MOG - vannatta's Posts

My Remix of Dub Colossus

vannatta — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:40:32 GMT

Decided to Remix the Dub Colossus song, Sima Edy ... on Peter Gabriel's Real World Remixed site, and created a stripped down minimalist approach - rearranging heavily,

I have embedded the code below, but please head over to to the site, and vote for me - comment etc... with enough votes, it gets in to the hands of the man himself, for final voting.

Thanks so much.

If embedding doesn't work you can head here http://www.realworldremixed.com/remix.php?remix_id=sk-26x4p724AeW_3

The Old Grey Whistle Test Vol. 1

vannatta — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:26:48 GMT

Running from 1971 until 1987, The Old Grey Whistle test was more serious than Top of the Pops, and much more cutting edge. With lead-ins on most performances, and awesome anecdotes surrounding them, brought to you by the original presenters ... with an audio commentary track by Producer Mike Appleton ... this one brought a perpetual smile to my face - when it wasn't slack jawed by some of the performances, not to mention the "just shot yesterday" quality of the video, and the awesome audio track for each as well.

Speaking of which, the only thing missing on the DVD is a menu of everything that is on there, in order to get back to performances that you might want to easily navigate to in order to see again.

...as for the performances themselves? Outstanding! Many of them never before seen in the US. Since you can't find them anywhere it seems (except buried in the liner notes if you purchase it (mine was a Netflix rental) I will iist them here to um, wet your whistle so to speak (in oder of appearance)

Alice Cooper-Under My Wheels
Elton John-Tiny Dancer (solo)
Curtis Mayfield- We Gotta Have Peace
Randy Newman - Political Science
Bill Whithers - Ain't No Sunshine
Rory Gallagher - Hands Off
Bob Marley & the Wailers - Stir It Up
Roxy Music - Do The Strand (with Eno but lipsynched)
The Edgar Winter Group - Frankenstein
Captain Beefheart-Upon the My O My
Little Feat- Rock 'n' Roll Doctor
John Lennon - Stand By Me
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Freebird
Emmylou Harris - Amarillo
Bonnie Raitt - Too Long At The Fair
Tom Waits - Tom Traubert's Blues
Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
XTC - Statue of Liberty
Blondie - I'm Always Touched By Your Presence, Dear
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - American Girl
The Police - Can't Stand Losing You
Bruce Springsteen - Rosalita (filmed concert performance)
Iggy Pop - I'm Bored
The Specials - Message to Rudi
The Damned - Smash It Up/I Just Can't Be Happy Today
The Ramones - Rock 'n' Roll High School
U2 - I Will Follow
REM - Moon River/Pretty Persuasi

Excellent interviews are included as well, with John Lennon, Elton John & Bernie Taupin, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and a very tired Bruce Springsteen interviewed backstage after one of his marathon live shows.

Can't wait to see Vol 2 and Vol 3 of course... stay tuned...

A Band You Never Heard Of

vannatta — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:10:57 GMT

Mr. Dizzy was a band that I signed to my production company, One World Productions, and produced in 1992 at my studio in Boston of the same name: well, it was called One World Recording. They played live a bit, and the second cut, Wreckage, went in to regular rotation for a time on WBCN in Boston, but since they were signed to a "professional" company (me in my studio) they were not eligible somehow for the BCN Rumble that year... like the very city it was super poltiical, and nothing I could do about it.

Soon after there was a multi-label bidding war, that completely fell apart for very personal reasons to the band members, that to disclose here would be unprofessional and not fair to them... so let's just say that we'll never know just how far they could have gone.

This is an eclectic sample - there are more "hits" that the label was interested in, but I have to dig them up off of DAT and will post them some time in the next month or so - once my new player arrives.

Interested to know what you think - over 15 years later... Cheers!

