Singer-songwriter Stephen Merritt's ironically morose lyrics, Tin Pan Alley stylings, sugary melodies, and idiosyncratic sound have earned his band the Magnetic Fields cult status and the adulation of grad students everywhere. The ambitious, genre-hopping, and intensely heart-tugging three-disc set 69 Love Songs probably won't gain Merritt the wider recognition he deserves, but the clever misanthrope likely wouldn't have it any other way. --Mike McGonigal ... Read more

Features

• Box set

Asin: B00000JY1X
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Box Sets (Audio Only)    3. Indie Electronic    4. Indie Pop    5. Indie Rock    6. Lo-Fi    7. Pop    8. Rock    9. Rock/Pop   

The Microphones are a one-man band in which Phil Elvrum (Old Time Relijun) makes soft, psychedelic nylon-stringed guitar jangle sound both humble and heroic. While operating in an all-analog "lo-fi" mode, in the vein of Elephant 6 collective bands such as Olivia Tremor Control, Elvrum's no wannabe. The Glow, Pt. 2, his fifth release, is his most cohesive yet. All the musical elements gel with concept (in this case, fire) and breathe with the sort of spooky, misty clarity that arguably can only be captured in an intimate, non-digital production. The solitary quality of the Microphones could be compared to that of Bright Eyes, Syd Barrett, and Graeme Jefferies on Messages for the Cakekitchen. On the soothing opener, "I Want Wind to Blow," Elvrum's plaintive whisper-singing might lull you into a dream--but the bloodcurdling commando-style distortion of the second and title track will shake your senses. The Glow, Pt. 2 is like a giant ocean liner on which the songs and all their disparate elements--stark solace with violent, beautiful, otherworldly weirdness lurking beneath--control the ebb and flow of your emotional response. --Cyndi Elliott ... Read more

Asin: B00005NB2Q
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

It's almost hard to remember just how utterly unique Beat Happening was when they started. They couldn't really sing, couldn't really play, didn't have a bass player, and flirted with childish imagery filtered through a young-adult perspective. Their live shows involved plenty of instrument switching and subtle confrontation. Ashtrays may have been thrown in their direction, but they took it in stride, following their own singular path over five albums. In time, everyone from Nirvana to the Vaselines to Bikini Kill cited the band as an influence. Crashing Through collects their five studio albums--from 1985's raw, plaintive Beat Happening to 1992's comparatively professional You Turn Me On--in one box. Many of the best tracks, including the wistful "Indian Summer" and the feedback-laden "The This Many Boyfriends Club," have become indie-rock standards. One disc contains odds and ends, including singles, compilation contributions, and EP refuse. Another contains three live tracks from the out-of-print Beat Happening/Vaselines cassette, videos for "Pine Box Derby" and "Hot Chocolate Boy," stunning live performance clips, and even footage of the Olympia Cake Walk from 1991's International Pop Underground convention. Topping the package off is a lavish booklet. --Mike Appelstein ... Read more

Features

• Box set

Asin: B00005NB2P
Subjects:  1. American Underground    2. Box Sets (Audio Only)    3. Indie Pop    4. Indie Rock    5. Lo-Fi    6. Pop    7. Rock    8. Twee Pop   

"Prince" Will Oldham has always threatened to make a completely devastating album and this is it. Brooding and strikingly intimate, I See a Darkness picks through the abandoned camps of Bob Dylan and Neil Young, finding lonely tales and ragged melodies strewn about. The magic comes in the light Oldham is able to shine on these songs, rendering them both gorgeously baroque yet starkly modern. --S. Duda ... Read more

Asin: B000066HI4
Subjects:  1. Alternative Country    2. Alternative Country-Rock    3. Indie Rock    4. Lo-Fi    5. Nashville Sound/Countrypolitan    6. Pop    7. Rock    8. Singer/Songwriter   

I Am the Cute One
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (17 February, 1998)
list price: $15.98
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Editorial Review

Listeners may never get to the bottom of who is actually cuter after spinning Mary-Kate and Ashley and Friends' I Am the Cute One, but they'll probably emerge more enamored of the tireless two. Here they let their inventive side hang out, spiking it with well-timed shots of silliness and sweetness. First cut "Double Up" is an image-heavy jump roper's anthem in which even the Dallas Cowboys dip in for a double dutch; "Broccoli and Chocolate" relates a Rastafarian-styled love affair between a vegetable and a candy bar to bouncy reggae beats ("This is the story of broccoli and chocolate / It make the people talk a lot"); and "Ida Know" brings to light who's responsible for dastardly deeds like sticking a finger in the strudel and vacuuming the poodle--the naughty Miss Ida Know, as the twins have long contended. In addition to this set's strictly-for-kids songs and sketches, the cute ones really come through for Mom in a two-song tribute. "Don't Let Your Mom Go Shopping" is a chuckle-inducing tune about a mother's mall expedition gone wrong ("The Day-Glo raincoat, it's uglier than sin / And about the Bambi lunchbox... Earth to Mom, come in!"), and "Mom's Song" piles on the platitudes ("You're funny and you're smart / If we could we'd elect you president of the mothers"). Another standout is "My Horse and Me," a sad, simple lament that would-be young riders won't want to miss. --Tammy La Gorce ... Read more

