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10-16-09 Footnotes
Show 203: Ani DiFranco, Review of the Bob Dylan Xmas Album & Greg's DIJ
Listen to the MP3 Stream of this show: (link)
Download the Podcast: (Download the MP3)
1 Greg recently returned from the Future of Music Policy Summit in Washington D.C. Two of the central themes of the summit were how people will get more access to the internet and how artists will get paid. Senator Al Franken and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski both spoke about these issues and passionately expressed support for net neutrality. But, Franken and Genachowski also stressed that any internet activity that violates artist copyright could not be tolerated. Because it’s difficult to tell if p2p activity is legal or illegal, the question remains: How do you reconcile these two ideals?
2 Call her vain, but Carly Simon needs a little more tender, loving care. She is suing Starbucks, saying that the coffee company's now-defunct music label, Hear Music, didn't adequately promote her 2008 album This Kind of Love. Jim and Greg see this is as the final piece in the Hear Music tale. At first it was seen as a great, alternative way for musicians like James Taylor and Joni Mitchell to market their music, and a way for the coffee company to morph into a tastemaking brand. Now, only a couple of years later, everyone agrees Starbucks should stick to lattes.
3 Singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco visits Jim and Greg this week. Ani is one of the original independent musicians, having formed her own label, Righteous Babe, at the age of 19. She’s emerged as a hugely successful touring musician and one of the driving forces in folk music today. Now, Ani is back with her 18th studio album Red Letter Year, her first since becoming a mother. But, while it’s been described as her “happy” record, Red Letter Year is full of her trademark, political rants including “Alla This,” which she performs live on the show. You can also check out her other live songs, “Present Infant,” and “November 5, 2008.”
4 After 34 studio albums and decades of music, Jim and Greg didn’t think that Bob Dylan could surprise them. This week he did. Dylan has released an album of Christmas classics called Christmas in the Heart. Both Jim and Greg preface their review with praise for the American singer/songwriter. Greg calls him “the most important artist of the past 50 years.” Jim calls him a “living American treasure.” But, at the risk of sounding like Grinches, both critics agree Christmas in the Heart is abysmal. The arrangements are awful, the delivery bizarre, and nothing sounds like anything you’d want to play for the family. It’s a double Trash It.
5 Greg needs to clear his Christmas palette, so he chooses a worthy holiday song to put in the Desert Island Jukebox. This is one he could listen to all year long. In 1999 the Minnesota trio Low released the Christmas EP. Members of Low are devout Christians, and you can hear the influence of their faith on their music. In “Long Way Around the Sea,” Low strips the song of any mentions of bows and sleighs and gets to the essence of the holiday. To Greg, it’s deliberate, beautiful and something he’d like to listen to if stranded on an island.
Songs Featured in Show #203
Rockwell, “Somebody's Watching Me,” Somebody's Watching Me, 1984
Carly Simon, “This Kind Of Love,” This Kind of Love, 2008
Ani DiFranco, “32 Flavors” Not a Pretty Girl, 1995
Ani DiFranco, “Alla This,” Red Letter Year, 2009
Ani DiFranco, “Shameless,” Dilate, 1996
Ani DiFranco, “Red Letter Year,” Red Letter Year, 2009
Ani DiFranco, “Present Infant,” Red Letter Year, 2009
Ani DiFranco, “Evolve,” Evolve, 2003
Ani DiFranco, “November 5, 2008,” 2008
Ani DiFranco, “Landing Gear,” Red Letter Year, 2009
Bob Dylan, “Here Comes Santa Claus,” Christmas in the Heart, 2009
Bob Dylan, “O' Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles),” Christmas in the Heart, 2009
Bob Dylan, “Winter Wonderland,” Christmas in the Heart, 2009
Low, “Long Way Around the Sea,” Christmas, 1999
Aretha Franklin, “Call Me,” Spirit in the Dark, 1970
13th Floor Elevators, “You’re Gonna Miss Me,” The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators, 1966
Muse, “The Resistance,” The Resistance, 2009
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