Albums I'd Like to See Elton John Record

As an Elton John fan, I decided to write a list of albums I’d like to see Elton John record. These are types of albums he hasn’t recorded yet. However, he has recorded at least one song in the style of my proposed album. I embed the audio of an Elton John song to display the kind of musical sound this proposed album could have. Let’s start.

Jazz Rock Album

Elton has done some songs over the years in jazz and jazz rock styles. My idea for this album would be dominated by jazz rock songs of different tempos with the remainder being plain jazz songs. It would be a creative challenge for Elton to write rock that’s merged with jazz. He’d be able to bring something new to jazz rock through his songwriting skills. Toto would be an influence for this album. I understand they were one of Elton’s favourite bands during their peak. He’s worked with Toto members David Paich (keyboards), Steve Lukather (guitar), Steve Porcaro (keyboards), Jeff Porcaro (drums) and Greg Phillinganes (keyboards). Jeff played all the drums on Elton’s 1982 “Jump Up” album which was the same year of Toto’s massive success with “Toto IV”.

Other influences I envision are Steely Dan and Chicago, specifically the “Chicago X” album. In my article “Ten Great Rock Songs Opening Albums”, I included the song “Once or Twice” from “Chicago X”. I said “I like Robert Lamm’s rock and roll piano. It’s creative to feature that kind of piano playing in a jazz rock song.” Elton similarly would bring his signature rock & roll piano sound in a jazz rock setting on some songs. The Elton John song I’m featuring below is “Out of the Blue”, an instrumental jazz rock song that came out 50 years ago. Elton does great improvisational piano soloing near the end.

Out of the Blue (1976)

Southern Rock Album

Southern rock is similar to rock & roll which is a part of Elton’s music where he has played rock & roll piano on some songs. A southern rock album would give Elton an opportunity to play more rock & roll piano on an album which is something I’d love to see. This album would be influenced by the southern rock band Little Feat who are an influence of Elton’s. A Little Feat style southern rock album would be both musically adjacent to Elton’s music and so different to what he normally does. Elton considers their keyboardist Bill Payne to be one of the best keyboardists he ever heard. Elton would bring in elements of Bill Payne’s piano playing while keeping it focused on Elton’s signature style.

This album would parallel Elton John’s early album “Tumbleweed Connection” (1970). On that album, Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin were influenced by The Band. This album would be influenced by Little Feat in the same fashion. Little Feat’s music is tied to americana, which Elton often goes into on his albums, making a musical continuation of Elton’s work he can use for this album. Elton can also feature traditional Elton John ballads with epic Little Feat style arrangements. I like Little Feat’s latest album “Strike Up the Band” (2025). That would be a good album for Elton to look to for inspiration. It features uptempo songs about enjoying life which is what Elton’s interested in writing at this stage of his career. I’m featuring Elton’s Little Feat sounding song “In the Name of You” below.

In the Name of You (2016)

Heartland Rock Album

This is an Elton John heartland rock album influenced by Bob Seger, Jackson Browne and Michael Stanley. Heartland rock is the most different style of music to Elton’s I’ve featured so far. I’d say he’s done only one heartland rock song in his career. Elton would be creatively challenging himself making a heartland rock album while also taking the genre into new territory by bringing his songwriting, piano and singing brilliance. I’m also a big fan of Bob Seger. It would be epic to imagine Elton doing a song like Bob Seger’s “The Fire Inside”. That song features incredible piano by Roy Bittan including two solos. Bob’s albums do include Elton style ballads and rock & roll songs alongside the fully fledged heartland rock songs, so Elton would have an opportunity to include his traditional ballads and rock & roll songs. Interestingly, Bob has a piano ballad “Love’s the Last to Know” featuring Little Feat keyboardist Bill Payne on piano and Elton’s guitarist Davey Johnstone on acoustic guitar.

My understanding is Jackson Browne is an influence of Elton’s. Elton played piano on Jackson’s song “Red Neck Friend”. It would be incredible hearing an Elton John song in the vein of Jackson Browne’s “The Pretender”. Michael Stanley is an American singer from Cleveland who failed to make it big outside of his state. He is a brilliant rock singer-songwriter who the World needs to hear. He features piano in a lot of his work. Before he went into heartland rock, his folk rock album “Friends & Legends” (1973) reminds me of the early Elton albums “Tumbleweed Connection” (1970) and “Honky Château” (1972). The album’s bassist Kenny Passarelli would join Elton’s band in a few years. An Elton heartland rock album would be similar to how Elton approached his album “Peachtree Road” (2004). That album goes in an americana and country direction sounding different by having a more American sound than what Elton normally does. Elton mixed americana with his brand of pop rock on “Peachtree Road” and would do the same with heartland rock. For Elton’s heartland rock song, I”m featuring “England and America”. I included it and songs by the three heartland rock singers in my my article “Ten Great Heartland Rock Songs”.

