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Discogs, Hootie And The Blowfish, Interpol, Joe Jackson, Marilyn Manson, Muggorgsky, Music, Nirvana, Pavement, Prince, Record Store Day, Records, Superchunk, The BCPF, The Head And The Heart, The Less Desirables, TimeLife, Underdog Records, Violent Femmes
Salutations™!!
A good but long week for The BCPF and me led to a good weekend, including a fantastic trip to Underdog Records. I don’t have a lot to say about it other than, here’s the haul:
The first two are of the TimeLife – The Story of Great Music collections that I ordered from Discogs and told you about a week ago.
Various – The Opulent Era — Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Wagner, and one of my favorites, Camille Saint-Saëns, and more line this 4xLP collection. NM.
Various – The Music Of Today — Shostakovich, Sir William Walton, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Aaron Copland. NM.
The rest is yesterday’s haul:
Prince – Dirty Mind — #206 on the RS List, this is Prince’s third album and the first one to really get him any recognition. Looking at other albums out in 1980, this cover had to have gotten some desperate housewives hot and flustered. He’s in his leather banana hammock and trench coat and not much else. New.
Marilyn Manson – We Are Chaos — The new Manson album, this is a solid listen front to back. It’s a little odd for the usual Manson fare, but there’s enough of it in there that you know it’s him. I liked it. New.
Violent Femmes – Violent Femmes — The debut album from the folk punk heroes. a lot of popular tunes from this album: “Blister in the Sun,” “Kiss Off,” “Add It Up,” “Gone Daddy Gone” and more. New.
Hootie & The Blowfish – Cracked Rear View — This album, like the band Nickelback and heck, Hootie, too, is chided and I can’t really tell why. The snooty know-it-alls will say because it’s this reason or that reason or whatever and it “sucks.” Well, it was the best selling album of 1995 and is the 19th best selling album of all time. I mean, 21 million copies sold, it couldn’t have sucked that bad. That just means that those same know-it-alls are just blowhards who just want to hear themselves talk (or type). Now, that being said, if you just don’t like it, I can live with that. I think it was just overplayed, but if you’re the artist, isn’t that what you want? I’d give a lot to have a “hit” that was played so much it was considered “overplayed.” I’m indifferent about it one way or the other, I just wanted it in my collection. New.
Marilyn Manson – The Pale Emperor — Manson’s ninth album. I don’t really know much about this one, but it did have three singles: “Third Day of a Seven Day Binge,” “Deep Six,” “Cupid Carries a Gun.” 2xLP. New.
The Head And The Heart – Let’s Be Still — I know nothing about this band. Have never even heard of them. But, it’s indie folk rock. Who do we know that is a fan of that genre? That’s right! And, she is the one who picked this up. 2xLP. New.
Pavement – Crooked Rain Crooked Rain — Straight up indie rock that sits at #212 on the RS list. This is Pavement’s second album, their debut, Slanted and Enchanted is also on that list. The debut was a bit lo-fi where this is more accessible, straight-ahead indie rock. I liked it. New.
Superchunk – Foolish — We bought the acoustic version last year and I have to say I enjoyed that one better. Mac McCaughan’s voice rakes on me sometimes. Overall I like the band, I’ve seen them twice in concert, but this is a bit much. New.
Nirvana – Bleach — When this album came out, I was in a spot where my preferred music was in danger of being dethroned and I was anti- that. I talked badly about Nirvana (and Grunge in general), Cobain, the music, the fans, everything. I thought it sucked. I thought it was awful. I thought it was scourge of the Earth. I said bad things that I regret about Kurt Cobain. Over time, though, I came to respect all that Nirvana was. Nevermind, which was my bane when it arrived, has come to be a great album in my eyes. I had never heard this album (which was their debut) and this thing rocks!!!! I was dumb. I was an idiot. I was blind but now I see. Man, this is even better than Nevermind in my opinion. I loved it. New.
Interpol – Turn On The Bright Lights — I have never heard anything from Interpol that I know of. I asked Jonathan about it and he said they were just a straight rock band with a bit of a darker side. I said, okay. NM.
Joe Jackson – Joe Jackson’s Jumpin’ Jive — 1981 album from Jackson of a lot of swing and jump blues tunes. I like Joe Jackson. I like jump blues and swing. VG+.
Mussorgsky — The Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy – Pictures At An Exhibition – Night On Bald Mountain — VG+.
We started the music section back on this week’s episode of The Less Desirables which is sponsored by Underdog Records. Don’t forget to register to get in on the lottery for RSD Drop 2 coming September 26. Use Discogs to track your collection and buy albums to add to it.
Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!
