Monthly Archives: November 2018

Smashin’ Thrashin’ the Millenial Box or: Many Kisses

30 Friday Nov 2018

Posted by in KISS, Music Review, Records

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

Salutations™!!

Finishing out the month of November with KISS things, we have three more anniversaries this month.

Smashes_Thrashes_cover

©Mercury

First, what is, to me, the better of the two original US-based greatest hits KISS albums, Smashes Thrashes & Hits. I don’t know why they used this title as I think it’s kind of silly, but I liked the album itself. November 15 was the THIRTIETH anniversary of that album. THIRTY! Wow.

There are several things to note about this album, though.

One, it has two original songs written and recorded for this comp. I believe they may have been written for Crazy Nights but just didn’t make it on. I also think that those two songs sound more like Hot in the Shade material than they do Crazy Nights and it came out between the two.

Both songs are dripping with sex. Extra sex. I mean, the songs’ titles are “Let’s Put the ‘X’ in Sex” and “(You Make Me) Rock Hard.” I think that Paul was trying too hard, actually. Well, him and his writing partners. Both were co-written with frequent writing partner Desmond Child and “(You Make Me) Rock Hard” was co-written by Diane Warren. The second isn’t as obvious but the double entendre is “hard” to miss. Both had videos and both were pretty cheesy. But, I listen to them.

Another thing, with the exception of “I Was Made For Lovin’ You,” all the makeup songs (which were most of the album) were all remixes. Eric Carr recorded his version of “Beth” which I thought was a much better version. Another notable change was with “Love Gun” where they sang the outro chorus over what would normally be the solo spot. The solo spot still happened just under the vocals.

One more thing, there was nothing from Crazy Nights even though that was the most recent album. All the non-makeup albums and including Creatures of the Night were represented except Crazy. The UK version did have “Reason to Live” and “Crazy, Crazy Nights” but not the US version. The UK also didn’t have “Deuce.”

I wore the cassette and CD out of this album. The cover had Gene and Bruce looking kind of cool to the right while Eric was playing a little side-shy-peek-a-boo and Paul doing some weird jazz hands thing. They were surrounded by a bunch of reaching arms, I suppose of fans. It was billed as “15 Years of KISStory.” Overall, I really like the album. I had grown weary of Double Platinum and this included more than the first six studio albums. If you’re not a KISS fan or just wonder what I get out of it? This is a decent representation. More things came after this. Speaking of which…

Last Tuesday, November 20, which happens to be my birthday, was the 17th anniversary of the KISS Box Set. Now, I have mixed feelings about this album. I have the cool “box set” that is in the mini guitar case with five CDs. There’s also a 120-page booklet that has “commentary” and liner notes from Ace, Peter, Gene and Paul. There are a good bit of unreleased songs and demos.

Now, what I have a problem with is there should have been a lot more demos and unreleased songs. They remixed and remastered the Wicked Lester album, or at least they did three of the songs. I was hoping to hear the whole thing remastered. I had only heard a muddy mix of a dubbed tape of a dubbed tape of a dubbed tape of about 20 generations. I know that Gene and Paul didn’t write but a small handful of the songs, but I think they could have secured rights.

Plus, I think there should have been a better representation of all the albums to that point. In some shape or form, the entire debut album is represented on here (minus the cover of “Kissin’ Time”). Five songs are represented from Hotter Than Hell including demos. Four from Dressed to Kill, and then, and then, and then.

I have never known KISS to worry about how much something costs. I think they could have done two boxes. One just the demos, unreleased and rarities, the other more complete albums. Maybe that’s not feasible. Maybe it’s overkill. I just wish I had more of the stuff I’ve not heard my entire life over the stuff that I have. I know they have to assume that people who aren’t KISS fans will buy it and they need to give them the substance. But, again, make that a separate thing. Give us more of that. Give me more of that.

