JB's Music

This blog is not active, I do have another site

2011-05-28T09:06:00.000-07:00

I'd like to thank everyone that continues to read this blog, but as you can see by the date of the last entry, it is not active and hasn't been for three years. You can visit by world wide web home by heading to ThisIsBooksMusic.com, which is updated on a regular basis (there are times when I may not post a new item for a day or two). I'm very active on Twitter, you can find me by checking me out two ways:

@ThisIsJohnBook
@RecordCrack

@ThisIsJohnBook covers a bit of anything and everything, a lot of music-related topics along with whatever goes on in my mind (which may or may not be a good thing. Lots of posts at any given time, be aware of this. || @RecordCrack is strictly for vinyl junkies, low traffic but high traffic always welcome. If you love all that is 33, 45, and 78 (and you occasionaly 16 2/3 junkies), please cater to your vinyl addiction via @RecordCrack. Thank you.

Book's Music podcast #72

2008-06-16T00:30:00.000-07:00

For those of you who haven't listened in awhile (or at all), I have a music podcast at PodOMatic.com called Book's Music. You can stream and listen or download it to your digital player of choice. Good music all around from the vaults of me.

Digging In The Magazine Box: The Cure

2008-06-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

An ad for a 1984 Cure show in Seattle.

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Digging In The Magazine Box: UB40

2008-06-15T14:20:00.000-07:00

Unemployed? No problem, go check out the UB40 show. Because you know, a "UB40" in England means... eh, you know the deal. An ad for a UB40 show in Seattle, circa 1984.

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Digging In The Magazine Box: Ted Nugent

2008-06-14T01:07:00.000-07:00

Say what you want, but The Nuge is The Nuge, and will be that way until death. Here he is, an ad for a show where I'm sure he played like there was no tomorrow. Nothing mellow here.

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Digging In The Magazine Box: The Hooters mini-LP review

2008-06-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

I wasn't a diehard fan of these guys, so I'm not sure why I saved this record review from Record magazine. I liked a few songs by The Hooters but other than that, that's it. It's a review of a record they did before they moved on to a major.

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Digging In The Magazine Box: Green Monkey Records

2008-06-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

There was a time when C/Z, eMpTy, and Sub Pop did not exist. One of the great labels of Seattle in the early to mid-80's was Green Monkey, a place where you could order a catalog and spend money on some good music. Here's a blurb from The Rocket about a 4-hour radio show organized by the label's Tom Dyer and some young kid named Jonathan Poneman.

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Digging In The Magazine Box: Quiet Riot

2008-06-11T08:03:00.000-07:00

First off, Happy Kamehameha Day to my fellow kama'aina.

Yes friends, there was a time when Quiet Riot could fill up a place like the Seattle Center Coliseum. In truth, they were one of the biggest bands in heavy metal once upon a time, and like many bands who were at the time, they've received a bit of bad rep for simply working.

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Digging In The Magazine Box: Eurythmics

2008-06-10T07:44:00.000-07:00

Circa 1985.

Digging In The Magazine Box: Bryan Adams

2008-06-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

I saw Bryan Adams when he and his band opened up for The Police in Honolulu at the Aloha Stadium. Good show. Here's a show that may have been just as good, circa 1985.

Thrift Store Archives: Inside Track Rerecording (78 rpm): Side 1

2008-06-08T10:52:00.000-07:00

I have not visited thrift stores in quite awhile and I'm sure someone is assuming "damn John, if you're not going to thrift stores you must be broke". Well, it's not so much that I am or am not broke, but gas is high, I don't have a bike to ride around but it's getting to that. Conservation more than "buy records in semi-moderation". But soon, I'll be heading out to a few stores again.

In the meantime, I pulled this record out of the "archives". It's an old 12" 78rpm record that someone made for themselves, similar to Recordios. In this case it was one made on RCA's "Instantaneous Recording Machine", where you would place the record on the record player, turn it on, and it would record you or whatever you were feeding into the microphone. You had one chance and one chance only, and of course these records were one-of-a-kind items. The best ones are those that are personal letters to family members or friends, or where a group of friends decided to go into their basement, have a few drinks, and sing.

Sometimes it was nothing more than someone making a "safety" record of another record, not unlike someone burning a copy of a CD to play in the car (so that the original wasn't ruined). I believe this is the case here, a record with handwriting which says Inside Track Rerecording August 14, 1945 and in red pencil the initials T.V. - ATOMIC BOMB. I decided to create MP3's for the two tracks on side 1. The first one is a song playing straight through, the second song goes almost to the end before it is interrupted by a radio broadcast about the bomb and the threat of Japan. By looking at the thickness of the grooves, it seems there was room at the end to put more content, so you can hear the music and the radio broadcast slightly mixing in, possibly due to the grooves mixing in with each other. It's unusual to hear a jazzy melody play and then lead to a discussion about how the powers that be are playing with the elements of the universe to cause destruction.

With a 78 there will be a lot of pops and crackle, so there was a good amount of editing involved. No noise reduction was used, I prefer to hear surface noise than to have something sound super clean, resulting in taking away elements of the recording itself. Outside of fixing one or two skips, the MP3's represent the recording of both tracks "as is".

If anyone knows what these songs are, or the source of the radio (or perhaps television) broadcast, please send an e-mail.

Side 1 - Track 1 (320kbps)
Side 1 - Track 2 (320kbps)

Digging In The Magazine Box: Siouxsie & The Banshees

2008-06-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

Siouxsie Sioux hits Seattle, circa 1985

Digging In The Magazine Box: Frank Zappa

2008-06-07T00:22:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe this man was once of this Earth. Maybe he's jamming with Sun Ra and laughing at the continued stupidity of his former planet.

A few songs from this performance were used on You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 3.

Digging In The Magazine Box: Echo & The Bunnymen

2008-06-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Spare us the cutter, dude. This is an ad for a Seattle appearance from Echo & The Bunnymen, with The Church opening, circa 1985.

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Digging In The Magazine Box: Herbie Hancock Album Ad (1984)

2008-06-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

Sound System was the album Herbie Hancock made after his highly successful Future Shock LP. This is his "how ya like me now?" look.

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Digging In The Magazine Box: Run-DMC

2008-06-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

An article from Record magazine:

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Digging In The Magazine Box: Dio/Whitesnake

2008-06-03T00:35:00.000-07:00

Dio. Whitesnake. In terms of hard rock and heavy metal, you couldn't get any better than this. Yeah. Circa 1984.

Digging In The Magazine Box: Seattle Headbanger's Ball!!!

2008-06-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

YES!!! Being a fan of hard rock and METAL, this was the kind of show I always wanted to go!!! TKO were the pride of Seattle's metal scene, which is why they got the top bill!!! Little did they know that the band below them, Metal Church, would move on to becoming much more than just local "demo tape legends"!!! I didn't attend this, but I did get a chance to see Metal Church when they opened up for Anthrax at the Tacoma Dome!!! Not the main Tacoma Dome floor, but one of those siderooms, where I was able to witness the metal strength of one Jeff Gilbert, who was talking with some friends!!! Not sure of what happened to Shadow, though!!!

Taken from The Rocket!!!

(Click thumbnail to see ad in full!!!)

Digging In The Magazine Box: Steve Lawson Productions

2008-06-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Ads like this sold me to what it could have been like to not only be an artist with all of the great machinery and buttons, but perhaps to become a producer or recording engineer. This, among other things, brought this fat boy joy. $50 an hour for top-notch studio time? When home recording was a distant dream and reality, this was the way to go.

Seattle residents will now know this recording studio as Bad Animals.

Digging In The Magazine Box: Otari MTR multi-track tape machine

2008-05-31T13:21:00.000-07:00

There was a time when recording innovation meant not doing a Google and Rapidshare search for plug-ins and w@rez. Even though 4-track home recording was available in the mid-80's, going into a professional recording studio was something most musicians wanted to do. Those who could afford it bought a machine like this for their home/basement studio. Most recording in the 21st century is done in digital, but some say that analog recording still offers the best results. It's safe to say that you will not see ads like this one in magazines anymore, but analog junkies look at machines like this with pride. Taken from The Rocket.

Digging In The Magazine Box: Seattle Helps The Hungry

2008-05-30T07:51:00.000-07:00

There was a time in our history when efforts like this weren't considered corny or an opportunity to boost someone's failing career. This is a brief article showing the making of "Give Just A Little", Seattle's answer to the Band Aid/USA For Africa relief effort. Most of you will no doubt remember the songs "Do They Know It's Christmas" and "We Are The World", but what some may not know (or remember) was that it moved many local and regional music scenes to create their own benefit record to help raise money for food relief in Ethiopia and other African countries. The We Are The World compilation album on Columbia featured Canada's contribution, and there was also Hawai'i For Africa's "The Way Of Love".

When I bought my copy of the Seattle Helps The Hungry 45 at the U-District Tower in Seattle, I clearly remember a number of other benefit 45's, including one from Los Angeles featuring a number of Mexican singers and entertainers, and I want to say that Cheech Marin was on it. I don't have an MP3 of the song with me, but the song was very much in the vein of "We Are The World" in that each singer contributed a line or two and it lead to a chorus by everyone in the group. In this case, there were two versions because of the amount of singers who wanted to help out.

The record also represents what the Seattle music scene was circa 1985, and yet this doesn't even begin to truly represent the diversity Seattle's scene had to offer. Had this record been released five years later, the lineup would have been very different. No Kurdt Vanderhoof here, but you did have Uncle Bansai, Jr. Cadillac, Mondo Vita, and (yes) Rail, all of whom were staples of Seattle's live scene in the early to mid-80's. Even Cindi Reinhart was on the record.

The following scan is taken from The Rocket.

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Digging In The Magazine Box: Paul Hardcastle cassingle

2008-05-29T16:09:00.000-07:00

There was a time in our history when people used to complain about formats. Vinyl vs. compact disc, 8-tracks vs. reel-to-reel, mini-disc... eh, I don't think too many people debated the merits of an MD (I may be wrong).

There was a time in our history, not so long ago, when record companies wanted to let people know about the great format known as the cassingle. For you new kids, the word "cassingle" is a combination of the words "cassette" and "single", so you would have the contents of a single (for you new kids, that was a 7 inch 45 rpm record, generally with a large center hole that you played on a phonograph/record player/turntable) on a tape. To be honest, before the official format surfaced, I actually made drawings and discographies of songs I would not mind seeing on a new format I created called the "cassingle". At the age of 10 I had no concept of trademarks or patents, otherwise I might have scored big time. When the "cassingle" did surface, I constantly said to myself "I made that".

Some of the first cassingles I saw were titles on IRS Record and one by Devo. But here, in a clipping from Billboard magazine, Chrysalis Records were ready to spread awareness of this new "cassingle" with a song by Paul Hardcastle.

Yes, I did buy this cassingle, and I think I still have it somewhere.

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Digging In The Magazine Box: Vitamix-1984 (cassette review)

2008-05-28T17:02:00.000-07:00

Awhile back I transcribed an article about hip-hop from the Pacific Northwest circa 1985, featuring Sir Mix-A-Lot and Vitamix. The former would gain attention outside of the area, while Vitamix's glory remained more low-key.

When I moved from Hawai'i in 1984, Vitamix was one of the first names I became familiar with as a representative of rap music in this new place I called home. One could keep track of his tapes and shows by reading The Rocket but unfortunately I never got a chance to hear any of his work.

This is a review that I've kept all of these years, from The Rocket circa 1984 for his 1984 release.

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An update

2008-05-27T18:13:00.000-07:00

First off, for those of you who may have had this web page bookmarked and are wondering where are the updates, I'm sorry. I haven't done any thrifting since my last entry, and of course since then gas prices have gone up big time. I know, "a true vinyl junkie doesn't fear rising gas", but as before I go through droughts and eventually come back. I will be thrifting again very soon.

If this is one stop of many trips you make to read my work, then you know that I haven't been dormant. I remain active on the writing front, so for those who don't know about my other writings, here's a list of where you can go to check out my latest efforts:

The Run-Off Groove (column)
Originating at Music For America, that website shut down which made my column homeless. Rather than wait around, I have moved it to a temporary home and you can read it there, literally next door from this place. Some of the news items and videos I've placed in JB's Music has become a part of my column. I have a new column every week "around" Tuesday, so please bookmark it.

Book's Music (podcast)
This is my podcast, a/k/a my digital broadcast, an hour's worth of music from various sources. New, old, classic, stuff I've found while thrifting, it would be great to be able to expand this to something better. Satellite radio, I know you're waiting for me. Until then, my podcasts are free.

Crut's MySpace page
Crut is of course me and my output as an artist. You can listen to old and new music, be updated on the taking-forever-to-complete new album, and occasional foolishness in the bulletins page.

FudgeFM
A brand new website that will make its grand opening very soon, I blog there along with many other gifted writers, artists, producers, and contributors, become a part of the community you've been longing for.

Okayplayer Reviews
This is the music and DVD reviews section at Okayplayer, the official home page for the hip-hop band The Roots. I've been a member of their writing staff for a little over two years and had been an active member in their forum for about nine, but if you like my column, you'll like the work I've done here, along with reviews from the rest of the OKP writing staff.

For something away from my music:

Book's Foodie (food blog)
Yeah, it's another food blog but it's MY food blog. Updated whenever I can.

I will be starting a few other blogs very soon, so stay tuned for updates. I'll also be updating JB's Music with some old clippings that for whatever reason I saved. Now it's my time to share.

Select audio from my recent Hermiston trip

2007-11-07T15:16:00.000-08:00

As promised, here are some sound files of some of the records I bought from my last entry:

Elmer Bernstein - Poi And Juice (2.83mb)
From the Staccato soundtrack, nice jazz here. "Poi And Juice"? I don't get it either.

Biddu & The Orchestra - Girl You'll Be A Woman Soon (4.87mb)
Biddu offering Indian good vibes to disco. Good? You be the judge.

The Brass Explosion Orchestra - Oh Girl (2.54mb)
This one is nice, actually.

Bill Doggett - Soft (3.33mb)
Not as heavy as Jimmy Smith, but some niec and pleasant B-3 goodness here.

Jackie Gleason - Yesterday (4.29mb)
Was Jackie Gleason one of the first TV stars to "loan" his name to countless albums, even if he really didn't have anything to do with them? This one is from an album offering "new" sounds to the "now sound". In this case, it's adding a sitar and tabla to The Beatles' "Yesterday", which Paul wouldn't have done. This is one of 3000+ versions of "Yesterday", collect them all.

Henry Mancini - What's Happening!! Theme (2.89mb)
A harmonica solo? Is this supposed to give the song a "down home" feel, or did they just have a guy in the studio who was waiting for his ride home? It still works.

Joe Pass - Nowhere Man (3.59mb)
Light-hearted Beatles cover from the World Pacific vaults. I like how Pass adds a few extra touches in his solo, as if to say "these Beatles guys STILL have nothing."

Howard Roberts - Cantaloupe Island (4.61mb)
Produced by the one and only David Axelrod, Howard Roberts' Spinning Wheel album produces a great performance of a Herbie Hancock hit, and the band allow themselves to look outward.

Thrift Store Adventures: October 26, 2007: Hermiston, Oregon

2007-10-26T22:41:00.000-07:00

I visited Hermiston, Oregon, which is a short drive from here. One thrift store, and that's it. I come into Hermiston a few times a year and sometimes the selection is embarrassing. Lots of gospel records that I have no time for, and pop that I wouldn't want to hear.

I went in this particular morning and saw only one album, a still sealed gospel record from Eugene, Oregon. I would have been happy with that. I then started to see some familiar names. One jazz album. Then two, maybe three. I looked at the other section and as a collector, you can determine if a record is good or not just by looking at the upper edge. I saw a lot of Capitol albums, but I kept on looking and had 20 albums in my pile. This would be my limit, but I only went through one of three rows of records. I eventually lost count and I would pay for the damages later.

