Crowbarred's Mellow Mix Volume 2: MM Vol 2 - 123

MM Vol 2 #123

Fastball

"Fire Escape"

(1998)

Genre:Alt Pop

Man, that was fast

So here I was [apparently] in 2001/2 trying to discover new music to escape the trappings of just Led Zeppelin, Doors, Beatles etc music to experiment with todays sounds and I end up in 1998 ... Doh. Worth it though to find this wee gem.

I feel sorry for todays generation, they don't have as much as us [Gen X] in quality music like we did in the 70's, if you look at music over a 50 year time period [Like Definitive] our generation had the best sounds, constant masterpiece after masterpiece, we sure were spoilt for choice. Put it this way, what song in this millennium 2000 to 2008, so far, would you put up as competition against, say a "Stairway to Heaven" or "Imagine"? At least in the 90's there was Nirvana, but, man music sure has dried up artistically since then. I would say its time for another ilk of Elvis to take the world stage again, hell, even an Eminem type would be interesting.

To be [even more] blunt this decade had been such a bore musically and it's so disappointing, I bet you that Bill Haley & Elvis are turning in their graves knowing that Rock is dying.

Music sales are down not because of illegal copying, it's because there are no artists good enough for people to want to go and buy their Cd's. Simple as that.

you looking at me, punk?

Although it's tempting to lump the Austin, Texas trio Fastball (Miles Zuniga on guitar and vocals, Tony Scalzo on bass and vocals, and Joe Shuffield on drums) in with all the bands that sound similar to the Wallflowers, they're an exception. The trio originally called themselves Magneto U.S.A. and became popular in the Texas region. After signing with Hollywood Records, they changed their name to Fastball, and soon after released their 1996 debut Make Your Mama Proud. The album wasn't the huge breakthrough they hoped for, but showed they were a band with potential. By the time their second album, All the Pain Money Can Buy, was released in early '98, the group had improved their sound by incorporating more pop hooks into their songs, with more varied (and serious) subject matter and lyrics. The Harsh Light of Day arrived in fall 2000. After four years, a best of retrospective (2002's Painting the Corners: The Best of Fastball) and a label switch, Fastball returned with their strongest record to date, 2004's Keep Your Wig On, for Rykodisc. ~ [Greg Prato, All Music Guide]

For Led Zeppelin visit Def 1000 Songs #577 & #957

For the Doors visit Def 1000 Songs #729, #746 & #851

For the Beatles visit Def 1000 Songs #489, #587, #894 & #947

For Elvis Presley visit Def 1000 Songs #501 & #840

For Eminem visit Def 1000 Songs #932

For Wallflowers visit Def 1000 Songs #685

This song has a crowbarred rating of 75.6 out of 108