The fourty-eighth album: #48 Jerry Lee Lewis - Live at the Star Club, Hamburg

As I've said before, live albums always have a different energy from studio album, and unlike James Brown, this makes full use of that. The crowd is excited and Lewis' loud music and style matches it perfectly.

Great Balls of Fire is still one of the center pieces of the performance, but it's surrounded by rock adaptations of blues songs and straight up rock songs. It's all wild, any sloppiness part of the song as it's being performed. It's high energy and works to wake you up. It made me happy to listen to.

The thirtieth book: #30 Clarissa - Samuel Richardson

If you wondered why it's been a while since I covered a book (but why would you) this is the reason: I was reading the longest book in the English language.

It hasn't been smooth sailing. To be able to get myself through, I split my reading into two parts. The morning commute was for Clarissa. The afternoon was for comics or another diversion. A bit cheap, but it worked.

As I said before, epistolaries aren't my thing, and as the book that follows up on Pamela - not as the character, but as Samuel Richardson further developing his style and writing a book from a similar foundation, but taking a different twist. While Clarissa is still an idealised character - everyone has only praise for her, only those who are against her don't (but only once they're made out to be bad people). On the whole, it's still a bit much, but it's not as far over the top as Pamela was.

Switching between viewpoints helped a lot here, with letters from many people in the narrative, though mostly focused on Clarissa, her friend Miss Howe, her lover/antagonist Lovelace and his friend/later Clarissa's friend Bedford. It creates a lot more variation, although some writers get boring in the way they expound on things.

And that's where it falls down for me, really. This book could have used an editor, to remove some of the repetition and some of the explanations that don't go anywhere. While they set the tone, in a book of this length it can feel more like filler and it loses my attention. It's unfortunate, but it was a bit too much a bit too often.

The thirty-first comic: #888 American Born Chinese

For a title that covers the comic really well, it also doesn't quite explain its scope. Starting with three distinct storylines, one, the most basic, is that of a Chinese teen growing up as a definite minority. The second is a retelling of parts of the story of Monkey from Journey to the West, which I've read before. The third, at first at odds with the others, if that of Danny, who is visited by Chin-Kee, his cousin, who is a walking Chinese stereotype. They vary in how big they play the story line, the first of these far more low key, but the different tones come together as the three storylines merge. While the first storyline starts off as slice of life, it gains magic the same way the others do.

This is expertly done, and makes a lot more sense now that I've seen them. It becomes the ending of fable, with a morla that makes you think about stereotypes, minorities and their place in the world and maintaining identity. It's what makes it stand out, subtle in part about the points it makes and entertaining in how it does it.

The fourty-sixth TV show: #519 Pride and Prejudice

While I'm not a fan of historical dramas, we enjoyed watching this in a single day. Partially this is down to Peter's enthusiasm, partially because the circumstances of this rewatch were a lot less draining than the first watch. But that's not down to the show.

What makes the show more enjoyable is that it's not all heavy, but that it instead adds a lot of levity to the story that's present in the book, but is easy to hide through what can be stilted dialogue. They cast a number of comedic actors that are capable of playing the more serious roles as well, but know to control the level of this. I feel I've seen David Bamber everywhere since the first time I've seen this, but he is a distinct character.

The actors in more serious roles do well too, and the two leads of Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth do incredibly well, playing their mutual dislike and unthawing of their relationship well. It feels like there are places where it takes more time than it should, but it now doesn't feel as egregious as in other shows. This adaptation is still seen as one of the best of its kind, and especially on the second watch, I have to agree.

The thirtieth comic: #647 Monster

This was its own rollercoaster. Monster is a crime thriller, with a brain surgeon following the trail of a serial killer... or someone who manages to get others to do that killing. The story would work as a book, but the graphics add here, especially for the effect of seeing Johan, the aforementioned serial killer.

Although initially focused on Dr Tenma, on the run from the law while trying to prevent further killings, the cast slowly expands to include others affected by Johan's action, looking to find or stop him. Most of them are affected by the orphanage that made Johan what he is, and the mysteries surrounding it.

There's some mystery here, surrounding what happened, but the revelations are at such a pace that there aren't a lot of mysteries that really plague you. It's far more about the journey to find Johan and how different people deal with this. It's certainly bloody - something manga can get away with more easily, but it suits the tone of the story. It's been an interesting read.

The fourty-seventh album: #47 Buck Owens & His Buckeroos - I've Got A Tiger By The Tail

Next up we have a country album that plays out as you'd expect - it sounds quite familiar. Friendly, some happy, some sad, but drawing from the same core. It sounds good and Let the Sad Times Roll On was really effective for me. Several of the songs are quite smart in how they're put together - nothing that feels like it pushes the boundary now, but it works well as a great example of what the genre sounds like. Wham Bam, on the other hand, feels like it plays with and tries to reinforce the stereotypes.

On the whole, the album is good, there's good music here, it just doesn't do much for me personally. There's nothing here that grabs or interests me that much. Some songs have some interesting lyrics, but it mostly goes the same places repeatedly, done competently but not amazingly so.

The fourty-fifth TV show: #628 City of Men

I'm currently watching the final episode of the series, which is fairly meta, as both a clip show and a behind the screens setup talking about the production of the series with others. It seems to be just as much about how the actors move on.

Starting off with child actors - even at eleven - is always risky, and here they pulled it off. Laranjinha (Darlan Cunha) has an effortless charm that pulls him through a lot, while Acerola (Douglas Silva) goes through a lot, and the emotions are believable and played so well, we seriously felt for him at so many points. The show relies heavily on them and they pull it off well.

