You Don't Have To Visit This Blog

Ever wonder what George W. Bush would sound like if he sang the song, 'Imagine'? Ever wonder what Michael Moore would sound like if he 'sang', period? How about former Attorney General of the United States, John Ashcroft or former Vice Presidential candidate and current senator, Joseph Lieberman? Well, now you can find out.

Another set of compilations I made up for my own enjoyment. I figured somebody else might enjoy them too. Most of the tracks are political comedy and satire (usually with a musical backdrop) and most of the tracks come from the great site, http://www.diymedia.net, so if you want more tracks like these, it's a good place to go. On this set, I didn't go for too much breadth of selection and I didn't really dig around in my collection too much, so a lot of people got left out such as Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, FDR, LBJ, Joseph McCarthy, Stalin, etc., but it's still an enjoyable mix of political comedy.

If you really love George W. Bush or if you think the Iraq war was his finest hour, you should probably avoid Volume 1.


pw = you_dont_have_to_visit - on all volumes

Political Fun, Vol. 1

Track List:

Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 01 - rx - Imagine...Walk On The Wild Side
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 02 - Panthers - Subliminababble
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 03 - George W. Bush Singers - Embetterment Ingrinable
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 04 - The Evil Calicoes - Bush Commonsensicle (2001)
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 05 - Ubuibi - Brave New World
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 06 - Saturday Night Live - George W. Bush - Slow Brain
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 07 - by dave anton - Bush Whacked (2003)
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 08 - Unknown - GWB Doctored Speech
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 09 - Roy Zimmerman - Homeland Security (2004)
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 10 - Norton Scooter - Bush Coronation Mix (2005)
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 11 - Norton Scooter - Love Me Like Iraq
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 12 - gACK bASTARD - In a Hole [featuring George W. Bush]
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 13 - Michael Moore - Jocke Boberg & Janne Palmén - Shame On You Mr. Bush
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 14 - Roy Zimmerman - Saddam Shame: 2004 version
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 15 - Radio Crack - Bush Full Translation - (The Bush 2001)
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 16 - National Corporate Radio - Bush Interview
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 17 - National Corporate Radio - Bush Press Conference
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 18 - MC Quake - The New Bushisms
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 19 - Dr. Laniac - Abu Garum (2004)
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 20 - Harry Shearer - Hard Work
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 21 - The National Cynical Network - Hard Work (2004)
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 22 - Roy Zimmerman - Chicken Hawk (2004)
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 23 - Dubya & The Propaganda Machine - 1441 (2004)
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 24 - National Corporate Radio - Bush Convention Speech (2004)
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 25 - National Corporate Radio - Bush Victory Speech (2003)
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 26 - rx - White Lines (2005)
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - 27 - Frenz - The Mistake


Political Fun, Vol. 1 - Part 1
Political Fun, Vol. 1 - Part 2

OR

(in one big file):

Political Fun, Vol. 1










Political Fun, Vol. 2

Track List:

Political Fun, Vol. 2 - 01 - Rush Limbaugh Hater - Rush Sings I'm A Nazi
Political Fun, Vol. 2 - 02 - The Foremen - Russian Limbaugh (1995)
Political Fun, Vol. 2 - 03 - Austin Lounge Lizards - Gingrich the Newt
Political Fun, Vol. 2 - 04 - Ted - Ronald Reagan: A Marxist-Leninist Spokesperson
Political Fun, Vol. 2 - 05 - Dekionplexis - Reagan's Rant (1983)
Political Fun, Vol. 2 - 06 - Edward C. Hayes - The Ronald Reagan Song
Political Fun, Vol. 2 - 07 - Cliff Roth - The Reagans Speak Out on Drugs (Excerpt) (1986)
Political Fun, Vol. 2 - 08 - The Foremen - Ain't No Liberal (1995)
Political Fun, Vol. 2 - 09 - The Goldwaters - It's Over Now / Win in '64 (1964)
Political Fun, Vol. 2 - 10 - David Slusser - Thug
Political Fun, Vol. 2 - 11 - Norton Scooter - WhiteStag
Political Fun, Vol. 2 - 12 - Spike Jones - Der Führer's Face
Political Fun, Vol. 2 - 13 - Dept. of Corrections - Rumsfeld Comes Clean
Political Fun, Vol. 2 - 14 - Unknown - Goofy Dan Rather on Election 2000
Political Fun, Vol. 2 - 15 - George Atkins and Hank Levine - Let Us Begin Beguine (1961)
Political Fun, Vol. 2 - 16 - The Foremen - Do The Clinton (1995)
Political Fun, Vol. 2 - 17 - Sean Altman - Hanukah With Monica (1998)
Political Fun, Vol. 2 - 18 - Vidar Brennodden - Deeply (2000)
Political Fun, Vol. 2 - 19 - Larry Shannon Hargrove - Leave Bill Clinton Alone (1998)
Political Fun, Vol. 2 - 20 - Bill Clinton - Summertime (instr.) (1994)
Political Fun, Vol. 2 - 21 - John Ashcroft - Let the Eagle Soar
Political Fun, Vol. 2 - 22 - John Ashcroft & Max Bacon - Unseen Hand
Political Fun, Vol. 2 - 23 - Senator Joe Lieberman - My Way

Political Fun, Vol. 2 - Part 1
Political Fun, Vol. 2 - Part 2

OR

(in one big file):

Political Fun, Vol. 2


'Rush Sings I'm A Nazi' is one of the funniest songs of that kind that I've ever heard and it always makes me laugh. Also, if you like the Roy Zimmerman songs, please visit his site, http://www.royzimmerman.com/. He has CD's for sale that you might enjoy, so think about buying them and encouraging his wicked sense of humor and sharp satirical mind.

I always thought it would be fun to make up a compilation of foreign language (at least if you're English speaking) versions of familiar songs and thought I'd have enough for a volume or two. However, when I looked for material in my collection to do it, I never realized I had so many of them. I think I'm up to volume 7 or 8 now, but here are the first two for your listening pleasure:


pw = you_dont_have_to_visit - on all volumes

Foreign Language Fun, Vol. 1

Track List:

01 - The Beatles - Sie Liebt Dich - [She Loves You] - [in German]
02 - Richard Anthony - Toi L'ami - [All My Loving] - [in French] (1964)
03 - Rita Lee - Minha Vida - [In My Life] - [in Portuguese] (2001)
04 - The Beach Boys - Ganz Allein - [In My Room] - [in German]
05 - Peter and Alex - Wir Wollen Nach Haus - [Sloop John B] - [in German]
06 - Dionne Warwick - Geh Vorbei - [Walk On By] - [in German] (1964)
07 - The Supremes - Where Did Our Love Go? - [in German]
08 - The Temptations - Mein Girl - [My Girl] - [in German]
09 - Petula Clark - Dans Le Temps - [Downtown] - (French Version)
10 - Dusty Springfield - Auf Dich Nur Wart Immerzu - [I Only Want To Be With You] - [in German] (1964)
11 - ABBA & Mireille Mathieu - The Winner Takes It All - (French ver.) (1980)
12 - Salma & Sabina Agha - Ho Jayegi Badnami - [Money, Money, Money] - [in Hindi]
13 - Barry Manilow - Copacabana - (Spanish ver.)
14 - Gloria Gaynor - Yo Vivire - [I Will Survive] - (Version Flamenca) - [in Spanish]
15 - Mary Hopkin - Quelli Erano Giorni - [Those Were The Days] - [in Italian] (1968)
16 - The Beautiful South - Les Yeux Ouverts - [Dream A Little Dream Of Me] - [in French]
17 - Nat King Cole - Perfidia - [in Spanish]
18 - Björk Guðmundsdóttir & Tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar - Í Dansi Með Þér - [Sway] - [in Icelandic] (1990)
19 - Les Chats Sauvages - Est-Ce Que Tu Le Sais - [What'd I Say] - [in French] (1961)
20 - Question Mark & The Mysterians - 96 Tears (En Español)
21 - Los Apson - Satisfaction - [in Spanish]
22 - The Monkees - Tema Di Monkees
23 - Nancy Sit - Love Potion No. 9
24 - Gene Pitney - Town Without Pity - [in German]
25 - Lesley Gore - Goodbye Tony - [You Don't Own Me] - [in German] (1964)


Foreign Language Fun, Vol. 1 - Part 1
Foreign Language Fun, Vol. 1 - Part 2

OR

(in one big file):

Foreign Language Fun, Vol. 1


Foreign Language Fun, Vol. 2

Track List:

