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@ParkerCA wrote:
I don’t think it is because you have a mac. I have one and it came up fine.
Same here. What browser are you using, Phil?
Regarding the new site. I like very much what I’ve seem so far – still gave some exploring to do. The main page is very visually appealing. And I love the new forum look. The old one was getting a bit stale…
Tom
@arthurly wrote:
I agree Philth, nuff said, we all look forward to what promises to be one of the great albums.’:D’
Woo Hoo!! I’m countin’ the days…
Tom
@zlh67 wrote:
Why not just have all 7 demo versions of these West songs on one EP in a deluxe version? Let fans pay for the regular cd if that’s all they want and have other fans pay a little more if they want the extra tracks. Or just sell it separately?
Awesome idea. I couldn’t agree more.
Mind you, I wasn’t happy buying three versions of “West” (I did forget about the iTMS version – because I didn’t buy it – I don’t care for 128 kbps digital music). But, I begrudgingly did it because a) I really wanted the alternate versions, and b) I rationalized it to myself w/ the knowledge that Lu was going to get a portion (albeit small – I know the label gets the most) of the revenue. Like you, I believe in supporting the artists.
But, I agree with you – it is a somewhat cynical way for the label to take advantage of the artist’s biggest fans…
Tom
@stevarino wrote:
There was this beautiful lamp I always loved
A seashore was painted on the shade
It would turn around when you switched on the bulb
And gently rock the wavesThat’s one of my favorite lyrics (and songs), too, stevarino.
Another I love is from “Out Of Touch”:
Everybody’s going somewhere, everybody’s inside
Hundreds of cars, hundreds of private livesI’ve pointed those lines out to friends as another example of how Lu can say so much with so few words (the mark of a true poet, IMHO). It speaks volumes to me about the anonymous lives so many of us live while surrounded by so many other people.
I also think of these lines nearly anytime I am driving down the road, seeing but not seeing the other people driving past… 😉
Tom
@darkhorse wrote:
i don’t know if this is too early, but i think “if wishes were horses” has gone straight into my top 10 lucinda songs. it is absolutely stunning.
Agreed. It has all the makings of a Lu favorite for me as well, but time will tell.
And, it looks like I am in the decided minority about “Jailhouse Tears”, but that’s no surprise since I am the resident “LW Apologist”… 😈 😛 😆
Tom
@stevarino wrote:
I don’t buy much download music because of that. Thanks for the tip on the higher bitrate of Amazon MP3s, and iTunes Plus. I’ll try them and see how they sound.
Yeah, check it out. I think you’ll be pleased. I consider myself picky as hell, and I’m happy with what I have downloaded @ 256 kbps. Unless I am really desperate to get a particular song, I refuse to buy 128 kbps music. And, above all, I still prefer owning the CD if possible, even though almost everything I listen to now is off of iTunes on my iPod or Mac. That’s so that, when those 2 & 4 terabyte drives are commonplace, I can go back & re-rip & re-encode all my stuff in iTunes at an even higher bitrate (or just copy the *.aiff files directly off of the CD to my hard drive & skip the encoding altogether).
Tom
P.S. Keep in mind that a lot of the 256 kbps songs you’ll download off of Amazon where encoded using VBR MP3 encoding (VBR = variable bit rate – where lower bit rates are used in quieter or simpler parts of a song because the higher rate is not “needed”), so the bit rate shown in iTunes for these will be an average at some number less than 256 – but you’ll know they’re VBR ’cause iTunes tells you. They sound good, too.
…Sorry if you already know all this… ;o)
I just listened to all 5 tracks at the “Listening Party” (thanks for the link, Paul_from_LA). I loved “Little Rock Star” & “If Wishes Were Horses” especially, but I thought they all were great. The band sounds tight as hell, and I love the mix w/ Lu’s vocals way up-front like they are. The sound overall is excellent.
And, I’ll be honest – I didn’t have super high expectations for “Jailhouse Tears” when I heard Elvis Costello was her duet partner on the track (and this has been my favorite song of the “batch” of new songs that Lu began playing live prior to the release of “West”). I have nothing against Elvis – I’ve just never been a big fan of his & thought his voice was a little grating. But, I have to say, I think his voice works well on this track. He sounds like a “three time loser” / “stoner”, and the tone of his voice meshes well w/ Lu’s on this song. I like it – I’m happy. However, having said that, after hearing Lu & John Prine together on “Wedding Bells / Let’s Turn Back The Years” on John’s album “In Spite Of Ourselves”, I would LOVE to hear him do a version of “Jailhouse Tears” with Lu as well. I think it would be awesome.