Say the first thing...

vannatta — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 03:28:08 GMT

This only works if you say the first thing that pops in to your head - and will say more about what your tastes in music are than most recommendation engines. It also only works well if type your answers in to notepad or something before reading what your MOG friends have responded to here... I'm going to list some first names below, spaced out so you can think a little (and space out a little) while coming up with the last name. So - make your mind a blank (that's easy right?) and then think about music (you're doing that all the time anyway right?) and then when you see the first name, think of a musician and tell me the last name, the first one that pops in to your head.

David Jimmy Arthur Bob Paul Phil Sam John Mark George

That's it for now - we're starting with the dudes first, and we get enough interest, we'll move on to the Dudettes.

Much love, Van

FF: Make My Funk the P-Funk

vannatta — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:57:42 GMT

A one hour special... to keep you from your appointed rounds... about how Master Clinton came up with the FUNK... a true classic...

Earthquake Rocks Iceland

vannatta — Thu, 29 May 2008 17:54:10 GMT

No its not a band named Earthquake, wish it was, but its just another on a long list of shaky things going on with the environment, and our big blue marble. Link is from the BBC below: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7426369.stm

Sigur Ros - Glosoli

vannatta — Mon, 26 May 2008 21:54:19 GMT

Was listening to Philip Glass' Glassworks album on my headset, and ever since Sam's sneek peek post I have been digging deeper in to Sigur, and must say that the connection here runs pretty deep... Hypnos, God of Dreams, eases forth and makes me glad that I chucked work to the side this Holiday Weekend (I mean, we all fall victim to the Workaholic thing now and again no...?) - and saw great friends at a great opening at MassMOCA (more on that in another post) and family down in NJ... before just chilling with the most hypnotic music I can find... Cheers!

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Laura Marling - Barely Legal

vannatta — Sat, 24 May 2008 15:00:19 GMT

...ok, you're thinking, Van has lost his mind with a Post Title like that ... but hang in there, it will make sense... aside from just turning 18, and before that playing the Underage Festival when she was, well, under age - according to Wiki - she was "once refused access to one of her own performances, for being underage. She instead chose to perform on the street." Incredible.
We are psyched that she is now legal - to play any live venue...
Hope you enjoy this performance of her on Jools' most excellent show:

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F*CK the STRIKE

vannatta — Tue, 20 May 2008 19:16:11 GMT

My beloved Moggers. The Strike might have made more sense if it had been conducted the way the Japanese do it: Put the equivalent of a black armband on you - and keep working. (Try an avatar that says "MOG is BUSTED" whenever you feel like telling the management that you're not happy... but keep blogging. It's like your car breaks down and you so you stop calling your friends - you can still hang out ... no?

Keep blogging and commenting. The very thing that the hard working tech crew need to fix, includes the heavy use of the system... so all you've done is delay that work. But I say with all sincerity - the tech that is here, is the thing that helps to make MOG what it is, and the community that we've become - i.e. why we've flocked here in the first place.

Don't believe me?

Here's an experiment. Go to http://mogpeeps.ning.com and sign up - post your rants there during the strike - and also see what a generic (non-music related social networking technology feels like) - you can post your videos there - post your links there, put a post or two up about a band... and you'll see - that MOG is more than the sum of its parts, more than the people - its discovering new music that we post, that we link to - and that Rhapsody now allows us to show off... (not to mention all the cool new stuff the crew is working on...)

Seriously. Whether you agree with me or not, at least go there to vent - to say hi - or use it as a place to electronically stay connected, just in case this place goes down in flames technically - which I can assure you, it will not.

Much Peace and Love...

the missing U - in this place... now come back...

To Die A Virgin

vannatta — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 08:36:36 GMT

Caught this track from The Divine Comedy on Later... the way I seem to be getting new(?) music lately (other than Rhapsody and my Mog-droogies, natch) and was digging it instantly.

Anyone ever catch Neil and any of the band's incarnations live?

