Today, Rockin' Roger Green posted the list of Entertainment Weekly's top 100 albums of the last 25 years, which ones he had, and some opinions on same and I thought it's been a while since I posted something music-related here- besides Beatle birthdays of course- so whaddaya say; let's all pretend we care what I think about them, too, and I'll bold the ones I own:

1. Purple Rain - Prince and the Revolution (1984): Not even what I consider Prince's best. Sure, the film was memorable, and this isn't a bad record (even though I find it unfocused and sloppy, and smells like songs taken from the vault and slapped together), but better than 1999? Sign 'o' the Times? I think not. Hell, I like Dirty Mind, Come, and Gold Experience better.

2. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill (1998): A friend of mine had this, and I remember hearing several songs from it that were OK but not anything I cared to own. It seemed earth-shaking at the time, though, and it's odd that you never hear anything from Hill or the other Fugees anymore. Not that I'm complaining, mind you.

3. Achtung Baby - U2 (1991): I think I prefer Zooropa, actually, but this is a very good record. Joshua Tree, in my opinion, is probably their best but that may fall outside the 25-year limit (I forget when it came out! 1986-87?). Anyways, this was the first album where they stopped taking themselves so...seriously... and let a little cynicism (and Eno/Lanios-induced willingness to experiment sonically) seep in and all the better for it says I. These days, they're back to being pompous, and they don't even have the saving grace of memorable tunes to balance it out.

4. The College Dropout - Kanye West (2004) Nope, I am not a convert.

5. Madonna - Madonna (1983): People forget it wasn't until Like a Virgin that she made a real impact, and MTV airplay of "Lucky Star" and "Borderline made this so-so debut seem more important and more full of import than it actually was. It's a decent enough album, though. Her best? Not hardly.

6. American Idiot - Green Day (2004): Never saw what other people see in this group. Probably never will.

7. The Blueprint- Jay-Z: (2001): Did this have "Girls Girls Girls" on it? If so, I really liked that track. Don't want to push my luck, though.

8. Graceland - Paul Simon (1986): I never liked this one as much as I did its immediate predecessor Hearts and Bones, and like it even less after reading this. "You Can Call Me Al" was a cutesy, catchy song, like "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover", which I hated.

9. Back to Black - Amy Winehouse (2007): I liked "Rehab", still do. There are one or two other tracks that are OK. I never listen to this anymore, got bored with it real fast. She's a real piece of work, isn't she?

10. In Rainbows - Radiohead (2007): My son made me a copy of this, and I could swear I've listened to it at least twice through but I'll be damned if I could tell you a single thing on it. This group is intermittently interesting, and I appreciate where Yorke's coming from, but other than "High and Dry" from The Bends I just don't get into the rest of their catalog.

11. MTV Unplugged in New York - Nirvana (1994): I remember when this aired, but other than a couple of tracks I never really bought into Nirvana (or the deification of Kurt Cobain, for that matter) either. The version of Bowie's "Man Who Sold the World" isn't bad.

12. Stankonia - OutKast (2000): Kinda wish I had this; I love "Mrs. Jackson" and dig much of Speakerboxx/The Love Below muchly. Someday.

13. You Are Free - Cat Power (2003): Another band which a lot of people really like, but I have yet to investigate. Maybe someday.

14. Disintegration - The Cure (1989): I went through my Cure stage at about the time this record came out, at age 28 a bit too old for the target demographic but isn't that always the way for me. This one's not as good as Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, the first one I ever got, nor is it as good as The Head on the Door.

15. The Marshall Mathers LP - Eminem (2000): Actually, I don't mind this guy too much. Don't own anything, either, although my son did and I heard a lot of it then.

16. Rain Dogs - Tom Waits (1985): One of the (I insist) only two indispensable Waits albums, but I prefer Swordfishtrombones.

17. Odelay - Beck (1996): Another example of my son having something first and then me coming along, hearing it, liking it, and buying it myself. This one's his best to date- he's done everything in his power to avoid sounding like it since which is artistically valid but frustrating from the listener's viewpoint. I like Sea Change, his soporific-but-tuneful 2002 release as well.

18. People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm - A Tribe Called Quest (1990): Nah.

19. Dangerously in Love - Beyoncé (2003): Nope, although she's certainly likable in films.

20. Tidal - Fiona Apple (1996): I had this because I liked "Criminal" but got bored with it and sold it. Don't miss it much, either. I did get Extraordinary Machine, but I never listen to it either.

21. The Emancipation of Mimi - Mariah Carey (2005): Please.

22. 3 Feet High and Rising - De La Soul (1989): I got this because I liked "Me Myself and I" with its Parliament samples and such. Still have it, but never dig it out. Maybe I should.

23. The Soft Bulletin - The Flaming Lips (1999): If I was making this list, this album would be #1. It's rare when I know I'm going to love a record from the opening notes, but that's what happened when I put this in the CD player. It's an imaginative, heartfelt set of ruminations on life and death and cosmic wonder, and it's one of the best albums I've ever heard in my life. Not to put too fine a point on it.

24. Come On Over - Shania Twain (1997): Twain's an appealing performer, to say the least, but I'm not a fan of her style of music, that overproduced, slick antiseptic pseudo-pop/country.

25. Turn On the Bright Lights - Interpol (2002): Don't know much about this group; I may have seen the name in print or heard a track.

26. Time Out of Mind - Bob Dylan (1997: Critics gushed over this, but I didn't really see what all the fuss was about. It has its moments, and probably is the best Dylan album of the last 25 years, given the competition...actually, I'm fond of Under the Red Sky, which most Dylanites despise. Figures.

27. Funeral - Arcade Fire (2004): Another group whose appeal eludes me. Granted, I'm more familar with Neon Bible than this one but I'm not crazy about it either.

28. Illmatic - Nas (1994): Not a fan.

29. Breakaway - Kelly Clarkson (2004): I don't own this (although I think my daughter does). Kelly and I have a history, as you may recall (I wish Imageshack hadn't "lost" the Jamaican vacation picture I had), and I don't mind her music too much, like some of it even- but I've never been moved to buy.

30. Appetite for Destruction - Guns N' Roses (1987): I never really warmed to these guys, although "Welcome to the Jungle" is a serviceable late-80's hair metal cut and I kinda like "November Rain" as well.

31. FutureSex/LoveSounds - Justin Timberlake (2006): I give Timberlake all the credit in the world- he's a good performer, onstage and especially in film, and doesn't embarrass himself in the recorded area either. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna buy or download his music.

32. Life's Rich Pageant - R.E.M. (1985): For a long time, this was my favorite R.E.M. album, and it was also the one which converted me to R.E.M. fandom. "Fall on Me" just might be my favorite of their songs. It's not a perfect LP, though; there are two or three cuts that haven't really stayed all that fresh. I might put Document, Automatic For the People, and even New Adventures in Hi-Fi ahead of it now.

33. As I Am - Alicia Keys (2007): Keys is a talented performer and a heck of a good actress, plus she's just stone cold beautiful...but I have no desire to own any of her sterile soul music.

34. Is This It - The Strokes (2001): I've heard this, and I thought it was OK, but I never bought it.

35. Jagged Little Pill - Alanis Morissette (1995): This was tuneful, but lyrically awful. Still, the dumbass "irony" song was catchy, and I liked that one about the "hand in (her) pocket" as well as yes, "You Oughtta Know". I also liked "Thank You" from the followup, but that's been it for me from Alanis. Oh, and I liked her cameo in Dogma. Does this belong on this list? I doubt it. Maybe in its influence on other female 90's artists, don't know.

36. CrazySexyCool - TLC (1994): I guess this was influential as well, so sure. You know what I liked by these ladies? "What About Your Friends". That had a killer hook and melody, and was free of the hip-hop diva posturing of later videos and songs.

37. The Moon & Antarctica - Modest Mouse (2000): I liked "Float On". That wasn't on this, was it.

38. Raising Hell - Run DMC (1986): I think I almost prefer King of Rock, but hey- you can't deny "Walk This Way" and I liked "It's Tricky", especially the video with Penn and Teller. "No! No Run DMC! NO!" "Yo. That's Tricky."

39. Sheryl Crow - Sheryl Crow (1996): I've been thoroughly unimpressed with everything she's done before and since, although I liked a couple of cuts on her debut. This one's so-so as well, but I'm nuts about "If It Makes You Happy", the best Rolling Stones song of the 1990's.

40. Ready to Die - The Notorious B.I.G. (1994): Not a fan.

41. Legend - Bob Marley and the Wailers (1984): Ditto.

42. Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)- Wu-Tang Clan (1993) Likewise.

43. Paul's Boutique - Beastie Boys (1989): Now this one's a hell of a lot of fun, super audacious and super influential with some of the best sampling ever, back when musicians could sample with impunity and not pay a price. It really should be higher on this list. I'm not the biggest rap fan in the world, but this one kicks my ass every time.

44. Car Wheels on a Gravel Road - Lucinda Williams (1998): I wish I liked Williams more than I do; she's definitely a major talent. This one's probably her best, out of those I've heard anyway. Fave cut: "Drunken Angel".

45. If You're Feeling Sinister - Belle and Sebastian (1996): I tried to like these guys, really I did, but just couldn't develop a taste. My loss, I'm sure.

46. Homogenic - Björk (1997): This is in no way, shape, fashion or form better than Debut OR Post. This was the first album in which electronic noises became more important than song structure, and her constant warbling around in search of a melody became real grating after a while.

47. Exile in Guyville - Liz Phair (1993): I don't revere this like some do; there are too damn many melody-free cuts on this for me to embrace it fully. But "Never Said" and "Fuck and Run" are the shit.

48. American IV: The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash (2002): Even though I like Cash and Rick Rubin, I don't own any of his latter releases. No, wait- I think I have the first couple in mp3s on my old iMac, but never got around to burning them on a CD. When Rubin gets hold of people like Cash, Donovan or Neil Diamond, he tends to want to cast them in spare, stripped-down settings, with minimal accompaniment- and while that's valid and I'm in the minority, for sure, this approach bores the living shit out of me. Maybe that's why I don't have any of these.

