Tag Archives: Traffic

Spinning Sunday or: The Listening 5/16/20

17 Sunday May 2020

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Salutations™!!

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):

collage1051720

A pretty good list. Then The BCPF and I listened to these, on vinyl, yesterday:

collage2051720

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)

Spinning Monday or: The Haul 2/2/19

05 Tuesday Feb 2019

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Salutations™!!

Yes, this is usually a Sunday thing but Sunday and yesterday were either an important day or just something I had to rant about instead. So, here’s the haul from Saturday from Underdog Records.

Bent_out_of_shape_rainbow

©Mercury

  • Cherry Glazerr – Stuffed & Ready — Another try at introducing The BCPF to a group that I think she’d like. I’m usually successful and this another triumph. It’s a little Riot Grrl ish but that’s okay because she likes that stuff. Girl power! Jonathan said this was a little heavier than their past stuff but he also said he likes everything they do. Win! New.
  • Green Day – Kerplunk! — This is the second album from Green Day, the last indie release before signing with Reprise Records and the massive hit album Dookie was released and it’s the first with Tré Cool on drums. This is the 2009 reissue, VG+.
  • Donovan – Sunshine Superman / In Concert At The Anaheim Convention Center — As the title suggests, it’s a 2xLP/true Double Album as it is Sunshine Superman and a live album packaged together. VG+.
  • Weezer – Raditude — Weezer’s last on Interscope/DGC/Geffen. The title was suggested by Dwight Schrüte from The Office. Actually, it was Rainn Wilson who played Dwight, but still… VG.
  • Rainbow – Bent Out Of Shape — I’m trying to expand my classic hard rock repertoire beyond just what Eugene introduced me to in 2017. I’m trying. I’m trying. I don’t know much about the album. It was there. I purchased it. VG+.
  • U2 – Under A Blood Red Sky (Live) — Live album from the Irish lads that featured songs from their first three albums and was the soundtrack to a companion film of (almost) the same name. Great versions of the tunes, too. It was right before The Unforgettable Fire which was still before “my U2 time.” But, I really like that album, and the next few, a lot. VG+.
  • Rod Stewart – The Rod Stewart Album — Stewart’s debut solo record. I don’t know that I cared for his “Man of Constant Sorrow” but I did like the rest of the album. I like the elegant sleek yellow cover. In the UK it was called An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down which was one of the songs on the album. Lots of Faces and other special guests on the album. VG+.
  • Joni Mitchell – Mingus — A collaboration with Charles Mingus prior to his passing, we get to hear a shload of Jaco Pastorius on this record. It’s very experimental and some of it is “out there,” but it’s worth every second. Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Peter Erskine (along with Jaco) on one album? Wow! VG+.
  • UB40 – Labour Of Love — Yes, the whole thing sounds like “Red Red Wine.” But, it’s reggae with electronica sprinkled in and some of it is really “slow jammy” which is cool with me. It’s not a great record but it’s a decent record. VG+.
  • John Waite – Mask Of Smiles — The lackluster follow-up to No Brakes which had “Missing You.” It was there and I thought the picture on the back was funny. VG+.
  • ABBA – Voulez-Vous — “Chiquitita”, “Does Your Mother Know” and “I Have a Dream” were the singles of this album which saw the group embracing disco. I didn’t know they ever didn’t embrace it…? VG+.
  • Traffic – Mr. Fantasy — Traffic’s debut album. The cover and tracklisting the US got were different than the UK release which was fairly common at that time. It’s a decent record. The band was a four-piece but Dave Mason left before the album was released. VG.
  • Mott – Drive On — Mott the Hoople after Ian Hunter left. I don’t know anything about the album, but I like the Mott the Hoople stuff I’ve heard. Let’s hope it wasn’t all about Hunter. VG.
  • Rick Wakeman – Journey To The Centre Of The Earth — Yes’ keyboardist extraordinaire doing his composition based on the Jules Verne novel of the same name. I want to hear it. It’s in rough shape but I still have it as VG, but the cover is really rough (G/F+). It was a $1 bin find.

Jonathan had sold a couple of speakers when we were there and there were a lot of other speakers to choose from. A lot of cool stuff in there. I meant to ask him about the Curated by Underdog program. I kind of want to know how he’d curate music for me. Listen to The Less Desirables every Wednesday (or when you get to it) and hear the TLD/UR special of the week. Also, I highly recommend you use Discogs to catalog and track your music collection (no matter the format).

