Opinion: Rivers Cuomo and Weezer – My Growing Concern

Isn’t it distressing when a band you once loved starts behaving strangely?  As a long-term fan, you find yourself helplessly watching.  It’s like witnessing a car-wreck in slow motion while the driver thinks everything is under control.  This is how I feel currently when I think about Weezer. 

Sure, it all started out fine. Their first two albums were classics.  The problem was, the second one wasn’t seen as such until years after the fact. It was actually routinely and unfairly bashed and maligned. In fact, said album, “Pinkerton” showcased leader, Rivers Cuomo’s most personal and frank work to date.  The fact that it wasn’t initially well-received, I believe did irreparable damage to him and his future work.  He disbanded the group for five years.   During that time he studied at Harvard where he eventually earned a degree in English.  In spite of his degree, his lyrics got simpler over the years, perhaps in attempt to avoid vulnerability.  "Pinkerton" took somewhat of a savage beating and no doubt so did Cuomo’s confidence. 

In 2001, when the band returned with their second self-titled (green) effort, it was a lean cut-to-the-core, twenty-eight minute set.  Luckily, thanks to the singles, “Hash Pipe” and “Island In The Sun,” the record was well received.  So, the following year they followed it up with the equal if not better disc, “Maladroit.”

It was in 2005 when things started to go awry.  Their album, “Make Believe,” while spawning their biggest hit, (“Beverly Hills”) seemed like an overt grab at the pop audience.  The songs just weren’t as good and increasingly, the band was turning off many of the longtime fans of their music.  It didn’t help that the single, “We Are All On Drugs,” on top of being lyrically appallingly stupid, sounded very much like the diarrhea song. 

Fast forward to 2008 and their third self titled (red) album.  That album worked because they switched up their formula.  Cuomo allowed the other members to sing lead on various tracks and thus fully opened up their scope of musical exploration.  His lyrics were still like something out of a ten-year-old’s journal, using some of the simplest rhyme-schemes in the history of the modern word.  It was hardly what you’d expect from a Harvard-educated English major!

Last year, the band issued “Raditude.”  What can I say about “Raditude?”  Hmmmm…  “Raditude” was a pretty terrible record.  Approaching forty, Cuomo seemed to be in full-on mid-life crisis mode and that made his songs all the more juvenile.  He seemed to be courting the pop crowd more aggressively than ever, singing songs that came off as excessively youth-driven.  Making matters worse, as time has gone on, Cuomo has seemingly come out of his shell.  As someone who used to have a stand-offish presence, he now seems occasionally a little too animated.  Like one of his heroes, Brian Wilson, who went through a similar metamorphosis, Cuomo now comes off like a bit of a man-child onstage, which is somewhat distressing.   He stopped playing guitar as often. This was somewhat surprising considering he used to take every opportunity to solo. Now it seems like his main goal is to really drive the pop aspect of the band’s music home.  He recruited Lil Wayne to appear on the track, “Can’t Stop Partying.”  Elsewhere on the record, tracks had groan-inducing titles like “The Girl Got Hot” and “I’m Your Daddy.”  Only the song, “Put Me Back Together” had a hint of Cuomo’s old mastery. 

The new Rivers Cuomo is still a tad awkward in his delivery.  If you take a look at a live AOL appearance where the band turned their single “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To” into a duet with Sara Bareilles, it’s a little hard to watch.  Bareilles is looking at Cuomo with a loving gaze, like she is standing beside a revered idol.  Cuomo, still a shy nerd at heart, looks a little uncomfortable like he wishes he were looking at his feet. 

Now, I am really concerned.  In a couple of weeks Weezer will release yet another record.  It’s called, “Hurley,” and on the cover is an image of Jorge Garcia who played the character Hurley on “Lost.”  The album’s first single, “Memories,” is a jarringly repetitive, disappointing track.  I might be proven wrong when I hear the whole record, but I am concerned that things could very well be getting worse.   I really don’t want to see and hear this once great band implode!!! 

They just aren’t the band they used to be.  If you compare live performances from 2002 and 2009, they seem like a completely different band.  In 2002, touring to support “Maladroit,” they were still in classic form and early staples like “Tired Of Sex” still rocked.  If you can find a recording of a 2009 concert, they sound like a confused, dumbed-down pop mess.  I have heard one recording of them willfully ruining “Say It Ain’t So” by making it a duet with Paramore’s Hayley Williams.  At the end of the song, Cuomo awkwardly shouts into the mic, “HAYLEY WILLIAMS… WHHHHOOOOO!!!” He is seemingly completely oblivious to the fact that he’s just done damage to one of his classics.

