Kyle, that is an amazing video experience....where do you come up with this stuff?

cooler than the timed artwork that wouldn't open up for mike on his arcade fire download, is this cool video using a song from their latest disc.

Admittedly not music related but surely good news to all here.

Boys, thanks for the thoughts on Roland Kirk. For my two cents he's one of the most interesting jazz musicians in the pantheon, which doesn't necessarily make him the most appealing or the easiest listen. He was inconsistent and mercurial, and at times pushed the boundaries of what most people look for in jazz.

He's known more for his remarkable musicianship than his writing / arranging, but I believe his extraordinary playing hampered his rep as a writer. All of his great records - I would include "The Inflated Tear", "Don't Cry My Beautiful Edith", "I Talk With the Spirits", "Rip Rag and Panic", and "Left and Right" - are filled with Kirk's compositions - nothing in the way of "standards" playing here....and generally speaking, his music plays against the traditional stodginess of jazz (though not as radically as the free movement) to yield an almost uncontainable love of life, soulfulness, and blackness. To my ears he produced some of the best jazz music of the sixties. But if you're concerned that much of the sixties jazz is too cacophonic for your tastes, Kirk has tons of melody, unique and memorable compared to the free and post bop players of that decade.

I would start with The Inflated Tear - "A Handful of Fives" and the title track - and then move onto Rip Rag and Panic's "No Tonic Pres". and I Talk With the Spirits' "Serenade to a Cuckoo" (this is an all-flute record FYI) If those tracks don't do it for you, Rahsaan may not be your guy.

Incidentally Stu, Bright Moments is a great record, but very different from Kirk's sixties music. As you say, it's a seventies groove record, a real artifact from its time. Give some of those great sixties records a chance and you may be pleasantly surprised.

Mike - in terms of David Gray, I have to confess I don't know his music well, and have always avoided him just based on his reputation for blandness. Sounds like there's more to it than I had given him credit for, and I've taken a quick listen to White Ladder in the last couple of days, which has at the very least earned more listens.

So I'll throw it over to one of y'all to suggest another artist - and I would support keeping them on the (relatively) obscure side.

I'm with Stuart on David Gray. The man has no soul. Musically it's fine and he has a decent enough voice but did he check the passion at the door. I own White Ladder and it's a fairly damning indictment that he covers Soft Cell's "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" with less fervour than the original electro-pop classic. I'd put him in the same category as Damien Rice. Eminently forgettable.

As for the obscure?? Roland Kirk I have to say that as much as I want to love this guy I just haven't been able to. There are moments when his records reach the perfect blend of Ornette Coleman / Albert Ayler insanity with the best of the post-bop jazz by Dolphy, Henderson and Shorter.

The problem with Kirk is that these moments are too infrequent. There's just too much interference. It's like cruising the highways of northern ontario in the 1970s while CHUM FM spins side A of the new Flash and the Pan record and with each rise in the road you lose a little bit of the song, driving you mental. He also seems to be trying to cover too much ground, almost like the anti-Weezer, which may in theory be a good thing but can be very trying on the listener.

Some of Kirk's later stuff like "The Inflated Tear" and Stuart's previously mentioned disc, the live "Bright Moments" is especially guilty of this meandering. I'm much more enamoured of some earlier material such as 1961's "Kirk's Work" and "We Free Kings" (a jazz entry point for me), and 1965's "Rip, Rig and Panic". One thing I would never accuse him of though is being sleep-inducing.

Roland Kirk.... I have just one album which is called something like Bright Moments...its a live double album and it ias on vinyl, which means it does not get enough rotation as I cant play it at work or in the car... I bought it only 3 years ago and quite liked its crazy 70's sound which as you know, I really dig baby.... I would say if you are not into that very 70's jazz meets funk soul shit, then pass , because thats it man, groovy stuff - so to speak. I wonder if that technical treatise would be good enough for pitchfork?
David Gray: I loved white ladder and have a few others but I find it a little toooo, I donnknow, sort of not up to repeated listens, for me anyways, I cant really say its too striaght forwards because I love some roots and folk stuff like that but he leaves me a little cold somehow..perhaps its because there is not much range in the 3 albums I have listened too..

On another note, I saw a dinosaur exhibit at the ACC last night, due to ticckets that ended up in my hands unexpectedly....said exhibt-
CSN opening for Tom Petty (which is a statement about our times too)
CSN - Steven Stlls has not much if any voice left wso the harmonies are really onloy Nash and Crosby, but his guitar work id pretty great, he has been worjking that I suspect since his voice is shot..
Nash- Too damned sweet, no edge, his songs date worst of all the members and his live show doesnt help
Crosby' Biggest surprise of the night, he anchored the show, with outstanding singing still and his "Almost cut my haior was the highlight of the night by a country mile... He provided the "one song you hope to hear " that can shine a window into how a band must have sounded in their prime

Tom Petty, Remarkable great show, I guess his being ten years younger then CSN proves significant, Mike campbell and the rest of the heartbreakers in top form as they ran thru a mix of classics with a few off the new album... I still cant figure out how a bar band can keep putting out such good songs for so many decades without doing a new sound....it means he has to keep writing memorable hooks and that cant be easy....

I like the idea - our recent discussion about Arcade Fire was an example of this kind of thing. I think that picking really obscure artists won't work, though. Here's one I'm interested in - David Gray. I think he's written some very nice music with good hooks, interesting arrangements and memorable melodies. I met one of my wife's colleagues the other day who is a massive fan of his and claims that if you get past his best known songs he has a ton of really great and not all that well known music. I think she may be giving him more credit than he is due. Anybody else have any strong opinions?

Kyle, I'm impressed! You know the dude cold.

OK, perhaps he's too underground. Then again, let's wait and see what our slightly more jazzophile friends think about the choice (Stu and Derek for sure, and Adam I know you're out there). I'm not expecting too much from Mike Gaines on this one...but then, hey that's kind of the point. Some bloggers contribute and others listen in. Who knows, next time it could be some (shudder) really important hip hop artist. DJ such and such.

By Rahsaan Roland Kirk I assume you mean the multi-instrumentalist who played tenor saxophone, flute and many other instruments, renowned for his onstage vitality, during which virtuoso improvisation was accompanied by comic banter, political ranting, and the ability to play several instruments simultaneously? I think about him all the time. Mostly when googling and then cutting and pasting from his wiki page.

I kind of like the game but you should pick someone less well known next time.

Here's a new idea for a blog post. A blogger throws out an artist (perhaps more of an underground artist, or one about whom there may not be a popular / consenus view) and the rest of us offer opinions, favourite (or least fav) musical moments, etc.

I has this thought as I was listening to an album by (potentially) one such artist late last night. And the fact that I fell asleep on the couch should not be taken as a judgement against said artist - I just do that all the time.

So I'd like to hear what everything thinks (assuming there is some familiarity) about 60's jazzman.................wait for it......

..............keep waiting.......




......................patience ...................





















Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

Whereas I read the article and just got depressed.

Very funny Kyle, my mirth equally split between the article itself and the reminder that I alone am able to access this very cool site (yay for me).

This will be funny for Brian. For the rest of us, who rely on servers based in Canada, we can't really relate.