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Under a blood red sky a crowd has gathered in black and white. Arms entwined, the chosen few. The newspapers says, says… Say it’s true, it’s true and we can break through. Though torn in two, we can be one. I will begin again.” – “New Year’s Day” (U2)

Step One or: I Have to Get What Done?

31 Thursday Jan 2019

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Salutations™!!

Well, the first step of getting 3B on the track to compliance with his speeding ticket has been accomplished. That first step is getting him registered for the “Alive at 25” course at FTCC. But, getting that done took a lot more steps than is really needed.5c100913baa98.image_

Since he is only 16, we had to turn in a minor release form. Okay, I say, I’m his parent so I should just have to give permission. Nope. I had to have him fill out the release with his signature. I then had to sign it in front of a Notary Public to verify my signature. Okay, good enough, right? Wrong! I then had to go to his high school and have them sign off on this course. I was perturbed at that as I don’t feel it’s the school’s business what he is doing, as far as driving goes, away from school. If he had been arrested, yeah, okay, but he wasn’t. Whatevs. I got it done.

I have to say, really the hardest part was getting my signature notarized. I, myself, am a Notary Public and I’m used to witnessing a lot of things, but the only signature I can’t notarize is my own, so I had to find an NP.

3B and I met at Zesto Burgers & Ice Cream to have lunch and give him time to fill his out. On the hill across from Zesto is a BB&T. They’re good friends with Algenon from Zesto and he said they’d take care of me. I walked in and they were super nice, but I was told the policy is that they can only notarize things for BB&T customers. Well, that’s inconvenient, but I get it and all this needs to be a little inconvenient for everyone. Figuring I had to go to the bank that I am a client, I asked the BB&T manager about the closest Suntrust. He suggested the Ogburn Station branch. I haven’t been on that side of town in a while, so okay.

As I was headed for Suntrust, I got to thinking… hey. When you’re a Notary Public, you’re an appointed agent of the state in which you are a resident, not an agent for any institution. And, in that, as long as there is no legal warrants or precedence to dissuade you from witnessing a signature, you do it, regardless of who they may or may not do business with. As far as I know, me not being a client doesn’t constitute a disqualification from “witness.”

Oh well. The awesome lady at Suntrust agreed with me and she didn’t charge me for the service, which could have been “professional courtesy” since I, too, am a Notary Public. Or, she just may not charge for her services. I usually don’t. I mean, I can only charge a minimal nominal fee anyway.  More hassle than helpful at that point. Thanks to K Love regardless of the reason.

And, I got him signed up for the class which happens on Saturday. And it’s probably much earlier than he wants it to be for a Saturday. Here’s hoping the inconvenience is a good deterrent for future incidents he may have like this. Inconvenience on his part and on ours. It may not matter, but here’s hoping.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Car chases usually don’t involve major criminals – they’re usually guys afraid of getting another traffic ticket.” – Dennis Farina

What Am I Becoming? or: Stop Right There!

28 Monday Jan 2019

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Salutations™!!

As much as I love this city of mine, the grand ol’ WSNC, I worry that I’m starting to become a curmudgeon like my bestest buddy, Eugene. Why you ask? Well, I’ll tell you.

I understand that we’ve known the Business 40 shutdown has been coming for the last decade (or so it seems). And, frankly, I’m not complaining that that road is out of commission for the next 20 months or so. I’m okay with that. What I am not okay with is the Camel Citizens that have seemingly lost their collective driving minds since it happened.

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©WS Journal

It doesn’t help that the city has done little-to-nothing to help the traffic with the endless mess of construction, either on the streets or on things around streets that will close without warning to make the whole “plan your alternate routes now” we were spewed from City Planning/DOT. It doesn’t matter how we plan our route, we won’t know until we’re driving on them, which roads may be closed for any myriad of reasons.

I have tried and tried to take up for the City for all of this for years, but it’s getting harder and harder. Now, as annoyed as I am, I can still traverse the roads when something is askew. Most other drivers – not all, but most – have, again, lost their danged minds.

