tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84233712024-03-07T18:48:40.523-05:0047West63rdemail at 47west63rd@gmail.comUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger953125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-87967593748401371542011-09-02T09:21:00.001-04:002011-09-02T09:21:25.356-04:00Joan Didion goes to Washingtonthe noted author will be doing a book signing at politics and prose on November 10.. she's promoting her first new book in a while...<br> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-82766617823823847202011-04-15T21:30:00.000-04:002011-04-15T21:31:01.048-04:00Michael BreckerI saw Michael Brecker live a few years ago a year or two before he died (with Herbie Hancock)...I was not impressed.. he seemed to be trying to make a lot of noise a la John Coltrane.. I love Coltrane but not the far out crazy dissonant stuff.. but Brecker's sax solo on Paul Simon's Still Crazy After All These Years couldn't be a more perfect exercise in use of notes, restraint, and economy in setting up the "punch line" and song's goose bump moment: "...but I wouldn't be convicted by a jury of my peers.."<br> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-13737334279899548662011-03-11T13:08:00.000-05:002011-03-11T13:09:03.472-05:00Wild Flag at the Black Cat Washington DC 3-10-11 pictures<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgukU10g7bXmJwAjDydEFJaaAqTx4SrTwlrMukdCz2PagexBP80XmfYD7mNEukmltjKrJ8BWp5DcRiD7LoCELyBkuV7nKQzbpZU23TfwNLwFHWbxzRrzbKaprQ5o7DJWy5L_12/s1600/DSC04042-743473.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgukU10g7bXmJwAjDydEFJaaAqTx4SrTwlrMukdCz2PagexBP80XmfYD7mNEukmltjKrJ8BWp5DcRiD7LoCELyBkuV7nKQzbpZU23TfwNLwFHWbxzRrzbKaprQ5o7DJWy5L_12/s320/DSC04042-743473.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582886013635546370" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnX8lFwTcL16clGspEv4G4iAIdAkqBVMe3YTzhcU9DS3RFpS_nwYtEaP0khQWAlxfKn4LLp6LO_RwIABqSk3pwHym2yQ69YeRWa1cjR3R8zHW7tgMozBOW74ERW7VunG2bZjp/s1600/DSC04055-744634.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnX8lFwTcL16clGspEv4G4iAIdAkqBVMe3YTzhcU9DS3RFpS_nwYtEaP0khQWAlxfKn4LLp6LO_RwIABqSk3pwHym2yQ69YeRWa1cjR3R8zHW7tgMozBOW74ERW7VunG2bZjp/s320/DSC04055-744634.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582886019900621666" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXvTCr7WFxhz32vjBJ30gNwPAy1OcTeYoLOzE-dE-WaX9uaYUUkiT7qa5GYO_3aAEXOo4x74IAD15d4HQrmoSiF4tNEj_YkciFQs88_LPVC0A7XGuumnWogPvMSQsOrp4nhWm2/s1600/DSC04067-746149.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXvTCr7WFxhz32vjBJ30gNwPAy1OcTeYoLOzE-dE-WaX9uaYUUkiT7qa5GYO_3aAEXOo4x74IAD15d4HQrmoSiF4tNEj_YkciFQs88_LPVC0A7XGuumnWogPvMSQsOrp4nhWm2/s320/DSC04067-746149.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582886026190412434" /></a></p><br> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-8410327146654172312011-03-11T13:07:00.000-05:002011-03-11T13:08:11.865-05:00Wild Flag at the Black Cat Washington DC 3-10-11 pictures<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTeA6QRhAs9tzrUTRLzvtpFqkUxYQ3hbzDuxMNx1cNckAQgHCdrlMN7uGtw8s_B6jvfbm7fZkjyW3Hq1bgKkblQLEYFC2o2pggNbbK4njkf3WuJbkd05p-5a-tQG01XkF-k7M/s1600/DSC03977-791866.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTeA6QRhAs9tzrUTRLzvtpFqkUxYQ3hbzDuxMNx1cNckAQgHCdrlMN7uGtw8s_B6jvfbm7fZkjyW3Hq1bgKkblQLEYFC2o2pggNbbK4njkf3WuJbkd05p-5a-tQG01XkF-k7M/s320/DSC03977-791866.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582885798640635458" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMiTsCfPUiiobLR5NmHhL0jQAEm2xdofAgD-X8X-VJzeS_GDwBwVAq9ABQAc_KKLDCfGryK-JZ6jxJrOuNytDQiMpDFFQIiOe-Q43tahfdrXn4E29659Gf14yAHAuQm6s8AKu/s1600/DSC04006-794749.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMiTsCfPUiiobLR5NmHhL0jQAEm2xdofAgD-X8X-VJzeS_GDwBwVAq9ABQAc_KKLDCfGryK-JZ6jxJrOuNytDQiMpDFFQIiOe-Q43tahfdrXn4E29659Gf14yAHAuQm6s8AKu/s320/DSC04006-794749.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582885804579040210" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpta-GspKjqmAdJpuDPpGqPpSydw7eW3yrqOEUlovOGT-AwAu9ENNCn7yCjyAT5aENGj7VdXnXIr92g6E3a82UiqxZLaz5zF_QqDopkl9SiIifEbBdq5N2hjWMlBI4B10EvOX4/s1600/DSC04008-797321.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpta-GspKjqmAdJpuDPpGqPpSydw7eW3yrqOEUlovOGT-AwAu9ENNCn7yCjyAT5aENGj7VdXnXIr92g6E3a82UiqxZLaz5zF_QqDopkl9SiIifEbBdq5N2hjWMlBI4B10EvOX4/s320/DSC04008-797321.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582885816403770018" /></a></p><br> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-54021221738016849412011-02-24T11:51:00.000-05:002011-02-24T11:56:45.559-05:00bardo pond coming back to dcBardo Pond <br>Surf City<br>Black Cat backstage<br>4/10 Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-7258430810557646732011-02-24T11:50:00.000-05:002011-02-24T11:52:52.262-05:00TV on the radio 4-10 ramshead livepresale<br><div class="quote">TV on the Radio @ Rams Head Live 4/10 - $31<br></div> <br>presale: <a href="http://tixx1.artistarena.com/tvontheradio/" target="_blank">http://tixx1.artistarena.com/tvontheradio/</a><br> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-20779137387375634412011-02-23T12:33:00.000-05:002011-02-23T12:34:00.164-05:00Show headsup!I'm showing Larry King at the Hippodrome 5-13..<br> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-89675480284859156552011-02-22T20:17:00.001-05:002011-02-22T20:17:53.310-05:00current reading<p>Guess I been reading a lot of rock and roll books. What can I say? They are fun and very easy to get through!.. guess they're kind of like my harlequin romance novels or something. Read the Pearl Jam bio Five against one. Who knew Eddie Vedder was a child actor? That his real father had MS and died at 40 and he won't talk to his adopted father, or the whole Ticketmaster imbroglio in detail (Thanks Janet Reno!)? Then I plowed through a book about Babes in Toyland.<br></p><p>Earlier this week I roared through "A&R" by Bill Flanagan.. a book I bought about 11-12 years ago... a novel about the music industry as it was circa year 2000 (pre-shit hit the fan)....found it very enjoyable although a bit strange at first (reading about made up bands is weird even if they seem real)... I guess I originally bought it cause it had some hype blurbs in the back by Tom Petty, Lou Reed and Elvis Costello praising it.. anyways just got his "Evening's Empire" and its got this blurb on the back jacket "'<em>If you thought you knew something about rock-and-roll management, then wait till you read this book</em>.' -Bob Dylan" and this "'<em>Evening's Empire is an alternative history of the sixties generation that feels truer than what really happened. This is a funny, sad testament to the lost boys who wouldn't grow up</em>.'