New Additions

Ni hao! Below are a few of my latest reviews.

July 2001

The Jeff Beck Group: Beck-Ola

Pearl Harbor was a waste, but for a good WWII movie currently making the run at the theaters, Enemy at the Gate is well worth your time. Though from a non-Russian and non-German perspective, given the choice between Hitler or Stalin it's impossible to root for either side - that's like choosing between malaria and smallpox, ain't it?

Bob Dylan: New Morning
Bob Dylan: Planet Waves

Don't waste your money on Pearl Harbor, because it sucks. Actually, I didn't waste any of my money, since I was a guest. All of the Chinese people in the audience cheered because they still hate Japan. Nobody in East Asia likes Japan. Maybe Japan needs to learn to say "Sorry," sometime - it'd be a start; apologizing is good enough for the Germans, it's good enough for the Nips.

Badfinger: Wish You Were Here
Bob Mould: The Last Dog and Pony Show
Nazareth: Hair of the Dog

June 2001

In the olden days, there was a Chinese emperor who greatly admired the hands of lady he witnessed playing a harp, and effused that he had rarely seen such beautiful hands amongst his subjects. To please their emperor, his servants later presented him with a gift - a box containing the lady's beautiful, severed hands.

The Count Five: Psychotic Reaction

New Page: High Tide

Today's word is "prolific." And "cirrhosis."

New Page: Guided By Voices

Life stinks and I like the Kinks and I can't think and I need a drink. But the doctors say I shouldn't, at least not for a while.

Pere Ubu: Dub Housing
The Seeds: The Seeds
The Seeds: A Web of Sound

Just a small update today. I've fallen a bit ill this past week. But I've bought a lot of new CDs, so more is on the way.

Ian Hunter: Once Bitten Twice Shy

Things that rule: Japanese sashimi with wasabi, mid-'60s UK mod/freakbeat singles, temples to the god of kung-fu, and cute brown-eyed Chinese girls, all of which I have enjoyed today.

Agent Orange: This is the Voice
Buffalo Springfield: Buffalo Springfield
The Byrds: Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde
Bill Lloyd: Set To Pop

May 2001

In Taiwan, when a car kills a dog or cat, to purge the tainted car, it is necessary to have a small boy pee on the tires. I learn something new about Chinese culture every day.

The Bluebells: The Singles Collection

Thin Lizzy: Vagabonds of the Western World

The horrible truth about Burma is that it's a military dictatorship that brutally oppresses its citizens, with the barest of freedoms and a scandalous human rights record. Unfortunately, the internet is banned in Burma, so no Burmese can actually read this message.

Mission of Burma: The Horrible Truth About Burma

The Pixies: The Complete B-Sides

The 13th Floor Elevators: Easter Everywhere

This week begins the rainy season. So pardon me if I'm in a crabby mood today.

Aimee Mann: Magnolia [soundtrack]

Bob Dylan: Another Side of Bob Dylan

Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers: Live at Max's Kansas City '79

"Made in Taiwan" still equals=crap. I had to buy a new scooter this week after my old piece of junk fell apart. This is not the first time I've been burned on the quality of a major appliance in this country. Remember, this country made its fortune originally by exporting cheap plastic junk. If you want good quality, buy stuff made in Germany or Switzerland - not Taiwan!

New Page: Game Theory

The long-awaited second half of myNotes From the Philippines arrives.

Sorry that it's been over a month and a half since my latest update. To tell the truth I've just been lazy. Things are a little tense over here in Taiwan right now, with this latest round of PRC nationalism rearing its ugly head and threatening peace in this part of the world. I don't think most Americans realize how eager certain elements in China are for a war....it's pretty scary. Hopefully cooler heads will prevail, as they have in the past.

The Damned: Music For Pleasure
Grin: 1+1
The Kinks: Percy
The Skids: Scared To Dance
Stiff Little Fingers: All the Best

March 2001

Who says I'm not eclectic? Simon & Garfunkel and Motorhead reviewed on the same day!

Blue Oyster Cult: Workshop of the Telescopes
Brian Eno: Before and After Science
The Frogs: It's Only Right and Natural
Motorhead: Overkill
Motorhead: No Remorse
Simon & Garfunkel: The Sounds of Silence

February 2001

Not only do I review music, books, and movies, but now I review countries. Notes From the Philippines (Pt. I)

Blondie: Plastic Letters
Blondie: Autoamerican
Fountains of Wayne: Utopia Parkway
The Jam: The Gift
The Jam: Direction Reaction Creation
X: Beyond & Back

January 2001

Blue Oyster Cult: Secret Treaties

The Buzzcocks: Time's Up

The Byrds: Byrdsmaniax

Pere Ubu: The Modern Dance

Iggy Pop: New Values

John Prine: John Prine

Simon & Garfunkel: Bookends

Johnny Thunders: So Alone

December 2000

Another essay on my Taiwanese life: Chia-yi's Ugliest American

C'mon baby, let's go to my new Crazy Horse review.

Roll out de ganja, mon, dere's tree new reggae reviews:

The Harder They Come Soundtrack
Bob Marley & the Wailers: Catch a Fire
Bob Marley & the Wailers: Burnin'

My odds & ends section for 1970s albums was getting a bit crowded, so I split it into A - N and O - Z sections. Also added three Records reviews (the band, not the piece of plastic vinyl people used to spin back in the day of Edison recreations): The Records: The Records
The Records: Crashes
The Records: Smashes, Crashes and Near Misses

Simon & Garfunkel: The Graduate

Don't call me fat big nose, slanty-eyed yellow banana! Sly & the Family Stone: Stand!

Sly & the Family Stone: There's a Riot Goin' On

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome -- Sloan: Between the Bridges

Also, I finally finished posting my backlog of reader comments. I apologize for not putting them up sooner, but I did abandon this site for half a year.

November 2000

Here's my timely two cents on Elections USA vs. Elections Taiwan

My latest bit of writing doesn't really relate to music, but you might be interested anyway. Introducing my Notes From Taiwan

Alice Cooper: School's Out

The Byrds: The Ballad of Easy Rider

The Byrds: Farther Along

Generation X: Generation X

V/A: Nuggets -- Long review; my FTP couldn't handle the entire review, so it comes in two parts.

October 2000

The Saints: I'm Stranded

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