007

Just like James Bond, this blog WILL be back (soon)! Thanks!
David

7 Worlds Collide: The Sun Came Out

A while back (2001), Neil Finn (Crowded House) put together a temporary group of friends and associates to record an album and perform a concert for charity. In 2009, he did it again, with some artists returning (Lisa Germano, Sebastian Steinberg, Phil Selway and Ed O'Brien from Radiohead) and some new faces (Jeff Tweedy and members of Wilco, KT Tunstall).

The first project was great, one of my favorite in-concert DVDs. The new project was a little different: the artists invited were encouraged to bring some unfinished song ideas, and in 3 weeks of collaboration, create a double CD and perform the songs in concert.

The behind-the-scenes making-of DVD is fun, but I won't return to it much. It is nice to see the artists arriving with families in tow, and some of the sequences where they help each other flesh out songs is cool. But there aren't many stand-out songs for me. They're all good, but some are subtle in the extreme and it'll take time for me to hear them thoroughly, I think. But "You Never Know" by Wilco jumps out ahead of the pack. If you're tempted to spring for the package, go for the single CD for the best songs.

Classical Music for Kids? (and a cranky rant about CBC Radio)

 

I didn't hear much classical music as a little kid; what I did hear came from Bugs Bunny cartoons and the Captain Kangaroo TV show (I'd swear that's the first time I heard Smetana's "The Moldau" but I could be wrong...) So, what is a collection called "Children's Games" about?  Pieces by Bizet ("Jeux D'Enfant" -- "Children's Games"),  Dukas ("The Sorcerer's Apprentice"), Tchaikovsky ("The Nutcracker Suite") among others, but I feel they've sold children short. Kids like dark , they like dramatic, they like strange -- let's face it, they're too young to know what 'normal' is, so they like extremes. Remember when the book "Where The Wild Things Are" came out, and parents and teachers (and librarians!) were up in arms about violent, inappropriate content? (Jeez, of course you don't remember -- that was YEARS ago!) So, this is a fine collection for adults, but I wonder if small children would relate to it much.

Side note (sad note) RANT: From the same "Children's Games" CD, I did very much enjoy "The Pied Piper" by Walter Mourant, once played as the theme music for CBC radio's  "Music for a While"... and I mourned once again for the CBC Radio that was unceremoniously dumped for the new format of the last 5 or 6 years -- not only the announcers (wherefore art thou, Jurgen Gothe?) but the sweet theme songs that introduced each and every show. Kicked to the curb so we can now hear Tom Allen and Tom Power repeating their names 25 times an hour and playing third rate Canadian pop music and folk music -- and so many times, the intros (written I assume by some producer) aren't even accurate (or worse, slapped into the wrong songs). Sigh. If you're gonna change the format, is it too much to ask that it will actually be an improvement?

Tim Cheesebrow

I hadn't heard of Tim Cheesebrow until my buddy Ken passed along an advance copy of his new CD "Crooked Lines". Now, I'm so old that almost everything I hear reminds me of something else I've heard, and sure enough, one listen to Tim's voice and I immediately heard Clive Gregson (once with Any Trouble and Christine Collister). Tim's music isn't really anything like Clive Gregson's, but he does share the same clear, powerful voice, straight from the heart and hitting for the fences.

A few of the songs on the CD jump right out: "Lullabye", "You Are My Everything", "Take My Hand" and the title track, while many of the others hook you with the subtle arrangements and the variety of instrumentation. It's an extremely well-crafted album, part Americana, part country, heartfelt and worth repeated listening. (More information about Tim Cheesebrow and many other fine artists at www.newfolkrecords.com)

"I Am the Center: Private Issue New Age Music in America 1950-1990"

A few posts back, I mentioned the return of 'cassette culture', and this compilation from 2013 is drawn from new age albums that were initially released exclusively on cassette.  I remember those days fondly. You'd buy a sampler or two, and the catalogs were usually decidedly not slick. And the performers were pretty quirky; you'd have to be to attempt music in a genre that hadn't really existed before. Some stayed true to their original vision (Iasos, Laraaji, Don Slepian, Aeoliah, Larkin -- going by a single name helps, I guess) while others I won't name took the New Age banner when it emerged and ran with it. There are a few people on this compilation that I'd swear have releases numbering in the hundreds, everything from 'music to align your chakras' to 'music for a stressful day'.
But it is fun to listen to these releases from the dawn of the whole "new age movement", just before things started to coalesce. It's interesting how a movement moves into the center; young people with dog-eared copies of "The Hobbit" start eating brown rice and consider Eastern mysticism, and now soccer moms are going to yoga classes and eating organic food. What once was the fringe is now the new normal for a lot of folks. So this collection is a fond look back to some quirky little pioneers.

Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age

This piece by Gustav Holst was very comforting to me as my father was dying. You might not think so, because most of it depicts a long, slogging inexorable march to death. But at about 6:56, the atmosphere changes. To me, it portrays the moment of 'crossing over'; the soundscape opens up and there's a sense of vastness, of peacefulness, of wonder.

Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony perform one of the best versions -- enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sbnsLmwlbc

Smile, Smiley Smile, and Love and Mercy

We watched the film "Love and Mercy" last night; as veteran Brian Wilson/Beach Boys fans, there wasn't much new information for us. Brian wants to experiment and record the music he hears in his head, Mike Love wants to stick to the formula, Murry Wilson was a bully, and Dr. Eugene Landy was too. It is fascinating to see scenes based on actual recordings of studio sessions, Brian coaching the musicians, and how unlikely instrumental combinations (basses playing in different keys?) resulted in the Beach Boys classics we know and love.

Besides the Beach Boys, the soundtrack bits by Atticus Ross offer a glimpse into the melodies swirling through Brian's head. Both "Good Vibrations", and to a greater extent, "Smile" were assembled from bits and pieces of music Brian had recorded in hours of studio sessions. Over the years, parts of "Smile" were polished up and released on later Beach Boys albums (most prominently on "Smiley Smile"), but the official release of "Smile" makes clear that Brian could have assembled dozens of different variations on what was eventually released. For me, that makes listening to "Smile" difficult at times, because I realized it was still an unfinished album -- it's just the version Brian ended up with.

The agony of too many choices plagued the completion of many great albums ("Tusk", "The River", for example), and it's no wonder that the maelstrom of melody Ross portrays in the film as the contents of Brian's brain drove him batty.

Heigh Ho, The Green Holly and not just another Nutcracker

For me, the best Christmas music covers the full spectrum of emotion. It's not all tinsel and candy; there are moments of reflection, reminiscence, and in Van Morrison's words, "a sense of wonder". "Heigh Ho, The Green Holly" captures those moments of the Christmas season in fine fashion, 

The Celtic instrumentation makes for a refreshing wintry blast of traditional carols and Irish/Scottish melodies. Flutes, pipes, fiddle and.. trombone (!) -- I'm a sucker for trombones -- this one is in the CD player a lot. I love the tunes, the variety of instruments, and the musicians -- this collection is compiled from 2 earlier releases, and despite the revolving cast of characters, the sequencing and pacing is masterful. Happy holidays!  

Transcribing orchestral music to the guitar is a monumental task, especially if you're dealing with Tchaikovsky, who is a master of instrumental color and melody. Tim Sparks is up to the task, and this is sure to be the definitive acoustic version of the Nutcracker Suite.

She Is Shelby Lynne

Shelby Lynne for me occupies the same territory as Lucinda Williams, Wynonna Judd, Cassandra Wilson, Christine Collister and Bonnie Raitt; they sound nothing alike (okay, Shelby does sound a bit like early Bonnie Raitt), but they all share a sense of unfettered choice in their material. They are not to be pigeon-holed, yet the record labels insist on cramming them into something easily marketable.

Shelby's early albums were slick country affairs, and she finally rebelled, reassessed, and released "I Am Shelby Lynne", her 6th album which won her a Best New Artist Grammy -- go figure. A greatest hits collection "The Definitive Collection" (not), features 7 out of 10 tracks from "I Am...", and the songs they didn't pick are good too. Initially, I was put off by the album, until last week, listening again, I realized she was putting out her resume. What I took for a grab-bag of styles was essentially her way of showing the world "I can do ALL of these things -- country, blues, soul...I have more to offer than what you've heard from me before."

But that can come back and confuse the public. Everyone loved "I Am...", but her next album "Love, Shelby" went all slickety again. Good songs, but...huh? Shelby zigzagged like this for a while; later albums featured powerhouses like Bill Payne (Little Feat) and Benmont Tench (Tom Petty), but still asked the question "Where's the Shelby we all love?"