- Bono" Its not every day you buy a novel that has both Dylan and Bono recommending it! Thats not even mentioning the people he thanks for having helped him learn more about how it really was: Costello, Dimitriades (Petty mgr I believe), Allen Klein (lawyer who managed SAM COOKE, owns the Stones catalog up to 1971, and had some serious dealings with the Beatles), Ahmet Ertegun, Buffet, JT, Chris Blackwell, Robert Plant, Toussaint..shit its like the rock and roll hall of fame.</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-17614650548799555242011-02-20T19:37:00.001-05:002011-02-20T19:37:05.642-05:00kind of a hoot listening to Tito playing bossa nova on the marimba/vibes such as on Joao Gilberto's "El Pato"<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhfGwVJLnx5iLFeg4rDnuweb3oJ32aVrjw6G0ECnbZpcS7zcAAw448z1Y6gkqrA0jwjc8npBtYps4JgPsowHy9n1Dk388Hl6PDKRxSNyc-6aUG31r486k_C0ncyJeBvGAMZ9Q/s1600/P1120665-725644.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhfGwVJLnx5iLFeg4rDnuweb3oJ32aVrjw6G0ECnbZpcS7zcAAw448z1Y6gkqrA0jwjc8npBtYps4JgPsowHy9n1Dk388Hl6PDKRxSNyc-6aUG31r486k_C0ncyJeBvGAMZ9Q/s320/P1120665-725644.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575935391939390690" /></a></p><br><div class="gmail_quote"><br><br><br> </div><br> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-33770739170370614462010-05-16T11:36:00.001-04:002010-05-16T11:36:39.185-04:00Review: Pearl Jam at Bristow, Virginia (Jiffy Lube Live) May 13, 2010<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcciPf-zzhhAh5fP9ObUWtxwlXHWuxzJSc0M0cX3y2KlM4pGyTYIg0y9rPwoeNVOTRh4Ls9wJJTvfzLCmG4DzX5zziijcRA2NueHv-Zqed_ei24SrbbVhlMYFrNL9gtWWGfXmt/s1600/DSC03339-799186.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcciPf-zzhhAh5fP9ObUWtxwlXHWuxzJSc0M0cX3y2KlM4pGyTYIg0y9rPwoeNVOTRh4Ls9wJJTvfzLCmG4DzX5zziijcRA2NueHv-Zqed_ei24SrbbVhlMYFrNL9gtWWGfXmt/s320/DSC03339-799186.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471892270788731394" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_j0IclaivwptIVQ1DpiZm6Hfspg1HWCV02dYQGJpikY-K7qtG4p-OkE3S1hXUQnaE44I9vEhpaNB3rFo7ix4kzckP22dbetu9QQfDB32wdEH0dQEiQ1WpT8DJHtjkrtknbok/s1600/DSC03364-700488.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_j0IclaivwptIVQ1DpiZm6Hfspg1HWCV02dYQGJpikY-K7qtG4p-OkE3S1hXUQnaE44I9vEhpaNB3rFo7ix4kzckP22dbetu9QQfDB32wdEH0dQEiQ1WpT8DJHtjkrtknbok/s320/DSC03364-700488.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471892276915893954" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkyDwaqScJCdm6qvtaCoZSyr1Ww5kmVcQkhh0SzwB2L0omZEj9r_zt9bVZ_WvQlMwb9nNWj9prIg7s-8IgBqmaS6TsmNhyphenhyphen-9Lzj1yrKnjucM7FLJxpnqaB0xe9xbojlWLAlqGi/s1600/DSC03376-702645.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkyDwaqScJCdm6qvtaCoZSyr1Ww5kmVcQkhh0SzwB2L0omZEj9r_zt9bVZ_WvQlMwb9nNWj9prIg7s-8IgBqmaS6TsmNhyphenhyphen-9Lzj1yrKnjucM7FLJxpnqaB0xe9xbojlWLAlqGi/s320/DSC03376-702645.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471892285484726114" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV2hN_mLeaxH9TXA22DJ8RYMkYhc3fnrTaJBydccq7QEDL2bLHQp7XJhX31Y1seyWHa12lT1nWu-HIufTQJFUchwGgBFsfcTSKv7NONZyI8R2MMdLknr2TcI2Zv6NWF5HnpdDR/s1600/DSC03410-704105.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV2hN_mLeaxH9TXA22DJ8RYMkYhc3fnrTaJBydccq7QEDL2bLHQp7XJhX31Y1seyWHa12lT1nWu-HIufTQJFUchwGgBFsfcTSKv7NONZyI8R2MMdLknr2TcI2Zv6NWF5HnpdDR/s320/DSC03410-704105.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471892292516442146" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi__NkYxN3QJAun60O2hujqKbw2MJN-tdfcAs-qTcFdOmoUY2ApDw5pnRsB6KcMWCUjU2cJh-mE-HJJiPewDB9gnqBy1OEKUWlbnoFnIbhOBzht5GbqI03HyQKJtb_RMs0mrKb9/s1600/DSC03500-705908.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi__NkYxN3QJAun60O2hujqKbw2MJN-tdfcAs-qTcFdOmoUY2ApDw5pnRsB6KcMWCUjU2cJh-mE-HJJiPewDB9gnqBy1OEKUWlbnoFnIbhOBzht5GbqI03HyQKJtb_RMs0mrKb9/s320/DSC03500-705908.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471892302459008962" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmHXICTJGhWcBGcbgiE3YJRGNzXuyU8xL1WAbXTfGra7TA_TNeWZY2UDRFY06qF4zZuIjjPv0H5Bz2OaUA-XdCMd43EcMX6fwTSKaxVG56-pocoEm-OfgdeCQgKzcjpEw6JBf/s1600/DSC03540-707193.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmHXICTJGhWcBGcbgiE3YJRGNzXuyU8xL1WAbXTfGra7TA_TNeWZY2UDRFY06qF4zZuIjjPv0H5Bz2OaUA-XdCMd43EcMX6fwTSKaxVG56-pocoEm-OfgdeCQgKzcjpEw6JBf/s320/DSC03540-707193.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471892304905199890" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7p44ARvnek-UwNNFjllE76AEtkbo4gm75K1sB8fXPjhYwwYTcGjjWHeZzgJL3xRQnrA3uxXvze9flY_uqelTJdRerUn8G1OeWku16UWWhZE3wsPCS2Tr58W2qYreIKQD3tSP7/s1600/DSC03591-708577.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7p44ARvnek-UwNNFjllE76AEtkbo4gm75K1sB8fXPjhYwwYTcGjjWHeZzgJL3xRQnrA3uxXvze9flY_uqelTJdRerUn8G1OeWku16UWWhZE3wsPCS2Tr58W2qYreIKQD3tSP7/s320/DSC03591-708577.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471892312469262354" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_buHPJ5gJKXVkuVoOzIqiRLZJoqtJl82Hcr1D0xVH-Kf5uOE29yHbHl4_BCXji7XPfYr-y8n2HK_6wCH-xz3C8GSKlYVjfcUDs3ypWsHeIbi-Et4IIXLjqUtt-e4W0BcURKjV/s1600/DSC03662-710371.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_buHPJ5gJKXVkuVoOzIqiRLZJoqtJl82Hcr1D0xVH-Kf5uOE29yHbHl4_BCXji7XPfYr-y8n2HK_6wCH-xz3C8GSKlYVjfcUDs3ypWsHeIbi-Et4IIXLjqUtt-e4W0BcURKjV/s320/DSC03662-710371.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471892320384661490" /></a></p><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message"><span class="UIIntentionalStory_Names"> </span><span class="UIStory_Message">I think its vox populi by this point- 20 years into their career- that with Pearl Jam you know you're going to get a very solid show every single time. If you don't like their music well they can't do much about that but they're going to take care of business and give you new songs, classics, surprise covers (who else <span class="text_exposed_hide">...