49. A Rush of Blood to the Head - Coldplay (2002): For the life of me, I don't understand all the Coldplay hate. Sure, they sound like U2 and Radiohead, and so what? There's nothing on the last three U2 releases that's half as good as "Yellow", "Trouble", "Sparks" or "Politik". Sure, their frontguy is self-effacing and bland to a fault. But I found much to like on their first two albums, and this is my favorite of the two, for "The Scientist" if nothing else.

50. Sounds of Silver - LCD Soundsystem (2007): I have a couple of mp3s, that Ken Lowery, I believe, sent me. They were OK, but I wasn't moved to investigate further.

51. The Score - Fugees (1996): See Lauren Hill above.

52. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga - Spoon (2007): Nothing.

53. King of America - Elvis Costello (1986): This is a solid, if unexceptional, effort from Elvis- hell, I would have put Blood and Chocolate, Imperial Bedroom, or even Mighty Like a Rose ahead of it. For me, the most memorable thing about this one is the cover.

54. Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 - Janet Jackson (1989): I still love "Miss You Much", and one or two other cuts still entertain, but like all her albums it's too damn long and not strong enough. Still, I guess it can be included for its impact if nothing else.

55. It Takes a Nation of Millions... - Public Enemy (1988): Not a fan.

56. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco (2002): I prefer Summerteeth, a damn-near perfect example of experimental pop, but this one's excellent as well- perhaps the peak of Tweedy's experimentation, coming at the expense of the melody unlike its predecessor. I heart "I'm the Man Who Loves You", which sounds like a great lost Nilsson/Brian Wilson/Neil Young collaboration. Ghost is Born went too far in the other direction, and Sky Blue Sky is pleasant enough, but unremarkable.

57. Harvest Moon - Neil Young (1992): Many bought the hype and hailed this as a return to his halcyon Harvest days, but don't you believe it- despite the charming title track, this is strictly bland, overproduced, antiseptic late 90's-Aughts Neil all the way.

58. Surfer Rosa - The Pixies (1988): I prefer Doolittle, but "Cactus" is a good song.

59. Ray of Light - Madonna (1998): This is OK for the most part, but I prefer Bedtime Stories by a wide margin. Hell, I like Erotica better, too.

60. Crooked Rain Crooked Rain - Pavement (1994): Don't know much.

61. Paid in Full - Eric B. & Rakim (1987): Not a fan.

62. OK Computer - Radiohead (1997): See #10.

63. The Joshua Tree - U2 (1987): Oh yeah, this is when it came out. After all is said and done, I think this is their best and should be higher on the list if this is supposed to be hierarchic. Pretentious as all get out, but they back it up with their musical chops.

64. Mama's Gun - Erykah Badu (2000): I don't own anything by this striking lady, but I should. Maybe someday. I liked "Tyrone"; don't know if it's on this album or not.

65. Elephant - The White Stripes (2003): It's too damned long by about five songs, but you can't beat "Seven Nation Army", "Hardest Button to Button" and "Ball and Biscuit".

66. The Chronic - Dr. Dre (1992): No.

67. Metallica - Metallica (1991): I had a brief infatuation with these guys and a lot of other bands of this ilk in the early 90's; didn't last long. I have this, I think, although I haven't seen it in years...

68. Wrecking Ball - Emmylou Harris (1995): For some reason, I stopped buying Emmylou albums after 1984 or so. I liked most of them before that, loved a couple, but after a while her sound became homogeneous and bland and I lost interest. Getting Daniel Lanois to provide his trademark studio-gloss synthesizer "atmospherics" didn't help get me back. I'd give this a listen if I had the opportunity, but I have no reason to believe I'd be interested in taking it home.

69. Give Up - The Postal Service (2003): No clue.

70. My Life - Mary J. Blige (1994): No, although she did a song about five years ago that I liked OK. Don't remember what it was. It wasn't off this one, that's for sure.

71. Rock Steady - No Doubt (2001): Never acquired a taste for No Doubt, except perhaps the song "Bathwater". I kinda liked some of Gwenny-Gwen Gwen's solo album.

72. 1984 - Van Halen (1984): Not my favorite by these guys, but it's OK. It was certainly influential for a while there.

73. The Queen is Dead - Smiths (1986): never understood the appeal of the Smiths or Morrissey. Guess that's my loss.

74. Play - Moby (1999): I liked a couple of tracks on this, but was never moved to buy.

75. Born in the U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen (1984): It's a classic of its kind, but except perhaps for "Bobby Jean" and "Darlington County" thanks to FM radio and MTV I have no desire to ever listen to it again. Yeah, it belongs...but I prefer Tunnel of Love.

76. Heartbreaker - Ryan Adams (2000): I liked Whiskeytown, and I own this album's followup Gold, but I overlooked this one. Don't really feel like I'm missing out. Only hipper-than-thou critics would put this on a list like this.

77. Dummy - Portishead (1994): The appeal of this group has always eluded me as well. I'm such a philistine.

78. Vs. - Pearl Jam (1991): Sure, OK, but Vitalogy is a better record.

79. Let It Be - The Replacements (1984): Sure, OK, but Tim is a better record. Note to Roger: if you're expecting something like Don't Tell a Soul with this one, well, let's just say that you'll be surprised. Pleasantly, I hope.

80. Back to Basics - Christina Aguilera (2006): Until I heard her version of Lennon's "Mother", I would have snorted in derision at this. But now, I'll just shrug my shoulders and give the benefit of the doubt.

81. The Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails (1994): NIN was my son's favorite band when he was a teen, so I heard a LOT of Reznor's music. I deplored the spiteful, self-pitying tone, but musically it was usually always interesting and "Closer" is a masterpiece.

82. Grace - Jeff Buckley (1994): I'm sorry- this one isn't as good as Sefronia even. Stll, "Last Goodbye" and the ruined-by-TV and Films "Hallelujah" are remarkable, and he was shaping up as a talent worth watching, if he could ever buckle down and do anything. He didn't inherit his dad's work ethic, that's for sure.

83. Learning to Crawl - The Pretenders (1984): Had to go look- I forgot I had this. I got real tired of the hits "Back on the Chain Gang" and "Middle of the Road" thanks to overexposure on TV and radio, and frankly, I don't remember anything else on the album. I never was a big admirer of this group anyway. "Brass in Pocket" and "Don't Get Me Wrong" were the only other cuts that yanked my crank.

84. Low-Life - New Order (1985): Nada.

85. Home - Dixie Chicks (2002): My daughter has this one; she's a longtime fan. Although Natalie Maines' overwrought loudmouth Daisy Mae Yokum act gets old real quick, they're all very talented, more often as not their songs are very strong musically, and I love the hell out of "Wide Open Spaces". So there ya go.

86. Loveless - My Bloody Valentine (1991): Another band I have never cared about.

87. All Eyez on Me - 2Pac (1996): No.

88. So - Peter Gabriel (1986): I suppose this is his best album of the past 25 years; his best IMO, III, came out in 1981. I bought this, enjoyed "Sledgehammer" on both TV and my speakers, as well as the Kate Bush duet and "Big Time", which was funny and catchy. I never dig this out and listen to it, though, haven't in at least (I'd bet) 15 years.

89. Bachelor No. 2 - Aimee Mann (2000): I want to like Mann so much, really I do, but outside of "You Stupid Thing" everything else she's done since has sounded whiny and tuneless. Sigh. I like this one's cover.

90. Toxicity - System of a Down (2001). Not interested.

91. Siamese Dream - Smashing Pumpkins (1993): My son has this, so I've heard it but the only Pumpkins album that ever grabbed me enough to want to own it was Melon Collie.

92. The Writing's on the Wall - Destiny’s Child (1999): No.

93. Either/Or - Elliott Smith (1997): Again, my son. I've heard it, but don't remember it. I do own X/O, like some of it, never play it.

94. Synchronicity - The Police (1983): I think this was their peak, creatively. SO naturally, they broke up after and were never the same again for good or ill.

95. Trap Muzik T.I. (2003): Whothewhatthuh-?

96. Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea - PJ Harvey (2000): I have Rid of Me, To Bring You My Love, and White Chalk. For some reason I don't have this. I LOVE Love, and if this is better than that one then I should immediately run out and get it, I think. Guess it's inevitable that one with limited resources such as I will miss out on some from time to time.

97. Britney - Britney Spears (2001): I guess when you look at the big picture, this probably belongs...but guys. C'mon.

98. Transatlanticism - Death Cab for Cutie (2003): One of my son's former girlfriends is a big fan of these guys, and I've kinda liked what I've heard from them, but as of this writing I own nothing. Gotta love a group that names themselves after the song that the Bonzo Doo Dah Dog Band sang in Magical Mystery Tour...

99. Live Through This - Hole (1994): I'm sure Britt had this too, and chances are I heard it. I certainly heard "Doll Parts", and it was OK. I've liked a couple of other Hole tracks in the past, Courtney Love solo as well, but again, not enough to buy.

100. Faith - George Michael (1987): If you want to get technical, my wife is the owner of this one, I promise. But there have been Michael tracks I've liked- "I Want Your Sex", "Freedom 90", "Fastlove"- just not very many of 'em.



Whee! Done! By my count, I own 38 out of the 100. Thought I had more. Hmph.

Bacardi Show Birthday Greetings are in order for good old RINGO STARR, who turns 68 today.

My fave Ringo songs list.

CONFESSIONS OF A SPINNER RACK JUNKIE.



It's way past time once more for another Spinner Rack Junkie- that more-or-less ongoing and often overdue feature in which I write capsule reviews of various works of sequential fiction that I have perused in the interval since the last time I inflicted such reviews upon one and all, or to be specific, the period from approximately June 6th to June 30, some of which may even still be on sale at finer comics selling establishments worldwide if you're lucky. Or not, as the case may be.