01 - Marie Laforêt - Marie Douceur, Marie Colère - [Paint It Black] - [in French] (1966)
02 - Sonia - Aqui Et Mi Nube - [Get Off My Cloud]
03 - The Pets - Hello I Love You
04 - Los Apson - Suzie Q
05 - Johnny Hallyday - Noir C'est Noir - [Black Is Black] - [in French]
06 - Hugu Tugu - Fino A Ieri - [Somebody To Love] - [in Italian]
07 - Nicoletta - Je Ne Pense Qu' À T' Aimer - [How Can I Be Sure] - [in French] (1967)
08 - Nicoletta - Les Orgues D' Antan - [A Whiter Shade Of Pale] - [in French] (1967)
09 - Alejandra Guzman - La Casa Del Sol Naciente - [House Of The Rising Sun] - [in Spanish]
10 - Patricia - Mes Rêves de Satin - [Nights in White Satin] - [in French] (1968)
11 - Vierzehn - Stein Um Stein - [Another Brick in the Wall] - [in German]
12 - GLS United - Rapper's Deutsch
13 - Nena - 99 Luftballons - [in German]
14 - Blondie - Call Me - [En Espanol]
15 - The Beatles - Get Back - [in German]
16 - Rita Lee - Tudo Por Amor - [Can't Buy Me Love] - [in Portuguese] (2001)
17 - Sylvie-Anne - Un Tours Dehors - [Day Tripper] - [in French]
18 - Titti Sjöblom - Vi Kan Börja Om - [We Can Work It Out]
19 - Dick Rivers - Ces Mots Qu'On Oublie Un Jour - [The Things We Said Today] - [in French]
20 - Lara And The Trailers - Run For Your Life
21 - Cornershop - Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
22 - Bjork - The Fool on the Hill (Alfur Ut Ur Hol) - [in Icelandic] (1977)
23 - NDS - Sol, Sol - [Here Comes The Sun]
24 - Rita Lee - Aqui, Ali em Qualquer Lugar - [Here, There and Everywhere] - [in Portuguese] (2001)

Foreign Language Fun, Vol. 2 - Part 1
Foreign Language Fun, Vol. 2 - Part 2

OR

(in one big file):

Foreign Language Fun, Vol. 2



Where applicable, I generally put the more familiar English language title of the songs in brackets. Volume 1 has a special emphasis on versions that were closer in sound to the originals.

If you live in those countries where these were originally played or you speak the languages, it may not be as interesting a collection, but as for myself, I always enjoy hearing them.

Let me know if anybody wants me to put up the other volumes.

I realize the possibilities of gathering more foreign language covers are endless, so if anybody has any additions or suggestions that I don't already have, I'd love to hear them.

Also, sites like Rato, Endless Mike, April Winchell, WFMU, and so many others [check in the link list] are great sources for these and so much more.


Edit: right after I posted these, I saw 'fabfour4ever' at Hans' forum had posted foreign language compilations & 'gearfab' at Groovy Fab had posted some also (which I'm thinking is the same posting as at Hans' forum) right around the same time. Haven't downloaded them yet, but can't wait to grab them. Hopefully there isn't too much overlap.

Also, at around the same time I noticed in Peacock Alley's archives that she had also put up some foreign language tracks a while back. That's an incredible coincidence!! In the past year of looking at music blogs, I haven't seen any private foreign language compilations like that at all, and then right after I post mine, I see 3 of them all in a row within the space of a few days! What are the odds?

=======================

Anonymous left this comment, so I thought I'd put it up:

Anonymous said...

Your idea is good but let's stay with foreign language... If you choose french singers like Richard Anthony, Johnny Hallyday or Sylvie Vartan, it's normal that they will sing in French! In the sixties they made a lot of covers of English and US hits.(you can fill thousand and thousand cd's!). You should take Richard Anthony in Italian, German or English, the same for Johnny who also sang in Turkish or Spanish, Adamo in Japanese, Christophe or Dick Rivers in Italian etc...
Nena is a german group so it's normal that 99 luftballons was sung in this language. They also recorded it in English. That's a foreign language for a german group.
Cliff Richard has also hits in german, spanish, italian, french. Helen Shapiro, Lesley Gore, Brenda Lee in French, that's what you should publish.
I have a lot of these songs. Let me know if you want that I help you.
Please don't give up, but don't forget that foreign language is more than just a cover.

So, I thought I'd respond:

Hi anonymous!

Thanks for your interesting and informative comment! I really appreciate the feedback. I agree with your point that narrowing the focus to the one that you describe would also make for a great compilation. I love those kind of compilations. Although, that's not quite what I was going for. I should've described the criteria I was using more fully in the post, but after all those long-winded entries I had posted earlier, by the time I got to this one, I thought I'd spare the readers a lengthy description of the thought process behind the compilation (so here it comes anyway.....).

I was really approaching the comp from the side of the songs rather than the singers. It was meant to be a collection of songs that became hits or had become familiar to people (specifically, in America) in their English-language versions, but were now being performed in a different language.

So I was really using 3 different genres in the comps. 1) Songs performed in languages foreign to the singer, 2) Foreign language covers of songs, & 3) Songs that were well-known in their English-language versions or originally became hits in English.

A performer like Nena, for instance, was a bit of a cheat, I'll admit, but it fit the third criteria. Even though her song was originally a hit in German first before it became a big hit in America, I included it because people here were more familiar with the English-language version. They knew about the German version, but it wasn't as played over here. But I left out songs like 'The girl from Ipanema' in Portuguese though, because even though the English language version became a huge hit here, people were also familiar with the foreign language (at least to us) versions by Jobim (and others) in America as well.

I think a compilation of just songs in languages that are foreign to the singer would be really interesting too, but I was a little less interested in narrowing the focus to just that because there are other commercial albums like the Nadelstiche Volumes (at least I think those are commercial) that would do it better than me. I just make up the compilations for my own listening pleasure and so when I think about making something up, I usually try to find a different hook or angle that can narrow down the selection in a way that's usually different from something that's already out there. When I think about making up compilations of things that are already available on CD, for instance, it usually discourages me from doing it because I just think, 'Why don't I just go and get the CD instead? They'll do a more complete job with better sound quality anyway.' So I guess that's why some of my compilations end up being kind of unusual. I haven't even put up the weirder compilations yet (though most of those are on tape).

Another reason I chose not to make the compilation just about songs in languages foreign to the singer was because if you're not familiar with the singer, some songs may not be as interesting. For instance, you could have a lot of Asian or South American singers singing in English, but if you didn't recognize the songs they were singing or if you were unfamiliar with their careers and how big a departure it was for them to sing in English, it might not be as interesting. Also, under that criteria you could include a lot of singers like say, Ricky Martin, singing any one of his English language hit(s).

I suppose it's more interesting if you're mainly English-speaking to listen to the comps (although I mentioned that in the original post), so your point that it's not as interesting because it's natural to hear people like Richard Anthony, Johnny Hallyday or Sylvie Vartan singing in French, for instance, is a valid one. But like I said, it was more about the songs they were singing in those cases rather than the singers. In the case of people like Dionne Warwick singing in German or Cliff Richard singing in Italian, it may be more interesting as to who's singing rather than the song. I wanted to do both so I could have a little variety. It's also why I didn't limit myself to just doing specific eras or styles of music on any one volume. I included songs from the 1950's (in later volumes), 60's, 70's, & 80's. That's also why I put some Beatles songs on Volume 1 and others on Volume 2. I guess I could've made up whole volumes of just Beatles covers, but it didn't seem as interesting to me to put them all on one volume.

Like on Volume 1, it started out with 60's songs and then I got a little tired of that so I veered off into some 70's disco, briefly went back to the 60's, then some jazz, and ended up with a little rock and roll and pop. Usually, I do try to make compilations a little more consistent, but with this one I wanted a little different flow.

And as for the artists, I'd love to hear any additions you have. I put more Cliff Richard and Petula Clark in later volumes, for instance, but I don't have as many of the other artists you mentioned, so I'd love to hear them. If you wanted to put together a compilation too or just stick a bunch of them in a zip file, I'd be happy to put them on the blog and credit it to you.

Well, thanks for reading this long explanation! Your points were well-taken and interesting and I appreciate reading them.

=====================================

If you're like me and you love the movie, Sleuth, with Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine, then you will love hearing the soundtrack which includes great music by John Addison and some dialogue from the film. I know some soundtrack purists absolutely hate dialogue on score soundtracks, but it's hard not to love the music. I can understand why people feel that way though because they feel it interrupts the flow of the music, but unlike a lot of soundtrack lovers, I enjoy dialogue since it reminds me of the film (but I prefer the best of both worlds when they release 2 different versions).

If you haven't seen the movie, it's a lot of fun and you'll enjoy the album even more if you see it first (but it's not absolutely necessary to enjoy the music). So have fun listening and remember.......in olden days, a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking, now heaven knows................

Sleuth (1972) (John Addison)

Track List:

01 - Overture
02 - Sleuth Theme
03 - Milo's Theme
04 - Jewel Box
05 - Count To Twenty
06 - Marguerite's Theme
07 - Panic
08 - The Bad Old Days
09 - Milo The Clown
10 - Break In
11 - Inspector Doppler
12 - Garden Grave
13 - Andrew and Milo
14 - Murder Clues
15 - End Game
16 - Epilogue

password on Rapidshare zip file = you_dont_have_to_visit

Sleuth (Rapidshare zip file)

OR

Update: I've fixed this link so now it works properly:

password on Megaupload rar file = youdont

Sleuth (Megaupload rar file)



and for anybody using Stuffit or Mac who had trouble unzipping the Rapidshare zip file before, I've also uploaded a Rapidshare rar file:

password on Rapidshare rar file = youdont

Sleuth (Rapidshare rar file)

There you go. More Sleuths than you can shake a stick at.

