P-Model

5-30-08 P-Model / Susumu Hirasawa

CD ANOTHER GAME JAPAN RECORD TKCA-70480

1983 12 TRKS

LP ANOTHER GAME JAPAN RECORD 28JAL-2

1984 12 TRKS insert

CD BIG BODY POLYDOR JPN POCH-1195

1993 10 TRKS CD-only release?

CD ENOLA TESLAKITE JPN COCA-14673

1997 11 TRKS plastic slip-case, CD-only release?

CD FUNE NIPPON COL JPN COCA-13083

1995 11 TRKS CD-only release?

CD IN A MODEL ROOM WARNER JPN WPCL-603

1979 11 TRKS

LP IN A MODEL ROOM pink vinyl WARNER JPN K-10017

1979 11 TRKS insert; pink vinyl

CD KARKADOR ALFA JPN ALCA-9134

1985 10 TRKS

LP KARKADOR ALFA/EDGE JP ELR-28002

1985 10 TRKS insert

CD LANDSALE WARNER JPN WPCL-604

1980 12 TRKS

LP LANDSALE WARNER JPN K-10020W

1980 12 TRKS insert

CD LIVE DIW JP SYUN-003

1994 10 TRKS Live

LP ONE PATTERN ALFA/EDGE JP ELR-28004

1986 10 TRKS insert

CD PAUSE - P-MODEL LIVE 10/11/93 DIW JP SYUN-002

1994 17 TRKS Live '93

CD PERSPECTIVE JAPAN RECORD TKCA-70479

1982 9 TRKS

LP PERSPECTIVE JAPAN RECORD JAL-19

1982 9 TRKS insert

CD P-MODEL POLYDOR JPN POCH-1128

1992 11 TRKS CD-only release?

CD POTPOURRI WARNER JPN WPCL-605

1981 13 TRKS

CD5 ROCKET SHOOT TESLAKITE JPN COCA-13848

1996 3 TRK CD Single CD5; enhanced CD

CD SIREN TESLAKITE JPN COCA-13571

1996 11 TRKS, Susumu Hirasawa solo CD

I probably got on the P-Model bandwagon about 1980 or so – some time as Y.M.O. made the rounds. P-Model sounded live Devo, like punk rock – they played fast, and has synthesizers a-plenty. The “In A Model Room” LP really made us laugh – even though we couldn’t understand (almost) any of the lyrics. Everything on Side One sounded like A+ new wave music – but I distinctly remember “White Cigarettes” from Side Two!

The next one that really kicked my butt was “Karkador” – P-Model were making an album annually, and their sound was changing, mutating. “Karkador” was pretty obtuse, even by 1985 standards.

I buy as much stuff as I can ever find by both P-Model and it’s leader, Mr. Hirasawa. My friend Nick Kent has a great website, with lots of stuff about them in English:

http://www.artskool.biz/jem/pm.html

Three Dog Night

5-29-08 Three Dog Night

CD BEST OF MCA US MCAD-6018

1982 20 TRK Collection

LP GOLDEN BISQUITS PROBE DE 1C062-92167

1972? 10 TRK collection

LP IT AIN'T EASY DUNHILL US DS 50078

1971? 9 TRKS 3^rd album, 2^nd cover

LP MAMA TOLD ME STATESIDE ES 1J062-91403

1970 9 TRKS It Ain't Easy, completely different packaging

CD MILLENNIUM COLLECTION MCA US 112073.2

2000 12 TRK Collection (70's recordings)

LP SUITABLE FOR FRAMING DUNHILL US DS 50058

1970? 10 TRKS 2nd, G.T.O.'s

LP THREE DOG NIGHT ("ONE") DUNHILL US DS 50048

1970 11 TRKS 1^st

Pop music on the chart, for a change!

Well, if you were alive and listening to the radio in 1969 or so – you definitely heard Three Dog Night. I even remember hearing the solo 45 by Danny Hutton – “Roses and Rainbows and You” (or thereabouts)! Took a while for me (as a youth) to understand that they were a band that made almost exclusively ‘cover versions’ – albeit some pretty good ones (I mean…Spooky Tooth???)

