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Spinning Sunday or: The Haul 2/8/20

09 Sunday Feb 2020

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Salutations™!!

Yesterday, The BCPF was to get her hair cut and that got us to Underdog Records earlier in the day. Like, 11am early. Her cut was next door at Hair Bomb with Cynthia Platt-Miller so we did that before eating. The BCPF has lived here her entire life and had never eaten at Grecian Corner so I took her there. We had good food, yeah, good, good food. Anywhat, here’s the haul:

NotoriousByrdBrothers

©Columbia

  • Cat Power – The Greatest — In what I’ve come to know as “sadcore” (“bleak lyrics, downbeat melodies and slower tempos, or alternatively, songs with deceivingly upbeat melodies that are simultaneously characterized by depressive lyrical undertones or imagery,” according to Wikipedia), it was musically something that I figured I’d hear in a coffee shop somewhere. I liked it. Her voice is really smooth. She spent some time in her youth attending school in Greensboro. The BCPF wanted it and yep, she got it. I had never heard anything that I knew of from Cat Power. The BCPF said that she had played me something before but it wasn’t announced who it was. New.
  • Mister Rogers – It’s Such A Good Feeling: The Best Of Mister Rogers — What the world needs now is more Fred. Fred Rogers made everything seem okay when we were kids, at least he did to me. The BCPF agreed. Life lessons, how to deal with situations, education and more. Ol’ Fred was a great guy. This is a Barnes & Noble exclusive and is on transparent red vinyl. NM (but there is a scratch on the best song on the album… boo).
  • Lou Reed – Rock N Roll Animal — Yesterday’s haul can be explained best this way: a lot of Byrds, a lot of Lou. Not a lot of either, really but multiples of both. Let’s just go with that. This is a live album of Lou doing four Velvet Underground songs and one non-VU song. I have stated many times that I am not a fan of Velvet Underground but I like (mostly) Lou solo. These versions of the VU songs were really good. Another cool aspect of this album is basically it’s the Alice Cooper band (the Welcome to My Nightmare years) with Lou instead of Alice. Dick Wagner (who played the guitar solos on “Sweet Pain” and “Flamin’ Youth” as well as the acoustic guitar on “Beth” on KISS’ Destroyer) and Steve Hunter were both guitarists on this album, “Whitey” Glan played drums and Prakash John played bass. All four of those guys were the band on Nightmare. Anywhat! It was a decent listen. NM/EX.
  • Lou Reed – Rock And Roll Heart — This was Lou’s first album on Arista records. I haven’t listened to it, yet. There were three singles released for the album, “I Believe in Love,” “Chooser and the Chosen One” and the title track. VG+.
  • The Byrds – (Untitled) — It’s untitled but really, that’s the name of the album. It’s a 2xLP that is a live show on sides 1 & 2 and studio stuffs on sides 3 & 4. It’s the first “official” live album by the band (recorded in early 1970) and the first to feature Skip Battin on bass, having replaced John York. VG+.
  • The Byrds – The Notorious Byrd Brothers — This album was #171 on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Albums of All Time List. That’s a good place for it. Some on that list I couldn’t figure why they were where they were and some I couldn’t figure out why they were there at all, but this one fits perfectly where it is. It’s a good listen. This is the one where David Crosby gets kicked out of the band. Who knows the real reason but it stemmed from his rants and political musings as well as his not wanting certain songs on the album because it was from outside writers (King/Goffin), and so on. But, the album is legit good and, again, deserves the spot it holds on the RS list. VG+.
  • The Byrds – Ballad Of Easy Rider — The title song was written by Roger McGuinn and Bob Dylan, although Dylan wasn’t credited on the album. It was, of course, featured in the film Easy Rider and this album was released to capitalize on the success of that film. Critics panned it at first but it has grown to be a strong spot holder in their discography. VG+.
  • John Entwistle – Smash Your Head Against The Wall — This was the first solo album of any of the members of The Who. The cover is quite weird. It’s his face superimposed in an x-ray of a skeleton chest. I don’t know what it sounds like as I haven’t listened to it, yet, but Jonathan said that he liked it a lot. That’s good enough for me. VG-.
  • Various – Nothing In Common – Original Soundtrack — Sealed but a cutout. Tom Hanks and Jackie Gleason. Songs from Thompson Twins, Richard Marx, Aretha Franklin, Carly Simon, Nick Hayward (from Haircut 100) and The Kinks among others. That’s all I got for it. NM.
  • Rick Wakeman – The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table — I haven’t heard this yet but I love Wakeman’s concept album stuff. I like mystic, medieval themes, too, so I will probably enjoy this. I look forward to hearing it. VG+.

