Monday, August 24, 2009

Scent Of a Woman


As I opened my eyes, there she was looking at me with her black eyes all shining up as there was something they wanted to convey to me. Her hair were open and flowing in a beautiful fall. She wore no make-up but there was a scent in her, the way she looked seemed as if those black shining rocks are trying to potray a story to me. The way she hold me, there was a certain something she said. She wanted to say "I care". She never said anything neither wore any smell but there was an aroma that always pulled me towards her. I felt the way John Baptiste Grenouille might have felt the non-sinful smell rising and titillating his nostrils. There is always has been something about the scent a woman carries that has fascinated man for centuries. Al Pacino refers to them in a description that shows how beautiful can woman be portrayed.

People think of a good perfume as a way of portraying their sense of seeing things all pleasant but there is a dark side to it too . Perfume acts as a mask for your acts, to cover up your sinful nature. It hides the basic human scent, it disguises you and attracts people.There has always been a scent, an internal attraction that a woman carries in herself. She attracts men by that scent that our brain reads so wonderfully and the scent Baptiste tried to catch and make permanent, there by holding the key to enslaving the world. The sweet smell with ingredients of care, love with a hint of lust in it. You can put all the countless scents available on a body but that sweet smell that a woman has from inside her makes people wonder. People generally say it was he who created woman(he refers to god) but I might say that even He cannot have solved the beautiful mystery of that scent and there is a more probability that she created men ,the scentless and senseless apprentice to wonder in life about the secret.

Men have such smell they always try to cover it up with the scent or rather if you see their nature is so disgusting and repulsive that they wear scents to mask it. If one cares to think of the best smell to have ever touch their senses, it has always signified purity, cleanliness of thoughts, and something so innocent that as a normal human we can never think of bearing the smell in ourselves. Think of the smell when the rain hits the parched earth, the smell is so sweet it makes one forget the worries and cruelty of the world for sometime. Even a small child always has a smell around him even though he is covered in his own poop sumtimes, but there is some smell that he radiates into your senses, smell of purity , innocence that makes you forget the worries of the world.

As I sat close to her, her lips touched mine and I felt that scent, the smell of purity and innocence in her, the smell that she cared. My idiotic superficial brain thought it must be the smell of some scent she is wearing but then I realized it was no scent it was the God's gift to her for being a woman.
Man has become so ruthless and brutal in his search for that scent he started acting like a mad dog digging up the ground sensing the bone. Woman have been tortured, slaved treated badly over centuries by man, who in his obsession for that scent of innocence and love has forgot that there is always a limit to everything. We men should always be thinking of preserving that innocence and purity rather than forcefully trying to make it ours. Its like nature, you can smell the roses, the lillies till they are attached to their roots but if you pluck them out the scent goes away. Men has been able to make their smell permanent but there are some things in life that cannot be captured and the smell of innocence, purity, godliness is one of them. Men can never capture that smell and if you try to make it yours forcefully the smell will go away in time. We will lose the finest of God's creation to our obsession. Try enslaving that scent of a woman all you want but it could never turn you into a person who can love and be loved.There is a scent in woman that makes you fall in love with her, that makes men seek happiness, comfort and trust in her, dont try to take it for granted in this world as there are some things you can never conquer in life. You can possess all the money, have control over death or life but there is a power stronger and fiercer than that- the power to love mankind that you can. Never try to make the leather of man smell good, it will not until you possess the perfume, the scent of love, the scent of a woman.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

ABCs of me.

The Bittu bugged me into posting this

The Rules:

1. Link the person who tagged you.

2. Post the rules on your blog.

3. Share the ABCs of you.

4. Tag 3 people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.

5. Let the 3 tagged people know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

6. Do not tag the same person repeatedly but try to tag different people, so that there is a big network of bloggers doing this tag.

Here's a bit of me in ABCs

A –Available/Single Yes I am single. Have been single all my life and don’t see that trend changing any time soon.

B –Best Mates Tibbu, Popo, Tau, Landu, 17, Chotu, Murari, Damani, Sardar.

C –Coke or Pepsi Hate them both. Stupid drinks. Would rather drink a glass of water.

D –Drinks Coffee, Water, and Mango shake (miss that in Australia).

E –Essential item you use every day? Depends whether it’s a weekend or a weekday. On a weekday I use toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, car, my legs, TV, Lappy etc. On a weekend I use toothbrush, toothpaste, TV and Lappy only.

F -Favourite colours Blonde, Black, Red, Brown, Straw. Of course, I am talking of hair colour I like on girls.

G – G is stupid. Can’t think of a good question starting with G.

H – Hometown Delhi.

I – Indulgences Travelling, Complaining, Photography, Chatting, Cooking, Eating, Adventure, Sleeping.

J – January or February? Feb wins hands down. My Budday, Mum and Dad’s anniversary. And its different from the other months. Only 28/29 days.

K – Kelso, Hyde, Fez or Foreman- Fez. I am the perverted foreign guy who loves food and has a knack of making people around him feel very uncomfortable.

L – Life is incomplete without? A good looking chick to get comfy with. My life is currently incomplete!! :(

M – Marriage date? Hehe… funny.. nearly got me there.

N – Number of siblings Uno.

O – Oranges or Apples Neither. How about a Mango instead.

P – Phobias/Fears? Dogs, Snakes, Spiders (the poisonous ones found in Tasmania) and Crocs.

Q – Quote for today? I am a rock, I am an island. I’ve built walls, a fortress deep and mighty, that none may penetrate. I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain. Its laughter and its loving I disdain.

R – Reason to smile? Everyday that passes by is one day less that I have to stay in this place.

S – Season? Spring. Nice weather. Though summers are not bad especially when chicks parade around you half naked.

T – Tag 3 People? Not going to. I love breaking the rules.

U – Unknown fact about me? This thing is paradoxical. If I answer this then the fact wouldn’t be unknown anymore and I would be lying.

V – Vegetable you don't like? Nearly all of them.

W – Worst habit? Hmmm tough choice between complaining all the time and talking crap all the time.

X – X-rays you've had? Chest, Leg, Hands, Head, Neck and Back

Y – Your favourite food Butter Chicken, Kadhai Chicken, Chicken Tikka, Tandoori Chicken, Murg Roganjosh, Chicken Korma… I think you get the gist.

Z – Zodiac sign Pisces.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man

  19th April 2009. Turf Moor. Celebrations all around. The whole arena raised by the ecstatic home fans. But its gloom and doom for the visitors. Because all hell has broken lose. Manchester United, the champions of England, have just been beaten by the minnows Burnley, who were playing their first top flight home game in 30 years. This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t written in the script. United were supposed to pound Burnley into submission. A win for united was a given; in fact they were supposed to rout the opponents. Instead, they were left to rue missed opportunities and reflect on what had transpired. Burnley had reminded everyone just how competitive the league is and no-one in the league is untouchable. They scripted the perfect underdog story, prompting us to remember why we love this game in the first place.

But it was disaster for the champions. Losing any match is a crisis in the halls of Old Trafford; losing a game to a team like Burnley is a full fledged disaster. What hurt everyone was not just the loss, but the manner in which we lost. Admittedly, the goal Burnley scored was one of the goals of the season, the kind of goal that you will expect to concede once in a 100 games. But it was United’s performance (or the lack of it) which was a real concern. The players just didn’t turn up. You would expect the players to run themselves in the ground  after falling behind. But that didn’t happen. The players just didn’t fight for the win. The seemed to lack conviction and motivation; they gave an impression that they were not trying hard enough. As the game wore on, they tried to get back in the game but they looked so demoralized and diffident that no matter what they tried, they just couldn’t grab a goal. In recent seasons, United have been characterized by wastefulness in front of the goal. They create a lot of chances but more often than not lack the finishing touch . But they always win. They dig deep, grind their opposition down and manage to finish some of the chances they make. And when they were not playing well, they had a certain Portuguese winger who would get them out jail. But Ronaldo is gone and  without him, the champions were just not able to break the opposition down.

