neilbert.com

Spring is here…

Ξ March 24th, 2007 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Music, asides |

I know spring is here because I heard Meatloaf’s “Paradise By The Dashboard Light” on the radio

The really isn’t any other song that says ’springtime’ better than that.

What's That Song?

Ξ July 31st, 2006 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Geeky, Music |

This is a pretty interesting site - pick a station in your area and it lists what they’ve played, so you can finally get that song that the DJ didn’t backannounce… which is my single biggest annoyance with some stations, and one of the reasons I switched to iPod for most of my in-car listening.  Some stations already do this on their website, but it’s nice to have a single stop to find that information, assuming your area is well served… mine (Worcester) is, with 50 stations.

Yes.com [from Lifehacker.com]

Another Search Ends…

Ξ July 23rd, 2006 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Music, What I'm doing |

I have a mental list of albums that I’m trying to find cheaply.

Earlier this year, I went to a used CD store here in Worcester (Jelly’s Discs, for those keeping score at home) and found two - Rave Til Dawn including Apotheosis’ “O Fortuna,” and Boris Grebenshikov’s “Radio Silence” - both were staples of my college days. I had them on cassette but couldn’t get CD copies before they disappeared from the market.

Today I walked in to Newbury Comics in the Solomon Pond Mall and found something new - Matthew Sweet’s Girlfriend. One of my absolutel favorite albums. However, this was the new “Legacy Edition” which included a second disc of… “Good Frend: Another Take on ‘Girlfriend’.” We had this in our college station and someone stole it before I got a chance to. Basically, I’ve spent over 10 years looking for a copy, and now I have it.

Sure, it’s not the promo version from 1992. And sure, I could have picked any of these up on eBay. That’s not the point. I’d rather spend the time rooting through CD stores (used and new) and seeing what I can find, because sometimes I’ll find something else that’s really cool.

And for those who care, the rest of my list that I’m consciously looking for includes:
Pete Townsend, “The Iron Man”
The Bears, “The Bears”
The Bears, “Rise and Shine”
The Travelling Wilburys, “Volume 1″
The Travelling Wilburys, “Volume 3″

Song and road.

Ξ March 3rd, 2006 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Music, Roads |

Every once in a while, I’ll find a perfect combination of song and road. Today I had one - Pet Shop Boys “Somewhere” came on just as I was getting onto I-290 as it starts in Hudson and it just seemed right. THe song picked up just as I went under the 495 ramp and… well,  it was just right.

For those keeping score, the other spots I’ve had this that I can remember are:

I-84 westbound just before exit 8, Abba’s “Dancing Queen”

I-390 north over a hill just before I-90, Depeche Mode’s “Get Right With Me”

I-87 north through Saratoga Springs, Prodigy’s “Voodoo People”

Anyone else have anything?

Another playlist up

Ξ August 5th, 2005 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Music, What I'm doing |

I realized that with everything else going on around me, the odds are I’m never going to be able to stick to a regular schedule of playlist posting. So I’ll just post new ones as time permits and inspiration suggests.

That being said, here’s some of what I’ve bought off iTunes recently:
This Too Shall Pass /Bruce Hornsby - When I first heard this, it just seemed to sum up a lot of what I was feeling at the time. Iremembered it, and now I have it.
Destroyer / The Kinks - A personal favorite which was nmot included on the “Ultimate Collection” I bought. Which makes me question its ultimaticity.
Seether / Veruca Salt - From the days of 90.1 WMCR.
Cannonball / The Breeders - Another from the same. Or at least I think it is.
The Rain / Oran “Juice” Jones - I remember hearing this on WPLJ when I was growing up. Specifically the line “You without me is like cornflakes without the milk.”
Two of Hearts / Stacey Q - Cheesy 80’s pop.
Call On Me (Radio Edit) / Eric Prydz - Cheesy 80’s pop beaten over the head with a hammer.
This Is Such a Pity / Weezer - I actually bought the album but this song seems to have come out as my favorite.
There She Goes / The La’s - Another favorite song although I’m not sure where I first heard it nor why it seems to stick inside my head that way.
Sea of No Cares / Great Big Sea - I heard a bit of this one night on the radio but had no idea who or what it was. It took a lot of listening to samples on iTunes to figure it out.
Wordplay / Jason Mraz - We saw him open for Alanis Morissette a few weeks ago. A fun song.
Virtual Insanity / Jamiroquai - Going back to the time of Gateway in Norwalk.
I Ran / A Flock of Seagulls - An 80’s classic that I (gasp) didn’t own.
I Melt with You / Modern English - If you have the one above, you need this one too.
Time Has Come Today / The Chambers Brothers - I think my friend Steve first pointed this song out to me.
Here Comes Your Man / Pixies - Another to stick in your head for no apparent reason.

I now have our entire CD collection ripped. According to iTunes, it’s 11,174 songs, 54.88GB and would take 37+ days to listen to all of it.