A few years back when talk of a Replacements reunion was running high Paul Westerberg wanted to play the exact same dates Buddy Holly did on his final tour but it never came to fruition due to obligations bandmate Tommy Stinson had with G n' R at the time.

No Depression's website has a great writeup on the recent deluxe edition of Murmur which you can read at the link below: R.E.M.'s Still Echoing Murmur Coming on March 11th there is going to be a tribute to R.E.M. at Carnegie Hall. More info at the links below, including a way to enter to win a pair of tickets courtesy of the fine folks at Paste magazine. Paste magazine ticket giveaway The Music of R.E.M. at Carnegie Hall

As a longtime fan I'm absolutely devastated. In addition to Gary there's also Ed King, Bob Burns (an original member), Larry Junstrom (now with .38 Special), Artimus Pyle and Rickey Medlocke. Even though Medlocke has never officially been considered an "original" member since his tenure with the band was temporary, he was on their actual first record, Skynyrd's First. Skynyrd has always carried on in the face of adversity but I do wonder if they will decide to after losing Billy. I know they've beem working on a new record with John 5 of Rob Zombie/Marilyn Manson fame.

It's a damn good read even though I'm not reading every single entry since it covers such a wide spectrum of music. Can't say I agree with every one of his choices either (Boston, really?) but that's half the fun of it. The other is reading about records I need to look into further. I think I've posted this before but it's a worth posting again in case you didn't see it: 1,000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die I didn't have a problem with the location of Lost In Translation either. Maybe you thought I said "place" instead of "pace" in my previous post. As I said, I thought the slowness of the film lent it a "real life" aspect. It's certainly not the type of movie for people that want the film to do all their thinking for them or who are only entertained if there's an explosion, car crash, etc. every five minutes. A popcorn munchin' "blockbuster" type movie it ain't.

To the best of my knowledge there was no sequel to This Is Spinal Tap so you might want to do a little investigating into Spinal Tap 2. From what I can tell from the IMDB site (which admittedly isn't much) I get the feeling it may not be what you think it is. Check the "Recommendations" section: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468891

To quote John Paul Jones, they didn't want to become a "tribute band". It doesn't seem to bother some people but I think it's fucking pathetic when bands like Journey pick Steve Perry clones to replace him (and I'm no fan of Journey, believe me). That's just one example. There was also Ripper Owens, who Judas Priest picked from a Priest tribute band to take Rob Halford's place. The latest Perry clone in Journey came from a YouTube search. Some people may not share my opinion but to me, that's just fucking sad. Thankfully Page, Jones and Jason Bonham didn't want to take the same route. It may put me in the minority but I was actually more interested in the new music they might make than hearing them rehash Zeppelin classics. Of course they would have played them in concert but not as a "tribute", hopefully it would have been with a new spin on them just as Page and Plant did with the Unledded project. What would have been the point of just finding someone that sounds identical to Robert Plant and then doing a new album of that kind of material followed by a tour where they did those along with the Zeppelin songs just as everyone was accustomed to hearing them? To me, that would make them no different than what Journey and lots of other bands that have lost key members are doing.

After a recent discussion about a very High Fidelity-like day I had, a friend lent me a copy of it that has been making the rounds amongst all of our friends for years. I haven't gotten around to reading it yet as I am still making my way through Tom Moon's 1,000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die. That's more of a reference book but still a great read. I know the pace of that movie was a big turnoff for some people (a friend of mine fell asleep during the first ten minutes) but to me it was one of the things that lent it it's uniqueness. It definitely has a very "fly on the wall" aspect to it which makes it stand apart from most movies out there.

Which led me to refer to one poster here that absolutely refuses to let it go as a "clueless fuck". I still stand by that assessment, by the way. I couldn't agree with you more. You would think anyone that claims to have even the slightest knowledge about the history of the band to be somewhat informed of Zeppelin's very diverse array of musical influences.

Not Beatles related at all but that story reminds me of seeing someone selling an unopened blank cassette on eBay a number of years ago. The sales pitch was hilarious. Bidding was even up to around $50 at one point. Goes to show, people will buy most anything, especially if you put just the right spin on it.

I also watch a lot of the old movies on AMC and TCM. Not all of them are great but there is a lot to be said for how movies used to be made compared to the special effects extravaganzas we have today. Cool to see Alice's Restaurant mentioned here as it, along with Bonnie & Clyde, Billy Jack, Patton, The 10 Commandments and some of the late 60s and early 70s Disney features were among the very first movies I ever saw at the theatre, especially at the matinee. I also loved the Planet of the Apes series as a little kid back in the 70s, I know I saw several of those at the Saturday afternoon matinee. There were also the old Bruce Lee movies back in the 70s. I also recall seeing a very young Arnold Schwarzenegger in Hercules In New York way back before anyone (including myself) knew who he was. That was back when they used to give out little trinkets to you at the theatre. For that one, they gave out a little styrofoam thing you could squeeze with your hand that was supposed to increase your strength. Recently on AMC I've seen The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes with a very young Kurt Russell that was a very nice trip down memory lane. AMC also showed Alice's Restaurant not long ago. I honestly don't think that movie has stood the test of time very well but it has it's moments. Still, I think I like the song better. Some other favorites: Lost In Translation Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind High Fidelity Almost Famous The Accountant (won the Oscar for best short film in 2001 but is impossible to find as a rental, thankfully I purchased a copy online before it went out of print) O Brother, Where Art Thou? I also love old Westerns and most anything Clint Eastwood and John Wayne ever appeared in. Even though it wasn't a theatrical release I believe Lonesome Dove is one of the best Westerns ever made. Also count me in a as a huge fan of Animal House and comedies in general.

