Some people think vinyl sounds way better than CDs. Some folks insist that CDs are infinitely superior. Either way, the problem has always been how to make them both sound like crap by loading them onto your iPod. CDs are pretty easy. I think my mom could figure that one out. LPs on the other hand... you need a turntable, a sound-card, maybe a pre-amp, some software... no, wait, all you need is a Numark's TTi! From beautiful, smooth grooves to yucky compressed digital in one swift move. Get all the surface noise and pops in 128kpbs digital clarity. Check it out. (link)

Radio on the TV...

Just the other day I told my brother how cool I thought it would be to have an IMDB type thing for television shows and commercials. You know, so you could look up who did the song on that hot Bravia commercial (by the way, that was Jose Gonzalez -- you can watch it here). Today he sends me a link to KillerStartups.com saying it already exists -- sort of. Heardontv.com relies on users to submit information about songs they have heard on television shows. From their site:

"heardontv.com is a user generated website centered on music heard on tv in your favorite tv shows. Just watched a tv show, looking for the music you just heard? Look no further. And if you already know the title of a song you just heard, go ahead and contribute!"

On the site you can search by show, artist or song. Hopefully they will expand this service to include commercials soon. Granted, it's not quite what I had envisioned but I suppose it serves the basic purpose.

Turn, Turn, Turn...

The Funky Way brings us "Exotic Turntables of the World - Wacky Record Players" -- check out this amazing photo gallery of cool (read: expensive) turntables through the ages. (link)

And, while you're at it, have a look at the ELP Laser Turntable. At a cool $15,000 (or up to $19,000 if you want to play 7" - 12" records in 1" increments) it promises never to wear out your records because there's no needle, just a laser -- "No needle, no wear." Keith Jarrett says the ELP is great and who are we to argue?

The Notorious Byrd Brothers

My good buddy, Ric Menck, has written a book for Continuum's 33 1/3 Series -- The Notorious Byrd Brothers (33 1/3 #43). It's an excellent read for everyone. For you folks who know the album inside and out will certainly learn something new (and, if not about the Byrds or the NBBs album, perhaps about Ric) and for those of you who have never listened to it, now is your chance to listen and read -- a great way to study a record. In fact, you should pick up a few of the 33 1/3 books... they are all a good read. (link)

Old school is cool... now make it work.

Sure, it's cool to have a huge collection of LPs, 45s, even cassette tapes (we've all got them) but when you are on the go, got your iPod, iPhone, digital this and Bluetooth that, how are you going to listen to them? Enter the USB Turntable and PlusDeck Cassette Converter! These puppies attached to your computer via a USB connection (for the turntable) or slide into an empty drive (for the PlusDeck) and presto! you can easily convert all of your old school tunes to MP3s and play them on your new hi-tech lo-fidelity gear. Now, when they come up with a USB record lathe (how about this?) to convert all of my crappy MP3s to vinyl -- then I'll be impressed!

Guitar Hero Deconstruction

The Guitar Hero bug hasn't bitten me yet but based on the line of kids at the local Best Buy waiting to play it and the weekly Guitar Hero Open Stage night at the local "rock club" I'm guessing it's gotten to the rest of the world. So, this week, the fine folks at Toolmonger show us how to take a perfectly good electric guitar (you pick the variety), cut it up and gut it, and then put it back together as a wireless Guitar Hero Axe -- all in just about 75 hours. Rock on! They have some other great projects as well so have a poke around...

Momma, I don't feel so good...

... I think the box sets are killing me. What is going on with all the amazing box sets coming out recently? There are a whole slew of various artists sets coming (or out): "What it is! The Singles Collection" can be gotten as either a 25 x 7" singles housed in a old-school carrying case or as a four CD set, "Forever Changing: The Golden Age of Elektra" is a 5 CD set with hard back book, art prints and postcards all neatly packed in a 12" box. And among the individual artists doing cool boxes, have a look at Andy Partridge's just released "Fuzzy Warbles Collector Album" a five CD set made to look like a stamp collection book, The Clash and their singles box (19 x 7" or CD), and then of course there is the Michael Jackson "Visionary" set (20 CD singles), the re-working of the Scott Walker 5 CD set, the Bee Gees "Studio Albums 1967-1968" 6 CD set... and that's just the beginning of the music end of things. Genesis Publications is putting out "The Summer of Love (the making of Sgt Pepper)" (by George Martin) with a selling price of around $500 and Criterion and Janus films have just released their magnum opus "Art House Essentials: 50 Years of Janus Films" (a 50 DVD set with book) retailing for $850. Oh, and don't forget the grand-daddy of box sets, Hippo Select's ongoing "Complete Motown Singles" sets -- 12 box sets, 6 discs each, every Motown single ever released (a and b sides). They are up to volume 5 right now so jump on board! If all this doesn't get me I bet the debt collectors will. Merry Christmas.

Tony Palmer vs the Peoria Opera House

Last week I was fortunate enough to see Tony Palmer speak (a fascinating lecture entitled "The Music of Stanley Kubrick") and watch one of his films "All My Loving" -- a 1968 document of rock and roll music including live footage and interviews with The Who, The Beatles, Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix and Cream (all of whom seem to be good friends of Tony's). One of his funniest story involved a very drunk Pete Townshend and himself deciding to burn down the Peoria Opera House (in Illinois) but being too drunk to remember where it was. He did an excellent interview on our local public Radio Sation (WILL) that includes a few more details (it's available for download as an MP3). Word has it a number of Tony's films will be made available by Warner Classics (including "All My Loving") sometime in early 2007. If you ever get the chance to hear Tony Palmer speak -- go!

