My Thermos

From our friends at Music Memoirs

Our Mission Today: Top 5 reasons you splurge on a purchase of music

Over the years I have bought a lot of music. I think my first albums were bought mid '70s and have amassed a pretty sizable collection of LPs and CDs.

The majority of my LP collection was bought used. Through High School, the hours of scrounging through racks, flipping those wonderful covers looking for treasures. I guess I used to occasionally drop $30-$40 at Record Swap but I don't think I ever really went overboard.

In college I would occasionally forget to enter checks and ATM withdrawals in my checkbook so I wouldn't know exactly how much money I had. I would be so worried about being overdrawn that I would just stop spending money until I got my statement and could get things balanced. Usually I would be pleasantly surprised at the mini-windfall and spend some $$ at either the local used store or ABCD's in Fort Collins.

The largest single volume music purchase was when I was in college. The owner of the local used record store called me and said he was liquidating a collection for a radio station that had gone under. He rented the store next to his and invited me in to take a look before he opened up to the general public. I guess I was a good customer.

So after about an hour I had collected a whopping 91 albums on the counter. No real treasures but I picked up some things that I would have never really bothered with otherwise, basically like "I may have heard of these guys...".  At $0.17 each it was still quite a bargain though.

When I switched to CDs I guess my initial purchase would have been considered a splurge. I saved up enough to buy 10 of them along with my first CD player. I didn't want to have this new cool device with only one thing to listen to.

Since then I think the bulk of my CDs came from local shops and then from Amazon but usually no more than 1 or 2 at a time.

Recently I don't buy much music. I subscribe to a monthly music service (Rhapsody) which lets me listen to a ton of stuff on demand. For example, the New Susan Tedeschi just came out and I was able to listen to it online without needing to buy it. Not everything is available but it seems the majority of new stuff is. I also get to listen to a lot of stuff that I call my fringe likes. I like them enough to listen to occasionally but I'm not sure I would spend real money on them.

I still occasionally buy something to fill in a hole in the collection but it has been a while since I've done anything that would be considered a splurge.

So no list - this is as good as I can do on this one...

Cheers!

SB

Had he not died tragically in October of 1971, Howard Duane Allman would have been 62 years old today.

In addition to his amazing work with The Allman Brothers Band, Duane was also an accomplished session musician playing with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Herbie Mann, Wilson Pickett, Otis Rush, and Boz Scaggs. In fact, his work on Loan Me A Dime remains one of the most powerful guitar solos I've ever heard and makes it a favorite song of mine.

His contributions to the Derek and the Dominos masterpiece Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs are just staggering as well.

It's no secret how much of an Allman Brothers Band fan I am, and even though Duane's time with them was short his influence was huge and continues to be so to this day.

It is sad when such a bright spark is extinguished just when it is getting its chance to shine.

Photo via Ed Berman and Wikimedia - Fillmore East June 1971

It has been a long time coming but it is my pleasure to revive the Build Your Own Best Of series with a truly remarkable artist - Peter Gabriel.

As a long-time member of Genesis his contributions to my collection are already significant. His tenure with the band, culminating in the brilliant Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, represents some of the greatest music ever created.

As a solo artist he has continued to push the boundaries, and his incorporation of rhythmic textures and world themes has always led to interesting and compelling music.

It won't come as a surprise to anyone who is a regular reader that I tend to enjoy his lesser known work, or should I say his less popular work. In this instance I don't believe it is snobbery but more a reflection of my admiration for his darker, more experimental, less traditional stuff.

I do want to especially comment on Up. I was hesitant to listen after the disappointment of Us but when I got over myself and actually listened I found it to be an incredible work. "Darkness" may frighten you upon first listen but get through it and you will be rewarded.

So once again inspired by Nat at Mini-Obs , the idea is the same as always:

Pick one of your favorite bands / artists and list 10-15 songs by that band / artist to compile your own best of compilation.

