Combined & Condensed Albums, Part 2

I'm back again with some more condensed albums, my take on what a pared-down playlist from a band's similar releases might sound like. Last time we went over Guns N' Roses, Smashing Pumpkins, and Nine Inch Nails albums and for this week I've chosen three other bands' works. Let's take a look.

Unload by Metallica (1996, 1997)

If you don't know the basics of Metallica lore you may come to think you've been living under a rock, but honestly this period in the group's history may be worth skipping. Quick summary: 1991's Black Album is when Metallica gained mainstream success, selling tens of millions of copies but also representing a departure from the band's signature thrash metal sound. This more accessible, meatier stylistic and tonal shift was further exemplified on the follow-up albums Load and Reload which adopted a more hard rock and southern rock sound. I suppose when you're as influential and successful as Metallica you've earned the right to do whatever you want with your career, but that doesn't make this material inherently good now, does it? I no longer own these two albums because quite frankly I thought they were boring and I seldom listened to them. But that's not to say they're all bad; there are a few diamonds in the rough worth listening to. This playlist I've made here cuts out the rubbish (12 songs used out of 27) and makes for a more engaging 70-minute listen, but whether it's a worthy successor to the Black Album is up for debate.

1. “Fuel,” Reload

2. “Ain't My Bitch,” Load

3. “The Memory Remains,” R

4. “Until it Sleeps”, L

5. “Hero of the Day,” L

6. “2x4,” L

7. “Carpe Diem Baby,” R

8. “Mama Said,” L

9. “Ronnie,” L

10. “Low Man's Lyric,” R

11. “Where the Wild Things Are,” R

12. “The Outlaw Torn,” L

Me Are Men by Barenaked Ladies (2006)

Now for some real confusion. If you lived in Canada in the 1990's and early 2000's you could barely go a single day without hearing a Barenaked Ladies song. They made a lot of radio hits as well as some fine albums that had a variety of musical styles. One of these was the earnest, yet entertaining Are Me released in 2006. The recording sessions produced a wealth of material which was released in a variety of collections including the original 13-track album, a 14-track Starbucks exclusive, the remaining 16 tracks packaged as a separate album called Are Men, a 25-track 2-disc deluxe edition, and a 29-track deluxe edition. And let's not even talk about the digital versions! I'm going to go over the 25-track deluxe version because that's the one I happen to have. Making an album-length playlist for this collection of songs was rather fun. Like any of BNL's upper-tier albums Are Me and (especially) Are Men are a fine mix of quirky tunes, reflective folk-rockers, and the occasional spirited rockers. If you just want to hear the best of the 25 total then this 47 minute, 13-track assortment has got you covered.

1. “Sound of Your Voice,” Are Me

2. “Easy,” Are Me

3. “Serendipity,” Are Men

4. “Bank Job,” Are Me

5. “Running Out of Ink,” Are Men

6. “Angry People,” Are Men

7. “Adrift”, Are Me

8. “I Can I Will I Do,” Are Men

9. “Peterborough and the Kawarthas,” Are Me

10. “Beautiful,” Are Men

11. “Down to Earth,” Are Men

12. “Wind it Up,” Are Me

13. “The New Sad,” Are Men

The Mob Rules Heaven and Hell by Black Sabbath (1980, 1981)

You could argue that I'm cheating with this since Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules aren't directly related to one another but I couldn't resist. The first Black Sabbath albums to feature Ronnie James Dio on vocals, their sounds are so similar that comparisons between the two are inevitable. It seems that most people – myself included – prefer Heaven and Hell's more metallic approach compared to Mob Rules' slightly more atmospheric tone with its greater use of keyboards and synths. But at the end of the day they're both fine entries in the Black Sabbath catalogue, so what do they sound like when mashed together? Not very good, in my opinion. I did my best but this 10-track, 51-minute playlist doesn't quite capture the atmosphere and mood of each musical work. You're better off listening to them separately.

1. “Neon Knights,” H&H

2. “Voodoo,” MR

3. “Lady Evil”, H&H

4. “Heaven and Hell,” H&H

5. “The Mob Rules,” MR

6. “Country Girl,” MR

7. “The Sign of the Southern Cross,” MR

8. “Die Young,” H&H

9. “Falling Off the Edge of the World,” MR

10. “Lonely is the Word,” H&H

Combined & Condensed Albums, Part 1

It's awesome when a band/artist you love suddenly releases a deluge of new material, isn't it? Whether it's a double album or a trilogy of EPs, hearing new material for the first time sure is exciting. But later on once the afterglow has worn off I often wonder what a more condensed collection of this material might sound like. If all the fat were trimmed away and one standard-length album was assembled from all that we got, would we be left with an undisputed masterpiece of art? Join me as I explore this theory today with some of my favourite artists. Think of these as playlist ideas if you want. I'll even try coming up with fancy names for them too.

