You'll just have to imagine what the B-side looks like

Okay, I know I've been slow to deliver on the oft-promised Thrifty Music material. This has happened for a numer of reasons: I've actually been busy; the amount of high-quality stuff I've found has been somewhat overwhelming, making the compilation process difficult, and -- most significantly -- putting together those giant, themed omnibus editions of Thrifty Music is just plain hard work!

Consequently, I have decided to make things easier on yours truly by re-sizing the Thrifty Music concept a bit. Henceforth, you can expect to see more frequent, smaller selections of stuff to listen to and ponder. Each will still have a theme, and some associated, probing line of questioning, which ought to get us all thinking. But the days of eight- or nine-track comps are gone!

To start the process off, I want to offer the B-side to a single that my vinyl guru, E. Pluribus Gergley, tells me is worth $300 or so (It cost me a buck!). I know nothing at all about the artist in question (one Carl Spencer), but what stopped me in my tracks upon listening to this great tune, "Progress", was just how much Carl sounded like our very own andyr -- better known in some circles as The Velvet Foghorn, or simply "Velv." I also think the song would be *perfect* cover material for Velv's band, the redoubtable Nixon's Head.

This got me thinking about songs we really wish would be covered -- by specific artists, I mean. For example, I'd love to hear Supagroup covering "Wang Dang, Sweet Poontang" -- though that's just the first one that popped into my head. I'm sure buried in my cranium somewhere is a longing for a better specific cover that I'm just not remembering right now. But perhaps you can do better. And Velv/Mod/Chickenfrank/Sethro -- is "Progress" a song you'd consider covering? I mean, does it pass your sniff test -- and if not, why not?

I look forward to your responses.

HVB