Alexander

Anyone who's been on the fence on this one should get it. It ranks with Costello's best work. Several duets with Emmylou Harris, and one with Lucinda Williams. Great writing, great playing...and a great single! "Monkey To Man" deserives to be a hit, and hopefully it will be. It has great lyrics! Monkey to Man A long time ago, our point of view Was broadcast by Mr. Bartholomew Now the world is full of sorrow and pain It’s time for us to speak up again You’re slack and sorry Such an arrogant brood The only purpose you serve is to bring us our food We sit here staring at your pomp and pout Outside the bars we use for keeping you out You’ve taken everything that you wanted Broke it up and plundered it and hunted Ever since we said it You went and took the credit It’s been headed this way since the world began When a vicious creature took the jump from Monkey to Man Every time that man struggles and fails He makes up some kind of fairytales After all of the misery that he has caused He denies he’s descended from the dinosaurs Points up to heaven with cathedral spires All the time indulging in his base desires Ever since we said it He went and took the credit It’s been headed this way since the world began When a vicious creature took the jump from Monkey to Man Big and useless as he has become With his crying statues and his flying bomb Goes ‘round acting like the chosen one Excuse us if we treat him like our idiot cousin He hangs up flowers and bells and rhymes Hoping to hell that someone’s forgiven his crimes Fills the air with his pride and his praise He’s big disgrace to our beastly ways In the fashionable nightclubs and finer precincts Man uses words to dress up his vile instincts Ever since we said it He went and took the credit It’s been headed this way since the world began When a vicious creature took the jump from Monkey to Man

My biggest fault? I BUY TOO MANY FUCKING CDS!!!!

Gangsta Name Generator!!! Yo, yo, yo! Ol Dirty G-Ride Bouncer in da house!

My first job wasn't very interesting. I was a bag-boy/shopping cart wrangler at the neighborhood Grand Union. My boss was a Tyrannical Pipsqueak named Allen. I was only 16 and a bit of a goofball (I'm sure that comes as a huge suprise). When I worked the counter where people redeemed their empty bottles, I would talk in a Monty Python voice, telling them to "bring forth the sacrifice." The bums who made their living picking through people's trash were not amused, to say the least. I quit one day when Allen asked me to shovel the contents of an overturned garbage truck. My favorite job was the summer after my freshman year of college. I worked for the 1990 census. My job was to call the people who had not filled their questionnaires out correctly and ask them the questions they skipped. The questions most often skipped were "Do you receive any meals with your rent?", "Do you receive any farming income?", and "Are you hispanic?" I have many amusing stories about the people I called, but the best was the time I called a guy at work and he answered the phone all out of breath. When I started my schpiel, he said, "This really isn't a good time." In the background, I heard a woman's voice saying, "Harold! I'm getting lonely!" I said, "Well, what did you pick the phone up for?!"

Those BASTARDS! When are they going to get around to remastering the fucking BRITISH catalogue?!

So I saw them on Thursday night in Albany, and it was a blast! They have great stage presence. Dave King's drumming is wild and playful, and his use of toys is very creative and amusing. They introduced several new numbers. Some memorable ones were "Rhinoceros is my Profession" and "The Empire Stikes Backwards." Covers included a performance of Ornette's "Street Woman" (from "Give"), a rousing rendition of Queen's "We Are The Champions," and their version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" as an encore. Great show. The audience was small (but what do you expect on a weeknight in Albany?), very young (with a few exceptions, most people seemed to be in their early to mid 20s) and, yes, all white.

While I bristled at the frequent use of the word "elitist," I have to admit that my journey into jazz was similar. Back before I discovered jazz, my pattern was to "collect an artist," which is to say I would buy every album by Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Elvis Costello, or whoever before I would render my judgements. When I first started listening to jazz, I started (as this guy did) with people like Miles and Trane because those were the people I'd heard of! And I ran into the same brick wall this guy did when I reached albums like "Bitches Brew" and "Ascension." I went through two years of half-heartedly trying to get into jazz until a friend gave me a copy of "The Best of Horace Silver, v.2" on casette. "Song for My Father" hooked me, and I never looked back after that. Horace was my gateway to jazz, and for that he will have my undying affection (despite "The United States of Mind").

34 in December... I feel like a spring chicken!

I got the Horace and...eh. It's cheesy and campy, and it might even be fun if there wasn't so damn much of it. The musicians sound good, but they don't get to stretch much. The recordings are much more focused on the vocals and the (yuck) lyrics. And these lyrics are really, really horrible. You'd think that someone would have noticed how awful Horace's lyric writing was from the liner notes to "Seranade to a Soul Sister." (Thank God he didn't record them!)

Their second album ("Give") is quite good, if not quite the radical statement that "These Are The Vistas" was. Their first album (on Fresh Sounds) is excellent too. My guess is that you either like them, or you hate them. Obviously, I like them...

Nice to see this thread resurrected! I'm going to see the BP on Thursday. Front row seats too! Can't wait...

I'm not a big Byron fan. His playing on this CD is okay. I got the CD for Jason Moran, however, and he just gets better and better. Worth it just to listen to Moran, IMHO.

