Category: Music

Mobile phone ringtones have been around for nearly a decade now, with the first commercial ringtone services said to have emerged in Finland in 1997. Gradually, they have become an established part of modern life, with some of them becoming headline news over the years. So as we look back over the history of ringtones, which stand out as the “big hits” or “classics” of this new kind of music format? Here is an attempt at a top 10 list.

Nokia Tune

The Nokia Tune, based on a 13 note rendering of “Gran Vals” by Francisco Tarrega, a 19th-century Spanish musician, is typically included within all Nokia handsets as the default ringtone and has therefore become famous or infamous due to its popularity. It is the typical ringtone of the middle-aged business man who hasn’t got the time or inclination to work out how to change it.

Mosquito Tone

The mosquito tone or “Teen Buzz” is based on adaption of a high-frequency sound designed to repel teenagers from hanging around outside shops, without bothering older people, who could not hear the sound due its pitch. It began being used and sold as a “silent ringtone” for teenagers to use, for example in class, without the teacher being able to hear it.

Crazy Frog

The “Crazy Frog” ringtone was based on an animation called “The Annoying Thing” by Erik Wernquist, and made famous by the mobile content company Jamba who heavily promoted “The Crazy Frog” on TV and the internet. The ringtone spawned a chart hit based on a remix of “Alex F” which went to No.1 in the UK, Japan, Australia and a number of European countries;.

Nokia Morse Code SMS alert

Similar to the Nokia Tune, the Nokia SMS alert is probably the most famous “SMS tone” designed to be used for text message notifications. The tone spells out “S-M-S” in Morse Code.

Classic telephone ring

With the rise of personalised tones a lot of people have decided to avoid them in favour of the classic “bell ringing” sound of a normal telephone. A number of surveys over the years have shown this to be one of the most popular tones.

Sir Mixalot

In 1992, Sir Mixalot, a rapper had a huge hit with “Baby Got Back” which was re-recorded as a ringtone with the lyrics “Pick up the phone! Pick up the phone! ‘Cause you don’t want to miss this call and I cannot lie!.” This was one of the first “ringtone remixes” of popular songs to achieve success after being marketed by Jamba, the same company that produced the Crazy Frog ringtone.

R2D2 Ringtone

Ringtones based on the sounds “R2D2” from the film Star Wars makes in the film are emerging as a popular choice for ringtones. R2D2 sounds make a great choice for a ringtone as they are loud, easily heard and distinctive but just about manage to avoid a tack, novelty feel like some ringtones.

Nokia Dying Remix

Based on the classic Nokia Tune, the Nokia “Dying” or “Flat Battery” remix is a humorous version of the classic Nokia Tune where the sound eventually goes flat or explodes, giving a nod to the annoyance that it can cause when heard repeatedly.

CTU Ringtone

The popular TV show “24” features a highly recognisable ringtone on the phones in the CTU office complex. The same sound is now being marketed as a ringtone for mobile phones and is rapidly becoming a big hit.

iphone ringtone

When Steve Jobs announced the launch of the iphone in early 2007, his demonstration included a ringtone, which was quickly made available as a recording by a number of websites. The ringtone has been described as like “holy angels tinkling” and was eventually included within the standard ringtone set on the iphone.

M.I.A. has many interesting songs and is an amazing electronica artist. What is also interesting is that she went all the way from a little war-torn island, Sri Lanka, to a leading top-ten artist in the USA and in Europe.

And while there are many videos she has with great production and interesting sounds and all, and also great songs from all of the M.I.A. albums combined, there is one in particular which reaches out to her own people, goes back to the homeland, and shows the true spirit of what she is about. This song is “Bird Flu”.

On multiple levels, she went back to the roots on this one. First, she went to India to a place near where Sri Lankan Tamil refugees live to shoot this, as Sri Lanka was pretty dangerous at the time with the war going on. Next, she borrowed elements from a famous Tamil song, “Thirvizha Na Vantha”, from the movie Jayam. She went to the Chennai temples and found musicians to record in an Urumi Melam ensemble, which itself is quite a statement, since this the urumi drums is typically only played by the Dalits (better known as the “Untouchables”). What is amazing about this is that she is a famous recording star respected in the west, and from all the elements she could have used in her music from India and Sri Lanka, she chose to use ritual music of the Dalits. This was quite the political statement that she is WITH her peoples without looking at caste, and fittingly so.