100 BULLETS #92 Another well-done issue what will engage the already engaged, baffle the uninitiated, and even baffle the initiated upon occasion. I think I'll just cut and paste this review for the next 8 issues. A-

ABE SAPIEN: THE DROWNING #5: Our boy-fish Abe has a bit of an inferiority complex, it seems, and it's no surprise; he's probably been reading his solo showcase spotlights like this one, in which he mostly wanders around spouting minimal dialogue while a host of oddball mystic critters utters wave upon wave of expository dialogue, until the damned thing finally just expires, in this the final chapter. This wasn't Lobster Johnson pointless, but it sure was mighty damned close. C-

THE BOYS #19: I suppose that the whole "mucking out the stalls" bit counts for the gross-out this time around, but really, I got a sense of Garth trying to restrain himself throughout this mostly-flashback chapter. Since Garth is, after all, Garth, we get more military comics (has there ever been anyone more suited than Mr. Ennis to assume the Kurtzman war comics mantle?) action. Robertson illustrates everything in remarkably competent fashion, as is his wont. If you've enjoyed the previous eighteen, then you should like this one, too, and if this is your first attempt at reading this series, be warned- they're not all like this one. B+

CRIMINAL 2 #3: The sad tale of Danica, the third of the triptych of characters that Brubaker's devoting Vol. 2 to, and it's as squalid and down-to-earth as you'd expect. Now, it remains to be seen where we go from here, now that the stage is set...but I'm willing to bet that it will be fascinating. Once more, Brubaker and Phillips have me hooked, and I'm not even really a fan of crime fiction or noir filmmaking. A

JACK STAFF #17: Grist continues to work the same storyline from previous issues, the travails of Jack, balanced out with Becky Braddock and Bramble Son vs. Evil Vampire Harold Bramble, with the Shadow guy lurking around, as he's done for far too many issues now. That's one mystery I'd like to see solved. Also getting a little time are Tom Tom the Robot Man, always welcome and actually used to great effect in a small part here, an obscure character named Shock, who has made maybe one prior appearance is used well, and then there's the new guy- the Butler! Yep, he looks like a guy in a modified butler's uniform, and he's a great, fun character that very few writers not named Grist could get away with. He sure is taking his time with these current plot threads, though, and I'm getting a little restless. A-

MANHUNTER #31: Third time's the charm, they say, but if anybody thinks that this is suddenly going to become anything more than a marginally-selling cult favorite comic, well, I've got some prime real estate in a number of exotic places I'd like to sell you. No matter how well it's written (and it's written very well, make no mistake) and how well it's drawn (and it's drawn well, too- this Gaydos fellow has an appealingly grubby-looking style a la Azateca, J.P. Leon and most obviously the Lark/Gaudiano team), the concept and characters are just not expansive and captivating to appeal to a mass audience, and I realize that "mass", when we're discussing comics, is very relative. So I guess what I'm saying is we should, once more, enjoy it while we can because if it gets a dozen issues I will be surprised, and delighted, in equal measure. To address this one specifically, I will say that I enjoyed the Blue Beetle cameo, having recently read 26 issues of this title in the space of a few weeks, especially the clever idea of supersuit animosity. A-

NUMBER OF THE BEAST #5: The most notable thing about this 2000's superhero trope-infested Matrix ripoff is still the excellent Sprouse/Story art. What a waste of talent. C+

OMEGA THE UNKNOWN #9 As this approaches its end next issue, I am struck by how curious this whole project reads; it's obscure, witty and involved narrative-wise, but it's not particularly difficult to follow or understand- kinda like staring at an ordinary household object that you've never seen before in your life. Matt Fraction could take some tips from Lethem and Rusnak, I dare say. The writers aren't showing all their cards just yet, but they're not especially concerned with obfuscating the readers, or trying to impress them with their cleverness. Perhaps it's the plain, no-frills drawing style of Faryl Dalrymple that helps, can't say for sure. Anyway, looking forward to the wrapup next month (or later this month, I forget how far behind I am!). A

WONDER WOMAN #21: I picked up my first new issue of Wonder Woman in decades just because it featured my old buddy, DC's version of Beowulf, aka Dragon Slayer, and I wanted to see how Gail Simone handled him. The answer? Pretty well, I must say. It's difficult to get the essence of a character across in the limited amount of space she had here, but she does so fairly successfully, even working in an approximation of Mike Uslan's humorous style in a couple of places. However, in all fairness I must also say that I came a way a bit disoriented because I don't have the slightest idea what exactly is going on in this issue- Wondy is apparently traveling through time or dimensions or something and encountering pretty much every character of DC's short-lived fantasy comics launch of 1975, such as not only Wulfy but Stalker and Claw the Unconquered as well (doubt we'll see the Warlord or Rima the Jungle Girl, although I'd like that very much- Rima that is), reminding me a lot of that storyline in the old Diana Prince-Wonder Woman days in which she dimension-hops and recruits legendary heroes to help her save Paradise Island from Ares. What's at stake here and how this is happening is a bit unclear, although if I were to go back and reread I might glean some more info. To this end, I have purchased via the eBay a copy of #20; hopefully that will help. Oh, and there's also a subplot involving Nemesis and Sarge Steel and ape warriors in Diana's apartment which I'm not sure I want to know about. The art by Aaron LoPresti and Matt Ryan is slickly done and very professional, and tells the story in a competent if unexciting way. I still wish Simone had a more distinctive writing voice; more often as not this is a generic comic book dialogue style she uses. But she does very well with the characterization, and I can't imagine why any fan of the character wouldn't be delighted with this creative team. Me, I'm interested enough to get the next two issues to see how this all turns out, and that counts for something, doesn't it? B+



ATOMIC ROBO AND THE FIGHTIN' SCIENTISTS OF TESLADYNE TPB: This is the book that's been getting the fanboys all hot and bothered? This? If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the Robo boys are praising Mignola and Co. to high Heaven because there is practically nothing in these stories that doesn't come across like repurposed Hellboy- the lead character's personality and dialogue style, the organization he works for, the menaces he faces; all follow the Mignola template...Atomic Robo is to Hellboy as Tori Amos is to Kate Bush. But y'know what? Once in a while I like an Amos track- and in spite of all the secondhandedness, this is fun and fast-paced, and more often as not the quips and humorous situations in the midst of the quirky set pieces and action sequences are as amusing as they're intended to be. There's real talent involved here; this isn't hackwork. Brian Clevenger's dialogue isn't stilted or overwrought, and Scott Wegener's Mignola-meets Ted McKeever art style tells the story well. But what I want to see is something I haven't seen before- are Clevenger and Wegener capable of doing it? And since this is as successful as it is, will we ever get to find out? B

CATWOMAN #80: Mildly disappointing finale as Selina gets even with the mastermind behind her recent troubles, but said mastermind is such a generic villain that it doesn't really make much of an impression. Oh well. Otherwise, well done as always, despite that minor caveat, and one more to go! B+

DAREDEVIL #108: If the plan is to provide a Dakota North spotlight, well, Brubaker and Lark/Gaudiano team are succeeding spectacularly. As a Daredevil story, well, not so much as we get a plot that's too similar to the recently concluded Gladiator-in-prison-and-seemingly-nuts storyline for my tastes. At least Matt Murdock's Job-like trials have momentarily been put on the back burner...but I guess what I'd like to see is just a wee bit more...something. Adventure, perhaps? And that doesn't mean DD beating up thugs for three pages, either. B-

FINAL CRISIS #2: For God's sake, people, calm the fuck down. We're still only two issues in. Would you judge the Stones' Exile on Main Street, or any album for that matter, after two tracks? NO. True, Grant's being coy and not showing all his cards at once, but that's his style. Jones' art is as painterly and accomplished as ever, and I will admit that he could work on his sequential storytelling a bit, but I had no problem with the scenes (such as page 2 & 3's rising sun panel layout conceit) that many have been bitching about. All I'm saying is that we should let this thing unfold, rather than getting hysterical four more times. After #7, though, all bets are off. A-

HELLBLAZER #245: The first of two Jason Aaron-scripted books in this group finds Mr. Aaron taking a look at Constantine's Punk era via flashbacks and the device of having a TV journalist crew break into the abandoned site of the Newcastle Pub, which, as longtime readers know, was the site of one of his greatest failures. Apparently, malignant forces remain there still, and the unfortunate TV crew ends up in deep shit. Good idea for a storyline, and Aaron makes the most of it. I also liked the fill-in art of Sean Murphy; it's nicely expressive, even though his anatomy sometimes gets the best of him. Of course I reserve the right to recant if Aaron bungles the ending of this two-parter, but if heaven forbid Diggle moves on anytime soon, and not that I'd want to see another book added to his workload at the expense of Scalped, but I'd be fine with Aaron getting a shot at ol' Conjob. A-

MADAME XANADU #1: I've always liked this character, ever since I first gazed at her sultry Mike Kaluta covers on the otherwise undistinguished DC horror anthology title Doorway to Nightmare. After that, there was a one-shot which (as I recall, it's been a long time) had its moments but didn 't shed much light on its protagonist, and a not-bad ongoing guest role in the Ostrander/Mandrake Spectre series of the 90's, which did delve into her background a bit, but painted an unsympathetic portrayal that kinda rubbed me the wrong way even though I always generally liked what Ostrander did with that title, one of the 90's best in my opinion. She always seemed to be relegated to standing around in supernatural character group shots and posing, not really contributing much except the occasional tarot reading. In short, Madame X has been for years now a blank slate that not many writers have cared to try and scribble on, and this series is an attempt to redress that, and maybe provide the corporate masters at AOL Time Warner with another licensable property to exploit. Anyway, biggest attraction here is the mangaesque stylings of new artist Amy (Easy) Reeder Hadley; she acquits herself well, telling the story fluidly and clearly, excelling on the title character in her younger years, and kinda coming up short on the Phantom Stranger and Merlin. Her work suffers a little from the cutesy babyface style depiction which is a characteristic of lot of manga artists, and it's not always a style choice which agrees with me. All things considered, though, the kid does OK- which lays the blame for the general mediocrity of this issue at the feet of experienced old pro Matt Wagner, who seems to always whiff when assigned this sort of thing; God forbid he should be given the adventures of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table to write on any sort of a regular basis. His Demon series of the mid-80's was bland and unmemorable, and he works in all those characters here as well to little effect- in fact, it all reads like a very precious issue of Fables, only without the benefit of Willingham's well-thought-out ideas. Wagner omits no cliche here, doubly disappointing coming from the man that gave us a very good Arthurian swipe via Mage. Still, as with Final Crisis, this is only one issue, and the best may yet be to come. I hope. One other thing that struck me upon reading this was Hadley's peculiar depiction of Madame X's footwear; she walks on tiptoes at all times, her shoe soles covering only the front part of her foot, as if to approximate deer hooves. I bet she needs a lot of foot rubs from sugar daddy Merlin as a result of this odd choice of shoe... C+

