Brandon Burke

That's a great film. I really like Terry Zwigoff. Regardless, I hear what you're saying. And frankly I'd be worried if you didn't find it unsettling...

I'm waiting for the Eightball figures....

I have an external hard drive just for my iTunes music. You'd be amazed how much space you'll save...

These sets are a hell of a deal, man. Too bad Studio One/Rounder hasn't followed suit. My favorites are the Rocksteady, Lover's Rock, and Jamaican R&B sets. The dub material is okay. I much prefer the Blood & Fire comps when it comes to dub.

I love my iPod. I got a 15G model over the spring, while I still had a student discount. (Turns out you can apply the same student discount usually reserved for Macs to iPods as well.) B) I've found that 15G is quite enough. That's a lot of shit, man. If you keep tabs on your playlist, you can always switch stuff out. The trap most folks fall into is dumping several box sets that they don't listen to in there. They take up a lot of room. I have the Harry Smith Smithsonian set in there and most of the Dolphy and that's it. Believe me, playing it cool with the box sets will save you a lot of room as will taking it easy on titles that "you'll want to play eventually". If it's been in there since you've owned your iPod and you haven't listened to it.....get it outta there.

I can't listen to anything after Freak Out. Maybe the live set with Beefheart. Either way, congratulations. I feel the love!

I hear ya... I can hardly believe it myself. Noel, the graphic designer told me that Revenant took considerable pains to keep the price very low. I asked if $85 was the wholesale price and he replied No.... retail. This would be great news, if it turns out to be true come October. Now, if you could just get them to drop the price of the Charley Patton set to $85, too... That's exactly what he and I we talking about on the phone the other day. My guess is: that was the impetus for the price change this time around. I'm as big a Charley Patton fan as anyone you know but that set was too rich for my blood. So I never bought it. I will, however, definately get the Ayler set. Especially after hearing the advance sampler. Wow.....!

I never expected this film to be released at all, so this is something of a surprise to me. He didn't exactly pick my favorite Jackson C. Frank song but I'll be intersted in hearing how it gets used.

I agree. I much prefer Illadeph Halflife as I think the drums sound is much improved. Drums on Do You Want More? sound weak to me. In the most recent issue of Wax Poetics, Pete Rock said that ?uestlove has asked him about achieving a good drum sound on record. In my opinion, Pete Rock and Premier are the best so... BTW: Pete also mentioned that Q-Tip stole the beat for "Jazz (We've Got)" from him. Apparently, Tip came over to Pete's while he was messing around with that Jack McDuff loop. Next thing you know....it's on The Low End Theory, though Tip does shout out to "Pete Rock for the beat" at the end of the song. Either way...

Now you're just playing head games...

Man, this thread is giving me double vision...

Hey man, I'm only 30 and this shit is my bread and butter.... B)

Yeah, I had all of those NEU! albums at one point as well but only kept NEU 1. The others are definately cool as well. But, like you said John, the first is the only one anyone "needs". As for Can, I second the vote for beginning with the Damo years. I would begin with Ege Bamyasi, though. It's got more funky material and seems easieer to get into right away. Like many people, "Vitamin C" was my introduction to Can and I think that's a good starting point. Future Days is a very close second, though. I probably listen to that one more but I remember thinking "Uuhh....what?" the first time I heard it. You really gotta have your psychedelic cap on to get past the almost ridiculously druggy opening few minutes. As a first purchase, the best thing Future Days has going for it is "Moonshake", the only song Can ever issued as a 45. Tago Mago is probably most famous for featuring the 18+ minute avant-funk bomb that is "Halleluhwah". An imensely catchy rhythm propelled by Holger and Jaki. As a whole, it's not exactly a consistent record. There are some *noise* pieces in between the jams. Even if it were a 26-minute record with just "Mushroom" and "Halleluhwah" it would still be worth the import price in my opinion. Lastly, Monster Movie features the song "Yoo Doo Right" which, I'm sure you'll agree, sounds.....er.....*strikingly similar* to Sterolab's "Metronomic Underground" off of Emperor Tomato Ketchup. B)

Matthew is a gem and very lucky to have a father like you. I was very pleased to meet him as well. I'm sure the band apprciates it too. Get 'em hooked while they're young, right. As for Tommy Williams, did you say that he plays in an avant-garde group? That would be something I'd definately like to see. Lastly, here's that Joe Maneri I was telling you about. The title track was used as the opening them music in Amercian Splendor last year. At that point in time I had never heard this music and I spent the rest of my time in the theatre saying to myself, "Don't forget to look for that song in the credits...don't forget to look for that song in the credits...don't forget to..." And here's the AMG review. I'm telling you, man. I was obsessed with this record for weeks. "Paniots Nine" is still an all-time favorite track of mine. The head is in 9/8 and sounds straight out of the Tristano School. The rhythm section and Maneri's subsequent solo, however, sound like Antibes-era Mingus. Tough stuff...

