Day: June 21, 2003

Another “Jenny list”: cool finds in iTunes and eMusic

The best Elvis box set around is now (mostly) online at the iTunes Music Store. That would be Elvis Presley: The King of Rock‘n’Roll: The Complete 1950s Masters. It’s only available by the song, but there are some great tunes on that set that are only available there, as far as I know, such as a full disc of a live performance from the 50s.

I also have to confess that I have in the past bought two albums by Dread Zeppelin, the short-lived reggae Led Zep cover band fronted by an Elvis impersonator, whose octave-lower version of Robert Plant sounds uncannily like the real thing. Dread Zeppelin’s first album, including their Elvis-meets-Zep “Heartbreaker (at the End of Lonely Street), is available at the iTunes store.

And, to rectify my embarrassing admission of lack of taste, let me point out that eMusic has lots of early Sonic Youth rarities, including b-sides and live performances.

Loving wife

Got to give thanks to Lisa, who has been very forgiving about my recording commitments this weekend. Our first session last night went until 1 and I got home after 1:30, but today is a day off. We are recording the commissioned works that both the full Chorale and the chamber group have done over the past few years, many by local composer Bern Herbolsheimer, who is also effectively co-producing the sessions. Fun, though if Sunday has as many cars and other random noises as last night did it’ll be a long day. (There’s nothing more frustrating than doing vocally perfect take after take only to hear “Redo! Car!”)

At least Lisa can relax knowing she’ll have the new Harry Potter book to fill her day tomorrow. It arrived this morning in a custom package from Amazon, labeled “Carrier: Please deliver on June 21. Do not under any circumstances deliver before June 21!”