(Nicole:) One of the best responses we've ever had for our LNMC was one that our very own NonnyMouse suggested. It's been a while since she's contributed anything, so I asked her if she'd like to do another one. Here it is:

I still have records. (For those of you who are too young to remember Viet Nam, never mind Watergate, records are those big, black Frisbee-like things in flimsy cardboard album covers.) At only 150 albums or so, I wouldn't actually call it a ‘collection'; it's just a motley hodgepodge of what I bought the last time I was a student in college. Thirty years ago. They all got put into storage in the States when I moved to Europe. More than twenty years ago. I shipped them over about five years ago. None of them have been played in a quarter of a century. But now... I have a record player. So I'm going through them all, deciding on which I treasure enough to ship once more.

I bought William Ackerman's ‘It Takes A Year' brand-new in 1977. Thirty years later, I carefully extracted the record, holding it by the edges (never touch the grooves with your bare fingers!) and laid it carefully onto the turntable, made sure there was no lint or dust on the vinyl, positioned the tone arm exactly right before lowering the brand-new stylus ever so gently onto the lead-in edge and listened to music I last heard before Britney Spears was even a zygote. Maybe it was because memories are so powerful, the music you hear in your 20's does something to your heart - I don't know. What I do know is I stood in front of an old record player, listening to the hauntingly beautiful ‘The Impending Death of the Virgin Spirit', crackles and hiss and all, and wept.

The closest I can give you to the real thing is this YouTube clip of a cover done by Adam Werner and Michael Manring.

William Ackerman founded Windham Hill Records, now sadly defunct, won some Grammies, gave up the craziness of the music business and moved away from California to the Vermont countryside where he does a few concerts, plays anywhere, even private living rooms, and is still quietly recording some of the best acoustical music known to the human soul. His newest CD, ‘Returning', features ‘Virgin Spirit', both because Ackerman wanted to refine the emotional connection of the work, and because in the past 30 years technology has vastly improved sound quality. Yet while the sound may be richer, the nuances more distinct, the music more matured, there will still be - at least for me - something very moving and unique about that older version, made long ago when we were both young and rough around the edges, that defined my life then, and still defines it now.Tonight's LNMC challenge is to share something powerful enough, without lyrics, to have moved you to tears.

I'd Rather Go Blind, available on Greatest Hits: Andrew Strong

One of my favorite rock movies of all time is The Commitments. Lead singer Deco Cuff (Andrew Strong) was a mere 16 years old, despite that soulful, whiskey-and-two-pack-a-day voice. Now 19 years later, Andrew Strong is still performing soul and R&B music, mostly in Europe.

Can't imagine why this guy hasn't had more success in the US. With the resurgence of British soul, I think he's due for some recognition.

In some less-than-shocking news, Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher quit the band moments before they were supposed to take the stage at a festival in Europe last week. In a statement released on oasisnet.com, Noel had this to say:

“It’s with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight. People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer... Apologies to all the people who bought tickets for the shows in Paris, Konstanz and Milan.”

Who knows how long this break-up will last, since the band of brothers is notorious for their years of constant scuffles.

You have to hand it to the Black Eyed Peas, who after hugely successful solo outings by their members have returned to hold the top two spots on the Billboard Hot 100.

After eleven weeks at No. 1 with "Boom Boom Pow," the Black Eyed Peas are right behind themselves at No. 2 with the debut of "I Gotta Feeling" on the Billboard Hot 100 this week.

With their No. 1 and No. 2 songs this week, the Peas are the first duo or group since OutKast to occupy the top two spots on the Hot 100. OutKast accomplished that feat with "Hey Ya!" and "The Way You Move" at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the issue dated Feb. 4, 2004.

Will.i.am, Fergie and co. will be playing festivals in Europe all summer before heading out with U2 in the fall. Dates are here.

2B2

Lambchop's literate, soul-infused Americana is often overlooked here in the States. Whereas you might find them playing to a half packed room at a dive here in their hometown of Nashville, they are widely heralded across Europe, filling theaters and large clubs easily. Tonight's video was filmed on their Spring 2012 European tour, and the song is off of their 11th studio album Mr. M. Check it.

Filmsite.org:

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) is one of Hollywood's greatest, grandest and slickest musicals. The nostalgic, shamelessly-patriotic, entertaining film also supported the war effort as it paid tribute in its mostly fictional story to [George M. Cohan,] a popular Irish/American entertainer and the grand American gentleman of the theatre in the early 20th century.

The timeliness of its release, just after the attack on Pearl Harbor in late 1941, helped the 'propaganda machine' of going to European battlegrounds overseas with a song that was a rousing theme song written years earlier for WW I - Over There. And a second song, You're a Grand Old Flag, contributed to morale-boosting, flag-waving patriotism and love of one's country. And it was the first time that a living US President (FDR in this case, played by Jack Young) was portrayed in a motion picture.

New York composer Philip Glass is like a rock star in Europe. When I was living in Holland people talked about him the way they talked about Mick Jagger. He's certainly one of the most influential contemporary composers. The Photographer is an 1982 chamber opera that tells the story of the fascinating murder trial of artist Eadweard Muybridge. (Muybridge was the last person in California to get off scott free for murdering someone "in passion," as justifiable homicide. Our piece tonight is "Act I: A Gentleman's Honor."

Big day for rock'n'roll tomorrow when REM releases their new album, Accelerate, their 14th! It's also probably their best since Bush stole the election in Florida. An old friend of mine, Michael Goldberg, has an interview he just posted with Michael Stipe up at MOG. But let me suggest that you listen to the single first, "Supernatural Superserious." You'll be able to catch them live with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday. They played the Royal Albert Hall in London last week but their actual tour kicks off on the West Coast in late May. North American and European tour dates are here.

The album is so good that we just had to jump the gun and give you another song to listen to. This one is "Horse to Water" and we think it should be the follow-up single.

Download | play

Tonight we have a little contest for REM fans. REM gave us 5 special edition CD/DVD packages to give away tonight. Each has a 64 page booklet and the 48 minute behind-the-scenes film by Vincent Moon (which includes pieces of performances from various songs). There are also two non-LP B-sides: “Red Head Walking” and "Airliner." Just drop us a paragraph and tell us which is the best REM song ever-- and why. Send your answer to downwithtyranny@aol.com.

I had already moved to Europe and was preparing to drive to India when the first big rock supergroup, Blind Faith, put out their eponymous debut-- and only-- album. I promptly bought an 8-track cassette and headed off to India in my VW van. Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood and Ric Grech were like my companions all through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Nepal for 1969-72. I heard rumors that there was a controversy about the album cover in America and, indeed, they refused to release it. The controversy didn't prevent the album from going to #1. This clip of "Can't Find My Way Home" starts with it.

Tonight's song is a Friday night special by AC/DC-- inspired by a photo someone sent me. You can probably figure out which was the inspiring picture.

Great responses to our "Reasons to Believe" contest. Marc K in San Francisco won the Lefty Frizzell CD with this poem:

Who's the Biggest Liar?
It depends what "biggest" means.

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