What is included? As I said, parts of the Wicked Lester unreleased album; “Stop, Look to Listen,” a 1966 demo by Paul; “Leeta” a 1969 demo by Gene; a six-minute live performance from 1973 of “Acrobat” which in part became “Love Theme from KISS”; the original studio demos that got KISS their record deal; “Doncha Hesitate” and “Mad Dog” both unreleased demos from the Destroyer sessions; the demo of “God of Thunder”; “Bad, Bad Lovin'” which became “Calling Dr. Love”; “I Want You” from a 1977 soundcheck; “Love Is Blind” an unreleased demo from the Love Gun sessions; a demo version of “Radioactive” from Gene’s solo album (each member has one solo album song); “You’re All That I Want, You’re All That I Need” a demo recorded in 1977 that would eventually become “You’re All That I Want” on Unmasked; ” Talk to Me” live in 1980;  an unreleased demo of Paul’s “Time Traveler” from the Crazy Nights sessions; “Ain’t That Peculiar” Eric demo that became “Little Caesar”; the demo of “Domino”; “Childhood’s End” with the special coda – previously unreleased; a previously unreleased demo of “It’s My Life” from the Psycho Circus sessions, which sounds like something that would come later on Sonic Boom or Monster.

So, really that is a lot of cool things, but with the vault they must have, can you imagine what this could have been? Now, also I recognize that with the “End of the Road” tour coming up and their impending retirement of the band, that there will be opportunities for more box sets. This was a great start, but I think it could have been much better.

And, then the last thing (or two last things) I’ll talk about for November is another box set of sorts. It’s KISS Alive! 1975-2000. This includes the same day release of Alive! The Millennium Concert, a show that was recorded on New Years Eve 1999 but not released until 2006 on November 21. The box set contained Alive, Alive II, Alive III and the Millennium Concert. I haven’t heard the last so I can’t really comment on it. But, it is from 1999 before Paul’s voice was completely shot. There’s really nothing that stands out to me about it. It was supposed to be Alive IV but that got shelved and we ended up with KISS Symphony: Alive IV. It’s okay.

So, happy anniversaries to each of the releases I talked about. This is all of the releases for the year. There were no KISS album releases in December, as of yet. So, I hope you enjoyed the KISS albums that I have touched on. I think it’s all true to the best of my knowledge.

Until tomorrow, keep KISSin’!
Scorp out!

—
“Kiss is a Fourth of July fireworks show with a backbeat.” – Gene Simmons

Music from Rock And Roll Over the Elder or: Many Kisses

29 Thursday Nov 2018

Posted by in KISS, Music Review, Records

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Salutations™!!

I failed you, Dear Reader. I had been keeping up with my KISS album release dates and missed two big ones this month, but in my defense, I have been a bit busy. Holidays, birthdays, work, and other things have kept me tied up. But, let’s just jump in. This may be long and I apologize for that. Or, I may split it into a couple of posts, I won’t know until I get to the end of this one. So, let’s hit it.

Rock_and_roll_over_cover

©Casablanca Records

On November 11 — a couple of weeks back, it was the 42nd anniversary of Rock And Roll Over. This was a big album for the band. It was the first record after their best-selling album, Destroyer. They had a point to prove after their foray into the Top 10 that they could still put out quality albums, especially now that they were in the spotlight they all craved.

Destroyer had knocked it out of the park, albeit weirdly with orchestras and choirs and such. But, KISS went back to their bread and butter on this album, rock and roll. Heck, it’s in the name of the album itself. KISS, manager Bill Aucoin and Casablanca Records brought in Eddie Kramer, best known at the time for his work with Jimi Hendrix, to produce the album. They also chose to record it at the Star Theatre just outside of New York City.

In the recording, they were in a big cavernous space, which was good for the live-like vibe. But, they also put Peter in a bathroom to get the proper tone on his drums. I’ve always said that the bathroom can be a great place for reverb because of the porcelain fixtures and tile and such. But, I bet it can be a headache at times, too. Kramer knew what he was doing, though.