The damage:

Badfinger-s/t (Warner Bros.; 1974)
The Believers-Get All Excited...Because He Lives! (Doxa; 1974)
Louie Bellson-Side Track (Concord Jazz; 1981)
Elmer Bernstein-Staccato (soundtrack) (Capitol)
Biddu & The Orchestra-Eastern Man (Epic; 1977)
The Brass Explosion Orchestra and Chorus-Nineteen Seventy Two's Greatest Hits (Longines Symphonette Society: 1973)
The Dave Brubeck Quartet-Time Out (Columbia)
Donald Byrd-Takin' Care Of Business (TCB)
Jackie Cain & Roy Kral-A Wilder Alias (CTI; 1974)
The Serge Chaloff Sextet-Boston Blow-Up! (Capitol; 1955)
Ray Charles-A Portrait Of Ray (ABC/Tangerine)
Jackie Davis-Jumpin' Jackie (Capitol)
Jackie Davis-Big Beat Hammond (Capitol)
Bill Doggett-Soft (King)
Jackie Gleason-The Now Sound...For Today's Lovers (Capitol)
Groove Holmes-Hunk-A-Funk (Groove Merchant; 1975)
Jonah Jones/Glen Gray-s/t (Capitol)
Henry Mancini-Mancini's Angels (RCA; 1977)
Herbie Mann-Memphis Underground (Atlantic, 1969)
Shelly Manne & His Men-Checkmate (Contemporary; wrong LP)
Jimmy McGriff-Soul Organ (Quintessence Jazz Series/Pickwick; 1978)
Wes Montgomery-Goin' Out Of My Head (Verve; 1966)
Tony Mottola-Roma Oggi (Project 3; 1968)
Red Nichols-Hot Pennies (Capitol)
Red Norvo-VIbe-Rations (Liberty; 1956)
Johnny Oahu & His Orchestra-Hawaiian Magic (International Award Series)
Chico O'Farrill & His Orchestra-Torrid Zone (Columbia)
Joe Pass-A Sign Of The Times (World Pacific)
Passport-Cross-Collateral (Atco; 1975)
Bud Powell-s/t (Quintessence Jazz Series/Pickwick; 1979)
Nelson Riddle-Cole Porter's Can-Can (soundtrack) (Capitol)
The Howard Roberts Quartet-Whatever's Fair! (Capitol)
Howard Roberts-Spinning Wheel (Capitol)
David Shire-The Promise (soundtrack) (MCA; 1978)
Jimmy Smith-Off The Top (Elektra Musician; 1982)
Gabor Szabo & The California Dreamers-Wind Sky and Diamonds (Impulse; 1968)
Jack Teagarden-Shades Of Night (Capitol)
Richard Tee-Strokin' (Tappan Zee/Columbia; 1979)
Johnny Ukulele-s/t (Capitol)
Earl Hines//Teddy Wilson/Clark Terry Quintet-Europa Jazz (Europa Jazz; 1982)
Various Artists-Great Songs Of Bacharach & David (Quadraphonic) (Capitol Special Markets; 1972)
Various Artists-!Wild! Stereo Drums (Capitol)

At one dollar each, I made it out by only spending $42, w/o tax (since Oregon is tax free). I did find a country/rock 45 on the Hot Poop label, created by the great Walla Walla record store of the same name, so in total I spent $42.25.

I had a chance to listen to most of the albums, and for the most part they sound great. Two of the albums (Badfinger and Bill Doggett) had slight warps. I can do without the Badfinger, the Doggett album (featuring some decent Hammond B-3 jazz fare ) isn't too bad so I'll find a way to unwarp it and make it a keeper.

I'll have some MP3 samples very soon.

Thrift Store Adventures: October 17, 2006, Kennewick, Washington

2007-10-17T23:03:00.000-07:00

Today's trip? The Goodwill in Kennewick. This is the same Goodwill that had a Ruben Studdard CD in the racks. I didn't expect to find anything, but did take home one album.

The Music Of Saint Catherines Church (Kapa'a, Kauai, Hawai'i)-Hawaiian Madonna (Coco Palms LPS-1279)
I was more surprised to see an album named Hawaiian Madonna here, and that's why I bought it. It's a church record, an on-the-spot location recording of people singing various songs. The one song I liked was "What Aloha Means", and what struck me was not just the sentiment of the Hawaiian people and our spirit for life, but the vocal harmonies, particularly the male voice that you hear in front of everyone else's. Is this the Larry Rivera credited on the cover? Why I like it so much is that his melody sounds a lot like how my grandfather used to sing when he did harmonies. Anytime he would come over for parties and it was time for kanikapila, he would bust out his 'ukulele or simple sing. I could never understand how he did it, and in his final years when he was still healthy enough to sing, the harmonies were still strong. It's very "old style" Hawai'i, something you don't hear too much of unless you know where to go.

Saint Catherine's Church Choir, Kapa'a, Kaua'i, Hawai'i - What Aloha Means (1mb)

Thrift Store Adventures: October 11, 2007, Pasco, Washington

2007-10-11T22:28:00.000-07:00

You read that right, Thrift Store Adventures. The withdrawals are over!

Just a quick list as I haven't listened to all of them in full.:

Fania All-Stars-Spanish Fever (Columbia JC 35336)
This was almost a let down, as the first side is disco-ized Fania. Nothing against disco, because there's a lot of disco that's good, but upon first listen I wasn't impressed. For the goods you have to flip it to Side 2. Sexy ladies on the front and back cover. Silver pants and no panty line: BOO-YAA!

Fania All-Stars - Te Pareces A Juda (4.82mb)

Freddie Hubbard-Bundle Of Joy (Columbia KC 34902)
Like the Fania album, this Hubbard LP was a white label promo. Old radio station stock? Record store stash? Don't know, but I bought it blindly. The album came out in 1977, and in his case it wasn't about disco (*phew*) but the quiet storm. Lush productions and arrangements. Surprise surprise, a smoothed out jazz album WITHOUT Bob James. A miracle.

Freddie Hubbard - Rainy Day Song (5.4mb)

Harvey Mandel-Cristo Redentor (Philips PHS 600-281)
I about freaked when I saw this album. I had seen Mandel's name many times on other albums, and didn't know he had albums of his own (never looked to find out). The album cover is very psychedelic, and true to Mandel's work, it's heavy on the blues. Yes, it's also blues on the heavy.

The album features such friends as Steve Miller, Pete Drake, Charlie Musselwhite, Graham Bond, Nick De Caro, and many more. This is one that I think I'll enjoy a lot.

Harvey Mandel (featuring Charlie Musselwhite) - The Lark (6.29mb)

Silver Burdett-Music (Grades 7 and 8) (sample) (Silver Burdett P 16412)
Silver Burdett-Music: Centennial Edition (sample recording/Grades K-6) (Silver Burdett P 17925)
Silver Burdett-Music: Centennial Edition (sample recording/Grades 6-8) (Silver Burdett P 17926)
Silver Burdett were a company that produced a wide range of records for educational purposes. I became aware of them a few years ago when I was at a local school auction and won a literal heap of audio and visual goodies, including a number of 7" EP's produced by Silver Burdett. Eventually I found another album with some interesting sounds. Yet again, one thrift store had a full educational kit, where an album, instructional papers, and a guide were enclosed in a plastic suitcase, not unlike the infamous CTI promotional suitcase made infamous by Biz Markie.

So what are on these records? Various excerpts of a wide range of music, which help teach young students about what to look for in music, what makes them interesting, and how to make music themselves. One of the albums I picked up is still sealed, I may open it and then again I might now.

Most of it is classical in nature or features vocal choirs, but as someone who always looks for interesting sounds, I'm willing to take chances. I've already found a sample worth using. Stay tuned.

The Silver Sound - Introduction To Silver Burdett Music (8.99mb)
The Merrill Staton Voices - Music Makes My Day Seem Right (3.18mb)

Thrift Store Archives: Animated Egg/Jiminy Cricket/Leo Teel & His Teel Billies

2007-10-02T13:12:00.000-07:00

First off, I'm sure a few of you are saying "okay, you promised to upload one new song a day throughout September, and you failed to do so." Okay, I missed a day, so for today you have THREE, count 'em, 'EKOLU songs for you to download and listen to. I will continue with more music, and I'll update them on a regular basis.

Also, there will be brand new Thrift Store Adventures coming up very soon, so please stay tuned for more stories and audio along with it. Let's begin:

Animated Egg-I Said, She Said, Ah Cid (2.97mb)
Far out, dude. I became a fan of the 101 Strings when I read an article about them in a great fanzine from the early 90's called Breakfast Without Meat, written by Gregg Turkington. In it he spoke of always being able to find 101 Strings albums at thrift stores, yard and garage sales. I too had seem them but ignored them because it wasn't what I would listen to on a regular basis, with album upon album upon album of classical schmaltz. Turkington would not only buy the junk, but also discover some of the oddities of the 101 Strings catalog. By association, he would also purchase some of the albums on the same labels (Somerset and Alshire) and discovered something. In time, the 101 Strings would move from releasing classical records and recording "adult" cover versions of pop songs to doing weird, trippy hippie stuff, especially in the late 70's. How does a full orchestra end up doing songs about peace, love, and weed? Well, they didn't.

Enter the Animated Egg. The name itself seems fitting in the era of "Incense And Peppermints", and this band released an album of far-out instrumentals for grooving and loving. "I Said, She Said, Ah Cid" may sound Beatlesque but the truth is the title refers to acid. WOW, FAR OUT!!! To be honest, the album is not bad, probably from a bunch of unknown studio musicians in L.A., although knowing how session musicians worked back then, maybe they were well known after all.

The story would have stopped there if it wasn't for the fact that the album would be repackaged, renamed, and resold as a 101 Strings record, the infamous Astro Sounds From Beyond The Year 2000. While the 101 Strings were far from being "holy grail" material, that album would become the hardest 101 Strings record to find. Meanwhile, the Animated Egg album collected dust in bins across the nation, without anyone realizing both albums were one and the same. Blame it on Al Sherman, the man behind Alshire Records and the guy who actually purchased the rights to the 101 Strings name and recordings.

As for the previously mentioned Turkington, he made a 45 under the name The Easy Goings and would press up the 45's at Alshire, the same company responsible for, that's right, Animated Egg. Far out.

Jiminy Cricket - The Cannibal Song (3.51mb)
When I found this record, someone e-mailed me and said "you have to upload The Cannibal Song, I haven't heard that since I was a kid." Here it is, a Disney character talking about eating people. Nice.

Leo Teel And His Teel Billies - Fertilizer (3.27mb)
This record and I go way back, as it was a record I had found at a pawn shop when I would skip class in high school. I was fed up with school and would spend hours looking for records. To this day, my mom has not seen my report carts from my senior year. I was stubborn, basically.

This was a random 45 on Decca that I had found, and I probably bought it because I thought the name "Leo Teel & His Teel Billies" was funny. I was also in radio/TV production class at the time (the one class I did go to daily), and that involved being a radio DJ heard around town. While the format of the station was (at the time) heavy metal, the only time I could play anything else was during April Fool's. I played it, and some of my friends came up to me and said "what was that record, that was great?" Years later when I was a news producer, a lady who worked with me said she remembered me from my radio show and also remembered "Fertilizer". She asked if I still had the record, and of course I certainly did.

A few years ago I received an e-mail from one Leo Teel, who said he was proud to know that someone still remembered him. He said he wanted to do an interview, and when I told him I'd be more than happy to, I never heard from him again. So Mr. Teel, if you are still around and this webpage somehow gets to you, please e-mail me as I am very interested in speaking with you about this record.

Thrift Store Archives: Trinidad Cavaliers

2007-09-29T08:38:00.000-07:00

Trinidad Cavaliers-Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In (3.63mb)
Go thrifting enough times and you are bound to find a wealth of records created by steel drum bands from Trinidad, enough to where it moved someone to write a book about those albums. The Trinidad Cavaliers were one of those bands, and for hip-hop fiends and sample addicts they will know the Cavaliers as the source of the steel drum samples in the Beastie Boys' "Body Movin'" (the song in question being a cover of Tito Puente's "Oye Como Va", at the time a hit by Santana).

This one was from a different album, which featured a cover of the 5th Dimension's big hit "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In", complete with a tight transition from the first half of the song to the other.

Thrift Store Archives: Slim Goodbody

2007-09-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

Slim Goodbody-Your Mouth Is A House (2mb)
Interesting artifact from my childhood, not so much this record (which I didn't find until seven years ago). For the younger people, Slim Goodbody was a physically fit man who dressed up in a nylon-type suit so it looked like you could see the inside of his body. The point was that you, the kid, would be able to see how you look from the inside, and that being physically fit will help keep your body strong. It seemed a bit scary, if not outright goofy, but for awhile the concept worked, and Mr. Goodbody would travel across the nation to elementary schools telling kids about how to have better eating and exercising habits. According to his website, John Burstein started the Slim Goodbody character in 1975, at a time when physical fitness was not in vogue, so in many ways he paved the way for the fitness craze that would come in the 80's, one that remains to this day.

It always seemed odd to me that Slim Goodbody found himself on the box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, where if you bought a few boxes, you could turn in the proofs of purchase + a few dollars and get a free record album. Yes my friend, that's the reason I'm talking about him here. Goodbody had actually come out with a record before, with songs aimed at kids about keeping your body in tune. This one for Kraft was done with a number of puppet characters, with him doing the voices for some of them. I believe there may have been a TV special. Anyway, the Kraft album had a lot of interesting songs, but the one I liked the most was called "Your Mouth Is House". As an adult you might be having some nasty thoughts about that one, but this is not one of those songs. It's about maintaining your teeth and chewing your food properly. What's more interesting about the song, at least for me, is the first two seconds, featuring a nice guitar and bass riff, perfect for sampling (and I should know.) Anyway, perhaps being sponsored by Kraft was the easiest way to find his target audience.

As foolish as he seemed to some of us back then, Slim Goodbody has become a role model for children and adults alike, especially today at a time when child obesity is at an all time high. Laugh with him, not at him. Then get funky and make your mouth a house. Chew.

Thrift Store Archives: Sharron Lucky

2007-09-27T13:47:00.000-07:00

Sharron Lucky - Finger Play (2.39mb)
Keep in mind, this is a children's record. Thank you.

Thrift Store Archives: Clyde Wilson

2007-09-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

Clyde Wilson - Open Up (4mb)
This one I did not find at a thrift store, but at the only used record store in town, R&B. The guy has boxes of 45's that collect dust more than anything, and I decided to take a look at a few of them. Aside from finding The Winstons' "Amen Brother", I found this. I didn't know who Clyde Wilson was or the song, but I had one of those instincts. Northern soul?

No, this is more late 60's soul. With a title like "Open Up", one would expect to hear a song about a man singing open up your heart to me, right? No, this is about a completely type of opening up, where he proudly sings open up your lips, girl, wider, wider, wider, baby, are you comin'?/yeah, are you comin'?, let's do it right, baby/while I'm standing tall. It gets quite explicit without reaching into P. Vert's "Stickball" territory, and Wilson? Well, sometimes he misses a few notes but I wonder if he was ever able to get a few ladies to "open up" after performances.

Thrift Store Archives: Reino Moisio

2007-09-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

Reino Moisio - World, Take My Son By The Hand (3.68mb)
I think this is from the Seattle area, but I don't know. It's about a man who now has to see his son start his first day of school, but knows that this is also the beginning of the growth of a boy who will become a man and see heartache and tragedy. As innocent as it sounds, perhaps it's something that all parents should hear. It is mostly a spoken word record, and when he sings... well, listen for yourself.

Just remember, the bullies are the easier people to lick.

Thrift Store Archives: Jiminy Cricket & Rica Moore

2007-09-25T10:55:00.000-07:00

Jiminy Cricket & Rica Moore - The Switch-Hitch (3.29mb)
I remember when I found this album, I thought "oh shit, that Star Wars nut sampled this!" Here it is in its original form. Okay, let's begin.

Thrift Store Archives: Ben Sidran

2007-09-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

Ben Sidran-I Lead A Life (3mb)
This is on Blue Thumb, which has been a great label to find great music. This is a nice jazzy rock track with a hint of funk, featuring The Pointer Sisters (fellow Blue Thumb artists back then) on background vocals.