I mentioned in an earlier post that her Dusty Springfield tribute "Just a Little Lovin'" is totally excellent. She's lately slipped into a groove with her last 2 albums. "Thanks" (more accurately an EP than an album) is Southern gospel/soul, and "I Can't Imagine" is a back-porch version of the country/blues vibe encountered in "I Am..." -- but the songs are not quite as memorable to me. Production is excellent, but the songs don't quite measure up.

Still, she's producing herself, making her own choices, and I'm positive there's more great work from Shelby in the future. 

David Grisman and Patty Loveless: Christmas Time's A-comin'!

Here's the thing with me about Christmas music: I really enjoy it, but I'm picky. I've left stores just because they've audibly assaulted me with Mariah Carey or Mannheim Steamroller or Trans-Siberian Express or [insert your choice here]. Really? It's not Christmas until someone's belting in a range only dogs can hear? 

 That said, we started early with the Christmas music this year; the weather's been particularly bleak lately, so we wanted to lighten things up. As much as my wife and I at Christmas time love to blast Phil Spector, we tend to listen to more acoustic fare. I had picked up the David Grisman album at Value Village a while back, so it was good to finally listen to it at length -- and what a treat! Grisman (and Tony Rice) have been favorites of mine for a long time; their brand of 'spacegrass' (Tony's term) or the more familiar 'Dawg music' is probably my favorite offshoot of traditional bluegrass. Grisman's version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" isn't just 6:47 of great Christmas music, it's plain great music. It smokes!

Ah, sweet Patty Loveless. She started out in a more traditional country vein, but for years now, she's veered off into Kentucky bluegrass, and this 2010 album is another fine example. The song selection was a slight disappointment at first-- the usual suspects, on most every Christmas album, including other country/bluegrass  albums like "Christmas Time with the Judds" and "Light from the Stable" by Emmylou Harris. But Patty's voice, the beautiful arrangements, and the original material ("Santa Train" -- what a hoot!) lifts this album above the pack. Add in Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Dolly Parton, Ricky Skaggs and more guests, and you've got a fine Kentucky mountain Christmas album

Celtic guitarist Daithi Sproule

I first heard guitarist Daithi Sproule years ago when I heard an album by Skara Brae, but the connection didn't register until I heard this 2008 collection ("The Crow in the Sun") of guitar instrumentals, which includes one of the pieces featured on the Skara Brae album.  I didn't realize how many people Daithi went on to play with (Altan, Liz Carroll and many, many more) -- the guy's an Irish institution.

I've listened to this CD at least a dozen times so far, and it reveals its subtle charms over time. Daithi's liner notes point out a Bert Jansch influence on a few tracks (more apparent in the Skara Brae album), so that gives you somewhat of an idea what "Crow" sounds like, but beyond the slight Bert-isms, there's a truly delicate blend of Celtic and early music. 

Check it out on the label website newfolkrecords.com My old boss Ken owns the label; he's gotta be proud.  

Technical Difficulties, Again

Just a short post; my internet service is in limbo. Will post this weekend when things get sorted out.

Bootlegs Back in the Day

This is a bad photo of the first bootleg album I owned  (and no, I no longer own it -- this image came from the interwebs.) It's a live recording of Frank Zappa and the Mothers with Zubin Mehta (and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Pauley Pavilion? Details are fuzzy, both in the photo and in my brain.) They're performing music from what was eventually "200 Motels", and Frank kicks things off with "Hit it, Zubin!"

The record wasn't very good (surprise!) A.: because it's an audience recording, and B: only very late in his life could Frank afford enough rehearsal time for an orchestra, so the performance is a little rough too. But still! A bootleg! Totally unvarnished and unofficial!

As I mentioned in my post about Dylan's Basement Tapes, long before file-sharing, downloading and the internet, bootlegs were the only way to hear unreleased performances, either live recordings, demos or songs recorded in studio sessions but never released on LP. For me, live recordings were dicey, because early on they were recorded by someone sneaking a cassette player into a show. (Later releases were recorded from the soundboard or via radio broadcasts. Since the copyright laws are looser overseas, many late '60s /early '70s radio concert broadcasts are now coming out on CD.) 

Bootlegs also took advantage of arcane record company policies -- many British bands never had their early singles released in the States, so boots filled that need.

