In a message dated 1/5/2004 3:02:38 AM Eastern Standard Time, audities-owner@smoe.org writes: <> Right, Mike, what I was trying to get at with my post wasn't so much that it hasn't been done before (I mean, umm, Prince and Michael Jackson used to be pretty important) but that this was one of the rare times that people (and a set of Auditeers represent this group nicely) have been willing to cross the aisle to the hip-hop section and pick something out. It's been exciting to see this as a retailer; that there's actually a mainstream release that vastly different audiences--hip/hop fans, indie kids, eclectic music fans, and mainstream radio junkies--are all agreeing on. Outkast have certainly been building up to this--and "Stankonia" was a great album in its own right that many may feel is better than "Speakerboxx/The Love Below". But at the basest level it's just plain exciting to see so many people get so excited about something that's both good and diverse. As far as the "is this record good for me" questions--which I've seen a few of--I would say try and sample some of it online first. If you're looking for some good places to start, try the two singles--"Hey Ya!" and "The Way You Move", and then also try "Ghettomusick" from Big Boi's disc and "Roses", "Spread", "Love Hater", "Happy Valentine's Day", and "Dracula's Wedding" from Andre's disc. It's unlikely you'll like EVERY track--after all, it is a deliberately sprawling disc--but if you enjoy this smattering you'll probably enjoy most of it. I'm not trumpeting this album because it's somehow "the thing to do", I'm trumpeting it because it really is quite good and quite appealing to many stripes. << R.I.P.- Manifest in Charlotte. One of the best independent record stores in the county just announced it's closing. I'm still holding out hope that a new buyer will swoop in and save it... >> And it's interesting to note that they announced that their motivation for closing dealt directly with, and I may be misquoting this, the practices of the copyright holders edging out the retailers. Big ouch... though I do agree in a big way. Record stores--not just indies, but chains too--are dropping like flies right now. --Jason