Thrift Store Archives: Bubber Johnson

2007-09-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

Bubber Johnson - My One Desire (2mb)
I bought this because it was on King, and I had never heard of a Bubber Johnson. Not Bubba, but Bubber. No date on it, but it sounds like a nice soulful ballad, maybe late 50's or early 60's.

Thrift Store Archives: Kathy Dalton

2007-09-21T09:08:00.000-07:00

Kathy Dalton - Pour Your Wine All Over Me (3.97mb)
I bought this 45 because it was on DiscReet Records, which I had known as being a Frank Zappa label. The song was the B-side to the title track of her album Boogie Bands & One Night Stands (the album of which was a repressing of her debut album Amazing, with the addition of the "Boogie Bands & One Night Stands" song. I didn't know any of this when I saw the 45, but with titles like that, and the record being on DiscReet, I wasn't sure if it was going to be Zappa-esque or something unexpected. It was very much the latter.

Instead of trippy tales of yellow snow or the Central Scrutinizer, it was some nice country/pop. As a kid I hated country music, and yet I liked country music played by rock bands. It would be years, a number of heartbreaks and hard times later, that I finally realized "wow, some of those records I've been finding and throwing in the trash, they're not so bad."

Back to the 45. A woman pleading "please, pour your wine all over me." Who would resist that request? This is a country ballad, with the classic line "And now I'm strung out like a chick on junk, 'cause you're the kiss of God to me" Maybe husbands who were truckers were heading on the road, leaving their ladies behind for months at a time, and it moved these singers to make songs like this, and there are many others, such as the great "Tell Me A Lie" by Sami Jo on MGM South.

Anyway, what I did not know until a few minutes ago was that the band backing up Dalton on this song and the rest of the album were none other than Little Feat.

Thrift Store Archives: Chris Hills

2007-09-20T22:19:00.000-07:00

Chris Hills - My Baby Said She Loved Me This Morning (4.01mb)
Is this a pre-cursor to Beck Hansen?

Chris Hills had an album out on Vanguard, featuring one Jim Pepper. When the late Herbie Mann was given the luxury of having his own label, Pepper was one of the artists he considered. The label was the great Embryo Records, which released both jazz and rock recordings. If you weren't into William S. Fischer, you could buy Air. Or Chris Hills.

The album is credited to Chris Hills/Everything Is Everything, the name of his band. The music mixes up soul with blues and rock, and this one takes a huge risk by being EXTRA soulful. You hear that first high note and you may say OUCH!, but it's funny but you're laughing with him to the point where you end up dancing.

Thrift Store Archives: Tyrone Ashley & The Funky Music Machine

2007-09-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

Tyrone Ashley & The Funky Music Machine - I Want My Baby Back (4.02mb)
It was a bit of a shock when I found this 45. I saw it, a Phil-L.A. white label promo, and wanted to run home without paying 25 cents for it. But it would have been faster for them to take a quarter out of my pocket than it would have been for me to run. Oh well.

Got this home, and I knew I had a gem. At the time I had not heard of this song, but when it got to the 1:30 mark, I was smiling from ear to ear. There are moments when their playing is slightly off-key, but this Funky Music Machine keeps on going.

(If you are interested in hearing more, pick up a brand new compilation called Let Me Be Your Mand, featuring 12 previously unreleased tracks from Tyrone Ashley & The Funky Music Machine. You can order a copy through Fat Beats.)

Thrift Store Archives: The Ray Bloch Singers

2007-09-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

The Ray Bloch Singers - Everyday People (3.55mb)
This song, in its original form by Sly & The Family Stone, is an oldies radio staple.

This cover, however, is not.

I had hoped to find some unknown beat when I spotted this, on an album featuring various covers of the day (it might have had "Spinning Wheel" on it too), but this album is far from funky, and the same can be said about The Ray Bloch Singers too. It is funny to hear this group try to "play it hip" when half the time it seems they aren't sure what they're singing or singing about. Not unlike anyone who was a special guest on a Dora Hall special.

Thrift Store Archives: Moe Koffman

2007-09-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

Moe Koffman - Days Gone By (Egyptology) (5.68mb)
When I came across this album, I didn't know who Moe Koffman was or what kind of music it could be. It was on Janus Records, so there was a 50/50 chance of it being decent. In this case it was some pretty decent mid-70's jazz, and I would discover that Koffman was a musician from Canada. Then I came across this song. Fans of Jill Scott will recognize this as the source of the sample in her "Slowly, Surely" from her first album.

Those who seek this album will also find a nice break, which I believe I had heard on an album of the Chemical persuasion.

Thrift Store Archives: The Spiritual Wonders

2007-09-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

The Spiritual Wonders - Use Me Lord (3.33mb)
The Spiritual Wonders - I'll Range For Him (3.89mb)
I found this 45 at the Goodwill in trusty Pasco, WA, and it surprised me because I had a feeling that it might be some good gospel music instead of some of th junk I have come across over the years. The actual credit reads The Spiritual Wonders of Detroit, Michigan, so I had to take this home.

The Spiritual Wonders seem to be a vocal group with full band backing, and this band is quite funky, at least in a gospel manner, as indicated by the A-side, "Use Me Lord". No date is given, but since the songs are mixed in stereo, I would say it is of early 70's vintage (with the exception of jazz, record labels didn't place stereo mixes on 45's until 1969, as they began to phase out mono).

"I'll Range For Him" is a bit more low-key but still retains the power that the group tries to present and share with its listeners.

If anyone has information on this group or the band, please contact me.

Thrift Store Archives: Mystery Tape (Reel-To-Reel)

2007-09-14T21:14:00.000-07:00

Mystery Tape-Go Away Little Girl (excerpt) (1mb)
Music and music formats were always a part of my childhood. We always had records, 8-track tapes were plentiful, most cassette decks had one speaker, except for the Sony component deck my dad had with his quadraphonic record player. The cassette deck was in stereo though, but it had one of the BEST pause buttons I had ever seen. I say this because I would fool around and make my own mix tapes, and in time some of my Saturday fun would involve making goofy edits of whatever records I had nearby. It would be awhile before I did those edits rhythmically, and for years I thought I had invented this style of song extension, where a five section portion of a song could go on for five minutes, ten minutes. It may have taken three hours, but it was great to play the final tape and have them hear something that had not existed. Little did I know that there were thousands of music geeks like myself doing this thing called pause tape mixing, and that many of us who produce/make beats started out this way.

In my childhood, I also saw my share of reel-to-reel tape machines. My uncle had one and he would use it for "special listening". Unlike a record player, which I was allowed to use at home, I was never allowed to use my uncle's reels. NEVER. This was high pro, at least to my eyes. A few of my dad's friends had reel machines in the living room next to the turntable, and I always wondered why my dad never picked up one. My dad was a big car and motorcycle buff, but he also loved his music, but any money he had extra would go into fixing cars and bikes. When there was a bit more, he would buy a new album. In a good month we'd have about four to five new records, my mom would be the one to buy me 45's behind his back, because at a young age I was already becoming a music junkie. However, reel-to-reel tape machines were way beyond our means, and I would later find out why: they were very expensive.

The first time I would have a chance to play with reel-to-reel tape machines was when I was in Radio/TV Production Class in high school. Between 1986-1988, everything was of course done in analog, including the production of commercials and promotional service announcements (PSA's). Being a Beatles junkie, the thing I wanted to do was record my voice, then flip the tape around so I could hear myself backwards. In truth this was nothing new, since in intermediate school I had a friend who was of the church, and he taught me a way to unscrew a cassette, flip the tape upside-down, and do it that way. By flipping it upside-town, we are now hearing the other, unplayable side of the tape, and it sounds completely muffled. By doing this, you can hear a muffled version of what was recorded, but backwards. Apparently for the church, this was a revelation, and it was possible to hear those messages from Satan himself.

Anyway, back to school. I had already made tapes of myself at home, so working with a reel-to-reel tape machine meant "professional". I wanted to be a recording engineer once I got out of high school, and this was a chance to play with the tools of the trade. I made a few interesting tapes, especially when I was able to make the tape feedback upon itself. I thought it was cool, I could now make my own "Revolution No. 9".

Well, I didn't go to the Art Institute Of Seattle to become a recording engineer. Instead, I bought a hell of a lot of music. Being a fan of experimental and avant-garde sounds coincided with me becoming a genuine thrift store junkie. This would involve exploring the world of dead formats, which included 8-track tapes and reel-to-reel tape machines. I eventually found a Sony mono reel-to-reel machine from the 1950's or 1960's for under $10, and with the abundance of discarded reels for sale, it would end up being my way of making the music on some of my first albums.

I would also look for 8-tracks and reels not only for music, but to find custom made tapes that may have home recordings, anything odd and unusual. I did this not only for my curiosity, but if they were good I could sample them in my own music. This is when I came across a random 3 inch reel.

With any tape I bought, I would play it to see if there was anything worthy. Most of the time it was familiar music, but there was one 8-track tape which featured a young woman singing to a Kansas song. I put this on one of my tapes, and that was that. A few years ago I discovered that an MP3 of a woman doing the exact same thing had been widely circulated online. I am almost certain that the source of that recording was from my album which used the tape.

But back to the random 3 inch reel. I put it on the machine and played it. Silence for about a minute, and then the sound comes on. A girl (age unknown) says she is going to sing "Go Away Little Girl". She and her sister begin to sing, and it's a bit cute, as they stay on key and tempo. Before the song completes itself, it is interrupted by the girl in question, who now sings a very different tune, a more sinister tune to the sister who was just heard on the tape. The sister is calling her sibling a pig, "Piggy Renee". She stops singing, and now we hear what seems to have been recorded as a personal message to her sister: "you know what Renee?" For the next few seconds this girl rips her sister verbally. No "swear words" or anything, but she's steamed and she lets it all out. We hear the reason for her anger, and this MP3 is an excerpt of that tape, and in truth it is most of the recording that was on the tape. It goes on for another 15 seconds and I can only assume that as she was recording this message, her sister walks in the room and she begins to sing a few lines of "Go Away Little Girl" again, before concluding with and that's all, thank you.

The tape and the box it was in had no handwriting or date, so I have no idea who this girl is, where it was recorded, or when. This is very different from those Recordios with personal messages for family members and/or friends, this is a homemade recording made by an angry girl because her sister... well, you'll have to find out.

And that's all, thank you.

Thrift Store Archives: Erroll Garner

2007-09-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

Erroll Garner - Spinning Wheel (4.65mb)
You know how it is, you're looking for a reason to buy a record at a thrift store and all you come up with is doo doo on your fingers. But then you find the one song you think might be worthy. Aaah yes, another version of "Put Your Hand In The Hand". Oh look, "Get Out Of My Life, Woman".

Then there's "Spinning Wheel". People want to find a variation of a good break, or maybe they just love the song that much. Here's another, and this one is quite good.

Thrift Store Archives: Willie Tee

2007-09-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

Willie Tee - Love Of A Married Man (3mb)
In honor of Wilson "Willie Tee" Turbington, who passed away on September 11th at the age of 63.

I found this on a 45 a few years ago in Hermiston, Oregon not at a thrift store, but at an antique shop. There was a pile of 45's in the middle of cups and watches, it was on Capitol with the red and orange label, and it said it was produced by Heavy Productions. In other words, David Axelrod. The 45 was purchased for about 50 cents (if I remember correctly), brought it home, and out game this well orchestrated soul song that was about a man who was tempted by the fruit of another. He tells the woman in question that he has a good life, she should've been around when he was free to mingle.

Tee would later help put together The Gaturs, and had a hand in The Wild Magnolias as well. Because of his early work, and the work with The Gaturs and The Wild Magnolias, Tee would become a huge influence in the soul and funk music scenes of New Orleans, some of which would find their way in hip-hop through samples.

Rest in p.e.a.c.e, Wilson.

Thrift Store Archives: Dynamic Sound

2007-09-12T10:44:00.000-07:00

Dynamic Sound - Which Way Is Up (4.26mb)
This was from an album with a bunch of hits recorded by a random group filled with uncredited studio musicians. In this case, this is a cover of the Stargard hit. Sample-happy people, take note.

Thrift Store Archives: Copper N' Brass

2007-09-11T13:18:00.000-07:00

Copper N' Brass - Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is (3.64mb)
This is a cover of the Chicago Transit Authority hit, although one has to wonder if it was done as homage, or it was just a way for the label to make a record in the hopes people would think it was CTA, since it is very close to the original.

Thrift Store Archives: Don Cameron Nazy

2007-09-10T04:32:00.000-07:00

Don Cameron Nazy - The Great Debate (Mr. Ickson)
This is a 45 released through Atlantic Records on the short lived Trey label. Being an Atlantic junkie myself, I had not heard of Trey until I purchased this.

The record itself is a cut-in released to coincide with the 1960 debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. "Cut-ins" are records which feature someone asking a question, and th response comes in the form of the actual song. The odd thing is that on this 45, the questions and responses are exactly the same for each candidate. For this MP3, you can hear the questions given to Mr. "Ickson".

Thrift Store Archives: Carlo's Crown Jewel

2007-09-09T10:06:00.001-07:00

Carlo's Crown Jewel - Shoo-Fly Pie & Apple Pan Dowdy (3.43mb)
I don't know what you'd call this, it's bubblegum-ish but not quite. I bought this because of the label, never heard of the group or the song. I heard it, thought the song was cool, and was able to use it in one of my own tracks.

Thrift Store Archives: Percy Faith

2007-09-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

Percy Faith - 2001 (Also Sprach Zarathustra) (6.33mb)
All thrift store junkies should be very aware of Percy Faith's catalog, as his records are frequently spotted in many a bin. This one is slightly unusual, for it's a jazzy rendition of the song made famous in the film 2001: a space odyssey. While his early catalog is compete pop and schmaltz (and some of that schmaltz quite good), he (like many easy listening acts) picked up the groove a bit and started expanding. It's not a bad rendition either.

Thrift Store Archives: The Fat Albert Orchestra And Chorus

2007-09-07T05:59:00.000-07:00

The Fat Albert Orchestra And Chorus - Fat Albert (Hey Hey Hey) (2.39mb)
The Fat Albert Orchestra And Chorus - Cosbyianna (2.67mb)

Comedian Bill Cosby would do anything to share his love of jazz, and this 45, released on his own Tetragrammaton label in 1967, was proof. The songs were co-written by Cosby and the "Fat Albert" track was based on the routine which celebrated one of his good friends. It is not the same version as the well known cartoon theme song. "Cosbyianna" may be his own Ellingtonia, who knows, but it's some mighty fine jazz indeed.

Thrift Store Archives: June Jackson

2007-09-05T17:31:00.000-07:00

June Jackson - Little Dog Heaven (3.84)
There's got to be a little dog heaven/with fire hydrants on every cloud...

Thrift Store Archives: Dioni Fernandez

2007-09-04T09:15:00.000-07:00

Dioni Fernandez - Al Ritmo De La Noche (5.96mb)

This is a Spanish, tropicalized version of the DeBarge classic, "Rhythm Of The Night".

Thrift Store Archives: Herbie Hancock & Wah Wah Watson

2007-09-03T11:14:00.000-07:00

I had bought this late last year, briefly talked about it but did not post any audio. Here's the audio.

It's from a promotional 2LP set called Nightbird & Company: Cosmic Connections, one of four different radio series put together in the 70's by the US Army Reserve. The records inside did not match the artists that were listed on the back cover, but I bought it anyway. One record was meant for a show called William B. & Company, which is described as "MOR in style", and featured interviews with jazz legend Buddy Rich.

The other record was Nightbird & Company, but instead of Average White Band, Hubert Laws, Climax Blues Band, and Thin Lizzy, it featured interviews with John Mayall on one side, and Herbie Hancock & Wah Wah Watson on the other.

Nightbird & Company, hosted by Alison Steele, is described as a "rock show", apparently for those 3am eternal heads who have too much weed and Mountain Dew in their system to go to sleep. In this case, Steele interviews Hancock and Watson because both played on each other's album, so it was a nice way to do some cross promotion and have them reveal a few things about their music.

The most interesting comment comes from Hancock, who is asked about disco and its hazards. While Hancock does admit to it being trendy, he says that at least for his and Watson's music, it did have its benefits.