Choose Your Illusion by Guns N' Roses (1991)

One complaint I hear a lot from people who don't like Guns N' Roses (i.e. weirdos) is that it took them too long to make their second/third full-length album(s) and when they finally did it was a bloated wreck with too much filler and that if it was just one album of songs it would've been pretty good. While I agree that the four years' wait was too long, I still think Use Your Illusion I and II are fine albums that are worthy additions to the GNR discography. But if those thirty songs are too much for you I understand; allow me to trim it down to twelve. This was not an easy playlist for me to make up since I like both albums so much – although I clearly prefer I over II as you can see by the eight-to-four split – but these twelve songs best represent where the band was at musically in 1991. I've included the big hits (“You Could Be Mine”, “Civil War”), the ballads (“November Rain”, “Don't Cry”), and the hard rockers (“Locomotive”, “Right Next Door to Hell”). I also wanted to bring to light songs like “Bad Apples” and “Bad Obsession” which I think decent under-appreciated rock tunes that remind me of the Rolling Stones. I left off the cover songs and the drawn-out “Estranged”; I never much cared for them. And if you were expecting to see “My World” on this list then you must be out of your mind! So here's to you, non-GNR fans. If you're still not satisfied then I'm afraid I can't help you.

Approximate run time: 1 hour 15 minutes

1. “Right Next Door to Hell”, I

2. “Civil War”, II

3. “Bad Obsession”, I

4. “Don't Cry”, I

5. “Breakdown”, II

6. “Locomotive”, II

7. “Dust N' Bones”, I

8. “Double Talkin' Jive”, I

9. “November Rain”, I

10. “Bad Apples”, I

11. “You Could Be Mine”, II

12. “Coma”, I

Machina 1.5: The Gods of Modern Music by The Smashing Pumpkins (2000)

In 2000 the Smashing Pumpkins put out two albums: Machina/The Machines of God and Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music. They were OK. As far as I'm aware Machina II never got a physical commercial release – instead it was available for free on the internet, possibly the first major album to do so – and as a result lots of people never heard it. True, the band's glory days had just recently come to an end but both Machina albums still had a lot of good songs on them with a variety of tones and sounds. This goes double for the marathon second album: almost half the songs there are B-sides and alternate versions. This made it difficult for me to decide which songs should go where, what a good order for them would be, so I tried starting out with the heavier songs and ending with the gloomier ones. All in all I ended up with thirteen songs – seven from Machina I and six from Machina II – out of a possible forty for an approximate run time of 57 minutes. With these two albums together I think we've got a pretty good collection roughly on par with Pisces Iscariot. Not as great as my made-up title suggests, but still worth your time.

1. “The Everlasting Gaze”, I

2. “Raindrops + Sunshowers”, I

3. “Dross”, II

4. “Real Love”, II

5. “Let Me Give the World to You”, II

6. “The Sacred and Profane”, I

7. “Try, Try, Try”, I

8. “In My Body”, II

9. “Here's to the Atom Bomb”, II

10. “If There is a God (Piano)”, II

11. “Age of Innocence”, I

12. “The Crying Tree of Mercury”, I

13. “Blue Skies Bring Tears”, I

Not the Actual Witch Violence by Nine Inch Nails (2016, 2017, 2018)

Last decade Nine Inch Nails announced that they would put out a trilogy of EPs: Not the Actual Events, Add Violence, and Bad Witch (later re-branded as a full-length album even though it's only 30 minutes). Each of the three works had their focuses: Not the Actual Events returned to the abrasive industrial sound of the band's earlier material, Add Violence adopted a calmer, more electronic approach, and Bad Witch took both avenues and drowned them in a darker atmosphere (with some unexpected saxophone to boot!). The three releases produced a total of 16 songs. One could argue that that would be enough for a single long album – 1999's The Fragile included 23 – but for this one I decided to cut out the fluff and present only the essentials. And so we end up with a roughly 49 minute collection of ten songs (split 3-2-5) which I think is pretty good, but you're probably better off just listening to the three original recordings anyways.

1. “Less Than”, AV

2. “Shit Mirror”, BW

3. “Ahead of Ourselves”, BW

4. “Play the Goddamned Part”, BW

5. “She's Gone Way”, NTAE

6. “The Idea of You”, NTAE

7. “This Isn't the Place”, AV

8. “I'm Not From this World”, BW

9. “Burning Bright (Field on Fire)”, NTAE

10. “Over and Out”, BW

2020 Year in Review

 At an end this year is, and not short enough it was. Friends, another year has passed and what an extraordinary one this has been. Thanks to a certain new virus from a certain communist dictatorship most of the world's nations have had – and continue to have – tight restrictions and regulations forced upon their hapless citizens, costing countless jobs and bringing the economy to its knees. The movie industry was especially hit hard this year with the postponement of numerous films, the shuttering of countless cinemas, and the release of some big box office bombs. As a result I only actually saw three films in theatres in 2020: part of the reason why there wasn't much content on Arnold's Benediction this year! These three films I gave an average grade of 4.2 out of five, but take that with a grain of salt since, again, there were only three films I reviewed. So yeah, this is going to be a very different Year in Review article from previous ones. Now let's get into this.

Best Movie: 1917

Some of you may be thinking, “Tony, wasn't this a 2019 movie?” It may be, depending on where you're from. It did sneak into a handful of film festivals in late December in order to qualify for 2019 awards shows, but in here in Canada 1917 wasn't released in theatres until 10 January so I'm counting it as 2020. Man, British war films have really hit the nail on the head as of late. In 2014 we got '71, then in 2017 there was Dunkirk, and now in 2020 we saw 1917. (Can't wait to see what 2023 brings us!) I love how the First World War is becoming a part of popular consciousness again; with all the turmoil that's going on these days it's easy to forget that just over a century ago millions of young men like me were being swallowed up and annihilated in massive, apocalyptic battles. And if you've ever wanted to see what that struggle looked and sounded like then Sam Mendes' masterpiece has you covered. Not only does it show a good cross-section of all the things that soldiers saw on the Western Front but its continuous-shot perspective places the viewer amongst the main characters as if you're there yourself. Further supplementing this approach is 1917's punchy sound editing, the detailed set design, and the refined acting, which all makes for a quite immersive film experience. Fans of war movies, rejoice.

