Just watching the Live NASA TV broadcast of the shuttle landing at Edwards AFB while listening to "Major Tom" by Peter Shilling. The two media work well together! (This version with Apollo 13 is cool, too)
Earth below us
Drifting falling
Floating weightless
Coming home...
Come home safely, Atlantis!
UPDATE:Touchdown! Welcome home, Atlantis!
A friend of ours wanted to celebrate her birthday yesterday by getting a group together for a sing-along of Handel's "Messiah".
At the Boettcher Theater, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, soloists and the audience held a “sing along” of Handel’s beloved masterpiece. We had a good mix: 2 Bass, 2 Soprano, and 3 Alto. We sat together for Part 1, since we wanted to enjoy the time together, instead of splitting up to sit by SATB sections. Cindy even brought full scores for everyone to sing from! The problem, is that we happened to pick the Tenor section. We had a very good, strong tenor right behind us, and the two of us Bass singers kept getting thrown off our parts.
For Parts 2 and 3, the two of us Bass singers moved to the Bass section. It was much easier to sing on key and at the right time! We had a great time, and even got to sing the Hallelujah Chorus twice, as an encore.
You can also attend and just listen, but singing was very fun. I would highly recommend this next year!
Categories: Music
I heard a very interesting rendition of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" on the radio this morning by a group called "Los Straightjackets". After Googling for their home page (http://www.straitjackets.com), I found I really like the music style! I asked my friend, Cam, if he'd heard of them and other Space-Age Bachelor Pad music. Here's his great recommendation:
If you're asking what I'm into lately or what is a good recommendation for S-ABM, I'd answer differently. To be honest, Esquivel is still the king and always will be in that genre.
Lately I've been into a couple of websites that post public domain records. Most of these are of that genre. There's also a lot that are more 'modern big-band' more along the style of Jackie Gleason or Herb Albert. Oh, and a LOT of Sergio Mendes. He's been hitting the spot just right.
If you're interested, check out:
For the top ten S-ABM picks:
1. Esquivel - He IS space-age. In fact, I think the whole genre name was invented because of him. No other artist will do in the space age bachelor pad. I imagine Esquivel lounging back with a martini while chatty it up with a girl in a go-go suit and classic Sean Connery while Jetson style space-cars fly by his window outside. I repeat, he IS space-age.
2. Sergio Mendes - He put 'Girl From Ipenema' on the map. What more can be said? While Esquivel introduced the genre, Sergio introduced the must have songs of the genre.
3. Roger Williams - Now this is a strange pick, and some may argue, but every good bachelor, space-aged or not, needs a moment of relaxation. Williams brought about 'Born Free' and the concept of waves and seagulls in the background of most of his tracks. If you must relax, either to his piano or guitar, Roger will lull you to another world.
4. Dean Martin - Just as Esquivel is to Space-Age, Dino is to Lounge. Lounge is the close twin brother to Space-Age, so it couldn't be overlooked in this list. The amazing thing is that Dino was the man that THE MAN, Frank, chose to listen to. It's said that Dean was actually one of the greatest singers as far as vocal skill and longevity, but because of life circumstances and the venues that the two men chose, Sinatra will be remembered as the easy listening king. But that's why Dean is the Lounge king.
5. Julie London - Sultry. That's the word. I can't explain her voice. She's equally sexy and maternal. You want her to sing you to sleep and you want her leading the latest red-hot band. She's incredible and her voice stood up over time taking her well into the 70's.
6. Nelson Riddle - Nelson's style is amazing. He is what you hear when you watch stylized action/adventure films from the '60's. That sound of swanky saxophone and what sounds like jungle music blends into something that fits only with Film Noir. It's part exotica mixed with part grungy New York. You can picture island girls dancing to it as well as imagining a lonely gumshoe lighting up a cig under Brooklyn bridge.
7. Les Baxter - Les and his orchestra INJECTED ultra-cool into the bachelor pad. I mean, this is the man that orchestrated Route '66. He is synonymous with muscle cars and the wind blowing through your hair as the Beach Boys are with surfing. He uses that jazzy trumpet mixed with a persistent cymbal rhythm that makes you want to don shades and talk like a hep-cat.
8. Billy May - Another close brother to Space Age is the Tiki. Tiki is the lounge scene of Las Vegas, only transplanted to a far away island. Tiki is about escapism. You listen to Tiki while drinking exotic sounding drinks with umbrellas in them. Now a lot of the men already discussed on this list dabbled in Tiki but one of the band leaders excelled at it. I dare say that the concept of Muzak came from Billy who took famous songs of the time and transplanted them in a cool samba version. He loved multiple trumpets and bizare rhythm instruments like sticks and bongos. He also had a strange love affair with the organ. If you can imagine a Polynesian native playing his people's music on an electric organ... that's Billy May.