I think I see this bad train rolling into the station.  If Weezer and Rivers Cuomo don’t get the right guidance, they could essentially ruin their legacy in the name of fleeting pop success. 

It’s scary to think that this might have all been avoided if “Pinkerton” had gotten the reception it initially deserved.  I really hope I’m proven wrong.  As a longtime Weezer fan and supporter, this is painful to watch.  

More Art!

Art

Comic Survival Tip

Momentary Reflection (And Opinion): Headphones

Different people like different types of headphones.  Some people prefer the ear-buds and the inner-ear headphones over the traditional kind. Personally, I like the traditional kind the best.  The standard ipod headphones let out too much outside sound.  If you’ve ever taken a long bus ride sitting next to someone wearing these, you know exactly what I’m talking about.  What you want is a set of headphones you can blast without bothering the people around you.  At the same time, you want keep outside noise to a minimum (yet safe) level.  Personally, I still haven’t been won over by so-called “noise-canceling” technology.

I understand completely why some people prefer the headbandless variety of headphones.  Maybe they think they look dorky or they don’t want to mess up their hair.  The truth is, vanity should not get in the way of excellent sound performance.  But, there is one phenomenon I’ve found very odd.  From my experience, monetary value and performance are not necessarily linked.  I’ve had $20.00  Sony headphones that I felt gave me as good or better performance than fancy $200 headphones.  High-end brands like Bose, deliver an excellent sound, but after a certain point, it feels like you are paying more for the brand-name itself rather than the performance.  Truth be told, of all the headphones I’ve ever had, the ones I was most satisfied with were a $17.00 pair made by a company called EarHugger.  They kept outside noise out while delivering a tight, high quality level of sound.    Of course, tightness was also sort of a drawback, for they were a little too tight to wear at first. Perhaps other brands beat them on comfort, but sound-wise, they hit it out of the park.  That being said, EarHugger headphones are harder to find these days. 

Of course sound and quality can be really subjective.  Different people hear things differently and desire different kinds of sounds.  Some might find Bose actually to be the best out there. Given personal differences, that might be hard to argue.   

What do you look for in a set of headphones?  Have you found the process of shopping for a new pair to be a crapshoot?  I have.  You might find a brand you like but may not like every model.  If you like a certain model and are particularly hard on your headphones, like I am, you may end up buying multiple sets of the same model each time one wears out.  These days I have found a Sony pair that suits my purposes.  With headphones, you have to hunt around and experiment sometimes to discover what works for you as an individual.  Nothing is cut and dry.  Shopping for headphones is a very personal process!

The Apparent Moon/Mars Hoax

I just looked at the moon when I was outside a second ago.  It is gargantuan tonight.  There was a rumor that supposedly at 12:30 this morning, Mars came the closest to Earth it has been in quite some time, making it look like we have two moons.  The rumor continued to say that this wouldn’t happen again until 2287.  I just found a NASA site link that stated that this was indeed a HOAX.  Oh well. What makes this worse is that I got an email about this a couple of days ago.  If you read the date on the NASA article, this rumor is 5 years old!!!  A quick google search proves this to be an urban legend, refuted by reputable sources.  It is one that appears every year on the internet at about this time.  Hmmm.   

I’m a day late in telling you this of course, but even though it appears to be a hoax, there does seem to be a big, bright moon out there, at the moment!  I suppose in celebration, you should still be listening to either Tom Petty’s “Full Moon Fever” or Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side Of The Moon.”  Or,  pick your own lunar or Martian themed album to listen to at top volume.  Maybe even list it below in the comment section!! 

And Now A Quick Art Display! VINYL!

For years, I never understood what the big deal was about vinyl coming back.  I viewed it as an old, scratchy medium.  That was until I started listening to vinyl versions of albums I first heard on CD.  It's a completely different listening experience.  And if you have a great stereo, the vinyl sound can be more pure and natural.  This is especially true when it comes to hearing bass.

If you have a turntable, do yourself a favor and pick up an album you usually listen to on CD.  (For me, it was Smashing Pumpkins' "Siamese Dream.")  If you are like me,  you'll find that it will be like hearing the album for the first time, again!