The Urumi Melam ensemble consists of the nagaswaram (the loudest acoustic instrument in the world which is not brass, considered to be very auspicious, and used in ceremonies in South Indian Hindus), the pampai (a pair of double headed drums), one to three urumi drums, and a melodic instrument. What is ironic here is that the Urumi Melam ensemble generally plays funerals and other inauspicious events, while the nagaswaram is considered to be a very auspicious instrument. The juxtaposition! I’m sure M.I.A. did this on purpose.

She also used the Gaana format in her songwriting. Gaana are fast Tamil songs sung at celebrations. Again this was most fitting because the video definitely displays these people all celebrating in song and dance. What is also interesting is that this is definitely a nod to her native Sri Lanka, as both Gaana and the popular Baila music of Sri Lanka are both in 6/8 meter.

In the late sixties something happened to an american generation that would mark them forever. It is a story of war, the struggle for racial equality and the explosion of counter culture, it was a time when a generation rebelled, and lost its innocence in the fight against injustice. Vietnam was the first ever televised war, and the images were inescapable.

A decade that ended with disillusionment and rage began on a moral high note. Thanks to Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King jr, it seemed the time for racial equality in the US had finally arrived.

There is so much to write about in this era, that it is very difficult to select just one thing to focus on. Even though there is an absurd amount of art and design that stems from this time period. When we talk about the “sixties” all we seem to recognise is the music, psychedelic rock and artists like Janis Joplin and Jimmy Hendrix in particular.

Album art and festival posters however is a good place to start. As music was a force to be reckoned with, so came the album art work and poster designs, hand in hand. One thing that seems to be re-occurring with most of the visual artists at the time is a relation with “Underground Comix”. These were small press or self published comic books, usually socially relevant and satirical in their nature. These depicted content deemed unfit and forbidden to the more strict mainstream media.

Rick Griffin:

When we look up band posters it is hard to avoid finding a Grateful Dead poster somewhere, anywhere. The artist behind these were Rick Griffin. He was an American artist and one of the leading designers of psychedelic posters in the 1960s. His work within the surfing subculture included both film posters and his comic strip, Murphy.

Victor Moscoso:

A Spanish-American artist, Moscoso was the first of the rock poster artists of the 1960s era with formal academic training and experience. After studying art at the Cooper Union in New York and later attending Yale University, he moved to San Francisco in 1959 to study at the San Francisco Art Institute. Here he later became an instructor. He was one of the first of the rock poster artists to use photographic collages in his art work.His art and poster work has continued up to the present and he is a big inspiration to rock poster and album illustrators to this day.

Bonnie MacLean:

Another American artist making a name for her self at the time was Bonnie MacLean. She was born in Philadelphia and graduated from the Penn State University in 1960. She then moved to New York where she worked at the Pratt Institute while attending drawing classes in the evenings. She later moved to San Francisco where she met and worked with a man named Bill Graham, who became famous as the promoter of rock concerts at the Fillmore Auditorium. There she worked alongside another artist by the name of Wes Wilson.

Wes Wilson:

The aforementioned artist Wes Wilson was also one of the leading illustrators of psychedelic posters in the 1960`s. Working with Bill Graham and Bonnie MacLean, he was a big part of promoting venues at the time with posters and illustrative work for musicians and bands. The font and lettering of the posters from this era were created by him. He popularised this “psychedelic” font around 1966 that made the letters look like they were moving or melting. This lettering is still used on newer albums and art works for artists like Foo Fighters, Kyuss Lives and The Queens of the Stone Age. This in turn proves that the psychedelic movement is still influencing artists, especially in the world of metal, desert rock and stoner rock. The style is very much still alive as its own staple.

Modern poster styles:

Posters still influenced by the styles of art work can be traced through homages and inspirations in rock and metal posters from the present all the way back to this era. Several modern posters can be viewed on the web pages of Malleus Rock Art Lab if you should be interested. I personally find a lot of inspiration through their imagery.

Thank you for reading.