(get the fuckoutta) Dodge

vannatta — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 08:15:18 GMT

I can't say it any better than this, so I'll just post the lyrics: there's so many ghosts out there on these streets I always hate to ponder who's under those sheets every little thing is temporary if I stay here any longer I'll end up very very scary it's just a general freak that is boiling in me I'm terrified what it's gonna dislodge I done shit everywhere that there is to eat guess it's time for me to get the fuck out of Dodge I bent over backwards to misbehave It's a holy wonder I just didn't flip on over into an early grave I showed my behind so frequently My dear old mother she can't even recognize me

Immobile

vannatta — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 07:18:01 GMT

This is the track that sets everything right in the world, the voice that sooths all stress of the day, and the language that I have difficulty understanding upon hearing (in most cases) but can read and write with some degree of accuracy. Maybe its that French Canadian (my Mom's side) and Parisian French is so different to the ear - after all. Autour De Lucie was an album that I borrowed at the office in NYC, and loved so much, I ended up trading it for a local musician's debut who's name escapes me now - but he was friends with the upstairs neighbor when we lived on Bowery and Spring. Odd how all of this just bounces around in my mind when writing the post - but when listening to the music, no matter what I was thinking, all is forgotten, and like the title of the album (and post) it at least feels, like I am unable to move.

Everyone Says Hi

vannatta — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 20:48:57 GMT

Post the Changesbowie album release of what is arguably definitive early Bowie, this is one of my favorite latter day Bowie tracks - and I have surely worn out the the little aluminum pits on this CD by now.

Great stuff.

Utopia - Live in Japan 1992

vannatta — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 06:13:54 GMT

Also released on DVD... which I saw over the T-Day break. A must see for any Utopia, and of course, Todd Rundgren fan. Fairly low production value on stage, but the video is crystal clear, and the bands performance speaks for itself. The foursome is super tight, as usual, and the very respectful delivery of "Hiroshima" to a standing, and awe struck Tokyo crowd, is poignant and flawless. Only wish they had an Extras section on the DVD... otherwise 4 stars. A live album was also released on Rhino in '93.

Revved up like a douche...

vannatta — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 14:01:29 GMT

What song lyrics had you baffled, or singing something totally different until you read the lyrics? I was blinded like so many to Manfred Mann's Earth Band's version of Bruce Springsteen's tune, Blinded by the Light - thinking the lyric went as follows:

Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night

I used to sing:

Revved up like a dooshin' (or douche) to a rumor in the night

I knew it was wrong, so wrong, but just went with it... until Google set me straight.

So what lyrics did you sing, before you learned?

Shatner Funk

vannatta — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 14:12:36 GMT

Takes a minute to get going, but well worth it... so funky, that YouTube's compression algorithm can barely keep up with the number of edits... its a long long way from Rocket Man...

Catatonic for Catatonia

vannatta — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 05:58:08 GMT

Just caught Catatonia on Later... with Jools tonight. The live version of Londinium and She's a Millionaire, had me completely stunned. Loved the performances, but can't seem to find them on YouTube - I'll have to rip them myself.

Cerys Matthews is mesmerizing.

In the meantime, I leave you with the Lost Cat video, to tide you over.

Ashes to Ashes

vannatta — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 15:36:34 GMT

Turning up the Gamma filter, and pulling out the blue screen - this classic Bowie tune, is a nice psychedelic video for full moon lunatics amongst us.

Proving yet again that the man is timeless, I've also included the Jools performance back to back of same - I think I actually prefer the more recent live performance to the original. Incredible.

Later with Jools...

What's Your Ear Worm?

vannatta — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 20:06:55 GMT

An Ear Worm is that song that you can't get out of your head, so much so, that its kind of annoying, no matter how much you like the song, its plays over and over again in your mind's ear, long after you stopped looping it over again in your favorite media player.

This version of the Talking Heads song Artists Only, from SNL, is IMHO, the best version of this song - and has caused it (on only a couple of listens) to be one of the most prolific Ear Worms of all time for me. I'm waking up hearing it in the morning, most certainly listening to it even in my sleep, and coming back to it in my mind again and again during the day.

Must have something to do with the pure manic angst, but with that usual sense of fun, that Byrne delivers the vocal with...

