neveronfriday

Oh yeah, I forgot about British food ... I ate leek pie once and discovered that leek ain't nothing but a word misspelled. Cheers!

Top Ten Best Sound DVDs of 2003 An OK list. Reference Grade DVDs Another OK list (Master & Commander has one hell of a soundtrack).

What do you want to test? 5.1? 6.1? THX?

Yeah! They sell those at selected supermarkeds in see-through plastic bags, all squishy and stuff. Fun to play with.

Ain't THAT the truth.

BFT discs got here in mint condition. Won't have time to the weekend to listen to them in more detail. Thanks!

In my experience, beer is not nearly strong enough to overpower the taste of Lutefisk. I'd suggest these fine liquids: Linie Aquavit Jule Aquavit [note: the latter is just great stuff [ice-cold] and is sold once a year around Christmas time, the bottle design alternating every two years. The bottles, BTW, make nice oil lamps ... I have the whole house full of them )

I'll just add one more, which was all my fault. Once in a while I would race my brother home from school because my parents had had some big lunch and often there would be wonderdully creative ice-cream dishes left for us in the fridge. One day, naturally, I was fastest and threw the fridge door open, found a bowl of what looked like hazelnut icecream or whatever and just as my brother ran into the kitchen, I took this huge spoon, grinned my widest grin, shoved it into the "ice-cream" and with a loud "YUM" I shoved a generous helping into my mouth. Duck grease (fat). A full bowl of it. Needless to say, I've gotten a tiny bit more cautious since then. Cheers! P.S.: I swallowed all of it to entice my brother to eat some as well, but already then he wasn't dumb enough to do it ... I guess my best attempts at a smile and satisfied face expression failed somewhat as the stuff was slowly sliding down my throat, a series of gag reflexes pushing it back up repeatedly.

Don't knock Streisand, man. You're just asking for trouble with the ladies. You don't want to do that, njet. Just say "Yeah, she's recorded some good stuff", mumble something with at least some sort of positive-sounding intonation and invite whoever it is out for dinner ... all in one breath ... and you might be in the clear (just maybe). Cheers! Where's that "guilty pleasures" thread in which one can at least admit having (been forced to buy) Streisand recordings? Must go and look ...

I think it is time to add Mosaic to the "Bastards" list. You've got my vote. Cheers!