The album starts off with a little acoustically-blended subtleness that eventually turns into a full-on rock fest, with “I Want You.” That song, written by Paul has some great riffs and I say it’s one of my favorite original studio album songs. “Take Me” is a Klassic rock and roll riffed song and while it didn’t make it to the Alive II release, it did get a bit of play on the tour. There is a “live” version of it on the You Wanted the Best You Got the Best live compilation in 1996 (when the reunion was going on). It wasn’t really live but okay. The song was co-written by Paul and Sean Delaney, whom I’ve talked about in other blog posts.

Next came the first time I ever heard a cowbell in a song. The intro to “Calling Dr. Love” has this cowbell and as a kid, I had no idea what it was but I know that I liked it! I have always thought that the intro to this song has a bad edit. It’s right when the drums kick in after the wonderful cowbell spot. There’s some weird skip or something that happens. I don’t know if anyone will agree with me or not, but I hear it. It’s there. When Gene isn’t called the God of Thunder he’s been referred to as Dr. Love. I think it’s funny that he wrote the lyrics at a Holiday Inn on one of the complimentary notepads.

The cowbell extravaganza continues into “Ladies Room,” a tune about a rendezvous or some secret tryst in the women’s room with one of the lovely ladies that Gene happened to encounter. Most of his songs were about doing that. Well, not in the restroom but hey, it was 70s “cock rock” and that is what he was known for. It is what it is, folks. I can’t say that I, too didn’t write my share in Heavens Sake.

Peter’s contribution, writing-wise, is “Baby Driver” which I think is probably my favorite Peter-penned song in KISS. Perhaps “Hooligan” from Love Gun, but I think this is it. It definitely isn’t “Beth” or “Dirty Livin’.” He co-wrote the song, as he usually did, with Stan Penridge, a bandmate of Peter’s in Chelsea. I figure Penridge probably wrote the music and Pete the lyrics.

“Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em” is a song that I really didn’t like as a kid but now, I really love it. It’s the same situation as all of Gene’s songs from this album. He’s the object someone’s infatuation and, of course, the ladies (probably young girls) can’t resist him and want to do cruel and unusual things with him. “She had an opening and I had a stiff proposition…” kind of things, as he would say. Some of the most prolific lyrics in Gene’s career, too (tongue firmly planted in cheek). Don’t believe me? Check the quote at the end! The promotional video for the song is just a “concert” setting but it’s still funny. I think it’s funny that even into the 80s when Gene was filming videos he always plays with his fingers but he’s actually a pick bassist.

“Mr. Speed” is Paul/Delaney’s rock and roller boogie. I say that because it has a little boogie-woogie swag to it. I don’t know, though, that I’d want the ladies to call me “Mr. Speed.” I’m just sayin’. This album has a number of titles, Drs., Messrs. Hmm.

“See You In Your Dreams” is a Gene tune and one that he didn’t care for. At least, not this version. He redid this on his solo album just two years later. I prefer this one, actually. I just like the straight-ahead rockingness of this one. It seems heavier. His solo album didn’t seem as fluid, to me. I also like Paul singing the call/response parts. Incidentally, all the Gene songs on this album were written solely by him.

Next is the Rod Stewart tune, “Hard Luck Woman.” Not really. It was written for him by Paul, but Mr. Hot Legs turned it down, I suppose. They say that it was on the success of “Beth” they decided to keep it for themselves, but I don’t know that I believe that. Anyway, Peter sang it and sounded just like Stewart doing it. I have always liked the song even if I didn’t know what the heck it was about when I was a kid. I couldn’t figure out what a “child of the border” was. It was, of course, “child of the water” but hey, I was young. Heavens Sake covered it a few times.

“Makin’ Love” closes out the album and is co-penned by Paul and Delaney again. It’s a rocker for sure. Paul is ready to pounce on this girl, he’s moving in and won’t take “no” for an answer. Maybe this is why they call him Mr. Speed? Anywhat! There is this weird heavy drum at the end that gets off beat a few times and I don’t think that was on purpose, I just think they left it in there. It has always bothered me, but I have also always liked it.