So here goes - The Best of Peter Gabriel as compiled by me: Continue reading "The Triumphant Return Of The BYOBO - Peter Gabriel" »

Via our friends at Music Memoirs:

The Meme Mistress is going to a concert tonight, so that's going to be our theme this week.

If money were no object, what band would you see in concert?
Where were the closest seats you've ever had for a show (that was non-general admission)?
What type of venue do you prefer to see a show?

Hmm - was hoping to have a short and easy one to do tonight but I can get a bit verbose when it comes to discussing concerts. So here we go:

If money were no object, what band would you see in concert?

For many years we traveled to New York to see Gov't Mule's multiple night New Years Eve run. These are historic shows featuring tons of special guests and a three set themed extravaganza on New Years Eve. It's an insane amount of music, typically over the three nights there are no repeat songs.



This year they are doing 4 shows - 2 acoustic shows on Dec 27th and 28th followed by 2 full on electric shows on the 30th and 31st. Once again, 3 full Mule sets on New Years Eve.

I would so love to be there.

Where were the closest seats you've ever had for a show (that was non-general admission)?

I was front row for Rush back in '86 but it was really a miserable experience. I was smashed up against the wall with the stage high in front of me and a crowd of folks pushing me forward even though there was no place for me to go. Marillion opened which actually made the show worthwhile.

A much better experience was 2nd row for The Allman Brothers Band at the Chicago Theater. We were right in the middle of Warren and Oteill and it was stellar. The thing I remember most was hearing the stage sound rather than the PA - brilliant!!

What type of venue do you prefer to see a show?

I'm a big fan of theater shows although I don't mind an occasional large club. I prefer crowds in the 1500 - 2500 range. With the smoking ban here in Illinois I am not quite as picky as I used to be.

I hate outdoor sheds with a passion and am not a particular fan of Arenas either, although I understand they are a necessary evil for some performers.

A stadium show can be fun but I've grown to dislike the large crowds so I usually end up just getting frustrated at the idiots around me.

Well, that actually wasn't as long winded as I thought. How would you have answered?

Gina and I are having guests to the house tonight for our family game night. It's a once a month thing we do so that we have time with folks without kids or other guests around.

So while Gina gets the snacks prepared I assemble the music selection for the evening. I use the Rhapsody Service now that Yahoo has shut down, and I have this nify Linksys Media Player that connects to my stereo which picks up the Rhapsody stream on my wireless network. This means I can set up playlists pulled from the full library and listen on demand.

I have been hard at work assembling a perfect playlist for the evening. It's difficult as the musical tastes of my family are sort of varied. I also need to have it be interesting and compelling without it being overwhelming. I try to mix in a wide assortment of stuff. I add some things that are familiar but also take advantage of the opportunity to perhaps turn them on to something new.

Playlists for me are a living breathing entity. They evolve and change over time. Songs are added and removed as I seek that perfect balance, all the while knowing that it will never be done.

So here is the playlist I have created for this evening. I'm really quite pleased with it. Continue reading "Creating A Perfect Playlist" »

I guess it technically isn't still Tuesday, but I am still awake so I'm going with it. It is late though so no linkage.

Once again via Music Memoirs our mission today is:

November 10th was the anniversary of the day The Edmund Fitzgerald went down during a storm on Lake Superior. So we're going to have a nautical theme meme - word association style:

Ocean: Walk On The Ocean - Toad The Wet Sprocket
River: Meeting Across The River - Bruce Springsteen
Sea: I Am The Sea - The Who
Sailor: Sail on Sailor - The Beach Boys
Ship: Shipbuilding - Elvis Costello
Wave: The Wild Wild Sea - Sting
Sand: Cowgirl In The Sand - Neil Young
Sail: Sail Away - Randy Newman
Navy: You're A Soldier - Husker Du
Deep: Banks Of The Deep End - Gov't Mule

Cheers!
SB

It's not too often that I like a cover better than the original...

but this is one of those times:

Warren Haynes - Wasted Time

Cheers!
SB