Thursday, May 25, 2023

Dandy, Ian Hunter, Fingers Crossed

Dandy could easily have been a disaster writing about a complicated relationship with just about the most famous rock star of the 1970s. Starting out as a song entitled Lady with a different topic Hunter heard about Bowie's passing. The song became Dandy and it practically leaps out at you as the standout track on the LP. His homage to David Bowie who passed away back in January 2016 bears a comparison to Micael Picasso as a tribute song which must be extremely difficult to write. The songwriter is trying to say something profound, personal, and memorable about figures who Ian knows both as a person and a professional. He really is able to pull off both the impact of Bowie, references his songs, and band, while weaving clever lyrics to a catchy melody about a larger than life figure in Technicolor.

Ian has said about Bowie that he was the only musical artist who did anything of note during the 1970s. Hunter picks a perfect image by referring to Lord Fauntleroy who set the fashion of his time just as Bowie did in the '70s. The "Cabaret Voltaire" reference is replete with references since it is a name of a 1970s, band, one of Scotland's most iconic and historic music venues, and at the same time the name of an artistic nightclub in Zürich credited as the birthplace of the Dada movement. All of these references seem particularly apropo considering the cultural impact of Bowie. Piccadilly Circus is associated with people in the UK but there are Bowie connections as well. His first film was screened there in 1967 and Bowie posed on Heddon Street, close to Piccadilly Circus for his iconic Ziggy Stardust album cover. This is a stellar track and an impressive homage to Bowie.

Along the way we are treated to nods to Dylan's Ballad of a Thin Man, references to Bowie's The Prettiest Star, Life on Mars, Heroes, and The Jean Genie. The bridge references Starman and Hunter nails the description of guy who had it all: the swagger, the looks and style, and a way with word craft. Bowie was the "keeper of the flame" for a generation while Ian name checks the Spiders from Mars. It is a clever presentation in that like Michael Picasso he never mentions the name of the artist. Upon first hearing it sounds like an instant classic with a great hook "and then we took the last bus home."

Proper Records released the song as a promo single and Classic Rock immediately placed it on the "Heavy Rotation" chart at #2. Proper also released an exclusive gold vinyl single, limited to 1,000 copies, the hand-numbered disc feature the non-album track Seein' Red as the B-side and was presented in a red and gold picture sleeve.

More on On Track Ian Hunter:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1789523044?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_B2K7YSTB337KEK41GYPY

Yeah Uh-Huh by Lisa and Phil
https://youtu.be/r46AbOSo-MM?si=uuWy3T8rQjhnGkwS

Tell Me About Your Book, The Phenomenal Musician John Christian who is not from Great Britain

https://www.facebook.com/keepitasahobby/posts/pfbid09pnutefvQEpSF8uz8jMTipnWEhR23axesLKoRysawg9MLcKZxLs1xNFQ5ogADRedl?mibextid=YxdKMJ

Set Lusting Bruce with Jesse Jackson
https://podcasts.apple.com/.../set.../id1038228650...

HODGEPOD with Rob Fredette
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-bgfx7-14962b2

Sign up now for the pre-release of Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing at TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me!

More info or to request an interview: TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

If there is any London location which can be justifiably described as THE Ziggy Stardust "shrine" it would have to be Heddon Street where Bowie posed outside #23 for the Front cover and inside a traditional red London phonebox for the Back cover of the Ziggy album. This street has for many Bowie fans the same significance that the Abbey Road zebra-crossing has for Beatles fans.

Heddon Street is a small, quiet U-shaped side-street and alleyway off Regent Street located in the heart of London, close to Piccadilly Circus.

Zürich,

Cabaret Voltaire is one of Scotlands most iconic and historic music venues

Cabaret Voltaire was the name of a short-lived artistic nightclub in Zürich, Switzerland in 1916

Dandy

(Ian Hunter)

Something is happening, Mr Jones
My brother says you're better than the Beatles or the Stones
Saturday night 'n Sunday morning
You turned us into heroes, can you hear the heroes sing?

Dandy, you're the prettiest star
There ain't no life on Mars but we always thought there might be
Dandy, you opened up the door
You left us wanting more, and then we took the last bus home

Who let the genie outta the lamp?
And little Lord Fauntleroy, who let him outta his amp?
Saturday night 'n Sunday morning, 
Well Trevor's getting bolder, 'n Woody likes to hit things

Dandy, this world was black 'n' white
You showed us what it's like to live inside a rainbow 
Dandy, You thrilled us to the core
You left us wanting more, and then we took the last bus home

You beat up Goliath, you had it all
The voice, the look, the songs that shook
The gift of the gab 'n the gall
Saturday night 'n Sunday morning
When all we had to look forward to was the weekend, you made our lives worth living

Dandy, you're still the prettiest star
There ain't no life on Mars but we always thought there might be
Dandy, you took us to the fair
Cabaret Voltaire - and then we caught the last bus home

Dandy, you know we've waited long enough
They should put a statue up in Piccadilly Circus
Dandy, you blew us all away moutta the drab and the grey
And then we caught the last bus home

Dandy, the keeper of the flame, we won't see your like again
No, Dandy was a one-off
Dandy, look at what you've become
I guess I owe you one, so thanks for the memories

Ian Hunter and The Rant Band CD: "Fingers Crossed"

Sleeve and track listing

Proper Records PRPCD137

That's When The Trouble Starts
Dandy
Ghosts
Fingers Crossed
White House
Bow Street Runners
Morpheus
Stranded In Reality
You Can't Live In The Past
Long Time
Seein' Red^{1, 2}
Have A Nice Day²

¹ 'Incentive' download-only track available to initial purchasers

² Bonus track on the Japanese CD

Review

Ian's 2016 album Fingers Crossed shows that he's as sharp an observer and incisive commentator as ever. The run of form that started with 2001's Rant shows no sign of abating, with this album being up there with his very best.

Ian hasn't been this good since the 70's, with killer album after killer album. No, I'm not an "I praise everything" type of reviewer - this is the honest truth. At 77 years of age (oh, yes!) Ian shows no sign of slowing down.

Dandy is the standout track, his homage to David Bowie who passed away back in January 2016. See how many Bowie tracks he manages to weave into the lyrics! Clever, very clever.

Mid-tempo rockers such as White House, Bow Street Runners and Stranded In Reality sit alongside slower, more thoughtful songs such as Morpheus and the title track Fingers Crossed.

Ian has always had his feet planted firmly in reality, as on You Can't Live In The Past he notes "You can never go back, those days are gone". On the closing track, the rockabilly Long Time he offers advice to younger wannabes "Be careful what you wish for" as he notes "Take a chance on destiny, you'll never know what you find".

Sheers class. And as essential as ever.

Dandy

4:41

Originally released on Fingers Crossed.

Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Dancing on the Moon, (Ian Hunter/Darrell Bath/Honest John Plain), Ian Hunter, Ian Hunter's Dirty Laundry

Dancing on the Moon has a strong live feel to it and it opens the record to a rocking start. The band didn't know what they were doing and the drums were all over the place since Ian kept changing the chords. It is totally spontaneous. Nonetheless, a great feature of the track is a strong chorus filled with some word play about being out and about. It feels like the musicians are just giving it all and having a great time letting it all hang out. It reminds me of the sort of creative chaos that Guy Stevens tried to inspire in the Brain Capers era Mott The Hoople. Chaotic but somehow less than polished rock efforts work.

More on On Track Ian Hunter:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1789523044?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_B2K7YSTB337KEK41GYPY

Yeah Uh-Huh by Lisa and Phil
https://youtu.be/r46AbOSo-MM?si=uuWy3T8rQjhnGkwS

Tell Me About Your Book, The Phenomenal Musician John Christian who is not from Great Britain

https://www.facebook.com/keepitasahobby/posts/pfbid09pnutefvQEpSF8uz8jMTipnWEhR23axesLKoRysawg9MLcKZxLs1xNFQ5ogADRedl?mibextid=YxdKMJ

Set Lusting Bruce with Jesse Jackson
https://podcasts.apple.com/.../set.../id1038228650...

HODGEPOD with Rob Fredette
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-bgfx7-14962b2

Sign up now for the pre-release of Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing at TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me!

More info or to request an interview: TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

A live version is available from 2010.

Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

Dancing On The Moon

(Ian Hunter/Darrell Bath/Honest John Plain)

Oh!!
Well I climbed through the fence, out with the (?), head for the river plate(?).
The river's not tame, heat in the city meant dogs can't smell the same.
Don't wait up, I'll be home soon, but I can't come now cos I'm
Dancing on the (dancing, dancing) moon, yeah.
(dancing, dancing....)
I crawl like a snake, seen a better daybreak, I sleep when I'm wide awake.
All my body's achin', I know they're tryin' to break me, but that's a chance I
gotta take.
Oh, don't wait up, I'll be home soon, but I can't come now cos I'm
Dancing, dancing, dancing (dancing on the moon) dancing, dancing, dancing on
the moon
All right.

I'm outside a Memphis, My motors little danger(?) she gives me
pharmaceuticals
Knowin' my friends, they help me beat the hangman, they know I'm innocent
Well that's all right, I'll be home soon, but I can't come now cos I'm
Dancing, dancing (dancing, dancing) on the moon
(dancing, dancing on the moon) .

I can see your house in between the trees
I can feel your body shakin' in between my knees.
You know it feels so low, I come so far
I always love to have some fire on me

You're looking so good

Well I got me a room, can't say where it is, you can guess the address
Well I need some money, need it in a special place, not try the weaknesses(?)
Wake up (?) , nursin' my wounds, I told you I was comin, I was comin' home soon. yeah.

(Want you, want you, want you, want you right away, )
((To fade))

Ian Hunter CD: "Ian Hunter's Dirty Laundry"

Sleeve and track listing

Cherry Red CDM RED 321.

Dancing on the Moon (5:24)
Another Fine Mess (3:28)
Scars (5:04)
Never Trust a Blonde (5:19)
Psycho Girl (2:48)
My Revolution (4:08)
Good Girls (4:01)
Red Letter Day (5:11)
Invisible Strings (3:53)
Everyone's a Fool (2:41)
Junkee Love (2:46)
The Other Man (5:23)

Running time: 50m 12s

Review

This 1995 album is an oddity. Not quite a full solo album, but more than just a collaboration. It started life as a project by Norwegian keyboardist Casino Steel with Ian invited to sit in in the studio. It soon became much more than that, with Ian writing a number of songs (some of which were written in the studio) and contributing to a few others. More importantly, it marked the return of Ian to the recording studio following the death of his long-time friend Mick Ronson.

With vocal duties shared as well this has something of a "band" feel to it. Despite being recorded at a number of studios, it also has a good live feel to it, which is no bad thing. Dancing On The Moon opens things up nicely, while Another Fine Mess looks back to life on the road with Ronson. My Revolution is another standout track, this time looking back to Ian's Mott days - fans will appreciate the reference to "a revolution for fun", while Ian acknowledges the advancing years in the next line with "you'd better lock up yer mums!" Sheer brilliance.

Darrel Bath's Never Trust a Blonde is great fun, as is Honest John Plain's Psycho Girl and Good Girls. All have a good, earthy 1950's rock n roll feel to them. The album ends with a trademark Ian weepie, this time the great The Other Man in which he forgives his lady but not the guy who shagged her.

This album originally came out with little fanfare in 1995 on a small Norwegian label, with the US label Cleveland International also picking it up. In the days before Amazon, etc, it meant getting hold of copies in the UK was difficult (but not impossible). This release on Cherry Red, therefore, makes it the first time this album has been available in the UK. This time round you also get a good booklet, explaining the background to the recording of the album.

This is a fun album. Not Ian's best but by no means his worst and certainly worthy of consideration.

Dancing On The Moon	5:24	Originally issued on Ian Hunter's Dirty Laundry.
Dancing On The Moon (live 11th October 2010)	5:40	This live version (recorded at The Journal Tyne Centre, Newcastle England) was released on Bag Of Tricks (Vol 3)(box set only).

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Cool, Ian Hunter, YUI Orta

With Cool Ian teamed up with his old mate Mick Ronson once again to record this song and album in the middle of 1989. Ian and Mick had toured the USA and Europe in late 1988-early 1989, before the album was even recorded, and the result is a highly polished album and one of their best. The team was tight and the LP examples their exemplary collaboration.

Originally, the song was originally entitled Cool Jerk and Hunter is identifying the herd mentality of people who won't change their mind. The song is a cloying look at the idea of being "cool" or a hipster since every society has some people within that group who decides these things. As Ian identifies the cool people he points out that it can be anyone highly placed or an ordinary everyday person; the point of the song is to oppose the cool people because the singer says:

But don't you ever cross me dude
'Cos that ain't cool, that's an attitude

The song features kicking drum beats, wah-wah guitar, and synthesized brass, the punchy song noting all trendy things.

Cool

(Ian Hunter)

You might be a celebrity-everybody sits up and begs
You might be the sexiest thing since God invented legs
You might be a dictator, a dealer or a saint
Cool is here to tell you when you're cool and when you ain't
If you lose your cool-if you lose your cool-if your cool don't work
If your cool's gone fishin' you ain't nothing but a cool jerk

Now you might be a nazi-lookin' for a friend
You might be a beginning- looking for an end
Some folks go for the ice and snow-some like it Florida hot
Cool is here to tell you what is cool and what is not

You can write a book about the money you took
You and pose on the cover nude
You can flip on an ego trip-time'll do the cover on you
But don't you ever cross me dude
'Cos that ain't cool, that's an attitude

You might be a macho man
Do 50 million sit-ups a day
You might be an expert, with something important to say
You might be an evangelist-livin' on the wages of sin

Cool is here to tell you what is out and what is in

Cool

4:30

Originally issued on YUI Orta.

Ian Hunter CD: "YUI Orta"

Sleeve and track listing

Lemon CD LEM 6.

American Music (4:12)
The Loner (4:47)
Women's Intuition (6:31)
Tell It Like It Is (4:23)
Livin' In a Heart (4:34)
Big Time (4:03)
Cool (4:30)
Beg a Little Love (6:26)
Following In Your Footsteps (5:02)
Sons 'n' Lovers (4:55)
Pain (4:43)
How Much More Can I Take (3:48)
Sweet Dreamer (6:28)
4th Hour Of My Sleep (3:08)¹
Power Of Darkness (3:32)¹

Running time: 71m 11s

¹Bonus tracks on the 2003 CD reissue

Review

Ian teamed up with his old mate Mick Ronson once again to record this album in the middle of 1989. Ian and Mick had toured the USA and Europe in late 1988/early 1989, before the album was even recorded, and the result is a highly polished album - one of their best.

Highlights include the Stonsey Women's Intuition (if only Mick 'n' Keef were still this good!), the full-tilt rocker How Much More Can I Take, Big Time (Ian borrows his own riff from Once Bitten...), Tell It Like It Is (Mick borrowing the Get It On riff) and Mick's guitar showcase Sweet Dreamer which is breathtaking beautiful.

When the album was released, they toured the USA and Europe again to promote it. Intended in some ways as a comeback album for both men, the record company did little to promote it themselves, and it didn't sell in great numbers. They were dropped by the record company, and all plans for a follow-up were put on hold when Mick Ronson was diagnosed with liver cancer.

Unavailable for many years, this CD has finally been reissued on the Lemon label (a planned reissue on NMC having fallen through when NMC went bust). This reissue includes a couple of Ronno bonus tracks from 1971 - great for the completist but somewhat at odds with the rest of the album. The insert includes the lyrics from the original CD, but the sleeve notes are appallingly inaccurate - a shame really that Campbell Devine's notes for the aborted NMC release weren't used.

In 1995, Windsong issued an official release of their 15-Feb-89 concert, which had been recorded by the BBC for radio broadcast. This live album has since been reissued on Strange Fruit.

As is normal these days, there was material left over in the vaults, some of which is circulating amongst fans. This includes (Give Me Back My) Wings, which was demoed but never recorded, Ill Wind (now available on the Once Bitten Twice Shycompilation), More To Love Than Meets The Eye and Look Before You Leap, which IMO would have been a great single and features some beautiful guitar work from Mick Ronson

The album title is derived from "Why you... I ought to...", a phrase popularised by The Three Stooges.

Technical

The original CD

The reissued CD

Comments

Analysis of the reissued CD shows some compression being used; this has boosted overall loudness slightly (by some 2.2dB) without any noticeable affect on sound quality.

