Alexander

Good. Now that we've got that cleared up, can you go fuck off?

See, what I did was this: I burned the material from the old "Sermon/House Party" discs that didn't make onto the RVG versions onto a separate disc. So I have everything.

I have to admit a sentimental attachment to "Under the Red Sky," actually. The songs are fluff, but there are a lot of very strong performances (particularly from the studio band) and Dylan is actually goofing around in a manner that reminds me of the Wilbury albums. I LOVED "Oh Mercy" when it came out and it remains one of my all time favorite Dylan albums. I listened to it on bus trips between Long Island (where I was living at the time) and Boston (where my girlfriend lived) and I still can smell the Greyhound bus when I listen to that album...

No. Not better. Different. But then I don't make value judgements about the music I listen to. It's all stuff that I like. Some of it gets played more often than other stuff, but that doesn't make it better. It just matches my mood at the moment. At the moment my mood is matched by "Icky Thump" by the White Stripes and "Blue Sky Blue" by Wilco, two bands of whom I am CERTAIN Clem has very strong opinions. But I don't care. Just as I like "Modern Times," I like "Icky Thump." I'm sure that if Clem doesn't absolutely HATE the Stripes ("perhaps you never heard of Flemmy Beebee who's two man Detroit rock absolutely KILLS Jack-Off White and his talentless sister/ex-wife..."), he likes the two albums they did BEFORE they became famous better (of course, if Clem ever listened to them, he's sure to have abandoned them as sell-outs by the time "Fell In Love With A Girl" became a hit, which means he hasn't listened to a single note they've produced since). Also, I'm sure that if Clem has ever listened to Wilco (and I'm sure that he'll come up with a top two thousand list of better alt-country bands) he prefers Son Volt (who I love) or Uncle Tupelo (who I also loved). But, you know, I have HORRIBLE taste in music. I'll just have to learn to live with that. BTW, I do love "Silvio." I forgot that was on "Down in the Groove."

One of the last times I saw Dylan was in the early 90s. It was at the Palace Theater in Albany, NY and it was by far the best of the many times I had seen him. You could understand what he was singing. He even pulled out "The Man In Me," which I had NEVER heard him do live (in fact, I'd never even heard OF him performing that song live). He talked to the audience and at one point pulled out his harmonica. The audience cheered as Dylan smiled(!) winningly at the crowd. A big difference from the sullen performances I had seen so many times before.

I agree. Dylan was in a pretty bad place during the late 80s. "Knocked Out Loaded" and "Down in the Groove" were pretty bad albums (although I admit that I haven't heard them since they came out) and the Never Ending Tour was full of phoned in performances (I saw him several times during the 80s. His shows had degraded into a kind of "name that Dylan tune" contest as the audience tried to figure out just what the hell he was singing). The Wilburys marked the beginning of Dylan's return to form (exemplifed by albums like "Oh Mercy," "Good As I Been To You," "World Gone Wrong," "Time Out of Mind," and his most recent efforts).

I have him on mine, but I admit that I sometimes (as in the case of this thread) have a morbid interest in the kinds of things he says. It's nobody's fault but mine for looking, of course. It's kind of like a car accident. You know you shouldn't look, but you slow down anyway...

You know, I really appreciate how this thread has turned into a parade of classic country television clips. What I don't see, however, is what (if anything) this has to do with invalidating the Wilburys or any of the individual artists. Let's make something perfectly clear: The Wilburys were nothing more than a lark. A bunch of musicans just getting together and making music for the hell of it. The kind of thing that if it had NOT been recorded, we'd be bitching and moaning about the "lost opportunty" for us to hear a bunch of great musicians goofing around in the studio. I don't think that anybody is talking about comparing the two Wilbury albums with any of the individual work of Harrison (or the Beatles), Dylan, Petty or Orbison. The music they made was absolutely charming in it's unpretentous nature. It's something I've treasured since the day the first disc came out, and I continue to enjoy. If it brings pleasure to people, what the hell is the harm?

Great clip! Love those country brother acts! Love those murder ballads, too... Did you read some of the comments about how "sick" the song was?

A candy colored clown they call the "all brands" washing machine repairman! Yeah, Wynn was great! What the hell does this have to do with Jeff Lynne's nuts? Or anything else for that matter?

Um, if the number was only ONE 45, wouldn't that be enough? I mean, there are some artists who only had one good song in them, but in many cases the world would be the poorer if it were without that one song. For myself, Roy's career had many highlights ("Oh, Pretty Woman" and "Crying" are but two of the more popular sides Roy recorded). Probably my absolute favorite Roy Orbison moment would be the quiet menace expressed on "Mean Woman Blues" or perhaps the longing expressed in "Blue Bayou." There are certainly others, enough to fill out a couple of decently packed CDs. Like I said, I'd rather have ONE amazing recording than a catalogue full of medocrity any day...