The series is about life in the Brazilian favelas, the slums that are around so many places. It deals with the poverty, the organised crime and the racism seen. Acerola has a kid at 16 - a kid raising a baby, with all the learning of responsibility that entails. It's dark at times, worrying, and it makes you worry about the situation these people have to live in.

Thankfully, however, it also shows the good things in their life. As kids, there are a lot of hijinx, a lot of ill advised plans and narrow escapes from worse. It means the show never descends completely into darkness, balancing it with comedy, and the best episodes both show the situation and make you smile at it. It works well, and with the exception of a handful of episodes, have made us think while always staying entertaining. Even the final episode, as meta as it is, address these problems with comedy. Revealing the truth, in a way.

The two hundred and fourty-ninth song: I Say a Little Prayer - Aretha Franklin

Another Burt Baccarach song, Aretha Franklin covers it in one of its most famous renditions. The melody sounds a bit off to me compared to the versions I am used to, but it swings better and suits Franklin's voice far better. The background vocals add to that, adding a bit of a soul feel to the song that suits it well.

The two hundred and fiftieth song: The Snake - Al Wilson

Continuing the rise of soul, this song comes in with quite a brash sound, trumpets dominating some smooth vocals. It creates the feeling of a fable being told through music, some of the vocals adding some eerieness, but the message also coming across quite well. It sounds as much of a performance pieces as it's a song, but that adds to the size of the song really well.

The two hundred and fifty-first song: Oh Happy Day - The Edwin Hawkins Singers

And so we move into gospel music, probably one of the best known ones in the genre. It's been covered many times since, and this version starts off slower than I'd expect considering how the song is usually performed. That usually adds some pep, but this version feels more contemplative - still exuberant, but still more reverend than it would otherwise be. I can imagine that this song would be impressive in person as well, the size of the choir being lost in the limitations of the recording.

The two hundred and fifty-second song: Israelites - Desmond Dekker & The Aces

And jumping a step further, we now get into reggae. This song sounds odd, with a memorable chorus that, I'm sure, makes a point, but feels like it's just become part of culture more as "This is what reggae sounds like" than making much of a point. The lyrics, then, are mostly impenetrable, but it creates a sound that certainly would have seemed new at the time.

The two hundred and fifty-third song: Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell

Starting off with a string section, the song settles into a bigger produced country song. It's pretty poppy, a country ballad that mostly manages to feel inoffensive and pleasant to listen to. It's simple and relaxing, a bit of peace, but to me not as memorable as other songs - despite, or perhaps because of, the production. It's done well, but overshadows the ballad a bit.

The two hundred and fifty-fourth song: I Heard it Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye

This is a song that, for me, is made thanks to the vocals. The music isn't that substantial - well produced, present in the right places and sounding good, but also at a bit of a distance to allow Marvin Gaye to shine through. It again has a distance in it that work to create something simple and deliberate, telling its story in part through its sound.

The two hundred and fifty-fifth song: America - Simon & Garfunkel

Simon & Garfunkel deliver something outside this world here. It doesn't quite match the trends we've heard elsewhere, but as a folk sound, it works to create an atmosphere, a song that sounds good, with smart lyrics that tell its story effectively. There's clear substance here that is masterfully told. It's a hopeful road trip, and it comes through as that.

The two hundred and fifty-sixth song: Ain’t Got No; I Got Life- Nina Simone

Back to soul, we get another story about emptiness, in a way, but also triumph in poverty and celebrating what you have and yourself. There is a religious component in this - obviously - but there's a lot of pride in there as well. It makes for a compelling two minute statement that works well - even if it's a medley of two distinct songs, it works on so many levels.

The two hundred and fifty-seventh song: Piece of My Heart- Big Brother & The Holding Company

A rock love song, this is a cover that seems to have been made a lot rockier by the band. It creates a unique sound that works incredibly well and I wonder how this would compare to the original. Janis Joplin's vocals are what really make this special, putting in a ragged but powerful sound that echoes throughout and filled the room as we were listening. It's weird - this started out as a soul song, but it doesn't show here, and the band gets the credit for making it their own. The guitar solo later in the song shows this too, building on the excitement as well. Everything shows the hurt and pain in here, and that's what made it amazing to listen to.

The fourty-fourth TV show: #581 Spaced

Spaced feels like a bit of an odd show. I appreciate it for that reason, because it matches with me and my experiences in so many places. Daisy and Tim are 20-somethings who haven't quite grown up yet and are trying to find their way in life. They move in together, not knowing each other too well, and have to masquerade as a couple to keep the flat. They hang out with their friends there, in a way that feels pleasant. The characters are a bit larger than life, but it suits the way it's filmed, which is a bit bigger. There are a lot of references to other works (some of which I get, some of which I don't), plenty of dream sequences and a sense of throwing many things in. Despite that heightened, the characters feel very human and recognisable.

The twentieth classical recording: #590 Sergei Rachmaninov - The Isle of the Dead

Dark and slow, this recording sets a definite tone that the title implies. It starts heavy - apparently imitating rowing - and has the shrill sounds that, at the very least, often seems imitated in films for deaths and funerals. The sounds move more towards the glorious, part of the grand landscapes it is trying to invoke (and invokes in my imagination).

I genuinely got drawn into how big it got, how it build and how it went through different phases. There was more going on and even though there isn't text in here, it feels like it builds a story regardless.