Monday, May 22, 2023

Common Disease, Ian Hunter, Once Bitten Twice Shy (Compilation)

Common Disease is an out take from the All American Alien Boy sessions, and is more up-tempo than other tracks on the album. However, Ian has been dismissive of the song and has said it doesn't make it. The song was written to a formula and sounds more like a demo.

The formula is those more typical life of a rock 'n' roller songs and the perils of road and groupie life hence the singer gets a common disease such as the "clap." Maybe I enjoy the straightforward songs so I can take it for what it is but with the stronger songs on Alien this one made more sense to discard.

Common Disease

(Ian Hunter)

Started sweating, got a twitch in my eye
My (?)starts pumping and my temperature's high
Uh oh here we go again
I haven't had it since I don't know when
Mr Physician I got terrible news
I got a dose of something that I just can't lose
Uh oh here we go again
Cute little lover boy see where it gets you then

To me the juice, get me on the loose
Oh no you know it's a common disease
I wanna move it before I groove
Oh no you know it's a common disease
I'm feeling trapped, lost at 45
I'm a Rock 'n Roll singer and I wanna get clap
But I know I know you know it's a common disease

Doctor Doctor you're a venerable man
I read the posters get me out of this jam
Uh oh here we go again
Like I was jumping when he said lots of pain
See I'm in love but I've blown it completely
I thought I was a stud but she netted me neatly
Uh oh here we go again
One more goner, what a shame, what a shame
I want a prescription, I got an addiction.
Oh no you know It's a common disease
Feel like a crook, get me off the hook
No no you know I got a common disease

Wanna play around with the boys in the band
I wanna play around but I'm a one woman man
But I know you know you know I got this common disease

It's a common disease
It's a common disease
Oh it's a common disease, oh it's a common disease
oh it's a common disease, yeah it's a common disease
oh it's a common disease, oh it's a common disease
yeah it's a common disease

Ian Hunter CD: "Once Bitten Twice Shy"

Sleeve and track listing

Sony/Columbia 496284 2.

Disc 1: Rockers

Once Bitten Twice Shy (single version) (3:53)
Who Do You Love (single version) (3:17)
Colwater High (3:12)
One Fine Day (2:19)
The Truth, The Whole Truth, Nuthin' But The Truth (5:58)
All American Alien Boy (single version) (3:52)
Common Disease (3:53)
Justice Of The Peace (single version) (3:00)
When The Daylight Comes (single version) (3:45)
Cleveland Rocks (3:48)
Bastard (6:34)
Gun Control (3:11)
Speechless (3:39)
Traitor (single b-side) (3:57)
(I'm The) Teacher (4:00)
Great Expectations (You Never Know What To Expect) (3:54)
Good Man In A Bad Time (3:41)
Women's Intuition (single version) (4:22)
Ain't No Way To Treat A Lady (4:32)
All The Young Dudes (live with Def Leppard) (4:00)

Running time: 78m 58s

Disc 2: Ballads

Shades Off (poem) (1:37)
Boy (6:25)
Letter To Britannia From The Union Jack (3:47)
You Nearly Did Me In (single version) (3:30)
(God) Advice To A Friend (5:28)
Shallow Crystals (3:57)
Ships (single version) (4:09)
Standing In My Light (4:34)
The Outsider (5:58)
Junkman (with Genya Ravan) (5:52)
Old Records Never Die (4:15)
All Of The Good Ones Are Taken (3:44)
Seeing Double (4:23)
Bluebirds (4:18)
Sunshine Eyes (4:21)
Ill Wind (3:22)
All Is Forgiven (3:14)
Michael Picasso (live) (6:52)

Running time: 79m 56s

Review

This 2-CD set has been a long time coming. Once Sony released a 3-CD Mott The Hoople Anthology, it was inevitable they would issue a similar "box set" covering Ian Hunter's solo career. Comparisons with that set are therefore inevitable, although somewhat unfair.

This set attempts to include all the rarities: single A-sides, B-sides, movie soundtracks, a few outttakes and demos as well as the great/classic album tracks. Lovingly put together by Campbell Devine, Ian's input was, I'm told, minimal: recording vocals on two or three otherwise unfinished tracks, a handful of demos, and a request the set be split into "Rockers" and "Ballads".

Colwater High is an early highlight on the Rockers disc. An outtake from Ian's first album, it is very keyboard-oriented since Mick Ronson never laid down a guitar part for it. As such, it would not be out of place on the Hoople album. Common Disease is an outttake from the Alien Boy sessions, and is more up-tempto than other tracks on the album. Otherwise, it is a worthy song and I'm surprised it has taken so long to see the light of day.

Traitor (b-side to the Good Ones single) has never worked for me. It starts strongly, with powerful keyboard playing from Tommy Mandel, then it suddenly changes tempo and just sort of plods along. Three of the four movie soundtracks Ian recorded in the 80's are here (Wake Up Call being the one missing), the highlight for me being Great Expectations which has a good riff and a great chorus. I'd love to see Ian do this live some time.

Ain't No Way To Treat A Lady is an outtake from the Artful Dodger sessions, and takes a couple of listens to appreciate. I'd have put it on the "Ballads" disc, but then what do I know? The "Rockers" disc finishes with a live version of ATYD by Def Leppard (with Ian as special guest, of course).

The "Ballads" disc continues in a similar vein, mixing rare singles with alternate versions and previously-unreleased material. Shades Off is a spoken version of the track on Ian's first album, while Advice To A Friend is an alternate take of God (Take One) from the Alien Boy sessions. Don't ask me to chose which one is the better version, as both work for me.

Bluebirds is the highlight of this disc - an outtake from the Good Ones sessions, it is a power ballad - starts quietly but keeps building. Stylewise it is close to something Meat Loaf would do (when Jim Steinman is producing).

Both Sunshine Eyes and All Is Forgiven are demos, recorded in Ian's home studio and as such are true solo recordings. They are certainly interesting, and demonstrate the breadth of styles Ian is capable of. But demo quality is all they are, and Ian didn't see fit to record them on any of his albums.

The set comes complete with 32-page booklet featuring a short biography, track-by-track notes from Ian, and many rare and previously-unpublished photos.

As a compilation of Ian Hunter solo material, this is certainly the best so far, covering as it does both CBS and Chrysalis material. However, my main complaint concerns the balance of material presented. We get no fewer than six tracks from Schizophrenic, but only one from YUI Orta (heck, there are two tracks from Overnight Angels, Ian's least favourite album), and nothing at all from Dirty Laundry or Artful Dodger.

Ian says (in the sleeve notes) that this compilation will go a long way to answering the question "what have you done since 1975?". This compilation answers the question concerning Ian's 1970's and 1980's work, but the question of Ian's output in the 1990's remains unanswered here.

Common Disease

3:56

This outtake from the All American Alien Boy sessions was originally issued on the compilation Once Bitten Twice Shy. It is also on Tilting The Mirror - Rarities (box set only).

Sunday, May 21, 2023

Comfortable (Flyin' Scotsman), Ian Hunter, When I'm President

The opening song on this CD gets off to a smoking start with the top-notch Comfortable (Flyin' Scotsman) which is a powerful full-paced rocker with guitars and a subtle use of saxes along the lines of a Hoople-flavored flashback. The record would not be out of place for Jerry Lee Lewis' piano or Little Richard and the Upsetters saxophone.

With Ian's Scot background the song can be seen from a first-person perspective. The song is a tribute to his roots and although he was born in Oswestry, Shropshire, England, as many children in his generation, World War II necessitated a move to safer climes. The family moved to Hamilton, South Lanarkshire to live with his Aunt Nettie in Peacock Cross with his Scottish father's family. Hunter was brought up there until the age of six and has stated that he considers himself a Scot, but he also identifies as English and British (after years in the US maybe a bit American as well).

The lyrics are cloying and clever as he imagines time with a lady: "I bet those twins ain't identical" so once Hunter liked the line and imagines a "slip into something more comfortable" he had the key word imagination and the verses came easily. It's a song of seduction with more than just false bravado but with a bit of wit and fun since it is not in strict time. There are some songs of Hunter's that are just fun and not on serious topics as Ian noted: "It's just a bluesy fun song."

