Tag Archives: Belle & Sebastian

Spinning Sunday or: The Haul 12/12/20

13 Sunday Dec 2020

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Salutations™!!

The BCPF and I got to Underdog Records late. I emceed the Pride Winston-Salem Holiday Drag Brunch, then we ate and then went to Coffee Park to get a print of the new Holiday Roast. Then we went to Underdog Records and got a decent haul. Let me tell you about it…

©Matador

Belle And Sebastian – What To Look For In Summer — You know that The BCPF and I love us some Belle and Sebastian and this was a brand new (released Friday) 2×LP live album. It was pretty awesome for fans of B&S. All songs were recorded on tour in 2019, the majority from US cities, with one in Montreal, one in Pamplona and five songs on the Mediterranean sea for “Boaty Weekender” which was like a cruise for them. New.

Various – O Brother, Where Art Thou? — The BCPF and I both love this film. We love the soundtrack. It was there in EX/NM condition so we grabbed it. Yay, us!

Billy Joel – Souvenir — Promotional-only release by Columbia Records in 1977 to promote Billy’s pre-The Stranger songs. Side 1: These selections were recorded live December 5th and 6th, 1976 at Palmer Auditorium, University of Connecticut at New London during the live video taping of “Billy Joel Tonight.” Side 2: several cuts from Billy’s albums. Pressed on Columbia’s white promo labels, which state “Demonstration – Not For Sale” at the bottom, as well as on the front jacket. These were distributed mainly to radio stations, clubs, and fan clubs in the US and were were not sold in stores. This album is known to have been heavily counterfeited, too. I am not sure, without further inspection, which I have. EX/NM.

Various – New Wave Hits — Rhino’s Back To The 80s release. 140 gram pink swirl vinyl. A collection of early 80s new wave hits, just as it says. EX/NM. This is still sealed but we will remedy that soon.

Various – History Of British Rock — 2×LP collection of British heavy hitters (at least in the mainstream genre) like Kinks, Rod Stewart, Manfred Mann, Bee Gees, etc. The collection is from 1974. Gatefold cover. Auto-coupled for sequential playing (Sides 1 & 4 / Sides 2 & 3). NM/EX.

Various – ¡Something Festive! — Holiday classics from the likes of Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, Liza, Burt Bacharach, Claudine Longet and more. VG+.

We got to listen to the Belle and Sebastian and the one of the comps from last week yesterday. We didn’t get a proper listening day but we will. Underdog Records has gotten a good bit of freshly-used vinyl and that was nice to see. He’s been so busy with the RSD stuff he hadn’t had time. Jonathan is doing deliveries M-W and the store is open Thursday-Saturday. You can buy new vinyl, day or night, 24/7 from the Underdog Records website. I used Discogs to track my collection, and you should, too!

Until tomorrow, keep spinnin’…
Scorp out!

—
“Bobby’s driving through the city tonight, through the lights in a hot new rent-a-car. He joins the lovers in his heavy machine. It’s a scene down on Sunset Boulevard. Say goodbye to Hollywood. Say goodbye, my baby.” – “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” (Joel)

Spinning Sunday or: The Haul 9/14/19

15 Sunday Sep 2019

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Salutations™!!

The BCPF and I slept late because we were out late, even though I didn’t get to play on Friday night. But, we did eventually get by to Underdog Records and had a little bit of listening time before our Saturday evening plans. Here’s the haul:

Tonight_(album)

