You Can Only Take 10 With You... Five at a Time

So a friend and I were talking the other day about top 10 lists. He is a fellow music lover and had an interesting thought. If you were only able to have 10 albums for the rest of your life, what would you choose. I typically do not participate in lists like that, but as I thought more about it, the more interesting it became. I found it difficult to narrow a list down to just 10. I have a wide variety of musical interests as music is is a major part of my personal and professional life.

So as I embark on my list, I have just three rules. As much as I would like to include multiple albums from some of my favorite artists, I am only allowing myself to list one per artist. I also want to avoid greatest hits or various artists records. That is just too easy to do. Additionally in that same vein, no live albums. So here we go with the first five. I will post the next five in a few days. 

In no particular order:

1) Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon - Well, I simply could not live without this CD. There was a big question here because I love The Wall as well. But since I could only choose one from the artist, Dark Side won out. This classic record is one of the top selling albums of all time and a true masterpiece of musical genius. It is a CD that does not ever come out of my current play list. I could literally put it on repeat and listen to it for an entire day.

2) Beethoven - Symphony No 9. in D Minor "Choral" - Without question this is the greatest classical piece ever composed... and he did it while he was almost completely deaf. I have seen this performed by fantastic symphonies many times, but nothing beat one performance that was put together by James Judd from the now defunct Florida Philharmonic Orchestra. It was a performance which included a Beethoven character acting and a stunning conclusion where all instruments one by one went silent.

3) Garth Brooks - No Fences - While I am not a huge country music fan, there are some artists that I do really like. Garth Brooks along with Travis Tritt, Alan Jackson and Hank Williams Jr. make my short list. I went to college in Tennessee. While I was there I really got sick ofg hearing country music. But actually when I left, I missed it. No Fences by Garth Brooks is probably my favorite country record. With classic tracks like "Friends in Low Places," "Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House," "The Thunder Rolls," and "Unanswered Prayers" this has to be on the list.

4)   Bob Marley and the Wailers - Uprising - This is a tough one as it is mainly here for one particular song. I absolutely love "Redemption Song" from Bob Marley. While I am a huge Marley fan in general, it would have been my preference to use this slot for Legend. But I made up the rules... no greatest hits. Uprising does include some other great songs and I have to have Bob Marley on my list.

5) Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind - Without a doubt one of my favorite bands is Iron Maiden. Again it would have been easy to put "Live After Death" here as it contains some of their classic hits. Piece of Mind was a great record. I believe Iron Maiden was one of the trail blazing bands that brought heavy metal into the mainstream in the 1980's. While a lot of people tend to give Judas Priest the nod when talking about the greatest band from the British Invasion, I like Maiden much more. Musically I really enjoy the long guitar solos from Adrain Smith and Dave Murray along with Bruce Dickinson's vocals and Nico McBrain's pounding beats. But the driving force behind Maiden as everyone knows is Steve Harris.. period. 

Roger Water: The Wall Live 2.0

Roger Waters has announced that he is tearing down The Wall all over again. The 30 year anniversary of one of the best selling rock records of all time will get a brand new showcase tour through the US starting in September 2010. It is the first time that the full show has been performed in its entirety since the concert that Waters performed on July 21st 1990 in Berlin.

Pink Floyd's "The Wall" was originally released in 1980. Roger Waters composed and wrote most of the material on his own with guitarist David Gilmour providing his signature guitar parts and haunting vocals on classic tracks like "Comfortably Numb" and "Hey You." The two record release was followed by a feature film in 1982 starring Bob Geldof as Pink. The film was heralded by film critic Roger Ebert as "one of the great modern musicals."

According to Water's official website the long awaited concert tour will combine music with state-of-the-art staging, lighting and sound. The centerpiece will be a 240-foot-wide and 35-foot-high Wall that is built and broken down during the concert.

The performance will be accompanied by elaborate large-scale video projections and theatrical staging to underscore and accentuate the power of the music. For sound buffs, the music will be delivered using a high tech 3600 quadraphonic sound system that will immerse the audience in a 3-dimensional audio experience

Roger Waters 2010 Tour Dates:

09/15 – Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre

09/16 – Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre

09/20 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
09/21 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
09/26 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Consol Energy Center
09/28 – Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
09/30 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
10/05 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
10/08 – Buffalo, NY @ HSBC Arena
10/10 – Washington, DC @ Verizon Center
10/12 – Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Coliseum
10/15 – Hartford, CT @ XL Center
10/17 – Ottawa, ON @ ScotiaBank Place
10/19 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
10/22 – Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
10/24 – Detroit, MI @ Palace of Auburn Hills
10/26 – Omaha, NE @ Qwest Center
10/27 – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
10/29 – St. Louis, MO @ Scottrade Center
10/30 – Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
11/03 – Meadowlands, NJ @ IZod Center
11/08 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wachovia Center
11/09 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wachovia Center
11/13 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Bank Atlantic Center
11/16 – Tampa, FL @ St. Pete Times Forum
11/18 – Atlanta, A @ Philips Arena
11/20 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
11/21 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
11/23 – Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
11/26 – Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
11/27 – Phoenix, AZ @ US Airways Center
11/29 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum
12/06 – San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion
12/10 – Vancouver, BC @ General Motors Place
12/11 – Tacoma, WA @ Tacoma Dome
12/13 – Anaheim, CA @ Honda Centre