Comfortable (Flyin' Scotsman)

(Ian Hunter)

Imagination's all in the mind
Why don't you come up and see me some time
Get wild get weird get wonderful
And we can slip into something more comfortable

Imagination's up in the air
You wanna stretch it, it'll go anywhere
I bet those twins ain't identical
Why don't we slip into something more comfortable

What's that sound, what's that sound
The Flyin' Scotsman's back in town
Can you hear that lonesome whistle call,
Why don't you slip into something more comfortable

Imagination - there ain't any tax
On imagining this and imagining that
It's the only thing left that's a free-for-all
Why don't we slip into something more comforatable

Gather round, gather round
The Flyin' Scotsman's back in town
A fully operational
Why don't we slip into something more comforatable

Imagination's a beautiful book
Well take a look, why don't you take a look
Extra large, large, medium, small
Why don't we slip into something more comfortable

Hit the sack, hit the sack
The Flyin' Scotsman's back on track
All hail rock 'n' roll
Why don't we slip into something more comfortable

Why don't we slip into something more comfortable
Why don't we slip into something more comfortable
Why don't we slip into something more comfortable
Why don't we slip into something, slip into something
Slip into something, slip into something more comfortable

Ian Hunter and The Rant Band CD: "When I'm President"

Sleeve and track listing

Proper Records PRPCD104

Comfortable (Flyin' Scotsman)
Fatally Flawed
When I'm President
What For
Black Tears
Saint
Just The Way You Look Tonight
Wild Bunch
Ta Shunka Witco (Crazy Horse)
I Don't Know What You Want
Life

Review

Now this is more like it. Ian's new album is a welcome return to form. The good news is this album is chock full of rockers. The bad news is... well, there isn't any. In the fullness of time this album could well turn out to be his best in many years.

The run of good albums that started with Rant and continued with Shrunken Heads continues here. Guitars are to the full, with strong solos from both James Mastro and Mark Bosch. Ian's singing is strong without ever sounding strained and the rhythm section is as tight as a duck's whatsit.

What helps of course is that the songs are top-notch. Comfortable (Flyin' Scotsman) sets the tone, being a powerful full-paced rocker with guitars and subtle use of saxes. The title track is also strong, a mid-paced rocker with a repeated keyboard refrain reminiscent of The Who's Won't Get Fooled Again.

What For is another rocker with strong guitars and piano reminiscent of early Mott The Hoople. Ian hasn't rocked like this for years, and it sounds like he's having fun. Black Tears is slower but powerful and moody with a guitar solo that reminds me of the much-missed Mick Ronson. Saint is another up-tempo rocker, this time it reminds me at times of Twisted Steel. Wild Bunch meanwhile is a rocker that reminds me of The Faces.

There are so many good songs on this album it is hard to pick out highlights. What's interesting is that this album is credited to Ian Hunter And The Rant Band. This is much more of a band album than most of Ian's recent albums, and it is much the better for it.

What more can I say? It's brilliant... 'nuff said,

Comfortable (Flyin' Scotsman)

3:02

Originally issued on When I'm President.

Saturday, May 20, 2023

One Fine Day, Ian Hunter, 1st LP

The drummer Dennis Elliott thought this could be a sure fire hit but Ian rejected this tune and Colwater High for release. However, these two dramatic songs gave way to the funky Who Do You Love and The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth. In any case, it would take another thirty years for lyrics to be put to both songs but then it took only about half an hour for the lyrics of both.

The song does have a commercial appeal and is relatable for any one feeling as though they are not getting the recognition they deserve. Lyrically, it is similar to Ian's own Standin' in My Light or somewhat similar to Bob Dylan's Positively 4th Street. The last line seems to be Ian's direction in the studio to knock the whole instrumental bit on the head.

One Fine Day

(Ian Hunter)

Well we're back on the street
Back on the air, one fine day
We'll be back over here
Back over there, one fine day
My whole world is upside down
A lot of people want me under the ground
But I know it'll change, they'll come around
One fine day

Back on line, back on track
One fine day
No more stabbing me in the back
One fine day
Losing your love don't bother me now
I do my job and the love will come
I'll be back on Deal Street having fun
One fine day

I don't care what people say
I ain't gonna live in yesterday
I know I'm gonna be okay
One fine day
One fine day
One fine day
Hit me, hit me, hit me
(I tell you what, I think we should er
I think , I think we should knock
That whole last instrumental bit on the head)

Friday, May 19, 2023

Colwater High, Ian Hunter, 1st LP, Ian Hunter

Colwater High has been around for a considerable amount of time. Originally, it was conceived as a possible follow up to Mott The Hoople's Foxy Foxy in 1974. Then, this song was resurrected for the first Hunter LP but it did not see the light of day. Ian had no lyrics for the music. He didn't write the lyrics until 30 years later but oddly enough these words and lyrics for One Fine Day came in about half an hour.

It seems as though the lyrics are describing a love but termed "High" and he counts out 1-4 so maybe he means a high school. It is not clear although the lyrics are among the most intricate he has written. Since he is a slave always perhaps he means the memories and importance of the teen age years.

Colwater High

https://youtu.be/yRXSjx5hJkw

(Ian Hunter)

one, two, three, four,
one, two, three, four

Silently spoken, days of our lives
Rooms that are broken inside
I need your violence
Songs in the air
Call me 'til I don't care
You're a sight for sore eyes
Colwater High, remember me
I'm the one who'll always be around
To pick up your lies
Colwater High, remember me
I will be your slave forever

Millions of daydreams, lost in your hair
You call me but I'm never there
Crowded arenas, screaming for you
But there's only one dream
You're a sight for sore eyes
Colwater High, remember me
I'm the one who'll always be around
To pick up your lies
Colwater High, remember me
I will be your slave forever

Until the day my heart breaks down
'til the roof is caving in
And my ego hits the ground
And you're my ologist (optometrist?) 
You're a sight for sore eyes
Colwater High, remember me
I'm the one who'll always be around
To pick up your lies
Colwater High, remember me
I will be your slave forever

You're a sight for sore eyes
Colwater High, remember me
I'm the one who'll always be around
To pick up your lies
Colwater High, remember me
I will be your slave forever

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Once Bitten Twice Shy, Ian Hunter, originally issued on Ian Hunter

The opening track on his first solo album really kicks off the LP and demonstrates what the combination of Hunter-Ronson could have been in Mott The Hoople. Ian looked for a swing drummer and Dennis Elliott added that critical combination. The songs were imaginative and colorful with Ronson's sparkling guitar. Critics on both sides of the Atlantic were enthusiastic as the LP had lyrical injections of intellectual substance. The LP peaked at #21 in Britain and #50 in America. The single hit #14 in Britain. In one of the misfortunes of the music business Hunter-Ronson were called to England to perform on Top of the Pops which would have driven the sales higher; unfortunately, getting off at Heathrow Airport Hunter discovered that Mick was not in the musician's union and the appearance was cancelled.

One of the best summaries of how the Hunter Ronson collaboration was a peak came from Jac Holzman, the founder of Elektra Records, noting the LP was "an impressive and assured album showcasing vivid rock, emotional ballads, acerbic lyrics, imaginative poetry and some of Ronson's most inspirational musicianship--an ebullient and colorful record, enveloped by bastardized Escher artwork into the bargain."

This track is about the most well-known, most performed, and most associated with Ian's solo career. Hunter calls it "70s Chuck Berry. Simple with a twist!" and that does just about sum it up. It took Ian ten hours at Mick Ronson's place to write it. The words and music came together quickly. Marc Bolan popped into the studio when it was being recorded and he admitted that he always underestimated Ian; in short, Hunter got the seal of approval from the regal star. Ian thought it was a hit from the beginning and it was a UK Top 20 and Guns N' Roses wanted to record it but the manager of Great White pushed it and their cover went US Top 5. Unfortunately, the Guns LP sold 7 million while White's only 2 million or Ian would have picked up a few more bob there. It is bewildering to consider but White's lead singer was nominated for a Grammy.

The song was released originally as both an album and a single version. There are various live interpretations including the song as part of a medley in 1979, also another version with strings in 2002, and as late as a 2008 version. The lyrics are straightforward and is one of those classic rock life tales of women and music.

