NYPL Blogs: Popular Music

Lower East Side Heritage Film Series: the Eighties - "Smithereens" (1982)

Johanna Lewis, Seward Park Library — Wed, 02 May 2012 08:14:22 -0400

I went to high school in the East Village from 1983 to 1987. This might sound kind of punk rock. Unfortunately, I totally missed out on CBGB in the late Seventies (see also: Punking Out) and early Eighties. And let's face it, I didn't go inside any real club for most of the Eighties either — I was underage, and too busy studying for the SATs. But I remember how the outsides looked. The streets and lines. The cars, still squared off boats from the Seventies. Of course, three-card monte. And lots and lots of vacant lots. Dirty, over-painted apartment facades with broken front doorknobs. Vinyl miniskirts. Wanting to look like Debbie Harry, not Madonna.

Susan Seidelman hits every Lower East Side nerve in Smithereens. It's so repetitively evocative of the sights and sounds of outside-looking-in LES punk rock, you'd think it was filmed as a time capsule. Music by The Feelies hits every dirty, after hours beat. The story: abrasive Jersey girl with no talent wants desperately to break into punk rock. Lives in a crap heap. Hangs on to anyone remotely connected to the scene. What happens really doesn't matter. Come just to see (or remember) exactly what it looked like.

We are pleased to offer the following film on Tuesday evening, May 15, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. First part in the series:

Smithereens (1982, 89 min., VHS)

Susan Seidelman directs her first feature film: Wren is nineteen and determined to break into punk rock. The pieces of her world are scattered over Lower Manhattan: a grungy Lower East Side apartment, the abandoned train yards along the Hudson River, and the helter-skelter world of East Village rock clubs. It doesn't matter that Wren can't sing, write songs, or play an instrument. She's desperate to make the scene, and desperation makes people do dangerous things.

Starring Susan Berman, Bran Rjin, and Richard Hell. With music by The Feelies, ESG, and Richard Hell and the Voidoids.

Smithereens courtesy of the Reserve Film and Video Collection of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

This is a FREE monthly series held at Seward Park Library. Feature-length films (16mm, VHS, and DVD) shot on location in lower Manhattan are presented the third Tuesday of every month.

Best of Patron Requests: Music (April 2012 Edition)

Andy Wagstaff, Central Collection Development — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 08:13:06 -0400

This list is a monthly compilation of my own personal favorite patron requests for music. I hope you will check out some of the great music that Library users have suggested we acquire!

Provided are some great preview tracks for each. Just click on the titles to be taken to the catalog.

The Music of Vladimir Martynov by Kronos Quartet

FIND OF THE MONTH! I have this friend, and he orders CDs and DVDs for a major city library, and sometimes he gets fatigued by people requesting stuff that's not out yet, titles that rank somewhere far south of good, of patrons putting in multiple requests for things that are simply out of print, or of trying to guess just how many copies his library users will want of Saw 4, or the next "dumbass (his word, not mine) top 40 artist that will make some flash-in-the-pan talentless pretty face too much money that they'll probably spend on drugs and wind up in rehab." And sometimes he would roll his eyes and say, "oh brother."

Then one day a patron requested The Music of Vladimir Martynov by the Kronos Quartet. When the CD came across his desk, he popped it in, and all the frustration in his heart quickly melted away, and his soul was transported to heaven, where all the music was enjoyable, and all the movies were beautiful, all art and literature was culturally relevant and socially responsible, and he always bought the exact right number of copies to make everyone happy. And it was a magical place. He could see his grandmother's face, and she was happy and smiled at him like she always did. And it was so beautiful and sad and happy and wonderful. He held her hand and felt that everything was going to be OK with the universe after all.

Afterwards my friend felt very silly for all the times he felt frustrated with those patron suggestions, "because it's those same patrons that introduce to me, and to other users, music that is beautiful and that the library needs. And for that I am eternally grateful."

Anyway, he played the CD for me and indeed it really is incredible. And though I'm not as weird or touchy-feely as my friend, I swear when we were listening I thought I saw my grandmother's face too. And I got to be honest, I got a little choked up. You should check it out: (PREVIEW)

Tango Argentino by Trio Pantango

If I were to rank my favorite instruments, clarinet would be somewhere between the glockenspiel and the vibraslap; that is, before I heard this little gem. The clarinetist on this album is just brilliant! When combined with the wonderful guitar and the accordian players (with occasionally added double-bass and piano), it makes for a wonderfully listenable sampling of Tango music. But the overall sound here remains sparse, something you would here under the open air, not in a concert hall. If you've ever sat at a sidewalk cafe in Spain, Italy, or I have to imagine, of course, Argentina, and been serenaded by street musicians, you'll probably recall those memories while listening to this one. But these guys are nothing short of top notch and they won't even ask you for money afterward. (PREVIEW)

Mediterraneo by Miloš Karadaglić

Don't let the good looks fool you! Maestro Miloš was born in Montenegro, a country I often forget exists (how do you say "sorry" in Montenegrin?), with its population roughly the size of Boston. If you enjoy solo classical guitar, and it's hard for me to think of anyone hating it, I'm sure you'll enjoy this wonderful collection. His love of playing comes through so perfectly! This is what seems to me so impressive here. He was born to play guitar; he knows it; and you'll know it too in about 8 seconds after pushing play; but he seems completely unpretentious about it, humble even. Picking a good clip on line from this CD is like shooting fish in a barrel. This guy's playing will amaze you! (PREVIEW)

Electric Cable by Lightships

I'm not sure what's going on in Glasgow, but they sure are cranking out the top-notch, C-86 influenced indie pop bands like nobody else recently. Lightships is Gerard Love of Teenage Fan Club's solo project, if that means anything to you. It falls very neatly into a genre shared by other great, reflective pop bands like Camera Obscura, The Radio Dept., and Belle and Sebastion (who, along with the Pastels, appear on the album). And, well, it's just that these jangly yet melancholy guitar riffs floating above the lush, shoe-gazy orchestration makes me want to close my eyes and dream. I find it all fantastically emotive. (PREVIEW)

Seasons on Earth by Meg Baird

I'm staring at a computer screen, which I do for about 7 hours a day. My eyes are dry from the florescent lights above. The ceiling keeps the sun out; the walls, the world. My cubicle is made of synthetic materials that will be in a land fill 20 years from now: plastic phones, plastic printers, blinking harddrive lights, and a whirring fan to keep the machine cool. Outside there are skyscrapers, buses, taxis. A machine woke me up this morning; a machine brought me here; and in fact a machine is playing this song for me right now. But it doesn't matter, because now I am somewhere else, surrounded by humans singing songs about being human and the machines can't get to me now and my eyes are no longer dry.

Humans: 1 - Machines: 0

(PREVIEW)

Black Sands by Bonobo

Well, humans, I hope you enjoyed the lead while you had it, because I'm scoring this one for the machines. This right here is what we call Downtempo, electronic music; if that genre is unfamiliar to you, you'll do well to start right here. Complimented by an impressive array of perfectly chosen and executed samples and self-manufactured, ambient sounds; I believe Bonobo gets his inspiration on how to develop a beat over time from mimicking biological evolution itself. He is, after all, named after a monkey. These constant moments of fleshing out sounds, some elements take over while others disappear, yet all so seemingly organic, growing directly out of what came before, and anticipating what will come next. The CD, then, is nothing short of the abridged version of the history of life on this planet via digital sonification. Overstated? I think not! I guess machines, under the direction of proper human supervision, can do some pretty interesting things after all. (PREVIEW)

Portamento by The Drums

The first video that popped up with these guys was one of the most (purposefully) hilarious things I've ever seen, but after I stopped laughing I realized, as far as synthy, sassy, pop goes, it was quite a sweet little song about a guy who lost his best friend. I was intrigued. These folks must have been brought up on a steady diet of moldy bread, The Smiths, and The Cure... or think Joy Division with just a little ray of hope added. I like'em. They obviously have a sense of humor, I hope they keep at it. (PREVIEW)

Kinshasa One Two by DRC Music

DRC Music, or Democratic Republic of Congo Music, is the brainchild of a one Damon Albarn. It's easy to like someone like Albarn: someone who met with an impressive degree of "fame and fortune" in his days as the front man to Blur, then used that notoriety to bring attention to legitimate charities like Oxfam, and to share his social critique in interviews with quips like, "We need to dismantle very significant parts of our culture and really re-examine them. I suppose you start with the celebrity thing... I think for a start you have to get rid of things like The X Factor immediately." He's stated he would like to "get rid of 99% of the media" while talking to the media. Brilliant! But back to Kinshasa One Two, the whole thing was orchestrated by Albarn to not only benefit Oxfam's work in the Congo, but to bring more attention to many of the wonderful Congolese musicians one encounters in the streets there. Over 50 local musicians are featured here. Albarn acts as producer, playing around with the sounds in post-production: manipulating, looping, adding sounds here and there; but the original sounds of the Congo take center stage, and Congolese musicians are in no way strangers to adding electronic elements to their music. So it works out quite nicely. (PREVIEW)

Stronger Than Pride by Sade

Just... shame on me! Shame on me, that it took a patron request to remind myself of this album. There's just too much music swimming around the world, from the Congo to Argentina, every suburb and city of the States, classics not yet discovered, new talents emerging. And even if you spend the time to filter out whatever you subjectively think is not worth the time, you're still left with too much music to listen to in one lifetime. It's just like literature, or film; there's just too much humanity out there, and so many wonderful ways stories are told. But this here is an oasis; a beacon; like an ancient monument, half buried in sand yet still existent, made more poetic by its recording of the centuries of wind and rain on its stone facade. This album is almost 25 years old by now. OK, not quite an ancient monument yet; but the moment of humanity it recorded, its story, is still as vibrant, as visceral, as it was decades ago.

