All over the place

Because that's where my head is at these days...and I lost a whole bunch of bookmarks I was saving up for an epic blog post.

It's Madness I Tell You!
Strange that I should hear from David that Terry Edwards' Madness - One Step Beyond manuscript is in on the same day that YepRoc sends me an email about preordering the Madness box set they are releasing in the US in June.

Big Star news
Bruce Eaton's most excellent treatment of Big Star's Radio City has been reviewed in Under the Radar's Winter 2009 issue:

"The 33 1/3 series is always a fun read for record obsessives and Bruce Eaton's coverage of THE GREATEST ALBUM OF ALL TIME here is no exception. Eaton speaks to Alex Chilton, surviving bandmates, producer John Fry, Chris Bell's brother, and other regulars in the Ardent/Big Star crew, doing a good job of presenting different viewpoints on the who/what/why. You get background on those involved, their convergence at Ardent Studios, and a rundown of track particulars, There also some content for the geeks: amplifier details drum mic setup, etc.
Much has been mad of the drama and tragedy surrounding Big Star– and you can't escape some of it–but the focus here is music. It's clear everyone involved loved being in the studio, and would have been there, perfecting their craft, regardless of the other factors. Any fan of the album will find this a quick, worthwhile read..."

• The good folks at Ardent Studios have also put a notice up on their blog. One of my favorite parts of the book was reading about John Fry and the early days of Ardent, which is a remarkable story by itself.
  

• Bruce also has a blog up and running here. And Los Angeles' Book Soup has the Big Star(s) book charting at #7 on their bestseller list. Not quite a #1 record yet...beating Christopher Hitchens, and almost up to Spinal Tap.

Miscellany
Here's a guy who is going back and re-designing all of Wu-Tang Clan's LP covers taking cues from old Blue Note sleeve designs. Awesome.

And this fellow has been nice enough to collect original versions of songs covered by The Fall. Be sure to read the paragraph following the playlist, which contains this choice quote from Mark E. Smith, "A lot of people say I'd be a really good dad."

I had more, but ah well, so it goes....

UPDATE:
Stevie Wonder drum solo. Enjoy it.