I thought I'd start a series of state songs. I've been wanting to create a compilation CD of songs about American states, but it never seemed like it would have a good flow, so I suppose that's why I've never done it. But it seemed better to offer them as individual songs, so here's the first in the series:


1) Bobby Darin - Alabamy Bound (1962)
2) The Moog Cookbook - Sweet Home Alabama
3) Tommy Dorsey & His Clambake Seven - When The Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves For Alabam' (1938)
4) Johnny Horton - North To Alaska (1960)
5) Don Swan - Latino (1959) - 12 - Cha Cha in Alaska


State Songs #1

OR

State Songs #1


pw = you_dont_have_to_visit

I should explain that title, 'Covers, etc.'. It's a label I used to use on tapes that I would compile. It was something of a misnomer for most of the tracks though. It was an umbrella title I used for interesting covers, related songs, songs that reminded me of other songs, elegant plagiarisms, etc. Anything that fell into those categories that didn't easily fit into other compilations I would put on a series of tapes that I called 'Covers, etc.' Most of the songs ended up not being covers, but I still think of that way, so that has carried over to here.


Since this is wedding season for a lot of people, I thought I'd put up some wedding songs. You could literally fill dozens of volumes with wedding songs, but here are just a few for your listening pleasure:


1) Bernadette Peters, David Christmas, & Company - 'Let's Have A Simple Wedding' from 'Dames At Sea'
2) Lloyd Price - Where Were You (On Our Wedding Day)? (1959)
3) Chorus - 'What A Lovely Day For A Wedding' from 'Royal Wedding'
4) Orch. & Chorus & Cast (Fred Astaire, Jane Powell, Keenan Wynn, Peter Lawford, & Sarah Churchill) - 'Finale- The Royal Wedding Day' from 'Royal Wedding'
5) Ruth Brown & Clyde McPhatter - Love Has Joined Us Together (1955)

Wedding Songs

OR

Wedding Songs


pw = you_dont_have_to_visit

Originally, I was thinking of putting up different songs but when I went to look for them, I realized they weren't there. A lot of the best material in my music collection is in storage in another town and is essentially inaccessible for the long, indefinite and forseeable future, so I'm not able to retrieve it (unless I find other copies somewhere else). So, from time to time, I may ask people for copies of things I already have (which really kind of galls me), but so be it. And, I hope you'll forgive the occasional lack of grade-A material and indulge me in the occasional request for material. Thanks.


Also, starting with this entry I've decided to change the files from rar to zip (except for any rapidshare files that are over 100 Mb that have to be split - those will still be rar). Rar files have all sorts of advantages over zip files: better compression, ability to create split archives, recovery records, being able to lock records, and virtually unlimited size restrictions on files. But since some people can't open rar files and because I realized that with the exception of the split archives I don't really need the other advantages for these files, I decided to switch over to zip files. Originally, I was going to put recovery records on the files so they might be able to be reconstructed if they got damaged, so that's one reason I started using rar files, but I ultimately decided against it. I realized that if a file got damaged, people could just re-download them, so it just made the whole thing academic. Also, it wasn't worth the extra time it took for the software to create the recovery records and the extra size of the files when they weren't really needed. It's still a great feature to have, but doesn't make much sense for blog downloads.

If anybody wants me to change over the old rar files to zip on any of the previous entries, let me know.

Not that I think anybody but me would care, but I just thought I'd mention what I've been listening to lately. It'll also give you an idea of how far behind I am in the long list of things I want to listen to. I don't tend to listen to things in the chronological order in which I get them, but I jump around a lot. I find music is a great therapy during bad times (as I suspect many bloggers in the blogosphere do), so it's a constant source of enjoyment and succor. Listening to many of these (mostly) downloaded treasures provides many hours of much-needed joy and relief, so I'd like to put out a blanket thanks to all those wonderful bloggers who made these available.

I'd just got through listening to all 10 volumes of the Easy Tempo series made available at Endless Mike and it was fantastic. I was suprised at how consistently listenable hearing it all in a row like that was. Usually I don't like to listen to too much of the same music all at once; I tend to get bored with hearing the same sounds for too long. So I was expecting to break up the different volumes with other albums, but I ended up listening to them all in a row. I suppose if you don't like Italian lounge music, it might drive you crazy, but I loved it. So much great Italian soundtrack material there and a surprising attention to consistency and flow of material on each disc. I don't see the Easy Tempo CD's in the stores here as much, but if I get the chance to buy them, I'd love to get them.

Some people might find that funny, but I think like a lot of people who download music, it doesn't preclude them from still wanting to get the CD's. It's a little like the difference between getting a print of the Mona Lisa and owning the original. You're happy to have the print, but if you had the opportunity to own the original, you wouldn't mind that either. Sometimes some (but not all) people who attack music sharing (or who attack bloggers like Hans, for instance) seem to forget that mp3's, m4a's, etc. are still compressed files (unless it's in some kind of lossless format); they're not totally interchangeable with the original CD's or LP's. People still like having the physical thing in their hands - the artwork, the liner notes, etc.; sure you'll read a book as a PDF, but a lot of people still want the actual book in their hands. And so it is with music too. Yes, we're happy to have the mp3's and enjoy listening to them, but it doesn't mean we won't still buy it, if we have the chance. Mp3's are still pale copies after all. Good enough for most of us for listening pleasure, but not the same as having the album.

I suspect that for a sizeable segment of the people who download music, the vast majority of the things they download are things they wouldn't have purchased anyway. The overall costs involved, not being exposed to the material or even being aware of its existence, not being willing to experiment with something that costs $20, and the unavailability or rarity of some material are all factors, I think, in why those downloaded albums wouldn't have been purchased in the first place. I think that's true with a lot of (if not most) people; if they took a look at their downloaded collections, I suspect that most of what's there aren't things they were planning on buying in the first place. I know that's true with me (but then again, I don't really gravitate towards the top 40, so maybe my view is skewed).

Actually, I wasn't intending to go off on this tangent, but hey, why not? That's what blogs are for, I guess. I can remember when I first started buying CD's they were in the $12 to $14 range. This was when they first started supplanting LP's in record stores. Actually, for the first couple of years that I had a CD player, I think I only bought maybe 2 CD's (long story), and so I only started buying CD's coincidentally around the time when some of the major record store chains started phasing out LP's. It was an interesting time. As CD's became more and more popular, you expected the prices to come down. It did initially in the 1980's, I think (I wasn't paying too much attention to that back then), but in the 1990's as they became dominant, the prices seem to steadily rise (long before mp3's and file sharing). I didn't really think much about it at the time. I guess I just attributed it to a combination of inflation, the cost of the transition from LP's to CD's, and the record stores needing to make more of a profit. I only started noticing when the prices got closer and closer to $20 and that's when it started to make me wonder. Although I do remember wondering a little bit when I would see classical CD's selling for $4 and other things that weren't in the public domain (as far as the composers were concerned) were closer to $14 or $15. I couldn't help but wonder how they could make a profit on $4 to $10 CD's or what accounted for that disparity.

I used to think that the cost of the materials to make a CD would naturally be much more expensive than the vinyl it took to make LP's. Then you find out how cheap it is to actually manufacture a CD (especially once they were produced on an even wider scale for computer software, CD-ROM's, etc.) and I couldn't help but scratching my head over why CD's were so expensive. It didn't seem to make sense why they would be so much more expensive than new LP's were. It didn't seem that everybody who was taking a cut from an LP would've needed to take an even bigger cut where CD's were concerned, but still I didn't think too much about it because I figured there must've been a good reason for it that I wasn't aware of. Maybe distribution costs went up or something like that.

Then I remember going to 1 of 3 major music chain stores in the area, maybe 8 or 9 years ago, and noticing that they raised the prices on most of their CD's about $1 or $2. It was noticeable since they had to re-tag everything from the last time I was there, so you couldn't help but notice the new tags over the old ones. Didn't think too much of it - figured it was a normal price increase. But then I went over to the other 2 chains stores to check out their selections and noticed the exact same thing. Again, I didn't think too much of it, but thought it was strange that there should be a simultaneous price hike at all 3 stores. I figured that it must've been some kind of increase in costs by, perhaps, the distributors that the companies were using, or something like that. Then I saw a similar $1 or $2 increase on some of the CD's at the local Best Buy. It did seem kind of strange, but again, I didn't think too much of it. Then, some time later, I heard about allegations and I think eventually judgements against some of these companies for price-fixing, and then it made a lot of sense.

Years later, when prices were now closer to $18, $19, & $20 per CD and filesharing was well under way, only then did I really start thinking about these issues. Yes, call me dumb, but the debate over these things, started making me really consider the issues of just how & why the companies were marking up the prices. Now, don't get me wrong. I thought about some of that before as I've mentioned, but when there really isn't much of an alternative (other than not buying at all, which I also did), you don't give it much thought. Now, out of fairness, I should say that, except for those early days, I really didn't buy full retail on most CD's anyway. I always waited for a sale, bought at used record stores, etc., so that was another reason that I didn't think too much about what the companies were doing as far as their full retail prices were concerned. (Although, you can't help but notice that stores can run a $4 or $5 off sale on their CD's and still make a profit!).