</span><span class="text_exposed_show">will play snippets of George Clinton, the English Beat, a cover of the Dead Boys, toss you a lyric from U2's "Bad" in the middle of one of their bigger hits and end the evening with a fellow Seattle musician's- Hendrix- solo rendition of the star spangled banner on guitar ALL on the same night?), some Eddie Vedder opinions:"If you're a lobbyist why don't you do us all a favor and kill yourself?" (He took it back but..), dedications of songs to sick but recovering children and Sean Penn ("Better Man" for his work in Haiti) etc... All of this within a very unpredictable set list delivered by five consummate professionals-Ament, Gossard, Mcready, Cameron and Vedder- who will give you 100%. No 90 minute show here folks. Nope.. you get 29 songs and if they stopped its cause the promoter turned on the house lights and told them it was time to end it (curfew). Vedder will even throw in a comment about how hard it was for you to get out there and the long drive back you face; a veiled reference to what a nightmare it is getting out to and back from the venue?... This from a band that will arrange deals for fans with local hotels for discount rates while hooking up their sizable fan club with pretty much all the great seats. There's a lot to like with these guys and worse ways to spend a Thursday night. And they didn't even play "Rearview Mirror"! Oh and why was Eddie Vedder wearing a PiL shirt you ask? You silly, cause he was at the 930 Club the night before with the rest of the DC cool kids checking out Johnny Lydon aka Sex Pistol Rotten with Public Image Limited,of course!</span></span></h3> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-33710209592489625642010-05-16T11:14:00.001-04:002010-05-16T11:14:17.832-04:00The Buzzcocks at the Black Cat (Washington DC) May 11, 2010<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIfXpxPBqO_PQIR6wpTy6PFxnNrseSCPuASq_F7sGdCNPFcb9EhURhhJa2M2t5kPyI2Ptb3x3B8iyzf6r-J9d0wV4I-j8MSQBMlax5bxX2YD3o0cRhMN-pXHkpvWZbaqaAMdcQ/s1600/DSC03233_set-757833.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIfXpxPBqO_PQIR6wpTy6PFxnNrseSCPuASq_F7sGdCNPFcb9EhURhhJa2M2t5kPyI2Ptb3x3B8iyzf6r-J9d0wV4I-j8MSQBMlax5bxX2YD3o0cRhMN-pXHkpvWZbaqaAMdcQ/s320/DSC03233_set-757833.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471886513362573442" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuCk5nwItX-lBPxSNtit8JL8HjeNNsoNd6W5M4iUtriAuIGk5LeDeD2QDml27Hw9fKch7tAjlXWHHA4zwbg4uy3NLF-UmAmaH5gsQE-TBNlRoze0_LJjk10Gtpvn58PbW-I5TC/s1600/DSC03248_shelley+edit-760197.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuCk5nwItX-lBPxSNtit8JL8HjeNNsoNd6W5M4iUtriAuIGk5LeDeD2QDml27Hw9fKch7tAjlXWHHA4zwbg4uy3NLF-UmAmaH5gsQE-TBNlRoze0_LJjk10Gtpvn58PbW-I5TC/s320/DSC03248_shelley+edit-760197.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471886521151864786" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9hGJYMI74LOIN9zBh_tZ-1n_f6l1_Ur8W6PMJNyyk4kwjMf76VdKkVVxhj-v2_MgNJIGy6syYlK2n1FByD5f0O31FrUn43Phux7A2K7-WpS7DQpbWcByTF0YWDi7Vmwks9FKP/s1600/DSC03252edit2-761578.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9hGJYMI74LOIN9zBh_tZ-1n_f6l1_Ur8W6PMJNyyk4kwjMf76VdKkVVxhj-v2_MgNJIGy6syYlK2n1FByD5f0O31FrUn43Phux7A2K7-WpS7DQpbWcByTF0YWDi7Vmwks9FKP/s320/DSC03252edit2-761578.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471886527575743458" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK4Ns3ifTZ2CiMfJ24ycVN5vYPmuXJeKokF23ULV2RI7uEKUgDSR1IqtED1svWvAopqI4tvKaiDv-JEFa3_6XKQybMr0hZytjjkA7DPV4olHt4QSpy0NS7Ydl5xOVmxTEM-xFJ/s1600/DSC03718_LP-763343.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK4Ns3ifTZ2CiMfJ24ycVN5vYPmuXJeKokF23ULV2RI7uEKUgDSR1IqtED1svWvAopqI4tvKaiDv-JEFa3_6XKQybMr0hZytjjkA7DPV4olHt4QSpy0NS7Ydl5xOVmxTEM-xFJ/s320/DSC03718_LP-763343.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471886532931836530" /></a></p><br><div class="gmail_quote"><span>The Buzzcocks are one of those bands that I never in a billion years expected to see perform live. Then came word they'd be flying in from across the pond to the Black Cat- a great choice given the club's punk roots and aesthetic (club owner Dante walks the talk)! They'd be playing their first two albums in their entir<span></span><span>ety plus tacking on a few contemporaneous sides eventually assembled for one of the great Greatest "Hits" out there ("Singles Going Steady"). When you haven't heard anything the band has done in the past 30 years or even looked at a picture much less seen a youtube video you go into it not knowing what to expect. Perhaps you are even a bit worried: can they hack it or is this a "take the money and run" affair?. For me the Buzzcocks are the third greatest punk band (1 & 2 have to go to the Clash and Sex Pistols not in that order) that came out of the UK in the heady days of 1976. They were a bit different from pretty much all the others I've heard (no expert) except perhaps Ireland's Undertones: less political, poppier with lyrics concentrating on being a teenager and growing up. They were from Manchester before Manchester had so much to answer for and Madchester, touring extensively with other local bands like Joy Division... Well of course hearing Pete Shelley who wrote most of the tunes singing Sixteen Again, written and originally sung from the perspective of a 21 year old, as a 50 something -from five feet away- is pretty bizzare. I found myself being able to more fully appreciate the performance- at times earlier in the show- by simply closing my eyes because Pete Shelley Version 2010 looks a bit like that relative thats kind of let himself go, put on some weight, used to wear the cool clothes but now wears something resembling a bad Tommy Hilfinger knockoff from Walmart. A bit into the show as tends to happen in these cases you grow up in a hurry, accept the reality that even rock gods age, forget about such silly things, and join the fiesta which after all is being given in your honor. In any case, that distinctive Shelley voice with its strange pitch and intonation is still quite there. Thankfully next to the water bottle sipping rather staid Shelley we had the other original Buzzcock the frenetic Steven Diggle who did more windmills than Pete Townsend and chugged champagne between songs all the while managing to look about 15 years younger than Shelley! His songs unsurprisingly also tended to more closely resemble the classic anti-establishment English punk ("Autonomy" and my personal favorite "Harmony in my Head" which he rocked all the way to Tibet). This was the tour opener and it was clear Diggle was there to party like a rock star and could you blame him at a sold out tour opener in front of a happy raucous crowd of all ages? One could sense certain tension between Diggle and Shelley (ying and yang) and it really was a case of the true Punker with the Pop songwriter that happened to get going when Punk was the only game that mattered. The originals were complemented by two capable kids (including a Prince Harry look alike on bass) who one hopes are having the