Support Radiohead and change the music industry

Radiohead have boldly gone where no band has gone before – in letting the fans choose what to pay for their newest album. This is super cool and will undoubtedly send shock waves through the industry. More so in the near future as Oasis and Jamiroquai are rumoured to do the same with their next albums while other bands, including Nine Inch Nails, ditch the music labels to proceed independently.

If you’re already a fan, keen to try or like me think this experiment is worthy of support, head over to inrainbows.com, choose what to pay and grab yourself a copy. Kudos Radiohead. Here’s hoping more bands follow your lead.

iShuffle

I thought I’d jump on the iPod Shuffle bandwagon after stumbling across this at Mike’s site. In my case I don’t expect to have a decent explanation of why it’s on my pod, instead the shuffle epitomises my collection – it’s pretty darn random!

*sets iPod to shuffle* …here goes…

1. I See Red – Split Enz
   Fitting that the first track should be a Kiwi band. From their Spellbound best-of album it’s a classic dance hit that everyone should know.
2. Rock Me Amadeus – Falco
   The only Falco track on my iPod and another classic from the 80’s. I had to look up his nationality and it turns out he was Austrian, born Johann Holzel in Vienna.
3. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson
   Ah, um, how’d that get on there? Young American singer who won the first American Idol in 2002. Moving along…
4. The Gambler – Kenny Rogers
   Country legend. The Gambler is simply a superb track and a great one to sing along to after a few beers.
5. Logical Song – Supertramp
   Haven’t heard this in a while. From their best-of album, but originally released on Breakfast in America in 1979.
6. Where Is The Love? – Black Eyed Peas
   One of the more mellow tracks from the Peas. This one sits alongside some other good rap/hip-hop from their Elephunk album.
7. The Hornburg – Howard Shore
   Had to happen that at least one of my soundtracks feature in the shuffle. This track comes from The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, composed by the supremely talented Howard Shore. Pity he was dropped from Kong… I’d still like to hear his version that didn’t work for PJ.
8. Daughter – Pearl Jam
   By far my favourite track from rock greats Pearl Jam. This got a good trashing in my Uni years in the 90’s.
9. Tunnel Of Love – Dire Straits
   Yet another track from a best-of album, this one from The Sultans of Swing released in the late 90’s.
10. Bolero – Ravel
    Oh dear. If it had to be classical I would have liked the 1812 Overture to round out my shuffle. But no. Instead I get the piece that will forever conjure images of Torvill and Dean on the ice at the 1984 Winter Olympics – the only pair to ever receive a perfect 6.0 from every judge.

So there you go. I’m not entirely embarrassed and surprised some other artists didn’t pop up, such as U2 (which occupies a significant portion of my library).