Tag Archives: George Harrison

Spinning Sunday or: The Haul 8/11/18

12 Sunday Aug 2018

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Salutations™!!

Queensryche_-_Operation_Mindcrime_cover

©EMI

It was a great average Saturday for The BCPF and me. Sun was out mostly in the morning/early afternoon. We got home from Underdog Records and the bottom fell out. It was done before we went to Willows and stayed nice the rest of the evening. Here’s what happened at Underdog:

  • Queensrÿche – Operation: Mindcrime — I didn’t buy this from Underdog but I did get it from there. After looking for this album for a long while and through some negotiation, I finally was able to convince my friend Bill B-A to part with his copy. It sounds fantastic on vinyl and I actually heard things I hadn’t ever noticed. That happens with vinyl I have noticed. Once my favorite album of all-time, it moved down one notch when I realized the love I had for So by Peter Gabriel. Listening to this again, it can still be a contender. VG+ from Bill.
  • U2 – Achtung Baby — #63 on the RS list which brings me to 200 from that list. The search continues. One of my favorite U2 albums and the last before they went into “temporary insanity” state. “Mysterious Ways” and “One” are probably my two faves on this album, while “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” and “Even Better Than the Real Thing” are awesome, too. 2xLP New.
  • The Sisters Of Mercy – Floodland — This is solely a The BCPF thing. She went through (and still lives through some memories of) a goth stage when she was a bit younger. This is definitely “Dark Wave” material and I can see why she likes it. She is especially fond of “This Corrosion.” New.
  • Dio – The Last In Line — I couldn’t pass it up. VG.
  • Whitesnake – Whitesnake — One of my favorite hard rock albums of all time. There are no real clunkers on this album and I had hoped to get it on Record Store Day but while Jonathan ordered several copies, he only got two. Even being fourth in line didn’t get me that album. He had it this time. It was a label promo but that’s okay. It’s the full album. VG+.
  • Golden Earring – Moontan — Although there are only five songs on the album, it isn’t an EP because it still comes in at about 40 minutes. This is the “Radar Love” album. I didn’t know that Golden Earring were Dutch. VG.
  • George Harrison – George Harrison — A good album with some great tunes. It’s no All Things Must Pass, to be sure, but it is good nonetheless. “Blown Away,” “Faster,” and “Love Comes to Everyone” are on this album. VG+.
  • Nick Lowe – Labour Of Lust — Yes, I got this for “Cruel to be Kind.” No, the rest of the album isn’t as good as that tune. But, there are some good pop-music things going on in this album. It’s decent. VG+.
  • Journey – Look Into The Future — Journey’s second album and the penultimate to feature Gregg Rolie on vocals exclusively (which I think is a good thing, I’ve never really been a big fan of his). VG.
  • Various – The Story Of Great Music: Prelude To Modern Music and Various – The Story Of Great Music: The Romantic Era — Each from 1966 and are TimeLife collections, 4xLP each and the “Modern Music” one is VG++ in mono and the “Romantic Era” is NM in mono. I’m actually listening to the first one as I write this.
  • Traffic – The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys — Notable for its really strange die-cut cover, this is a really good album from Traffic. The title song is a great listen as well as the whole album, really. Better than I initially gave it credit for. VG+.
  • The Alan Parsons Project – The Turn Of A Friendly Card — Man, I really dig me some APP. Who’d-a-thunk when I was a young lad listening to music and only knowing “Eye in the Sky” that I would grow up to become such a fan of the other (and in many ways better) APP albums? “Games People Play” and “Time” are the two best tunes on here, in my opinion. VG.
  • Robert Palmer – Heavy Nova — $1 bin find. It has “Simply Irresistible” and I know not much more than that. I think I got it from Columbia House on cassette when it came out because I forgot to send in my card. I may have sent it back or considered sending it back. I think I kept it, though. Oh well, it was $1. VG.
  • The Voices Of Walter Schumann – Songs Of The Ivy League — I have no idea what this is other than college songs. School songs and such. So it will be interesting. The BCPF wanted it for some song that was on The Gilmore Girls and it was $1. 10″ and in VG.

It’s always fun just going into Underdog Records and hearing people say they were playing “Beat the Beemans.” Yeah, we get there and start grabbing stuff as this list shows but there is a method to the madness, but we shan’t divulge the method. Check out The Less Desirables for the weekly TLD/UDR special that runs.