It seems as though the Globe and Mail's editors were reading our posts and felt it their duty to come to the defense of the Arcade Fire in Saturday's editorial. I await their pronouncements on the greatness that is Mr. Stuart Watson.

sorry Derek I think Brian makes a valid point here, no bellyaching now...in fact it does seem notable that I seem to be the only one who has a calm rational perspective on things, certainly I am not given to hyperbole, nope , not me.....and that has to be the greatest , most insiteful statement about this debate that has ever been made in the history of this blogsite....
s

Not like me not to point. I must have been sober.

I think I qualified my statement re the Beatles by saying that at that point in my life (30s?, 40s?) it was impossible for me to have an objective opinion on their music as I had been force fed it since I was running around in nappies eating rusks in the rain.

And not just selected songs but an incredible number as you know they had quite a few hits. Unlike say David Bowie who I also got to know quite well from bbc radio 1 and top of the pops. With him however it was maybe Jean Genie, Suffragete City and to a lesser extent Space Oddity and very few others.

Having been given a taste of his genius, but only a taste, it encouraged me while growing up and even now to explore his musical output much further and appreciate it in all its diversity. I have to say I would much rather hear any Bowie track (from his golden period) than almost any Beatles track. My ears n'est-ce pas.

I don't like to miss a party, but I trust my ears (we've been together for a while) - and of course music is a very personal thing - for me they're among the better bands of the period - but not THE band, not the next Radiohead. I know the first record very well (like half of it) the second reasonably well (and don't like it much), and have been playing The Suburbs a bunch (which may be the most consistent of the lot but lacks a great memorable song). There's a humourless overwroughtness to it - particularly Win Butler's delivery - that eventually wears down my fondness for the band and the arrangements. My comment was also pertaining to the potential jeopardy of becoming (or maintaining) IT band status - I think it exaggerates their value and potentially shortens their future. Better to fly a little under the radar it seems to me.

Stu, I remember going through the grief cycle a few years ago when Derek (sober, mind you, and without pointing) announced he didn't think the Beatles were much good. The Beatles, for Pete's sake.

I planned not to comment on the "ARCADE FIRE CRISIS" but alas I am unable to remain mute..
When I first read Brians comments i went through the usual trama phases...
1st-Denial, no its not possible to not love this band,
2nd- Anger... i found myself cursing and kicking innocent people on my way to work.
3rd- Sadness , depression... Crying for hours lying on my bed....
but apparently my therapist tells me I can be cured if he can be cured.....
Now the entire first recoprd reads like a greatest hits record for me , the second record is still quite good and I would pick the aforemention No cars Go ( a rocker ) backed with Ocean of Noise, (introspective number) as two of the standout tracks...So Brian, make a short playlist of these 2 songs and play twice a day until your illness goes away...then please call me immediately thereafter
yours humbly,( from my bed...sniff, sniff)..
s

Hi Mike,
I had some issues with the folder as well, mostly because I didn't properly extract the files the first go-round. Never was prompted for a password, though. When I extracted The Suburbs Digital folder, it opened up a couple of other folders, including another zipped folder w/ the synchronized works, which I then extracted and was able to add these files into itunes. Didn't get to see the artwork change until I clicked on the little down arrow in the box that appears in a set of buttons on the bottom left side of itunes. Imagine you've tried all these things, though.

On a technical note, though - I bought "The Suburbs" from the band's website, and it did indeed include a set of mp4 files with embedded multimedia content. However, when I try to extract those files from the zip file that contains them, I am prompted for a password that I don't have. Has anybody else successfully navigated this process?

I thought that Arcade Fire's first two albums were great, and I haven't cooled on either over time. Although I must admit that I haven't listened to either album all that often. One of the ramifications of the size of my music collection now is that nothing is ever in particularly heavy rotation.

As I write, I'm listening to the new album, and it sounds good to me. Nothing has grabbed me the way that "Neighborhood 2 (Laika)", "Antichrist Television Blues", "Wake Up" or "No Cars Go" did, although I'm not entirely sure that any of those emerged as favorites on the very first listen either. This album seems to offer a nice mix of different sounds and instrumentations, some interesting dynamics, intriguing lyrics, and good melodies. Solid songwriting and a style that is recognizably ArcadeFirean. So far, I am pleased!

Ah the drunken PBO (Post-Betty's Opinion). Good to have it back in the mix. Derek, what about the other two current bands that were being touted (by you) as critical, or at least, pretty damn good - TV on the Radio and New Pornographers?

The rest is noise.

The four most important bands (ie the only bands that matter) in the last quarter century:

Public Enemy, Nirvana, Radiohead, Arcade Fire.

Nuff said.

Yay! A post by someone who isn't me. Cool.

Thanks for the roundup of your recent faves. I'll leave the full affrontery/takedown to Stu or Derek on your misguided assessment of the AF, but I will say that if the music lives up to the hype than it cannot be overhyped. AF are justlyhyped, imo.

Glad you're enjoying the Dean & Britta. I picked it up last week and it has been on heavy rotation on my headphones and in the house. The tracks featuring Britta, like the one channelling Nico (track you identified) and others (Eyes in my Smoke) do more for me than the ones which do not and you're right, it goes on a little too long. But I dig the fact that they're not overly preoccupied with trying to mimic the VU or recreating a Factory party circa '68. Yes, there are psychedelic flourishes, disembodied voices, and one track (Not a Young Man Anymore) that seems very Lou Reed-ish, lyrically and vocally, but even that one manages to go in a different direction musically, with more modern electronic beats overlaying the distorted guitar work. And it's great to hear Wareham's twangy guitar and half nasal-half monotone delivery again, though a lot of the instrumental stuff is very Yo La Tengo.

Avi Buffalo has been on my saved list for at least a month but for some reason I hadn't pulled the trigger. I like the thick guitar strumming on the sample for the album's first track but the too-similar-to-Issac Brock-of-Modest-Mouse-and-aren't-I-kind-of-tired-of that-jarringly-high-pitched-slightly-perverse vocals put me off a bit. Given yours and Adams strong recommendations, Bri, I'll give it a go. If anything, you gotta love a song titled, "Five Little Sluts".

Hey Kylie - thanks for the post. Some good pop there, and in particular I like the Whitefield Brothers. Great mix of jazz and soul stylings with a mild hip hoppy thing. Yes, that's right, the kind of hip hop that I can enjoy.

For the rest of you, get the frig off the schneid and start writing about music. For the love of Christ. I know you're reading this.

I've got to say (and this won't come as a big surprise to most of you) that I am not caught in the Arcade Fire thrall. They are perhaps the most overhyped band of the past decade - and hype is a BD killer...hmm, perhaps Derek's not the only contrarian in the group. To me it speaks of a generation desperate for a band they can believe in, and there aren't enough of 'em right now. I'll have to give the Suburbs a few spins over the next couple of weeks to see if it gets my blood moving...the single didn't move me much.

Some of the music I've picked up on recently is:

Port O'Brien - Threadbare. Not that new, this one came out in October of last year, but I just found it a coupla months ago. I would describe it as nice morose roots pop. An amalgam of influences without a dominant one, you don't necessarily want an entire album of POB, but it's well done and immediately likeable. Start with "My Will is Good", then try "Threadbare".

The Thermals - Now We Can See Also a year old or so, but this is great post punk with lots of energy, humour and a unique straightforwardness in its delivery that separates them from the pack. They have a new record coming soon.

Young Rival - Hamilton power poppers have some panache on their first two records. We should check these guys out sometime. Definitely a strong sixties ethos here but it doesn't necessarily detract from the fun - I may prefer last year's 7 song EP (linked here) to the more recent album that arrived a few weeks ago. Start with "Your Island".

