Another Slot Open on the DVR (Part One)

A few years ago, G and I had seen promos for a new show called White Collar, and returning from a short trip to Chicago, we watched the premiere episode.  I always enjoy shows about heists, con men and the like, so it looked like fun, and it was.  It was never nominated for any awards, but it was definitely watchable.  The camera work was absolutely gorgeous and showed New York City to wonderful advantage.  It felt like the flip side of  Castle. While everyone in Castle is as lovely as the characters in White Collar, it always seems to be late fall to early spring in Castle’s New York, and they’re generally wearing coats, sweaters and jackets.  White Collar’s New York was always warmer, and usually always daylight.  The shows have a similar light feel, but do occasionally feature darker episodes, which feel a bit heavy-handed in this type of series.  Oh no, someone’s killed Neal’s helpful family friend!  Yikes, a bad guy has kidnapped Peter’s wife Elizabeth!  Thankfully, the dark stuff is usually wrapped up nicely when it moves the show along, so, yay, Mozzie and everyone else are okay!

As long as we get to see the lovely Matt Bomer every week as Neal Caffrey, any plot inconsistencies, unbelievable conclusions and weak storylines are fairly easily forgiven.  So Neal just happens upon a great apartment with a landlord like Diahann Carroll and to be able to wear her husband’s impeccable 60s wardrobe with snappy tie clasps. And he and Mozzie are lucky enough to drink fantastic wines while he forges art and pulls off amazing cons. What a life!  And his FBI handler Peter Burke is such a lovable straight arrow (with Tim DeKay being also easy on the eyes), plus the easygoing acting and camaraderie amongst the cast make for fun watching. 

I have a bit of a hierarchy for shows.  I’ve got my As, Bs, and Cs.  There are shows I can’t miss and try to watch son after they air, partly so I won’t get any spoilers, and my high As are ones I just can’t miss.   Breaking Bad was definitely an A.  Justified is number one at this point. White Collar wasn’t in the upper echelon, probably a B, but it was fun, and I will miss it.  We haven’t watched the last episode yet.  I hope there’s some kind of tribute to James Rebhorn, who played their FBI boss for a while. 

In the end, I hope Neal is finally free of his anklet and can forge some kind of path to the straight and narrow on his own terms.  I’ll miss seeing the beautiful shots of NYC and hope I can get there to visit on my own again soon.  So long White Collar, come back with a TV movie or two.

I’ll write a sadder goodbye in the next couple of days to another DVR slot which opens up tomorrow (or Saturday morning at 1:37).

CD Voyage B-1 The Babys

The Babys - Anthology (1981 version)

Why this CD:  I guess when the Babys were in their heyday in the 70s I was under the impression that they were harder rock than they really are.  Either that, or I was so besotted with Shaun Cassidy, Barry Manilow, and others I didn't pay attention.  Anyway, I realized much later that I really liked them.

CD Thoughts: This one is especially nice for car listening. "Isn't It Time" and "Everytime I Think of You", the biggest hits, sound very similar to one another.  Same composers and same structure with the R&B sounding female backup singers.  "Everytime..." is almost a duet.  Both are nice, melodic and upbeat, and heavily produced.  Several years ago I'd put this CD on my MP3 player and was listening to "Midnight Rendezvous."  On the fadeout, John Waite sings "I really want to %*$( you."  I backed it up a few times to re-hear it, thinking "did he say what I think he said?"  Yes, he did, tee-hee!  That, "Turn and Walk Away", and "Back on My Feet Again" are also great songs.  As it's an anthology, there's nothing awful on the CD, and there are no ballads, so it's a good one to listen to keep you awake.

Takeaway: Fun 70s-sounding (not that there's anything wrong with that) rock.  I wouldn't mind checking out more of their non-greatest hits stuff.

CD Voyage A-5 America

America - The Complete Greatest Hits (2001)

Why this CD:  It's mine.  I'd always like America, particularly the Gerry Beckley songs, so I bought this a few years ago.