Discogs is where I catalog my entire collection. It (usually) keeps me from getting duplicates and helps me figure what’s left to get for my collection. I recommend using them.

Until tomorrow, keep spinning…
Scorp out!

—
“Did I disappoint you? Or leave a bad taste in your mouth? You act like you never had love and you want me to go without. Well, it’s too late, tonight, to drag the past out into the light. We’re one, but we’re not the same. We get to carry each other. Carry each other. One.” – “One” (Evans/Hewson/Mullen/Clayton)

Silent Sunday or: The Haul 2/10/18

11 Sunday Feb 2018

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Salutations™!!

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©A&M

Last night there was a shindig at Finnigans for the anniversary of The Less Desirables. However, that’s a post for tomorrow. Yesterday, before the “gala,” we did our usual “Saturday Thang” which included, of course, Underdog Records. It was a rainy and miserable day (much of like today’s forecast), but we got some good records. Like…

  • George Harrison – The Best Of George Harrison – Side 1 is his Beatles greatest hits and Side 2 is his solo stuff. VG+.
  • Stan Getz / Eddie Sauter – Focus – Original mono pressing in VG condition. I love Stan Getz.
  • Rush – Exit…Stage Left – 2xLP live album, mostly recorded during their Moving Pictures tour (some of it was on the tour prior), in which I love the track listing but I thought some of the Side 1 was muddy. It seemed to clear up, or I just got used to it. VG+.
  • The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid – I have really loved getting into the Alan Parsons Project. Everything is a little ethereal, a little rocking and a little pop. It’s difficult to explain but I dig it. Great album. VG/VG+.
  • Stray Cats – Built For Speed – This album rocked. Two of their biggest hits, “Stray Cat Strut” and “Rock This Town,” are on here. The whole album is pretty cool. I have to say that I get tired of the “rockabilly” thing after a bit but what I liked, I really liked. VG+.
  • Isaac Hayes – Truck Turner (Original Soundtrack) – The copy of this once belonged to WFDD here in WSNC. There’s a big orange sticker that says so and I can’t get that off, I don’t think. Even with Goo Gone. I’m not going to try. It adds to its charm. Wh doesn’t dig some Isaac Hayes, right Chef? VG+.
  • Tim Curry – Fearless – So, I saw this and I know that I love Tim Curry. I figured I have to have it, right? So, we got it. VG+ condition. It is not bad… but it is some weird stuff. Not weird in the songs. Some are ballads and some are heavy rockers. But, if you can imagine Frank-N-Furter standing in the studio recording an album. This is that.
  • The Beatles – The Beatles’ Second Album – So, this is technically their third US album because Capital released some after Vee-Jay Records did which coincided with the EMI stuff in the UK and… if you could see me right now, I’d be waving my hand and saying, you know what, that’s not important. It’s in Fair condition but it is The Beatles and it is an amalgamation of several of their UK albums, which, to me, is the better discography. But, this is mono and yadda yadda yadda.
  • Emmylou Harris – Pieces Of The Sky – VG+ copy of this Emmylou classic. The BCPF is really getting into her and I’ll admit, I don’t mind it.
  • The Moravian Festival Chorus And Orchestra, Thor Johnson – Music Of The American Moravians – The BCPF worked at Old Salem for eight years. She loves her some Moravian history and culture and all that mess. I don’t know what this will be but she certainly wanted it and well, that means she gets it. VG+.
  • Simon & Garfunkel – Sounds Of Silence – As far as I can tell, this is an original pressing. It’s in VG shape and we have to have anything that says S&G on it, or just Simon or just Garfunkel.
  • Frank Loesser – Guys & Dolls: A Musical Fable Of Broadway – I love musicals and I loved the film version of this, so let’s hear the original cast do it. This was an NM copy.
  • Various – 50 Years Of Film – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Recordings Of The Great Scenes And Stars From The Warner Bros. Classics, 1923 To 1973 – I love soundtracks and film scores. This is 50 years of it from the Warner Bros classics. It’s 3xLP in VG/VG+ condition.
  • Various – Music Machine – Another K-Tel compilation. It’s pretty beat up but from 1977/78 or so. G? I dunno.
  • Santana – Abraxas – #207 on the RS list. This is pretty beat up. I’m going to give it a listen and see if it’s worth keeping. If not, I’ll look for a better copy. It was in the $1 bin and is in F+/G shape, at least before I play it.
  • Luciano Pavarotti – Pavarotti On Pavarotti – Tony DiLisio calls me Pavarotti because I’m fat and I sing to him. Also, I love his voice, so when I come across stuff by him, especially the $1 bin stuff. I grab it. VG.
  • Loggins And Messina – The Best Of Friends – I have this on CD and it has the songs I care about from them. I’m not a huge fan, but I do love the two or three songs that I bought both the CD and this for. $1 bin find. VG.
  • Herb Alpert – Wild Romance – $1 bin find and it’s Herb Alpert. His 80s stuff may not be the same classics as his earlier stuff, but it’s Herb Alpert. ‘Nuff said! VG.

