Steel Kaleidoscopes

Rubber Soul vs. Revolver

Arguably, two of the Beatles' best albums are Rubber Soul and Revolver, both of which closed their "safe era" of formulaic songwriting. These discs were the precursor to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which, under the inventive genius of Sir. George Martin, broke every rule in the songbook.

The Beatles released Rubber Soul on Dec. 6, 1965, and Revolver on Aug. 8, 1966. Both albums are wonderful listens with simple chord structures, snapshots of those sensitive years between the gunning down of JFK and the  Summer of Love.

There are many similarities between the two albums, starting with the traditional seven songs per side, 14 songs per album. For George Harrison, the quiet Beatle, these albums demonstrate his emergence as a songwriter.

America, which had just been introduced to the Beatles in '64, was crazy for the Fab Four. Beatlemania was in full swing, a pop-culture diversion from the Vietnam War. It was Rubber Soul and Revolver, near mirror images, that supplied Top 40 radio with a seemingly endless soundtrack.

So which album is better? The easiest way to answer this question is to match both albums head to head, song for song. This is wildly subjective, of course, but since when does any Beatles discussion or debate resemble science?

The criteria is threefold: song structure, lyrics and relevance in 2005. After 40 years, which album has been able to best weather the test of time?

Drive My Car vs. Taxman:
Tough way to start, but Drive My Car is one of the Beatles' best straightforward uptempo classics. The song is so good that Sir Paul McCartney used it to open his recent Super Bowl set. Harrison is ultra-hip on Taxman, but there's nothing like Drive My Car's opening guitar riff.
Edge: Rubber Soul

Norwegian Wood vs. Eleanor Rigby:
Another tough call, but the simplicity of just McCartney with strings on Eleanor Rigby was beyond brilliant and still is today. Norwegian Wood is romantic and dreamy but lacks the courage of Eleanor Rigby, one of the purest sounding Beatles songs.
Edge: Revolver

You Won't See Me vs. I'm Only Sleeping:
Both tracks are on the weak side, in comparison to the volume of work on these discs. I'm Only Sleeping gets the nod with better lyrics and a groovier guitar vibe.
Edge: Revolver

Nowhere Man vs. Love You Too:
Nowhere Man is the legendary lyrical loser with no peer. Beautiful harmonies with superb production. Nice sitar work on Love You Too, but Nowhere Man is more of a classic.
Edge: Rubber Soul

Think for Yourself vs. Here, There and Everywhere:
Here, There and Everywhere is one of the greatest love songs ever written and a McCartney staple. Once again, sorry George. Paul has you beat again.
Edge: Revolver

The Word vs. Yellow Submarine:
This one was tough. The Word is a very underrated song, but Ringo gets the edge here with his trippy underwater diddy. The wacky sound effects were cutting-edge production for '66 and the vocals are very cool.
Edge: Revolver

Michelle vs. She Said She Said:
No contest here. She Said She Said is one of the ultimate Beatle rockers and Michelle is kind of a wimpy, sappy effort that gets a lot of elevator air time these days. My Bell? C'mon.
Edge: Revolver

What Goes On vs. Good Day Sunshine:
One of the best examples of classic optimism, Good Day Sunshine is something to be hummed every morning in the shower. Lennon's What Goes On is OK, but not real memorable.
Edge: Revolver

Girl vs. And Your Bird Can Sing
Another no-brainer. The guitar work on And Your Bird Can Sing is wonderfully mixed. Girl is a hokey McCartney B track. And what's up with that weird inhaling sound? It's like Paul is eating spaghetti.
Edge: Revolver

I'm Looking Through You vs. For No One:
McCartney and Lennon's harmonizing on I'm Looking Through You illustrates that vintage Beatles sound. For No One is a good song, but it doesn't measure up here.
Edge: Rubber Soul

In My Life vs. Doctor Robert:
Another easy one. In My Life is one of the greatest songs of all time. Lyrically brilliant, there are very few peers of songs at this tempo. Dr. Robert is a cool Lennon track, but it's up against solid gold.
Edge: Rubber Soul