Then when they work on roads, they will leave gaping holes in the pavement for long periods of time. We know when the weather is wintery and crappy it does extra damage to the roads. But, yet, they’ll put in some plumbing or something to a business and then leave it with just the crusher run rock in the hole and that stuff isn’t meant to withstand long periods of exposure. It creates mini craters in the road.

Or, they will dig something up and patch the road where they were working with asphalt, but don’t fix a hole that has been in the road for a year or more when it’s less than 10 feet from the spot they were working on. I understand the politics and ways and means and cost and all that, but it wouldn’t take three shovels full of the black stuff to fill that hole, too.

The worst is when they will mill a street, repave the street where it is pristine and beautiful and then dig up the new asphalt to fix some mysterious problem under the road and then patch the hole with inferior blacktop and it sinks and the new pristine pavement is just as crappy as older in-need streets around town. I don’t understand why they couldn’t fix the problem before they paved the street. Surely, all new problems can’t arise only where there’s new pavement?

And, another thing, and this is something that I know Eugene has been complaining about as long as I’ve known him. The danged traffic lights. Not the outlying/suburban lights so much but the ones downtown.

I know with the technology available today, there must be a way to put the lights in this town on a better timer system that we are with now. During the day, I get having the lights last longer. But, after 6pm when everyone has “packed like lemmings into shiny metal boxes, (like) contestants in a suicidal race” (thanks Sting) and gone home, why must we sit at a light for 2 minutes when there is absolutely nothing coming from the other direction? Or, be green until someone gets close to it? It’s like there is some sensor just waiting to stop you. I mean, it’s green. Green. Green. Green. Green. I get close. It turns red. So, I stop. And nothing is coming from the other direction. What the heck is that all about? Why did I have to stop? It makes no sense.

So, yeah, I guess I am becoming Eugene. But, really, the city is doing itself a disservice and it wouldn’t take much to fix the problem. Also, can we have a better warning system, be it online, social media or whatever to let you know what random street is going to be closed at any given time? I’m not talking about Waze or whatever, I am talking about someone to actually alert citizens to their screwups. Get it right, WSNC. Get it right.

Okay, soap box back under the bed.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Everybody likes driving through scenic, winding roads. It’s hard to find people who like sitting in traffic in cities.” – Karl Iagnemma

Spinning Sunday or: The Haul 8/11/18

12 Sunday Aug 2018

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Salutations™!!

Queensryche_-_Operation_Mindcrime_cover

©EMI

It was a great average Saturday for The BCPF and me. Sun was out mostly in the morning/early afternoon. We got home from Underdog Records and the bottom fell out. It was done before we went to Willows and stayed nice the rest of the evening. Here’s what happened at Underdog:

