I only have a handful of Stones albums (on vinyl and CD) so someday I hope to pick up something like this to help me do some catching up but it's rather pricey:

What I mean is, I also have certain genres of music I favor and those I don't but I never rule out giving a listen to something I think I may not like. For instance, I was never a big fan of punk rock but I have a nephew that would play me songs he thought I might like over the years. I never became a fan of any of those artists but it increased my awareness of music I may have never heard of. To this day we still have those listening sessions but the music isn't confined to punk.

Every decade's had music I didn't care for but I've also found plenty to like.

Can't say I've ever seen this on an album cover before.

My apologies, I misunderstood. I wasn't that crazy about the P. Diddley collaboration either but I did admire Page for stepping out on an artistic limb like that. It also drives the rap haters among Zep fans crazy which is always good. Maybe stuff like that will help free their minds and expand their musical horizons. Zep themselves have always drawn from a deep well of musicial influences and continue to to this day with Plant working with Krauss and the numerous people John Paul Jones has worked with over the years from Diamanda Galas to R.E.M. To each their own, I personally don't limit my tastes so severely and don't rule out listening to a song even if it is something I don't think I'm gonna like ahead of time. Life's far too short for that.

Hopefully ya'll can make it to the Patty Hurst Shifter show. I think you guys would really enjoy them. They definitely know how to bring the rock. I first heard of Don Dixon through his NC band Arrogance who still get together for the occasional reunion gig. Shortly thereafter I was hearing of him and Mitch Easter (of NC's Let's Active) through their production credits for R.E.M. To tie this in with the Truckers, their most recent album, A Blessing And A Curse, was recorded at Mitch's studio in Kernersville, NC "The Fidelitorium". If you like Decoration Day, I think you will enjoy either of the other two recommendations I made. Hopefully Santa will be kind to ya.

I didn't say "any of that". I actually don't mind Dolly's Stairway cover. Have you heard the cover of Stairway by the Geezinslaws with spoken word interludes by none other than Willie Nelson? While it's nothing like the original, I admire what they've done with it. It all comes down to personal preference. I imagine there were some blues purists that weren't exactly thrilled to hear what Led Zeppelin (as well as other bands) had done to their songs back in the day.

From Billboard's Jaded Insider blog: J.I. has been a music fan long enough to know that rock clubs close all the time. They are often money-losers, difficult to manage, and subject to the whims of fans and bands. Still, when J.I. read about the sudden death of legendary Seattle rock spot the Crocodile Café, the news came like a punch in the gut. The Croc was more than just a café and live music space – it was the epicenter of a scene, and represented the musical community J.I. spent most of high school worshipping. J.I. used to drive up from Portland for the Bumbershoot Festival every Labor Day weekend, and a trip to the Croc was always part of the itinerary. We were way too young to drink or see shows there, but we would always have a soda or a snack in the restaurant and watch for any Northwest rock celebrities who might be hanging out. “One day,” we thought, “we’ll see shows here, we’ll drink Rainier here, we’ll be part of the scene.” The Crocodile was part of scene, one of the last great regional clubs where everyone knew each other, where regulars hung out, where people put their friend’s bands on the bill. The club hosted secret shows by Nirvana and Pearl Jam; it hosted Beck and the Indigo Girls before they were famous; it hosted thousands of bands that almost no one remembers but someone loved. For a weird teenager who wanted nothing more than to be part of the in-crowd, the Croc represented the ultimate clubhouse. The last time J.I. was at the Croc, it was last spring, the night before we gave a paper at the Experience Music Project Pop Conference. We were getting ready to eulogize another great PacNW music institution, the Rocket, and we sat in the bar, drinking and chatting with bartender. For J.I., it represented having finally made it on some level – finally, part of the community we’d admired from such a distance long ago. J.I. is planning on going to Seattle this summer for Sub Pop’s twentieth anniversary party, and until a few days ago, was planning on hitting the Croc for post-party drinks. Perhaps the worst thing about the closure is that the club never got a proper funeral; there was no epic last show, no chance to break everything and drink the bar dry and go out in style. It simply vanished, one more magical place gone to the annals of an ever-distant history.

I am "just curious", that's why I asked. So, why do you post nothing but links to YouTube in this thread? For someone that polices other threads for content it seems like you'd know there's already a thread devoted entirely to YouTube links. I always figured this thread was for people listening to music on CD, vinyl, their iPods, etc.

I can't say I really ever had a problem with Dolly recording Stairway, not to mention she had Page & Plant's permission as well as their input on some of the lyrics she changed. Afterall, it's not as though Zep never covered anybody else's material. I'm not much on Sheryl Crow but not only does that G n' R cover suck, so does her cover of Zep's D'yer Ma'ker. As for Page and P. Diddley, I admire his ability to work outside of his given genre. The results may not have been that great but it goes to show, he's not afraid to expand his musical boundaries. In regards to Snoop covering Cash, at least he has some credibility with me, he just needs to be wise enough to choose a song Cash actually wrote.

I do like The Gourds' version of Snoop's Gin n' Juice. Perhaps he can try his hand at Folsom Prison Blues. I know damn well he wouldn't feel the need to be politicially correct by changing the words as Keb Mo did during a televised Cash tribute a few years ago.

