palsgraf_polka

Rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen albums that you've listened to that will always stick with you or influenced you, the ones that touch you and you can listen to again and again from start to finish. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.

1) Standing on a Beach - The Cure
2) Graceland - Paul Simon
3) She Hangs Brightly - Mazzy Star
4) Tindersticks - Tindersticks
5) The Elephant's Baby - Clare Fader
6) Ella and Louis - Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
7) So - Peter Gabriel
8) The Joshua Tree - U2
9) Discography - Pet Shop Boys
10) Breakfast in America - Supertramp
11) Chronicle Vol. 1 - Creedence Clearwater Revival
12) The soundtrack to Dirty Dancing
13) The soundtrack to Magnolia
14) Appetite for Destruction - Guns n' Roses
15) Cosmic Thing - B-52s

This song came on my iPod this morning on my way to work, and here it is, 25 years later, and the song is still fresh and relevant. That's hard to find.

Opportunities - Pet Shop Boys

I've got the brains, you've got the looks
Let's make lots of money
You've got the brawn, I've got the brains
Let's make lots of -

I've had enough of scheming and messing around with jerks
My car is parked outside, I'm afraid it doesn't work
I'm looking for a partner, someone who gets things fixed
Ask yourself this question: Do you want to be rich?

I've got the brains, you've got the looks
Let's make lots of money
You've got the brawn, I've got the brains
Let's make lots of money

You can tell I'm educated, I studied at the Sorbonne
Doctored in mathematics, I could have been a don
I can program a computer, choose the perfect time
If you've got the inclination, I have got the crime

Oh, there's a lot of opportunities
If you know when to take them, you know?
There's a lot of opportunities
If there aren't, you can make them
Make or break them

I've got the brains, you've got the looks
Let's make lots of money
Let's make lots of -
(Aahhhhh) Money
(Aahhhhh)
(Aahhhhh - Di du da di da bu di ba)

You can see I'm single-minded, I know what I could be
How'd you feel about it, come and take a walk with me?
I'm looking for a partner, regardless of expense
Think about it seriously, you know, it makes sense

Let's (Got the brains)
Make (Got the looks)
Let's make lots of money (Oohh money)
(Let's) You've got the brawn
(Make) I've got the brains
Let's make lots of money (Oohh money)

I've got the brains (Got the brains)
You've got the looks (Got the looks)
Let's make lots of money (Oohh money)
Money

So I have 13,504 songs on my iPod. What are the odds that on full shuffle, it would play two songs back to back that are back to back on the album from which the two songs originate? I'm driving to work and Let's Go To Bed by The Cure comes on, and then the next song is The Walk which are back to back on Staring At The Sea - The Singles.

I find that odd.

I was perusing my books in search of a book to read, and saw The Onion Field by Joseph Wambaugh, which I bought about 20 years ago and never got past the first 20 pages or so, but so many of my favorite authors credit Wambaugh with their careers, so I felt I should give it another chance.

And I found a very odd bookmark.



from the music choices, I think this was probably written when I was about 16 or 17. Apparently it was very important that I have at least 4 100 minute tapes, hahahaha.

Also, something is currently thumping across my roof, making the cats insane. I have a feeling it's a raccoon. Sounds heavier than a cat.

I fell into a bluegrass mood about 2 hous ago. First I listened to Chubby Wise to get some traditional flavor, but now I've moved onto Gillian Welch and her album Hell Among the Yearlings. It starts with this lovely haunting tune, Caleb Meyer:

Caleb Meyer, he lived alone
In them hollarin' pines
He made a little whiskey for himself
Said it helped to pass the time

On one evening in back of my house,
Caleb came around
And he called my name 'til I came out
with no one else around

Caleb Meyer, your ghost is gonna
wear them rattlin' chains.
but when I go to sleep at night,
Don't you call my name

Where's your husband, Nellie Kane
Where's your darling gone?
Did he go on down the mountain side
and leave you all alone?

Yes, my husband's gone to Bowlin' Green
to do some business there.
Then Caleb threw that bottle down
and grabbed me by my hair.

Caleb Meyer, your ghost is gonna
wear them rattlin' chains.
but when I go to sleep at night,
Don't you call my name

He threw me on the needle bed,
and on my dress he lay
he held my hands above my head
and I commenced to pray.

I cried My God, I am your child
send your angels down
Then feelin' with my fingertips,
the bottle neck I found

I pulled that glass across his neck
as fine as any blade,
and I felt his blood run fast and hot
around me where I laid.

Caleb Meyer, your ghost is gonna
wear them rattlin' chains.
But when I go to sleep at night,
Don't you call my name

Caleb Meyer, your ghost is gonna
wear them rattlin' chains.
But when I go to sleep at night,
Don't you call my name

I love this song.

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Easy. The soundtrack for the film Amelie, with a combination of the beautiful score by Yann Tiersen and a few songs as well from the past. It's almost the perfect album.

My iPod just shuffled from The Dead Kennedys' Holiday in Cambodia to John Denver's Calypso.

Star Trek was a lot of fun. I loved it. It had great action, great special effects and Simon Pegg as Scotty, John Cho (Harold!) as Sulu and Zachary Quinto as Spock were great. The kid who played Chekov was good too.

I think hardcore trekkies will be very angry though.

But I, as a casual fan, loved it.

And what day would be complete without pictures!

( clicky )

ETA: This has nothing to do with this post but I don't want to overpost.

I have never really been a big fan of a lot of Miles Davis; I like his early quintet work with John Coltrane and Red Garland, but haven't listened to much else. Well, thanks to Mal, I have a shitload of jazz on my iPod and a song came on (I had the iPod on full shuffle) that was so beautiful, so dark, so filled with....longing. I had to know what this song was, so I checked, and it was Prayer (Oh Doctor Jesus) from Porgy & Bess. Damn that's a fine fucking song. Now I'm listening to the whole album and it's magnificent.

Talking heads has come up 3 times in the last hour. Huh?