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Tag Archives: Otis Redding

Spinning Sunday or: The Haul 1/29/22

30 Sunday Jan 2022

Posted by TGBII in Records, Spinning Sunday

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Tags

Charles Aznavour, Discogs, Eels, Elton John, Huey Lewis & The News, Music, Otis Redding, Rick Rizzo, Sea Wolf, Tara Key, The BCPF, Tom Waits, Underdog Records, WSNC

Salutations™!!

It was a busy Saturday for The BCPF and me. Not busy in work, but just a lot going on. But, all of it was fun. Mainly because we did it all together. But, one of the “things” was going to Underdog Records! Here’s the haul!

©E Works/PIAS

Sea Wolf – Through A Dark Wood — It’s a band led by Alex Brown Church. I don’t know what that means outside of it’s on Wikipedia. The BCPF picked this one. New.

Eels – Extreme Witchcraft — Brand new released this week. 180g vinyl with printed inner sleeve, screen printed poster. New.

Various – Singles – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack — This film, while important to early 90s pop culture, wasn’t quite as big as Reality Bites, but it was close. It was a Cameron Crowe-written film that featured a lot of Seattle’s grunge and contemporary rock, as well as some from outside Seattle. 2×LP, Compilation, Reissue. EX.

Otis Redding – Otis Blue / Otis Redding Sings Soul — It was ranked #72 on the Rolling Stone list that matters and dropped to #178 on the one that doesn’t. VG.

Tom Waits – Closing Time — Reissue, Remastered, 180 gram. Tom Waits from 1973. I think he was knocking it out of the park at this time. I didn’t like a lot of his later stuff but his early 70s stuff was awesome! This has “Ol’ 55” which many may know from The Eagles, but Waits wrote the song. New.

Ratt – Dancing Undercover — The third album and last one of those that I cared about from RATT. I didn’t like much of anything after, with the exception of a few songs here and there. The singles were “Dance,” “Body Talk,” and “Slip of the Lip.” VG+ on the vinyl, VG on the cover.

Rick Rizzo & Tara Key – Dark Edson Tiger — I literally have no idea what this is, The BCPF just picked it. I would say that she listened on YouTube to see what it sounded like whilst in the store and picked it up. It’s still sealed. NM.

Huey Lewis And The News – Picture This — I bought this for two reasons. 1) I didn’t have it. I wanted it. I listened to it this week. 2) yesterday was its 40th anniversary (as I highlighted in the Sounds Like Saturday post).

Elton John – Sleeping With The Past — This is a “club” version. The Columbia Record Club version, that is. I have been looking for this because of one song in particular. That song is “Club at the End of the Street.” It wasn’t the biggest song from this album. That goes to either “Healing Hands” or “Sacrifice.” They were released as a “Double A-Side” and it’s confusing. “Club…” did make it to #28. EX.

Charles Aznavour – Ave Maria — We got this in the $1 bin. It’s in VG, probably. It may be able to be cleaned up a bit, but we’ll see. Aznavour is one of the best-selling artists in the world. When he passed away in 2018, I looked him up and saw that CNN and Time called him the Entertainer of the Century in 1998. So, we don’t pass on Monsieur Aznavour.

Jonathan has been going through a lot of new used stock and putting out a lot of great stuff. The “Freshly Used” bins were full. It was exciting. If you watch the Underdog Records social media, you’ll know when Jonathan gets fresh stuff, reissues, new stuff, and more. You can order unused, NEW vinyl by visiting the website. I use Discogs to keep track and make sure I’m not buying stuff that I already had or do a little shuffle at times. It’s cool. You should use it, too.

Until next time, keep spinnin’…
Scorp out!

—
“When the shades are drawn and the light of the moon is banned and the stars up above walk the heavens hand in hand. There’s a shady place at the end of the working day where young lovers go. And this hot little trio plays. That’s where we meet. That’s where we meet. Me and you rendezvous in the club at the end of the street.” – “Club at the End of the Street” (John/Taupin)

Facebook Friends Must Hears or: Dale Cole

19 Thursday Apr 2018

Posted by TGBII in Music Review

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Brian Setzer Orchestra, Dale Cole, Dire Straits, Eugene B Sims, Eugeology, Facebook Friends Must Hears, Johnny Winter, Lists, Mark Knopfler, MC5, Music, Nazarath, Otis Redding, UFO

Salutations™!!

So, I’m doing this new thing. Yes, I gave out on the lists that I was going to listen to and I am still going to do vinyl albums that I’m listening to but I’ve called on my Facebook friends to give me five or six of their “must hear” albums. I’ve gotten quite a few entries, too. I figure I’ll do them by whoever sent them to me. I’m only reviewing things that weren’t on the RS list when I went through that.

The first one to give me a list was my buddy, Dale. So, here ya go, Dale. My take on your list (these are in no particular order):

  • The Dirty Boogie by Brian Setzer Orchestra. I love Brian Setzer. I didn’t always. I

    1SetzerDirtyBoogie

    ©Interscope

    liked some Stray Cats stuff, definitely. It took me a while to get into his rockabilly stuff. But as I progressed I got more into the big band/swing music, not just him but the whole genre. I love, too that he can take the blues aspect of stuff that I generally don’t care for and hide it, seamlessly in the swing grooves. Yes, I understand that blues is the basis of a lot of the stuff that I listen to. I can recognize it and acknowledge it and even like it. I think Brian Setzer stands above his swing contemporaries, Squirrel Nut Zippers (I know that’s sacrilege around here) and Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, even though I do enjoy them, too. My least favorite song on the album is still a song that I like. That would be “Jump Jive an’ Wail” originally done by the late, great Louis Prima. I really dig the duet with Gwen Stefani, “You’re the Boss.” And, I like the revamp of “Rock this Town” but I like the Stray Cats version better. Overall, I really liked hearing this album and would welcome more Setzer into my listening life.

    1Force_It_cover
    ©Chrysalis
  • Force It by UFO. Eugene introduced me to some UFO during his “Eugeology” list. A 20-year old Michael Schenker on this, writing good rocking songs and wailing on the guitar. Eddie Trunk gets on my nerves a lot but I know why he slobbers all over Mr. Schenker. Is the best? Nah, but he rocks and at so young an age. The album cover from Hipgnosis would be enough for my younger self to do nothing but stare. There are great rocking tunes and ballads as well. “High Flyer” is a really great song as is the opening tune, “Let It Roll” and “Love Lost Love.” Nothing bad to say about this record at all. I love Phil Mogg’s voice, too. Pete Way is a great bass player and as I said in the review for Strangers in the Night, his runs have a presence and are tasteful. I liked it a lot and I think Eugene would be proud of me for saying so, eh, Eug?

    1Verybestotisredding

    ©Rhino

  • The Very Best of Otis Redding, Vol. 1 by Otis Redding. In the RS list, I left out the compilations. As long as they don’t get out of hand, I’ll allow them on this list. Otis has a great voice and there are some great songs on here. And, as I talked about in the RS list, a lot, song-length can be important. I don’t like a lot of long songs, especially those that are long for the sake of being long. I think that’s my biggest problem with some prog rock. But, these songs are mostly under three minutes long and they get their point across. Lots of soul and expression, here. And, another beautiful thing is that he wrote or co-wrote most of the tunes himself. Some of my faves are his version of “Satisfaction,” “Mr. Pitiful,” “Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song).”

