Indestructible!

Hi Jim, I've had "My People (Soul People)" for quite a while, and while it's decent in spots, it really isn't Roach's best work. In fact, I've got all of Freddie's albums that he led, and MP(SP) ranks at the bottom for me. It's just too commercial (which can be cool by me, but this one doesn't gel at all), and the solo space is minimal here. Still, I'm a HUGE fan of Freddie! I really dig his understated style... and I must confess I too am a fan of "All That's Good"! There's some deep shit happening on that album! Let me know if I can help out... Cheers, Shane

Hi Marty, OK, I'll have to add to this a little bit. When I moved out here to Los Angeles from New York a few years back, I actually lived in Nina's apartment/condo while she was "overseas". Unfortunately, with her death, they decided to sell the place (I was given first dibs on buying the place, but the $$$ they wanted was outrageous... welcome to LA, though!). Anyway, while I lived there I heard MANY great stories about Nina from my neighbors (saw some interesting pictures, too!)... she certainly was eccentric in many respects! Like Dave, I also respect Nina for her willingness to tackle many different styles. Let's face it, she could've been quite successful (both commercially and financially) if she stuck to a "safe" style... but I've got to give respect to anyone that can create "Mississippi God Damn"! Cheers, Shane

Hi Mike, PM sent on the Woody Herman Mosaic! Cheers, Shane

Jeff, Man, what are ya talkin' about? If you do the math, there's no way the booster packs make the $$$ per d/l too high. For example, I'm assuming you're on the 90 downloads for $19.99 a month plan... that works out to a wee bit over 22 cents per song. If you add the 50 downloads for $14.99 booster pack... that works out to just a wee bit under 30 cents per song. So the booster pack deal only adds about 7.5 cents per song more to the typical download cost. When you compare that to the ridiculous 99 cents per song that iTunes charges, I'd say eMusic is a GREAT deal. Plus, as has been mentioned here before, just download those Braxton albums! Many of them are only 1-2 songs long! Cheers, Shane

Hi All, Well, I just got this box in the mail today, and hopefully the rest of you will too. Chaney, it (sort of) sounds like UMG will honor those who paid for their winning auction BEFORE they noticed their error. Universal are a piece of work! Statements like "we will be asking for those who received their order to return it" and "thousands of dollars in losses" are a complete joke! Even if they did f*** up their pricing, they are still responsible for seeing the deal through. But, as others have said, there's NO WAY that I would've paid $250 for this box. The price listed ($99) seems quite reasonable to me, given the age and the condition these boxes are in. BTW, my box has VERY little rust, so I can't complain. But the packaging??? Talk about Kafkaesque! Who the f*** designed this thing? Seriously, how did something like this ever get approval? Must've been the day the 'E' was passed around the office. Good luck in getting your boxes, gents. I'll be more than willing to write and/or call UMG to advocate on your behalf if need be. Just let me know... And if that fails, well... we can strategize about this. Through PM's, of course! Cheers, Shane

Hah! Good one J! Your joke provided me with a good laugh today... just what I needed to start the weekend off right! You sure have a wicked sense of humor, man... Oh... wait... it seems as though you really believe in what you posted? Cheers, Shane - One of those "smart people" with like, uh, Ph.D.s and stuff

Hi Ray, Damn, thanks for pointing this out! Those three shows listed indeed look GREAT (Moncur Evolution Big Band, then Dewey Redman & Tim Hagens, then Andrew Cyrille & Ray Drummond)... I'm gonna hit all of these! I don't see any mention of prices - or even how to get tickets - for these shows. If they are indeed free, then I'm one happy man! I'll still drop my $$$ on the artists CD's at each show, of course, just to keep supportin'. Cheers, Shane

Hi Johnny, Usually a person who wants an open-casket funeral. Didn't Kurt Cobain shoot himself in the chest with a shotgun (thought I'd ask, since he was from your area). RIP Hunter, some of your work was truly amazing! Shane

Yikes! If I see the name of one of my all-time favorite vocalists mis-spelled one more time...................... What, you'll send Max after him? OK, bad taste, I know... to make this relevant: I agree wholeheartedly with Jim here. There are so many people whom I consider to fall in that "genius" category (there's a much abused term) that are... how shall I say it?... morally reprehensible at best. Yes, jazz is full of these people, but so is any other profession, and I do consider it possible to separate the person from his/her work. Hell, if I couldn't make that separation, I'd wouldn't have most of my music collection, most of the art that hangs on my walls, many of the books on my shelf, and many of the ideas I've come to appreciate over the years. I love Max's WORK, as a musician and social activist, although he may not be the poster boy for moral behavior. I also love the work of many of my colleagues in my chosen profession, several of whom are complete and utter pigs. However, if they engage in morally reprehensible behavior in my presence, or I hear through information that I trust, I let them know pretty quickly that that shit doesn't fly with me. Having said that, there's always going to be a balancing act between judging one's work and one's personality... And, as Jim is wont to say, "Your mileage may vary". From my end, if we as a society can't separate the difference between one's WORK and one's personality/moral behaviors, well... my guess is that we wouldn't have advanced nearly as far as we have. I'll leave it to y'all to decide if that's a good thing or not. Cheers, Shane