The concept of Nightbird & Company is that each side of the album can be played three ways: play the first 10 minute segment, play the second 15 minute segment, or play the full 25 minute piece as a "show" or something to casually play between other records. The MP3 below consists of both segments.

The first segment features a good amount of Hancock's music before the interview officially begins, but when it does it is an interesting listen. It also features two radio spots from the US Army Reserve. I do find it interesting that considering Hancock's spiritual beliefs, he would agree to do anything with the US Army Reserve, but promotion is promotion and if it meant gaining radio airplay when no other means was possible, he probably went into it for that reason.

Other radio programs done by the US Army Reserve include Country Cookin' (country music) and Rap N' Rhythm With Al Gee (soul).

Nightbird & Company with Alison Steele-Herbie Hancock & Wah Wah Watson (air week of February 27, 1977) (56mb @ 320kbps)

Thrift Store Archives: 5° Fahrenheit

2007-09-03T00:38:00.000-07:00

Great version of the classic "Daddy's Home" right here:

5° Fahrenheit-Daddy's Home (3.41mb)

Thrift Store Archives: 101 Strings Orchestra

2007-09-01T17:44:00.000-07:00

I have neglected this blog, and I apologize. Which is funny, considering how much I post elsewhere.

Anyway, to make it up, I am going to make an attempt to upload something every day from my archives. The archives in question are the Thrift Store Adventures archives, and no, I have not stopped doing it. Money has been extra tight as of late, and I have not been able to make the weekend trips for pleasurable vinyl buying.

Each of the songs I will upload in the month of September are "my own", in that I made them and converted them myself, nothing taken from other blogs. If you've been a fan of Thrift Store Adventures for the last few years, some of these may be familiar. If not, then take a listen and enjoy the good and bad of what you can find at your local thrift store/charity shop.

101 Strings Orchestra-Don't Tell Bill (4.69mb)
This is from a 101 Strings album made to look like a 12" single. When you hear the song, you'll know the identity of this "Bill". If you don't know even after hearing it, let's just say this "Bill" had an overture.

Thrift Store Adventures: July 9, 2007, Richland, Washington

2007-07-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

Made it to Value Village in Richland, Washington, the thrift store across the street from Castle Superstore. I still only had so much with me, but I had to back to get those comedy albums before it was (cue the dramatic music) too late.

Here is what I made it out with:

The Congress Of Wonders-Revolting (Fantasy 7016; white label promo)
FIB-In Radio (FIB Recording Communications)
Hudson & Landry-Right-Off! (Dore (LP 329)
Robert Klein-Child Of The 50's (Brut/Buddah 6001)
Robert Klein-Mind Over Matter (Brut/Buddah 6601)
Martin Mull-I'm Everyone I've Ever Loved (ABC AB-997)
National Lampoon-Lemmings (MCA BTS-6006)
Proctor & Bergman-TV Or Not TV (Columbia KC 32199)
Dick Purtan-The Best of Dick Purtan (Purtan's People PP-001)

Haven't had time to listen to all of them, but I will compile the best and turn it into a podcast.

Thrift Store Adventures: July 7, 2007, Kennewick, Washington

2007-07-07T23:27:00.000-07:00

I live a sad existence my friends. How can a thrift store junkie like myself not buy anything for a full three months? Patience, my friends, patients.

I visited a new thrift store I hadn't been into before called the Columbia Industries Thrift Center and the records weren't easy to find. Once I got there, the records were jammed into a rack definitely not made for records. There were also two drawers full of the usual suspects. Still being limited in the fundage department, I did select three records:

Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose
Greatest Hits
(United Artists; 1976)

I have heard "Treat Her Like A Lady" and one of my all time favorite songs, "Too Late To Turn Back Now", many times. I even have a very scratchy 45 of "Too Late To Turn Back Now", but have never seen any of their albums, nor have I ever came across any photos of them until today.

The left on the rise looks like she actually has grey eyebrows, but she decided to dye them (or something) at the last minute before the photo shoot. However, it's not about that, it's about the music, and this album has eight songs I've never heard. Each of them great songs, great singing. I generally know how a lot of these artists look, since I've come across their records many times, but not in this case.

Lamont Dozier
Right Here
(Warner Bros.; 1976)
I've had a 45 for one of the songs on this, and seeing this caught me by surprise. I think I have another Lamont Dozier album, so I wanted to check this one out too. This one has much more of a disco influence, but it's the ballads and mid-tempo tracks that work quite well.

Pink Floyd
Meddle
(Harvest; 1971)
What can you say about this album that hasn't been said? Pink Floyd aren't a band whose records you regularly see at thrift stores, so this came as a surprise. I never had this album on vinyl, which is odd considering it is one of my favorite albums. It was nice to see the pulsating groove within "One Of These Days" and the funky part within "Echoes". My copy was crispy but still playable, and it was great to play it in its original format.

I went to another thrift store just outside of town, and what I discovered made me want to just leave, but in a good way. I had only a few dollars, but what they had was a stack of records that I felt I NEEDED to pick up. It's not a true need, more of an artificial desire to want it, take home, and listen (just listen). I'm pondering on going back on Sunday to get as many albums as possible with what I have.

CD Review: Joy Of Cooking

2007-06-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

Joy Of Cooking
Back To Your Heart
(njoy)

Joy Of Cooking may not have been as massively popular as some of their contemporaries, but back in their heyday that type of stardom really didn't matter, as it wasn't an issue. The band, fronted by singer/songwriters Terry Garthwaite and Toni Brown, combined folk, country, rock, and a bit of the blues that helped defined who they were as a band, which lead to them being signed to Capitol. In time the group would split, and each lady would go on with successful solo careers. As attention towards rootsy music, what some might call Americana, has increased in the last five years, both of them decided to unite and put together tracks for this double CD of unreleased material.

Back To Your Heart (njoy) will please many Joy Of Cooking fans who have wanted something extra from the band. Disc one consists of studio or home recordings. The studio recordings sound as powerful as those which did make it onto the album, and were probably left off because back then, an album had to have the industry standard of 10 songs. They could've pulled a Johnny Winter and released 3-sided albums but the songs are that good. The band, especially bassist David Garthwaite and drummer Fritz Kasten, are incredible to hear and it shows why they were a favorite among many bands throughout California.

Side 2 is an amazing unreleased live set recorded at Berkeley in 1972, as they perform in front of a home crowd. "Humpty Dumpty", "If Some God", and "Laugh, Don't Laugh" show how they expanded their palette and went in for the kill, so to speak. Proof of this can be heard in the 11 minute "Brownsville/Mockingbird", and you can sense that the crowd were on their feet the entire time (with the exception of those who were just vibing out on good times and good people). Terry Garthwaite is and has always been a powerhouse on the vocals, whether it's a sensitive ballad or a borderline rocker, and Toni Brown always revealed herself to be someone deserving to be called a true artist. As they both show in "Brownsville/Mockingbird", when perfect harmony happens between two people, or a band and the audience, it sounds so natural.

After hearing this, one can hear the influence they've had on countless bands today, whether it is female-oriented folk, country or rock, or even jam bands who are able to hear the fun and glory of the chemistry Joy Of Cooking had with each other. No mastering engineer is credited, but whoever did them did a great job in transferring the original master tapes to the digital realm. For some fans, any group who were appreciated by the Grateful Dead was more than enough reason to take them on as a personal favorite. Old and new fans can find out why with this double CD.

(Back To Your Heart) is available from CDBaby.)

The Third Coast International Audio Festival

2007-05-22T21:35:00.000-07:00

If you're into audio recordings as much as I am, and may be into the type of stories heard on NPR, you may want to check out the the homepage for The Third Coast International Audio Festival. You can listen to the stories that have been upped to the site, or even participate if you feel you can put something together.

CD Review: Jethro Tull's THE BEST OF ACOUSTIC JETHRO TULL

2007-05-03T08:14:00.000-07:00

Jethro Tull
The Best Of Acoustic Jethro Tull
(EMI)

Jethro Tull are one of those bands over the years that longtime fans will always find endearing. Turn on the radio, and you will generally hear the songs known for their powerful riffs, be it "Aqualung" or "Cross-Eyed Mary". But the diehard Tull fans know that some of the best songs are the ones that don't get much recognition, those album tracks that meant listening to an album and consuming it in full.

Tull fans also know that along with those powerful riffs, you also have the lighter, acoustic side, and this new compilation caters to those rootsier moments.

The Best Of Acoustic Jethro Tull proves that even when they lowered the electricity, Jethro Tull, or more specifically singer/songwriter Ian Anderson, were more than capable of creating powerful and intense songs. If you are a fan of the lighter side, you'll be happy to know this features such songs as "Mother Goose", "Wond'ring Aloud", "Fat Man", "Life Is A Long Song", and "Cheap Day Return". The full "Thick As A Brick", in its original form, was spread over two sides (that's vinyl speak for you non-analog types) clocking in at a little over 40 minutes. Plus the album cover unfolded to a mock-newspaper. On this CD you get a mere four minute "intro", but this was one of many ways it received radio airplay, and is a small but nice hint of what's to come for those who want to embrace the full song/album.

The album, compiled and selected by Ian Anderson himself, features what he calls crowd favorites, along with songs that may have been ignored over the years. These include selections from albums when Jethro Tull immersed themselves in folk music goodness, which did turn some fans off (they started out as an electric blues band, after all, with a frontman played the flute on one leg). In retrospect, not many bands could pull it off well, that's the key word: "well". Hard rock and progressive rock went into many different directions in the 1970's, and while none of the bands would consider themselves as "leaders of the movement", Jethro Tull managed to make it through the trends and changes. The CD may also work for those who feel they have matured beyond the heaviness, and may want to enjoy the band's acoustic side instead. The Best Of Acoustic Jethro Tull is one perspective of this band's exciting career, and a perfect primer for new fans who may want different introduction to what they're about.

(The Best OF Acoustic Jethro Tull is available through CD Universe.)

Thrift Store Adventures: April 15, 2007, Pasco, Washington

2007-04-15T21:43:00.000-07:00

Tax day, or at least it's the day where Americans are supposed to turn in their tax forms. What do I do? Head to the same old Goodwill I've been going to for years. It gets old, but I keep on looking for the old.

Dr. Murray Banks-How To Live With Yourself Or...What To Do Until The Psychiatrist Comes (Murmil Associates MB-101; 1965)
I bought this assuming it was a comedy album, especially with a title like that. Well, he is a comedian, but he's also a psychiatrist. Or is it a philosopher? Apparently Dr. Banks was known for writing a series of self-help books, and he moved forward to the vinyl realm. Interesting, lots of good elements for sampling purposes.

Don Ho-The Don Ho TV Show (Reprise RS-6367)
If you've followed my Thrift Store Adventures over the years, you know how much I'm a fan of Don Ho and his music, and how I go out of my way to hunt down and archive Hawaiian records of any kind, good or bad. Unfortunately, Don Ho passed away yesterday at the age of 76, and as the unofficial "ambassador of Hawai'i", he was the one many people wanted to see when they traveled to Hawai'i.

The funny thing was, before I went to Goodwill, I actually wondered if I would somehow find a Don Ho album, and here it is. This is from the late 60's, released after Reprise came out with his Greatest Hits album, when Mr. Ho had his own television variety show. His version of "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In" is pretty cool, and the rest of the album shows why he was one of the biggest entertainers of the 1960's. Sad to know he'll no longer be with us, but he left behind a lot of good music and fans who cared for him. r.i.p.

Trackers of the world, I have not been picking up any 8-track tapes because of... I really don't have a reason. I've passed up a number of jazz titles, and one day they were gone. These two, however, were there:

The Modern Jazz Quartet-The Best Of... (Atlantic M-81546)
Atlantic had released a series of jazz compilations at the same time, and since MJQ were one of the label's more popular jazz groups, they received one. On here, "Fontessa" is divided in two.

Jazz Super Hits (Atlatnic 1528)
Two, two, two Atlantic jazz 8-tracks in one day. This album features Ray Charles, The Modern Jazz Quartet witjh Laurindo Almeida, Herbie Mann, Eddie Harris, and John Coltrane. Unfortunately, Coltrane's take of "My Favorite Things" is split in two, along with MJQ/Almedia's take of "One Note Samba".

I also found a 45 on the Mal label by a group called The Spins. The song s were "Spin No. 1" and "Spin No. 2". Mal had an address in Oak Park, Illinois, so there was a good chance that this wasn't country music. Could it be some rare soul or funk? Some Illinois gospel? The Spins didn't sound like a rock or psychedelic band, and I was thinking more along the lines of a radio DJ spinning the records.

Brought it home, and it leans more towards the Motown sound, but not quite full-on soul. It's pretty cool, I wonder if the group recorded any more spins.

(The Spins-Spin No. 1 (3mb))

CD Review: Neil Young's LIVE AT MASSEY HALL 1971

2007-03-14T14:45:00.000-07:00

Neil Young
Live At Massey Hall 1971
(Reprise)

Had Neil Young listened to one of his close friends in 1971, the recording which appears on Live At Massey Hall 1971 would have been a double LP released inbetween After The Gold Rush and Harvest. Always a forward thinker, Young had traveled to Nashville, started working on what would become Harvest and pretty much forgot about the live album project. While bootlegs of varying quality have circulated over the years, this is the first time an an official version has been released, from a time in Young's career when he was becoming a star, and greater stardom was just around the corner.

Diehard Neil Young fans know he has recorded more music than he has released, and for years has hinted and teased them with the announcement of an Archives series, which turned into a box set. It has been delayed and canceled many times over, to the point where fans were wondering if it was just a pipe dream. No longer.

Live At Massey Hall 1971 is a 17-song performance recorded in Toronto, a homecoming of sorts for Young. The recording features just Young and him playing the guitar and piano. No Crazy Horse, no friends sitting in. It's very intimate and at times very somber (as is the case with a lot of Young's music), but it is a homecoming of sorts for Young, and the crowd responds as if it was the greatest rock show on Earth. The song selection is a look back at what Young became known for up until early 1971, with great performances of "Tell Me Why", "Cowgirl In The Sand", and "I Am A Child". He announces at the beginning of the show that he would like to introduce some new material, songs that would end up on the hit album Harvest. One is able to hear "Old Man", "The Needle And The Damage Done", and a unique combination of "A Man Needs A Maid" and "Heart Of Gold" that compliment each either quite well, as if they were two sides of the same coin. There's a hint of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young when he performs "Ohio", and one may be able to remember a time when the topic of the song would spark a discussion about social change.

Those who enjoy the acoustic side of Young's work, especially from a period in his music before he jumped from genre to genre, will enjoy Live At Massey Hall 1971 immensely. For impatient NY fans, he promises an 8CD/2DVD Archives box set at the end of 2007.

(The CD/DVD combo of Live At Massey Hall 1971 is available through CD Universe.)

Thrift Store Adventures: March 8, 2007, Richland, Washington

2007-03-08T21:36:00.000-08:00

Richland Goodwill looked a bit empty today. Not sure if they are just rearranging things, are closing (which I doubt), or are about to move to a new location, I didn't see any signs indicating a move.

The records were moved but was easy to find, and the selection was kinda junk. Lots of... junk. The only good thing about going through a lot of crap is seeing Helen Reddy's face. Yeah, I said it.

But there was one album that I found, in the last section of records. I haven't listened to it yet:

KEITH JARRETT
G.I. Gurdjieff/Sacred Hymns
(ECM/Warner Bros. 1980)

Keith Jarrett is one of my favorite jazz musicians, but to keep up with him means having to spend an incredible amount of money. If you stay the vinyl route, you may find more music easier. This album is just Jarrett solo, playing the music of G.I. Gurdjieff. I enjoy hearing Jarrett in this form as well as with other musicians, and you get to hear him play the songs directly and at times move in and out of it wherever he feels. Very haunting at times, the perfect "Sunday Morning" album.

Also found a 45, bought because it had Steve Alaimo's name on it.
MERCY
The Mornings Come/Forever
(Warner Bros.)

This is what they looked like:

The music is pure pop, deep pop, full of lush voices and whatnot. Some of the vocals are interesting. "Forever", the B-side, is even less worthy. Not to my liking, but interesting.