    1winter

    ©Columbia

    Good stuff, here.

  • Still Alive and Well by Johnny Winter. Yeah, right off the bat, I’m getting that bluesy thing that I really don’t like. Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s very good at what he’s doing, I just don’t care about it. There’s a couple of Stones songs on there but that doesn’t really help. Then again, I’m not much on the Stones anyway. Produced by Rick Derringer and does have Todd Rundgren on it, too. Plus, it has a tune written by Dan Hartman. I’m just not much on it. Sorry, Dale.
  • Rampant by Nazareth. I had to go looking for this one. None of my streaming services had it so I had to go to YouTube. The first two

    1Rampant_album

    ©A&M, et al

    songs are good, but I really, really like “Loved and Lost” and “Shanghai’d in Shanghai.” Dan McCafferty’s voice is awesome on the soulful “Loved and Lost” and the whole song has a bit of a mystique to it that whisps you away as you listen. And “Shanghai’d” has Sweet-like qualities in its harmonies. I dig it. “Jet Lag,” however, loses me. I hate that boogie blues stuff. The rest of the album is okay but it doesn’t really move me. But, those two songs were really good. Great work from the bass player, Pete Agnew, who is the only remaining founding member and is the father of the current drummer for the band. I’d go with “meh.”

  • Making Movies by Dire Straits. I have gotten to where I can just sit and listen to Dire Straits, no matter the album. I love the “Rollergirl” story. I hear there’s a video but I think it was before my MTV days. I’ll go back and watch the video on YouTube or something. Usually, when I say that an album became background noise I mean

    1makingmoviescover

    ©Warner Bros

    it in a bad way. But, for this album and really any Dire Straits album, it’s actually what I’d look for to play in the background for stuff that I’m doing otherwise. There’s enough story to really bring you in when you pay attention but the music is ethereal and genuine enough to be a soundtrack for a good writing session or meditation. This is a really good collection from Mark Knopfler. “Expresso Love” is pretty righteous, too. The keyboard/piano work of Roy Bittan is sprinkled all over this album. He’s really great with tasteful ivory work. He’s really good. The whole thing is solid and I hate that it took me so long to really, really get into Dire Straits. I really dug this.

  • Dale also included Kick Out the Jams by MC5, but I had already listened to that on the RS List. If you’d like to revisit what I wrote you can do that HERE.

So, now, a month or three since I asked for suggestions, I finally got through one. I started right away, but it’s just taken a while with my vinyl listening, podcasting, personal appearances, and cooking. None of which I’d trade, but I am glad to finally get one of these out.

And, I want to thank Dale for the list. I’m proud of myself in the fact that I gave it all a true shot and that I actually found some stuff that I liked and reaffirmed some stuff that I thought I would. Overall, a good list Dale. All this from my very warped sense of “good…” but I digress! Thanks again.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Well, this cat’s on a hot tin roof. Drinkin’ that whiskey, 96 proof. Don’t need no doctor, don’t feel no pain. My legs are just two steps ahead of my brain.” – “This Cat’s on a Hot Tin Roof” (Setzer)

Silent Sunday or: The Haul 7/8/17

09 Sunday Jul 2017

Posted by TGBII in Records, Silent Sunday

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Carol Channing, Carole King, Carousel, Discogs, Elton John, Gone with the Wind, Joan Baez, John Raitt, Johnny Cash, Joni Mitchell, Judy Garland, KISS, Max Steiner, Mr. Mister, Nick Drake, Otis Redding, Paul Simon, Radiohead, Richard Marx, Simon and Garfunkel, Stevie Nicks, Talking Heads, Terence Trent D'Arby, The Less Desirables, The Psychedelic Furs, The Rolling Stones, Underdog Records, Varel and Bailly, Yvonne Adair

Salutations™!!

It was one of our favorite hauls, yet. Underdog Records just had it going on, yesterday. The BCPF and I picked some classic stuff up, for sure. We really didn’t get to listen to a lot of different stuff because we were listening to two albums that were 3 LPs, big. I’ll explain as we go on. Here we go:R-5560361-1460298207-7799.jpeg

  • Kiss – Dynasty (Paul and Peter’s solo albums are on back order so I decided to move forward in the discography whilst waiting. So much I could write about this album. It would take a whole blog post, new)
  • Nick Drake – Pink Moon (One of The BCPF’s favorite albums ever, it was there, we couldn’t not do it, new)
  • Radiohead – OK Computer OKNOTOK 1997 2017 (3 LP, 20th Anniversary Edition, opaque blue vinyl with bonus tracks, new)
  • Simon & Garfunkel, Dave Grusin – The Graduate (Original Sound Track Recording)
  • Judy Garland – Annie Get Your Gun
  • Max Steiner – Gone With The Wind (Original Sound Track Album) (Ma Mère’s favorite film of all time)
  • The Rolling Stones – Aftermath UK (Near mint condition reissue, the previous owner was Audiophile who purchased the Mono Box Set of Stones and sold these off)
  • The Rolling Stones – Their Satanic Majesties Request (ditto)
  • Richard Marx – Richard Marx (yes, don’t judge)
  • Joan Baez – The First 10 Years
  • Paul Simon – Paul Simon
  • Talking Heads – Little Creatures
  • Mr. Mister – Welcome To The Real World
  • Carole King – Music
  • Stevie Nicks – The Wild Heart
  • Varel And Bailly – From France with Music (The BCPF and I are obsessed with just about any and everything French, especially music. We listen to this with huge smiles on our faces)
  • Otis Redding – The Best Of Otis Redding
  • Johnny Cash – This Is Johnny Cash
  • The Psychedelic Furs – Mirror Moves
  • Elton John – Friends (Adding to our Elton John collection)
  • Terence Trent D’Arby – Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D’Arby
  • John Raitt – Carousel Chorus And Orchestra – Carousel (Original 1949 pressing of Original “New York” Cast in excellent shape, seems to be the heaviest 33 1/3 I’ve ever felt. Even heavier than 180g)
  • Carol Channing, Yvonne Adair – Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Original Broadway Cast)
  • Joni Mitchell – The Hissing Of Summer Lawns (Latest in our Joni Mitchell acquisitions) 

So you can see, we picked up some great stuff. We were excited. Get over to Underdog Records between Tuesday and Saturday and grab records, accessories and just good music conversations. Listen to The Less Desirables episodes every week to hear what the current Underdog/TLD deals are. And, if you’re not using Discogs to archive and catalog your collection, then you’re truly missing out.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Fitter, happier. More productive. Comfortable. Not drinking too much. Regular exercise at the gym, three days a week. Getting on better with your associate employee contemporaries. At ease. Eating well, no more microwave dinners and saturated fats. A patient, better driver. A safer car, baby smiling in back seat. Sleeping well, no bad dreams. No paranoia. Careful to all animals, never washing spiders down the plughole. Keep in contact with old friends, enjoy a drink now and then. Will frequently check credit at moral bank, hole in wall. Favours for favours, fond but not in love. Charity standing orders on Sundays, ring-road supermarket. No killing moths or putting boiling water on the ants. Car wash, also on Sundays. No longer afraid of the dark or midday shadows, nothing so ridiculously teenage and desperate. Nothing so childish. At a better pace, slower and more calculated. No chance of escape. Now self-employed. Concerned, but powerless. An empowered and informed member of society, pragmatism not idealism. Will not cry in public. Less chance of illness. Tires that grip in the wet, shot of baby strapped in backseat. A good memory. Still cries at a good film. Still kisses with saliva. No longer empty and frantic. Like a cat. Tied to a stick. That’s driven into frozen winter shit, the ability to laugh at weakness. Calm, fitter, healthier and more productive. A pig in a cage on antibiotics.” – Fitter Happier (Yorke, Greenwood, O’Brien, Greenwood, Selway)

Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes? or: There’s No Possessions (RS Part 43)

07 Monday Nov 2016

Posted by TGBII in Music Review, Uncategorized

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AC/DC, Curtis Mayfield, James Brown, John Lennon, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Otis Redding, Paul Simon, Prince

Salutations™!!

