Bob Dylan’s 5 Best Albums
I was at my local bar the other night and someone asked me if I were ever to be stranded on a desert island and could only bring 5 Bob Dylan albums, which ones would I bring?
I couldn’t answer him right away, and not because I had already had a good buzz after drinking four bottles of Miller Lite (note: I’m a lightweight), I had to think about that for a while because I really love Bob Dylan. Wait, let me rephrase that, I REALLY LOVE BOB DYLAN! For anyone even remotely aware of American pop culture over the past 40 years, it would be tough to miss the direct impact and lasting influence of Dylan’s songs. I needed time to get back in touch with ALL things B-O-B!
So after spending a WHOLE week revisiting all my Dylan CDs I compiled these 5 as the very ones I’d like to have with me if I were stranded on a desert island. And with this list I hope I can introduce the genius of Dylan to people walking around now who’ve never heard of the guy, or have no awareness of him beyond simple name recognition.
So if I was stranded on a desert island and could only have 5 Bob Dylan albums, which ones would I bring? Here’s my list…
Converting Audio File Formats in iTunes
iTunes is much more than a digital music jukebox. It’s capable of handling many different tasks involving digital media. Some of iTunes’ most popular features include buying music and vidoes online, burning CDs, and syncing files with your iPod or iPhone.
But one of the lesser known functions hidden within iTunes is the ability to convert audio files.
Why would you need to convert an audio file? Converting audio file types can be useful in many different situations. Here are a few examples:
- You have an AAC file in iTunes that’s not compatible with your Zune that can play MP3 and not AAC files.
- A WAV file needs to be emailed to a client for approval but it’s too big. You need to convert the file to an AAC so it’s small enough to easily send via email.
- You are making a music video and want to use a song you got online as the soundtrack. However, the editing program won’t import the song because it doesn’t support MP3 or AAC.
- You need to remove the DRM (Digital Rights Management) from an AAC song you purchased from the iTunes Store (see step #7).
Many programs that convert audio files into different formats are pretty complicated and usually cost money. But not iTunes. iTunes is simple, fast and best of all… free.
Tutorial: Converting Audio File Formats in iTunes
New Weezer Video Features YouTube Celebs
The band Weezer posted their new music video called “Pork and Beans” on YouTube. The video features a huge collection of “internet stars” from Tay “Chocolate Rain” Zonday to Chris “Leave Britney Alone” Crocker. Weezer even plays in front of a huge deluge tribute to “Coke + Mentos“.
Weezer’s new self-titled “Red Album” comes out June 3rd, 2008.
Framing Hanley Interview
Framing Hanley have certainly come a long way in a very short time. First formed in 2005, the band posted some song demos that they recorded on a Macintosh on MySpace.com. Then in November of 2006, these demos were discovered by Brett Hestla, former Creed bassist and frontman of Dark New Day.
Hestla helped the young Nashville based quintet record a 2 song demo in his Florida studio which captured the attention of Jeff Hanson (Creed, Sevendust, Paramore) and his record label Silent Majority Group. Framing Hanley’s debut LP The Moment was released August 2007.
We had the good fortune to get some time with Framing Hanley’s frontman Nixon. This young star has a very intense voice reminiscent of Chester from Linkin Park. Listen to the breakdown in “Hear Me Now” to get an idea of what I’m referring to.
Interview: Framing Hanley vocalist Kenneth Nixon
Raw Meat iPod Cover
A Japanese company called Solid Alliance is selling an Apple iPod cover that’s designed to look like RAW MEAT. It comes in a cellophane-and-Styrofoam package just like meat does. We’ve reviewed plenty of iPod/iPhone cases before, but this one gets bonus points for originality. I wonder what my dog will think.
iPod… It’s what’s for dinner?
More info at rakuten.co.jp and therawfeed.com
Rickrolling Mania Sweeps the Interweb
Have you been “Rickrolled” yet?
1980s pop star Rick Astley is now making headlines again after years in obscurity thanks to millions of Web surfers being Rickrolled by pranksters. Webmasters and bloggers are purposely redirecting unsuspecting Internet users to a video of Astley performing his hit “Never Gonna Give You Up”.
How does a Rickroll work? It’s basically a bait and switch. Let’s say I make a link that says Sexy Paris Hilton Video and you click on it. Instead of actually seeing Paris Hilton, you’d be directed to a Rick Astley music video. That’s a “Rick Roll”.
