Tag Archives: Joe Jackson

Spinning Sunday or: The Haul 1/4/20

05 Sunday Jan 2020

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Salutations™!!

A fun Saturday that was a little late starting (just like today) but we had breakfast (or lunch) and then went by to see Jonathan at Underdog Records. Good listening, too. Here’s the haul:

  • The Police – Synchronicity — Yep, I found another. This was one of the 2019 reissues, but it had a variant cover that I didn’t have, so I bought it. Someone got it for Christmas and decided they didn’t like it and sold it to Jonathan. One listen through so it’s NM.

    HEAVEN2B-2BBent2B-2Bfront

    ©Columbia/Brighton

  • Touré Kunda – Casamance Au Clair De Lune — According to Wikipedia: “Touré Kunda is a Senegalese band noted for their musical versatility and political activism. Their 40-year career encompasses recordings in over six languages and collaborations with well-known musicians such as Carlos Santana and Talking Heads. They have had considerable success in Africa and Europe and are active in social causes such as Children’s rights and advocates for the homeless.” It’s good stuff. We enjoyed listening to it as we are fans of the world music genres and we have a few. This was a really good listen. VG+.
  • Squeeze – Babylon And On — There were five singles released on this album and I’m not sure if I know any of them. I don’t know if any of them get played on 1st Wave on SiriusXM much. I’m indifferent to Squeeze. I like them, but I really don’t pay a lot of attention to them. The singles are “Hourglass,” “Trust Me to Open My Mouth,” “The Waiting Game,” “853-5937” and “Footprints.” VG+.
  • Graham Parker And The Rumour – The Parkerilla — I think I’ve said this before but Parker reminds me of a mix of the new wavy side of Elvis Costello and the punk aspects of Joe Jackson. This is a live album and it’s actually pretty good, for a live album. VG+.
  • Heaven – Bent — I believe this album has been known as three different things, Heaven, Twilight of Mischief and Bent. The band, as far as I can tell, is Australian and the guitarist, Bradford Kelly, designed the “Kelly” guitar for Jackson, which was probably most famous as being the guitar of choice of Marty Friedman in his Megadeth days. I always loved the design. I don’t know what it sounds like but it sure looks like something that my pal Bobby Richardson, the drummer from Heavens Sake (how coincidental) would love. We always joked that he would go through records (or CDs) just to find some band with a lot of hair. That was his thing. VG.
  • Boston Pops / Arthur Fiedler – Star Dust — An album of “pops” music by the Boston Pops Orchestra and conducted by Arthur Fiedler. VG+.

Yep, a good time in the record shop, snotty weather and all. I wish I had the money but he has a beautiful Kenwood receiver in the store that looks beautiful and he says it sounds beautiful. It’s probably mid-80s and is in pristine condition. Good stuff. Listen to each new episode of The Less Desirables to hear the TLD/UR special. Use Discogs to track your music collection, no matter the medium.

Until tomorrow, keep spinning…
Scorp out!

—
“The hourglass has no more grains of sand. My watch has stopped, no more turning hands. The crew have abandoned the ship. The lights are on but no one is in.” – “Hourglass” (Difford/Tilbrook)

Spinning Sunday or: The Haul 8/3/19

04 Sunday Aug 2019

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Salutations™!!

I had a Cobras game yesterday but we made sure we made our way to Underdog Records. Jonathan had battled a bug this week and we wanted to check in on him, yes, but we also wanted to add to our collection. Jonathan was bouncy and chipper. We like seeing him like that. He was extra jokey and just being himself. I think he needs a vacation. A real one. But, here’s the haul!

