I'm thinking that Cheap Trick's latest, "The Latest" is their best record since their debut. With so much to listen to on a regular basis, it's rare that I go back to something so soon after listening once. It's gotta be good. I have gone back to this record at least a half dozen times in the last week. It is killing me. Buy it HERE.
So here's my iTunes dilemma. I wanted to get some artwork via their "Get Album Artwork" function. I hit it, and within seconds, iTunes was looking up art for 9,349 songs. I watched it, eyes rolling in my head, as it passed at breakneck speed through everything in my library from The Louvin Brothers and The Move and David Bowie and Led Zeppelin to demos of my band. (How do they have artwork for my band and I don't?) When it was done, I couldn't find any artwork. Nothing at all, not even for "Abbey Road." Where does it go? What good is the function? Is this thing on?
Peter Wolf's upcoming release "Midnight Souvenirs" will end up on everyone's Top Ten list of 2010. You heard it here first. (Not the record, just the prediction.)
Have you seen the new T-Mobile commercial with Eric Clapton? This is even worse than "Lay Down Sally." (Listen to "Deserted Cities Of The Heart." You'll either feel better or worse.)
I once asked a friend of mine what her favorite Paul McCartney song was, and she said "Spies Like Us." (I swear.)
Elton's "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting"--yay or nay? Heard it real loud yesterday and it kinda kicked my ass. Wanna fight?Speaking of Elton, here is a ZIP of the 4 unaired bonus tracks from the Season One DVD of Elvis Costello's Spectacle.
TRACKLIST
Ballad Of A Well-Known Gun- Elvis Costello & The Imposters w/Allen Toussaint & James Burton
I'm Beginning To See The Light- Elvis Costello & The Imposters w/Larry Campbell & Jenny Scheinman
Purple Haze- The Police w/Elvis Costello & The Imposters
No More Tearstained Make-Up- Elvis Costello & The Imposters
(Purple Haze is lame, but the other three are superb.)
ZIPFILE
16 comments:
Sal - regarding Katrina telethon; you're kidding right? you don't remember kanye saying his bit about george bush?
I wasn't kidding and I guess you're right, Kevin. I honestly didn't remember. Not sure what that says, but I removed the post. Thanks.
I love Cheap Trick's "The Latest" - constantly on my playlist. Just a great record that gets better and better each time you listen to it. By the way so does Dan Auerbach's "Kip it Hid"
Andy
Lame is as lame does -- but I almost changed my carrier just to get one of those Fender fones . . . speaks volumes.
Hold a second, B.B. King is on the other line . . .
"Hey B. . . . just hanging"
You've certainly got me intrigued about the upcoming Peter Wolf album. Always a much-underrated artist in my opinion. But release is still almost 2 months away.
And anyone else want to see a J Geils Band reunion? Or is it just me?
I don't watch too much TV and I've seen that commercial ten times at least. I'm diggin that phone and I only have a pay-as-you-go.
Spies like us? Did you put her on probation?
Saturday Night - yey. You won't see me turning it off. I'd turn it up and dance.
It was nay for me, until I heard it performed live, and definitely yay to a J. Geils Band reunion.
I've been working through this season's Elvis shows, and while I could do without the pretentious ass-kissery - songs and artists are discussed in such hushed, reverent tones, you'd think they were all saints singing hymns - I have to admit to being blown away a couple of times. Elvis's acoustic "Town Crier" was fantastic, and seeing him and Ray LaMontagne barreling through "Henry Nearly Killed Me" was - I don't know, how do you describe a performance like that? Unreal. EC has a blog on the Sundance Channel website where he discusses that performance; simply amazing.
Anyway, you know what knocked me out the other day? The Stones "Lies" from Some Girls came on my shuffle and I swear it sounded like the 13th song on Never Mind the Bullocks. Jeebus, they pounded that one out, didn't they.
I don't know, maybe I was high.
There were two J. Geils reunions in the last ten years. I missed them both because I hated the venues- one was Jones Beach and the other may have been Atlantic City. A friend of mine still raves about the Jones Beach show, though only about 78 people showed up.
And Noam, I go back and forth about how I feel, re: The Kiss-assiness Of Spectacle. It's because I know how much of a fan of music Elvis is, that I let it go, but then when the camera pans to the mooning faces of the audience, it becomes more apparent.
Gonna watch EC and Ray again. Wasn't knocked out like you, but I admit to not paying too much attention.
Hi Sal,
The Latest is ace.
Not sure it's the best since the first but after years and years of hoping the next one would be great, at last it is.
Certainly the best since maybe Dream Police.
Since then, I can live with Busted as a whole album but not much else.
Hope all's well.
Yeah, maybe I am a little over the moon with "The Latest" at the moment. Hard to put it ahead of "In Color" and "Heaven Tonight." I happen to think the Todd Rundgren album, "Next Position Please" is damn good, too. Hell, I love Cheap Trick. (Except for The Doctor & Special One. What the hell happened there?"
Sal-
The Latest was one of my top albums for 2009. It was awesome in every way. I have been a CT fan since Heaven Tonight (and quickly went back & got the first two). So good to see them continuing to kick ass a decade into the 2000s. Did you ever hear the unreleased Steve Albini version of In Color? WOW. Good stuff.
With regard to their later stuff, you're right about the disappointments of The Doctor and Special One (which had 1.5 good songs). The Woke Up With a Monster album was ok, except for the title track and the god-awful cover. And CT97 and Rockford were pretty damn good. But The Latest tops them all.
Excellent call!!
I can't imagine Elton ever doing a lame cover of anything, Sal.
Willie the Mailman
Cheap Trick's cover of Wizzard's "Rock And Roll Tonight" was inspired though.
On the Elt subject, doesn't he do covers of his own songs pretty lamely lately?
Sadly, "Spies Like Us" was McCartney's last Top Ten single. It's still better than "Looking for Changes," "Dance Tonight" or "Biker Like an Icon."
Always liked EJ's "Saturday Night's AFF."
"Biker Like An Icon" could be the worst thing by any Beatle.
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