AD

Good show! Isis are great! AD

How Bing and Bowie made a Christmas classic Last-minute changes to "Little Drummer Boy" resulted in the duet "Peace on Earth" December 22, 2006 Paul Farhi special to the star One of the most successful duets in Christmas music history – and surely the weirdest – might never have happened if it weren't for some last-minute musical surgery. David Bowie thought "The Little Drummer Boy" was all wrong for him. So when the producers of Bing Crosby's Christmas TV special asked Bowie to sing it in 1977, he balked. Just hours before he was supposed to go before the cameras, though, a team of composers and writers frantically retooled the song. They added another melody and new lyrics as a counterpoint to all those pa-rumpa-pum-pums and called it "Peace on Earth." Bowie liked it. More important, Bowie sang it. The result was an epic, and epically bizarre, recording pairing David Bowie, the androgynous Ziggy Stardust, with none other than Mr. "White Christmas" himself, Bing Crosby. In the intervening years, the Bowie-Crosby, "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy," has been transformed from an oddity into a holiday chestnut. You can hear it in heavy rotation on Christmas-music radio stations or see the performance on Internet video sites. First released as a single in 1982, it still sells today; to add to its quirky afterlife, it's part of an album that's ranked as high as No. 3 on the Canadian charts this month. How did this almost surreal mash-up of the mainstream and the avant-garde, of cardigan-clad '40s-era crooner and glam rocker happen? It almost didn't. Bowie, who was 30 at the time, and Crosby, then 73, recorded the duet Sept. 11, 1977, for Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas TV special. A month later, Crosby was dead of a heart attack. The special was broadcast on CBS about a month after his death. The notion of the Crosby-Bowie pairing apparently was the brainchild of the special's producers Gary Smith and Dwight Hemion, according to Ian Fraser, who co-wrote (with Larry Grossman) the song's music and arranged it. The theme of the TV special was Christmas in England. Bowie was one of several British guest stars (the model Twiggy and Oliver! star Ron Moody also appeared). Booking Bowie made logistical sense. As perhaps an added inducement, the producers agreed to air the arty video of Bowie's then-current single, "Heroes" (Crosby introduced it). But Buz Kohan, who wrote the special and worked with Fraser and Grossman on the music, says he was never sure Crosby knew anything about Bowie's work. Fraser diagrees: "I'm pretty sure he did (know). Bing was no idiot. If he didn't, his kids sure did." Kohan worked some of the intergenerational awkwardness into his script. In a skit that precedes the singing, Bowie casually picks out a piece of sheet music of "The Little Drummer Boy" and says, "This is my son's favourite." The original plan had been for Bowie and Crosby to sing just "Little Drummer Boy." But "David came in and said: `I hate this song. Is there something else I could sing?'" Fraser said. "We didn't know quite what to do." Fraser, Kohan and Grossman left the set and found a piano in the studios' basement. In about 75 minutes, they wrote "Peace on Earth," an original tune, and an arrangement weaving the two songs. Bowie and Crosby nailed the performance with less than an hour of rehearsal. And that was almost that. "We never expected to hear about it again," Kohan said. But after the recording circulated as a bootleg for five years, RCA issued it as a single and it has since been packaged in numerous Christmas compilations and released as a DVD. The Washington Post

Link to a download of Julie Doiron playing Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard If that link doesn't work, grab the track at the end of the story here AD

posted here "In the aftermath of having our hard drive crash, midway through the production of our new record, we've decided to upload some live MP3s" AD

I enjoy it every time I hear it. Great album.

Given that the thread could be interpreted as 'Top 10 Albums You Enjoyed This Year', 2003's album 'The Postal Service' shall remain.

Title is Woke Myself Up.

there's a reason you forgot about those albums. (minus Petty)

cross your fingers!! this weather sucks.

Portishead? The Stooges? Really looking forward to the new Spiritualized / J. Spaceman recordings (the recent reviews of his string'ed performaces have been superb) as well as the new Magnetic Fields. And Do Make Say Think. And Arcade Fire. And Wolf Parade. And Tortoise. And Sea and Cake. And Prefuse. And Pinback. And Low. And Jim Bryson. The new 2007 Julie Doiron album is quite good. And easy to 'find.'

