Guy Berger

I Claudius is great, but not necessarily better than Rome. One of Rome's advantages is giving you a sense of what Rome and the provinces were really like, whereas due to budgetary reasons I Claudius focuses almost entirely on political machinations at the Imperial Court. Guy

By the way, I found the following interesting biography on wikipedia. I assume this is where they got the idea for Brutus's fictionalized death:

"Two Caesars are too many."

Good call, Larry. That would be a nice twist. Guy

I finally saw the Philippi episode. Very nice, though I wonder how they will wrap things up in the final 4 episodes since they won't be able to get to the Battle of Actium. Some great lines by Mark Antony directed at Octavian ("you are a ferocious cunt... with a pen" / "Now's the time to urinate..."). Cicero, Cassius and Brutus's deaths were poignant. The only shame is that Cicero and Brutus were two of the best characters in the show, but I suppose history rolls on. In the show, yes. If you're asking about the historical version, this is the account from wikipedia: No, I think that was Octavian responding to Antony's comment about enjoying the smell of victory.

Pedestrian? In what way? Surely you can't tell me the "pscychadelic breakdown" halfway through Dogs I guess you and I have different definitions of "psychedelic". Anyway, I think that section is so-so. A loud guitar riff repeated over and over. I agree, and disagree. The Final Cut is lightyears beyond The Wall conceptually. But, The Wall was pretty damn good all by itself. Filler? I'm assuming you consider Bring The Boys Back Home filler? I disagree.... "Young Lust", awful. "One of My Turns", awful. "Waiting for the Worms", awful. "Don't Leave Me Now", REALLY awful. "The Trial", worst piece of music ever recorded? Even Amused To Death? I thought that was a pretty strong effort. Have you heard Pros and Cons of Hitch hiking? One of the worst albums I've ever heard, up there with Genesis's Calling All Stations. Guy

Interesting. It got slammed on the Miles list. Guy

Despite some truly godawful play in the 4th quarter, the Warriors won their 3rd straight and kept their slim playoff hopes alive. Only 1.5 games out of the 8th spot... Guy

Happy birthday, Paul! Guy

So I picked this up a while back from yourmusic and am finally starting to make my way through it. I was initially planning to get the individual albums, but realized that some of those were incomplete compared to the box. I've heard Seven Steps to Heaven and the February 1964 concert on earlier issues. The other three albums are new to me, though I've heard unofficial recordings from throughout this period so I imagine I won't be surprised too much. So far I've made it through disc 1 and part of disc 2. Seven Steps is one of the most underrated Miles albums! I think Miles's judgment on re-recording the fast-paced tunes with Herbie, Ron and Tony was definitely vindicated. The west coast versions are alright, but the east coast versions blow them away. With all due respect to Victor Feldman and Frank Butler, they aren't Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams. "Joshua" and "Seven Steps to Heaven" are fantastic tunes. It's too bad that Miles dropped them from live sets after 1964. Interesting that Miles didn't let George Coleman play on the ballads on this album. Kind of harks back to his philosophy with Coltrane in the mid 50s. Guy

Well, I'm no pianist (or "penist" as they like to call them), But I never heard anything from him that really made me think he was great. Although, to be completely fair, something that is simple but brilliantly played and completely complimentary to the overall piece should have it's own merit. What about the synthesizer playing on "Shine on You Crazy Diamond"? Not flashy by any means, but the song wouldn't be the same without it. Also, check out some live recordings of "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" -- he usually had some cool soundscapes in the middle section. I'm not sure I agree with you here. My favorite Floyd album is Wish You Were Here. I think that is one of the most brilliant albums, beginning to end, ever put together. By anyone. Yes. Yeah, that's probably true. (Not sure about awesome from beginning to end -- "Pigs" is somewhat annoying, though it gets some props as the Floyd song most heavily featuring the cowbell.) But the music is a bit pedestrian compared to some of their earlier albums, without that experimental edge or "cosmic feeling" that made them so great in the first place. I find it more listenable than The Wall, which has a stupid story/concept and too much filler. And it's much much better than what I've heard of Waters's AWFUL solo work. The Final Cut has its moments, like "The Fletcher Memorial Home", "The Final Cut" and "Two Suns in the Sunset". ("Not Now John" really sucks, though.) I always thought it was ironic that fans of this album lambast the post-Waters Floyd. Most underrated/underappreciated -- probably Atom Heart Mother, maybe A Saucerful of Secrets if the cow has become too trendy. Guy

Today I was grocery shopping and saw a t-shirt that said "I can only please one person a day -- good luck!" Maybe this is old news to the rest of you but I was very amused. Guy

I've listened to this five or six times so far, and the music hasn't clicked with me yet. Looking forward to when it does. Guy

I've always felt David Gilmour was the only strong musician in the band. I disagree -- Wright was definitely a strong musician. It's hard to imagine the classic Pink Floyd sound ('67-'75) without him. Eh. Animals is pretty good, but it has too much of Waters's whining and not enough of Wright's contributions. Their previous four or five albums (w/exception of Obscured by Clouds) were all better. Dave, I agree about Nick Mason sounding much better on the earlier Floyd stuff. The guy was never a technical wizard but he wasn't boring, at least in the beginning. Guy

RIP, Mr. Chapin. You made some great music. I'll give Sky Piece and Night Bird Song a spin this weekend. Guy

I love the part in the film were David Gilmour insists Floyd is NOT a drug-oriented band. Guy

I saw Pink Floyd Live in Pompeii last night -- fantastic!!! "Saucerful of Secrets" was especially amazing. Guy

Not sure about that. Wasn't he just a scorer and not much more? Guy

There's no way Vince Carter will win MVP. He doesn't deserve it, his team sucks. Guy

In my experience motorcyclists don't drive any faster than cars. Maybe southern FL is a special place. Guy

FWIW, I think that us youngins probably underrate many of the players we've never seen and overrate some of those that play today. If you haven't watched someone it's hard to comprehend their importance. Guy

Dip, Since I am guessing that by now you have thoroughly explored the Embryo catalogue, do you think I would enjoy their music? If so, which album should I start with? Guy

I was listening to this gig yesterday. Fan-fucking-tastic. I like some stuff by the post-'76 band but it doesn't even come close to this. However, I don't think the above setlist is correct. Guy

If I was going to pick up an album by these guys, would one of these be a good start? Which one? There's also an earlier, less expensive issue of Brotherhood of Breath on the Repertoire label. Which is better? Guy

Isn't she just a corny novelty singer from the 60s? Guy