Frank Ramblings

So let’s talk music, shall we? It’s been a while since I’ve blogged about it. I consider the Beatles to be the greatest band that ever was or will be, period. Call me closed-minded or biased, but that’s what I think. I’ll admit I’m a bit of a music snob. I’ve been anticipating the re-release of the British versions of the Beatle albums since I heard about it earlier this year. Appropriately, they were released this past Wednesday, 9/9/09.

I listened to every album in chronological order over the course of two days, and let me tell you, this is the way to listen to these albums! Never before have they sounded so crisp and so clear, and never have they been mixed to such perfection. The 1988 CD releases pale in comparison to the new ones. For over 20 years, those releases were the only way these albums could be heard on CD, but now they sound muddy and bland compared to the 2009 editions. I’ve been waiting for something this amazing literally all my life, and I am very pleased indeed.

I found that the biggest improvements could be heard on songs that were heavy in acoustic guitar or piano. There was a freshness and a cleanness to those tracks that I’ve never heard before. Songs like “Yesterday,” “Blackbird,” “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away,” and “Till There Was You” sounded especially crisp. “Yesterday” brought me to the verge of tears; I really felt as though Paul and the string quartet were in the room with me. I could hear every breath, every strike of a pick against a guitar string. Some of the better-sounding piano songs included “The Fool on the Hill,” “Golden Slumbers,” and “Martha My Dear.”

Of course, the louder songs sound amazing, too. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” and “She’s So Heavy” blew me away, as did “Helter Skelter” and the end of “Hey Jude.” More complex selections like “A Day In The Life,” “Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite,” “And Your Bird Can Sing,” “Because,” and the Abbey Road closing medley (“Golden Slumbers,” “Carry That Weight,” “The End”) were brought up to a whole new level, chiefly because of the excellent use of the stereo field. The rich sound and presence of those songs is more enjoyable than ever.

There were several instances where I noticed small details that had previously been buried, especially on the earlier albums. On the Please Please Me album, for example, I noticed John half-laughing as he sang, Ringo’s voice cracking, and on two or three occasions, a little bit of background noise in the studio. There were occasions on other albums where I could hear someone (presumably John) tapping on his guitar to keep time, and once I even heard Paul whispering as he counted the beats. These imperfections don’t detract from the music at all. In fact, they make it more real. Listening in the best headphones I own, I really felt the music surround me physically. This speaks to the brilliance of the remixes and shows how much was missing from the 1988 versions.

Perhaps what helped me to enjoy this re-issue so much is the fact that I imported it into my iTunes library in Apple Lossless format instead of the usual MP3 or AAC. The best music demands to be heard in the best quality, so I turned to lossless to preserve the remastered edge. I’ve never really considered myself an audiophile, but I had to give this particular collection the Red Carpet treatment. Put simply, Apple Lossless is software that compresses audio files without sacrificing the sound quality. The files are about four times larger than MP3s, but the audio quality is exponentially better. I’m really glad I made that decision, because it enhanced the experience more than I can put into words.

So at the end of the day, I’d call the 2009 Beatles Stereo Box Set a necessary part of any music collector’s library. Apart from vinyl, which will always be special to me, this is the only way anyone should ever experience the Beatles from now on. You haven’t heard these songs until you’ve heard them as they are presented in this set.

I can’t tell you how insanely busy I’ve been the last couple of weeks. It really bothers me that I haven’t been posting here very much, but I seriously haven’t had the chance. Between school and Echo Alert, my plate is full. I’ve been trying for the past month to find the time to record an FMF episode, but every single time I’ve tried to set aside the time, something gets in the way. It’s been kind of a mess. I’m going to try again this weekend and it had better work out this time because it’s been well over a month since the last episode.

Echo Alert has been off to a great start. Andrew and I never expected it to take off so well. We’ve been featured on iTunes’ TV & Film Podcast front page under the “New & Notable” section almost since the beginning, and we’ve ranked as high as #22 out of all TV & Film Audio Podcasts! It’s pretty insane. People are downloading our episodes by the thousands. I’m overwhelmed whenever I look at our stats page. So if you’re among our listeners, thank you so much for your continuing support. Knowing people out there are listening really motivates us to improve the show for you guys.

That’s about it, I guess. I’m going to try and post here more often, but midterms are next week so I can’t make any promises. I try to avoid general Life posts and keep the blog restricted to stories of specific interest to me, but since I know that several people actually do read this, I thought I should let you know what’s up. Thanks for bearing with me.

Just because I feel like it, current favorites:

• Song: “Lovers in Japan” by Coldplay
• YouTube Video: Chad After Dentist
• Podcast: Diggnation
• Web Comic: Cyanide & Happiness

Currently working on:

• Watching Buffy Season 2
• Reading Superman: Escape from Bizarro World

So by now, you probably know that this March, Jay Leno will move to primetime, Conan O’Brien will take over The Tonight Show, and Jimmy Fallon will take over Late Night. But what you may not know is that in preparation for his return to TV, Jimmy Fallon has been keeping a video blog with 5 minute entries posted nightly at 12:35 AM ET, the time at which Late Night airs. The best way to follow the show is to subscribe via Hulu and have it added to your queue. I usually let each week’s episodes pile up and then watch them all over the weekend.

