Mr. Boucher!

don't start me to talkin' (that's a little Sonny Boy Williamson reference, to continue the harmonica theme.)

And a Dolls reference. Smooooth.

I'd also like to note that 1970 was the big year for A+ records

It really was a great year for music. '78 and '79 have more A records, but if I had to live with just one year I'd take '70 for the variety.

Strum Dudes Go Ape

Ooh, I'm on my Mom's computer right now, so I can't download Sleigh Ride, but the good thing about Buffistarawk is that the link doesn't go bad. :-)

We love the long lived links.

Fun article with Andy Partridge.

I think he speaks for us all here: “I love packaging! I’m a complete packaging slut!” he exclaims. “I love it all. I lay there with my legs in the air, saying, ‘Fill me with packaging!’ ”

Eeep! Stupid fucking engineer!

While he was in the studio last summer, an engineer accidentally blasted his ears “at full volume with the sound of a snare drum or two” — which caused severe tinnitus, or ringing in the ears.

Partridge says that the initial weeks after the incident — when he had a constant “screaming feedback sound in my head” — were the only time in his life he’s ever had suicidal thoughts. But he somehow “blundered” into the fact that sitting in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber could suppress tinnitus; daily treatments have reduced it to around 40 percent, although he’s unsure if further therapy will help. Plus, “to scrape the violin a little bit more,” as he puts it, Partridge “busted” the tendon in his left ring finger and couldn’t play guitar for six months.

What songs give you an unadulterated happy?

shrift, I answered this for you elsewhere as well, but wanted the chance to pimp this song to y'all, which is possibly my favorite song of the year: "I Hear the Bells" by Mike Doughty, which is just so simple and joyous and perfectly-crafted that I can't help busting out into a huge smile every time I hear it.

Mike Doughty's Haughty Melodic might be my record of the year, actually. (I know, it's a 2005 release, but I didn't pick it up until this summer.) Either that or Begin to Hope by Regina Spektor, but that one starts to fizzle a bit around the 2/3 mark, whereas Haughty Melodic ends as well as it begins. I didn't know Doughty could be so unabashedly poppy, but oh, he does it marvelously.

I didn't know Doughty could be so unabashedly poppy, but oh, he does it marvelously.

When I was researching the bubblegum book, I had some great quotes by Doughty about bubblegum and the Spice Girls. He's well versed in the pure pop.

Mike Doughty

Former lead singer for Soul Coughing, yes?

Former lead singer for Soul Coughing, yes?

That's him.

There's a BBC documentary on "Fairytale of New York"

I saw that a couple of months ago. It's as thorough as a documentary about a four and a half minute song should be.

Butane James, the Godfather of Soul is dead.

What's your favorite thing about James Brown ever?

Could be a song, or a moment or concert or a TV appearance.

I have an odd affection for his rare ballads like "It's a Man's World." Also love his odd collection of popcorn related dance hits in the mid sixties. My favorite James Brown was that brief year and half he had with the JBs including Bootsy. The live stuff from that era is unbelievably ferocious.

On Sesame Street they used to have a superbad animated James Brown doing letters of the alphabet. It was the early sixties edition of JB with his towering conk, and satin jacket and very tight pants.

Favorite song: "Out of Sight."

Best Title: "Funky President (People It's Bad)" - during the Watergate era, of course.