[Kace Presents]The Alphanumerics Of Modern Music: The Kace Era

[Kace]

W is for Whitney Houston.

For Whitney Houston, the singing was in the blood. She had a mother, Cissy Houston who was a gospel singer and also part of the Sweet Inspirations. Dionne Warwick, a pretty big deal in the 1960s and 1970s was one of her cousins. Whitney had the ability and now it was just a matter of getting the push. There was work as a backup singer, including Chaka Kahn's "I'm Every Woman" which Whitney herself would cover years later.

In 1985, Whitney was able to break out on her own and become a big star almost immediately. Over the span of her career, Whitney has amassed several albums, either studio, compilation or soundtrack that reached the top of the Billboard 200 or at least scored within its Top 10. She would have similar success, singles-wise with numerous #1's on various charts including 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Among those was her cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," which despite being #1 on my 16th birthday still annoys me greatly.

There was the good stuff, especially in the mid-late 1980s. Songs like "How Will I Know" and "So Emotional." There was "One Moment In Time" which became the theme for the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. There was her rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" for NFL Super Bowl XXV which moved people to tears. There was the continuation of her career in the late 1990s and on into the 2000s, even as her personal life started to get way more attention. Sometimes all that personal stuff can get in the way. And then it gets a little too serious and then it's just depressing.

With Whitney, I don't much care to focus on that. There was good music and good memories with her singing. An incredible voice for her time.

"I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)" is the featured music video. I actually like "So Emotional" better as a song, but the music video for this song always amused me. It's a young Whitney, smiling, laughing and enjoying herself. She still has a whole life ahead of her. Such potential and looking back, it's really of the moment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH3giaIzONA&ob=av2e
"I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)" by Whitney Houston

[Kace]

W is for Winger.

Other bands can be argued as being the personification of what had become known as, "Happy Metal." Winger would bear its cross. During the key years of 1989-1991, Winger was right there with rock hit after rock hit. And there was Kip Winger and his smile, driving girls crazy with his on-stage spins while playing the bass guitar. For all the looks and glam though, Winger prided itself on the music.

Unfortunately, their music was of a kind that was on its way out. A revolution was afoot in music, especially in Rock. Winger, like so many bands of its time with the mainstream spotlight found themselves on the wrong side of the conflict. The days of smiling and glitz while playing in rhythm were over and now it was Nirvana. It was Pearl Jam. It was Soundgarden and Alice In Chains. For the Metal side, it was Metallica and Megadeth. Winger and the Happy Metal they came to represent were about to become persona non grata through no real fault of their own.

MTV was championing the concept. It wasn't long before when fans were watching MTV for the latest Warrant or Slaughter video. I even recall Slaughter's "Fly To The Angels" winding up either the winner or a finalist in some Music Video tournament that MTV had cooked up for its viewers to vote on. Winger was in the center of it and it would be Winger bearing the cross for it. Two moments in particular did Winger in aside from the 1992 Music Revolution itself. One was Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" which shows Kip Winger's face taped to the bullseye on a dartboard. A band that had started to finally embrace the mainstream themselves was now looking down on another band that had done the same prior to them and nobody seemed interesting in noting as such. The second was MTV's Beavis And Butt-Head.

One of the most popular things about that show would be the two animated characters watching and critiquing various music videos. Thanks to that show, people became much more aware of White Zombie with "Thunder Kiss '65" becoming one of the iconic rock songs of the decade. Thanks to that show, other artists like the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and a host of others would finally start to receive some much deserved recognition. But it was also here where Winger would meet its fate. The character's name was Stewart and he wore a Winger t-shirt. And he was a hapless dork. With that show, MTV had its voice of sorts for the revolution and through that voice, Winger was tagged with the uncoolness of...well, that. They never really recovered.

There have been reunions over the years, but for Winger it will always be their time in the sunlight. A time before that Sun went red giant and destroyed them.

"Can't Get Enuff" is the featured music video and is the video that's probably best representative of Winger's look and sound. The riffs, the bass, the beat, the smiling, the choreography and of course all the sensuality, implied or otherwise running amok. That video is part of the last of the innocent days before it would become time to load up on guns and bring your friends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PnDcjtYGzI
"Can't Get Enuff" by Winger

[Kace]

W is for the Wu-Tang Clan.