This how it breaks down for me: Clem is one AMAZINGLY insecure guy, constantly looking over his shoulder for approval. He overcompensates by trying to rub his coolness in everybody's face. One sure way to get Clem to like your work is either for nobody to have heard of you, or for everybody to hate you. Conversely, the best way to get Clem to despise your work is for everybody to love it. People love Bob Dylan. Clem can cite fifteen guys who deserved success more than Dylan. People love Roy Orbison (as do I). Clem can cite a hundred and fifteen people who deserved success more than Roy. Nobody's ever heard of Joe Shlabotnick. Clem has the complete Joe Shlabotnick Bear Family box set and says that Joe was the greatest thing nobody ever heard. Dollars to donuts, if Shlabotnick suddenly had a hit, Clem would be saying the ol' Joe was a hack. It's sad, really. Hey, Clem. How about you do your thing and shut the hell up and let me do mine?

Ah yes. Hipper than thou. Roy Orbison wasn't all that? What have you been taking, Clem? Antihistimines? Oy. How deep inside your ass *is* your head anyway?

Keeps getting better with each listening! It's also sent me back to the earlier Stripes albums which I hadn't listened to in a while. "De Stigl" is pretty fuckin' awesome. I love Jack's version of "Death Letter Blues!" And the Stripes do a GREAT cover of Dylan's "One More Cup of Coffee" on their first album...

I bought both albums when they were first released (on casette, at the time). When I made the switch over the CD, I didn't upgrade them and always regretted it. I wound up finding both albums on CD several years ago (used) and have enjoyed having them again ever since. I also have a bootleg two disc set that includes demos from both albums and tons of non-album tracks that featured some or all of the Wilburys (it even has the singles from Orbison and Petty's albums). Not the greatest stuff in the world, but so much fun! I upgraded to the new set to get the DVD and the improved sound, so if anyone wants to buy my old discs off of me, shoot me a PM. Yes, Lynne was the least of the Wilburys for me, never having been an ELO fan. That said, however, I owned (and loved) the solo albums that Lynne produced during this period (Orbison's "Mystery Girl," Harrison's "Cloud Nine," and Petty's "Full Moon Fever"). Volume 3 was not as consistantly good as the first album, but it has some great Dylan songs! I never had any issues with the 80s production on the albums. They were made in the 80s (and early 90s)! I expect them to sound that way! Are they dated? Sure. Phil Spector's productions, great as they were, are dated. So is "Pet Sounds." So is "The Sidewinder," for that matter. Sometimes dating isn't such a bad thing, I think...

Check out the video for the title track. Awesome! The Stripes always have the best videos... "White Americans, what? Nothing better to do? Why don't you kick yourselves out, you're an immigrant too! What shall we do? Who's using who? Well, you can't be a pimp and a prostitute too..."

Nice to have the old place back! Love the new look!

How is that Ogermann/Brecker album?

But she is the most attractive drummer I've ever seen: Yeah, Meg's a cutie! And I think she's improved a great deal as a drummer over the years. For some time, people have been saying that Jack's gonna cut her loose and pursue a solo career. I, for one, hope he never does...

Just an interesting note on adoption. When I was growing up, I didn't know any kids who were adopted (if they were, no one ever talked about it). The first person I met who had been adopted was in high school. My daughter, on the other hand, belongs to a circle of friends (roughly six kids) in which she is one of the ONLY kids who was not adopted.

Doesn't prove anything, but I do find it interesting to note that both my wife and I are first borns. We both graduated from private liberal arts colleges and have advanced degrees. My younger brother (4 1/2 years younger) never graduated from high school. He lives in a cabin in the woods of Vermont (or New Hampshire) and does odd jobs. My sister-in-law (two years younger than my wife) has an Associates Degree in graphic design. This is not to say that my wife and I are "better" or "smarter" than our siblings, but I do think it's interesting that neither of them went as far as we in terms of education. My daughter is an only child and is VERY smart. Just finished first grade. Her report card was largely "exceeds standards." (her school doesn't do letter grades for the lower grades)

I don't know how Jack and Meg do it, but they keep topping themselves. I know that a lot of people were disappointed by "Get Behind Me, Satan," because it wasn't as guitar driven as "Elephant" or "White Blood Cells," but I thought it was wonderful. "Icky Thump" takes the experimental bent of "Get Behind Me" and combines it with their earlier sound, and it kicks some serious ASS. If you like the Stripes, you owe it to yourself to get this post haste...

I agree. Since Mika is most obviously emulating Freddie Mercury, that's a fair assessment: people either loved Freddie or wanted to beat him up. There was no in between.

Funny. I got both "Life in Cartoon Motion" and "Alright, Still" at about the same time. I like them both, but think that Mika has an overall better album than Lily. Some of her tracks groove like hell, but others come off as filler. I don't think there's a bit of filler on Mika's album...

Amazing Britpop debut that channels Elton John and Queen. Best tracks are "Grace Kelly," "Billy Brown," and "Big Girl (You are Beautiful)." If you like your pop outrageous, this is a great album! "Go on down to the Butterfly Lounge, get yourself a big lady..."