Hail to the Chief

It wasn't the State of the Union, but it sure felt like one and I sure liked hearing Obama speak just now. It's so nice to have someone in charge who appears to understand complex issues and can speak intelligently about them.

We now return to our regularly scheduled music blog...

Last week, I was at Ye Olde Thrift Store and thought I had posted new acquisitions to the Tally. But now I realize I only started writing them up and hadn’t finished. As usual, these are great deals, only $1.50 per:
The NIELDS - Gotta Get Over Greta (Razor & Tie)
This regional act keeps popping up in the area, and I’ve had the cassette version of this album hanging around in case I wanted to write about them. Kudos for the design department; this CD has cool, colorful graphics.
The WOMEN of WWII - Various Artists (Quality Audio/DSSP)
I found volume 1, 2 and 3 of this set and liked the variety of performers and song titles from a period I don’t know well, but want to learn more about (I owe it to my dad, the purple heart veteran). It says right here that these original recordings have been “meticulously restored” and, when I popped one in to listen at home, the songs did sound fine for their age - a little less than digital brilliance, but a nice audio version of “sepia tone” that makes me all nostalgic (miss you, Henry!) There are two addresses listed on the cases - one in Quebec and another in Plattsburgh, NY (a hotbed of musical innovation!). It was only when I looked up the compilation on amazon.com that I found out there’s a missing 4th volume - a new challenge for the crazy completist.
JUST PASSIN’ THRU - Various Artists (WHFS)
From 1996, the first volume of the popular series of in-studio live sets from the late, lamented local radio station. This one has Catherine Wheel, P.J. Harvey, Jeff Buckley (great version of “Last Goodbye”!) and Radiohead (“Street Spirit”). But I never have to hear Better Than Ezra’s “Good” or Jewel’s “Who Will Save Your Soul” again.
OASIS - (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? (Epic)
I’m pretty sure I already have this somewhere, or maybe Post-College Girl has it in her collection, but when I saw those titles - “Champagne Supernova,” “Wonderwall” and “Roll With It,” and saw that the disc was in perfect condition, I figured that, for less than a cup of coffee, I would buy this copy and know exactly where it is!
The IDIOT’S GUIDE to CLASSICAL MUSIC - Various Artists (RCA Victor)
Another album that looks familiar, but I was suckered in by the concept - 99 tracks, snippets of well-known classical themes along with a handy chart to tell you where you might have heard it and where you can get the full work (on RCA, of course). For instance, Puccini’s “Turnadot-Nessun dorma” is cross-referenced to both “Witches of Eastwick” and a Delta Airlines/1990 World Cup commercial.

Year to Date O/CD Tally: 58