"Haunt me in my dreams if you please...
and if you want to sleep i'll be quiet like an angel
as quiet as your soul could be
if you only knew you had a friend like me."

(PREVIEW)

Sixth in Sixes by XBXRX

Warning: punk rock bands may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome when listening to XBXRX: Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); bone pain; chest pain or discomfort; dizziness or light-headedness; fainting; bleeding of the eyes; general feeling of existential crisis and/or discontent with existing social mores; muscle pain or weakness; severe or persistent headache, nausea, or vomiting; sudden, unexplained rage; heart stoppage, swelling of the hands, ankles, or feet; unusual stomach pain or discomfort; unusual episodes of violence.

Do not take XBXRX if you are currently taking any of the following: Kenny G, Lady Gaga, Nickelback, McDonalds, Dancing with the Stars, Usher, Wal-Mart, rom-coms, Maroon 5, suburbia, and/or malls. This is not a complete list of all side effects that may occur. If you have questions about side effects, contact your health care provider. (PREVIEW)

— TUNE IN NEXT MONTH ! —

OMG! I Love that Song! A Guilty Pleasure Playlist

Anne Rouyer, Seward Park Library — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 06:22:48 -0400

Guilty Pleasure: something you like, but feel guilty about liking because you are aware your fondness for said thing is a little embarrassing or not so great. Reasons for feeling guilty include: enjoying a silly pop song, liking a band for their hotness and not necessarily their music, the genre of music is considered uncool, liking the artist makes you one of them and you are sooo much cooler than that! But SO WHAT? WHO CARES? You like what you like. Let your cheesy, pop-song lovin,’ freak flag fly! Have long discussions about your favorite member(s) of One Direction! Just know that you are not ALONE!

"Call Me, Maybe" - Carly Rae Jepsen

This has to be one of the catchiest songs on the planet right now! Its beat practically begs to be danced to and the lyrics sung out loud, as you walk down the street. I first heard it when my friend Sean sent me the video featuring Carly Rae as she pines for the hot boy next door then PLOT TWIST finds out that he's gay. It is perfect and charming but almost even better is the viral video featuring Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Big Time Rush and Ashley Tisdale as they goof off to the song. Carly Rae was a Canadian Idol finalist and she can thank fellow Canuck Justin B. and his manager for signing her to a record deal. Listen to her two EPs Tug of War (2008) and Curiosity (2012 — includes "Call Me Maybe").

"One Thing" and "Tell Me a Lie" - One Direction

I love a boy band! I especially love a boy band with British accents and this year we have 2(!) British/Irish boy bands invading our shores (see Wanted, The below). One Direction has it all: catchy songs, sensitive ballads, great hair, fun personalities and good fashion sense. I love that each member has his own fan base — Harry, Niall, Liam, Louis, Zayn. Personally, I am torn between Harry with his fab hair and endless cheekiness and Liam, the perfectly coiffed gentleman. According to this quiz I took, Liam is perfect for me but I don't know... how accurate are these quizzes anyway? "One Thing" is my favorite song off their album Up All Night (2012) and "Tell Me a Lie" is probably my second favorite. There are days I listen to the album on repeat during my commute. Do not judge me, you will do it too!

"Someone that I Used to Know" - Gotye (pronounced Go-tea-yay) ft. Kimbra

I wasn’t immediately in love with this quirky, plaintive cry of a break-up song but it grew on me. So much so that I was listening to it on repeat. I am not alone in that impulse – the song, by the Belgian-born Australian Gotye, is a bonafide international hit — going #1 in countries all over the world. It’s not an obvious choice. How many songs containing a xylophone make it to the top of the charts? Off the album Making Mirrors, “Somebody…” has been covered by Glee and many, many others. Also, featured on the track is the New Zealand singer Kimbra, who has her own album coming out soon.

"We Are Young" - fun. ft Janelle Monae

I first heard this song performed on Glee last December, months before the song officially came out. Next thing you know, this NYC-based band and their song is EVERYWHERE. TV shows, commercials, the Super Bowl... all before their album Some Nights (2012) was even released. We Are Young is the quintessential sing along, party song. It embraces the joy of being young, prowling the city streets and getting into trouble with your friends. There is an artfulness to the song and lyrics — more than your average pop song. It will be a mainstay of dive bar jukeboxes, high school proms and frat parties for years.

"Girl Gone Wild" - Madonna

I love Madonna. It's that simple and uncomplicated (I actually have a ticket to see her at Yankee Stadium this fall!) With her new album MDNA (2012) she announces that she is back with a vengeance and the truth is she never left us. I love it when she makes me feel good but I love her even more when she makes me feel bad and a little wild. With this new song, guranteed wherever you are, a disco ball will float down, colored strobe lights will start spinning and you will feel capable of being very bad indeed! The video is ridiculous and awesome and pure Madonna and has been banned for certain viewers on YouTube — who knew she was still capable of shocking us?

"Glad You Came" and "Chasing the Sun" - The Wanted

Now we come to the second of our two British/Irish boy bands. Confession: I discovered The Wanted before One Direction and from the first moment I was a little obsessed. Is it their flirty performances? Their addictive party tunes? Or maybe it's their lead singer Max with his thick, almost unintelligible, Manchester accent or Jay with his mass of curly hair? Whatever it is, I am a now a huge fan of Siva, Jay, Tom, Nathan and Max. There are differences from 1D, their ages for one (The Wanted are in their mid-20s) and their songs have a sexier sound too. 1D promises relatively safe, mostly domestic fun while the songs off The Wanted (2012) make you want to jet-set off to the Spanish party island of Ibiza (pronounced e-bee-tha) to dance and party until the sun comes up.

"Turn Me On" - David Guetta w/ Nicki Minaj

David Guetta is a music wizard. With his 2011 album Nothing But the Beat he has had countless hits and one memorable song after another. "Turn Me On" is an infectious dance track that features the ultra-cool Nicki Minaj singing and rapping. Listening to this song just makes me feel cooler and in search of a dance partner. Someone recently asked me who NYC teens would rather meet: Nicki Minaj or the boys of 1D? Well, Nicki wins hands down. Who wouldn't want to meet her? Get wig tips, compare fake British accents, and explore a mutual love of day-glo moon boots... The 1D boys are more for a niche audience whereas Nicki is for everyone.

"Good Girl" - Carrie Underwood

Newsflash: I like country music and you probably do too. Admit it: you are a closet Taylor Swift, Keith Urban and Lady Antebellum fan. I first listened to Carrie Underwood a few years ago when I heard her Some Hearts album. I didn't want to like her. Up until then I had defined myself as someone who didn't listen to country music but I was soon hooked. Favorite songs include: "Wasted" and "Before He Cheats" from Some Hearts, "Last Name" from Carnival Ride and "Cowboy Casanova" and "Someday When I Stop Loving You" from Play On. "Good Girl", off her newest album Blown Away (2012), is a fun, country dance track that proves it's better to be a bad girl than a good girl getting played by a bad boy.

"Princess of China" - Coldplay ft. Rihanna

In the circles I run in, Coldplay is the ultimate guilty pleasure. How they became so reviled is beyond me but I shamelessly love Chris Martin, Jonny, Guy and Will. Plus, how could I not include a Rihanna track? That girl is everywhere! She has taken over the world from a constant string of hit songs, endless speculation on gossip websites and starring in the upcoming action film Battleship — which combines the board game with an alien invasion. Somehow we are supposed to believe that she is an ensign in the US Navy(?!). Anyways, "Princess of China" is a favorite track of mine off the album Mylo Xyloto (2011). It's another break-up song that always brings to mind a rainy day in NYC. I think it's the lush synth sound and the yearning in Rihanna's voice as she sings,"You really hurt me."

Best of Patron Requests: Music (March 2012 Edition)

Andy Wagstaff, Central Collection Development — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:55:46 -0400

This list is a monthly compilation of my own personal favorite patron requests for music. I hope you will check out some of the great music that Library users have suggested we acquire!

Provided are some great preview tracks for each. Just click on the titles to be taken to the catalog.

El Duque de la Bachata by Joan Soriano
FIND OF THE MONTH!!! If you live in New York City, you've heard Bachata whether you know it or not. It's fun, it's tropical, and it often has a sound of a certain kind of longing. Well, this is by far the best I've ever heard! Like many types of music these days, the original appeal of Bachata can get lost in all that fancy production work. There is some great Bachata out there to be sure, some of it even heavily produced; but few strip away all the well-intentioned "sound engineering" so well as El Duque. This music was born on the streets of poor neighborhoods, and in the rural countrysides of the Dominican Republic, far from any music production facilities. Soriano conveys a desire to stay true to those roots, to let the music stand on its own merits because music is not "engineered" in some room behind a mixing board. It is "engineered" by humans who sing and play instruments. This one hasn't arrived yet, but I'll race you to the hold queue! Here they are featured on one of my favorite new music sources, NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts: (PREVIEW)

White Lunar by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis
I'm familiar with Nick Cave, a founding member of the post-punk, goth rock band, the Birthday Party. That band was brilliant! They did whatever they wanted, experimenting and pushing boundaries and hitting on sounds and textures other bands had missed, much to the delight of their dedicated fans. Cave went on to form Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, yet another outfit that seemed to produce music outside of any formula. But it was only recently that it was brought to my attention that Cave has been churning out some pretty incredible soundtrack music with writing partner Warren Ellis. I've seen some of the movies and didn't even notice! Such is the curse of good soundtrack music: it's never meant to call attention to itself. In fact, when done right, when it properly enhances the evocative qualities of the film, it might be downright invisible! That is why CD soundtracks can make for interesting listening — it isolates the often wonderful music and allows it to take center stage. After spending time with this collection, I want to hear it all! I want to see every movie! I want to pay closer attention; not allow the music to be so purposefully invisible and realize just how responsible the music of a film is in drawing us into the story. But this music doesn't need any film to be evocative; it does it all on its own. (PREVIEW)

El Cant de la Sibil — La by Montserrat Figueras

Montserrat Figueras, a Catalan soprano who specialized in early music, is considered by many to be the undisputed priestess of the genre. May she rest in peace. Secondly, El Cant de la Sibil (or, the Song of Sibil) has been performed uninterruptedly in parts of Italy and Spain since Medieval Times (except a couple of decades in the 16th century, due to the Council of Trent). It is included in UNESCO's Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Here we have the Mallorcan and the Valencian versions, sung and orchestrated to exquisite perfection! If you are a lover of early music, or are unfamiliar and curious to discover more about it, I urge you to get this recording. But don't blame me if you wind up falling to your knees and begging for forgiveness, trembling for fear your soul will be lost at the end of days. It's that good.