I'm painting, I'm painting again. I'm painting, I'm painting again. I'm cleaning, I'm cleaning again. I'm cleaning, I'm cleaning my brain. Pretty soon now, I will be bitter. Pretty soon now, will be a quitter. Pretty soon now, I will be bitter. You can't see it 'til it's finished I don't have to prove...that I am creative! I don't have to prove...that I am creative! All my pictures are confused And now I'm going to take me to you.

So tell me fellow Moggers, what's your current Ear Worm, and even more entertaining, what was your worst Ear Worm of All Time?

Talking Heads - Psycho Killer

vannatta — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 15:59:21 GMT

On the Old Grey Whistle Test... classic.

Bootsy - BabyBubba

vannatta — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 20:47:56 GMT

Uncle Bootsy with a budget, with Nephew Snoop Dog - a must check for the non un-funked amongst us...

Arctic Monkey Overload

vannatta — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 20:03:52 GMT

All three cuts from the Jools Holland show - truly shows how these guys had staying power, after they literally popped up (according to Wikipedia) by fan-made demo tapes propagating throughout the world, as well as file sharing on the Internet.

Elvis Costello - Pump It Up

vannatta — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 02:37:04 GMT

Just had to post this one - classic, just classic.

David Byrne on Later... with Jools...

vannatta — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 15:31:07 GMT

Singing "This Must Be the Place" in May of 2004, with backing strings, very understated, and his vocals still sound great.

Rush YYZ - Live

vannatta — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 08:48:22 GMT

Smokin' version of YYZ. Does anyone know the Venue/Year? Innovative bass breaks and a very energetic, yet controlled drum solo.
One of my favorite covers to play back in the day.
Worth a peek...

Irving - Jen, Nothing Matters To Me

vannatta — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 16:48:32 GMT

This is definitely a band that you should know, be listening to, and keeping an eye on. Saw this video originally on some On Demand channel, Havoc or something, and went to iTunes and bought it immediately - and the rest of the album, Death in the Garden, Blood on the Flowers, because yeah - I needed it that quickly ... however, I don't like the Digital Rights protection that Apple uses, nor am I totally impressed with the "Lossless" audio compression that they claim, because even a simple analysis of the files diffs show you that it is anything but lossless.
Being a musician and having worked in pro audio, I have very little tolerance for most compression schemes - I really do want to hear everything on the track.
Anyway, I digress... standout tracks for me on the album besides this (my fave) are "She's Not Shy", "Care, I Don't Care", and "If You Say Jump, I Will Say No" - hope you enjoy...

David Byrne's Journal

vannatta — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 16:36:33 GMT

I enjoy David Byrne's Journal, almost as much as I enjoy his music - which in my case is saying a lot. He has a keen eye, and really brings you all the best that you should be seeing doing around the world, in art, film, music, literature, etc...
Even his political views, mostly that come up through discussions he relays with friends, or observations on the state of the world after seeing things that make him think, make for an interesting read.
Very addictive.

Theo Eastwind - NYC Underground Indie

vannatta — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 07:07:01 GMT

Literally underground. Theo has been playing the subways in NYC for a long time. I bought his album, One, direct from the chap in 2000 on the N Train platform at Port Authority when slogging it downtown to a Dot.Com startup every day ... still enjoy it even now.
One has him playing with a band, pretty polished, but still keeping the rawness and angst, from this very competent songwriter.
Standout tracks are "Like I Say," "Run Along," and "The Truth Is Out There."

The Cure - High

vannatta — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 06:53:41 GMT

Tim Pope does it again, with his very well done homage to Brazil - he almost does it better than Terry Gilliam himself. Almost. He turned the Gamma up so high that it almost looks like a comic book, but that's all part of the charm.
Probably my favorite Cure song of all time.

Todd Rundgren -Black Maria

vannatta — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 06:30:01 GMT

Todd rocks on a 1973 episode of the Midnight Special... totally wild. Arrangement sounds like an impromptu jam session, with the keyboard part lifted from Steely Dan - or was it the other way around...? A must for any Todd fan.