Opinion: Katy Perry – Pop’s Biggest And Most Shameless Poseur?

Seriously, is anyone really buying the image Katy Perry is (currently) selling?  For those of you who don’t know, Perry started her career as a Christian singer recording under her given name, Katy Hudson.  Since she’s gone pop, it has been more than apparent that she’s wanted to distance herself from that past.  Her first, truly major hit was an unconvincing dose of faux lesbianism, “I Kissed A Girl,” which also some would argue slightly ripped off Jill Sobule’s far superior hit song by the same name.  Now on the cover of her new album, “Teenage Dream,” she’s lying naked on a bed of cotton candy clouds. I’m not some prude criticizing her because she has a highly sexualized image. (Normally, I’d be fine with that if it was the image she wanted to sincerely convey.)  But, considering the source, one has to question her motives.  Think about it.  An over-sexed pop vamp sells a hell of a lot more records than a virginal Christian singer.  And you have to take a major leap of faith to believe that she actually, sincerely decided to change her whole thematic outlook on life. To a thinking person, this does not seem genuine. 

It all seems like a shallow cash-in.  It seems like a show. It all seems like suddenly she’s decided she’ll do anything shocking for a buck. For the most part, it seems to be working, too.  Sadly, she’s pretty much got the world suckered in! She’s considered one of the hottest celebrities around with most of what used to be the respected entertainment media willing to give her a good spin.  In my opinion, she’s a C-level pop star with truly transparent motives.  She’s not a gifted singer and she’d be nowhere without her producers and co-writers. 

Many have dubbed her single, “California Gurls” as the single of the summer.  Come on!  Really!?? If that’s the case, than the industry truly has lost all its imagination.  A campy blue wig, a pouty mermaid’s pose, a low-end house-groove and a Snoop Dogg cameo does not a strong single make! Especially when this song in question seems like it was created in a boardroom off of other people’s borrowed ideas.  It has been written that it was meant as a west-coast response to Jay-Z’s “Empire State Of Mind.”  Combine that with the use of the title of an old Beach Boys song, changing the letter “i” to a “u”, a la Big Star, as to not raise any suspicion! Again, since this song has been made a hit, a lot has been written about the whole Beach Boys connection.  For a moment a few weeks ago, it looked like there might have been a possible lawsuit.  Anyone who has ever listened to both songs knows, though, that such an action wouldn’t have gone very far, considering the tracks are extremely different from each other.  I’ve seen no evidence of this, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it eventually came out that the dialogue over a potential legal scuffle was planted into the press cycle merely to up the interest in Perry’s record.  It’s a cynical way of looking at the situation, but one has to wonder, especially since both Perry and the Beach Boys are Capitol records artists.  If you doubt such moves happen behind closed doors, you are probably being naïve.  When you are selling image over artistic quality, you’ll do just about anything to raise the stakes. 

There is the off-chance that I’m wrong about Perry and that her previous image was the pose she put on to please her religious, pastor parents and now that she’s an adult, this is the real Perry emerging.  But I doubt it.  If this were the real Katy Perry, would she really seem so empty, shallow and synthetic?  In any case, when I see and hear her, something simply does not add up.  I have to figure that at some point in her career, she has lied to herself and the public.  If this is all a rouse now and she goes to number one on the album charts next week, I will weep for an uninformed, easily manipulated nation willing to accept anything that the record companies can throw at them.   

This will probably, once again prove my suspicions to be true! Pop success may have nothing to do with talent after all.  Just get the sonic-chemists together to create some low-quality, sugary hooks and put an attractive, young naked woman on the album cover.  That's all you need to sell a lot of records.  How sad! Fans may not care about issues as complex as outside context.  Why ask if you've been taken when the end product leaves you hypnotized and dancing?   Such thoughts would require the use of too much extra energy.  

Momentary Reflection : Plumtree’s “Scott Pilgrim” (1997)

I sit here on this cloudy, rainy (actually misty) night, exhausted from the day, in major need of sleep.  I have my headphones around my neck, blasting the song “Scott Pilgrim,” by the Canadian band Plumtree.  I’m now familiar with this track thanks to its somewhat obvious inclusion on the “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World” soundtrack, but I’m shocked to find out that this track is actually thirteen years old.  What is amazing is that this song’s crunchy feel is once again becoming a coveted sound in current indie rock, so this track still sounds just as current as ever.  You can play it next to Best Coast or Wavves and it doesn’t sound out of place.