Mother of God, pray for us,
You, the Mother of sinners,
May the sentence be merciful,
May Paradise be open to us.

You, who listen to everything,
Pray to God with all devotion,
With all your heart and fervour,
That we should be saved. (PREVIEW)

Fair Warning by Van Halen
I usually try to highlight things that are under the radar. Popular stuff just doesn't always need more advertising, and Van Halen, having recently re-united with hard rock's quintessential front man David Lee Roth, needs no additional hype. So go right ahead and sue me for this one! The flamboyant and charismatic Roth never let us forget that rock and roll was and is about having fun. If you take yourself too seriously all the time, you'll miss the point. And Eddie Van Halen?! The dude must have slept with that guitar. You'd have to to own your playing like that; and he really does play like he knows he could burn circles around any other guitarist in his sleep. When you get that good you can turn all your attention to, well, rockin' out. This is a great album! (PREVIEW)

...For the Whole World to See by Death
Where did this band come from and why did I not know about them? Oh, I see, Detroit; formed in 1971. This album was recorded in 1973 and released in 2009. You read it right — blame the record companies! Death was told to change its name and refused. This reminds me of Thin Lizzy at their best. Call it proto-punk if you must, but really, it's just straight ahead rock and roll. Definitely a solid album. (PREVIEW)

Dome by Johannes Enders
Now this is under the radar! It's some sort of mix of minimalism, free-form jazz, and a dieter's portion of electronics, yet atmospheric enough to warrant recording in a church in Bavaria. Organs, flutes, trumpets, saxophones, and warbly bass clarinets take turns floating over and above tastefully minimal percussion. Modern jazz, for me, always sits so close to sounding overly academic, crossing the line into, shall we say, unenjoyability. This album completely escapes that! It creates something that has a life of its own, never pointing back toward the virtuosity of the players. And every track takes a unique direction while fitting perfectly within the aesthetic of the whole album. But above being highly enjoyable, this recording is, put simply, interesting. (PREVIEW)

Mikal Cronin's self-titled debut
Cronin delivers on the jangly, retro-hippy, windows down-road trip, "garage-damaged guitar-pop." Did I jam enough adjectives in there? But of course what really makes this album is not the style, though that works very well to bring out the elements. What makes this album is that Cronin just writes catchy, cool, and enjoyable songs. Pick this up for your next road trip. (PREVIEW)

Warriors of Ice by Voivod
Remember when punk rock was a reaction against the all-consuming and oppressive machine known as "The Establishment"? When rock and rollers, sick of being co-opted by record companies, manipulated into a commodity, and dumbed down so as not to be overly offensive, would instead choose to put out their own albums, record in their garages, use artwork drawn by their friends, press up a 1,000 copies with scraped-together money, and rely on word-of-mouth distribution channels? This was before "punk" bands had major label record deals, charged $70 a ticket, had teams of stylists, were invited to play at the Grammys, and spawned Musicals on Broadway. Well, some people call Voivod heavy metal, but I think they come straight out of that anti-establishment punk tradition. This album was recorded live in 2009, decades after they took up the torch of punk. But if you ask me, they took the stage simply to remind us that if you're making some corporate suit money, you are not punk. (PREVIEW)

Fantasias for the Viols by Henry Purcell (with Jordi Savall)
Purcell is a musical genius on par with Bach. There, I said it! In addition, another interesting parallel exists between these pieces and Bach's Cello Suites: neither were widely known in their artists' lifetimes. Both were written more for contrapuntal study than for performance, and both were rediscovered almost by accident centuries later. Did these pieces sound like nothing more than musical exercises in the time of the Baroque? Did we need the Bombastic tensions of the Romantic Era to allow us to fully embrace the simple beauty of these pieces? It is easy to hear, centuries later, the undeniable influence of the Renaissance flowing through the harmonies, the continuity in the evolution of musical styles. Savall is a virtuoso of the Viola da Gamba, and, like his fellow Catalonian Montserrat Figueras (see above), loves early music so much that he has dedicated his life to bringing it to the world. Give this a listen, and you'll see why. (PREVIEW)

Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites by Skrillex
I tried getting through this month with no electronic music. I realize its fans are legion, but I consider it a guilty pleasure, because all my friends just think I'm weird for listening to it. I recently shared some favorite tracks with a friend who said, "I'd rather stick burning needles in my eyes than be subjected to more than 40 seconds of this music." Lord knows it's not for everybody. If you're into this sort of thing, you probably already know about this album. If not, it's actually pretty cool and over-the-top. And is that Jonsi on this preview track? I'll have to look into it. Enjoy! (PREVIEW)

— TUNE IN NEXT MONTH ! —

Lower East Side Heritage Film Series, Season 2, Part 6: Happy 90th Birthday Mingus!

Sean Ferguson, Seward Park Library — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 07:51:38 -0400

Happy birthday to Charles Mingus, who would have officially become a nonagenarian this coming April 22, 2012 — a word I am certain he could have cleverly crafted into a title. And to celebrate one of the most unique and gifted voices in not just the jazz world, but, in my opinion, the whole of 20th century music, we are projecting on 16mm this wonderfully insightful film capturing Mingus at a very specific period in his life. A must see for all fans of Charles Mingus.

We are pleased to offer the following film on Tuesday evening, April 3, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. Sixth part in the series:

Mingus (1968, 59 min., 16mm)

Thomas Reichman directs this 1966 interview with jazz musician Charlie Mingus at the time of his eviction from his lower Manhattan loft. With his five-year-old daughter Carolyn and amidst the clutter of his belongings, the famed double bass player, pianist, composer, and bandleader, addresses the camera and discusses his work, the discrimination he experienced in the United States and abroad, and the often complicated relationships of men and women. Mingus's monologue is intercut with footage of him performing at Lennies on the Turnpike, with numbers including "All the Things You Are," "Secret Love," and "Take the A Train." At the conclusion, Mingus is evicted from his home and arrested on a mistaken drug charge. His belongings are hauled away and his double bass is (albeit temporarily) abandoned on the city street.

Mingus is presented courtesy of the Reserve Film and Video Collection of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Mingus has been preserved with funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

This is a FREE monthly series held at Seward Park Library. Documentary and feature films (both 16mm and DVD) shot on location in lower Manhattan are presented the first Tuesday of every month.

Previously: Lower East Side Heritage Film Series, Season 2, Part 5. Follow us on Facebook: Lower East Side Heritage Collection

I Love Rock & Roll: Current Bands Worthy of Attention Part 4: The Raconteurs

Shawn P Donohue, Learning & Development Specialist, Office of Staff Development — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 05:40:08 -0500

I hear the phrase uttered often, "There are no good Rock & Roll Bands anymore" and there has been recent talk about the death of mainstream rock and roll. Over the next few weeks I will highlight 4 modern day groups that deserve attention from young and old fans of mainstream Rock and Roll.

If there were still great rock and roll radio channels for free out there these bands would be getting much bigger recognition then they already have. These aren't indie acts, they aren't no-names, they are just a reminder that there is some really great rock and roll music being produced and you will be able to grab all of it from our catalog.

Next up: The Raconteurs

We end this series with a look at perhaps the most well known of this month's groups, The Raconteurs who have headlined festivals, played surprise shows, been nominated for Grammys and still could use even more love as the band's albums and live shows are that damn good. Jack White was already a superstar by the time the band formed in 2005 having cemented his career in Rock and Roll with The White Stripes, but this is far from a mega-stars side project. What has developed over 2 albums and multiple live outings is a tour-de-force outfit that can go toe to toe with the best around.

White may have brought the biggest name recognition and star power to the group, but this outfit starts with their rock-solid low end of Patrick Keeler on drums and Jack Lawrence on bass both from the Detroit based retro rock band, The Greenhornes. Their thump and motor allows White and songwriting partner in crime Brendan Benson to flourish in the updated Lennon/McCartney roles.

Sure comparing these two to the greatest rock/pop songwriters is high praise but the duo works wonders. Benson has the charm and pop sensibilities, but on his solo albums come across as too saccharine sweet. White adds the weirdness to the outfit, but has a softer counterpart to bounce things off of. The combo is a fantastic one that breathes life into arena rock sized vamps or tender acoustic moments with equal ease.

While it is true that the group has been sidelined by other projects from the various other bands (Benson has recently released an album as have The Greenhornes and White seems to release a new project every few months) they did keep the dream alive for a third album with recent shows in New Orleans, Florida and Atlanta this past fall. Hopefully new material is ready to go as it would be a welcomed addition to the land of mainstream rock and roll, until that day though we can check out the groups past efforts:

Click here for the full Raconteurs collection at NYPL!