The last segment of Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums of All Time started great, ended meh but was still a great segment. Again, we’re in the Top 100, more specifically, now, the Top 80 albums, it should be getting good. Per usual, I’ll reserve the right to question not that the albums are on the list but their placement. Okay, here goes:

#80 – Imagine by John Lennon. Probably the greatest call for harmony and peace in modern history, the title song is laid back but somewhat imploring. Lennon wants us to all get along, which is understandable: this is the heart of the Vietnam war and tensions are high, anxiety is amok and life is uncertain. It’s also asking for a departure from the usual religious grip that society allows itself to be bound to. A great song. “Jealous Guy” is fantastic, too. It seems to me much of Lennon’s songwriting is from a personal standpoint and not so much in the way of pure storytelling. So, it tells me that he really messed up in his possessiveness (hey John, imagine there’s no possessions), probably with Yoko and he’s having to swallow the pride and apologize. One thing that I’ve noticed about John’s stuff is that he was absolutely obsessed with reverb. On many occasions he’s standing in the back of a room so deep he’s practically swimming in it; not just this album but on much of his stuff. The last bit of the album, to me, seems like it’s just thrown together. I like “Oh My Love” and “How Do You Sleep?” isn’t bad, but the last two songs, I’m not a big fan of. Lennon wasn’t ever my favorite Beatle, or even my second favorite. I think he was a genius, but I feel he was an experimental genius and there’s something about his1led_zeppelin_-_led_zeppelin_ii solo stuff that, while I like it, I can’t quite get into it. I like this, but, it’s just okay in the long run. I love the title track and a few other songs, though. I’m going with dig!

#79 – Led Zeppelin II by Led Zeppelin. Powerhouse and masterpiece, this. 9 songs, 6 of which are Zep legacy (at least in my mind) are on here. I mean, “Whole Lotta Love,” “What Is and What Should Never Be,” “Thank You,” “Heartbreaker/Living Loving Maid (She’s a Woman),” “Ramble On,” that’s impressive coming off one album. I call them legacy because it’s among local classic rock radio’s limited repertoire of Zep tunes. I know that many call Zeppelin a “rip off” but I don’t care. This is fantastic stuff. John Paul Jones is one of rock’s royalty when it comes to bass players. Listen to his work, especially, on “What Is and What Should Never Be” and “The Lemon Song.” You’ll hear what I’m talking about. It’s all over the place but so tasteful in doing so. I love listening to his work. And John Bonham? Probably the best rock drummer that ever lived, too bad we lost him like we did. I think “Moby Dick” is a bit of an indulgence but he’s still awesome on it. Once you get through the harmonica-laced crap at the beginning of “Bring It On Home,” the tune kicks in and closes the whole thing out. I love the entire album.

#78 – Otis Blue by Otis Redding. Otis is backed on this album Booker T & the MGs, and after watching the film The Wrecking Crew featuring the large group of musicians that played on countless albums in the 50s, 60s and early-70s, I pay more attention to the personnel credits on albums. I always did that, anyway, but now I really seek out the names I’m familiar with (especially when they are mixed-and-matched). I like Otis just fine, but there’s not a lot about him that excites me. No, I don’t have to be excited by everything I listen to, but, I’d like to; especially something that is in the top 80 albums of all time. Most of these tunes, too, are covers. There’s a couple of Redding originals, like “Respect,” “Ole Man Trouble” and “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long.” The latter, I really like, but the others, not so much. There’s also “Shake,” “Change Gonna Come” and “Wonderful World” by Sam Cooke who had been killed the year prior to this being released. The 1acdc_back_in_blackRolling Stones are also represented with “Satisfaction (I Can’t Get No).” All in all, it’s decent album, I suppose, but I certainly don’t think it belongs in the top 300, much less the top 80. Meh, at best.

#77 – Back in Black by AC/DC. I’ve always had a love hate relationship with AC/DC. I have always disliked the fact that all their songs sound the same, with the exception of which singer they have. The song structure is the same, the chord structures are a lot of the same, the tempo is mostly the same and so on. But, there are certain songs and albums that I have grown fond of over time, all that other stuff be damned. This album was a big transformation for the band. Most of all, I think it was a phoenix rising from the ashes of despair that was Bon Scott’s death. Not only were they back from mourning, they were back in full-force, with new life, new breath. They were back in, well, black. This album has some of my favorite AC/DC songs: “Back in Black,” “Hells Bells” and “Let Me Put My Love Into You.” It also contains my absolute most hated AC/DC song: “You Shook Me All Night Long.” That’s their “Rock and Roll All Nite.” Really, if you take that song off, it’s a near-perfect AC/DC album. With it, it’s a fantastic album. I realize I’m splitting hairs, here. Nothing on this album is groundbreaking, but nothing groundbreaking is expected. Other greats on this album: “Shoot to Thrill,” “Have a Drink on Me” and “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution.” It’s really a fantastic album. I dug it!

#76 – Purple Rain by Prince and the Revolution. Ah, I miss the Purple One. This is my absolute favorite Prince album. I wore out the cassette to the point that some of the music just disappeared from the tape. I’ve played a few of 1princepurplerainthe songs in cover bands, either live or in practice. I had the soundtrack for a while before I saw the film and as cheesy as the film was (or is it just an 80s niche movie, in general?), I could watch it over and over. In fact, the first time I saw it was on HBO and it was with several excited teenaged boys (we ranged from 12-14 years old). Ma Mère had no clue what we were watching. We huddled around the TV in my bedroom eyes and mouth agape when Apollonia disrobed to jump into “not Lake Minnetonka.” Anywhat! Musically, it’s Prince’s genius on parade, well Parade was two albums later, but you know what I mean. The guitar work, which I figure is split with Wendy Melvoin, is great. Lots of noisy guitars and that was throughout. Also prevalent, a good bit of keyboards. It’s funny that the overall album doesn’t really have a lot of discernible melodies (there are some), but each song stands out. I also remember the adolescent elation I experienced when that same 13 year old kid heard the word “masturbating” in “Darling Nikki.” “When Doves Cry,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” you know… who am I kidding? There’s not a bad song on this album and I love every one of them. Some of it is just Prince (“The Beautiful Ones,” “Darling Nikki” and “When Doves Cry”) and that’s classic Prince. I can’t say anything bad about this. I LOVE this album. I wish it was higher in the list, actually.

