And so it begins...

My job offers ample opportunity for a wandering mind and I've utilized that time in developing a huge array of useless thoughts and pursuits.  So many thoughts are running through my head as to what should be first.  After more thought than this decision deserves, the categories have been whittled down to three, all of which will be explored at some point in time.  The three...Hamilton Fish, my unnatural disdain of Foriegner and Mark McGwire in the hall. 

I'm leaning toward choice number two as I really do, genuinely, dislike this band.  Not merely for its ability to produce insipid waste in the form of poorly written and produced pop drivel, but for its complete assimilation and subsequent burying of one of the greatest rock saxaphone talents ever to wet a reed.

If you need evidence to support my first assertion, look no further than the guitar solo from Foriegner's 1978 hit, "Hot Blooded".  The band's co-founder, Mick Jones, begins his schtick competently enough.  But soon, he's falling all over himself, slipping strings and missing frets in a recording that is unbelieveable in the fact they left it on tape and in the song.  A quick disclaimer. Jones is a credible professional guitar player.  Much better than I could ever hope to be.  But to leave an abomination like that in a song that is supposed to be your signature is unforgiveable.

And, honestly I could ignore that, subscribing to the motto, "If you don't like it, don't listen".

That leads to my second assertion.

Ian McDonald co-founded Foriegner with Jones in 1976.  It was a wildly successful venture for the two.  But think for a moment what comes to mind when you think of the band.  Certainly not Saxaphone.  And that's a shame.  McDonald co-founded another band previous to Foreigner in 1969.  King Crimson was the brainchild of Robert Fripp.  The talents of multi instrumentalist McDonald fit in well with his concept of jazz-fusion tinged rock.  If you've not listened to their first album, "In the Court of the Crimson King", do yourself a favor.  It can be more than a bit pretentious at times.  However, it is also loaded with gobs of entertaining twists and turns, all prominantly featuring brilliant saxaphone work by McDonald.  To compare this to his later efforts with Foriegner really does bring a small tear to my eye.  He recorded only the one studio album with King Crimson.  And aside from Foriegner, McDonald has been, and still is, a featured session player for a wide range of acts.  But nothing he's done since has come close to the magic he brought to the table some 41 years ago.

As my closing comment, I do understand the value of a paycheck.  Foriegner allowed McDonald a much better lifestyle and level of financial comfort than anything he has done before or since.  I will never fault a person for making it big.  I just rue the path taken to that success and the loss of what might have been.

And so it begins...