First off piano by ear is mostly based off your understanding of chords, and progressions. The ability to play piano chords, and know them by heart is a must have to pick out songs without sheet music. And anyone can get a chord chart, or better yet know the pattern to form chords and memorize them.

Piano by ear is pretty much, you hear a song and by just hearing it you can go to a piano and repeat what you hear. So what is the real secret to doing this. Most people say it’s a special talent or a gift that you either have or you don’t. But I say anyone can learn to play piano by ear if they just understand the concept of music theory.

First off you have a scale, and you should know how to make up a scale. But the first thing to do is instead of thinking in terms of letters you need to think of them as numbers. So in a C scale C would be 1 D would be 2 E would be 3 and so on until you get to 7 which is B. The reason for this is so when you change keys they numbers are the same and if you are using letters when you change keys the letters change.

So when I tell you that the 2 chord in a scale is a minor chord that applies to every key, I can’t say the D is a minor chord because when you change keys the D will change.

The formula for which chord is off of what number is this the 1 chord is going to be major, 2 minor, 3 minor, 4 major, 5 major, 6 minor, and 7 is diminished. So from there you learn the major and minor chords off of those numbers of the scale. But the real mistake everyone makes when trying to play by ear is this.

They try to pick out the melody, that will not make a song sound like the real song you are hearing. The true secret behind playing the piano by ear is, after you know the scales as numbers, and know what kind of chord you will form off each number, major or minor. You listen to a song and don’t even really pay attention to the melody at first, listen for the bass note. You can write the song lyrics down and listen real close for the bass note and as you hear it change you can write the note number over the lyrics.

After you have the number over the lyrics on paper, you can then go to your piano and play the number based on a minor or major then put the melody note on top. And you will find that what you are playing sounds and feels just like the song you were hearing.

Trent Reznor, mastermind behind industrial rock group Nine Inch Nails, is no stranger to the realm of Top Songs in the genre of Sexy Rock Music. And if you were to ask anyone who has dipped their head into the rock world for an iota of time, they would be able to come up saying NIN’s “Closer” definitely deserves a spot on any Top 10 list.

But what about Trent’s other bands/projects? What about How To Destroy Angels, the band he shares with his wife, Mariqueen, and friend/collaborator Atticus Ross? What about his soundtracks, also co-composed by Ross? His remixes/covers?

How’s about we dip into less charted territory?

Here’s an example of a playlist utilizing Trent Reznor’s sexy deep cuts:

1. All Time Low (Nine Inch Nails – Hesitation Marks)

Start the ball rolling with this loud mid-tempo funk song, which sounds very akin to “Closer” (Trent even inserts verses from “Closer” when he performs “All Time Low” live). Between the dissonant 70’s style guitar of Adrian Belew, the staccato bass lines of Pino Palladino, and the drugged out arpeggiator at the end of the song, this song takes you on a drunken sexual journey. Good way to start things off.

2. Get Down Make Love (Nine Inch Nails – Sin)

Bring up the angst a bit with Trent’s industrial version of Queen’s deep track from “News of the World”. Produced by Ministry’s Al Jourgensen, Trent’s distorted vocals make him sound all the more desperate and sexually frustrated, completely the opposite of Freddy Mercury’s confident “I’m the provider of all things sexual, now do what I say.” Trent’s take is more “Do what I say??? PLEASE?! BEFORE WE ALL DIE OF BLUE BALLS!!!!”

3. 27 Ghosts III (Nine Inch Nails – Ghosts I-IV)

Keep the angst and noise high. This super deep cut is an instrumental from a series of instrumental EP’s called “Ghosts”. These EP’s were the main reason David Fincher asked Trent and Atticus to score his films. Fincher would put songs from “Ghosts” in the soundtrack of “The Social Network” to test the feel of things, trying to hear what the difference would be between a darker score and a score of more upbeat rock songs from Elvis Costello.

4. Only (El-P Remix) (Nine Inch Nails — Every Day Is Exactly the Same)

This half-timed version of NIN’s hit single “Only” by hip hop artist El-P changes the original disco feel into a super sexually charged schmorgasbord of sweaty beats/turntable effects. Technically not made by Trent, specifically, but shut up. It’s part of the Halo canon (Halos being Nine Inch Nails’ official catalog system). This will totally work in your favor.