Dean and Britta - 13 Most Beautiful Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests FInally a brand spankin' new one. Interesting story behind this one, as the Andy Warhol Museum commissioned our favourite 90's mood popper to write a soundtrack for thirteen short films made between 1964 and 1966. This is an ambitious and perhaps overlong record, but it really connects with me. It ranges from trad (and wonderful) Luna-style medium tempo drive-alongs, to ultra-trippy acoustic and found-sound musings (at times making me realize that Dean was a perhaps a bit of a Church fan...see next review). Doesn't hurt that it starts (well,song two) with a bitching version of one of my favourite Nico songs, "I'll Keep it with Mine". Have I mentioned recently that I'm a Nico fan? Great Sunday listen - Dean Wareham lives! Start with "Knives of Bavaria" and "Herringbone Tweed" (and the Nico song).

Steve Kilbey - Dabble. Lead singer and bassist for the Church is an occasional solo artist and has been a long-time hero of mine His ability to deliver a song with a sense of the dreamy, wearying mystery of life gets me every time. This record, which was apparently recorded in 2001 and released in Australia a number of years ago (but only 2006), oddly just showed up in NA this year. It's very strong Kilbey / Church material, and if that interests I would seek it out - start with "Keeper" and/or "Blessed One".

Couple more in brief. Look 'em up on emusic if you want to hear more. A highly enjoyable blowing session with staunch jazz bassist Wilbur Ware in a rare (perhaps only) role as leader "The Chicago Sound" has been getting lots of air time chez Doyle.
And the modern classical work of Giacinto Scelsi has held my interest in the past couple of weeks. They have a number of his collections on emusic but it's volume 2 that I've been hooked on. And not to steal anything from blog hermit Adam, but Avi Buffalo on first couple of listens sounds very promising (and thanks for the recommendation).

And on the topic of Arcade Fire (what, no one else was going to talk about the new album), I note that emusic is restricted from selling it in Canada, a disappointment to be sure, but not the end of the world. The cheapest alternative place to get it is directly from the band's own website, for $7.99, which is also the only place where you can get some interesting digital bonus material. Think that's where I'll get mine.

A favourable review of the new Arcade Fire in The Guardian raises a good point, much discussed here, about the effect of time on the perceived importance or greatness of any rock album. Looking back to say, the year 2000, are there any albums that you once pronounced as 'genius' or 'the greatest' but would in retrospect, you'd like to take back, or at least maybe withdraw some of the hyperbole? And yes, I'm looking first at you, Mr. Watson.

A decade on, I'm probably a lot less bullish now about Lauryn Hill's debut solo disc or Moby's Play or Fatboy Slim or Buena Vista Social Club or even the second Oasis album, Morning Glory, which I listened to a lot in 95 and 96 and now don't really have any interest in hearing. In 2000, they probably would have been on my top 100 list, if not of all time, then at least of the previous twenty years.

Though a fan of music, I've been there.

Cool bands covering cool bands.


Superchunk covers The Cure

Ah, for anything that could be described as 'languid'. Alas, my lack of posting is not due to any long and peaceful sojourns at a cottage but for the fact that my work schedule has not slowed down one lick. I'm eyeing the second week of August for a few days of needed downtime but until then, the pace should continue. And while internet access is available wherever I roam, often the last thing I want to do at the end of the day is type more words into the laptop. Okay, enough with the pity party....

One of the actual perks of business travel is having the time to actually listen to music that I've purchased or, like yesterday, listen to some interesting stuff on satellite radio's Sirius XMU while driving between Austin and Dallas. Back in the office today and with those tunes and the tunes I listened to on the three hour plane ride home, some good finds for me of late, most emusicable:

Tame Impala - Inner Speaker - seems a little too derivative at first--Beatles-esque is an understatement at times--but repeated listens reward with interesting forays into summery psychelia; tracks to check out: It is Not Meant to Be, Why Won't You Make Up Your Mind

Zeus - Say Us - Beatles, Strokes, others but quite good; tracks to check out: Fever of the Time, Kindergarten

Wild Nothing - Gemini - sweet summery pop; tracks to check out: Summer Holiday, Chinatown

The Whitefield Brothers - Earthology - ostensibly a Hip-Hop album, there's very little hip hop and lots of afro-jazz flourishes; tracks to check out: Safari Strut, Sad Nile

Also finally sucumbed to the new LCD Soundsystem, which worked its way into my wheelhouse with repeated listens and cranked up volume, its mix synth pop and distortion creating a kind of nice summery happy groove. Previous releases featured some hit and misses for me but this album pretty much works in its entirety.

Some others but that's a good start for now. Back to the grind....

The blog has a distinctly languid summery feel to it.

By which I mean, nobody is contributing anything. Have we all stopped listening to music? Have we begun cheating on the blogsters - joining other blogs with way cooler, younger guys (I'll rule out girls for this crowd)? Or is it deeper....is music no longer providing you with the outlet for angst, euphoria, and melancholy that it did when you wre younger? Are you depressed? Do you find yourself drinking alone, in the afternoon a lot?

So what has everyone been purchasing of late? Some potentially good new releases out there - new Stars, new Teenage Fanclub, Band of Horses, New Pornographers, LCD Soundsystem, Pernice Bros, countless more.

Had a great time in NYC, managed to find a day to go record shopping, and found my favourite shop yet, up on the 8th floor of an old building on 26th street in Chelsea. Ended up buying about 15 releases, a mix of vinyl and CD, 50-70's jazz, all for $140. Awesome.

Noticed this new mag reviewed in the Globe on the weekend and thought the concept was intriguing: Music We Hate, wherein writers wax angry on cherished indie and not so indie-bands. Also figured that someone harshing on Pavement (Brian, me) Belle and Seb (Derek, Stuart) would prompt some cries of outrage. After you all get back from vacay, that is.

Update: Having read the first few, I'm not necessarily compelled to go and grab the magazine, though I would like to check Carl Wilson's take on Radiohead.

disturbing video by david lynch ...song from Mobys last album, sounds pretty great to me... anyone pick up that disc?

Stuart, I confess I left the party w/out the disc but very much wanted to listen to it. I'm probably the least familiar with, and possibly most averse to (though Derek's post may contest this), country music as a genre so I'm really interested in listening to your hand-picked songs to see if it sways me. I suspect it will, at least with some of them so whenever one of you can loan me a copy I can rip that would be great.

I believe the high school boys to whom Derek and Brian were reading poetry were fulfilling a court-ordered community service order.

Jazz > Country each and every time. Nothing to do with pretentious coffee shops or the white man's attitude to music they don't understand.

Over the last few days I've listened to Bill Evans' "You Must Believe in Spring", Pharoah Sanders' "The Impulse Story" and the Marcin Wasilewski Trio's "January". All great stuff and much more in touch with the modern world we live in than the best that country music has to offer.

England plays Germany in the round of 16 on Sunday morning if anyone cares.

Oh that's right 4 billion people care except Woody and Arlo. My neglect has been far from intentional and I certainly haven't been hanging out at urinal sized coffee shops. For 99.9% of my life music trumps all. For the next few weeks bollocks to that. If it brings tears to your eyes then suck it up.

actually I saw Brian and Derek reading poetry in a park to a group of rapt high school boys as I was driving home so yes I think you have them summed up quit well...

The intent was to give a huge range from honky tonk to teardrop but I may have erred a little on the teardrop as you say...