So, a decent haul. We also purchased a new album that we totally didn’t know we already had. We’ll have to turn that back in, trade it for something else. Jonathan is usually good with that. You need to follow the Underdog Records social media pages because Jonathan is always posting what’s just arrived in the store, both new and used. Sometimes that is several times a day. Usually, though, it’s maybe once a day, twice a day. Not too inundating. But, trust me, it’s worth it if you’re into vinyl (or just want to be into it).

Also, use Discogs to catalog your collection. They have a great marketplace, too. I have been really happy with my buying experiences on there.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Hello, darkness, my old friend. I’ve come to talk with you again. Because a vision softly creeping left its seeds while I was sleeping, and the vision that was planted in my brain still remains, within the sound of silence.” – “The Sound of Silence” (Simon)

Silent Sunday or: The Haul 1/20/18

21 Sunday Jan 2018

Posted by in Records, Silent Sunday

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Salutations™!!

It was a long Saturday and that’s a rarity for The BCPF and me. Because Willows Bistro opened back up, we didn’t eat until 7pm but, we had a lot of listening time from our haul from Underdog Records earlier in the day. This is what we got:

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©Chess Records

  • George Harrison – All Things Must Pass – 3xLP box set. The BCPF has had a big tumultuous spell as of late and she’s seeing the daylight on the other side, so I made sure she got this, which she has been coveting for a while. It’s #433 on the RS List, which I think is a little low. New.
  • The Stooges – Fun House – #191 on the RS List. This is a new reissue and it is in 180g orange and black splatter vinyl.
  • Aretha Franklin – Lady Soul – #85 on the RS List. I have never been a huge fan of Aretha’s. I know, I know. I especially don’t like her later stuff and all that crazy vocal running she does that is back in fashion. But, this is early stuff and it’s really good. New.
  • Chuck Berry – The Great Twenty-Eight – #21 on the RS List. Yes, it’s a compilation. Yes, I skipped the compilations on the list when I was doing them. As I’ve had to explain, several times, I am a fan of compilations. I have many of them. But, for that list of the “greatest albums of all time,” I don’t consider them “albums.” Now, the pure definition of the word album is “a collection usually in book form of literary selections, musical compositions, or pictures.” But, for that list, I took album meaning a work of original releases that were carefully placed sequentially to tell a story or elicit an emotional response. To me, many compilations are nothing more than a record company’s take on what sells. I have no problem with that, but not on a greatest of all time list. No matter the reasoning. This is a VG copy.
  • Louis Armstrong – Plays W.C. Handy – VG+ remastered copy.
  • New Birth – Blind Baby – A while ago, I saw someone posting about five or six albums from this group. I came across one of their albums at Underdog and gave it a listen this past week. I liked it. I saw this on for $2 and I couldn’t pass it up. VG+.
  • The Zero Zero Seven Band – James Bond Thrillers!! – A VG copy of the Zero Zero Seven Band (get it? 007) doing a collection of James Bond scores. Partly the main themes and partly incidental scored music from the first three films.
  • Rosemary Clooney And Duke Ellington And His Orchestra – Blue Rose – VG+
  • New Edition – New Edition – VG+ from my early teens. A friend and I would sing “Cool It Now,” “Mr. Telephone Man,” “Lost in Love” and “Kinda Girls We Like,” repetitively. I had fun and The BCPF got to see me return to my childish side (again).
  • Grover – Grover Sings The Blues – Yes. Yes, this is Grover from Sesame Street. As I’ve said before I had several of these albums as a young child and I just want to hear them again. I don’t mind living in the past. I mean, all of this is from the past, right? VG.
  • Ringo Starr – Ringo’s Rotogravure – Ringo’s voice has a distinct sound; a tone. You know it’s him when he speaks or sings. This is rated at VG, but it’s actually in really good shape. The cover, one of the older cardboard style, is splitting a little at the bottom. I can’t really glue those back together. $1 bin find.
  • 38 Special – Tour De Force – I’ve been looking for the album with “If I’d Been the One” and this is it. Found it in the $1 bin. There’s a little damage on the cover, but the album is in decent shape, once I cleaned it. VG.
  • Various – The House At Pooh Corner And Now We Are Six – As you can tell, The BCPF and I are both suckers for children’s records. This is not to be confused with the song by Loggins and Messina. It’s a $1 bin find and is VG.
  • The Doowackadoodlers – More Wacky Doodlin’s – I don’t really know what this is, but it was $1 and the cover seemed funny. I cleaned it up and it is around VG quality. I may give it a spin later today before the games.
  • John Klemmer – Brazilia – Another thing we like is music from other countries. This is (obviously) Brazilian. It was $1 and is VG.