And the knives came out. Ferguson has lost it, they said. You can’t lose Ronaldo and Tevez and expect to win games without making any big name replacements. Valencia is not good enough to replace Ronaldo. Owen is past his best and and is no longer capable of playing at the top level. Berbatov is lazy and doesn’t work hard enough to warrant a place in the starting 11.  And Rooney alone can’t shoulder all the extra responsibilities in attack in the absence on Ronaldo and Tevez. The midfield has a lack of creativity and the defense is wobbly. Amidst all this turmoil came the weekend game against Wigan. Some were predicting a backlash to the Burnley loss, others were predicting a third consecutive nervy encounter.

Sir Alex rung the changes to the side that lost to Burnley. Only Foster, Evans, Evra and Rooney survived the chop. Fletcher, Nani, Scholes and Valencia all returned in midfield, Valencia making his first return to Wigan after his summer transfer. Vidic returned to the centre of the defense hoping to provide much needed stability at the back. Berbatov partnered Rooney upfront. And it was those two who started the brightest combining to first release Flecher and then tee up Scholes at the edge of the box, but both the chances went begging all thanks to poor finishing and heroic defending by Wigan. As the match progressed, Wigan started asking questions of their own and it took some good shot stopping from the much maligned Foster to keep Wigan at Bay. Rooney and Berbatov were menacing throughout the first half, creating a lot of chances but once again failing to provide the finishing touch. As time wore on, uncertainty started creeping into the minds of United supporters. A familiar story to the Burnley game was unfolding, United creating a lot of chances but failing to deliver the knockout punch.

Good footballers are capable of playing well when things are going well, produce moments of genius to win games . But when the going gets tough, the really great ones rise up to the occasion, grab the game from the scruff of its necks and turn it on it’s head. Roy Keane famously did it in Turin and Rooney was doing it against Wigan. 3 goals in the space of 8 minutes, two by Rooney and one from Berbatov, and all was good again. The smiles were back, the shoulders were raised again and the supremely confident United that everyone knows was back. 2 goals later, the rout was complete and everything was rosy again. The critics that were after United’s blood were praising them again for their pristine performance. All the strikers were back in the thick of the action, each of them scoring. The belief was back; there is life without Ronaldo after all. Berbatov was combining beautifully with Rooney, who was exceptional. He was at the centre of every attack and is fast becoming the heartbeat of this United team. He has been unleashed by SAF at the head of the United attack, and with his talent, work rate and commitment, it wouldn’t be a big surprise if he continues to bedazzle. It looks like he has stepped it up a notch to make up for Ronaldo’s loss and he is not finished. I firmly believe there is more to come from Rooney. United’s season depends on that and Rooney will not disappoint.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Manchester United vs Birmingham City

Line Ups
Man Utd: Foster, Fabio Da Silva, O'Shea, Jonathan Evans, Evra, Valencia, Fletcher, Scholes, Nani, Berbatov, Rooney. Subs: Kuszczak, Brown, Owen, Anderson, Giggs, Gibson, De Laet.
Birmingham: Hart, Carr, Roger Johnson, Queudrue, Vignal, Larsson, Ferguson, Carsley, Fahey, McFadden, Jerome. Subs: Maik Taylor, O'Connor, Phillips, Benitez, McSheffrey, Parnaby, O'Shea.
Foster starts in goal for ManUtd aiming to improve on his less than convincing performance against Chelsea last weekend. In defense, United have a big injury problem with Ferdinand, Vidic, Neville, Rafael all injured and Evans and Brown carrying knocks. That means a start for O'Shea and Evans in the center, with Fabio on the right and Evra on the left. In midfield, Fletcher and Scholes start in central midfield with Nani amazingly recovering from a dislocated shoulder to start on the left wing. Valencia makes his league debut for United on the right wing. Rooney leads the attack along with Berbatov. United's other new boy Michael Owen starts on the bench alongside Giggs and Anderson. United play in the more rigid 4-4-2 formation with Berbatov playing in front of Rooney and Valencia and Nani attacking on the wings.
Match Report
United produced a less than scintillating display to overcome a dogged Birmingham side 1-0 thanks to Wayne Rooney's strike in the first half. The forward tapped in the rebound when his header from Nani's looping cross came off the post. Ben Foster kept a Christian Benitez shot out with a brilliant stop to maintain the advantage after the Ecuadorian had raced clear of the United's defence. Substitute Michael Owen wasted a glorious opportunity to grab a debut goal when his shot was blocked Hart deep into injury time.
Even though the champions were not at their glorious best, they created enough chances and notched up several attacks on Birmingham to prove that they have enough talent in the squad without Ronaldo. Rooney, in particular, was at the heart of everything with some deft touches, intelligent runs and fabulous shots.
The match started out as a scrappy affair with both sets of players marking their territories and going into clattering tackles. United showed their attacking intentions early on trying to get the ball forward to Nani and Valencia on the wings to whip crosses in for the forwards to attack. Birmingham looked to close shop on United with a five man midfield and try to hit them on counter attack using the pace of McFadden and Jerome. United enjoyed a bulk of the early possession and exploited the space offered to them in the midfield thanks to Birmingham's defensive tactics with Rooney testing Hart early on with a looping header.
Eight minutes in, Fletcher created an early opportunity for Nani but his shot was blocked by Hart. Rooney again was in the thick of things when he tested Hart with a dipping 20 yarder, which the young English keeper palmed away. United created enough chances but lacked the finishing touch before Rooney put them forward at the half hour mark with a scintillating move starting at the half way line. The striker fed parter Berbatov with a headed pass, who in turn released Nani on the left wing. The winger produced a teasing looping cross which Rooney tapped in after his inital header had rebounded off the post.
Birmingham responded instantly with Jerome going close with a 20 yard stike that was deflected away from goal with keeper Foster beaten. From the resulting corner, Quedrue thought he had scored before Evra made a fantastic block on the far post off the line. The champions should have taken a two goal cushion into the break but Fletcher somehow managed to drag his shot wide from 10 yards out being played in by some excellent link up play between Evra and Nani on the left.
At the interval, Giggs came on in place of Nani, who was struggling with his injured shoulder. Rooney started the half with a bang, latching onto a bouncing ball and unleasing a stunning dipping volley from 30 yards out which Hart did well to keep out. United kept continuing to create chances but as the half progressed Birmigham started to grow in confidence and Fahey and later McFadden. Berbatov had a header cleared off the line and a strong penalty appeal rejected before being replaced by Owen. But it was the Birmingham substitute Benitez who came closest to scoring. Th Ecuadorian broke the offside trap with a superbly timed run and produced a fantastic save from Foster. At the other end, Rooney and Owen were lionking up well with Rooney getting a chance on 83rd minute and releasing late Owen late on with a chested flick in injury time. But one on one with Hart, his shot was deflected by Hart of his legs and the chance for Owen to make it a dream debut was gone.
Manchester United Match ratings
Ben Foster - 6 - Didn't have the best of the outings and looked nervous in goal, especially to crosses. Made a brilliant stop to deny Benitez though.
Fabio - 6 - Made some good forward runs, but his crossing and tackling left a bit to be desired.
O'Shea - 6 - Solid at the back. Mishit a few passes going forward but defended well.
Evans - 7 - Steady at the heart of the defence. Didn't give Jerome an inch and defended well.
Evra - 8 - Was excellent going forward, linking up well with Nani and later Giggs. Defended well.
Valencia - 6 - Had a quite evening. Made some good forward runs but didn't get the final ball in.
Fletcher - 7 - Solid as ever. Broke Birmingham's attack and started United's. Should have done beter with the chance at half time though.
Scholes - 6 - Had a quite eveing by his high standards. Always available to take a pass, saw plenty of the ball without creating too much.
Nani - 7 - Had a decent outing before being substituted. Had a few shots on target and setup Rooney for the goal.
Berbatov - 6 - Had a topsy turvey game. Brilliant in patches but went missing for the rest of the game.
Rooney - 9 - At the heart of everything united created. Menacing with the ball, showed some deft touches and made intelligent runs off the ball. Capped an excellent display with the winner.
Giggs - 6 - Showed some delightful touches but gave the ball away too often.
Brown - 5 - Played Benitez onside allowing the striker to race clear. Looked shaky coming off an injury.
Owen - 6 - Linked up well with Rooney in attack. Should have done much better with the chance right at the death.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Story of my Life

