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Yes, the Bill Clinton Campaign DID Ruin This Song, But...

 If they didn't grab "Don't Stop" from the Fleetwood Mac "Rumours" album, somebody else would have. So this isn't a partisan remark. And here's the thing. After 31 years, "Rumours" still goes down as one of the best of all time. No, I'm not some puffy nostalgist for 70s soft rock. But I give credit where credit is due.

So what's my point? Well, on my drive home from the gym this morning I heard a "Fleetwood Mac" song and thought how much I'd like to hear the "Rumours" album while eating breakfast. Now I don't own any Fleetwood Mac CDs. But I do have a Rhapsody subscription. And although Rhapsody really hasn't kept up with newer services such as Pandora in terms of freshness, flexibility, and social features...and although the Web interface in particular is a bit kludgy (and the client version is notoriously picky vis a vis corporate firewalls), some times I want to design my own listening experience. And other than Napster, I think Rhapsody is the only show in town for subscription music. And yes, subscription music services are pretty much D.O.A. People prefer to stream for free or own their music. Me? I pretty much do all of the above, and although I sometimes wince at the nearly $15/month subscription price for Rhapsody, the Star Trek Food Replicator-like experience of being able to pull down a wide range of music on the fly that I specifically want to hear still thrills me....simple pleasures.

Speaking of which, I just heard a song on Rhapsody that I actually own, and I might STRONGLY recommend that if you're looking for the perfect musical accompaniment for a warm and humid day (in the Bay area we're experiencing about as much humidity as we ever get...not much, but still much moister than usual), that you also shell out a buck and PURCHASE "Everybody Knows You're a Star" by Mellow Drunk. Hardly new, and perhaps not that original, I still think you'll like it. No really. Because I know your musical preferences. Trust me.

Let's Talk About Aimee Mann

It's troubling to me that Aimee Mann's brief career with Til Tuesday has forever cemented her reputation. Her subsequent solo career has been much longer and more prolific, and yet so much lower profile. IMHO she is one of the most talented and authentic 'adult alternative' female singers you'll hear anywhere. Her songs tend to be a bit of a doggie downer...We're not talking about a 'light' person. And yes, I've had a brush with Aimee. Back in the very early 90's at a bar called the Tam O'Shanter in Brookline, Massachusetts (long ago closed), I was drinking a black and tan and talking to the bartender. Aimee and a companion showed up at the bar, and my immediate and obnoxiously loud response to a question the bartender asked me was, "Hush hush! Voices carry!" Yeah, that went over like a lead balloon.

In any event, Ms. Mann's new CD is called "@#%&*! Smilers." I started listening to it last week on Rhapsody....and it is marvelous. Far be it from me to actually write a review of the CD. I'll leave that to the professionals. Although this reviewer at tinymixtapes.com only gave the effort 3.5 out of 5 stars, I'd say the narrative is close to dead on, and it is very positive.

Incidentally, keeping with a musical theme, "I think I'm goin' to Boston," so I'll be more subdued for the next week or so. Ambondanza!

New Coldplay iTunes TV Spot....Interpreted

Another SUPER Tuesday

So as we see what unfolds today in Texas, in Ohio, in Rhode Island, I long for those days in Muskogee. Not that I've ever been there, but only good old Merle can lay it down just right, y'all:

We don't smoke marijuana in Muskogee
We don't take no trips on LSD
We don't burn no draft cards down on Main Street
We like livin' right, and bein' free

I'm proud to be an Okie from Muskogee
A place where even squares can have a ball
We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse
And white lightnin's still the biggest thrill of all

We don't make a party out of lovin'
We like holdin' hands and pitchin' woo
We don't let our hair grow long and shaggy
Like the hippies out in San Francisco do

And I'm proud to be an Okie from Muskogee
A place where even squares can have a ball
We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse
And white lightnin's still the biggest thrill of all

Leather boots are still in style for manly footwear
Beads and Roman sandals won't be seen
Football's still the roughest thing on campus
And the kids here still respect the college dean

We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse
In Muskogee, Oklahoma, U.S.A.