Once Bitten Twice Shy

(Ian Hunter)

Well the times gettin' hard for you little girl
I'm a hummin' and a strummin' all over God's world
you don't remember when you got your last meal
and you forgot just how a woman feels
you didn't know what rock n' roll was
until you met a drummer on a Greyhound bus
I got there in the nick of time
before he got his hands across your state line

well in the middle of the night
on the open road
and the heater don't work and it's oh-so cold
you're gettin' tired, you're lookin' kinda beat
the music of the street, drive you off your feet
you didn't know how rock n' roll looked
until you caught your sister with a guy from the group
half-way home in the parking lot
by the look in her eyes she was givin' what she got

Once bitten twice shy, babe

Woman you're a mess gonna die in your sleep
There's blood on my amp and my Les Paul's beat
I can't leave you home cos you're runnin' around
my best friend told me you're the best trick in town

You didn't know that rock n' roll burned
so you bought a candle and you loved and you learned
you got the rhythm, you got the speed
mamma's little baby likes it short and sweet

Once bitten twice shy, babe

I didn't know ya got a rock n' roll record
until a saw your picture on another guy's jacket
you told me I was the only one
and look at you now, well it's dark as it's dumb

Once bitten twice shy, babe

Once Bitten Twice Shy	4:44	A single and album track, originally issued on Ian Hunter, and on the compilations The (MTH) Collection, Gold,The Golden Age 1969-1997, The Journey, Old Records Never Die, Once Bitten - the CBS Collection, Shades of Ian Hunter: The Ballad of Ian Hunter and Mott the Hoople and The Very Best of Ian Hunter.
Once Bitten Twice Shy (single version)	3:52	The single version can be found on the 30th Anniversary (2005) and 2016 (box set) issues of Ian Hunter and the compilations Once Bitten Twice Shy and The Singles Collections 1975-83.
Once Bitten Twice Shy (live 12th June 1979)	4:56	This live version (recorded at My Father's Place, Roslyn NY) was released on Collateral Damage. Not on the box set.
Once Bitten Twice Shy (live 18th June 1979)	4:56	This live version (recorded at the Agora, Cleveland OH) is on the 30th Anniversary issue of You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic. Not on the box set.
Once Bitten Twice Shy (live 5-11th November 1979)	5:27	This live version (recorded at The Roxy, Los Angeles CA) was released on Welcome to the Club and on the compilations The Best of Ian Hunter, The Collection, From The Knees Of My Heart and Shades of Ian Hunter.
Medley: Once Bitten Twice Shy/Bastard/Cleveland Rocks (live 5-11th November 1979)	(6:13)	This live medley (recorded at The Roxy, Los Angeles CA) was originally the b-side to We Gotta get Out Of here. It can be found on Welcome to the Club and on the compilation The Singles Collection 1975-83.
Once Bitten Twice Shy (live 22nd November 1979)	5:31	This live version (recorded Hammermith Odeon, London England) was originally issued on If You Wait Long Enough For Anything, You Can Get It On Sale (box set only).
Once Bitten Twice Shy (live 19th April 1980)	5:24	This live version (recorded Rockpalast TV Show, Grugahalle, Essen Germany) was originally issued on Live At Rockpalast (not on the box set).
Once Bitten twice Shy (live 11th September 1981)	5:34	This live version (recorded Dr. Pepper Music Festival, Pier 84, New York NY) was originally issued on the Ian Hunter Rocks video (VHS/Laserdisc only). The video (DVD) can also be found on It Never Happened (box set only); the audio can be found on From The Knees Of My Heart (not on the box set).
Once Bitten Twice Shy (live 15th February 1989)	4:59	This live version (recorded The Dominion, London England) was released on BBC Live in Concert.
Once Bitten Twice Shy (live 29th April 1994)	5:16	This live version (recorded Hammersmith Apollo, London England) was released on The Mick Ronson Memorial Concert.
Once Bitten Twice Shy (live 29/30th January 2002)	5:29	This live version (recorded Sentrum Scene, Oslo Norway) was issued on Strings Attached.
Once Bitten Twice Shy (live 28th May 2004)	5:11	This live version (recorded The Astoria, London England) was released on The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nuthin' But The Truth and on Behind The Shades and Greatest Hits Live In London. Not on the box set.
Once Bitten Twice Shy (live 2007)	5:41	This live version (recorded at an unknown venue) was on the CD-single version of When The World Was Round.
Once Bitten Twice Shy (live 2nd March 2008)	6:01	This live version (recorded at the Mick Jagger Centre, Dartford England) was issued on Acoustic Shadows (box set only).

Reading since summer 2006 (some of the classics are re-reads): including magazine subscriptions