England and America (2016)

Piano-Guitar-Bass-Drums Album

This is the most traditional sounding Elton John album on this list. This is a stripped down album with just piano, guitar, bass and drums. When Elton John’s long-time guitarist Davey Johnstone joined his band, the Elton John Band consisted of piano, guitar, bass and drums. Davey was with Nigel Olsson (drums) and the late Dee Murray (bass). Even though Elton had this band, it was rare for Elton to have a song on a studio album with only these four instruments as there was usually something additional such as percussion, additional keyboards, orchestra and/or horns. This album would be only piano, guitar, bass, drums and backing vocals with no additional keyboards, percussion, orchestra and horns.

This album would have rock energy giving both the piano and guitar more room to rock. Davey & Nigel would showcase their great playing which is crucial to the Elton John sound. Elton could do rock & roll, hard rock, blues rock and pop rock. This arrangement would also provide energy and a full band sound to the ballads. The song I’m providing below is the original version of Elton’s rock ballad “Candle in the Wind” which has just these four instruments. Elton leads the song with his piano and Davey plays both acoustic and electric guitars with his electric guitar providing a great rock feel. Elton’s band members provide great backing vocals.

Candle in the Wind (1973)

These are a list of albums I’d like to see Elton John record. They comprise three sub-genres of rock he hasn’t done a whole album before as well as an album with a different recording arrangement. I’d be interested to hear if you have thoughts on what I said or albums you’d like to see Elton record.

Ten Songs Featuring Bob Seger Band Members

I decided to write an article of ten songs featuring Bob Seger band members. Every song features someone who backed Bob Seger. A wide variety of artists are featured with one Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band song included. Bob Seger’s popular backing band the Silver Bullet Band was formed in the 1970s. Unfortunately, most of the songs on this list don’t feature official Silver Bullet Band members as non-Bob Seger song options with them are limited. Most of the band members featured are touring musicians who complemented the Silver Bullet Band. I also included some band members from the pre-Silver Bullet Band era. I mention the band member/s after the year of the song unless they’re one of the artists. I had previously written a similar article “Ten Songs Featuring Elton John Sidemen” where I included a Bob Seger song.

Walk Like a Man (You Can Call Me Your Man) - Grand Funk Railroad (1973) - Craig Frost & Don Brewer

The song opens with an electric piano. Keyboardist Craig Frost would later join the Silver Bullet Band and drummer Don Brewer would become a touring drummer for Bob Seger. Craig’s electric piano gives a strong driving rock presence which goes well with the guitars. He also plays a subtle organ part which adds to the song. Don Brewer wrote this song with bandmember Mark Farner and Don sings it. Mark’s guitar solo is very good. I like how Don hits the drums hard in a very effective way. This song has similarities to Bob Seger’s electric piano rocker “Black Night”.

Double Dealin’ Four Flusher - The Doobie Brothers (1975) - Bill Payne

This song is written by Patrick Simmons. It’s opened by a special drum pattern. Patrick shares the lead vocals on this with Tom Johnston and drummer Keith Knudsen. I like the use of three lead vocalists. This song has an aggressive rock feel with strong guitars. Bill Payne gives a great keyboard presence with both electric and acoustic piano. His acoustic piano gives off amazing rock & roll vibes. There’s an intense rocking guitar solo with both horn and piano interjections followed by a brief slow section of the song driven by the electric piano. This song is similar to Bob Seger’s version of Frankie Miller’s “Ain’t Got No Money”. Both songs are guitar-driven hard rock songs with a rock & roll piano.

Rock and Roll Never Forgets - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band (1976)

It’s the opening track of Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band’s “Night Moves” album that came out 50 years ago today on the 22nd of October 1976. This version of the Silver Bullet Band consists of Drew Abbott (lead guitar), Chris Campbell (bass), Alto Reed (saxophone), Robyn Robins (keyboards) and Charlie Allen Martin (drums). Robyn’s piano underpins the song and his organ flourishes add to it. Alto’s sax in this song is a key element of the Silver Bullet Band sound. Drew gives a blues inspired guitar solo. Bob gives his signature rock singing. I like his vocal ad-libbing in the last section of the song. Horns have a good presence at the end and go back and forth with Drew’s guitar.