Reviews (21)

This CD - Cute One =)
Yes, this album called I Am The Cute One are just as Brother For Sale, so ROCKIN' cute =)I really love it and they are so sweet! The songs are so adorable =) I especially love, Double Up, I Am The Cute One, Ida Know, My Horse And Me, I Am A Kid, One Buffalo Two Buffal.. Ehh, I could write down all the songs 'cause I LOVE this album =) You can't miss it, especially not if you're a fan of Mary-Kate and Ashley =)

I AM THE CUTE ONE IS A VERY BORING CD
I HATE THIS CD SO BAD.The only songs that I love the most..
Peanut Butter, Brother for Sale, Neighborhood Kitch Pots And Pans Rhythm Band, Identical Twins, Uh-Oh Accident, and Identical Twins.I say this not so bad after all.I still hate this CD though.I have been watching the twins since they were on the TV show called Full House when they were babies.

The Cutest!
This is great though it has lots of mini things for like 75 seconds inbetween songs it is defenitly going to be some thing i will keep for life! ... Read more

Asin: B000003TS7
Subjects:  1. Childrens    2. Pop   

Village People - Can't Stop the Music
Director: Nancy Walker
Average Customer Review:
DVD (08 June, 2004)
list price: $14.98 -- our price: $13.48
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Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen
• Dolby
• DTS Surround Sound

Reviews (55)

Beyond Camp, Beyond Trash, Beyond Taste, It's Just Beyond...
I gave this little (or long) gem of a turkey 5 stars as credit to the actors for just getting through it.I suppose I should be happy with CSTP as next to it my favorite Disco Movie, Thanks God It's Friday, comes out looking like a cinematic masterpiece.

Based VERY LOOSELY on how the late J. Morali founded the Village People, this trash-fest is best viewed on something (perhaps as a true salute to the 70's). Neil Bogart, the head of the Village People's record label, Casablanca,knew he could get more milage out of this group by whitewashing their gay identity, and while it helped to sell records (YMCA, In The Navy) it was so unbelivable in this movie that even theatre goers in Idaho knew they were being hustled.

The acting in this movie defies any attempt to critique it, and we are treated to Bruce Jenner running around 1979 NYC wearing come___me cut off shorts, and a too tight cutoff t-shirt. We are also lead to belive that Valarie Perrine was the real Farah Fawchet, and that Steve Guttenburg could really dance, skate, DJ, not to mention act.

The musical numbers could have single handly ended the movie musical. Milkshake, and I Love You To Death MUST be seen to understand. The final musical number, the title track,was actually taken from a a real Village People concert in late '79, and was probally the last time that the Village People were backed by a live band.

Had this movie been released the same year that it was filmed (1979) it would have no doubt done better at the box office, by 1980 public tastes had already changed, and by then this movie was just to....beyond.

"Leathermen don't get nervous..."
One previous reviewer said something like the only gay Village "person" was Felippe (The Indian)?! Hello? Randy (The original cowboy) "married" his male partner two years ago! Look it up online- you can see the photos of the happy GAY couple! And the LeatherMan and Construction Worker never confirmed or denied they were gay...and let's face it...what single men, over 30, who wear chaps are straight? I am pretty sure they are just not as "in-your-face" about their sexuality and prefer to leave a bit to the imagination...(even though Glenn Hughes "LeatherMan" died a few years back R.I.P)

...all the other reviews about this movie are spot-on! This is an enthusiastic little movie that doesn't try too hard to be anything it isn't. If you like choreography, glamour and costume changes then you'll love this quaint movie.

