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Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2007 10:28 am
by Haydn
remysun wrote:TV shows are another great source. My whole concept of my music collection was influenced by the endless jukebox and KBHR on "Northern Exposure". The update, "Men In Trees", similarly has poignant lyrics attached to cool grooves.
Can you give some links to info about these TV shows (I've never heard of them)?

Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2007 8:50 pm
by remysun
It's a bit strange that you hadn't heard of "Northern Exposure", because I used to email a UK address talking about the show years ago.

Hopefully, I've got the links to work right.

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.tv.n ... cs?lnk=srg

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.tv.n ... exp/topics

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_In_Trees

http://abc.go.com/primetime/menintrees/index

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Exposure

I forgot about The Sopranos. And I'm throwing Chuck at you as well. :D Ha, ha, maybe I'm Chucking it at you. :roll:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_%28TV_series%29

Northern Exposure is completely available on DVD in the US, but only the first two seasons have all the original music. I don't know to what extent the seasons 3-6 have been changed, but the cost of perpetual music rights meant that the 7-8 episodes early seasons already cost $50. The other seasons are 25 episodes each, and $150+ comparatively is too excessive for the current DVD market. But there are at least two CD soundtracks available. The first one has "Alaskan Nights", from the original score for the show, and it's a great take on Artie Shaw's stuff.

Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 8:05 am
by Haydn
Thanks for the info 8)

Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 5:55 pm
by trev
Speaking of TV shows, I've tracked down a few recordings out of the credits of Ken Burns' recent The War documentary series.

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 12:56 am
by dogpossum
I've found a few good songs from the soundtracks of Deadwood and Carnivale. Deadwood's a bit early (in terms of setting) for music for lindy, but I have found quite a few really good early blues type songs for blues dancing. Generally pretty 'rustic' and gritty - sparse instrumentation and rougher vocals. Quite excellent, though. Most of these were played over the end credits of the episodes.

Carnivale is the right era - and wonderful if you're interested in costumes and southern American Depression era aesthetics - and does feature some great songs for dancing, though most DJs would already know them. One of my favourites was a version of I Want a Little Sugar In My Bowl by... someone like Bessie Smith (can't remember off the top of my head, sorry - but it was an old school African American singer) played while one of the incredibly sensual female characters seduced a bloke in her tent. Less on the innuendo, more on the explicit in that particular performance.

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 1:52 pm
by remysun
trev wrote:Speaking of TV shows, I've tracked down a few recordings out of the credits of Ken Burns' recent The War documentary series.
You're making me flashback to last year when my Tigers finally made it back to the series. I belted King Curtis' "Take Me Out To the Ballgame" while replaying Ordonez's home run on my DVR.

KB's Baseball soundtrack.

So they didn't win. I followed team through their worst.

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 1:54 pm
by remysun
Last night's House ended with a sensual blues tune. Maybe it hasn't jumped the shark.

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 9:19 am
by remysun
http://www.midomi.com

Great database to search from, and you can even hum the tunes you don't know. I like using it as a plagarism check for my songwriting, but I probably just can't sing anymore.

Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 2:16 pm
by Ron
Hmmm. I got bored with dancing and djing and the music so I stopped doing as much of it and started doing other things (like family stuff and geocaching and buying non-swing CDs). But now when I do go dancing, or when I dig out one of my old compilation swing CDs or a nice Basie CD, I'm totally into it!

It's a bummer to have something you enjoy so much for so long become mundane or stale. Whether it is a music collection or a girlfriend or whatever. So you either have to accept it and move on and try not to be too sad, get a new collection (or girlfriend or whatever), try to make the old one new again somehow, or give it a rest and come back later. Good luck!

Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 5:50 pm
by sdswingr
Wow, even Ron Bloom, who (when I lived there) was the #1 go to guy for djing in S.D. got burnt out.
Is there hope for the rest of us...

Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 3:36 pm
by Lawrence
sdswingr wrote:Wow, even Ron Bloom, who (when I lived there) was the #1 go to guy for djing in S.D. got burnt out.
Is there hope for the rest of us...
Burnout is normal in anything, not just Swing dancing or DJing. It is "nature's" way of ensuring that you remain well-balanced. And, generally, the more unbalanced you get, the greater the "boomerang" effect when the burnout inevitably hits. After the normal initial infatuation subsides (which might take a few years for some), I consider it important to stay well-balanced so I won't get so burned out that I lose all interest, completely.

Indeed, given the obsessiveness of the Swing Scene and those who tend to join it, I actually wonder whether there is hope for those who do NOT go through some normal sense of burnout every once in a while. It is not normal to become so all-consuming obsessed with anything, no less dancing or Swing music.

For me, the music is what usually keeps bringing me back in, not the dancing. After a few months (or longer) of burnout, I either happen upon something new or I pull out some old favorite that I have not heard in years, and it revitalizes my enthusiasm again.