  • Queensrÿche – Operation: Mindcrime — I didn’t buy this from Underdog but I did get it from there. After looking for this album for a long while and through some negotiation, I finally was able to convince my friend Bill B-A to part with his copy. It sounds fantastic on vinyl and I actually heard things I hadn’t ever noticed. That happens with vinyl I have noticed. Once my favorite album of all-time, it moved down one notch when I realized the love I had for So by Peter Gabriel. Listening to this again, it can still be a contender. VG+ from Bill.
  • U2 – Achtung Baby — #63 on the RS list which brings me to 200 from that list. The search continues. One of my favorite U2 albums and the last before they went into “temporary insanity” state. “Mysterious Ways” and “One” are probably my two faves on this album, while “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” and “Even Better Than the Real Thing” are awesome, too. 2xLP New.
  • The Sisters Of Mercy – Floodland — This is solely a The BCPF thing. She went through (and still lives through some memories of) a goth stage when she was a bit younger. This is definitely “Dark Wave” material and I can see why she likes it. She is especially fond of “This Corrosion.” New.
  • Dio – The Last In Line — I couldn’t pass it up. VG.
  • Whitesnake – Whitesnake — One of my favorite hard rock albums of all time. There are no real clunkers on this album and I had hoped to get it on Record Store Day but while Jonathan ordered several copies, he only got two. Even being fourth in line didn’t get me that album. He had it this time. It was a label promo but that’s okay. It’s the full album. VG+.
  • Golden Earring – Moontan — Although there are only five songs on the album, it isn’t an EP because it still comes in at about 40 minutes. This is the “Radar Love” album. I didn’t know that Golden Earring were Dutch. VG.
  • George Harrison – George Harrison — A good album with some great tunes. It’s no All Things Must Pass, to be sure, but it is good nonetheless. “Blown Away,” “Faster,” and “Love Comes to Everyone” are on this album. VG+.
  • Nick Lowe – Labour Of Lust — Yes, I got this for “Cruel to be Kind.” No, the rest of the album isn’t as good as that tune. But, there are some good pop-music things going on in this album. It’s decent. VG+.
  • Journey – Look Into The Future — Journey’s second album and the penultimate to feature Gregg Rolie on vocals exclusively (which I think is a good thing, I’ve never really been a big fan of his). VG.
  • Various – The Story Of Great Music: Prelude To Modern Music and Various – The Story Of Great Music: The Romantic Era — Each from 1966 and are TimeLife collections, 4xLP each and the “Modern Music” one is VG++ in mono and the “Romantic Era” is NM in mono. I’m actually listening to the first one as I write this.
  • Traffic – The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys — Notable for its really strange die-cut cover, this is a really good album from Traffic. The title song is a great listen as well as the whole album, really. Better than I initially gave it credit for. VG+.
  • The Alan Parsons Project – The Turn Of A Friendly Card — Man, I really dig me some APP. Who’d-a-thunk when I was a young lad listening to music and only knowing “Eye in the Sky” that I would grow up to become such a fan of the other (and in many ways better) APP albums? “Games People Play” and “Time” are the two best tunes on here, in my opinion. VG.
  • Robert Palmer – Heavy Nova — $1 bin find. It has “Simply Irresistible” and I know not much more than that. I think I got it from Columbia House on cassette when it came out because I forgot to send in my card. I may have sent it back or considered sending it back. I think I kept it, though. Oh well, it was $1. VG.
  • The Voices Of Walter Schumann – Songs Of The Ivy League — I have no idea what this is other than college songs. School songs and such. So it will be interesting. The BCPF wanted it for some song that was on The Gilmore Girls and it was $1. 10″ and in VG.

It’s always fun just going into Underdog Records and hearing people say they were playing “Beat the Beemans.” Yeah, we get there and start grabbing stuff as this list shows but there is a method to the madness, but we shan’t divulge the method. Check out The Less Desirables for the weekly TLD/UDR special that runs.

Discogs is where I catalog my entire collection. It (usually) keeps me from getting duplicates and helps me figure what’s left to get for my collection. I recommend using them.

Until tomorrow, keep spinning…
Scorp out!

—
“Did I disappoint you? Or leave a bad taste in your mouth? You act like you never had love and you want me to go without. Well, it’s too late, tonight, to drag the past out into the light. We’re one, but we’re not the same. We get to carry each other. Carry each other. One.” – “One” (Evans/Hewson/Mullen/Clayton)

Skipped the Play or: Her Name is…

10 Thursday May 2018

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Salutations™!!

You know I’ve been posting albums that correlate with release days and all that good stuff, right? Yeah. Well, a month or so ago I posted my Top 10 albums that had an impact on my life or some other superlative. One of those ten was Duran Duran’s Rio.

220px-DuranRio

©Capitol Records

 

Well, today is the 36th anniversary of its release. But, because I had my first appointment this morning at 8am and then another meeting at 11a that lasted until 1:30p, stopping for lunch, going to the studio and downloading (or trying to) video off of four different devices to be able to piece together something later, pick up 3B from school, run to my optometrist to get my replacement contacts, go back to the studio to finish the downloads, go to dinner with 3B and his girlfriend and her family, go with them to a carnival that came through town and finally getting home around 8:30p, I didn’t have time to play the record.

So, I want to say that I love that album, because it’s well-written, has great tunes and one of my favorite bass players of all-time, John Taylor. It’s just a great album. Happy anniversary to it.

The album 11-17-70 from Elton John was also released on this day in 1971, so it’s 47 years old. I would have played it.

Twisted Sister’s Stay Hungry is 34 as of today.

I don’t have it on vinyl but Steelheart’s self-titled album came out 28 years ago. I really liked a few tunes on that.

The Weezer self-titled (blue album) was released 24 years ago today. I have that on vinyl.

Also, today is the birthday of U2’s singer, Bono. He’s 58 years old today. So, I probably would have played War or The Unforgettable Fire for that.

