the band the more the travel costs. We have to bear in mind that, for example, a five-piece rock and pop band will need to bring drums, PA, lighting, 5 people, instruments and amplifiers, which may, if the band don't all live with each other and have a van, need to be brought in 4 or 5 separate cars. If the venue is 100 miles away from their base this equates to potentially 4 x 5 hours of car travel. At current petrol costs that's roughly £180 for 5 pretty efficient cars. This doesn't include an hourly rate for the musicians while driving or car wear and tear. It's purely petrol cost.
The 2nd main factor is hours per musician. There is a short story I have read which goes a little something like this.
"A lady calls the musician's union to get a quote on a six piece band for her wedding.
The rep says "Off the top of my head, about two thousand quid".
She says "What? For music?."
The rep responds, "I'll tell you what. Call the plumbers' union & ask for six plumbers to work from 6 to 12 o'clock on a Saturday night. Whatever they charge you..., we'll work for half."
The lady hangs up. She calls back five minutes later...
"I get your point" she said."
I have seen this quite a few times in different places. For this reason I will look at plumbers as a comparison. Both musicians and plumbers are highly skilled labourers who have spent hours on their craft and £1000's on their tools.
The basic service offered by my bands is a 6 hour period from 6pm til midnight. Each band has 5 musicians so 6 x 5 hours of musician time. So far including the travel we have 50 hours of man time. It's tricky to work out what musicians should get paid an hour. Some are highly skilled and put everything into their craft. Others enjoy doing the music as a hobby. If you look at plumbers you have new plumbers who charge a little less because they are less experienced and older more knowledgable plumbers who charge more because they really know what they are doing. On the money saving expert website it says that plumbers will cost between £20-£40 an hour or £200-£250 a day for a local job.
If we use the lowest pricing for our 5 example wedding musicians we have 50 hours x £20 which equates to £1000 for labour.
So plus travel the total cost for a five-piece wedding band for a 6 hour period with travel to a venue 100 miles away is roughly £1180. This is using the lowest rate that a plumber would charge and rounding cost of travel down as doesn't include vehicle wear and tear nor the fact that the cars, loaded with equipment, aren't at their most efficient. It also doesn't take into account the 'unsociable hours'. So this really should be the minimum expected to pay for this service and it shouldn't be a surprise if a professional wedding band were to charge double this. It's strange though, as many bands charge less and many couples expect to pay even less again. Why is this? It has to have something to do with the value a customer puts on live music at their wedding.
I find it interesting that a lot of the time a bride will leave the success of their whole evening reception, once food is done with, to their entertainment team (band / dj). I would think it'd be worth paying extra to make sure you are dealing with absolute professionals who have done many weddings and who have experienced most types of guest, time table, venue and event.
You wouldn't leave plumbing your house to someone who hadn't studied plumbing for years. Chances are something will go wrong and you'll have to get another plumber out to fix what the first did wrong!
Hopefully this blog will help any newly engaged couples budget for a wedding band. If you really want something good be prepared to pay £20+ an hour per musician and travel expenses. A 5-piece band is usually the norm and bands will need to be there for roughly 6 hours to play 3 x 40 minutes of music.
If you are planning to have a wedding on a budget here are a few ways you can save money on quality entertainment.
Only get the band for the times you need. Chances are that a band won't need to set-up before the ceremony or wedding breakfast. There is usually an hours pause in activity between food and dancing where guests digest, chat with people they weren't sitting with and get some drinks in. This time is perfect time for your band to set-up and will usually be right before they play. This means you won't have to pay for band waiting time.
See if you can use food or accommodation as a way to bring the bands price down. Some bands aren't that keen on driving three hours home after midnight and may be able to give you a discount if you can find them a place to stay over.
Work with an agent to help you find a band that lives closer to your venue to cut out travel costs. Let the agent know where you are having your wedding, what you need the band to do and what times you need them. Also let the agent know your budget. They will then be able to find you something that fits with it all. Also more often than not an agent will have a deal with their bands so even though there is a commission, costs should still be roughly the same. Also due to the fact that the agent has worked with many couples booking bands in the past they will be able to advise you on what best fits with your needs hopefully saving you unnecessary spending.
One last thing is you probably don't, unless you really want it, need both a DJ and a band. A professional wedding band will have an iPod or laptop full with the latest dancey tunes and will be able to play this through their pa while they are taking their breaks. Also I've found it's often good for party guests to have a short break from dancing to fill up drinks and have a rest.