David_Gilmour_self-titled

©Harvest/Capitol

  • Janet Jackson – The Velvet Rope — #259 on the RS list. Janet had just renegotiated her Virgin Records contract (to the tune of $80M) which was the biggest record contract at the time (1997). The album touches on self-image, sexuality, same-sex relationships and depression, just to name a few. It’s a good album. New.
  • Beck! – Odelay — #306 on the RS list. This album was more for The BCPF than me, but I do enjoy it. It’s not my favorite Beck album but it’s still pretty righteous. It’s got a lot of Hip-Hop aspects and that’s probably because the Dust Brothers (John King and Michael Simpson) are the producers. Basically, if it’s an instrument (outside of drums), Beck is playing it, all other aspects were done by the Dust Brothers. New.
  • David Gilmour – David Gilmour — The BCPF asked, “David Gilmour, like Pink Floyd David Gilmour?” and then he started singing and playing. Yes. That David Gilmour. What sounds like lost Floyd tracks come right before their hugely successful The Wall and some of the pieces morphed into ideas on that album. It is a good album and I enjoyed listening to it. I prefer Pink Floyd, but this was good. VG.
  • Steve Miller Band – Fly Like An Eagle — Les Paul’s godson has a fantastic album here. It’s #445 on the RS list. I love the title song, “Take the Money and Run” and “Rock’n Me.” And, as much as I don’t care for blues music, there are moments on this album that are awfully bluesy and I like it just fine. VG+.
  • Various – Red Star Sounds Volume 1 Soul Searching — Amel Larrieux + The Roots, Erykah Badu, Glenn Lewis, Macy Gray, Jill Scott, India.Arie, Nelly Furtado and more. Not usually our cup o’tea but we’ll take it! VG++.
  • Paul Kelly And The Messengers – Gossip — Actually the band is Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls but North America and Europe releases were changed to “…And the Messengers” to escape racist interpretations. The Coloured Girls part was taken from Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side.” Other than that, I really know nothing about Paul Kelly or his various backing bands. He’s apparently pretty big in his native Australia. VG+.
  • Paul Kelly And The Messengers – Under The Sun — Really, the same as above. This was the next after that one. VG+.
  • Various – Music From Do The Right Thing — This was a great film and just because of that, I bought this. That’s really the only reason. I didn’t even look at the tracklisting. VG.
  • Various – Tequila Sunrise – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack — Clay and I talked about this on Monday during our Beeswax Vinyl & More session. He had gotten it on cassette the week before because of one song and I said that I had passed it up on vinyl at Underdog. He said I should get it. I did. I’ve never seen the film so I don’t know anything else about it. VG+.
  • Joe Jackson – Body And Soul — A mix of pop and jazz and salsa, which isn’t what I think of when I think of Joe Jackson, but I do look forward to listening to it. VG+.
  • The Connells – Darker Days — Their debut album. I didn’t get this from Underdog Records, but from Clay who simply said, “give this to your wife. I know she’d want it.” He then gave a commentary about it and although I haven’t heard it, The BCPF had and she agrees with you, Clay. We’ll leave it at that. VG/VG+.

It was a good haul, I think. Again, we just enjoyed being in there with Jonathan and a few other of our friends. And, there were a lot of people coming in which is a great thing. Listen to each new The Less Desirables episode to hear what the TLD/UR special of the week is. Use Discogs to catalog your collection, keep track of what you do or don’t have, buy and sell on the Marketplace and use the awesome “random grab” feature.

Until tomorrow, keep spinning…
Scorp out!

—
“Bottles and cans and just clap your hands and just clap your hands. Where it’s at. I got two turntables and a microphone!” – “Where It’s At” (Beck/King/Simpson)

Snowing Spinning Sunday or: The Haul 12/8/18

09 Sunday Dec 2018

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Salutations™!!

