The I Love Lucy Collection - Job Switching/fashion Show Customer Review: Classic “I Love Lucy” From Television’s Golden Age
This wonderful tape contains two episodes that are among the greatest of the classic episodes of this landmark series. “Job Switching” in particular has become a television icon and contains probably Lucille Ball’s most memorable comedy scene on a choclate factory conveyor belt. “The fashion Show”, is also memorable and comes from the year the show relocated to Hollywood allowing Lucy to run amok in the film capital with many surprise big name guest stars. Both episodes revolve around the popular Lucy theme of money problems causing Lucy and sidekick Ethel to get involved in some crazy scheme and usually trying to get one better on Ricky and Fred in the process.

“Job Switching”, involves a classic battle of the sexes when Ricky comes home furious about a bounced cheque that Lucy has tried to pass. It’s war in the Ricardo household when Ricky complains about Lucy’s lack of resonsibility with money and staying within her budget and also makes remarks about how little the girls have to do around the house all day. A wager is set were they all swap roles for one week with Ricky and Fred doing the housework and Lucy and Ethel going out and finding jobs. What develops is classic Lucy as Ricky has to deal with a meal that explodes all over th ekitchen and Fred cakes a flat cake. Meanwhile Lucy and Ethel find work in a chocolate factory that is run like an army drill camp. After Lucy has a chocolate throwing fight with a co worker the girls are moved to wrapping chocolates that go by on a conveyor belt however it starts to speed up and in one of Lucy’s most classic scenes they begin eating the chocolates or stuffing them into their clothes to try and keep up Needless to say both sexes are happy to return to their usual jobs at the end of the day.

“The fashion Show”, is also a memorable episode from Lucy’s “Hollywood” year. Lucy tries to get Ricky to buy her an original Don Loper dress and after he says yes she visits his famous salon where she manages to get herself involved in a fashion show where all the models are movie stars wives. She gets a dress which she doesn’t realise costs $500.00 and in order to stop Ricky murdering her plans a scheme where she gets badly sunburnt so that Ricky will take sympathy on her. Ubfortunately Lucy gets totally “over cooked” and when she has to model a different outfit Lucy has trouble getting down the catwalk because every movement is painful with her sunburn. This scene is one of Lucy’s best with her tortured expressions a real classic.

This volumne of “I Love lucy”, is really unforgettable comedy viewing from a time when comedy didn’t need to go down to the gross levels that some present day comedies feel they need to to get laughs. The beauty of “I Love lucy”, was that it took everyday situations like money problems etc and turned them into hilarious short stories which, although unrealistic, contained elements we could all identify with. These two episodes are a great example of this and it was Lucille Ball’s comic abilities combined with the wonderful suporting cast that has made “I Love Lucy” live on when other more realistic shows have been long forgotten. Ricky and Lucy, Ethel and Fred are all characters we seemed to grow up with and love. Their abilities are nowhere more evident than in these two classic episodes “Job Switching”, and “The fashion Show”. Enjoy!

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Invasive Exotics After years of gnashing their teeth wildly through the bible belt of Texas, Indian jewelry have emerged with their debut.
Customer Review: Indian jewelry rock my world. Period.
Indian jewelry, Invasive Exotics (Monitor Records, 2006)

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past couple of months listening to Invasive Exotics, trying to figure out what I think of it. I have come to the conclusion that I don’t like it as much as Indian jewelry’s debut album, Sangles Redux. But then, there are very few albums, by anyone, I like as much as I like Sangles Redux, so that’s not saying much. Truth be told, though, that’s part of my problem; mixed in with the real gems on this disc (”Health and Wellbeing,” “Partying with Jandek,” the awe-inspiring “Lesser Snake”) is a remix of “Lost My Sight” that I just can’t get past. The version on Sangles is one of those tracks you could just listen to over and over again. (I do, at times.) The new version is… meh. Why mess with perfection?

But, you know, it’s Indian jewelry. And it’s one annoying track. And while an Indian jewelry album can’t capture the fascination, ferocity, and almost ritual atmosphere of their legendary live shows, their albums come closer than those of any other legendary live band I can think of to doing so, and are thus more worth picking up. (If you have not yet heard Sangles Redux, you need it. Listen to “Going South” and tell me that is not a song that just begs for live performance. If you have not yet had the chance to see these guys live, do whatever you must.) This is very, very good stuff, and well worth your time. ***

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