Inspired by some other thread which mentioned Japanese liver cake, I'd like to open up a new one listing the most disgusting thing I've/you've ever eaten. Don't misunderstand me - I like trying new stuff, and many things other people might consider offensive I actually liked (usually after turning my brain off ... or soaking it in various alcoholic liquids), but ... Dish numero uno: "Lutefisk": [stolen from some site:] "Lutefisk (dried cod treated with lye) must surely be the strangest culinary effort credited to the Norwegians, but what a treat when prepared properly. Everyone of course is not a devotee of lutefisk, but those who are defend it vehemently. Others go to the opposite extreme and claim it's a national disgrace. In years past, the homemaker had to go through the complicated task of treating the dry fish with lye, but now, even in America, frozen lutefisk is readily available at selected fish markets and at Scandinavian delicatessens." I refer you to this site for a humorous (but very accurate) encounter with this "national treasure": http://www.ecst.csuchico.edu/~atman/ic/lutefisk.html Excerpt: "How to describe that first bite? Its a bit like describing passing a kidneystone to the uninitiated. If you are talking to someone else who has lived through the experience, a nod will suffice to acknowledge your shared pain, but to explain it to the person who has not been there, mere words seem inadequate to the task. So it is with lutefisk. One could bandy about the time honored phrases like "nauseating sordid gunk", "unimaginably horrific", "lasting psychological damage", but these seem hollow when applied to the task at hand. I will have to resort to a recipe for a kind of metaphorical lutefisk, to describe the experience. Take marshmallows made without sugar, blend them together with overcooked Japanese noodles, and then bathe the whole liberally in acetone. Let it marinate in cod liver oil for several days at room temprature. When it has achieved the appropriate consistency (though the word "appropriate" is somewhat problematic here), heat it to just above lukewarm, sprinkle in thousands of tiny, sharp, invisible fish bones, and serve." Dish numero two-o: "(Faroe Islands) Sheep brain fried in unshaven and untreated sheep skull (or placed therein afterwards ... what do I care ...)": I have yet to find a site describing this encounter, so I'll have to resort to my own limited abilities: I visited the islands in the 80s and was invited for a Christmas dinner. The hosts were very proud of having arranged a very traditional meal, most of which was enjoyable and excellent (especially the booze). Little did I know that the frequent intake of alcohol was meant to numb any visitor's sensory perception, as the main course was, well, a sawed-open sheep's skull with boiled brain inside. I did not have the nerve to ask about the why's and how's of that dish (I would not have been able to eat it otherwise), but it was just a vile dish. There was some sort of salt water in there along with everything (if you have eaten fresh oysters in southern France, usually served as-are, you know that salt water can lead to a solid gag reflex which needs to be overcome to enjoy this otherwise very (!) fine food), and the glazed brain didn't look all too inviting either. You had to spoon the stuff out, and it stank like, well, stuff, ... but I managed, only to vow to myself never to eat the stuff again. Needless to say, I was simply bombed out of my skull at both dinners offering the lovely dishes described above, and I've often wondered if getting drunk was the sole purpose of serving this kind of food. Having lived in Scandinavia for many years, I think that is/was actually the case. Cheers! P.S.: I have more food stories, for example my encounter with strange jellyfish food served in London's Chinatown, tiny live eels (or somesuch) which had to be guzzled down with a soup ladle (Japanese), Tarantula legs (which are actually excellent and taste like tender chicken meat (you can find this dish in northern parts of Venezuela and it stems, I believe, from Yanomami cook books), etc. Maybe I'll chime in with more.

If I know my Japanese specialties correctly, isn't that one supposed to rot a bit before it is considered a delicacy? I recall going into some Tokyo supermarked with a friend about 20 years ago, and he held up this bag of rotten sprouts and smacked his lips. Now, I've eaten anything from sheep brain to bull's testicles (covered in yummie chocolate), but the sprouts kept me away from Japan for nearly two decades. Cheers!

Yes.

It's been a while since we talked about some of the absolute crappola remasterings offered by Zyx germany. I really love that Count Basie / Oscar Peterson session and by chance I stumbled across a new copy in its JVC XRCD version (cost me under 20 Euro to get it from the US including postage) ... what a difference! Besides the fact that the JVC remastering (produced by Akira Taguchi and mastered by Alan Yoshida) is a bit older (I don't feel like running next door now, but I think it was early 90s, around '93 or so), the packaging is far superior and the sound is about a million percent above that @@**@@ Zyx thing. In fact, just to justify the purchase, I hooked up my second CD player (1st: Marantz; second: NAD) and switched back and forth between the Zyx and the JVC, switching players as well. Summary: Zyx = shite, shite shite, to the umpteenth power! Crappola to the max. It sucks royally! I have no idea how such a disgusting and vile remastering job could make it through any sort of quality control. Well, I guess they don't have any of that at Zyx. Cheers!

Sorry, but NOT true.

While sorting out sky-high piles of paper and bills of the past century or so, I threw on the Soundstage Michael McDonald DVD for the umpteenth time. Michael McDonald is one of my heroes from way back when, and he remains one of my heroes today. I've always loved the stuff he's done - mediocre stuff is far between. He's had one or two albums which didn't really make it into constant rotation here, but I have so much respect for the guy that I'm very forgiving regarding some minor recordings. The guy is sincere, he does what he wants to do, more often than not removed from commercial considerations, and his music always gets me into a good mood (even some of those great (sad) ballads he's recorded). Michael McDonald reminds me of my youth and has had more staying power in my collection than most others. I've never had the fortune of seeing the Doobies live and it is one of my biggest regrets. If Michael McDonald ever comes to Europe these next years, I'll travel to wherever for any amount of money to see him. Hell, maybe I'll even stick an old Doobies or McDonald poster up on the wall. It would be the only one. Cheers! P.S.: The Soundstage DVD is a collaborative effort. It's got a number of songs from his wonderful Motown CD (featuring Ashford & Simpson on two (three) numbers), a set of Doobies numbers (Black Water is just a blast on this one ... one of my all-time fave Doobies recordings), it's got Patrick Simmons (what a voice, still today) and Tom Johnston (who doesn't get all that much space on this recording) ... you can't go wrong with this DVD ... and it's got good sound to boot. P.S.S.: I think I'll put on the Lyle Lovett next ... including a masterfully incomprehensible/nasal Randy Newman ...

