I am with you.Originally Posted by SGT_Calle
I appreciate their attempt, but it is the National Anthem. It does not need to be "improved" or "interpreted." It needs to be performed reverently.
I am sure their rendition was born out of patriotism, but it is the musical equivalent of sporting some Rex Kwon Do pants.
C Class shooter.
+10
Saw an add with them in the latest issue of Recoil and had to check the out. I REALLY wanted to like them but it just isn't by type of music. I know their hearts are in the right place but the Star Spangled Banner should be left unmolested in my view.
I'm learning the Anthem on guitar this year (Yes, I know it's late of me, but I've only been operational for about a year now and just now have the free time to learn it) along with Iced Earth's "Declaration Day".
Orionz, as a fellow Iced Earth fanboi, I'm SHOCKED you haven't submitted this yet.
Full Disclosure: No disrespect to the Anthem. They play the Anthem and then a song about what led us to the Revolution. Made even more awesome with Tim "Ripper" Owens formerly of Judas Priest on vocals.
+1 MY absolute favorite rendition of all time.
This was kick ass - flash back to the pre-deployment motivational videos. The Anthem was played in the manner in which it was written, just using heavy metal guitar. Madison risings version just seems disjointed to me. Maybe it it just personal taste in music and I'm a product of the 80s/90s that embraces heavy metal but just can't wrap their ears around the newer music.
I'm in 100% agreement with SGT Calle and the others that dislike seeing "new" versions of The Star-Spangled Banner.
My real misgivings with it are rooted in the implicit hubris of any musician that sees fit to put their own twist/shift/changes into it, as if to say that giving it their own flavor was more important than simply performing it exactly in the was it was intended to be performed to the best of their ability.
I love the Civil Wars, and yet I simply do not like their version of The Star-Spangled Banner. While their talent is incredible, many other musicians, as well as celebrities that possess dubious levels of musical talent, have gradually turned the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner at ball games and such into an entertainment spectacle - and it's shifting the focus away from the incredible gravity of meaning in that song.
As a Soldier myself, I couldn't disagree with that more emphatically. I'm inspired to see that a band like Madison Rising exists at all, but the feel-good churchy rock group vibe is totally wrong for the Star-Spangled Banner. Same goes for the Diva-soul sass of Destiny's Child and the thrashy-riff electric guitar rendition Metallica did. I do like the fact that Metallica's performance stayed true to the way the song was written, though.
Now, if they were to include their 'version' on their album, or start off their own concert with it? I'm totally down with that, as it brings our national anthem into focus where it wouldn't usually be expected.
But to start off the ball game or perform it for some other function, when it NEEDS to be a proper performance of The Star-Spangled Banner? Simply, emphatically, no.
That Cactus Cuties's performance of it brings me to tears every single time. No matter how well anyone else does, somehow every time there's talk of the 'best' performances, the Cactus Cuties are always in the conversation.
Love Madison Rising's version. Not too crazy about 6 minute long jazz renditions. Not sure how the song was "originally intended".
“Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais
The Defense of Fort McHenry was a poem.
It was set to a tune and became The Star Spangled Banner, which eventually became the National Anthem.
The tune was "To Anacreon in Heaven" -- a drinking song.
...I'll instruct you like me, to intwine
The Myrtle of VENUS with BACCHUS's Vine.
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“It doesn’t matter what the problem is, the solution is always for us to give the government more money and power, while we eat less meat.”
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"Are you ready? Okay. Let's roll."- Last words of Todd Beamer
Many of the best started as drinking songs.
“Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais
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