Wait vs. I Want to Tell You:
Two weak songs. Harrison's I Want to Tell You is a better song, but these songs are bottom tier here. The lyrics in Wait are very corny.
Edge: Revolver

If I Needed Someone vs. Got to Get You Into My Life:
Another nod for George, who emerges as a songwriting force with this effort. If I Needed Someone is a great, great song that never received the radio airplay it deserved.
Edge: Rubber Soul

Run for Your Life vs. Tomorrow Never Knows:
Another easy one. Tomorrow Never Knows is trippy, hip, relevant and was a sign of bigger things to come. This would have easily fit on Pepper or the White Album.  Run for Your Life hints at domestic abuse. Kind of an odd track.
Edge: Revolver

Final score: Revolver 9, Rubber Soul 5.

Signs of Summer

The bleeding hearts are in bloom and the pool is open.  Those 80-degree afternoons will soon be upon us.

Treos and Blackberries

Technology is a wonderful thing.

The hand-held office allows workers to stay connected with their teams. Without a Treo or a BlackBerry, one can feel out of touch and off the calendar.

The problem with these little hand-held devices is that they can hinder the effectiveness of face-to-face communication. Ever been in a meeting and look around the table to see half the room doing e-mail? What, then, is the purpose of the meeting?

It's understandable that "fires" may come up and it's perfectly acceptable to check in now and then during a meeting (say once for a half-hour meeting, twice for an hour). But hammering out e-mails during a meeting when there's business-related conversation doesn't make much sense.

A meeting is a time commitment for those involved and full attention should be paid to the people in the room who are speaking.

I've seen people who use their Treos and Blackberries like drugs. They just can't get enough. They're constantly checking e-mail every three minutes. They break into a cold sweat if their signal goes down.

Instant access to information is a wonderful concept, but it can be abused. Face-to-face interaction is, and will always be, the best method of communication. Obviously in a global economy, it's not always possible. That's why face-to-face meetings are special and should be treated as such.

Treos and BlackBerries are vital to doing business. But there's a time to tuck them away.

'Fortune' Cookies

Did you hear the one about all the second-place lottery winners?

When 110 lottery players correctly selected 22, 28, 32, 33 and 39 to laugh in the face of the one-in-3 million odds of picking 5 of 6 Powerball numbers, lottery officials suspected fraud.

But the March 30 drawing was not fraud and it was not a coincidence. Turns out that those numbers came from inside fortune cookies baked from the same factory (pictured above) in Long Island City, Queens.

The winners split the $19 million pot.

Not a bad little windfall. Good call on the Chinese takeout.

American Idol: Nashville/Gamble & Huff

Terrible theme. The inventory was so bad we had to listen to a dupe among eight songs. How about the '70s or '80s? Go back to the decade themes. There was limited flexibility on a night syrupy with programmed emotion. Here's the order of how the final 4 performed last night, with the odds of winning it all in two weeks:

1. Anthony Federov
Was the most consistent of the group. He's always had that pure vocal quality but, week after week, has managed to choose the wrong songs. Problem is it's probably too late for him to make ground on the group's elite. Thought his voice was angelic and pure, he hit all of his notes and exuded confidence. Will he win? Highly unlikely. But he deserves to hang around another week.
Odds of winning: 7-1

2. Bo Bice
Delivered the best performance of the night with "For the Love of Money." This may have been his best effort so far. And the timing was good, after kind of sleepwalking through his first song, which was drab and safe. Loved the suit and sandals. He put a ton of emotion in his vocals and stage presence, delivering what will be considered one of the more memorable performances of the season. Great job, Bo.
Odds of winning: 4-1

