Yes, the Police WERE good and if goddamn Kiss can have a thread on here, then by all means the Police deserve one, too. Their albums were good, and a couple were even better than good, and their concerts were energetic and fun...first time I saw them was when they opened for the Cars in 1978 and boy, talk about your disparities: Cars just standing there bored stiff, while the Police bounced around the room and blew the Cars off the stage! But, and I mean BUT, this Police reunion tour has been one big drag...exhorbitant ticket prices, lifeless shows...not even close to what the Police once were. That said, get their albums for sure if you haven't already.

Ahhhh...now that Memorial Day has passed, the Summer concert season really gets in gear and the concert schedule gets a bit crowded and hard to pick one show over another. Just saw the Police/Elvis Costello show at the Hollywood Bowl this past Wednesday (Police slightly better than the Dodger Stadium show last summer, but still this Police reunion has to rank up there as one of the biggest letdowns ever...not nearly as exciting as the Zeppelin O2 reunion gig/as for Elvis, he's been slipping last few years and I just don't like him as much as I did from '77 to about '86). Last night(thursday May 29) brought R.E.M. to the Bowl, and again REM is a band that has seen better days...haven't really LOVED one of their albums since "Automatic for the People"...but new one seems better than last two from what I heard last night; but to me, REM just isn't the same without the four original members. Upcoming concerts I am going to see: Tonight May 30: Iron Maiden & Anthrax @ Irvine Meadows. Saturday May 31: Swervedriver @ Henry Fonday Theatre Sunday June 1: Cure @ Shrine Auditorium Monday June 2: Aimee Mann @ Largo(grand opening of the new Largo after the old one on Fairfax closed earlier this month.) Later this month of course is the Robert Plant/Alison Krauss shows June 23-24 @ the Greek. July brings Low @ Troubadour club and August it's Radiohead @ Hollywood Bowl. And tickets go on sale Saturday for Black Crowes Sept. 17 show @ the Greek. And I'm sure there will be other concerts this summer that I'll decide to hit at the last minute. Far in the future, I've already got my tix for both nights of My Bloody Valentine's stand @ Santa Monica Civic October 1 & 2...YEAH!!!!! ROCK ON PEOPLE!!!

My 15 most recent cd purchases: Portishead "Third" Goldfrapp "Seventh Tree"(special edition box) Explosions in the Sky "The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place" Steve Hillage "Live Herald" Dead Meadow "Old Growth" Box "Studio 1" Various Artists "Florida Funk:1968-1975" Acid Mothers Temple "Starless and Bible Black Sabbath" Acid Mothers Temple "Power House of the Holy" King Crimson "The Great Deceiver: Live 1973-1974 Vol. 1 & 2" Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings "100 Days, 100 Nights" Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings "Naturally" Low "Drums and Guns" She & Him "Volume One" Various Artists "Doom & Gloom: Early Songs of Angst & Disaster"

Like whatever Rod had to say in 1978 has any validity...guy had so much coke up his schnozz back then. Basically, though, SteveAJones and gollum6668 refute Rod's accusations very well. "You Shook Me" was a song that just about EVERY blues-rock band in England played back in the 60's...it was part of the standard rep, along with "Killing Floor". Lastly, I believe Led Zeppelin had recorded their first album by October 1968, which is BEFORE Jimmy would have seen the Jeff Beck Group's Miami gig in November of that year. Frankly, whenever I read quotes from Pete Townsend, Keith Richards, Rod Stewart, et al trying to diss Zep, alot of it comes across as sour grapes and jealousy...that Zeppelin became SO HUGE...and did it WITHOUT the help of the rock critics and media of the time. Unlike the Stones and Who who were always sucked up to by the media, esp. Rolling Stone magazine, which was Jann Wenner's way of hoping to get to sleep with Mick Jagger.