Matthew

Mark Polizzotti says it's Charlie McCoy playing the second guitar in "Desolation Row." Is the earlier, electric take on the recent No Direction Home set? If you mean the take with Al Kooper playing electric guitar, yes it is.

I was just listening to Signify last night... and to me, the main difference between the "mid-period" stuff and what PT is doing now concerns two main aspects. 1. The mid-period stuff, like Signify are very much about the sound scape that is being presented. Long stretches of music, very much centered around LSD, and the whole drug-music trip. It makes for fascinating listening, but in the newer cds, that while ethic is more in the background. 2. While the sound scape/electronic music thing is now in the background, Steve Wilson's songwriting is now really center stage in the presentation of the music. Which is fine, but I'm not sure where Wilson can go with the current direction. It'll be very interesting to hear the new cd, which, I guess, is coming out in April.

Guys and Dolls: If you have any liking for 60's rock, you have to get this box set, it's wonderful and has the best sounding mono rock mastering I've ever heard.

Like this Bill Evans quote: My creed for art in general is that it should enrich the soul; it should teach spirituality by showing a person a portion of himself that he would not discover otherwise...a part of yourself you never knew existed. -- Bill Evans

You know, I had this set in hand when I was at Silver Platters Wednesday, wanting to buy it, but those darn Sons of Champlin won out -- next time, plus The Monkees deluxe reissues.

Major oversights in my book: XTC: Skylarking. (Have to give a shout-out to my boys! ) Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon Bob Dylan: "Love and Theft" The Byrds: Sweetheart of the Rodeo

Played both these over the past couple of day, and, IMHO, Intermodulation doesn't come close to Undercurrent. It's very professional music, played very well, but doesn't have the spark that Undercurrent maintains throughout the session.

I've become a big fan of Porcupine Tree, this past year I've gone from zero cds to now having twelve cds and the new DVD (of course, that pales to Aggie's totals ). What I like about PT is the combination of prog-rock, to now the prog-rock + metal = Pt's new sound, really an interesting mix. Standouts for me are: Up The Downstair: This is my favorite PT disk, it's has that very nice prog feel to it, but yet it has Steve Wilson's unique take on that prog/druggie whole sound. An added bonus is that the second cd is Staircase Infinities, which is very cool. Warszawa: Live concert from Poland that has good sound and is more the "trippy" side of PT. Love the version of Russia On Ice. Rocks pretty good also. Lightbulb Sun: Another great one, very good songwriting on this cd. Be warned though, it available as an import only, cost is about $30.00 If you're willing to take a chance on the instrumental side of PT, Voyage 34 & Metanoia I find are interesting. I really like Deadwing, it is a very good melding of metal riffs and the druggie side of PT. However, I've never been able to warm up to In Absentia, it just leaves me cold. I want to start to get into Wilson's side project, but the cds are just so darned expensive off their website. Aggie, of course, is the Tree Man, and he owns just about everything PT or Wilson.

Matthew, I think Cookin' on the Roof is one of the unsung masterpieces of the 80s. I guess Roman Holliday was ten years too early with the swing revival. I completely agree with you on Cookin' on the Roof. I first bought it as a cassette tape and played it to death. Then got the lp, but my turntable died, so that ended that. I just recently found out it's out on cd -- Japanese import, of course. Love the album to death, and I'm really looking forward to getting this cd and playing it loud!

Sons of Champlin: Fat City Welcome To The Dance Hip Li'l Dreams Roman Holiday: Cookin' On The Roof I'm just revisiting my early music collecting days.

Presently, I'm reading Murray Kempton's Part of Our Time: Some Ruins And Monuments Of The Thirties. Very interesting to read, it was written in 1955 with Kempton looking back on some "liberals" from the 1930's. I never realized how shattering of an experience the Sacco-Vanzetti trial/execution was for the left in America. Kempton presents it as the end of certain way that some people had of looking at American justice -- the saying "no one innocent will ever die in America" was proved false. A lot of connections in this book to present day America and liberalism. Glad I picked it up at the used Bookstore I hang-out at.

Chewy you need to get some rest -- it was Johnny Mandel who wrote Theme From M*A*S*H.

When ever I started to feel down this Christmas season, I just played this clip, and, believe me, the blues just go!

Think Peace Piece would sound pretty cool done with hand-bells.