This is the first KISS studio album (out of 5) not to feature a writing credit from Ace. There were five songs from RNRO that made it on the Alive II release. Those are “Ladies Room,” Makin’ Love,” “Calling Dr. Love,” “Hard Luck Woman” and “I Want You.” Not a bad representation. And, I believe a few of the others made it in the set, sporadically, when the album was first released.

RNRO is a KISS Klassic, for sure. It does fall in my Top 10, but I’m not sure where, right now. I am going to create my list, soon. It has a Klassic or iKonic kover, too. I went krazy with the “K,” I know. But, the cover has been used in many a tattoo, t-shirts, pins, patches, etc. The same person who did this cover, Michael Doret, also did the cover for Sonic Boom. This was a better cover and a much better album.

November 10 was the 37th anniversary of what I call “my favorite” KISS album, Music from ‘The Elder.’ Instead of rewriting the thing, I’m going to leave a link to last year’s post about it. You can read that, HERE.

There are three more November KISS releases to mention, but I’ll save them for another post. It will be much less verbose. I won’t promise that because I am verbose, but I can try, right? Right.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“My limousine is a-waitin’ and I see you comin’ my way, hey, hey, hey. I’m sittin’ by the window and you ask me which hotel I stay in. Well, make a reservation between the hours of ten and two, how do you do? You’ve got the time to remember, I’ve gotta stiff proposition, yeah! There’s nothing else I’d rather do. So, you lift your dress. You wanna impress. There’s one thing I’ve got to confess. Love ’em, leave ’em, love ’em, leave ’em.” – “Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em” (Simmons)

Remembering or: 27 Years Gone

28 Wednesday Nov 2018

Posted by in KISS, Life as We Know It, Records

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Salutations™!!

This past Saturday was the 27th anniversary of the passing of Paul Charles Caravello. You may not know who Paul Caravello is by name, at least that name. Most of the world, even I, knew him as Eric Carr. He was the second drummer for my favorite band, my musical lifeline, KISS. I didn’t find out until November 25, though.

Carr-promo

©(unknown – not owned by me)

I remember finding out all-to-well. But first…

Four days before, I turned 21 years old. Those same four days before, I came down with the flu. My 21st birthday, I had the flu. I was excited to get to go purchase alcohol for the first time and I was unable to. I was sick. I was throwing up. I was lightheaded, feverish and all around icky. I had a full-motion waterbed at the time and with that, I wasn’t going to get into bed and get even sicker from trying to rest.

I spent my birthday night and the following three nights sleeping on Ma ‘Rents’ couch and on the second night, I took NyQuil for the first time ever. It was the green gel-tab kind. When I slept that night, I never felt like I was asleep, but I dreamt weird stuff and everything was in green. It was so surreal. The only thing that I remember dreaming about was that Eric Carr died. I awoke the next morning sweating — partially from the flu and partially because that was an awful dream — and felt weird all day. Another two nights passed and I was better.

On the 25th, I made my way to the liquor store and was overwhelmed by what I saw. I had never been in a liquor store before. I didn’t know what to buy, didn’t know what anything was, didn’t know anything about drinkin’ no liquor. I saw something that I recognized which was Wild Turkey. I had never imbibed any liquor so I just grabbed some of “The Dirty Bird” and made my way to Food Lion to buy a 2 liter of Mountain Dew to drink with it. “Chase it,” whatever that meant.

To my mother and father, if you are reading this part, please forgive me. I know it’s no surprise (because my dad found my stuff later), but I settled on my couch, in my room, in the basement of my parents’ house and took a swig of Turkey and followed that with a swig of Dew. Turkey. Dew. Turkey. Dew. Turkey… oh, MTV News is coming on.

Tabitha Soren told us the news that Eric Carr, the drummer for KISS had passed away at the age of 41. I stared at the screen for a long time. I was starting to buzz a little at this point. I stared a while longer. I turned to my coffee table within a few feet from me and stared at the Wild Turkey and its citrusy companion. I pushed the Dew to the side and turned up the bottle of Turkey.

I drank almost a whole fifth right then. I got plastered. I ended up on the bed, talking to a friend of mine when my girlfriend at the time came over and I somehow found myself suddenly in the shower, clothed, dry and drunk. I slept it off.