5. The Loop Closes (How to Destroy Angels – Welcome Oblivion)

An almost instrumental song, this tune brings electronica and exotic instrumentation together, solidified by another “Closer”-ish beat. A great song that utilizes a rising dynamic throughout, starting soft, it steadily climbs its way into forte (and you should be climbing to your own forte) before releasing its energy and resolving in a blippy electronic pianissimo. It’s also great to hear Trent and his wife riffing together in the vocals.

6. Reptile (Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral)

A classic NIN song from a classic album, but a deep cut, nonetheless. Trent is totally in his element of sexual frustration and loss. Take things to a darker tone (which, considering everything on this playlist is dark, is saying something).

7. Closer (Precursor) (Nine Inch Nails – Closer to God)

I know I said we’d stick to more uncharted territory, so why is “Closer” showing up? Touche. BUT this is a remix done by Coil. If you’ve seen the opening credits to “Se7en” (by the aforementioned David Fincher, no less) then you’ve heard this really great take on NIN’s biggest single. It’s dirty, sludgy, long, and has a slightly more disturbing feel than the original.

8. A Familiar Taste (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – The Social Network)

This song is a revisited and altered version of a song from Nine Inch Nails’ “Ghosts” collection. But I like this version better. In the film, “The Social Network”, it plays while Mark Zuckerberg is imagining what happens at all the frat parties he’d like to attend when they invite young college ladies over for a night of drunken, sexual revelry. This song is a good warmer upper for the next track on the list…

9. Vessel (Nine Inch Nails – Year Zero)

I love this track. This truly rivals “Closer”‘s reign of sexiest NIN song of all time. This one’s pumping, throbbing gristle is great for the more violent sexual rompers out there. The noise, the blips, the groove: it’s perfect.

10. Consummation (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – Gone Girl)

This one’s dark. The darkest on the list. And it’s last for a reason. I won’t say what happens in the film “Gone Girl”, but this song occurs during its most poignant and violent scene. I would use this song to bring on the climax when it comes to your playlist. The slow pulse, the rising cacophony (it sounds like your speakers are being ripped apart), all lend themselves to the perfect ending (read: orgasm) of your ten song Trent Reznor sex fest.

***11. Sugar Storm (Reprise) (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – Gone Girl)

As a bonus, use this song as you come down. It’s short but pleasant to listen to. It also has the perfect major key ending, a great cherry on top of everything you’ve just listened to.***

If you enjoyed this list, check out another example of a sexy rock music playlist that I’ve compiled that doesn’t just use Nine Inch Nails to full effect:

http://www.patchbandmusic.com/sexy-rock-music-top-10-sexy-rock-songs/

But yes, “Closer” might show up near the end.

Music in the Workplace

Over the ages, music has held a place in the working environment. From it’s use in the earliest of times until its near extinction during the Industrial Age to the present day, music has played a vital role to employees.

A Brief History

Music is a universal language that transcends boundaries. In Victorian times, handloom weavers sang as they worked. When the loud machinery of the Industrial Age came along, music in the workplace was nearly lost. During World War II, music was once again introduced to employees via radio.

Employees, often children, would lose fingers to the looms while attempting to remove something that was blocking it. Child laborers would sing to keep themselves awake.

Railroad workers and farmers sang to relieve monotony and to stay alert to dangers. With the advent of machines in the Industrial Age, singing was literally drowned out. In quieter factories, women or orchestras were hired to sing and play among the workers. Music all but died during this time. (le Roux, 2005, vol. 7)

Radio was mainly used as a means to convey news, but in 1940, the British Broadcasting Corporation began running a radio program called “Music While You Work.” It ran twice per day and was geared especially for the factory workers. The bands for the show were instructed to play medleys in order to keep the workers’ attention. Also vital was for the music to keep a rhythm that would keep productivity up.

In 1942, the song “Deep in Heart of Texas” was banned due to the handclapping section that encouraged workers to momentarily stop and participate. (le Roux, 2005) Even in these earliest of times, the benefits of music in the workplace were recognized:

o Increased productivity

o Fewer accidents

o Improved alertness

o Team interaction

In response to the positive reaction, the company Muzak was founded in the 1950’s to provide music to companies. The company is still going strong today.