There were two other albums we got, one brand new and one a German version of Brahms’ Concerto for Violin and Orchestra but because The BCPF has a knack for getting/wanting albums that aren’t in Discogs, I can’t list them here. It is a long, drawn-out process when you have to submit them yourself. Perhaps I’ll do a few of the half dozen or so that isn’t in there during the games today? Also, Jonathan gave me a crateful of records that are either partially or very warped. I want to experiment with them and see if I can reshape them. I’ve watched a few YouTube videos about it and I want to try a few methods. It will involve the oven, which I know is a scary thought, but we’ll see. If they’re useless anyway, why not?

I have to watch the Underdog Records social media pages because Jonathan will post all throughout the day when he gets fresh used records in. My friends on the private Facebook page all clamor over the same genres and have similar wants. It’s fun. It’s like when I used to collect baseball and football cards. I wanted to buy to see if I got something my friends didn’t. It’s friendly. The point is, you should watch their social media to see what is “just in.”

There was a guy that had been coming in for a bit, even purchasing a few albums here and there. All the while, he’s not even had a turntable. He just wanted to collect. This week, Jonathan finally sold him a turntable because he has several for sale. Some of it is entry level (which makes sense if you’re just dabbling) and some of it is higher quality. Sometimes he’ll get some high-dollar stuff but mostly it’s entry and moderate level. But, he tests it and makes sure it’s good before he posts it. Sometimes there are A/V receivers and speakers for sale, too. Keep checking back.

And you can tell that I use Discogs to do my archiving. I purchased a record that I’ve been searching for from their marketplace last night. Stay tuned to see which one. Discogs is great to keep track of what you have and what your friends have. Delightful!

Until tomorrow, keep collecting and keep spinning…
Scorp out!

—
“What I feel, I can’t say. But my love is there for you, any time of day. But if it’s not love that you need, then I’ll try my best to make everything succeed. Tell me, what is my life without your love. Tell me, who am I without you, by my side?” – “What Is Life?” (Harrison)

Dear John or: Silver in the Snow

08 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by in Life as We Know It

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Salutations™!!

Today is December 8, 2017. It was December 8, 1980, when the world lost one of its most celebrated and controversial celebrities and brilliant minds. I’ve talked about this before but when this happened, I was 10. I had just gotten into some hard rock music, namely KISS a few years earlier and The Beatles and its various members were “old folk music,” to me; stuff my parents listened to. Well, at least Ma Mère.

John-Lennon-006

©The Guardian

 

I remember watching Monday Night Football and Howard Cosell coming on to tell the world that John Lennon had died. Shot twice in the back (according to Cosell) and rushed to the hospital where he was DOA. Now, a little bit later, Ted Koppel said on Nightline that he had been shot three times and died after arriving at the hospital. Most of the supported reports, now, state that he was shot at five times, hit four and was pretty much gone, pronounced DOA, upon getting to the hospital. It was surreal, to be sure, but it was also probably the first time I ever felt remorse.

