Richard, Erika and Lyla very kindly got me some vouchers for Christmas, so off i went to look for the one or two releases from 2009 that i hadn't ordered online. it was a rather strange experience, since i don't really recall the last time i walked into a store and bought a music CD!
it was quite a depressing experience looking for music, really. all the audio cds in stores here seem to have been shoved into the back, right in a corner. the front of the store is filled with DVDs that are either cheap for good reason or expensive for no reason; in regards of the latter, Terminator Salvation i do mean you.
it will be a great shame if the art of releasing music on an actual product dies off thanks to all this downloading business. i mean, it's all very well ordering a disc, often cheaper, online, but there was always something special about going to a store and buying a record on the day of release, or at least close to it. i suppose the fact that the CD itself never endeared itself to anyone quite like the beauty of a good quality LP, but there you go.
of course, it helps if there are enough decent records released to make people wish to go out and buy them, but that's a different debate and one i've had here before. onwards, then, to what i did buy, and neither were recorded this century never mind in the last year.
first off, the magnificent Morrissey and a stunning 3CD set of his singles (A sides and amazing B sides) from 1988 - 1995.
Moz, when the mood suits him, is as prolific as he is genius. breaking away from the much and rightly celebrated band The Smiths was an interesting yet understandable move if you know the history of that group. this 3CD set showcases the magnificent songs he wrote, recorded and released in his own right in the "first phase" of his solo career - there was something close to a 7 year gap between the last single on here and his next release.
there are, it has to be said, just about as many Morrissey compilations as there are actual albums from him - probably more, in particular if you throw in his live albums. they all somehow manage to feature something a little bit different, though, at least up until now as this has everything and the kitchen sink. there's simply no such thing as too much Morrissey anyway.
secondly, released a mere ten years after it was recorded, David Bowie's VH1 Storytellers show is a much welcome addition to my collection.
it's a bit of a frustrating one too, really. the great one only does 8 songs (seven and a half, really - the Rebel Rebel bit shouldn't count), with an extra 3 on the disc. the set list is clearly aimed at the fans rather than the hits, so you kind of wish it went on for 2 - 3 hours. also, Mr Bowie is very clever in regards of speaking a good deal and not saying much, at least not about himself. the stories he tells (for it is called 'Storytellers') tend to tell you an awful lot about Marc Bolan, Steve Marriott and an interesting illiterate roadie, but next to nothing about himself.
still, for us Bowie obsessives (is there such a thing as a casual Bowie fan?) it's a welcome release, in particular as the man appears to be in semi-, bordering full, retirement.
and there you have it! other than Christopher Lee's heavy metal album (!) due for release in March, i am not sure when i will venture out to purchase a CD again, sadly. many thanks once again to Richard, Erika and Lyla for the lovely gift that led me to getting these gems!!
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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