The Boys are back!

My love of the 1970 film The Boys in the Band knows few bounds, nor does my trolling of eBay looking for collectibles. Before Christmas I netted a real find on eBay: a double-LP of the original New York cast recording. The stage cast is the exact same bunch that filmed the movie, but before that they went into an RCA studio and recorded the play to make this album. Thanks to the swift vinyl-to-CD mastering of a techno-savvy colleague (thanks John!), the out-of-print recording of Mart Crowley's landmark play about homosexulity is now a Third Wave CD release, with bonus material!

The double-CD package includes all four sides of the LP issue, featuring both complete acts of the play. Disc Two also includes six extra tracks: songs used in William Friedkin's film version of the play. The songs are "Anything Goes" by Harper's Bizarre, "Good Lovin' Ain't Easy" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, "Funky Broadway" by Wilson Pickett, "Heat Wave" by Martha and the Vandellas, "The Look of Love" by Herb Alpert and "The Frog" by Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66.

Happy holly days

For years, along with all the other CDs I horde, I have amassed a sizeable stack of Christmas CDs. The titles range from the ordinary Bing Crosby or Burl Ives collections to the more left-field collections of punk Christmas tunes and even Rudy Ray Moore selections. It's a delicious variety, and I enjoy sharing holiday music – showing folks that there's more to the season besides Johnny Mathis and "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer." Thus, this year I inaugurated a new annual series, Holiday, to collect these tracks into compact mixes each advent season.

The first installment, Holiday 01, runs the gamut from cheery punk (Sloppy Seconds' cover of "Hooray for Santa Claus," the theme from a Christmas-themed B-movie), to bouncy modern pop (Redd Kross's "Mary Christmas," "Christmastime" by Aimee Mann and Michael Penn, "The Man in the Santa Suit" by Fountains of Wayne) to wacky stuff ("Holy Shit, It's Christmas!" by Red Peters, "Shouldn't Have Given Him a Gun for Christmas" by Wall of Voodoo). A few fringe elements even things out – Joni Mitchell's "River" – and it wraps with Lou Rawls cooing "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"

Certain random charter recipients also received a bonus disc, the Christmas collection of R.E.M. rarities (see item below).

R.E.M. – Rarities en masse

The latest blowout from Third Wave M-prints – the subsidary label concentrating on audio CD releases of MP3 files fished from online sources – is New Tracks in Hi-Fi, a four-CD series of R.E.M.'s many non-album tracks and live recordings.

Vol. 1 features live tracks, both official releases and a few worthy bootlegs. The selections range from spare, early recordings at the 40-Watt Club in Athens, Ga., to massive concert appearances with U2 and Neil Young. Two duets with Billy Bragg are included, plus an ultra-rare cut from a live radio session between Peter Buck and Mike Mills ("The Ballad of Cat Ballou").

Vol. 2 focuses on B-sides and rare studio tracks, starting with "The Great Beyond" from the film Man on the Moon and ending with "Furry Happy Monsters," the trio's warped performance of "Shiny Happy People" last year on Sesame Street. Also included: the William S. Burroughs track "Fuck Me Kitten," some choice covers ("Wicked Game," "Where's Captain Kirk," "Arms of Love") and a cool fan club single from '88, "See No Evil." There's even the original version of "All the Right Friends," an outtake from Reckoning; a new version of the song just showed up on the Vanilla Sky soundtrack.

Vol. 3 is all instrumentals, from album tracks like "Rotary Ten" and "Endgame" to dozens of curious throwaways like "Fruity Organ," "Winged Mammal Theme," "Forty Second Song" (which actually approaches two minutes) and both "New Orleans" instrumentals.

Vol. 4 concentrates on Christmas, featuring seasonal numbers included in the band's annual fan-club singles. There are standards such as "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" and "Silver Bells," as well as funny originals like "Ghost Reindeer in the Sky" and "Christmas Griping."