Chances blown
Nothing's free
Longing for what used to be
Still it's hard
Hard to see
Fragile lives, shattered dreams

These words perfectly describe my professional life so far. Just to get you guys up to speed, I am currently working in a mining MNC in Australia. Fresh out of college, I took this jobs and came to work in the plant with huge dreams and expectations. At the same time, the company had huge expectations from me as well. Some might even say that those expectations were a tad bit unrealistic. Anyways, my company has a system called work performance review, in which performance of the employees is judged based on certain criterion set by their managers. My ex-boss had set a few parameters based on which he was going to judge my performance. At the time when these criterion were being set I was new to the company and did not object to the fact that most of the expectations were out of my control and were measuring the performance of the plant instead of my individual performance. And now that has come back to bite me in the ass big time. Over the past few months, the plant has fallen into dire straits and as a wise once man said "the shit has hit the fans". S0 deep is the abyss to which the plant has fallen that everyday our biggest challenge is to somehow keep the plant running for another day. Productivity, efficiency have all been thrown out of the window, we are all fighting to keep our heads above the water here with the corporate sharks circling us, waiting to tear our heads off. Amidst all this turmoil, my work performance review has been set to be done in the coming week. Last week my boss came to my office and informed me about it and asked me to do the self assessment that employees have to do before their bosses do the final review. I said right-o boss, I'm on it. But at that moment I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach that I am in for a walloping.
So I sat down on my desk, opened up my expectations page and started going through them. I looked at the first one and thought "this doesn't look too good. Let me start from the next one and come back to this at the end." So I moved onto the second one. Again that didn't look too good. So I moved over to the next one. 15 minutes later, I had gone over the whole list and was staring at a total score of 0%. It said to myself "This doesn't look right. Maybe I was being too hard on myself. Let me try again." So I went over the list once more, this time looking for loopholes that would allow me to get a respectable score. After fretting over the list for 5 minutes, I came up with a score of 25%. Just to give you a relative measure of my despair, 100 - 125% is above expectation performance, 75 - 100 % is a good performance, 50 - 75% is an average performance and anything less than that is serious under performance. I was devastated. My first job and first performance review was going to send me in throes of depression. I went to my boss and told him that I did my review and I got a score of 25%. And I cheated! He said "I know how you feel. All of us got a score of 0 ourselves. Don't worry about it."
Well that's easy for him. He has been working here for years now and these reviews don't matter too much to him. But to someone in my position, they are career making or career breaking stats. What am I going to say in an interview "Hey I got a score of 0 in my performance review. But believe me I am a very professional worker. You can't find anyone better than me." Can you get a sense of hypocrisy in that statement. I am not a cynic, but the future doesn't look too bright to me. The Kid's aren't all-right.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

EPL 09/10 Season's Prediction

Good news football fans. The Premier League Season is about to begin. All the excitement, the mayhem and the madness is about to be unleashed. There are those that believes that this year is going to be the tightest title race since the inception of the Premier League. And then there are the hardcore supporters who predict their own team to win. There are the United fans who rightly I may say believe that its their destiny to win the EPL every year. And the confounded Chel$hits that are in a perennial state of dementia thinking that their band of cheats/ bullies will win the title. The Loserfools who haven't won the league in 20 years, but come August they always presume (or dream) they are going to win the title. And the poor Arseholes. You almost feel sorry for them. No trophies in four years and no indication that they might change that. But still they believe.

So come May, who is going to lift the Holy Grail. Will it be Gary Neville yet again. Or will one of Gerrard, Terry or Fabregas get their hands on the trophy this time (Naaaaahhhhh). Here is my prediction on the top four.

Chelsea - Most of the so called football pundits are predicting Chelsea to be the biggest title challenger to Manchester United this season. Well, I don't think so. Not with the squad they have got. An aging squad, lack of pace and over reliance on an unpredictable striker and deflected goals from Fat Frank don't bear the hallmark of champions. Additionally from their pre-season campaign, it's apparent that Ancelotti prefers the diamond formation in midfield. This is a throwback to the Moaninho era, where he had Lampard at the head of the diamond, Robben and Cole on the wings and Essien/ Makalele protecting the defense. The system worked for a couple of years but then the teams figured Chelsea out and they had to change their system to 4-3-3. So would it work this time around? The answer is a bit fat No. Let's have a look why.
Starting at the back, cech is still the keeper but anyone who has seen him perform for the last couple of years would have to say that he is not the same keeper who made Chelsea the meanest defense in the league. Fact of the matter is he has never been the same since his horror injury at Reading. His confidence has been shaken and certain chinks in his armour have surfaced. They have the second best central defence in the league (though I feel Terry is overrated and Carvalho holds the defence together). They have a pair of excellent attacking full backs, who like going forward at every opportunity they get. But with the 4-4-2 diamond, they will not get that kind of freedom. And if they do go forward, it will give the opposition defense a chance to go on the counter attack now that Chelsea wouldn't have two holding midfielders to cover for them. Moving over to the midfield, I see them playing Mikel/ Essien in front of the defense, Ballack/ Cole/ Malouda/ Essien in central midfield and Lampard at the top of the diamond. Essien is a master in the CDM position and is vital for Chelsea. He is the one who breaks opposition attacks and get the ball back for Chelsea to attack. Much of Chelsea's season will depend on whether he stays fit for the whole season or not. With the diamond formation, they will lose some of the width in the final third of the park and that places all the creative burden on Lampard. Lampard wouldn't be able to score more than 20 goals that he normally gets a season and Chelsea will rely on him to create chances for the top two. Coming to the top two. What a pair! Drogba is an enigma. He is brilliant one moment and immensely frustrating the other. To top it off, he dives, cheats, abuses and threatens referees and can at times be borderline psychotic. Anelka, on the other hand, is a perennial under-achiever who doesn't seem to care about his football and sometimes only looks mildly interested in the events on field. In my opinion, the strike pair are not reliable enough to carry the team.
Star Man: Michael Essien. Boy do they need him. He is what makes Chelsea tick. Without him, they are a bit exposed to opposition attacks. Without Essien they will leak goals and would have to score a hell of a lot of goals.
Prediction: Can't see them finishing in the top three. They might have a decent squad, but their first team is not good enough to beat top teams. I predict they would finish fourth this season unless they sign someone of high quality this month.