71ZvAmD7hTL._SY355_

©Interscope

As I had stated on social media in places, our trip to Asheville was canceled because of the impending Snowpocalypse, so we did get to Underdog Records after all. We started the morning at our favorite creperie and shared a meal with our The Beer Dads cohorts. It was a great morning. We did our grocery shopping which we usually reserve for Sunday but if you look out the door today, you’ll see we’re not going anywhere. But, then we got to Underdog and here’s the haul:

  • The Struts – Young & Dangerous — I have heard of these guys but haven’t listened to anything they’ve put out until this week. When I do the commercials for Underdog on The Less Desirables, I try to include pieces of music that are relevant to the new releases. This was one of those. It’s a great rock record. New.
  • Bauhaus – Best Of Bauhaus | Crackle — The BCPF is a huge fan of this band and its subsequent offerings like Peter Murphy solo and Love and Rockets. So, this was a given. It was also a new release and bam! We nailed it. New.
  • Marvin Gaye – Live At The London Palladium — Recorded late in 1976 and released in early 1977, this is an energetic show with a lively crowd. I think he may have been a little drunk or stoned while doing it, but that’s just my opinion. He was a flirt, that’s for sure. Not the best live album but it is a very good one. VG+.
  • Van Morrison – Wavelength — As I stated on my social media post about this, the only problem I really have with Van Morrison is it’s like he’s yelling at me when I listen. But, this has some great tunes on it, nonetheless. It was a departure from his previous releases as it was more guitar and synth driven. The song “Kingdom Hall” was about his mother being a practicing Jehovah’s Witness and attending “church” which “Kingdom Hall” is what JWs call their churches. VG++.
  • Joe Jackson – I’m The Man — Last week (or the week before, one of the two) I talked about Jackson’s debut album that we had just picked up and this is the follow-up and it’s a great sophomore effort, too. I performed the final track “Friday” with the Vagabond Saints Society several years back, closing the show. VG+.
  • Tchaikowsky / Mendelssohn – David Oistrakh, Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra, Samuel Samosud, National Philharmonic Orchestra of the U.S.S.R., Kiril Kondrashin – Violin Concerto In D Major – Violin Concerto In E Minor — That may be the longest Discogs album title I’ve ever put in one of these posts. It’s classical and The BCPF has gone on a kick as of late. Not a bad thing. VG+.
  • Eric Clapton – Slowhand — I actually got this last week but upon playing it, I needed to return it to Jonathan because it skipped all the way through “Cocaine.” He washed it and vacuumed it dry at the shop and it played with no skips. I got it home and it skipped a few times but that was the only place. I don’t know why it did on my system and not his, but oh well. It #325 on the RS list. I’m fine with that placement, too. It doesn’t need to be higher or lower. It’s fine. VG+ (minus the skip).

The weather kept the early part of the day quiet for Underdog Records but as we were there, people were starting to pile in, so yay for Jonathan’s peace of mind! And, we have our vinyl to keep us company in the bedlam that is winter outside. You should have gone to get yours. You know, Christmas is coming and you know you want to start collecting and playing vinyl, right? Yes, you do. So, tell your loved ones that you want a new (or used) turntable for Christmas. And, heck, why not grab a gift certificate (or in this case a gift 45) for you, as well? You have to have something to play on it, right? Listen to this week’s episode of The Less Desirables (well, listen every week) to hear what the special TLD/UDR deal is.

The schools have already canceled thinking they’ll be back by Wednesday but they won’t. This much snow, later turning to ice, will be a week at least. So, if you go out, be careful. Oh, and I use Discogs to catalog my vinyl!!

Until tomorrow, keep spinning…
Scorp out!

—
“Lazy Gilly was a flower child all the summer. Calmly running wild. She’d be silly and her friends just smiled. Pass the bottle, wash the pills down, what went wrong? What went wrong? She don’t care no more. She don’t need to fight it. She don’t care no more. She gets paid on Friday.” – “Friday” (Jackson)

Spinning Sunday or: The Haul 11/17/18

18 Sunday Nov 2018

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Salutations™!!