Justin Bieber is Really on Top of Things

My World 2.0, the March 23 release from teen heartthrob Justin Bieber has hit the top of the Billboard 200 Album chart. The teenager’s sophomore release sold 283,000 copies in its first week of release to propel him to the No.1 spot. With the achievement, he becomes the youngest artist (age 16) to reach the top spot since a 13-year-old Stevie Wonder spent a week at the peak position back in August of 1963.

His first CD, My World, debuted at No. 6 last November. This week it rose to a new high by jumping from No. 10 to No. 5 giving Bieber two albums in the top 5 at the same time. He is the first artist to concurrently chart two albums within the top five of the Billboard 200 since October 2004 when Nelly ranked at Nos. 2 and 4 with Suit and Sweat.

Album Review from Andy Kellman, All Music Guide: Within two months of release, My World went platinum and two of its singles hit the Top 20, making Justin Bieber an almost inescapable teen pop phenomenon. This ten-song disc, which follows its seven-song predecessor by just over four months, is intended to be the second half of his debut rather than a true follow-up. It’s a shrewd ploy that benefits his insatiable following -- much of which could be into something else by 2011-2012 -- and, in turn, his sales.

The two releases are certainly of a piece, filled with upbeat R&B-flavored pop songs with a few ballads that might be termed adult contemporary if the singer happened to be of age. Bieber makes all the right, charming moves for a teen, and he covers all the bases. The dance-pop songs are light on the ears yet memorable; the unrequited material sounds deeply felt; the ballads have all the necessary us-against-the-world teen-love dramatics (though the references in “Stuck in the Moment,” featuring Bonnie & Clyde and Sonny & Cher among other doomed couples, make zero sense on a song voiced by a peppy 16-year-old in 2010).

As with My World, everything is age-appropriate. “She says she needs a little company,” sung with the slightest wink in the eye, is as racy as it gets, and even then, Bieber projects an image that is utterly harmless.

Sir Elton and the Queen of Soul

It's time for another installment of musical superstars with the same birthday. For March 25 we have 2 Legendary Popular Music Performers: Elton John (1947) and Aretha Franklin (1942). Talk about big names, these artists are royalty. In 1998 Elton received a knighthood from HM Queen Elizabeth II for "services to music and charitable services" and Aretha is commonly known as the "Queen of Soul."

Sir Elton John was born in Pinner, Middlesex, England. His career spans some 40 years beginning with the 1969 release of his first album, Empty Sky and includes number one songs, albums, and performances.

His 1997 remake of Candle in the Wind, as a tribute to the late Diana, Princess of Wales, sold well over 33,000,000 copies. In addition to his numerous multi-platinum selling albums, Elton has a distinguished Broadway and film repertoire. On Broadway he has penned songs for Lion King, Lestat, Aida, and Billy Elliot the Musical. On the big screen he wrote songs for Lion King (1994 Academy Award Winner for Can you Feel the Love Tonight) and The Road to El Dorado

His long list of awards include the 1991 Best British Male Artist Brit Award, 5 Grammy Awards (1986-2000), 2001 Grammy Legend Award, 2004 Kennedy Center Honor, 11 Ivor Novello Awards (1973 – 2000), 7 Tony Awards, and 1994 Academy Award for Best Original Song. Elton was inducted into Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

The Queen of Soul was born on the other side of the pond from Elton in Memphis, Tennessee. I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You was the breakthrough album by Aretha Franklin. It was released in 1967 and included her signature song, Respect.

The debut release established Franklin as a superstar and a major force in the recording industry. In addition to her successful recording career, Aretha has appeared in the memorable role of Mrs. Matt "Guitar" Murphy in The Blues Brothers. In the cult classic film she performed the sing-along hit tune Think.

Aretha has compiled an impressive list of awards. She has won 18 Grammy awards, including the 1995 Lifetime Achievement Award as well as a Living Legends Grammy Award, a 1984 American Music Award, the 1984 Ebony Magazine American Black Achievement Award, Black Entertainment Television’s (BET), 2003Walk of Fame Award. She was the first woman inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse - Movie Trailer

BlowItOutaHere Top Selling DVDs of the Week

#1 - Twilight Saga: New Moon 2 DVD Set

Summit Entertainment presents this sequel to the hot box-office phenomenon Twilight with this follow-up adaptation in Stephenie Meyer's series of romantic fantasy novels. The film will tell the continuing tale of the vampire/human romance between Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart). New to the series is Dakota Fanning, who joins the cast as Jane, a waifish pixie type with an air of menace.