Keith Jarrett-Meditation (2mb)
Mercy-The Mornings Come (3mb)

You Tubin' My Ace: Chicago Transit Authority

2007-02-22T10:11:00.000-08:00

Opinion: 49th Annual Grammy Awards Wrap Up

2007-02-12T11:17:00.000-08:00

I have not watched a full broadcast of the Grammy Awards in the last few years, but this year I did. It was a good show, fairly decent. It was great to see The Police reunited, but it seemed too brief. I would have liked another song from them, such as "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic".

I did not like the American Idol aspect of the show, where someone had a chance to duet with Justin Timberlake. Seemed flakey and lame, especially as Joan Baez and Nancy Wilson looked at them in the background going "WTF?"

Performance-wise, I thought the union between John Mayer, Corinne Bailey Raye, and John "my real last name is Stephens" Legend was a major highlight. Christina Aguilera was pretty good for her tribute to James Brown, but there were two small James Brown highlights. I'm sorry, but considering the contributions he and his music made, there should have been a lot more. Oh, but we did get THREE, count 'em, THREE fricken Eagles songs. Eh.

Justin Timberlake's performances were very good too. Gnarls Barkley did a great job, Cee-Lo has some a long way from portraying a bum in the "Soul Food" video. The Dixie Chicks were great, congratulations to them.

But should they have won Album Of The Year? Who am I to say? I felt it was a great album, I liked it, but St. Elsewhere by Gnarls Barkley was far more interesting and innovative. Will Danger Mouse have to 1-Up his game? Who knows.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers? Eh. I did like the fact that Flea honored saxophonist Ornette Coleman, who had received a lifetime achievement award.

To be honest, it's hard to play critic to the Grammy Awards. People are quick to bitch and gripe, but a lot of us want to be a part of the industry. One day, I say, one day.

Thrift Store Adventures: February 2, 2007, Pasco, Washington

2007-02-10T13:57:00.000-08:00

Being the lazy ass I can be sometimes, I've been meaning to put up the finds I found last week, but... eh, rather than blah blah blah on about nothing, let's just get into the records.

I should preface this by saying that I went to the St. Vincent de Paul in Pasco after driving past it for the last few months and noticing that the records were moved upfront to the window. I didn't bother going in because the selection in the last few years has been less than desirable. Yes, it is the same St. Vincent de Paul where I bought a certain 45 for a dime and sold it on eBay years later for $495 or so, but things like that aren't common. Seeing the records upfront pushed me, lead me to finally turn my car into the parking lot and look.

I began to browse and I'm seeing familiar names, and not of the Merrill Womack and Oral Roberts variety. Familiar labels, and not just Peter Pan and Myrrh. I kept on packing them on top of each other. Not a major stack, but...

As always, in alphabetical order:

GARY BURTON/STEVE SWALLOW
Hotel Hello
(ECM; 1975)
This was one of a number of jazz albums that were in the racks. It's jazz, it's on ECM, how could I complain? I like some of the Burton material I've heard on Atlantic, I'm unfamiliar with Steve Swallow, although for whatever reason I've heard his name before. The album is just Burton collaborating with Swallow, no drums or anything. It's laid back, ECM style, and funky at times, in fact I'm sure I've heard some of this in songs before, as far as samples are concerned.

CHARLIE BYRD/BARNEY KESSEL/HERB ELLIS
Great Guitars
(Concord; 1975)
Before they bought the Stax and Fantasy catalogs, Concord was one of many independent jazz labels in the 1970's that were there to fill the void as major labels got rid of their jazz departments. One can find their albums fairly easy, and one might think that that is a sign of it being not good. Buy, listen, and decide for yourself.

Great Guitars is a good album bringing together three jazz guitarists to play and show their love for their craft in a live setting. All the songs on this are very good, including "Undecided", "Topsy", and "Benny's Bugle".

HERB ELLIS
Soft & Mellow
(Concord; 1979)
Now, here's Ellis on his own, four years later. One could call this "cool jazz", of the early George Benson variety, and like his work on many other albums, Ellis' work here is worthy of many listens.

BILL EVANS
The Bill Evans Album
(Columbia; 1971)
I had never heard or seen this one, which is odd considering it won two Grammy awards. After years of playing with many musicians and recording for so many labels, Evans found himself talking with Clive Davis, who would sign Evans to Columbia. The Bill Evans Album begins with "Funkallero" in a manner that sounds more characteristic with what Ramsey Lewis would do a few years later, with an electric piano. My knowledge of Evans' music is on the surface, but I had never heard him get electrified before, so it was a surprise. After a few minutes, he moves to the traditional piano and plays in the style that he became known form.

It sounds great, and the musicianship is very good, featring Eddie Gomez on bass and Marty Morrell on drums. In an interview with Morrell, it seems he wasn't too pleased with the album, partially because the powers that be at Columbia wanted to change the sound and dynamics of the way they recorded the instruments, arguably a technique that would change the way most studios recorded artists. (You can read the full interview here.) Despite the verge of what was to come, it is a very good album, where Evans gets a chance to finally play his own material. Nice.

THE GOLDDIGGERS
...Today!
(RCA; 1971)
WOW! Ten women singing delightful pop as to not irk the people who hated that hippie crap. It seems that's why The Golddiggers became popular. The group of ladies would have a television show that would replace other shows that were canceled, which they would do for three years until someone realized they should have their own proper series.

Some of these ladies were quite attractive way back when (a good 36 years ago), and I figured it had to be a bit cheesy. I was right, but it's amazing to hear what did pass off as good music, or what labels wanted to pass off as good music.

The best song on here is a Peggy Lee original, called "I Want Some Man To Give Me Some". I bet. Obviously the ladies want some, and in the traditional pop manner, they don't hint at what that "some" is, and I'm sure there's an audience who never quite understood what that "some" really was. Eh.

FREDDIE HUBBARD
Straight Life
(CTI; 1970)
One of the first releases on Creed Taylor's own label, this one is a must hear. After recording for Atlantic for many years, Hubbard found himself on CTI, where he would stay to record even more classic music. Here, he's joined by Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, Joe Henderson, Pablo Landrum, and George Benson. Some of these guys were not only coming in and out of sessions for Miles Davis, but were doing their own thing and also session work for others. The title track is a 17½ jam that sounds a bit like early Weather Report, and you really hear the instruments breathe throughout, especially Carter and the stand-up bass that helps keep everything together.

Side Two features "Mr. Clean" and "Here's That Rainy Day", and one almost wishes there was much more to this album than the three songs offered.

BURL IVES
Little White Duck
(Columbia)
This Columbia pressing is a reissue of an album Ives released on the Columbia subsidiary Harmony. It is an album of children's songs, in that style that millions of people loved him for. I bought it to be able to hear "Fooba Wooba John", which talks about a flea kicking a tea. Amazing.

JOY OF COOKING
Castles
(Capitol; 1972)
I've heard of these guys before but never heard them. Joy Of Cooking were of the country rock/rock country variety, and had some connections with the Grateful Dead. I've always liked this kind of music, and I find myself enjoying it more. The group were lead by two ladies, Toni Brown and Terry Garthwaite, and with their band they recorded this one in Berkeley, singing about good times, longing for better times, and hoping for better.

The band weren't a massive success for Capitol, and were dropped after this album. Both Brown and Garthwaite would eventually record as a duo, and in time they would do their own individual music. Joy Of Cooking weren't bad at all, and it is a shame that you don't hear this kind of stuff on oldies radio.

EDDIE KEKAULA
I'll See You In Hawaii
How Great Thou Art
(Kekaula)
Eddie Kekaula was a Hawaiian living in California, which might answer the question of why his albums and 8-tracks are found in thrift stores. It's not because he's bad, because he's not. He was someone who released his own records on his own label, and he worked with some of the best musicians around, including Benny Saks, Sol K. Bright, and Bill Aliiloa Lincoln. Yet he's not up there in rank with Hui Ohana, Sunday Manoa, Gabby Pahinui, or Alfred Apaka, and unfortuantely that may never change. But Kekaula's music pops up frequently, so if you want a decent introduction to the goodness that Hawaiian music can provide, pick his music up. I'll See You In Hawaii feature a number of songs that have become Hawaiian standards, while How Great Thou Art is of the religious variety.

CHARLES LLOYD
Forest Flower
(Atlantic; 1967)
Recorded live at Monterey, Forest Flower has Charles Lloyd performing at his best with Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette, and Cecil McBee. The two part "Forest Flower" suite (a "Sunrise" and a "Sunset") is one of those things where you wish you were there to witness the performance, especially Jarrett, who takes the show away from Lloyd for two minutes during his solo in the "Sunset" section. As the liner notes from George Avakian indicate, it sounds like it was very much a "joyous atmosphere", and when they finally get to "East Of The Sun", it comes close to nirvana. Beauty.

JOHN MURTAUGH
Blues Current
(Polydor; 1970)
Nothing like the wonders of the Moog to pull you through a cold winter morning, right?

Cool, exotic, toxic, and occasionally drippy and funky, Blues Current is the kind of album that happens when everyone falls in love with an instrument and record labels will find every way to utilize/exploit it.

It's a blues album where the primary instrument is a Moog, which is alright but fortunately Bernard Purdie and Herbie Hancock, along with bassist Gerry Jemmont, are there to pull us through. This LP is primarily known for the song "Slinky", due to its irresistible funk squeezes. Thanks, Purdie.

PEDDLER
Street Corner Stuff
(Chisound/United Artists; 1976)
Disco freshness, or at least I think it is. The album is still sealed, with a nice weird coating of grit on the back (or at least I'm hoping it's grit).

POCO
A Good Feelin' To Know
(Epic; 1972)
The ever humble Poco. As much as I've heard of these guys, I've never heard their music until now, and I'm glad I finally did. At this point in the game, Jim Messina was no longer in the group, discovering that a production job with Kenny Loggins could resort in an interesting duo situation. But Timothy B. Schmidt, who would later move on to join The Eagles, was with the band.

So what exactly was A Good Feelin' To Know? The feeling of solace, the feeling of home, the feeling of a family, and all of that is celebrated here. Right on. After hearing this, you'll understand why he was the perfect candidate for The Eagles.

SHANNON
Let The Music Play (12" single)
(Emergency; 1983)
This was one of my favorite songs when I was 12, it was funky, cool to dance to, and the electronic beats meant you could pop and breakdance if you were able to. I could never fully break, other than the worm, but I could pass the wave if I wanted to.

I bought this because this would be the first pressing, not the later pressing on Mirage/Atlantic that most people (including myself) are familiar with.

STARS ON LONG PLAY
s/t
(Radio; 1981)
For the album, they wanted to be known as Stars On Long Play, but for all intents and purposes most people know them as Stars On 45. The death of John Lennon on December 8, 1980 made as much of an impact as the death of John F. Kennedy did for Americans, but on a much bigger scale. 1981 left many wanting to honor Lennon, and someone had put together an unofficial Beatles medley. What these guys did was recreate the sounds of The Beatles and lay it over a disco beat. The end result was a huge hit song, which lead to the album. Yeah, it's odd and goofy but it worked.

Side 2 of this album featured another range of oldies, and then a song credited to Long Tall Ernie & The Shakers, which is only so-so.

Stars On 45 would end up making a few more medleys, including a Stevie Wonder one that worked well, but none of them were as popular as the original medley Beatles tracks.

The phenomenon would lead to a number of even-more-corny disco arrangements of classical songs, done in medley form, and even the Cleveland punk band the New Bomb Turks found themselves getting into it punk rock style.

Opinion: Hawaiians On The Radio

2007-02-07T07:47:00.000-08:00

Unless you live in Hawai'i or a city that has a specialty Hawaiian music radio show, why is it that the only time you hear Hawaiians on the radio is when you hear Yvonne Elliman's "If I Can't Have You", anything by the Pussycat Dolls, and a sample of Yvonne Elliman in a Fatboy Slim track? Huh? We have more music than that.

I know Israel Kamakawiwo'ole gets a lot of time on NPR and of course on television and in film, but I'm talking regular radio. I look forward to when Nicole Scherzinger's album comes out, then we'll have... one or two additional songs. Pfftt.

The Run-Off Groove #142 is ready for reading

2007-02-05T22:31:00.000-08:00

Lots of new reviews this week, including new music from Mudkids and Miles Bonny among many others.

Go check it out:
http://www.musicforamerica.org/node/113568

Thrift Store Adventures: January 9, 2007: Hermiston, Oregon

2007-01-09T21:08:00.000-08:00

When you're a bit on that "Straight Outta Lo-kash" experience, what do you do? Wait until Powerball goes up and drive long distances to buy a ticket or two, that's what. For me, that means crossing the border to Oregon for a ticket, which generally means a visit to Goodwill.

The last few visits have resulted in nothing. I had looked over the CD's and found a lot of Christian/gospel CD's, and a David Hasselhoff CD too. I was tempted to hear this crap, but I don't think his music was worth $2.50. When I went to the back to look for the records, I saw a beat up Steppenwolf album. Maybe, just maybe, there were a few goodies. Fortunately there were.

The 5th Dimension
Live!!
(Bell 9000)
This is one of those that you always see at a used record store, and perhaps never bought because... well, it's The 5th Dimension. They may have had some of the poppiest pop songs of the late 60's/early 70's, but they were always backed by the best musicians, and they were definitely good songs. A few of them may be your guilty pleasure. Of course, they close with "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In", but as was customary with a lot of artists of the time, they had their own share of medleys, and this album is packed with them.

The album has always been one of those dollar bin pleasures, moreso now that Ludacris sampled elements of one of the songs.

MP3: The 5th Dimension - Together Let's Find Love (Live) (4mb)

Heads Hands & Feet
s/t
(Capitol SWBB-680)
As I was browsing, I always try to get a feel for an album by the cover. Sometimes you can get a better feel if you look at the catalog number. In this case, I knew it was definitely a Capitol album, but who, and what? I pulled this one and I said to myself "Head Hands & Feet"? I didn't recognize anyone in the band, the songs, or the producer. It was a double LP, and even in the late 60's/early 70's (I say this because this was the lime green label) they weren't handing out double albums to everyone. I had to give it a shot.

I'm glad I did. This is rock with a bit of country and blues thrown in, a la The Band, but from a British perspective. They start out rockin' in a nice way, before going here and there and yeah, everywhere, including some lengthy numbers.

MP3: Heads Hands & Feet - I'm In Need Of Your Help (2mb)

The Impressions
The Versatile Impressions
(ABC ABCS-688)
The cover had the group photos in a distorted manner, cut up so you couldn't really see their faces. The first thing I actually noticed was the album being still sealed. Then I noticed the group name. The Impressions? Still sealed? I had to look at the back for a photo and there was the face I was looking for: Curtis Mayfield. I'd like to put it on eBay, but I want to open it and be the first one to have played it. I am in a frank dilemma.

King's Road
Today's TV Hits
(Pickwick SPC-3551; 1976)
Most people don't know who these bands are, most people could care less. But King's Road, I have no idea who they were, but they were a random group of musicians who recorded the hits of the day for Pickwick Records. Pickwick became the budget-minded label who recorded songs to sound like the originals, but sometimes they weren't capable of pulling that off either. I remember seeing this record as a kid, but why buy this when you can get real music, like Aerosmith's Rocks? I got it this time, to hear their version of "Theme From S.W.A.T.". The biggest surprise happen to be the last songs on each side. The version of "Mission: Impossible" sounds nothing like the original theme, and neither does "Theme From Star Trek", coming off like something you'd hear on a drag strip or in an old surf film than a science fiction TV series.

(EDIT: After doing a search, it seems that King's Road may have had some involvement from Jerry Vance & Terry Philips, at least according to a reply to this entry at the Scar Stuff blog.)

The Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by V. Fegomov
Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake
(Westminster Gold/ABC WGS-8248/2; 1973)
I'm not a classical music buff, but I've been wanting to get into that. In truth, this was a double album on an ABC Records-subsidiary that I've only seen on websites, so I went for it. The album was licensed from the Russian label Melodica, and is in mono.