Well, I was already looking forward to Oct. 14th but, after the “Listening Party”, I can’t wait! I think Lu has a real hit on her hands w/ “Little Honey”!
Tom
@ParkerCA wrote:
Is itunes 256 kbps?
No. And yes. 😉
Most of the songs on the iTunes Music Store are 128 kbps. Some of the songs on iTMS are called “iTunes Plus” songs that are 256 kbps. When you are looking at an album that is iTunes Plus, it will say so underneath the album title & price. Also, individual songs will have a ‘+’ icon off to the left in the list view.
IMHO, for casual listening, etc., (like on a iPod or other digital music player), 128 kbps is just ‘OK’. But, I also stream music wirelessly from my iMac to my home stereo system, and I can really tell a difference for most songs between 128 kbps vs. 256 kbps. The latter sound much richer & fuller.
Amazon MP3 downloads, on the other hand, are all 256 kbps (at least every one I have looked at or downloaded has been). I’m hoping Apple eventually converts all their catalog to 256 – I’d rather buy from them (I am a big Apple supporter – and a stockholder 😉 ). The downside to 256 kbps is that the files are twice as large as 128 kbps files. But, with disk space getting cheaper, and portable device capacity growing by leaps and bounds w/ each new generation of devices, that is becoming less & less of an issue.
Tom
Awesome – more new stuff. Keep it comin’!!! 😉
Any news on where it can be downloaded from? Also, at what bit rate? PLEASE make it 256 kbps or higher (or at least, make that an option) for those of us who are (admittedly) overly picky about sound quality!
Tom
OK, here’s the actual facts from Lucinda herself – as she explained them on the live performance of “Sweet Old World” at the El Rey Theater in LA on 09/09/2007. She was living (or, as she put it, “trying to live”) in NYC in about 1978 w/ not much money. A fellow songwriter from Texas named Bill Priest had moved there first & had encouraged Lucinda to move there as well. As she tells the story, he actually did live about six blocks from her, in the East Village. She said she lived on the corner of 1st Ave. & 2nd St. and Bill actually worked at a donut shop. At the end of the story, she joked that “back then, I wrote, I guess, somewhat more literally than I do now.”
In case you’re wondering, the reason I can be so precise in the retelling of this is you could buy these shows (5 nights, where she played 5 albums in their entirety) on CD afterwards. I have them on my iPod… 😉
Tom
Well, “Mamas…” is out now & available for download on Amazon. I’m listening to it now. (No, I didn’t stay up for it – I’m usually up this late!) It sounds great (but then again, I’m one of those die-hard fans for whom Lucinda can do no wrong 😈 😛 😆 ). A nice, sparse arrangement – a little guitar, a little rat-a-tat-tat snare drum, and not much else. Slower tempo than the original too. Oh yeah, and Lu’s vocals are nice – very plaintive…
Tom
@fuji81 wrote:
Life is good, and Lucindas’ music is a gift. Thank You, and Good Day.
AMEN. Preach it, brotha! 😆
Happy B-Day to your wife, too. You need to school her on Lu’s music, though… 😈 😀
Tom
Sorry for all the posts in a row, but man oh man, am I having fun listening to all these songs (I’m finally getting a chance to do that today). It’s like getting a new Lu album (or two!).
Another really, really good tune on the list is “Lines Around Your Eyes” by Leftover Salmon. This is more than just a cover – Lu sings the entire lead in the song, and it is nearly a full minute longer than the original on SOW. I even think I like it better than the original. Lu’s vocals are sassier, the song has a little bit more of a Cajun feel to it than the original (thanks, I think, to the prominent accordion), and this version is even a little more up tempo it seems (believe it or not). HIGHLY recommended.
Tom
@Pit Bull wrote:
Tom – Most impressive! My meager contribution to this endeavor would be to point out that Lu only sang the duet “Cruel Lips” on Graham Parker’s Your Country CD. And sometimes I wonder if I even hear her voice on this track. Maybe it’s just my imagination. Subtle indeed. PB
Thanks – I had fun doing it although it took me almost all of a Saturday afternoon (and nearly $30 for downloaded songs)! 😉
I downloaded a 256 kbps version of “Cruel Lips” from Amazon & can definitely hear Lu’s singing. Are you listening to a lower bitrate MP3?
Tom
@ParkerCA wrote:
I picked up “Closing In On the Fire” by Tony Joe White. She is good on that one.
Yep. Good song too. Reminds me of his song “Polk Salad Annie”, one of my favs. 😀
Another really good one is “Empty Cup” by Sue Foley. Lu only sings harmony vocals, but her voice really compliments Sue’s IMHO. Good swamp blues tune, too.
Tom