©EMI America

  • Belle And Sebastian – Days Of The Bagnold Summer — When anything by Belle & Sabastian comes out, we jump on it. This is to a soundtrack of a film, I guess by the name of Days of the Bagnold Summer. It is a great album. If you’re not familiar with B&S, you should check them out. I understand it’s not for everyone but you never know, you may like it. New.
  • Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – Southern Accents — Petty’s 1985 album that spawned “Don’t Come Around Here No More,” “Rebels” and “Make It Better (Forget About Me).” It’s a great album. EX/VG++.
  • Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough) — His follow up to the previous entry, this one had “Jammin’ Me,” “Runaway Trains,” “All Mixed Up” and “Think About Me” released as singles. A great album, as well. EX/VG++.
  • The Police – Ghost In The Machine — I had this one already but only in VG condition. I just couldn’t pass up a VG++ version. So, I’ll trade the other one in to Jonathan. This is tied for second of my favorite Police albums with Outlandos d’Amour, Reggatta de Blanc and Zenyatta Mondatta (yes, that is all their other albums) after Synchronicity. “Invisible Sun,” “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” “Spirits in the Material World” and “Secret Journey” were the singles but “Omegaman,” “Demolition Man,” “Rehumanize Yourself” and “Too Much Information” is also on this album.
  • David Bowie – Tonight — This may shock some people but the first time I ever heard of, or anything by, Bowie was “Blue Jean” from this album. I hated it. I don’t know why. It was because of the video on TBS’s Night Tracks music video program. Remember, I didn’t have MTV until 1986. I also didn’t have access to Bowie on the radio. I was so out of touch. That’s why I make it my mission, now, to absorb as much as I can. Bowie continues his writing with Iggy Pop on this album and does a Beach Boys cover (“God Only Knows” from Pet Sounds) and a Chuck Jackson cover (“I Keep Forgettin'”) and does a duet with Tina Turner on the title track. I love this album. VG++.
  • Chopin, Artur Rubinstein – Nocturnes (Complete) — You’ll see from the next few entries, there were a number of classical albums. This one first. It’s a 2xLP set of, well, the complete set of Nocturnes from ol’ Fred. VG.
  • Beethoven, Wiener Philharmoniker Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Pierre Monteux – Symphony No.3 In E Flat (“Eroica”) — Pretty much what it says. This one is NM and still sealed, although I’ll take care of that in the next little bit.
  • Luys Venegas de Henestrosa – Luys Venegas de Henestrosa (16th Century) “Libro de Cifra Nueva” — The “History of Spanish Music” series, this is a shload of harpsichord music. I don’t know how I feel about that. VG+.
  • Gustav Leonhardt, Johann Sebastian Bach – The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2 — 3xLP set that is in great condition and we got it from the $1 bin. VG+.
  • François Chantal – Piano At Twilight — I love piano music, this was in VG+ condition and in the $1 bin. Yes, please.
  • Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Love Beach — Released two days before my eighth birthday, this is the “nadir” of ELP’s output. It’s the last one before they split up. They didn’t play together again until 1992. Although, Keith Emerson and Greg Lake did join up with Cozy Powell for a whole different ELP in the mid-80s. That’s the first time I ever heard of ELP and didn’t know that Palmer was even a thing. Anyway, this is supposed to be earth-shatteringly awful which makes me want to hear it. According to Keith Emerson, the album was “an embarrassment against everything I’ve worked for.” It was $1 and goes in my ELP collection. A win for me, even if it does suck like a Hoover. VG/VG+.

When we got to Underdog Records yesterday, Jonathan had put out some doughnuts from Krispy Kreme and we each had one. Jonathan is always doing cool things for his customers. He has a lot of speaker pairs for sale right now, you should check out the Underdog Records’ Instagram and Facebook to see what he has. Plus, follow to see what he’s just picked up or acquired and is putting out for purchase. Listen to each new episode of The Less Desirables to hear what the TLD/UR special of the week is!

I use Discogs to keep track of what I have so when I came across an album in the store I can look to see if I already have it. I was talking to another customer in the store and he says he gets home and realizes he already had a copy of something and just keeps it. I told him to use Discogs and that doesn’t happen as often. It does sometimes but not usually.

Until tomorrow, keep spinning…
Scorp out!

—
“I got my own way of workin’, but everything is run with a southern accent where I come from.” – “Southern Accents” (Petty)

Sounds Like Saturday or: I Don’t Know What You’re Talking About

31 Saturday Aug 2019

Posted by in Honeymoon, Life as We Know It, Sounds Like Saturday, Travel

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Salutations™!!

Continuing the fifth-year memories of our glorious time in Edinburgh, we spent our first night in the Dalmahoy, a 300-year old castle that sits on two 18-hole golf courses and has one of the stillest and quietest elevators lifts I’ve ever been on. Whilst waiting on our room to be ready, we had haggis and blood pudding for the first time, sat out and watched the first and 18th holes of one or both courses, and wandered about the beautiful grounds.

We got to take a nap and rejuvenate a little whilst the Tottenham football match was on the television. When we woke up and went down to grab a car to take us into Edinburgh, we came around the corner and the hotel attendant was singing along to a song on the radio. The song playing was from Belle & Sebastian which is one of The BCPF’s favorite bands and I dig the heck out of them, too. B&S are from Glasgow, which is only about 30 minutes away from Edinburgh. We mentioned that we loved them and she looked at us in that cheeky UK way and said, I don’t know what you’re talking about.

