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Prince

3121
Universal

To those in dreamland I say: face it, the Purple history's great but it ain't gonna happen again. Ever. The man who made Purple Rain (or even 1991's Diamonds and Pearls) is gone, dead, never to return. In his place is this good boy Jehovah's Witness who has with 3121 made his best record in many years. Too bad it's come out just as Warner Bros. have released the two disc best-of, Ultimate Prince.

No, nothing here reaches a boil like "Baby, Do Me" but "Black Sweat" may make your nooks and crannies, ah, grow a tad moist. "Fury" is almost a worthy successor…

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

Hammersmith Odeon, London `75
Columbia

This is the two channel CD issue of the performance captured on the DVD that came with the 30th anniversary edition of Born To Run. Since I've already raved about the DVD of this show in a review of the BTR box, I'll just say here again that this is prime Bruce, all young and bearded and spry. The sound quality, which I had initial trepidations about (the DVD, not really a fair measure,) is surprisingly good. The talents of Bob Clearmountain, Thom Zimny and others have wrought a pretty exciting sounding live document, particularly when…

The Well-Tempered Clavier

A shockwave interactive analysis of Bach's dissertation on harmony—with an emphasis on the fugues.

Via Growabrain.

Dance Monkey, Dance

A short film by Ernest Cline. This monkey says yay! Or should that be "oook"?

Maybe There <I>Is</I> Accounting For Taste

Scientists studying the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) think they've discovered the neurons responsible for making choices. Soon, they may tackle the really important issues, such as whether some audiophiles are genetically disposed towards choosing solid-state over tubes.

Pooh on the Couch

Turns out that the 100 Acre Wood was a place "of disenchantment, where neurodevelopmental and psychosocial problems go unrecognized and untreated."

137-Year-Old Submarine Discovered

Actually, people knew it was there, they just didn't realize what it was. Be sure to check out the photo gallery.

Put On Your Red Shoes and Dance the Blues, or: Blend With the M

There's a knock-knock at my door.

"Hi Stephen," ad manager Chris Yuin greets me. "So, I think I'll be moving into Patti's old office today."

Elizabeth and I started a trend. Everyone is moving into an office. With the sudden space created by recent departures and reorganizations, there's room enough for us all to enjoy a little privacy and sunlight. And all the good that comes with a little privacy and sunlight.

Despite fewer occupants, the office has become more alive, cheerier. There's a greater presence than ever before, with more evidence of the fine art we create…

Spirals

John Marks writes: "Peter Sykes, who played the Goldbergs live at HE Whatever in NYC, clued me in to the site www.larips.com.

Which is “spiral” backwards—and which argues for a solution to Bach’s temperament problem. Sykes finds it convincing.

"The short version: the curlicue over the dedication of the WTC is an upside-down memory device of how to flatten a bit, double-flatten a bit, or leave pure the tunings of different note intervals... .

"More perhaps, than most might want to know!"

Not me, I spent tons of time checking out all of Mr. Lehman's examples. Thanks, John!…

William P. Gottlieb, R.I.P.

I just learned that William Gottlieb died last night. Like every jazz fan, many of my images of the jazz greats come directly from his photography. Billie Holiday with her head back, eyes closed; Django Reinhardt, cigarette a-dangle, fretting a run; a skinny Frank Sinatra looking beyond the microphone . . .all are indelible Gottlieb images. You'll probably see lots of obituaries in the next few days, but a visit to the Gottlieb collection at the Library of Congress might be the best place to remember him.