Big labels are f*cked, and DRM is dead

"Few people know the music industry better than Peter Jenner. Pink Floyd's first manager, who subsequently managed Syd Barrett's solo career, Jenner has also looked after T.Rex, The Clash, Ian Dury, Disposable Heroes and Billy Bragg - who he manages today. He's also secretary general of the International Music Managers Forum." (from the Register)

Turns out, Peter Jenner is also the guy who has stated the obvious -- "Big labels are f*cked and DRM is Dead." He also said "digital music pricing has been a scam" and "within two or three years (most countries) will have a blanket licensing regime where we exchange music freely, for a couple of quid a month." Now, that all makes sense but the sentence that I don't quite get is about iTunes and that the big label executives have "seen how kids don't like it." Perhaps in the UK but on this side of the pond iTunes seems to be doing OK... kids and all.

In any case, it's an interesting read and some valid ideas about the current state of the mujsic business and what direction it might be going in.

(read the whole interview here)

The CD is Dead. Long live the CD.

Don't say we didn't warn you! According to Alain Levy, EMI Music CEO (that's a Corporate Executive Officer, folks), the compact disc as we know it is dead. His states "that most CDs are simply used for ripping onto digital audio players." In response, starting next year all EMI CDs will come with additional materials -- stuff you can't download, rip and burn -- to entice people to start buying them again. Not a bad idea -- give people something worth buying. Hmmmm...
(read more from marketwatch.com)

Big sound from a tiny package

Just because you listen to music on an iPod doesn't mean it has to sound like crap. There are quit a few amplifiers dedicated to making those tiny digital devices sound better -- I think two of them rise to the top as far as performance and looks. The Dared MP-5 (left) is a tiny tube amplifier that is both beautiful and sounds great. Of course, the list price is $559 but it can be had easily on-line for under $400. Don't forget, with the Dared you need add speakers and cables. The whole thing could set you back almost $1000. For more information, read this excellent review from Enjoy the Music. On the other had, The Specktone Retro (right) costs only $149.95, comes in three colors groovy colors, is "plug-and-play" and will look cool in any setting -- even your trashed out "music room". Granted, ultimately it won't sound as good as the Dared but with the extra money in your pocket maybe you can buy some curtains...

File under: I Should Have Thought of That

Why didn't I think of this? Jacob Smigel dug around at Thrift Stores, garbage cans and garage sales picking up answering machine tapes, home made records, etc and compiled what he found onto a CD. Here's the description from his web site:

Eavesdrop: a wealth of found sound is a collection of anonymous recordings found at thrift stores, yard sales, and in trash bins over the past four years. These unaltered tracks come from audio or micro-cassettes, 8-Tracks and home-recorded records. Many of the clips are segments from audio diaries, tape-letters, the sound of road trips, fights, crying, family moments, telephone conversations/messages, or the amusements of children or the mentally handicapped.

You can buy "Eavesdrop: a wealth of found sound" straight from Jacob Smigel's web site (only $10 ppd) with your PayPal account. Mine should be on its way already!

Crosby Stills Nash & Young doing their part...

(from TreeHugger)

“We are stardust, We are golden, We are billion year old carbon”. Finger on the buzzer if you can identify that oldie but goldie... It seems that Crosby Stills Nash & Young are still around, still doing concerts and still fighting the good fight. These ageing rockers have been politically committed since the 1960’s and they wear their politics on their sleeve and in their music. This summer they toured North America performing their new album and used 100% bio-diesel fuel for their entire convoy of buses and trucks. They racked up 220,000 miles over the year using their alternative fuel choice, which made them 78% cleaner than before. And they offset 100% of the tour’s greenhouse gas emissions and are now officially carbon neutral for 2006. They did it by teaming up with RoadShow (event planners) and TourNeutral. TourNeutral, in association with DriveNeutral, is the only legally binding way for touring acts to offset their emissions. This is done by purchasing and permanently retiring credits from the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX)--a kind of stock exchange for pollution. Counter-culture to the end, CSN&Y are the first rock group to use this new way to achieve a zero footprint. As for the lyrics--that’s right: it’s Woodstock: “And we got to get ourselves back to the garden”. :: DriveNeutral

No more helping old ladies... this is Rock 'n Roll

I am all for protecting one's copyright but believe the RIAA has done some amazingly dumb things to strong arm folks into following along. Now it looks like the MPAA is latching on. Their latest effort is the Boy Scouts "Respecting Copyrights" merit badge. They didn't have a badge for not stealing candy when I was a kid -- they could have called it the "Respecting Other Folks Property" merit badge. Perhaps I should just give in to the sillyness, drink the cool-aide and become a merit badge counselor for our local Boy Scout troop. From Yahoo:
"This undated handout photo provided by the Motion Picture Association of America shows the new merit piracy patch Los Angeles-area Boys Scouts can earn for learning about the evils of downloading pirated movies and music. The movie industry developed the curriculum. (AP Photo/Motion Picture Association of America)"
Also, have a look at BoingBoing's post.