It was a regular day for The BCPF and me yesterday. We ate breakfast (crepes, this time), ran by Underdog Records and then came home for a wonderful afternoon of “rekkid listenin’.” Here’s our haul:

Citytocity

©United Artists

  • Mark Knopfler – Down The Road Wherever — The latest effort by the former Dire Straits frontman and ax-wielder, it is quintessential Knopfler. He has a way of telling stories with such honesty and directly from the heart. The tunes on this album range from rocking to jazzy. It’s great stuff. 2xLP and is new.
  • Pearl Jam – Vs. — I always dismissed Pearl Jam, just like I did with Nirvana and many other grunge bands because well, they were grunge bands. I learned after many years that this isn’t awful stuff and it doesn’t bring the same gut-wrenching nausea that it used to. I actually find that I like this stuff more and more, now. This is a 2015 remaster that I found in the clearance bin. This album for less than $13? Yep. New.
  • Indigo Girls – Indigo Girls — The major label debut of the Emory University-born duo of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. Their biggest hit is “Closer to Fine” and it’s on this album. Side 1 is great. Side 2 is tired and cliche. The BCPF was very excited to find this one. VG++.
  • Paul Simon – One-Trick Pony — She was also very excited about this one and it was a great listen. I didn’t know it was a soundtrack to a film. So, we’ll have to find it and watch it. The soundtrack is great but I hear the film is “just okay.” VG+.
  • Yes – Big Generator — The follow up to the massively successful 90125, this had two singles: “Love Will Find a Way” and “Rhythm of Love.” I have really enjoyed my Yes collection and can’t wait to listen to this. VG+.
  • Gerry Rafferty – City To City — I was most excited by this one. I didn’t know how excited until I got home. I saw it had “Baker Street” which is Rafferty’s biggest solo hit. I didn’t realize that it had “Right Down the Line” on it as well. I love both of these songs although I had never heard either until just a few years ago. Weird, I know, but true. This is a great album all the way through. VG+.
  • Wings  – Wings Greatest — I have this on CD, it was my first foray into the Wings world. I have plenty of other stuff now, but then, this was it. Now, I have it on vinyl, too. VG.
  • Joe Jackson – Look Sharp! — The debut album from Joe Jackson is amazing front-to-back. The album contains such great tunes like “One More Time,” “Sunday Papers,” “Look Sharp!” “Happy Loving Couples,” “Got the Time” and his first hit, “Is She Really Going Out with Him?” We loved listening to this album. EX/VG++.
  • Carpenters – A Song For You — The fourth studio album from the brother/sister duo. The opening title track (and subsequent album closer) was written by Leon Russell. Other songs include tracks written by Carole King, Toni Stern, and more. It was supposed to be some kind of concept album. The funniest part of the record was at the end of side 1 when Richard and Karen sing about “being right back after we go to the bathroom.” Plus, it was a $1 bin find.

This Friday is the Black Friday Record Store Day event and Underdog Records will have a slew of the items for sale. Most of them are limited releases and rarities. Also, it’s a great time to get your gift certificates either for yourself or your loved ones. Jonathan has many 45s to make cool gift certs for you in any denomination. Listen to the latest episode of The Less Desirables to hear what the TLD/UDR special of the week is.

Discogs lets me keep track of what albums I already have. When you have a large number of pieces, it gets harder to keep track of what you already have. Discogs is the answer. It works for CDs as well.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Then I learned to play some lead guitar. I was underage in this funky bar and I stepped outside to smoke myself a “J.” And when I came back to the room everybody just seemed to move and I turned my amp up loud and I began to play. And, it was late in the evening and I blew that room away.” – “Late in the Evening” (Simon)

Pretty In Pink or: The Less Desirables Movie of the Week

01 Saturday Apr 2017

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Salutations™!!

a/perture cinema, the Official Movie Sponsor of The Less Desirables, presents The Less Desirables Movie of the Week, Pretty in Pink (1986), starring Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer and Harry Dean Stanton.

Pretty_In_Pink

©Paramount Pictures

Per IMDb: “A poor girl must choose between the affections of her doting childhood sweetheart and a rich but sensitive playboy.”