9. Jackie Gleason - While better known for his acting and his 'Honeymooners' series, Jackie LOVED music and would have preferred to live his life in a night club. And it shows. His music is the stuff of champagne. And even more, his album covers are the artwork that inspired the exotica art that is classically associated with the music. You see, Jackie was also known for his women...
10. Ann Margaret - The thing about Ann Margaret is that she just had to pose and there was music. Her singing is the epitome of the seductive she-kitten motif. She's talented, but not the MOST talented. But you put her in a pink sweater and skin tight pants... FEVER! She was the perfect mascot of the genre and the first choice of any self respecting bachelor to share his pad with. Many of her songs have taken on mythic proportions over the years and I have seen few mixes where she isn't included.
The wonderful thing about this music is that at the time, everyone was doing it. It was the Rock'N'Roll of that time. And there wasn't mass marketing of bands either, so there are a LOT of people out there, a LOT of big bands, a LOT of singers... that are just waiting to be discovered again by the modern recording. If you read through the commentaries of most of the albums discussed on bellybongo you'll find that there were many recordings that were done in very small quantity and then only handed out to the area that the band's nightclub was in. So now with the Internet, there's a lot of artists that are starting to become big only because they're being heard for the first time in 60 some odd years. And they say that the electronic era is bringing about the death of music. :)
On top of this list is the 'ethnics'. In fact, I was hard pressed to include Tiki music into this list, but Tiki is so much a part of Space-Age. But aside from this, there was a huge Latin movement (Herb Albert), Hawaiian music, Polynesian music (that launched into the Tiki movement), and film scores (this was lead by Henry Mancini and the birth of a little ditty known as 'The Pink Panther')
Even though I'm not a bachelor, I think I'm hooked on this music style. I've been a fan of Herb Alpert since I started learning the trumpet back in 6th grade. Now I've got some additional choices to start listening to!
Categories: Music
On this, the fourth anniversary of the September 11 attack on the United States, I have the song "We Live" by Superchic[k] running in my head. The lyrics are particularly poignant and appropriate:
There's a cross on the side of the road Where a mother lost a son How could she know that the morning he left Would be their last time she'd trade with him for a little more time So she could say she loved him one more time And hold him tight But with life we never know When we're coming up to the end of the road So what do we do then With tragedy around the bend? Chorus: We live we love We forgive and never give up Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above Today we remember to live and to love We live we love We forgive and never give up Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above Today we remember to live and to love There is a man who waits for the tests To see if the cancer has spread yet And now he asks, "So why did I wait to live till it was time to die?" If I could have the time back how I'd live Life is such a gift So how does the story end? Well this is your story and it all depends So don't let it become true Get out and do what we are meant to do Chorus Waking up to another dark morning People are mourning The weather in life outside is storming But what would it take for the clouds to break For us to realize each day is a gift somehow, someway So get our heads up out of the darkness And spark this new mindset and start to live life cuz it ain't gone yet And tragedy is a reminder to take off the blinders And wake up and live the life we're supposed to take up Moving forward with all our heads up cuz life is worth living Chorus (to fade)
We will never forget what happened that tragic day, nor even the recent events of Hurricane Katrina. We must live, love, forgive and never give up!
See also: Music
Our family LOVES Veggie Tales. We have all of the videos, and the Jonah movie, and have attended several of the new video launch parties. The 3-2-1 Penguins videos are also some of our favorites.
If you've never heard of Veggie Tales or 3-2-1 Penguins, they are created by Big Idea Productions. They are very family friendly, and teach values: something severely lacking in much of today's entertainment programming. As their tagline says, "Sunday morning values, Saturday morning fun!"
There's a new service available where you can get personalized Veggie Tales music CDs and adventure books! They actually have recorded your child's name for the audio, and insert your child's name and other information into the story for the books.