time of their lives. Buzzcocks songs are short and sweet and the live performance was no different flying by surprisingly quickly for two and a half albums. The songs compiled on "Singles Going Steady" from the two albums and on the five song encore were the one that got the crowd moving and excited but they were all excellent to some degree and if you didn't particularly care for one it was over pretty soon (no jam out of hell to worry about here). If you closed your eyes you could kind of imagine yourself being at punk show in 1977 but not at the punk show focused on the outside world ("White Riot", "Anarchy in the UK", etc.) with spit flying around you. A punk show more a la Ramones if you will, that is to say focused on the same things and issues that young kids have focused since time began ("Orgasm Addict", "Ever Fallen in Love (with someone you shouldn't have)", etc.). Getting Shelley and Diggle to autograph my LP from the stage as they said goodnight was the icing on the cake for what was a privileged glimpse at a bygone era but by a band still firing on all cylinders and very relevant. No less a band than Green Day has cited them as their biggest influence. </span></span><br><br> </div><br> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-29188212219535275792010-03-09T23:12:00.001-05:002010-03-09T23:12:47.256-05:00"New" old Roberto Bolano novelBolano's "Third Reich" apparently written in 1989 and discovered amongst his papers after his passing has been published and released today. I've got my copy courtesy of Amazon (issued in Spanish in the US) and am excited to read it!<br> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-44983685434727216312009-07-24T14:17:00.002-04:002009-07-24T14:18:06.716-04:00Toots and the Maytals (live video) at the 930 Club July 22 2009<div><object width="512" height="322"><param name="movie" value="http://d.yimg.com/static.video.yahoo.com/yep/YV_YEP.swf?ver=2.2.40" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="AllowScriptAccess" VALUE="always" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><param name="flashVars" value="id=14715862&vid=5606602&lang=en-us&intl=us&thumbUrl=http%3A//l.yimg.com/a/p/i/bcst/videosearch/10220/90093310.jpeg&embed=1" /><embed src="http://d.yimg.com/static.video.yahoo.com/yep/YV_YEP.swf?ver=2.2.40" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="512" height="322" allowFullScreen="true" AllowScriptAccess="always" bgcolor="#000000" flashVars="id=14715862&vid=5606602&lang=en-us&intl=us&thumbUrl=http%3A//l.yimg.com/a/p/i/bcst/videosearch/10220/90093310.jpeg&embed=1" ></embed></object><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-81743271934759055802009-07-23T10:25:00.000-04:002009-07-23T10:26:51.822-04:00Toots Hibbert of Toots and the Maytals 7-22-09 at the 930 Club!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-NJxbPuOsKvnNmllwQntsxRiX0v9xIuRY6RZteVpcSdFmepZl7WHnKcV1YZ84IbARAKTfcKMtXht_aAbxJzo-aIj77zj2k-S_z-s-302-a_cxFMp-kITNaikBfsqdGu1ZAqT/s1600-h/toots.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-NJxbPuOsKvnNmllwQntsxRiX0v9xIuRY6RZteVpcSdFmepZl7WHnKcV1YZ84IbARAKTfcKMtXht_aAbxJzo-aIj77zj2k-S_z-s-302-a_cxFMp-kITNaikBfsqdGu1ZAqT/s400/toots.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361661837032930082" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-10083684429144100902009-07-21T01:12:00.001-04:002009-07-21T01:16:04.716-04:00Ween @ the Bottle and Cork in Dewey Beach July 17, 2009 "What Deaner was talking about" live video<div><object width="512" height="322"><param name="movie" value="http://d.yimg.com/static.video.yahoo.com/yep/YV_YEP.swf?ver=2.2.40" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="AllowScriptAccess" VALUE="always" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><param name="flashVars" value="id=14638033&vid=5574436&lang=en-us&intl=us&thumbUrl=http%3A//l.yimg.com/a/p/i/bcst/videosearch/10128/89817112.jpeg&embed=1" /><embed src="http://d.yimg.com/static.video.yahoo.com/yep/YV_YEP.swf?ver=2.2.40" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="512" height="322" allowFullScreen="true" AllowScriptAccess="always" bgcolor="#000000" flashVars="id=14638033&vid=5574436&lang=en-us&intl=us&thumbUrl=http%3A//l.yimg.com/a/p/i/bcst/videosearch/10128/89817112.jpeg&embed=1" ></embed></object><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-36868294074488393882009-07-21T00:44:00.003-04:002009-07-21T00:45:49.741-04:00The Dead Weather (live video) 930 Club July 13 2009 "Cut like a buffalo" (Jack White)<div><object width="512" height="322"><param name="movie" value="http://d.yimg.com/static.video.yahoo.com/yep/YV_YEP.swf?ver=2.2.40" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="AllowScriptAccess" VALUE="always" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><param name="flashVars" value="id=14637697&vid=5574257&lang=en-us&intl=us&thumbUrl=http%3A//l.yimg.com/a/p/i/bcst/videosearch/10128/89815851.jpeg&embed=1" /><embed src="http://d.yimg.com/static.video.yahoo.com/yep/YV_YEP.swf?ver=2.2.40" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="512" height="322" allowFullScreen="true" AllowScriptAccess="always" bgcolor="#000000" flashVars="id=14637697&vid=5574257&lang=en-us&intl=us&thumbUrl=http%3A//l.yimg.com/a/p/i/bcst/videosearch/10128/89815851.jpeg&embed=1" ></embed></object><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-91538196579267978972009-04-01T00:44:00.002-04:002009-04-01T00:47:17.644-04:00Raul Alfonsin has diedSo Raul Alfonsin Argentina's president from 1983-1989 has just died.. His legacy: gross incompetence and complete failure.. He goes down as one of the most pathetic democratically elected president's in Argentina's modern history.. The only one since 1862 that was worse is Fernando de la Rua.. Alfonsin was so pathetic that he had to leave power early amid inflation and riots..Other than lasting a few years in power I'm hard pressed to think of any achievements... Compared to him Carlos Menem, Duhalde and even Nestor Kirchner are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams...<br /><br />The lesson for Argentina is clear: do not ever elect a member of the UCR party as president.. these people cannot govern.. they talk nice about politics and the value of institutions but they will leave you cleaning up rioted streets and hunting for day old bread...