There were many famous bootlegs, and naturally they featured the most popular bands: the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who..., you know, any band with a 'the' in front.  Although the Beatle's Get Back sessions (from the filming of "Let It Be") were eye-opening in a behind-the-veil kind of way, it wasn't something you'd slap on the old turntable for fun, For example, check out the officially sanctioned Beatles "Anthology" series. Sure it's fun the first time you hear Take One of "Strawberry Fields Forever", but the thing is, the Beatles really crafted their final product. Outtakes just don't make it.

Many stores didn't carry bootlegs, and if they did, it was in a special section near the back of the store. Early boots were basically white sleeves rubber stamped with the titles (and I still maintain that the cover of "The Beatles" (the 'white album') was supposed to look like a common bootleg album.)

Things got a little better in the CD era, but not much. 

We used to carry bootlegs at Northern Lights, usually displayed up front where we could keep an eye on them (yes, ironic that we didn't want anyone to steal what was at heart stolen merchandise itself). I still have a few Pink Floyd discs (early singles since released as bonus tracks) and a few Radiohead discs (once again, early singles collected, and a radio concert broadcast or two), and my prize possession is the collection of Beatle's fan club Christmas releases.1963-1969.

We had one guy who'd buy every Neil Young boot we could get in stock, and we sold lots of Pearl Jam and Nirvana; Dylan not so much by then, but still a market for Beatles material.  As was typical of the Northern Lights purchasing strategy, we'd buy, sparingly, whatever artist was popular at the time, so I remember some Tori Amos boots that gathered dust.       

Record labels seem to finally realize the value of rare and/or unreleased material, as box sets are packed to the gills with what once was the mainstay of bootleg culture. And then there's the internet...
Frank Zappa even released the 'Beat the Boots' series, basically re-releasing already existing boots under the official Zappa banner, not as a way of bestowing legitimacy but instead taking the product back from the pirates and cashing in. Too bad my Zappa/Zubin boot wasn't included. Think I'll check YouTube....

Bob Dylan: Down in the Basement and the Whole Bootleg Thing

I've had a complicated relationship with the music of Bob Dylan. Never understood how Peter, Paul and Mary found the melodies in Dylan songs. (The versions I heard sung by Dylan seemed like just rants).  Actually, I was kinda glad I never developed a taste for Dylan -- or Elvis, for that matter. I'd have to take out a loan to just to buy the 'essential' collection of each.

  But along the way, I heard some Dylan I actually enjoyed: versions of Dylan songs by Fairport Convention, a bootleg of "Bear Mountain Picnic Massacree", the Byrds' Roger Mcguinn's version of "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere".

And slowly over the years, I developed a grudging respect for Dylan's massive talent, and began cherry-picking songs I enjoyed. As I get older, I find that the unvarnished versions hold up best for me, thus we get to "The Basement Tapes". I think the first major bootleg of the rock era was "The Great White Wonder", which had a sizeable chunk of the basement tapes, music Dylan recorded with
the Band in Woodstock. The songs weren't intended to be released officially, but instead were a 'sound catalog' of songs Dylan hoped other musicians would record.

There was a version of "The Basement Tapes" released officially, but it was more of a Frankenstein's monster: bits spliced and re-recorded, songs from other sessions, and songs featuring the Band more prominently than as was originally recorded.

Now there's an official, complete Basement Tape collection (Volume 11 of the Bootleg Series) -- 6 CDs and 2 lavish books. Way more than anyone needs, but that's what libraries are for, and even to these ears, it's a fun trawl through the most famous 'unheard' music ever (right up there with the Beach Boy's "Smile"). There's also a 2CD set that's probably as much as most people need.

Listening to this collection got me thinking of the whole bootleg phenomenon of the '60s and '70s, another fascinating slice of history that the internet has made obsolete. Another story for another time...

Gerald Menard, RIP

My father had been diagnosed with Parkinson's for quite a while, and after some falls, he spent most of September in and out of the hospital and Fidalgo Rehabilitation in Anacortes, finally passing away on October 1, with the funeral on October 16. Even though we'd been expecting this with his failing health, it still takes the wind out of your sails for a while.

So why is Gary Lewis here? When I was still in high school, my parents allowed me to pick music to play during Sunday dinner, and it was tricky to find something that everyone could enjoy, or at least tolerate. Glen Campbell's early albums worked, same with Tijuana Brass -- and for some reason, Gary Lewis and the Playboys. We recently watched the DVD about The Wrecking Crew, the stellar collection of studio musicians who played on not only the Gary Lewis albums, but EVERYTHING. No, really, when the session list scrolls at the end of the movie, it is truly astounding how much they shaped the sound of radio in the early '60s. My father was into Barbra Streisand, and later, Celine Dion, so we didn't share much of a musical diet, but I remember fondly those dinners and I think Gary Lewis was a part of that. So, thanks Gary and Crew; rest well, Dad.

