4/17/24

The Who- Who Are You
Leyla McCalla- Sun Without The Heat
John Cale- Slow Dazzle
Tom Waits- Bone Machine
Lou Reed- Growing Up In Public
The Nice- Five Bridges

4/16/24

Difford/Tilbrook/Shear/Straw- MTV Unplugged, 1989
(Debut episode. Found this on a hard drive. Fun stuff!)

Kevin Godley- Muscle Memory
(I started listening to this the week it was released, but wasn't immediately taken with it. Four years later, I decided to go back in. Made it through five songs. Nothing is hitting me.)

Dave Edmunds- Tracks On Wax 4
(Saw some posts on Instagram about Dave. His b'day, maybe. Then, listening to Lizzy made me think of their cover of "Trouble Boys." Figured it was time to listen to some Dave himself.)

 

Big Star- #1 Record
(Probably not a popular opinion but I prefer "Radio City" more than "#1 Record" and I prefer Chris Bell's "I Am The Cosmos" more than either.)

Bad Brains- I Against I
(Much different than what was before and what came after, but still my fave.)

The Sons Of Negus- Freedom Sounds
(Essential. Top 10 Reggae record of all time.)

The Meters- Look-A Py Py (Kevin Gray Master)

 

Crowded House- Temple Of Low Men
(Nice interview with Neil Finn in the new Mojo. Talks about how Capitol Records dropped the ball on this record. I remember buying the cassette (!) at Penny Lane Records in Venice Beach, CA. Cannot listen to it without thinking of that beach!)

 

Professor Longhair- New Orleans Piano
(A guaranteed good mood, and that's coming from King Crank.)

4/15/24

African Head Charge- A Trip To Bolgatanga
(Have I mentioned that I love this record? This album always does its job, anytime of day, any day of the week.)

John Cale- Music For A New Society

Bee Gees - Horizontal (Kevin Gray Stereo Master)
(This and the debut absolutely shine with Kevin Gray's master. And if you are a fan of The Posies, listen to the first two Bee Gees records. The Posies borrowed a lot, in all the best ways.)

 

 

Dr. John- Things Happen That Way
(Still loving this one.)

 

Traffic- Heaven Is In Your Mind (U.S. MONO, Kevin Gray Cut)
(One of three different versions in my collection, and as fantastic as this Kevin Gray version, I think the original U.K. mono edges it out.)

 

 

Thin Lizzy- Jailbreak
(Probably uncool, or obvious to pick "Jailbreak" as their best. But it really is something else. "Running Back" needs to be covered by an acoustic duo with Everly harmonies.)

David Bowie- Aladdin Sane
(Bought this on Sheepshead Bay Road in Brooklyn at Sugar Mountain Records when it came out. I was 9 years old. The clerk almost didn't want to sell it to me, but my older cousin was with me. He was 13. People either love or hate the Stones cover below. Guess where I stand?)

Steely Dan- Aja
(Never tire of Steve Gadd's drumming on the title cut.)

4/14/24

Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru- Jerusalem
(Beautiful for a Sunday morning.)

Walter Wolfman Washington- Feel So At Home
(Taking it slow today. The Wolfman's swan song is all vibe. Lovely.)

The Ventures- The Fabulous Ventures
(Still digging into the dozen or so Ventures records that were part of the collection I picked up a few weeks ago. I've enjoyed every one, including this one.)

 

The Ventures- Underground Fire (Side One)
(This one is from 1969 and the organ is featured a bit more than the guitar, which is not necessarily a good thing. Plus, Side One is all originals. They should stick to covers. Meh.)

Elvis Costello- Hey Clockface
(Been some time since I played this and I am happy to say, it still holds up. Loved it upon release and loved it today.)

 

Van Halen- II
(I bought this the week it was released on a recommendation from my old Sheepshead Bay pal Sal. I somehow missed out on the debut. This brings me right back Brooklyn.)

 

4/13/24

Badfinger- No Dice
(I've got Badfinger on the brain after Friday's BW post.)

Procol Harum- S/T (RSD MONO RM)
Procol Harum- S/T (RSD MONO RM, BONUS LP)
(This record never sounded better. An amazing listening experience when compared to all previous original U.S. pressings, and the bonus LP is excellent too, with all the right extras.)

 

The Bluerunners- Honey Slides
(Saw these guys for the first time in New Orleans in 2005. Bought the record the next day. Haven't thought about it in a long time and noticed it scrolling through an old hard drive. One of the best swamp rock/zydeco albums of its kind. You should listen to this especially if you've ever enjoyed any C.C. Adcock...or bits of the Stones' "Exile...")

 

Leyla McCalla- Sun Without The Heat
(Brand new from McCalla. I loved her first two, but 2022's "Breaking The Thermometer" was uneventful. This new one on first pass was terrific!  Always great live when I've seen her in New Orleans. 