For those of you in the Denver area, go to Flatirons Crossing and look for the booth, or visit: http://www.justmemusic.us/ndenver/index.php. If you see Curt, tell him Scotty from Sun sent you! :-)
For those of you elsewhere, check out: http://www.justmemusic.com
See also: General
Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Here's what we were listening to (transformed using my playlist stylesheets:):
| Track Title | Artist | Album | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|
| What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? | Harry Connick, Jr. | When My Heart Finds Christmas | Holiday |
| White Christmas | Bing Crosby | Merry Christmas | Holiday |
| I'll Be Home For Christmas (If Only In My Dreams) | Bing Crosby | Merry Christmas | Holiday |
| Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town | Bing Crosby | Merry Christmas | Holiday |
| It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas | Bing Crosby | Merry Christmas | Holiday |
| Walking in a Winter Wonderland | Holiday | ||
| Let it snow | Holiday | ||
| Sleigh Ride | Holiday | ||
| Deck The Halls | Mannheim Steamroller | Christmas | Holiday |
| God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen | Mannheim Steamroller | Christmas | Holiday |
| Faeries (From 'The Nutcracker') | Mannheim Steamroller | Christmas Extraordinaire | Holiday |
| Do You Hear What I Hear | Mannheim Steamroller | Christmas Extraordinaire | Holiday |
| O Tannenbaum | Mannheim Steamroller | Christmas Extraordinaire | Holiday |
| It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year | Andy Williams | The Most Wonderful Time of the Year | Holiday |
| The Christmas Song (Chestnuts) | Holiday | ||
| Have a Holly Jolly Christmas | Holiday | ||
| Christmas Is Coming | Vince Guaraldi Trio | Peanuts Christmas | Holiday |
| Linus & Lucy | Vince Guaraldi Trio | Peanuts Christmas | Holiday |
| Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/The Music Of Christmas | Steven Curtis Chapman | Music Of Christmas | Holiday |
| Christmas Is All In The Heart | Steven Curtis Chapman | Music Of Christmas | Holiday |
See also: Music
I saw the latest summer blockbuster, iRobot last night. I'm not well-read enough in Asimov to determine how close it is to his book, but the movie was entertaining. I have a feeling the disclaimer "Suggested by the book by Isaac Asimov" means that the title is the same, and they both had robots...
I wonder if the droids in Star Wars are 3 laws compliant? Certainly not for IG-88 and 4-LOM (bounty hunter droids). What about Data and Lore? Did Dr. Soongh implement the 3 laws?
As for iRobot, they should have used this album for the official movie soundtrack:
| Track Title | Artist | Album | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Robots | Kraftwerk | The Mix | Electronica/Dance |
| Computerlove | Kraftwerk | The Mix | Electronica/Dance |
| Pocket Calculator | Kraftwerk | The Mix | Electronica/Dance |
| Dentaku | Kraftwerk | The Mix | Electronica/Dance |
| Autobahn | Kraftwerk | The Mix | Electronica/Dance |
| Radioactivity | Kraftwerk | The Mix | Electronica/Dance |
| Trans Europe Express | Kraftwerk | The Mix | Electronica/Dance |
| Abzug | Kraftwerk | The Mix | Electronica/Dance |
| Metal On Metal | Kraftwerk | The Mix | Electronica/Dance |
| Home Computer | Kraftwerk | The Mix | Electronica/Dance |
| Musik Non Stop | Kraftwerk | The Mix | Electronica/Dance |
The opening credits of the movie could have used "The Robots", the big car chase scene "Autobahn", the love angst scenes with "Computer Love", the home delivery of the new N-5's with "Home Computer", and the revolution with "Radioactivity". Finally, the end credits could have used "Musique Non-Stop".
Speaking of end credits, where was Will Smith's new catchy tune? Maybe he should have done a cover of The Robots by Kraftwerk...
See also: Music
Trek Today reported that Academy Award-winning composer Jerry Goldsmith passed away at age 75 yesterday.
Among Goldsmith's Star Trek scores are Star Trek: The Motion Picture, whose title theme he adapted for Star Trek: The Next Generation; the music for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, First Contact, Insurrection and Nemesis; and themes used most recently in the Star Trek: The Experience show Borg Invasion 4D.
He also did the music for Planet of the Apes, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Total Recall, and more. I'm a huge fan of all of those films.
Too bad he didn't get a chance to re-write the theme song for Enterprise...