And after The Beatles infamous ‘butcher cover’, what were they thinking for that first US cover of “It Ain’t Easy”? The orange cover where they’re all sitting there…nude! Did they graft the heads on? I think even (black) drummer Floyd Sneed had a white guy’s body on ‘im!

So, the charting singles come and go, with varying degrees of annoyance. I never kept any of their records from the time. In the 80’s, I began a project wherein I tried to find and real all of the rock music autobiographies that I could find. In time, I discovered the Jimmy Greenspoon book, about his life with TDN. Drugs, arrests etc. Tough stuff, for the time (this was well before the “Papa John” John Phillips (Mamas & Papas) ‘tell-all’ book). Another member of TDN wrote an “autobiography” (a guitarist?) – and there was strangely no mention of the drugs or arrests in that book.

So it’s 2008, and I can get a laugh by dropping TDN tracks into playlists. “Out In The Country”, their cover of a venerable Paul Williams ‘sunshine pop’ track, is very charming, indeed. I found a $3 CD of their “Best Of” – but it was from something like 1986, and it has real low audio level, so I went for a $3 copy of “Millennium Collection” – less songs, but hopefully a much improved audio level.

So, they got hits with cover versions. Their big time popularity didn’t last very long – but they sure have a lot of songs that nearly everybody can recognize without too much effort. I remember their mid-70’s PBS special. I totally didn’t care at the time – but when we found a Japanese laser disc of it, I confess to watching it with some chart-bound nostalgia. Funny how some stuff shakes out earlier than others.

Playlist

ART OF NOISE – Closely Closely (Enough’s Enough) 12”

THEODORAKIS, MIKIS – Café Rock (from “Z” O.S.T.)

CURB, MIKE – Arriba (feat. Joe Leahy; from “Wild Angels Vol. 2” O.S.T.)

NITZSCHE, JACK – New Mexico

YES – Leave It (Acapella) 12”

NEWMAN, TOM – Will You Be Mine In The Morning?

PINK FAIRIES – Well Well Well

LOVE SCULPTURE – So Unkind

DONOVAN – Bert’s Blues

ROLLING STONES – Connection

YARDBIRDS – Psycho Daisies

WHO, THE – In The City

NICE, THE – Flower King of Flies

MOVE, THE – Beautiful Daughter

BONZO DOG BAND –Rockaliser Baby

PROCOL HARUM – Juicy John Pink

KING CRIMSON – I Talk To The Wind

EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER – Barbarian, The

JETHRO TULL – For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me

GONG – 5 and 20 Schoolgirls

KINGDOM COME – Traffic Light Song (“Lost Ears” vers.)

GRACIOUS! – Hold Me Down

HULL, ALAN – Breakfast

all from vinyl, except Jack Nitzsche

Fay Lovsky

5-28-08 Fay Lovsky

7" AUTOMATIC PILOT / WALK DON'T WALK IDIOT NL WEA 19162

1982 2 TRKS with pic sleeve, entirely non-LP single!

CD5 BAD CONTINUITY BASTA NL 30-9037.7

1996 2 TRK CD Single CD5

CD5 CHRISTMAS WAS A FRIEND OF MINE BASTA NL 30-9034.7

1981 2 TRKS CD Single CD5, '96 issue

CD CINEMA BASTA NL 30-9042.2

1985 15 TRKS ('96 issue) (4 x bonus tracks)

LP CINEMA IDIOT NL 240675.1

1985 11 TRKS outer plastic bag

LP CONFETTI IDIOT NL WEA 58.367

1981 13 TRKS, 2 diff. covers

CD FAY LOVSKY & LA BANDE DESSINEE BASTA NL 30-9030.2

1996 21 TRKS

LPx2 FAY LOVSKY & LA BANDE DESSINEE BASTA NL BASTA 90301

1996 22 TRKS (1 x 'hidden' track)

LP FAY LOVSKY (Collection) JAYREM NZ JAY 325

1986 15 TRKS New Zealand-only collection, which I am partially responsible for!

CD5 I DON'T CARE BASTA NL 30-9038.7

1997 2 TRK CD Single CD5

CD5 JOPO IN MINI (with Joost Swarte) FACEMUSIC O&B 92002

1992 3 TRK CD Single CD5

CD JOPO IN MONO (with Joost Swarte) FACEMUSIC 9061694345

1992 12 TRKS + book

CD MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, THE ARIOLA NL 261.121

1990 21 TRKS Fay Lovsky was a member of this group that did all cover versions – wonderful!