Joanne mackell is interesting as a storyline... she was revered as equal to Bonnioe rait in the early sventies and they both got there first big record deals synultaneously.... Joanne drank her way through the huge advance in a matter of weeks and diddnt get around to recording her record...the label dropped her and now she is a regular at queen west bars , often free cover... terrific live show for a truly hidden talent...

Useless desires is patty griffin, her last 3 albums all consistently great...

Lawrence County is a relatively new nand the felice brothers who also have consisemntly put ourt great records...

They just released Guy Clark's - Old .No 1 his first record w LA freeway on it... if you like Towns van zant and Jerry jeff (and that Texas scene which basically set the template for alt country in the mid 70's)...as you do, this is a 5 star record, also a bit of a cult classic so to speak...
s

Forget the rest of these guys, Stuart. They're too busy listening to obscure jazz songs in pretentious little cafes to get immersed in some good old country blues. I was only too happy to give this a good listen. I was able to build a playlist on grooveshark with all of your songs except for the Joanne Mackell cut. Also, I used the Jerry Jeff Walker version of LA Freeway because they didn't have the Guy Clark version - but you really can't go wrong with Jerry Jeff Walker.

Lots of this music is already in my collection, but there were some nice ones that I didn't know, such as the Boy from Lawrence County, Wheels and Useless Desires. All very good. I have an album by the "Notting Hillbillies" (which is a side project of Mark Knopfler's) that includes "I Feel Like Going Home" with a slightly bluesier arrangement. That album is certainly worth picking up if you like this sort of thing.

Some of the tunes were a little too weepy for me - always a danger with country - but overall I really enjoyed the playlist. Thanks!

Well I can tell from the deafening silence that the country cd I mixed went over about as well as skunky Jack Daniels on a dusty cotton field but as Derek (and earlier Mike) had requested a tracklist ,here it is:

1 Relief is just a swallow away- george jones
2 Move it on over; hank williams
3 the bottle let me down - Merle haggard
4 Just one more - George jones
5 Last nights Waltz - joanne Mackell
6 The Virgin- Gene Clark
7 Carmelita-Fred Eaglesmith
8 Useless Desires - patty griffin
9 More Than I can do- Steve Earle
10 The L & N dont stop here anymore- michelle Schocked
11 leavin On your Mind- patsy Cline
12 Boy from lawrence County- The felice Brothers
13 Wheels - Flying Burrito Brothers
14 Sunday Morning Comin Down - Johnny
15 Stand By your man- tammy wynette
16 L.A. Freeway- Guy Clark
17 Hurt - johnny cash
18 Ventura- Lucinda Williams
19 Feel Like Goin Home - Charlie Rich

below is a link to a video from you tube...damned if I can download it to here though...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdcvTgJqK2U

Some good sounding releases coming up in the next couple of months, for those among us into white-boy indy guitar rock.

Agree w/ many of the song and albums listed but why mention the Billy Ray and Tom Cochrane tracks without noting them as exceptions which prove the rule? Are we to infer that the author believes these particular pieces (no, not of music) serve as examples of 1992's sonic bounty? If so, then I scream, "Bullshit" and declare the thesis to have failed. Realize this is a harsh baby out with the bathwater approach but....in fact, you may have to serve some sort of penalty for not reading through the fine print. Really unfortunate, because the other examples were really dead on.

Good article (well, list of albums and songs from 1992) on Allmusic, very appropos of our recent CD night.

I think of the flawed early 70's Michelangelo Antonioni film (which I love, for the record) Zabriskie Point as a film that was greatly improved by its soundtrack - including Pink Floyd, Jerry Garcia, and numerous others. Interesting film, considered a bit of an embarrassment when released for the golden boy of Italian cinema (Blow Up is another touchstone sixties film of his with a great soundtrack), but I've always thought it worked very well, and I can't help but think its reputation will revive over coming generations.

Recently watched 'The Darjeeling Limited', an (often too) cute if somewhat underwhelming film by Wes Anderson (Rushmore). One of its more laudable aspects--and this always seems to be the case with his films--was its choice and use of music, from 60s Stones classics like 'Play with Fire' to Debussy, in background and foreground, as part of scenes or as still frame captures. Of course, this made me want to try to recall other fair-to-mediocre films with either kickass soundtracks or just incredible uses of music throughout. Tarantino is an obvious contemporary touchstone, even when his choices are jarringly anachronistic (i.e. David Bowie's song from Cat People in 'Inglourious Basterds'), though I'd say his films more succeed than fail for the most part so perhaps he doesn't count.

Gents, with apologies for a problematic technology evening last Friday, attached is the list of songs that were played. I suspect I'm missing some, especially from Derek, so feel free to add on. Definitely some good music here, but lots of it was untapped due to no (effin') iPod cord, and rather amazingly, wireless router and turntable problems! Turntable played perfectly all weekend, incidentally. Ah well. We'll get it right next time. I've listed albums (rather than songs) where I know them, feel free to improve upon that as well.

Brian (1) Squirrel - Niagara (2) Tinker - Soft Shell Friend (3) Big Dipper - Heavens (4) Cracker - Kerosene Hat (5) Haden - Trees Lounge (song) (6) Camper Van Beethoven - Key Lime Pie (7)Siouxsie and the Banshees - Peep Show (8) Superchunk - from Foolish (1993), and Heres Where the Strings Come in (1995) (9) Rain Parade - Explosions in the Glass Palace

Derek (1) Sebadoh - Bakesale (2) Orange Juice - The Glasgow School (compilation) (3) Pooh Sticks - The Great White Wonder (4) Guided by Voices - Mah Earwig!

Kyle - where no albums, please add (1) Prefab Sprout (2) Robert Palmer - Clues (3) Aztec Camera (4) The The - Soul Mining (5) Northside (6) The Real People - Window Pane (7) Electronic - self-titled (8) Grandaddy - Under the Wester Freeway

Marc - (1) Catherine Wheel - Happy Days (2) Lou Reed - New York (3) Tom Waits - Rain Dogs (4) Leonard Cohen - The Future (5) Buffalo Tom - Sleepy Eyed

Stuart (1) Spirit of the West - Labour Day (2) Neil Young - Harvet Moon

My head's still spinning from reading your description of the fix, Mike, but I 'm glad you got it sorted out...eventually...as is always the case with these types of issues. Luckily you didn't have to reformat the entire drive. As for the pied piper across the street, I sympathize. The only thing worse than bad flautists are serial whistlers, who I have come close to pushing off subway platforms on many occassions.

But onto something more fun, in honour of the world cup, starting friday:

That's exactly what happened - I wasted most of the day struggling with this. I checked the anti-virus log (nothing), and I ran spyware and adware checkers (which removed a few things, to no avail). And I did a bunch of searching for solutions, which eventually turned up something useful. I found an article that was very technical that claims that MS Windows systems occasionally fall into a trap whereby the ATA and SATA drives have their DMA disabled, which forces them to revert to the less efficient PIO. Nuff said. I only recognized this as significant because one of the symptoms matched the behaviour that I was seeing. The site offered a little script that would reset the ATA devices, thereby re-enabling DMA. With some trepidation I tried it, and it seems to have worked! As I type, I am listening to music that is not skipping or stuttering (R.E.M. at the moment). The little kid across the road is quiet so far today, but I'm ready for him...

Arrgh! Hate it when the computer behaves that way, not just because it's irritating that it won't work but because finding the solution can easily suck hours out of a day, with little progress.