We got to Underdog Records around 11am and the place was jumpin’. I like seeing a long of people in there. Jonathan had Drive-By Truckers pumping, the incense and candles burning and it was a good time in the old record store, for sure. I noticed Jonathan had a lot of used stereo equipment like equalizers, cassette decks, receivers and even a CD changer. Those were all the “black-faced” late 80s/90s stuff that for whatever reason people tend to shy away from these days. They want silver plated stuff that makes them seem a bit more “legit,” I guess but good sound is good sound. I know the black-faced stuff is more digital and solid-state and the older stuff seems more “vintage” and is possibly tube-powered. I don’t know. My stuff is all black-faced except for my turntable which is plastic but silver. Anywhat, the prices were really good and much of the stuff had been fully-serviced. So, the point is, if you want to update or create a new-to-you stereo system, Underdog Records is the place to be to get that. Listen to each new episode of The Less Desirables to hear what the TLD/UR special of the week is. I use Discogs to track my collection and Jonathan now puts QR codes on his labels to help make sure you get the right version/variant/copy in your Discogs account. Good stuff!

Until tomorrow, keep spinning…
Scorp out!

—
“I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you. I’ve always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you. So let’s make the most of this beautiful day. Since we’re together, we might as well say: Would you be mine? Could you be mine? Won’t you be my neighbor?” – “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” (Rogers)

Spinning Sunday or: The Haul 6/30/18

01 Sunday Jul 2018

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Salutations™!!

The BCPF and I were up early to head to Mary’s Gourmet Diner and then over to Underdog Records, yesterday. We were actually home before noon and that gave us over six hours of record listening before heading to Willows Bistro last night. That was great! Here’s the haul:

skidrow

©Atlantic Records

  • Skid Row – Skid Row – I have always been a fan of Sebastian Bach’s voice. He’s got power and soul. His range is amazing, too. This is a VG++ copy of the album was priced at about $20, so it was in magnificent shape and it was so fun listening to it on vinyl after years of CD listening. Great pickup!
  • Extreme – Extreme II: Pornograffitti – I wore the CD out for this album when I discovered it back in the very early 90s. I hate Gary Cherone’s voice outside of Extreme (like in Van Halen), but in Extreme, it fits darned-near perfectly. This was a VG++ copy. Now, my beef with the vinyl version of this album is the exclusion of “Hole Hearted.” I understand there are space limitations on vinyl (see my post a few months back about Dire Strait’s Brothers in Arms) but “Hole Hearted” made it to #4 on the charts! They could have left off “It (‘s a Monster)” or something else. Oh well. I also think this is the Canadian version of the album.
  • Polvo – Shapes – I had never heard of this band before but The BCPF says that they were a staple of the Chapel Hill scene in the early- and mid-90s. I know that it was mixed and partially recorded at my pal Mitch Easter’s Fidelitorium in K-Ville. It was a lot of soft to heavy stuff and I enjoyed listening with her. It was in VG++ shape.
  • Various – Lost In The Stars (The Music Of Kurt Weill) – Kurt Weill was a German/American composer and songwriter active in the 1920s through to his death in 1950. Perhaps his best-known work was The Threepenny Opera which featured the song “Mack the Knife.” This tribute has Sting, Lou Reed, Tom Waits, Marianne Faithfull, Todd Rundgren and others doing his songs. I loved all of it. The BCPF liked some of it. It was great stuff, to me. VG+.
  • Chris Stamey Group Special Guests The dB’s – Christmas Time – Chris Stamey is a Chapel Hill, NC native that spent a lot of time in WSNC. He was in bands with Alex Chilton of Big Star and he was also in Sneakers with Mitch Easter. He later formed the dBs with Peter Holsapple, which along with REM and Let’s Active (Easter’s band) led the charge for guitar bands in the southeast. It’s a Christmas album. That’s what I know of it other than what I’ve already said. VG+.
  • The Dream Academy – The Dream Academy – Yes, “Life in a Northern Town.” But, this album was so much more than just that song. The whole album is in that vein but it’s just as good as that song. This was in the $1 bin and there was a skip here and there but very little. I’m going to say VG.
  • Van Halen – Van Halen – the awesome first VH album and I got it for $1. After cleaning it up, it was in really good shape. Not much surface noise at all and not a single skip. I was quite pleased with that acquisition. I’ll go with VG.
  • The J. Geils Band – Ladies Invited – I don’t recognize any songs on here, but it was $1, so why not? VG.
  • Go-Go’s – Beauty And The Beat  – Yep, “Head Over Heels,” “This Town,” and “We Got the Beat.” No skips and it was only $1. VG.
  • Various – Top Gun (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – $1 bin find. You don’t pass this soundtrack up. VG.
  • Michel Legrand And His Orchestra – The New I Love Paris – I’ve said it before but The BCPF and I are obsessed with French music from the 50s and 60s. It was $1 so there you go. VG-.

