Tuesday, February 21, 2012

"No expectations"? Mets skipper says "No."


This Stones song encapsulates the assessment of the Mets' prospects this season (pitchers and catchers reported today) by most fans and, so far as I know, all pundits. What can be seen peeking over the bottom of the Beggar's Banquet album cover photo shown at the beginning of the clip is where they're expected to be at the end of the season. Manager Terry Collins begs to differ.

For now, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Monday, February 20, 2012

iPod Log 7

A few days ago I took a short walk around the neighborhood, tending to errands. On the way, I heard an eclectic concatenation of music that seemed to work together in some odd way. Here it is:


Iggy Pop, "Lust for Life". Thanks to skitzo12 for this live performance video. As commenter MaDdDaWg100 sez: "you got to love iggy cause he is 1 of few who can get skinheads homosexuals hippies punks goths headbangers all into 1 crowd for enjoyment of music peac[e]fully".


Mozart, The Marriage of Figaro Overture, James Levine conducting. My recording has Levine conducting the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; this clip does not specify the orchestra, though it may well be the Met.

Art Tatum, "Mr. Freddie Blues". Tatum was one of the greatest, to some the greatest, of jazz pianists. There's no video of "Mr. Freddie Blues", but, thanks to bluesinorbit, there's one of "Blues in B Flat".


Dave Davies, "Death of a Clown". This was Dave's first solo recording, though he remained part of the Kinks. It was also, as I've mentioned before, a favorite of Turner & Kirwan of Wexford, long time house band at the Bells of Hell. The clip above, by JohnMalloy05, is of a BBC radio show from 1967 which includes the recorded version of the song, along with some chitchat, and accompanied by still photos and the song's lyrics.


The Coasters, "Yakety Yak". I posted another clip of this on my earlier eulogy for Jerry Leiber, but it was, as vwest1life puts it, one of the "inferior modern re-recordings of this song, probably not even with any of the original Coasters singing!" This is the original hit in, as my friend Allen (who will celebrate his 60th on St. Paddy's) likes to say, "screaming mono."


J.S. Bach, Aria from Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen - Cantata BWV51, Orchestra of St. Luke's, Anthony Newman conducting; Kathleen Battle, soprano; Wynton Marsalis, trumpet. Wow. Thanks to grschuur for the clip.


Tom Lehrer, "Fight Fiercely Harvard". I've posted this before, but here it is again. It provided a fitting end to my stroll, as it propelled my charge up the stairs (jock that I am, I disdained the elevator) to my apartment. Though this is a football song, I can't help but wonder what Lehrer thinks of Linsanity.