Dining with the Chef

2005-09-09T19:34:00.000+09:00

Martin & Me

I realize that a lot of people love them, but I've never really been a fan of live albums. They've always made me feel, well, cheated; by the bands, by greedy record companies. I've never felt comfortable shelling out 10-15 bucks for inferior interpretations of songs that have already been released on studio albums. Look at what Pearl Jam did ... blah. In this day and age, wouldn't it make more sense for artists to make their live shows available to their fans gratis on their web sites? I mean, c'mon, give a little something back. There are, however, notably exceptional live albums that are definitely worth the money. Here's J Mascis and his guitar (Martin) performing dinosaur jr classics with a few covers mixed in for good measure. Delicious.

J Mascis - Martin & Me

http://rapidshare.de/files/4891342/Martin.rar.html
http://rapidshare.de/files/4891345/Me.rar.html
password: calabogus

2005-09-06T21:48:00.000+09:00

The Lighter Side

I bought this CD single in University. It's now mellowing on a shelf in my parents' house thousands of miles away. I took the Jesus Lizard song off of their full-length album Liar, and the Nirvana track is from the With the Lights Out box set. Puss is the same on both the album and the single. Oh, the Guilt is the same, with one small difference. On the single, during the pauses in the opening riffs, you can hear what sounds like the wheel of a cigarette lighter being turned. This is curiously absent from the box set version. What happened to that lighter? Was DGC worried about sending children the wrong message about playing with incendiary devices? Or, is it possible that the record company was worried about having to pay royalties to the person flicking his or her Bic? My guess is that we'll never know.

The Jesus Lizard - Puss / Nirvana - Oh, the Guilt

http://rapidshare.de/files/4785260/Puilt.rar.html

password: calabogus

Early NMH

When you meet someone, you get a distinct impression of who they are, and you learn more about them the longer you know them. You know that they have a habit of tugging on their right earlobe when they're nervous, that they only shave every couple of days, or that they like to wear ass-less chaps. What you don't really know is what they were like before you met them. You have an idea, but how can you be sure? It's different with bands. When you hear an album you like, all you have to do is go to the record store and buy the band's back catalogue. The natural progression (or regression), for example, goes like this: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea - On Avery Island - Everything Is.

Neutral Milk Hotel - Everything Is EP

http://rapidshare.de/files/4785851/NMHEIEP.rar.html

password: calabogus

2005-09-04T12:47:00.000+09:00

Violent Femmes

Legend has it that an inchoate Violent Femmes was first 'discovered' busking outside of a Pretenders gig in Milwaukee. Chrissie Hynde was so taken with their exuberant ... Och, who really cares?
I love their debut album. Twenty-odd years on, it still has the curious effect of elongating my medulla oblongata. Know what I mean? No? Me neither. Here it is:

Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes

http://rapidshare.de/files/4673862/Vemmes1.rar.html
http://rapidshare.de/files/4674863/Vemmes2.rar.html

The Decemberists

Songs about vindictive mariners, Victorian whores, chimbly (sic) sweeps, and French Legionnaires. Let's try something new. How about a piece in five movements based on an eighth-century Celtic poem. Sure. Sound like a bad idea? Well, 't ain't. 't ain't bad at all.

The Decemberists - The Tain

http://rapidshare.de/files/4675447/The_Tain.rar.html

2005-09-04T12:00:00.000+09:00

Lou Reed

In Trainspotting, Sick Boy's unifying theory of life states that when you're young, you've got got. Then you get older and you lose it, and it's gone forever. He maintains that it's a phenomenon in all walks of life. Renton brings up Lou Reed. He says that some of Lou Reeds older (later) stuff isn't bad. Sick Boy retorts by saying that though some of Lou Reed's later stuff may sound alright, in your heart you really know that it's just ... shite.
Let's not put Sick Boy's theory to the test.
Here's some classic Lou:

Lou Reed - Transformer

http://rapidshare.de/files/4680826/Lou_Reed_-_Transformer.rar.html
password: calabogus

Ruminations on a Fruit Salad

I've never really seen Sleepless in Seattle, but I've caught snatches of it now and again when it's been shown on TV. In one scene, someone asks Tom Hanks' character what was so special about his now-dead wife. He says that one of her endearing traits was the ability to peel an apple in a single long piece. Recently, while preparing an apple/kiwi/yoghurt fruit salad, I realized two things. Firstly, peeling an apple without breaking the long string of peel is no amazing feat. Secondly, peeling a kiwi (the erstwhile Chinese gooseberry, not the bird) that way is damn near impossible. I don't know if any of the Datsuns can do it, but I do know that they are a Kiwi band. We just don't hear enough about bands from New Zealand. Check them out:

The Datsuns - The Datsuns

http://rapidshare.de/files/4701326/Datsuns1.rar.html
http://rapidshare.de/files/4701498/Datsuns2.rar.html
password: calabogus