Then along comes file sharing, downloading, music blogging, etc. and people start using these as the sole excuses for why record sales may be going down or why the music industry may be stagnating or in trouble. I couldn't help but start considering whether the companies bring it on themselves. Now I'm not one of those who think we should share music so we can 'stick it to the man' and the vast majority of the blogs I visit seem to be also about sharing for the love of music and not out of some perverse desire to make it harder on record sales (although I have seen a few out there). I think record companies, etc. have a right to make a profit (and it's funny how the argument always revolves around the artists when they seem to make such a small cut in the equation) even if they may be gouging us. It's like anything else. There are lots of things out there that seem to be priced way too high, but we still buy it because we want it. So, I don't think it's totally unreasonable that record companies along with many other companies would overcharge us, and still make a profit. I think Rolex watches may be overpriced, but I don't think it's unreasonable that Rolex should make a profit from it or that people buy them. But by the same token, people shouldn't be totally surprised that people manufacture and buy Rolex knockoffs either. It doesn't mean that they're as good as the originals or that perhaps they should even do it, but it can't be totally unexpected either.

When you charge $20 for new CD's when you used to charge $10 for new LP's (not to mention that you used to charge $13 for new CD's), you can't act all surprised (or outraged) when people look for alternatives. And although it's not exactly the same, it puts me in mind of people who might complain about people looking for alternative fuel sources because they feel gas prices are too high. I'm actually one of those people who don't think it's entirely out of line if the oil companies or oil producers want to charge more. I'm not crazy about paying more, but I think they have the right to charge whatever they want. But of course the way it's supposed to work is that demand is supposed to go down and prices drop. People walk more, ride bikes, go for more fuel efficiency, etc. or to extend an already strained analogy, they buy less music, demand goes down, and prices drop. Now, maybe that's a very naive view of economics, but in some form or another, that seems to be the way that it's supposed to work in a free market economy. Oil is, of course, different from music; it's much messier to put in your CD player, for one thing. Demand for oil is only going up in other countries, so even if it goes down in America, that won't necessarily guarantee a price drop here (amongst many other reasons), but theoretically it should've worked a little more like that for music. As demand for CD's went up in the 1990's and supply increased and manufacturing costs went down, we should've seen some decline in the prices. But we saw a steady increase. Imagine if that had happened with say, computers, or electronics in general. I don't know if that happened with LP's, for instance. Did they start out at a relatively low price and then in the space of a decade go up in price by $4 or $5? I don't really know if they did or not. Doesn't seem like they would have, but perhaps the 1990's were operating under different market forces. I don't know. I'm willing to believe there are legitimate reasons for the price hikes, but still it makes you wonder.

So, if you could make a cheaper 'copy' of oil for your own use and then you shared it with other people, I could see how oil companies would be mad, but I think you also have to see it from the consumer side as well. It doesn't mean that either side is completely blameless, but both sides have their legitimate points. We're already doing a lot of talking (again) about looking for alternative renewable fuel sources. If the technology existed today that allowed people to manufacture their own oil cheaply (even if it was, say, produced from the oil that the oil companies were trying to sell to us), and then people distributed it widely to their friends (or even to strangers), would people blame them? I wouldn't blame the oil companies for trying to stamp out that practice, but it would also be pointless to attack your own customers or deny the existence of a flourishing technology. Would that even be an issue if oil was cheap? or as cheap as it used to be? And most people would still buy the oil from the oil companies rather than using a cheap copy. It's not a perfect analogy, but you get the idea. Imagine the dancing in the streets if we could do that with oil. People feel outraged by the high gas prices (at least in America) so they would think of that as a blessing. People aren't similarly as outraged by the high prices of CD's (unless you're an avid music fan), so there's more of an uproar against file sharing. Oil is considered a necessity (even though it's really a luxury like music is) and people use it much more often, but the ethical arguments would still be the same. Somehow I doubt that the reaction would be the same though. You'd still be hurting the business of oil companies, but I doubt there would be as much outrage as there is about file sharing. And we know that the oil companies have blocked the development of alternative fuels (just think about what happened to the electric car for instance - high demand for it from everyone who had one, but they were eliminated anyway), but we're much more bothered about the idea of that than we would be if record companies tried to block alternative distribution methods. (Yes, I know, the analogy is getting even worse, but it still applies) Oh, well, I get tired just thinking about it.

Whew! That was a long way to go to review things I've been listening to lately. Sorry about that long rambling side trip. I know these things have been debated a million times and these are all hackneyed issues by now, but I got on a roll. Well, this gets into many other issues which I don't have the time or energy to pursue (like the use of ethanol and other fuel sources, all the other issues of file sharing, the fact that I download things even when I've already got the CD since it saves me the trouble of encoding them myself, and a whole myriad of other topics nobody else wants to hear about).

Where was I? Oh, yeah, back to other things that nobody wants to hear about. Let's see.........

Other things I've been listening to recently:

Some great things from Lellebelle - Camille 2000, The Ventures in Space, Talkin' Trash, & Wavy Gravy, Vols. 1 & 2, among other things. The Wavy Gravy volumes are great. I love the way they precede each track with movie trailers. If you already have the Trashorama volumes, you probably have heard most of the trailers already, but it's still fun to listen to. And the songs ain't too bad either!

Just listened to all of Reverend Frost's Christmas mixes. Yes, I know it's June, but that gives you an idea of my listening backlog. They were fantastic, by the way, as is everything that he makes available on his site. I don't know if they're still available (or his Halloween mixes, for that matter, which are also great), but if you feel like cooling down over a hot summer with some Yule tunes (and you've exhausted everything at Falalalala and Red Ryder BB Gun), then go over there and get some.

Also listened to the Ilona Staller compilation at PCL LinkDump - another fun blast from the past.

Listened to some great Blaxploitation albums like Coffy, Melinda, The Mack, Trouble Man, & Truck Turner - more fantastic stuff

Listened to some Association albums

Listened to An Evening With Groucho album from Chasradio. Have a copy on tape that a friend gave me maybe 10 or 15 years ago, and haven't heard it since then, so it was wonderful to hear it again.

Just listened to Man of La Mancha (the complete play from the London Original Cast) available at Bongolong Land - Really enjoyed listening to that one. I think I heard it on the radio a long, long time ago and may have it somewhere in my collection, but I'm not sure if I do, so it was wonderful to get a copy (one that I definitely know I have).

Scattered throughout, I listened to 3 or 4 programs of Coverville - always fun.....& an edition (actually the only one, I think) of Withdrawn Radio

Went through all the Al Hirt & Pete Fountain albums (& The Jazz Crusaders album) available on the old Hamhead's Basement site - all incredible stuff - love Al Hirt & Pete Fountain, so was glad to hear this rare out-of-print material from them. Unfortunately, those albums aren't available anymore (though I think the Jazz Crusaders album is still available at the newer incarnation of his blog, Hamhead's Cellar) and even more unfortunately is what happened to Hamhead. Hope things go better for him in the near future. And hope those issues he has with some of the other bloggers were just misunderstandings. If not, they should be ashamed of themselves.

The Standing Ovations with Rhonda Lee album from Pastor McPurvis - fun album. Another blogger who's retired from his blog. A shame, but considering all the great work he's done in the past, he deserves any rest he wants. Hopes he comes back someday.

Just finished listening to the David Soul album available at Dartman's World of Wonder and am in the middle of listening to the soundtrack to the original Little Shop of Horrors also available at Dartman's. The only song I was familiar with from the David Soul album before I listened to it was his hit 'Don't Give Up On Us', so I had some reservations about what I was going to hear, but the album is folkier than I thought it would be, so it was a pleasant surprise.

Am also currently re-listening to the double CD set of Miklos Rozsa's King of Kings soundtrack.

That's all the ones I can remember listening to lately, but there were probably a few others in there somewhere that I missed.

Wow! Until I listed it all out, it didn't seem like I had listened to that much stuff in such a short space of time. I guess your mind plays tricks on you. Well, it was all great stuff. Can't think of a clinker in the bunch. Nothing where I thought, 'That's so much worse than I was expecting.'

And in the immediate listening pipeline: more albums from Dartman including the Scott Baio album and the William Shatner tracks; some tracks from Ill Folks, specifically his Honor Blackman tracks & Gene Pitney material; the scores to Spamalot, Wicked, & the soundtrack to X-Men III: The Last Stand; and I may listen to some more albums I got from Barbecue Bods, I may start digging into some of the Down in the Groove albums I've been wanting to listen to, I may also listen to some Groovy Fab & Jean's Music Blog albums, and possibly catch up on my Music You (Possibly) Won't Hear Anyplace Else tracks -- I'm caught up all the way to early May on those.

Now if I can just listen to those 600 or 700 other albums and 600 or 700 other loose tracks, I'll be all set! (Actually, I don't know what the real number is, but I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't even higher than that.) Then all I have to do is download 600 or 700 more albums that I've been wanting to get around to and then the cycle begins all over again..............