NUMBER OF THE BEAST #6: See above. C+

SCALPED #18: Catch-your-breath issue, which focuses on the one apparent honest cop on the "Rez", Franklin Falls Down. It's a typically solid character piece, as I have come to expect from Jason Aaron, and if it's not particularly memorable, well neither is its subject, although I wouldn't be surprised if some events here don't come back into play before this series is done. Not so impressive is the art by fill-in Davide Furnò; his loose, sloppy style is a distraction more often as not and his depiction of officer Falls Down is inconsistent with what regular artist Guera has established, equally disconcerting. Regardless, he tells the story well enough to get by, and this is another solid-if-not-exceptional issue of one of the best books being published today. A-

UMBRELLA ACADEMY: APOCALYPSE SUITE TPB: In which a Noo Joisey boy takes his best approximation of Grant Morrison and Neil Gaiman straight to the bank. I'm not familiar with the music of Gerard Way's band, My Chemical Romance, nor am I familiar enough with his formative influences to get any insight on what could cause him to create something that comes across as a blend of Grant's Doom Patrol with the Lemony Snicket books...but the proof is in the pudding, so to speak. None of this is particularly innovative or original- in fact, nearly every one of these characters can trace their lineage back to the kinds of superpeople Morrison used to toss out there as window dressing back in the late 80's-early 90's. But derivative as it may be, it's still clever enough, with just enough attention is paid to fleshing this oddball cast out, to make this reader at least want to see more of and learn more about them. So mission accomplished, I guess. One thing I'm sure about is that this wouldn't be half as interesting as it is without the deft, angular hand of Gabriel Ba doing the visuals. Seemingly influenced in equal measure by Richard Case and of course Mike Mignola (and I'm sure a host of others I'm to dull to spot), he's up to the task of bringing this to life and giving it panache. I was afraid this would be almost too twee and precious to bear, but that didn't turn out to be the case- and while I still maintain that I'm really tired of teams of quirky superpeople facing bizarre menaces, I suppose I can make an exception in this case, since it's a first-class presentation all the way. A-

I have posted, at least twice, over the years about a comic story I remember reading as a young child, but have totally forgotten most of the details about in the intervening years- I recall it being a S-F story about a formerly benevolent ruler named "Talos" who became corrupt and evil, and that it was most likely from before I was born in 1960. That, and it was lettered by the then-ubitiquous A. Machine. There was one panel which showed the globe, and a bunch of radio towers (you know, you used to see this in the movies a lot back in the day), broadcasting the news that "Talos is dead". But I couldn't remember much of anything else, who drew, wrote, or even published it, and it was bugging me.

Nobody seemed to know, not my good pal Dave (who knows a LOT about old comics), not the old-comics enthusiasts on a couple of message boards I posted to while I was searching.

However, I do believe I have cracked the case! And I have the most excellent Mr. Door Tree, he of the Golden Age Comic Book Stories blog, to thank. Mr. D.Tree posted one of the other stories I recall from that long-lost comic today, a retelling of the Native American legend of the Maid of the Mist...and it was credited to the above comic, Strange Worlds #6, published by Avon Comics in late 1951 or early 1952. When I saw this, I went straight to the GCDB, and found the page for this comic...and lo and behold, the second tale in this multi-story collection was a little opus entitled "The Man Who Owned the Earth"- they don't have any other information except the title, no writer or artist or synopsis or anything...but this CAN'T be a coincidence! It must be my long-sought childhood memory comic! Woo hoo! Clinching it for me was the listing of another story in this book, "Wrath of the Totem", which featured an (animated, I believe) totem pole which really gave me the creeps. This HAS to be the one!

Now what I was doing in possession of a comic book that was published a good eight years before I came into existence, I can't say- perhaps it was in a stack of comics my folks bought for me, perhaps at one of the old country grocery stores my Dad used to call on in his job as a wholesale grocery salesman. I'd love to own a copy someday, but I'm sure they're quite expensive...a cursory search on the eBay turned up nothing, but I found an auction site offering it for $73, kinda out of my range to say the least. Hopefully, someone will post scans of it someday for download. But, until then, at least I believe that I have at last found the answer to something which has been bugging me for quite a while now!

Happy Independence Day, everybody. Don't blow any fingers off with explosives.





Reviews coming, slowly but surely.

Via the illustrious Sean T. Collins comes a link to this great little David Bowie list piece, in which he cites a dozen of his songs that he "doesn't seem to tire of". There's not a duff track in the lot, indeed a couple are favorites of mine, and the whole thing is so forthright and self-effacing, not to mention perceptive, that at first I wondered if Bowie himself really wrote it. But let's just give the man the benefit of the doubt- he's certainly earned it- and enjoy the list and commentary for what they are, which is very interesting and entertaining. I loved what he said about an otherwise undistinguished track from 1986's Never Let Me Down, as well as a very astute (hindsight will do that for ya) potshot at his 1970's management.

You know what? I still listen to Heathen a lot. Great album. I like it better than anything in the 80's and more than one or two of his classic-era efforts.

RIP Michael Turner, who passed away last night at age 37.

I'm not going to sit here and lie to you and tell you that I've been a fan of his work; generally, I've always found it the complete opposite of everything that I hold dear when it comes to sequential graphics. Somewhere in my collection I have the first couple of issues of his Fathom, but two issues was as far as I could go. That said, he seemed to be a dependable craftsman and enthusiastic entrepreneur, and seemed to be very well liked in the comics community in general- and who's to say his best work wasn't ahead of him? Plus, he did a hell of a lot more with his talent that I ever did, so what I think means nothing.

37 is too damn young to die, I do know that. So rest easy, Mr. Turner, and know that many have marked your passing with sadness.

FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS!



Tonight's exercise in mayhem is from ANGEL AND THE APE #4, cover dated June of 1969. Here, Sam Simeon is invited to appear on a Dick Cavett-type talk show, and the usual communication problem ensures the breaking loose of Hell.

Writer unknown (I really think Arnold Drake had moved on by 1969, but I may be mistaken); art by the late great Bob Oksner, inked by Wally Wood.

BAHLACTUS SAID KNOCK YOU OUT.

This panel from (I think) Brave and the Bold #99, made me laugh for obvious reasons. At first, I thought it came from scans_daily, but not so, as RAB was quick to inform me- actually, it came from Every Day is Like Wednesday. The ol' memory, she ain't what she useta be.

You may have noticed (at least I hope you've noticed) that I haven't had any comics reviews at all up here for two weeks now. The reason for that is simple: I haven't received any new comics! My DCBS shipment, which was shipped to me via DHL on the 10th of June, was lost in transit and it has been a protracted and somewhat annoying endeavor to get it straightened out. In fact, as of this writing it still has yet to be straightened out to my satisfaction, and I'm supposed to be getting a NEW shipment this Friday!

When Monday the 16th rolled around, and I still had no comics, and also after checking the DHL website tracking page (which showed my box was somewhere at the Memphis, TN hub), I called DHL and asked them to look for it. They agreed to, and said they'd call me by noon on Wednesday to inform me of what they found. Wednesday comes, no call. So, I call them back, talk to a different person, and get the same assurance. Finally, on Thursday, I get a callback on the first call I made, saying that yes indeed it certainly seems like they have lost my shipment, and I should call DCBS and notify them. They'll fill out a Loss/Damage Claim Form, and send me a new shipment; they even sent me a file to send in case they didn't have one. Groovy, said I. So I notify DCBS, and send along the file. Here's where the annoying part comes in. Even though I told them that I had already taken steps to locate the package, and was told, BY DHL, that it was indeed missing, they wouldn't or couldn't take my word for that and had to contact DHL themselves. This was on Wednesday the 18th. I emailed back, saying that I had already taken these steps, and I didn't want this to drag on for days more. Then I heard nothing until I emailed them on Friday, asking for an update. They replied

"We have not yet heard one way or the other. Our rep told us that they are looking for it now and if it does not turn up by Monday a loss claim on the package and we will pull together a replacement for you."

Monday comes and goes, and no word. I emailed today and as of this writing haven't heard anything. If they had only taken my word for it at first, and noticed that I sent a document FROM DHL to them, this would have been resolved by now, I'm sure!

Anyway, what I'm hoping is that they will put my order for the week of the 13th in with the new shipment (of which I have yet to receive confirmation that it has indeed shipped, naturally, but sometimes that happens with them), which seems to be ready to send according to the DCBS website.

So, short story long, I don't know if I'm gonna get ANY comics this month for sure...but if I do they should be these:

CRIMINAL 2 #3
OMEGA THE UNKNOWN #9
JACK STAFF #17
MANHUNTER #31
THE BOYS #19 (MR)
ABE SAPIEN: THE DROWNING #5 (OF 5)
WONDER WOMAN #21
NUMBER OF THE BEAST #5
100 BULLETS #92

You remember these, I'm sure from my previous post on the matter...plus:

HELLBLAZER #245
SCALPED #18
UMBRELLA ACADEMY APOCALYPSE SUITE TPB
FINAL CRISIS #2
ATOMIC ROBO TPB VOL 01
CATWOMAN #80
NUMBER OF THE BEAST #6
MADAME XANADU #1
DAREDEVIL #108

Some interesting stuff in that bunch, especially the Umbrella Academy trade, of which I've heard naught but good word-of-mouth.

