Today is the 31st anniversary of Bell Biv Devoe’s debut album, Poison. I’ll admit I was a fan of New Edition. I’m a sucker for R&B boy groups, and they were boys. Ronnie, Ricky and Mike were just 16-17 when New Edition released their album with “Cool It Now” and “Mr. Telephone Man.” Bobby went on and did his thing, married arguably (and I would argue it) one of the greatest voices of all time. Ralph went on to have a modest solo career and Johnny came later but did his own thing, too. When Bell Biv Devoe happened, I liked it. Especially this song. The BCPF and I saw BBD at Walt Disney World back in 2013. That same trip we saw Survivor, with both Dave Bickler and Jami Jamison, and .38 Special. Seems like someone else but I can’t think of who. Oh wait! Foreigner. But, anywhat! Here’s a great cover. Enjoy!
Until tomorrow, same blog channel… Scorp out!
— “It’s driving me out of my mind. That’s why it’s hard for me to find. Can’t get it outta my head. Miss her, kiss her, love her, wrong move you’re dead. That girl is poison. Never trust a big butt and smile. That girl is poison poison.” – “Poison” (Straite)
Yesterday was Jonathan’s birthday, so The BCPF and I went to a local coffee shop and got him a special coffee and pain au chocolate. He turned 40! Yay, him!! Here’s our haul:
Pat Benatar – Wide Awake In Dreamland — This was her last rock oriented album of the 80s. She went bluesy after that. I didn’t really care for this album after listening yesterday. The hit, “All Fired Up” was okay but meh to the rest of it. EX.
The Firm – The Firm — An 80s supergroup featuring Paul Rodgers of Bad Company, Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, Chris Slade who was in several bands including Uriah Heep and AC/DC, and vagabond bassist, Tony Franklin. Their biggest hit was “Radioactive” off of this album. I have always liked that song. EX.
John Renbourn – The Lady And The Unicorn — I know nothing about this. This was The BCPF’s doing. I think he is a folk guitarist who did some solo and ensemble work throughout his career. He passed in 2015. VG+.
Arthur Buck – Arthur Buck — This is a collaboration/side project with Peter Buck from REM fame and singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur in which Buck and Arthur share songwriting duties. This was their eponymous debut album that came out in June 2018. It’s a bit weird, upbeat, eclectic. Not what I expected from Peter Buck. I don’t know who Joseph Arthur is. This was a Barnes & Noble exclusive and is signed (under the cellophane), limited to 500 copies. We opened it because records are for listening. NM.
Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin – Jane Birkin – Serge Gainsbourg — Originally released in 1969. Remastered from the original tapes. Gatefold LP includes insert with new detailed liner notes and English / French lyrics. That part alone should tell you why we got this… French. NM.
The Cars – Door To Door — According to Wikipedia: Door to Door is the sixth studio album by American rock band the Cars, released on August 25, 1987, on Elektra Records. The album was self-produced by band members Ric Ocasek and Greg Hawkes. Three singles were released from the album, though only “You Are the Girl” reached the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #17. The album was the lowest charting album to date for the band, only peaking at #26 on the Billboard 200, and within a year of its release the band would break up. Door to Door was the group’s last studio album before they disbanded in 1988. It was also the last Cars record to feature Benjamin Orr before his death in 2000. The band would not release another studio album until 2011’s Move Like This. I don’t recognize any of the tunes from this but, we haven’t listened to it, either. NM original pressing.
Warrior – Fighting For The Earth — I got this because it looks like the early- to mid-80s “heavy metal” that I’ve been seeking out lately. I do know that Vinnie Vincent (who was in KISS briefly and Vinnie Vincent Invasion) was in a band called Warrior but they only got to the demo stage. There is a guy that looks like Vinnie on the back cover but he’s not in pink, so I don’t know. Actually, I do know, Vinnie isn’t on this. I also don’t think it’s the same band. That was back in 1981/1982 or so. This is from 1985. I don’t know what to expect, I’ll report back when I listen. VG+.
Triumph – Thunder Seven — Although I know little about Triumph over all, I know that I do like what I have heard. “Follow Your Heart” is on this one. It was worth it for that track alone. I know Triumph gets pushed out of the way as a three-piece rock outfit from Canada for another three-piece rock outfit from Canada, Rush. I’ll let you know how it is. EX.
Foreigner – Inside Information — This is the sixth studio album by Foreigner, released in 1987. The album debuted at 15, on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart and was certified Platinum in the U.S. It was the last album to feature the 80’s core lineup of Gramm, Jones, Wills, and Elliott. “Say You Will,” “I Don’t Want to Live Without You,” “Out of the Blue,” and “Heart Turns to Stone” were on this album. Gramm left to do his solo thing. I’ve seen Foreigner live in Disney World with whomever the singer was in 2013. Wasn’t a bad show. Club Edition (CRC), EX.
Jonathan and his girlfriend, Kerri were taking off after work yesterday to go on a mini-vacation. Good for them. If you go to the website and order something, just know that it may be a few days before he gets back with you. Be patient.
