On and on and on and on and on...

Or what we'll call Jer's Super-Favs Part II.

I suppose that I should mention Foo Fighters' Aurora, which I didn't really consider for the list of Super-Favs until just this week. But it should be there. It's a song that always gets there.

Jumping Way Way Forward ---> P

I don't have much to say about Ella Fitzgerald so I'm going to post a random thought. Something which won't be relevent until I hit Prince sometime late in the year (or early '06), but which I may forget to post at that time.

Here it is: I've never understood what he exactly means by P Control. I understand that it's a person and of course, we know that "P" is for Pussy. But what the hell is the philosophy that I'm supposed to take away with me at the end of this song?

Let's discuss sometime.

Beatles Still Livin' Large.

It's worth a follow up post to let you know that I absolutely loved that Filter CD and was soaked in disappointment when it ended. (Though I'm positive that it ended at just the right point and at just the right length...leaving them wanting more, as they say.)

Now, since we've already bandied about Beatles comparisons with Crowded House, I thought I should let you know that the last Filter track (Miss Blue) was everything I was looking for when I went listening for Beatles influences in Crowded House. This track was, in almost every way for me, a lost Beatles outtake - and from such a totally unexpected source. The harmonies were there. The dribbling (and exotic) percussion seemed to roll over itself again and again. The whole package was wrapped in that slow, measured, lots-of-gas-and-lots-of-time-to-get-there pace. It's a really, really good song, but as an album closer, it was divine. I listened to it twice. It's even forced me to re-think how I plan to compile the Blitzeroo highlights (they were originally going to be chronological of course) to ensure that this track finds its rightful place at the conclusion of a collection.

And then, almost as if they overheard the Beatles homage, along came the follow-up Finn Brothers appearance. An appearance, by the way, which can stand head and shoulders with a Crowded House album any day of the week. It was a really fine listen.

So it was that I was on a real tear this afternoon. It was one of those spots where the Blitzeroo sprang back to life like Raph after he's got through the late-night crankies and found his second wind...

Faith No More or Less.

Can we take a moment to jimmy-jam about disc 5? I'm talking now about Hold It Right There, Freaks which is the sort of odds and ends collection of your Faith No More run. Emphasis on the odds.

It did occur to me somewhere in the middle of disc 4 (that's King For a Day Plus) that none of the truly freakish Faith No More tunes that I remembered from the Flash days had shown up yet. Except for Easy, of course. It was at this point that I started getting tired of the rawk and clammering for some oompa-loompa tunes or something else left of centre. Spanish Eyes and the rarities that followed were perfect. I still enjoy said oompa-loompa tune considerably.

But then things went off the tracks as Faith No More went live. This must be where a Blitz becomes a terribly personal thing because I simply couldn't find it in me to enjoy the thin-production of a bunch of live tunes I didn't recognize. I realize these tracks may be your FNM dessert; a clutch of real gems to find and put to disc. [Lord knows I have a few questionable Prince boots to come and I think you may be in store for a similar dose of (uninvited) Tom Waits rarities in 2009.] But for me, listening to the last half of Hold It Right There, Freaks was akin to spending time alone with someone else's group of friends. A lot of jokes I don't understand. A lot of short-hand language that means nothing to the outsider. And that AM-quality reception just made it harder and harder to engage.

And then things got stranger. As if the live performances weren't elusive enough, those last few tracks were simply bizarre. I think I heard some live covers of the Star Wars soundtrack and a Loverboy cover. But who can be sure. I felt for a minute like I was picking up radio from another planet. You'll have to give me some background on that planet one day...

So when all is said and done (and I *did* enjoy Faith No More, please understand) it may surprise you to know that the best part of the Faith No More streak was the astonishing introduction of Filter, the band that followed and a group that I know absolutely nothing about. I love the Whale-ish power chords. I'm very much looking forward to continuing that CD when I get in the car tomorrow AM.

In the Absense of a Recent Blog...

...I thought an update was in order.

I'm certainly not ignoring the blog. In fact, the truth is that I've had very little time to blitz in the last few weeks as 1) I was in Saskatoon for a few days and coupled with the holiday long weekend, that translated into almost a full week without the blitz and, 2) the commute has been shrinking in this summer-time traffice. Still I'm spending enough time on the roads to get through a few CDs a week, which is a fair pace.

I'm in the midst of a Faith No More dance party right now and am enjoying it quite a bit. Sadly though, I don't really have any thoughts on to share with you. I have no track listings for one thing so the entire experience is sort of bleeding together. And as much as I like the band, I haven't heard anything yet worth shouting about. (One track did show up which I think I recognized from an old Flash movie - highly probably, I know - but I can't be sure which one it was.)

But I'll shout if something exciting happens. That's all you get this morning.