Alexander

Oh, please tell me what that rubric *is*. Because I can tell you that Brubeck *isn't* jazz as Jelly Roll Morton would recognize it. I notice you didn't even mention Cecil Taylor or "Bitches Brew." Do those fit into the "rubric?" When does the "rubric" begin, and when and how often does it change? If the "rubric" started in, say, 1900 then nothing after 1920 fits into it. If the "rubric" changed to include jazz of the 20s, 30s, 40s, etc., then why can't the "rubric" change to accomidate Cassandra Wilson? Have you ever listened to The Brian Blade Fellowship, btw? Very eclectic music that has more in common with, say, Wilson than with Wynton Marsalis. I suppose that isn't jazz either, huh? Can a group that includes pedal steel guitar be considered jazz? Not only do I place Cassandra Wilson in the company of Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaughan, I place her in the company of Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Carmen McRae, and Abbey Lincoln.

If that's the case, then "Blue Light Till Dawn," "New Moon Daughter," and "Traveling Miles" were also in the "female contemporary" genre, since they all had the same instrumentation and the same eclectic mix of sounds and material as did "Belly of the Sun." Wilson does stretch the definition of jazz to include blues, pop, and world music influences. It would be entirely accurate to call what Wilson does "fusion," as it fuses jazz with a number of other genres. But it's still jazz. As for Brad's point about whether or not you can tell when something "sounds like" jazz, I challenge you to play a record by Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers next to "Time Out" by Dave Brubeck next to a Cecil Taylor album next to "Bitches Brew" and tell me in what way these albums "sound like" jazz. You'll find that apart from improvisation (which is the defining characteristic of jazz), these records have very little in common. The thing that makes Wilson jazz has to do with her phrasing and the way she improvises on the written melody. No, she's not Sarah Vaughan or Dinah Washington (both of whom were also great). She's Cassandra Wilson. She does something different. Can't hack that? Don't listen.

What did I tell you? For myself, I like the list. It even has Harry Smith's "Anthology of American Folk Music!" How cool is that?

Shucks. How did I miss this one earlier?

Wilson does *not* sing jazz in the "traditional" sense, by which I mean that she sings very few standards and does not employ the trumpet-tenor saxophone-piano-bass-drums instrumentation that people generally associate with jazz. For myself, I'm a big fan and I can tell you that what she does *is* jazz, even though it might not sound like jazz to you. Yes, she covers pop songs. So did Billie Holiday. Can you tell me exactly why "What a Little Moonlight Can Do" is more intrinsicly "jazz" than "Last Train to Clarksville," "The Weight," or "Lay, Lady, Lay?" Wilson was here in Albany last weekend, and I had wanted to see her, but my wife and I had a prior engagement. Maybe next time!

I'd be interested in getting involved with the Miles tree. I'd love to hear that stuff! Who do I talk to? How do I sign up?

For me, Paul's strongest songwriting period came in '66 and early '67. Actually, both Paul AND John hit a stride during the period that produced "Paperback Writer/"Rain," Revolver, "Penny Lane"/"Strawberry Fields Forever," and Sgt. Pepper. They really could do no wrong that year. After that, things began to fragment. First came the immersion in psychadelia (and the sense that the Beatles were following a trend rather than leading) and then the trip to India. After that, John and Paul were working separately and were becoming increasingly mired in their own styles. John became too experimental and Paul was too commercial. It's amazing how much the Beatles evolved as writers and performers during their brief tenure!

I think the concept is kind of sick. It's this postmortem-fowl-drag concept. Can you imagine? "Hey, after you die, we're going to hollow out your corpse and stick another corpse inside you. Then we're going to stick both of you into a third body. Enjoy!"