Modern Study of Music in the Workplace

In modern times, studies have been conducted to gauge the benefits of music in a work setting. These studies have proved much of what was already known, mainly that music improves productivity.

One study indicates that “positive affect and quality-of-work were lowest with no music, while time-on-task was longest when music was removed.” (Lesiuk, 2005, pp.173-191) On the other hand, “positive mood change and enhanced perception of design” (Lesiuk, pp.173-191) were complemented with the addition of music.

Additional studies have shown that music in the workplace promotes positive mood, sense of team, improves alertness and can lessen the event of accidents. Music “motivates workers, decreases boredom and leads to increased productivity perhaps because people work in time with the beat.” (le Roux, 2005)

Employers do need to consider the type of music played in a workplace. The mood and style should fit the business. Experts suggest all-instrumental soundtracks so that workers don’t become distracted by the lyrics. (Guess, 1999, p. 42)

Personal Headphones in the Workplace

Today, there is some movement toward personal stereos for employees. A study by researchers at the university of Illinois shows listening to music may increase the output of employees in all types of jobs. (Oldham, 1996, p. 95) The idea of personal stereos is that when a worker is allowed to listen to the type of music he or she enjoys, the better the quality of their work. While this idea is fairly recent, it does show promise.

Conclusion

Music has been the soundtrack to humanity undoubtedly since time began. It speaks to people on a primal level. Before researchers even began to study the effect of music on workers, people were weaving, working in their fields or and other jobs while humming or singing along. Now, researchers are proving what these people knew all along: music makes work go by faster and keeps spirits up.

Works Cited

Can personal stereos improve productivity?, Oldham, Greg, 1996

hrmagazine.be

Work to the music, Guess, Terri P., 1999, blackenterprise.com

“Whistle While You Work”: A Historical Account of Some Associations Among Music,

Work and Health, le Roux, Gordon Marc, 2005, ajph.org

The effect of music listening on work performance, Lesuik, Teresa, 2005, pom.sagepub.com

The King Of Rock

It was 1985, just six short years removed from the incident known as Disco Demolition Night in Chicago where a frenzied crowd of thousands gathered in Comiskey Park with hate in their eyes and hearts. The abhorrent mob assembled for the sole purpose of sealing the fate of the long standing disco movement by setting their albums and cassettes of the music on fire en masse. It was a revolt in the truest sense, unlike any negative display towards a particular style of music before. This was not simple a slip in the charts; it was an execution.

Disco was dead.

The era of heavy metal had truly begun. The Bee Gees, now the official former kings of the airwaves, would be Stayin’ Alive no longer. Their bass lines and high pitched vocal stylings were ablaze in a fiery Disco Inferno that an all too happy slew of long haired rockers was throwing gasoline upon.

It wasn’t Kung Fu Fighting. No. The war between disco and rock that raged from the mid seventies throughout the mid eighties was finally over. Rock prevailed and claimed the throne at the top of the mountain, its sole challenger vanquished.

Who else dare challenge the king?

Jazz? “Please…”

Blues? “Come again?”

Country? “Are you serious?”

How about rap? “Rap? What’s rap?”

Rap was still very much a new and relatively unknown commodity, largely ignored by the mainstream audience, critics, and radio stations. Most of the rising form of music’s sales could not even be tracked with any accuracy since most of the artists were selling their material out of the trunks of their cars, unable to secure a record deal.

Distributors stared blank eyed at rappers as they listened to demos. The supposed professionals didn’t have the vision to see and understand the music that would eventually launch a revolution. Backed into a corner, the only way to move forward was apparent.

A few courageous entrepreneurs started their own rap labels. One was known as Sugarhill Records. It received modest distribution and was the label that released what has been called by many “The first real rap song.” Rappers Delight, by the Sugarhill Gang, was the best received rap single up to that point by far.

Looking back, some define the moment as the official start of rap music being that the classic single received airplay, reached number thirty eight on the music charts, and was available in many stores.

The Sugarhill Gang was knocking on the door to legitimate entry into the music world, but a twenty something rapper known simply as DMC was not content with banging his knuckles against the door. He had his hand wrapped around the doorknob and was twisting it open.

