Today is the 41st anniversary of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ Damn the Torpedoes album. The album is amazing from start to finish. But, here we see “Weird Al” Yankovic do something, well… weird. He’s doing a “straight cover.” He always does parodies or polkas but rarely (if ever?) does he do a “straight cover.” A straight cover is when you just cover a song. He does that here. And, it’s impressive. Enjoy!
Until tomorrow, same blog channel… Scorp out!
— “We got somethin’, we both know it, we don’t talk too much about it. Ain’t no real big secret all the same, somehow we get around it. Listen, it don’t really matter to me, baby. You believe what you want to believe.” – “Refugee” (Petty/Campbell)
The BCPF and I shook things up yesterday. We started with brunch at Mozelle’s and then after Underdog Records, we went to wineries with our friends PJ3 and his wife, Susan. We then met up with the couple at Mojito Latin Soul Food. Here’s the Underdog Records haul:
Mar1lyn Man5on – Mechanical Animals — This is an import, the best I can tell. It’s my favorite Manson album, at least from what I remember from the last time I listened. The last two that I got are pretty danged good. This is on yellow splatter vinyl. 2xLP. New.
Tom Petty – Wildflowers & All The Rest — I don’t have Wildflowers, I don’t think, on any medium. This is a 3xLP that combines a newly remastered Wildflowers with something called All the Rest. There is also a 7xLP version and a 9xLP box set. I didn’t need all that. New.
Mariah Carey – Mariah Carey — The first note she sings on “Vision of Love,” I will contend, immediately rendered Whitney Houston irrelevant. That’s my opinion, I know. However, I love Whitney’s first album but after that, I just couldn’t stomach her. Mariah, however, got me through her first two albums before she totally turned me off. Mariah, still has a great voice. Whitney’s only saving grace after this was “I Will Always Love You” and while she sang that fantastically, she couldn’t touch Mariah’s voice. New.
Melvin Van Peebles – Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (An Opera) — I love blaxploitation films. I try to watch as many as possible. I love the whole early 70s Harlem/NYC feel. The grit, the “gray.” I don’t know, I just dig it. This was playing in the store when we went and it’s like new.
So, it was a short haul. Mostly because next week is the final drop of the RSD make-up dates (not counting the ridiculous RSD Black Friday that they’re still going to have). That means for next Saturday it will be lottery-winners only. It also means that you have right now to register for that lottery spot. I hope I get drawn. I got drawn both of the last two. Go to the Underdog Records website to register for the lottery drawing. It will be Wednesday at the latest, Tuesday most likely. So, get your entry in, now! Also, I use Discogs for tracking my collection, getting info, buying hard-to-find records, and seeing my friends’ collections. You should, too!
Until tomorrow, keep spinnin’… Scorp out!
— “Prayed through the nights. Felt so alone. Suffered through alienation. Carried the weight on my own. Had to be strong. So I believed. And now I know I’ve succeeded in finding the place I conceived. I had a vision of love and it was all that you’ve given to me.” – “Vision of Love” (Carey/Margulies)
I feel we’re getting closer to being able to rummage through some used vinyl in the next month or so, but until then Jonathan is still delivering vinyl from Underdog Records all during the week. I think sales have been okay for him but I’m sure he could use some more. Head over to the Underdog Records website, or follow on Instagram (Jonathan’s preferred method) and Facebook to see what you can purchase.
And, per usual, this week’s streaming listens comes from Discogs’ shuffle feature and it has to be an album that I own on vinyl (outside of peripheral things like Beeswax Vinyl & More listens), that way it’s like listening to my vinyl but with headphones from my computer whilst The BCPF works 10 feet away. Here’s the list (this is in order of listens):
Again, check out Underdog Records’ social and web stuffs. Buy records. Use Discogs to keep track of your collection and use it’s groovy (see what I did there) shuffle feature.
Until tomorrow, keep spinnin’…
Scorp out!
— “Father, father, we don’t need to escalate. You see, war is not the answer. For only love can conquer hate. You know we’ve got to find a way to bring some loving here today.” – “What’s Going On” (Gaye/Cleveland/Benson)
Yep, I am a day behind on this because yesterday was Mother’s Day.
So, Underdog Records is still “closed” and Jonathan says that while he does see reopening in the near future, it will still be several weeks, and procedures within the store will be different. He’s doing a shload of deliveries right now, though. Head over to the Underdog Records website, or follow on Instagram (Jonathan’s preferred method) and Facebook to see what you can purchase.
And, per usual, this week’s streaming listens comes from Discogs’ shuffle feature and it has to be an album that I own on vinyl (outside of peripheral things like Beeswax Vinyl & More listens), that way it’s like listening to my vinyl but with headphones from my computer whilst The BCPF works 10 feet away. Here’s the list:
That was a really good listening session, other than I need to find a better copy of Running on Empty because that was clearly a $1 bin find and is in really bad shape. Almost unlistenable at times. So, it’s on my hunt list, I guess.
