 |
 | Cousin Bette (Modern Library Classics) |
 | "that's my boy!" | 2009-04-07 |
i'm not one hundred percent certain, but i'm pretty sure that this book was written by my grandson! i used to babysit him when he was four, and was the one who gave him his first book to read. so, if you connect the dots, i guess you could say that it's me who is responsible for this book (you gotta read before you can write, right?)! anyway, buy the thing. buy a hundred copies. the boy's got my genes - how can you go wrong? you can't.
|
 | The Shooting Party |
| "a great novel" | 2008-05-11 |
i would like to thank reviewer mary whipple for pointing me in the direction of this fantastic book. it's a great old-fashion novel, full of complex and interesting characters, that paints a vivid picture of pre-world war I english society in a thoroughly entertaining story. isabel colegate's writing is dazzling to boot. upon finishing this book, i got on my computer and bought everything else that i could find by this author. if her other novels are even close to this good, that will have been money well spent.
|
 | Crossing the Sauer: A Memoir of World War II |
 | "four and 1/2 stars." | 2008-05-11 |
if charles bukowski (minus all the alcohol intake) had been in world war II, and had written a memoir about it, you probably would have gotten something like this. a fantastic, unpretentious, totally enjoyable book. i wish this author had written more.
|
 | The Strawbs - Grave New World |
| "discovering the strawbs." | 2007-10-12 |
back in my 7th or 8th grade days, when i first started buying albums, i recall the strawbs were a regular feature in all the cut-out bins i went through. i'm pretty sure that i bought one of their recordings for 99 cents or something, and i probably listened to it at least once, but being a little retard, it left no impression. well, many a year later, i have given "grave new world" a go, and it certainly has left an impression. great prog-folk-rock. a pinch of genesis, a dash of procol harum, a touch of cat stevens, and a whole lot of other stuff. a great album. i need to get more strawbs.
|
 | Stuart Davis ,Stuart Davis - 16 Nudes |
| "get it while you can." | 2007-10-12 |
i have never seen stuart davis live, and after hearing this cd i can add that fact to my list of life's regrets. this is about as fun a live set as you're likely to hear. fans of warren zeavon should dig this; in fact, everybody who appreciates great songcraft should dig this. "only changing drugs," is the greatest ode to alcoholism that i've heard (it's also the funniest). mr davis's personality flies off this recording straight into your face, and he's a heck of a acoustic guitar picker, too. this is an obscure item and not likely to be around forever. as i write this, there are only 5 copies available at this site. get one while you can.
|
 | Kimya Dawson - Hidden Vagenda |
| "weird and wonderful. that rare bird: an original." | 2007-10-12 |
i don't really get the whole friendship concept. what do friends do? talk to each other? hold each other and cry when they're sad? sounds boring. every once in a great while however, i do come across an artist who just seems like they would be fun to know. like you would want them for a friend. kimya dawson is one such person. weird and wonderful, ms dawson does something here that is almost impossible anymore: she is a complete original. and so entertaining that religious fanatics would probably want her outlawed. she has a way all her own with both words and music. on first listen she became one of my favorite songwriters of all-time. thanks a ton ms dawson, this album is my best find of 2007.
|
 | Charlie Wilson's War |
| "four and 1/2 stars." | 2007-10-01 |
steve coll's excellent book "ghost wars" whet my reading appetite for more on the soviet war in afghanistan. since that military action, with the unanticipated consequences it spawned for the united states, was such a catalyst for the 9/11 attacks, it seems essential for an american to get a grip on what took place there. "charlie wilson's war" is a thrilling account of that international drama. though much of the book deals with funding america's covert involvement through congressional appropriation subcommittees, and with CIA office politics, the narrative is interesting page for page throughout this long work. not once did i find it a chore to continue, or feel an urge to skip past anything. george crile brings the colorful personalities of those involved to vivid life through his clear prose. he actually makes appropriation subcommitees, and their methods of work, interesting. and his portraits of afghanistan and pakistan, and their respective political environments and key political players, is brilliantly executed. the story is told completely from the american perspective, true. you will have to seek elsewhere for a more balanced view (by this i mean one that takes into account the soviet soldiers side of things). but this book being what it is, is a fascinating read, and one you can learn much from.
