The house is empty, except for me and a cat. Both my roommates are gone for the weekend, attending the Dunegrass music festival at Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. I was invited but couldn't find enough bands on the bill to interest me for several days. It's ok, too many, ahem, party favors in my arsenal to be bored. Stratosphere baby. The records will be played loudly through night & day for the next few...
the Ab Dabs "Waters' Gate" - This is actually a Pink Floyd bootleg show in Paris circa 1970. There's so many clues on this record that it is indeed Floyd, which is why boots can be so awesome. They used to do all this stuff just so they wouldn't get yanked off the shelves at record stores. For example, this one calls the album "Waters' Gate" (a nod to Roger Waters), the label is "Dark Moon Records", and there's a hazy, but identifiable photo of them on the back. The sound quality is ok. Features some Syd songs and a bunch from Atom Heart Mother.
Morning Glory "Two Suns Worth" - Not really a standout record, but it's purty good. Kind of a Jefferson Airplane setup with 2 guitars, girl/guy singers, LSD references, etc. They're definitely a bit more fuzzed out, and a tad stranger. Best song title goes to, "Stone Good Day".
Grant Green "Green is Beautiful" - This is a big one for jazz/funk guys and beat makers, and for good reason. Not exactly rare (on Blue Note) but really really funky for that label...Probably the funkiest GG ever got. The extra percussionists make this record, for me. Original pressing for a buck dude.
Donald Byrd "Blackjack" - Another offering from Blue Note...Pretty straight ahead 60's post-bop before Donald got the smoov funk of the Blackbyrds together. Billy Higgins and Walter Booker just kill the rhythms on this one...Recommended.
Willis Jackson "Blue Gator" - This is another post-bop album, but a little bit more 50's sounding than the Byrd lp. From Prestige, a label that's just as good as Blue Note, Impulse, Pacific, etc if you dig this kind of jazz. Good all around, but I bought it because Brother Jack McDuff plays organ.
Man "Be good to yourself at least once a day" - Heavy psych? Standard mid-70's prog? A bit of both really, all the while a bit pop. Apparently this is some sort of supergroup from the island of Wales, featuring ex-members of Badfinger and the Iveys. Lots of Hammond organ and semi-complex riffs that trade-off, a few good solos, and really accessible lyrics for prog. Not their best album, but still good. The gatefold artwork has a crazy pop-up book island map of Wales and its musical history...Awesome!
Manfred Mann's Earth Band "Nightingales & Bombers" - This is what keyboard player Manfred Mann did after the disbanding of his extremely good 60's band simply titled Manfred Mann. This sounds nothing like that band, but is still worth a listen, especially for samples. Sounds like they were doing a take-off on every synthesizer heavy prog/fusion band from the mid 70's with a friendly influence of Zappa. Once again, the lyrics are really simple, and of course space is mentioned a few times. Never gets too weird.
Jon Lucien "Mind's Eye" - Fucking amazing. It looked like every other electric jazz-funk record I enjoy: smiling guy with afro on the cover, titles that reference mental exspansion and inner peace, Fender Rhodes piano, Arp synth, mad percussion, etc. What I didn't count on was that the guy is obviously from South America, judging from the rhythms and percussion section. The songs are so good, so well-written, and with weird time signatures. Some of the love songs teeter on the edge of being schmaltzy but then pull back into something so honest that you just have to smile. Glad to find this one.
Claudine "self titled" - This is exactly what I thought it looked like in the record bin; a cute French girl pop singer doing sweetened-up cover versions of pop songs & film themes. A bit of Serge G, but for teenage girls, not old guys. Favorite track is her version of "Un Homme Et Une Femme".
Irene Reid "The World Needs What I Need" - Ferociously empowered female Black power funk for AM radio in the mid 70's. A bit Aretha, a bit Roberta Flack, and a bit Millie Jackson. Some songs are boring, mainly due to the pretty traditional string arrangements. But the good ones are really great. The last two songs on the B side are worth buying it twice. I'm currently working with some samples from this one...Don't bite sucka!
the Remains "Diddy Wah Diddy" - I heard the song "Don't Look Back" on some garage rock compilation and was blown away. It's a really tight 2 minute song with electric piano, fuzz guitar, triple harmonized vocals, and great drumming. One of those 60's songs that reminds you why so many bands are still ripping off that decade. The rest of their songs are great too, but can't beat that one, which is included on the B side. And the band looks so fucking cool too...Highly recommended.
Rolling Stones "Aftermath" - Yeah, so I like the early Stones, a lot...Big whoop, wanna fight about it? C'mon, Brian Jones, Keith and Mick were so good together, despite the pathetic versions of themselves that they've become (well, not Brian). No bullshit songs to be found here, but the standouts are obviously "Paint it Black", "Under my Thumb", and "I am Waiting". Original pressing.
Rolling Stones "Now!" - Seriously, don't give me that look. This is the old one that they did at Chess Studios in Chicago, just because they respected that label so much. That's a good way to spend a recording budget. Straight r&b and blues on this one, no Jones weirdness yet. Also original pressing.
Rolling Stones "Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass)" - My record dealer friend threw this one in on account of me buying the other two. It's a really early greatest hits compilation with a really cool gatefold picture book of them in various studios, and one of Brian Jones looking at the camera, sticking his tongue out in disgust, stoned and exhausted. Glad "Play with Fire" is on it.
(home alone! and drunk!!)
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