Liverpool - Last year was the closest the scousers came to the premier league title. They had a pretty good season by their standards. Truth be told, they came mighty close and left even seasoned United supporters sweating. But in the end, like always, they fell short. Having not seen the league trophy for 20 years,the Kop faithfuls are hungry (some would even say desperate) to win the title. Increasing the drama is the fact that that United are now level to Liverpool in terms of league titles (Yes Rafa, that's a FACT). Another win for United will see them overtake Liverpool and become not only the most successful team in EPL era but the most successful English team of all time. Will Rafa's men be able to stop them?
Last season, Torres and Gerrard were the Brains behind the Liverpool attack. Together they have formed a lethal partnership that has been missing for Liverpool ever since Rush retired. With Torres upfront and Gerrard playing behind him in the hole, these two combined last season with spectacular results. Torres, with his ability to dribble past defenders with pace along with his sublime finishing made the best of the defenders look ordinary. Add the lung bursting runs of Gerrard from midfield and you have got a fearsome attack. But there is more to Liverpool than these two (or atleast was). True they are the players who steal all the headlines, buts it's the two holding midfielders, that Liverpool employ, who do all the dirty work and make the team work. Yes I am talking about Mascherano and Alonso. Last season was a turning point in Mascherano's career. From being labelled the stupidest man in the world, he has raised his game to become one of the best holding midfielder on the planet. Alongside him, Alonso has grown into a world class midfielder. His passing is immaculate, his vision and reading of the game is top notch and he has a decent shot as well. He always seems to have ample time on the ball and is always available to take a pass.
Much of Liverpool's season hinged on whether they would keep hold of their star players. They have sold Alonso and brought Aquilani in as his replacement. Aquilani may be good, but he is not as good as Alonso. He would not be able to dominate the midfield in the same way that Alonso did. And without Alonso making the killer passes through midfield, Gerrard will have to drop deeper to get the ball. Basically, Liverpool's whole setup has been rocked. I don't see them playing the way they did last season without Alonso.
Star Man: Steven Gerrard. Mr Liverpool himself. He has been the heart and soul of the team for the last decade or so and they need hm now more than ever.
Prediction: Had Liverpool managed to keep last year's squad together, they would have been serious title contenders. But losing Alonso is a big blow. They also don't have the depth in their squad. If they lose either Gerrard or Torres to an injury, they are screwed. So I predict them to finish third.

Arsenal - Believe me when I say this, this is a make or break season for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger. The tension in the air and the pressure to deliver is higher than ever. With no trophies in the last 4 seasons, the last thing they won was the FA cup in 2005. Since then, many of their established stars have moved on in search of newer pastures (all of the invincibles have now left). Admittedly dome new stars have come in the team, but are they up to the task?
Arsene Wenger is an advocate of the beautiful game. Under him Arsenal has evolved into a fluid passing team with intricate movement, one touch passing and a plethora of creativity. He has refused to buy big and has instead placed his faith in young prodigious talent. But therein lies the one big flaw in his gameplan. Arsenal have lots of talented youngsters with immense talent and natural abilities. They are capable of producing moments of exquisite football that can make a purists burst into tears of joy. Their elegant movement, slide rule passing and stunning one touch passing moves are second to none (except probably Barcelona). All this works as long as the opposite teams let them play their football. But if a team decides to get in their faces, stick it to them and play on the counter attack, they are often found lacking. Why is that? Precisely the same reason why they are capable of playing one touch football. They have a glut of creative players. What they lack is experience and steel. Players like Viera, Henry, Pires were all experienced steely players who were all replaced by youngsters. That has sucked out all the experience from Arsenal's team and robbed them of a solid backbone. They don't have any player to break opposition attacks and start their own. More often than not, they have to rely on scoring more goals they let in to win the games. Another charge that has been laid on this Arsenal team is that they have a tendency to overcook things. Where simple passes or shots could work, they often try to come up with complicated passing moves, which may be aesthetically pleasing, but is not as effective as the direct approach.
Their have an extremely volatile goalkeeper, who can switch between a brilliant shot stopper and a klutzy clown in the matter of seconds. Their defense is extremely inexperienced (and short!) and apart from Gallas, Sagna and Clichy has no quality at all. The have bought Vermaelen from Ajax but have sold their most best central defender in the shape of Toure. Moving to the midfield, I think they have the best central midfielder in the world in Fabregas. His passing, movement creativity and the general reading of the game is out of this world. They've got Arshavin, Nasri and Rosicky who are all excellent attacking midfielders capable of linking the midfield to the forward line. In the shape of Wilshere and Ramsey they have an exciting bunch of young attacking midfielders hoping to burst on the scene. But do you think something missing? As I was saying earlier, they lack a holding midfielder who can protect their fragile defense. Denilson is not good enough to stop the likes of Rooney, Gerrard and Lampard. In attack, Van Persie and Eduardo are proven talent at the highest level and are both excellent finishers. Walcott is an upcoming talent and is held in high regards both in the Arsenal and England set-up. They have sold Adebayor, who they will not miss if Eduarso and Van Persie can stay fit for the season. Looking at the whole picture, Arsenal are one holding midfielder and one strong central defender away from being a world class team.
Star Man
: Cesc Fabregas. He has been the shining light in all these years of darkness for Arsenal. Once again Arsenal will rely on him to deliver the sucker punches and propel them to glory.
Prediction: Everyone has written Arsenal off for next season. Some have even questioned their top four status in the wake of the event taking place at Man Shitty. But I think Arsenal are going to surprise everyone. I am pretty sure Wenger will buy a couple of players before the transfer window closes. How those signings perform will make or break this season for Arsenal. I predict them to finish as runner-ups this season.