|
 | Charlie Wilson's War |
| "four and 1/2 stars." | 2007-10-01 |
steve coll's excellent book "ghost wars" whet my reading appetite for more on the soviet war in afghanistan. since that military action, with the unanticipated consequences it spawned for the united states, was such a catalyst for the 9/11 attacks, it seems essential for an american to get a grip on what took place there. "charlie wilson's war" is a thrilling account of that international drama. though much of the book deals with funding america's covert involvement through congressional appropriation subcommittees, and with CIA office politics, the narrative is interesting page for page throughout this long work. not once did i find it a chore to continue, or feel an urge to skip past anything. george crile brings the colorful personalities of those involved to vivid life through his clear prose. he actually makes appropriation subcommitees, and their methods of work, interesting. and his portraits of afghanistan and pakistan, and their respective political environments and key political players, is brilliantly executed. the story is told completely from the american perspective, true. you will have to seek elsewhere for a more balanced view (by this i mean one that takes into account the soviet soldiers side of things). but this book being what it is, is a fascinating read, and one you can learn much from.
|
 | Ghost Wars |
| "a fine place to start at understanding 9/11" | 2007-09-30 |
on 9/12/2001 i figured that i should take a stab at getting a better picture in my head of the political turbulence that storms through the middle east. but i'm a lazy person. and such an undertaking seemed a chore. i have enough chores in my life, so i procrastinated. i bought a small stack of books on the topic over the years, but they only served to make me feel bad, because i really didn't want to read any of them. but this month, about 6 years later than it should have been, i took the plunge. I picked up steve coll's "Ghost Wars," and started reading the thing. well, lo and behold it was not a chore at all. the first 475 pages flew by with ease, pulling me along eagerly. mr coll builds a narrative momentum here, while threading complex strands of people, countries and events into a coherent whole, that is superlative. his portrait of the saudi, afganistan, and pakistani governments, and their interactions with the united states government was particularly well done and fascinating. my only complaint (and the reason i give this book 4 stars instead of 5) is that after the bombing of our warship in yemen by bin laden's group, the narrative suddenly grinds to a halt and becomes bogged down in about a hundred pages of overly detailed description relating to unsuccessful plots to get bin laden himself. since we all know that bin laden was not caught, this long stretch of failed planning simply takes up too much space at the end of the book, and is not all that interesting. that said, by all means read this book for the excitement and enlightenment cast in the first 475 pages or so. i believe this book to be about as good a place to start as any for someone looking to better understand the road that led us to 9/11.
|
 | Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 |
| "a fine place to start at understanding 9/11" | 2007-09-30 |
on 9/12/2001 i figured that i should take a stab at getting a better picture in my head of the political turbulence that storms through the middle east. but i'm a lazy person. and such an undertaking seemed a chore. i have enough chores in my life, so i procrastinated. i bought a small stack of books on the topic over the years, but they only served to make me feel bad, because i really didn't want to read any of them. but this month, about 6 years later than it should have been, i took the plunge. I picked up steve coll's "Ghost Wars," and started reading the thing. well, lo and behold it was not a chore at all. the first 475 pages flew by with ease, pulling me along eagerly. mr coll builds a narrative momentum here, while threading complex strands of people, countries and events into a coherent whole, that is superlative. his portrait of the saudi, afganistan, and pakistani governments, and their interactions with the united states government was particularly well done and fascinating. my only complaint (and the reason i give this book 4 stars instead of 5) is that after the bombing of our warship in yemen by bin laden's group, the narrative suddenly grinds to a halt and becomes bogged down in about a hundred pages of overly detailed description relating to unsuccessful plots to get bin laden himself. since we all know that bin laden was not caught, this long stretch of failed planning simply takes up too much space at the end of the book, and is not all that interesting. that said, by all means read this book for the excitement and enlightenment cast in the first 475 pages or so. i believe this book to be about as good a place to start as any for someone looking to better understand the road that led us to 9/11.