First: Consolers of the Lonely (2008, Warner Brothers)

Perhaps the best rock and roll record released in the first decade of the 2000's Consolers of the Lonely begins with thunder, ends with drama and in-between takes a listener on an amazing voyage that touches everything from Broadway pomp and circumstance to punk rock grit and grime. Tracks like "Salute Your Solution" and "Five on the Five" blaze high octane riffs while "Old Enough" brings in down home ease and biting lyrical work. "Top Yourself" is a track Led Zeppelin wish they wrote while the cover of Terry Reid's "Rich Kid Blues" shakes the walls with each listen. In a year end wrap up of 2008 Brian Stoltz (a smoking guitar player in his own right) praised the album saying: "This album slams. I can’t find one note on this record to criticize — nothing out there this innovative. In the land of noodles and white gravy, these guys are the saviors of rock ‘n roll." Amen to that.

Next: Broken Boy Soldiers (2006, Third Man Records)

The group's first release together has flashes of brilliance if it is a bit uneven in overall structure. The highlights far outshine the misses here though as the disk closing "Blue Veins" is dripping with blues while the first single "Steady as She Goes" bounces along light and free. "Intimate Secretary" has the force of an atom bomb behind it while "Together" is as nuanced and delicate as can be; these two are the perfect juxtaposition of White and Benson's talents. The sparseness that is here sounds a touch dated now as to how the band has grown into these songs in the live setting but it still is a good place to start for new fans of the band.

Thanks for checking out this series, here is part 1 part 2 and part 3, did we miss someone? Have another band that deserves some love? Feel free to comment below and Keep On Rockin' In The Free World.

I Love Rock & Roll: Current Bands Worthy of Attention Part 3: Band of Horses

Shawn P Donohue, Learning & Development Specialist, Office of Staff Development — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:46:57 -0500

I hear the phrase uttered often, "There are no good Rock & Roll Bands any more" and there has been recent talk about the death of mainstream rock and roll. Over the next few weeks I will highlight 4 modern day groups that deserve attention from young and old fans of mainstream Rock and Roll.

Next up: Band of Horses.

For the first part of the series we had a band who is in line with literary rockers of the past, our second act dealt more with pop rock leanings, and for our third part we mix in a bit of down home folk-y goodness to the rock and roll formula.

Band of Horses sound like long lost friends when they start playing their collection of hearty tunes, they have been called things like Southern Rock or Alt-Country, but in reality their sound takes from a little bit of everywhere making them true Rock and Roll mutts.

The band first became nationally known when they opened for Iron & Wine back in 2005 and played the Late Show with David Letterman here in New York shortly after. The band has withstood a few changes of personal especially in the early days, but the overall sound has remained consistent; soaring vocals, big guitars, anthemic drums all designed for arenas, balanced by delicate flourishes that reel the listener in.

Having a natural feel to their songs adds an organic sense of connectedness, but the band doesn't go that way with acoustic offerings, they can rev things up with boiling six-strings and thunderous drums in order to create palpable moods.

The group has an amazing vocal presence provided by lead singer/songwriter Ben Bridwell, who evokes a wide range of feelings through his voice and lyrics. While musically they are vastly different, comparisons can be drawn between Bridwell's singing/lyrics and David Byrne's. Both have wonderfully unique voices and tend to focus their lyrical matter on simple things, thus elevating them with elongated vocal phrasing or out and out spiritual proclamations. Neither lyricist will make you feel too much if you just read their work on a piece of paper, but when presented in their intended ways it can be magical.

Currently to go along with Bridwell, Tyler Ramsey plays lead guitar, Bill Reynolds on Bass, Creighton Barrett on drums and keyboard/guitarist/jack of all trades Ryan Monroe rounds things out. The band seems to be gelling more and more as a five piece with harmonizing, dueling guitar runs (sometimes three axes duking it out) and tender piano ballads all providing a sum greater than its parts.

Back in 2007 the group was already discussing increasing their fan base from Indie Rock insiders to a more broad base and with their recent show at Madison Square Garden opening for My Morning Jacket they are certainly fulfilling their goals. With a new album in the works this is a very exciting time for Band of Horses, but lets take a look back first at their past efforts that you can check out of the library.

The Full Catalog for Band of Horses @ NYPL

First: Cease to Begin (2007 Sub Pop)

The band shot to instant fame with their first release while living and playing in Seattle, then retreated back to Bridwell's native South Carolina to record their follow up, 2007's Cease to Begin. What spun out of that southern studio was easy rock that could kick up the crunch or ease down like a sunset or a backwoods breeze. Bridwell's reverb voice focused on daily life, but rarely have such simple songs rang so true. "No Ones Gonna Love You" is as basic as it gets and still packs quite a wallop for a ballad, while "Cigarette's Wedding Bands" crashes the party then waltzes around the room. The album just feels right in every aspect, a neat trick.

Next: Infinite Arms (2010 Brown Records)

After two successful albums on the famous Sub Pop label, the band went to work on their third without any assistance from a label — deciding to self fund the project instead. A Grammy Nomination and multiple worldwide tours later it is safe to say that was a wise investment from the band. The revolving nature of the group has eased and the current day 5-piece could get together and make a real band album. Again lyrics aren't going to bowl you over, but they are improving while the relaxed sound tilted even more to the south-west with this release. "Compliments" prove the band can still rock, but the group seemed to hit its stride with its back porch inspired numbers like "Dilly" with its circus like vocal harmonies and pulsing production, it even had a cool video:

The Rest: The Full Catalog for Band of Horses @ NYPL

Everything All The Time (2006 Sub Pop) The album that launched them on the scene, originally recorded with ex-member Mat Brooke the album has the roots of what the group does best. Glorious highs like on the first single "The Funeral" that simply soar when played in a live setting, delicate playing and vocal arraignments on "St. Augustine," and a grooving rocker that floats along in "The Great Salt Lake." Quite a way to kick off a career.

Stay tuned for the final installment of next week in this series, until then have any Band of Horses stories? Think we are way off base with this one? Feel free to comment below.

I Love Rock & Roll: Current Bands Worthy of Attention Part 2: Dr. Dog

Shawn P Donohue, Learning & Development Specialist, Office of Staff Development — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:26:48 -0500

I hear the phrase uttered often, "There are no good Rock & Roll Bands any more" and there has been recent talk about the death of mainstream rock and roll. Over the next few weeks I will highlight 4 modern day groups that deserve attention from young and old fans of mainstream Rock and Roll.

If there was still great rock and roll radio channels for free out there these bands would be getting much bigger recognition then they already have. These aren't indie acts, they aren't no-names, they are just a reminder that there is some really great rock and roll music being produced and you will be able to grab all of it from our catalog.

Up Next: Dr. Dog

The Philadelphia group of minstrels has been crafting some of the finest pop-rock around for the last decade-plus. When the term pop shows up these days it is a dirty word, but the group hearkens back to a time when popular did not mean bubblegum mass marketed dreck.

The group can be compared to three pillars of pop-rock royalty; The Beach Boys, The Beatles, and The Band. The three B's are lofty comparisons for any act, but Dr. Dog has earned it with well crafted studio albums, rambunctious live shows and stout song writing.

The vocal care with which they put together songs elevates them above many of their peers. While the song writing and lead singing duties go to bassist Toby Leaman and lead guitarist Scott McMicken the group as a whole works meticulously on the harmonies and background singing. Eric Slick keeps the beat while Zach Miller works the keys and Frank McElroy sings and strums along on rhythm guitar.

The group's democratic sense of unity is refreshing; the songs can seem individually constructed yet fit together perfectly to form a cohesive whole. Albums are tight with layers of sound that propel the tracks to float along with ease.

Like any band in this series Dr Dog is incredibly comfortable in the live setting having toured with everyone from My Morning Jacket to The Strokes in recent years. Gaining in popularity has seen the band also grace the stages of some of the biggest festivals (Bonnaroo, Coachella) in the country to rousing receptions. Pulling off their studio polish isn't always easy but the band soars when they take the stage.

Guitars, keys, plucky bass lines are all present behind the soaring vocals as the band oozes a laid back vibe that seems omnipresent on all of their tracks. The lyrics worm into your brain but the beats make you move your hips and can be just as infectious. Studio wizards and live magicians the group has it all, let's dig into their catalog.

Full Catalog of Dr. Dog here at NYPL

First: Fate (2008 Park The Van Records)

The album that turned the band from indie darlings to a force to be reckoned with world wide, Fate was a spectacular coming out party for the band. The group got their wry sense of irony on the forefront here but also nail some straight ahead joys, ("My Friend", "The Breeze"). When the meaty bass line from "The Ark" bubbles out it immediately gets the head bobbing and a winding trip into the forest via "The Rabbit The Bat and The Reindeer" makes the freak-out feel natural. It can be easy, or it can be twisted and complex, but what you have here is from start to finish a great disc.

Next: Shame, Shame (2010 Anti Records)

The first time the band has worked with an outside producer (Rob Schnapf) finds the group making perhaps their most accessible album yet. The disk works up to a fantastic ending with "I Only Wear Blue," "Jackie Wants a Black Eye" and the title track, but nothing beats McMicken's ode to his Philly friends via "Shadow People." A fantastic journey that rewards with every listen:

The Rest: Full catalog of Dr Dog here at NYPL

We All Belong - (2007 Park the Van Records) Psych-Pop expansion, the group relished the studio time and put together their first major opus here with the closing title track. There are some other great gems here as well like the hooky "Old News" and bumping "Worst Trip."

Stay Tuned next week for Part 3 until then do you have any Dr. Dog stories or comments?