They are Hip-Hop in the rawest form. They're a movement. They're a group in the truest sense. Wu-Tang Clan is also nothing to...well...mess with. I'll keep that part clean.

Their name is a martial arts reference and their style is, as I said the most raw. Their roster includes the late Ol' Dirty Bastard and also Method Man, who himself nearly had an entry of his own on this list. Ghostface Killah is someone I recall mostly for his solo effort, "Daytona 500." There's RZA and GZA. There's Inspectah Deck, U-God and Masta Killa. There's Raekwon. There are affiliates of the Wu-Tang Clan. Altogether, it's an army in Rap. When there was East Coast Vs. West Coast, the Wu-Tang Clan had their own assembled to take on anyone from either camp. There were cooperative efforts with other artists and there were the rivalries. The Wu-Tang Clan has done it all and on their own terms. They transcend generations and as the 21st Century progresses, the Wu-Tang Clan will find themselves among the most celebrated of legends in Rap and Hip-Hop.

They're also video game geeks. Method Man especially. So if you're gonna poke fun at a video game geek, just be sure said geek isn't part of the Wu-Tang Clan. They're nothing to...well you know.

"Triumph" is the music video of choice and was directed by Brett Ratner who aside from his music video work is also known for directing major motion pictures. Either way, he stays pretty busy. This is from 1997 and also features Cappadona helping out with the roster. Here, the Wu-Tang Clan movement takes on a literal form, as killer bees taking over their beloved New York City. This is the uncensored version, by the way so there. You were warned and stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtxtTq8xvEQ&feature=fvsr
"Triumph" by the Wu-Tang Clan

[Kace]

X is for X.

X. The mathematical unknown. Well, unless you're Roman then it's 10, but whatever.

Before X became known to audiences as that band that covered a Troggs song and gave both Charlie Sheen and Mitch Williams a gimmick, they were the hard, loud, fast and in your face Punk Rock on the West Coast. There were also the Germs, but what they did was secret. Led by John Doe, X was anti-mainstream before embracing it just to see if they could. They were part of the Los Angeles identity before Motley Crue helped usher in the Hair Metal and before N.W.A. helped usher in West Coast Gangsta Rap. They were unapologetic in their lyrics and were going to craft their stories of urban societal warfare. Their name may be translated to an unknown, but X is anything but.

"Los Angeles" is the music video of choice. It's the title track of the album that drew acclaim and tells of a woman who is socially maladjusted in her environment to say the least. Some words that could be highly offensive are used so you've been warned.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kAiQiz_XDs
"Los Angeles" by X

[Kace]

X is for XTC.

XTC was their own wave in a world of New Wave. Led by Andy Partridge, the group went on to attain an International following and much critical success. They lasted from 1977 to 2005 as far as releases go and had 14 studio albums during that time. They kept busy. "Statue Of Liberty" found itself banned by the BBC due to some questionable lyrics, but that's when they were mostly relegated to the British audience. Over time, they would have other notable songs like "Senses Working Overtime," "Wonderland," "The Mayor Of Simpleton" and "The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead." Their final release was an internet-only single for "Where Did The Ordinary People Go?" Odd, considering XTC was not ordinary in the least.

"Dear God" is the music video of choice and of all the songs in XTC's library, is perhaps the most powerful in its angst. This could also serve as a contradiction of sorts of other artists who made this list like Jars Of Clay and Rebecca St. James. Whereas those artists and other Christian Rock/Pop acts celebrate God and/or Jesus Christ, XTC goes in the opposite direction here. "Dear God" is a song of frustration, a crisis of faith that I'm sure most of us have faced at some point in our lives. In a time of senseless tragedy, it's usually "Dear God" that will spring to my mind at some point. It's not that I don't believe in God since I do, but in a world where so many do so wrong it just shows that the ultimate answer to all this is beyond me. To the theologians and people of strong religious faith as well as the atheists, you're a much better person than I since you all at least come up with an answer of some kind, even if I don't necessarily agree with it.

In the end, I find myself back to my original thought process. I believe in God. People, not so much.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrUUKoz8IM0
"Dear God" by XTC

[Kace]

Y is for Yes.