Hey Soul Stream, Just a quick question... what's wrong with sport? Cheers, Shane

Hi All, Quick answer: HELL YEAH I MISS HOCKEY!!! I grew up in Canada, and it is far more than just a "sport" to Canadians. In many ways, it makes up a huge part of the Canadian national identity. Want proof? When the Canadian government decided to update their currency, they actually made hockey the main focus of the back of the 5-dollar bill... Complete with illustrations and a quote of the importance of hockey to Canadian youth. I ask you: would the U.S. ever consider putting ANY sport on the back of their currency? Not likely! But hockey means that much to Canada! And I've got to comment on a few other things. Most Canadians I know (and I know there's research data to support this, but can't cite references off the top of my head right now) think that the game of hockey is fine without having to impose all of the "major" rule changes that have been proposed. Some minor tweaking of the rules is fine, but many of the major changes that have been suggested just aren't necessary. Most Canadians I know think that the suggested major changes are just a way to try and attract a larger U.S. audience, and to snag a large TV deal with a major U.S. network... in other words, the game itself is "selling its soul" in the quest for American approval. I say leave the game as it is. It will change and evolve on its own (sport always does), and the days of high-scoring hockey will return. To the owners and players: WORK THIS OUT NOW!!! Cheers, Shane --- Grew up in Calgary, and now that the Flames are good again (missed hoisting the Stanley Cup by one goal last year) I'm denied a chance to see them!

Hey Kulu Se Mama and Jim Sangrey, Thanks to you both, I just snagged this set tonight from eBay! Damn, this is such a good price... I can't thank you enough for letting us know about it! Sorry Kevin, but it really does look they are consistent in putting up the set between 8-9:00 pm Eastern (I jumped on it around 6:00 pm Pacific time)... I'm sure you'll snag one tomorrow! Wonder how much RUST is gonna be on this thing? The "stock" photo they use in their description shows a pretty decent amount of rust already! Thanks again!!! Cheers, Shane

Hi Paul, Whoa! For a minute there I thought there was a new release of Sam Rivers recording with THE "NOJO"... Norah Jones, of course! Wouldn't that be something! Cheers, Shane

Well said, Conn! And I empathize with Michael, as this exact same situation has happened to me (as I detailed back on page 3 or so). And trust me, Rostasi, the conversation you described most definitely did NOT occur in my case... as I said, I had to threaten a lawsuit to get my money back! Maybe I just had a string of bad luck with these folks, since many of you here report nothing but good experiences... I hope they continue for all who use them! Cheers, Shane

Deus, No Mosaics??? I bow to your willpower! Cheers, Shane

Hi akanalog, Hey, thanks for posting this! I'll up/download it tonight. BTW, how long did it take y'all to load this? Yesterday it took FOREVER to load up a file off of easytree (much longer than normal), so I'm wondering if there's an issue on my end? Cheers, Shane

Got about 40-45 JOS beauties myself (all but a couple are on CD). Would love to have Soul Stream's collection though! Jimmy was the MAN! Cheers, Shane

I knew this day would come soon, since the last time I saw him he was in rough, rough shape... but it still hurts like hell. R.I.P. Jimmy, and know your music made this world a better place!

WHEW! That's a relief! Hi Ron, All yours, motherfucker! Cheers, Shane

Hi Dan, See, that's my main issue with this "company" (and was Mike F.'s point as well)... they say they have things in stock when the really may not! Look, I'm well aware of the fact that if something says "Special Order", the odds of it actually coming through are slim at best... so I take my chances occasionally, and if/when the order doesn't come through, I accept that gracefully. But, when the site lists something as "In Stock", and then I have to wait weeks only to find out (on my own investigation) that the item is "Backordered"... that's when I feel I've been cheated. Charging my credit card immediately also doesn't help my mindset, nor does the fact that I had to harass these people to FINALLY get my money back. Check out some of their feedback on half.com. Many people have experienced exactly what I experienced. Like I said, I'm glad some/many of you have had good service... you certainly won't have to worry about me scooping up the goods from "casacaiman" before you get there, because I'm never going back! Cheers, Shane

Ahhh "casacaiman"... What can I say? I have more problems with those motherfuckers than any company I've ever dealt with. As Mike mentioned, they're full of shit when it comes to updating or being truthful with their inventory. I've waited weeks on an order, only to finally notice that my items were "backordered". Funny, the payment went through immediately after I sent it! And, no one from this "company" even bothered to tell me the items had been backordered. So, I request a refund... I eventually got my refund only after I threatened them with a lawsuit!!! They had my money for MONTHS before I saw it back. The irony? The items I ordered were not that hard to get!!! Hell, I could've picked them up from the Tower in my neighborhood. I'm glad to hear some of you here have had good experiences with this "company"... but I know I'll never go near them again! And, judging from the high volume of negative feedback they've recieved on half.com, I'm not alone. Cheers, Shane