But, the next day I started looking in the newspaper about Eric’s passing. I was glued to MTV for more news. But, not a lot of details came. As devastating as that was to me, as a KISS fan, as an Eric Carr fan, the news of his passing was mostly overshadowed by the passing of another, higher profile figure, Farrokh Bulsara, known to the world as Freddie Mercury. Freddie was the first major music star to succumb to the plague of AIDS, only one day after confirming what the media had been hypothesizing for almost a year.

I get it, Freddie’s death was high profile, for sure. I hated that either one of them had to die, but I thought it was extra sad that Eric passed on the same day, or same week as Freddie. I would have liked to have had a little more coverage of his passing, but then again, maybe it wouldn’t have been any different. Everyone knows Freddie’s story, heck it’s now a major biopic. But, to me, there was a lot to love about Eric.

When Peter Criss left KISS (however you want to say he left – fired, quit, etc.) in 1980, a search went out for a new drummer. Big name drummers (even Mick Fleetwood, so was the rumor) auditioned for the part. But, Gene, Paul and Ace, for the most part, wanted someone who wasn’t known. They wanted to keep up the mystique of identity. Paul Caravello was one of the auditionees and really, wasn’t the best. But, he asked for their autograph, so the story goes, and that endeared the rest of the band to give him a shot.

There was already a Paul in the band, so he chose Eric Carr as his new name and after some tweaking, he became the character The Fox, replacing Peter’s green motif with an autumnal orange/yellow/brown motif. Eric brought a harder-edged drumming style and while he technically debuted at one show in the US, made his true debut on the World Tour, specifically Australia. The fans took to him immediately. At least, most of them did. I did. I didn’t care one way or another about Peter at that time.

So, it was time for KISS to go back to the studio. The result was Music from ‘The Elder.’ I am pretty sure that’s not what Eric thought he was signing up for. There were some rockin’ parts, yes, but for the most part, this was not a “rockin'” album. He even played a little acoustic guitar on “Under the Rose” which he got a writing credit for. They didn’t really tour for that because it was such a “disaster” (I don’t agree).

They came back with a vengeance on the next album, Creatures of the Night and then took off their makeup for Lick It Up. Animalize, Asylum, Crazy Nights, Smashes Thrashes and Hits (in which he recut the lead vox for “Beth” and, in my opinion, did a better job of) and Hot in the Shade followed. I got to see him on the HITS tour and he did a wild drum solo. I loved it. That was my first concert and I was amazed by his drumming.

About six months after I saw that show, Eric got sick. Eventually, he was diagnosed with heart cancer in April 1991. He begged Paul and Gene to let him do stuff with them but they made sure that he got the treatment he needed. He wasn’t doing well. He did get Paul and Gene to let him shoot the video for “God Gave Rock and Roll To You.” He wore a wig as his hair had fallen out from the chemo.

In September 1991, KISS was on the MTV Video Music Awards. Eric played with them for that. It was his last performance with the band.  He had an aneurysm not long after that. Several days later he suffered a brain hemorrhage and never woke up. He then passed away on November 24.

I still miss Eric. I love his era with the band the best, even though it’s not my favorite music, at least all the time. He brought something to the band they had been missing. He fought and scratched with Gene and (especially) Paul. He had a great relationship with Ace, although he only played on one album with him. I have always wondered, which I’m sure most KISS fans have, what would the band have done had he lived? Would they have gone back to makeup? Would they have kept him instead of Peter with the reunion? How would the music evolve over time? Many things pop through my head on that subject.

And, I still think about that day in November 1991 when I heard the news; the emptiness I felt and the sadness, as well. Not only sadness that he was gone and that Freddie was gone, but that they died on the same day. Freddie got the glory and he deserved it, but Eric should have gotten more than he did. I don’t blame anyone for that, just “well darns.” Play on Little Caesar and know that we still miss you down here!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Ten million stories in the city. Ten million backs against the wall. Desperation’s out tonight, you can cut it with a knife. Everybody wants to have it all. Well, they tell you that the world is rough. But, they never rocked it hard enough. Hey, little Caesar! Nobody messing with you. Hey, little Caesar! Go show ’em what you can do!” – “Little Caesar” (Simmons/Carr/Mitchell)

Knock Knock or: Irrational Conversations

27 Tuesday Nov 2018

Posted by in Podcasting, The Less Desirables Network

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , ,

Salutations™!!