More blog posts to come soon.

Trying to Understand Captain Beefheart

I bought "How to Write About Music" because I needed help. Turns out it's actually a textbook for a college-level course in Music Criticism -- who knew? And as in any textbook, there are assignments.
The first is to listen to an artist "you are completely unfamiliar with" and write a review. Well, okay, I figured rap/hip-hop is out of my comfort zone, let's start with that. Oops. I remembered some Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre videos from back when MTV actually showed videos, so my son went through his collection and made me a "Best of Death Row" (the label) based on the songs I remembered liking.

Yikes! MTV of course played the scrubbed clean versions. I listened to the uncensored versions in my car on the way to work and felt like I was being assaulted. I liked the musical aspects, but kept coming up hard against the lyrics.

Okay, so Attempt Number Two: Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stone sang the praises of "How to Pimp a Butterfly" by Lamar Kendrick (or Kendrick Lamar -- I'm always getting it wrong) so I gave that a try. Made it through the first few songs...

So. Captain Beefheart. This really was cheating: I've heard Captain Beefheart before, even liked a few of his songs. Heck, I even owned a copy of "Clear Spot" which was issued in a clear plastic sleeve! But I never listened to it much, mostly only the song "Too Much Time", which frankly sounds the least like Captain Beefheart than any of his other songs. But I just didn't "get" Beefheart.

Sometimes when I'm exposed to something touted as 'great' and I don't understand it, my initial reaction is "this artist is pulling a fast one" (Yoko One is another example for me.) What am I missing?

My father is currently in a managed care facility after a series of falls at home. With physical therapy, we hope he'll be able to come home eventually, but that seems like a long road. On my days off, I go to see him, and lately I've been listening to Captain Beefheart during the half-hour drive. Why? You'd think I'd listen to something soothing because these visits are sad and disappointing. But the good Captain gives me something to wrestle with, and darned if he isn't starting to make sense. I'll give him a few more listens and see if I can crack this case. (And I hope this will still count for my homework assignment!)

Alison Krauss, Revisited

I've spent the last few weeks listening again to most of the Alison Krauss catalog, from her first solo album to the latest ("Paper Airplanes") with Union Station. Hearing them in sequence allows you to follow her developing style, not that it needed 'developing', because she was fully-formed on the very fist album (when she was something like 14 years old?)

Alison's been able to rely on various band members over the years for great songs, and she has a knack for finding other songwriters' material that she interprets in her own style. It takes a truly talented performer who can make a Beatles song sound like their own. I'd bet that after her first few albums, word got out and and songwriters were beating down her door.

It was quite a hoot to hear how Alison's vocal style changed over the years. She had a clear, ringing tone at the beginning, perfect for bluegrass, but by the 3rd or 4th album, she added more breath to her voice; she'd found the coo that she still employs today.

I'd mentioned in an earlier blog post how we'd seen Alison Krauss and Union Station in the early days (Wednesday, November 10, 1993) and how much fun they seemed to be having on stage. Cut to the official AKUS live album from 2002 and it's all business. I'll have to watch the DVD of the concert again -- maybe with the longer playing time of the DVD, we get more glimpses of band interaction. And man, I'd like to know the background story of Union Station. She employed them on her second album, and slowly (like Wilco) members left until by 1998 or so, she had the band that she still performs with today. "Paper Airplanes" is the latest album, and my wife and I both agree that it's good, it just sounds like they're on autopilot. They've got their style down pat. James Taylor has admitted in interviews that he's more of a craftsman these days that an "artist", and maybe that's what's going on with Alison. Of course, I haven't followed the whole story -- didn't really like the "Raising Sand" album she recorded with Robert Plant, and the subsequent tour meant Union Station was on hiatus for a while, so maybe "Paper Airplanes" is a tentative step back into the saddle.

Joni Mitchell

With the recent news about Joni Mitchell's medical woes, I was reminded of the early Joni albums where I was first introduced to her vast canon. I suppose most people think of "Blue" and "Court and Spark" when Joni's name comes up, but the very early albums established her songwriting chops.

