@ Three_Easy_Payments
Thanks for the Kikagaku Moyo suggestion. I listened to their latest release "Masana Temples" and it was very interesting. I'll certainly check out the rest of their stuff.
Since you're a Crack The Sky fan, do you know about the double live acoustic release of theirs called "For Catherine?" It is essentially a band sanctioned bootleg of a show that they did in 2008 to raise money for a cystic fibrosis charity. It's an excellent recording with a great set list! |
My meaning of being "selective" when it comes to music is purely about your personal music budget. We all have our own ideas on what the proper balance is between our equipment budget versus our music budget.
Having been a former "collector" myself, I got cured from that because I was tired of the "comepletist syndrome." Once cured from that, I had more to budget towards the equipment, which I think is almost as important as the music (because it enhances the musical experience).
I realize that audiophiles are often stereotyped as being elitist or narrow minded; so, I'm hoping that some of these posts about your rare musical finds will prove that theory to be wrong. |
@Three_Easy_Payments:
The live acoustic CD is not available on the band's website. I found it when I looked up a live clip of "Ice" on YouTube. As far as I know, this is the only clip that was filmed from this show, which was in someone's basement with 50 people in attendance.
Scroll thru the comments and you'll see a web address to contact a guy named Markus to purchase the CD. Turns out he is the guy who mixed and mastered the CD. The double CD is only $20, including shipping. |
@rar1
Rich, I'm not interesting in categorizing anything or anybody. All I did was report on the people that I know.
The purpose of my post was for two reasons:
1) I've been very disappointed with the current music of the 21st century. I can count the number of newer artists on both hands that I've bought more than 1 album or CD of theirs. So, I was interested in how many responses mentioned current music versus music from the 20th century.
2) Knowing that most of us are on some kind of budget, I was wondering how that affects our ability to uncover unknown or at least fairly obscure music. After all, life tends to be a numbers game; so, if your budget is limited, one would think that would limit your opportunities to uncover buried treasure. Although I must admit, because the internet basically makes the whole world your record store, perhaps that's enough to offset any perceived budget issues. The internet surely allows us to now be more "selective" in our musical purchases. |
@Three_Easy_Payments
Check out a British band called I Am Kloot. They're a mixture of styles/genres (like Kikagaku Moyo), but with a heavy emphasis on lounge jazz.
Their first two albums are the best ("Natural History" & "I Am Kloot"); but, there are gems to be had on their other releases too. |
@n80 Thanks for tip tip on The Struts. I've recently started hearing some buzz about them, so I'll need to check them out.
Your description reminds me of a band that I caught at SXSW two years ago called Low Cut Connie. They're like the J Geils Band crossed with Jerry Lee Lewis, with a very charismatic front man. There's no sitting still at their shows! |
For the Dead Can Dance fans:
You might want to check out Volume 1 of the KCRW "Rare On Air" series of CD's, as it contains Brendan Perry doing a great acoustic version of "The Captive Heart."
Some other highlights from these series are:
Volume 2 contains Lloyd Cole's stunning cover of Leonard Cohen's "Famous Blue Raincoat;" and, this is one of the only recorded versions that you'll find of this song.
Volume 3 has a haunting version of "She's Gone" by The Tindersticks.
Volume 4 has a very good version of "So Real" by Jeff Buckley. |
Thanks @djones51. I'll check them out just based on their "name." I've actually discovered a lot of good artists that way, with Prefab Sprout being just one example. |
Thanks @bdp24 for your stories. As for Duke Levine's session work, I'll add the early Jonatha Brooke albums to your list of where I first heard Duke's playing. I just thought of another guitar player......are you familiar with Johnny A? I like him a lot; but, his use (or over use) of reverb drives one of my friends crazy. |
@bdp24
Since you like Danny Gatton, you might want to check out either Duke Levine or Monte Montgomery. With Monte, you'll want to stick with his live releases: a) Caravan of Dreams b) Work Play or c) New & Approved. |
Thanks to NUTTY and YYZSANTABARBARA for bringing Canadian artists into the discussion. I grew up in a state that borders Canada; so, I've always had an affinity for Canadian music.
I was working in a record store when "Dinner At The Ritz" by City Boy came out. I remember their record company made a real effort to promote it; but, it just didn't sell. As for The Tragically Hip, that's a great band. It's a shame about Gord Downie's recent death; but, at least people are starting to talk about them again.
My favorite Canadian band is Martha and The Muffins (aka M + M). The only band that I can compare them too is the Talking Heads. But, what really made some of their best records ("Danseparc" in 83 and "Mystery Walk" in 84) stand out was the exceptional production by Daniel Lanois. The first record he ever produced was "This Is the Ice Age" by Martha and The Muffins in 1981, because Daniel's sister Jocelyne was the band's bass player at the time. Three years later Daniel is co -producing "The Unforgettable Fire" (U2) with Brian Eno. So, Daniel made it big but M + M never did.
Another good Canadian band worth checking out is Crash Vegas, who also had Jocelyn Lanois as a band member on their debut album "Red Earth." |
Thanx @ tparr for reminding me of The Sneetches. I had one of their CD's back in the day and it was very good. Your comment about liking something "a bit more complex" really hit home with me. I like that same trait in my music; but, I also think it's a potential "kiss of death" with most mainstream music fans. When I'm at the gym, I can't avoid hearing the latest pop songs by the likes of Swifty and Gaga, and I can't help but notice the common thread of "3 word choruses that get repeated 15 - 25 times in a row."