Use Discogs to track your collection.
Until tomorrow, keep spinnin’… Scorp out!
— “Well, I’m not uptight, not unattractive. Turn me on tonight ’cause I’m radioactive.” – “Radioactive” (Rodgers)
Continuing my tour of all things feeling like crap, and making up for lost time, “today” is Saturday and it has been the hardest of the sick days. Overnight, I got maybe 30 minutes of sleep and even that wasn’t in a row. The BCPF thinks that it’s tracheal bronchitis and because I refuse to go to “urgent care,” we’ll see how I feel on Monday. But, today is the 32nd anniversary of Foreigner’s Agent Provocateur album. This guy, Juan, demonstrates how Axl Rose would have sung this song. He held it together until the very end, too. Enjoy!
Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!
—
“I’m gonna take a little time. A little time to look around me. I’ve got nowhere left to hide. It looks like love has finally found me. In my life, there’s been heartache and pain. I don’t know if I can face it again. Can’t stop now, I’ve traveled so far to change this lonely life.” – “I Want to Know What Love Is” (Jones)
Siouxsie & The Banshees – Superstition — The BCPF loves Siouxsie and the Banshees. It fits her once goth modus operandi. I like them pretty good, too, but she’s the true fan. This is from 1991 but is a reissue from 2018, It has “Kiss Them For Me.” New. In fact…
Siouxsie & The Banshees – Tinderbox — This is a little older, from around 1986 with “Cities in Dust.” It’s the 2018 reissue and is new.
Nirvana – MTV Unplugged In New York — I actually picked this up on Thursday, but didn’t enter it into Discogs until yesterday. Some disagree with me, but I think this is a fantastic album! It’s raw and you can almost hear Cobain’s pain but at times you can hear him sounding relaxed and chipper. Still, it’s great. #313 on the RS List. New.
Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath — #243 on the RS List, this album was heavy, dark and awesome! It’s a great debut album. Possibly the birth of doom metal or heavy metal, this. New.
Ozzy Osbourne – Diary Of A Madman — So, if we go with Black Sabbath, why not go with its former singer? Yep. This is a great album. I don’t like it as much as Blizzard of Ozz or The Ultimate Sin, but I do like it a lot! New.
Nicole Atkins – Goodnight Rhonda Lee — I discovered Nicole Atkins last week whilst finding something by someone playing locally and found a song that I liked on the first try and once I grabbed what I needed, I didn’t stop the album from playing. I then listened to it again. I felt it was something that The BCPF would like and I knew that I liked it, so I had Jonathan order it for me. She loved it. It’s like Dusty Springfield mixed with some Stevie Nicks with swing and jazz stylings that rocked. This is a must-listen, Dear Reader! New.
Warsaw – Warsaw — When Joy Division did their first demo, they were still going by Warsaw. So, this is that demo. The BCPF said she had it when it was actually Joy Division and the album was called Warsaw but this is an “unofficial release” and it sounded pretty good, albeit bass heavy. Not the gloom-and-doom Joy Division we came to know. New.
John Ralston – Shadows Of The Summertime — John played at Underdog Records on Friday night and we purchased this. Haven’t listened to it, yet, but we enjoyed him. New.
Earth, Wind & Fire – Raise! — The one with “Let’s Groove” on it. I love that song; probably my favorite EWF song. VG+.
Prince – Controversy – I found this in VG- condition but I still couldn’t pass it up. I mean, it’s Prince and I didn’t have it already. So, now I do.
Don McLean – American Pie — Let me go on record and say that I absolutely LOATHE the song “American Pie.” It ranks up there with “Freebird” as the worst song ever. But, The BCPF said we should have it in our collection. Okay… It was in the $1 bin so there’s that. VG.
Billy Joel – Turnstiles — Billy Joel for $1? Yep. I’ll take it. And, it looks to be in fairly good condition. I’m calling it VG+. This album has “New York State of Mind,” “Say Goodbye to Hollywood,” “Prelude/Angry Young Man” and “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway).”
The London Symphony Orchestra – Tommy — 2xLP box set with Daltrey, Townshend, Rod Stewart, Ringo Starr and a plethora of guests with the London Symphony Orchestra. A $1 bin find it’s in VG+ shape.
Electric Light Orchestra – Discovery — “Shine a Little Love,” “Don’t Bring Me Down,” “Last Train to London,” “Confusion” and “The Diary of Horace Wimp.” I love ELO and didn’t really realize how much until I was researching for the VSS stuff last year. A $1 bin find. VG+.
Rockwell – Somebody’s Watching Me — This was sitting on the counter in front of Jonathan and I asked about it. It’s Berry Gordy’s son and has that one catchy tune with Michael Jackson. $1. VG+.
Foreigner – Double Vision — I had this (their sophomore effort) already but it was the 2nd pressing cover. This is the original cover. Including “Hot Blooded,” “Blue Morning, Blue Day” and the title track. I found it in the $1 bin and it is VG+.
Foreigner – Foreigner — The debut album with “Feels Like the First Time,” “Cold as Ice” and “Long, Long Way from Home.” It was in the $1 bin and it’s also VG+.
