RDK

Agree with much of what Clem says above, but at the same time I've never understood much of the idolatry of PKD - and it's not just among sci-fi fans and the trying-to-be-hip lit critics but among movie studio execs as well, many of whom have likely never read anything he's done. Yeah, the ideas are there - and some brilliant ideas among them - but PKD was often a shitty writer of prose - in the that's-what-a-penny-a-word-will-get-you fashion. And I've found that even many of his good ideas were done better - if perhaps less trippily - by other sci-fi fantasists, though one might perhaps have to dig a bit deeper. I'd take Spinrad's Bug Jack Barron, Silverberg's Dying Inside, or various stories by Gene Wolfe over just about anything by PKD. And even some of the stuffy "old schoolers" like Henry Cutner and Fritz Lieber could be just as trippy when they really tried.

Would that this were McCartney's "Blood on the Tracks."

Well despite that you seem to really know what you're talking about.

I know it sounds cliche, but I still love his Koln concert. Possibly my favorite solo piano recording of all time.

Haven't grabbed The Healer from emusic yet, but I really like Murray's duo session with Dave Burrell.

I wonder if the basketball coach/players will sue for "hurt feelings?"

I'm pretty sure Kenny G and John Tesh have been on the Tonight Show. Okay, I'll go now...

Some interesting discussion (and links to more) here... http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=112939 One interesting point that Steve mentions is that a mono stylus will really only help mono LPs cut prior to 1968 or so. After that, most mono LPs were cut with stereo cutting heads so there might not be as much of an advantage on more recent reissues of mono LPs.

The Wiggles was very popular with my girls when they were younger - and I have to admit that the songs were catchier than I would have thought. Thankfully, the girls were never big Barney fans. They now like Dora, Blues Clues, and a few others - most of which aren't bad. Personally, I really dig Fairly Oddparents, but the kids could care less about it. I find Fosters fun and interesting, but my wife (who works in the adoption field) has some strong (and valid imo) objections for how the idea of adoption is treated on the show - namely that the kid characters don't want to get adopted and risk leaving Fosters.

Not sure if it exactly qualifies as a "kid show" - and I certainly consider it to to be too good to be "guilty pleasure" - but Justice League Unlimited was undoubtedly the best superhero cartoon show ever. My 6-year old girls love(d) it too - and I take endless pride in the fact that they knew who The Question was by the age of four. They've become huge JLA and Batman fans. Speaking of, the new Batman animated show is pretty damn good as well, with some superb animation.

Deny yourself nearly 2 hours of great music for lack of one song which may or may not have needed to be included to be "complete". That doesn't make much sense to me. Buy it and love it for what is there! I don't disagree. But "complete" is "complete" and I'd rather have the extra track even if in subpar sound quality than not at all. OKAY, OKAY! I understand the collector's compulsion to have it all, but most people who want to hear Art or even want to hear him for the first time don't want to hear a track that slows, speeds, slows, speeds, which is what the Billie's Bounce track does on the original tape and on the Japanese issue as well. Art didn't play out of tune, and I don't want this to sound as if he did. You'll notice that "For Freddie" is broken into two parts, because I figured it was so fine it should be heard. Billie's Bounce was a mess. -- Your friend, the picky widow, L. Heh, no worries, Laurie, and thanks for the clarification. We "collectors" can be a prickly bunch and get a bit sensitive around here sometimes due to reissues that are compilled willy-nilly. Glad to hear that's not the case here and that there's a good reason for the missing track. Any chance of digital distribution of this or any forthcoming shows - through itunes or (better yet) emusic?

As someone who doesn't play at all, can someone spell out for me just what a professional musician might actually mean (whether you agree with him or not) when he says that someone like Murray can't play at all. I can't fathom what one can possibly mean by this. It obviously has more to do with just owning a sax, blowing into it, and making sounds...

Cool Jim - I'd be all for the Flacs or waves. To add to your other comments, another advantage of buying a physical disc at a certain price is that it has some resale value should you decide you don't like it or don't want it anymore. If you pay even $15 for a disc, you can recoup at least some of your money if you sell it. But if you buy digital downloads, that's it - you can't legally sell those files even though you've legally purchased them.

I don't think he's still married to the beautiful woman on some of his covers. So now even she thinks he's overrated as well?

Eh, I'm not enough of an audiophile to know more than what I read, but here's some simple enough info... http://www.stereophile.com/artdudleylisten...ning/index.html

I agree. A dedicated mono cartridge is a nice luxury if you've got the bread, but summing the outputs is a much cheaper and nearly as effective a way to go. like alot of what Hoffman says, this is nonsense. How is this exactly "nonsense?" I'm agreeing with others that a dedicated mono cartridge is "better," but it is obviously costlier. Summing the outputs is cheaper and it sounds nearly as good. Like Chuck, you seem eager to criticize and taunt us with your superior knowledge and experience, and yet you're unwilling to back it up with, well, anything of substance. So okay, the floor is yours... why is a mono cartridge better, cheaper, and more mono-y?

As for the downloadable emusic offerings, the live Sweet Basil discs are very good and I'm really digging his duet album with Dave Burrell.

For DRM-free, I think I'll stick with emusic... for about a quarter of the price...

Thanks, Mark. I had to run and didn't get a chance to post a photo.

I went through a period where I really dug Murray and bought bunches of his discs, then I got caught up in the backlash and didn't listen to him much at all. But "white critics darling" or not, the dude can play. You oughta listen to a few of his albums. Some great shit there.

Probably should start another thread for this, but actor Dabbs Greer also passed away the other day. I never met the man myself, but he was a very dear friend of a coworker of mine. You'd almost certainly recognize him... http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-...news-obituaries

Zotz! is a childhood favorite. My first exposure to Mr. Poston. RIP.

I agree. A dedicated mono cartridge is a nice luxury if you've got the bread, but summing the outputs is a much cheaper and nearly as effective a way to go.

No, so why don't explain us your POV? A part the fact that you are allergic to everything that smells of audio fanatic, maybe you may take some antihistamine and enlighten us? Nah, belittling those who haven't "supervised the mastering of mono and stereo masters" is much more fun!

Deny yourself nearly 2 hours of great music for lack of one song which may or may not have needed to be included to be "complete". That doesn't make much sense to me. Buy it and love it for what is there! I don't disagree. But "complete" is "complete" and I'd rather have the extra track even if in subpar sound quality than not at all.