If one is paying attention to such things on the net, the most recent issue of Rolling Stone has generated a bit of contraversy. I'm not a huge fan of the "All-Time" lists, but I thought this was a pretty good one. Predictibly, younger fans are chafing at the lack of recent music in the top 100. Older fans resent the presence of people like Nas and Eminem on the list. Yes fans are apparently ticked-off that Yes didn't make the list (can't say I blame Rolling Stone for that one). Sure, I would have done some things differently. I would have put "Revolver" at number one and "Sgt. Pepper" at number 3, for example. But I thought it was a thought provoking list, and it's made me go back and listen to a lot of stuff I hadn't heard in ages (such as the Zombies' "The Odyssey and the Oracle"). Plus, Miles Davis made the list three times, Coltrane made it twice, and Stan Getz made it once. Not too shabby for a rock magazine! Anyway, here's the list. Bitch away. ****************************************************************** 1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles 2. Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys 3. Revolver, The Beatles 4. Highway 61 Revisited, Bob Dylan 5. Rubber Soul, The Beatles 6. What's Going On, Marvin Gaye 7. Exile on Main Street, The Rolling Stones 8. London Calling, The Clash 9. Blonde on Blonde, Bob Dylan 10. The Beatles ("The White Album"), The Beatles 11. The Sun Sessions, Elvis Presley 12. Kind of Blue, Miles Davis 13. Velvet Underground and Nico, The Velvet Underground 14. Abbey Road, The Beatles 15. Are You Experienced?, The Jimi Hendrix Experience 16. Blood on the Tracks, Bob Dylan 17. Nevermind, Nirvana 18. Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen 19. Astral Weeks, Van Morrison 20. Thriller, Michael Jackson 21. The Great Twenty-Eight, Chuck Berry 22. Plastic Ono Band, John Lennon 23. Innervisions, Stevie Wonder 24. Live at the Apollo (1963), James Brown 25. Rumours, Fleetwood Mac 26. The Joshua Tree, U2 27. King of the Delta Blues Singers, Vol. 1, Robert Johnson 28. Who's Next, The Who 29. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin 30. Blue, Joni Mitchell 31. Bringing It All Back Home, Bob Dylan 32. Let It Bleed, The Rolling Stones 33. Ramones, Ramones 34. Music From Big Pink, The Band 35. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, David Bowie 36. Tapestry, Carole King 37. Hotel California, The Eagles 38. The Anthology, 1947 - 1972, Muddy Waters 39. Please Please Me, The Beatles 40. Forever Changes, Love 41. Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, The Sex Pistols 42. The Doors, The Doors 43. The Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd 44. Horses, Patti Smith 45. The Band, The Band 46. Legend, Bob Marley and the Wailers 47. A Love Supreme, John Coltrane 48. It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Public Enemy 49. At Fillmore East, The Allman Brothers Band 50. Here's Little Richard, Little Richard 51. Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Simon and Garfunkel 52. Greatest Hits, Al Green 53. The Birth of Soul: The Complete Atlantic Rhythm and Blues Recordings, 1952 - 1959, Ray Charles 54. Electric Ladyland, The Jimi Hendrix Experience 55. Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley 56. Songs in the Key of Life, Stevie Wonder 57. Beggars Banquet, The Rolling Stones 58. Trout Mask Replica, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band 59. Meet the Beatles, The Beatles 60. Greatest Hits, Sly and the Family Stone 61. Appetite for Destruction, Guns n' Roses 62. Achtung Baby, U2 63. Sticky Fingers, The Rolling Stones 64. Phil Spector, Back to Mono (1958 - 1969), Various Artists 65. Moondance, Van Morrison 66. Led Zeppelin IV, Led Zeppelin 67. The Stranger, Billy Joel 68. Off the Wall, Michael Jackson 69. Superfly, Curtis Mayfield 70. Physical Graffiti, Led Zeppelin 71. After the Gold Rush, Neil Young 72. Purple Rain, Prince 73. Back in Black, AC/DC 74. Otis Blue, Otis Redding 75. Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin 76. Imagine, John Lennon 77. The Clash, The Clash 78. Harvest, Neil Young 79. Star Time, James Brown 80. Odessey and Oracle, The Zombies 81. Graceland, Paul Simon 82. Axis: Bold as Love, The Jimi Hendrix Experience 83. I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, Aretha Franklin 84. Lady Soul, Aretha Franklin 85. Born in the U.S.A., Bruce Springsteen 86. Let It Be, The Beatles 87. The Wall, Pink Floyd 88. At Folsom Prison, Johnny Cash 89. Dusty in Memphis, Dusty Springfield 90. Talking Book, Stevie Wonder 91. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Elton John 92. 20 Golden Greats, Buddy Holly 93. Sign 'o' the Times, Prince 94. Bitches Brew, Miles Davis 95. Green River, Creedence Clearwater Revival 96. Tommy, The Who 97. The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan 98. This Year's Model, Elvis Costello 99. There's a Riot Goin' On, Sly and the Family Stone 100. In the Wee Small Hours, Frank Sinatra 101. Fresh Cream, Cream 102. Giant Steps, John Coltrane 103. Sweet Baby James, James Taylor 104. Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Ray Charles 105. Rocket to Russia, Ramones 106. Portrait of a Legend 1951 - 1964, Sam Cooke 107. Hunky Dory, David Bowie 108. Aftermath, The Rolling Stones 109. Loaded, The Velvet Underground 110. The Bends, Radiohead 111. Court and Spark, Joni Mitchell 112. Disraeli Gears, Cream 113. The Who Sell Out, The Who 114. Out of Our Heads, The Rolling Stones 115. Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, Derek and the Dominos 116. At Last, Etta James 117. Sweetheart of the Rodeo, The Byrds 118. Stand!, Sly and the Family Stone 119. The Harder They Come Original Soundtrack, Various Artists 120. Raising Hell, Run-DMC 121. Moby Grape, Moby Grape 122. Pearl, Janis Joplin 123. Catch a Fire, Bob Marley and the Wailers 124. Younger Than Yesterday, The Byrds 125. Raw Power, The Stooges 126. Remain in Light, Talking Heads 127. If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears, The Mamas and the Papas 128. Marquee Moon, Television 129. 40 Greatest Hits, Hank Williams 130. Paranoid, Black Sabbath 131. Saturday Night Fever Original Soundtrack, Various Artists 132. The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle, Bruce Springsteen 133. Ready to Die, The Notorious B.I.G. 134. Slanted and Enchanted, Pavement 135. Greatest Hits, Elton John 136. Tim, The Replacements 137. The Chronic, Dr. Dre 138. Rejuvenation, The Meters 139. All That You Can't Leave Behind, U2 140. Parallel Lines, Blondie 141. Live at the Regal, B.B. King 142. Phil Spector, A Christmas Gift for You, Various Artists 143. Gris-Gris, Dr. John 144. Straight Outta Compton, N.W.A 145. Aja, Steely Dan 146. Surrealistic Pillow, Jefferson Airplane 147. Dreams to Remember: The Otis Redding Anthology, Otis Redding 148. Deja Vu, Crosby Stills Nash and Young 149. Houses of the Holy, Led Zeppelin 150. Santana, Santana 151. Darkness on the Edge of Town, Bruce Springsteen 152. The B-52's, The B-52's 153. Moanin' in the Moonlight, Howlin' Wolf 154. The Low End Theory, A Tribe Called Quest 155. Pretenders, The Pretenders 156. Paul's Boutique, Beastie Boys 157. Closer, Joy Division 158. Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, Elton John 159. Alive, Kiss 160. Electric Warrior, T. Rex 161. The Dock of the Bay, Otis Redding 162. OK Computer, Radiohead 163. 1999, Prince 164. Heart Like a Wheel, Linda Ronstadt 165. Let's Get It On, Marvin Gaye 166. Imperial Bedroom, Elvis Costello 167. Master of Puppets, Metallica 168. My Aim Is True, Elvis Costello 169. Exodus, Bob Marley 170. Live at Leeds, The Who 171. The Notorious Byrd Brothers, The Byrds 172. Every Picture Tells a Story, Rod Stewart 173. Something/Anything?, Todd Rundgren 174. Desire, Bob Dylan 175. Close to You, The Carpenters 176. Rocks, Aerosmith 177. One Nation Under a Groove, Parliament/Funkadelic 178. Greatest Hits, The Byrds 179. The Anthology 1961 - 1977, Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions 180. The Definitive Collection, Abba 181. The Rolling Stones, Now!, The Rolling Stones 182. Natty Dread, Bob Marley and the Wailers 183. Fleetwood Mac, Fleetwood Mac 184. Red Headed Stranger, Willie Nelson 185. The Stooges, The Stooges 186. Fresh, Sly and the Family Stone 187. So, Peter Gabriel 188. Buffalo Springfield Again, Buffalo Springfield 189. Happy Trails, Quicksilver Messenger Service 190. From Elvis in Memphis, Elvis Presley 191. Funhouse, The Stooges 192. The Gilded Palace of Sin, The Flying Burrito Brothers 193. Dookie, Green Day 194. Transformer, Lou Reed 195. Bluesbreakers, John Mayall With Eric Clapton 196. Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965 - 1968, Various Artists 197. Murmur, R.E.M. 198. The Best of, Little Walter 199. Highway to Hell, AC/DC 200. The Downward Spiral, Nine Inch Nails 201. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, Simon and Garfunkel 202. Bad, Michael Jackson 203. Wheels of Fire, Cream 204. Dirty Mind, Prince 205. Abraxas, Santana 206. Tea for the Tillerman, Cat Stevens 207. Ten, Pearl Jam 208. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Neil Young With Crazy Horse 209. Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd 210. Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, Pavement 211. Tattoo You, The Rolling Stones 212. Proud Mary: The Best of Ike and Tina Turner, Ike and Tina Turner 213. New York Dolls, New York Dolls 214. Bo Diddley/Go Bo Diddley, Bo Diddley 215. Two Steps From the Blues, Bobby Bland 216. The Queen Is Dead, The Smiths 217. Licensed to Ill, Beastie Boys 218. Look-Ka Py Py, The Meters 219. Loveless, My Bloody Valentine 220. New Orleans Piano, Professor Longhair 221. War, U2 222. The Neil Diamond Collection, Neil Diamond 223. Howlin' Wolf, Howlin' Wolf 224. Nebraska, Bruce Springsteen 225. The Complete Hank Williams, Hank Williams 226. Doolittle, Pixies 227. Paid in Full, Eric B. and Rakim 228. Toys in the Attic, Aerosmith 229. Nick of Time, Bonnie Raitt 230. A Night at the Opera, Queen 231. The Kink Kronikles, The Kinks 232. Mr. Tambourine Man, The Byrds 233. Bookends, Simon and Garfunkel 234. The Ultimate Collection, Patsy