-do you have antivirus software running? if you temporarily disable it, does the problem persist?
-if you turn off the router or internet, does it still happen?

My first thought was that you have some sort of adware or malware running constantly in the background, which is tying up the cpu, thus causing skipping or jolting of other programs, but you indicate that the cpu usage is okay? Are the rest of the programs you're running slow as well (ie. lag time between text typed and when it appears)?

This morning the little kid across the road spent well over an hour tunelessly blowing on a penny whistle or a recorder or some such instrument of torture. My first thought was to put some music on and drown the little bastard out, but my computer picked this moment to fail me. Playing music on the computer has always worked before, but suddenly today it isn't working. At first I thought it was noisy - some kind of static. Upon closer listening, thought, I think that it is stuttering very rapidly on brief sections of the music and then moving on. The effect is most unpleasant. Have any of you encountered such a problem before? More importantly, have any of you come up with a solution to a similar problem before?

Technical details:

- Running XP

- The machine has plenty of memory, CPU power etc. - it's always worked before

- I'm not running out of disk space

- The problem shows up with Windows media player, itunes and one other media player I tried. I suppose this means that the problem is at a lower level (codec? driver?)

- It gets worse when the computer is busy (searching, opening a document, etc), but it is there to some extent even when the computer is doing nothing else.

- I've checked all of the physical connections, and they appear fine

Thanks for any help you can offer - the kid's not playing his pipe at the moment, but he could start again at any time, so this is an urgent request...

yes, was also upset to hear of his rather sad and untimely death. was a big fan of sparklehorse, particularly those releases from about a decade ago. for the unitiated, the best of the bunch, imo, is 'good morning, spider'.

here's a track from the followup disc (titled, with cruel irony in retrospect, 'it's a wonderful life'):

somehow I missed that mark linkous died in March of this year...suicide of course, sometimes I find it hard to believe the steriotypical mornful suicidal poet cliche - but it seems to happen w alarming frequency.... I for one am heartily sorry to see him go... an anchor artist for me...

I also recommend the new Josh Ritter. I have a couple of his older discs - The Golden Age of Radio, which is not bad, and Hello Starling, which I think is excellent. The new one hasn't struck me as positively as Hello Starling yet, but it is very good. I'll have to give this Damian Jurado a listen as well. I have a couple of his songs from old issues of Paste, but I don't know much about him. I see that emusic has lots of his stuff - any recommendations of where to start?

Ditto that Damien Jurado. Too often I've overlooked his work over the years having first encountered him with 1999's Rehearsals for Departure but not the new one. Like Richard Buckner he's so damn consistent that it's easy for them to fall off the radar in search of the new.

Kylie, belatedly, I would say "yeah" to the Josh Ritter (got 'er a coupla weeks ago in fact), though I would probably pick up the new Damien Jurado first.

was it the pubic-like facial hair or the piercing otherworldly eyes that so scarred you adam? for me, it was the words, "miley cyrus" (again, just dry-heaved). goddamn.

wow...I finally returned to the blog... and whamo, I was struck with this. I literally had a "holy moly" moment. His freaky look has driven me under the couch to hide. I'll be back again once my therapist talks me out.

Ever visited emusic and thought, "There seems to be some good stuff here but I wonder if there were any songs that combined the worst excesses of z-list celebrity-reality television with the satanic spawn of z-list early 90s one-hit new county wonders in the musical equivalent of a cockroach crawling across my open mouth while sleeping"? Wonder no more.

only tangentially related to the topic of music, but an amusing quick read nonetheless. happy victoria day weekend.

hey stuart (and anyone who is not brian or derek), new National disc is out and available on emusic. have heard a few tracks on satellite and npr stateside and while not a big departure from the last disc, nonetheless great songwriting.

Downloads refreshed today so I'm considering how to spend them. Anyone want to make a case for Josh Ritter? I see his latest disc staring up at me every morning as i queue for coffee at Starbucks but the samples at emusic suggest a poor man's Archer Prewitt. General critical consensus is good but wondering if any of you lot have heard it and have any strong opinions either way.

Btw...soul-less update...BSS is better on fourth and fifth listens but I'll stick with my original comments to Stefan (sarah's brother) that the only track that really resonates on this one is the female vocal 'All in All'. Latest Spoon has moments that work but only after a third drink which, btw, raises the question:

How big of an impact does alcohol have on your appreciation of music? Are there certain songs that only work when your drunk or certain bands or songs that really only come alive for you after a few pints?

I'm guessing Mike, you'll say that it's the only explanation for Brian's embrace of Ornette Coleman. No doubt it's fueled this whole country music compilation discussion.

Country disk? I thought you were making a punk disk?? Or wait, was it going to be a "Best of Double Live Albums" disk?

Thanks for the offer - I'd like to hear your country disc, Stuart, but you don't have to go to the bother of mailing me a copy. If you give an extra copy to Brian, I'll pick it up from him next time I'm in Toronto. Alternatively, you could post the song list, and I can try to put together a playlist on grooveshark - unless some of the tunes are too obscure to appear there.

I am creating a country mix cd for Derek and Brian , who requested this a few weeks back when they were under the influence of good beer and good music, (and now no doubt regret I have remembered) It started out being a George Jones disc, but as i have gotten into it the project ,it has segued into a more wide ranging survey of country music in general, from iconic to less know artists , from iconic to less well known songs , from 50's to 90's.....in short I hope to persuade people of the worth of the genre in general... Should any others of you want a copy of this disc please let me know....If all I get is a resounding wall of silence I wont be offended....hell ...your loss.....

Actually The Wall was/is a double album. I believe Brian was referring to the George Harrison disc which was indeed a triple album.

Didn't realize The Wall was a triple. Mea culpa. Go back to...okay, enough. Hope you and the boys come up with some other good 'riddle me this'es for the blog tonight over cuervasas/single malt.

I just assumed, KP, since your most inspired choice was also a triple album, that they were allowed. All of this alone time might be throwing me off though.

Agree with Mike that we have lost something with the switch to digital--a really long playlist isn't quite the same as a two-disc 50 hours of conceptually related songs. While I won't comment on your onanistic proclivities, Bri, I am compelled to point out that 69 Love Songs is a triple disc and so doesn't qualify. Go back to what you were doing. Or don't.

I agree with many that have already been mentioned - The Wall, London Calling, The White Album, Physical Graffiti, Quadrophenia and The River, certainly. And I’d add Out of the Blue by ELO to the list. One double album that I listened to as much as any of those during my formative years was Jesus Christ Superstar - the original recording with Ian Gillan as Jesus. I really loved that album.

There were some notable double live albums in my collection as well - Fleetwood Mac Live is, in my opinion, much better than any of their studio efforts, and Neil Diamond's Hot August Night is a similarly strong effort (I've taken a lot of flak for liking that album over the years, and I'm not afraid to take more)! Also Queen Live Killers, The Kinks’ One for the Road, Live Rust and The Last Waltz.

If my brother were in on this discussion, he’d definitely include “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway”, but personally, I never really loved Genesis.

To me, the double album is a distinctly vinyl concept. I don’t think of double CDs in the same way somehow, and now that I’m entirely digital, the whole concept is somewhat meaningless. It’s a shame.

Another great one (although I'm beginning to think I'm playing with myself, so to speak, given the overall silence on this question) is Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie W. And ANOTHER great one is 69 Love Songs by Magnetic Fields.

