Category Archives: Music

**Update** on CHARLES BRONSON – More than a Vigilante – THE MUSICAL! Take a listen to “Bronson Don’t Sing!”

Posted on by Bradley Crain

A few months ago, I told you about a young man named Henry Brooks, who has written a musical about the life of Charles Bronson. Every person who follows this site closely knows how much I love Charles Bronson. It makes me so happy that Henry has shared his talents in a way that is respectful of Charles Bronson, while also providing a fun and serious look at his life and movie career. I promised Henry that I would do what I could to share this project. Heck, I’d love to see it on Broadway some day! The album is produced by Stephen Glickman (Big Time Rush), with Steven Weber (Wings) and Lisa Loeb (Stay: I Missed You) contributing their talents as Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland. There are so many good songs on the album, but I think my personal favorite song is called “Toshiro and I,” which is Henry’s amusing take on Bronson’s film with Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune, RED SUN. Henry’s personal favorite songs are “Bronson Don’t Sing,” and “Leave the Mine Behind.” I can’t argue, they’re great songs, but there are many others as well. There are a total of 16 songs on the album, and the songs take Bronson from the coal mines all the way to being the most popular movie star on the planet.

I’ve linked to YouTube versions of the songs below! Take a moment to subscribe if you get the chance. You can also find the album on Spotify and Apple Music. Physical copies of the album should be available in the very near future. I can’t wait to add the Vinyl release to my collection!

A couple of months ago, the “This Week in Charles Bronson” podcast interviewed Henry Brooks for the 2nd time, but this time we discuss the completed concept album. We’ve dedicated a significant amount of time to Bronson Awareness and Education, and we’re honored to do our part to help spread the word on this important project!

Song of the Day: Overture (Lawrence of Arabia) by Maurice Jarre

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Lawrence of Arabia (dir. by David Lean)

Since today is David Lean’s birthday, it only seems appropriate that today’s song of the day should come from the film that is regularly acknowledged as being Lean’s masterpiece, 1962’s Lawrence of Arabia.  Composed by Maurice Jarre, here is one of the greatest film scores of all times.

Song of the Day: Main Title Theme From Bullitt by Lalo Schifrin

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

In honor of the birthday of Steve McQueen, today’s song of the day comes from his 1968 film, Bullitt.  Composed Lala Schifrin later went on to do the score for another film about a California detective with his own way of doing things, Dirty Harry.

Song of the Day: Bulls on Parade (by Rage Against the Machine)

Posted on by Arleigh

Anyone who lived through the mid-1990’s cannot say that they have never heard of Rage Against the Machine. They ushered in the rap metal/rap rock/alternative metal scene which would include such acts as Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock and Body Count just to name a few.

While the genre itself had some early beginnings with such metal and rap groups as Anthrax and Cypress Hill, respectively, it was with Rage Against the Machine that the scene really came into its own. As Scott Ian would later say, it was with Rage Against the Machine that rap metal as a genre was born.

Today’s “Song of the Day” with Rage Against the Machine’s 1996’s second single from Evil Empire, the band’s second studio album. That song is “Bulls on Parade”. The band released their self-titled album in 1992 that gave birth to the rap metal scene with “Killing in the Name” the birth cry of the genre. While success would follow the band pretty quickly with this debut album and their subsequent festival appearances it would be with “Bulls on Parade” that they would also achieve their most mainstream success.

A song decrying the military-industrial complex that the United States has become through the decades, the song was a mainstream-friendly calling card (as mainstream as RATM could ever be seen as) for the band known for it’s anti-establishment, anti-authoritarian and revolutionary lyrics. The band would be the boogeyman for the traditional and conservative movement many years even after the band’s break-up in 2000.

It is at the 2:30min mark that one of the most inventive and unique sounding guitar solos that signifies “Bulls on Parade” as having reached legendary status. Lead guitarist Tom Morello replicates the vinyl scratching typically heard with DJ artists in rap and club records. It is not your typical rock guitar solo, but a rock guitar solo it is nonetheless.

Bulls on Parade

Come wit’ it now
Come wit’ it now

The microphone explodes, shattering the molds
Either drop the hits like De La O or get the fuck off the commode
Wit’ the sure shot, sure to make the bodies drop
Drop and don’t copy yo, don’t call this a co-op
Terror rains drenchin’, quenchin’ the thirst of the power dons
That five sided fist-a-gon
The rotten sore on the face of mother earth gets bigger
The triggers cold empty ya purse

Rally ’round the family with a pocket full of shells
They rally ’round the family with a pocket full of shells
They rally ’round the family with a pocket full of shells
They rally ’round the family with a pocket full of shells

Weapons not food, not homes, not shoes
Not need, just feed the war cannibal animal
I walk the corner to the rubble that used to be a library
Line up to the mind cemetery now
What we don’t know keeps the contracts alive and movin’
They don’t gotta burn the books they just remove ’em
While arms warehouses fill as quick as the cells
Rally ’round the family, pockets full of shells

Rally ’round the family with a pocket full of shells
They rally ’round the family with a pocket full of shells
They rally ’round the family with a pocket full of shells
They rally ’round the family with a pocket full of shells

Bulls on parade

Come wit’ it now
Come wit’ it now
Bulls on parade
Bulls on parade
Bulls on parade
Bulls on parade
Bulls on parade

Great Guitar Solos Series