Fate Never Changes

Happy Halloween.

I'm awake, but not cheerfully - insomnia, up and down all night. In the end I got the full hours of "a good night's sleep," but not in a row.

This had nothing to do with any Halloween scariness, though on one of my times up in the middle of the night, puttering away online, I encountered THAT commercial from 1978 that caused me a few sleepless nights back then:

( Fats Wishes You a Happy Halloween! )

Oh, what the heck, let's continue the creepy horror trailers theme for today!
( There's only one thing wrong with the Davis baby . . . )

Meanwhile, back in the iPod, there 26,012 tracks taking up 72.27 GBs, with less than a gig for new music, and months of acquired music to put in. What tracks from today's Random Ten shall be dropped to make way for better things?

1. "L'Estasi Dell'Oro (from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly)" - Ennio Morricone - The Dinosaur Gardens Tribute to Il Maestro

Better known as "the music that plays as Eli Wallach runs around in circles for three minutes looking for Arch Stanton's grave." One of my favorite pieces of music. STAYS.

2. "Final Achievement" - In Camera - Return of the Batcave

Whoa. The opening of this is someone doing a low-rent Arnold Dreyblatt impression, apparently striking an electric guitar with a bow. Then it completely changes into a good little post-punk, post-no wave alt-rock song. Not great, but good enough and obscure enough to keep. STAYS

3. "Idiot Wind (original version)" - Bob Dylan - Blood On The Tracks - New York Sessions

Just got this recently and it was good enough to shove on the iPod ahead of the rest of the backlog. A very different version of a song I already love, maybe not as good as the released version, maybe as good, maybe better. Ask me next time I hear it. STAYS.

4. "Gloomy Sunday" - Sinéad O'Connor - Am I Not Your Girl?

From her album of standards, which I love. However. This song is slow and depressing in the wrong way for the iPod. This one is to be REMOVED.

5. "Louie Louie (medley)" - The Troggs - The Louie Louie Files

This is pretty cheesy. It's probably barely the original Troggs, much later than their 60s prime, doing a medley of various 60s hits. Almost charming enough in cheesiness to stay, but it the end I think this should be REMOVED.

6. "Who's Gene Autry? " - Johnny Cash with John Carter Cash - Legend

Pretty corny track from The Man. GOES.

7. "Glory Box (live)" - Portishead - Roseland NYC (Live)

Great song, made better in this live version, which is not what I would have expected from this band. Actually, EVERY song on this album tops the original version, while sounding almost identical to it; there's just some little bit of extra live energy to them that puts them over the top. STAYS.

8. "Electric In General (from Flower Power & Gunpowder)" - Jerry Finegold - Public Guy Private Dick-Selected Cuts From The Original Soundtracks

Neat hot instrumental that STAYS. Wish I knew where it was REALLY from - Finegold created soundtracks for NYC-area Z-pictures by just needle dropping tracks from other albums, and actually had the nerve to release a "soundtrack album" of tracks he'd just lifted outright from other places. Not even had replayed by new musicians, he just TOOK them! Some chutzpah there . . .

9. "La Vie En Rose" - Sam Butera & The Witnesses - Ultra-Lounge 10: A Bachelor in Paris

Good cheesy lounge version of the song. Not necessary, but STAYS, for now.

10. "Greyhound Blues" - D.A. Hunt - Sun Records: The Blues Years 1950-1958 vol. 5

Don't really know this song yet, and I need to live with it a while longer. STAYS while I get to know it and see if it keeps penetrating, or if it's one more REALLY good blues from the time and place that I have dozens and dozens of now, and can't keep all of them in the iPod.

Some political stupidity to link to . . .

So, have you heard the latest wingnut rumor about Obama? About his parentage? Oh, it's astonishingly mad. urbaniak breaks it down with his normal wit HERE. Yeeesh.

Meanwhile, a group of Christians decided to band together (after one had a dream in which God spoke to her and told her to do this - really) and DO something for our economy. What did they decide to do?

They decided to get together at the giant bronze bull statue down on Bowling Green - not Wall Street, as everyone keeps saying, but it's close enough - and lay hands on this symbol of Capitalism and pray for it to be healed.

It's not quite worship, and not quite a golden calf . . . but close enough to make you wonder how well these people had read their Bible. Oh, right, that's that "Old" Testament, the one that only counts when it's on about killing homosexuals. More words, photos, and video on this glorious non-ironic derangement HERE.

(you know, this same poor bull, right after the beginning of the financial crisis, had its prominent testicles painted bright blue - I'm not sure what event is more insulting to this proud beast . . .)

Oh, and Wil Wheaton, TV's Wesley Crusher, wishes you a very Happy Halloween in his own way . . .

We ALL float down here, Georgie!

Boo!