Molly Ringwald plays Andie Walsh, a pretty girl who lives in near poverty after her mother leaves the family and her dad (Stanton) is too depressed, or lazy, to work to support the family. She has a fashion ingenuity about her and designs, and makes, her own clothes. She works in a local record store for an eccentric boss, Iona (Annie Potts) and they basically sit around and gossip and talk boys and troubles. Andie is picked on at school by the rich and popular girls, often to cruel measures, but Andie refuses to give up the antagonists, which makes her look even more like a goody-good-doer. Her main worry, though, is that she won’t get asked to the prom.

She has a not-so-secret admirer, though; two actually. First, there’s the lovable geek and outcast, “Duckie” Dale (Cryer) whose undying love for Andie has him hanging out with her father during the day, following and somewhat harassing her around at work and hanging out at her house in the evenings. They’ve been friends for a while and he’s smitten. She only sees them as friends. Then, there’s Blane (Andrew McCarthy). Blane  is a rich kid who struggles with his sensitivity and living up to the snobbish standards of his other rich friends. It’s a tough ride, really.

He takes an interest in Andie and that not only infuriates Duckie, it makes Blane’s best pal, Steff McKee (played by a pre-weight gain/still an a-hole James Spader), reveal his true a-hole self. It’s not pretty. Andie is skeptical of the whole thing because she worries that she’s out of Blane’s league, he’s rich, she’s poor. She’s somewhat embarrassed by it. They go on a date, Duckie flips out. How does the date go? Who takes her to the prom? You’ll have to watch to find out.

I’ll admit that for whatever reason, I never saw this all the way through until just a few years ago. I don’t know what it is about the rom-com John Hughes “Brat Pack” films that just escaped me, because I really enjoy them. I just didn’t see them. I think to some extent we all know someone like each of the characters and we can relate to them. While the times are different, the situations really aren’t. It’s typical coming-of-age stuff and it’s relative to us because of it.

We watched this film to introduce 3B to it. That’s part of the Sunday tradition, now. Cook and watch an older film. He seemed to really enjoy it. He’s in high school now and I can see, and I think he can, too, the relativity to his life. He laughed a good bit. That’s a good sign.

Jon Cryer plays the part of Duckie perfectly. Smart, witty but a lonely outsider who is just head-over-it with Andie. McCarthy shows good sensitivity and still has the pretty-boy look to fit what the part needed. Harry Dean Stanton, is still alive today and is 90 years old. He’s a great actor and played the part of Andie’s dad with compassion for his daughter but with the distraught disposition that the role called for. James Spader is always a great a-hole. Molly Ringwald grew up with John Hughes. She is what she is because of him. She has talent and it shows up in this film. She took the lead and ran with it.

John Hughes has a way with capturing what he’s looking for in a story line through his soundtracks. They always are more than just songs in the background. Take for instance the song “If You Leave” by OMD. It’s in the final scene. If you’ve seen the film you understand why that’s important. If you’ve not seen it, you will when you do. Other songs fit in perfectly, too. The title track, of course, “Left of Center” from Suzanne Vega and Joe Jackson, “Shellshock” from New Order, “Wouldn’t It Be Good” by Nik Kershaw (on the soundtrack as Danny Hutton Hitters), “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” from The Smiths, and so on. It is considered by many to be one of the top movie soundtracks of all time. Huffington Post, Rolling Stone and Allmusic all rated it in their greatest soundtrack lists.

Rotten Tomatoes rates it at 80% Fresh with an Audience Score of 81%. IMDb has it at 6.7 stars out of 10. That’s a little lower than I though it would/should be. We watched this on Amazon Prime and I rate the film 4.25 stars out of 5 because I think it’s an important film for those living that age, now, for us that grew up in the one depicted in the film and because the soundtrack is awesome. Have you seen it? What did you think? What would you like to read/hear me review? I want recommendations, dang it!!!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“May I admire you again today?” – Duckie