Well, as you can probably tell, I don't usually listen to material immediately after I get it. It sometimes takes a long time to work its way through the queue. And it depends on my mood as to what I want to listen to. As a result, it makes it very hard to leave timely comments on people's blogs, so I'm glad I have the opportunity to comment on them here. Listing it all out reminds me of just how much great stuff people have made available and it makes me want to commend them for it even more, so I'm going to try to leave more comments on their sites as well, if I can.

And while I'm doing some housecleaning with that last post, I thought I'd post something I put up in response to a request somebody made on the old Hanszunblog site. Somebody had asked for a copy of the soundtrack to the TV show, 'Love American Style' and Hans had put up a post asking if anybody had it. I was sure somebody else was going to fulfill her (at least if memory serves, I think it was a her) request, but after quite a while when nobody else did, I thought I'd give it a shot. I put up a link to the album in the comments of that post, but I was never sure if anybody had ever gotten it. It was of a vinyl rip (not mine), I had gotten a long, long time ago.

It was actually the first time I had ever attempted anything like that; I'd never uploaded anything to one of those file storage places before, so I wasn't sure if it was going to work out. Now that I think about it, I remember that much later, when I was considering putting up the same link at the Lost & Found Albums site, I tried the link again and I think it was still working, so I guess that means at least one person must've downloaded the album in the interim (but eventually when I tried it out much later, it was finally dead.) So, I thought I'd put it up again here(but this time I've added the password to the file):


Love American Style (Charles Fox)

OR

Megaupload link:

Love American Style (Charles Fox)


around 34 MB

pw = you_dont_have_to_visit

This post is devoted to the old defunct Lost and Found albums site. On that site, I never got the chance to respond to some general requests that people had made, so I thought I'd post them here. By the time I was ready to respond, the site imploded and was hacked, so I never got the chance. The original posters of the requests may never get to see these or they may have already gotten them a long time ago, but other people may want them, so I thought I'd go ahead and post them anyway.


pw = you_dont_have_to_visit - for all the files

You have two choices of download - either rapidshare or megaupload links on all tracks.

- For Pinto, looking for any 1960's tracks by Rita Chao:

Here are 3 tracks from The Girls in the Garage, Vol. 9 compilation which I think is still available at Chocoreve, but if you just want the Rita Chao tracks I put them here:

1) Rita Chao And The Quests - Hanky Panky
2) Rita Chao - Yummy, Yummy, Yummy
3) Rita Chao And The Quests - How To Catch A Girl

Rita Chao

OR

Rita Chao - megaupload



- For Neanderthal, looking for any Jerry Mathers tracks:

Jerry Mathers - Wind Up Toy


OR

Jerry Mathers - Wind Up Toy



- For Marc Time @ www.sundaymorninghangover.blogspot.com who wanted a Cliff Richard single or recordings of "Carnival" and "Magic in the Moonlight", here's one of them at least:

Cliff Richard - Magic in the Moonlight

OR

Cliff Richard - Magic in the Moonlight


- For Martin, who wanted Willie Dynamite, here's a repost of Record Brother's album (hope he doesn't mind me making it available again since he took it down from his site, but it's such a great album):



Willie Dynamite (1974 Film) (comp. by J. J. Johnson)

OR

Willie Dynamite (1974 Film) (comp. by J. J. Johnson)


01 - Willie D - [vocal by Martha Reeves & The Sweet Things]
02 - Willie Chase (instr.)
03 - King Midas - [vocal by Martha Reeves & The Sweet Things]
04 - Willie Escapes (instr.)
05 - Passion's Dilemma (instr.)
06 - Keep On Movin' On - [vocal by Martha Reeves & The Sweet Things]
07 - Make It Right (instr.)
08 - Parade Strut (instr.)
09 - Gospel Family (instr.)
10 - Willie D (Reprise) - [vocal by Martha Reeves & The Sweet Things]


- For Bill H. in Ohio who wanted various soundtracks that he lost in a storage misadventure (and if you ever get any of those back, please let me know...I'd love to have them too!). Not my rip, and unfortunately the copy I have has the dialogue tracks missing, but until it shows up somewhere else, you can still enjoy the music:


The Odd Couple (1968 Film Soundtrack - OST) (Neal Hefti) [minus dialogue tracks]


OR

The Odd Couple (1968 Film Soundtrack - OST) (Neal Hefti) [minus dialogue tracks]


01 - The Odd Couple (Vocal)
02 - Metropole
03 - Tomatoes
04 - Down With The Lights
05 - The Odd Couple (Main Title)
06 - Man Chases Man
07 - Curse Of The Cat People
08 - End Title

Also, here's The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. he asked about (again, not my rip, but I believe it's the Teddy Randazzo version):



The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.


OR

The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.


The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. (1966 TV Soundtrack)

01 - The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
02 - Shall We Gather at the Boat Dock
03 - Out of the Frying Pan
04 - April
05 - Mother Muffin
06 - Movin' On
07 - The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.
08 - Sneaky Search
09 - Somewhere in Greece
10 - The Countess
11 - Bomb Scare
12 - Follow the T.H.R.U.S.H.


- For Erik, who wanted Brasil '65: Sergio Mendes Trio / Wanda de Sah, here's a copy, if you don't mind some surface noise. It's the one that was posted in the yahoo groups, so I hope the original posters don't mind. If they do, please let me know.




Sergio Mendes Trio - So Nice (1965) (a.k.a. 'Brasil '65')


OR

Sergio Mendes Trio - So Nice (1965) (a.k.a. 'Brasil '65')


01 - So Nice
02 - Favela
03 - Berimbau
04 - Tristeza Em Mim
05 - Aquarius
06 - One Note Samba
07 - She's A Carioca
08 - Muito A Vontade
09 - Let Me
10 - Consolacao
11 - Reza









- Also, RevKev asked about any original cast albums. Are you looking for any ones in particular?


On the site, I had posted a request for various items (which were actually mostly filled....thank you to all!), and one of them was Gene Barry's vocal version of the 'Burke's Law' theme. The reason I was asking was because it seemed to me I had a version somewhere in my collection, but I couldn't remember where it was. I wasn't even sure if it was actually in my collection or if I imagined it, but I could've sworn I had a version I taped off the radio a long, long time ago. I put out the request, but nobody responded with a copy. Ill Folks at http://www.illfolks.blogspot.com/ left an interesting and informative comment though by the way (at least I assume it was the same Ill Folks), and I wanted to thank him for it here. He did wonder though if any version actually existed because he had a copy of the TV soundtrack & Gene Barry's album and it wasn't on either of those. Since then, I've dug around in my tape collection and actually found my copy of the song. So I thought I'd put it up:

Gene Barry - Burke's Law


OR

Gene Barry - Burke's Law


Though this doesn't sound too bad, all things considered, if anybody has a better-sounding copy, please let me know. Thanks!

I also asked if anybody had a copy of Les Baxter's version (or really anybody's for that matter) of 'Secret of the Hills' (Vocal Version), but there was also no response on that one either. If anybody has one, I'd sure appreciate it.

And now that I think of it, a couple of more requests come to mind: 20 film and stage classics Jamaican style from 1993, I think, & John Gregory & His Orchestra - Mission: Impossible and Other TV Themes - if anybody has those, let me know. Thanks. :)



============================================

Another compilation I made up for myself. Enjoy!

Flying Themes, Vol. 1:

Track List:

01 - Flying - [from 'E.T.- The Extra-Terrestrial' (1982) (John Williams)]
02 - The Flying Circus - [from 'The Rocketeer' (1991) (James Horner)]
03 - Main Title - [from '633 Squadron' (1964) (Ron Goodwin)]
04 - Ben's Death; TIE Fighter Attack - [from 'Star Wars' (1977) (John Williams)]
05 - Dawn Raid On Fort Knox - [from 'Goldfinger' (1964) (John Barry)]
06 - Sky Symphony - [from 'Around the World in 80 Days' (1956) (Victor Young)]
07 - The Great Air-Race - [from 'Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines' (1965) (Ron Goodwin)]
08 - Crash of the Cropduster - [from 'North By Northwest' (1959) (Bernard Herrmann)]
09 - Aeroplanes - [from 'King Kong' (1933) (Max Steiner)]
10 - The Flying Lesson - [from 'High Road To China' (1983) (John Barry)]
11 - Leaving Drydock - [from 'Star Trek - The Motion Picture' (1979) (Jerry Goldsmith)]
12 - Milly & Eric Flee; Into The Air - [from 'The Boy Who Could Fly' (1986) (Bruce Broughton)]
13 - The Arrival of Tink & The Flight to Neverland - [from 'Hook' (1991) (John Williams)]
14 - Jane Can Fly - [from 'Return To Never Land' (2002) (Joel McNeely)]
15 - The Flying Sequence & Can You Read My Mind - [from 'Superman' (1978) (John Williams)]
16 - Main Title; etc. - [from 'The High and the Mighty' (1954) (Dimitri Tiomkin)]
17 - Theme from 'Airport' (1970) (Alfred Newman)]
18 - Airplane Suite - [from 'Airplane' (1980) (Elmer Bernstein)]


Rapidshare links (You'll need both parts before extracting):

Flying Themes, Vol. 1 - Part 1
Flying Themes, Vol. 1 - Part 2

OR

Megaupload link (in one big file):

Flying Themes, Vol. 1


Total Time: 1:13:53

around 105 MB

pw = you_dont_have_to_visit


Audio purists may feel that 192 Kbps doesn't capture all the high & low frequencies of symphonic music (and that the normalization doesn't help either), but if you love movies or movie music you should still enjoy this compilation. (And for those who still feel like complaining, they should probably consider buying the CD's if they're available. Actually, you still might want to buy them anyway because it's all great music. For the ones that aren't available, let me know if anyone's interested and I might put up the score at a higher rate if possible.)


