I like those minimalist videos that can be found on YouTube that simply show a phonograph record being played. I think they're cool for a couple of reasons. One, they remind me of the way I listened to music as a teenager, when I would alternate between reading the lyrics and/or looking at the cover art and photos, and watching the platter spin. Two, they're less intrusive on the imaginative experience of listening to music than music videos, which, it must be said, have done a lot more harm than good to popular music. But, I'll save that tirade for another post, because today I want to provide a link to one of the videos described above (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjs1mm5vngc), this one for the Van Morrison classic "Wild Night". A couple of thoughts on it: Is there a better song with which a cover band could open a set? Both the music and words are filled with excitement and promise. And what a singer the guy is. As on most of his records, his vocal is easily the most rhythmically sophisticated of the instruments (which happens on most Dylan tracks as well). Lyrically, one of Morrison's great themes, appropriately enough, is the energy that can be received through listening to great records. You get the feeling that he spent many hours of his youth doing the same.