The Bobs

Since my youngest brother was starting high school (and dreaming of a musical career), my birthday present to him has been "music he *should* like": a CD that I like which he probably doesn't have already. That was fine when I was in college and active musically, and he was a youngin'. Nowadays, though, he is a high school music teacher with broad musical tastes, while I listen to the same old songs on iTunes: it's getting tough to surprise him. I was ready to give up this year, but then I remembered the Bobs. Mind you, I hadn't listened to the Bobs before (other than Slow Down Krishna, of course, and anything else that slipped onto a tour mix tape), but I figured what the heck. I ended up getting him their anniversary CD "20 Years, 20 Songs", and before giving it to him I ripped a copy for myself, to listen to on the drive to Canada.

I tend to get really obsessive about certain songs or albums I'm introduced to, for a little while anyway ("Solsbury Hill", "Galileo", "Life in a Northern Town",...). That happened here. I listened to the CD twice on the way north. I was delighted by the whole CD, and every day of my vacation a different song would be running through my head. The obsession part kicked in when I got to Canada and played the CD to Jen and her brother Ian, and was disappointed when they didn't immediately drop what they were doing and listen attentively; I assumed that lack of obsession = lack of interest (which was false).

Favorites from the CD:

• "Giant Robot Store", mostly for the bleeping.
  
• "Weekend in Cincinnati", because I didn't realize where the song was going until the refrain, at which point I cracked up.
  
• "Fluffy's Master Plan for World Domination." "Meow want power, please deliver." It's just a good refrain to belt out at random times in a conversation.
  
• "Swingers", just because it...well, swings. I should probably look for some sincere music in the same genre.
  
• "Krishna" of course; this was a different version than the one I knew, without the Tuvan throat-singer breakdown.
  
• "Mopping, Mopping, Mopping" is just wonderfully weird. Jen and I would go around saying "Oh no!" and "I'm walking! walking! walking!" etc all vacation.
  
• "Helmet" just has this epic sound to it which is cool; makes me want to try wearing a helmet. (Well, I do when I bicycle, but maybe something bigger.)
  
• "Helter Skelter": again, just for the bleeping.
  

The one track I didn't like at first was "The Wind Cries Mary", because it was done live and the bass fellow didn't know the words (which was funny and possibly contrived, but irritating to me the first time through, since the lyrics in all the other songs were very clear). Interestingly, this was one of Jen's favorite tracks, which gives me a little bass-envy. :)

(I of course am speaking as if you all have this CD and know exactly what I'm talking about. But perhaps this recording is NEW to you, in that fashion.)