There would be no knocking for Darryl Mcdaniels who, along with fellow rapper Joseph “Run” Simmons, and DJ Jam Master Jay, released the self titled Run DMC album in the spring of 1984 on Profile Records.

It seemed like no one knew what to make of it. Run DMC was nothing like anything or anyone before them. The group of three black men from Hollis Queens defied any and all classification. They weren’t rock, though they had electric guitar in some of their songs. They weren’t disco.

What are they? What style of music is Run DMC?

“They’re rap.”

“Oh, rap. I think I heard of that.”

The trio was slowly gaining an audience, catching on with their catchy combination of back and forth rhyming between Run and DMC laid over the skillful record scratching and 808 drum machine beats of Jay. Throw in a few samples and an occasional guitar riff and you had a fresh new sound that cried out to be listened to.

Run DMC would not be denied, nor could that historic first release which has sold well over three million units. Things didn’t explode yet for Run DMC, but that was just a matter of time.

The door was cracked open, but rap music still just a foot inside. Rock music was still looking down the mountain, unworried, at rap music and laughing. The reigning king felt no threat. There could be no challenge to the throne unless someone from the rap world was ready to step up big time.

Enter DMC stage left.

Fade In:

Slavery may have been abolished in 1862 and there was a supposed equality among the races that was talked about, but a quick glance of the music charts was all that was needed to show the flagrant divided still present. White artists dominated the airwaves. The number of black rock groups was minimal and the number of them that hit the charts was close to nonexistent.

Run DMC eventually changed the face of the music world and helped to bridge the gap of racism by promoting racial equality – not favoritism in either direction – and becoming celebrities in an era that embraced the exact opposite of what they embodied.

Forget rock. Forget rap.

Run DMC transcended musical style and classification and in doing so changed the look of music world in one defining moment when Darryl Mcdaniels summoned up enough testicular fortitude for the entire rap community and performed an act that held with it the ramifications of painting a bulls eye on his back. He easily risked being a dead man.

It seemed like suicide.

During a year when sales of rock music to a predominantly Caucasian audience were in the millions, Run DMC released their sophomore album. The title track features a confident DMC spewing five words, without the accompaniment of music, which changed the musical scenario forever.

The young man who went on to inspire so many to come after him made an undeniably thought provoking statement when he rapped five simple words acapella into a microphone so many years ago.

In the world of politics and government, it was Martin Luther King with the famous words, “I have a dream.”

The world of music has its equivalent and the quote belongs to Darryl Mcdaniels. His five words, just as powerfully as King’s four, continue to inspire as they reach a whole new audience. No one can forget the first time they heard DMC utter the last words anyone ever expected to hear from a black man’s mouth.

“I’m the king of rock!”

Darryl Mcdaniels was a legend.

The statement was so powerful; it was used to name the album and was largely responsible for the eventual platinum status.

DMC kept up the theme with his next lyric, “There is none higher,” just in case someone missed the fact that he was indeed the king of rock and the blazing electric guitar that pulsed throughout the track and the album – which can only be described as a groundbreaking masterpiece – was not enough to persuade them.

Rock music was on the ropes; it needed to perform a rope a dope if it wanted to survive. It got its help from a most unlikely source.

Rather than pick a fight, Run DMC continued their merging of rock and rap by extending the olive branch to a group of fallen from grace rockers whose best days were well behind them buried in the seventies. Aerosmith produced some lackluster records since and hadn’t had a hit in nearly a decade.

Mcdaniels and his cohorts joined forces with the struggling rockers and went on to record a classic remake of one of Aerosmith’s old hits. Walk This Way was an even bigger seller the second time around and helped to catapult Run DMC’s third release, Raising Hell, into international multi platinum sales.

Run DMC didn’t appear to be battling with rock for musical supremacy, but if anyone was keeping score; it was clear to see who indeed the king was.

It’s been quite a roller coaster ride for the young men who made Adidas a phenomenon. Since Raising Hell’s release over twenty years ago the superstars have put out four more albums all of which have achieved platinum status.

Unfortunately the trio was reduced to two on October 30th. 2002 when the legendary Jam Master Jay was called to his maker.