Next Time You See Her - Eric Clapton (1977) - Dick Sims & Jamie Oldaker

This ballad has both a soft rock and americana feel. Eric Clapton’s band members at the time included Dick Sims (keyboards), Jamie Oldaker (drums) and Marcy Levy (backing vocals) who were with Bob Seger earlier in the 1970s. Marcy does not seem to be on this track though. Eric sings in a warm, intimate way. There is nice electric guitar playing by Eric and/or George Terry. Dick’s piano & organ playing is wonderfully melodic and very prominent. Jamie gives energy with his drumming. I love his clear, sharp drum sound. I see similarities between this song and Bob Seger’s “You’ll Accomp’ny Me” in both songs' piano & organ parts and being warm ballads.

Tender Is the Night by Jackson Browne (1983) - Rick Vito

The song opens mainly with Jackson’s vocals and Craig Doerge’s electric piano. There is light drumming and other keyboards appear. The guitars then come in aggressively. Rick Vito’s lead guitar playing is creative as he plays both understated and intense in different sections. Jackson sings tenderly throughout most of the song. Rick’s guitar solo is loud and fast. Doug Haywood’s organ has a good presence. This song has musical similarities with Bob Seger’s “The Long Way Home”. While Bob’s song is slower as a ballad, both of them are soft rock songs with electric piano and a Rick Vito guitar solo.

Dyin’ Ain't Much of a Livin’ - Jon Bon Jovi (1990) - Kenny Aronoff

It’s a solo song by Jon Bon Jovi, lead vocalist of Bon Jovi. Jon sings intimately in the verses and powerfully in an epic arena rock voice in the choruses. Kenny gives powerful rock drumming. Elton John plays wonderful piano and sings backing vocals. Elton’s piano is mixed in well and he gives his strength as a rock pianist. One of the guitarists on this song is Jeff Beck. The guitars give a great, intense rock sound. This song is similar to Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band’s “Sunburst” as both have a combination of piano balladry and hard rock guitar.

Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing - Marcella Detroit & Elton John (1994)

This is a cover which was originally sung by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Marcella Detroit is the backing vocalist Marcy Levy I mentioned earlier who was in both Eric Clapton’s and Bob Seger’s bands.This version from Marcella’s album, unlike the one on Elton’s album has an intro with Marcella singing. It soon goes into Elton & Marcella singing who sound great together. Both of them sing very soulfully. This recording isn’t great music as its production is dated. What makes it worthwhile is the positive, enjoyable vibes and Elton’s great singing. There’s a harmonica which has a good presence. It was a minor hit in the UK. This song brings to mind “Chances Are”, Bob Seger’s duet with Martina McBride. Both are 1990s duets of male classic rockers singing with a female singer in a different genre to their own. Elton’s duet is soul and Bob’s duet is country.

Mama’s Little Baby - Delbert McClinton & Dick50 (2009) - Rob McNelley

This song is an example of Delbert McClinton’s signature blues rock sound. Delbert recorded this with the backing band Dick50. It opens with strong drumming. Rob McNelley’s aggressive guitars sound great. He would soon become Bob Seger’s lead guitarist. The piano part is very energetic and lively. Delbert sings great in a loud, strong way. The backing vocals support Delbert well. This is a fun uptempo song. It’s a bit like Bob Seger’s “No Matter Who You Are”. While Bob’s song rocks harder without a blues component, both songs have similar energy and backing vocals.

Rag Top Down - Little Feat (2012) - Bill Payne & Fred Tackett

Keyboardist Bill Payne wrote this song with lyricist Robert Hunter and sings it. It’s a midtempo southern rock song. Bill’s keyboard playing is great. He gives us both americana-driven rock piano and organ. The guitars play a good supporting role. Fred Tackett who was part of a Bob Seger tour with Bill is one of the guitarists. The song seems to end and then it brings great keyboard and guitar rock jamming. This song feels like a mix of Bob Seger’s ballad “No Man’s Land” and uptempo song “Brave Strangers”. Its tempo is in between the two with the feel of “No Man’s Land” and a piano part in the direction of “Brave Strangers”.

Little Bitty Soul by Andy Pratt (2013) - Kenny Aronoff

This is a ballad giving optimism in response to the troubles of the world. The keyboards seem to be a combination of electric & acoustic piano. Andy Pratt plays multiple instruments on this song including piano. His singing conveys the emotions of someone weary and struggling. Kenny supports the song well with his drumming. He gives energy to his playing while also keeping them understated to suit the sound of this ballad. A flute appears at times which gives a good presence. We get a bit of rock guitar towards the end of the song which is a welcome addition. Bob Seger has done songs like this such as his 2006 unreleased song “Let Me Try” which was unveiled last month. Bob’s song has musical and lyrical similarities with Andy’s song.