Tuesday YouTube decided to get in on the joke. Several links on the YouTube homepage purposely “Rick Rolled” users. Why? Tuesday just happened to be April Fools’ Day.
The act of Rickrolling has even evolved beyond cyberspace. Pawl Fisher, a student at Eastern Washington University (EWU), recently “Rick Rolled” a March basketball game at his school. Here’s the clip:
So what has this done to Astley’s record sales? They are way up. Even his iTunes sales are up. His record label is trying to get a re-release of Astley greatest hits album out not only to keep up with demand but to obviously cash in on the Rickrolling craze. Astley recently spoke to the LA Times and called the phenomena “bizarre” and only hopes that his daughter receives no embarrassment over it.
Personally I think it’s one of greatest phenomena ever to sweep the Internet. By the way, the error page for MethodShop is a “Rickroll”.
So the next time you randomly click on a link and see a short guy with red hair wearing a black shirt and a tan trench-coat singing… congratulations, you’ve been Rickrolled.
American Idol on iTunes
The biggest American reality show on TV has finally joined the iTunes platform. Fox Broadcasting, Fox Interactive Media and FremantleMedia signed an exclusive deal with Apple to bring American Idol audio and video performances to iTunes as single song-sized snippets available the day after they premiere on air.
Audio performances of the top 24 contenders run 99¢ per song, and videos of the top 12 finalists performances will be priced $1.99/each from March 11.
Apple will also become one of the show’s premiere sponsors and maintain a branded presence on AmericanIdol.com, where some free streaming performances can be seen.
U2 Previews New Tracks for Joshua Tree on iLike
U2 used iLike.com to post a video of Bono singing “Wave of Sorrow” while sitting on a couch. It’s a track that U2 demoed during sessions for The Joshua Tree in 1987. Just recently Bono laid down vocals for the song and it will be released for the first time next week on the remastered release of The Joshua Tree.
As Bono plays the track, he sings over it and talks listeners through the story of the song and explains the lyrics.
“Wave of Sorrow” is one of several rare and previously unreleased cuts which are featured on the bonus audio CD of the remastered deluxe and super deluxe versions of the remastered release of The Joshua Tree.
BeSocial: digg story | methodshop
Bob Dylan’s 5 Best Albums
I was at my local bar the other night and someone asked me if I were ever to be stranded on a desert island and could only bring 5 Bob Dylan albums, which ones would I bring?
I couldn’t answer him right away, and not because I had already had a good buzz after drinking four bottles of Miller Lite (note: I’m a lightweight), I had to think about that for a while because I love Bob Dylan. Wait, let me rephrase that, I REALLY LOVE BOB DYLAN!
For anyone even remotely aware of American pop culture over the past 40 years, it would be tough to miss the direct impact and lasting influence of Dylan’s songs. I needed time to get back in touch with ALL things B-O-B!
After spending a WHOLE week revisiting all my Dylan CDs I compiled these 5 as the very ones I’d like to have with me if I were stranded on a desert island. And with this list I hope I can introduce the genius of Dylan to people walking around now who’ve never heard of the guy, or have no awareness of him beyond simple name recognition.
So if I was stranded on a desert island and could only have 5 Bob Dylan albums, which ones would I bring? Here’s my list: Bob Dylan’s 5 Best Albums.
BeSocial: digg story | methodshop
Ryan Ferguson Interview
When Ryan Ferguson, singer of the band No Knife, strutted up to the stage to accept a 1999 San Diego Music Award for Best Punk Album, he chided, “Well tonight we officially found out we’re a punk band now.”
Anyone who knows Ryan’s accomplishments can understand the humor in this. Two years prior, No Knife won an award for Best Rock Album. Then in 2003, they won again, but this time it was for Best Alternative Album. Ryan has since then gone solo, but hasn’t lost any of his momentum. He even won the San Diego Award for Best Pop Album in 2005.
His versatility makes one’s head spin, but Ryan doesn’t place much importance on classifying himself, and maybe we shouldn’t try to either.
Our interview with Ryan was just like his lyrics, honest and articulate. Ryan was very forthcoming and spoke openly about everything from his break with No Knife to his busty friend Candace on MySpace and his freaky cats. Enjoy!
Interview: Ryan Ferguson
BeSocial: digg story | methodshop