Fair is fair

October 27, 2008 – 19:04

Lazyweb, you disappoint me. We had a deal. And you didn’t hold your end of the bargain. And since fair is fair—and I’m a mean bastard like that—I’m not updating my website tonight either. And that has nothing to do with me leaving my USB-stick with some updates someplace else what-so-ever. So. How do you like them apples?

By Evil Nickname | Posted in Life | Comments (0)

Dear Lazyweb,

October 24, 2008 – 18:28

While I’ll be away for the weekend, I want you to solve something for me.

You see, after I posted on the various Bonnie Tyler singles last months, one of my contacts provided me with two alternative single versions. One was a four minute edit, and the other (from the 1991 compilation The Collection) had some some minor changes and added bits. It opens with a soft choral bit, and there are some sound effects added around the guitar solo.

I was a bit surprised to hear that. And then I got currious and wanted to know everything about it.

So here’s what we’ll do: I’ll give the file, and you give me the facts. You’ll tell me if this is some sort of Canada-only remix, or that it’s a special version on a single from some obscure country like the US, you’ll give me catalogue numbers and what not. In return, I’ll be very happy, try to get me a physical copy in whatever appropriate format there is, and I’ll give you an updated version of that other part of my website on monday.

Deal?

Alrighty then. Here’s the file:
→ Download BonnieTyler-LovingYousADirtyJob-(WeirdVersion).mp3 (right click, save as…)

update 20081118 thanks for nothing. file gone now.

By Evil Nickname | Posted in Music | Comments (0)

Hypocrites

October 22, 2008 – 01:07

Apparently, police officers with an islamic background can be sworn in with an appropriate vow: “In naam van Allah, de Barmhartige Erbarmer, en hij is mijn getuige dat ik dit beloof” (roughly: “In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful, and he is my witness to this promise”).

Today it became clear that the SGP (a confessional Christian political party that’s stuck in the middle ages) is not amused by that option (link doesn’t work on sundays). “Just as the SGP isn’t in favor of ‘nationalizing’ islamic holidays, it is opposed to islamitic vows in The Netherlands,” says party-member Kees van der Staaij, who calls the vow on Allah “a step in the wrong direction.”

Strangely enough, they doesn’t seem to have any problem with the vow “Zo waarlijk helpe mij God Almachtig”. That’s, of course, “so help me God Almighty.”

If that isn’t hypocrisy, I’m the pope.

Either we have freedom of religion so you can take a vow on any god and holy book you like (including, but not limited to, Wodan, Thor, Zeus, The Flying Spaghetti Monster and Eris, the goddess of discord), or we don’t. And if that’s the case, all gods go out of the window.

Personally, I think all religious vows should be banned and replaced with the other official oath, “Dat verklaar en beloof ik” (”This I declare and affirm”). You declare and affirm to do the best possible job you can. What more is needed?

By Evil Nickname | Posted in You can call me faithless | Comments (0)

Mea culpa

October 21, 2008 – 10:23

From the land of what the hell was I thinking when I wrote that, presented without any further comment:

“First of all, I never sing off key,” said Meat Loaf (born Marvin Lee Aday), calling from his Los Angeles home. “The thing that has irritated me to no end is, maybe my voice isn’t so good on one particular night, but I’ll guarantee you one damn thing, there has never been a show that’s lackluster.”

By Evil Nickname | Posted in Music | Comments (0)

First lines: Dolores Claiborne

October 17, 2008 – 18:28

You mustn’t read Dolores Claiborne, they say, ‘cus it’s just some old woman sittin’ with some coppers, tellin them the story of her life, and how she killed that no-good husband of hers. Just some fine advice that I’ve been given. But in my quest to read every book that Stephen King has written, it had to come sooner or later.

Like I said before, I prefer King when he doesn’t go wild on the gore and goes for the characters. And character is Dolores Claiborne is all about. And then mainly that old woman who killed her husband thirty years earlier (incidentally during the same eclipse that haunted Jessie Burlington in Gerald’s Game), and is now suspected of murdering that old witch she works for.

Stephen King — Dolores Claiborne
What did you ask, Andy Bissette?
By Evil Nickname | Posted in First Lines | Comments (0)

Brel est mort, vive Brel!

October 9, 2008 – 23:28

Thirty years ago today, Jacques Brel died. To be quite honest, I know next to nothing about him, apart from that he was supposedly quite an influential composer, lyricist and performer. And that some of my favorite singers have covered him. So here are some links to some Brel covers on Youtube for your enjoyment, with some links to the originals as well:

On the DVD of Wende’s last release, Chante!, there is a magnificent version of ‘Au suivant’, but sadly, the only online version I could find doesn’t do it justice at all. The way she completely explodes during the finale… Well, it just makes me very happy I got some tickets for her next concert here in Amersfoort (there are still some tickets left). So, as an extraspecial doubleplusgood bonus, here’s the audio.
→ Download Au suivant (right click, save as…)

By Evil Nickname | Posted in Music | Comments (0)

First lines: The Alchemyst

September 30, 2008 – 17:12

No, this is not that Paolo Coelho book about following your dreams. This is that book about twins in persuit of the Book of Abraham the Mage, which contains the secret to life everlasting and might just as well bring on the total destruction of the world if it falls in the wrong hands.