Abbot, Edwin A., Flatland;
Accelerate: Technology Driving Business Performance;
ACM Queue: Architecting Tomorrow's Computing;
Adkins, Lesley and Roy A. Adkins, Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome;
Ali, Ayaan Hirsi, Nomad: From Islam to America: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations;
Ali, Tariq, The Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads, and Modernity;
Allawi, Ali A., The Crisis of Islamic Civilization;
Alperovitz, Gar, The Decision To Use the Atomic Bomb;
American School & University: Shaping Facilities & Business Decisions;
Angelich, Jane, What's a Mother (in-Law) to Do?: 5 Essential Steps to Building a Loving Relationship with Your Son's New Wife;
Arad, Yitzchak, In the Shadow of the Red Banner: Soviet Jews in the War Against Nazi Germany;
Aristotle, Athenian Constitution. Eudemian Ethics. Virtues and Vices. (Loeb Classical Library No. 285);
Aristotle, Metaphysics: Books X-XIV, Oeconomica, Magna Moralia (The Loeb classical library);
Armstrong, Karen, A History of God;
Arrian: Anabasis of Alexander, Books I-IV (Loeb Classical Library No. 236);
Atkinson, Rick, The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945 (Liberation Trilogy);
Auletta, Ken, Googled: The End of the World As We Know It;
Austen, Jane, Pride and Prejudice;
Bacevich, Andrew, The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism;
Baker, James A. III, and Lee H. Hamilton, The Iraq Study Group Report: The Way Forward - A New Approach;
Barber, Benjamin R., Jihad vs. McWorld: Terrorism's Challenge to Democracy;
Barnett, Thomas P.M., Blueprint for Action: A Future Worth Creating;
Barnett, Thomas P.M., The Pentagon's New Map: War and Peace in the Twenty-First Century;
Barron, Robert, Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith;
Baseline: Where Leadership Meets Technology;
Baur, Michael, Bauer, Stephen, eds., The Beatles and Philosophy;
Beard, Charles Austin, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States (Sony Reader);
Benjamin, Daniel & Steven Simon, The Age of Sacred Terror: Radical Islam's War Against America;
Bergen, Peter, The Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of al Qaeda's Leader;
Berman, Paul, Terror and Liberalism;
Berman, Paul, The Flight of the Intellectuals: The Controversy Over Islamism and the Press;
Better Software: The Print Companion to StickyMinds.com;
Bleyer, Kevin, Me the People: One Man's Selfless Quest to Rewrite the Constitution of the United States of America;
Boardman, Griffin, and Murray, The Oxford Illustrated History of the Roman World;
Bracken, Paul, The Second Nuclear Age: Strategy, Danger, and the New Power Politics;
Bradley, James, with Ron Powers, Flags of Our Fathers;
Bronte, Charlotte, Jane Eyre;
Bronte, Emily, Wuthering Heights;
Brown, Ashley, War in Peace Volume 10 1974-1984: The Marshall Cavendish Encyclopedia of Postwar Conflict;
Brown, Ashley, War in Peace Volume 8 The Marshall Cavendish Illustrated Encyclopedia of Postwar Conflict;
Brown, Nathan J., When Victory Is Not an Option: Islamist Movements in Arab Politics;
Bryce, Robert, Gusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of "Energy Independence";
Bush, George W., Decision Points;
Bzdek, Vincent, The Kennedy Legacy: Jack, Bobby and Ted and a Family Dream Fulfilled;
Cahill, Thomas, Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter;
Campus Facility Maintenance: Promoting a Healthy & Productive Learning Environment;
Campus Technology: Empowering the World of Higher Education;
Certification: Tools and Techniques for the IT Professional;
Channel Advisor: Business Insights for Solution Providers;
Chariton, Callirhoe (Loeb Classical Library);
Chief Learning Officer: Solutions for Enterprise Productivity;
Christ, Karl, The Romans: An Introduction to Their History and Civilization;
Cicero, De Senectute;
Cicero, The Republic, The Laws;
Cicero, The Verrine Orations I: Against Caecilius. Against Verres, Part I; Part II, Book 1 (Loeb Classical Library);
Cicero, The Verrine Orations I: Against Caecilius. Against Verres, Part I; Part II, Book 2 (Loeb Classical Library);
CIO Decisions: Aligning I.T. and Business in the MidMarket Enterprise;
CIO Insight: Best Practices for IT Business Leaders;
CIO: Business Technology Leadership;
Clay, Lucius Du Bignon, Decision in Germany;
Cohen, William S., Dragon Fire;
Colacello, Bob, Ronnie and Nancy: Their Path to the White House, 1911 to 1980;
Coll, Steve, The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century;
Collins, Francis S., The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief ;
Colorni, Angelo, Israel for Beginners: A Field Guide for Encountering the Israelis in Their Natural Habitat;
Compliance & Technology;
Computerworld: The Voice of IT Management;
Connolly, Peter & Hazel Dodge, The Ancient City: Life in Classical Athens & Rome;
Conti, Greg, Googling Security: How Much Does Google Know About You?;
Converge: Strategy and Leadership for Technology in Education;
Cowan, Ross, Roman Legionary 58 BC - AD 69;
Cowell, F. R., Life in Ancient Rome;
Creel, Richard, Religion and Doubt: Toward a Faith of Your Own;
Cross, Robin, General Editor, The Encyclopedia of Warfare: The Changing Nature of Warfare from Prehistory to Modern-day Armed Conflicts;
CSO: The Resource for Security Executives:
Cummins, Joseph, History's Greatest Wars: The Epic Conflicts that Shaped the Modern World;
D'Amato, Raffaele, Imperial Roman Naval Forces 31 BC-AD 500;
Dallek, Robert, An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy 1917-1963;
Daly, Dennis, Sophocles' Ajax;
Dando-Collins, Stephen, Caesar's Legion: The Epic Saga of Julius Caesar's Elite Tenth Legion and the Armies of Rome;
Darwish, Nonie, Now They Call Me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel, and the War on Terror;
Davis Hanson, Victor, Makers of Ancient Strategy: From the Persian Wars to the Fall of Rome;
Dawkins, Richard, The Blind Watchmaker;
Dawkins, Richard, The God Delusion;
Dawkins, Richard, The Selfish Gene;
de Blij, Harm, Why Geography Matters: Three Challenges Facing America, Climate Change, The Rise of China, and Global Terrorism;
Defense Systems: Information Technology and Net-Centric Warfare;
Defense Systems: Strategic Intelligence for Info Centric Operations;
Defense Tech Briefs: Engineering Solutions for Military and Aerospace;
Dennett, Daniel C., Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon;
Dennett, Daniel C., Consciousness Explained;
Dennett, Daniel C., Darwin's Dangerous Idea;
Devries, Kelly, et. al., Battles of the Ancient World 1285 BC - AD 451 : From Kadesh to Catalaunian Field;
Dickens, Charles, Great Expectations;
Digital Communities: Building Twenty-First Century Communities;
Doctorow, E.L., Homer & Langley;
Dodds, E. R., The Greeks and the Irrational;
Dostoevsky, Fyodor, The House of the Dead (Google Books, Sony e-Reader);
Dostoevsky, Fyodor, The Idiot;
Douglass, Elisha P., Rebels and Democrats: The Struggle for Equal Political Rights and Majority Role During the American Revolution;
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan, The Hound of the Baskervilles & The Valley of Fear;
Dr. Dobb's Journal: The World of Software Development;
Drug Discovery News: Discovery/Development/Diagnostics/Delivery;
DT: Defense Technology International;
Dunbar, Richard, Alcatraz;
Education Channel Partner: News, Trends, and Analysis for K-20 Sales Professionals;
Edwards, Aton, Preparedness Now!;
EGM: Electronic Gaming Monthly, the No. 1 Videogame Magazine;
Ehrman, Bart D., Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scriptures and the Faiths We Never Knew;
Ehrman, Bart D., Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why;
Electronic Engineering Times: The Industry Newsweekly for the Creators of Technology;
Ellis, Joseph J., American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson;
Ellis, Joseph J., His Excellency: George Washington;
Emergency Management: Strategy & Leadership in Critical Times;
Emerson, Steven, American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us;
Erlewine, Robert, Monotheism and Tolerance: Recovering a Religion of Reason (Indiana Series in the Philosophy of Religion);
ESD: Embedded Systems Design;
Everitt, Anthony, Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor;
Everitt, Anthony, Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician;
eWeek: The Enterprise Newsweekly;
Federal Computer Week: Powering the Business of Government;
Ferguson, Niall, Civilization: The West and the Rest;
Ferguson, Niall, Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power;
Ferguson, Niall, The Cash Nexus: Money and Power in the Modern World, 1700-2000;
Ferguson, Niall, The War of the World: Twentieth-Century Conflict and the Decline of the West;
Feuerbach, Ludwig, The Essence of Christianity (Sony eReader);
Fields, Nic, The Roman Army of the Principate 27 BC-AD 117;
Fields, Nic, The Roman Army of the Punic Wars 264-146 BC;
Fields, Nic, The Roman Army: the Civil Wars 88-31 BC;
Finkel, Caroline, Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire;
Fisk, Robert, The Great War For Civilization: The Conquest of the Middle East;
Forstchen, William R., One Second After;
Fox, Robin Lane, The Classical World: An Epic History from Homer to Hadrian;
Frazer, James George, The Golden Bough (Volume 3): A Study in Magic and Religion (Sony eReader);
Freeh, Louis J., My FBI: Bringing Down the Mafia, Investigating Bill Clinton, and Fighting the War on Terror;
Freeman, Charles, The Greek Achievement: The Foundations of the Western World;
Friedman, Thomas L. The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century Further Updated and Expanded/Release 3.0;