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-9470150663950144472009-02-11T02:14:00.000-05:002009-02-11T02:15:17.717-05:00Thoughts on Alex Rodriguez ESPN interviewits very interesting watching the entire ESPN Gammons/Arod interview.. the press for some reason is only focusing on the first minute but there's another 29 minutes...and there's a lot of interesting things said!....it does seem pretty clear Arod did take stuff and it also seems clear that he's a pretty smart guy and knows how to "talk" and how to say he's sorry..too bad for him no one is even remotely interested in what he has to say.. All the columns and reactions are of the immature "BURN HIM!" variety...his credibility may be shot but if people are really as intersted as these poseur journalists say they are about the game of baseball perhaps they could actually watch the interview.. you can learn a lot not only from what he says but from what he doesn't say....and how he says things...<br /><br />maradona (argentine soccer great) had a very interesting phrase years ago (he's always coming up with these phrases) "la pelota no se mancha" (ie., "you can't stain the ball" ..Meaning you can't "stain" the sport of soccer no matter what you as an individual may do.. the sport is the sport.....i'm not sure why US sports "journalists" are so bent in trying to turn this into a "baseball is ruined" thing... to me the fact that there was an era where steroid use became more widespread doesn't mean baseball is not a great game.. it doesn't mean that those games we watched weren't enjoyable..it doesn't mean that every home run these guys hit they wouldn't have hit...or even that the summer of 98 wasn't fun!....The fact that records/stats- such an integral part of the game- have been turned on their head is very unfortunate but it is what it is and what was WAS...<br /><br />I'm not sure why no one is trying to be a bit more positive... its a race to the bottom really.... I mean if we love baseball as much as these journalists say we do then why do we want to act as if the game is now worthless because some players used certain substances...even admitting some players cheated I still don't see why that makes the game a bad game... Life is imperfect.. Many other players have cheated in the past.. Are we forgetting all the amphetamine use or the junkball pitchers using grease or what have you or the corked bats or whatever....Are we to believe no one hit a home run cheating ever before steroids? baseball is not perfect... its this constant need to believe it is that is problematic.. thats why Bouton was so crucified when he pointed out some albeit now considered mild imperfections in his book "Ball Four"<br /><br />I find sports journalism leaving much to be desired on this issue.. I said so when the witch hunt on Bonds was on and I will say the same thing now... I would welcome players no longer use steroids although i believe developments in terms of masking for testing the use of performance enhancing substances means that its likely people will continue to use these things..its a competitive world and people will do what they feel they need to do to make a living..lets not even talk about genetic engineering... but I don't think its the end of the world.. I could use all the performance enhancing drugs in the world and I wouldn't even make contact with a 90 mph fastball! Why don't journalists focus more on some real solutions like creating a mechanism to fund an independent testing agency financed by a tax on player salaries and team profits or some such? with state of the art testing.. you better believe its going to take money to keep up with masking...and ballplayers knowing baseball means business with respect to testing would provide at least some limited deterrent...<br /><br />Its also a big fiasco how this whole thing has played out..These results would have been destroyed as they should have been had it not been for the fiasco of the never ending Bonds witch hunt wherein the Feds apparently seized computers with these results and then now someone has released Arods info and not that of the other 103 players... This is pretty low and criminal anyway you look at it!. Lets think for a moment that Arod failed a test when there was a legal agreement- for the good of the game as determined by MLB and the players union- to test players but not reveal the results in order to gain information to see I suppose how to move forward with instituting some sort of testing regime...(negative interpretation: cover up).. Well if a player tested positive and he had no recourse to even appeal its always possible that a mistake could have been made.. I doubt it but what I'm saying is that the player such as Arod was tested under the agreement that the result would not be released and because of this there was no real reason for the player(s) to insist on an examination/appeal/clarification or even an explanation of what had been failed... If you failed and knew there were no consequences would you ask for a report and leave a paper trail about having failed?? would you call and expose yourself to someone perhaps taping the call??.. What happened to Arod is not the same thing as say the guy who won the Tour de France and then had an additional "B" sample tested and then there was an appeal etc... It just seems to me that there are some issues of due process here and I don't really like it...It would seem to me that if you were going to damn an entire ballplayers career and even the entire game of baseball it would take more than that kind of testing...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-18311174968835243112009-02-05T23:40:00.002-05:002009-02-05T23:42:40.834-05:00Joe Harley, Steve Hoffman and the gang at Music MattersI was over at the Steve Hoffman board and its amazing how dismissively people speak of the job Rudy Van Gelder did in recording the legendary Blue Notes/Impulses etc.. I wrote a response but they do not take kindly to differing opinions so I will just post it on my own blog here:<br /><br />But the original impulses sound so GOOD!<br /><br />I guess someday I'll pay $50 for one of these reissues and check it out but I have to say I have many original impulses and they sound- to my ears- simply wonderful....A record like Lorez Alexandria the Great, or Coltrane and Hartman.. those are some of my favorites and I just love the way they sound.. ANd when I read some of the stuff on this thread its almost like "Is there something wrong with my ears?" I mean I have some records that sound horrendous but I would never say that about the Impulses..those were well done jobs IMHO.. Same with Blue Note..Right now I'm listening to Hodges "Creamy" (original Norgran) and it too sounds good to me..