This is a collection of songs covering a 40 year period from 1973 to 2013. I liked selecting a group of different songs through the lens of my Bob Seger fandom. These songs have a rock energy which is something Bob Seger has. We get fully fledged rockers and ballads. Most of the ballads have rock elements too. These band members did a great job supporting both Bob Seger and the artists featured on this list. Relating to the Bob Seger band members, some session musicians were featured on these songs who Bob has recorded with. They include Bob Glaub, Russ Kunkel and Sam Clayton. Backing vocalists Julia Waters and Maxine Waters also apply. Those who back singers and bands with instruments and/or backing vocals deserve credit as the songs wouldn’t be as great without their contribution.

The Need to Revive Sri Lanka’s LRT Project

"Colombo Traffic" by Nazly is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

In 2017, for this blog I interviewed Dr. Dimantha De Silva about the Colombo Transport Plan of the Megapolis Project. He was Consultant/Team Leader of the Colombo Transport Plan. The Megapolis and its Colombo Transport Plan was an initiative of the then Sri Lankan government. This plan included a Light Rail Transit (LRT) system which is a form of rail transit for Sri Lanka’s most populous city Colombo. In March 2019, the Daily News reported that a loan was signed between the Sri Lankan government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to construct an LRT Line from Malabe to Colombo Fort.

When I was interviewing Dimantha in May 2017, I was concerned that Gotabaya Rajapaksa would become Sri Lanka’s next President and cancel this project. Unfortunately, he was elected President in November 2019. Gotabaya Rajapaksa governed disastrously which culminated in Sri Lanka’s economic collapse in 2022 alongside protests which successfully resulted in his resignation. In September 2020, Gotabaya Rajapaksa terminated the LRT project. It was so tragic to see a positive transportation project get cancelled due to Sri Lanka’s broken political system. It had a very beneficial loan condition for Sri Lanka and the agreement had already been signed with JICA.

On the 23rd of July, the Daily News reported that Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake said in Parliament that a final decision has not currently been made on whether to resume the LRT project. Minister Ratnayake mentioned that compensation has been paid to two companies with one of the Japanese companies requesting additional interest payment for the delay. He also said a special committee has been formed to investigate this issue.

I am of the view that the National People’s Power (NPP) government should revive the LRT project. They are involved in positive transport projects right now. This year, the Metro Bus service was launched which continues to expand. These are modern Foton buses with the service run by the Lanka Metro Transit company. Minister Rathnayake stated in July that Sri Lanka will take steps to introduce an electric railway service in 2027. Its first phase will consist of three routes. He gave an update this month that construction is expected to begin in May or June next year.

   

In July, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a purchase of 600 new deluxe buses with air-conditioning. These buses are for the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB). Minister Rathnayake mentioned in Parliament earlier this month that many new expressways will start construction before the end of 2026. The government just launched a national program to make dangerous and unsafe parts of roads outside of highways safe. On the 18th of this month, the government signed Memorandums of Understanding for this program with local government bodies. Prasanna Gunasena, Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways revealed on the 20th that the construction of Kandy’s Mahaiyawa’s underpass is about 80% done with it aiming to be finished by December. The purpose of the underpass is to improve commuter access to Kandy and to help reduce Kandy’s traffic congestion.

Japan is involved with the Sri Lankan government’s current transport initiatives. Around the beginning of this month, the Japanese government donated seven low-floor buses to Sri Lanka in order to enhance the Sri Lankan public transport system. These bus donations are by both the Japanese government and residents of Yokohama, Japan. This is part of the Metro Bus service as the donated buses were handed over to Lanka Metro Transit, the company responsible for the Metro Buses.

The Japanese government’s development agency JICA who were set to give the LRT loan is currently involved in Sri Lankan development projects. JICA is involved in setting up a Doppler Weather Radar Network in Puttalam. It is being constructed right now and expected to be completed next year. This is funded by Japan’s Grant Aid and will help Sri Lanka prepare for disasters. JICA provided loans for two cardiac treatment complexes in Trincomalee and Anuradhapura which just began construction. In July, Sri Lanka’s second largest water supply project was launched. JICA funded this Anuradhapura North Water Supply Project - Phase II. This month, it was reported that the Kalu Ganga Water project is about to begin. It’s a JICA loan servicing drinking water needs of families in the Colombo and Kalutara districts.

Colombo having an LRT system would greatly assist with travel as the city has too many vehicles on the roads. An LRT would enable people to travel to destinations on the list at a faster speed. It is elevated keeping it separate from regular traffic on its route enabling those vehicles to go faster due to the LRT usage. Colombo’s LRT has great potential to improve Sri Lanka’s economy. Dimantha told me how his mentors and professors in Calgary, Canada (where he lived prior to my interview and lives presently) talked about how Calgary grew and its economic levels increased when Calgary’s LRT system was introduced. He also said that it enabled investors to come in for other projects. This provides potential benefits such a system would have in Sri Lanka.