Representing the letter Y is Yes.

Just a quick recap for any children out there whose parents didn't raise 'em any better. Yes is a Progressive Rock band or, "Prog Rock." They've been around since the late 1960s and have a tendency to not attract too much attention to themselves. Really, for Yes it's the music that speaks for itself. Through the 1970s, they won over audiences with songs like "Roundabout" and "Going For The One," among others. In the 1980s, they flourished even more with "Owner Of A Lonely Heart," "Changes," and "Love Will Find A Way." They even started the 1990s off by making some noise with "Lift Me Up." Yes spent most of the 2000s in hiatus, but by the end of the decade were back to rocking audiences wherever they go with the 2010s firmly in sight. Membership has changed over the years, but the marquee remains the same. They're still Yes and they're still going.

The music video of choice for this entry is a no-brainer. "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" would turn out to be Yes's signature song, especially as far as their 1980s material goes. The music video also turned out to be a big deal for MTV, which was still gaining momentum. With Yes and "Owner Of A Lonely Heart," the Prog Rock crowd which may have been turned off by all the New Wave and Michael Jackson now had something to rally around. I don't know if Yes gets enough credit for this video and how I think it helped in not only boosting their own popularity, but that of MTV's and the whole concept music video ideal, down to the mysterious Twilight Zone-like plot. ...Speaking of which, Golden Earring came close to making this list and "Twilight Zone" would have definitely been the featured music video there. "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" is one of my favorite music videos from those early years of MTV before things started to blow wide open with the events of 1984.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELpmmeT69cE
"Owner Of A Lonely Heart" by Yes

[Kace]

Z is for ZZ Top.

Representing the letter Z and also bringing us to the final entry on this list is ZZ Top.

I remember them as a couple of guys with beards on guitars and another guy on drums who didn't have a beard, but was named Beard. By 1977, ZZ Top was already a celebrated Blues Rock band remembered for songs like "La Grange" and "Tush."

Their success would continue to build in the 1980s as they would tweak their sound and also become MTV friendly with their series of Eliminator adventure music videos. Songs like "Gimme All Your Lovin'," "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Legs" have become commonplace for any Classic Rock or 1980s themed get-togethers. They would continue to have more success in the 1990s with songs like "My Head's In Mississippi," and "Pincushion." And of course I have to mention "Doubleback" from 1990 which was the big hit from Back To The Future Part III, the greatest of all film trilogies (take that, Star Wars Of The Twilight Rings!).

In the 21st Century, ZZ Top has still been around, touring, occasionally recording and still entertaining. They're still going and so are we. So here's to all of us.

"Sleeping Bag" is the music video of choice. No, not "Sharp Dressed Man," which I admit still reminds me of Jimmy Garvin. No, not "Legs" which reminds me of childhood and how much I loved that song then. "Sleeping Bag" is notable for different reasons. It was their first #1 single, reaching the top spot in the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It also served as a conclusion of the Eliminator adventures. In those videos, ZZ Top played the role of guardian angels, looking out for the common people and even battling some injustices. This would be no different at first, until the Eliminator sacrificed for the greater good. With the Eliminator gone, the Afterburner (which is the name of the album "Sleeping Bag" is from) springs into life, beats the bad guys and flies off into outer space. Which by the way, "Rough Boy" is a nice video to watch when it comes to the Afterburner in an outer space tuneup station. The early MTV generation were favorable of the Eliminator videos so the moment of the Afterburner springing to life tends to be a bit seminal.

In closing, this has been quite an experience for me. Trying to figure out 365 artists and which videos to feature and what to say about them and when I deemed necessary, myself or my surroundings was a bit exhaustive. It started on December 1st, 2011 as I started compiling the list (a rather memorable day in itself for me). The entry updates started on December 23rd, 2011 and now end on December 21st, 2012. The only day not used is December 22nd, my birthday. So a big thank you for reading all this stuff and hopefully you enjoyed it, along with the music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt3-SqKbECA
"Sleeping Bag" by ZZ Top

[Jane Craig]

Congrats on your labor of love, Kace! It's been fun to read. Happy birthday too!

[Kace]