#75 – Star Time by James Brown. It’s a four disc box set. An impressive 71-track collection. But, no.

#74 – After the Gold Rush by Neil Young. This was the “solo” album that Young released when all members of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young released them. KISS did that in 1978. I’ve said it before and I’ll reiterate, Neil Young is a horrible singer. His falsetto reminds me of the women characters played by the fellas from Monty Python. It pains me, at times. It’s like I’m expecting there to be a punchline at the end of a joke; it sounds like he’s putting on. Even with that, he’s a good songwriter. I’ve not heard a lot of covers of Neil Young, but I bet I’d like that better than his versions. It’s kind of like Bob Dylan. There’s a lot of country influence in these well-written tunes, but it maintains that crunchy demeanor you expect from Young. As with CSNY, when there’s harmonies, the singing is substantially better. And, there’s the backing band, they’re really good. I know Nils Lofgren is part of the group, as is the CSNY bassist, Greg Reeves. There’s good tunes on 1led_zeppelin_-_physical_graffitihere; the best known is probably “Southern Man,” the other side of the “Sweet Home Alabama” call/response. I also liked “When You Dance I Can Really Love.” All in all, I thought it was decent but I really don’t see where it’s ‘top 80’ material. It’s good and all but I don’t see it this high. Meh, for me on this one.

#73 – Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin. Two Zep albums in one segment. I can dig it. This album is a bit of a departure from the raw energy that Zep II had earlier. There’s a lot of production on this album and I’ve stated before that I’m a sucker for production. I prefer polish and shine over raw energy any day. John Bonham is off the chain on this album. The lyrics, to me, also where in a different place. I can’t really describe it but it, to me anyway, is a bit more story telling than subjective study on this album. There are some epic songs on here, too. Three songs in the collection are over eight and a half minutes. It features a lot of the bluesy stuff that I typically don’t like, but I do dig it here, for whatever reason. I’ve never called myself a Led Zeppelin fan, but the more I listen to them lately, especially with the RS countdown, I find that I really, really enjoy them. Yes, Robert Plant is a bit whiny, as always, and Jimmy Page is bit sloppy, as always, but they’re consistently Led Zeppelin, as always. Forgive me for saying so, but there are few songs that give you a good ‘bedroom groove’ like “Kashmir.” There’s some serious production on that. It’s so full and rich and, yeah, you can ‘dance’ to it. It’s one of my favorite Zep tunes. and really is there any reason to mention, again, the pure unadulterated badarsery that is John Paul Jones? I mean, if it’s not lead vocals, drums or lead guitar (he played some rhythm) on this album, he did it. He even wrote the string arrangements. Again, bad arse! I also enjoy the band exploring some jazzier progressions. It’s good stuff. I LOVE this album.

#72 – Superfly by Curtis Mayfield. Now with more of the (believe it or not) all I know of this album or Curtis Mayfield, at all, is the title track and “Freddie’s Dead” from the TimeLife Sounds of the Seventies collection that I have. And, I’ve not seen the film, either. And, I love Blaxploitation films. Not because they’re Blaxploitation, but usually because they’re set in gritty, dirty New York City in the ’70s and I love that stuff. It would scare the bejeezus out of me to visit it, but it was so intriguing. I’ve never been to NYC and I know it’s a lot different, now, but I still want to go. The whole thing sounds seedy or rough and I really dig that. Curtis Mayfield has a great voice. I love his swing from natural tenor to falsetto at any given moment and still maintain power. “Pusherman” is a great story vehicle. Joseph Lucky Scott is an awesome bass player. It’s power pocket playing and flair without being fancy. The 70s if filled what those kind of player and this is an example of the work of a bass player that has been named in the Top 60 of all time, on numerous occasions. There’s also the jazzy and ethereal elements that make it so good. Craig McMullen’s and “Saint Anthony” Dalcoe’s tag team work on the guitars are the perfect companion pieces to the rhythm section that bassist Scott and drummer Morris Jennings provide. I really enjoyed 1graceland_cover_-_paul_simonthis album from start to finish. My seal of approval is: I’d love to find it on vinyl. And, I will have my good buddy Jonathan at Underdog Records on the hunt. I can’t pick out any faves. If it’s on this album, it’s my favorite. LOVE!!

#71 – Graceland by Paul Simon. Holy smokes! Bakithi Kumalo is amazing! Who is Bakithi Kumalo? Well, he’d be the fella running amok with the flavorful and ingenious bass lines all through out this album. Just listen to the title track and you’ll understand. Or, to make it easier for you, the famous bass lines and that fantastic run in “You Can Call Me Al” is Bakithi Kumalo. ‘Nuff said. A fact about the bass run in “Al” is that only half of it is played. That effect is them copying it and playing it back, backward, on the other end. So it plays halfway through and it’s the same notes in reverse (playing the tape backward). I know that I talked badly about The Indestructible Beat of Soweto album (#388) because I didn’t understand what it was or why the heck it was even on this countdown. My very insightful buddy Eugene set me straight, as he’s wont (and I’m usually in need of) to do, and informed me that without that, at least without the release of it, we may never have gotten this album, which I’d consider a fave of mine and I know it’s a fave of The BCPF; she sighs when someone brings it up and she’s requested that for Vagabond Saints Society. But, it was a major influence on how the album came to be, how it came to be recorded and how it sounded, especially “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” and “Homeless.” Simon got a lot of flak about using South African musicians in the time of apartheid. Even with support from the UN, since he used the musicians and gave nothing in return to the South African government, there was a lot of heat from anti-apartheid groups and the African National Congress that he broke the worldwide boycott against the apartheid regime. Now, I won’t even begin to try and tell you that I have any clue what any of that means. I was out of the loop on that and I still am, really. The whole thing was over when I was around 17-18 (right after this album came out) and I didn’t know and didn’t care. I’m not necessarily proud of that, just a fact that I was ignorant to it, and really still am. I will even honestly say that most of the political commentary in the lyrics are beyond my pay scale and I’ve no clue what he’s talking about. I just know that I like the songs. Guest spots, not only by the South African musicians but Adrian Belew, the Everly Brothers and Linda Ronstadt among others. Again, Bakithi Kumalo. And, I want this on vinyl. And, I love it. And, that’s the end of this segment…

Even with two “meh”s and a compilation, this has been one of my favorite segments overall. Two of my fave Zep albums, my absolute favorite Prince album, my favorite AC/DC album, Superfly and Graceland. I mean, this is fantastic! I had a lot of fun listening to this one. Makes me excited for the next segment. We’re getting into the nitty gritty and I broke my rule about looking ahead. I didn’t study, just skimmed and it’s exciting. Stay tuned as I’m trying to get all of this list finished by the end of the year. I haven’t forgotten about Sign o’the Times, either.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“A man walks down the street. It’s a street in a strange world. Maybe it’s the Third World? Maybe it’s his first time around. He doesn’t speak the language. He holds no currency. He is a foreign man; he is surrounded by the sound, the sound. Cattle in the marketplace, scatterlings and orphanages. He looks around, around. He sees angels in the architecture, spinning in infinity. He says ‘Amen!’ and ‘Hallelujah!‘” – “You Can Call Me Al” (Simon)

Man Out of Time or: Why Does Everybody Have a Bomb (RS Part 34)

01 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by TGBII in Music Review

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Bob Marley & The Wailers, Elvis Costello, Linda Rondstadt, Marvin Gaye, Metallica, Otis Redding, Patrick Ferguson, Prince, Radiohead, Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums, The Who, Vagabond Saints Society

Salutations™!!