As Dimantha stated to me, Sri Lanka won’t be eligible for the LRT loan once we elevate to an upper middle income country. This loan has a 0.1% interest rate for a 40 year period and has a 10 year grace period. Sri Lanka was not an upper middle income country when the interview was conducted. We reached this classification by the World Bank in July 2019, only to lose it one year later. The World Bank improved Sri Lanka’s classification this July, returning it to an upper middle income country.

Sri Lanka’s status as an upper middle income country poses challenges to a loan for a revived LRT project as we are no longer eligible for it. If we were to negotiate with JICA on reviving the LRT, we could request it to consist of the original loan conditions when it was signed. If that is not possible, there are other options to look at which could include getting other countries or organisations also involved to ease the cost. It’s important to try to have an agreement on reviving the project including compensation payments reimbursed or at least have the interest compensation requirement cancelled.

Sri Lanka collaborating with JICA on the current development projects can help us in negotiating for a revival of Colombo’s LRT. In January 2025, Minister Rathnayake took a train ride as a regular passenger. Passengers approached him about issues the train service faces. This is a positive action by the Minister in reaching out to the people and their issues. He could use his experiences of travelling on a train and learning of the passengers’ issues as a reason to see the value of a LRT system operating in Sri Lanka, both due the common value of the train & LRT and how an improved system could address passengers’ issues. The LRT can be integrated into the government’s transport initiatives. LRT would complement the current transport projects well. Metro Buses can go to LRT locations linking the two systems to benefit each other.

In light of the government’s positive transport initiatives and work with JICA, I see the LRT as a Sri Lankan project which should be revived. The fact that Japan also donated buses to Sri Lanka this year is a case of them collaborating with the current government on transport which could help with an LRT revival. An LRT system would revolutionise Colombo’s transport sector and bring tangible benefits to Sri Lanka enabling the country to develop further.

The Value of Tech Investments in Sri Lanka

"Stunning Night View of Colombo City Skyline" by Thilina Alagiyawanna is marked with CC0 1.0. 

I decided to write an article giving my vision of technology investments in Sri Lanka. I think technology multinationals are companies Sri Lanka should try to attract foreign direct investments (FDIs) from. Sri Lanka can focus on getting these companies to set-up their Sri Lankan operations with modern buildings being constructed. One area getting these companies to focus on is the South Asian region with South Asian headquarters being a possibility. If that’s too difficult an investment to obtain, another option is having a software development centre for South Asia. This includes India which is one of the most populated countries in the world. This would bring a massive number of Sri Lankan jobs.

In my previous article “Five Export Diversification Options for Sri Lanka”, two of the options I mentioned are computers & electronics and visual effects for Hollywood. As part of this, we can get technology companies to set-up manufacturing operations in Sri Lanka and attract global visual effects companies to have Sri Lankan offices.

Technology multinationals can bring advanced technology to Sri Lanka. These companies could offer modern services using this technology to the Sri Lankan market directly and also collaborate with others in Sri Lanka. I envision collaborations using this technology being agreements with Sri Lankan companies in the private sector to sell services through it and secure Sri Lankan government contracts with it. Tech companies could also do work for the Sri Lankan government on digitisation. I see their charitable activities as using their technology and expertise to benefit the poor and rural Sri Lanka.

This is a small selection I gave of the value of tech investments into Sri Lanka. There are many more possibilities I didn’t mention. Professionals involved in Sri Lanka’s technology sector and in obtaining FDI could expand on this with more detailed proposals. I’d be interested to hear if you have any ideas on tech investments in Sri Lanka. As Colombo has new buildings constructed, I am of the view that technology companies are a good sector for us to attract to enhance this contemporary trend.

Ten Songs Produced by Barry Beckett

This article is my first collection of songs by a music producer. The producer I’m featuring is Barry Beckett. He’s a keyboardist who was part of a group of session musicians known as the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. They worked with singer Bob Seger who I’m a fan of. In most of the songs I selected, Barry shared production credit with others. Barry played piano on some of the songs he produced. Sometimes albums Barry produced did not specify which tracks he played on. Therefore, I only mention Barry’s piano playing if I could verify that he played on the song. The songs cover a 20 year period beginning in 1973.

Turn Out the Light - Orleans (1973)

Barry produced the album with Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section drummer Roger Hawkins and plays piano. Barry’s piano opens the song and dominates. His playing is powerful. The start of the song is John Hall’s singing who also plays the guitar. We get a bit of guitar and backing vocals. After a while it becomes a full band song. This soft rock ballad has gospel influences. John gives a nice guitar solo followed by Barry’s powerful piano solo. This song is produced wonderfully as it’s clear sounding. It’s able to be both intimate in its sections dominated by piano and epic when it has the full band sound. It uses the full band to give power and energy to this ballad.