AND ANOOOOTHER GREAT ONE......Ok, I got nothing.

All Things is a great choice, one I hadn't though of, though I might say that the jam sides are pretty lame. If you're prepared to ignore that, then it's right up there with the best ever.

I still tend to think that the White Album is the one for me (and I like Piggies), for all of the reasons you suggest Kyle. London Calling is outstanding too, but just because Stuart couldn't contain his enthusiasm for it last week I'm going to relegate it to second. Other great choices are (as KP pointed out) Exile on Main Street (maybe a sober Stuart's number one?), and definitely The River, and perhaps Physical Graffiti, and Tommy and/or Quadrophenia.

Another great album that's a bit off the radar these days is Derek and the Dominoes only record - Layla and other assorted. And speaking of Clapton, some would say that Cream's Wheels of Fire is an all-time great. And moving onto other great guitar double records, Electric Ladyland might get some votes. For some non-prehistoric ones, how about Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation, or Liz Phair's Exile in Guyville?

Do collection albums count? (cowering in response to the collective howls of 'NO!'). Okay then:

• The White Album - yes, 'Piggies' and 'Number 9' are easy targets but there's just so much beautiful music, not a lot of which gets played very often and therefore somehow more special ('Julia', 'I Will', 'Dear Prudence') plus some great rocking numbers ('...USSR', 'Helter...') plus fun songs that tell a story ('Rocky Raccoon', 'Bungalow Bill')...
• The Wall - not to be confused with MJ's single album Off the Wall, same release date
• Being There-Wilco - for 'Misunderstood' alone though other gems/cries for help
• All Things Must Pass - George Harrison - at least the recently re-issued disc I bought a few years back

Will let someone else make the case for the Stones, Springsteen, Dylan.

Bear would be wise to refrain from posting after being awake for close to 20 hours and having downed several gallons of red wine.

I certainly don't come here expecting to revise how any of you feel about particular bands. God knows none of us is fifteen anymore and as we get older and more curmudgeonly (I speak only for myself) the possibility of being swayed by the likes and dislikes of those we know and love becomes ever smaller. All one can do is throw out there the music. books, movies, wine etc that moves us in some way and if you should latch on to it and feel remotely likewise then the blog has served some purpose.

It will, however, in no way replace the drunken disjointed ramblings that occur when we get together face to face. There's nothing like the 1am slurring over a band you love to bits to set me on a mission to find out just what I've been missing. "SF Sorrow", "Odessey and Oracle" and "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere" being a few prime examples. Sadly I don't think I'm ever going to warm up as much of the rest of you crew where Bob Dylan applies. Still enjoyed the thread.

And just in case your spring of 2011 calendar is getting a bit crowded you might just want to leave a bit of space for this.

And as a follow-up to one of those aforementioned bevvy-laden nights out while Stuart, Brian and I were having a few pints prior to the Frightened Rabbit show last week they were playing "London Calling" in its entirety over the stereo. Which led to a discussion of the best double albums all-time. Two I failed to mention that are favourites of mine are Husker Du's "Warehouse Songs and Stories" and "Sign O the Times" by Prince. Anyone have a particular sprawling favourite that comes to mind? And no pointing out that "it would have made a better single disc...". We know.

I should add, existentially:

I do sometimes feel a bit guilty for criticizing Canadian bands who: a) have talent b) are willing to take risks and explore interesting forms of musical expression c) are not Nickelback d) have put out some truly great music. And I'm quite aware of the fact that I personally haven't been able to accomplish any of these things (with the exception of c). Given the magnitude of godawful music pumped out of every radio and television every second of every day, on some level it seems...I don't know...insular?decadent? insane? to be picking through faults of those who actually care about creating art.

But--here's where I justify it, and you knew this was coming--this is kind of the point of this blog: to comb through the minutiae and share frustrations and reactions and recommendations, etc. A lot of times I read it and post while I'm listening to music, which shapes what I think about and post here as well. So I well understand Derek's passion for the songs and tracks that he mentions and I don't take offense at his swipes at bands I might like. And I believe that he, and the rest of you as well, feel likewise. Thought it was worth pointing this out, at least for the benefit of any new invitees, who may wonder what this is all about.

Bear was quiet. Bear was poked. Bear howled. Job done.

A little simplistic. I'll elaborate.

Yes, I partly agreed with Brian's 'souless' statement to provoke the response, but I also find some of the more recent BSS and NPs emotionally flat. Yes, Bejar's jarring voice can pack an emotional wallop and Neko, as you have rightly noted in the past, is a goddess but...I don't know, as polished and poppy as the Newman-penned stuff is, that beyond the adrenaline rush, is there much there there? You mention 'The Jessica Numbers' as a track from 'Twin Cinema' as a standout track but for me, it's a track that is reminiscent of some of the stuff I enjoyed more on 'The Electric Version'; beyond quick staccato drumming, not much else stands out for me on that one. Another track on TC, like 'Jackie, Dressed in Cobras', could just have easily been plucked from a previous album, which doesn't make it bad track in and of itself, but the similarity to previous output begins to dull its potential impact. By the time Challengers comes out, even the Behar-dominant stuff like 'Myriad Harbour' seems like more rehash. Willing to concede that 'souless' is an adjective too far but for me, it's lurching along a continuum towards that with each new release.

As for BSS, well you and I have agreed to disagree on their eponymous 2005 disc, which I think spirals off into unstructured and at times irritable noodling (that song where you hear the word freedom kind of half-assedly tossed out at the eighth minute of what seems like a 20 minute long jamboree being the biggest offender and prime example of what I dislike about it). Yes, 'Major Label Debut', which is a quite pretty track but the rest....again, we'll disagree on the rest.

In the span of the past two days, both you and Sarah's brother have urged me to give their latest disc more chances, so I will dutifully give it another few spins, though I fear I will never come around to even casually tolerating 'Texico Bitches'. I will also check out the '09 Bejar release, and report back.

I found the rant quite refreshing, what disturbed me is the mea culpa.... god knows we dont want the Scott turning polite on us... i mean for christ sakes what is the world coming to ??????more polite tame friends, who the fuck needs that.....on sorry bout that vulgar use of profanity, I hope I didnt offend anyone...

Glad to have the ol' piss and vinegar back, big fella. Not that you'll win any concessions from me on this one. Feel free, though, to disparage some more of my favourite bands. It can be strangely cathartic.

The Flying Lotus sounds interesting - hugely multifarious in influences, really moody. Perhaps a bit too focused on synthetic beat for me (no surprise there) but definitely reaching for something new.

Please excuse the tone of my late-night alcohol fuelled over the top rant. Needless to say I'm a very big fan of the New Pornographers and felt they had been done a great disservice in having their music labeled as soulless. Obviously we all have different musical tastes, which keeps this blog interesting, but you need to give me more than a one line slapdown if you're going to dimiss a very good band's output as lacking in soul.

And speaking of the hard to quantify "soul" let me recommend, as I have already to Kyle, the new Flying Lotus album Cosmogramma. Give it a listen.

The New Pornographers! No Soul?

Complete and absolute bollocks. Are you taking the mickey?

Try the following you zombie-like mofos.

Album: Twin Cinema - The Bleeding Heart Show or The Jessica Numbers

Album: Challengers - Adventures in Solitude or Myriad Harbour

Album: Together - Crash Years or If You Can't See My Mirrors

Quite obviously there are numerous other tracks that would tug at all but the most hardened, life burdened heart strings keeping all you cynical blog fuckers at bay.