I’m so sorry it took so long to get to this segment of Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums of All Time, which has to be better than the last. That was a real clunker to me. Not saying they were bad albums, I’m saying they didn’t do much for me. I’m not dwelling, mind you. We’re moving on. And, again, sorry for the delay.

#170 – Live at Leeds by The Who. The disclaimer here is I’m only listening to the tracks on the original LP release in which there was only six songs. I’m trying to follow what Rolling Stone is counting as the “album” and there’s no indication otherwise, so I’m going by the original. I am sure I’m missing on a lot, but that’s how the entire countdown has been, 418S0AS2T0Lthus far. There’s plenty of energy flowing in this concert. I’m sure the whole thing (thirty-three songs) would be a great listen but who has the time? Seriously, it’s back to the previous point: the original was only six songs. The songs, “Young Man Blues,” “Substitute,” Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues,” Johnny Kidd’s “Shakin’ All Over,” an amalgamation of “My Generation/See Me, Feel Me/Listening to You/Underture…” and so on, and a seven minute jam on “The Magic Bus.” Like I said, it seems powerful from this little sampling. I will probably take time to listen to the rest later but this is for “now,” for those who will start throwing out “Dude, you really need to listen to all of it” at me. I really like this and I’m not a big fan of The Who. Dug!

#169 – Exodus by Bob Marley and the Wailers. 1976. Jamaica. It was in December that there was an assassination attempt on Bob Marley, and his wife Rita’s, life, leading to his own exodus from his homeland. This album, which was recorded both before the attempt in Jamaica and after where later sessions were done in London, is laid back and political as well as sexual. I enjoyed listening to the album and found “Natural Mystic,” the title song, “Jamming,” “Waiting in Vain,” “Three Little Birds” and “One Love/People Get Ready” to be my favorites. Definitely have gotten into some Marley. I’ve not really gotten into the rest of the reggae world but really like Bob’s stuff. I definitely dug it.

#168 – My Aim is True by Elvis Costello. The 1977 Album of the Year according to Rolling Stone and was Costello’s debut album. This album was thrown together by Costello and 1myaimistrueproducer Nick Lowe, I’d say in a hurry: approximately 24 hours total. It’s raw but well produced, not slick. It captures energy and has an open ambient sound as if it’s recorded in an open room. Extra plate reverb on the vox create the effect. Nice. It should also be noted that this was prior to the Attractions becoming his permanent backing band. It was recorded with members of a group called Clover which had to be credited as “The Shamrocks” (if credited at all) due to contractual obligations/restrictions. This album contains “Alison,” “(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes,” “Watching the Detectives” (US version only) and “Less Than Zero” which is the first single released by the Stiff label. I also thought “Blame It on Cain” was pretty cool, too. I’ll definitely say I dug it.

#167 – Master of Puppets by Metallica. As the years went on, Metallica started becoming stale and I started referring to them as Me-Suck-lick-a. I’ve also always stated that this is my least favorite of the “Black and Before” era Metallica. Truth be told, that’s only 1Metallica_-_Master_of_Puppets_coverbecause I’ve really never given it a chance. Between Ride the Lightning, “Black” (Metallica) and …In Justice For All this was just what I listened to the least, then Kill ‘Em All. This was Cliff Burton’s exodus album, though tragically. I can’t get over the speed of his finger picking style, at least at that time. Thinking on the time, this wasn’t “normal” to me. His bass solo in “Orion” showed his melodic side. I will admit that I was a bigger fan of Jason Newstead (basically for putting up with Lars’ and James’ crap and his resilience in the face of his parts basically being erased from “Justice”), but Cliff was great on this. This is also the first major label album for the band: Elektra Records. The production is slick as all get out but somehow raw at the same time. Some of the songs are epic (three songs over eight minutes) with the shortest being 5:12 (“Battery”). I think my favorite song on this is “The Thing That Should Not Be.” Somehow, it just sounds mean. Differently than most of the other songs. All of them are definitely punching you in the face but this one sounds evil. I think it’s the tone, the subject matter (Cthulhu) and weird solo, etc. It all comes together to create a beautifully chaotic mess. I think Metallica used more complex rhythms on this album as compared to the prior ones. “Disposable Heroes” has some of the fastest rhythms that I’ve heard on any Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, etc. album. It’s smoking fast. Word has it that Lars Ulrich actually took some drum lessons for this album. I know that Kirk Hammett took direction from Joe Satriani on how to better record his parts. I think I treated this album unfairly in the past. I am listening to it now and find that it’s actually a really good album. With its themes of drug use (title song), mythical creatures, politics and anti-war sentiments (“Disposable Heroes”), insanity (“Welcome Home (Sanitarium)”), false prophets (“Leper Messiah”) and so forth, this album is what Metallica was all about “pre-Load.” I don’t know after that because like Samson, once they cut their hair, they lost all power. Honestly, the hair had nothing to do with it, but when they cut it, the music started sucking. So… meh. But, this album? It gets a definite dig. I really liked it.

#166 – Imperial Bedroom by Elvis Costello. Two Declan MacManus’ in one segment. Hmmm. This album really set my appreciation of EC out right. It was upon talking with Doug Davis (who got me interested in doing this list) and Ed Bumgardner a few years back about EC and this album that got me really paying attention. As I’ve mentioned before I was late to the “alternative/new wave” scene by about twenty-five years or more. So, probably one of the only good things that came from an unfortunate relationship with an ex-girlfriend was a real introduction into this genre. But, I was with The BCPF when I heard this. It’s a well-written album. “Shabby Doll” is one of my faves. I believe it involves a man that’s falling for a promiscuous woman. Bruce Thomas is a fantastic bass player. “The Long Honeymoon” is about perceived infidelity. I love that song’s flamenco/jazz stylings. It’s quite melodic and a little sexy. “Man Out of Time” starts off (and ends) kind of weird, but it becomes a great song with great musicianship. Really, I could say that for just about every song on this album, really. “Almost Blue” sounds like a piano bar singer’s accounting of a real life love gone bad. It’s laid back and jazzy. I can almost see whispering smoke floating around a darkened, but not pitch, room with candles or tea candles on tables with blood red-tinted linens. I’m especially pleased with the chorus of “Human Hands.” The song as a whole is good, but that chorus, though! “Little Savage” sounds like it could, musically, be a sequel to “Radio Radio” from This Year’s Model. Like I said in the beginning of this long-winded review, I think this is a very well-balanced and fantastic album. I liked it the first time I heard it. I like it now. Dig!