Piggybackin’ again tonight! We recorded Apartment 5B: Irrational Conversations with the Cool Breezes of Anytown, USA tonight. We threw a few throat punches, complained, talked about idiots who gave money to the homeless/GoFundMe scam and talked holidays and some “this day in history” stuff.

A5BLogoTestCrop

We had a good show and you really should listen to the episode. You can do that HERE. Thanks for listening!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“It started as a heartwarming tale. But in a “too good to be true” twist, prosecutors say, Mark D’Amico, Kate McClure and Johnny Bobbitt Jr. now face charges.” – NBC News

Double Piggyback or: The Beer Dads Who Ate the Town

26 Monday Nov 2018

Posted by in Beer, Food, Podcasting, The Less Desirables Network

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Salutations™!!

We recorded both The Man Who Ate the Town and The Beer Dads today.

Ray and I talk about burgers, Hop’s Burger Barn, Carmine’s 901 (or what used to be), journalistic integrity and source dependency, and other foodstuffs. We did touch on the Thanksgiving gathering that we were both a part of, too.

scrooge

©CBS

The Beer Dads touched on the “other side of Christmas, the parts that we don’t actually like. We are all Scrooges in some way or fashion. Plus, we give Beer Dad Paul a hard time about his dislike of Journey.

I want to say, too that today was my first day away from The BCPF since last Thursday and I missed the heck out of her today. But, that’s how it should be, right? I think she may have missed me a little, too.

To hear The Man Who Ate the Town click HERE. Or, to hear The Beer Dads click HERE. Remember you can subscribe on Stitcher or iTunes and now, even on Spotify. Really, anywhere you get your podcasts. Finally, you can always visit The Less Desirables Network website. No matter how you listen, I appreciate that you do.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world. She took the midnight train going anywhere. Just a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit. He took the midnight train going anywhere.” – “Don’t Stop Believin'” (Schon/Perry/Cain)

Spinning Sunday or: The Haul 11/23/18 & 24

25 Sunday Nov 2018

Posted by in Records, Spinning Sunday

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Salutations™!!

Note: I wrote most of this on Friday night and had to modify it for today. We’ll leave most of it for today.

Yes, it is for Friday and not Saturday, but that’s because we did our record shopping for this weekend at Underdog Records on Friday (and Saturday) for the Record Store Day Black Friday Edition (and Small Business Saturday). We were there at just before 5am and they opened at 8am. We were tired and after breakfast collapsed in bed for a few hours. We went back Saturday and But, here’s what we got:

Presstheejectandgivemethetape

©Beggars Banquet

All of these were brand new and with the exception of the Calexico, were “Record Store Day” releases.