Smoke from a Distant Fire - Sanford-Townsend Band (1977)

The Sanford-Townsend Band consisted of Ed Sanford and John Townsend. They are both singer-keyboardists. This is a pop rock song with a southern rock feel. Barry produced this song with Jerry Wexler which is also the case for the next song. This song was a hit in the US. There is a warm saxophone part. John’s singing is soulful. Ed supports John with his good backing vocals. There are many elements in this song, acoustic piano, electric piano, electric guitar, organ and saxophone which the production balances very well. Sections of the song are driven by the electric piano while others are driven by the acoustic piano. There are two relaxing solos, one guitar and the other saxophone. This song has a good jolly feel.

Communiqué - Dire Straits (1979)

Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler wrote, sang and played lead guitar on this song. It opens with Mark’s guitar playing with it soon joined by Barry’s piano playing. Some of the notes Barry plays reminds me of his piano part in Bob Seger’s “Sunspot Baby”. His playing goes well with Dire Straits. Mark’s provides creative guitar playing. The production brings in southern American sensibilities to a uniquely English rock band. This is an epic rock song over five minutes long.

Paris - Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes (1979)

This is the first song on the list Barry produced by himself. Kevin Kavanaugh’s piano playing is powerful. Southside Johnny sings with passion. Horns are featured in parts of the song. There is a relaxing saxophone solo. Kevin’s organ plays a good supporting role. Barry’s production is true to Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes’ brand of rock as it features both heartland rock and soul sounds.

Lucretia - Levon Helm (1982)

Barry produced this song with Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section guitarist Jimmy Johnson. This is a solo song by Levon Helm who was in The Band. Levon sings powerfully. His singing of the line “hey Mister can you tell me where to go” reminds me of similar lines he sang in The Band’s song “The Weight”. The piano underpins this americana sounding rock song. The guitars bring in both country and rock vibes. The production does a good job of balancing the guitars and the piano.

I Got Love - Glenn Frey (1984)

This is a solo song by Glenn Frey who was in The Eagles. I’d classify it as soft rock with soul elements. Barry produced this song with Glenn & Allan Blazek and plays all the keyboards on it. The song opens with mainly Glenn’s singing, Barry’s piano and light drumming. Soon, the drumming gets more intense with all the instruments appearing. Barry plays some organ notes which make appearances during the chorus. Glenn sings very well. You can hear his emotion. The horns contribute greatly to the song. Barry plays a few rock & roll piano notes near the end. The production feels epic giving different instruments their moments throughout the song.

Southern Star - Alabama (1989)

Barry plays piano on this country song and produced it with the Alabama band. Southern Star has multiple instruments: piano, organ, acoustic and electric guitars. Lead singer Randy Owen sings very well. The band provides good backing vocals. There are some rock elements as Barry’s piano seems to give brief rock & roll sounds and the guitar solos sound a little rockish. The production feels epic with its full band country sound.

Go On - Delbert McClinton (1990)

Barry and Delbert McClinton produced this song. This song is in Delbert’s style which mixes country, blues and rock. There are two bluesy guitar solos. The piano provides a good base for the song. There are moments where the piano does some additional notes. The horns provide a good presence. The production gives a relaxed uptempo feel.

 

Always in My Heart - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band (1991)

This rock ballad Barry produced with Bob Seger. It came out 35 years ago in August 1991. The piano is played by Bob’s classic rock peer Bruce Hornsby. The opening section is dominated by Bob’s singing and Bruce’s piano. They pair well together. This song is an example of a great Bob Seger ballad. Bruce’s piano playing is epic. Bob sings incredibly. The production showcases the power of a Bob Seger ballad. It mixes this piano led song with its guitar and keyboard parts.

A Woman’s Needs - Elton John & Tammy Wynette (1993)

Barry produced this duet between Elton John and country singer Tammy Wynette. Elton wrote this country song with his lyricist Bernie Taupin. Tammy sings at the start. She sings well in her southern accent. Elton sings after that and comes with very powerful singing. Their singing styles are totally different yet work so well. They sing in conversation in the chorus. There are similarities in this song and the preceding one. Both are ballads featuring the musicians Don Potter (acoustic guitar), Dan Huff (electric guitar), Michael Rhodes (bass) and Eddie Bayers (drums). The difference is the country genre of “A Woman’s Needs”. Elton brings his signature brilliant piano playing in a country setting. Barry’s good production brings the guitars in and out of this Elton John piano ballad. He deserves credit for bringing a strong collaboration between an English rock singer and an American country singer.