Party Time

Yeah, that's right. The wife's out of town this weekend so we be foot loose, to quote the famed philosopher Kenny Loggins. In fact, right now I'm drinking just a drop or two of Jameson and dancing around the house like this.

And I just threw that background song, called "Si Senor" from Control Machete, on the iPod. Man, they're gonna love me at the gym tomorrow with my crazy legs routine. Incidentally, I could both watch and post this old Levi's commercial one hundred times. Hilarious.

Doing a World of Good...

..for bicycle helmet sales, and alt rock as well.

R.I.P. Oscar Peterson

A true giant.

Sorry I haven't been posting, but I've been busy...

You see, I've been listening to Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings. And no, I didn't "discover" her/them by listening to "Fresh Air" on NPR---barf. This group is sort of like a way way cool, way way way authentic, and way more soulful Amy Winehouse, without the drugs and barfing and 'tude. "100 Days, 100 Nights" is so damned unique and good, but don't listen to me. Here's the take from the music cognoscenti at Rhapsody: "Maybe there's something anachronistic about a band that plays funk music in the 21st century as if Parliament (let alone hip-hop) had never happened. It does sound like Sharon Jones could have cut her record in 1967, not 2007. But when the music's this good, those concerns fly out the window. Jones pours everything she's got into this album, and her gruff, passionate, brassy style grabs you by the collar and doesn't let go until the end. The Dap-Kings restrain themselves behind her, shuffling and jangling but leaving her plenty of space to maneuver on a clutch of good, if not great, songs."

Lyrics for a Crap Day and a Crap Week

New Radicals - You Get What You Give lyrics

Wake up kids
We've got the dreamers disease
Age fourteen
They got you down on your knees
So polite
You're busy still saying please
Frienemies
Who when you're down ain't your friend
Every night
We smash their mercedes-benz
First we run
And then we laugh 'till we cry
But when the night is falling
And you cannot find the light (light)
If you feel your dream is dying
Hold tight
You've got the music in you
You've got the music in you
One dance left
This world is gonna pull through
Don't give up
You've got a reason to live
Can't forget you only get what you give
Four a.m. we ran a miracle mile
We're flat broke
But hey we do it in style
The bad rich
God's flying in for your trial
But when the night is falling
And you cannot find a friend
You feel your tree is breaking
Just then
You've got the music in you
Don't let go
You've got the music in you
One dance left
This world is gonna pull through
Don't give up
You've got a reason to live
Can't forget
You only get what you give
This whole damn world can fall apart
You'll be ok follow your heart
You're in harms way I'm right behind
Now say you're mine
You've got the music in you
Don't let go
You've got the music in you
One dance left
This world is gonna pull through
Don't give up
You've got a reason to live
Can't forget
You only get what you give
Don't let go
We feel the music in you
Fly high
What's real can't die
You only get what you give
You're gonna get what you give
Just don't be afraid to leave
Health insurance rip off lying fda big bankers buying
Fake computer crashes dining
Cloning while they're multiplying
Fashion mag shoots
With the aid of 8 dust brothers beck hanson
Courtney love and marilyn 
You're all 
Run to your mansions
Come around
We'll kick your ass in



Song lyrics | You Get What You Give lyrics

Genre Stations on Pandora--New? Or Have I Been Napping?

As if Pandora wasn't an interesting enough concept in Internet Radio to begin with, apparently I was napping while they introduced Genre Stations. The stated rationale is "to help listeners explore various styles of music when they can't think of the name of an artist or a song." Good for me, because I sometimes forget what's happening in the world of Reggaeton. Pandora also seems to have slicked up its UI recently, with a new area at the bottom of the screen providing a few different display options, including a "Now Playing" feature. Nice!