Try taking a breath of new, moist-ladened, spring-time air and when you exhale talk to me once again and in the mean time listen to your Nationals, Matt Ponds, Midlakes and all the other half-assed bands that blandly repeat all that has come afore and yet you think actually have something new to say.

Goodnight, out.

Oh btw, two of the most soulful musicians out there Neko Case and Dan Bejar just happen to be large parts of the New Pornographers. If you are an e-music participant and you have not downloaded Destroyer's (aka Dan Bejar) 2009 "Bay of Pigs" (2 tracks chiming in at 21 minutes) then you're just not paying attention.

Brian, I'm sorry but you're....right? I find I now agree with you in your assessment of these three bands. I clearly haven't been drinking enough with Derek lately.

For my two cents, I say it's time to move on from the New Pornos.

If this were a break up you'd say "I don't want to live like this anymore". The music, and I would put other critical darlings like BSS and Spoon squarely in this camp, is highly skilled and therefore an interesting listen initially, but it has no soul. Leaves me cold.

As I wallow in self-pity and scrounge around for music in the usual places, I notice that the New Pornographers have a new disc. Tempted to buy but I'm wondering, "Do I really need it? Haven't I heard it all before?" I never bought and didn't hear much from, 'Challengers' and listening to the samples for the latest, it seems to be la même chose que ses musiques precedent. Thinking I may pass but am willing to entertain arguments for getting it, reinforcement of my decision not to, and/or corrections to my high school french.

How is it that I miss the fantastic shows but make it out for all the mediocre shows, attended, in the majority, by males under the age of 30 with ironic facial hair and fedoras? Dang. Will give the album a listen, though, in part because of your reviews and in part, because i bought it last week and it would be a waste not to do so.

yes Brian, I agree with all ... Fantastic show, best for me since Band of Horses a few years ago...
Much better then I was expecting... I may pick up the new album after all...
Kind of like Band of horses actuallly, esp w his sharp pronounced vocals standing front and center...great venue, forgot how much I love that place.... good site lines, good sound and decent size so you feel like you are at a much more happinen event then say at the small horseshoe...

Fwightened Wabbit were vewy good! Kind of a downbeat-meets-inspirational mix of a deeply Scottish U2 crossed with Arcade Fire. Works very well live. I didn't know the music well but was carried along by the emotion of the crowd.

Couple of cool moments - one in particular when the singer came out for the first encore without the band to do a solo acoustic number (Derek can add in song names) and in a fit of artistic angst (after a couple of lines, followed by a "fuck this") stepped in front of the mike to perform the song without amplification. The sound was not surprisingly very muted until a point in the song where the vocals drop out and there is a melodic "ooh" over top of a couple of chord changes, and the entire crowd (sans me because I knew not) spontaneously sang the ooh, and beautifully I might add. Probably as many girls as guys, incidentally, in the crowd, despite the miserably Scottish nature of the music (so it's not just Derek who loves this stuff). Anyway, it was pretty powerful at the time in a hushed ampitheatre.

Also (highlight number 2) a great brawl among drunken 19-year old boys on the way out. First fight I've seen in a few years (I have to get out more).

so? how was frightened rabbit?

Another one - Pink Floyd - Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Some would no doubt argue that there are better PF records but this is actually my fave.

Kyle - BDB is your all time fave? That is indeed idiosyncratcic. Good on ya.

Badly Drawn Boy and The Doors are nice additions there, Bri, and possible nominees for top 5. On a personal level, the Badly Drawn Boy is probably the best debut of all and also the most disappointing in terms of subsequent releases. For a less idiosyncratic nomination, I'd go with Hendrix.

Here a bunch of others, some of which might be top ten for me:

- Crosby Stills and Nash

- Joe Jackson - Look Sharp

- Buffalo Springfield

- Chicago Transit Authority

- Led Zeppelin (although two, three, and four were all better)

- Hendrix (though Ladyland was equal or better)

- Lloyd Cole - Rattlesnakes

- Moby Grape

- The Pretenders

- Traffic - Mr. Fantasy

- Nico - Chelsea Girl

- Big Dipper - Heavens (I'll play some of this when we get together)

- Badly Drawn Boy

- Santana

- The Police

- Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque (though it's not their debut, apparently...who knew?)

Good choices all - I like the Rickie Lee Jones one Mike, I wouldn't have thought it, and it's a great record.

I've got about 50 that I jotted down - the list is at home though. I either like or love all of the records already proposed, and a number of them would make my (in particular Costello, Smiths, Strokes), so for now I'll put a quick list of ones I either (a) absolutely love to death that have been mentioned but I've got to echo or (b) great openers that haven't been. Also with an eye towards some representation per decade, despite the obvious tilt toward the sixties. The other thing I tend to exclude just instinctively (though not fairly) is an artist whose first record while great was signficantly bettered (in my opinion) by later records.


The Byrds - Tambourine Man (maybe my number one). Simply sublime, created a genre of music that's still going strong (anyone like a little jangle and harmony in their pop?)

The Doors - unbelievable record that still sounds completely unique.

Velvet Undergound and Nico - ditto comments for the Doors, though this record I love with a white (though appropriately nihilistic and cynical) hot passion. Maybe the most influential "indy" record of all time.

Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks. It brought punk to the masses. Plus it's filled with great songs.

The Cars - Wow. Never had a band sounded anything like this. New wave hits the big time.

REM - Murmur - among all of their great records of the eighties this is the best. Defined the college scene.

Pearl Jam - 10. Hasn't necessarily aged well for me, but was so crucial at the time.

Weezer - note the connection to Rik Ocasek (yes, this one sounds unbelievable too). I knew the 90's was for real when the music on the charts sounded this good. So much crunch, wit, and angst all blended together.

And in terms of artists that looked great and then (more or less) fizzled, Oasis is a great chioce. The Strokes is another one. Tracey Chapman comes to mind, as do the Cars. There are many others which I will add tonight.

Two more questions:

(1) Anyone have the balls to say "here is the greatest debut"? (2) as a flip side question, which bands do you think reached the highest heights despite middling or just plain bad starts? (3) Finally, where is Derek? Still out at Betty's maybe.

In the category of debut albums, I do have to nominate Boston, though I'm no longer into that music as I once was. Not only was their first album and enormous commercial success, the story goes that it was essentially a meticulous home recording that required very little in the way of post-production for its commercial release. If that is true, it is an astonishing feat, especially in the days before inexpensive digital quality home recording systems.

The other album that leaps to mind (and is also a strong candidate for the false hopes category) is Rickie Lee Jones' first album. I listened to that one just the other day, and I still think it's great. According to AMG, she did releaese some impressive stuff later in her career, but I think she's flitted between genres to the extent that she has been lost in the mix.

And while I'm at it, two more debut albums that I really loved were Crowded House and the Bodeans' Love and Hope and Sex and Dreams. But I don't expect that either of those albums garnered enough critical acclaim to appear on any definitive lists.