This whole thing has me kinda put out with DCBS, with whom I've only really had one other incident (that was partly my fault). Someone recently made me aware of Heroes Corner's site...they offer substantial discounts, ship via FedEx, and best of all offer free bags and boards, as well as free shipping over $75, powerful incentives all. I've been pretty faithful to DCBS, after ending my longtime relationship with my Bowling Green comics shop...but HC is flirting hard with me and my admittedly weak nature is strongly tempted. We will see!


ETA: Got an email later this afternoon from DCBS, and they were indeed sufficiently satisfied that I wasn't lying or trying to scam them for more comics or something, so they will box my replacement shipment together with my new one, which I should be getting this weekend- if fortune smiles, and DHL does their job.

The 2008 Harvey Awards nominations were announced earlier last week. Not-so-fashionably late for the party as always, I thought I'd post 'em here with a little commentary after each, as if I was a real pundit or something. Shall we?

BEST WRITER
* Ed Brubaker, Captain America, Marvel Comics
* Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books
* Grant Morrison, All Star Superman, DC Comics
* William Van Horn, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, Gemstone
* Brian K. Vaughan, Y: The Last Man, Vertigo/DC Comics

It's hard to disagree with the names on this list; while I don't read Brubaker's Cap I did read his Immortal Iron Fist with Matt Fraction and Daredevil, not to mention Criminal, which has to be at least as good as the title he is nominated for. I've not read Diary or the Disney collection, and I've never really understood the appeal of Vaughan's writing (Dr. Strange: The Oath notwithstanding, and that should have been nominated before Y). Morrison is Morrison, of course, but to me All-Star Superman was inconsistent in 2007. I'm thinking Jason Aaron should be on this list for Scalped, as well as Andy Diggle. I'm sure a lot of Casanova fans are wondering where the aforementioned Fraction's name is. Anyways, I'd give it to Brubaker, based on his body of work and not necessarily his Cap, which I'm sure is quite good but doesn't interest me in the slightest.

BEST ARTIST
* Gabriel Ba, Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics
* John Cassaday, Astonishing X-Men, Marvel Comics
* Guy Davis, BPRD, Dark Horse Comics
* Frank Quitely, All Star Superman, DC Comics
* William Van Horn, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, Gemstone

Who is this Van Horn fella, and why is he being so acclaimed for doing what I'm sure is just a patch on Barks, Rosa, and those who have come before? I mean, I realize I'm saying this sight unseen, and for all I know I would be blown away by the scope and complexity of his take on the Ducks...but I seriously doubt that Disney is going to allow much in the way of groundbreaking interpretation. So what the hell? Assuming DCBS and DHL don't lose another of my comics shipments, I'll soon be reading Umbrella Academy, so I can see what Ba's been up to. As with Brubaker, I know it's of high quality regardless. Anyway, these are worthy artists all, and while if it was up to me I'd give it to Guy Davis, I'll bet it goes to Cassaday or Quitely, probably the latter.

BEST CARTOONIST
* Darwyn Cooke, The Spirit, DC Comics
* Matt Kindt, Super Spy, Top Shelf
* Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books
* Bryan Lee O'Malley, Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together, Oni Press
* Vasilis Lolos, Last Call, Oni Press
* William Van Horn, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, Gemstone

Oh, so cartoonists aren't artists? And there's that Van Horn guy again! Kindt is great but his style works against him more often as not when it comes to storytelling, and I haven't seen Wimpy Kid. I think Lolos is a dark horse- Last Call was quite evocative- but this will probably be between Cooke, who shouldn't win because his 2007 Spirit issues were a muddle and the art didn't save them, and O'Malley, who is riding high right now. I'm thinking Mr. O'Malley.

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM - ORIGINAL
* The Arrival, Scholastic Books
* Donald Duck: The Case of the Missing Mummy, Gemstone
* Exit Wounds, Drawn & Quarterly
* Laika, First Second
* Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together, Oni Press

Sadly, the only one of these nominees I've read is Gets It Together, so I'm hardly qualified to pick one here. I know that Exit Wounds was on all the cool critics' lists, and I've seen a lot of type devoted to Laika and The Arrival as well. The Duck book? I think it's mandatory for it to be nominated in every category, it or its creator. Publishers or interested parties, feel free to send me copies of the others so I can opine upon them here in this mostly public forum.

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM - PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED
* The Annotated Northwest Passage, Oni Press
* Antiques, Volume 1, Gemstone
* Captain America Omnibus, Volume 1, Marvel Comics
* Damned, Volume 1, Oni Press
* Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born, Marvel Comics

I actually own approximately none of these collections, but I can unequivocally state my high regard and extreme admiration for both Northwest Passage and The Damned V1.

BEST DOMESTIC REPRINT PROJECT
* Complete Peanuts, Fantagraphics Books
* Complete Terry and the Pirates, IDW
* EC Archives, Gemstone
* Popeye, Fantagraphics Books
* Walt and Skeezix, Drawn & Quarterly

Wait- where's the Gemstone selection? Thanks to the sainted Mrs. B, I do own the first two Peanuts collections, but that was some time ago. I'm sure, knowing what I know about all of these collected strips and comics, that you can't go wrong with any of them. If I had a vote, I'd be tempted to go with the Popeye collection, for entertainment value if nothing else. Again, publishers, feel free to send me any of these- as we all know, it hasn't truly been a success until Johnny Bacardi reviews it! (snort snort)

BEST AMERICAN EDITION OF FOREIGN MATERIAL
* Eduardo Risso's Tales of Terror, Dynamite Entertainment
* Exit Wounds, Drawn & Quarterly
* Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, Abrams
* Moomin, Volume 2, Drawn & Quarterly
* Witchblade Manga, Top Cow/Image

Ah, here's Comics Blogospehereiverse darling Moomin, its presumed delights still unsampled by yours truly. Yep, don't own any of these either. Why am I doing this again? I do know that Risso is aces, and again, everybody but me has read Exit Wounds and cited it on their "best of" lists.

SPECIAL AWARD FOR HUMOR
* Chris Eliopoulos, Franklin Richards series, Marvel Comics
* Nicholas Gurewitch, Perry Bible Fellowship www.pbfcomics.com
* Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books
* Bryan Lee O'Malley, Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together, Oni Press
* William Van Horn, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, Gemstone

As opposed to the usual award for humor, eh? Anyway, Gurewitch is gonna be hard to beat, even by O'Malley. The faux-Watterson stylings of Eliopoulous on Franklin Richards has tempted me once in a great while, but no soap, and it's great to see order restored to the Harveyverse with another Van Horn nomination.

BEST ON-LINE COMIC
* Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney
* EZ Street, Robert Tinnell and Mark Wheatley
* Penny Arcade, Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik
* Perry Bible Fellowship, Nicholas Gurewitch
* Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allan Poo, Dwight L. Macpherson, Thomas Boatwright and Thomas Mauer

Is there a best Off-line comic? Anyway, I'd bet on Gurewitch here, but never underestimate the Penny Arcade guys. Conspicuous by their absences: Girls With Slingshots, Wonderella, Brat-Halla, Lackadaisy Cats, Scary-Go-Round, Sinfest, Achewood, and Overcompensating.

SPECIAL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRESENTATION
* The Annotated Northwest Passage, Scott Chantler, Oni Press
* Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney, Amulet Books
* EC Archives, Various, edited by John Clark, Gemstone
* Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened, edited by Jason Rodriguez, Villard
* Super Spy, Matt Kindt, Top Shelf

I suppose this is a package design category; I own Super Spy, and have laid eyes on that Northwest Passage collection although I have yet to be able to afford to buy, so I guess I'll pass on passing judgment here.

BEST SINGLE ISSUE OR STORY
* Alice in Sunderland, Dark Horse Comics
* All Star Superman #8, DC Comics
* Captain America #25, Marvel Comics
* Donald Duck: The Case of the Missing Mummy, Gemstone
* I Killed Adolf Hitler, Fantagraphics Books
* Immortal Iron Fist #7, Marvel Comics
* Stephen Colbert's Tek Jansen #1, Oni Press

I guess this is further proof of how far out of step I am with the current comics cognoscenti; I was underwhelmed by All-Star Superman #8, as well as Iron Fist #7. I flat-out didn't like Tek Jansen, although the art was fine. I've seen Sunderland discussed favorably here and there, as well as the Hitler book. The avalanche of Duck nominations continues, closely followed by noms for Cap.

BEST BIOGRAPHICAL, HISTORICAL OR JOURNALISTIC PRESENTATION
* Blah Blah Blog, Tom Brevoort
* The Comics Journal, edited by Gary Groth and Michael Dean Fantagraphics Books
* Meanwhile…Comics!, John, Jason and Scott
* The Naked Artist: Comic Book Legends, Bryan Talbot and Hunt Emerson, Moonstone Books
* Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, edited by J.C. Vaughn, Gemstone
* Reading Comics: How Graphic Albums Work and What They Mean, Douglas Wolk, Da Capo Press

I defy you to see that nom for the Overprice Street Guide and not snort in derision, although I do seem to recall (although it's been perhaps a decade since I've picked one up) that there are a fair amount of historical articles in every edition. Brevoort's blog is often interesting, although I must confess that I don't always click through to read it when it pops up on my Google Reader. The Journal keeps on keeping on, always readable I'm sure but never affordable for one of such meager means as I (and no, it's not because every time Deppey refuses to link to my reviews baby Jesus- well, actually baby Johnny B- cries). I am absolutely unfamiliar with the other two. No Duck or Cap noms!

BEST COVER ARTIST
* John Cassaday, Astonishing X-Men, Marvel Comics
* Marko Djurdjevic, Daredevil, Marvel Comics
* James Jean, Fables, Vertigo/DC Comics
* Mike Mignola, Hellboy, Dark Horse Comics
* William Van Horn, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, Gemstone

All outstanding artists, although in Van Horn's case I'll just take their word he belongs; regardless, it's hard to beat Jean, who should just get an honorary award and be retired. Maybe they could name it the James Jean Best Cover Artist Award.