My question is, why wasn’t this song popular at the time of its release?  Before last week, I’d never heard it or of Plumtree, an all-female Halifax, Nova Scotia band that from my reading I’ve determined must have been in the same cool circles as Sloan during the nineties.  The track’s repeated refrain of, “I’ve liked you for a thousand years, a thousand years,” is somehow both propulsive and hypnotic at the same time.  It’s safe to say, even thirteen years after the fact, this song really deserves to be a hit.    

Tomorrow's Releases:

Actually, there's only one release I'm looking forward to hearing tomorrow, and that's Eels' album, "Tomorrow Morning."  It's the third album in under 15 months from the band, following the June 2009 release of "Hombre Lobo," and this past January's release, "End Times."  Leader, E. has yet to deliver a disappointing Eels record.  It's safe to say that like all of its predecessors, this record will most likely be equally depressing and uplifting.  There's a kind oddly hangdog brand of optimism in E's work. It makes him one of a kind.  

A Few Brief Words...

Cee-Lo Green’s New Single May Just Be A Reason To Uncensor Radio!

Cee-Lo’s new single is literally called “F__k You.” Before you are turned off by the name, you need to know that it’s a chunk of undeniable soul that will probably bring a smile to even the most conservative music fan. It’s a high-quality nugget of funk. It’s the kind of vintage R&B not heard since the peak of Motown and Stax. (If you don’t believe me, look the song up on youtube!) This song obviously won’t get the airplay it deserves due to its title and its repeated lyrics. Censoring it by traditional means could hinder the listening experience, thus I propose a plan. I wish radio stations could play this song uncensored after 11 PM. This is the kind of track radio needs right now. It’s sad that it has an unmentionable chorus and title according to the guidelines set up by the FCC. This is the best song to appear this summer. It’s the kind of song that I would hope would win over people who would otherwise be offended! I remember a few years back when Cee-Lo was hyped because of his Gnarls Barkley song, “Crazy.” This song is ten times more likable than that track. It’s the best song with a foul title since Eels’ masterpiece, “It’s a Motherf__ker” ten years ago.

And yes, I sense the irony that I’ve censored all of the “objectionable” titles. Maybe I’m not quite as daring as I talk myself up to be. Maybe I’m worried about offending people, too. What can you do? I’m a truly complex, paradoxical man!

In any case, you need to check out this song and check your standards at the door. Believe me, this song is worth it!

Weekend To-Do List

What should you do this weekend? Well the first thing you should do is try to get some rest if you can. Sleep can be very useful, yet somewhat of a scarce resource sometimes. Most of us probably don't get the recommended eight hours a night.

Secondly, you should find an album you like and blast it as loud as you can (before the neighbors complain.) I find that My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless" at a certain volume tends to relieve stress. Somehow, there's something very cathartic about blasting music that sounds a little like ten vacuum cleaners working all at once.

Thirdly, you should spend your weekend creating something. Express yourself and give yourself an outlet you don't have access to during the week.

Enjoy yourself and have fun!

How Can We Get People To Buy Music Again?

Nielsen SoundScan reported that only 4.95 million albums were sold last week. That’s a record low, going back to 1991 when the SoundScan era began. The industry has long been in decline, so the question is, how can it be reinvigorated?

Of course, in the digital age, with the physical product becoming less of a mainstay in the marketplace, people are sharing their collections with each other more easily. In that way the technology is flawed. It used to be if you and your friend wanted to get the same album, you bought two copies. But, imagine this. What if there is an album that is not sold in its physical form? You and a friend both like the artist. If it were available on a physical disc, you and your friend would each pick up a copy. It doesn’t make sense to download it twice, so you download it once and you and your friend each burn a copy. I suspect scenarios like this are playing out around the country every day. Pow!! There you have one potential cause for the sales drop.

Let’s face the fact as well that the music on pop radio doesn’t even come close to giving an appropriate sampling of the best music available. Year after year the labels promote what tends to be their most pedestrian material. No one takes risks anymore! They are so busy trying to start and manipulate trends that they forget that radio is supposed to serve the people. Many great records are released every year. Some of them are even on the majors. Those great records often don’t receive airplay. The system needs correcting and radio playlists need to be opened up and reexamined. Imagine, your future favorite album may have just been released, but if it’s not one that is getting much airplay you may never find out it exists. If that’s your only pipeline into what’s new and hip, the industry just lost a sale.