Mike

good picks in nick drake and oasis, stu. two that i haven't listened to in awhile, esp. the gallagher bros.

in fact, i would nominate them for contenders in the second question that you posed, bri, about bands who showed great promise on the first couple of releases and then faded rather quickly. by their third album, the 'hey jude'-like na na na nas moved to the beginning of almost every song and their on-stage antics quickly became tiresome, and there may have been the odd song here and there afterwards that i'd listen to for more than a minute but nothing close to the near greatness of the first two releases.

will try to come up with some others. in the meantime, more embedded video, this time a related cover:

all good choices , great debuts....a few more that worked especially for me
the band-music at big pink
oasis-definately maybe
costello-my aim is true
nick drake-5 leaves
kate bush-the kick inside
jeff buckley-grace
jackson brown-self titled
next i will try and list some new purchases that the artist has yet to build on...
to try to predict who will make it...this is obviously more difficult

Two very good questions, Bri and well worth pondering. A third could be, "Drinks on a Monday night?"

As to the first ?, how about:

"Slanted and Enchanted" - Pavement
"Funeral" - Arcade Fire
"The Stone Roses" - The Stone Roses
"The Smiths" - The Smiths
"Is This It?" - The Strokes
"The Velvet Underground and Nico (banana) - Velvet Underground
"Unknown Pleasures" - Joy Division
"Surfer Rosa/Come On, Pilgrim" - The Pixies
"Murmur" - R.E.M.
"Debut" - Bjork

Wow, that's pretty wacked. Really odd but cool. I've got to spend more time on youtube. Doesn't hurt that it's got one of my favourite VU songs as its backing (more on them in a moment), and with some pretty cool visuals in there.

Re the Dylan, I'll confess my multi tasking was somewhat limited - I think I managed to read four of Wallace Stevens' shorter poems in two hours. Just to end the suspense that's been killign you all for the past week, the album I was listening to was Bringing it all Back Home, which I've always thought of as a transitional album (ie from folky Bob to blues rocky Bob) but actually the blend that's on that record is fantastic. Some of his best (or my favourite anyway) material - Tambo Man, It's All Over Now, Subterranean Homesick, It's Alright Ma - and then some songs that fly below the radar that are amazing - like She Belongs to Me, Love Minus Zero. What a great record.

Up until last Tuesday I would have said, fairly reflexively, that this was my favourite Dylan record. It probably still is. For me Blonde on Blonde doesn't quite compare song for song, though it has a some great tracks, and perhaps as importantly, it is a little bit "more of the same", stylistically, whereas 61 was Dylan as a rocker, full bore, for the first time. Both are great records. I do really like Blood on the Tracks, but it's the sixties Dylan that really works for me, and Blood is more of a return to form than him at his peeak, in my opinion.

The other record that I would put forward is The Freewheelin' Bob, which is one of the great folk records of all time, wouldn't you say? Mr. Mercer, enough silence from you on this.

And speaking of VU and Derek, we had beers at Betty's last night (always a fruitful combination for blog topics) and discussed the following two (related) topics:

- what is the greatest debut album of all time? Tough one I know....More manageably, which ten make it into the pantheon?
- and secondly (could be the same bands), which bands are the best examples of having enormous promise based on the first (or first few) releases only to end up as relatively minor contributors to music history? Which current bands are in danger of joining that group?

A Monday morning mashup:




Kinda cool. Love it when positive happy songs are rendered psychedelically creepy.

Blonde on Blonde.
And yeah, I'm a bit of a mutlitasker myself, listening to music while reading quite a bit of time, but I find it difficult to read and listen to anything with lyrics, let alone Dylan. What were you thinking, Herr Doyle? I suspect you were also smoking a gauloise and wearing a beret.

.........like having sex while ......ok Ill stop there Mike....
I would have to say the dylan question, thats a tough choice....but for me it would have to be blood on the tracks...because it is flawless, and I seem to need to listen to it regularly
.having recently listened to hwy 61 all the way through on a car trip , it would be very close...
that album while almost reaching perfection, still has a few weak moments, (though you may disagree)...... blond on blond maybe tied with it for second...
6 others would tie for 3rd...
Nashville skyline would be in there as a heavily under rated album...along with desire, john wesley harding , another side of , oh mercy, and bringing it all back home....
something like that anyways...

I'll give the Dylan album question some thought, Brian, but in the meantime, I have to ask how you can enjoy listening to Dylan's music while reading poetry, presumably by some other writer. Isn't that like reading a book while watching a different movie? Like tasting a fine wine while chewing on a fresh stick of gum? Driving a car while playing a video game? You get my point...

Hello men. I've just spent a couple of hours at a splendid new cafe on Broadview overlooking the park and the cityscape, listening to music and reading poetry. I am a freaking cliche. Nevertheless, at the risk of (over)stating the obvious, I had the revelation that I don't do this sort of thing often enough. A glorious morning out there. But wait, it gets better. I listened to two albums in their entirety - imagine! Whole albums with undivided attention! Amazing.

(This harkens back to your editorial (borderline polemic) of last week Stu, which I won't reply to for the moment, though I will say that I sympathize with your point but tend to agree with Kyle).

And not to give my hand away, but one of them was a Dylan record. So the question of the day for this somewhat muted gang is - which is your favourite Dylan record and why?

Don't let your babies grow up to be musicians, I guess.

Stuart, great question, you should really drink more wine (is this humanly possible?). Your postprandial insights, and, paradoxically, improved grammar and spelling, are testaments to the gentle powers of the fermented grape.

I am very much struggling to absorb the amount of music I purchase on a monthly basis, which, as you astutely surmise, includes not just the 90 emusic downloads (say, 6 albums conservatively), but two or three other albums either purchased through itunes or on disc. Add to the fact that I have music on both my home and work computers, that the hard drive on the former, which houses my music collection in its entirety, is quickly exceeding capacity, that my 60gb ipod can't contain all the songs so it contains an ever-shifting variety of new and old music, none of which ever seems to contain either the older song I want to hear at a given time or a newer album I've recently downloaded and haven't yet transferred (often due to lack of space on the ipod), and that my iphone, which is even smaller in size and syncs only with my work laptop, which holds only a fraction of the music I download, is usually the only player I carry with me on the road, which is where I get most of my listening time in, and well, you get a sense of the difficulties I'm having in, as you put it, reconcilling the vast quantities of music at my disposal with my limited amount of time to appreciate it.

Having said that, I'm loathe to give up my grandfathered-in, extremely generous 90 d/ls for $24 per month or 1,080 tracks per year or 72+ albums (at a conservative 15 tracks per album average, more if you consider that many of the discs are closer to 12 tracks per) for $288 or just under $4/album. And as you also noted, there are many artists who aren't available on emusic in Canada, which forces me elsewhere if I want to purchase that music.

So, while I'm unwilling to get off the 'grab as much music as I can' merry-go-round, I also don't have time to get in those minimum 3-5 listens per album that Mike suggests, and with which I'll wholeheartedly agree, are required to really understand an album.

The way I see it, my options at this point are:

• reduce my downloads and/or quit emusic and limit my consumption to that which I can actually consume [chance of short term adoption: 5%]
• come up with a better system for evaluating new music that ensures I devote enough time to the new stuff to properly grasp/understand/love/loathe it [chance of short term adoption: 5%]
• resign myself to the fact that i may not get around to listening to all the new stuff and that it may sit on my hard drive untouched and unloved, like so many plastic wrapped discs sitting on a shelf in Derek's apartment, where, like a fine wine (bringing the post full circle now to your original vino-themed opening), it will age gracefully, waiting for that perfect day to be opened and either savoured with gusto or spat out like the oxidized, trichloroanisole-tainted plonk it has revealed itself to be [chance of short term adoption: 90%]

I'm open to other suggestions, and, as always, to wine recommendations.