I Love Rock & Roll: Current Bands Worthy of Attention Part 1: The Hold Steady

Shawn P Donohue, Learning & Development Specialist, Office of Staff Development — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:02:00 -0500

I hear the phrase uttered often, "There are no good Rock & Roll Bands any more" and there has been recent talk about the death of mainstream rock and roll. Over the next few weeks I will highlight 4 modern day groups that deserve attention from young and old fans of mainstream Rock and Roll.

Up first: The Hold Steady.

The Hold Steady Live 2-24-07
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikemikeThe idea of a sing along chorus, a connection to the follies (and glories of youth) and the ability to have a good time in the face of adversity. All have been the foundations of rock and roll, all are the building blocks of success that The Hold Steady pride themselves on.

The added something that separates The Hold Steady from their contemporaries is simple: fun. The band is all about having a good time while still making you think and feel. To many so-called rock bands look like they could care less about playing live, or singing their songs, they just want to act a role. The Hold Steady live the role because they are just being themselves and it shows.

This Brooklyn by way of Minneapolis outfit have been producing some of the best rock and roll over the last decade and have done so with a killer live act, detailed studio albums and deep connection with their fans.

Touring consistently has built up the crowds from small bars to clubs, festivals and arenas but the band has never lost touch. The riffs are just as massive as the nights and the stories seem to grow more entangled with each passing verse.

Front-man Craig Finn has developed a mythology around lyrics, re-using them at odd times to wrap the listener into his world, adding a special connection where fans feel like they are in on a secret. Characters will show up here or there album to album and fans get to check in with their adventures, usually from a hole in the wall hotel room or a killer party.

Certainly Finn's everyman vibe helps these tales along; unlike say the lead singer of The Darkness, Finn seems to have lived through these tales that he weaves and has come out OK. He may not be the sexiest front-man but he may be the most identifiable to the average listener. His lyrics have a literary edge to them (perfect for an NYPL blog) in the same way a great Film Noir might. Whether discussing hardcore matinee shows, townie bar fights, or just growing/hooking up, something seems to touch people.

While Finn keeps pumping that realness vital to creating lasting bonds the music is just as key. Tad Kubler rips into gargantuan sized riffs with his lead guitar over Bobby Drake and Galen Polivka laying down the low end on drums and bass respectively. Until the last album the piano/keyboards were patrolled by Franz Nicolay but recently they have been removed for a third guitarist Steve Selvidge.

Musically fans of The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles will all find something reminiscent of their heroes but there is also a Replacements vibe that adds to the grit and a Cheap Trick flair that sprinkles on a helping of catchy cheese. The group they are most often compared to however is Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band.

It is pretty easy to call them E-Street of the Blogging generation, but they are more then that; they are lifetime rock and roll fans who have taken from their heroes and created something new, unique, vital, just like their heroes did from the blues artists before them.

In dissecting the group's catalog each fan seems to have their own favorite and it usually corresponds to the album that first got them into the group. All albums are worth it, but here is the order I would dive into them and direct links in our catalog as to where to get them:

Full Catalog of The Hold Steady @ NYPL

First - Boys and Girls In America (2006, Vagrant Records) One of the best albums of the last decade BaGiA gives you the full Hold Steady package over the course of its running time. Full out rockers ("Two Kooks") to tender pleas ("Citrus") the band nailed it all on this career highlight. To preview here is the official video of the disk opener "Stuck Between Stations" in which the band opens over raging guitars with the line "There are nights when I think that Sal Paradise was right..." what's not to love?

Next - Separation Sunday (2005, Frenchkiss Records) An almost concept album following Holly, Gideon and a cast of others, but they might as well be me and you as their problems and loves are identifiable to all. The tone of the album is more pumping band with separate storytelling front-man but the disk pumps hard behind tracks like "Multitude of Casualties" and the arena ready "Stevie Nix." The band's closest thing to a hit off of the disk might be "Your Little Hoodrat Friend."

The Rest - Full Catalog of The Hold Steady @ NYPL

Heaven Is Whenever (2010, Vagrant Records) A grown up band tackles things a touch more low key but don't sacrifice many smiles or wonders as they play records and fall in love on bedroom floors or get stranded in the sweet part of the city. Stand Out Tracks: "Hurricane J," "A Slight Discomfort," The Sweet Part Of The City."

A Positive Rage (2009, Vagrant Records) A live take on the bands heartfelt tunes, as well as a few b-sides tossed in that are as good as anything the band has done before, "Ask Her For Some Adderall."

Almost Killed Me (2003, Frenchkiss Records) The roots of the band, still coming over from the Lifter Puller days, but there are some really great standouts here and the wordplay is setting the stage for more interweaving in the future. "Swish," "Killer Parties."

Stay tuned next week for part 2 of the series; until then, do you have any Hold Steady stories or comments?

Best of Patron Requests: Music (January 2012 Edition)

Andy Wagstaff, Central Collection Development — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:52:11 -0500

This list is a monthly compilation of my own personal favorite patron requests for music. I hope you will check out some of the great music that Library users have suggested we acquire!

Provided are some great preview tracks for each. Just click on the titles to be taken to the catalog.

Bollywood Bloodbath by various

FIND OF THE MONTH! Various soundtrack gems from Bollywood B Movies? Need I go on? Traditional Indian music elements mixed with reggae dub synth punches, washed out video game sounds, and mildly western-influenced pop song structures, all produced to sound like it's coming out of a little transistor radio in your dad's garage. Now I have to see if we can get any of the movies these are from. The end results have such unique and beautiful textures, they will astound and delight!
(PREVIEW)

Forbidden Planets, Vol. 2: More Music From The Pioneers Of Electronic Sound by various

Another great find! This collection is full of wonderfully bizarre sounds, mostly from the 1950s. Two CDs, with lots of big names, as well as some lesser-knowns, all tinkering with the then-still-new technology of electronically produced sound. Anyone working on a science fiction action/adventure show would do well to comb these tracks for samples. This one is far out!
(PREVIEW)

Faces in the Rocks by Mariee Sioux

Just when I thought I had heard enough bamboo flute in the subway system to last me a lifetime, this record proves it can be perfectly haunting when done well. Mariee Sioux is a young singer-songwriter who is accompanied by a flute player and her dad on mandolin. Her dad? It's just too cute! But truthfully, the first time I heard the song "Wild Eyes," I listened to it about 50 times straight. Though she fits neatly into the folk tradition of Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez, there seems to me something very original here. The harmonies are laid in just so beautifully, and the poetry has a powerful and lyrical flow that indicates a real intuitive approach to combining words and music. And don't think her Native American flourishes are like going shopping for dream catchers and turquoise in Santa Fe. No, they are the exposed roots of her being. She takes you to the soul of the earth, where ancient spirits dance among the bones, weeping fire, "Trying to pull you back deep in their wooden womb of a hundred hearts hanging suspended, moth-eaten. Those muscles the size of your fist all floating around your head and throwing punches like we throw the stones to the bottom of river beds. Who knows who's next to watch from under the currents the rapids rapidly raging while we're rapidly blinking our wild wild eyes."

I'm listening again now — yes, it is still that good! I can't stop! Help! (PREVIEW)

Ancient Romans by Sun Araw

It's hallucinatory meditation for those not afraid to stare at the sun with their eyes open; the amplified sounds of bees making honey; the sonification of some far away orbital resonance; and a trip through time and space on a ship made entirely of effects pedals. Put all those together and you may just come close to this record. I could listen to this for hours!
(PREVIEW)

Weekend in America by Wolfgang Gartner

This is some solid electronic dance music here. If you like Deadmau5, or Plump DJs, you'll probably like this. Groovy and great!
(PREVIEW)

Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1 by Earth

Earth is back with their latest fair of twilight-sleep music that creeps along in what seems to be a row boat moving through the Dead Sea. Famous for their hypnotic drones, here they show they can dabble in slow grooves and melodies and still keep it as locked in as ever. I'm going to go to sleep to this tonight. I'll probably dream of being a Viking or something.
(PREVIEW)

Family of Love EP by Dom

Electro pop music for the kids! What makes this stand out for me is the way these synthy pop tunes build in to a veritable juggernaut of sound by the end. It's catchy yet massive.
(PREVIEW)

Book of David by DJ Quik

This is oooold school legit. Throws you back to that 70s funk sound ala early 90s Death Row Records. I think if George Clinton was a rapper, it would sound a little like this. Catchy catchy tunes.
(PREVIEW) (NSFW y'all, but neither were the 70s)

H-P1 by White Hills

OK, everyone make the sign of the horns, raise 'em to the sky, and crank this proto-metal sounding non-stop onslaught of bottom heavy riffs and rippin wah-pedal guitar solos. It reminds me of Hawkwind (seen here with Lemmy of Motorhead singing) with a little Sabbath thrown in. It's just an in-your-face kind of an album. I've got to keep my eyes out for these guys coming through on tour. Now that would be something to see!
(PREVIEW)

Welcome to Condale by Summer Camp

If seeing how much production you can possibly shove into a CD of 40 minutes or so, this is for you. That sounds bad I guess, but I love it! It's pop, but aggressively and unapologetically so. Beyond that something in the sound throws you back to around 1988. Good times!
(PREVIEW)

-TUNE IN NEXT MONTH-

Dance Your Face Off!: A Party Music Playlist

Anne Rouyer, Seward Park Library — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:14:19 -0500

So it’s been a mild winter and maybe snow has only just fallen, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still imagine ourselves in a tropical paradise: sipping fruity drinks and dancing our faces off! But what thump, thump, techno beats would we be dancing to underneath the stars? Luckily, I have just returned from Mexico where I was doing just that, and here’s what the DJs were spinning:

Wepa — Gloria Estefan

From her dance album Little Miss Havana, this song title is PR slang for “Cool,” “Yeah,” and “Go for It.” Miami based singer Gloria Estefan has been around a long time, so it’s great to see her back with a new electronic dance album. As for the song, it is impossible not to dance to and is even better played at a very loud volume.

