bargain of the month

[realthog]

Probing among the DVDs in our local ShopRite while waiting for pds_lit  to select the right brand of talcum powder (I think it was), I spotted a DVD called Marianne Faithfull Live in Hollywood. It does seem to me important that I have something to play on my portable DVD player while languishing in hospital, and this was a recording of Faithfull's I'd never heard of before. Oh, and it cost only $2.50.

Picosecond after picosecond went by while I wrestled with my conscience, but eventually I decided the expenditure was worth it.

When we got home, I looked at my purchase. It seemed strangely . . . heavy. Opening it up I discovered that, in addition to the 143min DVD of the concert, there's a 55min audio CD of the highlights. This latter is, as I type, playing EXTREMELY LOUDLY and being comprehensively appreciated.

By way of evaluation, I'd say the CD isn't up to the standard of her other live album, Blazing Away -- to be fair, just about nothing is -- but it's pretty stunning nonetheless, with a nice mixture of old stuff and new (the gig dates from 2005). And the booklet that comes with the package is like a CD's booklet -- i.e., it's much better than you'd expect from a DVD.

Oh, who's a happy piglet?