CD NUMBERS BASTA NL 30-9069.2

1997 16 TRKS CD-only release?

CD ORIGAMI BASTA NL 30-9041.2

1983 13 TRKS 2 x bonus tracks, ’96 issue

LP ORIGAMI IDIOT NL 240146.1

1983 11 TRKS

CD SOUND ON SOUND - CONFETTI BASTA NL 30-9040.2

1980/81 23 TRKS / 2 on 1, ’96 issue

10" SOUND ON SOUND (10") IDIOT NL IDI-8888

1980 8 TRK EP; as 'Fay Lovesick' – this was re-issued on WEA NL.

CD5 UNFINISHED BUSINESS BASTA NL 30-9033.7

1996 2 TRK CD Single CD5

Dutch female vocalist, singer / songwriter. On one of my first visits to Holland, I was invited to see her perform at Boudisque Records – was I jet-lagged? I didn’t go. A number of years later, I got to meet Ms. Lovsky – she was very gracious to my many questions about her career – and she introduced me to Frits Jonker (who gave me a big stack of ‘crap singles’ – a passion Frits and I share!). I have many 7” singles by Fay, but I’ve only listed her totally non-LP “Automatic Pilot”.

In 1996, Basta Records re-issued her Idiot label records as gorgeous CD’s – but they got the wrong version of “Goodnight Gallileo”! Can’t win ‘em all.

I particularly recommend “Confetti” – it’s a lovely ‘girl pop’ record, and it forever has a special place in my heart. These days, she is even making Dutch-language CD’s – which I think is fabulous. But I have yet to mail-order any of them, and I haven’t seen any of her recent releases for sale either here (California) or in Japan.

Gary Numan / Tubeway Army

5-27-08 Gary Numan / Tubeway Army

7" ARE 'FRIENDS' ELECTRIC? / WE ARE SO FRAGILE BEGGARS B DE INT 111.520

1979 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

LP DANCE ATCO US SD 38-143

1981 11 TRKS poster, with Mick Karn etc.

7" DOWN IN THE PARK / DO YOU NEED THE SERVICE? BEGGARS B UK BEG 17

1979 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

LP I, ASSASSIN BEGGARS B UK BEGA 40

1982 8 TRKS

LP PLEASURE PRINCIPLE, THE ATCO US SD 38-120

1979 10 TRKS

7" REMEMBER I WAS VAPOUR / ON BROADWAY BEGGARS B UK SAM 126

1980 2 TRKS no pic sleeve, promo

LP REPLICAS ATLANTIC JPN P-10729A

1979 10 TRKS insert

CD REPLICAS re-issue BEGGARS B US BBL 7CD

1979 16 TRKS (6 x bonus tracks)

7" THAT'S TOO BAD (7" x 2) BEGGARS B UK BEG 5 + 8

1980 5 TRK EP; with pic sleeve, re-issue 7"x2

LP TUBEWAY ARMY BEGGARS B UK BEGA 4

1978 12 TRKS Blue vinyl, original pressing

CD TUBEWAY ARMY kami sleeve, re-issue IMPERIAL JPN TECI-24259

1978 25 TRKS ('04 issue) (13 x bonus tracks, all ‘live’)

7" WE ARE GLASS / TROIS GYMNOPEDIES [1st Movement] BEGGARS B UK BEG 35

1980 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

12" WHITE BOYS AND HEROES BEGGARS B UK BEG 81T

1982 3 TRKS with pic sleeve

Not sure that I accurately remember how I first heard of Mr. Numan – did I see the “Replicas” LP on a ‘new release wall’ in Moby Disc? Or did I read about it first, perhaps in “Smash Hits”? I was definitely onto Mr. Numan before I went to England for the first time, in the fall of 1979. I remember my ‘revelation’ as to what the ‘tubeway army’ was – the morning commuter pedestrian traffic on the London underground, i.e. “The Tube”.

From ’79 – ’82, I bought about as much Gary Numan / Tubeway Army as I could find – which was quite a bit. At some point, I soured on his records, and didn’t care anymore, and sold a lot of them off, probably around the time of “I, Assassin”. Truth was, in ’83 I was wholly absorbed in New Zealand music – with groups like Blam Blam Blam and Coconut Rough; I paid attention to little else at that time.