New Song Ideas and Where to Find Them

Coming up with new song ideas can be one of the most difficult aspects of songwriting. It's not always easy to find something interesting to write a song about. Here are some songwriting tips that will help to get the creative juices flowing!
1. Read a Good Book
Or watch a movie! Anything that is moving or thought-provoking can do the trick. Take the story you just saw or read about and distill it down to its essence. This is a task unto itself and is where the rewrite comes into play. But you will have conquered one of the hardest steps of writing a song: Finding something to write about! You don't even have to write about the whole story. Choose one aspect of it, or describe the nature of the relationship between two of the characters.
2. Are You Playing Around?
Just noodling around with a melody on the guitar or piano can trigger some great song ideas. I always prefer to start with melody anyway, so this is a method that tends to work well for me. To keep things fresh try playing and writing a song in a different tuning or a key you don't normally play in. This will help to spark your creativity and it will keep you excited because those unfamiliar chords will sound so new to you.
3. Good Morning Pages
In Julia Cameron's book The Artist's Way, she suggests adopting the practice of writing three pages of whatever pops into your head right after you wake up each morning. She calls them Morning Pages. You needn't worry about whether or not they make any sense; just write them. When you read over them later you may be surprised at what jumps out at you. I have come up with many good song ideas this way.
4. Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Keep your ears open for interesting phrases when you're out and about. You never know when or where you'll hear one but you'll know it when you do. A great line can practically write a song all by itself. However, don't overlook the common or the cliché. "It's Complicated" and "See You Around" aren't bad song titles.
5. What Lies Beneath
Take some time to ponder the meaning of life. You don't have to get all religious (but you can if that's your thing). Try to catch a glimpse behind the curtain. What's it all about? The so-called "coincidences" we all experience, the extra special connection you share with that particular person. Write a song about these things! The mystery of our existence is a gold mine of great song ideas.
6. Love of My Life
This one's obvious! Writing a song about your significant other is always a great idea. Love songs will always be the most popular of all song ideas. They will never go out of fashion and they will always take on a special meaning for anyone who has ever been in love. Write a song for the special love of your life. Take your time and make it a good one. It will bring you closer and you will have a great love song in your repertoire. I'm going to go and write a song for the special love of my life. It's going to be a good one.
7. Go Shopping
Yes, you read that right! "But what does going shopping have to do with songwriting?" you ask. Nothing! Sometimes you just have to get away and treat yourself to a new pair of shoes. Pamper yourself with a facial. We have to remember that we are people first. We must get out there and live. Go for a hike in the woods and soak in all of the sights and sounds. Go to the local museum and learn something new about how we used to live. The deeper our knowledge and the richer our experiences, the more we have to draw on when writing a song. Don't neglect this last tip. It may be the most important one of all. Happy writing!