Manchester United - The reigning champions. The crown jewel in the British empire. The most successful team in English football. For the past few years, they have been and still are, the team to beat. They have won the Premier league for the last three year and will be out to create more history by becoming the team to win the league four times on a trot. And given their recent record, who can bet against them?
The summer has been a summer of change for united. Two of their famous fab-four are gone. Ronaldo finally got the move to Real Madrid that he has always wanted and Tevez has swapped the Red shirt of united for the blue part of Manchester. I don't think united will miss Tevez a lot. True he ran a lot, but you don't pay 25 million pounds for a guy who runs a lot. His five league goals in twenty nine starts can very easily be replaced. On the other hand, Ronaldo is an immense loss. You can't lose the best player in the world and say that it's no big deal. It is a big deal and had it been any other club, you would expect them to struggle. But united are no ordinary club. They have an the attitude of winners engrained in every particle of their being. They have lost great players in the past but always seem to find a way back. When the chips are down, expect a blazing, almost revolutionary revival from them. This never say die attitude in united teams of the past and the present is mainly down to two of the greatest managers in footballing history. Sir Matt Busby was a pioneer in giving young homegrown players a chance in the first team, engrain an adventerous and never say die attitude in them from a young age and unleash them on the world. And Sir Alex has taken it even further by installing a hunger to win in his player. And it's all down to SAF being the united manager that I believe United are going to be okay.
Looking at the squad, they have one of the best goalkeeper in the world, Van Der Saar who, like Vintage Wine, gets better with age. Foster has been ear marked to be the next United and England #1. They have what is probably the strongest defence in the world, not seen since the late 80's and early 90's Milan team. Neville and Brown are both experienced RB who can play in the center as well. Rafael is an attacking RB in the frame of Cafu who is expected to be the future RB of both his club and country. In Central defence, Vidic and Rio have formed the best CB partnership in the world. Vidic, being an aggressive defender, hard tackler, good in the air and a ferocious competitor acts as a perfect foil for Rio, who is a classy defender, comfortable on the ball and is an excellent distributor. Evra has established himself as one of the best LB in the world and he has an excellent understudy in Fabio. If the united team has a weak point, its central midfield. Opposed to Arsenal, they have some excellent holding midfielders who can break opposition attacks. What they are lacking is a creative attacking midfielder, who can link up the play between midfield and attack. But all is not lost. With Ronaldo gone, Nani, Valencia and Tosic will be given more chances to establish themselves in the united setup and to fill in the big boots vacated by Ronaldo. Carrick and Fletcher have really come into their own in the last couple of season and they can be expected to produce the goods as deep lying central midfielders this term as well. Anderson will be expected to start fulfilling the potential he showed in his first season with united. Maybe he is going to be the one who steps up as an attacking midfielder, a position in which he used to play at his previous club Porto. But the biggest boost to united will be in the shape of the return of Owen Hargreaves. He is one of the few box to box midfielder (in the mould of Keano) left on the planet and would be vital against big teams. There is no point in dwelling in the past, but it may not be wrong to say that had Hargreaves been fit last season, the Champions league final would have panned out a bit differently. And don't forget the evergreen Giggs and Scholes who may be in the twilight of their career but are still capable of producing moments of pure genius. Looking at the attack, they have lost 20-30 goals a season in Ronaldo. It will be upto the other to lift their game and compensate for this loss. Rooney will be played in a more central role this term and would be vital for United's hope this season. I think its the ideal time and opportunity for Rooney to live up to his full potential. Time for him to stop being the selfless team member and become the explosive and brilliant Rooney that exploded on the scene at Euro 2004. How well he links up with Dimitar Berbatov is going define the season for united. Berbatov had a mixed first season for united, showing glimpses of his atrocious talent, but not consistently enough. That may have been enough at Spurs, but now he's with United and needs t step his game up a notch. They have a couple of exciting young strikers in Macheda and Wellbeck who burst into the first team last year and are expected to improve upon their performances this term. And that brings us to the newest addition to the squad, Michael Owen. Signed on a free, Owen can become the shrewdest piece of transfer business that SAF has ever done. He is an excellent finisher and a proven goalscorer. If he can stay fit, he is bound to bang in 15 - 20 goals this season. With all these changes in the squad, expect United to play differently from last season, but don't write them off.
Star Man: Wayne Rooney.With Ronaldo gone, Rooney is going to become the main man for United. My opinion has always been that Rooney is the heartbeat of United. Even when Ronaldo was here, Rooney was the one who used to orchestrate all the attacks. Ronaldo took away all the headlines, but it was Rooney who used to make United tick. And now it's his time. Time for him to remind the world of his talents and become the shining light at Old Trafford.
Prediction: Only a fool would bet against United winning everything in sight. They have the best squad in the league, with a mixture of world class experienced players and gifted youngsters. But most importantly, they have a manager who knows how to win they league. I predict them to finish as Champions again.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

100 questions - 5rd Aug '09

LAST -
1. Last beverage: Black Coffee
2. Last phone call: Sister(on the occasion being Rakhi)
3. Last text message: Sumone sent it to me :P
4. Last song you listened to: "Piano Man-Billy Joel"
5. Last time you cried: ohhhhh...now that is too hard to remember

HAVE YOU EVER -
6. Dated someone twice: yes
7. Been cheated on? : heheh without dating can u be cheated :P
8. Kissed someone & regretted it? NO
9. Lost someone special? Not really ... m not so emosionally attached to people :P
10. Been depressed? Yes
11. Been drunk and threw up? YES i remember it was the result of a glass full of black label neat

FOUR FAVORITE COLORS:
12.Black
13.Red
14.Blue
15.White

FIRSTS :
16. Made new friends: hmm.. ive been to 6 schools so ive made new frnds every 3 yrs or so :P
17. Fallen out of love: If u mean as in love from only my side ohh i forgot the counting :P
18. Laughed until you cried: Yes! whenever I gang up with friends and start an arbitrary discussion
19. Met someone who changed you: changed me:P ...only IIT did .. but after that i ve been chanign ppl :P
20. Found out who your true friends were: Yes
21. Found out someone was talking about you: Naaah .... m not the one talked about in decent corridors

HAVE YOU:
22. Kissed anyone on your friend's list: friends list as in ??? but yes
23. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life:90%
24. How many kids do you want to have:lets see... 1 wld be enough to jhelofy
25. Do you have any pets:no
26. Do you want to change your name:NO
27. What did you do for your last birthday: Slept...woke up brush ate sumthing slept ..umm thats probably it:)
28. What time did you wake up today:12:25 p.m.
29. What were you doing at midnight last night: watching tv series
30. Name something you CANNOT wait for: checking my mails, reading bbc sport news .....
31. Last time you saw your father: 1 month back, when I visited home after 1 yr :P
32. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life: there are few ...
33. Most visited web page: orkut, gmail, timesofindia, bbc, F1, FB, Eco times,

WHAT'S YOUR :
34. Name:Mayank
35. Nicknames:lavania(not a nick as such but ppl call me by my surname)
36. Zodiac sign:Capricorn
37. Male or female or transgender: Male
38. Elementary: Modern, Kota
39. Colleges: IIT Kanpur
40. Hair color:Black
41. Long or short: Short
42. Height:5.11.3"
43. Do you have a crush on someone? Just let me go out to sum place nice and i will hv a crush.
44. Ever been in love? hmm ... if ferrari nd manchester united counts then YES
45. Piercings? No
46. Tattoos? No, would not like to get one
47. Righty or lefty: Righty
48. First surgery: Never
49. First piercing: NA
50. First best friend: I prefer not to classify friends :P
51. First sport you loved: Football
52. First pet : NA
53. First vacation: can't remember, maybe visiting my hometown
54. First concert: Euphoria in Antaragni, IIT Kanpur
55. First crush:Boys school-- no crush ... coed school- stopped going :P
56. Eating: Eggitarian
57. Drinking: Ohh let them flow in :P
58. I'm about to: start a new episode of 2.5 men
59. Listening to: uptown Girl(billy joel)
60. Waiting for: sumthing to happen in life :P


YOUR FUTURE

61. Want kids? not sure .. but definitely a cool bike :)
62. Want to get married? not necessary .. i could settle with a ferrari :P
63. Careers in mind? yes obviously

WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX?
64. Lips or eyes: Eyes nd lips
65. Hugs or kisses: Kisses while hugging :P
66. Shorter or taller: doesnt matter sexy sexy
67. Older or Younger: again doent matter sexy sexy ... but milfs are hot
68. Romantic or spontaneous: Spontaneous
69. Nice stomach or nice arms: Nice arms but a sexy stomach :P
70. Sensitive or loud: Sensitive while a bit loud
71. Hook-up or relationship: hook-up relationship
72. Trouble maker or hesitant: Some where in between

HAVE YOU EVER :
73. Kissed a stranger: would luv to
74. Lost glasses/contacts: No
76. Broken some one's heart: Yes loads of them
77. Had your own heart broken: naaah..... u hv to hav a heart to get it broken
78. Been arrested: NO
79. Turned someone down: is it possible ... can i be apporached too ???
80. Cried when someone died: No
81. Liked a friend that is a girl?: Yesss

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
81. Yourself: Yes
82. Miracles: Yes
83. God: Yes .. but we dnt generally click
84. Love at first sight: Yeah
85. Heaven: NO
86. Santa Claus: NO
87. Kiss on the first date? YESSSS
88. Angels:yeah ... just saw one :)
89. Devils:i just looked at him in the mirror

