Full-Album Gigs

Wired’s Scott Thill posted on Monday about the full-album concerts he’d like to see were mortality and inter-band hatred not a problem. His list is as follows:

From Listening Post at Wired:

Top Five Full-Album Wish List That Will Never Come True

* The Beatles, The White Album
* Jimi Hendrix, Electric Ladyland
* Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin
* Charles Mingus, Mingus Ah Um
* The Doors, The Doors

Top Five Full-Album Wish List That Could Come True (Given Enough Cash and Hype)

* Pixies, Surfer Rosa
* My Bloody Valentine, Loveless
* Tom Waits, Rain Dogs
* De La Soul, De La Soul is Dead
* Three Mile Pilot, Chief Assassin to the Sinister

I’ve attended a number of the Don’t Look Back series events in the past and pretty solidly enjoyed them all. Sonic Youth doing Daydream Nation was a highlight but Sebadoh’s Bubble & Scrape was pretty spectacular. I’m not going to criticise either list because, barring Three Mile Pilot on the reason of ignorance to their music, I would likely consider purchasing tickets for all of the above. Most fervently, I’d push my grandmother into a moderately deep but soft-bottomed well to see Tom Waits do Rain Dogs.

So here’s an alternative list of five I would love to have seen happen but won’t, eight that totally could with some charm and finesse on the part of promoters, and five uber-speculative hopes that could, maybe, one-in-a-million odds, happen. Note: All are deliberatly not overlapping with the above as otherwise Waits, Pixies and MBV would be here.

Albums Since My Birth

I’m so sorry not have have posted recently but you can check out a more regularly update version of the site on my Tumblr page. Bookmark that for more recommended links that I’ll be providing here.

Going round at the moment is a trend of listing the favourite albums since your year of birth and I thought I would indulge myself in that one. I’m going to do a movie one too so look out for that.

So, from my birth to now, my favourite records of every completed year thus far. An additional comment: I realise you are only supposed to choose one per year but damn, this was a little too hard for that. As far as my research goes, all are also based on UK release dates.

Column: Funeral Songs

Tony Naylor on The Guardian talks about funeral songs following the publication of a list which showed the top ten most requested at a cemetery in Adelaide and the ten most unusual choices.

Topping the list, naturally, is ‘My Way’, a fairly predictable but solid choice, a decent two-fingers-to-death kind of song saying that I may be dying, but I don’t care because I did everything I wanted the way I wanted. You’ve also got ‘What a Wonderful World’, ‘Time to Say Goodbye’ and ‘Unforgettable’, the latter seeming maybe a little ego-filled but hell, it’s your funeral and if you can’t blow your own trumpet there without fear of consternation then this is indeed a dark world.

Outside of that, there are more modern staples in the UK, most notably ‘Goodbye My Lover’ by James Blunt. All seriousness, I lose it enough to have James Blunt playing at my funeral, kill me again. ‘Angels’ by Robbie is another popular one, as is ‘With or Without You’ by U2. The Robbie one is a little too life-affirming for me (‘I know that life won’t break me’ is pretty redundant when you’re in a box) and ‘With or Without You’, a paean to the difficulties of relationships, it’s a beautiful song but for a funeral… hmmm. ‘Tears in Heaven’ by Clapton is about the only one that makes sense and isn’t overly mawkish, a pretty lovely and heartfelt song about the devastating death of a loved one.

Hash Link

Air is releasing a ten-year anniversary edition of Moon Safari.

The Shins, Rilo Kiley and a host of others are designing T-shirts for charity.

Jamie Lidell has announced a world tour.

The AV Club pays tribute to Morvern Callar.

How much has Iraq truly cost?

Barack is using the insults to gain further in his lead.

Slate has a feature of Jeff Mangum, ‘The Salinger of Indie Rock’. It also has the application form for American Gladiators.

Diablo Cody is going to tell another part of her story.

Coldplay new record is allegedly going to be ‘more experimental’. Which wouldn’t really be tough would it?

Sasha Frere Jones wasn’t too happy about Once winning an Oscar.

Deschanel and Dano are to be in Gigantic.

Here’s a list of the most mysoginistic films ever.

Goldfrapp contribute a guest list to Pitchfork.

A Heroes soundtrack with Wilco and Dylan is coming. Hopefully no dialogue snippets.

Bill Maher discusses Nader running on The Huffington Post.

Prince Harry is fighting the Taliban. Yeah, he’ll be chuffed that one’s leaked.

A top debater deconstructs Obama versus Hillary in Cleveland.

Crazy Mahmoud said today that Iran is number one.

The Dodos do a session for Daytrotter.

Bush has endorsed the Democratic candidates… by criticising them.

Check out the new Get Smart trailer.

Linker’s Delight

The Coens are to adapt Michael Chabon’s Yiddish Policeman’s Union.

The AV Club interviews He-Man!

Can Lily save the chat show?

PopSugar UK chronicles a few new shows coming up.

Pitchfork has a major tribute to Neutral Milk Hotel’s classic In An Aeroplane Over The Sea.

The Grammys did not impress PopMatters.

A best of from Radiohead doesn’t seem like a good idea.

Is Hillary Clinton doomed? Slate’s John Dickerson thinks not. I flippin’ hope so.

Wonder what Frances Bean Cobain looks like now? This will tell you.

Celebrity Curling? You know it’s sounds right.

Can I Link It?

Sorry to all of you for our linking absence. With the Betty not around, my sleep levels go down and therefore, the energy goes low. I try to eat as much porridge and pasta as I can but I’ve been crap on getting these done so apologies. Normal service is now resuming.

So to start, here’s Betty on her new full-time jobarino!! Bloggin ’bout the Winehouse.

I almost always agree with Charlie Brooker, if without the scorn. I agree with this too. Instead, we should just have National Betty’s Birthday Day.

Skins is bringing contemporary dance to teenagers. Apparently.

Sex is both good and healthy! Yippee!!

I honestly do not need to purchase this album to inform you that it will be unequivocally fantastic.

Slate asks a valuable question. Why steal valuable paintings? Why?

Another question: What is punk? Sasha Frere-Jones wonders.

Ellen Page is going to be in a horror film directed by Sam Raimi.

Time decides to list the most important movies ever made about race. I haven’t been through it all but if Martin Lawrence appears…

Stereogum pays tribute to neo-psych indie-folk classic In An Aeroplane Over The Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel. If you don’t own it, try it first.

Barack Obama won a Grammy last night. Is there anything he can’t do? (hint hint America)

Walter Shapiro has no idea who will win. Clinton or Obama? Obama or Clinton? Who knows?

The New York Times lists the breakthrough performances of last year.