The Final Nail in Disco's Coffin, as Well as a Few Careers
It was 1980. There was no MTV, Jimmy Carter was president, the Iran hostage crisis was continuing, Ronald Reagan's presidential campaign was gaining momentum and personal computers were slowly gaining in popularity.Popular films included "Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back", "Raging Bull", "The Shining" and "The Elephant Man".It was also the time when the music genre known as "disco", that had become extremely popular in the 1970's, was starting to lose luster as radio stations dropped their disco formats and disco clubs earned decreasing revenue. One disco-based film, "Saturday Night Fever", had been rather successful at the box office in 1977.This was followed in 1978 by the far less memorable film "Thank God It's Friday".Still trying to cash-in on disco's weakening popularity, two disco-based films were released in 1980: "Xanadu" and "Can't Stop The Music".Each of these films were produced on a budget of approximately $20-million, but whereas "Xanadu" earned about $23-million in theaters, "Can't Stop the Music" earned a measly $2-million.Why, you may ask?Simple: both films were bad, but "Can't Stop the Music" went farther--it was truly awful!

Imagine, if you a will, the charming & heart-warming story (note: I'm being sarcastic) of an unknown music composer, Jack Morell (Steve Guttenberg), trying to find a musical group to perform his songs.His female roommate, Samantha Simpson (Valerie Perrine), and an attorney, Ron White (Bruce Jenner), gather together a group of six men from Greenwich Village and voilà: the very popular disco group known as the Village People was born!(Yeah, right!)Based very loosely on Jacques Morali, the man who actually founded the Village People, the film's farcical & unrealistic "rags-to-riches" story about the Village People includes performances of the songs "Y.M.C.A." (where else: in a gym), "Can't Stop the Music" (the song) and "Milkshake" (a truly frightening choreographed dance routine with the Village People all wearing white) to name a few.

Needless to say, "Can't Stop the Music" did exactly that: it hastened the end of the already terminally-ill disco genre, and wasn't particularly helpful to the careers of the Village People themselves.If you are planning to watch this little gem, I would highly recommend renting it instead of buying it since my overall rating for the film is only 1 star for its dismal acting, poor direction (Nancy Walker, 1922-1992), awful script and less than memorable choreography.Not surprisingly, Nancy Walker never directed anything else after "Can't Stop the Music", and the same can be said for the film's two writers, Allan Carr (1937-1999) and Bronte Woodard (1940-1980).Surprisingly, both had previously worked on the highly successful 1978 musical "Grease".(Of course, Bronte Woodard died shortly after "Can't Stop the Music" opened in theaters, but I won't speculate as to whether there had been a connection between the two events.)This film would make an excellent gag gift. ... Read more

Asin: B00005RYL7
Sales Rank: 8285
Subjects:  1. Musical   

The Fountainhead
Average Customer Review:
Mass Market Paperback (01 August, 1996)
list price: $8.99 -- our price: $8.09
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Editorial Review

The Fountainhead has become an enduring piece of literature, more popular now than when published in 1943. On the surface, it is a story of one man, Howard Roark, and his struggles as an architect in the face of a successful rival, Peter Keating, and a newspaper columnist, Ellsworth Toohey. But the book addresses a number of universal themes: the strength of the individual, the tug between good and evil, the threat of fascism. The confrontation of those themes, along with the amazing stroke of Rand's writing, combine to give this book its enduring influence. ... Read more

Reviews (827)

Granite, Glass, & Steel Explode Through Earth's Crust
I see a compliment to the power of Ayn Rand's FOUNTAINHEAD, in this fact:

I was able to vote "Yes" on the first 20 reviews I read on this novel (haven't read beyond that yet, but I intend to), including the ones I disagreed with or which, from my perspective, misinterpreted some of the content of the book. What impressed me to click the positive vote was that each of the reviews showed interesting contemplation communicated well (including the ones with only one or two sentences), and intriguing ways of looking at the plot, characters, and thematic framework of this novel.

This book is so pregnant with cranium stimulations it's easy to forget it's foremost a novel; Prozac and the sideline collection of wannabe Seratonin Uptake Inhibitors would be put out of business if people read a chapter or so of this type of material daily.

I've read both FOUNTAINHEAD and ATLAS SHRUGGED three times each, and will probably reread them periodically over the remaining course of my life. I've written my review of ATLAS; now I'd like to focus on what I valued most in reading FOUNTAINHEAD.

I loved the character, Howard Roark.

I identified with that character more than any other I've met in a work of fiction, more than any nonfiction person I've known about who has lived and been memorialized. I admired and was renewed by his repeated choices to be true to himself, his talent, his creativity, and his needs and desires on his life path. I enjoyed the way Rand wrote Roark's attraction to Dominique, and could understand the source of that attraction, even when she was pretending to be a spoiled, superficial, self-destructive fool. I knew he saw under the facade, and was uplifted to watch him gradually draw the beauty and honor out of her.

I loved Gail Wynand and the way he so easily saw Roark, and grew to love him.

