It's unfortunate that so many people are dismissing "The Rising" and the other songs from this album as "sounds the same", "overproduced", "aaaaaaaa!" or "I hate Bruce so it can't POSSIBLY be a good album". The album clocks in a little long, but the overall mood and message of the album is second-to-none. Most of the album is, as has been mentioned, a response to September 11th. He uses his trademark storytelling skills on "The Rising", "Empty Sky", "You're Missing" and the more upbeat "Mary's Place" to give us his glimpses into the lives and emotions of those affected by that day. Most of the perfection of this album is in the ordering and placement of the songs on the album, taking us from a high to a low back to an emotional high again. The entire album isn't a morose eulogy to those who were lost, nor is it an upbeat, "everything's great!" collection of pop throwaway tunes. It strikes just the right chord for the current mood of a country just starting to deal with the longer-term effects of what September 11th means. I just saw him along with the E Street Band live in Kansas City, and after hearing 11 of the new songs live, I will admit that the album itself doesn't do justice to the songs. Now that he's had some time to perfect the sentiment and mood of the various songs on the album, the live versions are more powerful and less, as many of you claim the album to be, "overproduced". The arrangements are less weighty and grinding than some of their album counterparts. I loved the album versions of the songs, but now I'm trying to find myself a recording of the tour show because THOSE are the versions of the songs I want to listen to. Though I find that's the case with many of Springsteen's songs. I love the album versions of most of his work, but REALLY love the live versions more. And a quick final comment to "stinky" from their September 10th post about being "nine-elevened out". While I understand your sentiment, you're going to have to deal with nine-eleven-related material for years to come. Only now, a year later, are we starting to see products that have gone through the whole production cycle from our artists (musicians, actors, writers, etc) ... there will be more to come.

Hey Flying_Donut ... yup, you can certainly not like any song you want. Heck, I personally can't stomach most of the almost-worshipped-around-here Coldplay songs. :) But music and lyrics and art in general aren't created in a vacuum; they're always responses to things going on in the world in general or the world of the artist. Obviously, this song was created post-September 11th and in response to that, and it will likely be politicized because of that.

Boy, some people just can't let the "it's not original so I'll complain about why it was played on this station" thing go, can they? Bravo, Bill ... nice tune and great mix with the Dire Straits and this all mixed into the last few tracks. Nice late night groove you've got me in now ... too bad I have to now try and work. :)

Whoa ... I actually don't even know what that means. :) I will admit, that upon hearing this again, this song actually isn't that bad. I'll upgrade my rating a few spots. I think most of their stuff sounds whiney (they even make the MUSIC seem whiney), but this song ... this one's growing on me. Are there others like this on the album I should give a chance to?

Oh triple joy, "booda" is spending way too much time on defending his dislike of Billy Idol. Good grief. If you don't like a song, go find something else to do for the 3 minutes and 45 seconds it's on. I'll give you more fodder to reply to (since you don't have much else to do, apparently) and suggest that if you really want to hear vastly different music, music that you've never heard before, music that you, personally, are not tired of and think is cliche and so far beneath the playlist of RP, then ... start up your own radio station. Since Bill apparently likes the two Billy Idol songs that he has in the vast RP catalog, hey, I'm willing to indulge him. If playing Billy Idol means I have to hear an insipid Coldplay (a band I can tune into my local radio station to hear) song one less time, then I vote play the Billy. But I'm not going to swear off of RP just because Bill seems to really like Coldplay. Seems a bit silly, and hey, maybe Bill will eventually whittle away at my better sense and make me like Coldplay. Can't wait for your response. Now I'VE spent too much time on a song that, really, doesn't mean that much in my life except that it was part of my teen years and has a certain nostalgia. I don't plan to respond again, so go ahead and have the last word ...

Well, good luck finding a new radio station, then. I think it's refreshing that Bill will throw a guilty pleasure into the mix every now and then. Does absolutely everything played here have to be groundbreaking, independent and never heard on public radio stations? Throwing a little Billy Idol in seems to fit the Merriam-Webster definition of eclectic: 1 : selecting what appears to be best in various doctrines, methods, or styles, 2 : composed of elements drawn from various sources. Frankly, I think that, yeah, Billy Idol's work is some of the better 80s-excess music that was produced. He's not a maestro, but his music was enjoyable and fun. Which, sometimes, is all music needs to be.

There was a standard set on the first album?

... and if one of those up-and-coming bands all of a sudden got heavy rotation on VH-1, would that then disqualify them from airplay here on Radio Paradise? Good tune. Alanis is hit and miss, but when she hits, it's pretty good.

Proving that bg is an amazing man, radioparadise.com is amazing, and the power of internet radio is amazing ... I requested this ... I get e-mail back ... it's on a mere number of songs later ... bg rules! (oh yeah ... Kate rules, too! I married a women that looks like Kate did on the cover of "The Kick Inside". It's a coincidence, to be sure, but it's striking =)

Ani. Life. All is good.

Enjoyed this. Chapin is fun.

Perhaps you're eating at Applebee's too much. :D

YES! :D

Love the Ani you play, especially when you branch out into her less-heard stuff ...

Just an FYI ... the "Moulin Rouge" references made below are to a few scant lines in the "Elephant Song Medley" that Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor sing together. It's still a fabulous piece (both Bowie and the Moulin Rouge lines) ...

The Fabulous Moody Blues ... make me smile every time ... well, except for some of the new stuff they've put out, which is middling at best. Thanks for a Moody fix! :D

Great song, but I prefer the Tori version ... *ducking so I don't get hit by the Tori haters or the Cure lovers* :D

Move, move, move! Ah, some good beats to get me through the drudgery of the day. Thanks! :D

Y'know, I left for awhile to go use the bathroom and came back and thought, "Oh, it's a Genesis double-play", but it's still the same song. I kind of like that. Of course, I'm someone who can listen to Jethro Tull's 45-minute "Thick as a Brick", also. So ... yeah. :)