#165 – Let’s Get It On by Marvin Gaye. Well, this album is sexy. The Barry White kind of sexy but on a different spectrum. Where Barry is all low and deep bassin’ the women out of their underwear, Marvin is heart-felt yearn and implores the ladies into his boudoir for nothing shy of TLC. If “getting it on” wasn’t good enough for the title track, he wants you to “Come Get to This” and “Keep Gettin’ It On.” He’s not hiding or masking the fact that he’s wanting to love you and love on you and he will do just about anything “Just to Keep You Satisfied.” It’s word play, yeah, but there seems to be a theme to this album from its title to its final notes. This may be ironic if you know what was really going on in his life. He wasn’t doing a lot of “loving” since in real life he allegedly suffered with impotence, emotional distress and a brief separation from his wife, Anna Gordy (yes Berry’s sister). He was going through a lot, but he churned out a great record, this. Another great thing was that he at least co-wrote all of the songs on this LP. The song “Distant Lover” showed the beautifully tragic personal issues and his inflection and voice in that song sang sadness and sexiness all in one fell swoop. The musicianship is unparalleled and the songs are masterful. This is a great soul record. Scratch that, this is a great record. Definitely some really great stuff here. DUG!

#164 – The Very Best of Linda Rondstadt by Linda Rondstadt

#163 – 1999 by Prince. Another Prince album that, luckily, I at least own and have the 1999_coveropportunity to listen to since the Purple One signed his exclusive deal with Tidal and I don’t pay for that. This, to me, is the penultimate Prince album as far as quality goes. Some may disagree with me on that, in fact, I expect that. The first is Purple Rain as that was the height of his popularity and power. This, is the one, that at least for me, broke him into the mainstream. For You, Prince, Dirty Mind and Controversy all had quality stuff on it, but this was the climb. Mostly on the fact that not only was radio playing the snot out of the title track and “Little Red Corvette,” but because MTV, BET, Night Flight and Night Tracks were all playing the videos of them ad naseum. I did “Little Red Corvette” for the Vagabond Saints Society Presents Purple Rain show November before last, acoustically. I remember when I listened this (on cassette, I borrowed it from a friend) when I was a kid, “Let’s Pretend We’re Married” was one of my favorite tracks because I was thirteen or fourteen and that was the first time I ever heard someone use the word “f**k” on a musical album. And, I somehow, in my sheltered childhood, realized what pretending to be married actually meant. There was a lot of sniggering going on then, for sure. “D.M.S.R.” was a bit of a oddity for me, not because of the song or what the letters mean (dance, music, sex, romance), but that in the first CD pressing, it was simply not there (there was a disclaimer explaining the reasoning). I hadn’t been into collecting CDs long and didn’t realize they had to do that. Compression and mastering being what they are today, that’s not the case; it’s included. And it’s actually one of the best dance songs that Prince ever did. I’d have rather them get rid of something else and kept that as it was one of my faves. The song order threw me off, too, on the CD because on the cassette version, “Free” was the last on the first side. It was moved to even up the sides, I guess. I think that was commonplace with 8-Tracks, too. My short attention span being what it is (awful) some of the lengthy songs start to lose me, but it’s still great stuff. Even though Prince had his “band” together – if you look closely in the “football” in the “1” in his name on the cover, it says “and the Revolution” – Dez Dickerson is the only other person playing any of the instruments, which in his case is the guitar solos. Prince plays and programs every other instrument that happens on the album. Lisa Coleman and Jill Jones (the ones you see in the videos) do most of the backups but this is where Wendy Melvoin joins in and does some backup on “Free.” Like I said, this album is his second greatest, to me. I’ll be honest and say that this is the first time that I’ve really ever listened all the way through since I was a kid. I listened to the first four songs and that was about it. This listen, though, is fantastic and I certainly will also say, I DIG it!!

#162 – OK Computer by Radiohead. Yeah. There are several Radiohead songs that I like, just not a whole lot. There are plenty that I can tolerate and even say, “well that’s cool.” Vagabond Saints Society will be doing OK Computer in its entirety with Patrick Ferguson (of Vel Indica) doing all the vox for the album. There will be guest singers doing other 1OKComputerRadiohead songs after (or before) that album’s finale. To me, their best song was “Creep.” Low and behold that’s what I’ll doing for the show. Okay (computer), enough of that. My past utterances in this album’s direction could have been misguided or just a sign of immense stubbornness or even ignorance. The two tracks that immediately stand out first are “Paranoid Android” and “Karma Police,” of course. But, there’s so much more to it like “Let Down,” “Exit Music (For a Film),” “Electioneering,” “No Surprises” and “Lucky” (which truly may be the dark horse of the album. 1997 was still the “infancy of the modern home computer” and the track “Fitter Happier” was a representation of tech-speech patterns in compu-self-help and a good one, at that. I know that at least “Paranoid Android” was inspired by Marvin Paranoid Android from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy but I’m thinking more of it could have been, too. Reading up on it, I noticed the influences were all over the place for this album, but I think that they reigned it in to a cohesive package. This departure from where they were (previous two albums) defined much of what Radiohead would be and is today; for better or worse. I think overall, as I stated previously in the section, I have judged thee unfairly, O Radiohead. I doth dig thy OK Computer collection.

#161 – The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding. A compilation album of many of this singles plus B-sides.

This segment was quite lengthy. I apologize for that but for some of the albums, I had a lot to say. Eight “digs” and only two compilations. That’s a pretty good segment, if you ask me. And I’m sure by now, you’re really wishing I’d just shut up. So that’s what I’m going to do! See you next segment!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Listening to you, I get the music. Gazing at you, I get the heat. Following you, I climb the mountain. I get excitement at your feet.” – “See Me, Feel Me” (Townshend)

Rope Burn or: Drying the Stardust (RS Part 25)

03 Monday Aug 2015

Posted by TGBII in Music Review

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Bruce Springsteen, Janet Jackson, Kraftwerk, Metallica, Otis Redding, The Kinks, Whitney Houston, Willie Nelson

Salutations™!!

Five of the last ten were good so I’m hoping this leg of Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums of All Time will be just as productive. I see some of the stuff on it, so I’m hoping it’s better than the preview. Anywhat! Let’s get steppin’…

#260 – Stardust by Willie Nelson. I keep thinking of Willie and Ray doing “Seven Spanish Angels” and funny that they’re both this close to each other (Ray was #265) doing standards. I think Ray beats him (they should be reversed), but this isn’t a bad disc. It’s relaxing. I know the record label was scared that Willie was losing his “outlaw country” edge, but I would rather hear this kind of stuff anyway. That being said, the songs were good but nothing, other than “Georgia on my Mind,” and I think that’s just because I knew it already. The album is relatively short, it breezed on by, and don’t know that I’d really wan to hear it again. Willie does ok with the songs, but, it’s Willie. Anymore it’s like watching an ASPCA commercial whenever I see or hear anything from him. Meh, at best.

#259 – The Velvet Rope by Janet Jackson. I’m constantly surprised by Janet. I’d say that I liked Rhythm Nation better and that I can do without all the interspersed “interludes,” but hey, it’s not my album. Janet’s work is smooth, as always, and the songwriting is solid. I am not going to be gullible enough to think that it’s her writing1Janet_Jackson_-_The_Velvet_Rope the majority of the songs but, the writing credits do, each and everyone, go to her, Terry Lewis, Jimmy Jam and a slew of collaborators. The only exception is Rod Stewart’s “Tonight’s the Night,” which she did an admirable job on. I have to say that “Rope Burn” is a sexy-as-all-get-out song. It’s supposed to be. “Together Again,” “Every Time,” and “You” are my faves, right after “Rope Burn.” I mean, dang! There are plenty of songs on this that can be called “sexy,” however, that song was (not quite) literally dripping from my studio monitors. I dug it.