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:

90. Is there one person you want to be with right now? Yes
91. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time? is this possible???????
92. Wanted to kill someone ever? Yes... i still hv the feeling :)
93. Among your blog mates, whom would you like to kiss? No-one
94. Committed a blunder and regretted later? Yes
95. Wanted to steal you friend's boyfriend / girlfriend? ahhh ... sadly they tooo dnt hv ne ... but yeah wld surely go after their wives

ASSOCIATE WITH SOMETHING YOU LIKE :
96. White: beauty
97. Black: bike
98. Red: ferrari/ manchester united
99. Pink: gayyyyyy

100. Posting this as 100th Truth?
I lie a lot :P

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Top Ten Rock Bands of All Times

Music cleanses the understanding; inspires it, and lifts it into a realm which it would not reach if it were left to itself. Listening to the one right song can change your mood in an instant. Listening to a rock and roll number conjures up images of a happy-go-lucky world and is an immediate stress busters. Hard Rock acts as an adrenaline boost when you are feeling down. Punk Rock is a way of relieving all your pent up frustrations. And as the name suggests, blues rock are a good companion when you are feeling the blues. Pop is supposed to make you feel urban cool, but I just feel like banging my head to the wall when I listen to it. Music is the form of art that is most reachable and is the best medium to spread your message across to the world. It is a universal language that can be understood by everyone. So who is the greatest of them all? Which band has inspired generations with their music? Which band rocks the hardest? The trouble with any such top ten list is that everyone has their own opinion and there can be no one universal list with which everyone would agree with. One can either shudder anticipating the barrage of disagreements and make politically correct choices or can go ahead in his own flow, ignoring others and going ahead with his own judgement. So I am not going to pretend to be a music expert and claim this list to be the "Holy Grail" which every music reviewer on the planet has been searching for. It is just my opinion on who I think are the greatest.(This means the Top 10 bands of all time. No solo artists allowed. No female artists allowed. No collectives allowed)
  1. Led Zeppelin - The greatest of them all. Generally regarded as the finest hard rock band , Led Zep were more than a just a band. They were a movement representing the carefree and groovy culture of the 70's. In a career spanning 10 glorious years churning out 9 albums, Led Zepplin were (and still are) the most popular rock band in the world. Their music was inspired from many sources and transcended genre's including metal, rock, blues, folk, funk, soul, rockability, pop and classical to name a few. 30 years on since disbanding, the band is still held in high regard for their artistic achievements, commercial success and broad influence. They developed the blues-based power trio-plus-lead singer archetype. John Bonham on the drums is widely considered to be one of the greatest drummers in the history of rock music by other musicians, and one of the most important and influential musicians of his era. His drums solos were legendary and the raw talent and power he displays in his songs is out of this world. The greatest tribute to the skills of Bonham comes from his own band members who often stated that Led Zeppelin wouldn't have been half as good without him. John Paul Jones's bass and strategic keyboards glued the disparate elements of the band together. Together with Bonham, he provided the backbone to the band adding an eclectic dimension to the band making it more than just a rock band. Robert Plant’s vocals reached levels of deranged ecstasy with his lyrics often mystical, philosophical and spiritual, oozing with sexuality or classical myths. Jimmy Page was unquestionably one of the all-time most influential, important, and versatile guitarists and songwriters in rock history, producing the most influential guitar riffs and solos in history of rock music with unerring ease— from the heaviest crunch to the most delicate acoustic finger picking. So many bands have broken up and gotten back together again, some of their members being interchangeable. But Led Zeppelin was different. Each member was dependent upon the other. Without Page there would be no Plant. Without John Bonham there'd be no John Paul Jones, etc. They were all valuable pieces of the band; you could not have one without the other. The real legacy of Zeppelin is the timelessness of their music. Nobody can come close to "Stairway to Heaven" with its soft, peaceful opening and its steady increasing guitar energy to all out heavy metal euphoria, then ends as it began, peacefully. Their music doesn't sound dated; it breaks certain generational gaps that other musical genres just cannot do. Zeppelin's music always sounds fresh and is always gaining new audiences and maybe that is why they are called "classic". If it were not for Led Zeppelin, hard rock, heavy metal, or whatever it's called it now, would sound very different today. They defined what a hard rock/metal band is supposed to be.
  2. Queen - There have been many bands that have graced the stage, but none could be compared to the grace and power of Queen. Formed in 1970, members Brian May, renowned singer Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor and John Deacon, set the world on fire with years of grandeur. Queen as a band showed no limitations in talent, mixing hard rock, opera, and pop, among many musical styles. They have been associated with a wide range of genres including dance/disco, glam rock, hard rock, heavy metal, pop rock, progressive rock and psychedelic rock, country, opera, gospel, and folk. Queen utilized both a hard rock grit of distortion laden guitar, and the soulful keyboard styling which was a one of many trademarks of this epic rock group. Queen is remembered for its never-seen-before theatrics, showmanship, camp and bombast; in particular its musical eclecticism and ground-breaking live shows. In the mid-to-late '70s, the group's work reached new levels of creativity and accessibility thanks to the development of its four members as songwriters. Guitarist-vocalist Brian May and drummer-vocalist Roger Taylor wrote catchy rockers, bassist John Deacon proved to be an adept writer of pop songs and flamboyant vocalist-pianist-frontman Freddie Mercury was particularly skilled at penning ornate, sometimes campy tunes. His semi-operatic "Bohemian Rhapsody" stands as Queen's signature song and has been voted many times as the greatest song in history of music. The track showcases the group's layered vocal harmonies, which is one of Queen's most distinctive trademarks. Queen's live performances were truly ground-breaking, employing massive lighting rigs, pyrotechnics, and other special effects to make their shows into engaging theatrical events. The energy with which they performed, the excitement, enthusiasm and pure adrenaline Freddie Mercury brought with his vocal performance, was so natural and so genuine that the audience almost always joined in and sang. Queen wrote songs with the specific purpose of involving the crowd, like "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions," and tailored some songs, like "Radio GaGa" to involve claps. They changed live concerts forever from the staid, stodgy events that had prevailed since the time of the Beatles, where performers would merely stand around and play their instruments. John Deacon, their bass player, not content with just playing a background role and playing root notes, used his bass guitar as a lead instrument as well as a rhythm instrument. He played in a highly technical style, with numerous runs, walking bass lines and tight quick note changes. Roger Taylor is known for his "big" unique sound and is considered one of the most influential rock drummers of the 1970s and 1980s. Brian May was a virtuoso guitarist. He was able to play the most intricate guitar solos and come up with the most catching guitar riffs and was known to be able to produce unusual sounds, using his guitar to mimic a trombone, a piccolo and several other instruments. But Freddie Mercury was the heart and soul of the band. As a performer, he was known for his vocal prowess and flamboyant performances. As a songwriter, he used to write musically complex material involved the wide range of genres. But his true genius was truly showcased in his live performances. He immersed himself in the crowd's adulation and thrived off their excitement. Those who compile lists of Great Rock Frontmen and award the top spots to Mick Jagger, Robert Plant, etc. all are guilty of a terrible oversight. Freddie, even on his worst day, was easily the most godlike of them all. When Queen were at the peak of their powers, they were generally panned by the critics due to their extravagant performances and music style. In recent years, the group's critical stock has increased considerably: they have generally become recognized as pioneers of heavy metal, glam rock, progressive rock and stadium rock, been cited by innumerable acts as diverse as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Mötley Crüe, Guns N' Roses, Def Leppard, Metallica, Extreme, Dream Theater, Steve Vai, Trent Reznor, Robbie Williams, George Michael, Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, Green Day, Foo Fighters, Muse, The Darkness, Franz Ferdinand, and Joan Osborne as being influential to their sound. It’s very early songs were a key bridge between glam rock and heavy metal. One of rock's most successful, influential and popular acts, the band has released a total of eighteen number one albums, eighteen number one singles, and ten number one DVDs worldwide making them one of the world's best-selling music artists. Queen albums have spent a total of 1,322 weeks or twenty-seven years on the United Kingdom album charts; more time than any other musical act. Queen is also one of the most bootlegged bands ever. We Will Rock You is the most frequently played song ever. Their 1985 Live Aid performance was voted the best live rock performance of all time in an industry poll. If anyone is still sceptical about Queen, just look at this statistic: On April 20, 1992, the surviving members of Queen and other artists like Elton John, Annie Lennox, David Bowie and Def Leppard performed a memorial concert at Wembley Stadium in England in the honour of Freddie Mercury. That show was broadcast worldwide to an astonishing audience of more than one billion. Their lyrics inspire and move you, and sometimes may even bring you to tears. Queen will live forever.