"Songs to a Seagull" was the first Joni Mitchell album, 'produced' by David Crosby (depending on which interview you read, David either was totally hands-off, or he flattened the sound). It's too bad that the CD doesn't add "Urge for Going", one of her very first recordings (you'll have to buy "Hits" to get that truly wonderful song). "Songs" and the several albums that followed feature Joni's bright flutey (piercing?) high register that significantly lowered over the years, and as such, has been known to be off-putting to some listeners. I liked "Songs" because it mirrored so much of my vision of what my life could be like in the years ahead, post-high school, moving to the city, finding love and finding a purpose.

"Clouds" followed, and by now I was imagining myself as the one who would rescue Joni from the shallow and deceitful men that featured in some of her songs. Yes, me, the White Knight. Listening to Joni helped me be more sensitive, but really, looking back now I realize I've only recently begun to be the man I had hoped I was then. (And there's so much more to go...) I guess my point here is that I very much internalized these songs in those days, and hearing them again, I get a glimpse of the person I was then. Joni's music offered a promise of hope and a yearning to explore the larger world.

By "Ladies of the Canyon", more of the songs were piano-based, and I like them slightly less than the acoustic guitar songs --- her guitar chords sound more quirky to me, the piano ones more earthbound, if you will. Still a fine album, though.

These days my favorite Joni albums are the ones that saw her popular appeal dip. I find it hard to believe that albums like "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" and "Hejira" weren't hailed as the masterpieces they are back in the day. But then, I sorta dropped out after "Mingus", so maybe I'm clueless too. I do want to tackle "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter" again -- maybe I'm finally ready to hear it.

A Brief History of the Future, Firesign Theatre Style

Hearing the Firesign Theatre for the first time was a life-changing event for me. But I struggle to explain it because there's so much cultural and historical baggage attached; I worry that someone new to FT would need an annotated transcript to get 60% of the jokes. Here's the deal: Firesign wrote comedy material specifically for the LP medium, meant to be listened to multiple times. Unlike comedy albums of the time, they weren't just recordings of live performances but (again) specifically crafted to be multi-layered -- I STILL find jokes I missed every time. And they were funny, really funny.

Sometimes the FT gets lumped in with Monty Python, two comedy troupes from (relatively) the same era. But I'd suggest there are vast differences: while I can watch MP skits again and again, there's rarely anything new to hear (other than an obscure-to-me British pop culture reference). I love the familiar, and wait for my favorite lines. And there are times when I can be amused by the concept of a sketch rather than the actual sketch itself. MP were much better presented on screen; FT never seemed comfortable on screen (or even sometimes live), so their best presentation is in audio. Hard to cross over there. Firesign, stuck in radio in a TV world.

Finally, FT wrote long-form pieces, each one 20 minutes plus. Who listens to anything like that in one sitting anymore? The sad thing for me is that FT wrote stuff way ahead of its time, and yet now, when we can actually understand and appreciate their prescience, their audience has, for the most part, disappeared.

But enough handwringing. For the initiate, the 2 CD compilation "Shoes for Industry: The Best of the Firesign Theatre" is a good collection, and it contains the complete Nick Danger sketch, which is most people's introduction to Firesign World.

The first album "Waiting for the Electrician or Someone Like Him" has its moments, but they really hit their stride with the next 3 classic albums ("How Can You Be In Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere At All", "Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers", and "I Think We're All Bozos on This Bus"). There were still fine albums ahead; my favorites include "The Tale of the Giant Rat of Sumatra" (probably their most pun-filled album), "Everything You Know Is Wrong", even their much later Rhino albums like "Give Me Immortality or Give Me Death" and "Boom Dot Bust", but a lot of the albums after the classic 3 were spotty (but the good spots were great -- our family is always quoting from "Ben Bland's All-Day Matinee" from the much maligned "Just Folks ---A Firesign Chat" -- initially released on Butterfly, a disco label!)

Firesign were and are great, and great fun too. Consider listening to some on your next road trip ('on the freeway, which is already in progress') -- who knows where you might end up?

RIP Phil Austin

Phil Austin, "lead guitarist" with comedy troupe Firesign Theatre, passed away Friday. Soon I'll do an overview of the Four of Five Crazy Guys, but here I just want to pass along my condolences to Phil's wife Oona. Phil was a warm and generous guy; he will be missed.