Cline 235. Mr. Excitement!, Jackie Wilson 236. The Who Sings My Generation, The Who 237. Like a Prayer, Madonna 238. Can't Buy a Thrill, Steely Dan 239. Let It Be, The Replacements 240. Run-DMC, Run-DMC 241. Black Sabbath, Black Sabbath 242. The Jerry Lee Lewis Anthology: All Killer No Filler!, Jerry Lee Lewis 243. Freak Out!, The Mothers of Invention 244. Live Dead, Grateful Dead 245. Bryter Layter, Nick Drake 246. The Shape of Jazz to Come, Ornette Coleman 247. Automatic for the People, R.E.M. 248. Reasonable Doubt, Jay-Z 249. Low, David Bowie 250. The River, Bruce Springsteen 251. The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul, Otis Redding 252. Metallica, Metallica 253. Trans-Europe Express, Kraftwerk 254. Whitney Houston, Whitney Houston 255. The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, The Kinks 256. The Velvet Rope, Janet Jackson 257. Stardust, Willie Nelson 258. American Beauty, Grateful Dead 259. Crosby Stills and Nash, Crosby Stills and Nash 260. Buena Vista Social Club , Buena Vista Social Club 261. Tracy Chapman, Tracy Chapman 262. Workingman's Dead, Grateful Dead 263. The Genius of Ray Charles, Ray Charles 264. Child Is Father to the Man, Blood, Sweat and Tears 265. Cosmo's Factory, Creedence Clearwater Revival 266. Quadrophenia, The Who 267. There Goes Rhymin' Simon, Paul Simon 268. Psycho Candy, The Jesus and Mary Chain 269. Some Girls, The Rolling Stones 270. The Beach Boys Today!, The Beach Boys 271. Going to a Go-Go, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles 272. Nightbirds, Labelle 273. The Slim Shady LP, Eminem 274. Mothership Connection, Parliament 275. Rhythm Nation 1814, Janet Jackson 276. Anthology of American Folk Music, Harry Smith, ed. 277. Aladdin Sane, David Bowie 278. The Immaculate Collection, Madonna 279. My Life, Mary J. Blige 280. Folk Singer, Muddy Waters 281. Can't Get Enough, Barry White 282. The Cars, The Cars 283. Five Leaves Left, Nick Drake 284. Music of My Mind, Stevie Wonder 285. I'm Still in Love With You, Al Green 286. Los Angeles, X 287. Anthem of the Sun, Grateful Dead 288. Something Else by the Kinks, The Kinks 289. Call Me, Al Green 290. Talking Heads: 77, Talking Heads 291. The Basement Tapes, Bob Dylan and the Band 292. White Light / White Heat, The Velvet Underground 293. Greatest Hits, Simon and Garfunkel 294. Kick Out the Jams, MC5 295. Meat Is Murder, The Smiths 296. We're Only In It For the Money, The Mothers of Invention 297. Weezer (Blue Album), Weezer 298. Master of Reality, Black Sabbath 299. Coat of Many Colors, Dolly Parton 300. Fear of a Black Planet, Public Enemy 301. John Wesley Harding, Bob Dylan 302. The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem 303. Grace, Jeff Buckley 304. Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, Lucinda Williams 305. Odelay, Beck 306. Songs for Swingin' Lovers, Frank Sinatra 307. Avalon, Roxy Music 308. The Sun Records Collection, Various Artists 309. Nothing's Shocking, Jane's Addiction 310. BloodSugarSexMagik, Red Hot Chili Peppers 311. MTV Unplugged in New York, Nirvana 312. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Lauryn Hill 313. Damn the Torpedoes, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 314. The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground 315. Surfer Rosa, Pixies 316. Rock Steady, No Doubt 317. The Eminem Show, Eminem 318. Back Stabbers, The O'Jays 319. Burnin', Bob Marley and the Wailers 320. Pink Moon, Nick Drake 321. Sail Away, Randy Newman 322. Ghost in the Machine, The Police 323. Station to Station, David Bowie 324. The Very Best of Linda Ronstadt, Linda Ronstadt 325. Slowhand, Eric Clapton 326. Disintegration, The Cure 327. Jagged Little Pill, Alanis Morissette 328. Exile in Guyville, Liz Phair 329. Daydream Nation, Sonic Youth 330. In the Jungle Groove, James Brown 331. Tonight's the Night, Neil Young 332. Help!, The Beatles 333. Shoot Out the Lights, Richard and Linda Thompson 334. Wild Gift, X 335. Squeezing Out Sparks, Graham Parker 336. Superunknown, Soundgarden 337. Aqualung, Jethro Tull 338. Cheap Thrills, Big Brother and the Holding Company 339. The Heart of Saturday Night, Tom Waits 340. Damaged, Black Flag 341. Play, Moby 342. Violator, Depeche Mode 343. Bat Out of Hell, Meat Loaf 344. Berlin, Lou Reed 345. Stop Making Sense, Talking Heads 346. 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul 347. The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Pink Floyd 348. At Newport 1960, Muddy Waters 349. Roger the Engineer (a.k.a. Over Under Sideways Down), The Yardbirds 350. Rust Never Sleeps, Neil Young and Crazy Horse 351. Brothers in Arms, Dire Straits 352. 52nd Street, Billy Joel 353. Having a Rave Up With the Yardbirds, The Yardbirds 354. 