music

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On my Christmas list #4: A Jonathan Coulton Box Set

I know I've blogged about his fantastic songs before, but I'm just sayin' "“ baby got... READ ON

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Mamma mia -- it's the band that won't go away

They broke up in 1982, after ten chart-topping years and at least five songs I can't get out of my head, even today, despite hypnotherapy. But just because the band hasn't released an album in nearly 25 years doesn't mean they can't be in our faces -- their hit Broadway musical Mamma Mia premiered in 2001 and now there's talk of a film adaptation. What's more, the city of Stockholm has just announced that it will build an ABBA museum, featuring personal effects donated by the band, instruments and... READ ON

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While Sir Mix-A-Lot Gently Weeps

We've always thought that friend-of- mental-floss John Green has the best taste in music. Not only does his ringtone sound like the Super Mario theme, he has the best. cover. of "Baby Got Back." ever. on my his MySpace page. Yeah, we're almost 30. Anyway, the guy who sings that oh-so-wonderful reworked tribute to the gluteus maximus popped up on another friend-of-mental-floss website, bunnyshop, the other day. So we feel we can no longer ignore him. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Jonathan Coulton. As... READ ON

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The Sweet Strums of the Air Guitar

Yahoo News is reporting today that Australian researchers have just developed a t-shirt that turns the sweet music of air guitar-ing into a reality. Using motion sensors built into the garment's "elbows", the shirt relays the rock star miming to a wireless computer which turns the fake chords and windmills into music. And while some might be confused as to why air guitarists would find such a shirt necessary (it seems antithetical to the concept), others might be more confused by the fact that the rocking... READ ON

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Taking one page at a time

For those of you who can't play band music and turn pages at the same time, meet your solution: the Hammacher Schlemmer Hands-Free Sheet Music Library and Page Turner. Of course, the HSHFSMLAPT will set you back a little (actually, it'll set you back a lot, as in more than a grand), but check out what you get for your money. The tablet can: store several thousand scores display music on a backlit screen be used as a metronome and pitch pipe work as an audio player for your MP3's comes with... READ ON

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Music's Greatest Golfers

I was listening to "Back in Time" this morning, the Back to the Future anthem made moderately famous by Huey Lewis, The News, and nostalgic 80s radio stations. And it made me wonder: who's a better golfer, Huey or Dweezil Zappa? Could Engelbert Humperdinck take them both? Thanks to the upcoming issue of Golf Digest, I can wonder no more. They've ranked the "Top 100 in Music -- By Their Golf Handicaps." Huey is tied for 18th with a 6.2 handicap; Dweezil is right behind him at 20th and a handicap of... READ ON

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The Best-Selling Albums of All-Time (Plus #198)

I always thought Frampton Comes Alive was one of the all-time best-selling albums. And I'm not alone. Consider this quote, by Wayne Campbell in Wayne's World 2: "Everybody in the world has Frampton Comes Alive. If you lived in the suburbs you were issued it. It came in the mail with samples of Tide." By "everybody," Wayne meant 6 million people in the U.S. (and 16 million worldwide). This is according to the Recording Industry Association of America's Top Albums, and good enough to be #198. From... READ ON

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Getting the Led out: First rap ever?

Most folk agree that hip hop or rap music grew up in New York, during the early 1970s, when MCs improvised on the mic, entertaining the crowd as they waited for the next DJ to take over the booth. Though certainly there are earlier examples, many point to the 1979 commercial release, "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang, as one of the first. But how come no one ever gives any credit to Led Zeppelin? Way back in 1973, the released the song "The Ocean" on their Houses of the Holy... READ ON

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Is that a sound system in your pocket?

I'm not sure if the world's ready for this yet, but OhGizmo is reporting that a foreward-thinking Ukrainian scientist named Hryhory Chausovsky has invented a musical condom?! As if concentrating on the act itself isn't difficult enough, you'll now have to worry about the accompaniment. According to the site: "A miniature loudspeaker and motion sensor implanted in the condom's upper cuff provides a range of musical tones during sex. Music volume depends on intensity... READ ON

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Pop annotations: "U Can't Shine Like Me" by Lil' Romeo (feat. the Old Prospector)

This week, Floss' senior annotator warms the bench while the Old Prospector tries his hand at a little pop cultural deconstruction. From his unhealthy obsession with precious metals to his impenetrably filth-laden colloquialisms, who better to tackle an anachronistic annotation of ghetto ingenue Li'l Romeo's new single? Let's get it started! Are you serious, man? They must not know who I be! We got tha hood pressure in tha buildin'! Are ya pullin' my donkey's... READ ON