Modern Sound
(untitled)
(Modern Sound MS 1021)
Modern Sound
(untitled)
(Modern Sound MS 1026)
I almost passed these up. The two albums do not mention who actually performed the songs, but like King's Road, it seems to be a random collection of musicians, this time from Nashville, Tennessee, covering the songs of the day. The covers were a bit moldy and I was reacting to them when I finally got home. The performances are decent, including their version of The Beatles' "She's A Woman", but nothing to jump off mountains for.

Lou Rawls
You're Good For Me
(Capitol ST 2927)
This album was fairly beaten up, and I should have opted to find one that was in much better condition. However, when you see Lou Rawls and the Capitol logo, you think of David Axelrod. This album is known for the track "Life Time Monologue", not for the dialogue but for the drum break that opens the song. I was more familiar with the mono version, where the drums are much more bold. In the stereo mix, the drums seem to be pushed back into the mix, and as stereophonic junkies know, even converting from stereo to mono will not result in the same sound desired.

MP3: Lou Rawls - Life Time Monologue (2mb)

Below the rack of records was a drawer of 45's. In it was an Emerson Lake & Palmer 8-track (the good ol' pink tapes), along with two records of interest:

George Benson
Michelob Jazz Series (7" promo EP)
(Michelob Jazz 18941; 1981)
When I had taken this out, I saw the back cover first. It was a booklet so I thought at first it was a Disneyland children's read-a-long book/record. I turned it over, and it was jazz musician/singer George Benson. Not only that, but it was a promo 7" EP consisting of radio spots.

I like a lot of his music from the 70's and a small handful of his hits in the early 80's. I just find it odd that he would do something for Michelob, considering that he has been very strong about his religious beliefs over the years. One doesn't have to drink the beer in order to endorse the product and have them sponsor your tour, I guess, and good money is good money, even from Michelob. Jazz and blues concert tours and festivals have often been sponsored by alcoholic beverage companies, so it's nothing new. But to hear him sing "Put A Little Weekend In Your Week" is funny. He may not have shown support over the original mix of Digital Underground's "Freaks Of The Industry", but if you can put a little weekend in your week, why not? Cheers!

MP3: George Benson - Put A Little Weekend In Your Week (60 sec Laidback Full Vocal) (1mb)

The Parliaments
Look At What I Almost Missed/What You Been Growing
(Revilot RV-217)
I saw the familiar label in the drawer and I couldn't believe it. I had to pick it up to be sure. A 45 by The Parliaments? The first thing I thought was if Miss Shing-A-Ling saw this, she would say pfftt, this shit ain't obscure. It was an original, as the numbers in the matrix (run-off groove) was machine pressed. No counterfeit/bootlegs here. Someone years ago gave me a Parliaments 45 for free, just like that, and this time I find another for 50 cents. I wish I could find all of The Parliaments 45's that easy.

Thrift Store Adventures: January 6, 2007, Kennewick, Washington

2007-01-09T21:06:00.000-08:00

I have been going to thrift stores, but for the most part the supply of records has been... well, it's been there, but the selection a bit "eh!" It's been like that everywhere. Nonetheless, a visit to the Goodwill in Kennewick, Washington (right across the street from Highland Health Foods) lead to two semi-OK discoveries.

Richland High School Swing Choir and Bel Canto 1971
O Happy Day
(Century no catalog #; 1971)
I'm still a sucker for crappy school records, but of course they weren't crap when the student gave this to their parents, saying "listen, this is me in the choir". This is a record for a local high school, and I bought it to hear their version of Blood Sweat & Tears' "Spinning Wheel". No rockin' break, unfortunately, and the only decent part of the song is when they incorporated "Variations On A Theme By Erik Satie" during the intro, as heard on the BS&T album. The album was recorded by Curtis Mohr, whom I had the pleasure of interviewing a few years ago for an article that was eventually scrapped. Mohr was the man responsible for recording countless high school records throughout Eastern Washington State.

Richland High School Swing Choir 1971 - Spinning Wheel (4mb)

Flip Wilson
The Devil Made Me Buy This Dress
(Little David LD-1000
Always got to have some comedy in your life. I was a fan of Wilson as a kid, and while his comedy was not as raw as Redd Foxx or Richard Pryor, I had been told he was "risque", and I think it was because he was well known for her Geraldine character. What does amaze me is the fact that this, and a number of his albums on Little David, were nothing more than the audio track from the TV specials.

Out Of The Thrift Store, Into The Old TAVC: Kennewick, WA, October 29, 2006

2006-10-29T13:07:00.000-08:00

The Giant Nickel is one of those freebie papers you find at the market where people can buy and sell their goods, along with ads for used cars, etc. The local Giant Nickel revealed a CD/RECORD MUSIC SALE to take place at the Tri-Tech Skills Center in Kennewick, Washington this coming Sunday. The Skills Center is what I still know as the Tri-Cities Area Vocational Skills Center, or T.A.V.C. (sometimes called by its initials, other times as "tay-vac"), the place where I went during high school to take Radio/Television Production. It was here where my childhood dream of being a radio DJ came true, and in a high school capacity became music director and in my senior year, station manager. But I remember it more for the music I played and having my own show, The Classic Cafe, where I played rock from the late 60's to the early 70-'s, an era I've always admired. I hadn't visited this place in 18 years so I wasn't sure what to expect. I've passed the building many times over the years, and yet as I went into the parking lot, I had a few memories, both good and bad. The good memories had to do with the music I played, the learning experience (the "TV Production" side of the class eventually lead to me getting my first "real job", as I don't consider my two-day stint at a thrift store a "job"). The bad had to do with certain parents being offended by some of the music we played on the air at the time, as the format was heavy metal. That coincided with the Parents Music Resource Center and of course the re-introduction of Satan in American culture. Unfortunately, I wrote a letter to the editor in the local paper, explaining that people have the freedom to listen or not. Unfortunately, I also spoke on behalf of the station and not my own, and I believe that was interpreted as "John is speaking on behalf of the class, the vocational center, and the school district", and it got very ugly to where I received death threats and was pretty much ignored by any friends I had.

It was a very rough two years, but I came out of it looking at the world differently. One, I quickly learned that the area I live in is considered "the most conservative area in Washington State", and anything considered "out of the norm" is not considered right. I listened to hip-hop AND heavy metal, had long hair, and also had a big nose, not exactly the stereotypical farmer's kid. I already had bad experiences in high school, but to enter a class that was my dream, only for that to fall apart and then be blamed for some of the troubles the station went through, was something that made me bitter. Two years later, I found myself embracing the local punk rock scene for the first time, and finding a better sense of community than I ever did in my three years at high school. If the punk community consisted of a group of rejects and outcasts, I fit in perfectly.

I've talked about it in writings elsewhere, but outside of the good times I had in Radio/TV Production, I would never wish my high school experience on anyone, ever. It was very much like Enid in Ghost World, where I just floated around and hoped I would be able to find the next bus out of town. Apart from vacations, I'm still waiting for that bus.

However, this post is not about mixed feelings of high school, but about returning to that old building where I did have some good memories. I got there, and not surprisingly I had to walk through the radio station (KTCV, 88.1FM) to get to the CD/Record sale. Lots of rock posters and news articles all over the wall, something that was not allowed when I was in the class. It felt like a class for students, not a business office, so that was cool. I got into the commons, which is where the record sale was happening. It was very small once I looked around, maybe four or five tables consisting of boxes of records, and I saw a familiar face, local radio DJ legend Ed Dailey. When I moved here, he was a DJ doing shows under another name, which I don't remember now, but he had one of the best voices I had heard. As someone who admired the world of radio and broadcasting, Dailey had that cool voice you always wanted to hear. I don't know the full story, but he stopped for awhile and returned to the radio under his real name. I've also seen him on local public access taking part in Christian music shows, but he is better known for his experience in radio and a show he hosts today called Legends Of Country. On top of that, he is also the instructor of the class I had taken part in (I had a different instructor).

Once I seen Mr. Dailey, I had assumed that there would be a significant amount of country. It was more than significant, it was almost all country. Fortunately, my interest in country music has grown in recent years. Dailey came up to me as I stared looking in the boxes and said that all albums were 25 cents, and if someone wanted to make an offer, he would consider it. I figured that a lot of the albums would either be from his collection, old radio stock, or both. I was correct. As I browsed through the boxes, I was hoping to find more rock, more soul, more jazz, more funk. I also assumed the CD/Record sale would have more sellers, but I only noticed one other seller. Dailey talked to a collector who also happens to hold his own show, I wish I had went over to talk story but as any collector knows, if you're slow during browsing someone will snap up that record you may be looking for.

The majority of the records were were unknown to be, but I knew of most of the names: Glen Campbell, Kenny Rogers, Roy Clark, and many, many others. I heard Dailey also say that a good portion of the profits made during the sale would go back into the class, which I felt was cool. Since each record was 25 cents each, I could come out there with some great finds.

About half of the records had handwriting on it, some had seam splits, a bunch had masking tape on the side. In other words, your typical "dollar bin" collection. Dailey said that a lot of these albums were from his father's collection, he has held on to them over the years but now has no room.

Some records were in VG-/VG condition, a few a bit nicer. What I noticed first and foremost was the amount of albums on Capitol that were mono promos. With one or two, there had to be more, and I was right. I wish I had taken them all, and I could have but I resisted the urge. One guy looking through the boxes was on his cell, telling his friend "it's said that my paycheck has to go to rent this month". A Another guy, an older gentlemen, says "wow, this record is beautiful but it's going to mess up my needle really bad. I'll pass on this one." Before that he says "25 cents a record, that's amazing, and I'm probably going to go broke today." Aah yes, I was among my people, my fellow vinyl junkies.

I looked at another dealer, who was selling his collection of 45's. Some of them looked like they came from the bottom of a barrel, selling for $2 each? Not for me. I did spot a 45 of interest, Dyke & The Blazers' "Funky Broadway (Parts 1 & 2)" (Original Sound OS-64). The 45 was priced at $6, the paper in the front of the box said all records in the box was half priced and yet he charged me $5. I'm sorry my friend, but he took an L for that.

Behind me were boxes of promo CD's, as well as a box of CD-R's that were recorded. What surprised me was that they had promos of David Axelrod's The Edge compilation on Capitol, and the recent Mizell Brothers comp on Blue Note. Both are excellent albums, and I'm thinking "these two would be long gone if I was in Seattle."

This is what I made it out with:

Buddy Alan-A Whole Lot Of Somethin' (Capitol ST-592)
Merle Haggard-Strangers (Capitol T-2373)
David Houston-Almost Persuaded (Epic BN 26213)
Ferlin Husky-One More Time (Capitol ST-768)
Sonny James-Only The Lonely (Capitol ST-193)
Sonny James & The Southern Gentleman (Capitol ST-478)
Sonny James-Empty Arms (Capitol ST-734)
Buck Owens & His Buckeroos-Together Again/My Heart Skips A Beat (Capitol T-2135)
Buck Owens-Buck Owens Sings Harlan Howard (Capitol ST-1482)
Buck Owens & His Buckeroos-Roll Out The Red Carpet (Capitol T-2443)
Buck Owens & His Buckeroos-Roll Out The Red Carpet (Capitol ST-2443)
Susan Raye-One Night Stand (Capitol ST-543)
Billie Jo Spears-Country Girl (Capitol ST-560)
Tompall And The Glaser Brothers-"...tick...tick...tick..." (soundtrack) (MGM SE-4667 ST)
White Lightnin'-Fresh Air (Polydor 24-4047)
--
Soundtrack-Norwood (songs by Glen Campbell and Al DeLory) (Capitol SW-475)

In the 45rpm department:
Kip Adotta-I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus (Laff 024)
The Hagers-With Lonely/Tracks (Running Through The City) (Capitol PRO-4754)
The Righteous Brothers-Dream On/Dr. Rock And Roll (Haven/Capitol 7006)

DAMAGE:: $10

REVIEWS: Two CD's for your consideration

2006-10-28T16:21:00.000-07:00

I have two new reviews up over at Okayplayer:

BONEY JAMES-Shine (order now at CD Universe)
MARISA MONTE-Universo Ao Meu Redor (order now at CD Universe)

Thrift Store Adventures: October 1, 2006, Pasco, Washington

2006-10-02T09:48:00.000-07:00

At the rate things are going, I should just call this column The Story Of How One Man Deals With Going To The Same Goodwill Time And Time Again, Hoping To Find Gold.

That's not the reason I repeatedly go to the Pasco Goodwill. Those of you who may be keeping track, here's where we stand now. At one point Pasco had three thrift stores. The Salvation Army closed down years ago. There is a St. Vincent de Paul here, but there are records there that have been there since I went to high school. Goodwill updates their floor stock every few weeks. As the weather gets cold in the Pacific Northwest, yard and garage sales fade away until spring comes. There are other thrift stores in nearby places, but it has really become a crap shoot. Why bother with traveling any significant distance if you have a sense there's not going to be anything worthy? The ordeal of the record collector is that "what if?", or really any collector. Nonetheless, it's the Pasco Goodwill I return to, groovin' on a Sunday afternoon.

There are three bins full of records. The left side of the bin has nothing, the same stuff I had seen a week or so ago. Aah, but the right side has a few familiar names. Earl Klugh and... oh, what's this, David Newman on... oh oh, Cotillion? Being an Atlantic junkie, I was happy I found it but unfortunately, no record inside. This meant that I had to go through all of the bins. Not a chore, not a big deal. Or so I thought.

I hit the second bin and it begins with some classical records, some budget country, then the covers start to get interesting. One record, two records, three records, what the hell is going on? Here I am hoping to just find the David Newman vinyl and I'm seeing Quincy Jones, Shirley Scott, Ramsey Lewis. It's not sex, but damn I'm scoring.

Now the math begins. I know how much I have in my wallet ($20), and I know that if there's too many records, I have to:

1) Buy within the budget
2) Leave, rush to the bank, return

I could not find the Newman LP in the records, I knew there was an old phonograph where the cameras are but the only thing there was Chicago XI. No luck. Because I'm a numbnut, I decide to buy the cover WITHOUT the album. It will be a reminder to find the album somewhere. Not the one that's missing, but to find a copy with the record. The curious never rest.

Here's what I walked out with:

ODELL BROWN & THE ORGAN-IZERS-Mellow Yellow (Cadet LPS-788)
The organ was (ahem) big for awhile, and every label had their organ master. Chess Records, via their subsidiary Cadet, had Odell Brown. This is a nice soulful, bluesy, jazzer with some pretty good instrumentals. What amazes me is that the liner note says it was recorded in January 1967, and yet sounds as if it was recorded a few years later. There's a groove that would make these songs work in a number of capacities, but 1967? That's the power of jazz for you, always one step ahead of the game.

BOBBI HUMPHREY-Flute-In (Blue Note BST 84379)
I bought this yesterday, but I'm listening to it now, feeling the drums and I look at the liner note: Idris Muhammad. Life is a beautiful thing, isn't it? Back to the program...

I became a fan of the jazz flute through my dad, who was a fan of Herbie Mann. In the last ten years or so I've expanded my listening habits to cover other people who have played the flute, whether it's Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Yusef Lateef, James Moody or Bobbi Humphrey. If there were moments where Mann's music was moving towards easily listening, it seems Miss Humphrey was someone who was going to let her playing shine. This album, recorded in late 1971 and released in 1972, has Humphrey playing with some of the best: Lee Morgan, Hank Jones, Jimmy Johnson, and the aforementioned Muhammad. The vibe, kinda funky, kinda mellow, would make this a suitable release for CTI or Kudu.

QUINCY JONES-Gula Matari (A&M SP 3030)
There is a generation of people who may not have any idea of the music The Q had recorded over the years, especially in the late 60's/early 70's. An album like this makes digging for records worthwhile.

The cover looks like something that would be perfect on CTI, but A&M did that for awhile and for good reason, since this was produced by Creed Taylor (the CT in CTI) For this, Jones went to that cherished place in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey for a visit with the ol' doctor, Rudy Van Gelder, and brought some friends with him: Pepper Adams, Hubert Laws, Freddie Hubbard, Eric Gale, Toots Thielemans, Herbie Hancock, Bob James, Grady Tate, Ron Carter, and Milt Jackson among others. Also assisting in the vocal department is singer/songwriter Valerie Simpson (of Ashford & Simpson fame).