happy day! good to see you the other night

The biggest Bluesfest yet The festival could double in size, and pay less, at its new site. You listening, city hall? Lynn Saxberg, The Ottawa Citizen Published: Tuesday, December 19, 2006 Bluesfest is going back to the Flats, and it may soon be much bigger than any Bluesfest you've seen before. For five years Ottawa's biggest music festival has been bursting the seams of its site on the grounds of city hall. Organizers say last summer's event attracted a record 250,000 people over 10 days, and that was about all that could fit at city hall. Next summer, on the spacious new site on the grounds of the Canadian War Museum, the numbers could double. The new mainstage plaza is an eight-acre lawn that holds 40,000 people. There's room for 4,000 at the westernmost side stage, another 3,500 at the Black Sheep stage next to the Ottawa River and about 250 in the Barney Danson theatre inside the museum. Add it up and full capacity is close to 50,000 people a day. To paraphrase Joni Mitchell, by the time we get through Bluesfest, we could be half a million strong. Think of the possibilities. If Eric Clapton and J.J. Cale are touring next summer to promote their recent disc, Road to Escondido, Bluesfest could make an offer. If Van Halen reunites with David Lee Roth? If the Rolling Stones, the Who, U2 or Elton John extend their tours? If Led Zeppelin or the Beatles ... Whoa. Back down on Earth, the festival's head honcho isn't promising a superstar every night. Executive director Mark Monahan says there are no plans to add a million dollars to the $1.7 million programming budget, although the total could hit $2 million. Taking a cue from the Austin City Limits Music Festival, Bluesfest will feature two main stages, one at each end of the lawn. When a Bluesfest team went to Austin in September, they saw John Mayer on one stage, followed by Van Morrison on another, with little changeover time in between. The dual setup also takes the pressure off having to program one huge act every night. Still, the festival will undoubtedly be able to move up the rock and roll food chain. "I think we will bring in some significant headliners that will be perceived as being bigger than in the past," Monahan says. "The problem is, it's a tough prediction to make because I haven't got any yet." The 44-year-old father of four has worked hard to make Bluesfest thrive. In its 14-year history, it has been forced to move four times, from Major's Hill Park to Confederation Park to Lebreton Flats to city hall, where it grew in size despite space constraints. As anyone who's jostled for space in front of the main stage knows, city hall's Festival Plaza was cramped at any concert that attracted more than 15,000 people, even with the closure of Laurier Avenue. Closing the street on evenings and weekends required council approval and cost the festival some $30,000. Flagpoles and trees blocked the sightlines, and there were stairs and fountains in inconvenient locations. To its credit, Bluesfest made the most of the awkward layout, and the city hall days will probably be remembered for the popularity of the side stages. Who could forget shows by Michael Franti, Xavier Rudd, Alejandro Escovedo, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings and Daniel Lanois, to name a few of the outstanding artists who performed on the Black Sheep Stage. Not that the side stages were free of space issues: some people are still steamed at not getting into the Neville Brothers' show a couple of years back. So far, the buzz on moving back to Lebreton Flats is overwhelmingly positive. It's easy to get to by bus, bicycle or O-Train and not too far from the downtown core. A field adjacent to Booth Street will be used for parking. Many people have fond memories of the whole town turning out to see Sting, James Brown and Al Green, to name a few of the acts that played Bluefest at Lebreton from 1999 to 2001. It was pushed out to make way for the redevelopment of the Flats, a project that included the removal of contaminated soil and construction of the war museum. The National Capital Commission's plan for a festival site on the Flats has been in the works for several years, but Monahan says Bluesfest has only been seriously considering it since August. One of the best features is the cost. As a non-profit organization with a national profile, Bluesfest meets the NCC criteria and is able to use the site for free. The city hall site cost $20,000 to rent in addition to the $30,000 associated with street closures. "I think the city should learn from this," says Monahan. "The city struggles with how to evaluate this and what to charge people and who should pay, and it's really a nightmare. The NCC says, 'If you meet these criteria, you shouldn't be paying.' It makes sense." The NCC designed the new site from the underground up for large-scale outdoor events, and it sure sounds impressive. There are buried hydro lines, a drainage system so rain won't turn it into a mudbath and a hardy variety of grass that can withstand the stress of thousands of pairs of feet a day. Monahan had limited input into the consultation. His advice? "Don't plant any trees." Keep the sightlines clear. Festival organizers will also be able to use the museum building for their on-site administration offices during the event, and festivalgoers will have access to the air-conditioned theatre and lobby. It's not entirely clear if soundbleed from one stage to another will be a problem, or if increased attendance will translate into longer lineups. But with 13 years of experience, organizers should be able to troubleshoot and solve any problems that arise. "There's going to be a lot of work needed on site logistics -- where everything goes, how people get in and out -- and on the programming side, that's going to be another challenge," says Monahan. "But it's going to be an exciting year." The 2007 Bluesfest runs from July 6-15.

I figure there's something wrong when bands that nobody has heard of get far in contests like these. Emergenza anyone? It's a gimmick promotion. I wonder why none of Ottawa's good bands signed up? Hmm.. It's a giant promotion for the radio station, and Saxberg gave them a free ad disguised as journalism. Here's another one. Find the show review within. Sometimes she gets it right, but these two she missed the mark by a long shot.

99% of the time I agree. But check out her piece a month ago praising the new and upcoming bands of Ottawa in the 'Big Money Shot' contest. And her Yo La Tengo review where she spent two paragraphs contemplating the graffiti in the washrooms at Babylon. She does a ton of good writing, but a few real stinkers linger in my brain longer than the good ones. My problem I guess. AD

there is no byline to the piece, if three sentences can be called a 'piece.' what's the beef with saxberg? (i have a couple, just wondering what yours were ) ad

You can download every Xmas special release (fan club only) from this blog 1991-2005 is covered. I especially recommend the Sonic Reducer cover with Joey Ramone. Lots of great tunes. Excellent stuff.

Bouche

http://www.mininova.org/tor/513809

when i did a mini sadies tour out east i always got stuck in the bathroom after travis. that guy's shit stinks baaad. they know how to 'light up' a party though. not that i do that. but they also like to 'drink.' so that's good with me.

9pm on global!! don't ruin it for yourself although i'm probably too late

i used to feel bad about it, but now i just ease up on the sell job up front. for example i've raved and raved about bands in the past and people would come based on that, not agree and then be mildly pissed and i'd feel bad. for tomorrow night with the band that shall remain nameless, i simply told people that i enjoy them and they might too. lo and behold i'm taking 10 friends to the show, 9 newbies, and if they don't like it i haven't done anything to pull them one way or another. mind you there are times where friends have done this to me (not played it up) and i've said no to shows that i find out later would blow my mind (arcade fire at zaphods in 2002 and arcade fire at blacksheep in 2003 are prime examples) tough question, don't know if i came close to answering it. but it happens all the time, you're right.

i just choked on my water from laughing. nice turn of phrase.

Another solid contender for thread of the year

why did you stand behind the tree? i think i'm most concerned about the direct sightline the flaming ball of nuclear gas has to everyone in the crowd. there will be lots of heatstroke and serious sunburnage. and everyone will be eating sausage and poutine because it'll take an hour to go get decent off-site food and get back. and if i miss nelly furtado one more time...................