Joseph “Run” Simmons is now known as Reverend Run. The new man of the cloth, when not filming his hit reality TV show, still finds time to rock the microphone with his often imitated but never duplicated emceeing skills. His solo release Distortion served to fill many fan’s desire for a new Run DMC recording.

DMC, years removed from his days at St. John’s university, is set to match his partner in crime and will even be featuring the Reverend on a few tracks of the King Of Rock’s solo debut Checks, Thugs, & Rock -N- Roll.

The most famous artistic product of the boozy 1920’s is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, a novel about a man trying to recreate an ideal past in a drunken, materialistic present. It’s one of those books just about everyone has a strong impression of whether or not they’ve actually read it – which makes it hard for many to approach the story with fresh eyes.

If you’re a teacher looking for interesting, relevant ways to dig into The Great Gatsby, why not try something like this on for size: the 1920’s were to WWI what the 1970’s were to the hippy movement. The unprecedented global carnage following the so-called “War to End All Wars” turned disillusioned Americans inwards, setting their priorities on money, bootlegged liquor, and partying. Similarly, after the hippies failed to elevate worldwide consciousness with peace, love, and patchouli oil, 1970’s America drowned its sorrows in disco, drugs, and polyester pants.

As an assignment, have your students compare The Great Gatsby to a 1970’s song in this same vein. Take, for example, The Eagles’ Hotel California, one of the best-selling and most recognizable songs from this (or any) era of American history.

Hotel California boasts some of the most analyzed and memorized lyrics in rock and roll. If the element of mystery means a lot to you, you’ll probably be disappointed to hear Don Henley’s two cents: “It’s basically a song about the dark underbelly of the American dream.” Not that a bunch of rock stars would know anything about that. In other words, the symbol of Californian prosperity (back when that still existed) stands in as a microcosm of American decadence in the 1970’s.

The “hotel” (wink, wink) California is no Motel 6. It has mirrored ceilings, courtyards, master’s chambers, pink champagne, and high-falutin’ guests. The narrator can’t help but notice the seductive woman with a Benz, a mind that’s “Tiffany-twisted,” and a lot of hot guys following her around. He asks for wine, to which the captain famously replies, “We haven’t had that spirit here since 1969.” Since wine isn’t a spirit (and we’re betting The Eagles have a basic understanding of liquor), we’re going to go ahead and assume Henley is referring to some other spirit of ’69.

In a creepy turn of events, there is then a beast-killing ceremony involving “steely knives,” which prompts the narrator to high-tail it “back to the place [he] was before.” Only when it’s too late does he realize that he can “check out” but “never leave.” How, pray tell, can a person be checked out without going anywhere physically? We’re thinking there might be some chemistry involved.

So let’s review: luxury, substance abuse, a beautiful temptress, materialism, violence, living in the past, and being trapped. Remind you of anyone?

As a rule of thumb, music is one of the best teacher resources because it can be deeply personal and easily relatable at the same time. Plus, the fact that lyrics are usually highly open to interpretation means your students will be putting in a lot more work than they think.

Music boxes, also referred to as a musical box, give you the feeling as if they have been around forever. We are likely to know someone, a friend or family member, having received one as a present or as a family hand down. The music box is an interesting and remarkable invention with a history going back for many years. Before the modern era of TV and radio, they gave immense pleasure to many, young and old.

The Interesting History of the Music Box

Originating in the early 19th century, the music box is very much the same as it was then, a pleasing automatic musical instrument A set of pins on a revolving disc or cylinder strike a steel comb inside, of which the teeth are tuned to produce the distinct sound that results. Some boxes are more detailed than others, they have small bells and a tiny drum in addition to the steel comb.

The precursor to the music box came from the 18th century, and was a musical form of the popular snuff box. Snuff boxes were items that gentlemen typically carried in their pockets. The subsequent music boxes could range from anything as small as a snuff box, to anything as large as a piece of furniture.

However, as time went on, the more common size of a music box became what it still is today, which is a box that can easily be placed on a table. In 1815, the first music box shop was opened in Switzerland by Jérémie Recordon and Samuel Junod. Other shops also opened in places like Bohemia and Germany. Finally, at the end of the 19th century, it seemed odd to find that some European manufacturers began to move to the United States with their factories.