Runner-up: The Gentlemen

Worst (A.K.A. Least Good) Movie: Tenet

Of the three movies I reviewed this year none of them were bad, but one of them does have to come last. That's why this year I've changed the category to Least Good movie and unfortunately that distinction goes to Christopher Nolan's Tenet. I feel bad for Tenet; not only does it end up being the least good movie I saw this year but it was also a box office bust thanks to its costly production and theatres around the world operating at a fraction of total capacity. Still, had it premiered any other year I highly doubt that it would have matched the resounding success of Nolan's previous films. The lack of a compelling main character, the muddled sound design, and the convoluted plot make Tenet a tough film to recommend to all but the most die hard Christopher Nolan fans. But on the other hand it does present a unique spin on how time travel might work and some viewers may find it rewarding to try to figure out the contorted plot lines. Like I said, Tenet ain't a bad movie. It gets a pass.

Runner-up: (none)

Most Disappointing Movie: (none)

1917 was awesome and I went into the other two films cold, so there really wasn't any disappointing films this year for me. I guess you could say that the biggest disappointment this year was 2020 itself. Let's hope the next one goes better.

Book Vs. Movie -- Run Silent, Run Deep

 

Before Tom Clancy there was Edward L. Beach Jr. The son of a US Navy captain, Beach Jr. would go on to join the service himself, serving in – and eventually commanding – submarines in the Pacific theatre throughout the Second World War. His naval career lasted into the 1960's, as he became not only a presidential naval aide but also the commander of the first ever submerged circumnavigation. He also became a renowned writer with his series of submarine novels. His most famous novel, Run Silent, Run Deep (1955), was adapted into a major Hollywood film only three years later starring Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster, and Don Rickles. I just recently got around to watching this film and there's a lot to be said about its resemblance (or lack thereof) to its source material. So let's take a look at how the Run Silent, Run Deep movie compares to the book.

This is one of those instances where the two works' plots are so different that I'm going to have to recount them separately. First let's go over the book. In 1941 Commander Edward “Rich” Richardson is put in charge of the aging submarine S-16 with Jim Bledsoe as his executive officer. They sail her New London, Connecticut, for refitting and training. There Rich meets Jim's girlfriend Laura and the three become friends just before the attack on Pearl Harbour. Due to the expediencies of the war effort Rich recommends the lesser-experienced Jim for command. Unfortunately Jim loses his composure and performs poorly on his qualification test, leading Rich to withdraw his endorsement, leaving Jim and Laura incensed. Rich is given command of a new sub based in Pearl Harbour, the USS Walrus, and – with Jim as his XO once again – is tasked with sinking Japanese shipping in the Pacific. Jim marries Laura before leaving. On its first patrol the Walrus encounters the Akikaze, a Japanese destroyer based in the Bungo Suido notorious for sinking numerous US subs, including one captained by Rich's friend Stocker Kane. Eventually Rich is ordered to sail to the Bungo Suido where the Walrus comes under attack from the Akikaze, which is captained by Tateo Nakame (AKA Bungo Pete). Rich is badly wounded and under Jim's command the Walrus escapes and returns to Pearl Harbour. Sidelined for several months with a broken leg, Rich decides to once again endorse Jim for command of the Walrus which he finally receives. During his time ashore Rich works on improving the US Navy's notoriously defective torpedoes. Meanwhile as captain of the Walrus Jim sinks a multitude of Japanese shipping around Australia and gains a reputation as an aggressive skipper. He also starts an affair, much to Rich's dismay. In between patrols, a drunken Jim confesses to Rich at a party that he despised his captain when he withdrew support for Jim's promotion and was only pretending to be a loyal friend, but having seen Rich's demeanour under combat and after serving as captain himself Jim realized that he was wrong for ever doubting Rich. It's during Jim's next patrol that Bungo Pete sinks the Walrus, all hands lost. Rich is placed in command of the USS Eel and he convinces his superiors to let him go after Bungo Pete. Finally the Eel finds Bungo Pete's anti-submarine group. After sinking the Akikaze (and its accompanying submarine and decoy ship) Rich realizes that after being rescued the survivors will likely resume attacking Allied shipping. And so he regretfully rams their lifeboats, dooming them all. Not long after as the Eel is on patrol around Guam Rich narrowly manages to rescue three downed American airmen despite the presence of a Japanese fighter plane, earning him the Medal of Honor and providing him with some sense of redemption. Rich then returns home and thinks of starting a relationship with Laura.

