Big Al

My favorite kind of BFT!!! Can't wait to download and listen!

Me! Me! Me! Me!

This will be my final post in the MLB thread for this year, now that the Rangers playoff hopes are officially over, despite the fact that when the crushing reality of this past month settled in it was too late to do anything about it. The Rangers don't deserve to be in the playoffs, and I've been saying that since August. Still, there's something bittersweet about watching the Red Sox "back into the playoffs" after losing six straight, knowing it was my team that opened the door for them. So, for anyone who cares, Big Al's Rangers Quick Year in Review: GOOD: 1) They finished above .500 for the first time in years. Seriously, if anyone had told me the Rangers would be above .500 for most of the season, I woulda danced for joy. And this was supposed to be a rebuilding year! Who woulda guessed a legitimate playoff chase would've been a part of this season? Not me, that's for sure. 2) A bumper crop of young pitchers proved themselves this year. Hopefully, they'll be around for a while and won't get traded to another team for a "veteran." 3) Michael Young's graceful transition to third base and his mentoring of Elvis Andrus. He could've been a real ass about this whole situation, but did the right thing by swallowing his pride, helping his team, and in the process having one of the best year's of his career. It's a crime that he's been in the majors this long and doesn't have a World Series ring to show for it. If anyone deserves to be traded to a real contender, it's Michael Young. 4) They played amazingly well against teams that are better than them, even going so far as to take the season series from the Red Sox and taking a series from the Yankees in New York. BAD: 1) Ron Washington could be the most underachieving manager in the MLB. More than once I heard fellow fans gripe that a lot of his managerial decisions cost the Rangers games. The sad fact is, the Rangers had the talent this year to take them far; they just don't have the manager who knows how to take them further. I wish this were Wash's last year, but Rangers management has taken this year as a sign that Wash is the right man for the job. Yes he is, as long as mediocrity is your long-term goal, because Washington lacks neither the experience nor the killer instinct that is needed to get into and play October baseball. 2) CJ Wilson needs to go. Period. End of story. He's the Brad Lidge of the Rangers. Ron Washington's continued use of him continues to boggle the mind, because Wilson could not be trusted with a lead any smaller than five runs. 3) They couldn't beat losing teams if their playoff lives depended on it. In fact, it did, and it goes a long way in explaining why the Rangers are not in the playoffs this year. I don't know that I can call this a "good" year, because even though there were far more positives than negatives, the negatives were huge and, once again the Rangers are not in the playoffs. So, even though it wasn't a "bad"year per se, I hesitate to call this a "good" year when so much more could've been accomplished. This was yet another mediocre "coulda been" season, certainly not the first and far from the last, if the last 35+ years are any indication. The Rangers will always be my team, but I honestly don't believe I'll ever see them in the playoffs again in my lifetime. Happy playoffs, to those of you whose teams are playing. Personally, I think it's the Yankees year again, but what do I know? Anything is possible, which is why this will always be my favorite sport and why the Rangers are my favorite team. See y'all next season.

BACK to Dallas? How long have you been here and how long are you staying (and playing, I hope)?

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These are lists I've been maintaining. IIRC, the most recent batch was February of this year. If there have been more, I missed them: Text version Excel version

Wow! What a compilation! Fantastic job, Alex! Gonna go back and listen AGAIN now that I know the answers!

Go ahead and start the signup thread, though!

Because you are an empty vessel with no openings. Besides that...

Beatles REVOLVER, Capitol mono, for $2. Sounds like it got some good use in the last 40 years, but for $2 to be able to watch that Capitol label swirl around while listening to "Tomorrow Never Knows"..... NOW I know what Sangrey was talking about when he mentioned AM-quality sound!

Tell you what: buy the mono box, send it to me, and I will convert the CDs to AM-quality sounding WAV files. At no charge, I might add, since I'm still riding the high (and sporting the blisters!) from last Wednesday!

Ornette's FREE JAZZ or anything from the Trane at the Village Vanguard usually does the trick for getting rid of hangovers, headaches, strange women, unwanted relatives, etc. Besides, after listening to those, the day can only get better..... ******* Back to the topic at hand, without knowing it beforehand, Steve Lacy's Monk album with Don Cherry became a perfect late-night jazz record on first listen.

Coltrane Impulse, still wondering why it isn't really doing anything for me......

Not sure if it's already been discussed, so I'll risk asking a second time: since these are the original stereo mixes, does this mean that "I Am the Walrus" still ends in fake stereo, and "It's All Too Much" is entirely in fake stereo? I'm still gonna get the Yellow Submarine album (and MMT) regardless; yes, I'm one of those nuts that actually enjoys side 2 of YS!

It so nice to see you back in your Desmond-inspired form! Regarding "I Never Knew:" my favorite is actually the outtake from the BLUE LIGHTS session, which IMO could've easily replaced "Yes Baby," "Scotch Blues," or "Caravan." I realize that it's more of a loose jam than a structured play, but DAMN if everyone isn't at the top of their game on that one! And as for the album that started all of this, it's typical Kenny, and if it's alright with y'all that is PERFECT for me!

