Caring about baseball for the first time in 16 years (when the Indians were in the World Series, for those wondering) has really taken a hit into my productivity. Games every day? Jesus, how the hell do baseball fans get anything done? I’m used to wasting just one day a week to sports, I don’t know if even I have enough lack of motivation to subject myself to this much longer.
And besides, I have a shitload of stuff to do! Operation: Get Crap Out Of My House is well into effect, but I still got a few “big ticket” items I need to unload.
In fact, can I interest any of you in the following?
Super Famicom (Boxed!)
A complete Super Famicom system, complete with both controllers, A/V cable and original AC adapter (so you might want a power converter). Comes in its original box too! Looks great and I can verify that it plays games perfectly as well. I’m asking $100 for this (shipping not included). That’s about $20-$40 cheaper than most Super Famicoms you see on eBay when you factor in the high international shipping you typically have to pay.
I occasionally help out in my friend’s used games store, so believe me when I tell you that coming across one of these in as nice shape as this one is doesn’t happen everyday!
Sharp Front Loading Stereo Turntable RP-117
Okay, this thing is crazy. It’s a turntable that takes LPs like CDs, and then it can play both sides with no flipping required! It doesn’t sound amazing, but it certainly sounds as good as most mid-range turntables, and it’s a great talking piece to have as an auxiliary deck. Â I haven’t played it in about a year, so I’ll test it before I ship it out, but last I checked it played fine. These can be a bit finicky too, so finding one in working condition is a real rarity.
I’m asking $300 for it, which is $100 cheaper than what they tend to go for on eBay. Don’t ask me about replacement styluses or needles for this sucker though, because I have no idea.
If either of these items interest you, leave a comment with your email (I won’t approve it, I’ll just use it to get a hold of you).
Okay, sorry for that brief QVC moment. If you read all that, I appreciate your patience and reward you with silly music from the 80s.
Harold Faltermeyer
Fletch Theme (Extended Version)
Fletch Theme (Radio Edit)
Fletch Theme (Fletch Rap)
Fletch Theme Bonus Beats (Hip Hop Version)
So I’m going to be real and just put this out there: I’ve never seen Fletch.
Okay, yeah, I know. Yeah, I’m sure its great. But by the time I was old enough to really appreciate it, Chevy Chase was well on his path of sucking, so I immediately associated the film with the long line of sucking pieces of suck he’s sadly known for today. I know I should watch it! I know it’s a good movie! But there are a lot of good movies I haven’t seen that I need to watch, and when I start looking at that list, I feel that movies like Godfather II, The African Queen and Manhattan probably take precedence over Fletch. Of course, you’re talking to the guy who decided it was of the utmost importance to mainline the first five Fast & Furious films in a 48 hour period, so what do I know.
Well, I do know that Harold Faltermeyer’s theme to Fletch is pretty fucking rad, and like some commenters have told me in the past, it’s actually even better than his theme to Beverly Hills Cop, something that’s no small feat. All four of these versions of the theme sound pretty similar to me, but whatever, it’s four similar versions of a completely bitchin’ tune, so I’m not going to complain.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Rage Hard (++) [Broad]
Sometimes I feel the need to just write about an album. No reason. Just because I want to. If I ever do this, I think I’d have to write about Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s Welcome To The Pleasuredome. Not just because it’s a fantastic record and one of my favorites, but because I feel that I’m in the extreme minority in saying as much. Â That album is a fucking masterpiece. Not only that, I feel that it perfectly encapsulates every single thing about the early 80s, from rampant casual sex to the constant threat of nuclear war. It’s an awesome record.
Liverpool, the group’s 1986 sophomore album, and their last release, is significantly less awesome. I’ve listened to it several times since finding it a few months ago, and aside from “Warriors Of The Wasteland” and “Rage Hard” it’s an entirely forgettable album. It also tries far too hard to recapture the magic of the original album in tone and structure too, right down to the random oddball cross-genre cover (a weak rendition of “Roadhouse Blues” filling in for Pleasuredome’s amazing take on “Born To Run.”)
But like I said, “Rage Hard” is a pretty great track, and thanks to Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s shameless(ly wonderful) practice of remixing and re-releasing singles ad nauseam, there are more than a few remixes of it floating out there. I currently have four: The Bob K Remix, an extended version, one simply titled “Vocal/Remix” that I got off of the Japanese version of the Frankie Said compilation, and the one I’m sharing tonight. Of those, I think this one is the best. It’s not the longest, but it’s still a hefty eight minutes, and unlike the other remixes, it never delves off into sample-heavy wankery or excessive non-musical segues or interludes. It just uses its eight minutes to take its time and really stretch the tune out. As I’ve said time and time again, the best remixes are the ones that just let a song’s natural awesomeness shine while not trying to change it too much.