<br /><br />And I guess what people are saying is that they can sound EVEN BETTER and thats cool but there's something to be said- at least for me- about playing the original LP that came out in 1955 and Johnny Hodges himself took a copy of it home. I understand someone like me is not the market audience for these reissues and thats cool.. I appreciate anything that gets more vinyl out there...These classic albums deserve to be reissued forever... I wouldn't call myself a just a collector but more so an "originalist".. I like the classic stuff.. Sometimes stuff was done well the first time around and there's value to be attached to an item/product that still can give one great pleasure 54 years later. Its the real deal to my mind.<br /><br />Also it would be interesting- because I do read some stuff about Van Gelder - if people think they could have done a better job if they had been in his shoes.. To my mind his contribution to recorded jazz is incredible. He was basically recording - I think- two or three jazz classics a week for a long stretch... Albums that I think its fair to say at least in some small part owe their classic status to the fact that they sound really good... There's a reason people love those Blue Notes and part of it is that they sound darn good. Now a new generation of sound engineers or whatever they are called spend their time reworking Van Gelder's original work and of course they say they are doing it better... But Van Gelder's contribution to the recording of jazz I don't think will ever be even close to touched and it would be nice to see him get a little more recognition instead of having him kind of dismissed as being "clever" in dealing with the rickety limitations of recording technology at the time.. I think he did a great job! Those old Blue Notes sound great. period.<br /><br />Finally, the endless repetition about how great the Music Matters reissues are and how they blow the originals out of the water seems to me excessive. I mean is there a need to say it in every single thread about jazz LPs?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-38755557994292446062009-02-02T12:12:00.004-05:002009-02-02T12:19:13.927-05:00Live Wire AC DC Tribute band video footage (Jailbreak/Walk All Over You/Have A Drink On Me) January 31 State Theatre Falls Church Virginia<div><object width="512" height="322"><param name="movie" value="http://d.yimg.com/static.video.yahoo.com/yep/YV_YEP.swf?ver=2.2.34" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="AllowScriptAccess" VALUE="always" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><param name="flashVars" value="id=11833827&vid=4413199&lang=en-us&intl=us&thumbUrl=http%3A//us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/i/bcst/videosearch/2446/79472672.jpeg&embed=1" /><embed src="http://d.yimg.com/static.video.yahoo.com/yep/YV_YEP.swf?ver=2.2.34" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="512" height="322" allowFullScreen="true" AllowScriptAccess="always" bgcolor="#000000" flashVars="id=11833827&vid=4413199&lang=en-us&intl=us&thumbUrl=http%3A//us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/i/bcst/videosearch/2446/79472672.jpeg&embed=1" ></embed></object><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-38216201389050243472009-02-02T10:54:00.006-05:002009-02-02T10:57:42.684-05:00Live Wire AC DC Tribute Band at the State Theatre Falls Church Saturday January 31 2009 photos<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmZHftQX-K4SMbQQVr_eMC5ncoQvXdcm55f7Dn0tg0AGaQBqSON-5lB5gY4Vf-G-u9vkm4CXfXKY-UPTy1i_Y4KS9R-ZiOSyJ_7c1Hi3x6R88quZGdm6cx5saTxddoz5gjUa5l/s1600-h/DSC05191.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmZHftQX-K4SMbQQVr_eMC5ncoQvXdcm55f7Dn0tg0AGaQBqSON-5lB5gY4Vf-G-u9vkm4CXfXKY-UPTy1i_Y4KS9R-ZiOSyJ_7c1Hi3x6R88quZGdm6cx5saTxddoz5gjUa5l/s400/DSC05191.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298229736584865490" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRtG1QW4r35H6w7P3bUZEKfIb75DPAP80bsO1lDm7nMMTaTwhZXm1Zh0YCz5y3Am4w_Q02O0fms8jF5smmUjw0QQZu1pY3rIcSnRyv3pbvroHk0tEpFTiHfzBKHD4o0GY9zSp/s1600-h/leadsingershot.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRtG1QW4r35H6w7P3bUZEKfIb75DPAP80bsO1lDm7nMMTaTwhZXm1Zh0YCz5y3Am4w_Q02O0fms8jF5smmUjw0QQZu1pY3rIcSnRyv3pbvroHk0tEpFTiHfzBKHD4o0GY9zSp/s400/leadsingershot.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298229549675240914" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pXgLZdMmoywbJuYYkMWE7pOzYYUJjsv15xVw4HNP7pOb-XMRGLRJ6GrcZ2OctdhjOJ2l3EfvlTJcrTEofRz_3rihRcG7CWO0necNwlFL5UvVsOt0yt0CLTUMpHlNj3nAGta3/s1600-h/leadguitaristshot.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pXgLZdMmoywbJuYYkMWE7pOzYYUJjsv15xVw4HNP7pOb-XMRGLRJ6GrcZ2OctdhjOJ2l3EfvlTJcrTEofRz_3rihRcG7CWO0necNwlFL5UvVsOt0yt0CLTUMpHlNj3nAGta3/s400/leadguitaristshot.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298229477101663026" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUcxSiRFD7w_URDWsYlTZ_0nG-xP2GzxKpJ4betm6-ZJgxUyGA04iSzzMMIWSco3HMDRjhAKqwNgthjf4yCtAk3uFHonfUeqcUQg8QpyO97TuDr27pxOGnd15au4f_T5sTaps/s1600-h/DSC05365.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUcxSiRFD7w_URDWsYlTZ_0nG-xP2GzxKpJ4betm6-ZJgxUyGA04iSzzMMIWSco3HMDRjhAKqwNgthjf4yCtAk3uFHonfUeqcUQg8QpyO97TuDr27pxOGnd15au4f_T5sTaps/s400/DSC05365.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298229307171522178" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-34278023565234437892009-01-25T21:13:00.003-05:002009-01-25T22:01:38.629-05:00Dean Martin- Everybody Loves Somebody & Dean Martin Hits Again<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KbXid5YvEdl5L7c-Bk2RB-VZqTuEAR4QbT3IZbuWFLFqLlaPnrKptSPbDwmbeGY5dCKy5i9Ioizhmy_4fFMPcWmvbir7GPDqzKmm1PJA5ew3F4sogUzhIGoNMc0q8kkXDpC1/s1600-h/Dean+Martin+everybody+loves+somebody.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 391px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KbXid5YvEdl5L7c-Bk2RB-VZqTuEAR4QbT3IZbuWFLFqLlaPnrKptSPbDwmbeGY5dCKy5i9Ioizhmy_4fFMPcWmvbir7GPDqzKmm1PJA5ew3F4sogUzhIGoNMc0q8kkXDpC1/s400/Dean+Martin+everybody+loves+somebody.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295420440717173234" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vhLmu34HaxGcDr3rTFiF3UHGJtyEMwHDPSvx7edJcEfHS8cDjCIz2NUbxV4Wg5xYZNqQWF0JjtKLMFk8N0A9K41TO_VV-IFoxXrlV66z6FkAUneIMu7WC_K99y17tPlp-pvt/s1600-h/dean+martin+hits+again.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 392px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vhLmu34HaxGcDr3rTFiF3UHGJtyEMwHDPSvx7edJcEfHS8cDjCIz2NUbxV4Wg5xYZNqQWF0JjtKLMFk8N0A9K41TO_VV-IFoxXrlV66z6FkAUneIMu7WC_K99y17tPlp-pvt/s400/dean+martin+hits+again.