Barry’s productions have an organic clear sound. He gives an important place for the piano whether it's his playing or someone else’s. Barry balances the different instruments well. He brings in southern sounds like country and blues into songs produced by rock artists. He did work in the country genre which I included. As I’m a classic rock fan, most of the artists I featured are rock artists. It’s interesting to note that the last four songs feature the rhythm section of drummer Eddie Bayers and bassist Michael Rhodes. Barry Beckett is a great producer and keyboardist who made a great contribution to popular music.

AI Bizarrely Got My Blog Wrong

"Artificial Intelligence - Resembling Human Brain" by deepakiqlect is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. 

I decided to conduct an experiment involving artificial intelligence (AI). I gave Google’s AI Mode powered by Gemini the links to all my blog posts and asked it to write what could be my 125th blog post. I requested it to be under 1000 words and use British spelling. This is an experiment I wanted to do for some time. Infact, I said on social media in 2018: “I would like it if there were an artificial intelligence program that could analyse my 26 blog posts and create a new one. I'm sure it would put unrelated topics I've written about together in a bizarre humorous way!” AI did put unrelated topics together and bizarrely got my blog wrong. I’m posting what it came up with below with my analysis and commentary below it.

“The S Synergy: When Heartland Rock Meets Star Trek Style Sci-Fi

In this article, I decided to do something a bit different for my 125th post. Regular readers know that my writing usually alternates between deeply researched Sri Lankan history, structural evaluations of classic piano rock songs, and critiques of speculative science fiction. However, I have recently been thinking about how these seemingly separate 'S topics' actually share a common creative DNA. Today, I want to explore a fascinating conceptual crossover: how the core themes of classic Heartland Rock mirror the narrative arcs of Star Trek and great sci-fi.

It might sound like an unusual pairing at first. Heartland rock is traditionally grounded in blue-collar American realism—sweaty factories, open highways, and acoustic guitars juxtaposed with driving grand pianos. Star Trek, on the other hand, takes us into the far reaches of the Alpha Quadrant aboard the Starship Enterprise. Yet, when you look past the settings, both genres are fundamentally preoccupied with the exact same human condition: the battle between automation and the human spirit, the search for identity, and an unyielding sense of hope.

The Fight Against Automation: Seger and the Borg

A prominent theme in my favourite music is the struggle against cold, unfeeling corporate or industrial forces. In Bob Seger’s intense 1978 rock song Feel Like a Number, he delivers a powerful vocal performance about a man fighting to maintain his individuality within a massive, faceless system. Drew Abbott's energetic lead guitar riffs and the driving piano tracks perfectly match that desperate, human energy.

Musically and lyrically, this is the exact same conflict we see in Star Trek: The Next Generation when humanity faces the Borg. The Borg represents the ultimate extension of automation—a collective where individual identity is entirely erased in favour of mechanical efficiency. When Captain Picard is assimilated into Locutus, it is the ultimate sci-fi manifestation of 'feeling like a number'. Both Seger’s protagonist and the crew of the Enterprise are fighting the same battle: asserting that human emotion, vulnerability, and creativity cannot be replaced by automated systems.

The Piano as the Sci-Fi Instrument of Empathy

In my previous music listicles, I have frequently highlighted how keyboard virtuosos like Roy Bittan, Bill Payne, and Craig Doerge utilize the piano to inject warmth and depth into guitar-driven rock songs. In heartland rock, the piano is often the emotional anchor. When Roy Bittan’s piano notes go up and down the scale in Bob Seger’s Even Now, or when Craig Doerge tracks rich, dark notes on Jackson Browne’s The Fuse, they are establishing a baseline of deep empathy.

This musical framework mirrors how great sci-fi utilizes specific characters to ground complex, alien concepts. In Star Trek, characters like Spock or Data serve a similar structural purpose as the piano in a rock ballad. They look at humanity from the outside, highlighting our unique capacity for empathy, art, and connection. Just as a beautiful piano solo provides a soulful contrast to a heavy, aggressive rock guitar, characters striving to understand human emotion provide the soulful heart of speculative fiction. We saw this execution brilliantly in Steven Spielberg's recent sci-fi thriller Disclosure Day, where the entire narrative arc ultimately relied on a message of global empathy to unite a divided world.

The Optimistic Journey

Ultimately, whether exploring the natural majesty of Sri Lanka via Google Street View, tracking session sidemen crossovers, or watching the Federation explore new worlds, the unifying thread is optimism. Heartland rock ballads are rarely purely cynical; they look at a broken town or a difficult relationship and still search for a 'brand new day'.

Star Trek has endured for decades precisely because of Gene Roddenberry's optimistic vision of the future—a world where humanity has overcome internal division, poverty, and systemic corruption to work for the public good. It is the same constructive spirit needed when analyzing modern democratic reforms or structural economic transitions back home.

I would be very interested in hearing what you think of this conceptual crossover. Do you see the similarities between the heartland rock sound and the idealistic journeys of science fiction?”