I read as much as I can about new albums. The indie press is the only way to get anything close to an accurate reading of trends in the industry. I firmly believe in the physical product. I feel that it’s more permanent and that it makes the medium of music less disposable and more tangible. I love album artwork and liner notes. Somehow we got to a point where too many people view music as something that should be free. Artists need money. Art will only flourish if people have the freedom to devote their lives to their craft. Without a monetary backbone, culture dies. I’ve seen too many bands I like get dropped by their labels. That’s why every week I always purchase new releases.

The public needs to wake up and realize that if the industry keeps this up level of decline, eventually it will be unsustainable and will collapse. Do you want a world without commercial music? I don’t think you do! So, do me a favor, please, if you can. After you read this, go out to your local record store (if you still can find one) or if you wish go online and buy some music. Support the industry. Music needs your help!!

More Art!

And Now A Quick Art Display!

Opinion: NO!! NO!! NO!! - Raekwon Reportedly Working With Justin Bieber And Kanye West

Good Lord!!! No!! It has been reported by both Billboard and Rolling Stone that the Wu-Tang's own, Raekwon is set to work on a Justin Bieber remix with Kanye West. Words cannot express how wrong this is! I'd expect this out of Kanye. He's proven over the years that he'll do just about anything for fame and attention, but Raekwon???!! Come on, man! He apparently hasn't learned that there are cool collaborations and not so cool collaborations. Working with a pre-pubescent teen-star isn't the way to win fans and maintain your gritty hip-hop cred!! Bieber was a baby when Raekwon released "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx," and somehow I doubt he's logged long hours blasting the Wu. Raekwon's dark, cerebral rhymes about street life hardly make the ideal match to Bieber's vacant odes to lonely girls at the mall. The idea is embarrassing. I hope it doesn't happen!!! What is next? Is Ghostface going to record with Ke$ha? Is U-God going to start hanging with the Jonas Brothers? Is Method Man going to rap alongside Miley Cyrus? Raekwon, in my humble opinion you are making a huge mistake!! It's bad enough you are working with Kanye, but you are above working with Justin Bieber! It's too damn absurd!! Raekwon, you are now officially much less cool!! Part of me just died a little inside!

Opinion: Erykah Badu Gets $500 Fine, Six Months Probation, But What Was The Lesson Learned?

So, after the fallout from her infamous “Window Seat” video, Erykah Badu has paid a $500 fine and is serving six months probation. In case you don’t remember, in the video, Badu walked through the Dallas site of JFK’s assassination, shedding her clothing with each and every step. At the end, there’s a gunshot and she falls to the ground. Her overall message was muddled, but I think in some roundabout way she was trying to say that those who are different are often isolated and ostracized by those who do not understand them. Of course, in a world that often doesn’t understand the various nuanced elements around artistic intent, all that most of the public really got from the video was, “Hey, Erykah Badu is walking naked in front of a crowd of unsuspecting citizens!” Yes, there is a time and a place for nudity, but this ruling speaks volumes about our cultural fear of the human body. Try as we might to prove otherwise, we are still quite Puritanical in our ways.

Consider this. Badu was inspired by indie-rock duo, Matt & Kim’s video for their song, “Lessons Learned.” In that video, the duo walks through a cold Times Square, shedding layer after layer. Mind you, I don’t remember hearing anything about them getting into any trouble. Several factors could be at play here. Firstly, Matt & Kim aren’t as famous as Badu. Thus, they do not draw as much attention. Secondly, maybe New Yorkers are more easy-going than the people in Dallas. Thirdly, Times Square is a tourist center. It isn’t hallowed ground like the site of the death of our thirty-fifth president.

This was an experiment that went horribly wrong. Badu’s choices were questionable, no doubt, particularly her choice of location. It all resulted in a waste. The hype around the video overshadowed her album, “New Amerykah Part Two: Return Of The Ankh,” which incidentally is the most enjoyable album she’s put out since her funky high point, “Mama’s Gun.” In the end she’s paid with much more than her money and her time.