So, a while back, Jonathan had given me a crate of “warped” records that he was going to let me do some experimenting with because I wanted to play with flattening them. I went through some of them yesterday and while there was a little bit of warble on the turntable, none of the ones I pulled were too awfully bad. So, here’s what I cleaned from that stack:

  • Christopher Cross – Another Page – It’s the album with “All Right” and “Think of Laura.” The LP itself was in pretty good shape with the slightest warp. I would say it’s about VG.
  • Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim – Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim – Ol’ Blue Eyes. Not too bad. VG-.
  • Bruce Springsteen – Human Touch and Bruce Springsteen – Lucky Town – Sister releases, ninth and tenth of Springsteen’s studio albums, released on the same day. Lucky Town was still sealed. They each had a little warble but all in all, VG/VG+.
  • The Beach Boys – Endless Summer – 2xLP compilation album. I had to do some serious washing on this album and there were some spots on the album that I have no idea what it is. I washed it extra long and most but not all of that scum came off of the wax. I’d say G+, and that’s being generous.
  • Richard Marx – Rush Street – I’m a huge fan of Richard Marx, whether I should be or not. I dig him. One of my favorite tunes from him and this album is “Hazard.” I love the story. Not much warp, either. VG/VG+.
  • K.T. Oslin – 80’s Ladies – Still sealed and not much warpage. VG/VG+.
  • Various – Happy Days – Fonzie Favorites – Yeah, I don’t know. It was there and I couldn’t resist cleaning it to see what came of it. I’ve not listened to it but it’s mostly Doo-wop and old rock and roll. Everly Brothers, Bobby Darin, Bill Haley & the Comets, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Coasters, The Chantels, etc. VG.
  • Bee Gees – 1st – The guys, including the non-Brothers Gibb, look way young. It’s the coolest that Barry Gibb has ever looked, I’d say. It’s called 1st and for a major label, it is their first, but it’s third in their actual discography. It has the tune “New York Mining Disaster 1941” on it. VG. Mono.
  • Tom Jones – What A Night – I love me some Tom Jones. According to its Wikipedia page, “the album was promoted by Epic as showing a more sensitive and thoughtful side to the singer.” Okay. G+.

So, that’s a pretty good haul or at least a pretty good addition. Jonathan had a pretty good selection of receivers and turntables in Underdog Records yesterday. It’s a great way to start your record collecting (besides having something to play them on), having good and decent equipment.

Thanks to Discogs for providing a place to keep a record of what I have in my collection. Last night at Willows I was able to compare notes and collections with my good friend Michael. Discogs is great.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“A Salvation Army band played and the children drank lemonade and the morning lasted all day, all day. And through an open window came, like Sinatra in a younger day, pushing the town away, away. Life in a northern town.” – “Life in a Northern Town” (Laird-Clowes/Gabriel)

Silent Sunday or: The Haul 7/8/17

09 Sunday Jul 2017

Posted by in Records, Silent Sunday

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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

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)