12 Songs, Randy Newman 355. Between the Buttons, The Rolling Stones 356. Sketches of Spain, Miles Davis 357. Honky Chateau, Elton John 358. Singles Going Steady, Buzzcocks 359. Stankonia, Outkast 360. Siamese Dream, The Smashing Pumpkins 361. Substance, New Order 362. L.A. Woman, The Doors 363. Ray of Light, Madonna 364. American Recordings, Johnny Cash 365. Louder Than Bombs, The Smiths 366. Mott, Mott the Hoople 367. Is This It, The Strokes 368. Rage Against the Machine, Rage Against the Machine 369. Reggatta de Blanc, The Police 370. Volunteers, Jefferson Airplane 371. Siren, Roxy Music 372. Late for the Sky, Jackson Browne 373. Post, Bjork 374. The Eagles, The Eagles 375. The Ultimate Collection (1948 - 1990), John Lee Hooker 376. (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, Oasis 377. CrazySexyCool, TLC 378. Funky Kingston, Toots and the Maytals 379. Greetings from Asbury Park, Bruce Springsteen 380. Sunflower, The Beach Boys 381. Modern Lovers, Modern Lovers 382. More Songs About Buildings and Food, Talking Heads 383. A Quick One (Happy Jack), The Who 384. Pyromania, Def Leppard 385. Pretzel Logic, Steely Dan 386. Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, Wu-Tang Clan 387. Country Life, Roxy Music 388. A Hard Day's Night, The Beatles 389. The End of the Innocence, Don Henley 390. Elephant, The White Stripes 391. The Pretender, Jackson Browne 392. Willy and the Poor Boys, Creedence Clearwater Revival 393. Good Old Boys, Randy Newman 394. For Your Pleasure, Roxy Music 395. Blue Lines, Massive Attack 396. Eliminator, ZZ Top 397. Rain Dogs, Tom Waits 398. Anthology, The Temptations 399. Californication, Red Hot Chili Peppers 400. Illmatic, Nas 401. (Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd), Lynyrd Skynyrd 402. Dr. John's Gumbo, Dr. John 403. Radio City, Big Star 404. Sandinista!, The Clash 405. Rid of Me, PJ Harvey 406. I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, Sinead O' Connor 407. Strange Days, The Doors 408. Time Out of Mind, Bob Dylan 409. 461 Ocean Boulevard, Eric Clapton 410. Pink Flag, Wire 411. Double Nickels on the Dime, Minutemen 412. Mezzanine, Massive Attack 413. Beauty and the Beat, Go-Go's 414. Greatest Hits, James Brown 415. Van Halen , Van Halen 416. Mule Variations, Tom Waits 417. Boy, U2 418. Band on the Run, Wings 419. Dummy, Portishead 420. With the Beatles, The Beatles 421. The "Chirping" Crickets, Buddy Holly and the Crickets 422. The Best of the Girl Groups, Volumes 1 and 2 , Various Artists 423. Greatest Hits, The Mamas and the Papas 424. King of the Delta Blues Singers, Vol. 2, Robert Johnson 425. Changesone, David Bowie 426. The Battle of Los Angeles, Rage Against the Machine 427. Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica, The Ronettes 428. Kid A, Radiohead 429. Grievous Angel, Gram Parsons 430. At Budokan, Cheap Trick 431. Anthology, Diana Ross and the Supremes 432. Sleepless, Peter Wolf 433. Another Green World, Brian Eno 434. Outlandos D'Amour, The Police 435. To Bring You My Love, PJ Harvey 436. Here Come the Warm Jets, Brian Eno 437. All Things Must Pass, George Harrison 438. #1 Record, Big Star 439. In Utero, Nirvana 440. Sea Change, Beck 441. Tragic Kingdom, No Doubt 442. Boys Don't Cry, The Cure 443. Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963, Sam Cooke 444. Criminal Minded, Boogie Down Productions 445. Rum Sodomy and the Lash, The Pogues 446. Suicide, Suicide 447. Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, Devo 448. In Color, Cheap Trick 449. The World Is a Ghetto, War 450. Fly Like an Eagle, Steve Miller Band 451. Back in the USA, MC5 452. Music, Madonna 453. Ritual de lo Habitual, Jane's Addiction 454. Getz/Gilberto, Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto Featuring Antonio Carlos Jobim 455. Synchronicity, The Police 456. Third/Sister Lovers, Big Star 457. For Everyman, Jackson Browne 458. John Prine, John Prine 459. Strictly Business, EPMD 460. Love It to Death, Alice Cooper 461. How Will the Wolf Survive?, Los Lobos 462. Here, My Dear, Marvin Gaye 463. Tumbleweed Connection, Elton John 464. The Blueprint, Jay-Z 465. Golden Hits, The Drifters 466. Live Through This, Hole 467. Love and Theft, Bob Dylan 468. Elton John, Elton John 469. Metal Box, Public Image Ltd. 470. Document, R.E.M. 471. Heaven Up Here, Echo and the Bunnymen 472. Hysteria, Def Leppard 473. A Rush of Blood to the Head, Coldplay 474. Live in Europe, Otis Redding 475. Tunnel of Love, Bruce Springsteen 476. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band 477. The Score, Fugees 478. Radio, LL Cool J 479. I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight, Richard and Linda Thompson 480. Faith, George Michael 481. The Smiths, The Smiths 482. Armed Forces, Elvis Costello and the Attractions 483. Life After Death, The Notorious B.I.G. 484. Branded Man, Merle Haggard 485. All Time Greatest Hits, Loretta Lynn 486. Maggot Brain, Funkadelic 487. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, The Smashing Pumpkins 488. Voodoo, D'Angelo 489. Guitar Town, Steve Earle 490. Entertainment!, Gang of Four 491. All the Young Dudes, Mott the Hoople 492. Vitalogy, Pearl Jam 493. That's the Way of the World, Earth, Wind and Fire 494. She's So Unusual, Cyndi Lauper 495. New Day Rising, Husker Du 496. Destroyer, Kiss 497. Yo! Bum Rush the Show, Public Enemy 498. Tres Hombres, ZZ Top 499. Born Under a Bad Sign, Albert King 500. Touch, Eurythmics

