1/30/24

Judas Priest- Stained Class
(I sold all but one of my Judas Priest albums, among many others this past summer, during a particularly awful stretch of getting inventory. I got most of the Priest back yesterday. Gonna hit them all at some point. "Savage" is savage!)

Fiona Apple- Fetch The Bolt Cutters
(Still amazes me. Her best, no doubt.)

Electric Light Orchestra- Zoom
(I know it's not really a proper ELO record or Jeff Lynne solo album, but I think it's the best thing Lynne's name has ever been associated with. Sincerely.)

The Knack- Round Trip
(Three and a half songs- every bit as horrible as I remembered.)

Peter Gabriel- S/T (4th)
(Saw this tour on Thanksgiving night, 1982 at The Ritz. Mindblowing in such a small room. Bringing back memories.)

Judas Priest- Screaming For Vengeance
(Great production on this one. No wonder it was a huge hit.)

The Ventures- In Space
(Keith Moon's favorite record and def one of mine. Always hits the spot. "Love Goddess Of Venus!")

Fountains Of Wayne- Traffic & Weather
(Not enough people love this record. "This Better Be Good," "Michael & Heather, " "New Routine," & "I-95." Jeez! If this was 1984, those four tracks would have been the shit on MTV.)

 

 

1/29/24

The Four Tops- Greatest Hits
(Just a random pull off the shelf. Someone might have mentioned them, so it was in my head.)

John Cale & Terry Riley- The Church Of Anthrax
(I usually dig this record. Today it left me cold.)

Duke Ellington • Charlie Mingus • Max Roach- Money Jungle
(One of my ten favorite jazz records.)

Talk Talk- The Colour Of Spring
(A gorgeous record. I've seen "Spirit Of Eden" referred to as their masterpiece. I think this one is the masterpiece, in no small part to the amazing drumming throughout by Lee Harris.)

Prince- The Hits 1
(I'm usually appalled by single edits on greatest hits LPs. But most of these work for me.)

Lou Reed- New Sensations
(This one aged really well. Like it more now than I did then.)

1/28/24

Roy Harper- HQ
(Back to being my favorite!)

Roy Ayers Ubiquity- Red, Black & Green
(Becoming a favorite Sunday morning record.)

Lee Dorsey- The New Lee Dorsey
(One of the best records ever by a 9th Ward car mechanic.)

Irma Thomas- Sings
(I see a pattern.)

Sound Dimension- Jamaica Soul Shake Volume 1
(Like The Traveling Wilburys of Jamaica. Great 2 LP set that could have fit on a single LP.)

The 13th Floor Elevators- S/T
("Easter Everywhere" is more consistent, but this has "You're Gonna Miss Me" and "Fire Engine.")

Rachel Sweet- ...And Then He Kissed Me
(First time. Really great! Phil Spector meets E Street Band. Not what I expected after her debut. Also didn't know she did "Shadows In The Night" before Pat Benatar. And it's BETTER!)

Ellen Foley- Nightout
(I see a pattern)

Split Enz- True Colours
("I Got You" is 45 years old. WTF? This also brought me right back to Pier 84, NYC, 1982: Duran Duran with Split Enz opening. $12!)

Brian Eno- Here Come The Warm Jets
(And now, back to our regularly scheduled Eno binge.)

Derek & The Dominoes- In Concert (Sides One & Two)
(Thanks Troy, for paying attention and sending this to me. I could listen to Jim Gordon's intro to "Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad" all night. Really, Jim Gordon's playing on all of it is incredible.)

1/27/24

Queen- Sheer Heart Attack- (Abbey Road HSM)
(Today I am thinking it's their best.)

Bernard Purdie- Soul Is...Pretty Purdie
(Groovy.)

George Harrison- Living In The Material World
(My friend and I agreed that if this was George's first proper solo album and not "All Things Must Pass," people would revere it more. Solid record.)

Bob Marley & The Wailers- Rasta Revolution
(This pre-Island, pre-Chris Blackwell stuff is just fantastic.)

Paul Weller- Modern Classics (The Greatest Hits)
(Might need to add this to the list of greatest "greatest hits" collections.)

The Slits- Cut
(Gotta play this one five times a year. Nothing sounds like "Cut." Truly unique.)

Rainbow- The Best Of (Sides One & Two)
(Sides Three & Four are fine, but Sides One & Two always hit the spot.)