  • Calexico – The Black Light — The non-RSD album we got and it’s a 20th Anniversary reissue and is a 2xLP on clear vinyl. These guys are great. Laid-back tex-mex/indie/alt-country music at its finest!
  • Cheap Trick – The Epic Archive Vol. 2 (1980-83) — We got the first volume this past RSD in April and I had to get this one. I bought two copies, one for Clay, which he paid me back for. I don’t really care much for this collection but hey, I have it. There are some good tunes on it, though.
  • José González – Veneer — 15th Anniversary reissue for RSD in a marbled-cream color. 2xLP and a very good listen from an Argentinian Swede. The name is very Latin but he’s from Sweden (his family is from Argentina). Good, laid-back indie folk music, this. You know the BCPF was all over this one. It was one of the two “must haves” for her on Friday.
  • The B-52’s – Cosmic Thing — Not quite 30 years but close since the release of this album. And, it’s much more than just “Love Shack,” “Roam” and “Channel Z.” A well-written album and the first after the death of Ricky Wilson in 1985. This is on a rainbow-splatter vinyl record.
  • Ella Fitzgerald – Ella At The Shrine — The only disappointment of the haul was this for me. It’s a “mini-album” so it’s kind of short. Along the lines of an EP, really. It’s a 12″ but it plays at 45 RPM like a 45/7″. I think the reason why I was disappointed is that the only time I don’t like her is when she goes on some scat rampage and this album was full of that. It’s annoying. It’s on cool mustard-colored vinyl, though.
  • Adam Sandler – What The Hell Happened To Me? — My second favorite Adam Sandler album and I got the first (his first and my favorite), They’re All Gonna Laugh At You, this past April at RSD and had to jump on this one, too. My two favorite skits are “Do It for Your Mama” and “The Hypnotist.” I laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh.
  • Bauhaus – Press The Eject And Give Me The Tape — Oddly enough, this is (outside of Adam Sandler) my favorite grab of the day. It’s the other “must-have” for The BCPF and she kept saying I was going to hate it, that I was going to look at her funny, that I was going to complain. None of that was true. Well, except for the looking at her funny part. I do that for sport. This was a great album of live weirdness recorded in London and Liverpool in 1981/1982. Great show and a great recording.

The following were picked up on Saturday and they are all $1 bin finds. The sale was 50% off $1 albums so, we made out good!

  • Carpenters – Carpenters — Their third studio album with “Rainy Days and Mondays” and “Superstar” among others. In an envelope sleeve. VG.
  • George Jones – I Am What I Am — The 1980 album with “He Stopped Loving Her Today” which I wouldn’t have bought without. The BCPF just rolled her eyes the whole time. VG.
  • Stevie Wonder – Music Of My Mind — 1972 album in which Stevie played all the instruments except the trombone and electric guitar (one song each). I haven’t listened to it, yet, so I don’t know what it’s like. VG.
  • Donovan – Barabajagal — Pure Donovan, this. Great stuff with great guests such as Jeff Beck, Ronnie Wood, Aynsley Dunbar, John Paul Jones, Rod Stewart, etc. It came out in 1969. VG+ (with the exception of a gash in the finale).
  • José Iturbi – Music To Remember — 10″ RCA Red Label in really good condition and features music from the life of Chopin. VG+.
  • Unknown Artist – It’s A Small World — Yes, one of the most annoying earworms ever, but you know what? I love it. And, The BCPF found this and put it in our carry-out crate. So, here we have it. It’s pretty beaten up. G+.

So, that’s the haul. There was stuff left over at Underdog Records when we left on Friday morning, and I don’t know what happened yesterday, but it was probably a good day on both days for Jonathan. He puts his heart and soul into the RSD bonanzas and he was in a good mood, that’s always a plus. We love to see him smiling. But, Underdog Records is your place to go buy vinyl. No other store is needed. Listen to the next episode of The Less Desirables (on Wednesday) to hear what the TLD/UDR special of the week is.

Discogs already had these albums loaded up and it didn’t take anything for me to find them. Good job Discogs!

Until tomorrow, keep spinnin’!
Scorp out!

—
“Crosses all over, heavy on your shoulders. The sirens inside you waiting to step forward, disturbing silence darkens your sight.” – “Crosses” (Gonzalez)

Sounds Like Saturday or: Ray Davies

24 Saturday Nov 2018

Posted by in Sounds Like Saturday

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

Salutations™!!

Today is the 47th anniversary of the Kinks album Muswell Hillbillies and in searching for a cover, I found Ray Davies doing this version in some “storyteller” setting and thought it was hard to beat. So, here ya go. Enjoy!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Don’t want to get myself shot down by some trigger-happy policeman. Gotta keep a hold on my sanity. I’m a twentieth-century man but I don’t want to die here.” – “20th Century Man” (Davies)

The Day After or: Early to Rise

23 Friday Nov 2018

Posted by in Life as We Know It, Records

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Salutations™!!