For whatever reason, Ma Mère wasn’t home when we heard the news. She came home and I said in a mocking manner that someone of her “old music” had been murdered. I don’t know why I felt proud of that, but upon reflection of it, I felt really stupid and sad that I had said it and that I had felt the need to do so. That’s awful and I’ve never forgotten or let myself off the hook for it. I have since, obviously, discovered the genius that Lennon was, what he meant to the music world, what he meant to my musical heroes and what a loss it was.

So, 37 years later, people are still talking about him, much of his compositions are still relevant and still hold up in today’s musical realms. My favorite Beatle has always been and will always be Paul who was the heart, but John was the mind (George the soul, Ringo the body). RIP, Mr. Lennon.

So, on to happier things, if we don’t get snowed out, I’ll be playing with the Silver Alerts in Greensboro tonight. We’re playing the Crown of Carolina Theatre. The show starts at 7pm with Joshua West. Then, at 8ish, Doug Davis’ new band Gasket Hawkins goes on and then Doug joins Clay, Chad Huskey, Corky McClellan and me as a Silver Alert. I don’t know the cost of admission but we hope to see you there.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Yes, we have to say it. Remember this is just a football game, no matter who wins or loses. An unspeakable tragedy confirmed to us by ABC News in New York City: John Lennon, outside of his apartment building on the West Side of New York City, the most famous perhaps, of all of the Beatles, shot twice in the back, rushed to Roosevelt Hospital, dead on arrival. Hard to go back to the game after that news flash, which, in duty bound, we have to take.” – Howard Cosell

Silent Sunday or: The Haul 9/16/17

17 Sunday Sep 2017

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Salutations™!!

Underdog Records was jumping yesterday but The BCPF and I didn’t see most of our “regulars” friends that we usually get to hang with. That was sad, but it was a great day otherwise. We filled in some “collection” gaps, I added to my hard rock genre, The BCPF got one of her favorite albums of all time. It was a great day. Here it is:R-3555769-1481559753-1737.jpeg

In addition, there is another jazz album that is from the 1930s but it’s not in Discogs so I will have to put it in, I suppose. It should be in soon. Getting back into vinyl? Then Underdog Records is your place! Whether you’re getting new stereo/turntable equipment, looking for the best accessories for your equipment or to buy a shload of vinyl, this is it. And Discogs is where I do all my cataloging and archiving.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“I don’t take coffee, I take tea, my dear. I like my toast done on one side. And you can hear it in my accent when I talk. I’m an Englishman in New York.” – “Englishman In New York” (Sumner)

Scar Tissue or: Triple Albums Must Pass (RS pt 10)

10 Wednesday Dec 2014

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Salutations™!!

I have to start this post off with some back tracking.  A few RS posts back I skipped over George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass album because of technical difficulties.  The difficulties being, it wasn’t available on Rhapsody and that I owned it but hadn’t listened to it.  It’s a triple album and that’s a lot of songs to aggregate to put into a playlist, when I have it already. So I went back and listened.  So the first part will be out of sequence.

all things must pass

“All Things Must Pass” by George Harrison

#433 – All Things Must Pass by George Harrison. I believe that George Harrison was the most unique, if not the best, of the songwriters in The Beatles.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t think his songs were the best, I just think he was ahead of his time in songwriting.  Paul and John were awesome songwriters and their songs were amazing.  But, I think George was a madman when it came to penning songs.  For The Beatles alone, look at “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”  IF that was the only song that he wrote, it’s a monumental one-off.  But, that wasn’t all.  This album, All Things Must Pass, also highlights this fact.  This was a shload of songs that I guess Paul and John didn’t think was good enough for their little group.  A caveat to this part is that while I have the album, I believe it is the 2001 remaster that I have and it only offers an instrumental version of “What Is Life.”  Four and a half minutes of an instrumental version of a classic hit.  Boo, to that, I say.  Also, I don’t get the whole idea of the “jam” records that went with it, the “Apple Jams” part.  I get that jamming is an integral part of songwriting and collaboration, but jeez o’pete!! And “Out of the Blue,” um… !?  It’s 11:18 long… AND it fades out.  At what point do you think, well, this has gone on long enough, let’s just fade it.  Obviously at 11:18, but MY point is: how much longer did it go before they stopped?! It was ridiculous and to me not at all entertaining.  Anywhat! Let’s get back to the main album.  I’m trying to figure out how Alice Cooper wasn’t sued for “Only Women Bleed.”  That, too me, is a rip off of “Isn’t It a Pity (both versions).” “My Sweet Lord” is fabulous and I’m a big fan of “Beware of Darkness,” “Awaiting on You All,” and the title track, too.  Overall, a great album, but in my opinion, way too long.  At least ditch the jammy stuff, to me it’s not needed.  Sorry that one went on so long.  Dug, but disappointed, too.