AB, Regarding your comments on "The Long and Winding Road"... I've often thought that there was significant overlap between the late-Beatles-era McCartney and his Wings incarnation. It has to do, I think, with the fact that by the time of "The Long and Winding Road," Paul really wasn't collaborating with John in any way. I've also noticed that Paul's looser "Wings" vocal style can be heard in the late-Beatles outtakes on the "Anthology," which could suggest that Paul wasn't trying as hard in his solo work. Just a thought.

Indeed.

I'd like to do one. Could I be #11 or 12?

Care to run a pronounciation guide past us, Bev?

"For me it is mainly 50's and 60's hardbop..." That was the case for me for a very long time. Nowadays my listening is spread accross the entire spectrum of jazz. If I had to choose one period that I listen to more than any other, though, I guess I'd have to go with contemporary stuff.

Simplification *could* be a form of improvement. In the case of language, however, it seems to me that the simplification of language is a symptom of the gradual "dumbing down" of culture. Think of it this way, the simpler a language becomes, the more likely a greater number of people are to understand what is spoken or written. That's a good thing. But the simpler a language becomes, the more difficult to becomes to express complex thought. In order to really express ideas, one has to have access to a broad vocabulary. The simpler language becomes, the harder this will be.

I don't get it. Where's the part when the dip the whole thing in chocolate, cover it with marshmallows, and then top the whole thing with a fried egg?

You actually have the plural form! It's the singular form you don't have, or at least don't use much anymore. 'Ye/you' always was the plural form, while 'thou/thee' was the singular form, which for some reason was abandoned. Perhaps it's time to revive it? What dost thou think about that idea? Or maybe that should be: What thinkst thou about that idea? As I understand it, the "thou" form in english was abandoned sometime between the 17th and 18th centuries. Shakespeare was still using it in his plays, but I think it was already gone by 1776 (except for the Quakers, some of whom still use it to this day, albiet incorrectly). I don't think it was dropped (as with the "u" in words like "colour" and "favour") as a part of Webster's attempt to create an American form of english. I'm pretty sure the English had stopped using it too, by that point. I know that "thee/thine/thou" was more than the singular form of the second person. It was a familiar form of address. It's how a master would address his servant, or a parent address a child. When speaking to someone you didn't know (or someone from a higher social station), you'd use "ye" and "you." Even though I'm from New York, I use "y'all" as an informal plural (as in "See y'all tomorrow" when I'm leaving work). I use it because I find the lack of discrete second person singular and plural forms jarring.

There is a difference. "Evolution" is a process by which something is slowly and continiously refined and improved. The dictionary definition backs this up: "A gradual process in which something changes into a different and usually more complex or better form." While evolution certainly implies change, the two words are not synonomous. Change is simply "to cause to be different" or "to give a completely different form or appearance to; transform." In other words, something can change without evolving, but nothing can evolve without changing. That said, it does bring in to question whether the english language is truly "evolving." It seems to me that english is becoming simplier, rather than increasingly complex.

