I'm Back! With "Pride"

Hi there! Remember me? I used to blog. I got away from it for many reasons -- partly related to laziness, and other things I won't talk about right now (or maybe ever) -- but I want to get back to it. I need to get back to it.

So, as we go along perhaps I'll get to some other stuff I've been meaning to post. For now, though, here's a little iTunes Baker's Dozen. Not a shuffle from my collection, but from iTunes Radio's special LGBT Pride station. I'm trying to figure out exactly where the "LGBT" comes in, how this is different from any other pop-oriented radio station (other than the inclusion of the old Cher hit). Also, at some point in the near future, will Pitbull appear on EVERY song?

Rock Your Body - Justin Timberlake

I Will Never Let You Down - Rita Ora

Chandelier - Sia

Wut - Le1f

Drunk in Love - Beyonce feat. Jay Z

Into the Wild - LP

Song for the Lonely - Cher

Hideaway - Kiesza

Dark Horse - Katy Perry feat. Juicy J

Exotic - Priyanka Chopara feat. Pitbull

Summertime Sadness (Cedric Gervais Remix) - Lana Del Rey

Fancy - Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX

Problem - Ariana Grande feat. Iggy Azalea

Gaga: Release The Damn Album, Already!

This post from one of the people I follow on Twitter inspired this. He wrote, "I don't think I can wait another 2+ months for the new Gaga album!" My reply: "I don't understand how the music industry functions any more." And I really don't. I used to not only read but subscribe to Billboard magazine (which is odd for someone who doesn't work in the business) during the 1980s and into the 1990s. And as the years went by and new charts were created, and the methodology for compiling the charts, especially the Hot 100, changed, and as the magazine itself evolved, I lost interest in it.

But things were simpler back then: a record company released the first single from an artist's upcoming album. Then, within a few weeks or so, the album itself would arrive, followed by subsequent singles from that album until it was time for a new album, or perhaps a single from a motion picture soundtrack. (Of course, the number of singles would depend on the popularity of the artist and album.) The advent of music videos tweaked the process a little.

But the modern process is unreal. Singles sales pretty much died until the mp3 format rejuvenated it. Now, I don't know if there's such a thing as a single release unless it's digital. The only CD-singles I ever see are for dance mixes. The only vinyl records I ever see are full-length albums, because there's a segment of the music buyer that prefers the sound of vinyl to digital sounds. And the newfound popularity of buying individual songs seems to have caused people to lose interest in buying full albums, except for certain acts or albums that manage to sell big.

The digital format seems to lend itself to leaks of unreleased songs, which is part of the problem. Let's get back to Lady Gaga.

My 2010 In Music

Well, I've done all the accounting -- or, to be accurate, iTunes kept track of the totals -- and will reveal shortly my Top 25 Most Played Songs of 2010 (since I've reset the count to zero for the new year). First, I'd like to tell you about my top 10 albums of 2010. The problem with that is...I don't have one. I only bought 16 new albums all year, and if you take out greatest hits collections and albums released before 2010, that number drops to 11 -- and two of those were Christmas albums, so they don't really count.

(By the way, it seems weird to refer to "albums" when vinyl albums as we know it hardly exist anymore. There are music purists who prefer vinyl, thus allowing a certain number of releases in vinyl, but the vast majority of new releases -- and certainly everything I've gotten in at least the last 15-20 years -- are strictly CDs or digital downloads. But it's easier to refer to them as albums.)

Perhaps more will come into my hands in the future, but for now, here are the nine non-Christmas 2010 albums I bought:

Vampire Weekend – Contra
Glee cast - Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna
Kele – The Boxer
Scissor Sisters – Night Work
soundtrack – Despicable Me
Kylie Minogue – Aphrodite
Linkin Park – A Thousand Suns
Bruno Mars – Doo-Wops & Hooligans
Mark Ronson and the Business Intl. - Record Collection

I will say that, except perhaps for the Linkin Park album,

My Summer Listening (And Maybe Yours) Part 2

Mmmmmm...deep-fried Oreos: another great idea for summer!