#410 – Time Out of Mind by Bob Dylan. I will start off saying that I love the first song, “Love Sick.”  Something dark and foreboding, yet incredibly sexy about that song.  I don’t think it’s necessarily supposed to be sexy but it is.  The pain in the storytelling of “Standing in the Doorway” almost makes the listener feel the same.  I love the dirty blues/jazz rhythms and “down home” feeling of this album, although I usually don’t.  I could listen to this again (disclaimer: I did refresh for the review, which I do for every album).  I dug it!

AlbumStrangeDays

“Strange Days” by The Doors

#409 – Strange Days by The Doors.  I’ll always picture Val Kilmer when I think of Jim Morrison.  That and the fact that I saw the alleged location of his death in Paris.  Never have I been a big fan of The Doors, but I liked listening to this. You don’t have to be fan to like listening to something, I have figured.  From the title track to “Love Me Two Times” and “People Are Strange” (probably my favorite Doors tune, although I think I like Echo & the Bunnymen’s version better) this is some great stuff.  This, their sophomore effort ends like the debut album did, with a 10+ minute song.  Dug!

#408 – I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got by Sinéad O’Connor. Sinéad O’Connor has an amazing voice.  Much power, emotion, feeling and conviction is busting from her pipes.  I love her version of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” and also “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”  The laid back “Black Boys on Mopeds” is only laid back in sound; there is political gunk all over this album.  Not a bad, either.  You can listen and picture her ripping the crap out of the Pope’s picture all over again.  For whatever reason, “Nothing Compares 2 U” wasn’t included on the version of the album I listened to (Rhapsody) although the song was included in some compilation elsewhere on the service.  Anywhat! I dug the album.

#407 – Sandinista! by The Clash.  Another, I repeat, yet another triple album.  You get a lot for your money with triple albums… if you like what you’re listening to, that is.  The Clash and I are in an on-again/off-again kind of relationship.  Usually, I’m off.  Three LPs full at one time… whew…  The first track, “The Magnificent Seven” has an awesome bass line which was played by a bassist that wasn’t even in, and was never in, the band.  It was guest bassist, Norman Watt-Roy. According to Wikipedia (yeah, I know) it was the first major white rap song.  I even predates Blondie’s “Rapture” but about six months, the site says.  I think The Clash gets in appropriately lumped in with punk, even though they’re more a pop band, in my ears.  Throw in some Motown, island music with vibraphones and such and you’ve got yourself a party.  The trouble is, I’m not really feeling it. Way too long and just couldn’t bring myself to care. I don’t get it myself, just how it is.  Didn’t dig.

Rid_of_Me

“Rid of Me” by PJ Harvey

#406 – Rid of Me by PJ Harvey. First track (title) starts off very quiet.  I thought something was wrong with it.  She kicks it in about halfway through the title track, then quiet again.  I know it’s for artistic value but somewhat confusing to me.  The rest of the album is melodious wailing at its finest.  I’m always impressed with the dissonance in both her voice and the musical arrangements.  “Legs” is good, almost teeth kicking.  Can you say angst?  She can! Dug!

#405 – Radio City by Big Star.  Being that I have a chronically bad case of the “Not Knowing Any Betters,” I listened to Radio City when I listened to (and reviewed) #1 Record (#434). Rhapsody put them together, I didn’t know they were separate albums. My bad. I dug it though.