The movie begins with Commander “Rich” Richardson (Clark Gable) surviving his submarine sinking in the Bungo Straits at the hands of Japanese ace submariner Bungo Pete. Once recuperated, he's ready for revenge and convinces the Navy board to give him a new boat and an experienced crew to command. He's given the USS Nerka and its executive officer LtCdr Jim Bledsoe is none too pleased as this effectively denies him of commanding the boat. Jim is also unsure of Rich's single-minded drive to rigorously train the crew for perfecting the “bow shot”, a tricky torpedo shot aimed at the bow of an oncoming ship while in the middle of diving. On patrol, Rich chooses to ignore an easy target only to attack a different one later with a successful bow shot. The crew puts it together that Rich has been ignoring select targets because he's sailing the Nerka towards the infamous Bungo Straits, directly violating the admiralty's orders. Some of the officers consider mutiny but Jim refuses to play along. They soon come upon a Japanese convoy but after sinking a transport the Nerka is attacked by enemy aircraft that were waiting in ambush. The sub quickly dives and narrowly avoids being sunk by depth charges in the escape but in the process three crewmen are killed and Rich suffers a concussion. With Rich in no shape to command, Jim takes charge and sets sail back towards Pearl Harbour. The crew catch Tokyo Rose on the radio proudly announcing the loss of the Nerka and its crew, leaving them puzzled as to how the Japanese knew specific crew members' names and the sub's whereabouts. (As with the novel it turns out that they were sifting through the Nerka's drifting garbage to extract intelligence.) But having tricked the Japanese into believing they've all died, Jim decides to take advantage and returns to the Bungo Straits to take on the Akikaze once and for all. The two vessels meet and the Nerka comes out on top only to come under fire from a Japanese submarine which was working in concert with the Akikaze the whole time. After dodging a couple torpedoes and forcing her adversary to the surface (with an ailing Rich's help), the Nerka sinks the enemy sub. Having exacted revenge, Rich collapses and dies on the bridge and is buried at sea.

The biggest difference between these two stories is the relationship between Richardson and Jim Bledsoe. The novel has them start out as friends with Rich in the more experienced and authoritative role (even though he's not that much older than Jim) and it's not until Rich rescinds his endorsement for promotion that Jim takes on a mostly-secret resentment towards him. This is also the result of the book version of Jim being more rebellious and impulsive; it's what leads to him both failing his qualification test and his eventual aggressive stance as skipper. Unfortunately his success gets to his head, leading to him starting an affair and later dying at the hands of Bungo Pete. In the film the tension between Jim and Rich comes from Rich delaying Jim's promotion to captain as well as his sailing the Nerka to the forbidden Bungo Straits without telling the officers and crew. I think both versions of this conflict have their ups and downs. In the book the rift between the two men is much more personal since (1) they spend more time together over several years and (2) Rich feels some attraction towards Laura long before Jim's death. But on the other hand the movie takes a more two-way approach to the tension between two professionals disagreeing how their jobs should be done: Rich puts the crew's lives at risk by disobeying his orders to stay away from the Bungo Straits whereas Jim – more mature and cool-headed than his book counterpart – is still ticked off that he didn't get his command as expected. This differs from the book which portrays Rich in the right about pretty much everything.

(However it may be helpful to note that the book is told from Richardson's first-person perspective. The story is framed as his audio recording transcript for the Navy to help sell war bonds; the transcript is deemed unsuitable for a bond drive due to its focus on personal matters. Readers could argue that Rich was covering his ass and not telling the whole truth in order to make himself look good, I guess. But there's not too much evidence to support this theory.)

Another big difference between the novel and the film is in their scope. Whereas the film takes place over a few weeks and focuses on a single patrol by the Nerka the book's events span several years and are set aboard multiple boats (S-16, Walrus, Eel). Much of the book's second act is about Rich's recovery ashore and one of the book's highlights, the S-16's crew observing the devastation at Pearl Harbour days after the attack, is also left out of the film. As is normally the case with adaptations, the book goes into much greater detail about things such as how submarines work and how undersea warfare is waged. This abundance of detail and education should come as no surprise given the author's background, and yet it avoids being overbearing and tedious (like how Clancy novels can sometimes be. Has it really been 5 years since my Hunt for Red October comparison?).

I suppose the film somewhat makes up for this by having some scenes filmed inside a real submarine so at least the viewer gets to see what a sub looks like, both inside and out. This was accomplished with the cooperation of the US Navy but as is normally the case with military-endorsed movie shoots this came with a few caveats. In order to remain in the Navy's good books the film avoided mentioning the flawed torpedoes that WWII crews had to work with. Additionally the lifeboat-ramming scene was also jettisoned: while rare, such incidents did happen during the war and they're definitely something the Navy wouldn't want showcased to the general public.

Characters are another component that saw a change-up during adaptation. As you may have guessed, Laura is nowhere to be found in the film and (if I recall correctly) no mention is made of Jim Bledsoe's relationship status. However we do see one scene of Rich at home with his wife; Rich was a bachelor in the novel. Similarly ensign Keith Leone, a major supporting character in the book was left out and replaced with a new character, ensign Gerald Cartwright, a disloyal officer whom Jim has to put in his place as an example to the rest of the crew.

Lastly here are some other differences and oddities that are worth note:

• As mentioned earlier Laura isn't in the film, although interestingly the credits list Rich's wife's name as Laura Richardson. (Is this movie actually a sequel to the book? Is this the second Jim Bledsoe to serve with Richardson in the US Navy during WWII? Do the Japanese have a whole fleet of Bungo Pete clones at sea?)

• Both stories contain a scene in which Jim almost drowns someone he didn't know was left on the outer deck as he orders the sub to dive. In the movie the victim is one of the cook's assistants disposing of some garbage, in the novel it's Rich.