Since that time, there have been many different kinds of music boxes that have been manufactured. They have been manufactured to commemorate various things, such as holidays, and classic movies. When it comes to the music that emanates from these wonder boxes, they have been known to be anything from classical pieces to famous film themes. Hearing the music associated from a memorable holiday or movie, always wound sound better listening to it from a musical box.

These unique inventions can be found in many different places today, such as local specialty shops that sell greeting cards. If you are a tourist visiting a city, no doubt you will find a musical box that you can buy as a remembrance of your trip.

It would be extremely difficult to determine how much they would have cost at the time of assembly, as some are very ornate and carefully constructed with inlaid walnut and other fine hardwood, often handmade with precision and care to fine detail. A music box still today, make a very unusual and surprising gift, if not only to be proud and own such a nostalgic and precious item, but one of pleasure to look at and listen to.

Crimea is a peninsular located in the south of Ukraine in Eastern Europe. It is surrounded by the Black sea, it has a mountainous spectacular coastline, and a fascinating and colourful history. It was the main tourist resort for the entire Soviet union, and finally it is being discovered by Western tourists.

A Brit, I have lived in Crimea for 5 years now, but to this day I am often taken aback by what I see. It is an intriguing place to be, and I feel very lucky to be able to live here.

In this article I will discuss the nightlife in Crimea.

As the day draws to a close, you are sure to come across festive nightlife practically every day of the week in the principal cities of Crimea. As the stereotype would suggest; the nightlife in Crimea; and across Ukraine as a whole is synonymous with drinking. This stereotype is absolutely true. When the weather allows, the streets are packed full of revellers downing bottles of beer and pouring each wine and vodka into plastic cups. During Crimea’s long summer nights, the streets turn into one enormous bar.

In the West, we tend to gather together to socialize in some kind of official establishment such as a bar or restaurant), young people in Crimea prefer to find a pleasantly located bench, and chat the night away under the starry sky.

There are, however, multitudes of clubs and bars around Crimea. They are open all year round in the capital city Simferopol, and to a lesser degree in the navy city of Sevastopol. In the resort towns such has Feodosia, they are open from May-October.

In Crimea and the Ukraine as a whole, you can find cheap and simple bars, with a few plastic tables and chairs, and incredibly well priced vodka and beer. Generally, in these establishments, older men meet up to discuss the days events..and to have a drink or ten.

Crimea is also the host to modern, snazzy nightclubs. They are very popular partly because they are overpriced (and hence prestigious), and are visited by incredibly well dressed young women, and smartly attired men (both young and old). Nightclubbing in such establishments in Crimea, Ukraine and Russia as a whole is a very civilised affair. As a rule, the punters get a table. They order not just drinks but also side dishes; it is obligatory to have food to accompany the drinks. Ukrainians go for the ubiquitous vodka, as well as cognac, beer and champagne.

Nightlife in Crimea goes on until late; 4 or 5 is the norm. The music consists of popular Russian pop/dance songs as well as Western chart music. Some establishments offer a professional DJ and techno music. Others play independent and rock music.

Of-course, not all nightlife in Crimea revolves around drinking. There is also theatre and the cinema. The theatre plays a bigger role in the nightlife of the ordinary Crimean than to the average Westerner. Russia and Ukraine has a great history of theatre. Countless masterful plays have been written over the years by playwrights from these countries that are popular all around the world.

The capital city of Crimea, Simferopol, has 5 theatres, and they are usually full. Theatre in Crimea is an egalitarian affair; subsided by the government and hence accessible to all. The attraction of the theatre in Crimea is not based on fancy sets or special effects, but on the intrinsic quality of the plays, and the accomplished and powerful acting.

The cinema is gradually gaining in popularity, and the younger generation increasingly prefer it to the theatre. The Russian industry has had some great successes in the last few years, with films such as ‘Night Patrol’. Predictably, though, American films dominate the cinema listings.

If you are fortunate enough to travel to Crimea, you’ll be impressed by how lively the streets in the main towns are at night. This is the Ukrainian way. It is a festive country that isn’t afraid to lose sleep and wake up with a hangover before work.