Our Thanksgiving from yesterday was fantastic! We had friends join us at our parents’ place (that would be Ray from The Man Who Ate the Town, his wife and his daughter) and all joined in with the rest of the crowd, there were 17 folks (16 if you count my nephew that slept through it all) in Ma ‘Rents’ house. We love big get-togethers as such. The Boston baked beans were a slight bit tough, but the flavor was amazing. So, that will happen again but I’ll try to modify it a bit. The deviled eggs were a bit runnier than I wanted but the flavor was right there, too. A win-win for the Scorp-meister!418454661596_600.jpg

Then we came home with The BCPF’s mother and brother and we watched football. Now, I was running on about 1.5 hours of sleep so it was rough. As soon as the ball game was over, I went to bed and was out in less than three minutes. We woke up at 4am and went to Underdog Records to stand (or sit) out in the cold for Record Store Day Black Friday Edition. It’s the only time that we go shopping on Black Friday and it’s a special case. We were fifth in line and we got everything we went in for and more. We spent more than we should but it was some birthday money and PayPaled money that was sent to me recently for payment of services.

The BCPF and I grabbed some grub from Cafe Arthur’s and came home, went straight to bed, set the alarm for noon, slept through that alarm and here we are after putting the records in Discogs and listening to a couple. We got some good stuff, but you’ll have to wait until Sunday for “The Haul!” I don’t know if we’ll get by Underdog Records tomorrow since we blew our budget on today’s festivities.

I’m off, Dear Reader. I hope your holiday was fantastic.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“This is a day for the people who make up the world of the record store—the staff, the customers, and the artists—to come together and celebrate the unique culture of a record store and the special role these independently owned stores play in their communities.” – Record Store Day

Gobble Gobble or: Happy Thanksgiving

22 Thursday Nov 2018

Posted by in Food, Life as We Know It, The Less Desirables Network

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

Salutations™!!

I’m taking today off as is most of the country, except the Wal-Mart and Target employees who will have to work this evening. So, happy Thanksgiving from The BCPF, 3B, TLD, The Beer Dads, Apartment 5B, Ray (with TMWATT), and Fan Interference.

turkey.jpg

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.” – Henry David Thoreau

Happy Days or: The BCPF and Me

21 Wednesday Nov 2018

Posted by in Life as We Know It, Podcasting, The Less Desirables Network

≈ Leave a comment

Salutations™!!

As has become the tradition, The BCPF and I did our Thanksgiving recording on The Less Desirables today and it was fun. We listened to some records earlier this morning, went to have lunch at Zesto, stopped by to see Jonathan at Underdog Records, recorded the podcast and then came home and have been listening to even more records.

Capture

My burger at Zesto today!

I also want to thank the 200+ folk who wished me a happy birthday yesterday, via Facebook, text or messenger. I tried to personally reply to each and every one of them. I don’t think I missed one. Not just “liking” them, but a personal response mentioning either their name or a nickname for each of them. That was based on how they sent their wishes, too. I always send “Happy solar circumnavigational anniversary day!” when I say it and some people tried it. I think I only had one person do it exactly right and she shares the birthday with me so I think she copied it. But, hey! I loved it anyway. I am proud that people think of that phrase when they think of me and birthdays, mine or theirs. It’s what social media is all about.

Speaking of birthdays, we listened to records most of the day yesterday and then went to trivia, at Finnigan’s Wake, to be with friends and celebrated some more. So, this whole week has been fantastic and it’s been great just being with The BCPF with minimal scheduling of other things and responsibilities. I gotta cook tomorrow, deviled eggs and Boston baked beans, and have time with the fam. Other than that, it will be more relaxation and laziness. Just the way we like it.

I’ll talk to you later, Dear Reader. Enjoy your night! OH! And, listen to the TLD episode HERE.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Facebook lets me be lazy the way a man in a stereotypical 1950s office can be lazy. Facebook is the digital equivalent of my secretary, or perhaps my wife, yelling at me not to forget to wish someone a happy birthday or to inform me I have a social engagement this evening.” – Sarah Jeong