See also: Sci-Fi
Here's today's playlist, exported as XML from iTunes, and transformed using my playlist stylesheets:
Mostly 80s tunes, but with some 90s thrown in for fun and variety.
| Track Title | Artist | Album | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|
| If I Ever Lose My Faith In You | Sting | Ten Summoner's Tales | Rock |
| Sussudio | Phil Collins | Serious Hits ... Live! | Pop |
| Easy Lover | Phil Collins | Serious Hits ... Live! | Pop |
| Glastonbury Song | The Waterboys | Glastonbury Song | Rock |
| Kiss Me | Sixpence None The Richer | Sixpence None The Richer | Gospel & Religious |
| Lessons In Love | Level 42 | Level Best | Rock |
| Private Eyes | Hall & Oates | Rock 'N' Soul Pt. 1: Greatest Hits | R&B |
| Maneater | Hall & Oates | Rock 'N' Soul Pt. 1: Greatest Hits | R&B |
| Sledgehammer | Peter Gabriel | So | Rock |
| Big Time | Peter Gabriel | So | Rock |
| What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy) | Information Society | Information Society | Pop |
| New Sensation | INXS | Kick | Rock |
| Need You Tonight | INXS | Kick | Rock |
| Englishman In New York | Sting | Fields Of Gold: The Best Of Sting 1984-1994 | Rock |
| The Right Time | The Corrs | Forgiven, Not Forgotten | Pop |
| Toss The Feathers | The Corrs | Forgiven, Not Forgotten | Pop |
| Gettin' Jiggy Wit It | Will Smith | Big Willie Style | Hip Hop/Rap |
| Men In Black | Will Smith | Big Willie Style | Hip Hop/Rap |
See also: Music
Temps might be in the 80s, too, but that's an entirely different scale... ;-)
Here's today's playlist, exported as XML from iTunes, and transformed using my playlist stylesheets:
| Track Title | Artist | Album | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self Control | Various Artists | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - Flash FM | Rock |
| Axel F | Harold Faltermeyer | Hits Of 1985 | Soundtrack |
| West End Girls | Pet Shop Boys | Discography | Pop |
| Domino Dancing | Pet Shop Boys | Discography | Pop |
| Come And Get Your Love (Single Mix) | Real McCoy | Come And Get Your Love (Single) | Electronica/Dance |
| Fresh | Kool & The Gang | The Very Best Of Kool & The Gang | R&B |
| Real Love (Album Version) | Mary J. Blige | Real Love - CD-5 Maxi Single | R&B |
| Disappointed (Single Mix) | Electronic | Disappointed | Alternative & Punk |
| Honey (LP Version) | Mariah Carey | Honey (Single) | R&B |
| Nu Shooz | I Can't Wait | Rock On 1986 | Rock |
| Heart | Pet Shop Boys | Discography | Pop |
| Terrace Duet | Original Broadway Cast Recording | Chess [Original Broadway Cast] | Soundtrack |
| Automatic | The Pointer Sisters | Grand Theft Auto Vice City: Fever 105 | Rock |
| Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) | C&C Music Factory | Gonna Make You Sweat | R&B/Soul |
| This Is the Right Time | Lisa Stansfield | Lisa Stansfield: Biography - The Greatest Hits | R&B/Soul |
| Everybody Have Fun Tonight | Wang Chung | 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Wang Chung | Rock |
| Rhythm of the Night | DeBarge | 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Motown '80s, Vol. 1 | R&B/Soul |
| I'm Coming Out (Single Version) | Diana Ross | 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Motown '80s, Vol. 1 | R&B/Soul |
See also: Music
Here's today's playlist, exported as XML from iTunes, and transformed using my playlist stylesheets:
| Track Title | Artist | Album | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Song | David Sanborn | The Best Of David Sanborn | Jazz |
| Slam | David Sanborn | The Best Of David Sanborn | Jazz |
| Lesley Ann | David Sanborn | The Best Of David Sanborn | Jazz |
| Maputo | Bob James/David Sanborn | Jazz & Blues Heritage | Jazz |
| Breezin | George Benson | Jazz & Blues Heritage | Jazz |
| Love Theme From Spartacus | The Earl Klugh Trio | Jazz & Blues Heritage | Jazz |
| Stormin' | Norman Brown | Just Between Us | Jazz |
| Love's Holiday | Norman Brown | Just Between Us | Jazz |
| Juju | Marcus Miller | The Sun Don't Lie | Jazz |
| 101 Eastbound | Fourplay | Fourplay | Jazz |
| Max-O-Man | Fourplay | Fourplay | Jazz |
| Havana Club | Ottmar Liebert + Luna Negra | The Hours Between Night + Day | World |
| Smooth Operator | Sade | The Best Of Sade | R&B |
| Never As Good As The First Time | Sade | The Best Of Sade | R&B |
| She Likes to Watch | The Rippingtons | The Best Of The Rippingtons | Jazz |
| Joy Ride | Spyro Gyra | Stories Without Words | Jazz |
See also: Music
Thanks to some useful comments from Norm Walsh, I was able to make some major strides in transforming iTunes' pracically useless XML.
