This just in from Yo La Tengo:

Do you have a tv? Do you live in the US? Well, we're going to be on the McEnroe program Thursday night. It airs on CNBC at 10 pm where we live (Hoboken), and who-knows-when where you are. And they rerun it too. We'll play a song, and we're going to be the house band as well.

That's tonight. They're not on TV very often, so this should be special. Try to ignore Mac's godawful interviewing skills.

I kinda like McEnroe's show-- he's quicker on his feet than I would have guessed. The complete lack of control over the show is refreshing. Not that I've seen more than one episode, but I pity his low ratings.

I remembered another alternating vocalist band, Lyra Jane: 311.

Oooh, here's another "can't miss." I quote verbatim:

Dear WMBR,

I'm writing to ask if you will mention. About Matthew & Gunnar Nelson comming to the Wolf Den. At Mohegan Sun casino Aug. 28th 8pm also Aug. 29th at 7pm. IT's a free show both nights.

I do recommmend you to check out these to web sites www.thenelsonbrothers.com and www.nelsontourinfo.com for more info about Matthew & Gunnar Nelson.

Thank you,

Marie Vicino

I dearly hope they don't pay her to do this.

I dearly hope they don't pay her to do this.

Apparently they're paying her by the period.

Let those here without fannish obsessive tendencies cast the first snark.

Another alternating vocals band, that surprises me that no one's mentioned: Barenaked Ladies. Unless you mean something else by that than what I'd intuitively think, in which case, never mind.

Another alternating vocals band

The Beatles? Fleetwood Mac?

Here's the official back cover copy for the book. (Some of which I wrote.)

********************

• Lost in the Grooves is a genre-surfing Smithsonian of overlooked musical marvels. Without fetishizing obscurity for its own sake, the Guide sidesteps cynical cool vs. uncool upsmanship and celebrates castoffs -- by both the forgotten and the famous -- which exude trend-transcending merit. Each entry compels you to seek out the music."--Irwin Chusid, WFMU DJ and Author, Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music

• "Caprice is everything, and SCRAM's lost grooves are a music geek's very heaven. The zinester spirit of lauding the officially uncool lives on in this eminently dip-worthy collection."--Barney Hoskyns, author and editor of Rock's Backpages, The Online Library of Rock & Roll

• “Kim Cooper and David Smay have scored again with their invaluable guide to the best sounds you've never heard. Impeccably researched, refreshingly subjective, they almost make being obscure as much fun as being rich and famous. Of course, they forgot to mention my band...”—Blag Dahlia of The Dwarves

Pop music history is full of little-known musicians, whose work stands defiantly alone, too quirky, distinctive, or demented to appeal to a mass audience. And even the well-known musicians are frequently misplaced or misunderstood within that pop history. This book explores the nooks and crannies of the pop music world, unearthing lost gems from should-have-been major artists (Sugarpie DeSanto, Judee Sill), revisiting lesser known works by established icons (Marvin Gaye’s post-divorce kissoff album, Here My Dear; The Ramones’ Subterranean Jungle), and spotlighting musicians who simply don’t fit into neat categories (k. mccarty, Exuma). The book's encyclopedic alphabetical structure throws off strange sparks as disparate genres and eras rub against each other: folk-psych iconoclasts face louche pop crooners; indie rock bumps against eighties soul which jostles proto-punk; outsider artists set their odd masterpieces down next to obscurities from the stars; lo-fi garage rock cuddles up with the French avant-garde; and roots rock weirdoes trip over bubblegum. This book will delight any jukebox junkie or pop culture enthusiast.

ABOUT THE EDITORS

Kim Cooper is the editrix and David Smay a longtime contributor to the magazine Scram, which is devoted to pop music obscurities. Scram was an editor’s choice in Factsheet 5 for “unusually great writing” and cited by LA Weekly as a best-of-LA publication. They are coeditors of Bubblegum Music Is the Naked Truth: The Dark History of Prepubescent Pop from the Banana Splits to Britney Spears.

What's your least favorite song by your favorite band? Can you make a CD-worth?

linked from here: [link]

I have to say that I agree with the guy who kicks off with "The Long and Winding Road". If I never hear that song again it's too soon.

Mine might have to be "Violin" from TMBG's "No!". It's not so much a song as a WMD. (Sadly, LB loves it.)