Rebuilding My CD Collection

One of the most unfortunate casualties of my 9/01-2/02 professional & personal 'breakdown' was my CD collection. However, thanks to the generosity of my recent opponents, the first few pilgrims have arrived!


A version of Vivaldi's Four Seasons was the sole survivor of The Holocaust. The Neil Armstrong was a gift of Alanis' new one. The other day I picked up Moby's new one as well as a used copy of "Play" that has the original, non-Gwen Stefani version of "South Side", which is far superior, IMO.


And today, I started gettin' busy: The first three Chemical Brothers CD's and Thin Lizzy's "Live & Dangerous", along with the just released soundtrack from the original "Rollerball".


However, a potentially disastrous development has occured. Apparently, Lizzy's last four studio albums may now be out of print. I haven't exhausted all options, but this could be real bad news. An equal logistical if not artistic pain was the loss of all the home burned compilations, although fortunately the New Wave MP3's still live on a friend's PC.


Depending on how Mem. Day weekend goes, the Zep & Steely Dan boxes, some '68-'73 Stones, Bon Scott AC/DC, all the Tool, and the Chem Bros new one are next up. Fortunately, I'm housesitting til 6/12, so I don't need to buy a CD player yet! /images/smile.gif


Who was that who said that after 9/11 people were going to focus on the important stuff? Nothing more important than playing poker, listening to music, working out, eating sushi, and sweating the WSOP & hottie actresses, if ya ask me!


BTW check out Jennifer Love Hewitt in the new FHM magazine. /images/smile.gif

Bill,


Rebuilding your music library is so important along with getting some new musical ideas. Recently I had an experience that may help you with the musical ideas.


Last month I was back in Rhode Island celebrating my Mom and Dad's Golden Wedding Anniversary. While enjoying the pleasure of Mom and Dad’s hospitality I naturally logged into their home computer to check out my email and the forum. They had a problem with jumping/moving icons, which after a little troubleshooting turned out to be caused by a virus. So I got rid of the virus and made some other improvements. No need to call in the pay per hour “Geeks” Dad, your son is a semi-geek and he works for room and board.


Anyway, the computer is in a nice little basement office my Dad built when I was in college. He uses the office to pay bills and do paperwork. As far as I can tell he mostly uses the computer to trade email jokes with his friends since they hardly have any “Bookmarks” nor a single document saved under “My Documents”. I figure he might like some music while he is working so I downloaded MusicMatch Jukebox. Then I asked my Dad what was his favorite music and he told me Jackie Gleason was the best of the best. So I grab his two Jackie Gleason CDs along with one Mantovani Orchestra and a Celine Dion CD my Mom likes. She can listen to Celine while playing the Pac Man game she is so good at.


While I’m converting them into MP3s and surfing the forum I might as well listen and the more I listen to the Jackie Gleason the more I like it! So before I leave I borrow the Gleason CDs along with a Best of Mantovani (I had recorded that one while I was upstairs). I told my Dad I’d send them back with the Anniversary party pictures (BTW Dad, I finally sent the pictures and CDs today).


When I got back to California I made copies of the CDs and also converted them to MP3s. So now I’m hooked on the Jackie Gleason Orchestra! He is so smooth I wonder why I ignored his stuff for so long. No, I know why – I didn’t listen because I figured only “old people” listened to it. But now I officially proclaim that Jackie Gleason is cool and all you young guys should check it out. Of course I’m pushing fifty so can you trust me?


Regards,


Rick


PS Since you probably don’t trust me I posted a link to clips and reviews of one of my Dad’s CDs on Amazon.


PPS Note that some other Jackie Gleason CDs are in my shopping cart (I need to go over a $99 minimum to get free shipping so they will stay there for now). So in this case converting the CDs to MP3s is going to stimulate at least one sale that otherwise would never be made.


PPS Sorry Dad, but I still think the Mantovani Orchestra is “old people” music.

Is this Jackie Gleason the guy who was the star of that old comedy "The Honeymooners"?

Here's a suggestion of a CD that somebody your age should probably like: American Lesion. (not my usual suggestions of punk bands, this Cd is like mature contemporary music, I dunno what to really call it but it's something like that). Anyway this was a solo project put out by my overall favorite artist Greg Graffin on Atlantic Records. Anyway my dad heard it and liked it, usually I'd take that as a bad sign but in this case he's right.


Kris

Goat,


Yeah, that's him. Check out the clips from the link. And remember I'm probably older than your Dad.


Regards,


Rick

I thought Gleason was a truly funny man, and a great actor (remember The Hustler and Gigot?). I heard rumor that the guy who plays the older brother on Everybody Loves Raymond is going to play Gleason in a TV movie; I think he'd be a good choice.


Despite being your age, I know nothing about Gleason's music, but what little interest I have in it dwarfs by a lot what interest I have in anything George Will has to say (sorry).


Regards,

Andy

No dude i'm pretty sure you're younger, my dad's like 56 or something.


Kris

Andy,


Rick told me that we look a bit alike; he didn't tell me that we think a lot alike. :-}


John

dude, sounds like you dig some really cool music, spanning a lot of genres. if i were to suggest some essentials, id say:

Guns N Roses - Appetite for Destruction

Led Zeppelin - all, but don't neglect 3

Black Sabbath - Paranoid

The Doors - i dig them, but i'd go with a Best Of unless you're a super huge fan.

Metallica - Master of Puppets (their best and heaviest album, hands down)

Radiohead - Kid A (i like all their stuff, but this one has the best feel to it, as far as im concerned)

Sunny Day Real Estate - The Rising Tide (you've probably never heard of them, but this album has blown everyone i know away who has ever listened to it)

Simon and Garfunkel - go for the boxed set...

Belle and Sebastian - (you've probably never heard them either) If You're Feeling Sinister is a good one, and Fold Your Hands Child You Walk Like a Peasant is my favorite so far.

Billy Bragg and WILCO - Mermaid Avenue (great stuff, super chill...)

Nirvana - Nevermind (their other stuff is great too, but this is just classic. you'll sing along ot all your old favorites again...)

Ministry - the one with 'Psalm 69' on it

Soundtracks to the following movies:

Rushmore

The Royal Tenenbaums

Velvet Goldmine

The Crow

Tales From The Crypt: Demon Knight

O Brother Where Art Thou?