Category: Music

Leaving No Stone Unrolled

Taking a cue from the Beatles in maximizing the enjoyment of, and taking money from, their fans, the Rolling Stones in Mono set is being re-released on LP in colored vinyl.

The original LP box set is out of print and selling for much more than the $450 list price for “In Mono In Color.” So anybody who has been thinking of getting the first set can buy this one instead. My copy of the Stones in Mono is purely digital, in 96/24 FLAC format, which seems to be no longer available as a download purchase.

This Stones track is a curiosity, and not because the subject is supposedly LSD. To me it sounds very much like something the Kinks would have done.

P.S. Does $450 sound like a lot of money for a 16-LP box set? A typical discounted price for an album in 1976 was $5.99. Adjusted for inflation that would be about $30 today. For sixteen records that comes to $480.

Where You From, Boy?

I was born outside of Chicago, but I consider myself to be from Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, a town between Madison and Milwaukee. My eldest sister attended college and medical school at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

That was where, at the same time my sister was there, Judy Faulkner got the idea for starting Epic Systems, which now manages up to 75% of non-military medical records in the United States. Judy organized Epic by following the example of the founder of the company where I worked for 36 years. I used to assemble customized operating systems for Judy. Today, Epic Systems just gives me the blues.

I’ve been sort of knocking around the idea of buying a house in Fort Atkinson, and eventually moving there — back there, I should say. To that end, I occasionally check Zillow to see what’s doing with real estate in Fort, where a house comparable to mine costs half as much.

https://www.zillow.com/homes/Fort-Atkinson,-WI_rb/

Madison has some excellent medical care, so I’m not concerned about that, but I’m sure my liberal Massachusetts politics would rub some residents the wrong way. Our houses cost twice as much, so I know we’re right. 😉

Speaking of Elmore James, the first time I heard his name was here.

Country Folks

Lori McKenna is a local talent with a national following. She’s a married mom who began her career at a coffee house in a neighboring town on open-mic night.

One of Lori’s earliest boosters was Dick Pleasants, a disc jockey at WUMB in Boston. After a long illness, Dick passed away recently. Lori will be appearing tonight in a tribute concert at the Somerville Theatre. Which is, curiously and incorrectly, listed as being in Cambridge.

https://wumb.org/watch-wumbs-remembering-dick-pleasants-concert-live-online/

The show will be carried live and I’ll be tuning in. Also appearing will be Tom Rush, one of the grand, old names in New England Folk music. His cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Urge for Going” is a classic recording.

Fun fact: When Taylor Swift is in the area, selling out shows at Gillette Stadium, she sometimes stays at Lori’s house.