Archive for February of 2005
EU investigates the cost of Itunes
February 25, 2005iTuned out
February 17, 2005
Prompted by bean's rage at iTunes blocking her rampant anglomusiphilia I downloaded the iTunes client and had a browse.
Which title creeps you out most?
February 15, 2005
In 1981 Simple Minds released two albums simultaenously (because double albums weren't cool in 1981... mmmkay) called “Sons and Fascination” and “Sister Feelings Call”.
I just got the remastered version (re-released a couple of years ago) for the simple - and sad - reason that my original CD version - made in the days when they still though ~60 minutes was the limit for CDs - dropped “Sound in 70 Cities” and “League of Nations” to fit both releases on one CD. Though “Sound” is actually just an instrumental version of “70 Cities as Love Brings the Fall”, I think it's actually a better song - the vocals on “70 Cities” are a tad discordant.
“Sister” also contains an instrumental not derived from a track on “Sons”: “Theme For Great Cities”, which is an interesting thing because Simple Minds' lead singer Jim Kerr is just that, their lead singer. He doesn't play an instrument, so you have to wonder what he was supposed to do if they played it live. Still, they still managed to have an instrumental track on every album release up until they got to be stadium-huge (and everyone left the band apart from Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill). Apparently they've reappeared again on recent albums, though I didn't keep up with the band much after the preachy Street Fighting Years, when they stopped competing musically with U2 and started trying to match Bono on polemics.
On “Sister” and “Sons” though, they were firing on all guns.
I just got the remastered version (re-released a couple of years ago) for the simple - and sad - reason that my original CD version - made in the days when they still though ~60 minutes was the limit for CDs - dropped “Sound in 70 Cities” and “League of Nations” to fit both releases on one CD. Though “Sound” is actually just an instrumental version of “70 Cities as Love Brings the Fall”, I think it's actually a better song - the vocals on “70 Cities” are a tad discordant.
“Sister” also contains an instrumental not derived from a track on “Sons”: “Theme For Great Cities”, which is an interesting thing because Simple Minds' lead singer Jim Kerr is just that, their lead singer. He doesn't play an instrument, so you have to wonder what he was supposed to do if they played it live. Still, they still managed to have an instrumental track on every album release up until they got to be stadium-huge (and everyone left the band apart from Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill). Apparently they've reappeared again on recent albums, though I didn't keep up with the band much after the preachy Street Fighting Years, when they stopped competing musically with U2 and started trying to match Bono on polemics.
On “Sister” and “Sons” though, they were firing on all guns.
Pimping family tragedy for fun and profit
February 15, 2005
Athlete's Wires seems to be on heavy rotation on pretty much every radio station around the place at the moment; their album Tourist also hit number one the other week, only to be knocked off by the boost Keane's Hopes and Fears got from their winning most bland album and least offensive new act at the Brits.
Wires is, apparently, about the lead singer's infant daughter who was born premature and with epilepsy.
Wires is the first single from the album and managed to hit at least number 4. Tourist itself has been certified platinum in the UK (meaning some 100,000+ units shifted). Athlete have added a third night to their concerts in London after the first two sold out.
Do you ever wish your job allowed you to convert the suffering and pain of your family members into money? I don't think I've been so repulsed by an artist since Eric Clapton made so much out of the death of his son with Tears in Heaven.
Wires is, apparently, about the lead singer's infant daughter who was born premature and with epilepsy.
Wires is the first single from the album and managed to hit at least number 4. Tourist itself has been certified platinum in the UK (meaning some 100,000+ units shifted). Athlete have added a third night to their concerts in London after the first two sold out.
Do you ever wish your job allowed you to convert the suffering and pain of your family members into money? I don't think I've been so repulsed by an artist since Eric Clapton made so much out of the death of his son with Tears in Heaven.
It's easy to shock people these days
February 12, 2005
Turn up and win?
February 09, 2005“Robbie Williams' track Angels has won the prize for the best British song of the past 25 years at the Brit Awards. [...] Williams went on to perform the track as a duet with best British female winner Joss Stone at the event, hosted by Chris Evans.”
What a joke. Did they promise it to him if he sang it? There were worthy winners in Franz Ferdinand, the Scissor Sisters and Muse, and I was willing to overlook
“Williams' track beat songs by Will Young, Queen, Kate Bush and Joy Division in a vote by BBC Radio 2 listeners.”
Oh... that explains it. People with no ears voted for it.
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Music | Robbie wins Brits best song prize
Don't mean to bug ya...
February 05, 2005
My Bug arrived. Or is that my The Bug arrived. At 8am... on a Saturday. Hopefully the delivery guy is used to dishevelled looking people wearing just a pair of jeans peering through sleep-rimmed eyes at them.
Spellcheck Baby!
February 04, 2005
(from Monster Magnet's Monolithic Baby! CD insert)