Had a great time today. Meeting bertrand and Leeway was the kicker but the band was great as well. Having not heard any of their records, I was very surprisingly impressed. Drums were hit and miss but whoever was on tenor was consistently engaging as a soloist and their bassist was like a damned metronome; only a funky one. Back to the tenor though, he was seriously great. I'll likely see them again, especially since, after talking with Michael, it is not uncommon for them to play "Back to the Tracks". B)

I heard from a guy who talks to Dean (Revenant) all the time that this set will sell for $100 retail. The conversation I had with the person in question was about the near-paralyzing price of the Charly Patton set. It seems Revenant has made pains to make the Ayler set more affrodable.

Just my opinion but the iPod Mini is a serious rip-off. For only a fraction more, you get 3 times the hardrive space. It's a difference of like $50 between 5 and 15 GB. I mean seriously...

Sorry to disagree, but the only NEU! one really needs is NEU! 1. NEU! 2 is, save for a couple of exceptions, very literally the exact same song played back at varying speeds because they didn't record enough material for another full-length. I mean it's cool and all but... Regardless, you're quite right. The mid-90's Stereolab sound is heavily indebted to NEU!. Almost ridiculously so. I can't count the amount of times I put them on while I was a bartender (years ago) only to hear patrons say "Is this Stereolab?".

Interesting. Prehaps this is why I enjoy everything up until the mid-90's. I very much like NEU!, Can, Amon Duul, etc. Stereolab, however, get a something of a raw deal in the equation, I think. Their lounge/kitsch tendencies only really emerged later, which is largely why I fell out. It seemed too self-conscious by that point. Despite what you read about them, everything up through Mars Audiac Quintet, I would argue, is not as PoMo as they're described to be. The records I'm thinking of are straight homages to the Kraut bands mentioned above mixed with a combination of Astrud Gilberto and Brigitte Fontaine on vocals. And there's nothing ironic about Brigitte Fontaine. If anything, that's high modernism. And that's exactly why this period of Stereolab was so intriguing. They very tactfully walked the line between "high art" and "pop" without becoming either too serious for their own good or simply a fashion-inspired pastiche. This argument holds less water the further you follow their chronology, I think. In any case, a great band and one that I hope continues for many years.

Well, I'm going. If for no other reason than to meet you guys. So I hope I'm able to do so. I've got nothing to do all weekend since I just got in town and don't start at LC until Monday. Needless to say, if you decide to go, I look strikingly like the guy in my avatar... B) -- Brandon

That's pretty much the deal. There's a guy down the block who's into all sorts of shady stuff but you really only see him in the evening. Like the woman who owns the house said, "This area is fine for walking to work during the day, walking to the grocery, etc. but if you're staying late at work or going out to meet freinds...take a cab."

Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements. From 1993. One of my favorites. My fave by a mile, though, is... ...Mars Audiac Quintet. They lost me once they started going bananas with the post-production. I blame John McEntire (Tortoise) for that. He makes everything sound sterile and mechanical; a style my buddies and I call "Steely Can". B) Regardless, I much prefer Stereolab as a live band in the studio. And, despite what AMG says, Mars Audiac Quintet stands among my favorite rock records of all time. The tunes are all very simple but, as they progress, they add layer upon layer of texture. A very sedimentary style of music-making. One last note: Of the two records mentioned here, the former is much noiser than the latter. This is to say that Transient Random-Noise employs more Sonic Youth/Yo La Tengo-esque dissonance. My guess is that's not what you're looking for since you dig Dots and Loops. And if that's the case allow me to recommend Our Point of Departure by HiM...

Some of my favorite records are "self produced" and "demo quailty".

I really like the version of "India" that appeared on The Other Village Vanguard Tapes LP (as well as disc 4 of the The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard set).

23 year-old stoned-Ivy League-slackers. B)