Hi BM, I'm pretty sure that the Checkered Cabs have a couple of vinyl EP's/singles out there, but I don't think anything else has made it on to CD other than Remember... I think they do have a tune or two out there on compilation CD's (Ska Down Her Way, for example), and I know Caz sings one song with the Pietasters on their Strapped Live! CD... that's a good CD to get, IMHO! I don't know what became of Caz, or the Checkered Cabs for that matter. I guess I could say the same thing for 95% of the ska bands that formed between 1995-2001, especially those that tried to capitalize on the Mighty Mighty Bosstones popularity in 1996-97. I hope she's still singing with someone out there. I'll see what I can find out! I'll check on boots with some of my friends and let you know what I can offer. Yeah, Dr. Ring Ding!!! Richie is one of the most amazing guys I've ever met! You would never in a million years link that voice to the overweight, white German man that he is! He's got some skills, for sure! WD45 - I should've guessed it was Cargo! Man, that company has distributed some good stuff over the years... especially all the punk I used to listen to when I was a kid back in the early '80s. You guys see any live ska shows lately? I'm a bit lucky here in Los Angeles, since we get the occasional show in town. And, Chris Murray (fka Venice Shoreline Chris) has a weekly gig at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood called the Bluebeat Lounge), where a lot of bands show up to play... some good times there! Cheers, Shane

I wouldn't count on it. That's why it's up for auction. Hi BF, Yeah, I know... still, one can hope! Cheers, Shane

Hey BM et al., Great thread! I used to have a radio show back in the day ('97-'01) in New York called "The Six and Seven Books of Ska", so you know I'm definitely a ska/rocksteady/reggae fan! The Chekered Cabs! A great band out of D.C., and Caz Gardner's voice was pretty amazing for the ska world. Unfortunately, I never really dug that Moon Records release, as it didn't capture the quality of the Checkered Cabs live shows. And, Remember was actually released on Ska Satellite records, a low-budget branch of Moon... not that Moon's releases were all that "high-budget" to begin with! Check out the absolutely brutal mastering on the Slacker's "Better Late Than Never" or Isaac Green and the Skalar's "Skoolin' With..." recordings, for example! But hell yeah, Mr. Hingley (Bucket) did right by starting up Moon Ska Records!!! The idea was sound, trying to do an artists collective, and many of Moon's releases are classics of ska's "Third Wave". Their store over on Avenue B was also pretty cool! It's too bad the label had to go under here in the United States, all thanks to their theiving "manager" who embezzled a HUGE amount of money from Bucket/Moon!!! Such a bastard, that Noah!!! And WD45, was that distributor in Chicago Jump Up!? Chuck Wren sure has done a hell of a job there, and is still growing strong!!! My favorites? From the "Third Wave" (U.S. only): Hepcat, the Slackers, New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble, Stubborn All-Stars, (Isaac Green and) The Skalars, the Pilfers, the Adjusters, Dave Hillyard & the Rocksteady Seven, the Usuals, the Skoidats, Go Jimmy Go, Chris Murray, Victor Rice, the Scofflaws, the Pietasters, the Bluebeats, Let's Go Bowling, the Toasters, Skavoovie & The Epitones, Skinnerbox, the Allstonians, the Insteps, Buford O'Sullivan, Justin Dillavou, Mephiskapheles, Mobtown, the Aggrolites, Irie Beats, Radiation Kings, See Spot, Rathskeller, King Django (Jeff Baker).... And what the hell, I'll admit to these others too... Less Than Jake, Slapstick, Telegraph, the Broadways, Tuesday, Supermarket All-Stars, MU330, Spring Heeled Jack, Can't Say, Animal Chin, the Readymen.... Favorite non-U.S. bands (Third Wave only) include: Dr. Ring Ding & the Senior All-Stars, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Blue Beat Players, Jazz Jamaica, Rude Bones, Coke Head Hipsters (hah!), Los Pies Negros, the Trojans (Gaz Mayall).... And, saving the best for last, of course... THE SKATALITES! Going strong for over 40 years! Peace and love to those still with us (Lloyd Brevitt, Lloyd Knibbs, Lester Sterling, Johnny Morton, Lord Tanamo, Doreen Schaffer) and those who've moved to a higher plane (Jackie Mittoo, Tommy McCook, Roland Alphonso)..... there's nothing quite like seeing the Skatalites live, and hearing that "10, 9, ....1 -- Freedom!" kick off the set! My first love, though, is the "original" 1960's Jamaican ska! More on that in a later post.... Great thread!!! Cheers, Shane

Wow! This is amazing! (although I'd feel a bit troubled bidding on it... it just seems so personal... hope it goes to a museum) http://cgi.liveauctions.ebay.com/ws/eBayIS...item=6507672950 Cheers, Shane