• The film's opening scene – in which Richardson's sub is sunk in the Bungo Straits by Pete – never happened in the book. This scene's inclusion in the film raises a few questions, namely how did Rich avoid capture and make it back to the USA?

• A great deal of the actors are older than their novel counterparts, most of whom are presumably in their 20's. In fact Clark Gable, old enough to be an admiral, is nearly twice as old as the book's Richardson!

Edward Beach was reportedly not very impressed with Run Silent, Run Deep's film adaptation when it came out, citing its inaccuracies. And having seen both versions I can understand where he's coming from. Don't get me wrong, the movie isn't bad and it makes for fine entertainment, but its lack of detail and nuance ensures that it doesn't hold a candle to the source material. I'd say if you want a condensed, bite-sized impression of Run Silent, Run Deep – which isn't excruciatingly long to begin with – then give the film a watch. But for those of you who want a more intricate, educational, and deeper (pun intended) look at mid-20^th century submarine warfare then check out the book.

All-Time Team: Tampa Bay Lightning (1992-present)

 

  Well what do you know? It looks like I was wrong: there is a Stanley Cup champion this year after all and in spite of the winners being a team that I care very little for – and in spite of having some politics shoved in my face – I'm still grateful that we got to see some playoff hockey this year. Yes, Lord Stanley's Cup has gone to the Tampa Bay Lightning and as per tradition I'm going to give my take on what a best-of roster would look like for this franchise. But first, a brief history.

  Thanks to the efforts of Hall of Famers Tony and Phil Esposito , the Lightning were founded in 1992, along with the Ottawa Senators. Despite an impressive inaugural season start – by the end of month 1 they were first in their division – Tampa Bay ended up finishing last in the league with 53 points. At the time however this was one of the best first season performances for an expansion franchise, especially one that had to contend with road trips as long as Tampa Bay's. This team's first few years were mediocre, as is often the case with new teams, but it was held together by some talented players like the high-scoring centre Brian Bradley and solid goaltender Darren Puppa. In their first ten seasons, the Lightning made the playoffs only once, losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in the opening round of 1996.

  The late 1990's were a dark time for hockey in Tampa, whose team finished dead last in the NHL two years in a row thanks to some lousy trades and crippling injuries. Things weren't much better off-ice either in what I can only describe as one of the most bizarre NHL owner stories I've ever heard. The Lightning were originally owned by a Japanese group called Kokusai Green who were rumoured to be involved in the yakuza and using the struggling hockey club as a money laundering channel (the club was losing tons of money throughout the 1990's). Ownership was not very involved, to say the least, neglecting to support the team's operations, pay taxes, or even publicly reveal themselves as the Lightning's owners – Kokusai Green's owner Takashi Okubo never once met with NHL officials until 1998 nor did he ever attend an NHL game. The franchise was also heavily in debt too, moreso than any other major North American sports club at the time. The Lightning were sold to a new owner in 1998 who didn't know much about hockey, lost a bunch of money on this struggling team, and then promptly sold it in 1999. The third owner, William Davidson, had experience with sports teams and brought in a new GM who in turn brought in a new coach and some talented minor leaguers. But even this wasn't enough to revitalize the Lightning, who in 2001 became the first team to ever lose 50 games four years in a row.

  But slowly Tampa Bay had managed to assemble some real talent. 1998 saw the drafting of future stars Vincent Lecavalier and Brad Richards. Martin St. Louis was signed in 2000, all-star goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin was acquired in 2001, and in that same year John Tortorella became head coach. The team's performance showed steady improvement in the early 2000's. In 2002-03 Tampa Bay finished 24 points better than the previous season, returned to the playoffs for the first time in seven years, and even won their opening round against the Washington Capitals only to be eliminated by the eventual Cup champions New Jersey Devils. Undaunted, the Lightning struck again the following year with their first ever 100-point season as well as their first ever Stanley Cup victory against the Calgary Flames. It was the perfect capstone to a season that saw Martin St. Louis leading the league in scoring and Tortorella winning the Jack Adams Award for best coach.

  For the next couple years the Lightning were a competitive club but by 2007-08 much of the core that made up the 2004 team was either gone or in decline and thus a rebuild was needed. A new GM and new coaches were brought in but things didn't improve until 2010 when former Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman was made GM. After a flurry of acquisitions the Lightning hit the ground running in 2010-11, setting a new team record for wins and returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2007, losing to the Boston Bruins in the third round.

  The following two seasons saw mediocre performance from the team who failed to make the playoffs. But the they returned to postseason contention in 2014 and since then Tampa Bay has been one of the dominant teams in the NHL, missing the playoffs only once and reaching the Eastern Conference finals (or better) four times.

  Over twenty-eight seasons the Tampa Bay Lightning have made the playoffs twelve times, winning two Stanley Cups from three finals appearances. They've also won one President's Trophy and four division championships. Today I'm putting together what I think are the best players that have ever called Tampa Bay home. As always, only these players' achievements in Tampa Bay will be considered and I've only included players – apart from goaltenders – who played 240 games or more. Let's get into this.

