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(Paul Hindemith - complicated relationships)

This week's batch of 78's is the Violin Concerto written in 1939 by the German composer Paul Hindemith. It was slated to be premiered in Germany that year, but fate and the Nazi's had other plans and it was finally performed in Holland in 1940, with Hindemith having migrated to Switzerland in 1938 and eventually living and working in New York by 1940.

This recording, made in Paris for French HMV in 1948, features the violinist Henri Merckel with the Lamoureux Orchestra led by Roger Desormiere.

Don't quote me on this, but I think this is the first commercial recording of the concerto.

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(The Motions - Dutch Psychedelia you probably never heard of)

The Motions were a big deal in Holland from 1963-1971. During their Beat phase they were produced by none other than Scott Walker (of the Walker Brothers) for several singles. And their label, Philips had issued their last album in the States to very little notice. They are all but unknown in the States and really only known by collectors even in Europe.

This track "Wonderful Impressions" comes from their psychedelic period from 1967. It was short lived, but it did yield some interesting tracks, even though their label decided it would be a good idea to mix a fake audience in (think: John's Childrens infamous Orgasm album with overdubbed audience). It doesn't seem to serve a purpose, but luckily it doesn't detract from what is a very nice track.

More unearthed gems.

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(RO-D-YS - I know, how can you know about a band when you can't even pronounce their name?)

Contrary to public opinion, not all Psychedelia originated in either England or the U.S. - no, the whole world embraced it rather well, and it came in a bunch of different languages.

A lot of psych, and later prog-rock came out of Holland from the mid-sixties onward. One of those bands had the unlikely name RO-D-YS - which, as near as anyone can guess is pronounced Rowdy's, since there were at least two other bands calling themselves The Rowdy's milling around Holland. So rather than change their name, they just changed the spelling. Fair enough.

Nothing they recorded was ever released in the States, or even the UK, even though the band recorded quite a bit and had several singles on the Dutch charts.

This particular track "Sleep,Sleep, Sleep" was released in 1968, and I believe it was their third or fourth single release.

RO-D-YS lasted from 1966-1969, with various members wandering in and out of other Dutch bands. They weren't destined to become a household name, but they were part of an interesting and active movement that also included some innovators for the next decade. Stay tuned.

The media have been obsessed by all the polling going on during the health care debate, but seem not to mention this one very much.

A new national poll indicates that support among Americans for the war in Afghanistan has hit a new low.

Forty-one percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Thursday say they favor the war in Afghanistan -- down 9 points from May, when CNN polling suggested that half of the public supported the war.

Fifty-four percent say they oppose the war in Afghanistan, up 6 points from May.

"Afghanistan is almost certainly the Obama policy that Republicans like the most," CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said. "Nearly two-thirds of Republicans support the war in Afghanistan. Three-quarters of Democrats oppose the war."

A record 44 United States troops were killed in Afghanistan in July, and 11 have been killed this month.

It's interesting that David Gregory suddenly is interested in a time table for the end of the war.

MR. GREGORY: At least a decade, though? I mean...

GEN. JONES: No, no, no. No.

MR. GREGORY: ...should Americans really settle--it's less than a decade, you think, in terms of...

GEN. JONES: Yeah, I think, I think, I...

MR. GREGORY: ...our commitment.

GEN. JONES: You can't predict here where the tipping point is, just like we couldn't really predict it in Iraq. But it will--if it's done right and if it's done cohesively, the tipping point will be much, much quicker, much sooner than that. We will know whether this strategy is working in--within, within the--by the, by the end of the next year, and we'll be able to make some prediction--maybe some predictions at that time. But not before.

I mean, all progressives want it over, but since a Democratic president has been elected, Gregory suddenly has an interest in these things like never before. And maybe I missed it, but Gregory never brought up any polling either.

I wanted to give readers a quick heads up that I'll be on CNN Newsroom tonight sometime in the 7-8 pm PDT hour (10-11 EDT). Don Lemon is the host, and we'll be discussing the Holocaust Museum shooting, lone wolves, and my book, The Eliminationists: How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right, and the national security implications of domestic terrorism.

Also, be sure to check out my interview with Joshua Holland at AlterNet.