A few of my obscure 80's & 90's power pop favorites include: DADA; GENE (very Smith's like); THE RAILWAY CHILDREN & THE REIVERS.
Also, check out Sinead O'Connor's album "Collaborations." In addition to great versions of Ian Dury's "Wake Up and Make Love To Me" and The Colourfield's "Monkey in Winter," she does a spine tingling duet with DAMIEN DEMPSEY called "It's All Good!"
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+ 1 on Jimmy LaFave. Great original material as well as covers. I think he curated the fine Jackson Browne tribute CD "Looking Into You," which happens to feature some Austin based artists: Bob Schneider, Eliza Gilkyson and Shawn Colvin.
Another good source material for Austin based artists is the KGSR "Broadcasts" CD's. Volumes 1 (1993) thru 16 (2008) are worth seeking out. These CD's are full of fantastic acoustic performances by well known artists, as well as a good share of Austin based artists that are not as well known as they should be. |
@n80 I agree that some feedback would be nice; but, in everyone's defense I'm sure that they're busy with the holidays right now. And, if they are old school and rely on vinyl or CD's, then there's going to be an additional delay waiting for their purchase to show up.
I listened to the Teskey Brothers and I was impressed. What has been happening recently with the neo-soul revival is very encouraging, be it the Teskey Brothers, St. Paul and The Broken Bones, Nathaniel Rateliff or Leon Bridges (there's a new kid out of Atlanta who I like even better than Leon Bridges, but his name escapes me). What is discouraging about the neo-soul revival is that we lost Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley way too early. It hurts worse when you realize how long both of them waited for some success; but, at least Bettye LaVette is finally getting her due. But, I've got to say that the musicianship has not caught up yet. Until I hear a riff or the overall playing that can rival the playing on "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," I will remain a bit skeptical.
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@wassaicwill: Thanks for mentioning that your choices "can usually be found for peanuts on Amazon" I think that is important info to know. Many of the artist mentioned in these threads that I have looked up ends up being rare or out of print; thus they are priced accordingly. So, it's nice to know up front that I can take a leap of faith on something unknown without a large investment. |
@maxnewid,thanks for the tips on The Guadalcanal Diary live album and The Eyelids. I like The Eyelids name in general and now I like it even more because I think it's a sly reference to REM. I enjoyed most of the bands that came out of that 80's - 90's Athens scene, such as: Dreams So Real, Love Tractor, Pylon and the Vigilantes of Love. I've known about The Connells from the get go, because a guy I used to work with was a frat brother of his.
I know about Big Big Train, because a good friend told me about their Youtube videos. So far, I've only picked up one of their live CD's ("A Stones Throw From The Sun"). The Steve Wynn CD of Dylan covers sounds intriguing. I always liked the duets that he did with Jonette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde. |
+ 1 for Don Dixon & Marti Jones. They are both still making records together as "solo" artists, with Don always playing and producing. Although those releases are sporadic these days.
In a way, Marti remains me of a modern day Linda Ronstadt because both of them have amazing voices, as well as impeccable taste when it comes to the songs they cover. Those artists range from:
David Bowie, Elvis Costello, Marshall Crenshaw, John Hiatt and Graham Parker, as well as lesser known artists like Richard Barone (The Bongos), Clive Gregson, Peter Holsapple (The DB's), Dwight Twilley and Loudon Wainwright. Of the latter five, I'd highly recommend checking out the Bongo's, DB's & Dwight Twilley if you are a fan of the "power pop" genre." |
Thanks to everyone who has responded so far. I look forward to doing some homework on many of these suggestions.
I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Mitch |
I was listening to one of my favorite Sunday Morning mix tapes today and I remembered a little known band called SPAIN. The band is fronted by bassist Josh Haden, who is the son of jazz legend Charlie Haden and the brother of vocalist Petra Haden.
I'd say they are a jazzier version of The Red House Painters. I'm partial to their early and darker material, particularly "She Haunts My Dreams." Most of their other albums are good, but a bit inconsistent. Plus, I like the fact that most of their album covers are either arty or alluring, since the prevalence of interesting album cover art seems to be waning. |
@boxer12: In 1982,I asked a British exchange student what was the next UK band that I should be on the lookout for. He recommended THE THE. I laughed and said that I liked them already, just based on their name.
The following year Soul Mining came out. I'd rate that as one of their best albums, along with Mind Bomb and Dusk. All of their albums typically have some great songs that will also test out the limits of your audio system. I'll check out Naked Self again. I recall it being a little bit stark and low key; so, I maybe it needs another listen to truly appreciate it. |
Another big recent surprise for me was discovering Don Was radio show on WDET in Detroit. The show is called "Don Was Motor City Playlist," and you can listen to it on either WDET's website (WDET.org) or Spotify
[WDET only has access to the 2 most recent shows, while Spotify has archived all of the shows, which started back in April of this year].
Don is not only a master storyteller; but, he is freaking hilarious! He plays music from many genres; so, it should remind many of you who remember "free form FM radio from the 60's & 70's. Also, on the most recent episode (10/1) I discovered that Leonard Cohen has a son (Adam) who is also a recording artist. So, this show is full of surprises. |
Well, what a surprise it is to have a thread from December of 2018 come back to life. At that time, Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip had recently passed away. This year in March we lost Michael Stanley (Michael Stanley Band), who I did not see get mentioned in any of the previous posts on this thread.
We also lost Pat DiNizio of the Smithereens in 2017. But, I recently saw that the Smithereens are currently doing some shows and using either Marshall Crenshaw or Robin Wilson (Gin Blossoms) as the lead vocalist.
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