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295420384432771858" /></a><br />There's something about Dean Martin singing that I find very relaxing...I guess he didn't sweat the small stuff much... Anyways Dean Martin had recorded for Capitol Records and when Sinatra started his Reprise label he jumped ship like many other Sinatra friends (Sammy Davis, Nelson Riddle, Keely Smith, Rosemary Clooney,etc.).. From what I've read he also invested in the company.. Anyways, by 1964 the Rat Pack had probably lost a bit of its Kennedy Era glamour but Dean Martin still had a few tricks up his sleeve like the monster hit single "Everybody Loves Somebody" which in August 1964 took over the top spot on the pop charts from none other than the Beatles "Hard Day's Night"! Prior to this Dean had recorded a couple of great albums that had not sold particularly well although they sure sound great (proof they didn't sell much is the fact that you never find them in the bins while the stuff pictured here is a dime a dozen)... I'm thinking of albums that featured Dean singing country songs or french songs or of course italian songs.. ANyways by this point in 1964 I think Dean hadn't experienced much in the way of hits but that changed with Everybody Loves Somebody which was actually a re-recording of a song he'd originally cut for Capitol Records.. I suppose also that Jimmy Bowen the producer had something to do with developing a sound for Dean that worked on the charts.. After this hit single Dean recorded incredibly prolifically. He cut almost 20 records in the next five years! And you can tell listening to these albums just how relaxed, loose and comfortable these recording sessions were! Legend has it Dean would come in record a few songs and head to the golf course and the entire album would basically be completed in a weekend! Easy-going is what comes to mind when I think of Dean.. I've read many descriptions of him as the King of Cool but I tend to think of him more as easygoing... Shortly after he hit with Everybody Loves Somebody this album was released probably culled together from a few singles etc to capitalize on the situation (on Reprise R-6130) and it charted all the way at number 2 on the album chart... Then a few months later (following another release sandwiched in between and released November 1964) Dean Martin came back with "Dean Martin Hits Again" on Reprise 6146 which featured another hit in a very similar vein to "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You", released February 1965 and which charted at number 13..I mean this was how quickly Dean was cutting albums! By this point producer Jimmy Bowen had found a formula for producing and framing Dean's voice working with Ernie Freeman as arranger/conductor..the formula is described by William Ruhlmann of the All Music Guide as "employing a 4/4 beat, piano triplets, female backup vocals, and swooping string effects to the songs."...Dean would release another three albums in 65 and another FIVE in 1966..Most critics nowadays tend to be fairly dismissive of the albums but to my ears they hold up.. They're not too ambitious and yes they are fairly similar but its a good formula for Dean Martin and helped him lengthen his career until the early 1970s no small feat for someone that had begun performing in the 1940s! I found these two LPs for the taking in front of a record store. Free/FreeUnknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-62307490374925367662009-01-25T20:34:00.004-05:002009-01-25T20:56:49.279-05:00Frank Sinatra- Swing Easy and Songs for Young Lovers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBjqX2GZxvlPUOdd8SY_zGphz4ZFR124SrtEW61pHFfJHlWDNuGr3jWwneSGcWepHVzd-nklM-osBKrJt6DG0563hW7oPKbEEVWR-RsrbfdMgpGsnJt3aMPPhI19zE4uOy4Bd4/s1600-h/DSC05117.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBjqX2GZxvlPUOdd8SY_zGphz4ZFR124SrtEW61pHFfJHlWDNuGr3jWwneSGcWepHVzd-nklM-osBKrJt6DG0563hW7oPKbEEVWR-RsrbfdMgpGsnJt3aMPPhI19zE4uOy4Bd4/s400/DSC05117.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295410977552068754" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQSKx9LFYU3Ue-K3cOmzQOIbSkBVFTTCUH10IgkvgMLUyB2tgZnBtlzCYDqu9JaQ5FElS2CBu74IpMfbIeDg2Z7g_hOC3Hy_OW7B8svHMiHyJ3w2Y6zcR2TFFCvi3fkhq81sB/s1600-h/DSC05116.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQSKx9LFYU3Ue-K3cOmzQOIbSkBVFTTCUH10IgkvgMLUyB2tgZnBtlzCYDqu9JaQ5FElS2CBu74IpMfbIeDg2Z7g_hOC3Hy_OW7B8svHMiHyJ3w2Y6zcR2TFFCvi3fkhq81sB/s400/DSC05116.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295410897056735762" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BslE6wqnpczwiW6l08ywteklMJe8D79IlFzf07QayW39PmhvnuMDpnFCVC9PX7CYkrDOJdBcJeyck3zAWeZht8gm1Pvmb6HzpkQjpLaa1N6f7UXxMYm0mBp2lxMQEGKlcBZX/s1600-h/sinatra+cover.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 396px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BslE6wqnpczwiW6l08ywteklMJe8D79IlFzf07QayW39PmhvnuMDpnFCVC9PX7CYkrDOJdBcJeyck3zAWeZht8gm1Pvmb6HzpkQjpLaa1N6f7UXxMYm0mBp2lxMQEGKlcBZX/s400/sinatra+cover.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295410780691793186" /></a><br /><br />Allright SINATRA!!!!!!! Can't get enough of this guy and while he sold a billion records they got play and there are a lot of considerations when buying Sinatra used LPs and trying to get that true first original pressing... For example from what I understand the system used by Capitol Records was such that in the deadwax you can see a stamp that at the end will have a number starting with either a "D" or an "N".. "D" means it was pressed in the West Coast where Capitol Records was based while "N" is not supposed to sound as good... Now the number following the letter tells you something - from what I can tell (this stuff is really discussed much better at the Steve Hoffman Music forum) - about the stampers used with the lowest number- presumably "1" being the original stampers.. Now in the case of this LP which really was a compilation of two separate 10 inch albums that had come out the previous year in 1954- "Songs for Young Lovers" which had kickstarted Sinatra's musical comeback and has been discussed elsewhere on this blog and its follow up "Swing Easy!" both produced by the great Nelson Riddle who was rewriting the book on production/arrangement- and came out in 1955 as catalog number W587 or only six issues behind Sinatra's first actual 12" original LP release which was "In the Wee Small Hours" at W581 (and had has from what I understand a