I saw Gary Numan at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium; it was not a great show – him on his little golf cart. I liked his first videocassette that I found, “New Man” – which had a lot of his clips collected together. My friend Joe eventually got some Japanese laser discs of some live shows by Mr. Numan – and they were…OK. But enough was enough. I haven’t heard a ‘new’ Numan album in over 20 years.

Over the last year, I have acquiesced and obtained CD’s of the two Numan albums that I still like – the first album and “Replicas”. He was obviously on to the zeitgeist that captured people’s imaginations in 1979, with his “synth pop”. I think he beat John Foxx to the punch, but when Foxx offered up “Metamatic” in 1980, it was obvious he was ahead of Numan, in the ‘synth’ pop credibility sweepstakes. I always found it disingenuous that Numan announced his “retirement” several times, and never did.

Out of Bandwith by 2010?

5-26-08 Out of Bandwith by 2010?

I read on the internet (so it’s gotta be true!) that by 2010, all available bandwith will be all used up. So, what? We have to leave? Does that mean that even the people shelling out for a broadband connection will be screwed?

I did my part for clearing up the tubes by deleting my previous (enormous, 600+ posts) blog, “20^th Century Music”. There were no tears; it took one click and – poof! All gone. I still have all the posts I ever made, nicely indexed, if you are curious.

Can it really be true that the internet, speculative as it is, will be completely full in a relatively short amount of time? Can’t blogger delete all unattended to blogs after a certain amount of time? And aren’t all those folks on Facebook & MySpace & You Tube paying for their use of appropriate bandwith? (Blogger is ‘free’; I pay a hefty annual fee for my Flickr ‘pro’ account – have you ever seen my Flickr account? Search on “rk-dd “!

How soon will California have so many people in it that you won’t be able to turn around without touching someone? (Note: there is a vast amount of land in ‘central’ California that comparatively few people are on).

Closer to home: How many books, magazines, phonograph records, compact discs, videocassettes and DVD’s will my home hold? I already feel like I have way too much stuff. I’m not going to win any prizes for having ‘too much stuff’, am I?

Can’t somebody just slap the entire internet onto a couple of back-up DVD-R’s? (Sounds of groaning from the peanut gallery).

When the digital TV takes over next February (’09), I will move my old DVD recorder into my bedroom – as it will no longer receive any TV without the aid of a digital tuner then. Maybe then I can start backing up everything onto audio-only DVD-R’s. I’ve been told that “all lazers fail” – how about the CD-R’s and DVD-R’s that I burn? How long will they last, Jim-san?

Damn it, I’m turning 50 this coming August – how long will I last?

‘So what?’ if the internet tanks when I turn 51. I guess I could go back to listening to phonograph records on my analogue stereo system…oh, I do that now. Guess I’ll have to hook my telephone back up – oh, I still have a “land line” anyway? Maybe we can just get back to where everything once was – watching TV and listening to records, and talking on the phone when it rings. I confess – I am watching more TV now that I have digital TV converter box at home. It’s rather groovy having so many channels for free. (Nope, I won’t moan about my expensive cable TV bill – I don’t have one!)

If I could only grow my own food, I might be able to cut up a few more pieces of the puzzle. But I have to drive to the grocery store – at $4.15 per gallon. “Get your hand out of my pocket!”, he screamed.

Digital TV in Los Angeles

5-23-08 Digital TV in Los Angeles

Earlier in the month, I got a Digital TV converter box for my aged Sony 27” television that sits in my living room. I used a $40 off coupon to buy the box, making it under $30. I took it home and hooked it up in less than three minutes. My eyes widened as I saw the number of channels being ‘added’ – more than 50!

I haven’t cared about broadcast television in a while. I was all excited in the 80’s, because we got a 15 foot C-Band satellite dish – and tons of stuff was free at that time. As the 90’s encroached, they started encrypting almost everything up on the satellites. Now I have a big white elephant up on my roof.

Cut to Spring, 2008 – all of the analogue broadcast TV is going to be shut off next February. If your TV does not have a digital tuner, you must buy one of the converter boxes to make your pre-digital TV work…at all.