You could describe The Alchemyst as a mixture of equal parts fantasy and DaVinci Code-style thrillers. Fantasy, for the liberal use of magic and mythical figures, and DaVinci Code for the breakneck speed in which the story unfolds and, for me at least, the pace I kept turning the pages. And while I’m not too big on the Code, I thought this one was great fun. The only bad thing about it is that it’s the first part in a six-part series, and it’s bound to take me another five years to find out how it ends.

Michael Scott — The Alchemyst (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel)
I am legend.
By Evil Nickname | Posted in First Lines | Comments (1)

Another year over

September 27, 2008 – 10:00

So, ehm, tradition seems to dictate that I should pay some attention to a certain singer today, as it’s his 57th or 61st birthday (more on that can still be found in the archive). I know, I might just as well break with the tradition if I don’t give a damn, but then I’d have to stop with the annual celebrations on November 1st too. Otherwise it just wouldn’t be fair. (Okay, so technically I could decide just not to give a damn, but still, I need some content here every now and then.)

Well, then. Let’s see. What’s there to say? How ’bout this: happy birthday mr. Loaf. Good luck with recording your new album, and when that’s done and you feel like it’s time to take it out on the road and do a show in The Netherlands, just don’t worry about giving a good show, and just give it all you got.

And now the obligatory downloads: couple of weeks ago, someone was looking for a copy of American Trilogy as performed by Meat Loaf during some Elvis tribute back in ‘87. Some other people expected that I would have that song. And you might not believe it, but I didn’t. So I did what any internetgeek would do, found the clip online, and ripped the music from it. That made someone quite happy. But, apparently, he did two other songs at the same tribute. Especially for this joyous occasion, I gave them the same treatment. Get the whole lot on the download page.
(If you got any complaints about the sound quality, you can always supply me with a better source.)

By Evil Nickname | Posted in Music | Comments (0)

Respect my authority

September 24, 2008 – 22:23

Roughly translated from an interview in Vrij Nederland with the commander in chief, our minister of defense, his excellency mr. Eimert van Middelkoop:

I was very happy that there was a legal way for me not to be drafted.
During those two days of the military physical I felt: this is totally not for me. I will be totally miserable here.
The word ‘authority’ isn’t really in my vocabulary.
I cannot understand how people who do not believe have structure in their lives.
There is something attractive to the thought of helping people who serve the same Lord as I do.
[Same-sex mariage] is the decay of family law.

Last week, a poll showed that the government get’s an average grade of 4.9 out of 10, which would be roughly equivalent to a cubic shitload of fail. Somehow, I’m not at all surprised.

By Evil Nickname | Posted in Life | Comments (0)

On the Secret Dreams & Forbidden Fire singles

September 23, 2008 – 21:50

Back when I used to have accidental surges of inspiration, I made a post on the singles pulled from Bonnie Tyler’s Faster than the Speed of Night album. In that post, I said that I eventually would get to the singles from Secret Dreams & Forbidden Fire, that other album she did with Jim Steinman. It took me a year to get there, but here it is.

The first proper single—we’ll get to the other one later—from the album was “Loving You’s a Dirty Job But Somebody’s Gotta Do It”, a duet with Todd Rundgren. It’s B-side, “Under Suspicion” is the most interesting of the whole bunch by far. Like the original B-sides for the previous album, it was co-written by Bonnie, but unlike those tracks, this one was produced by Steinman. In fact, the cassette version of the album includes this track.
→ Download Under Suspicion (right click, save as…)

The “If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)” single is only noteable for the strong similarities of this track with Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name”. Both versions of the single included a different edit, and “Under Suspicion” was, once again, the B-side. The 12″ version also includes the album version “Straight from the Heart”.

Today I learned that the third single, a cover of Freda Payne’s “Band of Gold”, was written by Holland/Dozier/Holland under the pseudonym Ronald Dunbar and Edith Wayne. It was released in three different versions: the remix single I covered earlier, and two regular versions with an edit and the original B-side “It’s Not Enough”.
→ Download It’s Not Enough (right click, save as…)

If you bought either the cassette or CD version of the album back in 1986, the “No Way to Treat a Lady” single would have been another one you could ignore. But if you bought the LP, the B-side “Before this Night is Through” would be brand-spanking new, as it was omitted from the record.
→ Download Before This Night Is Through (right click, save as…)

The final single in Europe was my favorite track of the album, “Rebel Without a Clue”. The B-side “I Do It for You” would later re-appear on the final US-single, “Lovers Again”.
→ Download I Do It for You (right click, save as…)

So far, we’re up to six singles, and seven of the nine tracks on the album. The opening track “Ravishing” was the only one wasn’t put on a single. The closing track was. In 1984, two years before it would end up on the record.

“Holding Out for a Hero” made it’s first appearance on the soundtrack of Footloose, starring Kevin Bacon and Jon Lithgow, and went on to become one of Tyler’s signature songs. The maxi-single contains a dance remix by Jellybean Benitez, as well as an instrumental version. As an added bonus, I’ve included the Disconet remix.
→ Download Holding Out for a Hero (extended remix version) (right click, save as…)
→ Download Holding Out for a Hero (instrumental) (right click, save as…)
→ Download Holding Out for a Hero (Disconet remix) (right click, save as…)

Now that I’ve finally taken care of this, I can feel free to see what else I can dig up from vinyl.

By Evil Nickname | Posted in Did I Play That?, Music | Comments (0)