#404 – Dr. John’s Gumbo by Dr. John.  Never have I wanted, or craved, jambalaya, red beans and rice or other creole foods as I did whilst listening to this album.  Big Easy indeed.   I can see him, Tom Waits and Joe Cocker standing at a mic doing music “in the round.”  “Iko Iko” starts it off and I had never heard a version like it.  “Somebody Changed the Lock” is sad for him, but a great song.  Admittedly, all I knew about Doc was “Right Place Wrong Time.”  This is the less commercial version of that style of music.  Comparable, yes, but not necessarily the same.  Boogie-Woogie, hints of Zydeco, and straight out rock.  Entertaining.  Another good quality, the songs were relatively easy to get through; short and to the point.  No fluff or muff, it was a good listen.  That being said, I don’t ever have to hear it again.  Dug, but done.

Lynyrdskynyrd

“(Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd)” by Lynyrd Skynyrd

#403 – (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd) by Lynyrd Skynyrd. I have a confession to make. Seems like I do that quite often.  If you know me in real life you know that I despise Skynyrd.  My house is a “Skynyrd Free Zone,” as is my vehicle.  The thought of hearing them turns my stomach, just like 12-bar blues (we’ve talked about that before). But, guess what. I have seen them live before.  I took the “Ex” and her brother (both HUGE fans of the band).  I loved Paul Rogers’ set as an opener.  But, truthfully, I didn’t even want to get out of the car.  I’m not a fan of the contingency that are Skynyrd fans.  Rebel flag waving, white goofballs that do nothing but yell “woo!” one after the other, after the other, chugging their Bud Lights and PBRs and listening to Skynyrd at awful volumes, just to get in the show, accidentally bump into each other want to fight, get everyone around them stirred up, only to hug it out and sing along to their favorite or next-to-favorite tunes together.  Tension is high, ridiculously so, and well, I can’t stand it.  DISCLAIMER: I do not lump all fans of Skynyrd, or Bud Light or PBR drinkers in the same category, recklessly.  There has to be a mix of all of it.  BUT, that being said, I don’t like that crowd, they scare me, horribly.  No offense is intended, I’m just laying it out there.  Now, remember I said I had a confession.  The scenario laid out above, notwithstanding, I actually don’t mind the music of Skynyrd.  Even though this album has the all-time worst song ever written (yes even worse than “The Christmas Shoes”), known as “Freebird,” this was a pretty decent album. Most of Side 1 are great songs.  “Tuesday’s Gone,” “Gimme Three Steps” and “Simple Man” really are great tunes. “Freebird” sucks on many levels: I hate the whining of Ronnie Van Zandt through out, the length of the song, the aforementioned association of the certain type fan, and don’t get me started on the heckling opportunities at live venues.  Here’s your middle finger and it’s no charge.  Abstaining from proper ranking, here. Sorry.

#402 – Illmatic by Nas.  I was dreading this. Only because usually rap is just not my thing.  I’ve been disappointed, mostly, by the rap/hip hop choices thus far; I think I’ve been waiting to be wowed.  Well, other than the obviously obligatory use of the “N” word, the music in this one is quite good.  Cursing hasn’t ever bothered me, jeez, I’ve a potty mouth on me. I just usually leave that off of this blog, just no need for it.  Some sad stuff, indeed; some good stuff; optimism and darkness.  The raps are honest and from the heart.  I was even nodding and toe-tapping between the cringing (“N” words, again).  Dug, but done.

californication

“Californication” by Red Hot Chili Peppers

#401 – Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers.  This album is no Blood Sugar Sex Magick. Nope, most certainly isn’t.  Not saying it doesn’t have some good stuff, nosiree!  They did get John Frusciante back, though.  They needed him, I think.  “Scar Tissue,” the title track, “Otherside,” “Porcelain,” all great songs.  But, I think I was expecting something new.  To me the jump from Mother’s Milk to  Blood Sugar was innovative, even if I can’t really say how, I’ve never been a huge fan of Chili Peppers. But, there was something.  I’d have thought that after going through [Dave] Navarro and getting John back would have been something profound.  I just wasn’t blown away.  I will say though, that no matter what he does, Flea… he’s a beast.  Dug-ish, but disappointed.

So that was the first 100 of this countdown/list thingy.  I guess I’ll take some time to reflect later this week, before moving on to the next batch.  Keep an eye out for it!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Since u been gone I can do whatever I want
I can see whomever I choose
I can eat my dinner in a fancy restaurant
But nothing
I said nothing can take away these blues” – Sinéad O’Connor, “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Prince