Mr. Heartbreak

So heresy > blasphemy? I'm dead serious, too. To elaborate: I always felt JWH was a huge letdown. Relentlessly bleak, and I don't like the production quality at all. Some decent songs, all of which I like better when other people do them. Hendrix, obviously, took Watchtower to a whole other level, and I much prefer Jerry Garcia's covers of Drifter's Escape and Wicked Messenger. On the other hand, I went into Oh Mercy with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. I love Political World, Everything Is Broken and Most of the Time is just classic. And, as Louie pointed out, it also has

One of the quotes from that Steve Berlin tale reads as follows: So it was a "sketch of an idea." Never been recorded. It was going to "turn into a song." But it wasn't yet a song? It was, what? A riff? I'm sorry, I don't know Paul Simon personally, and I don't know these guys either, but it sounds pretty thin to me. Amusingly enough, the Steve Berlin article has him saying they were "pretty high up on the food chain" in 1986 when this was recorded and that Paul Simon was "floundering." Seriously? You could make an argument that fellow living legend Bob Dylan was floundering in the

Here's some Dylan blasphemy: Oh Mercy > John Wesley Harding

I almost feel like I should like Coldplay just by virtue of the fact that Eno produced one of their records. He must have heard something he liked.

It's okay. This thread is called "A Thread for Musical Blasphemy YOU Truly Believe" [emphasis mine]. I don't have to convince anyone else. Just posting what I believe.

Of all the famous singer-songwriters of the last 50 years who have made it big, Neil Young might be the worst writer. He's a good guitar player, and I think he can write a decent melody, but his lyrics are nowhere near as good as anyone else in the upper echelon (Dylan, Joni Mitchell, et al). Just look at some of the lyrics of even his best-known songs: And don't even get me started on A Man Needs A Maid.

Hopefully no longer displaying his pole in public. Been listening to the Long Island Sound set in the car as I drive around the past few days, and I must say I am very glad I got to see the 9/5 show instead of 9/6. The 9/5 show sounds better to my ears overall in terms of energy, Jerry's voice, etc. Also, I like those old classics like How Sweet It Is and I Second That Emotion, but it's a bit too much of a good thing. I prefer the Jerry solo tunes, like Cats Under the Stars and Mission in the Rain. Sure wish I could have seen him solo more than that one show, but it was a good one.

Will there be raccoons there? You are soooo much nicer than me. Merry Christmas!

Speaking of great sound quality, I got my copy of the Jerry Long Island Sound box last night and am really digging it. The Bob/Rob set from 9/5 brought back some memories from the mists of time; I had not heard the show since I experienced it in person, so it was kind of surreal. The Jerry set from night one begins with a bit of a sound glitch, which I already knew from having a SBD copy of most of the show for many years. I don't know if it's a "hot" mic or what, but Jerry's vocals start out overly loud and distorted during Cats Under the Stars, but the problem is quickly resolved. Apparent

I haven't spent much time on the site - I am one of those rare weirdos who actually wants the thing to work, so I don't want to be part of the problem of the site being overloaded - but I found it odd that so many applied but so few selected a plan. I guess that means that the costs are not shown until the end of the app process. Sad, because there must be a lot of people who would need insurance but cannot afford it, even through the ACA. Maybe the tax credits are not enough for them, or they are not understanding that part. I believe the article also noted that TX has something like 5-mill

Oh, I am just kidding around there. I think there was a lengthy post about that whole subject way back when YHF came out. I think it's a great album, but it is kind of funny how much better those songs are live. Of course, the same could be said for many albums, especially Wilco albums.

So, this is kind of interesting, for those who are following along with the Affordable Care Act numbers: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20131221-obamacare-sign-ups-picking-up-steam-in-texas.ece The article notes that almost a quarter million Texans completed applications but did not pick a plan; by contrast, 14,000 completed applications and picked a plan. Wonder what is keeping people who applied from picking a plan.

Chose: Flying Assigned: Super strength And I have to use these together for the greatest good? Hmm, does flying across the amphitheater and body slamming the worst talkers count as the greatest good? I am a rather nonviolent sort, but I'm happy to take one for the team.

Jim O'Rourke ruins records.

I see that Merrill Lynch is using "Ooh La La" for one of their commercials. Kind of a bummer.

I'm listening to the #1 Record/Radio City package tonight and I'm really just hearing what I heard the last time I listened to it: it's decent. I don't really see how it's any better than other records from that era from a huge number of other unsung bands, from Jo Jo Gunne to Badfinger to Todd Rundgren's Utopia, but it's decent. Not what I would call a "consistent" sound throughout, but nothing really wrong with it either.

I am just kidding around. I am sure the Replacements were a much better band in terms of writing great songs, but Kiss did write a few ear worms. And Ace was a really fun guitarist back in the glory days. The guy made that band, in my opinion.

Kiss > The Replacements

Not only can you ignore certain posts, but you can also ignore certain posters. "Ignore" is wonderful.

I love all these reviews, and the shows sound uniformly excellent, regardless of length, rants, etc. Thanks to all for the set lists, reports, etc.

I have these kind of flying dreams occasionally, and am just superstitious enough to believe that they are out-of-body experiences. I was going to mention something about an x-rated version of the freezing time superpower, but this is supposed to be a family board, so I guess I'll just go with the flying one.

Okay, you talked me into it: I'll go back and give Radio City/#1 Record another shot. I do like Jeff's cover of Thirteen a lot, so...

I almost feel sorry for the people who feel obligated to defend this crap (Palin, Jindal, etc.). I mean, I am sure a few of them believe their own B.S., but for the most part it really sounds like pandering. It would be much smarter to just come out and say, "Well, that guy can be a real knucklehead," and be done with it, but no: have to defend it from a Biblical standpoint, a free speech standpoint, a fan of Duck Dynasty standpoint. It's kind of like Bill Maher defending Alec Baldwin, but much, much more public, and, of course, these are politicians doing it, not comedians.

Very interesting points, Lou. I don't dislike any of these bands I have been mentioning here, but R.E.M. and the Mats never did much for me either, so I am not surprised that Big Star were an influence on them. It's kind of interesting that they were an influence on Wilco, because I like Wilco so much. I can even hear the Mats influence in some early Wilco, but I still like Wilco a zillion times more.

I may have already posted it on here before, but Big Star is a seriously overrated band. I mean, don't get me wrong, they were decent, but the way indie music fans talk about them, you'd think they should have been as big as Pink Floyd or The Beatles or something.