So, here’s the song she was listening to. Enjoy!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Let me step out of my shell that’s wrapped in sheets of milky winter disorder. Let me feel the air again, the talk of friends; the mind of someone my equal.” – “I Want the World to Stop” (Murdoch/Jackson/Martin/Colburn/Geddes/Cooke/Kildea)

Silent Sunday or: The Haul 2/17/18

18 Sunday Feb 2018

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Salutations™!!

Yesterday was misty and cold.  A near perfect day if you ask me. Why? Because I was with my best girl and I had records. I love records. And, The BCPF and I love us some Underdog Records. We got to see several of our friends whilst there and that’s always a plus. So, here’s the haul:

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©Elektra/EMI

 

  • Belle & Sebastian – How To Solve Our Human Problems – Belle & Sabastian’s 3xEP that was released one every month has come out in a box set. We traded in the old and got the box. Call us crazy. New.
  • Queen – Queen – The debut album from one of the most prolific bands in rock history. I’ll be doing the choir part in the opening track from this when the Ramkat opens next month, along with quite a few other songs. This was mostly overlooked for, as someone said yesterday, its lack of “hits.” I agree. It’s not what we’d come to know and love from Queen but it certainly had some glimpses of it. Someone named Dave Doolittle wrote his name on the front cover and that irks me, but the record is in really, really great shape. VG+.
  • U2 – The Unforgettable Fire – The BCPF’s first U2 album when she was but a youngster. We saw it come across the Instagram feed whilst eating breakfast. We got in the door and I went straight for it, to secure it for our collection. VG+
  • Love And Rockets – Earth • Sun • Moon – The BCPF also loves Love and Rockets and she even yelled at me (whilst I was in the bathroom, mind you), I LOVE THIS RECORD! I was in Underdog on Friday when he bought this. VG+.
  • Joni Mitchell – Ladies Of The Canyon – A VG+ copy of a classic. It has “Big Yellow Taxi,” “Woodstock” and “The Circle Game” on it. Great album.
  • Willie Nelson – Stardust – The lone RS list pickup for this week. It was there waiting for me to grab. VG+. Oh, and it’s #260 on the list. Right in the middle.
  • Pretenders – Pretenders II – The BCPF loves the Pretenders, too. So, this was there, we had to have it. It is VG+.
  • Dire Straits – Dire Straits – The debut album but now-Hall-of-Famers, Dire Straits. I’ve really loved listening to them lately. This is a VG+ version.
  • Various – Cocktail Piano Time, Music In An Intimate Mood – I love cocktail piano music. I couldn’t pass up this 5xLP box set. All of it in VG+ condition, too.
  • Ferrante & Teicher – Holiday For Pianos – I really don’t know what this is, but it was in the $1 bin. I went to wash it and it was in NM condition. Even the cover was immaculate. So, we have it.
  • Barbra Streisand, Sydney Chaplin – Funny Girl (Original Broadway Cast) – VG $1 bin find. I have “Funny Lady,” why not have both?
  • Siobhan McKenna – Irish Ballads Folk Songs And Lyrics Read By Siobhan McKenna – Again, no clue, we love international music and with a name like Siobhan McKenna, it’s gotta be good! A “G” $1 bin find.
  • Cliff Richard – Every Face Tells A Story – UK’s 60s/70s heartthrob, and it was a VG $1 bin find.
  • Randy Meisner – One More Song – The former bass player for The Eagles, he had some pretty big songs with them. This is a VG+ $1 bin find.
  • Neil Diamond – Serenade – I’m always amazed when I find Neil Diamond albums that I’ve never heard of, or have. I haven’t really taken the time to look at his discography, but it must be vast. $1 bin find.
  • Various – FM (The Original Movie Soundtrack) – I loved the film and the soundtrack is just chock full of great tunes. A VG $1 bin find.
  • The Alan Parsons Project – I Robot – Because I have a new-found obsession with the Alan Parsons Project, I had to grab this when The BCPF came across it. And it was only $1. Best I can tell is that it is at least VG.
  • Daryl Hall & John Oates – Voices –  A very good album, this. It has some hits on it and some throw-aways. It was enjoyable and it was only $1 and in VG+ condition. Why do almost all H&O albums have the slits in the top of the album jackets and not on the side? Weird.
  • Kingston Trio – The Kingston Trio No. 16 – As with Neil Diamond for me, The BCPF is on a constant search for a Kingston Trio album we don’t already have. Well, this $1 bin find was one of those. Best I can tell, it was VG.