#2 - Vans Warped Tour 15th Anniversary Blu-ray

The VANS Warped Tour 15th Anniversary Celebration in high definition Blu-ray Disc from the One Night Only September 17th, 2009 theatrical event featured in 450+ theaters nationwide. Featuring larger-than-life performances in crystal clear Dolby TrueHD by 3OH!3, All-American Rejects, The Aggrolites, Bad Religion, Blink 182, Ice-T, NOFX, Ozomatli, Pennywise, The Decaydance All Stars, Rise Against and Underoath.


#3 - Ninja Assassin DVD

V for Vendetta director James McTeigue re-teams with that film's producers Larry and Andy Wachowski for this action-packed tale of a skilled assassin who was trained by a mythical secret society, and patiently awaits the day he will avenge the death of his best friend. Swept off the streets as a young boy, Raizo (Korean pop star Rain) is transformed into an unstoppable killing machine by a secret society known as the Ozunu Clan.


#4 - Bandslam DVD

A gifted young singer-songwriter recruits the new kid in town to manage her fledgling rock band in this music-driven comedy starring Vanessa Anne Hudgens and Gaelan Connell. Charlotte Banks (Aly Michalka) has what it takes to be a true rock star, and with the battle of the bands approaching she's determined to win. Her chief opponent in the upcoming competition is none other than her egotistical ex-boyfriend Ben (Scott Porter).



#5 - Avatar 2 Disc Blu-ray (Pre-Order)

A paraplegic ex-marine war veteran is unwillingly sent to establish a human settlement on the distant planet of Pandora, only to find himself battling humankind alongside the planet's indigenous Na'vi race in this ambitious, digital 3-D sci-fi epic from Academy Award-winning Titanic director James Cameron. The film, which marks Cameron's first dramatic feature since 1997's Titanic, will be shot on the proprietary FUSION digital 3-D cameras developed by Cameron in collaboration with Vince Pace, and will offer a groundbreaking mix of live-action dramatic performances and computer-generated effects.

BlowItOutaHere celebrates Musical Theater Day!

Please join BlowItOutaHere in honoring two of the greatest names in the history of the Dramatic Arts.

Stephen Sondheim  

Notable Works: Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, West Side Story (lyrics), Company, Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Follies, A Little Night Music

Awards: Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards (eight, more than any other composer) including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theater, multiple Grammy Awards, & a Pulitzer Prize.

Interesting Fact: He was president of the Dramatists Guild from 1973 to 1981 

Andrew Lloyd Webber

Notable Works: Phantom of the Opera, Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats

Awards: Six Tony Awards (40 nominations), three Grammy Awards (with an additional 60 nominations), an Academy Award (two other nominations), seven Olivier Awards (with 100 nominations), a Golden Globe, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2006.

Interesting Fact: From 1984 to 1990 he was married to theater siren and Phantom of the Opera lead Sarah Brightman.

Today is both of their birthday's. It is extraordinary to see how many people with similarly successful careers were born the same day. We'll tell you when we notice another one. Cheers!

Randy Rhodes: The Original Guitar Hero

Can you believe it has been 28 years since the untimely death of Ozzy Osbourne's promising young guitarist Randy Rhodes? For those of us that were Ozzy and Black Sabbath fans when the Prince of Darkness was only on the TV news because of his freakish stunts and mishaps as opposed to having his own reality show, Randy was a guitar god.

He was only 25 when the plane he was flying clipped the Osbourne tour bus in Leesburg, FL. At 25 he had only appeared on 2 Ozzy records, Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman. But fans of the band would say those are probably the 2 best Ozzy records ever.


Randy's work on classic songs like Suicide Solution, Mr. Crowley, Steal Away the Night, Flying High Again, You Can't Kill Rock n' Roll and Over the Mountain (what a killer guitar solo... still) was truly magical. And he was still really young. It is a shame we could not have had the pleasure of hearing just one record... even just one more song.

Just imagine what hard rock would have been like with Randy Rhodes for a little while longer. Would we have even heard of Zakk Wylde? What about Jake E. Lee? Remember, even Brad Gillis from Night Ranger filled in for Randy on the Speak of the Devil Tour.

In today's world everyone is their own Guitar Hero, with plastic guitars and 4 buttons where you do not even play every note. But Randy was a true guitar god. Randy you are still missed. Although we only had you for a little while, it was a pleasure the entire time. Thanks.

