Why do they call them "exclusives"? Some of those are pretty widely available.

True but the prices at the site Steph linked to are pretty good. I just ordered a relatively hard to find Eddie Vedder CD, The Molo Sessions (it's just him and a South African choir, what I've heard is beautiful) and an Iron and Wine EP that are at least a few bucks cheaper than what I've seen elsewhere.

I have taken to ordering everything music-wise that I can't download. I don't mean to offend other Chicago-istas but I have yet to find a music store here that matches what I had access to in Lawrence. (Yes, I have been to both Recklesses - eh, OK but not as great as what I'd heard and they are a ways from my apt).

Speaking of ordering - yesterday I ordered the new CD from the buzziest band to ever have buzz: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. I read about them last week on MSNBC's new music column "Independent Study" and then heard no less than three people bring them up over the weekend. You can download three of their songs at the first link. I ordered the CD right after hearing the first song. I hearby pass the buzz along.

True but the prices at the site Steph linked to are pretty good. I just ordered a relatively hard to find Eddie Vedder CD, The Molo Sessions (it's just him and a South African choir, what I've heard is beautiful) and an Iron and Wine EP that are at least a few bucks cheaper than what I've seen elsewhere.

From the Shake It site? Right on! (When I saw the Iron and Wine EP, I immediately thought of you, actually.)

Reckless is okay.

Have you been to Dr. Wax? (Are they still around?)

When I was in college I used to go to Vintage Vinyl in Evanston. . . you know when I was on summer break, because I didn't go to NU.

Have you been to Dr. Wax? (Are they still around?)

Yup there is one on Berwyn (or is Bryn Mawr?) and one on Sherman and Davis up in Evanston. I go to both more often than anyplace else because they are close. They both have kind of arbitrary classification systems, no customer info sources (reviews printed on place cards, employee rec boards, listening stations, magazines out, etc.) and there seems to be more used DVDs than anything else. The people who work there are helpful though.

When I was in college I used to go to Vintage Vinyl in Evanston

It's fun. I looove going to vinyl stores - but just for looking since I don't buy vinyl.

I was spoiled in Lawrence.

I had Love Garden - where you scheduled two or three hours for browsing even if you had just been there the week before. And for a quick trip to get anything you had Kief's Downtown. They were across the street from each other practically and made for a very fun day of music shopping.

Tegan & Sara was much fun. It was a very young crowd. There were no lines at the bar but a huge line at the merch table. I felt like a grandma (and I'm 35). Still, T&S were great and adorable as usual with their cute androgynous looks and twins banter. The only song that they didn't play that I was really hoping for was I Won't Be Left. It's my fave off So Jealous.

We got the Beulah DVD yesterday and watched a bit of it last night. Musical bits are great but the in between stuff? NSM. Funny tidbit: I saw myself in the footage from their last show at the Troubadour.

Hec, The Boswell Sisters. Can you recommend anything of theirs in particular? (I assume that you know of whom I speak.)

AMG says start with This collection.

I trust David, but I don't really trust AMG. It's a useful site, but I disagree with their reviewers often enough about the stuff I am familiar with that I take the recommendations for stuff I don't know about with a big, big grain of salt. That said... I've never heard the Boswell Sisters. So I'm sticking my nose in just to bust on AMG? No. Gary Giddins, whose recommendations carry a lot more weight with me than AMG's, has a whole article on the Boswell Sisters in Weather Bird. It's worth buying (esp. since Amazon is still selling it for $14 hardcover), but since you may not want to do that, and your library may not have a copy, and since Amazon's "Search Inside" isn't an option for the book, I'll try to remember to bring th ebook to work so I can scan the article. I'll send it to buffistarawk in case anyone other than sumi & Hec want to read it.

I will say I'm not familiar with the label who did the Boswell Sister collections. If it was something like the Chronological series, I'd feel a bit more confident. Those are my favorite 30s and 40s jazz compilations.

Thanks Joe.

And buffistarawk? How do I get on that?

Sumi, I'm sending you an email w/ the info. I forgot to bring the book with me, but I read the article & it was very interesting. Not sure if it will be much use in selecting a compilation, but definitely worth reading. Think of it as bonus liner notes.

Speaking of liner notes, J&R was selling most Ramones CDs for $7 so I picked up Rocket to Russia. Very entertaining notes by Legs McNeil. I'll send those, too.

Speaking of b'rawk, is the unusual love songs swap dead in the water? I don't have my contribution with me, but I finally got around to converting it to an mp3 so I'll send it when I get home.

Review of Tegan & Sara's LA show: [link]