Forwards

L-R: Stamkos, Lecavalier, Modin

Left Wing	Centre	Right Wing
Vaclav Prospal (2001-03, 2005-08, 2008-09)	Steven Stamkos (2008-present)	Martin St. Louis (2000-14)
Ondrej Palat (2013-present)	Vincent Lecavalier (1998-2013)	Nikita Kucherov (2013-present)
Alex Killorn (2013-present)	Brad Richards (2000-08)	Ryan Malone (2008-14)
Fredrik Modin (1999-2006)	Brayden Point (2016-present)	John Tucker (1992-96)

The top line is always reserved for a team's highest scorers so for left wing we've got Vaclav Prospal who had five seasons of at least 50 points, including two of at least 70. On the right wing there's the franchise's leading point scorer Martin St. Louis, a six-time 30 goals scorer and eleven-time 60 point scorer. And for centre I chose Steven Stamkos – yes, think he's better than Vincent Lecavalier – who twice led the NHL in goals. On the second line Ondrej Palat provides some solid passing as well as good defensive awareness (never a negative +/- season). Next to him is Lecavalier (5x30 goals and 8x60 points) and the high-scoring playmaker Nikita Kucherov who now has two 100 point seasons under his belt. The third line has some special teams ability from Alex Killorn, deft passing from Brad Richards (4x70 points), and a bit of toughness from Ryan Malone. And rounding out the fourth line is Fredrik Modin's defensive play, Brayden Point's goal-scoring ability, and John Tucker's capable passing. (Note: I had a hard time coming up with four worthy right wingers so I cheated: Ryan Malone is really a left winger.)

Honourable mentions: Brian Bradley, Tyler Johnson

Defencemen

L-R: Hedman, Boyle

Victor Hedman (2009-present)	Dan Boyle (2002-08)
Pavel Kubina (1997-2006, 2010-12)	Roman Hamrlik (1992-97)
Jassen Cullimore (1998-2004)	Cory Sarich (1999-2007)

For the first defensive pairing I've chosen two Lightning defencemen who have the most notable offensive output. They are Victor Hedman (5x40 assists, 4x +20) and Dan Boyle (3x50 points). The second pair is made up of Tampa's old school blueliners. The first is the dependable rearguard Pavel Kubina who was able to occasionally chip in with some offence, while the second is the team's first ever draft pick Roman Hamrlik who used his grit and powerplay prowess to great effect in the 1990's. Jassen Cullimore and Cory Sarich make up the third pair with their solid stay-at-home defensive play that helped win the 2004 Stanley Cup.

Honourable mention: Anton Stralman

Goaltenders

Khabibulin

Nikolai Khabibulin (2001-04)

Andrei Vasilevsky (2014-present)

This pick might upset some for sure but I believe that Nikolai Khabibulin is still the greatest goalie Tampa Bay has ever had (I also selected him as the backup for my all-time Winnipeg Jets team). Sure, Vasilevsky is an excellent stickhandler and has more shutouts and wins. Sure, the two have a similar save percentages and have both won a Stanley Cup. But I'm giving the edge to the “Bulin Wall” because his performance made the difference to a team that wasn't quite as dominant as today's Lightning. There's also the fact that he totally ruled the playoffs and spent more games and minutes (on average) per season between the pipes. Vasilevsky may have what it takes to be the best Tampa's ever seen but as of now Nikolai Khabibulin is still number one in my opinion.

Honourable mentions: Ben Bishop, Darren Puppa

My 10 Favourite Albums of the 2010's

 

Yeah, I know I'm late to the whole “Top 10 ______ of the Decade” list trend, but 2020 has been a most unusual year, wouldn't you say? I've still got some energy to spare and not many movies to write about and since I find writing about music to be a fun challenge I've decided to take a look at some of the 2010's standout albums. Most of my preferred music comes from past decades and since I didn't listen to nearly enough of last decade's tunes to comment on the music scene as a whole this will simply be my list of personal favourite albums from the 2010's. This list will cover full-length albums released from 2010 to 2019, and will focus mostly on major label stuff. Compilations, remixes, live albums, and film soundtracks don't count.

Honourable mentions: The Great War by Sabaton, Weapon by Skinny Puppy, King Animal by Soundgarden

10. Apocalyptic Love by Slash (2012)

I've written about this album before (April 2016) and mentioned that I thought it was “OK... not great”, but every time I hear Apocalyptic Love I appreciate it just a little bit more than before. Slash's second solo album – the first to feature Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators on every track – sees the man slip into conventional hard rock album trappings as opposed to the jumbled guest star hodgepodge that was the previous album. This second recording is much more focused, better paced, and better written and it gives the guitarist more room to show off his chops. There's your standard hard rocker tunes like “One Last Thrill”, slower moody songs like “Far and Away”, and even a classical-sounding epic, “Anastasia.” Altogether the Slash man released four solo albums in the 2010's but for my money Apocalyptic Love beats them all thanks to its superior variety and pace.

9. Tattoos & Tequila by Vince Neil (2010)

That's right, I've listed a Vince Neil solo album as one of my top 10, and I'm not ashamed to say that I quite enjoy Tattoos & Tequila. It seems like most aging rock stars eventually go the live albums and cover songs route once their sales decline but Vince isn't just going through the motions on this record; this collection of songs delivers more rawness, energy, and fun than almost any other covers album I've heard. The songs range from classic rock staples like Cheap Trick's “He's a Whore” and The Hollies' “Long Cool Woman” to glam metal versions of unexpected gems like Elton John's “The Bitch is Back” and even “Viva Las Vegas” from Elvis. A real highlight comes in the form of “Nobody's Fault” from Aerosmith; it's easily the heaviest song of the bunch and the talk-box guitar solos were a nice touch. However I'd be technically incorrect in saying that Tattoos & Tequila is a full covers album. There are two original songs and they're easily this recording's weakest points, missing the energy and rowdiness found in the rest of the tracks. It makes me wish that Vince Neil did some more covers albums because his selection of some old classics fed through his patented L.A. sleaze-rock approach made Tattoos & Tequila surprisingly fun.