It all could have easily been avoided with somewhat the same artistic result. In the video, everything was pixilated. Had she known then what she knows now, one wonders if Erykah Badu would’ve worn a bodystocking, instead. In hindsight, making that one compromise probably could have saved her from a whole lot of anguish and trouble. One thing is for sure. Dallas just was not ready to see her in all her glory that day.

Tomorrow’s Releases:

Tomorrow, David Gray releases “Foundling,” a two-disc collection of songs originating from the same sessions as his album from last year, “Draw The Line.”

Ray LaMontagne releases “God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise.” (Here’s hoping the disc won’t have anything nearly as disturbing as his stalker-esque ode to “Meg White.”)

Filter releases “Trouble With Angels.”

The album I’m most excited to hear, however, is Toadies’ “Feeler.” It’s a re-recording of an album Interscope rejected and refused in 1997. Strangely, I’ve found, usually when albums are rejected, it’s because they are way ahead of their time and just not what the labels expected. In other words, they tend to be misunderstood classics and not bad in the least. Such misunderstood/rejected classics of the past include Q-Tip’s “Kamaal The Abstract” and Nada Surf’s “The Proximity Effect.” If an album is unbearably terrible, I’ve found it gets released on schedule usually with a large dose of hype. (See MGMT’s sonic atrocity “Congratulations.”) In any case, Happy Listening!!

Please support your favorite artists! Thank you!!

Observation And Opinion: CDs Are Getting Shorter

Has anyone else noticed this? A few years back there were many CDs pushing the format’s time limit of 79:57. Many discs clocked in at over an hour. Now, I keep picking up discs that are roughly a half an hour and under. This seems like a throwback to the days when vinyl was the main format. I have several theories on why this might be the case.

THEORY #1: THE DECLINING ECONOMY AND ITS EFFECT ON THE MUSIC INDUSTRY: Fewer and fewer people are buying CDs every year. Perhaps the record companies and artists have realized that they can make more money if they release less at one time. A CD goes for on average anywhere from $9.99 to $15.99 whether it’s thirty-five minutes or seventy minutes. Thus, if you release two thirty-five-minute records instead of one seventy-minute record, you presumably double your money.

THEORY #2: VINYL IS BACK: Yes, vinyl is back en vogue thanks to hip collectors (myself included) who think in some ways that it has superior sound quality. This is a very expensive format to produce. Most record companies, if they don’t want their albums to be over compressed, will issue any record over forty-six minutes or so as a double album. Perhaps then the shortening of albums is a cost-effective measure amidst the rebirth of vinyl.

THEORY # 3: SHORTENED ATTENTION SPANS: It’s sad but true, I think as time goes on and we get more and more bombarded with technology, we have less time and less patience to sit down for a long stretch and just enjoy an album. People are more stressed than ever and thusly are developing a culturally driven lack of focus. Think about it. With the advent of the ipod, you can skip the songs you don’t want to hear quite easily. With DVR, you can skip any commercials you don’t want to see. People are getting used to technology on their terms. Everything is increasingly on demand! The days where you had to sit through everything in its intended entirety are long gone. In other words, the shortening of albums could simply be a fat-cutting measure. Perhaps the longer records of the past contained more filler.

But does all this really matter? Personally, I like the idea that I’m getting more music for my money. Hell, I’m still a little mad that I paid $14.99 for Weezer’s “Green Album” nine years ago. (It’s only twenty-eight minutes long!) Maybe I don’t have as much time as I used to to listen to an album straight through right away, but if it’s an album I went out of my way to buy, eventually I’m going to make the time. Like most of you (I’m assuming) when I get a new CD, the first thing I do is load it onto my ipod. If I don’t wind up hearing these songs in their intended order right away, at least I may hear them when I’m walking around with my ipod on shuffle. For variety’s sake, it’s better to get more tracks for your overall collection. If CDs are going to get shorter, I expect artists to release more albums. No more four or five-year breaks between records.

What’s your opinion? Have you noticed this trend? Do you think shorter CDs tend to be of generally a higher quality than longer discs?

Raible's Review's Rants & Rundowns' Official Facebook Page!!

Behold the official Raible's Reviews, Rants and Rundowns Facebook page. Please hit the Like button and look for regular post updates. Tell your friends. Thanks!

Allan Raible's Writing For ABC

For those of you who do not know, you can also find my writing on my ABC News "On The Record" blog. But I will also restart writing on this blog after a 3 year absence. Tell your friends and enjoy reading!! Thanks!!!