Miles Davis- Complete Plugged Nickel, 1st Set: 12/22/65 (1992)- ***1/2
Lennie Hibbert- Creation (1969)- ****
(One of my favorites and also one of the strangest reggae records in my collection. It's reggae exotica! I love all of it, especially "Nature Boy," which is clearly not "Nature Boy," but "It Was A Very Good Year.")
Shocking Blue- At Home (1969)- ***
(Never heard a note other than "Venus," but my pal Sal Maida was a fan, so I decided to go in. Not bad. A little trippy. I liked this one, though it does sound a bit like "Venus.")
Blue Öyster Cult- Tyranny & Mutation (1973)- ****
(Once every two years or so, I post a BÖC appreciation on Burning Wood for those who have either pigeonholed the band as heavy metal or only know "Don't Fear The Reaper" and "Burning For You." This band is so much more.)
(BÖC Lagniäppe)
Be-Bop Deluxe- Drastic Plastic: Stereo Remix (1978/2020)- ***1/2
v/a- CBGB-A New York City Soundtrack 1975-1986: Personal Playlist (2026)- ***1/2
Scott Walker- Scott 3 (1969)- ****
v/a- Soul Harmony: Sweet Soul Vocals, 1961-1984 (2025)- **1/2
(The press release made this collection sound like a must-have. Job well done, PR people. I bit! Unfortunately, so did this comp. I could only listen to 12 of the 24 tracks. It's all fine, second rate, mid-tempo soul. But nothing stood out. Essentially, a boring playlist, though I imagine any one of these two dozen tracks would delight elsewhere, just not all at once here.)
The Ventures- In Space: MONO (1964)- ****
(Never fails! It's been said it was Keith Moon's favorite record. It's definitely one of mine.)
(Ventures Lagniappe)
Kiki Dee- I'm Kiki Dee (1968)- ****
(Released as "Patterns" in the U.S., this record is pure bliss. Big, sweeping arrangements calling to mind Phil Spector, Burt Bacharach, John Barry, Scott Walker. And still, very girl group. Great, forgotten record. Here's a two-fer.)
Elvis Costello- This Year's Model (1978)- ****
Graham Parker & The Rumour- Squeezing Out Sparks (1979)- ****
QUINN MARTIN EPILOGUE:
"Scott 3" and "I'm Kiki Dee" is a great double feature, as is "This Year's Model" and "Squeezing out Sparks."
11 comments:
Lennie Hibbert? You had me at 'Reggae Exotica!
Like you, Venus was pretty much the only track I knew from The Shocking Blue, although I discovered another one when Bob Mould covered a SB song on a recent album of his.
Tyranny & Mutation has been in my rotation since I was 15 years old.
Great idea including some mixes in NP 4.1, much appreciated. Nice to see NP getting some traction!
Randy
Since I imagine you’ll be updating to 4.1. In the description while describing your experience listening to Robert Palmer’s Drive you write “I still like five Robert Palmer albums more”. Per the updated Burning Wood Album Guide, only three albums are graded higher. There is however a 10-way tie for 4th. Lol!
Also, while there is currently no review of Townshend’s solo work, Palmer’s discography has a higher average (3.81) than The Who (3.71). Curious if that coincides with your listening choices? (It’s freezing and I’ve too much free time at the moment. Lol!)
Thanks for all you do! :)
http://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2022/04/nycd-cheat-sheet.html
Love the double feature of TYM and SOS. Two terrific albums that would definitely fit together.
It looks as if Robert Palmer doesn't have any records as weak as "Face Dances," "It's Hard" and "Endless Wire." (Too cold for math!)
Thanks for the Ventures. Good documentary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbgC_dH6YB8
I try to enjoy live Miles Davis set from the 60’s, but while it is very impressive that the triple-time tempos are done with few mistakes, they wear me out after 2-3 songs. Thelonious Monk live is much more to my liking.
- Paul in DK
It was Shocking Blue's "At Home" LP where I had to save up my pocket money, take a three hour ferry ride, walk a couple of miles to the record store to buy it, then walk back & get the return ferry home. That's probably why it still does it for me today. Trippy? Hell, yeah! Cheers....
Availability suggested a Quinn Martin audible, going with your Walker Bros. Playlist and Kiki Dee’s 1974 album, I’ve Got The Music in Me, which I’d never heard, as my double feature. Both proved excellent listening experiences. Thank you. :)
I really enjoyed her version of “How Glad I Am” (a single and bonus track):
https://youtu.be/r6O4mk8KPkM?si=L1Saz9vqbuGyqqKM
I foresee some Thelonious Monk this morning (thanks, Paul).
Looking forward to Bad Bunny. Should be fun! :)
Kiki
https://we.tl/t-zT8R7kO0Ev
That’s very cool, sir. Thank you! :)
I'm a HUUUUUGE Shocking Blue fan. FYI.
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