Now the music. If you have a short attention span, this album is not for you. The cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" clocks in at 6:10, "Walkin'" at 7:55, and "Hummin'" at 8:05. For the mammoth title track (the best song on the album), he allows himself to explore the depth of the music and shoots for 13:05. "Gula Matari" is a mental movie, and perhaps that's why he easily adapted to motion picture work. He had spent a good part of the 60's being the musical director for Mercury Records, and he did not (nor would not) restrict himself to playing jazz, even though that is the core of what he is as a musician and arranger. There are no short doses here, no time-compressed hits, this is full blown Q at his best.

THE RAMSEY LEWIS TRIO-Upendo Ni Pamoja (Columbia KC 31096)
RAMSEY LEWIS-Don't It Feel Good (Columbia PC 33800)
Upendo Ni Pamoja was one of Lewis' first post-Cadet albums, entering a new world but was he really? The album is known for its cover of War's "Slipping Into Darkness" (which was released as a single, and also features Ocean's "Put Your Hand In The Hand". When you have Cleveland Eaton and Morris Jennings backing you up, you can't go wrong. Lewis knew what felt good.

Don't It Feel Good? Hell yeah. This was Lewis' album after the huge success of 1974's Sun Goddess. It begins with a guitar riff that sounds more like Loggins & Messina's "Your Mama Don't Dance", but the Rhodes and synths tell another, much funkier story. I definitely remember my dad buying this album when I was a kid, even though I have not heard this album in a good thirty years. Yet it was Sun Goddess that I flocked too, maybe it had to do with that woman in gold paint.

For this record Lewis gets a lot of help from Charles Stepney. Some might know him for the work he did with Earth Wind & Fire, but Lewis and Stepney go further than that, when Stepney was an arranger over at Chess, assisting in the works of Rotary Connection and Marlena Shaw. Lewis' drummer for many years was Maurice White, who would eventually head to California and form The Salty Peppers before the genesis of Earth Wind & Fire was born. It should not come as any surprise that the success of Sun Goddess, featuring two songs with EW&F involvement, would lead to an album which sounds like an EW&F album. It's funky, it's soulful, and you got the slow jams. You also have a cover of EW&F's "That's The Way Of The World", along with other priceless jems such as "Fish Bite", "I Dig You", and "Spider Man".

It is a fairly mellow record, and I like it. I think people liked it too much and hoped Lewis would stay in this corner. This is probably why he would eventually record something like Salongo a year later.

ROY MERIWETHER-Preachin' (Capitol ST-243)
Roy Meriwether is still with us, but here he is in the late 1960's on Capitol (lime green variation) offering an album that covers his gospel and jazz roots, with no regrets. Side 1 is all about jubilation, while Side 2 has him recording various songs of the day, including "Ode To Billie Joe", "Little Green Apples", and "This Guy's In Love With Me". He released another album on Capitol that I hope to find in the future.

KEN MUNSON-Super Flute (Paramount PAS-6049)
This looked like a budget release, but it was on Paramount Records (as in the movie studio) so it could not have been that bad. It wasn't. Munson plays jazz with the flute, but within you also have some funk jams, including some nice nuggets for sampling.

SHIRLEY SCOTT-Something (Atlantic SD 1561)
I've seen album covers of hers over the years, but never was moved to take a listen. Now I have to catch up. "Something" is indeed the George Harrison composition performed by him and his Liverpudlian bandmates. Scott, a wizard of the Hammond B-3, almost reinterprets it into a church dirge, moving at a pace that is eerily slow but it doesn't steer you away. "Something", a song which Frank Sinatra called one of the best love songs he had ever heard, became an instant favorite when it was released in late 1969, and one can find versions performed by Herbie Mann, Issac Hayes, Joe Cocker and Shirley Bassey among many others. Scott interprets it different from the others, and if anything shows the power of a good song.

The album also features another Beatles cover, "Because", along with other familiar hits of the time: "Games People Play", "I Want You Back", "Someday We'll Be Together", and "Brand New Me". The album is much more spirited, and her playing has to be heard.

TOM SCOTT-Target (Atlantic 80106-1)
Well, this isn't Honeysuckle Breeze, I think that's the one album a lot of cratediggers would like to find, multiple copies even. This one is an 80's album. I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of Scott's work for most of the late 70's, so I don't know what made me think I was going to like this. It's very poppy, very new wave and electronic. I like Scott's playing, but Target misses its intended destination big time.

There was a non-jazz album as well:

LEX DE AZEVEDO-Against A Crooked Sky (Embryo Music EM-1005)
A soundtrack to a movie I had never heard of, but it was a quadraphonic LP so I had to pick it up. Azevedo is a composer and arranger who worked extensively with David Axelrod, but many people believed that Lex De Azevedo and David Axelrod are one and the same man. Not true, although Azevedo's work on this album has a lot of Axelrod's trademark anthemics. Or maybe it was Axelrod who was taking cues from Azevedo.

Some of you may be more familiar with another album Azevedo did, the double LP Saturday's Warrior, kind of a rock opera for the Latter Day Saints.

I also found two 45's:
THE BEACH BOYS-The Beach Boys Medley/God Only Knows (Capitol A-5030)
Looking back, it is amazing something like this actually became a hit record. The success of "Stars On 45", created by a group of unknown musicians and singers who recreated Beatles songs over a disco beat, made labels believe that they could do the same thing. Or maybe not.

Maybe labels did not like all of this new wave crap, and felt that it was time to restore music to what it once was. Eh, I don't know.

Either way, someone at Capitol Records decided it would be an interesting idea to create a medley out of Beach Boys songs and release it as a single. It was the actual recordings, spliced together. I remember this song being played A LOT, and in a way that starteda a trend of other medleys by other artists on other labels. Capitol would try this idea again with their other big group, The Beatles, and create "The Beatles Movie Medley" in honor of a compilation they had put together, Reel Movie, to honor the music found in Beatles films. That received airplay too.

These days, I don't hear "The Beach Boys Medley" too much.

Adam Wind-You Don't Need It/Old Funky Song (Valane V-1918)
I bought this for a few reasons. One, the B-side was called "Old Funky Song". Even if it wasn't funky, it would be an interesting listen. Two, it was a regional record, in this case from Kent, Washington. Three, a Leroy Bell was listed as a co-writer for the A-side. Was this the same Leroy Bell of Bell & James fame ("Livin' It Up (Friday Night)") fame? Fourth, I thought it was cool that someone who bought this 45 cared enough to write their name on it, and also what grade they were in when they bought it, in this case 7th Grade. It was someone's personal favorite, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

Both songs are of the pop/rock variety, sounding a bit like Little River Band with a bit of mid-70's Santana. No date of release, but I wish I was an executive producer for a film studio, just so I would be able to place this in a film and give music like this some exposure.

BTW - "Old Funky Song" is not funky, but a good listen.

(UPDATE @ 1:59pm: I did a quick search for "Adam Wind" and they were a band, featuring one Leroy Bell on vocals. One look at their photos and it is definitely the Bell of Bell & James fame, who still calls the Seattle area his home. The funny thing is, I recently reviewed Bell's new album for Okayplayer, and now I'm getting a chance to hear a bit of his pre-disco roots.)

Adam Wind-You Don't Need It (3.1mb)
Adam Wind-Old Funky Song (3.8mb)

Opinion: Finding A Misplaced Album

2006-09-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

This is not about trying to hunt down an album that I don't have. It is a different situation. My fellow record collectors and vinyl junkies, understand my pain for a moment.

Last night I was searching around online and one thing lead to another, and I wanted to hear an album again. I know I have a copy because I bought it and listened to it a few minutes ago. It's a jazz album. My jazz section is alphabetized by label, which unfortunately I have not undone yet because I'm a lazy ass.

To make a long story short, I've been in my record room for the last two hours and I still can't find it. I honestly don't know where it is. Did I let it slip inbetween some hip-hop? Is it in the Hawaiian section? Is it in my "crap" crates? My box of assorted albums that I haven't bothered filing? No, no, no, and no.

Now, I can go to eBay or GEMM and do a search, buy what I want. That's the ease of record collecting these days, I don't have to travel for the hunt. But is that the hunt?

That's not the point of this post. The point is... well I really don't have a point. I have no idea where my album is. I'm sure if I buy the album again (and I probably will), I will find it when I'm not looking.

Yes' "Fragile" gets the audiophile treatment not once, but TWICE!!!

2006-09-08T14:13:00.000-07:00

Thrift and used record store junkies, we have all seen Yes' Fragile album many times over, and I'm sure we've bought a copy many times over. Countless LP variations, maybe on 8-track, cassette, or in this digital age we even sprung for the DVD-Audio with surround sound and high resolution mixes. Atlantic also briefly came out with a version in their short-lived 24-karat gold CD series

Now it's about to get another audiophile treatment, and in what may be a first, it is being remastered in two different ways by two different record labels.

Respected audio mastering engineer Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray have done a remaster for the version that will be released on vinyl only on the Analogue Productions label (which you can pre-order right now through the Acoustic Sounds website). This will definitely be a treat for not only Yes fans, but for those who have enjoyed the remasterings Hoffman has done in the last 20 years.

But that's not the only version coming out.

Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab are also coming out with their remastered version on the label's trademark 24K gold CD series. For those without turntables, you will want to hear what may become one of the definitive versions of this album. (You can pre-order your copy now by clicking to the MFSL website.

Hoffman is known for the CD's he mastered for the now-defunct DCC label, and there are only a few instances when DCC and MFSL released their own versions of the same album. In this case, it is the first time two versions of the same album are being released at the same time. Audiophile and music junkies are going crazy over this right now, wondering which one to buy and knowing that in the end they will buy both.

Let's hope Close To The Edge is next.

Thrift Store Adventures: August 26, 2006, Pasco, Washington

2006-08-26T17:37:00.000-07:00

It is sad, my friends, when it takes a fricken month for me to update this blog. I have not escaped to the center of the Earth. I've been a bit busy with life, writing, and recording my forthcoming album. I did make a visit to the Goodwill in Richland, Washington, where I found some Japanese pressings of albums by Roberta Flack, Helen Reddy, and Anne Murray. No Led Zeppelin, no King Crimson, but Killing Me Softly is one of my favorite Flack albums, and Murray does a cover of "Put Your Hand In The Band" that has a nice break in the intro, so all is not lost.

I had intended to write about it here, but spaced out and forgot. Poor excuse, but that's how it is. And what it is, is now, a new adventure.

I went to the St. Vincent de Paul in Pasco, WA, not expecting anything. However, there were two new boxes right in front of the record section and I immediately saw the face of Duke Ellington. It wasn't the Duke himself, but a tribute concert done, but with one jazz album there had to be a few others. There were, and it was nice to see new records there, since most of the albums in the racks have been there for the last 15 years.

Dick Jurgens & His Orchestra-Here's That Band Again Today (Flying Dutchman Amsterdam AM-12011)
I bought this because I saw the Flying Dutchman logo, and it was on their Amsterdam subsidiary. Also, I looked at the label and BOOM, it was a pressing on Atlantic Records. Had to buy it (the promo sticker, used by Atlantic during this period, was also a clue).

Well, I'm listening to it now and I had hoped it would be some out there jazz. It is more jazz/pop and definitely would be something my grandfather and Omama would love dancing to. However, it is nice to hear something like this, music that was popular before R&B, blues, and rock'n'roll messed up the youth. The covers of "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" and "Close To You" are very nice. As the liner notes say, this music will take some of you back to teh years before television, before radio almost, and certainly before a lot of us were around at all".

James Last-Goodtimes (Polydor 24-4512)
Normally I would get adventurous and buy everything this guy has ever made, because I have yet to find anything worthy of a second listen. This man was almost as prolific as Sizzla Kalonji, recording on loads of labels, including K-Tel.

This album has no date, but I'm going to take a guess and say 1971 or 1972, if I am to judge from the songs and look of the photos. I think this was recorded at the height of all of the Godspell and Hair phenomenons, because each song features a group of singers harmonizing at their best. It's not awful, but for me it's not something I would want to hear regularly. Or irregularly. There are covers of "My Sweet Lord", "I Hear You Knocking", "Knock Three Times", "Neanderthal Man", "When I'm Dead And Gone", "Ape Man", and "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window".

It is this Beatles cover that I find a bit funny. "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" is a part of the Abbey Road medley on Side 2, and is a brief song. I do know Joe Cocker did a great version of it, but that's Joe Cocker. What James Last and his group of singers try to do is make it anthemic. It doesn't quite work. Then again, I tend to be a Beatle elitist at times, and I don't want to hear verses repeated over and over as if it was meant to be a big pop song. It's a small part of a medley, leave it at that. I think I may have to do some research on James Last, to find how what his deal was.

To be honest, the musicianship is great and there IS that level of cheese that DOES make me want to hear more. But I'm not going to be on an avid search for his entire discography.

(MP3: James Last-She Came In Through The Bathroom Window)

The Newport All Stars-Tribute To Duke (BASF 20717)
At first I thought I had found a Duke Ellington album, but instead this was a show created for performance by The Newport All-Stars, recorded in 1969 and released after Ellington's death three years later. This one features Red Norvo, Barney Kessel, and Kenny Burrell, along with other musicians who create some incredible music. It may not be the Duke, but it is done with him in mind and I'm all for that.

Buddy Rich-A Different Drummer (RCA/Victor LSP-4593)
I don't have any Buddy Rich albums in my collection, odd considering how much I am a fan of the drums. I've borrowed a few from the library during high school, and I guess I haven't taken time to explore his discography either. After hearing this, I think I may start hunting down his records.

The Rich I'm familiar with is from the 60's, when he was doing battles with everybody. This one, released in 1971, has a big band backing. What made me buy it, outside from the fact that it was Buddy Rich, was because it was called A Different Drummer, which comes from a poem by Henry David Thoreau, but was also the subject of a song by Les Crane (look on the B-side of the "Desiderata" 45). I bought that Crane 45 because of that song (I wasn't sure what "Desiderata" was until I played it), and for awhile I played it on my radio show since I felt the poem described me in a way ("If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears A Different Drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away").

Anyway, Buddy Rich. I could only play Side 1 on my Vestax portable, as the record is slightly warped, making Side 2 impossible to play without it warbling. There's a nice drum/percussion segment in "Paul's Tune", and his cover of "Superstar" (from Jesus Christ Superstar) is really good.

(A Japanese CD of A Different Drummer is available through CD Universe.)

Dionne Warwicke-Just Being Myself (Warner Bros. BS 2658)
Note the spelling of her name on this one.

Her Warner Bros. period is not as popular as what came before (Scepter) and after (Arista), so one can listen to this period with an open mind. I prefer this era. It is a Holland-Dozier-Holland production, so it's sounding like something from the Hot Wax catalog. The album opens with "You're Gonna Need Me", and in some tape vault somewhere there is a version of this where the band gets even funkier. "I Think You Need Love" may be familiar to fans of rapper Jim Jones.

This album was recently released on CD for the first time this year, but it was nice to find the vinyl, and a white label promo to boot.

(MP3: Dionne Warwicke-I Think You Need Love)

(You can order this album on CD through CD Universe.)

Various Artists-Guitar Rock (Time Life Music OP-4521)
I'll most likely put this on eBay. 3LP's of classic guitar rock, still in the original cellophone, and made in 1990. And hey look, Joe Cocker's "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" is on it. Also on here: James Gang's "Funk #49", Cream's "Sunshine Of Your Love", The Allman Brothers Band's "Whipping Post", and... Elton John's "The Bitch Is Back". I know that has a nice guitar riff, but is Elton John considered "guitar rock"?

Thrift Store Adventures: July 25, 2006: Kennewick, Washington

2006-07-26T20:51:00.000-07:00

There's a deal here where a certain road determines whether or not one is in the city of Kennewick or Richland. I visited Value Village yesterday and to me it's Kennewick. But ask a Richland resident and they may say otherwise. Nonetheless, it's the only Value Village in the Tri-Cities.

I hadn't been here in ages, because the last few times I was there the selection was bad. I went in and believe it or not, they had both 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 by The Beatles. I didn't bother picking it up, I'm curious if they gave each one a "collector's" price.