CD Thoughts:  I often forget about Dan Peek's contributions to the band since Dewey Bunnell and Beckley had lead vocals on and wrote the bigger hits.  He added a more country rock feel before leaving in 1977.  I particularly enjoyed listening to "Woman Tonight", that Peek composed, a kind of reggae-flavored song that features all three guys trading off vocals.  I looked the song up on YouTube and found a cute video of them singing it on some show called Supersonic.  I've always liked songs from any band that display everyone's talents.  This CD seems to have been heavily remixed in spots, because some of the songs sound different, although I'm pretty sure there aren't any new recordings involved.  "Sister Golden Hair" especially caught my ear as sounding a little different, probably because I've heard it so many times on the radio.  It's still a great song, as is "Daisy Jane."  "Right Before Your Eyes" was always a favorite of mine, too, and I was surprised it wasn't a bigger hit when it was released.  I remember hearing it on the radio quite a bit, although it was more of an Adult Contemporary hit and didn't make the Top 40.  Are there stations that play AC hits anymore?  When I worked at an AC station in Louisville in the 90s and beyond, we hardly played anything that wasn't #1) at least a few years old, or #2) a softer, already established Top 40 hit.  I don't see how anything even breaks anymore.  I don't know of many adult rock stations either that aren't Classic Rock.  This whole CD listening thing is very stream of consciousness for me.  So, America.

Takeaway:  This is a nice compilation. I should probably check out some of their earlier albums, the ones produced by George Martin.  I listened to some of the late 70s stuff on Spotify and enjoyed it.  America is a pleasant listen, nice for chilling in the car.

CD Voyage A-4 Air Supply

Air Supply - Now & Forever (1982) and The One That You Love (1981)  

double album package one one disc

Why this CD:
Because I love Air Supply.  Love them.  I have all their albums, I think, including Australian ones never released in the U.S.  I don't have all the compilations because that would be ridiculous.  I have, however, gotten CD versions of every album even though I still have the vinyl copies. I've seen them in concert 6 times.  So, pipe down and leave me alone.

When I was younger I only had so much money to spend on music.  I made sure I knew an album had at least a couple of songs I really liked before I bought it.  When "All Out of Love" came out in 1980, I fell in love with it.  I didn't connect it with any boys but it still tore my heart out.  I bought the single but didn't buy the album Lost in Love until after "Every Woman in the World" was released.  I'd liked the song "Lost in Love" well enough, but still waited for that 3rd single. I did love the album. Since those were pre-internet days and I didn't subscribe to any music magazines, I didn't know Air Supply had a new album coming out in 1981 and was thrilled to hear "The One That You Love" on the radio.  I bought that album quickly afterward.  The following year I was even more surprised to see Now and Forever at Roses department store, so I bought it without even hearing a song first.  I bought every album after that whether I'd heard a song or not.  Over the years I've gotten more objective and certainly don't think every song is a gem, but I'm a sucker for harmonies and pretty melodies, so I'm not getting rid of one of my CDs or LPs.

CD Thoughts:
This hasn't really aged all that well.  I kind of wish I'd picked something else to play.  I did skip over a lot of these songs.  Despite the strings and heavy orchestration, a lot of it feels thin; I suppose it could be the mastering.  Some of the problems may have stemmed from a "strike while the iron's hot" push from Arista.  After having three Top 5 hits from the 1980 album, they released albums each of the next two years.  Of course the 1981 album did have three more Top 5 hits and the 1982 had another before the next two singles each peaked at #38.  It's kind of a diminishing results thing, though.  The only song I turned up the volume for was "Sweet Dreams."  I sang some of the singles ("Here I Am", "Even the Nights Are Better") from these albums in variety and talent shows in the 80s so I definitely sing along with them.  Some of the album cuts, especially on Now and Forever, are nicer than the singles.  "She Never Heard Me Call" is a sad, pretty song with a lot of flute, and singing from both Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock.  But listening to both these albums in a row, in their entirey, would require perseverance I don't have right now.  I know these songs and have listened to them enough that I didn't feel obligated to listen to every second of the mushy stuff.  Thank you skip button.