Same here. Got each and every one that's out on CD. Plus the Michael McDonald Soundstage DVD (quite nice, actually). Plus the Doobies Box. Add to that Lyle Lovett, and we've got a small corner of my collection I often turn to. My real guilty pleasure is Danish Pop and Rock music from the 80s and 90s. I have tons of it. I wonder if anyone has ever heard of any of these? Sneakers, Sanne Salomonsen, Moonjam, Toesedrengene, News, Thomas Helmig, Halberg-Larsen, various spin-off groups, and, and, and. I think I have pretty much the entire catalog, plus tons of other bands. Took me I don't know how many years of hunting around second-hand shops in Copenhagen (and there are plenty of those) to duplicate my LP collection on CD. There are still two CDs I'm missing, and that's it. One was available once (I saw it, held it in my hands and decided to buy it later that day ... since then it has disappeared off the map and NOBODY lists it anywhere as ever having been released ...) the second one had such a limited run that I've not been able to find a single person actually even admitting to having one. Man, talking about "Guilty pleasures". If I think about it, I probably used several weeks of my life in shops hunting just for this stuff. Cheers!

What I would like to see is a Status Quo box set. Everything that is out on the marked at the moment just sucks sound-wise, including a pretty useless box set. I heard their catalogue is supposed to be remastered, but if it's anything like the last effort (the box set), forget it. The early Status Quo material, up to that dreadful "Rockin' All Over the World" release and subsequent duds, is great. I'd love to see all of THAT on a box set, remastered, with as much bonus material as possible. I'd be in heaven. The current one has nothing at all from their time before 1972. There's plenty of extra material on there already, but also too many useless tunes. That's one box set that gets me pi**ed off everytime I look at it. What a waste. Cheers!

There is a Lizzy box set. Just not a complete one. http://www.thinlizzyfan.com/albumpages/boxset.html It's got pretty decent sound as well. It should be readily available everywhere. Cheers!

Holy shit! And I was embarrassed about Simon & Garfunkel???? You know what? And maybe I should add this (although it has been said elsewhere on this thread) ... hell, let me put this into a list: a) I'm sorry, but I'm never ever embarrassed about music I listen to (and I have lots other people might find disgusting). It's a personal thing, and - this has also been said elsewhere - there is always some personal angle to stuff you listen to. I also love watching "Plan 9 from Outer Space", probably the worst film ever made, but I love it. Call it "the aesthetics of bad taste", but I can really get off on that stuff. b) Much like many people on this board, I switched to jazz (something I always had around me in one way or another), because I got tired of a lot of stuff I had in my collection. Frampton can be fun, but only whenever memories catch up with you ...sentimental stuff. And right at that moment, Frampton is the best possible thing to play ... for me. Or "Last Child" by Aerosmith, or "Grinder" by Judas Priest with it's absolutely killing riff and driving beat towards the end. c) Whenever I want to use my brain and enjoy music on a level that engages mind AND body, I listen to jazz. Call that elitist, but that's the way it is for me. It might be country music for others, or classical music, whatever, but for me, it was a development. I didn't reach that stage until later in life. Finally - and this is no rebuttal (and please don't misunderstand this), I NEVER laugh about the musical choice of other people. I'm just happy that they listen to something that tickles their fancy. There are enough people on this planet who think that music is muzak, and I'm happy about anybody who gets something out of any kind of music. Hell, when my brother dances, he has the rhythm of a physically handicapped person, but he loves it at that moment ... which is cool with me. So, whenever I feel like it, I listen to Motorhead, followed by Mussorgsky, followed by the Clash, followed by Paul Desmond.. And I hope other people do the same. Cheers!