I'm interviewing John Burk (the Concord VP who produced about half the album) tomorrow afternoon. I plan on asking just how he and Ray decided who Ray would duet with. Was it all Ray's idea (ba dump bump)? Or did commercial considerations come into play? I think there are a lot of missed opportunities on this album. The duet with Willie Nelson is kinda sad. I really wish they had done "Crazy." It would have been sublime, I think. The ultimate would have been a duet with Elvis Costello (who called Ray a "blind, ignorant nigger" during a drunkin brawl with Stephen Stills in the late 70s). They could have done "Sittin' and Thinkin'" (a song about getting drunk and regretting it). I'm interviewing Mr. Burk at 5:00 EST tomorrow (9/29/04). I welcome any ideas for questions. I'm only getting 15 to 20 minutes to talk to him, and I'd like to do something original....

I agree completely. I happen to be a big "Smiley Smile" fan. The only reason it ever got a bad rap in the first place was that it 1) wasn't "Smile," and 2) was a disappointing follow-up to "Pet Sounds." But taken on its own merits, "Smiley Smile" is a lot of fun. It's one of the most eccentric albums released by a major band. Is it a masterpiece? No, but it's got it's own quiet brilliance.

I listened to the tracks on the Nonsuch site, and I've gotta say...I'm not too favorably impressed. And this is from someone who LOVES "Pet Sounds." The versions of "Heroes and Villians" and "Good Vibrations" are kind of...well...embarassing next to the Beach Boys versions (can you imagine "Good Vibrations" without CARL WILSON?). I even prefer the "Smiley Smile" versions of "Vegetables" and "Wind Chimes." I'd rather have had the original unfinished tracks...

I mainly get pop music off of iTunes, in which case I'm not really interested in liner notes and discographical info (which I know is available if I want it). Since iTunes has starting making certain unreleased Verve recordings available, I've been getting the personnel listings and dates of off AllMusic.com (although these are not always unimpeachable sources, especially when dealing with out-of-print material). I'm kind of pissed that Verve doesn't make all of this info available on *their* website.

Chet's singing is an acquired taste, but one that's well worth acquiring. I grabbed this when it came out, and I think it is excellent. The sextet album (released the same day) has no singing, and might suit your tastes better. Still, I think this is a good into for anyone not into Chet's vocals.

If you only read one Roth novel, you MUST read "Portnoy's Complaint!" Filthy fun! "The Human Stain" is great, too. I'll probably look into this one.

I guessed Charlotte Rampling almost immediately, but my wife kept insisting otherwise. Thanks to Bev for proving me right! There's no mistaking the shape of her eyes and those lips!

What about NC-17?

"Birdseye Frozen Peas: Made with frozen goodness and green pea-ness..."

I've met her. Shortly before I departed ol' B&N, she walked into the music department while I was working one day. I recognized her because my wife had one of her cookbooks sitting out on the kitchen table and I'd looked at it just that morning while I was leaving for work (I was thinking that her smile was a little too wide, if you want to know the truth of it). So she walks up to the counter and I start ringing her out. She's paying by check, so I verify by her ID that she was, indeed, Rachel Ray. One of my employees (a Food Channel fan, no doubt) walked up to her and started raving about how much she LOVED Rachel's show. Ms. Ray was very cordial. She thanked my employee, took her purchase and left the store. I never said two words to her. I have to say, she's better looking in person than she is in photos. I've also seen her in the local Price Chopper while I've been grocery shopping (she lives nearby in Saratoga).

I have several Branford CDs, including the new one. "Eternal" is the third release under his name on Marsalis Music (I still crack up at the thought that the one Marsalis who *didn't* sign to Marsalis music was Wynton). The first two were "Music of Our Fathers" and "Romaire Bearden Revisited." Both were excellent recordings, in my opinion. Branford has definitely got chops. "Eternal" is quite good too, although the slow tempo makes it very sleepy. Joey Calderazzo put a solo album out on Marsalis earlier this year, and if you enjoy him with Branford, it's well worth picking up.

Thanks to all of the above for their recommendations! Keep 'em coming! I can't get enough reggae! One love!

Ok, since this topic was last discussed on the board, I've really gotten hooked on reggae and other Jamaican music. Here's what I currently have. I'd be interested in any and all recommendations on what to get next: Jimmy Cliff et al: The Harder They Come (soundtrack) Bob Marley and the Wailers: Catch a Fire, Burnin', Live, Exodus Toots and the Maytals: The Very Best of... Peter Tosh: Legalize It Various Artists: Deep Ska (box), "Is It Rolling Bob? A Reggae Tribute to Bob Dylan" Trojan British Reggae Box Trojan Dub Box vol.1 Trojan Dub Box vol. 2 Trojan Rastafari Box Trojan Rock Steady Box *************************************************************** I have ordered, but have not yet received the Trojan Ganja Box. I'm interested in looking into the following: Burning Spear More Jimmy Cliff, Peter Tosh, Marley Steel Pulse I've really enjoyed all of the Trojan boxes I've gotten so far. Any recommendations as far as those are concerned? I've considered the X-Rated box and the Rude Boy box... What about more contemporary reggae artists? "Is It Rolling Bob" has several artists I enjoyed such as The Mighty Diamonds, Michael Rose (of Black Uhuru), Luciano, J.C. Lodge, and Beres Hammond. Does anybody know what albums by these artists I might enjoy? What about Sizzla, Beenie Man, etc? What should I avoid? Finally, does anybody know of any good books on Jamaican music?