The Last Ten CDs We've Listened To: Nothing Goes Together Like Rush and The Go-Gos

For those of you in France, the land of Lucky Luke (who is called Red Kit in Turkish) and Asterix, we want to take a moment to remember the 17 people who senselessly lost their lives this week in various terrorist attacks across Paris, including the ten who were killed at Charlie Hebdo headquarters. Je Suis Charlie. Je Suis Ahmed. Of course, we are now realizing that using an image of a Volkswagen Beetle, a German car, instead of an image for a Fiat is perhaps a bad idea.

The images are of 1) the Canadian rock band Rush, 2) a postcard from Ocean City, Maryland, for the Go-Gos' album "Vacation," and 3) the VW bug for the band The Cars.

Here are the last ten cds we've listened to:

1. Interpol. Antics. 2004.

2. Rush. Signals. 1982.

3. The Go-Gos. Vacation. 1982.

4. Talking Heads. Remain in Light. 1980.

5. The Pretenders. Learning to Crawl. 1982.

6. The Cars. Candy-O. 1979.

7. The Rolling Stones. Let It Bleed. 1969.

8. Peter Gabriel. Us. 1992.

9. Frank Zappa. Waka/Jawaka. 1972.

10. Blur. 13. 1999.

http://www.gogos.com/

http://www.talking-heads.nl/

http://petergabriel.com/latest/

The Last 10 CDs I've Listened To- Lots of New Wave

Normally, we use this blog to post entries pertaining to the last ten films we've seen, and we post the entry dedicated to the last ten cds we've listened to on our sister blog "Politics, Culture and Other Wastes of Time." Yes, I am aware that using the pronoun we to describe may make folks wonder if I have a multiple-personality disorder, but we can assure you that's not the case.

There are several New Wave selections here, inclduing The Go-Gos, The Psychedelic Furs and The Pretenders, amazingly enough two of those three bands were on tour this summer. And, Chrissie Hynde, the lead singer of The Pretenders (the one band which wasn't on tour this summer), has been performing with other musicians as of late.

Ok, here is the list. I suppose I could arbitrarily mention Amanda Knox here to boost ratings, but we are above such things:

1. Sonic Youth "Dirty." 1992. Key Tracks: "100 %," "Youth Against Facism" and "Chapel Hill."

2. Arcade Fire. "The Suburbs." 2010. Key Tracks: "The Suburbs," "Ready to Start" and "City with No Children."

3. Interpol. "Antics." 2004. Key Tracks: "Evil" and "Slow Hands."

4. Rush "Signals." 1982. Key Tracks: "Subdivisions" and "New World Man."

5. The Go-Go's "Vacation" (pictured) 1982. Key Tracks: "Vacation" and "Cool Jerk."

6. REM "Murmur." 1983. Key Tracks: "Radio Free Europe" and "Perfect Circle," the band recently called it quits after 31 years.

7. Psychedelic Furs. "Mirror Moves" (pictured) 1984. Key Traks: "The Ghost in You," "Heaven" and "Heartbeat."

8. The Cranberries "Everyone Else is Doing It, So Why Can't We?" Key Tracks: "Dreams," "Sunday" and "Linger," the band will be releasing its first recording in many years on Feb. 14, 2012.

9. Red Elvises "Better Than Sex." (pictured) 1999. Key Tracks: "Wonderful Night" and "Closet Disco Dancer," the Russian-emigre band plays in Moscow, Russia, (yes That Moscow, not the one in Idaho) on Oct. 13th.

10. Pretenders. "Pretenders." 1980. Key Tracks: "Kid," "Private Life" and "Brass in Pocket."

My Choice for the Best Films of 1981

Since information for this entry took a while to compile, I will simply list the films in my order of preference without commentary.

On a personal note, I hope my friend Moviezzz who has or had a great blog called Moviezzz (http://www.moviezzz.blogspot.com). I really enjoyed his review of a concert from the Go-Gos in Northhampton, Mass., earlier this summer. Moviezzz has alas not posted a new entry since June! That girl band was actually very popular in 1981 due their hit record "Vacation," which featured the mega-hit of the same name.

One film from the class of 1981, "Time Bandits" (dir. Terry Gilliam) will screen in a 35-mm print at the Carolina Theatre in Greensboro, NC, tomorrow night.

Last year, my friend Blake Lipscomb and I 'sweded' the film "My Dinner with Andre" which was shown at part of a sueded film festival at The Shadowbox Cinema in my hometown of Roanoke, Va., where we filmed our version of "Andre." Ironically, the actual film, which is set in New York, was filmed at an abonded hotel in Richmond, Va.

Here is the list:

1) "Atlantic City" (dir. Louis Malle)

2) "The Gods Must Be Crazy" (South Africa. dir. Jamie Uys)

3) "Das Boot" (Germany. dir. Wolfgang Petersen)

4) "An American Werewolf in London" (dir. John Landis)

5) "The Road Warrior" (Australia. dir. George Miller)

6) "Body Heat" (dir. Lawrene Kasdan)

7) "Prince of the City" (dir. Sidney Lumet)

8) "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (dir. Steven Spielberg)

9) "My Dinner with Andre" (dir. Louis Malle)

10) "Blow Out" (dir. Brian DePalma)