It’s very cool having access to about a dozen PBS stations! But the channel that caught my eye is “Bohemian Visual Music” on KDOC-DT 56.3 http://www.bvmtv.com/jpeg/schedule.jpg

Looks like I now have access to a 24-hour a day free music video channel! Imagine my surprise when I saw “Brain Follies” on their schedule – made by friends-of-friends up in Portland, OR. But mostly they show plain old music videos – so far, I’ve seen some hip-hop and some ‘metal’…today, I’m air-checking it for the 8 hours that I am at work – just to see what crops up.

I have a long history with music video channels. I remember my brother climbing up the telephone pole behind our house to ‘bootleg’ cable TV – just to get MTV – when it used to show music videos all day. Next was MuchMusic, up on the Anik D6 (Canadian) satellite. Then, for a short time, VH-1 was up on the satellite for free. The jewel in the crown was Musique Plus, the Quebecois French-language music video channel. But all of these services pale in comparison with “Rage”, the Australian music video show – absolutely without question the world’s #1 music video show. A friend in Sydney sends them up to me on DVD-R’s.

I’ve never thought much about over-the-air (free) music video shows. BVM might be airing on KDOC (the Pat Boone-owned Orange County conservative TV station), but I doubt they even audition it’s content – Brain Follies!!!

So, for the first time in yonks – my regular TV is interesting to me. Oh, no matter that I now want a digital TV, and a new digital tuner DVD recorder.

Do you get a lot of free digital TV channels where you live? What do you think?

Playlist

DJAVAN – Minha Irma

ZAPPA, FRANK – Wild Love

L’AFFAIRE LOUIS’ TRIO – Le Palais Ideal

ASTRAL BODIES – Who Cares?

BATTISTI, LUCIO – L’Interprete di un Film

WHITLAMS – Where Is She?

MONOCHROME SET – Ruling Class, The

CAN – Come Sta, La Luna

DIETHELM BAND, THOMAS – Penguin In Love

LEMAIRE, JO – Comme Une Etoile

CREEPS – Up The Top

BLAM BLAM BLAM – We’re Learning To Like Ourselves Again

MELON – Time Enough For Love

TRIO ESPERANCA – Aquarela do Brasil

SILVER, HORACE – Kathy

HARDY, FRANCOISE – Mode D’Emploi?

GOLDEN EARRING – Paradise In Distress

GRANADA – Noches Oscuras, Ocas Contentas

POHJOLA, PEKKA – Ja Nakee Unta

Peter Blegvad

5-22-08 Peter Blegvad

CD DOWNTIME RECOMMENDED ReR PBCD

1989 16 TRKS 5 x bonus tracks

LP DOWNTIME RECOMMENDED ReR 34

1988 11 TRKS original UK issue

CD HANGMAN'S HILL RECOMMENDED ReR PB3

1999 13 TRKS CD-only release?

7" HOW BEAUTIFUL YOU ARE / VERMONT VIRGIN UK VS 655

1983 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

CD JUST WOKE UP EAST SIDE DI ESD 80942

1995 15 TRKS CD-only release?

7" KAREN / LONELY TOO VIRGIN NL 105.842

1983 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

CD KEW RHONE (with John Greaves) VIRGIN UK CDV 2082

1977 11 TRKS

LP KEW RHONE (with John Greaves) VIRGIN JPN VIP-4098

1976 11 TRKS insert ('81 issue)