  3. Velvet Underground - Here is a band that is an enigma to me. Cited by many critics as one of the most important and influential groups of their era, they were never a commercial success. Brian Eno once stated that, despite hardly anyone buying this album on its release, everyone that did buy it seemed to have formed a band. Decades after they broke up, they have been gradually accepted as one of the best and most important bands in rock history. Why did it take such a long time for their art to be appreciated. When the rest of the world was singing about peace and happiness, the Velvet's were singing about drugs, sex and sadomasochism. Lou Reed was quoted by Rolling Stone magazine as saying "My prime ambition was to knock the door down on what rock & roll songs were about." The band sought not just to entertain, they were on a mission to prove that rock and roll could be dangerous again. They managed to create an aesthetic so extreme, alien and ahead of its time that it has taken three decades for the world to catch up. Kurt Loder, one of the most respected music critics once stated "Why doesn't the Velvet Underground just reunite, make an album of its own, and instantly become the most meaningful band on the planet?" That is the respect that VU commands amongst the music community. The Velvet's dished out just 4 albums, but in doing that they left a legacy of their own. Without VU, there would have been no glam rock, no krautrock and no punk. Their legacy is defined by their noisy sound, their cynicism and a long list of great songs. But the true legacy is their lyrics, which blew open a whole new world that rock bands would go on to explore in decades to come. David Bowie has said, "The nature of Reed’s lyric writing had been hitherto unknown in rock...he supplied us with the street and the landscape, and we peopled it."Listen to mainstream rock acts like Bon Jovi or Guns N' Roses, and you'll hear the influence of the Rolling Stones. Listen to college or alternative radio stations, and it's clear the heroes are the Velvet Underground.
  4. The Beatles - The Beatles were one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands in the history of popular music who changed the face of music with their songs. It's not a mere coincidence that the Rolling Stones, the Billboard and countless other music publication have named them #1 in their top 100 lists. With John Lennon on Rhythm Guitar, Paul McCartney on Bass Guitar, George Harrison on Lead Guitar and Ringo Star on the Drums, with all four of them providing the vocals, the band had a combination of explosive energy, boyish charms and immaculate musical talent that made them instant stars across the globe. John Lennon and Paul McCartney together formed one of the most influential and successful songwriting partnerships of the 20th century and wrote some of the most iconic music in rock and roll history. Each Beatle had a personality of their own that everyone can relate to and yet they remained united as a group. They made themselves so easy to love and adore which gave birth to what was billed as Beatlemania. They generated an intensity of joy that slapped millions of people in the face with the awareness that happiness and exuberance was inevitable in their presence. They generated an energy that was amplified a million times over and returned to them in a in form of intense levels of hysteria by their fans (specially love struck teenage girls). But more importantly, it was the message that their music portrays that insures their success today. They were innovative and defiant. Unlike many groups today, the Beatles message was not that of menace and evil, but it was a message of peace, love and happiness that set out to change the world by changing the minds of the individuals listening.
  5. U2 - U2 is the most important and influential band of the post-punk era, combining sonic guitar rock, punkish attitude, Celtic spirituality, innovative production and electronic experimentalism — all gelled together by singer/lyricist Bono’s transcendent vision and charisma. Since their inception, U2 have developed and maintained a distinctly recognisable sound, with emphasis on melodic instrumentals and expressive, larger-than-life vocals. The Edge has consistently used a rhythmic echo and a signature delay with his guitar that has yielded the ambient and sweeping sound which defines U2. Bono has nurtured his operatic voice and has exhibited a notable lyrical bent towards social, political, and personal subject matter while maintaining a grandiose scale in his songwriting. U2 have introduced new elements into their musical repertoire with each new album. U2's early sound has been described as “containing a sense of exhilaration that resulted from The Edge's radiant chords and Bono's ardent vocals”. U2's sound began with post-punk roots and minimalistic and uncomplicated instrumentals heard on Boy and October, but evolved through War to include aspects of rock anthem, funk, and dance rhythms to become more versatile and aggressive. The songs from The Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum placed more emphasis on rhythm as they mixed distinct and varied styles of gospel and blues music. In the 1990s, U2 reinvented themselves as they began using synthesizers, distortion, and electronic beats derived from alternative music, dance music, and hip-hop on Achtung Baby, Zooropa and Pop. The 2000s had U2 returning to a stripped-down sound, with less use of synthesizers and effects and a more traditional rhythm. But their music is not what separates them from the rest. What makes U2 different is how well they have reacted to fame. U2 has been the leading rock band since the '80s because its members believe that rock ‘n’ roll can save the world, and they have the talent to make that notion not seem hopelessly naive. Since the early 1980s, the members of U2—as a band and individually—have collaborated with other musicians, artists, celebrities, and politicians to address issues concerning poverty, disease, and social injustice. U2 have used tours to highlight social issues. There rarely has been a band that believed so deeply in rock's potential for revolution as U2, and there rarely has been a band that didn't care if they appeared foolish in the process. They were (and still are) rock & roll crusaders during an era of synthesized pop and heavy metal, equally known for their sweeping sound as for their grandiose statements about politics and religion. Most other bands have used their fame and fortune for personal gains, multimillion dollar contracts, sex and drugs. Not U2. They are different. They use their music to make a change, to make a difference in the world (Bono has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and has been awarded knighthood for his work). That is why they are great and are rightfully the biggest band on the planet.
  6. The Who - The loudest band in the World. The Who have been there and done that all. Formed in 1964 with guitarist Pete Townshend, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon, The Who are renowned for their energetic live performances (their music is not bad either). They rose to fame with their explosive stage performances and a series of Top Ten singles.Pete Townsend, the man who introduced the world to 'The Windmill' was the primary songwriter for the group and is considered to be one of rock's most accomplished composers. Daltrey's vocals were the vehicle through which Townshend's visions were expressed, and he gained an equally vaunted reputation as a powerful vocalist and riveting frontman. Daltrey's habit of swinging the microphone around by its cord on stage became a signature move. His stuttering expression of youthful anger, frustration and arrogance captured the revolutionary feeling of the 1960s for many young people around the world and became the band's trademark. His scream near the end of "Won't Get Fooled Again" became a defining moment in rock and roll. Daltrey was the face and voice of the band as they defined themselves as the ultimate rebels in a generation of change. His stage persona has earned him a position as one of the “gods of rock and roll” and has influenced the development of many other bands since. The Who's progressive approach to the writing of albums and their live shows are matched by few. Their hard rock style set the stage for bands from Led Zeppelin to The Clash. Their loud and agressive approach to rosk and snotty attitude earned them the title of "Godfathers of Punk" influencing bands from Sex Pistols to Green Day. The Who's 60's singles were the birth of Power Pop influencing groups from Raspberries to Cheap Trick. The Who have been credited with devising the "rock opera" and for making the first notable concept album. The Who are rightfully regarded as the greatest live band of all times and certainly one of the most influential.