I cannot wait to flip through the used records again. I want to buy a lot of them! I have an impressive collection now but that’s not enough. I want more! Part of the experience is the ability to collect. We’ll work on it. Patience, old man… patience.
Again, check out Underdog Records’ social and web stuffs. Buy records. Use Discogs to keep track of your collection and use it’s groovy (see what I did there) shuffle feature.
Until tomorrow, keep spinnin’…
Scorp out!
— “You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice. If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice. You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill. I will choose a path that’s clear, I will choose freewill.” – “Freewill” (Peart/Lee/Lifeson)
There were some albums that had anniversaries today but nothing I cared about so I’m borrowing one from tomorrow. Tomorrow is the 42nd anniversary of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ You’re Gonna Get It! album. I believe I’ve done this song with Clay in the past. Anywhat! This is a great tune and it’s not really a cover but a duet with a guest singer. Enjoy!
Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!
— “Well, the talk on the street says you might go solo. Good friend of mine saw you leavin’ by your back door.” – “I Need to Know” (Petty)
Today is the anniversaries of several albums: ABBA’s ABBA (45th), Pete Townshend’s Empty Glass (40th), Bananarama’s Bananarama (36th), Accept’s Russian Roulette (34th), Siouxsie And The Banshees’ Tinderbox (34th), Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough) (33rd), Beastie Boys’ Check Your Head (28th), and The Cure’ Wish (28th). This is the tune I had to go with, though. Lots of mystery around it when it was released and obviously too much for Roger Daltrey to handle. Cool that this version features Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour on lead guitar. Enjoy!
Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!
— “Tough boys. Running the streets. Come a little closer. Rough toys. Under the sheets. Nobody knows her. Rough boys. Don’t walk away. I very nearly missed you. Tough boys. Come over here. I wanna bite and kiss you.” – “Rough Boys” (Townshend)
The BCPF and I have been quarantined and like I said last week, we actually don’t have time during the week to listen to records, even though we have been surrounded by them all day every day for the past three weeks. But, when The BCPF is doing her thing and I am doing mine, I go under headphones and listen to streaming. Yes, believe it or not, I do stream and have CDs. It’s not all about the vinyl. It’s just my preferred way. But, when I am streaming for the home time, I still do a random grab with Discogs and that means it’s stuff that I already have on vinyl. So, this past Wednesday, I think – days are running together – I had a good listen of the following (sorry about the weird black border on the pic):
So, there you have it. Make sure you follow Underdog Records on social media, particularly Instagram. That way you know what he’s putting out for sale. Also, check out the website as Jonathan’s web store is back in business! You can pay via Venmo, CashApp or PayPal and he can bring it to you or ship it for $4 (that’s unlimited LPs for that price). Also, use Discogs to catalog your music collection, no matter the format.
Until tomorrow, keep spinnin’…
Scorp out!
— “Up on the hill, people never stare. They just don’t care. Chinese music under banyan trees here at the dude ranch above the sea. Aja. When all my dime dancin’ is through, I run to you.” – “Aja” (Fagen/Becker)
The BCPF and I slept late because we were out late, even though I didn’t get to play on Friday night. But, we did eventually get by to Underdog Records and had a little bit of listening time before our Saturday evening plans. Here’s the haul:
Belle And Sebastian – Days Of The Bagnold Summer — When anything by Belle & Sabastian comes out, we jump on it. This is to a soundtrack of a film, I guess by the name of Days of the Bagnold Summer. It is a great album. If you’re not familiar with B&S, you should check them out. I understand it’s not for everyone but you never know, you may like it. New.
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – Southern Accents — Petty’s 1985 album that spawned “Don’t Come Around Here No More,” “Rebels” and “Make It Better (Forget About Me).” It’s a great album. EX/VG++.
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough) — His follow up to the previous entry, this one had “Jammin’ Me,” “Runaway Trains,” “All Mixed Up” and “Think About Me” released as singles. A great album, as well. EX/VG++.
The Police – Ghost In The Machine — I had this one already but only in VG condition. I just couldn’t pass up a VG++ version. So, I’ll trade the other one in to Jonathan. This is tied for second of my favorite Police albums with Outlandos d’Amour, Reggatta de Blanc and Zenyatta Mondatta (yes, that is all their other albums) after Synchronicity. “Invisible Sun,” “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” “Spirits in the Material World” and “Secret Journey” were the singles but “Omegaman,” “Demolition Man,” “Rehumanize Yourself” and “Too Much Information” is also on this album.
David Bowie – Tonight — This may shock some people but the first time I ever heard of, or anything by, Bowie was “Blue Jean” from this album. I hated it. I don’t know why. It was because of the video on TBS’s Night Tracks music video program. Remember, I didn’t have MTV until 1986. I also didn’t have access to Bowie on the radio. I was so out of touch. That’s why I make it my mission, now, to absorb as much as I can. Bowie continues his writing with Iggy Pop on this album and does a Beach Boys cover (“God Only Knows” from Pet Sounds) and a Chuck Jackson cover (“I Keep Forgettin'”) and does a duet with Tina Turner on the title track. I love this album. VG++.
