Added to iPod - Over 10,000!
May 4, 2008 | Filed Under Music | 1 Comment
At last! One goal accomplished. Now if I can just win the lottery…
Randy Newman – “Good Old Boys”
M83 – “Saturdays = Youth” One of my ‘soundtrack’ bands. This is their latest.
Various Artists – “Different Strokes for Different Folks” This is a Sly and the Family Stone tribute. Generally, I hate tribute records. But this one is fun – very hip-hop, with Ce-Lo, the Roots, Chuck D, Big Boi, and a bunch of others. They use samples of the originals and re-mix. You got Steve Tyler singing Higher with Sly and Joss Stone and John Legend doing Family Affair. It works.
Simon & Garfunkel – “The Essential Collection” I have the cassette in the car and you forget how many of these songs you actually know.
The Afghan Whigs – “Black Love”
Herbert Von Karajan & the Berliner Philharmoniker – “Tchaikovsky’s Symphonies No. 4, 5 & 6”
Portishead – “Third” Yeah, this is a challenging album. But I like it. At least they didn’t copy their sound from a decade ago. That’s an artist, right?
More Cassettes
April 23, 2008 | Filed Under Music | 10 Comments
Now I’ve think I’ve emptied the whole country of every decent cassette of non-Arabic music.
Black Crowes - “Amorica”
Pearl Jam - “Vitalogy”
Simon & Garfunkel - “Essential”
Cat Stevens - “Very Best of” Good collection.
Dixie Chicks - “Take The Long Way Home”
Genesis - “Lamb Lies Down On Broadway”
Kronos Quartet - “Released: 1985-1995″ The ONLY “Classical” tape in the whole country!
Sinead O’Conner - “Best of”
Bob Dylan - “Love & Theft”
Ry Cooder - “Music By” His soundtrack work.
TO THE SIBLINGS… and I know you’re out there…
I will be vacationing in Jersey in a month. So if you still own the technology, any fresh mix TAPES would be greatly appreciated. Remember - these are for my car. We are car people out here in Kuwait. Thanks.
Added to iPod
April 8, 2008 | Filed Under Music | 1 Comment
I AM PAINFULLY CLOSE TO 10,000 SONGS!
painfully, I tell you….
Nine Inch Nails - “Ghosts I-IV” Thanks, T. This is perfect. Not only that, but Adrian Belew is all over it.
Rod Stewart - “Every Picture Tells A Story” The only Rod album I like.
Barenaked Ladies - Just the five songs I like, including their Christmas tune Elf’s Lament
Portishead - “Dummy” A genre classic. I thought I had it already…
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - “Baby 81″ Their latest.
Klute - “The Emperors New Clothes” The latest from this drum ‘n bass DJ. I have one of his earlier pieces as well.
Bob Marley - “Exodus” Need I say more?
Gear Daddies - “Let’s Go Scare Al” I have been looking for this record for ages (all I ever had was a tape that wore out years ago). Maybe it’s because of the scary clown on the cover. If alt-country had existed in 1988, these guys would have been heroes. Had the Replacements been a bit more twangy, they would have sounded like this. Which is only natural since these guys are from Austin, Minnesota. Rocking, sad, funny and drunk - a perfect record.
Texas
April 3, 2008 | Filed Under Music | 2 Comments
Let’s talk about summer music. I know it’s only April, but here in Kuwait it is about 80-85 in the afternoon and the dragon flies are out in the evening. So – summer.
Mother’s Heaven by Texas came out in 1991 and was all over most alterna-stations (amidst Pearl Jam and Nirvana) for a period of time. I’m guessing it was summer because this record has become a staple of my summer cruising tunes. Mother’s Heaven is a big record, with a big, bluesy roots rock sound. The drums are huge. The slide guitar ample. The production warm and deep yet moody around the edges. And the key was the gutsy vocals of Sharleen Spiteri. , alternately belting and seducing the song (and the lyrics were solid). Maybe it was too 80s U2 for the time, but songs like “Why Believe In Love”, “Beliefs” and the title track sounded great on the radio – then and now. A great American Rock release… which oddly came from a little Scottish band.