Friedman, Thomas L., The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization;
Frontinus: Stratagems. Aqueducts of Rome. (Loeb Classical Library No. 174);
Fuller Focus: Fuller Theological Seminary;
Fuller, Graham E., A World Without Islam;
Gaubatz, P. David and Paul Sperry, Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That's Conspiring to Islamize America;
Ghattas, Kim, The Secretary: A Journey with Hillary Clinton from Beirut to the Heart of American Power;
Gibson, William, Neuromancer;
Gilmour, Michael J., Gods and Guitars: Seeking the Sacred in Post-1960s Popular Music;
Global Services: Strategies for Sourcing People, Processes, and Technologies;
Glucklich, Ariel, Dying for Heaven: Holy Pleasure and Suicide Bombers-Why the Best Qualities of Religion Are Also It's Most Dangerous;
Goldberg, Jonah, Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning;
Goldin, Shmuel, Unlocking the Torah Text Vayikra (Leviticus);
Goldsworthy, Adrian, Caesar: Life of a Colossus;
Goldsworthy, Adrian, How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower;
Goodman, Lenn E., Creation and Evolution;
Goodwin, Doris Kearns, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln;
Gopp, Amy, et.al., Split Ticket: Independent Faith in a Time of Partisan Politics (WTF: Where's the Faith?);
Gordon, Michael R., and Bernard E. Trainor, Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq;
Government Health IT: The Magazine of Public/private Health Care Convergence;
Government Technology's Emergency Management: Strategy & Leadership in Critical Times;
Government Technology: Solutions for State and Local Government in the Information Age;
Grant , Michael, The Climax of Rome: The Final Achievements of the Ancient World, AD 161 - 337;
Grant, Michael, The Classical Greeks;
Grumberg, Orna, and Helmut Veith, 25 Years of Model Checking: History, Achievements, Perspectives;
Halberstam, David, War in a Time of Peace: Bush, Clinton, and the Generals;
Hammer, Reuven, Entering Torah Prefaces to the Weekly Torah Portion;
Hanson, Victor Davis, An Autumn of War: What America Learned from September 11 and the War on Terrorism;
Hanson, Victor Davis, Between War and Peace: Lessons from Afghanistan to Iraq;
Hanson, Victor Davis, Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise of Western Power;
Hanson, Victor Davis, How The Obama Administration Threatens Our National Security (Encounter Broadsides);
Hanson, Victor Davis, Makers of Ancient Strategy: From the Persian Wars to the Fall of Rome;
Hanson, Victor Davis, Ripples of Battle: How Wars of the Past Still Determine How We Fight, How We Live, and How We Think;
Hanson, Victor Davis, The End of Sparta: A Novel;
Hanson, Victor Davis, The Soul of Battle: From Ancient Times to the Present Day, How Three Great Liberators Vanquished Tyranny;
Hanson, Victor Davis, Wars of the Ancient Greeks;
Harnack, Adolf Von, History of Dogma, Volume 3 (Sony Reader);
Harris, Alex, Reputation At Risk: Reputation Report;
Harris, Sam, Letter to a Christian Nation;
Harris, Sam, The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason;
Hayek, F. A., The Road to Serfdom;
Heilbroner, Robert L., and Lester Thurow, Economics Explained: Everything You Need to Know About How the Economy Works and Where It's Going;
Hempel, Sandra, The Strange Case of The Broad Street Pump: John Snow and the Mystery of Cholera;
Hinnells, John R., A Handbook of Ancient Religions;
Hitchens, Christopher, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything;
Hogg, Ian V., The Encyclopedia of Weaponry: The Development of Weaponry from Prehistory to 21st Century Warfare;
Hugo, Victor, The Hunchback of Notre Dame;
Humphrey, Caroline & Vitebsky, Piers, Sacred Architecture;
Huntington, Samuel P., The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order;
Info World: Information Technology News, Computer Networking & Security;
Information Week: Business Innovation Powered by Technology:
Infostor: The Leading Source for Enterprise Storage Professionals;
Infrastructure Insite: Bringing IT Together;
Insurance Technology: Business Innovation Powered by Technology;
Integrated Solutions: For Enterprise Content Management;
Intel Premier IT: Sharing Best Practices with the Information Technology Community;
Irwin, Robert, Dangerous Knowledge: Orientalism and Its Discontents;
Jeffrey, Grant R., The Global-Warming Deception: How a Secret Elite Plans to Bankrupt America and Steal Your Freedom;
Jewkes, Yvonne, and Majid Yar, Handbook of Internet Crime;
Johnson, Chalmers, Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire;
Journal, The: Transforming Education Through Technology;
Judd, Denis, The Lion and the Tiger: The Rise and Fall of the British Raj, 1600-1947;
Kagan, Donald, The Peloponnesian War;
Kansas, Dave, The Wall Street Journal Guide to the End of Wall Street as We Know It: What You Need to Know About the Greatest Financial Crisis of Our Time--and How to Survive It;
Karsh, Efraim, Islamic Imperialism: A History;
Kasser, Rodolphe, The Gospel of Judas;
Katz, Solomon, The Decline of Rome and the Rise of Medieval Europe: (The Development of Western Civilization);
Keegan, John, Intelligence in War: The Value--and Limitations--of What the Military Can Learn About the Enemy;
Kenis, Leo, et. al., The Transformation of the Christian Churches in Western Europe 1945-2000 (Kadoc Studies on Religion, Culture and Society 6);
Kepel, Gilles, Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam;
Kiplinger's: Personal Finance;
Klein, Naomi, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism;
KM World: Content, Document, and Knowledge Management;
Koestler, Arthur, Darkness at Noon: A Novel;
Kostova, Elizabeth, The Historian;
Kuttner, Robert, The Squandering of America: How the Failure of Our Politics Undermines Our Prosperity;
Lake, Kirsopp, The Text of the New Testament, Sony Reader;
Laur, Timothy M., Encyclopedia of Modern US Military Weapons ;
Leffler, Melvyn P., and Jeffrey W. Legro, To Lead the World: American Strategy After the Bush Doctrine;
Lendon, J. E., Soldiers and Ghosts: A History of Battle in Classical Antiquity;
Lenin, V. I., Imperialism the Highest Stage of Capitalism;
Lennon, John J., There is Absolutely No Reason to Pay Too Much for College!;
Lewis, Bernard, The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror;
Lewis, Bernard, What Went Wrong?: The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East;
Lifton, Robert J., Greg Mitchell, Hiroshima in America;
Limberis, Vasiliki M., Architects of Piety: The Cappadocian Fathers and the Cult of the Martyrs;
Lipsett, B. Diane, Desiring Conversion: Hermas, Thecla, Aseneth;
Livingston, Jessica, Founders At Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days;
Livy, Rome and the Mediterranean: Books XXXI-XLV of the History of Rome from its Foundation (Penguin Classics);
Louis J., Freeh, My FBI: Bringing Down the Mafia, Investigating Bill Clinton, and Fighting the War on Terror;
Mackay, Christopher S., Ancient Rome: A Military and Political History;
Majno, Guido, The Healing Hand: Man and Wound in the Ancient World;
Marcus, Greil,Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes;
Marshall-Cornwall, James, Napoleon as Military Commander;
Maughm, W. Somerset, Of Human Bondage;
McCluskey, Neal P., Feds in the Classroom: How Big Government Corrupts, Cripples, and Compromises American Education;
McCullough, David, 1776;
McCullough, David, John Adams;
McCullough, David, Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt;
McLynn, Frank, Marcus Aurelius: A Life;
McManus, John, Deadly Brotherhood, The: The American Combat Soldier in World War II ;
McMaster, H. R., Dereliction of Duty: Johnson, McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam;
McNamara, Patrick, Science and the World's Religions Volume 1: Origins and Destinies (Brain, Behavior, and Evolution);
McNamara, Patrick, Science and the World's Religions Volume 2: Persons and Groups (Brain, Behavior, and Evolution);
McNamara, Patrick, Science and the World's Religions Volume 3: Religions and Controversies (Brain, Behavior, and Evolution);
Meacham, Jon, American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House;
Mearsheimer, John J., and Stephen M. Walt, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy;
Meier, Christian, Caesar: A Biography;
Menzies, Gaven, 1421: The Year China Discovered America;
Metaxas, Eric, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy;
Michael, Katina and M.G. Michael, Innovative Automatic Identification and Location-Based Services: From Barcodes to Chip Implants;
Migliore, Daniel L., Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology;
Military & Aerospace Electronics: The Magazine of Transformation in Electronic and Optical Technology;
Millard, Candice, Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey: The River of Doubt;
Mommsen, Theodor, The History of the Roman Republic, Sony Reader;
Muller, F. Max, Chips From A German Workshop: Volume III: Essays On Language And Literature;
Murray, Janet, H., Hamlet On the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace;
Murray, Williamson, War in the Air 1914-45;
Müller, F. Max, Chips From A German Workshop;
Nader, Ralph, Crashing the Party: Taking on the Corporate Government in an Age of Surrender;
Nagl, John A., Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam;
Napoleoni, Loretta, Terrorism and the Economy: How the War on Terror is Bankrupting the World;
Nature: The International Weekly Journal of Science;
Negus, Christopher, Fedora 6 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux;
Network Computing: For IT by IT:
Network World: The Leader in Network Knowledge;
Network-centric Security: Where Physical Security & IT Worlds Converge;
