Matthew

Has there ever been a worse release from a major band that The Shit Hits the Fan? It was a cassette only release, I bought it and it was nothing but the 'Mats being drunk, playing covers timing in at one minute!

Well, someone had to do it -- AMG review: Review by Johnny Loftus In the liner notes to 2:00 AM Paradise Café, Barry Manilow confessed that the record's concept came to him in a dream and that it's the album for which he'd most like to be remembered. That's some top-shelf comment about an album that seems like a pretty calculated move toward long-term success as a vocal talent, like Mel Tormé or Sarah Vaughan, both of whom duet with him on 2:00 AM. That said, the album does lay down a dusty, late-night groove. Vocally, Manilow is able to sell the concept that this is all taking place in the wee hours inside a half-empty basement cabaret. The shuffling percussion of Shelly Manne is spot on, as are the cool tones of baritone sax man Gerry Mulligan -- you can just picture the blinking neon from the hotel across the street reflecting in the gold of his horn. Mundell Lowe's electric guitar adds a burst of attitude to the otherwise straightforward "Big City Blues," and Manilow and Bill Mays' piano playing is solid throughout. There's a bit of a problem though, since most every arrangement sounds essentially the same. After about half the record, it begins to seem like it's all happening in slow motion, or at least someone's just going through them. It's refreshing to hear stripped-down arrangements and Manilow experimenting a bit with his delivery to suggest he's singing after the streets have rolled up. All of this means that, while 2:00 AM Paradise Café is as pleasant as a nightcap, it's not the fine wine Manilow's dreams told him it would be.

Thanks for the imput Dave. Looks like the '75 Series and Sgt. Bilko for my vacation.

Kind of makes sense that DeJohnette would be on for this one -- I mean, any drummer wanting to pay tribute to Williams is going be sky-high and intense. DeJ & Goldings are really hooked up to each other on this one.

This is an excellent album. "Dark Matter" is probably my favorite PTree tune: Dark matter flowing out on to a tape Is only as loud as the silence it breaks Most things decay in a matter of days The product is sold the memory fades Crushed like a rose In the river flow I am I know Guy WOW!! Dark Matter is a mother of a song!!!

I have to agree with everyone: This is a great cd; a lot of fire and outstanding music thoughtout the two cds. DeJohnette gets my vote as the outstanding player in the trio, he's seems to be on fire on every song, and is the driving force for the trio. Goldings is, as always the B-3 master. Scofield is also very good, though to my ears, he gets a little to coy in his playing at times eg. As One/Allah Be Praised/Saudades section strikes me as meandering. But, putting that aside, a smoking cd that is well worth the money spent.

I've been thinking of getting the Sgt. Bilko DVD, but I'm afraid that I buy it, then the full season DVDs come out. BTW CBS should be releasing the full-seasons for this classic sitcom. Anyone have the just released one? Is it worth getting?

Whew! In the past I've always done my order at once, but as the '75 World Series is coming out on DVD tomorrow (hey c'mon, I really need it. ) I went ahead and ordered a couple of discs a few days ago. Glad to hear the other codes will do the trick! I didn't know that the '75 Series was coming out I'll have to get a copy for when I go on vacation. The only downside of that Series was astroturf and how ugly Riverside Stadium looked.

Stopped in at Tower's tonight and told myself: "Matthew, you're here just to look so traffic can thin out." Walked out with: Porcupine Tree - Signify & Jack DeJohnette/Larry Goldings/John Scofield: Saudades (on sale $20). *sigh*

I had been wondering what price most retailers were selling this set at. Is $98 fairly average? Most retailers with the set seem to sell in the $75-80 range. Tower currently lists it online for $77.99 ($4 off list!). Some unfortunate soul paid $239 on ebay a couple years ago. To make the price official: I was at Tower tonight and the price is $81.99.

Given all of the yourmusic folks here we could probably start an Entertainment Weekly Corner. I must admit, I *almost* look forward to it's arrival (not waiting by the mailbox mind you), and I don't even have cable tv. I just tipped Physical Graffiti over the top. I admit it, Entertainment Weekly was my Yourmusic choice.

Just for the heck of it, and because when I thought about, Kim Gordon is right! Taken from Entertainment Weekly (I know, but ). Led Zeppelin IV: "A real palate cleanser. Very California. Joni Mitchell influences all over the place on the guitar playing."

Stephen Ambrose's D-Day June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II. It's a very interesting read. I never realized how complex the invasion was (kinda thought, a couple of boats and there they were!), also a lot of sadness involved in reading the book -- the soldiers were so young, it's heartbreaking to read an excerpt from some GI's letter home, then read the footnote that he died in action . I know someone who was a GI and was part of the D-Day invasion (received a Purple Heart), I'm going to see if he cares to talk about it or not.

That is sooooo cooooool I 70's & 80's baseball.

Just curious: How's this going, are you getting money? Wondering because I've made a couple of CDU orders lately.

What next?? Your antlers????

Well, now that I'm thinking of it, maybe the $98.00 was for the Albert Ayler box that's right next to the AE box -- I'm too old to remember everything clearly....

There's been one at the Seattle Tower (the Space Needle one) for about a year now. Think it's $98.00 too.

Jim Bouton's Ball Four. I had forgotten how gosh darn funny this book is. I haven't read this in, at least, thirty years, and it's bringing back so many memories -- wow. The Seattle Pilots, one year and gone, amazing to have a record of that team. An to top it all off, Weizzy posted pictures of the baseball cards for some of the players on that team. Baseball from back when I first started to love the game -- wow.

Great news about "Nonaah"! Don't forget to buy yourself a dinner or two with those proceeds.

No Seattle show, Coma Divine is ny next cd by PT.

Weizzy: Thanks a ton for the pictures. I was in a used bookstore Tuesday and, on a whim, I bought Jim Bouton's Ball Four, which I hadn't read since I was a teen-ager (only read it 1,000 times back then), and I'm loving it. The cards brought back stories of a lot of the players pictured. No Bouton card though.

An account of the Capa D-Day coverage - which is part of Photo lore by now - can be read here Actually, Capa landed with the first wave, not the second, on Omaha Beach. His editor John G. Morris is still very much alive and well in Paris. Another D-Day photo lore is the story of AP photographer Marty Lederhandler who landed on Utah Beach on June 6. Like many photographers, he had been provided with two caged pigeons to fly his films back to England. The photographers and their pigeons had been stationed for two days inside boats before the landing because of bad weather. After landing in Normandy, Lederhandler released his pigeons and saw one of them - by now disoriented - flutter into the ski to turn east instead of west! The pigeon flew into German lines, the film was captured and Lederhandler's photos were published - with full credit - on German newspapers. Thanks for the link, I'm finding photography to be a fascinating subject -- might have to buy me a camera sometime.

Think I'm going to have to write a big, honking post on this cd in the next couple of days.

I've been listening to this a lot lately, and it's such a beautiful cd. BUY IT!!!