I like all those songs. I like every officially released Beatles song, though (Love doesn't count).

I recall you said something like this about the Beach Boys, too, that you like everything they did. I don't mean to criticize or question that, but do you feel that way about other bands you love? Do you like everything by every band you love, and nothing by others? I ask because it is interesting to me. For me, it's a grab bag across most bands: I can't think of a single band from whom I love everything. I could find something I like in most songs by a band I love, but I wouldn't say I love the songs.

strange snitch culture

What do you mean here?

I'm no communist, either, but I think that's irrelevant. All political systems ideally try to do the most good possible for the most people, but have different ideas on how to get there. I don't think small-D and -R democrats and republicans, or capitalists (to throw an economic theory into the political world) believe that it's good for the rich to remain the sole power, either. It just works out that way--both in communist and democratic nations--because the powerful tend not to be very interested in giving away their power. Human nature corrupts any system of government. As for Obama being on the same team as the Republican party, I'd say in a way he is. He isn't nearly the far-left liberal the Republican party painted him during the campaign, and his appointments so far prove that. But I do think his differences from the past administration are positive. Like I said, I'm hopeful, just not optimistic. I WANT some of the things he's talked about to happen; I just don't believe they necessarily will.

It's really no change: the rich remain in charge, and continue to try to maintain or increase their power. That's not a change in the slightest. The only changes are the sways back and forth as to when, how and how much they occasionally crumble under their mistakes. I know being middle or lower class during a depression feels like a change, and to any individual or family, it is. But in the grand scheme, poor is poor and powerless. Rich is rich and powerful. And rarely the twain shall meet...

Enjoyable tune. As to the mix, my thoughts (although I'm a lazy mixer myself) would be that the nylon string guitar that begins at about :53 is a bit loud, as is the xylophone (or whatever bell instrument you're using there). They stand out a little more than I'd expect them to.

No problem: easy mistake. You hear an agreement has been reached, you assume it is going to be implemented! I only got the bulk of the story regarding the Iraqi end of it on national public radio yesterday.

You're mistaken about Iraq. While the Bush administration and the president of Iraq came to an agreement to keep troops there till 2011, the Iraqi parliament has to vote on it, and there is significant opposition (not to mention a disagreement as to whether a simple or super-majority is required to make the agreement official). Al-Sadr and his contingent actually insist that the treaty is illegal as long as we continue to occupy, and he's still a major political as well as religious and military force there. The McCain talk of how long we'd be there was spun by Dems, just as the Obama "get out" talk was spun by Republicans. The fact is, both wanted to strengthen the Iraqi government as much as possible and remove combat troops as quickly as possible. The primary disagreement was over whether to impose deadlines, which (as the first few sentences here hint at) may be a moot point: we're not there in an official capacity as an occupying or attacking force anymore, we're there at the pleasure of the purportedly sovereign government of Iraq. If they say we have to leave, our choices are to be there illegally as an occupier or leave. That would have been true whether under McCain or Obama.

In fact, Obama has promised to increase our commitment in Afghanistan. And to be honest, his exit strategy from Iraq isn't all that different than McCain's: the bigger differences were terminology. It will be a controlled pull-out from Iraq and a build-up in Afghanistan, both militarily and with civil leadership in an attempt to boost their economy away from poppies (opium), which is their biggest cash crop. But that's no easy war, either, considering our "ally" Pakistan has plenty of official and unofficial support going to our Taliban enemies, and we're forbidden from engaging in military operations in Pakistan territory. And Afghanistan itself isn't exactly helping, with the current government rife with cronyism. Like it or not, the U.S. is going to have to realize that the Middle East isn't some monolithic place where the brown people are enemies: their politics are every bit as complex as ours, if not more so. Taliban isn't the same as Northern "Alliance" fighters, which isn't isn't the same as Al Quaeda, which isn't the same as Sunni insurgents, which isn't the same as Shiite extremists, and so on. (And there are multiple groups of each of those, anyway.) We go in and act as if bombs on some city and a new, U.S.-backed government solves everything. I don't like the idea of leaving with a vacuum there to be filled by whatever strongman-led group can fill it, but neither do I like the idea of us continuing to stick our noses where they don't belong without any perceivable progress toward a probably unattainable goal.

We'll start to find out in a month. I'm hopeful, too ... just less optimistic.

Each individual Beatle went on to a long, distinguished career of putting out mostly mediocre-or-worse songs, in my opinion.

And in the case of the Stones, miraculously alive and/or undead. 

True, Amy. Of course, it's all relative. For aging journalists and an aged Brian Wilson, people in their 40s are pretty young! To your average teenage pop music fan, they're all ancient.

I arranged, recorded and posted at my myspace page Andre Herman Dune's "How I Feel About You." If you want to have a listen, go to http://myspace.com/thebeaumondes.