There’s this week’s haul. We enjoyed listening to what we got to hear yesterday (not all of these, for sure). Again, we’ve become like a family there at Underdog Records. When we see each other, we smile and talk and catch up and it’s like we’re all part of a clan or something. I really love it. I’m there several times a week, usually, and someone’s always coming through. It’s so much fun to collect and listen. It’s so much better when you’re part of that community. We’re welcoming, too. Come in and see us!

As you can tell, I use Discogs to document my collection and I have another K-Tel record coming this week that I purchased from the Discogs Marketplace. Check it out. I can watch my friends’ collection, as well. Again, it’s just fun.

Until tomorrow, happy spinning…
Scorp out!

—
“You cannot go against nature because when you do go against nature, it’s part of nature too. Our little lives get complicated. It’s a simple thing. Simple as a flower. And, that’s a complicated thing. No new tale to tell.” – “No New Tale to Tell” (Ash/Jay/Haskins)

Silent Sunday or: The Haul 12/23/17

24 Sunday Dec 2017

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Salutations™!!

Let me say, a brand new needle on your turntable makes all the difference in the world! Everything sounds so crisp and amazing. The BCPF and I have been enjoying a long week together observing the 3-Feet Rule (no farther than three feet from each other for most of the vacation). In that, we also went by Underdog Records about four times altogether. It was a great vacay. So, needless to say, this is from all week. Plus, I marked five off of the RS List this week. Let’s get started:led_zeppelin_-_led_zeppelin_II-front

So, a pretty good haul. And, again, with a new needle, it really all sounds great, even the older stuff. Underdog Records is open today until 2pm if you have a last minute thing to grab. He has specials, too. We use Discogs to archive our collection (hence the hyperlinks above).

From The BCPF and me, we hope your Christmas Eve is nothing shy of fantastic. It’s the day we do all the family stuff, traditionally and it’s my favorite of the two-day holiday. Love, happiness and lots of food for you all!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Now it’s a mighty long way down the dusty trail. And, the sun burns hot on the cold steel rails. And, I look like a bum, and I crawl like a snail all the way from Memphis.” – “All the Way From Memphis” (Hunter)

Silent Sunday or: The Haul 12/9/17

10 Sunday Dec 2017

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Salutations™!!

A lazy, snowy day in WSNC yesterday. It was great, though. It was cold enough to snow and the ground warm enough to not allow it to stick to the roads. They were navigatable and it was beautiful. The flakes were big and fluffy. The BCPF and I loved it. It was cool to stand in Underdog Records, talking records, life, music in general, everything. It was just cool. So, we walked out with this:

Phil_Collins_-_Face_Value

©Virgin

 

So, there you have this week’s haul. Not a bad one, I don’t think. We have sure enjoyed listening to the five or six we got through yesterday (and into today). Right now you can get an additional 10% on a gift certificate (also a 45RPM record with a sticker, très chic!) to give to that record lover that you just don’t know what they have already (and don’t look at Discogs to find out). Jonathan has a few turntables, both new and used, in the store right now! Go check them out. And, if you haven’t noticed, I like Discogs, a lot!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Sukie was the kid, she liked to hang out in the graveyard. She did brass rubbings, she learned you never had to press hard. When she finished hanging out she was all alone. She decided that she better check in at home. There was an awful row between her mum and dad. They said she hadn’t done this, she hadn’t done that. If she wanted to remain inside the family home she’d have to tow the line, she’d have to give it a go. It didn’t suit Sukie, so she took her things and left.” – “Sukie in the Graveyard” (Kildea/Geddes/Cooke/Colburn/Martin/Jackson/Murdoch

Act of the Apostle or: Which One is Sebastian?

02 Wednesday Aug 2017

Posted by in Life as We Know It

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Salutations™!!

My apologies again for yesterday’s short post. We had a heck of a “weekend plus.” I was exhausted. But, I’m here to tell you why. On Monday, our Engagementversary, we drove to Raliegh to see a band that The BCPF would consider “a fave.” They rarely tour and this was special, so how could we pass on it?