Notes on the compilation:

#01: I had to start with one of the most famous flying themes in all of film history. And John Williams isn't so bad to start off with either.
#02: A great piece of music (and you can say all you want about James Horner). And remembering images of Jennifer Connelly isn't so bad either.
#03 & #07: Had to include two great flying themes from the great Ron Goodwin.
#05: Though technically the scene isn't mostly about the flying sequence, I love this piece of music and who could resist Pussy Galore's Flying Circus?
#06: Another one of the most famous flight themes in film history. Love the images of the balloon flying above the rooftops and mountains as the theme plays.
#08: Again, a bit of a cheat since it's the very end of the flight (really, the worst part of the flight), but how could I not include something from that scene?
#12-#15: Themes about flying boys & one man. Bruce Broughton is one of my favorite composers, and 'The Boy Who Could Fly' is a fantastic score.
#16-#18: Themes from air thrillers (of a sort). In their own ways, each has what I think of as classic film themes. And while the last 2 themes aren't strictly entirely about flight, they evoke the excitement of what happens during the flights. And you can't really go wrong with Alfred Newman & Elmer Bernstein.

I've added links to some of my favorite music blogs & sites. If you spot any errors or problems with the links, let me know. I'm pretty new to this blogging thing, so I don't know what the protocol is on this kind of thing, but if anybody has a problem with me linking to their site, let me know and I'll remove the link. I can't remember too well, but it seems to me every once in a while I see a note on some site saying how the person prefers to be contacted before somebody links to their site, but I don't see that too often, so I'm hoping nobody minds.

The links will open in a different window. I've gotten a lot of pleasure from reading what they have to say, listening to the music they provide, and inspiration from the spirit of sharing and love of music they exude, so you can't go too wrong visiting their sites.

I think I'll probably use this entry to comment on some of these blogs, so I'll most likely be updating this post periodically with new thoughts and observations about these sites. I don't like categorizing music and I'm not very good at it (unless the categories are really obvious), so the descriptions of the types of music that these places have to offer may be a little sparse, but visit them and enjoy! (Most of these are ones that a person visiting a fair amount of sites will already know anyway, but there may be a few that you've never bothered to visit before, so hopefully it will pique your curiosity). The main reason I wanted to describe them though is to offer some thoughts or observations about them and to thank them publicly (and frankly, it's easier than leaving individual comments at each of their sites, although I want to do more of that too).

I first started visiting music sites, I can't remember how long ago, maybe 2 or 3 years ago, and it was amazing to see people sharing albums that were rare, that you wouldn't have easy access to, or that you'd never heard of before. Some of these included Your Pal Doug, Sem Sinatra, Raymondo's Dance-O-Rama, Bellybongo, Dana Countryman, & Milwaukee John (whatever happened to him? I came back after being offline for a long time and he was gone......I fear the worst). I can't remember which one I saw first or how I even got there, but one of the earlier ones I saw was Basic Hip Digital Oddio.


Basic Hip Digital Oddio: One of the best sites which has had many interesting features over the years. Until recently, it offered an Album of the Week (and latterly Tape of the Week), but it looks like that feature's future is up in the air. It started a side project (or was at least part of it), Kiddie Records Weekly, which is still going strong.

Bastet & Corwyn: I haven't been visiting their site for too long, but it's one of those sites on which I want virtually everything they offer. I love their eclectic and large selection; they have everything from blues to opera. They're one of the few blogs that I've seen that routinely offers classical, opera, cast albums, and musical soundtracks, to name a few.

Bongolongland: Another one that I'm relatively new to, but features some great selections of rock musicals, electronic music, and rock albums, among other things (I told you I was terrible at categorizing music) that I haven't seen elsewhere.

Bubblegumfink: An amazing site celebrating bubblegum pop culture and all those wonderful things we remember from our childhood (if you grew up watching 70's cartoons, like I did). You never know what awaits you when you visit, whether it's a Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm album, pictures of a David Cassidy lunchbox, or a discussion about Speed Buggy. He had a mishap that resulted in his blog being wiped out some time back, but courageously decided to continue.

Chocoreve: Incredibly prolific poster of psychedelia and psych-rock (at least I think that's what it is.....again, I'm terrible at figuring out what type of music something is). An amazing selection.

.....To be continued.....

And here's another set of compilations I made up for myself. Again, not really made with public sharity in mind, but for my own personal listening fun, but I hope you enjoy them anyway. Well, you'll enjoy them if you happen to like the song, 'House of the Rising Sun'.............

pw = you_dont_have_to_visit - on all 4 volumes

(if you cut & paste the password, make sure you don't include an extra blank at the end!)

Houses of the Rising Sun, Vol. 1:

Track List:

01 - The Animals - The House Of The Rising Sun
02 - B.B. King and Mary Travers - House Of The Rising Sun
03 - Sammy Kaye - House Of The Rising Sun (instr.)
04 - Christian Glatz - House Of The Rising Sun
05 - Fescue - House Of The Rising Sun
06 - The Platters - House Of The Rising Sun
07 - London Symphonic Orchestra - House Of The Rising Sun (instr.)
08 - Scorpions - The House Of The Rising Sun
09 - Phobos 4 - House Of The Rising Sun (instr. - fiddle) - [live version]
10 - Blind Boys of Alabama - Amazing Grace (House Of The Rising Sun)
11 - Schade's Pigband - House Of The Rising Sun (instr.)
12 - Miriam Makeba - House Of The Rising Sun
13 - Dusk and Dawn - House Of The Rising Sun (Radio)
14 - Rhodeside - House Of The Rising Sun - [live version]
15 - Ronnie Milsap - House Of The Rising Sun
16 - The Ventures - House Of The Rising Sun (instr.)
17 - The Brothers Four - House Of The Rising Sun
18 - Nina Simone - House Of The Rising Sun
19 - Spekkosaurus - Star Wars versus House Of The Rising Sun (piano instr.)
20 - Eric Burdon - House Of The Rising Sun

Total Time: 1:12:45

around 103 MB

Filesend link (re-up):

Houses of the Rising Sun, Vol. 1

OR

Megaupload link (in one big file):

Houses of the Rising Sun, Vol. 1


Houses of the Rising Sun, Vol. 2:

Track List:

01 - Animals - House Of The Rising Sun
02 - Fausto Papetti - House Of The Rising Sun (instr. - Disco)
03 - Joy Fleming - House Of The Rising Sun - [live version]
04 - Santa Esmeralda - The House Of The Rising Sun
05 - Nixer - The House Of The Rising Sun
06 - Farragut High School Marching Admirals - House Of The Rising Sun (instr.)
07 - Odetta - House Of The Rising Sun
08 - Geordie - House Of The Rising Sun
09 - Secret Tunes Club Mix - House Of The Rising Sun
10 - Grant Green & Donald Byrd - House Of The Rising Sun (instr.)
11 - Bon Jovi - House Of The Rising Sun - [live version]
12 - Wally B - House Of The Rising Sun
13 - Nina Simone - The House Of The Rising Sun
14 - Tommy Emmanuel - House Of The Rising Sun (Acoustic)
15 - Dolly Parton - House Of The Rising Sun
16 - Leslie West - House Of The Rising Sun
17 - 101 Strings Orchestra - House Of The Rising Sun (instr.)
18 - Eric Burdon, R. Krieger & Friends - House Of The Rising Sun - [live version]

Total Time: 1:14:39

around 107 MB

Filesend link (re-up):

Houses of the Rising Sun, Vol. 2

OR

Megaupload link (in one big file):

Houses of the Rising Sun, Vol. 2


Houses of the Rising Sun, Vol. 3:

Track List:

01 - Route 66 Blues Band - House Of The Rising Sun
02 - Doc Watson & Richard Watson - The House Of The Rising Sun
03 - Tracy Chapman - House Of The Rising Sun
04 - James Last - The House Of The Rising Sun (instr.)
05 - Bubba Blues - House Of The Rising Sun (Master)
06 - Lonnie Donegan - The House Of The Rising Sun
07 - Michael Tobas - House Of The Rising Sun (instr.) - [Steel Drum Band]
08 - Jen Ballute Band - House Of The Rising Sun
09 - Marketts - House Of The Rising Sun (instr.)
10 - Helmut Lotti - The House Of The Rising Sun
11 - Complete Fools - House Of The Rising Sun (instr.)
12 - Kentucky Blue - House Of The Rising Sun
13 - David Thornton - House Of The Rising Sun
14 - Joan Baez - House Of The Rising Sun
15 - Borge 'Biceps' Jensen - House Of The Rising Sun
16 - Riverdogs - House Of The Rising Sun - [live version]
17 - Crazy Bob - House Of The Rising Sun Mix (instr.)
18 - Midnight Sun - House Of The Rising Sun
19 - Edward Simoni - The House Of The Rising Sun (instr.)
20 - John 'Too Cool' McCool - House Of The Rising Sun (instr.)