T-town sounds

Another Third Wave M-prints collection is Tulsa, Oklahoma, a round-up of songs about Tulsa and/or Oklahoma. This was an easy theme hunt that turned up some curious finds. For instance, sure, Gene Pitney's version of "24 Hours From Tulsa" is well-known, but Dusty Springfield's recording kicks its ass. I've got classics like Bob Wills' "Take Me Back to Tulsa" and two versions of "Living on Tulsa Time" (Don Williams, Eric Clapton), but I've also got Son Volt's rendition of "Tulsa County," Kenny Rogers' "Tulsa Turnaround," Emmylou Harris's "Tulsa Queen" (live) and Neil Young's "The Last Trip to Tulsa" (an epic nine-minute ramble from his first album). The opener: Stewart Copeland's "Tulsa Tango" from the Rumblefish soundtrack, recorded here in Tulsa's Long Branch Studios.

The Third Wave catalog

Third Wave Records has produced hundreds of mixes, as you, my friends, will attest. They have been shoved in your hands and dropped in your office chairs as gifts, tokens of esteem, unwanted little shiny discs in which you hopefully found at least a moment or two of delight or discovery. Only within the last year did I begin keeping track of and cataloging the releases, and here's what exists thus far:

Blue Nile, The
This Big Rhythm (3WM-001)
[ rarities and B-sides ]

Lloyd Cole
Lost Weekends, vols. 1-3 (3WM-006-8)
[ series of rarities and B-sides, spanning Commotions, solo and Negatives careers ]

Cole, Lloyd and the Commotions
Mainstream (Capitol)
[ reissue of the band's final, out-of-print album ]

George Harrison
George (3WM-018)
[ posthumous best-of collection ]

Hoops McCann Band, The
Plays the Music of Steely Dan (MCA)
[ reissue of out-of-print album of this impromptu big band cutting Becker-Fagen tunes ]

Original New York Cast
The Boys in the Band (3WCD-304)
[ reissue of cast album plus bonus tracks ]

Prefab Sprout
Sorry to Dwell on the Past (3WM-003)
[ B-sides ]

R.E.M.
New Tracks in Hi-Fi, vols. 1-4 (3WM-014-17)
[ rarities, live tracks and B-sides ]

THC
Old Fears (3WCD-001)
[ my eighth full-length batch ]

Various Artists
Follow the Star (3WM-020)
[ diverse Christmas mix ]

Various Artists
Godheads: Mark Eitzel and American Music Club (3WCD-070)
[ best-of collection, first in a series ]

Various Artists
Godheads: Felt (3WCD-071)
[ best-of collection ]

Various Artists
High Fidelity (3WCD-092)
[ before they made a film from the Nick Hornby novel – which had its own soundtrack – I assembled this soundtrack to the book, featuring songs mentioned prominently in the text ]

Various Artists
I Hate the Smiths (3WM-002)
[ covers of Smiths songs ]

Various Artists
Kids@Heart (3WCD-303)
[ songs from adult albums that kids would dig ]

Various Artists
Landescape: Ireland (3WM-005)
[ songs about Ireland ]

Various Artists
Namaste (3WCD-074)
[ mix of soft, reflective music, including a half-hour meditation guide ]

Various Artists
rock:god (3WCD-302)
[ spiritual songs by secular artists ]

Various Artists
Tulsa, Oklahoma (3WM-019)
[ songs about Tulsa ]

Various Artists
Two Steps Ahead (3WM-010)
[ mix of songs I heard on KOCC's "Two Steps Ahead" radio show circa '84-'85 in Oklahoma City ]

Various Artists
You Are Alive (3WM-004)
[ diverse mix ]

Various Artists
You Are an All-Star (3WM-012)
[ diverse mix ]

Various Artists
You Are Growing Old (3WM-013)
[ diverse mix ]

Various Artists
You Are Lost (3WM-021)
[ diverse mix ]

Rufus Wainwright
Din of the Father (3WM-003)
[ rarities and B-sides ]

New music on the way

Recording began on a new THC disc – tentatively titled Afraid of Himself to Be (a Jason Falkner song, not covered) – in the fall, but initial sessions were scrapped because, well, I just didn't like the sounds I was getting. I had planned to record all or almost all of the new songs with just voice and guitar, my Martin Backpacker. Alas, the Backpacker tided me over while in a cramped Manhattan apartment, but it sounds like crap when you try to record it. I had borrowed some guitars, even a bass, but didn't like those, either. It's funny, because I'm not an audiophile at all. But Santa brought me a beautiful new Takamine acoustic guitar for Christmas, and it chimes like a son-of-a-bitch. I expect to restart recording in the new house, aiming for a summer release.