This haul was the biggest we’ve had in a while. Underdog Records was celebrating their fifth anniversary and there were sales happening. Remember that Underdog Records is THE Official Music Sponsor of The Less Desirables. Make sure you listen to the latest episode each week (on Wednesday night) to hear the weekly TLD/UDR special.
Discogs is where I keep my collection in check. It’s a great app and tool.
Until tomorrow, keep spinning…
Scorp out!
— “All that I have left is the sound of my own breath and then darkness falls so quiet. Here’s a feeling I’ve had many times before. Every time you leave it’s your arms that I bereave then the next time to leave’s yours. I watch the ghosts of your footsteps by our door.” – “Darkness Falls So Quiet” (Atkins)
It was a pretty routine day for us other than having to go do some phone stuff for The BCPF. Of course, the highlight is going to Underdog Records where several of our Facebook group were and we got to chat a bit. Also, we added to the Rolling Stone (RS) List collection. I’ll tell you more about it as we go on. Speaking of which…
Bob Dylan – New Morning – Because The BCPF loves and wants to have just about everything from Dylan. This is from 1970 and I believe this is an original pressing. VG.
Stevie Nicks – Bella Donna – The BCPF wishes she could have been nicknamed Stevie growing up. She loves the name. This had several great tunes, too. VG+.
Marshall Crenshaw – Marshall Crenshaw – Crenshaw played Buddy Holly (59th anniversary of his death yesterday) in the film La Bamba. I like his tune “Someday, Someway” which is on here. VG+.
Procol Harum – Grand Hotel – Procol Harum is one of Jonathan (from Underdog)’s favorite groups. I know “A Whiter Shade of Pale” and want to know more. So, here’s a chance. VG+.
Rolling Stones – Dirty Work – “Harlem Shuffle” was never a favorite of mine, but it’s in the canon, so it gets added. VG+.
Peter, Paul And Mary – Peter, Paul And Mary – $1 bin find. Ma Mère had that on vinyl when I was growing up, I’m pretty sure. The BCPF is a sucker for that stuff. VG.
So that’s a pretty good haul, we think. We’re happy with it. Underdog had some nice speakers for sale yesterday. They always have something new and gently used come in, be it records, speakers, turntables, cassette players, receivers, even reel-to-reel at times. Keep up with them on social media to keep up with their “newly posted” items.
Discogs is a great way to keep up with your collection. Also, buying from their marketplace is pretty fun (but be careful, you can spend a lot of money in there).
Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!
— “She packed my bags last night pre-flight. Zero hour, nine AM. And I’m gonna be high as a kite by then. I miss the earth so much I miss my wife; it’s lonely out in space on such a timeless flight.” – “Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To Be A Long, Long Time)” (John/Taupin)
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:
Belle And Sebastian – The Life Pursuit (The BCPF’s and my favorite B&S album; have looked for it for a while and Jonathan was able to finally get it off backorder; new)
Foreigner – Head Games (this is pretty rough looking and I’m going to give it a listen through, Jonathan didn’t charge me for it as it’s in such a sad state and I may remove it if it’s not listenable; G)
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
Here I am, making up or catching up after the weekend’s seemingly non-stop party. It started as usual with breakfast at Mary’s Gourmet Diner and then heading over to Underdog Records, where we picked up some great stuff before heading to Windsor Run Cellars and then Shadow Springs wineries (they’re owned by the same cool folks). Then on to Willows Bistro for great food and beverage. Here’s the haul for this week:
Howard Jones – Dream Into Action (I had this on cassette right after it came out, I love the album version of “No One is to Blame.” The hit version was remixed by Phil Collins. Speaking of Phil Collins)
It was a light week for us, but still a lot of fun! If you’re wanting to get into (or back into) record collecting, then Underdog Records is the place to start. Old stuff, new stuff, reissues, equipment, etc. You should also use Discogs to catalog your collection!
Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!
— “Yeah, I know it’s kind of strange. Every time I’m near you I just run out of things to say. I know you’d understand. Every time I tried to tell you the words just came out wrong. So, I’ll have to say I love you in a song.” – “I’ll Have to Say I Love You in a Song” (Croce)
Underdog Records closed on Saturday (through this Tuesday) for a bit of “respite.” Never fear though, I still went there Friday (twice) and got a nice haul for the weekend. This is what it looked like:
Man… we are certainly gonna need a new cabinet soon. We’ve started on the last cube of the 8 cube cab. It’s coming. Underdog will be open again on Wednesday. You can find them at 825 Burke Street in WSNC. Listen to The Less Desirables to hear what the weekly Underdog/TLD special is. And, use Discogs for your cataloging of LPs and CDs and hit me up, we can share collections.
Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!
— “It’s all the same, only the names will change. Everyday, it seems we’re wastin’ away. Another place where the faces are so cold. I drive all night just to get back home. I’m a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride. I’m wanted dead or alive. Wanted dead or alive.” – “Wanted Dead or Alive” (Sambora/Bon Jovi)