CD KING STRUT & OTHER STORIES SILVERTONE UK ORECD 511

1990 12 TRKS

LP KING STRUT & OTHER STORIES SILVERTONE UK ORELP 511

1990 12 TRKS original UK issue

7" KING STRUT / SHIRT AND COMB SOL US SOL 233

1992 2 TRKS no pic sleeve, RED VINYL

CD KNIGHTS LIKE THIS VIRGIN UK CDV 2352

1985 10 TRKS

LP KNIGHTS LIKE THIS VIRGIN UK V 2352

1985 10 TRKS U.K. pressing

CD5 MEANTIME promo SILVERTONE UK OREDJCD 23

1990 3 TRK CD Single CD5

CD NAKED SHAKESPEARE VIRGIN UK CDV 2284

1983 13 TRKS 1 x bonus track

LP NAKED SHAKESPEARE VIRGIN UK V 2284

1983 12 TRKS U.K. pressing

CD ORPHEUS - THE LOWDOWN (w/ Andy Partridge) APE HOUSE APECD 005

2003 12 TRKS with book

CD PETER WHO? PETER BLEGVAD promo SILVERTONE UK OREPB 1

1990 1 TRK promo-only interview CD

7" PRETTY U & UGLY I / MAJOR MINOR VIRGIN UK VS 753

1985 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

12" SPECIAL DELIVERY VIRGIN UK VS 798-12

1985 3 TRKS with pic sleeve

7" SPECIAL DELIVERY / MEET THE RAIN VIRGIN UK VS 798

1985 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

CD UNEARTHED (with John Greaves) SUB ROSA SR 75

1995 11 TRKS CD-only release?

To alleviate all the heaviness of this week (Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep etc.) today I want to give a shout out to Peter Blegvad. Let’s not forget the masterful album by The Lodge “Smell Of A Friend” or all of those fine Slapp Happy albums that he’s on! I also have his book of “Leviathan” cartoons – most excellent! I saw him live once at McCabe’s in Santa Monica, CA. My first exposure to PB? It’s him singing somewhere towards the end of Side 2 of “The Faust Tapes” by Faust. That’s gotta be it.

So, Peter Blegvad! Friend or foe? Peel's foe not a set animal laminates a tone of sleep…the world’s longest and funniest palindrome? Robert Wyatt sings it nicely on John Greaves’ “Songs” 1995 CD. It’s written by Peter Blegvad (on “Kew Rhone”).

Uriah Heep

5-21-08 Uriah Heep

After discussing Black Sabbath yesterday, I thought I would write about Uriah Heep today…

LP DEMONS AND WIZARDS MERCURY US SRM-1-630

1972 8 TRKS U.S. pressing

CD LANSDOWNE TAPES, THE VICEROY US VIN 6015.2

1994 14 TRKS (60's recordings)

LP MAGICIAN'S BIRTHDAY, THE MERCURY US SRM-1-652

1972 8 TRKS insert

LP SALISBURY MERCURY US SR 61319

1970 6 TRKS US version

LP SALISBURY VERTIGO FR 6360 028

1970 6 TRKS UK version

LP VERY 'EAVY...VERY 'UMBLE VERTIGO UK 6360 006

1970 8 TRKS UK original issue

CD VERY 'EAVY...VERY 'UMBLE kami JVC JPN VICP-61828

1970 11 TRKS ('02 issue) kami sleeve (3 x bonus tracks)

7" WAKE UP (SET YOUR SIGHTS) (Mono) / (Stereo) promo MERCURY US DJ-294

1970 2 TRKS no pic sleeve, promo

No, I’m not a huge fan – but I encountered them at roughly the time that their debut LP came out. I likely heard them towards the end of 1970 – and the UK cover of “Very ‘eavy…Very ‘umble” really impressed me. If Black Sabbath were merely singing about devil worship etc. – then Uriah Heep had a photo of a dead guy on the cover of their record! Who was that, anyway? Any Heep-Heads know?

13 years old is a tad young to be a label snob – but I was trying my best to hear all of the records on the British Vertigo label, circa ’70 – ’72. I really liked May Blitz and Black Sabbath – so, naturally I asked about the first Uriah Heep LP as soon as I saw it in the hippie record store. As I recall, they were happy to play it to me – a direct hit! Gypsy!

Many moons later, I got the illuminating “Lansdowne Tapes” CD – to hear the ‘progression’ from Spice to Heep – great liner notes, too!

Odd, but the next time I heard anything about Uriah Heep, they were already being regarded as ‘figures of fun’ – a band to be made fun of. Tales and drugs and death, unnecessary heaviness – and assorted Spinal Tap-like antics.

Of course, the debut Heep LP is straight-forward hard rock of 1970 – not bad at all. They changed the cover and track listing for the US release, so I’m not surprised at all that it took a lot longer for the US market to awake to them.

I couldn’t resist getting a little paper album cover (kami sleeve) CD of the debut in Japan – it has some nice bonus tracks. Is that Elton John’s Nigel Olsson on drums? I think it is.

So, Uriah Heep = guilty pleasure?