Back in the 90s , whenever I would get down, this album always kept me company and then one day I just lost the collection...so now (since it's hard to come by in physical form) I'm trying to get all the songs separately...this was an amazing cd when you just needed to go off and cry by yourself for a little! Of course you don't need to be sad to put the music on...it's a great listen, no matter what!:)

by Stewart Mason

Another typically eclectic, weird, and wonderful compilation from the unfortunately short-lived Risky Business imprint, The Big Hurt takes its name from Toni Fisher's classic 1960 single, an over-the-top early example of stereo phasing that sounds as if it were recorded in an empty water tower. The other 11 tracks tend toward this type of pre-Beatles soft pop as well, with only J.D. Souther's soft rock "You're Only Lonely'" and Don McLean's 1981 cover of Roy Orbison's "Crying'" deviating from a program that includes weepy classics like the Fleetwoods' gorgeous "Mr. Blue" and Del Shannon's paranoid classic "Runaway," along with relative rarities like Johnny Tillotson's countrypolitan gem "It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'." The Big Hurt, as the subtitle implies, is just right for a good old-fashioned sobfest. It's good that it's only 33 minutes and change, though -- no need to wallow.

Tracks

				Title	Performer	Time
		1		Big Hurt	Fisher
		2		Cry	Ray
		3		Crying	McLean
		4		Mr. Blue	Fleetwoods
		5		It Keeps Right on A-Hurtin'	Tillotson
		6		Hurt	Yuro
		7		I'm Hurtin'	Orbison
		8		Hurt So Bad	Little Anthony & the Imperials
		9		Mr. Lonely	Vinton
		10		Runaway	Shannon
		11		Suspicion	Stafford
		12		You're Only Lonely	Souther

"Lonely" by Anita Baker is a song I hadn't thought about in years, but used to love...so I downloaded it recently and it sounds just as sparkly and vibrant as ever...which made me wonder: is she working on anything new?

The last I read, Ms. Baker was working on an album called 21st Century Love, which was due for a November 9th release...but still has no availability date on Amazon.

In the meantime, it looks like she'll make an appearance on the upcoming Soul Train Music Awards:

Soul Train

On November 22nd two previously unavailable MP3 versions of Andy Gibb albums will appear on Amazon's digital download store...I'm so excited!!! And on the very recently released Bee Gees Mythology 4 cd set there's a disc devoted exclusively to Andy! Included is a never-before-released song called "Arrow through the Heart."

The girls I babysit for adore Max and Ruby...and now I've sort of gotten hooked on the Nick Jr. series, too. I especially like Max, who strikes me as a very independent and "in his own world" kind of guy. His older sister, Ruby, is pretty bossy and very rigid in her ways; it's no wonder Max is always wandering off chasing butterflies or lightning bugs while Ruby is so busy getting everything together, she can't keep track of her mischievous brother, who's having a blast.

Babysitting is not just something to do for money (which so many people seem to need in an economy where many of us are taking on second jobs or supplemental income through paid focus groups or odd jobs), it's a wonderful opportunity for anyone who loves kids and missed out (either by accident or on purpose) on having kids of his or her own. While I definitely need the extra dollars, I think I'd still babysit even for free...especially with the family I regularly watch now:)

Black Tie White Noise was the beginning of David Bowie's return from the wilderness of post-Let's Dance, the first indication that he was regaining his creative spark.--all music website

I always know I'm really really going to like a song when I hear it and feel like I'm going to pass out. More than spotting someone I think is cute or dreaming about a favorite meal, I hear that special track from a favorite album or a song that is new to me and I almost feel (sometimes actually do) as if I have to grab hold of something to steady me.

That's how I felt the first time I heard "The Wedding," the first track off of Black Tie White Noise. Though I've already blogged about this album, I can't say enough good things about it since I've still been playing the entire thing on my iPod weeks after I bought it...

Other times a song I haven't heard in years will come on the Internet radio stations I listen to and wham!! I'm back in my teens...recently I heard an old Go West song and I got chills....even though when it comes to 80s duos I much prefer these guys:

The only Wham album I was ever truly truly passionate about was Music from the Edge of Heaven; at the time I first bought the cassette version I though "Battlestations" was the coolest song ever!:):