BEST LETTERER
* Chris Eliopoulos, Daredevil, Marvel Comics
* Jared K. Fletcher, The Spirit, DC Comics
* Willie Schubert, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, Gemstone
* Douglas E. Sherwood, Local, Oni Books
* Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library, Acme Novelty

I'm curious- do all of these letterers hand letter, or do they just set type in InDesign or Photoshop (hope not- typesetting in PS is of the devil)? If not, doesn't that tarnish this award just a little? All of these fellows, at least the ones whose books I read, are excellent I suppose. Readable, anyway, and isn't that the true test of a letterer? Another Duck nom!

BEST COLORIST
* Susan Daigle-Leach, Uncle Scrooge, Gemstone
* Jamie Grant, All Star Superman, DC Comics
* Matt Hollingsworth, Daredevil, Marvel Comics
* Matt Kindt, Super Spy, Top Shelf
* Laura Martin, Thor, Marvel Comics

God, did Gemstone underwrite these awards? Anyway, of the non-Duck books I've read here, the only one in which the colors strike me as memorable is not the muddy imitation-Loughridge Vertigo-lite pallete of Hollingsworth or the sepia tones of Kindt, but Grant, who does more than color, unless I'm mistaken. Don't buy Thor, so I can't say for sure about Martin, who doesn't color any books that I buy, I don't think.

BEST INKER
* Stefano Gaudiano, Daredevil, Marvel Comics
* Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books
* Steve Leialoha, Fables, DC Comics
* Mark Morales, Thor, Marvel Comics
* Kevin Nowlan, Witchblade, Top Cow/Image

This list seems incomplete for some reason; if I thought hard about it I could probably name five that probably belong here instead of the workmanlike Leialoha, who is a far better illustrator (i.e., penciller, colorist, inker, on his own work) than he is tracing Buckingham's adequate pencils on Fables; Gaudiano, who is solid but unspectacular in his sloppy renderings over Mike Lark's pencils, and Nowlan, who's also thought of even more of a total illustrator, mostly on covers. I don't know Morales' work, and I've been remiss in noting how Kinney keeps popping up in many of these categories...someone must really have been impressed with Diary of a Wimpy Kid, probably those who think of themselves as former wimpy kids themselves. After having taken a look at the online strip, all I can say is Mike Esposito, Tom Palmer, Joe Sinnott, even good old Vince Colletta must be spinning in their graves or beds, whichever is applicable.

BEST SYNDICATED STRIP OR PANEL
* Doonesbury, Garry Trudeau, Universal Press Syndicate
* Get Fuzzy, Darby Conley, United Feature Syndicate
* The K Chronicles, Keith Knight, Self-Syndicated
* The Mighty Motor-Sapiens, Mark Wheatley, Daniel Krall, Robert Tinnell, MJ Butler, Craig Taillerfer, Matthew Plog, and Jerry Carr, Self-Syndicated
* Mutts, Patrick McDonnell, King Features Syndicate

I've got a book somewhere of collected K Chronicles strips, I believe, the Lousville Courier-Journal carries Doonesbury, and the Bowling Green Daily News carries Fuzzy, and that's all I've seen of this bunch, although I think I've seen, and was unimpressed by, Mutts. Syndicated strips are mostly a dire bunch, for sure, as any glance at the Comics Curmudgeon site will prove...but is this the best they could come up with? Fuzzy is rarely as clever as it strives to be, and I was unimpressed by K, so I guess that leaves Trudeau's perennial, which at least has been on a minor uptick when it's not been on hiatus.

BEST CONTINUING OR LIMITED SERIES
* All Star Superman, DC Comics
* Captain America, Marvel Comics
* Damned, Oni Press
* Daredevil, Marvel Comics
* Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics
* Uncle Scrooge, Gemstone Comics

Same old same old here. Haven't read Cap or the last two, although like I said earlier I do have the Umbrella Academy trade coming, assuming DHL doesn't lose my box again. ASS was inconsistent, Daredevil is a well-executed slog...that leaves the outstanding Damned, which successfully mixes the crime and supernatural genres and entertained me thoroughly. I'm trying to get it in trades, so I haven't read the follow-up yet.

BEST NEW SERIES
* Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books
* The Order, Marvel Comics
* Resurrection, Oni Press
* Thor, Marvel Comics
* Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics

I'll probably spend some time going back through the Diary website, to read the pages and see what the fuss is about. The only one of these I've read was Resurrection, which I thought was just awful.

BEST NEW TALENT
* Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books
* Jeff Lemire, Essex County, Top Shelf
* Vasilis Lolos, Last Call, Oni Press
* Robbi Rodriguez, Maintenance, Oni Press
* Christian Slade, Korgi #1: Sprouting Wings, Top Shelf

Rodriguez is a sleeper, I enjoyed Maintenance. Slade is an excellent illustrator working on what seemed to me to be a pointless book. I liked Lemire's GN, but not necessarily because if its somewhat crude art. I think I'd give the nod to Lolos here; Last Call had mood and atmosphere in spades and the art made it a lot more intriguing than its slightly used premise.

BEST ANTHOLOGY
* Flight Volume 4, edited by Kazu Kibuishi, Ballantine Books
* Mome Volume 8, edited by Gary Groth and Eric Reynolds, Fantagraphics Books
* Popgun Volume 1, edited by Joe Keatinge and Mark Andrew Smith, Image Books
* Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened, edited by Jason Rodriquez, Villard
* Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, edited by John Clark, Gemstone

I got the first two Flight collections, but the combination of price point and lack of Vera Brosgol and Jen Wang art persuaded me to pass on the last two. Someday, when I hit the lottery, I'll buy every issue of Mome, Moomin, and Kramer's Ergot that I've passed up in my apparent ignorance and Philistinism. Until then, I guess I'll just observe that every other one of my comics criticism peers holds them in high regard, and be content in that knowledge. Guess what I'm trying to say in my roundabout way is that I haven't experienced the joys and delights of any of these nominees, unworthy infidel that I am.


And that, friends, concludes this little piece of comics blogging. Maybe I'll do more sooner rather than later!

FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS!




Tonight's Friday night fist fight is from CREEPY #7, from a story titled "Hot Spell"- a little "fiery tale of a warlock's curse" as presented by the late greats Archie Goodwin and Reed Crandall. In the prologue, a group of villagers burns a warlock at the stake, he of course curses the village. Flash forward to modern times, and the village still worries...and a couple of deaths by fire leads them to conclude that a new resident, an artist, is responsible for reviving the spell. So when he unwittingly comes to town to buy groceries, he gets less than a warm, no pun intended, reception. But fortunately the artist is as good at punching as he is at painting, and the scene above ensues. As always, click to see biggerer.

Oh, and don't worry...as was so often the case with Goodwin's Warren stories from this period, justice of a kind is enacted by story's end.

BAHLACTUS SAID KNOCK YOU OUT.

I would be remiss if I didn't interrupt the deafening silence around here and let the day expire without passing on a Bacardi Show Birthday Greeting to the old master chef himself, SIR JAMES PAUL McCARTNEY, looking every bit his 66 years these days...and that's all right.

Here's my now three-year-old list of favorite McCartney and Wings tracks. I don't think I'd add anything from albums released since, although I did like "Fine Line" from Chaos and Creation and "Dance Tonight" from Memory Almost Full. In fact, I thought the latter was a pleasantly surprising, strong collection of songs.

You'd think that people would have had enough of Paul McCartney; I look around me and I see it isn't so. Oh no. (I never get tired of that joke. "We KNOW", I hear you all say.)

Picture ganked from the outstanding BEATLE PHOTO BLOG, your source for unique, interesting Fabs snaps and fart jokes.

FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS!



Tonight's Frigg's Day Evening Altercation comes from Atlas Comics' SCORPION #1, which hit the spinner racks sometime in early 1975. This early Howard Chaykin creation shows that not only could Moro Frost (Scorpion's real name) lay down a beatdown, but his Girl Friday Ruby could kick badguy bootay quite capably as well. The Alex Toth influence shines through in these pages, I do believe. As always, click to see these grayscaled pages mo' bigger.

I wish Chaykin could see his way clear to once more doing some 30's pulp-style graphic novels, based on characters like the Scorpion, and his later revamp Dominic Fortune...or dare I say even more Times Squared. Guess nobody's interested, at least no one with money. Pity.

BAHLACTUS SAID KNOCK YOU OUT!

Thanks to a Twitter post by B. Clay Moore, writer of fine funnybooks of distinction, I discovered the website of one CHRIS SAMNEE, whose name makes him sound like a Hobbit but is in reality one of the best newish artists I've seen lately. He draws the best Batman this side of Dave Mazzuchelli, and does right by Daredevil too. DC really missed the boat by not letting this guy draw Grant Morrison's recent run on the Caped Crusader, and when Mike Lark decides to move on to less depressing pastures, it sure wouldn't break my heart to see him take over art chores on Daredevil as well!

In other tidbits from hither and thither:

Right now, if you move quickly, you can download the pilot episode of the new ABC Family series based on THE MIDDLE MAN comic and graphic novel series from iTunes. I did so, and I'm pleased to report that I found it to be much better than this sort of thing tends to be; TV, unlike movies, hasn't learned not to screw around with comics properties just for the sake of screwing around- but no doubt due to the presence of series co-creator Javier Grillo-Marxuach, who aided in the development, this doesn't seem to be the case here. If you're familiar with the comics, it's a wacky mix of superhero, martial arts and spy-movie genres, and that what-the-hell feel remains intact. The cast is agreeable, less so Matt Keeslar as the Middleman than Natalie Morales, who plays Wendy, his assistant. While not a redhead with glasses, she still is very fetching and has a nice way with a quip, and together they have good chemistry. The show is, as is so often the case these days, full of clever little asides and pop culture references, even to the point of devoting a few minutes to an Avengers-style (Steed and Mrs. Peel, not Tony Stark, Cap & Co.) montage in which the pair mug and pose just like MacNee and Rigg in their heyday, appropriately enough, this episode's director is Jeremiah Chechik, who helmed that misbegotten Avengers film with Fiennes and Thurman...but he does have National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation on his resume, so he's all right in my book. Morales reminds me more than a little here of Studio 60's Amanda Peet, firing off clever quips right and left as fast as she can...and as with Studio 60, that's my biggest problem with this. Nearly every character is quirky to the point of preciousness, from Mary Lynn Rajskub's chatty monotonistic simian research center head, to Wendy's animal-rights activist roommate, to the leads themselves, as if they're just a group of characteristics instead of real characters. Morales in particular succeeds in fleshing hers out, but her sidekick Keeslar's not so fortunate, which is passable because he's pretty much a one-note character anyway, even in the comics. Anyway, as with Aaron Sorkin's folly, it gets wearing to see the characters being constantly on, rapid-firing quips in a rushed monotone to everyone and everything, seemingly to show how clever the writers are more than anything. That's really my biggest complaint, and even on top of this I still found myself laughing at some of the bon mots more often as not. As low-budget comic-book TV adaptations go, The Middle Man seems to be a winner. You can go here , to comic artist/co-creator Les McClaine's LJ, to get a link to download it. I gotta say, too, that I enjoyed watching it on my Mother Box, I mean my iPod Nano...the screen's tiny, sure, but the resolution was good, the picture was crisp, and the sound was very good. Of course, you can watch it anywhere you want, I guess, including TV- it airs June 16th at 8 and 9 PM EST on ABC Family. I might just watch it then, too.

