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12:13 a.m. - February 10, 2007
My Wish List - Help Me Peeps!
Hello, denizen�s of Smed�s Corner.

It�s a weekend and you know, it�s still cold and snowy. Of course, instead of being nestled safely in Indiana, I�m on the road to Chicago, leaving at 6AM for a meeting near O�Hare that will last most of the day, and staying the night so I don�t die in a ball of fire on the Kennedy, the Dan Ryan, or the Skyway. That would back up traffic quite a bit.

I have a lot of neat stuff planned for next week � some lyric deconstructions, the revelation of the love / hate mix, family stuff (of course), and you never know when I�ll get the urge to be silly.

Wait, yes, yes you do.

Just a shout out to everyone � I�ve had an average of 90 unique hits and well over 100 page views over the past three weeks on weekdays. You all rock!

I think I�ve picked iTunes clean for the most part over the past few weeks in this new year of 2007, and right now there�s nothing out there new beckoning my name (unless some of you have recommendations). They finally released (or I just found) some things on iTunes by Pete Townshend, the Ohio Express (because every one needs �Chewy Chewy� and �Sweeter Than Sugar�, admit it), and Brenton Wood, and picked up some other stuff pretty randomly (Steve Forbert, Linda Rondstadt, The Shaggs, Triumph, Chris Rea, etc.)

And there�s word on the street that Apple records is going to allow the Beatles on iTunes, and hopefully this means more Apple artists on there as well, like Badfinger, Billy Preston, Jackie Lomax and the first James Taylor album.

But there are still a lot of things missing that I want need MUST own, and some things that I really want to look into. But this boy hasn�t been able to buy them.

So, Nixtress (locked) (and I thank her yet again), came up huge and sent me �Der Kommisar� by Falco, and all es klar Herr Kommisar. (Or whatever�like I know German)

Here�s YOUR chance to help a Smed out. There will be great rewards, perhaps, maybe, could be, we�ll see.

So, here�s my wish list, as of this Saturday, February 10, 2007.

20/20 and The Records � They�ve been in my Amazon recommended list for the longest time, and yes, I know I can go buy the whole CDs, but I want to sample before I buy and, well, iTunes is perfect for that. I love me some power pop, especially 80�s power pop. Anyone have anything by these groups?

Yes - Close To The Edge - Again, I can just buy the darn CD, but why does iTunes only have the BONUS cuts available for purchase, and not the actual album?

The Rainmakers � A funny rootsy-ish band that made two pretty decent records in the 1980�s, and had some airplay with �Let My People Go-Go� and �Government Cheese�. Yet, there�s nothing from that classic era on iTunes, and I wonder if they ever did get released on CD after all. Also missing, though not as vital, is the Unforgiven�s, �I Hear The Call�.

Neil Sedaka � His early stuff is represented, but his �comeback� material is not there. I have �Bad Blood�, but I�m itching for �Laughter In The Rain� for karaoke purposes, of course.

Classix Nouveau � The song �Guilty� is on a lot of 80�s compilations that flit in and out of print, so someone MAY have this out there.

Wire � The early albums aren�t there. I have Pink Flag but the other two have some gems that I�d like to cull.

The Move � It was criminal that the USA never embraced The Move (which I could have written about in my UK vs US screed yesterday), and now it�s doubly criminal that they don�t exist on iTunes. I have two early singles thanks to a Nuggets compilation but I want more!

Fabulous Thunderbirds � The first four T-Birds albums all have choice cuts, and one, �How Do You Spell Love�, would definitely fit on my �Money� mix. They have the later stuff and some comps, but the early stuff is the best stuff when they were more blues oriented and pure.

The Lime Spiders � Oh, Australia! We loved their gritty, neo-punk skuzzball sounds on the college radio station I worked at in the 80�s. Sigh�

The Swimming Pool Q�s � I see they have a reunion record of sorts available, but none of their great 80�s new wavish pop that they recorded for A & M. I saw them open for Lou Reed, and the cut �Celestion� was breathtaking.

The 77�s � I think they morphed into a religious band, or were already there and I didn�t catch it, but they released one mid-80�s album (The Seventy Sevens) that had �Can�t Get Over It�, which is just chilling and awesome in 14,901 ways.

Scruffy The Cat � I, unfortunately, have vinyl of their EP and first album, and I don�t know if they ever were on CD or not. They�re not on iTunes � not that I can find. Everyone needs to hear �My Baby She�s Allright� at least ONCE in their life.

Shellac � I�m not surprised that Albini hasn�t allowed their stuff on iTunes. I was a purist and had several singles and their first two albums on vinyl, but, um, Steve, my turntable is broken and I want me some Shellac.

1910 Fruitgum Company � They finally have �Simon Says�, but now please add �Indian Giver� and �1-2-3 Red Light�. Thanks.

The Sugar Bears � Sure, you could get the single on the back of Super Sugar Crisp, but that doesn�t mean that �You Are The One� wasn�t a fine song. Kim Carnes was Honey Bear, and besides Sugar and Honey, the bassist and drummer were Shoo-be and Doobie. Duuuude.

Ultravox � They have an Ultravox / Midge Ure collection, but that doesn�t help in getting album tracks and any stuff from the John Foxx era. Any UK help would be appreciated.

Squeeze � Some compilations, but I only have UK Squeeze on vinyl and I only had a dubbed cassette of Sweets From A Stranger and there are some key songs off of those records that I would like.

Leon Redbone � This is odd that you can get a couple of full, or almost full albums, but the one song that I remember (at least) you can�t get on iTunes. �Seduced� was a minor hit and he did it on SNL, so why isn�t it there?

Charlie Dore � Anyone remember �Pilot Of The Airwaves�. It�s fading from my memory, but it was a pleasant pop song and I�d love to tuck it into my collection.

Steve Miller Band � His iTunes catalog is less than complete. He did make some clunker albums, but they should be available for fans like me to pick over the bones. Plus �Heart Like A Wheel� and �Circle Of Love� are fine tracks as well.

Peter Brown � Am I the only one who boogied to �Do You Wanna Get Funky With Me� back in the 70�s? The menacing synths and backing vocals really set the tone for the song. I always loved that AND �Heaven On The Seventh Floor�, and I have one but not the other.

Jan And Dean � Another mystery is why I can�t get a legitimate copy of �Surf City� on iTunes.

Phantom, Rocker, and Slick � I finally found �The Knife Feels Like Justice�, probably the best song that Brian Setzer ever wrote. Yet, this short lived spin off from the Stray Cats had one or two pretty decent cuts, and it�s not there.

Well, cats, there�s my wish list. Any help would be much appreciated. As always, stay WARM this weekend and rock and roll all day and all night, no matter where you are.

 

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