Newman, Paul B., Travel and Trade in the Middle Ages;
Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, The Nietzsche-Wagner Correspondence;
Nixon, Ed, The Nixons: A Family Portrait;
O'Brien, Johnny, Day of the Assassins: A Jack Christie Novel;
O'Donnell, James J., Augustine: A New Biography;
OH & S: Occupational Health & Safety
Okakura, Kakuzo, The Book of Tea;
Optimize: Business Strategy & Execution for CIOs;
Ostler, Nicholas, Ad Infinitum: A Biography of Latin;
Parry, Jay A., The Real George Washington (American Classic Series);
Paton, W.R., The Greek Anthology, Volume V, Loeb Classical Library, No. 86;
Pausanius, Guide to Greece 1: Central Greece;
Perrett, Bryan, Cassell Military Classics: Iron Fist: Classic Armoured Warfare;
Perrottet, Tony, The Naked Olympics: The True Story of the Olympic Games;
Peters, Ralph, New Glory: Expanding America's Global Supremacy;
Phillips, Kevin, American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune, and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush;
Pick, Bernhard; Paralipomena; Remains of Gospels and Sayings of Christ (Sony Reader);
Pimlott, John, The Elite: The Special Forces of the World Volume 1;
Pitre, Brant, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper;
Plutarch's Lives, X: Agis and Cleomenes. Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus. Philopoemen and Flamininus (Loeb Classical Library®);
Podhoretz, Norman, World War IV: The Long Struggle Against Islamofascism;
Posner, Gerald, Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK;
Potter, Wendell, Deadly Spin: An Insurance Company Insider Speaks Out on How Corporate PR Is Killing Health Care and Deceiving Americans;
Pouesi, Daniel, Akua;
Premier IT Magazine: Sharing Best Practices with the Information Technology Community;
Price, Monroe E. & Daniel Dayan, eds., Owning the Olympics: Narratives of the New China;
Profit: The Executive's Guide to Oracle Applications;
Public CIO: Technology Leadership in the Public Sector;
Putnam, Robert D., Bowling Alone : The Collapse and Revival of American Community;
Quintus of Smyrna, The Fall of Troy;
Rawles, James Wesley, Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse;
Red Herring: The Business of Technology;
Redmond Channel Partner: Driving Success in the Microsoft Partner Community;
Redmond Magazine: The Independent Voice of the Microsoft IT Community;
Renan, Ernest, The life of Jesus (Sony eReader);
Richler, Mordecai (editor), Writers on World War II: An Anthology;
Roberts, Ian, The Energy Glut: Climate Change and the Politics of Fatness in an Overheating World;
Rocca, Samuel, The Army of Herod the Great;
Rodgers, Nigel, A Military History of Ancient Greece: An Authoritative Account of the Politics, Armies and Wars During the Golden Age of Ancient Greece, shown in over 200 color photographs, diagrams, maps and plans;
Rodoreda, Merce, Death in Spring: A Novel;
Romerstein, Herbert and Breindel, Eric,The Venona Secrets, Exposing Soviet Espionage and America's Traitors;
Ross, Dennis, Statecraft: And How to Restore America's Standing in the World;
Roth, Jonathan P., Roman Warfare (Cambridge Introduction to Roman Civilization);
SC Magazine: For IT Security Professionals;
Scahill, Jeremy, Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army [Revised and Updated];
Schama, Simon, A History of Britain, At the Edge of the World 3500 B.C. - 1603 A.D.;
Scheuer, Michael, Imperial Hubris: Why the West Is Losing the War On Terror;
Scheuer, Michael, Marching Toward Hell: America and Islam After Iraq;
Scheuer, Michael, Osama Bin Laden;
Scheuer, Michael, Through Our Enemies Eyes: Osama Bin Laden, Radical Islam, and the Future of America;
Scholastic Instructor
Scholastic Parent & Child: The Joy of Family Living and Learning;
Schopenhauer, Arthur, The World As Will And Idea (Sony eReader);
Schug-Wille, Art of the Byzantine World;
Schulze, Hagen, Germany: A New History;
Schweizer, Peter, Architects of Ruin: How Big Government Liberals Wrecked the Global Economy---and How They Will Do It Again If No One Stops Them;
Scott, Sir Walter, Ivanhoe;
Seagren, Eric, Secure Your Network for Free: Using Nmap, Wireshark, Snort, Nessus, and MRTG;
Security Technology & Design: The Security Executive's Resource for Systems Integration and Convergence;
Seibel, Peter, Coders at Work;
Sekunda N., & S. Northwood, Early Roman Armies;
Seneca: Naturales Quaestiones, Books II (Loeb Classical Library No. 450);
Sewall, Sarah, The U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual;
Sheppard, Ruth, Alexander the Great at War: His Army - His Battles - His Enemies;
Shinder, Jason, ed., The Poem That Changed America: "Howl" Fifty Years Later;
Sidebottom, Harry, Ancient Warfare: A Very Short Introduction;
Sides, Hampton, Blood and Thunder: The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West;
Simkins, Michael, The Roman Army from Caesar to Trajan;
Sinchak, Steve, Hacking Windows Vista;
Smith, RJ, The One: The Life and Music of James Brown;
Software Development Times: The Industry Newspaper for Software Development Managers;
Software Test Performance;
Solomon, Norman, War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death;
Song, Lolan, Innovation Together: Microsoft Research Asia Academic Research Collaboration;
Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays, tr. Robert Fagles;
Sound & Vision: The Consumer Electronics Authority;
Southern, Pat, The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History;
Sri, Edward, A Biblical Walk Through the Mass: Understanding What We Say and Do In The Liturgy;
Sri, Edward, Men, Women and the Mystery of Love: Practical Insights from John Paul II's Love and Responsibility;
Stair, John Bettridge, Old Samoa; Or, Flotsam and Jetsam From the Pacific Ocean;
Starr, Chester G., The Roman Empire, 27 B.C.-A.D. 476: A Study in Survival;
Starr, John Bryan, Understanding China: A Guide to China's Economy, History, and Political Culture;
Stauffer, John, Giants: The Parallel Lives of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln;
Steyn, Mark, America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It;
Strassler, Robert B., The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories;
Strassler, Robert B., The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War;
Strassler, Robert B., The Landmark Xenophon's Hellenika;
Strategy + Business;
Streete, Gail, Redeemed Bodies: Women Martyrs in Early Christianity;
Sullivan, James, The Hardest Working Man: How James Brown Saved the Soul of America;
Sumner, Graham, Roman Military Clothing (1) 100 BC-AD 200;
Sumner, Graham, Roman Military Clothing (2) AD 200-400;
Suskind, Ron, The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America's Pursuit of Its Enemies Since 9/11:
Swanston, Malcolm, Mapping History Battles and Campaigns;
Swiderski, Richard M., Quicksilver: A History of the Use, Lore, and Effects of Mercury;
Swiderski, Richard M., Quicksilver: A History of the Use, Lore, and Effects of Mercury;
Swift, Jonathan, Gulliver's Travels;
Syme, Ronald, The Roman Revolution;
Talley, Colin L., A History of Multiple Sclerosis;
Tawil, Camille, Brothers In Arms: The Story of al-Qa'ida and the Arab Jihadists;
Tech Briefs: Engineering Solutions for Design & Manufacturing;
Tech Net: The Microsoft Journal for IT Professionals;
Tech Partner: Gain a Competitive Edge Through Solutions Providers;
Technology & Learning: Ideas and Tools for Ed Tech Leaders;
Tenet, George, At the Center of the Storm: The CIA During America's Time of Crisis;
Thackeray, W. M., Vanity Fair;
Thompson, Derrick & William Martin, Have Guitars ... Will Travel: A Journey Through the Beat Music Scene in Northampton 1957-66;
Tolstoy, Leo, Anna Karenina;
Trento, Joseph J., The Secret History of the CIA;
Twain, Mark, The Gilded Age: a Tale of Today;
Ungar, Craig, House of Bush House of Saud;
Unterberger, Richie, The Unreleased Beatles Music & Film;
VAR Business: Strategic Insight for Technology Integrators:
Virgil, The Aeneid
Virtualization Review: Powering the New IT Generation;
Visual Studio: Enterprise Solutions for .Net Development;
VON Magazine: Voice, Video & Vision;
Wall Street Technology: Business Innovation Powered by Technology;
Wallace, Robert, Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to al-Qaeda;
Wang, Wallace, Steal This Computer Book 4.0: What They Won’t Tell You About the Internet;
Ward-Perkins, The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization;
Warren, Robert Penn, All the King's Men;
Wasik, John F., Cul-de-Sac Syndrome: Turning Around the Unsustainable American Dream;
Weber, Karl, Editor, Lincoln: A President for the Ages;
Website Magazine: The Magazine for Website Success;
Weiner, Tim, Enemies: A History of the FBI;
Weiner, Tim, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA;
West, Bing, The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq;
Wharton, Edith, The Age of Innocence;
Wilcox, Peter, Rome's Enemies (1) Germanics and Dacians;
Wise, Terence, Armies of the Carthaginian Wars 265 - 146 BC;
Wissner-Gross, What Colleges Don't Tell You (And Other Parents Don't Want You To Know) 272 Secrets For Getting Your Kid Into the Top Schools;
Wissner-Gross, What High Schools Don't Tell You;
Wolf, Naomi, Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries;
Wolf, Naomi, The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot;
Woodward, Bob, Plan of Attack;
Woodward, Bob, The Agenda: Inside the Clinton White House;
Wright, Lawrence, The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11;
Wright-Porto, Heather, Beginning Google Blogger;
Xenophon, The Anabasis of Cyrus;
Yergin, Daniel, The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, & Power;