3/6/24

Chris Braide & Andy Partridge- Queen Of The Planet Wow!
(Third time's the charm. Great little release.)

v/a- Studio One Oldies But Goodies Vol. 1
(So many early reggae and ska gems. Wonderful.)

The Who- Live At Shea Stadium 1982 (Sides One & Two)
(Sure wish this sounded better. Good performance but lousy recording for an official release.)

Rush- Counterparts
(This was their back to basics record, according to Geddy. It has its moments, but mostly stays around too long. Still what's good is great. I enjoyed this.)

Stiff Little Fingers- Inflammable Material
(Back in the collection after selling off my original. Punk Hall Of Fame!)

Jackie Mittoo- In London
(The keyboard king of Studio One covering Procol Harum, Bee Gees, and of course, "Soul Finger." I love this record and while in Kingston JA, found a beautiful cover to replace my beater.)

Jerry Reed- The Unbelievable Guitar & Voice Of...
(This has got to be the blueprint for every Mike Nesmith solo record.)

3/5/24

Miles Davis- In A Silent Way
(Maurice Brown opened his set at City Winery with a sick twist on "In A Silent Way." Had to hear the original.)

Nico- The End
(I've come around to Nico, especially "The Marble Index" and "Desertshore." But "The End is still traumatizing. Will never listen to this again.)

Maurice Brown- Personal Playlist
(Still high from last night's performance. Needed to hear more.)

Creation Rebel- Psychotic Jonkanoo
(One of three Creation Rebel records getting reissued this month. First time hearing this one. Heavy dub vibe. A bit too trippy. Ok, but not a keeper.)

Yusef Lateef- Eastern Sounds (2023 Kevin Gray Master)
(One of my favorite jazz records in a stunning new pressing.)

The Rolling Stones- Tattoo You Lost & Found: Rarities
(Some great stuff here.)

3/4/24

Eddy Arnold- The Best Of
(My friend Dave posted an Eddy Arnold vinyl haul he picked up a flea market and we got to talking. That's the way it goes. Not a bad track here, by the way.)

Uni Boys- Buy This Now! (about half)
(Just found about this. West Coast power pop produced by The Lemon Twigs. Very late 70's, skinny tie. Okay, nothing great.)

The Lemon Twigs- Everything Harmony
(Can't wait for the new one. This one will be hard to top.)

iPod on Shuffle:
Where Is My Soul- Finn Brothers
Alone- The Four Seasons
Life Itself- Bruce Springsteen
Kotton Krown- Sonic Youth
Tears- John Waite
Downtown- Johnny Thunders
Monkey Gone To Heaven- Pixies
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (2018 Stereo Mix)- The Beatles
Goin' Back- The Byrds

 

3/3/24

Julian Lage- Speak To Me
(Just wonderful! Might need to check out his earlier work.)

Little Walter- Boss Blues Harmonica
(Possibly my fave Chess blues guy. I think Mick, Keef and Ronnie's, too.)

Paul Weller- Illumination
(This is a strong record. Haven't listened in a while.)

International Submarine Band- Safe At Home (Kevin Gray MONO Master)
(This was a year before "Sweetheart Of The Rodeo," and as much as I love that Byrds record, I think I love this more.)

Gram Parsons- GP
(The ISB album took me here. Those harmonies on "Streets Of Baltimore!" Damn!)

Allen Toussaint- The Allen Toussaint Collection
(Decent enough, three-sided set. A few questionable choices and some glaring omissions.)

The Tubes- Love Bomb
(This caught me eye while putting away the Allen Toussaint. My fave Tubes record. Genius production by Todd Rundgren with a brilliant sidelong suite, banded into a nine different songs. Unfortunately, it bombed and broke the band up. Easily four hit singles on this record.)

Michael Monroe- One Man Gang
(More people need to love Michael Monroe.)

The Godfathers- Birth, School, Work, Death
(My theme song! Really, when was the last time you played this record? Turn it up!)

Echo & The Bunnymen- Songs To Learn And Sing
(If it had "Lips Like Sugar," it'd be perfect.)

3/2/24

v/a- Jamaica Jazz From Federal Records: Carib Roots, Jazz, Mento, Latin, Merengue & Rhumba 1960-1968
(Fun collection. The trad stuff more interesting than the straight jazz stuff.)

James Booker- Junco Partner
(Blows my mind every time.)

Errol Scorcher- Roach In A De Corner
(First time spin. Diggin' it. Dub, toasting. Great vibe throughout.)

Chris Braide & Andy Partridge- Queen Of The Planet Wow!
(This is a very pretty record, with some excellent guitar playing from Mr. Partridge.)

Lou Reed- New Sensations
(My birthday buddy! Gotta celebrate with some Lou.)

The Kinks- Muswell Hillbillies
(The recent remaster of this classic sheds new light on an already brilliant record. I highly recommend trading up from your OG vinyl.)

Southern Culture On The Skids- Countrypolitan Favorites
(SCOTS do a fine cover of "Muswell Hillbillies," along with 18 other faves.)