If you Google "Beatles reunion" the YouTube clip comes up under the video results. It's Paul, George and Ringo just sitting around jamming on an impromptu song. If you're referring to the Larry King Live thing that was just a sensationalistic way to get people to tune into his show. I think he even referred to Paul as "Ringo" or something equally stupid that evening (which is honestly half the fun of tuning in Larry King Live)

The disgruntled Krauss/Plant concertgoers remind me of being at a R.E.M. concert in Atlanta during the last election. When Stipe mentioned something about the band's political affiliations a resounding boo came up from one section of the audience along with cardboard signs they had made. I have no problem with someone voicing their own political opinion but it's not as though R.E.M. have ever made a secret of where their political affiliations lie.

The ceremonies are supposed to be aired by the Fuse music channel.

No offense to Nazareth or Grand Funk Railroad fans but they don't fit the criteria as far as being "second to Zeppelin". If I'm not mistaken, Grand Funk is currently touring, albeit without Mark Farner who has gone the Christian Rock route. The Faces thing seems to be going back and forth, the latest seems to be that it could still be on. At least according to Ian McLagan's website. Check The Faces thread for more info. Google "Beatles reunion" for various mixed results, including the appearance of Yoko, Olivia, Ringo and McCartney on Larry King Live for the debut of Love in Las Vegas. I did, however, get a hit for a YouTube clip of Paul, George and Ringo I'd never seen before. There were also the attempts by Lorne Michaels to get them to reunite for SNL back in the 70s. I also seem to remember an on film only reunion of all four that was supposed to be part of the Anthology TV specials but I don't think it ever came to be.

The Gourds w/ Ramsay Midwood Friday, January 23rd Cat's Cradle Carrboro, NC Great turnout as well as a wonderful opening set from Ramsay who was joined onstage by all of the Gourds except for Kevin Russell.

The Crowes already did something like that, they toured with Oasis.

On the opposite end of the spectrum we also have this: Southern ice cap victim of global warming

What's even more humorous about the criticisms about Raising Sand are those that refer to it (and/or Allison's music) as being "hillbilly". Number one, it's quite obvious right off the bat that they haven't even heard the fucking record. Secondly, is that while they may think they're hurling some sort of insult by using the word "hillbilly" is that hillbilly music (as it was referred to back then) is that is where rock n' roll itself has it's roots. What's perhaps even more humorous is that Zeppelin themselves are huge fans of that music and it oftentimes shone through in their music. To put an even finer point on it, John Paul Jones himself has been appearing at numerous festivals over the past few years jamming with the likes of the Duhks, Gillian Welch and others who's music bares much more of a resemblance to "bluegrass" than anything you'll hear on Raising Sand. He also recently produced a record by the bluegrass outfit Uncle Earl. I think Plant has just become an easy scapegoat for that portion of the fanbase that seem to be unable to actually listen to the record before forming their own opinion or just seem to be completely out of touch with the history of Led Zeppelin and what "bluegrass" music actually is.

I honestly never thought the song was that bad despite the similarity it quite obviously bore to Zeppelin. As for the rest of the record, I would recommend actually giving it a listen before automatically assuming it's "horrendous". There was another band back in the day called Fastway that also owed a great deal to Led Zeppelin but seemed to channel their influence in a much more succinct way. I guess there's a fine line between an homage and a blatant rip-off which is all very humorous when discussing a band who've been accused (rightfully or otherwise) of many of the very same things.

I'm not sure if it's the case with Beck but I know the Grateful Dead rarely, if ever, addressed the audience from the stage other than the occasional "thanks" or offhand remark. I also don't think this was ever construed as rudeness on their part, just that they were there to let the music do the talking. I'm fine with stage banter just so long as it's not the same ol' stuff night after night and it's truly an effort on the part of the performer to engage their audience. I think we've all seen the kind of artists that will holler out "Hello, Cleveland!" even if that's not the town they're in.

John Paul Jones said in the press that they weren't searching for a Plant "soundalike", there were also plans to record new music and tour behind it. It was Page that said they would not be doing so under the name "Led Zeppelin".

There's tons of artists I've never seen live (and most likely never will for a variety of reasons) but that doesn't mean I'm unable to express an opinion about them. That reminds me of the ones that have said unless you're a musician then you have no right to speak on the subject of music. I can't play a note but it doesn't stop me from being knowledgeable about music or expressing an opinion about what does or doesn't move me as a listener. As for Clapton, I feel as though he peaked as a guitarist on the Hendrix, Page, Duane, etc. level during his earlier days with Cream and the Dominoes but that doesn't mean everything he's done since should be entirely discounted. The main reason I got burnt out on him several years ago was because of Classic Rock radio, something that's not his fault at all. He's played in so many different bands that are part of the regular rotation on there that it's hard to go for more than an hour or two without constantly being bombarded by all things Clapton. Again, that's no fault of his own but was one of several reasons why I subscribed to satellite radio a few years back.