Takeaway:
Most of their music sounds better in concert, with a lot of the strings and stuffing peeled away.  I still love Air Supply, but I'd be better off putting the songs I like best on a thumbdrive or my phone.

CD Journey #1

CD Journey #2
CD Journey #3
CD Journey #4 Aerosmith

CD Voyage A-3 Aerosmith

Aerosmith - Get a Grip (1993)

Why the CD: 
I think this is one that I think we both owned.  That, or "Pump".  It's Aerosmith, and they're great.  Plus, I thought Joe Perry was really hot in the 90s.

CD Thoughts:
Hey, this is the one with a picture of the band's nipples on the disc!  One of the reasons I hadn't listened to this in years is that we played several of the songs on the soft rock station where I worked (3 different spans of time), so I'd heard "Crying," "Crazy, " and "Amazing" plenty, and they had started to seem kind of interchangeable.  I prefer several other, harder songs on this disc - "Eat the Rich" is pretty funny, and I always liked "Livin' on the Edge", and "Shut Up and Dance."  It's a fun CD to listen to in the car.  Some of the cuts are overlong for me, but they sound good and the production is nice and thick.

Takeaway:
This was fun to listen to, but I'd definitely rather change it up with Aerosmith CDs, and probably listen to something older.

CD Journey #1

CD Journey #2
CD Journey #3

CD Voyage A-2 AC/DC

AC/DC - Back in Black (1980)  

Background:

I don't think I'd ever listened to an entire AC/DC album before.  I've heard quite a bit of AC/DC, especially having worked on the air at some Classic Rock stations, but I'd probably never heard more than maybe 3 in a row during some kind of Rock Block weekend.  This CD belongs to my husband.

CD Thoughts:

If I'm going to listen to an entire AC/DC album, this is probably the one.  It's their best-known album, and has sold around 50 million copies.  Some of my favorite artists have said this is one of their favorites.  And even we soft rock loving gals need to rattle the windows sometimes.  I laughed (with the band) at a lot of the lyrics.  And even though it's a pretty average length album, it seemed short to me, which is good.  I'll have to see if Garland has any of their vinyl, because we don't have any other CDs.

Takeaway:

I did enjoy listening to this CD quite a bit.  Obviously, I already knew some of the cuts, especially "Back in Black" and "You Shook Me All Night Long."  These guys know what they stand for.  Getting some, drinking some, and rocking some.

CD Journey #1

CD Journey #2

CD voyage A-1 ABBA

ABBA - Gold (1992)

Background:

This one is mine, of course.  Why?  Because it's ABBA, of course!

CD Thoughts:

Well, it's pretty hard to go wrong with this.  Every song wasn't a big hit in the USA, and I could lose a few, plus it's inexplicably missing "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" and "Honey, Honey", but still, it's a lot of fun.  I sing along with most of the songs, especially "Dancing Queen", "The Winner Takes It All" and "Waterloo," which is probably my favorite from ABBA.  I spend a lot of the time listening to this CD wishing "Mamma Mia" was available to community theaters.  I know too many talented people to think I'd be cast in one of the three main roles, but it's fun to dream.  I think I'd like to be the cougar-y character (I've forgotten her name), the one who sings "Does Your Mother Know." I'm getting too old for those roles anyway, but hey, Meryl Streep was older than I am when she did the movie. But then, she's Meryl Streep and she can do ANYTHING.  I really like "One of Us", a song I'd never heard before I bought this CD.  It's sad and lovely.

Takeaway:

It's ABBA.  It's fun, it sounds good, I like it, and I've listened to it quite a bit.

CD Journey #1

Taking a Trip Through My (ab)CDs

A-1

Between my husband and me, we have quite a few CDs, mostly of music from the 90s and before.  Some of them were purchased to replace old LPs.  Some are his, most are mine.  When we got married, we discovered some duplicates (Tom Petty’s “Full Moon Fever” springs to mind) which I took to a local store and traded for others, or sold on eBay. I still buy some CDs, but they're mostly older stuff.  I'm not the most adventurous of listeners, and my tastes are pretty middle-of-the-road.  I'm also trying to challenge and shake that up some.  I’ve mostly been listening to public radio in my car for a time, but this year’s political coverage has become more than I can take.  I do often listen to the public adult alternative station for music, but with a recent move, I’ve become even more painfully aware of all the stuff I have that I don’t use. “Why did I buy that?  Where did this come from? How much of this crap do I really need, or want?” 