The Replacements- Boink!!
(Def one of my go-to weekend records!)

 

Mickey Jupp- Kiss Me Quick Squeeze Me Slow (Personal Playlist)
(Time to start listening to more Mickey Jupp!)

 

The Stooges- Fun House
("LOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRD!!!! Everyone's Saturday night should begin with this record. Hall Of fame riffage! Relentless energy! )

 

Izzy Stradlin & The Ju Ju Hounds- S/T
(My favorite Guns N Roses album, and really one of the best rock and roll records ever recorded. It's a Saturday night staple.)

 

45s
Bobby Ellis- Sweet Meat/Baggy Beef
Dennis Brown- Sitting & Watching/Revolution
Delroy Wilson- I Am Not A King
The Skatalites- Baskin's Hop
Buster Brown- I Love You For Sentimental Reasons/Big Legs Big Stockings

 

4/12/24

Todd Rundgren- Faithful (2024, 2 LP Audiophile RM)
(Now spread over four sides, giving more real estate to this classic. Fantastic sound. And one of my favorite Todd records.)

Black Sabbath- Heaven & Hell
(Big record for me and the Brooklyn gang. A perfect Side One.)

Bob Dylan- Highway 61 Revisited
(Why not?)

Los Straitjackets- Rock En Espanol Vol. 1
(If there was a category for "Most Fun Record Of All Time," this would be in the top 5.)

Sparks- Lil' Beethoven
(This record has been a hard sell since its release, even to some long time Sparks fans. I think it's beyond brilliant and it never fails to thrill me. The structure and attack of "My Baby's Taking Me Home" is nothing short of genius.)

Squeeze- Personal Playlist
(Sometimes you need your own greatest hits.)

  

 

Martin Newell- The Greatest Living Englishman
(Two things: Andy Partridge is credited as producer, as drummer on almost all, and as solo guitarist on one song. But, there is no way he isn't singing harmony on all of it. And, the second thing, speaking of lead guitar, I am pretty sure four or five of Andy's solos would end up on my "ten best guitar solos" list, including the one below. What Partridge does with so few notes is absolutely gorgeous.)

4/11/24

Daryl Hall/John Oates- Northampton, PA: 2/4/75
(Early radio broadcast from the "War Babies" tour. A very rock and roll set, with two unreleased tracks from the aborted 4th album which eventually became the "Silver Album." Solid performance and great to hear almost all of the "War Babies" record live. Below is my fave track from that album, which is one they did not play.)

 

Curtis Mayfield- Superfly (Kevin Gray Master)
(Kevin Gray's cut on this is stunning. One of the best sounding records I have ever heard.)

Dr. John- Locked Down
(I guess listening to this was inevitable, with the Auerbach discussion continuing over on Burning Wood.)

The Hawtsies- Nine Lives
(Debut from New Orleans -by way of Youngstown, NYC & Austin- quartet. Really enjoyed this. Definite slinky vibe throughout, reminiscent of Brinsley Schwarz, both Elvises, Southern Culture On The Skids, Iguanas, Roy Orbison. Out in May! Looking forward to it.)

 

 

The Collins Kids- Introducing Larry & Lorrie
(First time I heard this was 1983. Bob from Rocks In Your Head, a record store on Prince Street insisted I buy it. 30 years later, I got to see Larry & Lorrie at the Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans. This record always puts me in a good mood. Rockabilly at its finest.)

 

Kiss- Unmasked
(This was in a small collection I picked up yesterday, which is a little odd since the last collection I purchased had every Kiss record up to this. Anyway, still like about half of this record, though it is where I finally got off the bus 44 years ago. The song below is typically stupid Ace, but man, there are enough hooks to snag a flounder.)

 

Utopia- Swing To The Right
(I always play this record on April 11th because that date and this record go hand in hand. I dragged myself to the Palladium on 4/11/81 with a fever of 103 to catch Utopia on this tour. I sat in the first row of the loge, head back, eyes closed, hallucinating, nauseous, sweating and freezing all at the same time, looking up every now and then to catch a glimpse of the band. Good times! Happy Anniversary.)

 

 

The Beatles- A Hard Day's Night (U.K. MONO)
(There was an article in today's New York Post, digging deep into the lives of The Beatles, with such tidbits as "known as The Fab Four, The Beatles went on to become one of the most popular bands in music history." You heard it here last, folks!)

Yes- 90125
(As a long time fanatic of the first seven Yes records, I didn't want to like this new-fangled, MTV-ready release. But it's pretty damn good. I also only just found out that most of the material on this, the band's biggest selling record(!), stemmed from Trevor Rabin's demos. Good for Trevor.)