I would have played Cosmic Wheels from Donovan, Traffic by Traffic (Dave Mason) and Bloody Tourists by 10cc (Graham Gouldman) because they all turned 72 today.

I would have played Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols because it would have been Sid Vicious’ 61st birthday (even though he played bass on just one song).

May 10 had a lot of things happening when it comes to my vinyl collection. It’s quite a day. Great stuff. I probably wouldn’t have gotten to all of it had I had time to play stuff, but it would have been tough to decide what to actually play. Rio would definitely be one, the rest would be a guessing game. But, thanks for reading what I would have tried to get in had I been home.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Moving on the floor now babe you’re a bird of paradise. Cherry ice cream smile, I suppose it’s very nice. With a step to your left and a flick to the right you catch that mirror way out west. You know you’re something special and you look like you’re the best. Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand, just like that river twisting through a dusty land. And when she shines she really shows you all she can. Oh, Rio, Rio dance across the Rio Grande.” – “Rio” (Le Bon/Taylor/Taylor/Taylor/Rhodes)

 

Silent Sunday or: The Haul 12/9/17

10 Sunday Dec 2017

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Salutations™!!

A lazy, snowy day in WSNC yesterday. It was great, though. It was cold enough to snow and the ground warm enough to not allow it to stick to the roads. They were navigatable and it was beautiful. The flakes were big and fluffy. The BCPF and I loved it. It was cool to stand in Underdog Records, talking records, life, music in general, everything. It was just cool. So, we walked out with this:

Phil_Collins_-_Face_Value

©Virgin

 

So, there you have this week’s haul. Not a bad one, I don’t think. We have sure enjoyed listening to the five or six we got through yesterday (and into today). Right now you can get an additional 10% on a gift certificate (also a 45RPM record with a sticker, très chic!) to give to that record lover that you just don’t know what they have already (and don’t look at Discogs to find out). Jonathan has a few turntables, both new and used, in the store right now! Go check them out. And, if you haven’t noticed, I like Discogs, a lot!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Sukie was the kid, she liked to hang out in the graveyard. She did brass rubbings, she learned you never had to press hard. When she finished hanging out she was all alone. She decided that she better check in at home. There was an awful row between her mum and dad. They said she hadn’t done this, she hadn’t done that. If she wanted to remain inside the family home she’d have to tow the line, she’d have to give it a go. It didn’t suit Sukie, so she took her things and left.” – “Sukie in the Graveyard” (Kildea/Geddes/Cooke/Colburn/Martin/Jackson/Murdoch

Silent Sunday or: The Haul 11/18/17

19 Sunday Nov 2017

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Salutations™!!StreetSurvivorsFlames

So this week will be a mixture of the take from Underdog Records and a shload of records that I didn’t know that I owned. Let me explain. About 10 years ago, my ex-wife and my mother went to an auction (they were always going to auctions) and purchased a ton of records. They only wanted to rock records but it was one of those, you take one you have to take the whole thing deals. Well, I didn’t have a record player back then. So they got stored. And, I forgot about them. About 3 weeks ago, my ex-wife asked me if I got the ones out of the cabin. What are you talking about? We didn’t have any in the cabin. She informed me that yes we did. I thought perhaps it was one or two things that I had over time. Well, I had to go in the attic with my mother and she said, there are your records. I was looking through and just like a kid, kept saying these are mine!?!? So, I brought them home and am going through them a little at a time. Many rock albums to add to my collection and a lot of jazz, folk and classical, too. I did the rock ones first. Again, these are mixed here.

This is the Bonus Stack below the line

So, that’s a lot and that’s only the rock and few that The BCPF wanted to listen to. I have at least 50 more to put in that are of all other genres. This coming Friday is Black Friday and Underdog Records will have a ton of awesomeness for Record Store Day – Black Friday Edition. Go to the RSD website to find out what is coming. Jonathan said he’s stocking 90% of that list, so make plans now. And buy a gift certificate for someone, do it now and get an additional 10% added for no additional cost. And as you can see, we do a lot of cataloging with Discogs and we love it!

And RIP not only to Malcolm Young, but Mel Tillis passed away, too. RIP Mel.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Heaven. Heaven is a place. A place where nothing. Nothing ever happens.” – “Heaven” (Byrne)