Joe

So, does the (pre-Concord) Fantasy JAZZ SOUNDS OF AFRICA CD 2-fer contain all of the material from THE MUSIC OF and SOUNDS OF AFRICA? Track Listing: 1) Nights On Saturn 2) The Hustlers 3) Oud Blues 4) LA Ibkey 5) Don't Blame Me 6) Hannibal's Carnivals 7) Wakida Hena 8) African Bossa Nova 9) Nadusilima 10) Out Of Nowhere 11) Communication 12) Suffering

Does one consider Old England / Old York (what was that about a house divided against itself?) to be West of the European mainland, or East of North America? If the former, does that mean that we great TIVO-less unwashed will have to stay up until past 1 AM just to see the end of the contest? If the latter, should I get ready to endure another network-sponsored blast of East Coast Media Bias? Looks like a lose / lose proposition to me no matter which way you spin the electrons.

I'm very partial to ESKIMO, THIRD REICH 'N ROLL and THE COMMERCIAL ALBUM. Alas, I think their best work -- the double-sided single that paired their version of The Beatles' "Flying" with a brilliant, pre-digital-sampling phantasy / satire of where those Liverpudlians went after SGT. PEPPER, "Beyond The Valley Of A Day In The Life" -- is not currently available on CD. Santa Dog '07?

I can hang with most announcers, even the Waltons and Crosses (Irv AND Randy) of the world, as I can always just snap on the radio and listen to my local guys (Brad Sham, Eric Nadel, etc.) But what I cannot abide is the "guy / gal in the stands" beating administered by the likes of Ahmad Rashad, Jim Gray (human offal) and, the grandaddy of them all, from my pov, the absolutely execrable Pat O'Brien, the man who almost single-handedly ruined every NBA Finals viewing experience I had in late 80's / early 90's.

Just reported. http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark...goodbye_the.php

Thanks Larry. Fascinating to me how much effort seems to have been expended to keep this hoax going.

Clem -- I've searched the tubes for info on the Alan Watkins scenario, but I can't seem to locate anything. Would you mind giving us a quick refresher?

MP3s

Just spun MANHATTAN TUESDAY, ummm, this past Tuesday. It is indeed very strong, and quite unlike any other Jandek recording I've heard. More shading and nuance here that I had expected; strong overtones of Miles' "He Loved Him Madly" in the pairing of Loren Connors' effects-laden guitar and The Representative's Korg synths. Typically bleak lyrics, nearly nihilistic, and yet the tone in which they are delivered is often oddly... gracious. And, for North Texas residents...Jandek In Fort Worth (with Susan Alcorn, Ralph White, et al.)

Sharpe is showcased on Freddie Redd's LONELY CITY (Uptown). Fine performances; slightly dated-sounding (mid-80s) production; still in-print.

I've always liked this Paul Bacon design -- simple, sort of punning, and yet almost elegiac.

Same building, yes? Who do you think Joe's looking at? That lady, of course. Maybe they should have called Joe's debut WANDERING EYE.

Same building, yes?

OMG... Izzat John Criswell in talking head mode?!?!?! I grew up off Lower Greenville (across the street from Robert E. Lee Elementary School). Spent quite a few ducats at VVV on Reagan-era Saturday mornings. Damn, that takes me back. And yeah the TX Instruments were another favorite.

Clem -- nope, born and bred in Dallas, TX. So my "indie / underground / alternative / callitwachawanna" "rock" reference points were bands like Scratch Acid, Butthole Surfers, early Flaming Lips (the one cool thing we would concede to OK), The Mike Gunn (Houston) and a whole raft of DFW groups like Loco Gringos, Shallow Reign, Mildred, Bedhead, Hash Palace, Lithium Xmas, The Buck Pets and any number of other going concerns that have faded from my civic memory. Anyway, Slovenly... they, along with Saccharine Trust (and gittarist Joe Baiza's later Universal Congress Of), remain for me among the most consistently interesting members of the classic SST roster. Maybe its that both bands were open to studio experimentation and could truly improvise (i.e., improvise in a non-jamming / noodle rock fashion). But I think it has a lot to do with each band's lyricists -- Anderson and Plowman for Slovenly; Brewer for the Trust -- the likes of which you don't encounter much anymore. (OK, OK, sometimes they just spout poetry that should have stayed shut inside their journals.) Uniquely declamatory; not quite hardcore bellowing, yet not quite "singing" either. We became snakes, indeed.

Any love here for another "lost" SST band, Slovenly?

What, no love for The Big Smooth?

Have you heard Nick Hennies or Sandy Ewan's solo material? Worth looking into; definitely more in the "free improv" vein. Tide's in. http://puzzle.suchfun.net/nicholas_hennies/ http://www.surefiredistribution.com/cgi-bi...mp;location=usa

Fischer is an interesting pianist at this stage of his career, for sure. But what great bass-drums teams on those recordings: Gary Peacock and Gene Stone [hear Don Ellis' ESSENCE for more]; Ralph Pena and Larry Bunker; and Albert Stinson and Colin Bailey.

Ditto. 6 - 5 minutes to go, score tied at 79, Mavs have the penalty, both Zo and Shaq are out of the game, and what do Dirk, Jet et al. do? Settle for jump shots. Vomit.

I'm just praying Riles keeps Antoine Walker in the starting line-up... like Manu and Tim Thomas earlier in these here playoffs, 'Toine could end up being the Mavs' series MVP.