Love You Like a Love Song — Selena Gomez

While I don’t consider myself a big Selena fan, this song — from When the Sun Goes Down —is pretty darn infectious, especially if there is a dance beat behind it. Confession time: I did see her film Monte Carlo in the movie theater, although at the time, I said I was seeing it “ironically.” If you’re not a Selena fan yet, you just may become one after listening.

On the Floor — Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull

I never thought I would say this: I’m not a JLo fan (at all), but I found myself dancing my face, arms, and legs off to this beat (from her 2011 album Love?). In fact, I think I jumped up on a lighted cube in the middle of the dance floor and just went crazy. I bet it will make you want to do the same!

Hello — Martin Solveig featuring Dragonette

This is a song you probably already know, but you just don’t know you know it. It’s all over TV and film... but have you danced to it in a club full of sweaty strangers all waving “hello” to each other? FYI Martin Solveig is a French DJ and music producer. Find the song on the Ultra Dance 12 compilation album.

We Found Love — Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris

You can’t escape RhiRhi! Just when I think I am over her, she comes out with another incredible album (Talk that Talk) and single. How can you not love it? The video is insane! The remixes are sick! It’s the kind of song that pulls you onto the dance floor even if it’s 2 a.m. and you are wasted from dancing all night. So come on, feel the euphoria.

Domino — Jessie J

I’m feeling sexy and free/ Like glitter is raining on me
With its infectious beat and killer hook, Domino always gets me in the mood for a party. This British songstress first made a name for herself performing on Saturday Night Live last year with her song Price Tag (featuring B.O.B.). Check out her full album Who You Are.

Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) — Kelly Clarkson

This song will totally make you want to take on the world and the dance floor. From her new album Stonger, add this single to the list of K.C. anthems, alongside "Since U Been Gone" and "My Life Would Suck Without You," that make you want to pump your fists and jump up and down — almost against your will.

Last Friday Night — Katy Perry

I know this is so summer 2011 of me! But listen: this song takes on a whole new life as it is blasted into the starlit sky at full volume, and you and a hundred other people are loudly chanting “T.G.I.F.!” For the uninitiated, it's from her 2010 album Teenage Dream. For even more old school Perry fun, listen to the Kaskade Club remix of "Teenage Dream" found on Ultra Dance 12.

When I Get You Alone — Blaine and the Warblers

Baby Girl, you the s***/ that makes you my equivalent
This list wouldn't be complete without a little Glee. Mainly because I listen to a lot of Glee — I totally want to marry Blaine! So get in line. I am love with the Glee presents The Warblers soundtrack, especially this track, a remake of a great hook-up song by Robin Thicke.

Music: Express Yourself @ NYPL

Joanne Conte, Morris Park — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 04:51:18 -0500

Music is the language that we all understand. Whether it be rock, opera, jazz or hip-hop, it's all music if it causes you to tap your foot, sing along, or makes you feel emotions you can't explain. I don't really know of anyone who doesn't enjoy some type of music. Lately, I must confess, I've been listening to corny Christmas tunes like Dominck The Donkey and Alvin and the Chipmunk's "Christmas Hula Hoop" song. But now that "Auld Lang Syne" and "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" have been put away until next December 31, it's time to reflect on the best music from this past year.

My absolute favorite is Adele's 21. Her style is sultry and full of angst in the style of great jazz artists like Billie Holliday.

Next on my list is Lady Antebellum's Own The Night, followed up by Taylor Swift's Speak Now. A little bit of country music brightens my day.

From country music back to pop soul, my next favorites are Amy Winehouse's Back to Black and Frank. Her untimely death left a deep fissure in the music world. Like Adele, her style was similar to the great ladies of jazz — smooth and sultry. Her lyrics really made you think.

My list also includes one of the great older artists, Tony Bennett. Bennett has been entertaining us for many years, but he never grows old and neither does his music. His latest Duets 2 features artists such as Queen Latifah, Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, and Carrie Underwood.

Last but not least, I would like to recommend Andrea Bocelli's Concerto: One Night In Central Park. The concert was held this past September, and Bocelli, who crooned with Celine Dion and Tony Bennett among others, sang with accompaniment by Chris Botti's trumpet and The New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

The New York Public Library embraces music. It has copies of popular music on CD in all of its neighborhood libraries. You can also access digital music from the Sony Music catalog through the Library's subscription to Freegal Music. Use the service to get up to three DRM-free MP3s a week. In addition, many rare types of music can be found at the Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Louis B. Cullman Center, which is located at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza. Over 40,000 songs from Broadway shows can be found there. The Library also features many wonderful programs from the world of music.

Morris Park Library hosts many wonderful music programs as well. On Wednesday, January 18 at 3:30 p.m., it will host The Diller-Quaille String Quartet. For ages 5 to 12 and any adult accompanied by a child!

Happy New Year to all, and may 2012 be one filled with great music and happy listening. If you would like to add to my list, go right ahead and comment at the end of this post. I'm always looking for musical suggestions. Ciao.

Best of Patron Requests: Music (2011 Year-End Edition)

Andy Wagstaff, Central Collection Development — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 05:46:21 -0500

The New York Public Library's Office of Central Collection Development fields dozens of requests to purchase new material from our patrons each month. It is a great way to enrich our collections and cover lesser-known titles and areas of interest. This list is a monthly compilation of my own personal favorite patron requests for music. I hope you will check out some of the great music that library users have suggested we acquire!

Provided are some great preview tracks for each. Just click on the titles to be taken to BiblioCommons, the Library's catalog.

This year-end list leans almost exclusively to releases of 2011. And as I like to ponder all concepts of the divine during the holidays, you may find some of that coming through in my reviews. God help us!

Six Suites for Solo Cello by J.S. Bach, performed by Winona Zelenka.

FIND OF THE MONTH!

Honestly, outside of the Casals interpretations, I've never had the need for any other. I've tried, believe me, but they always just sent me running back to Pablo. It was he, after all, who had rescued the pieces from obscurity when, as a child, he found a beaten up old copy of the pieces in a thrift shop (no manuscript exists of these pieces); he who had practiced the pieces every day for decades before recording them; and he who had declared Bach "the supreme genius of music" and that music itself was God's way of communicating beauty to the human heart. But as much as I love every crackle and hiss of those early-era recordings, I wanted to find a newer interpretation of these pieces just to fully enjoy the transparency of more modern recording techniques. But what can I do when every interpretation I hear is immediately judged on the grounds of how it measures up to Casals? Well, patiently wait for the right one to come along I suppose. And now it has! In truth, Zelenka's interpretations are not far off from Casals. They have a similar dynamic range, similarly impressive organic phrasing, and similar wonderfully subtle variances of tempo between phrases. Though no one can beat Casals to the punch of a good double-stop, several have tried too hard to do so. Zelenka chooses to tone down the drama, not only at the double stops but throughout, which surprisingly adds a tangible flow and cohesion to the pieces as a whole, giving them softer edges. It works so beautifully! I have never before heard an interpretation of these pieces noticeably different from Casals, yet so artistic and enjoyable in their own right. This is indeed God's way of communicating beauty to the human heart. (PREVIEW)

Mazes by Moon Duo.

Moon Duo is Krautrock for the new century. Each song chugs along with such confidence, it just sounds like it's always been playing. I want to be in a car with my friends, between semesters, driving across the country to cities where we know people and can stay for free, eating out of cans we stole from our parents' pantries (I will never eat creamed corn again!), listening to this record with the windows rolled down. (PREVIEW)

The Music Scene by Blockhead.

Wait, did I already use the adjective "chug"? Oh man! OK then, how about trip-hop? Fringe beat? Groove train? Put together by New York's own Blockhead, it's got some out there samples, but it's all put together to make your head bob. Very catchy! And this video's going to massage your mind too. (PREVIEW)

Danger by The Lijadu Sisters.

This is a re-issue of an album put out by Nigerian twin sisters in 1976. It is in the Afrobeat tradition, which already combines elements of traditional African music with the more American sounds of jazz and funk; but this recording goes a little further in its borrowing from funk... and even disco! (PREVIEW)

Slave Ambient by The War On Drugs.

It's like being reminded of something, something vague, but you can't remember exactly what. It's more driving music... I've got to get me a car! (PREVIEW)

Bloodline by Tardy Brothers.

Hey remember when Jesus of Nazareth said "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts which never gave suck.' Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us;' and to the hills, 'Cover us.' For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?"

Well, these guys add distorted power chords and a few guitar solos to cut through 2,000 years of religious dogma and cultural drift; but the message, dear friends, is the same. Weep for yourselves and for your children! (PREVIEW)

What A Pleasure by Beach Fossils.

Whew — just in time! The Beach Fossils come along to rescue us from all that weeping in fear that the Tardy Brothers brought on. With their dreamy reverb and laid-back clang (I will swear right here and now, without even searching, that that guitar is a Fender Telecaster!), they remind me of a slightly more psychedelic, early R.E.M. You know... before whats-his-name got all holier-than-thou. It is a reminder that art can still be about making something beautiful, and beautifully simple. (PREVIEW)

Walk of Shame by Nikki Lane.

What?! OK, somebody is kidding me. This record came out in 2011. Recall the early 1970s, when country music was crossing over into the main stream? Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty, Tammy Wynette, and Altman's Nashville? Well Nikki Lane does, and she miraculously pulls it off. I personally like a lot of country from that era, and if someone played this song without me knowing any better, I would have dated it to around 1973. (PREVIEW)

This May Be My Last Time Singing by Various.

