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Watching Luciano Pavarotti blasting the roof off the best joints in the world. He's hanging on to the piano, shaking his head...then wham...he drills 'em with the most powerful, unamplified voice I ever heard. He's giving 'em the full treatment. Then he pulls out his handkerchief, wipes off his forehead, smiles, waves to everybody, shakes the piano player's hand, and saunters away. The guy was something special. Here he is with Stevie Wonder, Joe Cocker, Ricky Martin...I heard Caruso sing on records when I was a kid, I can't say Luke was better...but he was just as good...the best to come along since Caruso would be a good way to say it. He's knocking 'em out cold, man....awesome singer...Cheers, WC1

Old Billy Joel concert on PBS tonight. 1978 British concert debut.

I watch Lawrence Welk on PBS every Saturday at 5...today they had an old black and white kinescope of an early Welk show. He featured a full 10 minues of the Mills Brothers and they were fantastic. The show was probably in the mid-to-late 50s with mono sound, but the Mills Brothers did "It Hurts Me More Than It Hurts You" and "Paper Doll"...they got the biggest ovation for those 2 songs that I ever heard on that show for any performer. The show was corny and at times silly, but behind the scenes, Welk had a standard that was on a par with the likes of John Philip Sousa and George M. Cohan. You had to be one of the best in your field to be able to play in his band. His invitation to the Mills Brothers was a bold breakthrough in those days, but their superb musicianship was undeniably more than worthy of a spot in his show. Lawrence Welk became an American cornbread cultural institution by the time his show ended, but he always came across to me as a pure musical genius. I sat with my family and watched every one of his Sunday afternoon shows back in the day, and I have about a dozen of his albums that my Grandma Benita had...this show stood out, The Mills Brothers were a huge hit on that show. Cheers, WC1

I love the Mills Bros. "Let the Rock n Roll satisfy your soul..." bp

I'd head them sing on the radio before but I never SAW them...I had no idea they were so animated, fun-loving, articulate and always smiling...it was like they were having an excited conversation with each other but they were singing it...they were wonderful!

Great Leonard Cohen special on CBC TV right now.