Mr. Jones: 1944–2007
The <A HREF="http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200771113…; for Dylan's "Ballad of a Thin Man" died in November.
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Next Generation Classical
When I realized that I knew most of <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16741721">WGUC's Top Classical CDs of 2007</a>, I had to stop and wonder: "What the heck is going on with me?"
Over The Hills and Not So Far Away
"Cavalcade of merciless repetition," is how Jimmy Page described touring in the <I>Sunday Times</I> last week. I still say they're gonna tour but give them credit: they're being coy about being dragged into accepting all that cash.
Kissing On Magazine Photos
In the middle of my salsa and <i>son</i> craze, Iron & Wine's <i>The Shepherd's Dog</i> has come as a surprise. It got me wondering what other albums I might've missed along the way. Lots, I'm sure. If I end up with some spare cash after the holidays, I think I'll take some time to revisit my indie-pop/folk fascination, starting with the following:
Stubborn Boys with Big, Green Eyes
Hey, have you guys heard the new Iron & Wine album, <i>The Shepherd's Dog</i>? It's been out for awhile now, but Robert just let me borrow his copy. I don't know what it is about Sam Beam, but his music has a way of getting me all nostalgic for every love I've ever felt. Then I imagine myself older, looking out of some unfamiliar window, a scene dressed in orange and green and blue, warm air, some trees, alone and feeling alright.
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
B. R. Myers didn't like Denis Johnson's National Book Award winning <I>Tree of Smoke</I> <A HREF="http://www.theatlantic.com:80/doc/200712/vietnam">much</A>.
Andrew Imbrie: 1921–2007
Stockhausen's death garnered all the attention, but I'd be remiss if I didn't note the passing of Andrew Imbrie on December 5.
Digested Read
Every Tuesday, <I>The Guardian</I> posts John Crace's "Digested Read," which is a parodic review of a book written in the (greatly exaggerated) style of the book itself.
Brilliant!
Somebody at <I>The Washington Post</I> had the supremely brilliant idea of having Pulitzer Prize winning literary critic Michael Dirda <A HREF="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/06/AR20071…; <I>The Completely Mad Don Martin</I>.
"Plus ca change..."—The Information Superhighway
When I browse through early issues of this magazine, I envy <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/historical/712">J. Gordon Holt</A>. When he <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/711">founded</A> <I>Stereophile</I> in 1962, there were aspects of society that stood as solid as the Rockies overlooking his current Colorado home. Back then a magazine was a thing forever; the main means of serious communication would always be the written word; records would always be LPs...recorded in stereo; the US had a large, prosperous consumer electronics industry; computers were huge mainframes made in the USA by IBM (of course), and required air-conditioned rooms and armies of white-coated attendants; everyone watched three broadcast television networks; once a film left the neighborhood cinema, it was gone forever—or at least until it appeared on the "Late, Late, Late Show." And most importantly, people took for granted that progress in sound reproduction meant improvements in quality.