Those initial sessions weren't a total loss. About a half dozen songs were laid down, one of which, "Lift," has already been mixed by my producer, David "You Desperately Need a Compressor" Zachritz, and the results are very encouraging.

This batch of songs has grown considerably. There are many songs penned (or cribbed) during my Manhattan year – "I Love New York," "Stunted," "Nightside," "Saints," my own verses to Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner" – plus some that crept up on me back in Oklahoma – like the Odyssey-inspired "Nobody Is My Name," "Love Songs Mean Jack Shit to Me" (thank you, Jess), "State of the Union," "Settled" and the revival of two old rarities, "Brevity" and "Trickle-Down Theories." More will come in the studio, no doubt. They always do.

This album will be my first with guest musicians, too! My pal Melanie Davis – who just released her CD debut of instrumental guitar compositions, Windswept – will finger-pick her way through Jim Croce's "New York Is Not My Home" for me, and I think I've suckered ex-Fanzine guitar god Greg Klaus to provide the crunchiness for an Archers of Loaf cover I'm dying to rip through.

Sigh. It's just me, playing pretend rock star.

Runs in the family?

Early in the fall, I visited my sister and wound up jamming with my 3-year-old nephew Keller. That's him with my Backpacker guitar, backing up me on tin whistle. He wails on "Jesus Loves Me," let me tell ya. He appears to be a prodigy, though like me he has a terrible time remembering lyrics ("Wha's that name again?"). Keller got a guitar and a drum kit for Christmas; by noon Christmas day he'd already busted a drum head.

Video available soon ... hopefully

To date, the only live THC performance. I'm a recluse. Intrigue makes good copy.

I finally received the video of me playing at the City University of New York union benefit. I wrote and performed an original song, "Talkin' Adjunct Faculty Blues," for a concert rally supporting the school's teacher's union campaign. The plan is to digitize it and include it as a CD-ROM bonus on the next disc (or post it for downloading here), but this is dependent on approval from the Woody Guthrie Archives, who produced the rally and maintains rights to the video. Cross your fingers.

Old but still around

The last album, 1998's Old Fears, is still available, of course. In fact, I'm thinking of a reissue, maybe with some bonus tracks. (A new greatest hits package is in the back of my mind, or even bringing back some of the old cassette albums into the CD age. More work for you, David.) I spruced up the package design recently, keeping the cover photo but redoing the back, which was atrocious the first time out (this is why Daniel's the designer, not me).

Old Fears was my eighth album but the first CD release. It's also the first record I completed that I wasn't afraid for strangers to hear. I just do this to spread around among friends – I have no ambitions for my music – but this wound up being wholly realized and sounding pretty decent.

Highlights: "Ink-Stained Wretch," in which the author discovers that words don't always offer absolute truth; "On the Rock Beat" and "Letter to an Anonymous Detractor," in which the author rails about his kick-ass day job; the legendary "Phillippe Is a Major Deal, No. 2," in which the author offers a third-hand account of a shifty so-and-so; a reprise of "I'm in Touch With My Feminine Side," from my first album, Kwitcher Bitchen; the epic "Electric Sky."

Want a copy? Write me your request, and by God, I'll fill it.

The complete THC discography

Kwitcher Bitchen
1993, Pookie Records PK-501

The Secret Life of Mayor McCheese
1993, Pookie Records PK-502

Gender Specific
1993, Pookie Records PK-503

The Family Album (EP)
1993, Pookie Records

In the Interim (live)
1994, Pookie Records PK-504

Valdemar
1994, Pookie Records PK-505

Copyright Infringement
1995, Third Wave Records 3WCS-01

Notes From Underground
1996, Third Wave Records 3WCS-02

THC vs. Phillippe (single)
[ "Phillippe Is a Major Deal" b/w "Break Up the Family" ]
1996, Third Wave Records

Old Fears
1998, Third Wave Records 3WCD-001

I, Caramba (boxed set)
1998, Third Wave Records
[ Includes THC's Training Shoppe vols. 1 and 2 featuring outtakes and rarities ]

The Jolly Good Fellows (EP)
2001, Third Wave Records 3WCD-001A
[ A retrospective EP, includes previously unreleased mix of "I'm in Touch With My Feminine Side" ]