Columbia Hosed

You music critics miss the big stories with your free CDs, your backstage passes, and your rap sessions with Slash. But lunks like me who have to buy our music can be affected by unnoticed items like the following:

Dear Gaston,

The Columbia House Music Club is officially closing its doors on September 1, 2005.

I'll admit it. I've been pulling the trigger on "Buy one CD, get 3 free" for years now, spending about $7 per CD and often less after shipping and weirdly calculated fees. My dad would be proud because there are privileges that come with membership. Sure, you have to have an eagle's eye to find the goodies--did you know that Andrew Hill's Dance with Death is available at the BMG store for peanuts? And you'll find yourself up to your ears in Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, and other Columbia staples (including a zillion Blue Note wonders). But who can't use a fresh copy of Nefertiti or Toys in the Attic. (Actually, my recent review of 70s guitar bands tips the scales toward England. Deep Purple sounds fantastic to me now: try Fireball--just dopey enough; but Aerosmith don't really make it...the red album will do.)

Just so you know-->the record club lives on at BMG. But I am curious about the history of Columbia House. Remember when they pressed their own records and stamped everything with a "this has been hastily copied and poorly reproduced for COLUMBIA HOUSE"?

Here I'd like to get into my thoughts about the Dylan bio on PBS. Some really wonderful footage there and a surprisingly lucid and cooperative Bob. Did anyone else see it? Let's talk about that.