It's a great site! So many fruitcakes, so little time...

What's up with my avatar?

Yeah. It is a pretty stupid article, isn't it? The author of the article I posted (Austin Cline, btw. Somehow I forgot to post his name originally) makes intellectual mincemeat of the so-called "Vox Day" (if that is his real name).

This is a pretty cool article, even if you haven't read the piece to which he's responding. Some very good arguments here. **************************************************************** The Irrational Atheist? Agnosticism/Atheism Blog November 18, 2003 The Irrational Atheist? "Fisking" is a recently coined word to denote the process of going through "someone else's writing line by line and show them to be a moron." Is it pointless? Perhaps. Is it unfair when the person obviously can't parse a simple logical argument? Perhaps. But sometimes it simply needs to be done because, otherwise, some unsuspecting person might come along and think that the original article might have actually had a point to make. So let's take a look at a recent article by Vox Day. A "Christian libertarian" and a member of the Southern Baptist Convention, Day writes for World Net Daily: The idea that he is a devotee of reason seeing through the outdated superstitions of other, lesser beings is the foremost conceit of the proud atheist. Actually, I was wrong about Day - he does have a single point his entire article: it is true that some proud atheists are so conceited that thy think that have managed to see through the outdated superstitions of others without realizing that they, too, have their own "superstitions" (if by that we might refer to irrational beliefs generally). Unfortunately, Day isn't just trying to talk about a few atheists. He thinks he's talking about all atheists. He generalizes about all atheists in existence even though the only thing common to all atheists is that they lack belief in any gods. But, if that were acknowledged, then I suppose there would be nothing for him to write. So, moving right along... The atheist is without God but not without faith, for today he puts his trust in the investigative method known as science, whether he understands it or not. Here's a very common myth: atheists rely on faith just as much as theists do. Now, while it may be true that some atheists have a "religious faith" that is akin to the sort of faith that Southern Baptists such as Vox Day have, it certainly isn't true of all atheists and it certainly isn't necessitated by atheism itself. And what of science? Speaking for myself and most of the atheists I have ever met, we don't have "faith" in science in the way that Day is using the term and the way the term is normally used in a religious context. We have a confidence in the process of science not due to any metaphysical or supernatural commitments but, rather, because we have abundant experience that it works. It's like being confident that your brakes will work when you use them next - true, they might not, but experience shows that you're justified in assuming that they will. This is nothing at all like the "faith" employed by religious people and it is certainly nothing like the "faith" expected of Christians. I would expect Vox Day, a self-professed Southern Baptist, to be familiar with Paul's definition faith: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1-3). That's how "faith" is commonly used in religion, but it comes nowhere close to describing confidence either in one's brakes or in the process of science. The irrationality of the atheist can primarily be seen in his actions - and it is here that the cowardice of his intellectual convictions is also exposed. Whereas Christians and the faithful of other religions have good reason for attempting to live by the Golden Rule - they are commanded to do so - the atheist does not. ... [H]e usually seeks to live by them when they are convenient, and there are even those, who, despite their faithlessness, do a better job of living by the tenets of religion than those who actually subscribe to them. Still, even the most admirable of atheists is nothing more than a moral parasite, living his life based on borrowed ethics. Ah, so much silliness, so little time.... First, we need to wonder how and why being commanded to treat others as you want to be treated qualifies as a good reason. It is certainly true that itcan be a good reason - if by "good" we mean "pragmatic" or "prudential." That is to say, if the consequences of not obeying that command are sufficiently dire and nasty, you do have a "good reason" to treat others well. Now, while I won't dispute that Vox Day could indeed find "I don't want to get into trouble" to be a "good reason" for him to treat others well, I must insist that it isn't a good enough reason for me. To be perfectly honest, I don't need to be commanded to be moral. I can manage to do that all on my own. And, contrary to Day's scurrilous insinuation, I also don't consider morality something to adhere to only when it is convenient. That is because, unlike Day, my morality isn't dependent upon outside pressures; it comes from within because I believe that other human beings are worthy of being treated well, regardless what any god might or might not have to say on the matter. Is that a product of intellectual cowardice? Hardly. Vox Day may mean by that the idea that atheists don't want to acknowledge the source of their moral principles - i.e., theistic religions. If so, then I am quite happy to prove Day wrong: the source of my moral principles can be found in experience, empathy, and reason. I am pleased (but not at all surprised) that various religious systems, theistic and atheistic, have codified the same moral principles that I follow. I do not, however, adhere to those principles for any religious reasons. Are my reasons worse than Day's? Well, let's compare: Vox Day believes the he is commanded by God to follow the Golden Rule; he then proceeds to smear all