I was fascinated with Ellsworth Toohey; he was a perfect personification of the frightening power of Evil, a power which (as Roark knew) is linked securely to the underlying impotence of Evil in the face of integrity.

I loved and hated each of the characters as Rand intended me to feel.

I loved the way Rand described objects she hates:

"The Cosmo-Slotnick Building rose ponderously over the street, like a huge, white bromide."

I loved the way Rand described objects she loves, as she began her lead in to the architectural conclusion at the end of FOUNTAINHEAD:

"On a spring day, eighteen months later, Dominique walked to the construction site of the Wynand building.

"She looked at the skyscrapers of the city. They rose from unexpected spots, out of the low roof lines. They had a kind of startling suddenness, as if they had sprung up the second before she saw them and she had caught the last thrust of the motion; as if, were she to turn away and look again fast enough, she would catch them in the act of springing."

Rand's grand composition of Dominique's perceptions of Roark's building continue from the above paragraphs. You won't want to miss them. You won't want to read them until you have read every word leading up to them.

I was wholly engaged in and intrigued by the mesmerizing, convoluted plot.

This novel is exquisite, powerful, and perfect.

With what do I agree or disagree in the volumes of interpretations of this novel, as story or as philosophy, by the hoards of people who've read it, or who spout off from just hearing talk of it?

I really don't care at this late day in my life what other people think about anything, though I am often interested to read or listen to something about which an individual has given seriously thought; an individual who can put a new, spicy twist on a tired subject; or an individual who takes time to draw his own conclusions about something (all of which has been done well in reviews here).

I crave intelligence communicated well, and if it can be communicated in a well-written, interesting novel, all the better. In my opinion, this is what Rand has done, at least twice.

I honor and admire Ayn Rand's FOUNTAINHEAD beyond my capacity to do so. I am saddened that our world and cultural limitations did not allow her to experience more fully in her own life the potential beauty in the universe which she captured for us in her fiction.

Thank you, Ayn Rand for the huge sacrifice of your life lived in such an immature world; yet in your world of definition, and thanks to your integrity, your life was in no way a sacrifice,

Linda G. Shelnutt

Introduction to Ayn Rand
I hadn't heard of Ayn Rand until I was in college. I met her through her writings as a "libertarian" and I didn't agree with those opinions. Although I was a philosophy student, I hadn't heard of objectivism, and given my previous exposure to her, I was quite wary of reading her novels.

I'm sorry I hadn't read her novels first. I know that there are few objectivists in the world, and I'm not a strong one as far as they go, but I immediately related with the main character. I found this a totally successful novel (unlike Atlas Shrugged) because I was immediately drawn into novel through the characters.

This also makes a compelling philosophical argument. After reading this it's hard to imagine that one shouldn't try to do the best work possible.

Good story and style, pathetic philosophy
If Amazon allowed it, I'd give this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

This work serves as a fantastic introduction to Rand's inane philosophy - Objectivism (more about this in bit). Extremely gripping and never trite, The Fountainhead is a heady mixture of Rand's simplistic psychological and philosophical insights. The characters are, without exception, fascinating: Howard Roark - the unconventional architect who lives for and in his work, Dominique Francon - the yet more unconventional and passionate lover, Peter Keating - the seeker after all that is conventional, and hence (in Rand's mind) worthless, and (my favorite) Ellsworth Toohey - the Evil, brilliant, and power-hungry schemer. These (and other) well-etched characters, paradigms of what they stand for, become Rand's vehicles for expressing her take on the nature of the ideal man, the purpose and summum bonum of life, and other such important things that Rand seems singularly unqualified to expound on. Her story-telling skills and style of writing are undoubtedly distinguished; however, philosophy is not Ms.Rand's forte. In any case, this book was an interesting, thought-provoking read, even if one perusal of it was adequate for me to become all-round mocker of Objectivism.

Now to the philosophy behind this work. Ms.Rand seems to deify rationality without offering a reasonable explanation. Why are individuality and rationality the greatest and most glorious things? Ms.Rand says so; perhaps it "feels right" to her. Why, and based on what proof or rigor, does no god exist (Objectivism is an atheistic philosophy)? Ms.Rand says so; perhaps she conducted all kinds of scientific experiments and came up with the definitive answer to this quintessential philosophical problem. Just like in the case of her denunciation of homosexuality: "Because it involves psychological flaws, corruptions, errors, or unfortunate premises, but there is a psychological immorality at the root of homosexuality. Therefore I regard it as immoral... Morally it is immoral, and more than that, if you want my really sincere opinion, it is disgusting." Such sophistication of reasoning and opinion would do George Bush proud. To cut this potentially loong tirade short, I have no respect for Ayn Rand's pseudo-rational philosophy. While I like a few ideas here and there - her support of Capitalism and the individual's rights -, on the whole, I think it's a wannabe rational but actually shallow philosophy that, from the viewpoint of rational content, might as well be consigned to flames. ... Read more