Due to the way Apple chose to structure the iTunes XML playlist export, I ran into some problems with Norm's approach: I kept getting invalid QName errors on some of the elements. Turns out, it was trying to create element names based only on the track number.
I hacked around and here is the resulting stylesheet: itunes.xslt
I still need to set up the XML pipeline, as Norm suggested, but for now, here is a simple output stylesheet as well: playlist.xslt
I plan to handle most of the formatting with CSS at a later date.
The only problem with this XSL, is that I've now lost the order of the original playlist. I imagine this could be solved with keys and sorting, but I just don't have time to mess with this further.
Hope you enjoy this! I'll be posting my playlists much more easily now.
BTW, I used Michael Kay's Saxon 8.0 for the transformations!
See also: Music
I wanted to do some cool XSL styling of my playlists that are exported from iTunes in XML.
Upon looking at the export file, however, I can't help but wonder why Apple, the king of usability, so poorly structured the file, that it's not very useful.
Here's an example:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd"> <plist version="1.0"> <dict> <key>Major Version</key><integer>1</integer> <key>Minor Version</key><integer>1</integer> <key>Application Version</key><string>4.6</string> <key>Music Folder</key><string>file://blah</string> <key>Library Persistent ID</key><string>A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1</string> <key>Tracks</key> <key>44</key> <dict> <key>Track ID</key><integer>44</integer> <key>Name</key><string>Axel F</string> <key>Artist</key><string>Harold Faltermeyer</string> <key>Album</key><string>Hits Of 1985</string> <key>Genre</key><string>Soundtrack</string> <key>Kind</key><string>AAC audio file</string> <key>Size</key><integer>2982666</integer> <key>Total Time</key><integer>183228</integer> <key>Track Number</key><integer>8</integer> <key>Track Count</key><integer>12</integer> <key>Date Modified</key><date>2004-01-30T04:46:44Z</date> <key>Date Added</key><date>2004-01-27T03:15:52Z</date> <key>Bit Rate</key><integer>128</integer> <key>Sample Rate</key><integer>44100</integer> <key>Play Count</key><integer>3</integer> <key>Play Date</key><integer>-1134773809</integer> <key>Play Date UTC</key><date>2004-02-21T13:31:27Z</date> <key>Rating</key><integer>100</integer> <key>Normalization</key><integer>316</integer> <key>Compilation</key><true/> <key>Disabled</key><true/> <key>File Type</key><integer>1295270176</integer> <key>File Creator</key><integer>1752133483</integer> <key>Location</key><string>file://blah</string> <key>File Folder Count</key><integer>4</integer> <key>Library Folder Count</key><integer>1</integer> </dict> </dict> </plist>
The key and integer pairs aren't terribly useful. If you have a standard set of data you are tracking in these files, why not make them elements and give them useful names?
For example, why not export it like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE play_list PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN"
"http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<play_list version="1.0">
<iTunes>
<major_version>1</major_version>
<minor_version>1</minor_version>
<app_version>4.6</app_version>
<music_folder>file://blah</music_folder>
<library_ID>A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1</string>
<tracks>40</tracks>
</iTunes>
<list_track>
<track_ID>44</track_ID>
<track_title>Axel F</track_title>
<artist>Harold Faltermeyer</artist>
<album>Hits Of 1985</album>
<cddb_id>http://www.gracenote.com/xm/pcd/genrock/459dcb773ee5459782b61a81615b4fd0.html</cddb_id>
<genre>Soundtrack</genre>
<format>AAC audio file</format>
<size>2982666</size>
<track_length>183228</track_length>
<track_number>8</track_number>
<track_count>12</track_count>
<date_modified>2004-01-30T04:46:44Z</date_modified>
<date_added>2004-01-27T03:15:52Z</date_added>
<bit_rate>128</bit_rate>
<sample_rate>44100</sample_rate>
<play_count>3</play_count>
<play_date>2004-02-21T13:31:27Z</play_date>
<rating>100</rating>
<normalization>316</normalization>
<compilation>true</compilation>
<disabled>true</disabled>
<file_type>1295270176</file_type>
<file_creator1752133483</file_creator>
<location>file://blah</location>
<file_folder_count>4</file_folder_count>
<library_folder_count>1</library_folder_count>
</list_track>
</play_list>
Now that wasn't so hard was it? Now how do we get Apple to change the format?
See also: Music