Subtitled "Raw African-American Gospel on 45rpm 1957-1982," you can imagine the diversity you get on a collection that spans that much time. There are some surprises on here (like, is there a drum machine on this one?), but every track is really great. If somebody knows a church nearby that sounds like this, please let me know and I'll start going. It would make my parents very happy. (PREVIEW)

Glimmer by Jacaszek.

Michel Jacaszek is a Polish electroacoustic musician who combines traditional instrumentation with digitally evolving crackles and dust to evoke the first day of creation. The day God separated the land from the waters (or was that the second day?) ... or if you prefer, the day nature itself brought forth out of the primordial ooze the first breaths of organic life. It is haunting and foggy, dark and mysterious... like when the apostle Paul said, "for now we see through a glass, darkly." This is the audio equivalent of that. (PREVIEW)

Replica by Oneohtrix Point Never.

This is just some strange, ambient, electronic soundscapes... probably what robots listen to on their days off. (PREVIEW)

We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves by John Maus.

Gary Newman wishes he sounded like this! Maus has the same heavy use of synthesizers, but manages to somehow sound much larger and epic, projecting his voice to the lonely edges of the universe. (PREVIEW)

TUNE IN NEXT MONTH!

Best of Patron Requests: Music (November 2011 Edition)

Andy Wagstaff, Central Collection Development — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:10:30 -0500

This list is a monthly compilation of my own personal favorite patron requests for music. I hope you will check out some of the great music that library users have suggested we acquire!

Provided are some great preview tracks for each. Just click on the titles to be taken to the Catalog.

The Catalogue by Kraftwerk

Find of the month! Kraftwerk's 1981 studio album Computer World is one of my all-time favorites, especially the B-side (does anyone know what that is?) with its no-track-lead-in, continuous play format. This is modernism — futurism even: an embracing of the machine as the aesthetic ideal for which to strive. But who would care if the robots didn't come through in the end with something undeniably beautiful, lonely, and yes, human. Ah, don't let me put words into a robot's mouth. If you don't know about Kraftwerk, you probably wouldn't like it. The point is, how could I have let this box set of remasters pass me by? One of my favorite groups waits two or three decades to throw their robot hats into the remastering arena, and I almost missed it? This series is freaking phenomenal! If you are a Kraftwerk fan, I urge you to check this out. It is not just Computer World, mind you, but all eight albums from 1974's Autobahn to 2003's Tour De France soundtracks. And wouldn't you know it, the new life in these mixes, the flourishes jumping out anew here and there, is made even more impressive by its machine-like discipline to subtlety. So here we have it folks, the end-all be-all of emotionally evocative electronic music made even more vibrant with a (fairly) new remastered version: RIGHT HERE: (Preview)

First Take by Roberta Flack

I was floored by this album! It ranks among the most subtle jazz albums of all time. Why I'm not saving it for its own "Great Albums" blog entry is beyond me. With Flack accompanying herself on the piano, and a one Mr. Ron Carter on bass, there is not a weak track on this whole offering. The ensemble has a sound that is completely natural and unforced, and it is hard not to marvel at the utter perfection of every note laid out by Carter's bass; but it is Flack's voice that catapults it into the realms of magic. It's just an unbelievable thing to hear. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is well-known, but lesser so are the equally stirring "Hey That's Now Way To Say Goodbye" (by Leonard Cohen), "Our Ages or Our Hearts," and "Angelitos Negros." More surprising still are the swinging numbers like "Tryin' Times" and "Compared to What," hitting the listener with timeless messages that seem as relevant today as they must have been in 1969: "'Cuz folks wouldn't have to suffer if there was more love for you brother, but these are tryin' times." (Preview)

Abacabok by Tartit

This is definitely the most unique request of the month. It was put out by Malinese refugees who had been sent to a refugee camp in Burkina Faso. Although this speaks of a people that rely on music to get through horrifically hard times, what they do with their voices is the impressive part. I've never heard anything quite like it. If the gods of old exist, certainly this conjures them. (Preview)

Within and Without by Washed Out

Down tempo, dreamy, and hypnotic, the production elements on the album evoke the sound of the sky when looking at the most beautiful electronic sunset you've ever seen. It's near-flawless in its execution. (Preview)

Dillanthology3 by J Dilla

J Dilla was a Hip-Hop producer who worked with pretty much any rapper who could get him. He approached the common Hip-Hop element of sampling like a true artist, weaving often lesser-known and under-used sources into a pastiche of infectious block-rockin beats. It just worked! And it still works. He is almost always included in best producers of all-time lists. He showed us what sampling could and should be, and what great Hip-Hop production sounds like. J Dilla, may you Rest In Beats. (Preview)

Master of Reality by Black Sabbath

OK, so Black Sabbath is not exactly in need of being rescued from the jaws of obscurity; but this album, its third, is in fact a little lesser known than it's two juggernaut predecessors. From its love song to marijuana to the track that would provide the blueprint to the "stoner rock" genre decades later ("Into the Void"), it reveals what I consider to be the hippy-dippy side of the Sabb'. Take "Into the Void": it's not that they want to be dark and foreboding, it's that a world gone awry has made them that way. The lyrics suggest all of us who would prefer a world based on peace, love, and happiness should build a rocket ship and leave this world of pollution, sin, and hate to find "another world where freedom waits." Then there is "After Forever," a song that seems to make the case for believing in God; and perhaps the loneliest song ever recorded by a metal band, "Solititude" (and yes, that is Ozzy on vocals). (Preview)

What It Is: Funky Soul and Rare Grooves by various

This 4-CD monster compilation of funk grooves from the late 60s and early 70s is everything a good comp should be: the tracks are remastered for a fuller sound without being heavy-handed or taking away from the original; the mostly rare tracks (with a sprinkling of familiar tracks) do not sound like they belong on the cutting room floor, but that they really should see the light of day; it's arranged chronologically; and it is not limited to one label. Other comps take note: this is how it should be done. Just a ton of great tunes, many of which I'll bet you hadn't heard. (Preview)

PRATIBHA RAGA YAMAN KALYAN by Pandit Nikhil Banerjee

This is a beautiful and moving recording of Indian sitar and tabla music. (Preview)

The Journey by Tina Guo

Is there any style or genre the cello can't tackle? Guo's latest CD answers with a resounding "NO!" From softly orchestrated chamber music to industrial metal, from showing off her abilities for speed to ethereal drones, she seems to want to demonstrate this simple truth: the cello can do anything she asks of it. (Preview)

Wicked Will by the Ettes

There's nothing like a good revival, especially if the deity invoked is 60s garage rock! What separates the Ettes from other garage rock revivalists is they sound less like on homage band and more like a band that stepped into a time machine in 1965 and somehow transported to today, complete with that era's style, production values, and attitude. Great stuff! (Preview)

TUNE IN NEXT MONTH!

Lower East Side Heritage Film Series, Season 2, Part 2 - Punk'd and Drunk'd

Sean Ferguson, Seward Park Library — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 05:43:23 -0500

Did you miss CBGB?
I did. Well, I should say I missed it in its heyday.

By the time I landed in New York City, the iconic establishment was just a tired bar living off the fumes of its former glories. Listen, I am certainly glad to have made the pilgrimage a handful of times and experienced it well before John Varvatos moved in, but the energy and congregation of locals that helped cultivate a movement of music that still resonates to this day was long gone. All that remained were the aromatics of misguided booze, beer, and smokes... and, of course, their infamous urinals. So before the tears (of regret or nostalgia) begin to well up, we have a way to relive this vibrant moment with the help of some NYU film school students who had enough foresight to film the local drinking hole and music venue in 1977, capturing the sights and sounds of a legend in the making.

We are pleased to offer the following films on Tuesday, December 6, 2011 at 6:30 p.m.

Second part in the series:

Punking Out (1978, 20 min., 16mm)
Punking Out documents the beginning of the punk rock movement in New York City at CBGB's and the lifestyle that revolves around this scene. It presents a sometimes shocking look at the attitudes and motivations behind the movement through interviews with outspoken club-goers and band members of the Ramones, Richard Hell and the Voidoids, and the Dead Boys.

Wino (c.1970s, 30 min., 16mm)
New York art film pioneer Jack Smith brings his camera to the Bowery and other LES locations, filming the homeless and interacting with them.

Punking Out and Wino photos courtesy of the Reserve Film and Video Collection of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Punking Out has been preserved with funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

This is a FREE monthly series held at Seward Park Library. Documentary and feature films (both 16mm and DVD) shot on location in lower Manhattan are presented the first Tuesday of every month.

Previously: Lower East Side Heritage Film Series, Season 2, Part 1

Woman of the year… J. Lo

Rickey Collado, Parkchester Library — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:16:48 -0500

This has been the come back year for mega superstar Jennifer Lopez. Not only has she graced the pages of some of the top-selling magazines such as Vogue, People and Glamour to name a few, she has also become a judge in the award winning reality television show American Idol.

Fans got to see Lopez weekly and in a different light mentoring young talent and encouraging contestants to follow their dreams. Jennifer Lopez also released her highly anticipated new studio album Love?. The album Love? has done well on the music charts and her first music video of the album “On the Floor” has gotten over 250 million views on YouTube.

The Bronx native recently took center stage at the American Music Awards 2011 where she stole the show with her high energy performance showing the world that she still has the killer moves.

Columbia Records Manufacturing Process: 1946

John Coakley, Intern, Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:24:52 -0500

The photographs that you see here were taken on a tour of the Bridgeport, CT Columbia Records factory in 1946. They provide a fascinating look at how music was reproduced in those days. The records we see being made, inspected, and shipped in these images are 10 inch discs that would have been played at a speed of 78 RPM. Today collectors refer to them by their speed - "78s" - but back then they were simply called records.

