Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Did you hear? Various Artists - I Wonder

"I Wonder" was a minor hit for the Crystals in 1964. The Ronettes also recorded a version of the tune. I don't think it was a big deal, Phil Spector produced both tracks. My question is: which is the better version?





The Ronettes clearly win this battle. The song has more momentum, clearer vocals, and one of the sexiest bridges ever. I love the Crystals, but I'd take the Ronettes any day.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Vinyl news #6 - Fall Out Boy

Until recently, Take This To Your Grave was pretty hard to find on vinyl, and worse, widely bootlegged. Fortunately, FbR is reissuing it on blue vinyl /2500. Start to finish, this is Fall Out Boy's classic record, and always a personal favorite.

Get it here!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Review: Desperate Man Blues

Desperate Man Blues is a fascinating documentary about a record collector named Joe Bussard. An expert on early twentieth century blues, jazz, gospel, and folk, Joe owns ~25,000 records from the time period. He's totally into it- so much so that anything after 1955 he considers garbage. (Take that Steven Blush!) This documentary makes me want to smoke tons of cigars, dig in the crates, and learn that damn banjo that sits downstairs.

Be sure to check out his myspace! I wonder if he likes Lil' Wayne? The question is: does it really matter when you own one of the most precious archives of American music ever assembled?

Coupling: Boom or Bust?

Many hit American television shows are based on British shows. Coupling was not one of them. The American version failed to make it through one season. I didn't watch it. (Who did?) BBC's Coupling ran strong for 4 series- that's 28 episodes. Fresh off reruns of The Office (BBC) and Extras, I started watching Coupling to capitalize on my growing appreciation of British humor. To my surprise, Coupling has more in common with our Seinfeld than with anything I've seen from Britain (though, admittedly, I haven't seen a lot).

In the pilot, Susan (Sarah Alexander) and Steve (Jack Davenport) start dating. Steve's Jane's (Gina Bellman) ex, and Susan's Patrick's (Ben Miles) ex. Susan (Kate Isitt) and Jeff (Richard Coyle) kind of drift about causing chaos and trying to shag whoever. If you can't tell, Coupling is all about sex, relationships, and modern love (good Bowie song).

Everyone says it reminds them of Friends, but I disagree. For one, Coupling is funny. For two, the tangling plots and characters have more to do with Seinfeld. In one episode, Jeff explains how an invisible man can take your erections when you need them the most. Soon, everyone starts goin' limp. Never profane, Coupling owes a lot to "The Contest" episode in Seinfeld. Have you mastered your domain tonight?

Verdict: Boom! I hope the library has Series 3. Just wondering: who's the hottest?