The band is Belle & Sebastian. They’re from Scotland; Glasgow. We heard some of their stuff whilst we were over there gettin’ hitched. I didn’t know what I thought about them when I first heard them a few years back when The BCPF put them on a mixtape for me. The more I listened over time the more and more I got to like them. They’re tongue-in-cheek, clever and very good musicians. 20170802_141746

To me, they have a very retro feel. Definitely an “indie” sound. It’s also a very full sound. That’s not too difficult to pull off when there are seven members actually in the band. Their singers, primarily Stuart Murdoch, have unique voices that I won’t say are great, but they are, well, unique… as I just said. The members are all around my age which is pretty cool. I can relate to life, if not the Scottish aspect, even though I do get some of that, too.

So, The BCPF and I stayed at the Hyatt Place North Raleigh-Midtown and ate dinner at a decent chain restaurant that was on the same property as the hotel before Ubering over to the North Carolina Museum of Art, where the show was being held. We had purchased general admission tix which would have gotten us closer to the stage but would have also required us to stand and I’m just not about that. Luckily, the lovely and awesome wife of Superfan Damien of The Less Desirables works at the NCMA and was able to get us an upgrade to reserved seating. And she really came through. 20170731_213822

The concert’s venue was outside. Not quite the size of one of the “sheds” (Amphitheaters) but still a pretty good venue with plenty of grass seating and bench seats with assigned numbers. We ended up with awesome seats due to our gracious upgrade. We were 8 rows past the general admission folk (row H) and smack-dab in the middle of the row. So we were eye-to-eye with Stuart throughout the show. I think these were better than the GA tix because 1) we had actual seats, 2) we didn’t have to fight anyone for a spot, 3) we didn’t have to get there early, 4) we were looking straight ahead and not “up” like most of them were. Plus, we had the benefit of being out in front of the speakers, not between them. We won the awesome lottery for sure.

Opening the show was Andrew Bird who was the violinist for Squirrel Nut Zippers and is quite the talent. I really enjoyed his stuff, but I have to admit it started to get old after about half way through. I don’t know that it was anything he was doing wrong or I was just ready to see Belle & Sebastian. I think it was the latter. He did good, though.

B&S at one time had 9 people on the stage at the same time, playing instruments or singing. They even had a young trumpet player named Alex that played on about five or six songs. He wasn’t part of the band. He was from Raleigh and hadn’t played with them before. I think I heard Stuart say he hadn’t played with anyone before. He was pretty good, though. I have to admit that I didn’t recognize most of the songs but I’m not the fan that The BCPF is. They did play several of my faves by them, though, including “Sukie in the Graveyard,” “I’m a Cuckoo,” “I Didn’t See It Coming” and “The Blues Are Still Blue.” The latter was the last encore that they did by request from someone they described as “someone with a bullhorn of a voice.”

It was a great show and I’m so glad we got to see them and we thank Mrs. Superfan Damien for the upgrade. We owe you guys some beer. Thanks to The BCPF for introducing me to Belle & Sebastian and wanting to go see them. I think it’s my favorite of “your music.” If you’re not familiar with the band, Dear Reader, you should give them a shot and you should keep an open mind because they’re certainly an acquired taste. But, you’ll see the talent, I’m sure. Enjoy!

Oh, and I didn’t do beer today because I don’t know what it will be. Danielle is surprising us. But, you should still go to City Beverage and say The Less Desirables sent you!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Sukie was the kid, she liked to hang out in the graveyard. She did brass rubbings, she learned you never had to press hard. When she finished hanging out she was all alone. She decided that she better check in at home. There was an awful row between her mum and dad. They said she hadn’t done this, she hadn’t done that. If she wanted to remain inside the family home, she’d have to tow the line, she’d have to give it a go. It didn’t suit Sukie so she took her things and left.” – “Sukie in the Graveyard” (Belle & Sebastian)

Silent Sunday or: Music Music Music

05 Sunday Mar 2017

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Salutations™!!

The weekend was full of music for me. Played with Clay Howard and the Silver Alerts on Friday and then Saturday, after our Saturday morning constitutional, The BCPF and I ran by Underdog Records and stocked up on some vinyl. We came home and I cleaned 30 records with my new vinyl cleaning system, all whilst listening to and posting about some vinyl in the “#nowspinning” Facebook group started by Jonathan at Underdog.

We also spent good times with good people, eating, drinking and being merry! Happy Sunday, y’all!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Everybody’s misused him; ripped him off and abused him. Another junkie playin’; pushin’ dope for the man. A terrible blow, but that’s how it go… Freddie’s on the corner now… if you wanna be a junkie, wow… Remember, Freddie’s dead…” – “Freddie’s Dead (Theme from Superfly)” (Mayfield)