concurrent release as two 10 inch lps and 4 45 eps).. Anyways, the original label is of course the gray label with circular gray line on the label framing the song titles and the word "Long Playing" below it.. Criteria met by this LP as pictured but here's where it gets a bit more interesting: 1) I had never seen a Capitol LP with the sticker (as pictured) on the opening reading "Sealed-In Quality" and on the back "Cut Here with Scissors" and "To Remove Seal, Peel Tape Carefully Start 'Peel'ing from Corner".. I'm not sure what this means? Was this a used copy? I don't believe labels where shrinkwrapping LPs at this time although they may have been bagging them..2) The record itself came in a rice paper sleeve which I believe was present only up to a point relatively soon after this when Capitol Records began using sleeves which would advertise either Capitol Records, other Capitol releases or both and 3) The stampers read "D1" on Side A - i.e., the first and earliest possible numbering and "D3" on Side 2... In other words I believe this copy dates from the initial release run about April 1955.. The label and record looked to be in near mint condition but unfortunately when played it turned out to have some surface noise but them's the breaks.. I don't think I need to say much about the quality of the music itself.. This is about as good as it gets from "I get a kick out of you" perhaps the first Sinatra song I fell in love with- on an 1980s cd reissue of this which proved my introduction to Frank Sinatra- to stone cold classics such as "get Happy" , "All of Me"... I note the presence of many songs that had been also performed by Billie Holiday (i.e., "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter", "My Funny Valentine", "Violets for Your Furs) both before and after Sinatra's version... While it was more common for Sinatra to perform songs that Billie Holiday has first performed its also true, for example on "Violet for your furs" which Billie Holiday performed on what was by her own account her favorite album- the string laden Lady In Satin the final album released in her lifetime- that Billie Holiday as was the case for Dexter Gordon was listening to Frank Sinatra..at least I think so..$10Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-10700531313871496592009-01-25T20:10:00.004-05:002009-01-25T20:24:55.528-05:00Solid State Presenting Thad Jones Mel Lewis &"The Jazz Orchestra"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpzESp6ByNAX4r8RkKpPbEQpbL4rwAwUzus3Bj_9lAF5Ax0BvP8B3xz5Wng28mH-r_gAtpxofw0pkhi1PNY9lpOmLy9Lvouiccuoop-n-D0425SclLWa8XhqNzotQAQwFqWCPu/s1600-h/thad+jones+mel+lewis.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 390px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpzESp6ByNAX4r8RkKpPbEQpbL4rwAwUzus3Bj_9lAF5Ax0BvP8B3xz5Wng28mH-r_gAtpxofw0pkhi1PNY9lpOmLy9Lvouiccuoop-n-D0425SclLWa8XhqNzotQAQwFqWCPu/s400/thad+jones+mel+lewis.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295403749199903058" /></a><br /><br />Here's an interesting one...ALthough it should be catalog number Solid State 16003 this was apparently put out by the Capitol Records Record Club as SMAS 90890.. In 1966 producer Sonny Lester (who had been producing for other labels) sets up his own record label with Phil Ramone and calls it Solid State..It was distributed by United Artists which provides the inner sleeve for this recording.. The idea it seems was to record jazz in a high quality audio setting and with deluxe gatefold packaging..Sort of an Enoch Light Command Records except with a little more highbrow jazz music... This release introducing what amounts to a Thad Jones Mel Lewis big band- in an age where big bands were largely not viable (only the Clarke Bolland big band recording in Europe comes to mind) and what a big band it was! First of all there's the great trumpter/flugelhorn player Thad Jones who had been around for a while and recorded a few amazing albums on Blue Note including "The Magnificent Thad Jones" but check out some of these names: On saxophone Jerome Richardson, a very young Joe Farrell, Jerry Dodgion, Eddie Daniels and no less than Pepper Adams, Bob Brookmeyer on the bone, Richard Davis on bass, and on piano the still kicking Hank Jones..The record has a few notes on the technical recording credited to Phil Ramone who was obviously the engineer but is listed as the "Audio Director"..Sonny Lester would go on to put out some great records on Solid State including the more critically acclaimed Mel Lewis Thad Jones Orchestra with Joe Williams LP..In the 1970s Sonny Lester would found another label - Groove Merchant- which specialized in funky music particularly organmeisters like Jimmy Mcgriff and Richard Groove Holmes..Mcgriff recorded on Solid State (i.e., The Worm) too and in fact his "Electric Funk" LP I think was produced for Solid State and I'm not sure why it came out on Blue Note..$1Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423371.post-5801938928271257592009-01-25T19:59:00.002-05:002009-01-25T20:05:42.771-05:00Mary Wells- Greatest Hits<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSBbUIo_aVfpSp5j_j9FVhC-OAsVQcd6LpDbuB6fOV7Zp3_g-zSsiHXepIGNa3yFqhEp9DcSJacnojGAluawtCeGbeZU-fbzsphNM7nFrXhylX9Z9ljNwzPxqNENfqSJCsYs0R/s1600-h/mary+wells.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 393px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSBbUIo_aVfpSp5j_j9FVhC-OAsVQcd6LpDbuB6fOV7Zp3_g-zSsiHXepIGNa3yFqhEp9DcSJacnojGAluawtCeGbeZU-fbzsphNM7nFrXhylX9Z9ljNwzPxqNENfqSJCsYs0R/s400/mary+wells.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295401011706724402" /></a><br /><br />Mary Wells' "Greatest Hits" on Motown 616.. Mary Wells is the one great Motown artist that got away from the label... From what I've read she was their first big hitmaker and when she turned 21 she left the label for what she assumed would be greener pastures and a nice record advance but I guess you can't replace songwriters like William "Smokey" Robinson or the Holland-Dozier-Holland team.. Truth be told what I find most interesting about this album - and it sounds great much like most of the early Motown mono LPs (this was originally released in 1964)- is that the last song "Bye Bye Baby" I've heard a million times performed by Detroit garage rock revivalists the Detroit Cobras "Life Love Leaving" LP from 2001 which is to this day one of my favorite records.. Anyways on the Cobras LP lead singer Rachael Nagy kicks the living daylights of "Bye Bye Baby"..$1Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0