Tuesday's
Welcome
to Tuesday! It's the first Tuesday of May! Today we dust off an email
that was in the first year of Tuesday's Musical Notes. It features
another of our favorite bands from the 70's and has been altered
slightly to fit with the vibe of the blogosphere. Thank you for reading
today. We never take for granted readers around the world who join
with us in a passion for music. We hope you find The Notes an
interesting take on music. More importantly, we hope you feel the
drawing of the Holy Spirit of God on your life. Thanks again!!!
Welcome to Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!
What
are the special songs in your life that cause you to vividly remember a
time, place, or person? If we were to be honest with ourselves I
think we would have to admit that these songs some times stir up "More
Than a Feeling"...
What do you get when you blend creative genius with a masters degree in electrical engineering from MIT? This is the formula for one of the most famous rock bands of the late '70s and early '80s.
To this day, fans around the world know the music of the band Boston. Believe it or not, Boston only has 7 albums. Tom Scholz is the creative genius and MIT graduate that created the band's entire debut album, Boston, in his basement. He is also the only band member to have been in Boston since it's origins. He played many of the instruments and used a 12 track recorder to layer the mixes one on top of the other until he got just the right sound, the Boston sound. Boston's debut single in 1976 from their self titled album was the #5 smash, "More Than A Feeling". On the strength of "More Than a Feeling" and subsequent singles, Boston would soar to #3 on the album chart and over its history has sold 17 million albums (Yes, that means it is 17 times platinum, making it one of the best debut records by any band in history)
Due
to Scholz's attention to detail, as well as a few lawsuits with record
labels, many years lapsed in between studio albums. Surprisingly,
Boston only has one #1 hit, 1986's "Amanda" from their third album
appropriately titled, Third Stage. It had been 6 years since
Boston's "Don't Look Back" and fans were hungry for that trademark
Boston sound. Boston released its 7th album, Life, Love, and Hope in 2013 and continues to tour aggressively. This time 11 years will have elapsed since Boston's last album.
Tragically, Life, Love, and Hope, is the first Boston album not to feature in a dominant role lead vocalist Brad Delp who committed suicide in 2007 .
Delp
and Scholz were the original band members signed by the record label
Epic. Delp's vocal range and signature voice plus Scholz musical
brilliance and engineering background define a sound that is
instantaneously recognizable.
Have
you ever noticed that as the seasons pass, many folks take a moment to
pause and reflect. What things happened in the previous season that
will affect my life in this season? I tend to consider the Spring just
before Summer hits, I think about the past Summer in the Fall, the Fall
in the Winter, etc. Perhaps you do the same. Some of those reflections
can cause strong emotions as we remember times, places, and people that
we encounter. Do these times of reflection grow stronger and maybe more protracted as we get older?
There
are triggers all around us that cause us to remember specific events
that were long forgotten. Our senses are the most potent of these.
Occasions are recalled when just the right smell, sound or even the right picture is put into our environment.
My
personal opinion is that our sense of hearing, specifically with
regards to music is the strongest impetus that causes reflection and
remembrance. Perhaps you have times that you associated specific songs
with distinct events or people in your life.
The
Eagles "Take It To The Limit" reminds me of the time when my younger
brother and I were having an argument. It seemed that every time he
responded in our quarrel, it reminded me of a song to which I would
immediately burst out singing. I found it great fun and quite the
challenge, and I think he found it a challenge to try and stump me. I
can't recall what the argument was about, but I do recall that after for
or five times of my crooning a tune, he was so mad that he finally
quite speaking to me.
Crosby, Stills, and Nash's "Southern Cross" reminds me of the first car that I owned.
"Walking on Sunshine", by Katrina and the Waves (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Walkin' On Sunshine") reminds me of the special dance that our children and I have and the times that we danced it.
It's
great that music can cause our memories to kick in and sometimes
recreate an emotional moment. Our relationship with Christ, however,
must be more than the feelings or emotions we get when we sing the
latest Praise & Worship top ten or hymnbook classic. Paul talks
about how we can go past the mountaintop experiences and find the
perfect will of God by being transformed into the likeness of Christ. (The
Letter to Roman Christians written by the Apostle Paul Chapter 12 New
International Version of the Bible/The Message Paraphrase of the Bible
parallel).
This
process involves the entire makeup of who we are. Our feelings, our
intellect, and our physical bodies must all be brought under the
sovereignty of who Jesus is. Our feelings can betray us, so we must
enlist the entirety of who we are to become entirely His. We
can not trust our feelings. The Psalms are filled with the
proclamation of how wicked our hearts are and how our hearts will betray
us. "Our hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus blood and
righteousness, I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on
Jesus Name."
Let
me challenge you today to surround yourself with those things that will
transform your life into the likeness of Christ. Reading the Bible,
having a quiet time, the counsel and association of Christian friends,
and intense prayer are all things that will make your relationship with
Jesus "more than a feeling".
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving you,
Randy
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