PSoTD

For whatever reason, I always thought Erasure was "Christian pop". (I don't think I'm the only one) But other than a gift of an album of theirs many years ago, I haven't listened much to them.

Don't do this.

I actually heard this while surfing the car radio the other day. Measure your chin drop.

DJ: You're listening to 94.1, your number one rock and roll station. After the break, we'll play nine straight rock classics, starting with Gerry Rafferty.

I don't really remember the station numbers, I guess it must have been the shock. And yes, I had to stick around just to confirm - it was Baker Street.

One of the gifts I received for Christmas was a small MP3 player so I can listen to tunes while working out at the YMCA. Now I'm in the process of figuring out the songs I want for working out.

So far, only one obvious choice - perhaps the greatest work out song of all time: Panic in Detroit, by David Bowie. I don't know what it is - the beat, the angst of the voice, the intensity of the guitars - but for whatever reason, that song is good for lifting or running.

Enjoy the beat of the holiday.

Yeah, they could play Christmas songs, too.

It's not you. It's no one. It's just better.

I will admit, during their heydey of the 70s and early 80s, I was not the biggest fan of Led Zeppelin, or anywhere near that status. I had a lot of friends that saw them as the greatest band of all time, and Stairway to Heaven seemed to always be mentioned as the greatest rock song of all time, and although I liked them alright, I just didn't quite get the all-out dedication of their fans.

My first year in college I lived in the dorms, and we went to the midnight movies in Sacramento a lot over the course of the year, usually after an evening of various kinds of partying. The favorite choice by almost everyone was "The Song Remains the Same", which has great LedZep music but does require some sort of mind-altering substance to appreciate much of the visuals. I'm not sure if "appreciate" is the right term, perhaps accept is more accurate. I was always a supporter of seeing "The Kids Are Alright" instead, but I think of our group, only a couple of us were true "Who" fans at the time, although about a year later that turned around when we all saw them in concert in Oakland.

And yes, I know, the visuals in The Who movie aren't any more entertaining than Led Zeppelin's flick.

Anyway, in honor of their big day earlier this week I thought I'd ask the musical question - do you have a favorite Led Zeppelin song or album, and if so, what is it?

The Mirror UK reports ...

We know celebrities sometimes bend the rules - but if you're Paul McCartney you can get away with any thing.

The Beatles legend was spotted with what seemed to be a, er, herbal roll-up, but discreet staff turned a blind eye as Macca, 65, puffed away.

One over-zealous worker gushed: "Don't worry, you're a legend." Earlier that evening he'd decided he needed a swift drink - or two - and rocked up to the bar where he ordered two pints just 15 minutes before the opening number.

Hey, I don't think I could make it through a Led Zeppelin reunion concert straight either.

It's the last day to participate in the voting at Philly's XPN.org (and maybe win an IPOD). I had an extremely tough time narrowing it down to a top ten but here's what I came up with.

1. Jesse Malin - Glitter in the Gutter
2. Film School - Hideaway
3. Kaiser Chiefs - Yours Truly, Angry Mob
4. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81
5. Young Galaxy - Young Galaxy
6. Maximo Park - Our Earthly Days
7. Voxtrot - Voxtrot
8. Dinosaur Jr - Beyond
9. Sounds Like Violence - With Blood on our Hands
10. Justice - Cross

If you don't have ten of your own, feel free to slip a few of these in. There are at least another ten or fifteen records that might have made my list on a different day. It's really been an outstanding year for indie music!

According to Kurt Andersen ...

Bob Marley so loved the theme to The Banana Splits that he incorporated it into "Buffalo Soldiers."

Tra la la, la la la la Tra la la, la la la la

became

Woy yoy yoy, yoy yoy-yoy yoy! Woy yoy yoy, woy yoy-yoy yoy!

Maybe it would help him if he had Tommy Tutone perform a song with whatever phone number he wanted to give out as a solution.

I'm going to be out for a bit this morning, but I figured this might be good fodder for discussion - what's your favorite movie soundtrack album from the 1980s?

I'm going to suggest two:

Repo Man

and

Sid and Nancy

It's just been a few days, but I'm really enjoying the free version of Pandora Radio.