I think about the music we own that I don’t listen to and I feel minor pangs of guilt over the money spent and the space they take up. The money is not a huge thing, until you take into consideration the fact that there are many CDs that were probably only listened to all the way through once. At least the price of music seemed to hit a peak a couple of decades back, and then dropped to a more manageable amount.  The space is also not so bad when you compare CDs to LPs.  Buying CDs has never been as satisfying open the cellophane around an LP, pulling out the disk, and…but that’s a topic for another time.  I can’t listen to LPs in the car, and I haven’t taken the time to digitize most of mine, so we’ll leave that alone for now.

To avoid feeling wasteful, I’ve decided to listen to some of our CDs on my way to and from work, as I have a longer commute now. 

•  I’m just listening to one CD per artist, in alphabetical order, although some of the cases do contain double albums, so I may or may not listen to both.
•  If there are artists whose CDs I could sing through in my sleep, I do not have to listen to every song, but if I haven’t listened in years or don’t know the album at all, I will listen to every cut.  My game, my rules.
• This is car listening, so it is not a place I can concentrate on every word, nuance and note of an arrangement.  That’s not really the point, unless there's something that just demands to be heard.  I just want to know why I have this stuff.  Plus, my car stereo isn’t the best, and the speakers Garland bought me for Christmas several years ago are still uninstalled and in their original box, so I’m listening through fairly cruddy factory speakers.  I’ll still get the gist.
• My music is divided into sections.  The overwhelming majority is pop/rock, but there's a country portion, a few contemporary Christian (which actually aren't very contemporary--mostly 90s to 2008 or so), some standard/show stuff, and some classical.  My current activity just involves the pop/rock.

I started this exercise several weeks ago and wasn’t recording my thoughts until I got to Jimmy Buffett, but I’ll backtrack and jot something down. I’ve just realized that our box sets are stored in a different area right now, so I need to bring them and get them in the mix in so no one is left out.

5/2/16

Jimmy Buffett – “Fruitcakes” (1994)

Background:

My husband is(was?) a Parrot Head.  He used to be in the fan club, and has been to several concerts.  I surprised him with tickets once when we were dating in the mid-90s, and we also went to a show with friends after we got married.  I like Jimmy fine, but all the CDs, albums, posters, books, mugs, etc. in the house are definitely Garland’s.

CD thoughts: Listening to Jimmy Buffett on the way to work might not be the best way to start a Monday morning.  I have no immediate prospects of a tropical vacation.  We don’t have a swimming pool.  We haven’t even figured out how to operate, maintain or repair the hot tub that came with the house where we moved two and a half months ago.  The first 2 songs on this CD are 15 minutes combined, and the fun feels a bit forced.  The ballads fare somewhat better. I found the start of one song nice, and then realized it was a cover of “Uncle John’s Band.” It all sounds fine and relaxed, and as you’d expect, there’s a bounty of clever lyrics and breezy singing.  The female backup singers are irritating on some of the tracks.  A couple of years ago I finally realized what I want to be when I grow up.  I want to be a session singer in the 1970s.  This CD is from the 90s, and I would’ve been sad to sing these outdated arrangements. One cut is an annoyingly highjacked cover of the Kinks' "Sunny Afternoon" in which he includes a Parrot Heads reference.  There is an even more annoying cover of "He's Got You."  Jimmy sings "the only ting different, the only ting new," to show just how Caribbean he is, and also throws in some "I don't know"s from "Volcano"  in the mix.  The final song has the cloying title of "Apocalypso", but it's actually decent.

Takeaway: Steel drums, pan flutes (I think it was a pan flute), and conga drums probably feel better around Thursday lunchtime and later in the week, unless you’re in the Caribbean, in which case let the Jimmy flow.  Just probably an earlier album.