If not then I can't post on this thread. I only have two boxed sets that could conceivably be appropriate for this thread, and the other one I refuse to mention, because a) I don't consider much of it rock, and b) it's music I probably should have left in my memory... Let's just say I like him better without Art and leave it at that! In all honesty, I don't like Rock boxed sets. I grew up with the albums, and the boxed sets (and expanded releases) just don't sound right to me. As I didn't grow up with jazz, boxed sets are fine there. Well, I have to disagree a bit here. I also grew up with the albums ... but today I catch myself buying some of these lavish remasters not only for memories' sake, but also because of the packaging, the notes, the extra material, the remastering etc. Some albums I loved as a teenager I tried to get in the best possible CD version, although, much unlike in jazz, that is often a difficult thing. In my opinion, there are a lot more beautiful Jazz reissues than there are Rock ones. You may laugh (and I don't care, HA!), but "Frampton Comes Alive" is still one of my fave albums outside of my Jazz collection. Mind you, I have lots of others that fit that category of must-have reissues, but some just have that sentimental value attached ... like the Frampton, some Marley, the Doobies, Eagles, some older Judas Priest recordings, early Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, etc., etc. etc. The "Frampton Comes Alive" Universal Deluxe Edition is simply a good example of an excellent reissue that I wanted to have to match the fun I had with that album and at the time it came out. And, I am a sucker for these cardboard fold-out thingies, glossy photos, good liner notes, etc. Nothing like having that to look at while the music is spinnin' and a good vintage French red wine is sloshing seductively in a monstrous balloon glas. Cheers!

The remastering is excellent, IMHO. And I care about that kind of stuff. But then again, Steely Dan is also a bunch of perfectionists in the studio, so the original material is/was already damn good. I like the remastering as much as I did when I bought the box and have never seen any reason to update or even look for alternatives (I actually don't think there are any, safe for any SACD remasters, which might exist). Cheers! P.S.: I bought mine when it came out. Since then, it has been re-packaged in some slimline box ... don't know if anything changed in the remastering department, although I doubt it very much.

Don't get me wrong - I, for one, don't want the wall back. But, every German has been looking at a reduced paycheck now for over (!) 10 years. Every single month since then an amount has been deducted for the cost of reunification. Add to this the budget cuts, wage raises which equal zero for many professions, a substantial increase in gas and electricity prices, "ecological" taxes, and and and ... you get the picture. Just for this post I quickly had a look at my paycheck, and if you remove inflation from the calculation, today I earn considerably less (!!) than 10 (!!) years ago whereas the requirements (working hours etc.) have risen sharply in the same time period. People have to get used to losing money in a process of restructuring our welfare state. It's not easy, and I can understand that people are looking for scapegoats. It has happened in every other European state which has attempted massive reforms (Sweden in the 80s/90s, for example) and we've got a huge scapegoat we can blame it on; a scapegoat we have, as the article above says, pumped trillions of dollars into without any visible results. The so-called "new states" are a lot worse off than 10 years ago as well. If you collect, as I do, articles about money wasted in this process (money, which was invested poorly or simply thrown out of the window), it is safe to say that more than 50% of those trillions of dollars were wasted entirely. So, every month since the early 90s I might as well have taken half of the money they took off my paycheck and lit my cigarettes (which, BTW, have doubled in price like so many other things) with it. And that pisses me off as well, to put it mildly. Cheers!

Butch Thompson is fantastic. I saw him live once presenting his Scott Joplin interpretations. Wonderful stuff. He really breathed some life into those timeless classics. Thanks for reminding me of him. I'll check what's available at reasonable prices. I think he actually recorded the Joplin material to some very favourable reviews (end 90's, if memory doesn't fail me). Cheers!