Comments on: Light In The Attic Sampler & You Don’t Love Me Yet

By: Randolph

Randolph — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 21:12:38 +0000

Jeff, oh, they aren't. But Chris Dedrick, who wrote most of lyrics and composed most of their music, went on to a distinguished career composing music for Canadian films. Musicians love the stuff, and a number of famous musicians of the following generation--names aren't coming to mind, but some grunge bands are included--cite it as an influence. Why is it that great songwriters names are hardly known, these days? Jimmy Webb's another one--the man has written some of the most popular songs, ever, and been recorded by a long list of stars and his name is only a little better known than Dedrick's. Unless they front a band, a songwriter might as well be chopped liver anymore, and I wonder why that is.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:32:33 +0000

Free Design? Holy Shit. They were a mini-fad when I was in college (late 60s-early 70s, Northern NY, so a lot of people from the Buffalo area); I even have a copy of “Kites are Fun”.

I wouldn’t have said they were still around…

By: Norsecats

Norsecats — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:06:00 +0000

Cordelia’s Dad, a traditional-American band from Massachusetts, did a haunting version of “Katy Cruel” on their album, Spine, which came out about 12 years ago.

By: john holbo

john holbo — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 03:19:38 +0000

Well, Neil, at least you can get “You Don’t Love Me Yet” for free. You can also hear all the songs by visiting the Light In The Attic site and using their little player thingy. (I realize this is faint consolation …)

By: Neil

Neil — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:45:59 +0000

John H is always looking for new ways to torture people not in the mainland US (and without a US credit card).

By: bartkid

bartkid — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:24:07 +0000

>It’s kinda like Philip K. Dick wrote an episode of “Friends”. But in a good way.

I thought every Friends episode was an homage to PKD, but with the question “What is it to be human?” being replaced with “Wanna hang out at the coffee shop?”

Or, my memory could be playing tricks on me.

By: Doug k

Doug k — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:27:52 +0000

‘Cold Fact’ was an enormous hit in S. Africa during the 70s – remember it well, still have a cassette tape of it somewhere. I’m not sure it’s accurate to say it was ‘a beacon of revolution’; as I recall it the young Nationalists (party of apartheid) were just as keen on it as the effete liberals that I hung out with. How extraordinary there is now a Rodriguez renaissance..

By: eric

eric — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:31:51 +0000

I’m a big Lethem fan, but was somewhat disappointed by “You Don’t Love Me Yet” Still, any novel with a title paying homage to not one but two great pop songs merits at least some points.

By: bizzah

bizzah — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:30:52 +0000

You know that “He Was a Big Freak” is supposed to be about Miles Davis’s sexual tastes? (He and Betty Davis were married for a time.)

By: bob mcmanus

bob mcmanus — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:49:01 +0000

I remember him as Jesus Sixto Rodriguez, which I think is waycool, but if he wants to go by Rodriguez now, whatever.

Cold Fact is good.

By: Henry

Henry — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:38:37 +0000

“Sugarman” also made it on to one of David Holmes’ compilation albums, afair.