Someone would be wise to inform Snoop that A Boy Named Sue was originally written by Shel Silverstein, not Johnny Cash.

http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00013054.html Snoop Dogg Eyeing a Johnny Cash Song for 'Ego Trippin' by Staff Writer © Wild1/PR Photos Snoop Dogg is considering to include a cover of Johnny Cash song in his upcoming album, 'Ego Trippin'. The rapper believes that Cash's 1969 song 'A Boy Named Sue' is "gangster" enough for his record. "I'm still trying to find a Johnny Cash (song) I can have fun with," Snoop said. "To me, Johnny Cash is a rapper. His s**t was dope, a lot of rappers don't know that. 'A Boy Named Sue' sounds gangster." Country song 'A Boy Named Sue' was recorded live in California in the peak of Cash's singing career. It has been covered by several artists including rock act Joshua James, although none has made a commercial success compared to its original version. 'Ego Tripin' is scheduled to be released in March 2008. First single 'Sensual Seduction' aka 'Sexual Eruption' in dirtier version has been released along with its music video. Snoop has stated that it will be a solo record in the sense that there won't be any featured artist. In between recording this album Snoop is juggling his days with a reality show called 'Snoop Dogg's Fatherhood' which will air on E! soon. David Beckham recently made a guest appearance in the show, teaching Snoop's children some soccer movements. "I've been a big hip hop fan for many years, a big rap fan, and to be asked to do something with Snoop was incredible," Beckham said.

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/inde...ing-graham-nash Last night on Larry King Live, Graham Nash revealed that Stephen Stills, his bandmate in Crosby, Stills and Nash, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The revelation followed a discussion between King and Nash about the death of singer/songwriter Dan Fogelberg, who suffered from prostate cancer for three years before passing last Sunday. According to Nash, Stills – unlike Fogelberg – caught his at an early stage, and will be operated on January 3rd, which also happens to be Stills’ birthday. Rolling Stone

Check it: http://tinylink.com/?2IYW1fbScX

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/articl...t_id=1003686690 Led Zeppelin onstage Dec. 10 in London Gary Graff, Detroit Still buzzing from Led Zeppelin's reunion show on Dec. 10 in London, drummer Jason Bonham says he's the wrong guy to ask about any future plans for the group. "I'm still the new guy, and I wouldn't know," Bonham -- whose late father, John Bonham, was Zep's original drummer -- tells Billboard.com. "There's been no talks except to Jimmy (Page) and Robert (Plant) and John Paul (Jones), just to say thanks for the best Christmas present I could ask for. It really meant a lot to me." "Is it gonna be again? Don't be greedy," he continues. "Just take it for what you've done and be proud to be part of that. If they do it again, of course I would love to. But that's up to them. Only time will tell. If you'd have asked me a year ago, 'Are they gonna do a date next year?,' I'd have gone, 'No way!' So I was proved wrong once before." Bonham says that even a week after the show, the experience "still ... kinda feels surreal, like it never really happened in some way." But he does feel that the show, part of a tribute to the late Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, provided some vindication after what he felt was a sub-par performance with Zep at the Atlantic Records' 40th anniversary concert in 1988 in New York. "I had to work at it, really prove that I could do it and not just say, 'Hey, I'm John Bonham's son. I should be doing it,'" he explains. "I put a lot of work into it ... listening to all the different live versions I had. You've got to earn this, 'cause there's a million drummers out there that would love to cut your throat right now and take over." "I'm amazed. I pulled it off," he enthuses. "So it's very special for me, just ... everything. If you'd have wanted a moment for everyone to get it right at one point, that was it." Bonham returns to his regular drum chair in Foreigner at the end of the month for a couple of shows in Florida -- where he and his family reside -- including a New Year's Eve date with the B-52's at the Universal Studios Citywalk in Orlando. That show will be broadcast live by Comcast's CN8 network at 9 p.m. EST. Led Zeppelin tour rumors continue to persist. The latest comes out of the U.K., where the group is reportedly considering a series of stadium shows. But nothing has yet been confirmed, and Plant has already begun scheduling late spring shows with Alison Krauss.

I still fail to see how Raising Sand is even remotely considered "calculated marketing". If anything, pairing those two artists was a huge gamble. Most people I'm aware of were skeptical of the pairing but have since been blown away by it. There's nothiing "calculated" about that. Plant, Krauss & Burnett were taking a chance in an industry where very few take chances anymore.

I think Dylan is a fine example of someone that meets the criteria of "selling out", a least as far as television commercials are concerned but he emerged with his dignity intact. Or more accurately, he just doesn't give a shit what people think. Then, on the other hand you have Neil Young and R.E.M., both of whom refuse to allow their songs to be used in commercials and have so far been successful at that.

Some would also say it means compromising one's principles by allowing their songs to be used in television commercials and other money making ventures. I say the idea of "selling out" is ludicrous and cliched at best but that's not to say some artists aren't guilty of it. Some even get away with it with their diginity intact.

I can't say I think of either Rush or The Police as "sub par" as each were highly influential in their own way and most definitely aren't guilty of producing formula-driven material aimed solely at radio airplay, especially Rush. Again, it comes down to personal opinion, there's no hard and fast rules saying one artist is any better than another.

To each their own but I actually prefer to keep my hearing so it doesn't have to be ear splittingly loud for me to enjoy it. It would suck horribly to lose my hearing, then I wouldn't be able to enjoy music at all. In that regard I think it's a very good thing that shows aren't as loud as they used to be.

I guess it depends on how you define "sold out" but the Stones were doing jingles for cereal commercials as far back as the 60s. Doesn't bother me a bit.

I don't think I've ever said I "hate" Madonna, or any performer for that matter. I simply don't believe the music she makes is rock n' roll.