8. 13 by Black Sabbath (2013)

In 2013, the godfathers of heavy metal assembled to record one last collection of original songs and they did not disappoint. Any fan of Black Sabbath's first eight albums will feel at home listening to 13, with its doomy/spooky mood, long, intricate song structures, and excellent pacing. Ozzy's desperate, howled singing would fit neatly into 1978 and Tony Iommi proves that after 44 years he can still crank out heavy-duty riffs that you can't help but bang your head to. There's numerous callbacks to previous Sabbath classics; for example “Zeitgeist” bears undeniable similarity to 1970's “Planet Caravan”, “Live Forever” reminds me a lot of 1972's “Cornucopia”, and the closing track, “Dear Father,” shares many similarities with “Black Sabbath”, the first song from the band's first album. The only thing I can really knock 13 for is the production; the sonic range has been crushed under compression and artificial volume. Of all the albums in all the world, why did this one have to be a casualty of the loudness war? If it weren't for that blemish, 13 would've ranked much higher for me.

7. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M. (2011)

For their final album, alternative rock legends R.E.M. dial back from the hard rocker tone of their previous album, Accelerate (2008), and display a bit more variety in their songs. What we get is a broad sampling of all the styles and moods that the band has done throughout their past. There's songs reminiscent of Life's Rich Pageant (“Mine Smell Like Honey”) and New Adventures in Hi-Fi (“Blue”) and there's even direct lyrical references to at least one song on Accelerate (“Oh My Heart”). Speaking of lyrics, it's clear that this album is about the band coming to terms with the changing world around them while settling comfortably into middle age; more than once a mystified Michael Stipe refers to “the kids today”. Comfortable might be the best word to describe Collapse Into Now, in spite of the band members' talents on full display. It's a great band going out in style, doing what they do best.

6. ...Like Clockwork by Queens of the Stone Age (2013)

With the return of both past band members as well as an eerie – occasionally dreary – mood previously seen on Lullabies to Paralyze (2005) you might think that Josh Homme & Co. are coasting off of their glory days, trying to duplicate past success. This theory couldn't further from the truth. Instead ...Like Clockwork finds the band at a new level of maturity and focus; gone are the drug references and stoner vibes – with the possible exception of the groovy “Smooth Sailing”. What we get instead are lots of guest appearances, some top-notch production, and some tight, to-the-point songwriting. It's an album that's both complex and easily digestible and it easily ranks amongst the band's better works.

5. Welcome Oblivion by How to Destroy Angels (2013)

What genre of music of music is HTDA? Electronic rock? Post-industrial? Trip hop? Electronica? Whatever it is, I like it. After listening to every Nine Inch Nails recording I could find I figured I'd move on to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' side project featuring Mariqueen Maandig on lead vocals. Welcome Oblivion, the band's only full-length album to date, is dreamier and more mellifluous than your typical NIN recording thanks to Maandig's softer voice and the more melodic textures/arrangements. There are brief moments of drama and urgency and even some of the quieter songs have something going on in the background, like the ominous ringing in “Ice Age” which eventually builds up into a piercing crescendo. But moments like this only add to the sonic texture and aren't just there for the sake of being noisy. All in all, Welcome Oblivion was a pleasant surprise for me. It's a recording that's as soothing as it is hypnotic, perfect for listening through headphones with your eyes shut.

4. Hesitation Marks by Nine Inch Nails (2013)

In true Nine Inch Nails fashion it took five years for the next album to be released, and as always it was worth the wait. In the early/mid-2000's frontman Trent Reznor transitioned from bitter, angst-ridden young man with substance abuse problems to sober, industrious, and progressive artist exploring new themes and evolving his band's sound. The trend continues on NIN's eighth full length album, Hesitation Marks. The word introspective can be used to describe pretty much every NIN record, but this one does it from a more peaceful and mature – sometimes even hopeful – perspective which is unique for this band's discography. Sure, there are songs that are louder and aggressive (“Copy of A”, “In Two”) but there's also some calmer and contemplative ones (“Find My Way”, “Disappointed”). Overall I'd say Hesitation Marks most closely resembles a calmer, more mature, and more varied version of 2005's With Teeth. It's the sound of a band that's grown up.

3. Dystopia by Megadeth (2016)

After two underwhelming albums earlier last decade, Megadeth underwent a lineup change by adding lead guitarist Kiko Loureiro and drummer Chris Adler. Sometimes a little turmoil can do a band some good, as Dystopia is easily one of Megadeth's most energetic and aggressive albums since their glory days (the late 1980's to early 1990's). Fans of this band get exactly what they want: nearly every song hits hard and heavy with a furious level of speed, like in “The Threat is Real” and “Death from Within.” One exception is “Poisonous Shadows” which starts out with machine gun drumming and a chugging guitar riff only to give way to an orchestra and then a piano outro. And it all sounds great thanks to the top-notch production. Some listeners may be turned off by the lyrics' political themes or Dave Mustaine's voice but that's Megadeth for you; you should know what you're getting into by this point. All in all Dystopia sees Megadeth reaffirming itself as one of the Big Four of thrash metal with this menacing and blisteringly fast record guaranteed to please any of its fans. This is a dystopia worth living with.