The Rockin' History of Alternative Rock Music

A descendant of punk rock, Nirvana was one of the most famous bands to make alternative rock music mainstream. Ironically, this genre became popular after the grunge period - which deprecated mainstream, commercial types of music. In addition to Nirvana, some extremely well known and highly successful bands formed around alt rock, including REM - one of the earliest "alternative" bands, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Violent Femmes, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and many others.
In the early days, it was mainly the college radio stations that promoted this sound. In fact, 'college rock' was the phrase used to describe alternative rock in the 1980s, before the genre coined as alternative rock music became popular in the mid 1980s. As the popularity of the music grew, other previously separate genres became grouped under alt rock as well. These genres are comprised of post-punk (since alternative rock is offspring of the punk genre), New Wave, indie (also known as independent) rock, pop, and punk rock.
A landmark of alt rock's popularity, Jane's Addiction, a band formed in the mid 1980s, frontlined Lollapalozza - the first festival that catered specifically to alt rock music. This was the mark of the rise to fame for alt rock in the early 1990s. The abundance of the alternative genre in America continued throughout the late 1990s and 2000s. Among these bands are Franz Ferdinand, The White Stripes, and The Strokes.
Across the pond, the American grunge spread like wildfire in the 90s. This resulted in some rebellious British bands that opposed American grunge. To express their opposition, British "Britpop" bands emulated the American explosion of alt rock; some of these famous bands include Oasis, Pulp, and Suede.
Alt rock music was made known almost 30 years ago and is still widespread and frequently played on American radio stations. This is most likely a genre that will continue to evolve and further root itself into American culture as the music continues to evolve.
Paramore is one of the newer alt rock bands to become famous. They have three albums released and their popular "Brick by Boring Brick" single is still played on kroq in SoCal and other rock radio stations throughout the United States. They are scheduled to head the Warped Tour this summer at the San Diego location, and continuously sell out stadiums on their tours.
As you can see, alternative rock continues to have a large following and is here to stay for many decades.

Asin Unseen Hot Photos

It has become an unforgettable birthday of Asin, which began on Sunday evening from a quiet celebration at home with friends who later transferred to Taj lands end in Bandra.

Asin, debuted in Sathyan Anthikkad ‘s Narendra Makan Jayakanthan Vaka in 2001, when she was only 15.

Nobody can cross it without admiring its pretty. Her name is clean and immaculate, it innocent smile and eyes Asin.

Asin is known for its maturity of professionalism in this field. Unlike other famous actresses, she avoid rumors and remains one of the most controversial stars in this field. After the defeat debut opposite Aamir Khan in Ghajini blockbuster last year, south Indian superstar Asin Thottumkal fully prepared to take the sight of her second major release, London Dreams. She received several awards from Filmfare in Mumbai has moved into a niche for itself after a hit Ghajini, and producers began alternating sign.
Bollywood actress Asin Thottumkal said she is away from vulgarity. Asin, who will play in her second film, London Dreams Bollywood says choose her roles carefully and will do what is vulgar or obscene. She added that she would never do something unreasonable and that it does not.

Just an old movie in Bollywood, Asin Thottumkal had more than its share of controversy. Miffed actress who is a superstar in the southern part, wonders why "people orientation" of it. This year will Asin act opposite Salman Khan in London Dreams movie in which she plays a member of rock band. The film also stars Azhay Devgan.
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Wear A Swimsuit! No Matter of your Size

This article is a lesson of self-confidence as an insightful view of the bikini style. Most women want a bikini costume wear. But fear not, for they are not model thin. Where is the justice? While magazines may proceed with the homeless to take advantage, plus size girl on your page, not the rule that to be poor, to contribute, feel good and look good in a bikini bathing suit! Thus, instead of just brushing off the idea of a bikini, I wish other women down and look like women, whatever their size is not really a costume bikini wear. There are several factors that can help to correct at least for your bikini, how old and how big you are.

The fact that you may find in a bikini costume in the next, the small size, plus all you have to prove that you really cannot find a partner, even if they fall within what is considered "special sizes Swimsuit Bikini. Like all stations in the sense that not everyone will be good to see "Just so. But they all will look good. Experimenting with different colors and sizes guarantees you'll be surprised how some flattering bikini can be. You have a choice as above or below the waist, bottom, soft or unpadded cups and a reason or strapless. These things can all help to shape that works well for your body no matter how big or small you are to find. Even if you think you have a good concept that looks good for your body should still be prepared to experiment a bit and try to find a bikini and if it comes to shopping for bathing suits bikini., You must also be willing to go out of your comfort zone a little, and is open to other possibilities of finding the right costume is the love of his life to find. And never for what will happen, and it usually happens when we least expect it!

And finally, for your home, who are worried that the bikini costume for you, I want you in on a proven but little-known secret that will definitely help. The secret that you trust to make more attractive than the skinny body ever! Ask a man, and he will tell you the same thing. Sexuality is more about how you feel about how you look, so choose a bikini costume that you feel good in the shelf, and then nobody wants their business is good!