just to let you know

Live Aid DVD

Thanks to some lovely and understanding friends I am now the proud owner of the Live Aid DVD Box set. We started watching it last night and I must say that its sounds and picture quality are excellent, especially if you take into account that this has all been recorded live and is alomst 20 years old.

However, it is strange that a large part of the live recordings and acts are missing. Some act such as Nik Kershaw and Style Council (amongst many others), who played several songs, have been cut down to a single song on the DVD. Quite annoying - I was somehow expeting to find an almost 1:1 copy of what had been broadcast that day. I don't understand why it wasn't considered to make a 6 DVD set instead of a 4 DVD box. If you are looking for more info on the concert, visit Live-Aid.info.

On the other hand, the DVD box set gives you a more than good idea what this day was about - after all, its main aim is to raise more money for Bob Geldof's LiveAid project.

music reminiscence

Today was a special day. Today, we purchased our first music online on Apple's beautiful iTMS.

Just one track to start with. Just 0.79p changed hands. Simple really.

And now I'm contemplating my next move: "Keane" or maybe a selection of tracks, picked carefully from the Top 100 Downloads list ? Or would that be too mainstream?

But suddenly - it must have happened somewhere in between these virtual MP3 shelves - the past hit me and threw me into an orbit around my HiFi system. And I've stayed there since.

Some time back, I used to sit down, listen to newly purchased music and browse the CD booklet, admire or reject the artwork, read the lyrics and the silly "Thank You's" some bands put in.

Gone, away and forgotten is all this in this new shiny 128kbps-polished world. It's just me in front of a bit of software looking at the "artwork" provided with the download. I can write it to a CD but it still doesn;t replace the booklet.

Sure, there is the price and the convenience, but so far my memories seem to win this battle of warm music reminiscence vs. cool downloads.

inter iTMS links - what for ?

Like lots of other new german, french or british customers of the iTunes Music Store (iTMS), I've made use of the provided link to the other 3 stores (Ger, France, UK and USA).

One thing that puzzles me though is why Apple has put these links in. I tried to purchase something that was only exclusively available in the german iTMS and was refused when I tried to pay for it using my british account (and credit card). Setting up a german account also was not possible, since I have no german credit card billing address.

Why does Apple put these links in ?

iTunes music library backups

Now that we finally have the iTMS Europe it just dawned on me how important backups of my iTunes music library have become. Whereas in the past, I didn't think a lot about my music library, it might soon include a few tracks I spent my hard-earned cash on. Blimey ! Better include it into my regular backups then.

The Darkness

It's The Darkness' debut album "Permission To Land" that keeps my iPod's hard disk busy at the moment. Although you hardly ever found me browsing shelves in HMV's Hard Rock or heavy section, this album is certainly "growing on me".

The released singles so far seem to suggest that the band opted for the mainstream approach. However if you give the whole album a go you'll be up for a surprise: Intelligent, straightforward heavy rock with non-compromising guitars is what I would call it in my no-mans-land music knowledge.

What appeals me the most to The Darkness right now is their no-nonsense approach to music and the way how they simply present themselves. In a weird way, Justin Hawkin's music and lyrics remind me of those of ABC in the eighties. Well crafted soap bubbles that seem to come with a washing label at the back of the sleeve but at the same time suggest hidden depth to you.