The Eagles, Dixie Checks and Keith Urban Summer Stadium Tour

The Eagles, the Dixie Chicks and Keith Urban have announced 8 North American stadium shows for the summer of 2010. It is possible that additional dates will be added later. The tour starts in Toronto, Canada on June 8 and includes stops at the New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey as well as performances in Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago and St. Louis. Keith Urban will only appear in 5 of the 8 shows and it is the first Dixie Chicks tour since 2006. The Eagles are one of the highest grossing in history as far as touring. Here is the run down of the dates.

June 8: *Toronto, ON (Rogers Centre)
June 10: East Rutherford, NJ (New Meadowlands Stadium)
June 12: Boston (Gillette Stadium)
June 14: Philadelphia (Citizens Bank Ball Park)
June 15: Washington, DC (Nationals Park)
June 19: Chicago (Soldier Field)
June 22: *Winnipeg, MB (Canada Inns Stadium)
June 12: *St. Louis (Busch Stadium)

*Keith Urban not appearing at these concerts.

Avatar DVD and Blu-ray Available on April 22

After a little bit of speculation and some scrambling by Fox after James Cameron’s pre-mature mention of the release date on Fox News, the DVD and Blu-ray street date for Avatar has finally been announced. The ground-breaking film will be available for purchase on April 22, 2010. With three Academy Awards wins, the film is this year’s most anticipated release. Although the initial releases will be in 2-D, 3-D versions are expected later in the year.

You can pre-order Avatar on BlowItOutaHere starting today.

Avatar on DVD only $19.22
Avatar on Blu-ray only $25.98

Thriller: MJ’s New Record Deal, Biggest Ever

The estate for Michael Jackson has reportedly agreed to a record agreement with Sony Music Entertainment on a new recording contract that will be worth up to $250 Million. The record breaking deal will apparently include an album of previously unreleased material due around November, a DVD compilation, a video game, a re-release of the King of Pop’s 1979 gem Off the Wall, and more. The deal will also retroactively include the 2 disc CD Soundtrack for This Is It. There have been over 30 million copies of his CD’s sold since his sudden death in June 2009 at age 50.

Upcoming Ludacris on TV

Ludacris is hitting the talk show circuit in support of his new CD Battle of the Sexes over the next couple of weeks. The March 9 release is the 7th studio album from the rapper and was in the making for more than a year. The first single is "How Low" and the album features guests including Ne-Yo, Nicki Minaj, Flo Rida, Ciara, Trey Songz, Lil' Kim, Eve, Trina, and Plies.

Ludacris on TV:

3/16/2010 Late Show with David Letterman 3/17/2010 Live with Regis & Kelly 3/23/2010 Ellen DeGeneres Show 3/26/2010 Jimmy Kimmel Live 3/29/2010 George Lopez Tonight 3/30/2010 Chelsea Lately

Et tu, Brute?

On March 15 in 44 BC (The Ides of March) 60 conspirators assassinated Julius Caesar. BlowItOutaHere loves to rock, but knowledge is power. If we do not learn from history we are doomed to repeat it, right? BlowItOutaHere offers a wide array of movies including history, nature, science, travel, and educational DVDs that help old and young learn more about their favorite topics.

Pearl Jam Announces New U.S. Dates

Veteran grunge rockers Pearl Jam has announced a string of new U.S. concert dates in May. The dates are in support of their most recent album Backspacer and include performances in New Orleans, Cleveland, Buffalo, Boston, and 2 dates at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Seattle based band is also set to perform as the musical guest on this week’s (March 13) Saturday Night Live.

Here are the recently announced Pearl Jam's U.S. Tour Dates:
May 1: New Orleans (New Orleans Jazz Festival)
May 3: Kansas City, Mo. (Sprint Center)
May 4: St. Louis (Scottrade Center)
May 6: Columbus, Ohio (Nationwide Arena)
May 7: Noblesville, Ind. (Verizon Wireless Music Center)
May 9: Cleveland, Ohio (Quicken Loans Arena)
May 10: Buffalo, N.Y. (HSBC Arena)
May 13: Bristow, Virginia (Jiffy Lube Live)
May 15: Hartford, CT (XL Center)
May 17: Boston (TD Garden)
May 20: New York (Madison Square Garden)
May 21: New York (Madison Square Garden)

Rock Band 3 Coming Soon

Rock Band 3 is rumored to coming to shelves for the 2010 Holiday season later this year. It will be the first edition of the video game that is not exclusively one artist in 2 years. There is speculation that the game will use Microsoft’s new Natal motion-capture camera/controller. This new functionality allows gamers to use gestures for the controller. It will essentially turn the player’s body into a controller. The game should include music from Jimi Hendrix, but other artists are still not known. What artists/songs would you most like to see on the new game?

Hello World!

This is the first post for the new BlowItOutaHere blog. BlowItOutaHere is an entertainment website that sells CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, Records, Video Games, Apparel and more. Visit us on the web at http://www.blowitoutahere.com/. Stay tuned for more!