Moron Enterprises

You can soon grab the entire Beatles’ back catalog on iTunes. The deal has been made between Apple Computer and Apple Corps, the Beatles’ corporation that manages their music catalog. Paul McCartney will receive 400 million dollars out of this deal. I’d wager he is still receiving royalties on top of that initial sum. He needs the cash, because a portion of that is going to that bitch, Heather Mills, as their divorce settlement continues. Although dollar amounts are not mentioned, I’m sure Ringo and the estates of the other Beatles made out like bandits too.

I believe they completely deserve every cent they get. They revolutionized music, and no one does their music justice but them. I hope this will spread their music to a wider audience, because I’m tired of hearing the crap that is on the airwaves as of late.

Back in the 80’s when you made a mix tape for a girl, it was something special. Of course the 80’s would have been Bert and Ernie sing the hits or Chipmunks’ Christmas for me, but I digress. The music didn’t matter so much. It was the time and effort. You had to select songs, manually rewind your tapes to the correct track, and then record each song in real time. It probably took three solid hours to fill one side of the 90-minute tape, especially after all the decorating of the tape with stars and hearts.

The same sentiment is not there anymore. You drag and drop to build a playlist in iTunes and hit the “Burn” button. Where’s the effort? The effort isn’t the only thing that is missing. There is something so nostalgic about the cassette tape. While it’s not the same as the cassette tape, you can bring some of the nostalgia back with these great floppy disk looking compact discs. They store less than traditional discs, because of their shape. While it still takes very little time to put together a mix on a CD like this, the price tag of $8.00 per disc for a pack of four shows the love is there.

I picked up some new music this weekend and I thought I’d share my thoughts on these albums.

Smashing Pumpkin’s new album, Zeitgeist, is one of the albums I picked up. “Smashing Pumpkins’ first CD in 7 years” was written on the packaging, and you know what? It’s about time. If you like The Smashing Pumpkins, you will like this album. The familiar distortion that is The Smashing Pumpkins’ signature sound comes through in many of the tracks. Also, in typical Pumpkins fashion the guitar levels are turned up way high and the vocals come in as almost background tracks in many of the tracks. This album is good but definitely not ground breaking. If you’re a fan of Billy Corgan’s work with The Smashing Pumpkins, it’s worth a listen just to hear some new stuff.

Another album I picked up is Hot Hot Heat’s latest album, Happiness Ltd. I have heard this album previously through a friend that works in the music industry. He has had a copy of this album for quite a while and only let me hear it. I couldn’t get a copy of it, because it was watermarked. I’ve been waiting for this album to appear on store shelves for quite a while. This album is great. While it showcases the same whiney vocals that Hot Hot Heat fans are so familiar with, it is much more mellow than their last release. I believe it will probably be enjoyed and accepted more so by the masses more. This is an album I recommend you guys pick up.

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I have head a few tunes stuck in my head for a while now, but unlike the song from FAO Schwartz, I am not ready to tear my hair out. Take a listen to the songs if you can get your hands on them.

The Vines - The Factory. I love the bass in this song.
Brand New - The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows
The Strokes - Automatic Stop
Muse - Starlight

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