However, Texas never sounded like this again. This album yielded no singles in the UK so the record company paid for a stylist and remodeled the band. Soon, Ms. Spiteri appeared on the cover of every record in glamour shots (notice THIS cover). They pulled away from rock and headed straight for pop-R&B. [Honestly folks – there has GOT to be a moratorium on UK bands finding their inner Motown. They just sound plastic and dull.] But this strategy worked… in the UK. They had hit singles and songs on movie soundtracks. They were even mentioned by one David Brent on The Office. And Mother’s Heaven was forgotten. Not mentioned on fan sites. Not played in concert. Not a single song on any of their greatest hits records. Out of print.
A shame… because they never had this much soul again. If you see it in the cutout bin – grab it.
Added to iPod
March 28, 2008 | Filed Under Music | 6 Comments
I’ve been thinking about the Marx Brothers lately. I even went out and ordered a DVD of a quickly cancelled 1970 music-based TV show because Groucho was the final guest host.
I’m afraid they are being forgotten. Their movies don’t run on TV any more (the good ones, anyway). The kids don’t get it. I have been trying for years to get that teenager I sired to watch and laugh at their movies. Nothing. I think it’s because they are in black and white – as if you can’t see the humor if it’s in black and white. BUT he likes Monty Python. And where would they be without the Marx Brothers? Where would Robin Williams be? Hell – Bugs Bunny stole his entire act from the Marx Brothers!
So on a lark, I went out to iTunes and – lo and behold – there were surprises. Seems iTunes carries a soundtrack to two of the Brothers greatest films – Horse Feathers and Animal Crackers. Not only do you get the songs and music (“Hello, I Must Be Going”, Chico’s piano) and great bits of dialogue (“The password is swordfish…” or “Pardon me while I have a strange interlude…”) These are true gems, ladies and germs, and the sound quality is as good as the films. Digging a bit deeper, I even found Groucho singing my favorite song, “Lydia, The Tattooed Lady”.
If you keep comedy in your library, these are necessary additions.
New Link
March 24, 2008 | Filed Under Main, Music, Politics | No Comments
So let me be the 5 millionth person to add the link for will.i.am’s video “Yes We Can”.
I have been re-reading Fear and Loathing: On The Campaign Trail ‘72 lately and this is what the late, great Dr. Thompson had to say early on in the book:
“How many more of these goddamn elections are we going to have to write off as lame but ‘regrettably necessary’ holding actions? And how many more of these stinking, double-downer sideshows will we have to go through before we can get ourselves straight enough to put together some kind of national election that will give me and at least 20 million other people I tend to agree with a chance to vote for something, instead of always being faced with that old familiar choice between the lesser of two evils?”
I hope we’re there. ‘Cause more and more these days, the Clinton crew is looking just like a bunch of crusty old political hacks.
Like Hubert Humphrey. He had experience, too…
Non sequitur of the month
March 17, 2008 | Filed Under Main, Music | No Comments
“Abba’s drummer found dead in his garden.”
??
Drummer?
Added to iPod
March 14, 2008 | Filed Under Music | No Comments
Since I have no internet, me and Starbucks are getting to know each other.
Tori Amos – “From The Choirgirl Hotel” I always skipped this album, thinking it a lesser Boys For Pele. But this is a very strong set of songs and points the way to the strength she showed in Scarlet’s Walk.
Stephen Soundheim – “Assassins” The original, chamber production with Annie Golden. Soundheim is brilliant.
Triumvirate – “Spartacus” I ordered this special. PROG ROCK LIVES!
Glenn Gould – “32 Short Films About Glenn Gould” I knew little or nothing about this man until I saw this movie. One of the greats and a little nutty (but who isn’t?)
Burt Bacharach – “Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid” One of my favorite movies. The instrumental Not Goin’ Home Anymore is gorgeous.
Harry Nilsson – “The Point” A classic.
Added to iPod
March 1, 2008 | Filed Under Music | 5 Comments
Prior to my move to a place of no Internet, I hit iTunes for a few essentials.
Eliane Elias – “Something For You” I was looking for some Jazz to augment my thin collection. Ms. Elias is a well known Brazilian pianist and singer (though only a so-so singer). This album is a tribute to Bill Evans, so is mostly instrumental. I NEED jazz suggestions outside of Miles and Chet Baker…
Boz Scaggs – “Silk Degrees” A 70s classic that still sounds perfect.
XTC – “Drums & Wires” I know I had this before…
Echo & The Bunnymen – “Crocodiles” & “Porcupine” The only two I liked from this band.