From a purely technical standpoint, "Revolution 9" on the stereo remaster sounds fantastic, for better AND worse.

Sorry, but "That Means A Lot" is about a thousand times better than a clunker like "Tell Me What You See." Eh, I like 'em both equally. Truth be told, I've REALLY been enjoying (what would be referred to in the old days as) side two of HELP! I don't know if it's the remastering or whatever, but SOMETHING is causing me to enjoy these songs like never before. All I know is: when I heard the first CD of HELP years&years ago, it was my first time to hear "Dizzy Miss Lizzie," and it seemed to me waybackthen that song should've leapt outta the speakers. The Capitol Box almost got it right; it wasn't perfect, but miles better than the old '87 CD. This issue got it right on the nose! That guitar riff screeched outta the speakers and Ringo's crashing thunder 'bout blew out the windows! In other words, what I was expecting 22 years ago!!!

Don't know if I agree or disagree, but I do know one thing: I wish the fadeout of "I'll Be Back" went on for another.... oh, say two hours! I love that back and forth between the A and the A-minor. YMMV, of course!

I don't have the energy to hate the Dodgers like before but damn seeing Lincecum get knocked out in Dodger stadium which also knocked out the Giants hope for the post season was a psychic blow. I look forward to seeing the Giants return the favor to Dodger fans next year. Officially Baseball season has ended and Football Season has started in SF. Funny... baseball season AND football season ended here in Arlington simultaneously yesterday!

Holy cow! The Rangers scored.... three times!!! Woo hoo!!!! It only took 'em 46 innings to do it!!! Wow!!! Interesting thing: JSngry told me the other night that when the Rangers wear the red uniforms, they seem to win more. Well, they were wearing red tonight!

Woo hoo!!! That's what they were! Order complete!

Sure do! I even have a pre-prepared setlist: "L'chaim Blues" "Hava Nagila Blues" "Oy, the Goy Boy Toy Blues" "Who Threw the Itching Powder in Grampa Yitzhak's Yarmulke Blues" and my personal favorite, "Talking Circumcision Blues"

Whew! Saw the title, saw the author, remembered Wednesday night, thought "Uh oh, someone filmed it!"

I am not worthy! Thank you, Jim! :) :) :) Listen, I gotta tell y'all what a gas it was playing behind Greg & Jim, because in each tune, for whatever reason, there was a different level of..... oh, how do I put this? Playing behind Greg is like a relaxing walk on a cool autumn afternoon: just swingin', groovin', ridin' the beat and letting it carry me away! Then Jim would take over and it would be like ten-HUT get yer ass in gear and pay attention, boy: we're off to territories unknown! This, IMHO, was quite a feat for both men as I managed to play everything as a blues. We'd play a ballad, I'd play the blues; we'd play some Duke, I'd play the blues. We could've played death-metal polka and I would've figured out a way to play the blues! I mean, something as simple as "Our Love is Here to Stay" I managed to turn into "The Blues Are Here to Stay!" At one point, Greg took a break (I suspect he ran outside and yelled into the night mist: ISN'T THERE ANYONE IN THIS GODFORSAKEN CULTURAL WASTELAND THAT CAN PLAY A BASS, MUCH LESS HOLD IT CORRECTLY??? :g ), and Jim called out "A-Train" and off we went, Jim, Garry, and me! I don't know how long we were gone, but oh what a ride it was! That was my dream come true right there: playing bass in a pianoless trio, behind the man Greg referred to as "the most honest tenor player you'll ever hear".... I mean, I was living my own "Night at the Village Vanguard" right there!!! But THE highlight of the night for me was the last number: "In a Mellow Tone." By this time, my fingers are screaming for mercy, my left arm is wondering when it's going to get more blood, and I am in the throes of jazz-wannabe heaven!!! When Jim calls this tune, my adrenaline went thru the roof! Now not only do I get to pretend to be Ray Brown, but I actually kinda KNOW THIS SONG!!! So off we go, and we get to the end of the head and I played the opening riff right before Greg's solo, and I heard Jim say, "Yeeahhh!" That moment, that one moment, was monumental on so many levels, because it just seemed to sum up the whole night for me: Jim's right that I don't consider myself technically anything, but I come to swing (whether it be as an observer or a participant) and if that comes through, then I've done my job. Hearing Jim say that and seeing Greg give me the thumbs up while Jim was soloing made me feel like I'd done my job: I came, I saw, I swung! Carpe dukem: swing the day! I tell y'all right now: as long as I live, I will never forget the night of September 16, 2009, when an ordinary night of listening to good jazz played by guys who tell it like it is turned into an extraordinary night of being able to play the music I love, thanks to Greg who graciously allowed me to play with them, and Jim for constantly encouraging me and keeping my spirits up! Like I said last night, if I never play another note of music in my lifetime, this night will have made it all worth it. I can't thank you guys enough!