Total Time: 1:14:49

around 107 MB


Rapidshare links (You'll need both parts before extracting):

Houses of the Rising Sun, Vol. 3 - Part 1
Houses of the Rising Sun, Vol. 3 - Part 2

OR

Megaupload link (in one big file):

Houses of the Rising Sun, Vol. 3


Houses of the Rising Sun, Vol. 4:

Track List:

01 - Bachman Turner Overdrive - House Of The Rising Sun
02 - Andy Griffith - House Of The Rising Sun
03 - Sister Cy - House Of The Rising Sun
04 - Charlie Byrd - The House Of The Rising Sun (instr.)
05 - Rage Against The Machine - House Of The Rising Sun
06 - Pete Seeger - House Of The Rising Sun
07 - Doctor Phantom - The House Of The Rising Sun
08 - The Country Gentlemen - House Of The Rising Sun
09 - Non Prophet Organization - House Of The Rising Sun (Mellow Edit) (instr.)
10 - Preacher - House Of The Rising Sun
11 - Sinead O'Connor - House Of The Rising Sun
12 - Antics - The House Of The Rising Sun (instr.)
13 - CinChiller - The House Of The Rising Horror
14 - Toto - House Of The Rising Sun
15 - Sex Mob - House Of The Rising Sun (instr.)
16 - Gabriella Hanninen - House Of The Rising Sun
17 - No Message - The House Of The Rising Sun
18 - Buster Poindexter - House Of The Rising Sun

Total Time: 1:13:37

around 106 MB

Rapidshare links (You'll need both parts before extracting):

Houses of the Rising Sun, Vol. 4 - Part 1
Houses of the Rising Sun, Vol. 4 - Part 2

OR

Megaupload link (in one big file):

Houses of the Rising Sun, Vol. 4


Edit: The rapidshare links for Volumes 3 & 4 have been reupped and work fine now.

A lot of great versions here, but The Platters' version still jumps out to me.

If you like any of the artists, I encourage people to seek out their music or go out and buy some of their music to support the artists. Show them you like them by buying their music (and if you don't like the artists, try not to listen to them, if you can help it).

==========================



















Well, enjoy my first post (and keep in mind, these are from various sources, so purists may not always like some of the sound quality):

TV Characters Sing Just For You, Vol. 1:

Track List:

01 - Yvonne De Carlo - Everyone Is Welcome - [THE MUNSTERS (1964-1966)]
02 - Jackie Gleason - And Away We Go! - [THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW (1952-1959)]
03 - Art Carney - Song Of The Sewer - [THE HONEYMOONERS (1955-1956)]
04 - Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, & Max Baer, Jr. - Beverly Hills - [THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES (1962-1971)]
05 - Leonard Nimoy - Highly Illogical - [STAR TREK (1966-1969)]
06 - Brent Spiner - It's a Sin (To Tell A Lie) - [STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION (1987-1994)]
07 - James Darren & Avery Brooks - The Best Is Yet To Come - [STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE (1993-1999)]
08 - Lola Albright - Straight To Baby - [PETER GUNN (1958-1961)]
09 - Edd 'Kookie' Byrnes & Connie Stevens - Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb) - [77 SUNSET STRIP (1958-1964)]
10 - Shelley Fabares & Paul Petersen - What Did They Do Before Rock n' Roll? - [THE DONNA REED SHOW (1958-1966)]
11 - Bart (Nancy Cartwright) & Buster Poindexter - School Day - [THE SIMPSONS (1989-Present)]
12 - Michael McKean & David L. Lander - Vamp On / Night After Night - [LAVERNE & SHIRLEY (1976-1983)]
13 - Cindy Williams & Penny Marshall - Sixteen Reasons - [LAVERNE & SHIRLEY (1976-1983)]
14 - Patrick Macnee & Honor Blackman - Let's Keep It Friendly - [THE AVENGERS (1961-1969)]
15 - Homer (Dan Castellaneta) & Marge (Julie Kavner) - I Love To See You Smile - [THE SIMPSONS (1989-Present)]
16 - Carroll O'Connor & Jean Stapleton - Anything You Can Do - [ALL IN THE FAMILY (1971-1979)]
17 - Tony Randall & Jack Klugman - You're So Vain - [THE ODD COUPLE (1970-1975)]
18 - Telly Savalas - Who Loves Ya Baby - [KOJAK (1973-1978)]
19 - Nancy Kulp & Raymond Bailey - Love of Money - [THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES (1962-1971)]
20 - Sorrell Booke - Laughing All The Way To The Bank - [THE DUKES OF HAZZARD (1979-1985)]
21 - John Schneider - In The Driver's Seat - [THE DUKES OF HAZZARD (1979-1985)]
22 - Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, Pernell Roberts, & Dan Blocker - Skip To My Lou - [BONANZA (1959-1973)]
23 - Ted Cassidy - Lurch - [THE ADDAMS FAMILY (1964-1966)]
24 - Hoagy Carmichael & Cast - Yabba-Dabba-Doo! - [THE FLINTSTONES (1960-1966)]
25 - Judy Carne - Sock It To Me - [ROWAN & MARTIN'S LAUGH-IN (1968-1973)]
26 - Marge (Julie Kavner) - Springfield Soul Stew - [THE SIMPSONS (1989-Present)]
27 - Bob Crane & John Banner - Hogan's Heroes - [HOGAN'S HEROES (1965-1971)]
28 - Sally Field - I'm So Glad I Can Fly - [THE FLYING NUN (1967-1970)]
29 - Tony Randall & Jack Klugman - Johnny One Note - [THE ODD COUPLE (1970-1975)]

Total Time: 1:14:19
around 106 MB

You will need both parts before you can extract the files:

TV Characters Sing Just For You, Vol. 1 - Part 1

TV Characters Sing Just For You, Vol. 1 - Part 2

Or if you don't like rapidshare (and if you're like me, you use the free option, but you don't like waiting for 80 minutes for the next dl), you can download it from megaupload in one big piece:
TV Characters Sing Just For You, Vol. 1

pw = you_dont_have_to_visit

Update: You can replace the Odd Couple tracks on this compilation with better ones I got from MisterLesterKeen's blog. They are Tracks #17 & #29. MisterLesterKeen has put up the whole Odd Couple Sings! album, so please go over to his blog and download it for some more listening fun!

pw = youdont

TV Chars Sing Just For You, Vol. 1 - Replacement Tracks 17,29 (rapidshare)
TV Chars Sing Just For You, Vol. 1 - Replacement Tracks 17,29 (megaupload)

around 12 MB

If anybody has any trouble with the files or if people have a preference to say, zip files over rar, for instance, let me know.

check the tags for the appropriate attributions (album names, site origins, etc.)

The criteria for this compilation were actors who sang or performed (sometimes it's hard to call what they were doing 'singing') as their characters.

I was stretching the criteria a bit for some of them, like Brent Spiner or Shelley Fabares & Paul Petersen, for instance, since they weren't really singing AS their characters, but were performing reminiscent of their TV characters. But when you sing about not telling a lie, you have a spoken passage by Patrick Stewart, and your whole chorus is made up of the male members of the TV show, I think it's safe to say you're trying to evoke a sense of your Star Trek character.

It probably helps to have seen all the shows to fully enjoy the songs, but I think it's still a fun compilation. Now that I think about it, I think I've seen almost all the episodes to most of the shows here (although I haven't watched that much of The Donna Reed Show, 77 Sunset Strip, or Peter Gunn). I don't know how enjoyable it would be if you haven't seen the shows (especially if you're from another country), but I'd be interested to know what people think.

Come to think of it, since I don't have a premium account at any of these places, I have no real way of telling how many people are downloading these files, so I would appreciate people leaving comments, even if it's only to say hi, so I can get some idea of how many people get the files or whether it's worth putting up any more of the same type of material. Thanks in advance!