This week began with a bang as Jimmy practiced his interviewing skills on celebrity guests. Monday night, he welcomed Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht of the popular web show DiggNation to Late Night for a great chat about new technology and communications. Tuesday night, Jimmy hung out with the lovely Felicia Day of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and The Guild for a hilarious little chat about World of Warcraft and online gaming. Watch the clips below!

Alex & Kevin from DiggNation:

Felicia Day:

Thanks to my friend Andrew for bringing this to my attention:

An editorial from the London Daily Mail 1/6/09

Obama’s Victory–A British View

A victory for the hysterical Oprah Winfrey, the mad, racist preacher Jeremiah Wright, the U.S. mainstream media, who abandoned any sense of objectivity long ago, the Europeans who despise America largely because they depend on her, the comics who claim to be dangerous and fearless but would not dare attack genuinely powerful special interest groups.

A victory for Obama worshipers everywhere. A victory for the cult of the cult. A man who has done little with his life, but has written about his achievements as if he had found the cure for cancer, in between winning a marathon and building a nuclear reactor with his teeth. Victory for style over substance, hyperbole over history, rabble raising over reality.

A victory for Hollywood , the most dysfunctional community in the world. Victory for Streisand, Spielberg, Soros, Moore, and Sarandon. Victory for those who prefer welfare to will, and interference to independence. For those who settle for group think and herd mentality rather than those who fight for individual initiative and the right to be out of step with meager political fashion.

Victory for a man who is no friend of freedom . He and his people have already stated that media has to be controlled so as to be balanced, without realizing the extraordinary irony within that statement. Like most liberal zealots, the Obama worshipers constantly speak of Fox and Limbaugh, when the vast bulk of television stations and newspapers are drastically liberal and anti-conservative. Senior Democrat Chuck Schumer said that just as pornography should be censored, so should talk radio. In other words, one of the few free and open means of popular expression may well be cornered and beaten by bullies who even in triumph cannot tolerate any criticism and opposition.

A victory for those who believe the state is better qualified to raise children than the family, for those who prefer t eachers’ unions to teaching and for those who are naively convinced that if the West is sufficiently weak towards its enemies, war and terror will dissolve as quickly as the tears on the face of a leftist celebrity.

A victory for social democracy, even after most of Europe has come to the painful conclusion that social democracy leads to mediocrity, failure, unemployment, inflation, higher taxes and economic stagnation. A victory for intrusive lawyers, banal sentimentalists, social extremists and urban snobs.

Congratulations America !

So as many of you know, Jan 2 is my birthday. Some people think having a birthday so close to Christmas means being overshadowed by it. Personally, I rather enjoy it. It’s not as though I have a choice anyway, but I don’t mind it at all. So I thought I’d give you a little list of my Christmas & Birthday presents just because I feel like it.

• 4 GB RAM for my laptop
• Smallville Season 7 DVD
• Wall-E 3 Disc Special Edition
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars 2 Disc Special Edition
• Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog DVD
• Superman Theatrical Serials DVD
• The Adventures of Superman Original TV Soundtrack CD
• The obligatory clothes, cash & gift cards

Not a bad pay day. I’m more than happy! I’ve got tons of DVDs to watch. Looking forward to seeing all of it! I’ve already listened to the Superman soundtrack and I love it. The music is so iconic! I could hear the sound effects from the show playing in my head as I listened. Also, the liner notes were excellent. They were written by a true fan who did his homework. They tell the story behind the music while expressing what makes the pieces so special to so many people. Great stuff!

Thanks to everyone on Twitter and Facebook for the kind birthday wishes! There were too many to respond individually. I guess I’m just too loved. But sincerely from the bottom of my heart, thanks to you all!

So a while back I listed some TV shows and movies I planned to watch. I’m not making as much progress as I’d hoped, but here’s how it’s going so far:

• Terminator — DONE
• Terminator 2 — DONE
• Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – DONE
• Firefly — IN PROGRESS
• Serenity
• Supernatural
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Angel

I watched T1, T2, and the first several episodes of T:SCC in a single day. I finished the whole series in just a few days. It was glorious. AMAZING show! Definitely the most underrated and best-written show on television. Not my favorite (that would be Smallville), but it is the most well-written.

Then I got started on Firefly and hit a brick wall. I haven’t been able to watch more than 1 or 2 episodes in a sitting. Things seem to keep getting in the way. It’s an awesome show as well, and I can’t figure out how it got canceled other than the fact that FOX has an itchy trigger finger. I’m halfway through it now and I plan to finish it and watch Serenity, the movie that accompanies it.

However, at the suggestions of several people, especially my friends Tim and Faith, I’ve added the CW’s Supernatual to the list. The show is ending soon, so I’d like to get caught up before it goes off the air. Once I’m caught up, I’ll continue with Buffy and eventually Angel. To be perfectly honest, I’m not really pumped for Angel, so depending how I feel about Buffy, I may or may not go through with Angel. We shall see.

Well another year has come and gone in what feels like the blink of an eye. How does this always happen? Even when you try to slow down, take it easy, and enjoy things, they manage to rush past you anyway. Well, 2008 was a pretty good year. I’m not about to sit here and count down the Top 10 Best [Insert Category Here] of 2008; I’ll leave that to Oprah, Barbara Walters and their ilk. Nor will I list a number of resolutions I don’t intend to stick to. So heave a sigh of relief.

Instead, I’m just giving you a few things to look forward to in the year 2009. Here’s what I’ll be watching out for in the new year:

• The return of Smallville – Two weeks from tomorrow, the CW’s Smallville will return to the airwaves with what promises to be a story of epic proportions. DC Comics writer Geoff Johns has penned an episode entitled “Legion” that will introduce the Legion of Super-Heroes to Smallville continuity. It should be amazing. If you don’t watch the show, you are missing out big-time!
• The DTV transition – Okay, so I’m a dork. Sue me. As someone who has never had cable at home and doesn’t really care, I’m looking forward to this. I’ve had my converter boxes set up for a few months now, and let me say wow! First off, I had no idea broadcast television could look and sound so amazing! It’s quite a thing. Second, I get some very interesting digital channels that I didn’t have before. It’s pretty cool. I’m looking forward to new channels once the switch is complete.
• Watchmen, Star Trek & Terminator: Salvation – These movies top the lists of most geeks this year. How much awesome can one year contain? We shall see. Recently I was disappointed to hear that Watchmen will not end the same way the graphic novel did, but I still really want to see it. Star Trek, while also straying from its source material, also has me excited. Terminator, on the other hand, is an original story, so I look forward to seeing where they take the franchise.
• Superman: Secret Origin and The Blackest Night - It’s a coincidence that both of these comic book events are written by Geoff Johns and that they will both be awesome. Oh wait. That’s not a coincidence at all! Johns is the best writer in the business right now. I really believe that. The former is supposed to be the definitive origins story for the Man of Steel. It will help DC out of any corners they may have written themselves into. The latter will be a Green Lantern story dealing with the fundamentals of good versus evil. Such an epic year for comics!

Well that about sums things up. Obviously there’s a lot more I’m looking forward to, including Heroes, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and catching up on shows like Supernatural and most of, if not all of the Whedonverse. So stay tuned, it’s going to be one hell of a year.

Also, make sure to check back here at frankramblings.tk and over at frankpodcast.tk for a VERY exciting announcement in two weeks. It could mean very big things for the future of Frank’s Music Free-For-All!

Happy New Year and God bless you all in 2009 and beyond!

As I sit here watching It’s A Wonderful Life with my family, I want to wish everyone reading this blog a very holy, blessed and Merry Christmas. For many this has been a difficult year; financial stress has never been higher for many of us and it can be especially discouraging at this time of year when we’d like to give our loved ones the best that money can buy. This year it’s more important than ever that we are grateful for the company of those closest to us. It really isn’t important that we get the hottest and most expensive gadgets for each other, or even that we eat a big Christmas dinner. What matters is that we gather together to wish each other all the best at this sacred time of year when we celebrate the birth of the King of Kings.

So this Christmas, take a moment to realize how lucky you really are. The money may be tight, things may seem difficult, but remember the words of Clarence Oddbody, AS2: “No man is a failure who has friends.”

Merry Christmas and may the Christ child bring you and your loved ones every blessing.

I just wanted to let everyone know that earlier this week, my friends Faith and Ky of the Chic Geek Podcast were gracious enough to invite me to join them on their thirteenth episode entitled “How to Scare the Chic Geek Girls.” Also joining us was Tim of the Crossroads Podcast. It was a lot of fun and I’d like to thank the girls for asking me to take part in it. Show them your support by listening to the episode and subscribing to their podcast in iTunes!

If all goes well, you can expect to hear Tim, Faith, and Ky on my own podcast, Frank’s Music-Free-For-All, in early 2009!

From sogoodblog.com via Digg:

This is one of the most interesting viral marketing campaigns I have seen in a while. Going a step further than your standard “secret” website where you can download your very own free wallpaper or buddy icon (oh boy!), BK has decided to actually give out cash. Literally. That’s a pretty bold move. I know I’d see them more favorably if they gave me $100. Heck, I’m seeing them more favorably just hearing about the idea. It’s really a great plan. I hope they bring it to New York. Doubt it, but I can dream, can’t I?!