1946 was approaching the end of one era of record production and the beginning of another. In two years — and in this very plant — Columbia would begin producing the first commercially viable Long-Playing, 33 1/3 RPM, 12 inch records (LPs). Unlike the typical one song per side limitation of 78s, a number of popular songs or a full movement of a classical piece could now be heard in one sitting, without interruption. In 1949, RCA Victor introduced the 7 inch 45 RPM single, and the format war was on.

Curiously, RCA Victor had already created a different version of the 33 1/3 RPM LP in 1930, but it failed to catch on with the public, in part because the Depression had inhibited consumer interest in new technologies. That early version of the LP was still commonly used for commercial purposes, especially as a means of recording radio programs for later broadcast.

Both the LP and the 45 were made of vinyl, unlike the 78s that we see here, which were made from shellac. Both materials have their pro and cons: vinyl records are flexible and capable of higher fidelity but the surface is easily marred by scratches or even direct sunlight, while records made from shellac are less prone to scratches but are comparatively heavy and brittle.

Technology in the recording studio was on the cusp of changing as well. Magnetic tape had yet to become the recording norm; instead, music was directly translated to the grooves of a lacquer or acetate record by a special needle that actually cut the grooves as the performance happened, hence the musical slang term for recording: "cutting sides."

The lacquer or acetate disc was then placed in the aptly named gold sputtering machine, an electroplating apparatus that would coat the lacquer with a very fine layer of gold, creating a negative, convex impression of the record’s grooves. Then thicker layers of nickel and copper were added to the disc in electroplating baths, and when the desired strength was achieved, the lacquer disc was carefully stripped away from the metal and the gold surface would be plated with nickel. That would become the master disc, also known as the matrix. From that disc a few so-called mother discs would be created, providing the molds for a large number of “stampers” that would be used to actually press the grooves into blank, pre-cut rounds of shellac. But even then the manufacturing process was far from complete, as these photographs will show.

The following images, as well as a few other interesting artifacts, are currently on display on the third floor of the Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.

The Sixties: An Era of Pop Cultural Revolution in America

Raymond Pun, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, General Research Division — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 09:32:27 -0500

What do The Rolling Stones , The Supremes, The Beach Boys , Elvis Presley, The Velvet Underground, and Woodstock have in common? They were cultural symbols and products of the Sixties. The Sixties gave birth to a popular culture in film and music that reflected and influenced the decade's social upheavals: the rise of Cold War politics, civil rights movements, student protests, and the Vietnam war all profoundly affected American society and culture.

At NYPL, we have a huge collection of books, films, and music from and about the 1960s relating to history, politics, culture, sociology, literature, etc. You can find them all in our new Library catalog: BiblioCommons. You can review, rate or tag the items you have recently viewed and share them with others. The quickest way to find films and music at NYPL is in the catalog: search by TITLE or by KEYWORD, and then switch the formats to DVD for movies or Music CD for music. If you are researching this time period, search under SUBJECT and type or copy/paste "United States -- History -- 1961-1969" for a list of collection relating to that period. You can also narrow down your search by location.

If you are researching archival and manuscript collections from the 1960s, consider searching the Find Archival Materials Tool, where several divisions in the research libraries store these collections.

The NYPL also recently acquired the papers of the influential psychologist and author Timothy Leary, "whose advocacy of the use psychedelic substances to promote psychological well-being, increased creativity, and spiritual renewal made him a key figure in the counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s." Read more >>

Legendary guitarist Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones came to LIVE from the NYPL on October 29, 2010, to give a talk about his new memoir, Life. Watch the conversation online >>

To honor the legacy and impact of popular culture of the Sixties in America, NYPL will host a free public program on Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at 6 p.m. in South Court Auditorium at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.

This public program will highlight some of the key developments in popular film and music and consider the role of political and social factors in shaping popular culture, as well as the impact of pop culture on society. Author Tom Lisanti will explore some of the popular films from the Sixties beach movie genre, such as Beach Party, Ride the Wild Surf, and Beach Blanket Bingo, while Professor and Musician Susan Schmidt Horning will discuss popular music from Motown to Woodstock. After the presentations, a conversation will be moderated by Professor Joan DelFattore, one of NYPL's Allen Room scholars and a specialist in American culture.

We hope you can join us for this exciting conversation on popular movies and music of the Sixties!

Learn More About:

Requesting and holding items at NYPL >>

NYPL's new catalog, BiblioCommons >>

Social movements in America >>

A blog post about rock n' roll in the Sixties

NYPL's research collections on music and film at the Library for the Performing Arts >>

The Sixties Pop Culture Series on PBS >>

I'm With the Band: Muses, Groupies, and the Go-To Guys

Sally Speller, Mid-Manhattan Library — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 08:08:58 -0500

When I was a child in the 1960s and 70s, I was convinced that everybody was having a good time but me... As it turns out, I was right!

This was rock's Golden Age, a hedonistic time of "sex and drugs and rock and roll" (when no one knew any better), a time that produced some of the most amazing popular music of the 20th century.

Here are a few of the best books by people who hobnobbed with rock and roll royalty — the wives and girlfriends, the groupies, and the go-to guys, those indispensable fellows (and gals) who "managed" things, without whom good times could not be had...

Wonderful Tonight, by Pattie Boyd

Boyd, married to George Harrison and then to Eric Clapton, inspired the songs "Wonderful Tonight," "Something," "Layla," and "Bell Bottom Blues." Although much admired, Boyd wasn't exactly treated well by those who said they loved her. This autobiography is a poignant example of just how unprepared young women were for the changes that swept the world in the 1960s and 70s.

Faithfull, by Marianne Faithfull

Marianne Faithfull! I've been fascinated by her for as long as I can remember. Her singing career began in 1964, with "As Tears Go By." In 1966, she became Mick Jagger's girlfriend, inspiring such Rolling Stones songs as "You Can't Always Get What You Want," and "Wild Horses." Her song, "Sister Morphine," was covered by Jagger and Richards on their Sticky Fingers album. She has been a working stage and screen actor since 1967, and continues to record and perform some of the best music around. This is an extraordinary memoir by a remarkable woman.

Backstage Passes, by Angela Bowie

Having been briefly acquainted with Bowie during my Danceteria days in the early 80s, I can safely say I'm not surprised she didn't become the rock star she wanted to be... That said, for reasons known only to the gods, she was David Bowie's perfect Muse — his best work was done while they were together. This book was published after a court-ordered gag rule expired. A good read, if taken with a grain of salt.

I'm With the Band, by Pamela Des Barres

Miss Des Barres is one of the most famous of the wave of young women who pursued relationships with rock musicians in the 1960s and 70s. A member of Frank Zappa's GTOs (Girls Together Outrageously), she had liasons with Jimmy Page, Chris Hillman, Keith Moon, Mick Jagger, and Jim Morrison, among others. This book, written in a sincere and exuberant voice, marked the beginning of an onslaught of kiss and tell memoirs, and legitimized the term "groupie." She really loved them all! (Read more about Des Barres and her favorite books in Marie's blog post from last November!)

Miss O'Dell, by Chris O'Dell

O'Dell stepped into the world of rock royalty when she took a job at the Beatles' London Apple headquarters in 1968. A trusted employee and confidant — her role often a cross between groupie and manager — she lived for a while at Friar Park with Pattie and George Harrison, and then at Hurtwood Edge with Eric Clapton. She worked for the Rolling Stones during their 1972 tour, and, after that, became Bob Dylan's tour manager. This book is the ultimate insider's look at a fascinating, vanished time.

Up and Down with the Rolling Stones, by Tony Sanchez

"Spanish Tony" Sanchez met the Rolling Stones in swinging 60s London, and eventually ended up working for Keith Richards, first at Redlands, and then at Nellcote in the south of France during the recording of Exile on Main Street, as a bodyguard, drug-procurer, and general dogsbody. He was a friend to all of the Stones' important women: Marianne Faithfull, Anita Pallenberg, and Bianca Jagger. This is the first, and the best, account by an insider about life with the Rolling Stones.

Under Their Thumb, by Bill German

German was the ultimate fan. From 1978 to 1993, he published the Rolling Stones fanzine Beggar's Banquet, getting to know the Stones pretty well along the way. An "innocent abroad," his observations of the band are fresh and honest, especially when describing his friendships with Ron Wood and Keith Richards. A great chronicle of the Stones' New York years.

For a fabulous collection of photos from this amazing time in popular culture, check out one of my favorite blogs, dietcokeandsympathy.blogspot.com.

The #WUSEUM

Steve Herman, Dongan Hills Library — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:23:27 -0400

Here at Dongan Hills Library, we have formed a #WUSEUM... a collection of material relating to all things Wu-Tang Clan. The collection of CDs, DVDs, and books associated with the Staten Island rap group is curated by Dongan Hills Library staff members Imer Ardolic and Steve Herman. Many of the items in our #WUSEUM are highlighted in this list!

The #WUSEUM was formed after our Library Twitter (@awesomelibrary) participated in a conversation with other Twitter users about the Wu-Tang Clan. Feeling inspired by the Twitterverse, we decided to make a display that highlights material by, or about the Wu, in our Library. Materials range from music and books by or about the group and its prolific members, movies that feature members of Wu-Tang, and books and movies that inspired the group and the themes of their music (kung fu movies, chess books, etc.). We connected our Tweets with the physical display by naming the display with the hashtag, #WUSEUM.

The @awesomelibrary often Tweets pictures of the #WUSEUM to members of the Wu-Tang Clan, and invites them to stop by to check it out. Sometimes they retweet us, which is pretty cool. Hopefully, one day they will actually come by to see it...