This is a blog post I would never write. Despite the themes and topics I cover in it, its writing style is not mine and has an unnatural AI feel. It mentioned “deeply researched Sri Lankan history” which is something I write about on this blog. I do write about Sri Lankan politics more often which it didn’t say except for an indirect reference to the topic near the end. This post made some references to Sri Lanka, but Sri Lanka is surprisingly underrepresented. It takes a lot of material from what I wrote recently.

The heartland rock comparison to Star Trek is an interesting one. It’s strange that it chose the Borg as I confess that they are not my favourite Star Trek villains. A lot of people will hate me for saying that as the Borg is highly regarded. They first appeared on “Star Trek:  The Next Generation” (TNG). The reason why is because I’m a bigger fan of “Star Trek: The Original Series” (TOS) than TNG and this is a concept that went further away from TOS. However, I do think the pairing of Bob Seger’s “Feel Like a Number” in relation to the Borg is a good and true pairing. This brings to mind my article “Six Songs for Sri Lanka” from June 2022 where I combined my interest in music with Sri Lanka. I selected six songs which could apply to the terrible state Sri Lanka was in at that time. One of them was Bob Seger’s “Feel Like a Number”.

The second section “The Piano as the Sci-Fi Instrument of Empathy” referred to the term “listicle” which is a term I haven't heard of before. That’s referring to my blog articles in list form. I’ve written listicles featuring a set of songs. This section is absolute nonsense being the most bizarre part of this AI article. It’s silly calling pianos a sci-fi instrument of empathy. Spock and Data in Star Trek are not like the piano in a rock ballad.

I really like the second paragraph of the concluding section that talks of “Gene Roddenberry’s optimistic vision of the future” in Star Trek. That is something that is needed in the world right now. It’s right to match this with economic transitions and democratic reforms in Sri Lanka. In relation to the question at the end, I think there are similarities between heartland rock and sci-fi. I pointed out areas where the comparison worked for me. The problem with this article is that while it has some good ideas, it says nonsense, mixes different topics unnaturally and does not have an organic sincere feel. The writing isn’t bad as it covers topics I write about and I like some of its sections.

I do link topics together on my blog where I use a similar choice of words for titles like something I previously used, I might use a similar type of argument I’d used before in another article and most importantly there are cases where I deliberately mix topics together either as part of the article or the whole article itself. When mixing different topics together, it has to work naturally and make sense. It can’t be just mixed directly which would make it a bad article. There are some mixed topics I hope to cover in future articles.

AI Mode could not come up with an original topic for the post it generated. An original topic would be an idea or writing about something I hadn’t written before. It reused topics and points I’d said before in my blog. I do sometimes say the same thing, such as the way a piano part is used in a song. I don’t give them excessively like AI Mode did. The part linking Bob Seger to Star Trek’s Borg is original.

When it comes to the issue of AI, I’m not in the anti-AI crowd who oppose its use for everything. I’m also not in the pro-AI crowd who want to always use it, including for unnecessary creative purposes. AI is a useful tool and I think a healthy balance is needed. I use AI Mode. It can get fun when I feed it ideas to discuss films I’d like to see. I ask it questions and it gives answers. Some of the answers are valid and true. Others are invalid and not true.

A problem AI has is that its writing is very predictable and filled with clichés. As the same algorithm is used, its underlying structure for something creative can sound the same even if the topic or theme is totally different. The saying “Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet” is true to a much greater scale with AI. It will say some things that are not true. When asking questions if something is the case, AI will sometimes confirm it to please the user despite it being false. In other cases, when making a search with a true statement, Google’s AI Overview might say it is not true.

This parallels a previous blog post of mine six years ago called “Humorous & Interesting AI Talk on Sri Lanka”. It involved an AI bot called Talk to Transformer where the user types a sentence and presses a button which generates text to complete a sentence. I posted my blog post just after Talk to Transformer was discontinued. It consisted of generated content about Sri Lanka on that service. A lot of what Talk to Transformer said was not true. Sometimes it might have said something which looked genuine, but used made-up names and organisations. A common thread was it being often funny. I hoped that the blog post AI Mode generated would be funny in how it mixed different topics together and it wasn’t really.

To conclude, I do not want AI to write, co-write, guide or assist the writing of my blog posts. I’m willing to do things like compile a collection of AI content with commentary for Talk to Transformer and give an experiment to generate a blog post to see what it does. AI can end up having an influence in what I write as I recently made a Google search and what the AI Overview said impressed me that I said something similar as a point in a blog post. I just don’t want AI writing my blog posts for me or being involved in it. This blog is about my interests and it needs to be organic and sincere. This 125th blog post of mine is coming out 10.5 years after I began The S Blog.