Notes on the compilation:

#02, #05, #18, #23-#25, etc.: Songs incorporating the show's or characters' catch phrases.
#01: 'Everyone is welcome' seemed to be a good sentiment for the first track of my first post.
#02 & #03: You can't get songs from characters who are more down-to-earth than these guys.
#04 & #05: Two songs about the absurdity of life seen from a different perspective.
#09-#17: Some duets & dual performances on the themes of such things as rock 'n roll, compatibility, and combustibility.
#17: I love the banter here and the way it deconstructs the song, but it may take several listenings to get over Jack Klugman's vocal qualities.
#18-#20: Some 'love' songs (or possibly 'self-love' songs).
#18: 'Who Loves Ya Baby' - I know it's cheesy, but I can't help but like it as an actual song.
#22 & #23: If you were wondering why I put Bonanza next to The Addams Family, it's not just because their shows are about wealthy, close-knit (& somewhat blended) families who all live together, but after hearing the low note by Lorne Greene at the end of the song, I just had to put 'Lurch' right after it.
#24: 'Yabba-Dabba-Doo!' - A bit of a cheat, at least in terms of the other songs, since this volume was really meant to be confined to novelty or celebrity recordings made APART from the show. This one was actually FROM the show, but I always liked it and it fit with the other surrounding 'catchphrase' songs. Actually, originally, I had more of those catchphrase songs all in a row, but they got squeezed out onto Volume 2 as I put other ones in here.
#25: Is it just me or do you also find Judy Carne really sexy in this song? Maybe American men are just suckers for British accents, but it's also the sauciness of the performance.
#25-#27: Three instrumentals with commentary.
#27 & #28: Two songs about freedom & escape.
#29: And with Jack Klugman's comment at the end of this song, how could I not make it the last song on the compilation?

And now that I think of it, just in case you haven't had the chance to see some of these shows or might have forgotten:

#1: as Lily Munster;
#2: not as any particular character that I can remember, but working the famous catchphrase he used to start the proceedings on his show into a song;
#3: as Ed Norton, sewer worker;
#4: as nouveau riche oilman, Jed Clampett, his mother-in-law, Granny (Daisy Moses), & his nephew, Jethro Bodine;
#5: as the Vulcan science officer on the starship Enterprise, Spock;
#6: reminiscent of the android science officer on the starship Enterprise, Data;
#7: James Darren sang a version of this song on the show in his role as holographic lounge singer, Vic Fontaine and is joined here by Avery Brooks (who played Captain Benjamin Sisko on the space station, Deep Space Nine);
#8: she played the character of Gunn's girlfriend, the nightclub singer, Edie Hart, here singing a vocal version of what is usually heard instrumentally as Henry Mancini's, 'Session At Pete's Pad';
#9: as parking lot attendant, Kookie (Gerald Kookson III) with Connie Stevens (who played Cricket Blake on the 'Hawaiian Eye' show - the two shows often did crossovers);
#10: reminiscent of their roles as sister & brother, Mary & Jeff Stone, but according to my ears, it's definitely not Carl Betz as the father on this recording!;
#11: as student, Bart Simpson with some help from former New York Doll, David Johansen (a.k.a. Buster Poindexter) doing a Chuck Berry tune;
#12: as Lenny (Lenny Kosnowski) & Squiggy (Andrew Squiggman) doing an original song;
#13: as bottlecappers, Shirley Feeney & Laverne De Fazio;
#14: reminiscent of their roles as spies, John Steed & Cathy Gale, commenting on their relationship (and its inherent sexual tension);
#15: as Homer & Marge Simpson singing the Randy Newman song;
#16: as Archie & Edith Bunker doing the competitive Irving Berlin song from the stage show, 'Annie Get Your Gun';
#17: as photographer, Felix Unger and sports writer, Oscar Madison singing the Carly Simon song;
#18: reminiscent of his role as police lieutenant, Theo Kojak, singing his famous catchphrase in his endeavor to 'serve and protect' the object of his affection;
#19: as greedy banker, Milburn Drysdale and his secretary, Jane Hathaway;
#20: as greedy tyrant of Hazzard County, Boss Hogg;
#21: as local miscreant of Hazzard County, Bo Duke;
#22: as rancher (and if you've ever seen the movie, 'Tin Men', kiss-of-death), Ben Cartwright, and his sons, Little Joe, Adam, & Hoss;
#23: as butler, Lurch, helping some teens learn a new dance;
#24: more-or-less as himself backed up with the cast singing a song about Fred's famous catchphrase;
#25: spoken with instrumental, using the catchphrase from the show;
#26: spoken with instrumental;
#27: spoken with instrumental TV theme, as World War II prisoner-of-war, Colonel Robert Hogan and his guard, Sergeant Hans Schultz;
#28: as novice, Sister Bertrille, singing about her love of flying (as a result of the stiff cornet on her nun's habit and the windiness of Puerto Rico);
#29: singing the great Rodgers & Hart song from the stage show, 'Babes in Arms'.

Some of the actors like Edd 'Kookie' Byrnes, Michael McKean & David Landers, & Sally Field, if I remember right, actually performed the songs (but not these versions, since these are the album versions) on their respective shows. And I'm not absolutely sure, but I have a vague memory of seeing clips of Jackie Gleason & Art Carney performing these songs on some incarnation of one of the Jackie Gleason shows.

And normally I wouldn't have put so many songs from the same show (The Simpsons) on the comp, but so many of the songs seemed to fit where I placed them, so I ultimately left them in.
And if you were wondering why the comp seems to skew towards older shows, it's because you hardly find actors from CSI or Law and Order, for instance, singing about fingerprinting, the morgue, or the travails of the justice system on novelty records anymore. Although, I'd love to hear, 'Sam Waterston, Sam Waterston, lend me your comb' or William Petersen doing a remake of 'Highly illogical'. Wouldn't that be fantastic? (but I'm not holding my breath).

The shows that seem to do it the most nowadays are animated shows. I put a few more of those in other volumes; Volume 2 is in a bit more of a state of flux than Volume 1; I may change a few things on that one before I ever put that one up. Though I think Volume 3 is pretty well set, so I may put that one up someday (if anybody actually turns out to be interested).

On these kinds of digital compilations, it always takes me a long time to finish them - I'm always changing them, moving around the order, taking out things I don't like, etc., so these things tend to be a work in process. If I get better versions of things, for instance, I may change it. Like the Odd Couple tracks.....I don't have the best sounding files for these, but rather than wait, I thought I'd put up the post anyway. Maybe if some kind soul out there has better copies, they can let me know. MisterLesterKeen at http://misterlesterkeen.blogspot.com/ on the late, lamented Lost And Found Albums site, said he might put up 'The Odd Couple Sings' album some day, but he put a note on his site about not having a lot of time or disk space to do anything right now (boy, can we all relate to that!), so I thought rather than wait, I'd put it up anyway. And for my own tastes, I don't mind the scratches on LP tracks (as long as they're not too bad), so for my own listening pleasure, I don't have a problem with its sound, but if anyone has better sounding versions, I'd be happy (and grateful) to put them up! Also, now that I think about, if anybody has any suggestions for other volumes, corrections or additions, or has any albums or songs they'd like to put up, please let me know. I don't have 'The Urkel Dance' for instance, so if anybody has that, I'd appreciate it. (And I never thought in a million years, I'd be asking someone for that, but you never know what life (& insanity) will bring.)

For years, on 2 of these tracks (the Michael McKean & David L. Lander one and the Carroll O'Connor & Jean Stapleton one), I had so-so sounding copies I taped off the radio a long time ago. The 'All in the Family' track was even missing the very beginning of the song! But I put in a request at the now defunct Lost And Found Albums site and another kind person (Andy The Count at http://andythecount.blogspot.com/) fulfilled the request for those albums and those are the versions you hear here (edited from the album tracks). Since the Lost And Found site was hacked, I never got the chance to properly thank those two gentlemen (I assume they're both male with Mister & Andy in their names), so I'd like to formally thank them here. I appreciated the time and effort it took to respond to those requests, and it was a shame that I never got to thank them on that site. That was another reason I wanted to start a blog, actually. It's easier to put stuff up here than to put individual comments on all the sites of people I wanted to thank for all the great music or the interesting information they've given me in the past.

That does seem to be a problem. By the time you download some music and listen to it, you feel funny about leaving a comment on an entry that's a couple of weeks (or months) old and you even wonder if the bloggers are going to read it. Judging by how quickly the comments seem to taper off on blog entries on people's sites, I'm guessing people don't make any comments after maybe about a week. I've always found this strange though. With archives, it's possible to comment on some blog entry a year later and still have the chance that someone (the blogger or some other reader) is going to read it, so why wouldn't people comment more? I suppose if they're like me, they probably feel a little like it's shouting into the wind. They probably don't want to leave a comment if they don't think anybody's going to read it. Or they barely have time to read the blog and get some music, let alone leave a comment.

That's what happens to me. I always keep meaning to leave more comments telling bloggers what a great job they're doing or how much I appreciate the music, but I hardly ever do. So, if any of those guys & gals out there whose blogs I've visted and enjoyed in the past are reading this, let me say once again a big THANK YOU for all the enjoyment you've given us all!!! (I doubt any of them will stop by here, but never let it be said that I didn't at least say it.:)) )
I hope to talk more specifically and at length about some of my favorite bloggers in the future (if you can't provide music, at least you can talk about people who do!).

Also, I encourage people to purchase any of the albums that are still in print of any of these tracks. It's great music. You won't be sorry. Though on this particular compilation, that isn't as much of an issue, but I hope if nothing else, this has piqued somebody's interest in seeking out more music (directed at the one or two of you who are actually reading this.....he says optimistically).