And now, the dramatic conclusion of "Joe's Big-Ass Crazy Summer Playlist!" (Here's Part 1, in case you've forgotten...)

Who's That Girl - Madonna (1987) There are lots of Madonna songs that would feel right for this list, but this was actually a hit during the summer, it has that pop candy feel, and July 11, 1987 was the first time I saw Madonna in concert, as the "Who's That Girl" tour hit the Vet. What vexed me, though, is that when the tour was announced I had read that Bronski Beat was going to be her opening act, but was replaced by Level 42, since the singer who took over when Jimmy Somerville left Bronski Beat took a powder as well.


My Arms Keep Missing You - Rick Astley  (1987) This is a stretch in that it wasn't released in the U.S. or during the summer, and has no summer-type lyrics. It was the B-side of "When I Fall In Love" (cover of the Nat King Cole song), which was released at the end of 1987 in the UK and was trying to be the "Christmas No. 1" -- it's really a big thing over there. The B-side became a dance hit in Europe, and eventually got radio airplay here the following year. The thing that ties it to summer for me is the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul (which actually didn't begin until September 17). I had this little portable hand-held TV and I would watch the late-night coverage while in bed -- thanks to the time difference a lot of late-night stuff was live -- and listen to music (either a radio or a cassette with my then-favorites, taped from the radio or from my 45s or 12-inch remix singles). This was one that I loved at that time, and eventually bought the 12-inch import (for $7.49 -- I think U.S. 12-inch singles were $2.99 or $3.99 at the time).  Here's a link to listen -- and no, this is not an attempt at RickRolling.

Beyonce Comes Out!

Well, actually, she's performing "I'm Coming Out." It's not Diana Ross, but what the heck. And it's cut off at the start and finish because it seems to be part of a medley.



Tomorrow (or today, technically, since it's after midnight) is the gay pride parade and festival here. Woo-hoo! Of course, I'll be at the softball fields. Sigh.

This is how odd our league is: the team that's representing our D division in the Gay World Series in August in Columbus is being decided tomorrow, in a best two-out-of-three tournament between my team (Tabu Nighthawks) and another team. This is because we are the only two teams that expressed an interest in going. So it's not based on the season standings, or playoffs after the season, but on this midseason tournament. Silly. Last year the team that went to the Series had a losing record, but they were the only team that wanted to go (although I maintain that our team wasn't asked about it last year).

The first game starts at 10:20, so by the time the second game ends it should be after 1 pm. The festival starts at noon and runs until 6 pm. If we have to play three games, it'll be well after 2 pm. With the amount of time it will take me to get to Penn's Landing for the festival, I'll miss quite a lot. I'm not sure what entertainment they'll have but it almost doesn't seem worth the $10 admission. We'll see if things play out in a way that allows me to get there after softball (at Fairmount Park Dairy Field #1, if anyone wants to surprise me there).

Not-So-Quick Review: Sex And The City 2

I subscribed to HBO for many years, but didn't immediately begin watching "Sex and the City." Eventually I caved, and managed to enjoy the entire series. I felt the series ended properly, with storylines tied up and a "happily ever after" moment for all. Then they decided to take on the big screen. I felt it was unnecessary. Amazingly, it worked. The film basically undid most of that "happily ever after" and then put it back together. It was entertaining, and a strong box-office winner. Of course, a movie that does so well inevitably gets a sequel. Surely they couldn't follow the same formula, so what exactly could they do with "Sex and the City 2" that would make it worthwhile? Well, not much.

What they did was turn it into a two-and-a-half-hour episode of the show, except even more sitcom-ish...sitcommy...whatever. There are lame plotlines galore. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is getting bored by her married life with Big (Chris Noth)! Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is struggling with motherhood! Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) hates her boss! And Samantha (Kim Cattrall) is going through...gasp...menopause! And there's the wedding of Stanford and Anthony, gay BFF's of Carrie and Charlotte, respectively (I still don't buy them as a couple) which is wayyyyyyyyy over the top, extremely extravagant (there are swans!) and officiated by Liza Minnelli, who performs Beyonce's "Single Ladies" at the reception. Painfully.