Multiple versions of a song competing on the record charts at the same time used to be fairly routine. Saturday’s American Top 40 with Casey Kasem on SiriusXM was from 1971. At the time, there were two versions the song ‘I Don’t Know How to Love Him’ on the Billboard chart.
Helen Reddy’s recording peaked at #13. To me it sounds rather rote, almost like she was doing a run-through to check the mic levels.
Yvonne Elliman was an original cast member of Jesus Christ Superstar. In my opinion, this is the vastly superior performance. Yet it only reached #28 on Billboard.
Hearing those records brought to mind another example of two recordings of the same song that were competing on the charts. It’s from the time when I was starting to work as a radio DJ.
Pat Boone’s daughter Debby had a #1 smash hit with ‘You Light Up My Life’. I must have played this single a thousand times.
The original version of the song, for the movie You Light Up My Life, was sung by Kvitka “Kasey” Cisyk. It outshines Debbie’s performance, yet it topped-out at a lowly #80.
The two happiest years of my childhood were 5th and 6th grade. As a young adult, the two most significant years were my senior year of high school and my freshman year of college. I shall forever carry the chains I forged during that time in my life.
Elton John’s ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ album appeared in the middle of first semester, freshman year. Kath’s roommate bought it right away, and I’d listen to it in their dorm room on the cheapie stereo they had. When Elton was good, he was great.
Another vivid memory was seeing a preview showing of The Exorcist, before its Christmas release date. I wanted Kath to go with me, but she refused, because the movie was “of Satan.”
Laura’s roommate Mary wanted to see The Exorcist, and how well I remember her clinging to me during the movie. It featured Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’, which is also indelibly associated with freshman year.
Through all of my eye troubles long ago, from a detached retina to cataract replacement lenses, I learned to switch “eye dominance.” My left eye is for “close up” sight. My right eye is corrected for distance vision. This works very well for me.
By mentally de-emphasizing the “distance vision” in my right eye, I can usually get by without reading glasses. Looking up across the room, my right eye takes the lead. This happens automatically, without a thought.
I wear glasses when driving, to bring my left eye up to 20/20. The lenses in my distance glasses are getting scratched, so I’m going to make an appointment to get a new pair.
The fun part of an eye exam is after the prescription is getting close to correct, when the optometrist quickly flips the lenses back and forth in the phoropter. The question may go from “Which looks better?” to “Which do you prefer?”
That’s what it’s all about concerning so many things in life — what’s better vs. personal preference. In economics, this leads to discussions of cost/benefit analysis and diminishing returns. So, let’s make some comparisons.
I have the first and second generations of the Tangzu Waner in-ear monitor plugged into the porch’s laptop PC. (One of them is plugged into a USB-C DAC/Amp adapter.)
TANGZU WAN’ER (for Wanderer?) SG 2 IEM with New Bee memory foam eartips
The most significant difference between the two products is how they fit. The Waner 2 is much worse in this regard, as I explain in my Amazon review.
Regarding the measured frequency response curves for the two products, they are very similar overall. Yet, as stated in the review, the W2 is significantly brighter sounding in the upper treble.
Which is better? Neither. Which do I prefer? Both. It depends on the music being played. Both products cost only $20, so there is no diminishing return on the price.
If you can stand it, I’ll have some more comparisons coming up, regarding images rather than sound. First, I’ll return to music listening.
The original Waner is better for Pop and Rock music, and the Waner 2 is my preferred pair for Classical music. Here are all nine of Schubert’s symphonies from the good folks at the Brilliant Classics label.
From 1970, the same year as the very strange movie Performance with Mick Jagger, there is the strange and bawdy Deep End. With music by Cat Stevens, Jane Asher shows off what Paul McCartney gave up when they split.
Diana Dors, who is one of the cardboard figures on the ‘Sgt. Pepper’ album cover, is considerably heavier here than she was at sixteen, in the first Huggetts movie with Petula Clark.
The Colbert Report came and went. Now The Late Show With Stephen Colbert has come and gone. For no good reason. In fact, CBS BS claims aside, it was for a very bad reason, named Trump.
Having Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello present for Stephen’s Last Show made the farewell special for me. There is no “best” Beatles song, but forced to choose one Beatles song as my favorite, over all others, it would be ‘Hello Goodbye’.
I’m not done with Colbert yet, as I await the delayed delivery of my Last Show t-shirt.
Stephen autographing his ‘Best of The Colbert Report’ DVD for me at the NYTimes Center, November 2007. Photo by Denro.
