Just for the record, Michael Phelps will be fine. Because the next time the US needs to win a medal in swimming, you can bet your ass folks will be knocking down his door to praise his talents again. Take another bong hit, Mike. Take two. You won a billion gold medals so no one really cares. As a nation, we are more concerned with Jessica Simpson’s weight.

The Rascals – “Time Peace” One of the best greatest hits collections ever.
Charles Ives – “Ives: Sympohnies 1-4, Orchestral Sets 1-2” The works on Ives – one of our great American composers. With the Cleveland Orchestra, Zubin Mehta and the Academy of St. Martin’s in the Field (my favorite).
The Gutter Twins – “Saturnalia” The Gutter Twins are actually Mark Lanegan (The Screaming Trees) and Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs, et al). I have decided that ‘Greg Dulli music’ should be considered a genre. It should have its own section in a record store – with all the CDs under all the various names Greg likes to record as. ‘Greg Dulli music’ has its own style. It is smoky and dramatic. It slinks along and then it explodes. It embraces all the dark corners and reaches for redemption. And Greg Dulli can be very good or truly horrid at performing ‘Greg Dulli music’. This one works quite well, with Lanegan adding his deep timbre voice and scorching guitar riffs to the usual emotional chaos. Not as good as “Powder Burns”, but it is a suitable genre piece.
Neil Young – “Journey Through The Past” and “Time Fades Away”. Neither of these records have been released in a digital format and probably never will. Neil doesn’t like them – whether the recording or the sound or the material. But the Internet is a grand thing and you can always find it if you want it. “Journey” is the soundtrack to the never released documentary Neil made back in the early 70s. It is a very interesting listen that includes an early television appearance by the Buffalo Springfield, some live CSNY, a recording session of the song Alabama pulled apart and brought back together, some instrumentals, and a piece of Handel’s Messiah. It is exactly a movie soundtrack rather than an organized album. The only new song is Neil’s beautiful Soldier.
“Time Fades Away” is a live album and the beginning of the ‘Ditch Trilogy’. Neil had just had commercial success and since he couldn’t handle the middle of the road, he headed for the ‘ditch’. This tour also coincided with the OD deaths of Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten and one of the band’s roadies. [The trilogy starts with “Time”, then “Tonight’s The Night” and ends with “On The Beach”.] For a live album, this is very raw. But it’s still Neil and the songs are nothing to be ashamed of. Love In Mind, LA, The Bridge and Don’t Be Denied are pretty damn good songs and they only appear on this album. Frankly, we can all agree that Neil has recorded some crap in his oeuvre. But this record does not fall into that class. Find it on vinyl and give it a listen – it is a must for any true fan.

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