—
“When I’m out walking, I strut my stuff and I’m so strung out. I’m high as a kite. I just might stop to check you out.” – “Blister In The Sun” (Gano)
well-planned nonsense). Three staples of Sirius XM’s First Wave channel, “Hanging on the Telephone,” “One Way or Another,” which starts this album out right, and “Heart of Glass,” all three are the flour while the rest of the album is the egg in the cake; the rest holds it together. It truly is in your face. You can look away but you can’t escape. “Picture This” is probably some of the best capturing of a live feel in the studio I’ve heard since the 76-77 era of KISS, while “Fade Away and Radiate” has that Blondie reggae beat but a sultry and seductive backbone. “Pretty Baby” reminds me of the Shangri-Las or something like that. It hearkens back to the 50s rock and roll pop girl groups. I know that was the point and I’m quite okay with it. I hear some Cheap Trick (or just similarities therein) in the music of “I Know But I Don’t Know.” The dissonant chord changes are what do it for me, I think. I’m ashamed to say that I really don’t know much about Blondie other than the hits on this album, “Rapture” and “Call Me.” This is a reminder of how sucky I can be at knowing my classic bands. Pity, Scorp, pity. I think “Heart of Glass” is a good indication as to where the band would be going in the following few years. It sounds more futuristic than the rest of the album and, to me, was more than just a representation of the disco stuff that was still lingering and hanging on at the time; it was advanced in structure and sound. I really like that song. I really like this album! Dug!
spend money on it as it’s not my thing, really. BUT, I got it and put it on my iPod and listened to it whilst driving around in Nigel (my Kia Soul) and I have to say, this is some really good stuff. Well, let’s not go crazy, whether or not it’s “good” is subjective but I really like it. I’ve enjoyed listening to it. As always, I could certainly do without all the “n” word strewn about the album, but what can you do? I’d actually consider this a Snoop Dogg album over a Dre album. He’s highlighted throughout and his work is the best on the record. There’s a lot of shots at Eazy-E, who owned Ruthless Redords and Ice Cube, both former N.W.A. members. Dre and gang also take shots at Tim Dog and Luther Campbell (Luke of 2 Live Crew). They’re not at all apologetic about it, either. They don’t hold back. It was a pleasure to listen to. “F*** with Dre Day (And Everybody’s Celebratin’),” “Let Me Ride,” “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang,” “A N***a Witta Gun” and “Deeez Nuuuts” are my favorites on here. I almost wish I’d have bought the vinyl version, now. I’m still happy with it. Dug!!
alternative rock would have sounded like in my head. I know it’s a travesty and all that but I knew nothing of The Replacements, other than the song “Alex Chilton,” prior to this complete countdown. I don’t know how I didn’t. Well, that’s not true. This was released before I moved to WSNC and we didn’t have access to this where I was from. “Dose of Thunder” sounds like something Cult would have done. I like that. “Hold my Life,” “I’ll Buy” are both solid songs. The first one that really made me go, that’s cool is “Waitress in the Sky.” Next is “Swinging Party” and I REALLY like that one. At the time it was rough and dirty, I’m sure. But, I think it fits perfectly snug in the annuls of the early alternative (or First Wave) motif. It’s rebellious but not totally defiant; accessible. There’s not a single song on this album that I’d skip over. I may not think them my favorite tunes, but they’re certainly a great listen. One of my faves in the last bit. And closing out on “Here Comes a Regular?” I nearly wept. Priceless. DUG!
I’m done with it and don’t care if I ever listen to it again, other than a handful of tunes. Dug-ish.
loved Ozzy’s rendition of that and “Children of the Grave” on the Tribute album. I never got Pantera’s cover of “Planet Caravan” but I think this version sits easy as a mood shift from the heaviness. It’s very Doors-like to me with some Allman Brothers thrown in. Great vocal effect on that, too. I listened to this one through headphones and love the panning on “Iron Man.” Really, does a song get much heavier than this? This is the heavy that Death and Speed Metal bands wish they could get. A menacing riff to go with a menacing figure in the lyrics. What I get out of the lyrics are: he goes to the future and sees destruction. He tries to get back to warn everyone in his own time that this is going to happen. In the magnetic field that enabled his time travel, he’s turned into a bit metal dude and he can’t talk. We know in this society, anything the masses don’t understand, they shun. He gets mad and destroys those who mock him. So, I guess he created the destruction he saw the vision of? Do I hear a talkbox mixed with the wah pedal in “Electric Funeral.” I’d love to ask Ed B. here in WSNC what Geezer Butler is playing to make the bass sound so boxy. Is it the Rickenbacker 4001? I generally don’t like that kind of bass sound but this is actually perfect for what they’re doing. The album closes with “Fairies Wear Boots” and as it goes quiet afterwards, you kind of feel like something’s over. A feeling of finality. That’s sad, but good that you can feel that way about an album, right? I certainly dug it. It’s a great album.