atheists, even though he certainly doesn't know them all, by claiming (or at least implying) that they are "moral parasites," that they are necessarily "irrational," that they are intellectual cowards, that they only follow morals when it is convenient, and that the logical consequence of atheism lead to "Hell, by way of the guillotine, the gulag and the gas chamber." I, however, don't consider myself to be "commanded" to follow the Golden Rule; instead, I treat other people with decency because I believe that they deserve that - regardless of what any gods might think on the matter. At the same time, I take great pains not to generalize about all theists, all Christians, or even all Southern Baptists. Inappropriate generalizations may slip into my writing from time to time, but I certainly don't build entire articles upon them and I don't argue that theism, Christianity, or even Southern Baptism causes one to be immoral or an intellectual coward. "By their fruits ye shall know them..." I am quite comfortable with the fruits of my moral compass being compared to those of someone like Vox Day. This is not to say there are no atheists who are rational, that there are none who are true to their godless convictions. Friedrich Nietzsche is the foremost example, but there are certainly others who do not fear to determine their own moral compass. Today, we call them sociopaths and suicides. Or we just call them normal, moral people. - they are, after all, everywhere around us and not causing any trouble for anyone. Vox Day might prefer it if atheists could all be dismissed with such a simple wave of the hand, but life doesn't work that way. The fact of the matter is, neither suicide nor being a sociopath are logically entailed by atheism. Believing in a god isn't necessary for a person to enjoy life, to love life, and to want to be alive. Granted, it could be possible that Day does not find anything about life that is worth living outside of his god, but he shouldn't assume that the same must be true of the rest of us. Similarly, belief in a god isn't a pre-requisite for being a good person who treats other human beings decently. Granted once again, it is possible that Day might not have any other reason for being moral and for treating people decently - I don't know him so I can't say (although he seems to have no trouble making assumptions about me, and merely because I don't believe in his god). But if that is the case, it is again wrong for him to assume that anything similar must be true of others. I know many people, atheists and theists, who don't depend upon any gods in order to have a well-calibrated moral compass. Without God, there is only the left-hand path of the philosopher. It leads invariably to Hell, by way of the guillotine, the gulag and the gas chamber. The atheist is irrational because he has no other choice - because the rational consequences of his non-belief are simply too terrible to bear. Let's see, Vox Day spends all this time explaining how atheists are "moral parasites" without any reason to follow the Golden Rule and that they are necessarily "irrational," and then he ends his little screed with an irrational attack on atheists which, I am quite sure, he would not approve of were it directed towards theists, Christians, or Southern Baptists. Perhaps Day only follows the Golden Rule when it is convenient? Perhaps his belief that he has seen through the irrationalities of atheists has led him to become proud and conceited? Actually, if you go back through Day's article and read it closely, you'll find that pretty much everything he accuses atheists of, he is guilty of doing himself - often right at the very point that he is making his accusations. There's a word for this: it's called hypocrisy. Vox Day is, unquestionably, a hypocrite. He's also quite ignorant about the most basic issues he tries to discuss. He doesn't know anything about atheism - he tries, for example, to contrast atheism with religion which is simplistic nonsense. He also likes to talk about "the atheist," as if there were such a thing. That makes even less sense than talking about "the theist" or "the Christian" - something he'd understand if he actually knew a thing or two about atheism in the first place. Unfortunately, not know what he is talking about doesn't stop him from pretending as if he did. The rational consequences of my non-belief in gods aren't too terrible to bear at all. I lead a very happy and enjoyable life without any apparent problems in my moral compass. Neither I nor most of the atheists I know fit into the neat little categories that Vox Day has carved out for atheists, and that's not really surprising. He's created nothing more than a caricature of atheism and atheists - a Straw Man that he can easily knock down because the real thing is so much more complicated and difficult.

You mean somebody shot President Kennedy?! Why am I always the last to know?

Ah.... there's no resemblence at all. Off topic I know, but I was always disappointed that they never did Two-Face, probably my favorite Batman villian, on the old Batman TV show. They did the Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, The Riddler, and Mr. Freeze, but I don't think Two-Face ever made it. And then they had the made for TV villians like Vincent Price as Egg-Head! Damn it, why didn't they ever do Two-Face? I always thought Kirk Douglas would have made a great Two-Face!

1. Secular Humanism (100%) 2. Unitarian Universalism (99%) 3. Liberal Quakers (88%) 4. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (83%) 5. Theravada Buddhism (71%) 6. Nontheist (68%) 7. Neo-Pagan (68%) 8. Bahá'í Faith (55%) 9. New Age (53%) 10. Taoism (50%) Interesting. Nontheist came in at #6! The problem is that they didn't distinguish between those who do not believe in God, and those who aren't sure. If they had made a separate category for "Does not believe," I think Nontheist (or Atheist) would have had a higher ranking for me.