That's awesome. I envy you. Couple comments: 1) You're dead-on about how courteous (at least) Van Dyke is. I'm often amazed at how accessible and open he is. 2) I don't agree that Inara is necessarily a uniquely gifted singer. The more I've listened to her over the past few years, I've begun to believe she's actually not a great singer at all, but I do think (and your review hinted at this) that she's quite a good actor, which is just as valuable in pop singing as singing. Anyway, it's great they pulled off what sounds like such an amazing show. I consider An Invitation among the best five or so albums of the year, and only wish I'd have seen that show. Sadly, the Hague isn't exactly next door to Minneapolis.

Not good. Far worse than when i saw him last weekend. But he's been a slow starter most times I've seen him: I wonder if a big part of it is the nature of these shows, with just a song or two.

I believe there is a whole thread dedicated to it here somewhere. I have vague recollections of the early days of this version of this board. But I could be wrong. I drink a lot and don't pay much attention.

Howie: don't be a fucking asshole.

[craft]

I think it's ill-informed because Dennis Wilson is more than just POB, and POB is the work of a man's life and Brian's post '80s work, although a lot of it is amazing, is churning out product. Although I know there were MANY, MANY, inspired musical moments for him, I do not believe that Brian Wilson -- between 1980 and 2008 -- was ever as passionate about any music he made as Dennis Wilson was from 1975 to 1978 while making POB/BAMBU.

Churning out product is often every bit as important--if not more so--than awaiting that damn inspiration that too many people believe in. I prefer the Bob Dylan / Lou Reed / Andy Warhol / Prince / Frank Zappa approach: go to work. Do your work. People who believe themselves to be inspired tend to create overly dramatic sh*t. (Kind of like Dennis often did, in my opinion, which I realize is in a minority.) Music, like all art, is largely craft. Acquired skill. Not just hanging out till some god breathes into you. Now, I'm not saying it isn't beneficial for someone to throw himself into his craft, and if you call that inspired, well, ok. Terminology. But passion only takes you so far, in my book. And I'd rather have a Brian Wilson putting out "cobbled together" albums than Dennis's inspired one. But I don't see the need to call anyone else ill-informed for disagreeing with me. 

As far as Dennis' output, there's a multitude of great stuff from his work with the band (literally everything he did with the BB's is major) -- as well as POB/BAMBU -- and another ton of great unreleased stuff as well. It's MY OPINION that if all of that material was considered against TLOS it would be an insanely comical no-brainer. I guess not. But, like George Harrison sang, "It's all up to what you value."

Calling all of Dennis's BBs output "major" just means you're the Dennis version of a Brianista, as far as I'm concerned. "It's About Time" is major? It's crap, as far as I'm concerned. And I think similarly of almost all of the Bambu stuff I've heard. Insanely comical no-brainers? I agree. I'd take Brian Wilson's output of the 1970s against Dennis Wilson's, no doubt about it. And I'd say TLOS is right up there near POB in terms of quality: pretty good.

I corrected grammar on your face: it's whose, not who's. OH YEAH. Luther, not-yet-banned and as grammatically dominant as ever.

I think we're all the exception--each of us--especially at that age. That's what makes music so powerful for us then. As much as I love it now, I don't know if anything can grab me the way it did when I was 14 and whoever (probably Gene Simmons or someone) was singing in my stead, the words right out of my mouth.

SJS, I was joking, but only somewhat. That is (as far as I can see) the Doors key new audience, adding to the base of those people who were fans the first time around. I don't really mean it derisively, even as I kid about it, but just factually. I believe most serious music fans hit phases at one point or another that takes them through all the big ones. The Doors are one of those, and those years, that time period, are prime territory. There's really nothing quite so perfect for a certain kind of teenage boy as the Doors.

Oh, you mother f*cker! Right on my face! Ow ... ow ... ow.

I'd say that's pretty much the whole reason, which is very frustrating for people like me...considering the underlying reasons are more political than commercial. I can't believe we're hashing this out on a Postcards from California thread.

I'm not too worried about it; it's far from the first thread to go way off topic for a few pages here or there. I'm sure it all makes sense somehow in the big context. Let's see ... vaults raided a la Brian? "Don't Fight the Sea." Ignored talent a la Dennis? Hmmm ... not so much. Postcards From California pretty much shows me Al got what he deserved in terms of songs per album. Or more than he deserved.

And yes, Dennis blows my mind with each new revelation, and 25 years after his death there's still stuff in the can that is among his very best. Wish we could say that about Brian because listening to it would be so much fun...but the cupboard is pretty much bare in comparison.

Of course, part of the reason for that is that Brian's cupboard has been continuously raided for the past 30+ years. Maybe 40, considering the back-material being used from the non-appearance of Smile onward. Conversely, the exact opposite was going on with Dennis from when he began recording to the end of his life, pretty much.

There is a legitimate reason why The Doors catalogue continues to outsell almost all other acts from that era.

The fact that there are always new, overly dramatic, wannabe-dark-and-moody teenagers around?     Seriously, those records are all very well done. I'm not a big fan anymore, but I have been one, and the change is more to changing taste than any sort of "oooh, I grew up and am smarter now." All the albums are right there about four feet from me (see 'em? --->).