BruceH

Why don't James Carter, Cyrus Chestnut, and the rest just cover the songs of Stiff Little Fingers? It would make about as much sense.

Pavement is one of the most significant "indie" rock bands of the 90s. They began as a duo , with Stephen Malkmus and Scott "Spiral Stair" Kannberg recording lo-fidelity noise rock, with occasional drums by recording engineer Gary Young. Their '93 lp "Slanted and Enchanted" is one of the greatest rock albums ever. "Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain," the followup, brought a fuller line-up and is another classic. "Wowee Zowee" is more sprawling and is a big fan favorite among the faithful. Pavement did two more full-lengths "Brighten the Corners" and "Terror Twilight" which, although still excellent, aren't perfect gems like the others (they also did a bunch of great eps with non-album songs). Between 94 and 99 they toured extensively, especially supporting "Brighten the Corners." Their live shows were shambling, teetering-on-the-edges, but wonderful. I saw them three times and two of the concerts were truly great. Pavement had a sound that was wholly their own. I was extremely depressed when I found out they had disbanded. Spiral Stairs has gone on as Preston School of Industry and Stephen Malkmus with The Jicks, and under his own name. SM's latest "Face the Truth" is great, almost Pavement-great. ← Thanks for filling me in.

That's what I'd like to know. I've vaguely heard the name now and then during the last ten years, and assumed it was some rock/alternative group. I know nothing about them. Yes, I am old.

I'm very curious about "Jazz Impressions of the USA"-----especially as Jazz Impressions of Eurasia is one of my favorite Brubeck albums.

PC problems, perhaps?

All of these 'meetings' are good to great... Is there anyone he didn't meet?

Here's a movie I felt like walking out on: Speilberg's AI. The damn thing just kept getting worse, and worse, and WORSE as it went along. And it seemed like it was five hours long. I sure wouldn't blame anyone for walking out.

My wife and I actually sat through the whole of Hudson Hawk. We couldn't leave. It was like watching a slow-motion train wreck.

Not to mention "Respectable Street" and "Living Through Another Cuba". ← No doubt about it, Black Sea is their Revolver.

One of my all time favorite Looney Tune shorts, and now I've got it on DVD.

I'd like to see this picture again soon. I just read a bio of the director, Howard Hawks. Apparently, Krupa came up with that routine on the set and Hawks decided to include it in the movie. Hawks was famous for encouraging actors to improvise and for tailoring roles to the actors as the film was being shot. Kinda "jazzy." ← Reminds me of the way Ellington sometimes composed.

Yesterday I bought that third "Children of Nuggets" compilation. The one from MY era--late 70's and 80's mainly. Somehow, getting this makes me feel so...UNCLEAN.

The endings of both those pieces are absolutely joyous. There's some darkness along the way, but the endings are pure sunlight. For me anyway. ← I think of it as the dawn after the night.

I know, you see a question like this and think, "Man, if I were on there I would have cleaned up!" But let's face it, if any of us were on Jeopardy, there would be a category about current pop stars and we'd be standing there, "dumbfounded." It's the LAW.

You gotta love those pulp covers done in a Grant Wood style.

The Great Inluenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague In History, by John M. Barry. Can't imagine what gave me the notion to pick this one up... Seriously, the first few chapters, about the state of medicine in the United States in the 19th century, are eye-opening and frightening. Most states didn't even require any certification for doctors at all! Medical schools had no requirements. Yikes!

Hank Mobley on, on, on..... ..my brain is starting to hurt.

Bartok's "Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta" is dark enough for most purposes, I should think. Varese's "Ionization"----I don't know about 'dark' but it sure can clear a room!

That's the one. Yuck!

Not me, but we've got plenty of them in the family. My mother, father, two uncles, and one aunt, are all retired Pharmacists. Two of my sisters and one of my cousins are active Pharmacists (PharmD). And....., my grandfather on my mother's side was a Pharmacist in both Italy and the U.S.. ← Wow! One might justifiably say you have Pharmacy in your blood.

I read Earth Abides way back. Great book. ISH and the hammer. ← Yes. Even though it was written in the 1940's, the last time I read Earth Abides, about 10 years ago, I thought it had dated very little.

Yeah...I dig that cover 'cause it shows how Vonnegut was marketed in his earlier days. I'm actually rereading from a slightly later edition ($1.25) with a purple cover and slightly less trashy look that was the second copy I bought ( the first either fell apart or I lent it to someone). ← I remember the purple-cover edition: That's the one I read in high school! The cover was still trashy enough for me to try to hide it when walking through the halls.

The the HELL...?!! I heard about this on the radio this morning; at first I thought they were talking about a different storm. Holy crap. But remember, folks, it has NOTHING TO DO with global warming!

Those bastards!

This was available on CD a few years ago, and is included in the Mosaic Art Farmer/Benny Golson box. ← Yes, I bought this (at Tower, I believe) three or four years ago. It would be sad to think that it's now only available in the Mosaic box.