The Bobby Fuller Four- S/T (MONO)
(The difference between the mono and stereo is like the difference between shooting a bullet and throwing it.)

Jason Falkner- Can You Still Feel?
(This is always the best spin of the day. Every song is special. Pop masterpiece. "At the end of the day, all I can say, is yeah yeah yeah...oh yeah.")

Soul Asylum- Let Your Dim Light Shine
(Turning into a 90's classics Saturday. This is their best, no question.)

Goo Goo Dolls- Superstar  Car Wash
(Turning into a 90's classics Saturday. This is their best, no question.)

45s
The Who- The Kids Are Alright
Erykah Badu & James Poyser- Tempted
Alive And Kicking- Tighter, Tighter
Marshall Crenshaw- You're My Favorite Waste Of Time
Carl Carlton- Everlasting Love
The Exciters- Do Wah Diddy
Extreme- Hole Hearted
Bringin' On The Heartbreak- Def Leppard
The Black Crowes- Hole In My Soul
Tina Britt- The Real Thing
Abba- Dancing Queen
The Cinderellas- Baby Baby (I Still Love You)
Friend & Lover- Reach Out Of The Darkness
The Four Tops- Reach Out (I'll Be There)
Lou Gramm- Midnight Blue
Heart- Alone
Jefferson Starship- Jane
Madonna- Rain
Mick Jagger- Visions Of Paradise
Cissy Houston- Be My Baby
Foreigner- White Lie
Pet Shop Boys & Dusty Springfield- What Have I Done To Deserve This?
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers- Jammin' Me
The Posies- Ooh Child
The Poppy Family- Which Way You Goin' Billy?
The Stairs- Weed Bus
The Kinks- Lola
The Easybeats- St. Louis
Buffalo Springfield- For What It's Worth
The Easybeats- Good Times

3/1/24

iPod on Shuffle:
Rush Across The Road- Joe Jackson
Do Anything You Want To Do- Thin Lizzy
Vampire (outtake)- Peter Tosh
Easy Silence- Dan Wilson
The Bed- St. Vincent
Hallelujah, I Love Her So- Ray Charles
Can't Find Time For Anything Now- John Williams
Only A Fool- The Black Crowes
Like A Nightmare- Motorhead
Hurting Each Other- The Walker Brothers
So Much Love- Dusty Springfield
Hey Grandma- The Move
Then She Kissed Me- Kiss
Lookin' For Boys- The Pinups
You Are Leaving Now- The Gaylads
Fifi The Flea- The Everly Brothers
Heavy Cloud No Rain- Sting
The Passenger- Siouxsie & The Banshees

Ornette Coleman- The Art Of The Improvisers
(This is the record I foolishly think will make the haters turnaround. Who am I kidding? Still, it's one of my faves.)

St. Vincent- Marry Me
(Every song a winner.)

Elvis Costello & The Attractions- All This Useless Beauty
(Almost every song a winner. Great to have fully prodcued versions of the Aimee Mann and McGuinn tracks.)

Chris Braide & Andy Partridge- Queen Of The Planet Wow!
(This came out of nowhere. I don't know Chris Braide. But this E.P. is very Andy/XTC. Love it.)

Motorhead- Overkill
(This is where it all began. 1979, East 19th Street, Sheepshead Bay. Phil pulls up and this is blasting from his Blaupunkt car stereo, scaring all the girls away.)

Grace Jones- Nightclubbing
(The bass playing on "Pull Up To The Bumper!" The low harmony on the second chorus of "Pull Up To The Bumper!" There is a lot of genius on this record. Never gets old. And one of the best sounding records I own. Sly & Robbie!)

Joe Bataan- Gypsy Woman (Kevin Gray RM)
(I realize I am talking to 5 people here, but I can't stress enough how HOT those Fania boogaloo records from 1967-1972 really are.)

2/29/24

Ministry- HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES
(This was fun...once.)

Todd Rundgren- White Knight
(New tour, but new album? Not sure. Doubtful. Still enjoying "White Knight.)

Billy Cobham- Spectrum
(This was featured on one of the jazz guys IG feed I follow, so I needed to hear it, of course. Classic "jazz" record in every rocker's collection.)

Paul Weller- Wake Up The Nation
(And it continues...)

Julian Lage- Speak To Me
(Wow! First time listening to Mr. Margaret Glaspy. Was expecting some kind of amelodic, BN jazz guitar noodling, but this is not that. It's Ry Cooder, Danny Gatton, Kenny Burrell, Les Paul, Jeff Beck, Django. Fantastic. What a feast for the ears!)

Liam Gallagher & John Squire- S/T (five songs)
(Meh. I think it's Liam. I just don't like the way he sings. He whines everything! Nothing new here.)

Steve Earle- Copperhead Road
(Def a contender for his best.)

Warren Zevon- Personal Playlist
(Talking about Zevon with Michael Giltz, so I had to listen to Warren Zevon. "The Hula Hula Boys" is genius, by the way.)

Ramones- Rocket To Russia
("The Quintessential punk album" it says on the hype sticker. I've got ten better, but I love it at #11.)