  7. AC/DC - AC/DC are perhaps the most aptly named band in Rock history. Listening to their songs send a jolt of current running through your body, shocking and mesmerizing you at the same time. Their raw energy and power driven performances are so infectious that it can get even the laziest bum (like me) on his feet grooving to their tunes. Formed by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young, AC/DC are considered to be pioneers of heavy metal. Malcolm Young is regarded as a leading rock exponent of rhythm guitar. He is responsible for the broad sweep of AC/DC's sound and has been instrumental in developing many of the band's guitar riffs and the band's material. Angus Young is the face of AC/DC and is known for wild, energetic performances and schoolboy-uniform stage outfits. He is especially noted for his vibrato, his intricate improvisation in live shows, and his stripped down and simple approach to guitar play. But the thing that separates him from other great guitarist of the his era is his wild on-stage antics. He is a bundle of energy on stage be it intense jumps, running back and forth on the stage while playing his guitar, the Spasm (throwing himself on the ground, kicking, shaking and spinning in circles, while playing guitar), the Bob (headbanging while tapping his feet to his guitar) , the Strip (name suggests it all). He would even climb on Bon Scott's (and later Brian Johnson) and they would make their way through the audience with smoke streaming from Young's back, while playing an extended guitar solo. Scott was rated as one of Rock's Greatest Frontman along with Freddie Mercury and Robert Plant. They truly are the thunder from down under that gives you the second-most-powerful surge that can flow through your body.
  8. The Jimmy Hendrix Experience - OK I admit. I am cheating here. But I had to put Jimi Hendrix Experience in to get the man in the top 10. He is widely considered to be the greatest guitarist in the history of rock music by other musicians and commentators in the industry, and one of the most important and influential musicians of his era across a range of genres. He is the guy that gave the world the electric guitar, establishing it as a unique sonic source, rather than merely an amplified version of the acoustic guitar. Had there been no Jimi Hendrix, rock, as we know it, wouldn't have existed. There would have been no Led Zeppelin, no Velvet Underground, no Aerosmith, no The Who and no other hard rock/ metal band today. His feedback, wah-wah and fuzz-laden soloing moved guitar distortion well beyond mere novelty, he used these effects pedals and units with dramatic results. Hendrix established a sonically heavy yet technically proficient bend to rock music, significantly furthering the development of hard rock and paving the way for heavy metal. He took blues to another level. His music has also had a great influence on funk and the development of funk rock. He was a dazzling showman - he could and would play behind his back and with his teeth and set his guitar on fire. His extraordinary guitar play often obscured his considerable gifts as a songwriter/ singer. His untimely death robbed the world of one of the greatest musician of his time. One can only imagine what he may have achieved had he lived on.
  9. The Kinks - Nearly half a century on from their debut, the legacy of prime-era Kinks is still impressive. At a time when the Beatles and the Stones were still in thrall to American blues and rock & roll artists, The Kinks were spearheading the British Invasion.Led by Ray Davies, who is indisputably rock's most literate, witty and insightful songwriter, the Kinks were one of the bands that really started the Rock & Roll movement in America. Their single "You really got me going" introduced distortion and the power chord to the world and is widely regarded as the starting point of Heavy Metal and Punk Rock. The song brings together the elemental fury and desperation so essential to punk rock and the distortion and relentless intensity of the lead guitar sound so prevalent in heavy metal. The Kinks were never as commercially successful as their peers, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, or Led Zeppelin, mostly because of their fierce creative disdain of commercial musical trends that were imposed by record labels. This in itself makes them true legends of Rock & Roll which is all about the fight against the man. Today they are cited as one of the greatest, most influential acts and the quality of their finest material remains unquestionable. Their early hard-driving singles set the tone in the mid-1960's for rock and roll music. Their albums are unique, literate pop masterpieces that stand alongside any albums of that influential era. The number of acts the band has influenced vary from hard rock and heavy metal to punk rock, and the notorious Britpop movement, with many of the acts owing much to the Kinks and Ray Davies' superb songwriting skills. Pete Townshend famously said for "The History of Rock 'n' Roll": "The Kinks were much more quintessentially English. I always think that Ray Davies should one day be Poet Laureate. He invented a new kind of poetry and a new kind of language for Pop writing that influenced me from the very, very, very beginning." Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have acknowledged permeating influences of the Kinks on some of their own classics. Ray Davies has left his mark on rock music as one the best, most prolific and perceptive songwriters of his time. His catalogue of songs, soaked with English musical and lyrical influence, is one of the finest available, and he remains one of the most acute observers of the quirks and eccentricities of ordinary English life. The Kinks are truly Legen - wait for it..... Dary!
  10. Pink Floyd - Pink Floyd is the most eccentric and experimental multi-platinum band of the album rock era, creating exceptional cinematic sound sculptures like “Meddle,” “Dark Side of the Moon,” “Wish You Were Here,” and the band’s magnum opus “The Wall.” Pink Floyd are known for philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album cover art and elaborate live shows. Beginning in the mid-'60s as a R&B-based hard rock band with Syd Barrett on guitar and vocals, Roger Waters on bass and vocals, Richard Wright on keyboards, and Nick Mason on drums, the band mutated quickly into a strange combination of British psychedelia and long-form instrumental space rock. The music soared into entirely uncharted sonic territory, combining the new pallet of distortion guitar with classically influenced organ and driving percussion. Lyrically, the songs painted a bemused and whimsical landscape of interstellar travel and childhood daydreams. After guitarist David Gilmour joined the group to replace Barrett, Floyd became a democratic foursome sharing writing, singing and leadership duties. As Floyd headed more deeply into experimental symphonic explorations, the more popular they became. Each successive album, supported by regular concert tours, built Pink Floyd's stature and broadened their epic ambition. The release of "Dark Side of the Moon" in 1973 was a thunderclap across all of pop music. A tour-de-force of production, arrangement, song-writing and timing, Dark Side rose to #1 on the Billboard chart and stayed there for the next 12 years, carving Pink Floyd a legend that remains untouched to date and will likely remain indefinitely. The albums "Wish You Were Here" and "Animals” sold millions of records and were supported by record-breaking, over-the-top tours. But it wasn't until "The Wall", Roger Water’s dismal vision of modern life and alienation, that Pink Floyd would again break new ground. Waters' influence, though darker and more earth-bound, also yielded material better suited to the singles format. The touring production for The Wall involved the construction of a huge wall between the band and the audience during the show (broken at the end of show, obviously) and remains to this day one of the most ambitious road shows ever toured. Pink Floyd defined the Progressive Rock genre and influenced scores of artists like David Bowie, Genesis, The Nazz, Queen, Phish, Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Yes. Floyd were different to say the least. Not everybody’s cup of tea. They defied musical trends and beliefs. They crossed all borders and genres. They went where no one had gone before and found that they were comfortable there. They crossed in to unchartered waters and opened a whole new world for all of us to admire. Their music was original and different from anything the world that had seen before. There has been no band like Floyd and most probably never will be. That is the legacy of Floyd.