They tell me I'm getting new comics tomorrow, and this be them:

CRIMINAL 2 #3
OMEGA THE UNKNOWN #9
JACK STAFF #17

MANHUNTER #31: They keep killing it, and it keeps coming back! Who says Marvel has the monopoly on zombie comics? New artist this time out, Michael Gaydos, whose work reminds me a little of Shawn Martinbrough in places, and I like Martinbrough's work very much. Not "buy Ayre Force much", mind you (Angeltown was the last straw there), but I like it a lot on the right project.

BOYS #19 (MR)
ABE SAPIEN: THE DROWNING #5 (OF 5)

WONDER WOMAN #21: I know- "Johnny B! What the hell! A Wonder Woman comic? By Gail Simone?" Yes, yes and yes because it is my understanding that none other than my old buddy Beowulf: Dragon Slayer is making an appearance in this one, which means I wanna see it!

NUMBER OF THE BEAST #5
100 BULLETS #92

Go HERE to read the first fifty or so pages of THE APOCALIPSTIX, a new Oni series from artist Cam (Catwoman, Seaguy) Stewart and writer Ray Fawkes. It looks hellasweet, as the kids used to say. I hope I get a copy, I somehow neglected to preorder it!

Go here to read "Thrill Kill", an unforgettable mid-late 70's Archie Goodwin/Neal Adams Warren Magazine (was it in The Rook? I forget) collaboration and probably the last worthwhile thing Adams has done to date in the sequential storytelling area. Well, there's Skateman, as Kevin Church reminds me, but really that was in a league of its own.

OK, that's all I got for now. Tom Spurgeon I ain't.

CONFESSIONS OF A SPINNER RACK JUNKIE.



It's time once more for another Spinner Rack Junkie- that more-or-less ongoing and often overdue feature in which I write capsule reviews of various works of sequential fiction that I have perused in the interval since the last time I inflicted such reviews upon one and all, or to be specific, the period from approximately May 24th to June 6th, some of which may even still be on sale at finer comics selling establishments worldwide if you're lucky. Or not, as the case may be.

ALL STAR SUPERMAN #11: The big guy continues to prepare for his imminent demise, even as Luthor pulls an Indestructible Man, contriving to give himself 24-hour super powers to boot, then sics our old friend Solaris the Living Sun on him- a nice example of successfully returning to the scene of former storylines by Mr. Morrison. Also along is Luthor's villainous niece, of whom I've previously been unaware, and I can't say that I regret my ignorance even though she's part of a nicely cynical scene involving Lois and Jimmy, aka the Press. All in all, another very good issue; if Grant's spreading himself too thin, and more on that a few reviews down, it's not immediately apparent as this is fast-paced, full of stuff both overt and covert, and as much fun as can be managed, considering the downbeat tone of the whole thing. Quitely, with a lot of help from Photoshop inker Jamie Grant, brings his usual dry, static layout style (and also, once again, Supes' ill-fitting costume) to the proceedings, but by emphasizing the small things, such as the bullet crushing itself against Luthor's palm, it enhances and suggests action just as successfully as all the speed lines and force bursts you can muster, and of course brings out all the connections intended to be made by the dialogue. A

CATWOMAN #79: As nice as it is to have Selina back on the real Earth and free of all the sci-fi bullshit, it seems that we've returned to overfamiliar territory as she is once more involved with Slam Bradley and all the other dangling plot threads (including a couple that I thought had been resolved already) that have been around for what seems like years now. Well, we do get a different villain of sorts, and there's nothing wrong with at least letting us see how CW gets payback for being shipped off to the Salvation Run planet...but it's just a little played-out feeling, that's all. Still, the character interaction is great as always, and the Lopezes once more turn in a good art job. I can't wait to see what Pfiefer has up his sleeve next for Sel- oh. Wait. B+

DAREDEVIL #107: This is still non-stop wigged-out DD, and thus verging on the tedious, and on top of that we have yet another plotline in which a convict is accused of something he apparently didn't do, and it's up to our boy to set things straight. This works more as a Dakota North spotlight than it does as a Daredevil story, and that's OK with me...I just wish that someone could make this book fresh again. Until then, it's either bail or accompany Matt through the wilderness of his soul, it seems, because I don't see this glum direction shifting anytime soon. B

FABLES #73: More war maneuvers, and the first signs of the other shoe dropping that I've been concerned with for so long. Otherwise, without lapsing into my 100 Bullets-type can't-think-of-anything-new-to-say review style, I'll just say that this is another solid issue, and am steadfastly along for the ride, as long as it lasts. A-

FINAL CRISIS #1: Dear Comics Blogosphere: you DO realize that we still have six issues of this to go, right? Everybody and their great-grandmother are analyzing this like it was a Watchmen omnibus or something, when it's merely one chapter of a much bigger story and not really even as dense in its way as Seven Soldiers #0 was. I think everyone needs to step back and breathe a little. As someone who has pretty much ignored DC's prior multi-issue crossover folderol so far and doesn't feel even slightly poorer for doing so, I don't really care if what Morrison lays out here doesn't jibe with certain plot points in some other comic that I couldn't care less about. I can see others' point about this issue, but it certainly seems to me that at this stage in Big Two history, continuity is out the freaking window and running down the highway by now anyway, so caring about it is an exercise in futility and takes up energies that could be best devoted to something worthwhile. Morrison's low-key approach suits the material, I think; I believe an objective tone is the best way to go. Under- rather than overstate, which does fly in the face of a lot of superhero books these days, I know. Sometimes this tone is self-defeating; the petty, offputtingly undignified death of J'onn J'onzz follows a really nice scene in which villains sit around and verbally bitch-slap each other, thus canceling themselves out. Even though I honestly feel like he's spread himself too thin over the last couple of years, I have observed that he generally plans this stuff out well enough to where I think that he has not given us the final word on that subject. The operative phrase here, I think, is WAIT and SEE. If he still comes across as flying by the seat of his pants after #7, as he did with Seven Soldiers #1, then it's open season as far as I'm concerned...and even then I will give him the benefit of the doubt because I, for one, would like to see him just take at least a year off and recharge his batteries. Right now, he's as close as he's ever been to churning out product, complete with the DC de rigueur Batman/Wonder Woman/Superman sitting at a table and...discussing stuff...as much a current fixture in their books, it seems, as apes on covers once was- and that is not good. Anyway, it helps that he has a talented, proven collaborator not named Quitely do bring this to life; Jones is such a talented illustrator that he's capable of adding nuance and feeling even when none is there. Sure, he's on the static side when depicting mayhem, but when it comes to action art, as with Quitely, J.G. Jones is more concerned with showing us the still-life moments that make up the act, rather than trying to somehow simulate the action itself sequentially; sort of a Peckinpah-like approach, I'd imagine. Maybe it's just blind allegiance due to his much-loved-by-me art stints on the first Yelena Belova Black Widow miniseries, or Marvel Boy...but I always enjoy his work, and I'm not so sure I would be buying this if he weren't illustrating it. So, to sum, pretty much love the art, found more to like than to dislike about the story (and while I'm thinking about it, "muk-muks" doesn't sound any less idiotic when Grant's doing it than when Kirby did it, as much as I like the Dan Turpin character) and am willing to be patient with it. I hope my confidence is not misplaced. B+

HAWAIIAN DICK: SCREAMING BLACK THUNDER #4: With only one issue left to go, I'm pleased to report that I've gotten used to Scott Chantler's take on Byrd and Co.. I love Northwest Passage, as I'm always taking pains to point out, but until this issue I've always thought he was awkward fit here. He hasn't changed, it seems, I have...and that's good because while this would still be an enjoyable chapter, in which more seems to happen than the first four put together, it's always more pleasurable when I can enjoy both working in tandem. A-

JOHN CONSTANTINE: HELLBLAZER #244: Finale of the two-part Vatican-baiting adventure, and it's well done with a left-field twist at the end which, when the big picture is considered, is no less satisfying. The Giuseppe Camuncoli/Stefano Landini fill-in art is OK, no more no less, possessed of a willfully angular look which sometimes reminds me of primo Richard Case. That said, any artist team that makes me wish to see Leo Manco back has two strikes against it already in my scorebook. B+

NORTHLANDERS #6: Well, I don't really like protagonist Sven any better now that I know more about him, but I do certainly admire his courage in his convictions, whatever the hell they are. Nice character work, especially dialogue, plus the desire to see where Wood is taking this is the impetus that's keeping me laying down my three bucks. Well, that and the grubby but quietly outstanding art that David Gianfelice brings to the table- he's under the radar now, but I look at his art and seriously think he's a star in the making, or at least an heir to that Frank Frazetta-type historical fantasy adventure artist throne that no one seems to be willing to take up. Gianfelice is my nominee. A-