Chopin, Artur Rubinstein – Nocturnes (Complete) — You’ll see from the next few entries, there were a number of classical albums. This one first. It’s a 2xLP set of, well, the complete set of Nocturnes from ol’ Fred. VG.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Love Beach — Released two days before my eighth birthday, this is the “nadir” of ELP’s output. It’s the last one before they split up. They didn’t play together again until 1992. Although, Keith Emerson and Greg Lake did join up with Cozy Powell for a whole different ELP in the mid-80s. That’s the first time I ever heard of ELP and didn’t know that Palmer was even a thing. Anyway, this is supposed to be earth-shatteringly awful which makes me want to hear it. According to Keith Emerson, the album was “an embarrassment against everything I’ve worked for.” It was $1 and goes in my ELP collection. A win for me, even if it does suck like a Hoover. VG/VG+.
When we got to Underdog Records yesterday, Jonathan had put out some doughnuts from Krispy Kreme and we each had one. Jonathan is always doing cool things for his customers. He has a lot of speaker pairs for sale right now, you should check out the Underdog Records’ Instagram and Facebook to see what he has. Plus, follow to see what he’s just picked up or acquired and is putting out for purchase. Listen to each new episode of The Less Desirables to hear what the TLD/UR special of the week is!
I use Discogs to keep track of what I have so when I came across an album in the store I can look to see if I already have it. I was talking to another customer in the store and he says he gets home and realizes he already had a copy of something and just keeps it. I told him to use Discogs and that doesn’t happen as often. It does sometimes but not usually.
Until tomorrow, keep spinning…
Scorp out!
— “I got my own way of workin’, but everything is run with a southern accent where I come from.” – “Southern Accents” (Petty)
The BCPF and I had a very quiet Saturday. Well, quiet in terms of activities. We did the Mary’s Gourmet Diner thing and Willows thing last night, and… we did our Underdog Records thing. We came out a little light, which is okay. We got some quality stuff and that’s what matters. Here it is.
Pearl Jam – Ten (when I was younger and dumber when this album came out, I thought it was crap but now that I’ve grown and become more open-minded I see it for the awesomeness it is; new)
Contraband – Nothing To Hide (I know nothing of this band but listened to some of it when Jonathan was screening it and liked it; it was a promo copy with the promo sticker still on the cover; VG+)
A shorter haul than usual, but a good and fruitful haul, methinks. I know that Jonathan is gearing up for 11/24 which is the Black Friday edition of Record Store Day. You can visit the official site to see what is being released that day. Jonathan also has a rotating stock of used receivers and turntables and you can get gift certificates for gifts, as well. PLUS, if you go in this week and mention The Less Desirables ad, you can get a little extra cheddar on the gift cert. And the certs are cool because he does it on a 45/7″/single (your generational position will determine which of those makes the most sense). When you start your collecting or if you are already collecting, catalog your collection on Discogs and then send me a message, we can share collection listings.
Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!
— “You better watch what you say. You better watch what you do to me. Don’t get carried away. Girl, if you can do better than me, go. Yeah, go but remember: good love is hard to find. Good love is hard to find. You got lucky, babe. You got lucky, babe, when I found you” – “You Got Lucky” (Petty/Campbell)
The BCPF and I had a great day yesterday and that included a great haul from Underdog Records. The quantity was lower than normal but the quality was dyn-o-mite! So, let’s not even wait:
Miles Davis – Bitches Brew (my newfound obsession with Miles Davis, and the fact that this is on the Top 500 Albums of All Time – yes, I’m going to try and collect them all – I had to grab this classic, new)
Alice Cooper – Special Forces (it was one of the Eugeology albums and I want to also collect those, reissue, new)
Rush – Moving Pictures (VG- copy according to Jonathan, although listening to it after cleaning it, even though there is a long scratch on the vinyl, there was never any indication of it, I’d say VG or even VG+ as far as listenability goes)
So, as you can see, it’s not a long list today but we really enjoyed the haul. Jonathan is always getting in, cleaning and putting out new used inventory and every day is a new adventure in Underdog Records. Records have become one of my new passions (along with cooking) and I love listening to them. I hear things on albums I’ve owned on CD for years that I never even knew existed. Good stuff, indeed. Also, not to throw in a shameless plug for The Less Desirables, but there is a weekly Underdog Records/TLD special, every week. To hear what that special is, you have to listen to TLD to find out. Sneaky, I know, but hey, it’s my job (literally). I also keep all my personal collection logged into Discogs.
Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!
— “Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been. Lives in a dream. Waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door. Who is it for? All the lonely people. Where do they all come from? All the lonely people. Where do they all belong?” – “Eleanor Rigby” (Lennon/McCartney)
