mjzee

I think it was Alfred saying "Amen." I guess he and Donald were in agreement about whoever is being referred to.

I want to see the actual tape, not just the box.

Grrr! I recorded it on my DVR. When I went to watch it yesterday, I found some Nascar race ran past its scheduled end time and took up most of the Simpsons' recording time.

Also now available at greatly reduced prices are the Mahavishnu, Getz, and second Weather Report boxes. Still waiting for price drop on the Dexter.

Stevie Wonder did a great cover of Blowin' In The Wind around 1966.

Strolling through a grove of lemon trees behind his home, songwriter Jeff Barry talked about his girl-group hits of the 1960s. When the conversation turned to how the work was divided between him and Ellie Greenwich—his songwriting partner at the time, who died in 2009—he offered a surprise. "People always marvel at how closely Ellie could identify with the teenage girl's psyche," said Mr. Barry, who recently turned 75. "Except I wrote most of the lyrics—not Ellie. She wrote most of the music." More here: WSJ

It just occurred to me what's so extraordinary about this anecdote. Dylan wasn't really a pop star; he rarely had a pop hit, and his sales weren't anywhere near the Beatles, Stones, etc. Yet Motown was clued into the quality of his work. I wonder what else they were listening to.

Dave's Picks volume 6 just arrived: San Francisco 12/20/69 & St. Louis 2/2/70. The bonus disc is San Francisco 12/21/69.

Is it this one? It was mentioned in the Comments: JL421 Badonkadonk Land Cruiser/Tank

Don't miss the "Comments" tab in the article, where readers suggest additional Amazon listings. For instance, check out this David Hasselhoff CD: Looking For - The Best of David Hasselhoff

What is it about the book "A Million Random Digits With 100,000 Normal Deviates" that brings out the wiseguy in people? More here: WSJ

So many horn and reed players filled the stage of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival's Economy Hall Tent on Sunday that some seemed about to spill from its sides. Past and present members of the Treme Brass Band honored "Uncle" Lionel Batiste, the group's bass drummer who died last year at age 81, and who symbolized the cultural traditions and familial warmth of its namesake neighborhood. Playing "Amazing Grace" set to a dirge, and then segueing into an up-tempo song, the musicians performed a New Orleans jazz-funeral ritual rich with both historical significance and in-the-moment appeal. More here: WSJ

Due to TMG's advice, I now own the discs Opus De Funk (twofer also includes Stimulation) and Talk That Talk (twofer also includes Gettin' The Message) and have on the way Legends of Acid Jazz (twofer of Soul Talk and Black Feeling) and Good Nuff (twofer of JHS Cooks with Gator Tail and The Stinger), as well as Billy Butler's Night Life. Thanks!

So what happened earlier today?

Depends what you need it for. I actually like two monitors side by side - it lends to a great workflow. But if that's not your thing, 24" is a great size; I have that on my iMac. Keep in mind that monitors are measured diagonally, but the height and width measurements are important too (is it more boxy or more widescreen).

Does anyone love this box? Not "like" or "appreciate" but love it?

Recently, Mr. Dozier, arranger Paul Riser and original Four Tops member Abdul "Duke" Fakir reflected on the group's biggest hit, Bob Dylan's influence and why the group was surprised the song became a smash hit. More here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323735604578438801075134708.html

HDTracks offers 4 digital formats: aiff, alac, flac, wav. Is any one superior to the others?

Hard to fault the majors when, to take one example, you can get 8 Three Sounds albums for $11. There's no way a legit company could compete with that.

Thanks for the great perspective as always, TMG.

Amazon has it as being released on April 30.

Thanks, michel and Daniel. I do think the distinctions made in this particular series are driven by something in EMI's data system, and not by anything actually affecting the music (in other words, there is no actual distinction in the music labeled as "remasters" vs "digital remasters"; they weren't remastered on different dates or in different ways). It is good to talk about the topic of mastering from time to time. etherbored, yes, the package I have is copyright 2011 EMI Music France.

Captain Beefheart Live 1968 - Dusty Groove

I really liked "Breakout" on CTI. Prestige put out a ton of twofers. Any that folk here really like? I have The Soulful Blues, and it didn't knock me out on first listen. But Breakout reveals a tuneful player with a lot of drive.

He had a very unusual way of playing the guitar, pressing his thumb across all 6 strings.