#258 – The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society by The Kinks. Yep, it’s 1968, alright. It seems a bit older than that, though. I like The Kinks and all, but so far in this, I’m not hearing a lot that moves me. Not saying it doesn’t belong on the list, but at this high a number? It’s also the first time that I knowing listened to a “mono” mix of something. I’m going to show my ignorance but I don’t know what I was hearing that I wouldn’t have already heard or why that’s such a big deal. Someone, please explain that to me. I’m not being facetious, I’m seriously interested in why “mono” is such a big deal or why I should care or even, what am I hearing differently? Anywhat! This album does have some good stuff on it, even if the overall falls short for me. Those being: “All of My Friends Were There,” “Animal Farm,” “Wicked Annabella” and “People Take Pictures of Each Other” is kind of fun. Overall, I haven’t much to say yea or nay. But, somehow it’s higher than a “meh.”

#257 – Whitney Houston by Whitney Houston. This was Whitney Houston. Just about anything after this was a shell of the talent this album portrayed. And, I’ve made no bones about it that, to me, once Mariah Carey showed up, Whitney was irrelevant. Mariah, also, however, lost a lot after the first two albums. I think this is really the same 1WhitneyHoustonfor both, but especially Whitney: she spent too much time later trying to imitate “Whitney” instead of showing the talent she shows in this album. That and drugs. At least Mariah has something to do with her songwriting. To me, that means a lot. “You Give Good Love” was the first single I ever remember hearing from her and it was powerful then. I was only 14, I’ll admit, but I was taken aback by her voice. She was just 21, then. When I see the cover and hear the songs, it’s hard for me to put this honest voice to the diva she would become. I’m trying to not be too judgmental of her for her lifestyle later, but at the same time, it’s hard to let go of, sometimes.  “Saving All My Love For You” is a great song, too. It certainly gives off that gospel ballad feel that is reminiscent of what I’m sure she sang in church on Sunday mornings. Enough breath and power to make you go, “wow!,” when she opens her mouth. And that song was co-written by Gerry Goffin who was a collaborator (in more than one way) with Carole King. I could do without Jermaine Jackson’s duets on the album, though (he’s on two). I don’t mind Jermaine, exactly, just he dumbs her voice down, in my opinion. I never really cared for “How Will I Know” and this didn’t change anything for me. “All at Once” is co-penned by Jeffrey Osborne and Michael Masser, who passed away on July 10. Most of the songs on this album had Masser’s hands on it. In fact, he wrote “Greatest Love of All” with Linda Creed (who died in the 80s) for the 1977 biopic The Greatest about Muhammad Ali, recorded originally by George Benson. It had “The” in front of it back then. Is that considered a cover if the writers actually give it to you and produce it? Hmmm… Also, I don’t mind Teddy Pendergrass doing the duet with her. All in all, this album is great and as much as I grew to really loathe anything Whitney Houston, this album, at least belongs in this list, if not even higher than this. DUG!

#256 – Trans-Europe Express by Kraftwerk. This is certainly not for anyone with a short attention span or ADD or ADHD. I have a short attention span, but the advantage I have is that I am a fan of electronic music so it does keep my attention. The first TWO songs are 17 minutes 38 seconds long. There is one song of about two minutes and the final track is just at a minute. Other than that, it’s a long journey. I’ve said before that I’ve never done any drugs and I can only imagine what it would be like to be on something listening to this. It’s very trippy. However, I can hear inspiration for Depeche Mode, Royksöpp, Tosca, New Order and other techno-driven artists that we listen to today, especially D-Mode. This is new wavy goodness, and if you’ve not the stomach for repetitive trance-like sounds, this also, will not be for you. If you like catchy musical melodies over top the repetitive trance-like sounds, along with a jokingly simple German-laden English vocal style (not a knock), then this will for you. “Showroom Dummies” is a favorite of mine. The last four tracks, “Metal on Metal,” “Abzug,” “Franz Schubert” and “Endless Endless” is a “suite” and all connected to each other in, well “movements,” if you will.  It’s a great listen and don’t let the long track times scare you. You’ll hear elements that you are familiar with, even if you’re not familiar with Kraftwerk. I highly recommend it and I’ll say DUG!

#255 – Metallica by Metallica. This album gets a lot of black, I mean… flack. I don’t think that’s deserved. Yes, it was “mainstream” and to some they may have “sold out” but how is making money selling out? Let’s stay in this for the art, let’s not make any videos, let’s not get radio play, let’s just stay “underground.” ANYONE who says they’re not in it to make SOME money, is full of crapola. This was a milestone album in many 1cover_blackalbum_lgways. It did take them more of a hard rock direction from the original heavy metal they were known for. But, it also got them a bigger fan base. The “fanboys” who thought that Metallica was just for them were disappointed when they became everyone’s heavy darlings. “Enter Sandman” is fun to play and yes, it was definitely overplayed as was everything on this album, but if it’s not getting a shload of play, then it’s not making much money. I still listen to it almost every time it comes on. Yes, they cut their hair after this but, while it does look cool, they’re not playing with their hair. One big difference in this album to its immediate predecessor…? This one actually had bass on it. I know Jason Newstead put a lot of sweat into those lines and Lars buried it, although he denies it, everyone else says it was him. Not only is it present on this album, it’s in your face. That’s really what keeps this album heavy instead of just “hard.” Five singles that each got good airplay on MTV, not too shabby. I was a fan of this album. I was a fan of Ride the Lightning and most of Kill ‘Em All. Take away the bass craziness and I liked …And Justice for All. However, I never have been a fan of their most popular album ever, Master of Puppets. It was just too heavy for me, I guess. I like catchy and it missed that in lieu of crushing skulls. I get it, but I didn’t care for it. The Black Album was the last of the good Metallica. From there, they became jokingly called MeSUCKllica, to me. “The Unforgiven” was a novelty at the time. Many – countless – songs had softer verses and then crank the chorus really heavily. “The Unforgiven” does the opposite (heavy verse/soft chorus) and would become used all over the music spectrum, but overdone by Metallica themselves. I was a fan of the songs that weren’t singles, which I’ll admit is weird for me. Those being: “Of Wolf and Man,” “The God that Failed,” “Through the Never” and “My Friend of Misery.” But, combine those with the singles (before they were worn out) and it was a monster album. It solidified them as powerhouses to all audiences. During this tour, which was “in the round” I got to sing “Seek and Destroy” with James Hetfield all by myself as he pulled me over the rail. People said I was so loud they couldn’t hear the band. I was second row. Ah, memories. DUG this album, so very much.

#254 – Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul by Otis Redding. I was afraid this was a compilation album by the title (which I think is the longest title thus far, along with the Kink’s album in this segment – #258). It’s not, it’s a twelve song studio album, whew! I am not at all a fan of blues, but soul and R&B? Those, I like. Some of it is cover songs, but, I’m thinking a lot of albums in the soul genre was like that back in 1966. My favorite cover is clearly, “Day Tripper” from The Beatles. If you’re not listening to the lyrics, you’d almost never know it was that song. He drags that song through the streets and we’re all along for the ride. “She Put the Hurt on Me” is righteous, as well. It always sounds like he’s just about to lose his voice. It almost makes my head hurt thinking of the strain it sounds like he’s exerting, there. All in all, the album is really good. Other than a few songs, though, nothing really made me go, “wow! this belongs on this countdown!” but I’d certainly not kick it off of it. Dug.