En Vogue – “Best of” Great R&B songs (another weakness in the collection).
Kings Of Leon –I hadn’t heard much from this band (Molly’s Chambers was about it), but some of my friends spoke very highly of them. Fortunately, iTunes had an Essential package that included cuts from all their albums. They are terrific and this collection is well worth checking out.
I have also expanded the cassette collection for my car with greatest hits tapes from Faithless, Dire Straits, Fat Boy Slim, Everything But The Girl and Café Del Mar “Cinco” and Pearl Jam’s “Versus”. I think I’ll have to wait a few months before something new shows up.
Cassettes
February 20, 2008 | Filed Under Main, Music | 5 Comments
So, where do you buy your cassettes?
Right. That’s what I thought. Frankly, I can’t think of one store that sells a new release on cassette and only one or two that sell used cassettes.
Well here in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia), all your cars come standard with a cassette player. And since radio here is a bit miserable, you will need to use that option. Much Arab music is readily available on cassette (even at Virgin Records). Luckily there are a few shops that have enough of a selection of Western music to keep a music-head like me happily tooling around Kuwait. This is what I have so far:
Foo Fighters – In Your Honor
Moby – Play
Kaiser Chiefs – Yours Truly, Unruly Mob
Jimmy Eat World
Deep Forest
John Lee Hooker – Platinum Hits
Joe Jackson – Jumpin’ Jive
Pink Floyd – Atom Heart Mother
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Take Them On, On Your Own
That should work… for now.
Bored
February 10, 2008 | Filed Under Main, Music | 7 Comments
Do you ever do this? You’re sitting in front of your computer – and you’re bored - so you play “Where are they now?” with the Google search engine. You start with your name (useless). Then you put in names of kids you knew in high school and try to decide whether they are really that lawyer in Perth or are once again an 18 year old in Syracuse. Then you search for old actors or pop stars you haven’t heard about in years. Now I had a couple of stray 70s tunes in my head, so I went searching.
And do you know where old pop stars go?
Branson.
So – here you go! If you need to see Paul Revere & the Raiders (“Kicks”, “Indian Reservation”):
http://www.dickclarksabbranson.com/
or you long to hear Jim Stafford again (“Swamp Witch”, “Spiders & Snakes”):
just head out to Missouri
But don’t expect to see Raider’s lead singer Mark Lindsay. He’s now a DJ in Portland, OR:
Enjoy. I knew you wanted to know these things…
Added to iPod
February 7, 2008 | Filed Under Music | 3 Comments
The connection is better now. Whew…
Vampire Weekend – Self-titled debut. Think early 80s Brit-New Wave. A little English Beat. A little China Crisis. But actually they are four college-age gents from Brooklyn. Light and fun. Just listen to “Walcott”.
Alice In Chains – A collection of my favorite songs from these guys (“Them Bones”, “I Stay Away”, “Got Me Wrong”, etc.) Every year some band comes along who think they sound this good. They don’t.
Holly Cole – “Temptation” With her trio, this is Ms. Cole’s classic album form 1995 of all Tom Waits covers.
The Mars Volta – “The Bedlam In Goliath” Loud, incendiary guitars. Mega-pounding drums. Prog-rock. Proto-jazz. The words don’t make a damn bit of sense, but does that really matter when your ears are ringing?
Four Tops – Again, a collection of my fav singles. One of the best to come out of Motown. Gotta have “Bernadette”.
Also picked up the only two Procol Harum songs I know – “Whiter Shade Of Pale” and “Conquistador”.
Added to iPod
January 30, 2008 | Filed Under Music | No Comments
Because I am stubborn enough to stay logged on for fourteen hours over a two day period in order to download something new.
Stew – “Something Deeper Than These Changes” I liked the title. This is an acoustic, singer/songwriter record. The tunes are very relaxed and simple, but the lyrics are sharper. The words are about life in sort of a late evening, early morning phase. Very mellow, but very detailed.
Cat Power – “Jukebox” She has a great voice and is really coming into her own. This is a solid collection of songs.
For those in the New Haven area…
January 28, 2008 | Filed Under Music | 2 Comments
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals will be playing TOAD’S on February 22nd!
I urge you all to go and celebrate my birthday for me.
Tell her I said ‘hi’.
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