|
 | Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath, Vol.4 |
| "will the corruption never end?" | 2007-09-02 |
been a bad week. sometimes it seems that the forces of darkness are winning. on monday i bought our dog a stuffed toy fox. within hours of bringing it home, we discovered that it was a 'lesbian' stuffed toy fox. i won't go into the details of how we found that out. i'll just say that what we saw left no room for doubt on the matter. on tuesday, i jumped out of bed all excited, because i had a feeling: today was the day that Jesus would finally return! i was sure of it. i called into work sick and stayed glued to fox news hour after long hour. Jesus didn't return. wednesday passed, still no Jesus. then on thursday evening we did a surprise check up on our son. we burst into his room unannounced and found him listening to music on headphones. though he fought us, we got the headphones away from him, and to our horror, discovered that he was listening to black sabbath vol. 4. what next? of course we took his music away and locked him in his room for the weekend. but on friday i will admit to a terrible sin. I actually listened to this music myself! and worst of all, i loved the ballad "changes." the instrumental, "laguna sunrise," i found simply gorgeous. even the album opener "wheels of confusion" had a certain, well, power, or something, that i couldn't deny. it almost made me like rock and roll. i need forgiveness.
|
 | Led Zeppelin - Presence |
| "not zepplin's greatest moment, but a fine hard rock album all the same." | 2007-09-01 |
the two bookends to this album, "achilles last stand" and "tea for one," are outstanding, and could fit in somewhere on physical graffiti without diminishing that great albums worth. also, smack dab in the middle here, there's "nobody's fault but mine:" another fine song with a killer hook that could go on the graffiti album nicely. those three tracks alone clock in at something just over 26 minutes. so there's lots of good music on this thing. lots of tension in the sound, a powerful rhythmic drive throughout, and slightly quirky melodies wound-up tight. nice inventive guitar work from jimmy page, and john bonham's drumming is often as gonzo as that of keith moon's fiercest frenzied attacks on the skins. the other four tracks sandwiched in here (for your life/royal orleans/candy store rock/hots on for nowhere) are good enough, all zepplin fans should have 'em, but they are simply not quite up to par with the bands classic work. if you are a young thing and looking to get into zepplin, i would say start with their first album and just keep going. work your way up to this album. eventually you will want it, but their first 6 albums are better overall. if you are already familiar with zepplin's classic albums, and somehow missed this lesser known one, don't shy away from it. plenty of good stuff here.
|
 | Elvis Costello - Blood & Chocolate (With Bonus Disc) |
| "something wicked this way comes." | 2007-09-01 |
blood & chocolate. knife fights & the easter bunny, indeed. my mother warned me about mr costello. she said his music would lead me to acts of depravity. so i consulted our pastor, and he more or less said the same thing. but i bought the album anyway. i bought it and i listened. i listened and i listened. then i took my sweaters to the goodwill and got myself shabby, but cooler looking clothes. I'm ruined!
|
 | Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Blood & Chocolate |
| "something wicked this way comes." | 2007-09-01 |
blood & chocolate. knife fights & the easter bunny, indeed. my mother warned me about mr costello. she said his music would lead me to acts of depravity. so i consulted our pastor, and he more or less said the same thing. but i bought the album anyway. i bought it and i listened. i listened and i listened. then i took my sweaters to the goodwill and got myself shabby, but cooler looking clothes. I'm ruined!
|
 | The Ramones - Hey! Ho! Let's Go: The Anthology |
| "four and 1/2 stars." | 2007-08-29 |
i can't be sure about this, but i think that i would probably have turned out to be a much smarter person than i am if i hadn't listened to the ramones soooooo much. i really couldn't help it though; i loved their sound. i know for sure that that "gabba gabba hey" stuff wasn't good for me, but what was i to do? i really don't have any regrets. so i clean toliets for a living? somebody's got to. intelligence is overrated, i feel. i've had gobs of fun in my life; and the ramones were there all along the way, providing it over and over with those three buzzsaw guitar chords and joey's one-of-a-kind rock and roll voice. no. i have no regrets. i'd better get to bed now, though. got to be up at 6 in the morning. people are gonna be pooping, and i'll be there with my brush to take care of it all. thanks for hearing me out.
|
 | Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues 1945-1970) |
| "fun audio time travel." | 2007-08-27 |
this is a vastly entertaining 2 cd (35 track) set of r & b. many names i was familiar with (arthur gunter, esquerita, roscoe shelton, little richard (whose track here is really a commercial), etta james, arthur alexander, ruth brown, joe tex, and johnny adams), and many unfamiliar (rudy green, christine kittrell, the varieteers, audrey bryant, larry birdsong, shy guy douglas, bobby hebb, etc.....). a wide variety of styles, as well: boogie, vocal harmony groups, early rock and roll, soul, pop, and more. some fine instrumentals, too. just a very fun release that brings you back to a time and place that is gone gone gone. highly recommended.
|
 | Ella Fitzgerald - Ella in Rome: The Birthday Concert |
| "one of the better birthday partys i've been to." | 2007-08-27 |
it's april 25, 1958. it's ella fitzgerald's 40th birthday party. in Rome. don't be a stick in the mud. make it on out. this is an excellent live recording. vibrant and spirited. fine sound quality. ella's extraordinary voice is, well, extraordinary throughout the set. full of grace, power, and charm. full of personality. don't miss out.
|
 | 1The Bad Plus - These Are The Vistas * |
| "powerful piano trio." | 2007-08-27 |
if you like jazz piano trios, then this is for you. fresh sounding, inventive compostions, played with intensity and swing. the piano player is creative throughout, down and out dramatic in spots, while the rhthym section is powerful and not afraid to assert itself. jazz is not dead. no, sir.
|
![Beatles - Help! [UK]](product_images/227000/227651_thumb.jpg) | Beatles - Help! [UK] |
| "my nightmare." | 2007-08-26 |
last week i had one of the most disturbing dreams of my life. it went like this: my sister and her husband were over at our house visiting. suddenly my brother in-law tipped over onto his side on our sofa and was transformed before our eyes into a large brown shark. he flopped about two or three times, then bounced off the sofa onto the floor, which was now magically a deep body of water. in amazement i watched as my brother in-all swam across the surface of our floor, then leaped into the air and snatched my copy of the beatles help! album out of our cd rack. for a terrifying second he hung suspended in the air, swallowed the cd whole, winked at me, then plunged down into our watery floor. dissappearing. it was at this point that i shot up in bed, covered with a film of sweat. i threw off the covers and bounded out to the living room to check that my copy of help! was still in its place. it was. thank God. when i got back to bed my wife was all upset, wanting to know what was happening. i said "go back to sleep, i just had a dream. it's okay." but in the days that followed, that dream haunted me. whenever at home, i kept going to check that copy of help! was still there. what if the dream was some sort of prophecy, and my treasured cd really was in some sort of jeopardy? finally, i hopped onto [...] and ordered another copy, which i ended up taking to the bank and storing in my safe deposit box. these days, while still feeling the trauma of that nightmare, i am a bit more secure knowing i have that second copy of this album locked safely away.
|
 | Buena Vista Social Club |
| "a confession." | 2007-08-26 |
i am a music slut. anytime, anyplace, anygenre. my ears are always open for business. i can't help myself. i am what i am. this disc is a tremendously exciting blast of cuban sounds. it really got me off. very vibrant and full of life. if you are a slut for sound, like me, then i say have a go with this album. it doesn't disappoint.
|
 | Duke Ellington, John Coltrane - Duke Ellington and John Coltrane |
| "very fine." | 2007-08-26 |
ah, ellington and coltrane. two of my favorites. here they produced a very fine set of jazz, indeed. this disc has a bit more bite than the ellington and johnny hodges duo albums, but the bite is tame by coltrane's usual standards. coltrane is more restrained here than is usual, but that tone remains a spellbinder. while this is not amongst the very best work that either of these gentlemen have done, it is an album that any jazz fan would do well to acquire.
|
 | Beatles - Help |
| "my nightmare." | 2007-08-26 |
last week i had one of the most disturbing dreams of my life. it went like this: my sister and her husband were over at our house visiting. suddenly my brother in-law tipped over onto his side on our sofa and was transformed before our eyes into a large brown shark. he flopped about two or three times, then bounced off the sofa onto the floor, which was now magically a deep body of water. in amazement i watched as my brother in-law swam across the surface of our floor, then leaped into the air and snatched my copy of the beatles help! album out of our cd rack. for a terrifying second he hung suspended in the air, swallowed the cd whole, winked at me, then plunged down into our watery floor. dissappearing. it was at this point that i shot up in bed, covered with a film of sweat. i threw off the covers and bounded out to the living room to check that my copy of help! was still in its place. it was. thank God. when i got back to bed my wife was all upset, wanting to know what was happening. i said "go back to sleep, i just had a dream. it's okay." but in the days that followed, that dream haunted me. whenever at home, i kept going to check that my copy of help! was still there. what if the dream was some sort of prophecy, and my treasured cd really was in some sort of jeopardy? finally, i hopped onto [...] and ordered another copy, which i ended up taking to the bank and storing in my safe deposit box. these days, while still feeling the trauma of that nightmare, i am a bit more secure knowing i have that second copy of this album locked safely away.
|
 | Duke Ellington & Johnny Hodges - Play the Blues Back to Back |
| "not essential, but glad i have it all the same." | 2007-08-26 |
duke ellington and johnny hodges playing the blues in a small group setting. how could you go wrong with this one? you can't. hodges trademark tone is in fine form as ever, and of course mr ellington's piano is sophisticated and fine throughout. while not a mellow album, the mood is loose and laid-back, full of a light easy swing that sits down fine on the ears. there are many essential ellington releases, i would say this is not one of them, so don't start here if you are new to his music; but once you have collected the finest gems in his discography, then by all means pick up a copy of this fine jazz outting.
|
![Motörhead - Overkill [Bonus Tracks]](product_images/189000/189880_thumb.jpg) | Motörhead - Overkill [Bonus Tracks] |
| "don't stop!" | 2007-08-26 |
when i hear this bad nasty music i feel that my ears are being raped. but i can't help myself: i like it. pure musical mayhem. well worth 4 stars.
|
 | Art Pepper - Art Pepper + Eleven |
| "four and 1/2 stars." | 2007-08-26 |
looking for some jazz that's busy and going places? something uptempo and fine? well, here you have it. this is an outstanding album of energetic jazz. with all the players involved here, and the pace that they go at it, it's amazing how precise everything comes out. each instrument, each note seems about as right as it should be. very very entertaining, indeed.
|
 | Joe Henderson - Lush Life: The Music of Billy Strayhorn |
| "a treasure from joe henderson." | 2007-08-26 |
i've heard many joe henderson albums, and they are all excellent. don't know of a bad one. but this disc is really special. from the opening duo with bassist christian mcbride on the great composition "Isfahan," right through the stunning album closer: a solo saxophone version of "Lush Life," mr henderson takes this glorious batch of billy strayhorn melodies and adds his own special soulful beauty to their essence. each tune provides a backbone for some very heartfelt exploration. i would call this a must-have for all jazz fans.
|
 | Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole |
| "four and 1/2 stars." | 2007-08-25 |
this is busy music. when i listened to it yesterday it was definitely on the move, off to somewhere. probably a party, judging from the sound of things. parents should keep this cd away from their children. kids might hear this thing and decide that a life devoted to the causes of the stock market is not a life at all. corporate profits could suddenly seem silly. the bottom line might be twisted into the bass line. conservative principles could be overturned in impressionable minds. all that could happen. it really could. so, if you are an adult and can keep your cool, then buy this. it's really really good stuff. but, i repeat, hide it from the kids.
|
 | The Tragical History of Hamlet Prince of Denmark (Pelican Shakespeare) |
| "it's settled." | 2007-08-25 |
oh yeah. what the world needs is my opinion on "hamlet," by william shakespeare. seems that the jury is still out on whether this is a good book or not. well, here it is: my seal of approval. great stuff mr shakespeare. i hope that i helped your writing career with this review. you go, guy.
|
 | Motörhead - Ace of Spades |
| "UGH!!!" | 2007-08-25 |
at our church (which represents the TRUE FAITH) we burnt this band in effigy. most of us wanted to abduct and actually burn the real musicians, but Father insisted that we couldn't. he said that the liberals in government passed laws making it illegal to burn sinners alive until they are dead and gone and can't corrupt our children anymore. he said we would probably get in a lot of trouble, maybe even end up in jail. I hate government!!!!! we've got to get it out of our lives!!!! this is an evil, bad awful band. they are a mockery of all that is good and righteous. i hate them i hate them. but i've still got to admit that this album rocks, and rocks hard, and that against my better judgement i really enjoyed it. so i give it 4 stars.
|
 | Hamlet (Folger Shakespeare Library) |
| "it's settled." | 2007-08-25 |
oh yeah. what the world needs is my opinion on "hamlet," by william shakespeare. seems that the jury is still out on whether this is a good book or not. well, here it is: my seal of approval. great stuff mr shakespeare. i hope that i helped your writing career with this review. you go, guy.
|
