The cut "No God To Cry" by the Wildweeds brings back fond memories of listening to Hartford, Connecticut's now defunct WPOP. The illuminating liner notes from pop obsessed Dick Bartley make this a fun package .

An extremely well written biography of Hart Crane, America's first great modern poet, recreates a fascinating time in the US when the artists of New York lived in cold water flats and drank prohibition liquor (Crane seems to have drank the most). The author deals with Crane's homosexuality as an integral part of his art (as it should be) which apparently has not been the case up until now. My only complaint is that there is too much made up dialogue between Crane and his friends. After awhile you begin to feel you have entered the land of fiction instead of biography. The author presents Crane's horrible relationship with his tyrannical father as the cause of much of his short life's misery.

It is all very specific and a bit dour, but it should bring hours of joy to hardcore folkies. June and Maddy's singing is flawless.

Recorded in 1958 and arranged with real style and class by Marty Paich, this is Ella at the peak of her genius, singing and swinging the songs of Tin Pan Alley. The liner notes are very accurate when they state that the style of this recording is "blithe and carefree" Listening to this, you will never fail to be put in a happy mood. The true talent of all the players involved gives the music a classic sound that will always sound fresh. It's the perfect CD to play at a party or to take along for a drive in your car. You Hit The Spot is one my favorite cuts. Beware of the later recordings, Ella Swings Brightly and Ella Swings Gentley as they are the ugly step children of this must have recording.

Cate Blanchett gives a strong, nuanced performance as Annie Wilson, an impoverished widow with three children trying to make a living reading the tarot in a lush, southern town of secrets, mysteries and rednecks. The cast of hot young actors is strong. Giovanni Ribisi plays a very damaged and rage filled, but sensitive, garage mechanic. His scene with his father is almost unwatchable in it's intensity. Hilary Swank is perfect as an abused co-dependant wife who can't leave her awful, violent husband played by Keanu Reeves. Greg Kinnear does his usual sweet guy character that he does so well.
The direction of Sam Raimi is very stylized and dream like. This film has the same brooding intensity of his previous effort A Perfect Plan.
The story by Billy Bob Thornton has a few predictable twists and plot turns, but the message of the film feels new and is ultimately very uplifting. It's a dark, Gothic journey to redemption similiar to the one that is explored in the movie Magnolia.

First of all, this is is a long film. Everytime you think it is about to end, it starts up again, like a monster that won't die. In the end, it's worth it. All the performances by the ensemble cast are first rate.
The characters are all on the verge of a moral judgement. Some will be saved and some won't. The bizzare climax is weird and is on a Biblical scale.
It made me think of Robert Altman's Short Cuts.

This is a re-release of Ella's two recordings for Warner Brothers on one CD. It's 1969 and Ella does jazz/rock versions of The Beatles, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Marvin Gaye and Nilsson. It may seem kitsch, but it's not. Gerald Wilson's arrangements of Got To Get You Into My Life and Savoy Truffle invent a new sound that would later be explored by Earth, Wind and Fire. The first half of the CD is pure pop while the second is more classic standards territory. Buy this and Sunshine of Your Love to hear Ella take on the psycedelic 60's in a unique and swinging way.

I love Ella and have many of her recordings, but this is not one of her best. Her voice is as great as always, but Nelson Riddle's brash arrangements interfere with the beauty of her voice. Gone are the subtle swinging sounds of the 1950's song books.
For a truly fantastic updating of the big band sound try Ella Swings Lightly, a sublime masterpiece.

Erotica sure pushed a lot of buttons. The CD coincided with the publication of her book SEX, and I think it was all a bit too much for the prudish American pubic. The song Erotica is Madonna at her best, moaning and groaning to a minimalist, bottom heavy electronic slow grind.

You bet it is. All the things that they did best are represented here: punk, power pop, girl group, and disco. Deborah Harry is in top voice, inventing her soon to be trademark wail of "whoa wo, wo wo, wowa ha". There is not a weak cut on this Cd. Eat to the Beat opens with Dreaming, a sonic assault of drums and chiming electric guitars and is followed by the equally ferocious double entendre laden The Hardest Part. The wall of sound Union City is followed by my favorite track Shayla, where Blondie does something no other band of this era did, Sci-Fi rock. Shayla, who worked in a factory, is abducted by aliens while driving down the highway. The song is a sonic blast of drama and mystery. Die Young Stay Pretty was their first try at calypso and Atomic was the disco follow up to Heart of Glass. The Cd closes with I'm Not Living in the Real World which pretty much sums it up after this intelligent and always fun collection of songs. Blondie will never top this CD for it's sheer adrenalin and originality.