NUMBER OF THE BEAST #4: Beautifully drawn, as always- in my book, Sprouse is as good as it gets these days, especially when inked by Karl Story. But four issues in, they're giving us leftovers, and even worse putting on airs about it as if this is a SIGNIFICANT EVENT IN COMICS HISTORY, when really all it is is yet another multi-character Crisis-style sci-fi spandex melodrama. It's far from unreadable, especially now that they've stopped introducing everybody and everything in the dialogue, and I suspect that this would be a decent rainy-day read when collected. But one issue at a time, I'm just not feeling it much despite the fact that it looks real purty. B-

SCALPED #17: By sticking to the big picture here, Jason Aaron may have whiffed on the chance to deliver an emotionally charged home run in the course of this ongoing series...but as is, it's still plenty deep and dramatic, and I derive particular pleasure from seeing how he's setting up nominal villain Lincoln Red Crow to be instead in the great tradition of the honorable cad a la Deadwood's Al Swearengen, a man who's willing to do whatever it takes to advance his goals, but has an internal code of ethics that he will not willingly violate. I look forward to seeing his story unfold even more than I do the lead character Dash Bad Horse, who certainly gets his share of the spotlight as well. And then, we get a curve thrown at us via an ending that I certainly didn't see coming, and which raises questions that I'm not sure I want answered in that fashion. Guera is solid as always on art; I wish he could curb his tendency to get cartoonish in his faces, but that's nitpicking- he more than makes up for it with his composition and his good sense of blackspotting. Another excellent issue, and the third trade's coming out in a month or two... A

Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to present to you, courtesy of Tim Buckley: the Theme Song of the Johnny Bacardi Show, also known by the title "Peanut Man", from his 1973 release Sefronia. Just listen and you'll see what I mean.

Truth be told, however, I'm not fond of sweet potatoes, and while perspiration sometimes has its charms, I generally don't get into that either.

Those of you reading this via feed readers, such as Google Reader or Bloglines, you'll have to click through.

FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS!



Bahlactus hath called and I hath answered! Usually I try to find weird, obscure and/or unusual fight scenes, operative word being try, and it's twice as difficult since I still don't have use of my scanner and am limited to stuff I can scavenge off scans_daily and other venues hither and yon. Anyway, tonight's black and white throwdown is the exact opposite of weird, obscure and/or unusual- it's your basic Batman/Joker beatdown, which we've all seen thousands of times in thousands of places. At least it's one which is illustrated by the redoubtable Neal Adams, who by the time of this issue (#251, cover-dated September of 1973) was at the end of his seminal run with Dennis O'Neil, only doing art for two more issues before turning his attention to drawing Grand Funk album covers and such. Anyway, this is from the well-known and dare I say classic of its kind "Joker's Five-Way Revenge". Bad joke by Bats there at the end.

BAHLACTUS SAID KNOCK YOU OUT.

Got tagged by the estimable Plok for a meme that I've seen making the rounds lately, and since I'm not really coming up with anything to put here lately (in fact, still haven't read all the comics I got last Friday!), I think this will do.

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your spring. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they’re listening to.

I listen to five times that in the course of a normal day; that really makes it hard to pick tracks that really stand out...but these are some that came to mind when I pondered the criteria. This is going to be less of a "songs that shape my Spring/Summer" list and more of a "songs that I remember digging lately" list. And yep, don't worry, it's all boring old fart 70's music, or music made by boring old farts that came to prominence in that decade in which I grew up in most ways.

1. I COME TUMBLIN' by Grand Funk Railroad (E Pluribus Funk)
As I've stated on many occasions, when I was 11-12 yrs of age GFR was the band all the cool older kids listened to. Pluribus was the last album they did before expanding into a four-man group, firing their manager/producer, and enlisting Todd Rundgren to make them pop stars via We're an American Band. Anyway, I used to have this album on 8-track many years ago, and gave it a good proper listening to in its time, but it had been many years since I'd had the opportunity to do so again until recently acquiring this album via download. I had forgotten what a non-stop hard-rocking album this was, with the bass up front in the mix, and "Tumblin' " is a great example that also sports good group harmonies.

2. DOLPHINS by Tim Buckley (Sefronia)
I've been an absolute fiend for Buckley lately; acquiring nearly all his albums in the last few months. He started out as a gentle folkie type, but soon metamorphosed into a restless stylistic chameleon whose subsequent albums ran the gamut from Miles Davis-influenced experimental to Van Morrison/Ray Charles/Rolling Stones style R&B, but never sounded mawkish or imitative. And his voice- oh my god, the man could sing like no one on this Earth. Problem is, the more he tried to break new ground and keep his restless muse happy, the farther into obscurity he sank, each album selling poorer than the previous until his premature drug-related death in 1975. This is a cover of a song by New York folk hero Fred Neil, whose greatest claim to fame was as writer of "Everybody's Talkin'", which Harry Nilsson took to the bank via the Midnight Cowboy soundtrack- Buckley performed it from his early days, and had long intended to record it. Finally, he got around to doing it on 1973's Sefronia, his penultimate release, and I think he really did it justice. To see him performing this live from this period, go here, and prepare to be amazed.

3. BYE BYE BLACKBIRD by Ringo Starr from Sentimental Journey
Paul released a home-crafted set of pop songs, John his highly personal and abrasive kiss off to his former group, and George bided his time, delivering a mammoth set of finely crafted songs that he'd been sitting on, in some cases, for three years. What did Ringo do in the wake of the breakup? Why, he put out an album's worth of standards, "for me Mum" as he put it at the time, probably the most non-rockish thing he could have possibly done. If you ever wanted to hear what Richie sounded like singing "Love is a Many Splendored Thing" and "Stardust", with appropriate accompaniment that was arranged by a clutch of celebrity arrangers such as George Martin, Paul McCartney, Richard Perry, and Quincy Jones, well, here you go. This is the second cut and probably the catchiest, arranged by Maurice Gibb using a big band arrangement with banjo. Tra la la. I think he could do worse than to revisit this type of music, even though it's a bit late for the Harry Connick, Jr./Brian Setzer-led Big Band and Swing revival. Anything's better than the last four or so half-assed mediocre-sounding pop records he's done.

4. DAUGHTERS OF THE SEA/FLYING CLOUD by the Doobie Brothers from What Were Once Vices are Now Habits
Song one is a rock/folk exercise with a nautical theme, sung and written by Patrick Simmons. You remember, the guitarist with the really long hair that wrote "Black Water", which is also on this album. Song two is an lovely synth/acoustic guitar-driven instrumental. When I was a teen and in my early 20's I loved the good-time hippie-vibe summertime keg party rock/folk boogie-band stylings of the Bros., before Mike McDonald joined up and changed them (for the worse) into a poor man's Steely Dan. These two tracks always remind me of listening to them in the back seat of my parent's car at 4 AM one summer, on my old portable 8-track player with the sound down low, as we drove to Florida for a vacation when I was (I think) 15.

5. NOBODY LOVES YOU LIKE I DO by Emerson, Lake and Palmer from Works Vol. 1
Toldja this was a bunch of old boring fart music, didn't I? Anyway, after shooting their collective wad with 1973's excellent (well, I think so anyway) Brain Salad Surgery album, they preceeded to fart around with live albums and such for four years, even planning to do the "simultaneous release of solo albums" thing that Yes beat them to by a year because they apparently had lost all patience with each other, until finally deciding to put them all together as one big double album extravaganza called Works Vol.1, which makes it sound a lot more impressive than it really was- Emerson's side was exciting for piano enthusiasts and precious few others; drummer Palmer's side was a collection of melody-challenged percussive-themed pop songs with all-star accompaniment, and the two-song side that featured the trio reunited in the studio for as long as they could tolerate each other contained a tuneful, but overlong instrumental Copland cover and a really overlong and melody free song about Pirates, which at least had the saving grace of Pete Sinfield lyrics. But Greg Lake's side was a whole 'nother thing- collaborating with Sinfield, he presented five grandiose acoustic-guitar based and orchestra-driven ballads, three of which are effectively romantic, one of which is quite cynical and features Sinfield's best wordsmithery, and then there's this one, which seems to be a love letter to ELP fans. It's bighearted and sports another great melody, with a atmospheric, muted guitar solo in the middle. I rarely listen to the other three sides, but lately I've been in the mood to hear Lake's, and this song, in particular.

6. BIRDS FLY SOUTH by Maria Muldaur from Open Your Eyes
Eyes was Maria's last release for Warners, where she found her greatest success only six years earlier with "Midnight at the Oasis". By 1979, she was trying to stay current by working some contemproary disco rhythms and R&B into her folk/jazz/country mix, and it was sometimes an awkward fit. Still, especially if you're a fan, there's a lot to like about this album, which often reminds one of contemporaneous Little Feat in places and still features a couple of tracks that remind of past glories, like this one. It's a sweetly cheerful little old-fashioned sounding soulish shuffle in which Maria informes her beau that when he's down she'll fuck him and make him feel all better. Honestly, that little scamp. I don't have the album credits handy, but someone contributes some sassy/sprightly harmonica at the beginning that is somewhat annoying early on but adds a lot in the middle solo break.

7. DOWN ON RODEO by Lindsey Buckingham from Under the Skin
This is from Lindsay's long-delayed 2006 follow-up to his last solo album, 1992's Out of the Cradle. It's mostly acoustic and sparsely arranged, with Buckingham playing most of the instruments, save for Mick Fleetwood and John McVie providing a rhythm section for a couple of cuts...and this is one of them. I actually enjoy this album a lot more than I expected- I like Lindsey more when he's in full-on studio wonk Brian Wilson wannabe mode and often find his manic acoustic playing hard to take. The lead cut is the worst offender, but it's actually not that bad once one gets acclimated. Anyway, in this case "Rodeo" refers to Rodeo Drive of course, and it's kind of a melancholy look back at days gone by in later years with a dynamite melodic hook in the chorus.



And that's only a few- if I had done this a couple of days later, there would be a different set of songs, of that I've no doubt. I'm not going to tag anybody else, but if you think you'd like to give it a whirl, please let me know because I've enjoyed reading many of the others I've seen around the 'Sphere.