2. Let England Shake by PJ Harvey (2011)

Let England Shake is easily the most ambitious album PJ Harvey has ever done. After mixing things up on 2007's White Chalk – a spooky piano-driven record where PJ sings in a much higher pitch than normal – the alt-rock legend struck with another starkly different recording. For starters her lyrics explore the themes of her English nationality/heritage and England's relation to the rest of the world – in particular its involvement in the First World War. Several songs are dedicated to the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign as well as the violence and tragedy of war; definitely a step away from Harvey's usual lyrical topics! Further experimentation is heard through her use of background vocals, autoharp, and brass instruments. Combined with the upper register vocals this makes for a soft sounding record – in spite of the often dreary subject matter – accentuated by the spacious production. I guess you could say it mirrors stereotypical British stoicism in masking its own disheartenment and outrage. Such complexity and harmonic grace make Let England Shake a surprising treat in PJ Harvey's catalogue. In fact one could argue that it's her best album to date but considering the strength of some of her previous efforts it wouldn't be an easy argument!

1. The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here by Alice in Chains (2013)

Dang, 2013 sure was a great year for music! By 2018 the new lineup of Alice in Chains had put out just as many full-length albums as the classic lineup and while the current band isn't quite as exciting or captivating as it once was it has still produced some quality recordings. 2009's Black Gives Way to Blue was AIC proving that they still had something to offer and it was quite good, showcasing a heavier, doomier sound. But the “new” band's second album, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here is where they truly show off their songwriting abilities. The doom and heaviness is still there – “Hollow”, “Phantom Limb”, “Hung on a Hook” – alongside a few catchier rockers – “Breath on a Window”, “Low Ceiling” – and even a few upbeat acoustic-led tunes like “Scalpel” and “Voices”. Needless to say this all makes for a listening experience that's varied and refreshing, bolstered by the glossy production and impeccable pacing which allows the expert instrumentation and the signature spine-tingling vocal harmonies to really shine. The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here is a darkly vivacious listen that goes by faster than its 67 minute length would have you think, perfect for driving to. I can't wait to see what this band does next.

Movie Review -- Tenet

 

  Man, has it really been six months since my last movie review? It's been a while, hasn't it? Time sure does fly. I wish I could have all this lost time back. If only I could go back... Go back... Time... Christopher Nolan. Yeah, today's movie is Nolan's latest, Tenet, a film in which the infamously metaphysical, space-bending director goes all in and finally makes a straight-up time-travel film. So is it any good? Let's find out.

  Tenet is about an unnamed secret agent who, after a botched hostage rescue mission, is recruited into a secret organization called Tenet. The Protagonist is tasked with leading an investigation into objects and weapons whose temporal disposition has become “inverted” – i.e. they move backwards through time. By tracing these objects' origins he hopes to avert a worldwide catastrophe. This is a great idea for a film; we get loads of twisted action scenes with cars speeding backwards, bullets flying back into guns, people having awkward fights with inverted people. There's also occasionally the same scene shown from different points of view simultaneously depending on which characters are inverted or not. And this is in addition to the frequent cutaways of concurrent scenes that Christopher Nolan films are notorious for. This all makes for a mind-bending and cerebral plot that can be kind of hard to understand if you're not paying the utmost attention. But if you're into non-linear storytelling, Tenet is right up your alley. Its two-and-a-half hours goes by rather briskly.

  Bringing this plot to life is a talented cast which, in true Christopher Nolan fashion, sees the return of some familiar faces from the director's previous works. Back from Dunkirk is Kenneth Branagh as the intimidating Andrei Sator. (Michael Caine also lends a mandatory, albeit brief, appearance.) The other actor that really shines in Tenet is Elizabeth Debicki as Kat, Sator's estranged wife who's desperate to free their son from his criminal clutches. Robert Pattinson looks right at home as the unflappable and dependable agent Neil. The only disappointment in the casting lies with John David Washington as the Protagonist. There's a line early on in the film where one character tells him that their conversation has to be to-the-point and without any small talk. Apparently Washington obeyed this line like the word of God because his character is more-or-less a blank slate, largely devoid of personality.

  The production values on Tenet are on par with what you'd expect from a Nolan film. The compositions and cinematography – combined with the backwards-moving events – make this film a real treat for the eyes and will leave you wondering just how much of this stuff was done in-camera. Knowing the director the answer is probably all of it! While Tenet is one of the best-looking Nolan films out there, the film's sound design is more of a mixed bag. The pulse-pounding score from Ludwig Goransson fits well with its hair-rising horns and electronic compositions. However the sound mixing needed some more work; the sound effects and (sometimes) the music is too loud, making it hard to make out dialogue during action scenes. At first I wanted to chalk it up to the fact that I saw this movie in a really loud IMAX theatre, but I've heard other critics are making similar complaints.

  Overall, Tenet is a visually stunning, daringly fanciful sci-fi action flick with some flaws. The main character isn't all that memorable and the plot verges on confusing. But I will say that if you want to see time-travel done differently this one is well worth checking out. Time well spent.

Grade: