What Are You Reading ?

[Tiggi]

^ Too early to say where he's heading with this, but I think his point seems to be that since the days of Edison, the manufacturer's claims for recorded sound and playback equipment have been routinely inflated.

In Edison's time that was the case, and the title of the book parodies the claims that CDs would provide "Perfect Sound Forever", which they clearly - in many cases- don't. If they did, why have the industry tried to introduce HDCD, SACD, & DVD Audio ??

Clearly his argument is semantic up to a point, since modern audio is perfectly adequate for the majority of people, but claims of perfection are certainly overstating their case.

To answer your initial point, the other way to hear music is in a live environment, and I think he has a point that the modern standard of studio recordings being stitched together, and pitch-adjusted, before being compressed to death during mastering leave much to be desired.

I'm curious to explore his views on the divergence between what "The Industry" thinks we all want, and what we'd choose given the option...

And i'm not unhappy with the standard of most recordings, but am certainly interested in how the industry seeks to shape popular opinion to their own ends.

I'm actually often surprised that music is produced to the high standard that it is, given that most consumers will never be able to hear the full quality of the music they consume...

[CMB1888]

I don't read a huge amount, but was given this book and now I feel obliged to read it.

I'm reading this as well at the moment - about the third time I've picked this up and am only half way through it - it's all right, I suppose. " The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat " was much better.

[JonG]

Food of the Gods by Terence K. McKenna [Bantam Books, 1993]

This is a very interesting book. He makes an argument that religion, art, and even language are rooted in shamanism and hallucinogenic mushrooms. He goes on to say that society/civilizations' biggest problems are caused by our lack of connection to the earth. That we need plants (mushrooms) to make the connection. I'm not sure how he concludes the book as I'm currently about half way through.

[Iota]

Good God, that shroom book sounds awesome.

Paul Auster - Moon Palace

[Music Head]

Read this because my wife asked me to. She read it and liked it and suggested I might like it. Yes, it's a chick book. I read chick books as well as watch chick flics. Show an interest in your spouses interests. Wouldn't you want the same from them? Choose your battles carefully. The book was ok. Female relationship stuff. Woman owns a yarn/craft store. Her and friends/customers get together on Friday nights to knit and shoot the bull. The story includes a few plots as each member has their life problems. The store owner has a child who is bi-racial, and the father comes back into the picture, after a 12 year abscence, and says "darling, I've always loved you, blah, blah, blah". She takes him back just in time to find out she has cancer, she dies, the end.

Grade - C

next up - Rudy Giuliani: Emperor Of The City by Andrew Kirtzman

[TraceNspace]

I'm reading South of Broad by Pat Conroy. It's not bad. And I recently finished the Sookie Stackhouse series that HBO's True Blood is based on. That was pure fluff and fun to read.

[Iota]

Marion Giebel - The Secret of Mysteries: Ancient cults in Greece, Rome and Egypt



About the history and the rites of mysterious cults dedicated to Demeter, Dionysos, Isis, Kybele, Mithras etc. etc.

[JonG]

Marion Giebel - The Secret of Mysteries: Ancient cults in Greece, Rome and Egypt

Your book sounds interesting as well but I cannot find an English translation.

[Music Head]

If it's any type of bio, I'm usually hooked. This was no exception. Only touching briefly on the early years, we then go straight to his first race for mayor. A losing effort to the honorable David Dinkens. The next one would begin the ascension of Rudy. Problem is this book ends before 9/11, after which his name became more in the forefront, deservedly or not, not imo. The book ends about halfway into Rudys second term. Must have been a deadline to meet. He would go on to enter the 2008 presidential race, only to drop out after a few primaries, if I remember correctly. The book is good, just ends too soon.

Grade - B

next up - Billy Bathgate by E.L. Doctorow

[Iota]

Yeah, must be hard not to be blessed with the ability to speak or read German. I, however, ordered Food of the Gods which I will check out sooner or later (because I ordererd 16 other non-fiction books as well, one of which being that mystery thing up there).

Next book will be Mind and Matter - What is life? About the actuality of Erwin Schrödinger by Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht, Robert Pogue Harrison, Michael R. Hendrickson and Robert B. Laughlin.