Yeah, well, I love the vibes and I refuse to give in on my hands. Soooo, through the wringer I must go... Cannot live without the vibes. However, I made adjustments and am still making adjustments in my playing. I've always basically been a two mallet player (learning some four mallet so I can comp, but that is all, no extravagant four mallet soling and exhibitions). Try not to use the very top end of the vibes unless I am at a point of extreme intensity in the musical piece and it needs to be stressed. Mostly rolls on a single note foar emphasis and expression, prevents the very disturbing ringing I get in my ears (and it is quite satisfactory too). So I do what I got to do... My hands have healed (four trigger finger operations and arthritis) and my vibe bars were retuned this year so I am okay. Need to improve my playing, that's all. Playing Eddie Costa style!

I've been spending the day catching up on all things XTC through the internet, and I came across Andy Partridge's, (of XTC fame) experience with Tinnitus -- Yikes! It started with being TOO BLOODY LOUD on stage at gigs and wearing no ear protection,yeah,tougher than those wussy metal bands eh? Those years skimmed off all of my highs pretty much.Then in 93, I got an ear infection which blew out my right eardrum.This eventually healed but left another dent in the old shell likes.On the final day of mixing MONSTRANCE this year,a well meaning,but clumsy engineer,hit a wrong button.Unfortunately I was checking in headphones to see if we'd succesfully removed some buzz ,which through his earlier clumsiness ,had gotten recorded on a whole days session,and the headphones were at FULL volume on the desk.I was basically checking the silence.The button he pressed sent the sound of a sidestick sample[3 quick beats } into my ears,and KAPOW!massive further damage and worst of all,very very LOUD tinnitus in both ears.24 hours a day.Well,to bring you up to date,I've been doing hyperbaric oxygen treatment for the last 5 months and the noise was becoming bareable,down from 80% to a non crazymaking 35%,then I did something foolish last Sunday.Our smoke alarm went off as dinner was being cooked and like an unthinking idiot,I rushed up and wrestled with it for about 20 seconds to get it to stop.What the fuck was I doing standing one foot away from a screeching alarm with tinnitus.Yep,you guessed it,I've been put back virtually to square 1 and both ears are screaming away at around 65%.I cried like a baby for hours,I was inconsolable. Needless to say I'm depressed as shit about it,and after further tests,my poor old creamhorns are rather deaf indeed.Its not going to stop me making a solo album though!Watch out for your precious ears in those studios Jeff.OO,nearly forgot,right ear slighly worse than left and ,no I dont have a phone amplifier.....yet. AP

I think....think ...that I may have stumbled into a good deal over at Amazon Canada yesterday and snagged the Consecration box for a darned nice price -- CDN$ 12.72 ($11 US?? ). With an $8 shipping charge my guess is that it's the 8-disc box. Is this possible??? Have received a confirmation notice so we'll see what happens. Sounds like a great deal if everything holds together. I'm saving money for a big splurge in January to get the Last Waltz/Consecration/Secret Sessions sets. I'm not sure about the Complete Fantasy, I'm wondering if the sound is any good on those cds; whether to go for Japanese K-2 imports for the individual sessions; wait to see if Concord puts the box on sale during another blow-out sale; or wait for whatever else they have in mind regarding the Evans catalog. Decisions, decisions.....

Bill Evans: You Must Believe In Spring New Jazz Conceptions (K-2) Undercurrent

I have a NAD C 420 that's pretty good, but honestly, FM radio is so bad, I use the tuner about twice a month. The quality of FM radio is very bad right now. How I miss the days of free-form radio.

Matthew, believe it or not HoRam, as he was called in Atlanta, has good stuff. When he is on, he looks like the next Tom Glavine. But, he is forever injured. If he is healty next year, he will win 12-15 games, honest! And as for Soriano, we heard reports that he only is hitting 91 in winter ball..... I'm always leery of pitchers who are "forever injured," they never seem to get well enough to pitch a full year. Case in point: Dan Driefort.

I'm mighty pissed-off that the Mariners have done nothing this winter, plus, it looks like Felix Hernandez is just sitting around getting fat. Not a good feeling for 2007.

As God is my witness.... I thought turkeys could fly!

Mmmmm................ Bailey............. Never thought Loni Anderson was sexy, but I had a teen-age crush of Bailey Quarters! Edit: New picture, old one disappeared.

It's being noised about that WKRP, sans original music, is going to be released next year. I'll still get the set even without the music.

!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!