Pixies- Come On Pilgrim
(Love them and this record.)

The Beatles- Beatles For Sale (MONO)
("Uh...reality check. The Beatles ain't that good."
--Daily Moron Social Media Post)

1/26/24

Brian Eno- Before And After Science
(The beginning of an Eno binge)

The Band- S/T (45 RPM Remix)
(On a blog I check in with daily, it was suggested that The Band were overrated and that their harmonies and their "shtick" were subpar. Many other "followers" chimed in with the same feelings. After listening to this for the 200th time in my life, I've decided that some get up and go to work--doctors, firemen, retailers, etc.--while others wake up with no other purpose than to be contrary.)

Brian Eno- Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)
(And more...)

Aerosmith- Rocks
(Greatest hard rock album of all time.)

Cream- Disraeli Gears (Abbey Road HSM in MONO)
(Great pressing of a great record.)

Gram Parsons- GP
(My musical ADD hijacked my ENO marathon. After talking with a friend about Gram and the Black Crowes, I had to hear both.)

The Black Crowes- Lions
(My least favorite Crowes record---Thanks Don Was---but it was being discussed, so I had to hear it. Oddly, it contains one of my Top 3 BC songs. Final outcome? Some highlights. Didn't hate it, but still my least fave.)

Leon Russell- S/T (Kevin Gray Master)
(The Crowes led me here. I can't get enough of this record. This PRESSING!)

1/25/24

Rush- S/T
(Never play this one, but reading Geddy's book, so it seemed like the right time. Not as bad as I remembered it.)

T-Bone Walker- The Truth (Side One)
(Nothing special.)

V/A- Studio One Ska Fever!
(Excellent set.)

Johnny Guitar Watson- Funk Beyond The Call Of Duty
(Solid, and a nice part of the trilogy, but not on the same level of genius as the two before it.)

Sonny Phillips- Black On Black!
(Solid, though not exactly groundbreaking soul jazz session. "Black Magic!" is better.)

Blind Willie Johnson- Praise God I'm Satisfied
(A masterclass in acoustic country blues, with about half being covered--uh, appropriated?-- by 60's and 70's rock legends.)

Lightnin' Slim- Rooster Blues
(Great stuff, similar to Slim Harpo.)

iPod on Shuffle:
Man Out Of Time (demo)- Elvis Costello
Our Sweet Love (Vocals With Strings)
Paraguay- Iggy Pop
In the Middle Of Nowhere- Dusty Springfield
Fools- Deep Purple
Seven Ways Of Going- Patti Smith
Sweet Marie (demo)- Thin Lizzy
Stand By Me- The Jam
You're Driving Me Crazy- The Blues Busters

1/24/24

Miles Davis- Miles Smiles
("Kind Of Blue," "Sketches Of Spain," and "Miles Smiles," three very different and very perfect Miles records.)

Peter Tosh- Equal Rights (Dub Versions)
(His best. Dub versions just as powerful, like a different record.)

David Bowie- Station To Station
(Saw a number of social media posts about this record, which celebrated 48 years this past Tuesday. Had to play it.)

Peter Frampton- Where I Should Be
(The beginning of the end for Pete, but I will stand by this record. Just great! Steve Cropper, "Duck" Dunn, Jamie Oldaker and Tower Of Power are here, too.)

Lee Morgan- The Cooker
(My fave Lee Morgan record thanks to the killer version of "Just One Of Those Things.")

X- Los Angeles
(This and "Wild Gift," what a one-two punch!)

Lightnin' Hopkins- Low Down Dirty Blues
(First time. Solid solo session from 1974.)

Miles Davis- Water Babies (Kevin Gray Cut)
(Never a fave, even with a terrific Kevin Gray press. Meh.)

Bob Marley & The Wailers- Jamaican Storm
(The earlier the better! I love all Marley, but this pre-Island stuff is priceless, even if some of it was remixed.)

Little Jr. Parker- "Blues Man"
(Fun stuff. It's on the Minit label, so you really can't go wrong.)

The Shangri-Las- I Can Never Go Home Anymore
(I bought this before the news of Mary Weiss' death. It came in the mail today. Had to play it. Glad I did. Miles above your usual 60's girl group albums.)

Professor Longhair- Mardi Gras In New Orleans (1949-1957)
(A great comp. Carnival is on!)