The state I am in

After bitching and moaning yesterday, I feel like I ought to brighten the place up today. So, for lack of anything better to write about, here's some music that currently is getting it done for me:

-Belle and Sebastian The BBC Sessions

Not a revelatory collection, but I do love this twee Scottish band so. They've been quiet for awhile, so I'll take this solid assortment of live recordings as a stopgap release. Somewhere around here I have an audiotape with a copy of their then hard-to-find debut LP Tigermilk on the A side and some of this limited edition 2-CD's tracks on the B side. With the mystery surrounding the band at the time, having that tape was like knowing a secret password.

-Roy Orbison The Soul of Rock and Roll

It can be difficult to sort through the numerous CD compilations of rock and roll pioneers and find what you're looking for in one place. Rights to essential songs can be split among several companies, and the sound quality can be an iffy proposition. Years ago I bought a Roy Orbison hits disc that looked like it had the most bang for the buck, but I didn't realize that the versions on it were re-recorded in the mid '80s.

This stellar box set makes that CD irrelevant. There's plenty here I'd never heard, but it's pretty great stuff. As this review points out, the second disc alone is a treasure trove. His simple, devastating take on "Love Hurts" owns the more familiar Nazareth cover. And of course "In Dreams" is one for the pop canon and an unforgettable part of Blue Velvet (not safe for work language at the end).