What did catch my eye was a record affiliated with an artist whose work I've come to admire over the years. If any of you have read my previous entries of Thrift Store Adventures, then you may know who this person is. If not, let me explain. If you go to a thrift store, yard or garage sales long enough, you will see some of the same records by the same artists over and over. Some have status, others have none. Some continue to get airplay today, others have been obscured in time. A few of these obscurities have been praised for some of their unique quirks by a number of writers throughout the years. I often refer to a great fanzine from the early 90's called Breakfast Without Meat, put together by Gregg Turkington. It was he who made me interested in such curiosities as 101 Strings and Dora Hall.

Then there's Rod McKuen. You Thrift Store Adventures regulars can skip the next paragraph or so.

In my search for records, I would often see multiple copies of The Sea, The Earth, and The Sky, a triad of recordings that became some of his biggest sellers. I guess for a lot of people, McKuen's work was seen as old, dated, "not good", or even "cheesy". Maybe due to my tolerance and occasional tolerance of "bad taste", I had to check these records out for myself. These three albums were primarily spoken word. A few featured the voice of McKuen himself, but sometimes it would be the voice of others. The words would be poems, essays, "spoken word", basically waxing poetic about the elements and romance. It showed that McKuen was a hopeless romantic, but also someone who wasn't afraid to show the pain and suffering of life and love.

What I also liked was the arrangements of the music, the production, just a huge wash of sound. It was the late 60's, it was on Warner Bros., and people still arranged songs, did scores, and used such words as "lush orchestration". It was big and bold, not unlike a score done for a movie, and I believe some of the musicians used for his albums were those that worked on films for Warner Bros. Somehow I was hooked.

I will be honest and say that McKuen was not on my "must have" mental list. Once I had heard his three albums, I started noticing other titles pop up frequently, not just on Warner Bros. but on Epic and RCA Victor. Then other labels. How many records did this man create? I had to know. I bought them when I found them. I had found In Search Of Eros on Epic, and it had taken me by surprise. It was a little more than "puppy love", it was a bit more "adult". Not pornographic or anything, but a lot more than talking about seeing images of togetherness in the sky.

Eventually I heard him sing. At the time I did not know he was a singer, I assumed that his albums were all spoken word. I'll be honest again, it was a unique voice. It was raspy, in a Reuben Kincaid sort of way. It wasn't a great or spectacular voice, but it was his. As I began to buy more records, sometimes he shined, other times the emotion would take over.

It got to a point where I became an actual fan. It wasn't just the spoken word or the singing, but also the arrangements, and the nature of the recordings. If one takes a serious listen to his work, they will get a lot out of it. I think I now have over 30 albums with his involvement, whether it's under his own name, or albums with his involvement. I think I may have a third of his discography. As of yesterday, I've added another to the McKuen box:

The Stanyan Strings
As I Love My Own
(Stanyan)
His track record was impressive enough to where he was given his own boutique label, Stanyan. On this album, it was the music of McKuen played by the group who had backed him up on a number of his records. McKuen himself is credited solely with "whistling". When I saw this at Value Village, I was like "oh, a McKuen record I had not seen before". It had a couple on the front cover, embracing, nude but with the woman's back to the camera, and from the chest up. I opened up the gatefold and WHOA NELLY! The gatefold revealed the man and woman, from the back, head to toe, no clothes. OH SNAP! Was the record in nice condition? Oh yes. Immediate purchase. In the CD section was a McKuen compilation on Laserlight. I didn't pick it up, only because with McKuen, it's vinyl/8-tracks or nothing.

Now at home, I pull out the record and I discover there's a poster inside. WHOA NELLY again, it's a poster of the nude couple. I'm someone who was raised in the 70's so there were a few hippie ideals around. I guess that time in history where I wasn't able to experience it myself has always been a source of inspiration, but I can't help but laugh and wonder who would put up a poster like that? Hep swingers? Orgy enthusiasts? Pakalolo brownie chefs?

These records can be listened to for simply listening, but they were definitely mood enhancers. The actual title is listed on the cover as I Love Your Body As I Love My Own, but the emphasis is on As I Love My Own. Not sure if that was a bit of tongue in cheek humor from McKuen himself, but WHOA NELLY, THERE'S A NAKED COUPLE ON THE COVER!

How is the music? Very good. There is something about these records, whether it's McKuen, or Don Costa or an endless list of composers, arrangers, and conductors, that seems to be... let me put it this way, there's a shortage of this. Maybe because I didn't experience this albums first hand, but there seemed to be an abundance of these types of records. You can find Percy Faith everywhere too. I find them interesting from a historical, musical perspective. This was the music that made the world go 'round, and people wanted it because they wanted good music. Yesterday's big record purchase of the week is today's bargain bin discovery. For 30 to 40 minutes, I revive the sleeping dream.

Thrift Store Adventures: July 22, 2006: Hermiston, Oregon

2006-07-22T22:03:00.000-07:00

I need to update this page a bit more, I apologize to those who may have had high hopes. Unfortunately this entry is not going to be too encouraging either.

The only think that was of value was seeing the price of gas when I got into Oregon. $2.95 a gallon. There was a station that sold diesel for much cheaper, but you had to have a card.

I went to Goodwill today, in the hopes of finding something. After driving 30 or so miles you'd think there would be one good record right? NOPE! But I did make it out with a Lynn Anderson quadraphonic 8-track, which I may put up on eBay.

As I was heading home, I went to this area where there are three antique stores. There was a Merle Haggard 45 on Capitol, but I thought eh, I don't need it. Second store was fill of nicknacks, so I avoided it and went to the third one. There was a nice direct drive turntable, but part of the arm looked funny to me. Only $10, so maybe it wasn't as bad. Quite a few albums, a few good ones although the vinyl looked shot. I was originally going to make it out with an album by Dennis Coffey and it looked like your typical thrift store run-down record. I go to the cashier and the lady says "you did see how much this was, right?" Eight dollars for a record that was in VG condition and a cover that wasn't too good looking either. I told her I didn't want it.

On top of that, it was HOT AS FUCK. Goodwill was air conditioned, but the antique stores? Fat man in an antique store? Yeah, I was sweating alright, and not a good sweat.

r.i.p. Syd Barrett

2006-07-11T07:43:00.000-07:00

He and the rest of Pink Floyd were a major influence on my music, in terms of wanting to take it higher, and then go further.

News Article: Indie Stores Turn To Used CD's

2006-07-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

From The Oregonian.

My opinion? I still buy CD's, and I still buy vinyl. I support new and used CD's.

New Video: Bukkake

2006-07-04T10:28:00.000-07:00

File under reggaeton. File under corny like feces.

New Music: Ludacris

2006-06-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

A lot of people have been talking about it, so here it is.

Ludacris-War With God (2mb)

New Music: Lionel Richie

2006-06-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

Remember when Nicole Richie was semi hot? Now she's semi rot. Hell, she's not not half of anything. Half a pound? Eh.

Lionel Richie - I Call It Love (4.75mb)

News: Before The Music Dies (movie)

2006-06-13T11:16:00.000-07:00

I was just made aware of this movie and I hope to be able to get a chance to see it. Most likely it will not play here in the Tri-Cities but... this is something I have to see.

News: Beyonce Holding Rehearsals for "All Female Touring Band"

2006-06-10T15:29:00.000-07:00

I posted this in the forums at Okayplayer. I am not a Beyonce fan, I prefer Kelly Rowland (in terms of voice and looks). I do, however, like the fact that she's going to hire a band, and an all-female band at that. I would go just to see the band, but would have to suffer through... well, Beyonce. Maybe Hell's Belles should back her up.

New Music: Joe Budden

2006-06-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

Joe Budden - Stuntin' (Dirty Version) (5.65mb)

Thrift Store Adventures: June 1, 2006, Richland, Washington

2006-06-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

I got an e-mail about a local thrift store closing down, and how everything would be 50 percent off. Their music selection has gone down quite a bit, but I decided to take a chance.

I make it to Thrift Rak and the entire store is a mess. A few records, and some 8-tracks. Records were all crap, but one of the 8-tracks as an album by Michael Bloomfield and another which was a bootleg, with what appeared to be Creedence Clearwater Revival on the cover, but music and songs unrelated to them. I should have bought them, but I did not.

I wasn't going to check out the Goodwill in Richland, and perhaps I shouldn't have. Records again were crap, but there were loads of classical CD's. If I had more money to play with, I probably would have picked them up.

New Music: L.L. Cool J

2006-05-31T12:25:00.000-07:00

L.L. Cool J featuring Lloyd Bands & Hot Rod - Bump This (5.19mb)

Thrift Store Adventures: May 27, 2006, Goodwill, Pasco, Washington

2006-05-27T19:44:00.000-07:00

HERBIE MANN
The Evolution Of Mann
(Atlantic)

My dad made me a fan of Herbie Mann, as he was a fan. Through him playing Memphis Underground and Push Push, I would eventually listen to Mann on my own terms. I have some of his albums, keyword being some, because Mann recorded A LOT of records. His Atlantic work is what I prefer, but he also recorded for a few other labels too.

The Evolution Of Mann is a 2LP compilation released in 1972, and it looks like it was released around the time Mann's label, Embryo, would be closing shop.

It was nice to go to a thrift store again after being away for too long, and finding something as good as this. That, and the usual family church records.

New Music: The Wreckers

2006-05-22T15:44:00.000-07:00

What kind of bullshit is The Wreckers? A new country super-duo with Michelle Branch and someone else. Okay. Pfftt.

News: Vinyl Outsells CD's In Some Markets

2006-05-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

MY COMMENT: DAMN RIGHT!!!

Link: (courtesy of TheBusinessOnline.com).

Digging In The Magazine Box: RCA Victor 45's

2006-05-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

This clipping was taken from the Steve Hoffman boards. Apparently all this time I've been going to thrift stores and seeing certain RCA/Victor 45's on colored vinyl, there was a reason for it. It wasn't so much a mystery as it was something unknown, at least to me.

Digging In The Magazine Box: Little Richard

2006-04-30T14:17:00.000-07:00

News: Cyril Neville Speaks Out In Support Of The Crescent City

2006-04-27T09:33:00.000-07:00

Cyril Neville is an incredible singer and musician. He comes from a family that has made the music of New Orleans richer, and in the last twenty years when someone talked about New Orleans music, it's safe to say The Neville Brothers were part of that conversation.

Following the devastation of New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina, it doesn't take anyone within the city limits to see that recovery efforts have been piss poor from day one. We all saw the news reports, and we continue to read stories of how one of the liveliest cities in the United States has almost become flatline. Cyril Neville isn't about to let life go, and he speaks out about it in a great article printed in The Austin Chronicle. You can read the article here:

http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2006-04-28/music_feature.html.

New Music: Wing's "Back In Black"

2006-04-21T10:59:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately I don't have this CD single or the full track, but here is an excerpt of Wing's cover of AC/DC's "Back In Black".

Opinion: The Hollywood-ness Of Music

2006-04-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

Question: How come there's so much Hollywood-type bullshit in record stores? Sorry, "musical entertainment stores". Wait again, "that place with all the dead media". Eh, you know what I mean.

People love Kidz Bop. Parents are raging in stores to buy the biggest sensation, the High School Musical soundtrack. You have the second coming of Devo, but in the form of a group of kids calling themselves DEV2.0.

Head over to Billboard and there's a link to a group of girls whom I once saw on TV while turning channels. They call themselves Girl Authority and they are doing covers of various old and new songs, including Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl". Kind of odd, hearing 12 year old girls doing a song about not being someone who wouldn't want to "holla back" at a man. Not as bad as seeing a young girl in Shawnna's new video for "Gimme Some Head", but that's another story another time.

Explain to me how a lot of this Hollywood bullshit music can become huge hits, while real people who make real music, be it hip-hop, funk, country, jazz, gospel, or Hawaiian, have to struggle ten times as hard? You have all of this phony bologna emo-metal bands whom people would have kicked in the nuts 25 years ago because they were poseurs, and now they RAWK!?!?! To whom, to people who don't know any better?

Lindsay Lohan and Ashlee Simpson have made not one but two albums. Both went gold. Keep in mind, 500,000 people went out of their way to buy it. Meanwhile, Cassandra Wilson has a new album but is a slow but steady seller only because she's not young and a friend of Kanye West.

Jessica Simpson was once lost in the Britney Spears/Christina Aguilera shuffle and now all she has to do is pucker her ass, show off her horse mouth, and she's a success? What the fuck is going on here?

We're in 2006, and there are more methods than every to buy and obtain music, legally and illegally. The MP3 rage made it possible to not only get the songs you want, but to be able to find music that was either impossible to find or too expensive to buy. Yet who is at #1?

I don't think I would complain so much if it was good songs, but most of the songs are shit. Bring back good music.

I take that back, bring back the record industry I grew up with before it got corrupt, before it was taken over by people who could care less about the music.

The Beatles: Cirque du Soleil

2006-04-19T10:41:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge Beatles fan. There has been word about some new music on the horizon, but in Beatles terms that could mean "by 2012". There's also word that all of their albums will be newly remastered, which pleases a number of people.

But what to make of this?
http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/showstickets/love/intro/intro.htm

This is an official site for a new show uniting the music of The Beatles with the Cirque du Soleil? To me, this is just wrong. Dead wrong.

Thrift Store Adventures: March 27, 2006, Richland, Washington

2006-03-30T08:30:00.000-08:00

I normally don't visit thrift stores once a month, but life can be that way sometimes. But with a few dollars in my pocket I asked myself this question: McChicken or records? I chose the latter.

I visited Goodwill in Richland, Washington and lately the selection has been junk. But there were a few things worth picking up.

Hubert Laws-Carnegie Hall (CTI)
This is a live album I had never seen or heard of before, but this was Hubert Laws, and on CTI. The album also features Ron Carter, Bob James, and Billy Cobham among others. It's an interesting approach too, the album consists of two songs. That's it, two side-length tracks, with a classical piece getting the jazz treatment, and a medley of two songs (Chick Corea's "Windows" and James Taylor's "Fire And Rain") getting the classical treatment. There are some amazing moments, and anytime you hear James' do his thing on the electric piano, you know it's going to be a ride. Trippy.

(This has not been released on CD in the U.S., but a Japanese import is available through CD Universe)

Siddhadas And Freddie-Morning Star (S.Y.D.A. Foundation)
Two friends who became a part of the Krishna faith decide to celebrate their guru with an album of acoustic folk songs. It is amazing to see how many people in the 70's did albums like these, not only custom/private presses but even Pete Townshend, Carlos Santana & John McLaughin had albums for their gurus. Nothing too amazing on this, but the songs are nice.

Clyde Beavers-That's You (And What's Left Of Me)/Old Tree (Hickory)
I had taken a chance with this. Yes, it's on a Nashville label so almost by default it should be country. Plus, the artist is named Clyde Beavers. Being much more of a soul and funk fan, it is safe to say a soul singer could not get away with being called Clyde Beavers. Sly Beavers... maybe, but some double entendre would be involved.

In this case, it's country. No date given but most likely from the early or mid-1960's. The A-side is a glider, but the B-side had a bit more pep to it. Makes me wish I knew how to play a guitar.

Clyde Beavers-Old Tree (2.35mb)

Railroad Sounds-Last Train To Waterloo (Quadraphonic) (Warner Bros.)
This was a quad 8-track, I had to buy it, even though I have no means of hearing it. This was an album made by Brad Miller in 1972, consisting of nothing but the sound of trains. If the Miller name is familiar, it should be. He had a hand in the creation of the Mystic Moods Orchestra (later shortened to Mystic Moods, and signed to Warner Bros.). Miller was an audiophile and would often feature natural sounds on the Mystic Moods records, from birds to rain to random train sounds. He decided to just release an album of trains, and he was allowed to do so. On a major label no less. Miller would eventually form his own audiophile label, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL), and he was very successful in that venture. Miller passed away in 1998, but not without leaving behind a collection of records and compact discs that helped enhance the listening experience for anyone who wanted to hear more.

Just the thought of hearing railroad sounds in surround sound... THAT'S HOT!!! I'm also a fan of sound effect records, which can be interesting.