#253 – The River by Bruce Springsteen. It’s cool that this one comes up just a few days removed from me performing some Bruce songs with the VSS and just a week before I do it again. Four of the twenty-six songs from the Bruce shows are on this album. That’s almost a sixth of the show, right? I hate maths. None of them are mine, though. The general feeling I have about his album is that it is way too much album for what we’re getting in return. I like a lot of the songs, but a lot of it is standard Bruce fare and not really an overall representation of his unique story-telling style. That’s not say I don’t think it’s good, because it is, just do we need that many filler songs? To 1Bruce_Springsteen_-_The_Riverthose that are Bruce fans – I say I have an appreciation for Bruce – I mean no disrespect and I find him to be a grand songwriter, but some of it seems “put” on. I like “Out in the Street,” “Cadillac Ranch” and even though it’s depressing, I like “The River.” I haven’t even listened to the other disc yet. I had to take a break in the middle. I’ll be right back with you. I am a fan of the tango-esque rhythm of “Point Blank.” He talks a lot about dancing in his his songs. I must say, though, with the exceptions above, the second disc, I could have done without it. Too much extra, for me, But, again, the overall product is good. Dug.

#252 – The Blueprint by Jay Z. I believe the first song I ever heard from Mr. Carter was “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” back in ’01. I think what I like about this is that it’s not too aggressive. It’s more approachable, at least that I’m feeling. “Izzo,” along with “Girls, Girls, Girls” are great songs. I also love how Jay Z seems to master the art of sampling for the song instead of just sampling the song. “Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love)” is a great example where they use the sample of “Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City” from Bobby Blue Bland. Also the background stuff, even with vocoders (in which I’m a fan) like in “U Don’t Know.” I actually enjoyed listening to this album, which I’ll be honest, I dreaded. But, it’s not at all bad. I even listened to the two “hidden” tracks: “Lyrical Exercise” and “Girls, Girls, Girls (Part 2).” I dig it.

#251 – Low by David Bowie. Starting off with an instrumental, not bad. “Speed of Life” is a good start. I love the choppy lyrics that made his style the norm from here on in. The odd harmonies (either by machine or him “doubling”) are very Bowie. I’ll admit, I don’t think I know any of the songs on this album, previously. That’s good, this gives me an unbiased opinion herein. “Sound and Vision” is the song from this album, I think. It encompasses all that I have come to know as Bowie. There are things by Bowie that I don’t like but there is plenty that I do and this is definitely it. The sounds and the ethereal feel of the production is so fantastic. And holy moley! I absolutely love love love1Bowie love love “Warszawa” into “Art Decade;” “Weeping Wall” to “Subterraneans,” this is fantastic stuff and some of the best listening on this segment and on this list. I’d listen to full albums of just “Side Two” of this album. It reminds me of some of the Kraftwerk from earlier this segment. This, and into the next two albums from Bowie, Heroes and Lodger, are the tremendous work of collaboration with Brian Eno, whom I think is genius anyways.  Nothing about the songs are overly complicated but completely where they need to be. Sometimes I’ll listen to albums and as a musician think to myself that I could change this or that (just sometimes, not all the time). Well this I wouldn’t change a thing. Do I think it’s the best thing since sliced bread? It’s not supposed to be. It’s supposed to be solid and that’s exactly what you get here. It’s Bowie in his post-coke craziness time and he shines like the “Starman” that he is. Dug infinitesimally!

So that’s this segment. Also, I’ve made it halfway. I think I’ll write a separate post about my findings from halfway, sort of along the lines of the “what I’ve learned” every hundred that I finish. This is a milestone. When I first started it was sporadic at best but I have somewhat of a rhythm going with them now. ANYWHAT! All digs except for one complete meh and one “I couldn’t figure out how to rate it” one. This segment was pretty good and I’m hoping this kind of trend continues. We’ll see, of course. I thank you for joining me on this journey and I know my reviews can be somewhat polarizing to some as my last one was. I don’t begin to think or portray that I know what I’m talking about, as I hope that’s known.  I just say what I feel. I can be wrong and I can be opinionated, but I’m me and this is what I do. Thanks again, Dear Reader.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“You coulda been anywhere in the world, but you’re here with me
I appreciate that”
 – “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” by Jay-Z

For Fear of the Small Plane or: Flying Solo

06 Friday Mar 2015

Posted by TGBII in Life as We Know It

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Aaliyah, Alan Kulwiki, Big Bopper, Buddy Holly, Han Solo, Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones, JFK Jr., Jim Croce, John Denver, Otis Redding, Patsy Cline, Payne Stewart, Peter Tomarken, Randy Rhodes, Ricky Nelson, Ritchie Valens, Rocky Marciano, Star Wars, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Thurman Munson

Salutations™!!

I used to have a really hard time with just the thought of flying. I didn’t go places for the longest time because I’d have to fly to many of them. I’m not really sure what happened but that turned around and I now say that I would rather fly and be done with it than drive because I really don’t like driving long distance. Driving or riding. Really, really dislike it.

That being said, I have no need, want, desire or intention to fly in single engine or ihnkusmall, personal planes.  I can get sick to my stomach just thinking about it.  There’s just no reason short of an emergency that I can think of that would make me want to get on one.

Then I think of the celebs that have private pilot’s licenses and those that have been in accidents and those we’ve lost, whether they were flying the plane or not.   JFK, Jr. Rocky Marciano, Patsy Cline, Jim Croce, Thurman Munson, Randy Rhodes, Otis Redding, Ricky Nelson, Stevie Ray Vaughn (helicopter, but still), Alan Kulwicki, John Denver, Payne Stewart, Aaliyah, Peter Tomarken, Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly, probably more musicians/actors and a plethora of politicians, business people and what have you.

There are plenty who have been in accidents and survived, which brings me to the true subject of this post: Harrison Ford.  Ford, according to news articles and reports was flying a WW2-era, two-seat, trainer when he probably had some engine problems and crashed the craft at a Californian golf course community.  Initial reports that I saw stated that Ford was in critical condition but later reports, from several sources said that he was in fair to moderate condition, quoting his son, Ben.

I’m glad he’s okay.  The point wasn’t so much as a “they shouldn’t be in single engine/prop (not in propeller, but gimmicky things) type planes” as much as it was a “how lucky we are that we didn’t lose another celeb” type thing. Also, it’s not a “celebs” are more important thing because I know that everyday people are unfortunately killed in accidents like that all the time.  The bottom line is, things can happen in the blink of an eye and no matter what good is going on it can go bad in a snap.

And you know, this wasn’t even his first brush with death in an aircraft of some kind.  He had a helicopter accident in 1999.  Freaky deaky, man.  All that just makes me less likely to ride in a small plane.  Even enjoying flying, I don’t like the puddle jumpers, either.  But, it seems he likes it.  Here’s to you, Han.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!!

—
“Uh, everything’s under control. Situation normal.” – Han Solo, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope

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