3. Vonzell Solomon (bye, bye)
When you look at who's left, Vonzell could be in trouble. Bo, Carrie and Anthony bring something unique (uncertainty?) to the show, while Vonzell is consistently good, night after night. She is starting to come off like LaToya London, and we know what happened to her. Sometimes consistency blurs the line of typical. Last night her first song was OK (she seemed unprepared) but her second song was strong. It would not be shocking to see her go.
Odds of winning: 7-1

4. Carrie Underwood
That first song was the worst performance of the night, and may have been her worst of the season. Yuck. That was country at its core (disclaimer: I hate country).  Is this music still relevant? It's bad stuff. Miserable stuff. Thought she was off-key throughout. Thought her second song was too subdued and, again, pitchy. It's unlikely she'll be voted off, but she clearly was out-sung by her peers.
Odds of winning: 3-1

Separate Worlds

Every day driving to work, I see the same boy and girl standing next to each other at the bus stop.

They're probably around 14 or 15, typical kids fully armored with bulky backpacks.

What's odd about these kids is that they don't converse. Clearly, they're in their own space, keeping their thoughts to themselves. There is no body language between them. They may as well be statues guarding the top of the driveway.

Are they neighbors? Brother and sister? Clearly, they have nothing to say to each other. There is never any engagement, never a hint that they recognize each other's presence. There's never a conversation, never a disagreement, never a debate.

It's odd how space and proximity have nothing to do with interaction.

Baltimore

The waterfront, alive in the early evening with live music.

Walking through Johns Hopkins University, observing scientists preserving the validity of their projects like anxious parents.

Light Street.

A long table at McCormick & Schmick's, eating crab and artichoke dip with bay shrimp and pita chips. And washing it down with a chilled Chardonnay.

Memorial Field, overgrown with grass and weeds, the ghosts of Jim Palmer, Mike Cueller and Dave McNally fading to gray.

Turtle races in the courtyard.

Hot muggy afternoons that soak your shirt from the inside out. And wicked, wild thunderstorms racing across the harbor.

The incomparable Camden Yards.

Drinking a 16-ounce Amstel Light outside at the Hard Rock Cafe.

Summer feel in May.

Mothers

A mother's love is special, unconditional and natural.

Without mothers, the world would be silent, insignificant sky and water without the laughter of children.

Mothers are passionate, caring and forgiving. Mothers are the driving force of world commerce for without mothers, there would be no workers to build, maintain and innovate.

Mothers are all-knowing, but choose a path of humbleness. Mothers are intellectual, intriguing and introspective.

Without mothers, life ends.

Mothers are the fabric of the universe, the foundation of human architecture, God's gift to preserve life.

Mothers should always be honored and cherished.

Most of all, mothers should be loved as they have loved.

Dreams

Dreams are weird.

They often have no sense of relevance, but as Dolores O'Riordan says "it's in your head," so there must be some sense of circuitry working here, huh?

The other night I dreamed I had dinner with Tommie Agee and that we went to the set of "Saturday Night Live" where Yes was the musical guest.

I have no idea what this means.

Agee was the center fielder for the New York Mets in 1969 when they shocked the world by beating the favored Baltimore Orioles in the World Series. Agee died in 2001 at 58, from an apparent heart attack.

Yes was one of the groundbreaking progressive rock bands that flourished in the '70s with songs like "Roundabout," "Yours Is No Disgrace" and "Starship Trooper."

I only saw Agee play on TV but I did see Yes live at Saratoga back in the summer of '84. Odd how these elements combined into a dream.

Dreams are weird.

Impressions

Jennifer Wilbanks - Nutjob

Michael Jackson - Guilty

Paula Abdul - Who cares?

Bobby Brown - Afro-American Idiot

Kentucky Derby - Noble Causeway

European IBMer - Bummer

NHL - Shameful

Jose Canseco - Your 15 minutes are up

ABC's "Lost" - A programming mess

Johnny Damon - Lovable Idiot

Scott Savol - Arrogance gets you nowhere

Bruce Springsteen - Top of the charts

Britney Spears - Gone way of the Spice Girls

Stock market - Wassup?