Isbn: 0451191153
Subjects:  1. Classics    2. Fiction    3. Literature - Classics / Criticism   

The Andy Kaufman Special
by Andy Kaufman
Average Customer Review:
VHS Tape (07 July, 1989)
list price: $9.99 -- our price: $9.49
(price subject to change: see help)
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Features

• Color
• NTSC

Reviews (7)

Do Not Adjust Your Television Sets
It's the Brilliant Song-and-Dance Man Andy Kaufman doing what he loves to do and doing it better then anyone else ever could. Although much shorter then I'd like, it kept me laughing the whole time.

Maybe his best work...
I think this may be the best of Andy's early work.All of Andy's classic routines when they still were relatively fresh and new (at least to the public).If I had one video to show someone who had never seen Andy, Iwould choose this one, no dobut.I can't watch it enough.

Kaufman's Best Work
This was, by far Andy Kaufman's best piece of work ever. It's hilarious and heartwarming. Terrific. ... Read more

Asin: 6301349032
Sales Rank: 13422
Subjects:  1. Performing Arts - Concerts   

Bat out of Hell II: Back into Hell
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (14 September, 1993)
list price: $9.98 -- our price: $9.98
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Editorial Review

At a certain point, bad taste and bombast becomes so excessive and so grandiose that they're no longer an easily dismissed irritation but an astonishing monument to the warped imagination. Such a monument is Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell, the long-delayed sequel to 1977's Bat Out of Hell. Once again songwriter/producer Jim Steinman has isolated high-school parking-lot aphorisms and inflated them to Wagner-on-Broadway proportions, casting Mr. Loaf as a heavy-metal Ezio Pinza. Typical of the album's strategy is its big hit single, "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)." Steinman piles on the guitars, drums, synthesizers, and choral voices as if he were Phil Spector producing Kiss playing the Who songbook. The rest of the album tackles the themes of teenage lust, frustration, and rock & roll fantasies in similar fashion. It's somehow beside the point to complain about the puerile lyrics, the leaden rhythms, the derivative melodies, the histrionic vocals, or the overblown arrangements. Steinman knows how to push his audience's buttons, and with Meat Loaf's help, he hits those buttons with a sledgehammer. --Geoffrey Himes ... Read more

Reviews (88)

Brilliant bombast, completely successful in its own way
Practically every genre of music has its own masterpieces.Late 70's white-boy rock fantasy is a genre not many people appreciate, but I have the age and background to.This album is exactly like its great predecessor "Bat Out of Hell"; it makes up for not being the groundbreaking shocker BOOH1 was by being more complex and much longer (without sacrificing any energy).Steinman's writing is brilliant, and Meat Loaf's vocals are just as good as in 1977 (voice less angelically beautiful now but he's even better at drenching the songs in emotion).

The genius continues
Bat out of Hell II: Back into Hell continues the genius of Meat Loaf, the great singer, and Jim Steinman, the great composer.

The two of them together, and their music, is pure genius.

<><><><>
Nothing else to say-- this cd is amazing-- You WILL be suprised if you are a non-believer (that sounds weird to say), but this is undoubtedly in my top 10 albums list-- and im 15 years old.You can tell im 15 because of how little i know about the band, but the point is... uh... i forgot... Oh yea- GET THIS CD! ... Read more

Asin: B000002OMN
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

I Have a Pony
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 January, 2000)
list price: $18.99 -- our price: $18.99
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Features

• Import
• Live

Reviews (17)

Found it cheaper.
Okay, I haven't actually ordered it yet, but I did notice that Steven Wright's website has a store with this on it, presumably not the import, for $12.99. google for Steven Wright should give you www.stevenwright.com.There's some DVD's there as well.

Classic comedy for the 80's
Steven Wright hit the limelight as it seemed a number of comedians were introducing some very ingenious styles of comedy.

Of all the up and coming young comedians, I found myself repeating (or trying to repeat) Steven Wright's material the most.

I just got this CD today and laughed until my ribs hurt in a lot of parts.Well worth the memories.We need more laughs like this today.They just aren't common enough anymore.

Bad delivery, but the material was incrediable.
a one-linin' joke teller.Forget the Carlin crap-style ranting this is funny. ... Read more

Asin: B00000K3P1
Sales Rank: 6652
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock    3. Soundtrack    4. Standup Comedy