Salutations™!!

After missing a week of visiting Jonathan at Underdog Records, The BCPF and I made up for it. I went on Thursday and we both went on Friday. I missed having new records in my hands and flipping through the inventory. Here’s the haul:

©EMI/Capitol

• Best Coast – Always Tomorrow — I heard this when I was preparing the ad for Underdog Records on The Less Desirables and thought it sounded like The BCPF’s kind of music. I was correct. She dug it. I dug it. New.
• King Krule – Man Alive! — This was another one that I heard the lead single from and I liked it so I bought it. Once I got it home, though… meh. I like the artistic chances he was taking but it was hard to follow and hard to get into. Both of us were kind of speechless. But, I don’t give things up easily. I’m keeping it. It’s on blood-red, transparent vinyl. New.
• Bob Marley & The Wailers – Exodus — The ninth studio album by Marley, it was a departure from most of what he wrote prior. Of the songs that ended up on Legacy, which is simultaneously his greatest hits album and the highest-selling reggae album of all time, this album had more tracks than any other. This album contains “Exodus,” “Jamming,” “Waiting in Vain,” “Turn Your Lights Down Low,” the amazing “Three Little Birds” and “One Love/People Get Ready,” co-written by Curtis Mayfield. NM.
• Iron Maiden – Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son — I still need Somewhere In Time to have all the “classic” Iron Maiden albums that I really care about. I consider their first seven (of which this is seventh and SIT, sixth) the canon that matters. This isn’t my favorite from them but does have some good moments. I always think of a former classmate of mine, Mark Bohannon because he was the biggest Maiden fan I knew, which was odd to me because I pictured Maiden heads to be stoner types with long hair and all greasy skinned (gimme a break, I was new to this scene) and he was clean-cut, kept and wore sweaters and stuff. Anyway, this was something he talked about a good bit. NM.
• Alice Cooper – Raise Your Fist And Yell — Alice’s 10th solo record and the last to feature Kip Winger on bass and Paul Taylor on keys, both would go on to form Winger with Reb Beach and Rod Morgenstein. The song “Prince of Darkness” was included in the film of the same name from John Carpenter. VG+.
• Jill Barber – Metaphora — The 2018 album from jazz/folk vocalist Barber. Laidback and very listenable. A good listen, actually. The BCPF eats stuff like this for breakfast, so she, of course, loved it. On “Coke Bottle” blue/green transparent vinyl. NM.
• Journey – Next — The last Journey album before Steve Perry came along (with Robert Fleishman making a brief stop, first) and totally pop-rocked them out (which is still my favorite era of Journey). I don’t recognize any of these tunes and it wasn’t what I was expecting. I was looking for it to be a little more proggy like the early Journey albums were, but they were kind of in pop mode here, it seems. None of these songs are in the live lineup of played tunes anymore. I liked it, it was just different to me. VG+.
• Genesis – Seconds Out — 2xLP live album from Genesis. It was the last Genesis album to feature Steve Hackett, thus making Genesis a “three-piece” after this, in which …And Then There Were Three came along. This was recorded, mostly in Paris, on their Trick of the Tail tour. VG+.
• Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Liverpool — FGTH’s second and final album. That’s sad because both this and its predecessor, 1984’s Welcome to the Pleasuredome are amazing albums. I love synth-driven pop and this is chock full of that. I enjoyed every note of both albums. Amazing stuff, both. I love them. I hate they didn’t do more.  VG+.

Again, it was good to get by Underdog Records again. They have a slew of electronic equipment for sale, either from the store or on consignment. Now is the time to get the equipment you need or want. Listen to each new episode of The Less Desirables to hear what the TLD/UR special of the moment is. Use Discogs to keep track of your music collection or to just do “random grab” choices. That’s fun.

Until tomorrow, keep spinning…
Scorp out!

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“Laugh like the head of Apollo. Young and strong on the wings of tomorrow. Rise up in millions, get off your knees. Dispelling the demons in the valley of danger. We all work together, sculptures in sorrow. With love light to follow on sweet head of Apollo. Rage hard, into the light.” – “Rage Hard” (Gill/Johnson/Nash/O’Toole)