Al, welcome and congrats! I believe what may be your first post to this thread is also the 2,000th! |
Esquivel - "Cabaret Manana" [RCA/BMG CD comp. '95, rec. '58-'67]
Esquivel - "More Of Other Worlds, Other Sounds" [Reprise CD reissue, orig. '62]
Bill Holman - "Big Band In A Jazz Orbit" [V.S.O.P. CD reissue '87, orig. Andex '58]
Pink Floyd - "Soundtrack From The Film 'More'" [Digital Re-Masters/Capitol EMI CD reissue '95, orig. '69]
The Dells - "The Best Of The Vee-Jay Years" [Shout! Factory CD comp. '07, rec. '55-'65] |
Well after my abortive initial foray into the world of SUTs (previous posts), a couple months ago I decided to simply upgrade my phonostage to a considerably costlier one with SUTs built-in. Both sonically and musically the new 'stage slays my prior ones, as it should, and the circuit itself is nicely quiet in MM mode, however the SUTs do add some low-level hum that I can't eliminate no matter what I do, and that the modestly-priced outboard SUT I tried didn't have. Still, the overall sound quality is the best I've enjoyed, and with my current medium-output MC I can use the lowest step-up ratio, where the hum level is so residual as to not be a problem even at realistically high volumes.
Joe Pass - "For Django" [Pacific Jazz/Capitol LP reissue '64/?] Two-guitar quartet date with John Pisano
Barney Kessel - "Let's Cook!" [Contemporary LP reissue '62/?] With Ben Webster, Shelly Manne, Victor Feldman, Jimmie Rowles, Hampton Hawes, Leroy Vinnegar, Frank Rosolino. Originally recorded by Roy DuNann in '57 in early stereo with notably high fidelity
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - "Kyoto" [Riverside/Fantasy LP reissue '66/?] With Art's cousin Wellington Blakey delivering the powerhouse vocal on "Wellington's Blues"
The Modern Jazz Quartet - "...& Orchestra" [Atlantic LP reissue '61/?] Gunther Schuller conducts
Dave Brubeck Trio Featuring Gerry Mulligan - "Compadres" [Columbia LP '68] With Jack Six and Alan Dawson
Chico Hamilton Quintet - "The Chico Hamilton Special" [Columbia/CSP LP reissue '60/?]
Art Van Damme Quintet With Johnny Smith - "A Perfect Match" [Columbia LP '63]
Al Kooper - "You Never Know Who Your Friends Are" [Columbia LP '69]
Elliott Murphy - "Aquashow" [Polydor LP '73]
UFO - "Phenomenon" [Chysalis LP '74]
Katrina And The Waves - "...2" [Attic (Canadian) LP '84] |
The Soft Boys - "A Can Of Bees" [Two Crabs LP '84]
Jimmy Cliff - "Follow My Mind" [Reprise LP '75]
Chico Hamilton - "Man From Two Worlds" [Impulse! LP '63]
Chico Hamilton - "El Chico" [Impulse! LP '65]
Chico Hamilton - "The Dealer" [Impulse! LP '66]
Bill Evans Trio - "How My Heart Sings!" [Riverside LP '64, rec. '62]
Paul Desmond With The Modern Jazz Quartet - "The Only Recorded Performance Of..." [Finesse LP '81, rec. '71] |
Delroy Wilson - "Best Of (Anthology of Reggae Collectors Series Vol.6)" [U.A. LP '78, rec. '64-'6?]
The Standells - "Try It" [Tower LP '67]
Roger McGuinn - "Cardiff Rose" [Columbia LP '76] Produced by Mick Ronson of David Bowie fame, who also plays. Contains a song called "Rock And Roll Time", co-written in '74 by McGuinn with Kris Kristofferson and Bobby Neuwirth, that sounds fantastically and rather improbably like the Clash with Joe Strummer singing -- before the Clash debuted. I'm talking uncanny, dead-ringer here, right down to the Simonon-esque bass playing of Rob Stoner. Give a listen if you doubt me! (The same can hardly be said however of the more ordinary country-rock version on Neuwirth's own '74 debut.)
Thelonius Sphere Monk - "Monk's Blues" [Columbia LP '69] Arranged and conducted by Oliver Nelson
J.J. Johnson Quartet - "A Touch Of Satin" [Columbia LP '61]
Tino Contreras - "Percusiones Mexicanas" [Capitol LP '61] |
Duke Ellington & His Orchestra - "Piano In The Background" [Columbia '6-eye' 1B/1B stereo LP '60]
Gerry Mulligan - "Jeru" [Columbia '360 sound' 1A/1B stereo LP '63]
Michel Legrand - "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" O.M.P. Sndtrk. [Philips 'Connoisseur' gatefold stereo LP '64]
Count Basie - "Afrique" [Flying Dutchman LP reissue '84/'72, rec. '70] Arranged & conducted by Oliver Nelson |
Horace Silver Quintet - "Silver's Serenade" [Blue Note LP reissue '63/'7?] Overall I'm preferring this to the RVG CD I also have on hand, primarily for its openess, texture, and more involving sense of communication (though I find my cartridge does rise inaccurately the top octaves), but how much of that preference is attributable to my gear, how much to the remastering, and how much to format I can't say -- something I believe is almost always true in these comparisons
Horace Silver - "Sterling Silver" [Blue Note LP compilation '79, rec. '56-'64] Unissued + alternate takes + 45rpm versions previously unavailable on LP, all but one are Quintet, most or all of which have since been appended to CD reissues as bonus tracks, a few of which I also have, and again I'm preferring the LP
Horace Silver - "The Trio Sides" [Blue Note mono/stereo 2LP compilation '76, rec. '52-'68] Great collection of Horace without the usual 2-horn frontline he helped popularize, and so really showcases his piano |
The Wailers - "The Wailers Wail" [Golden Crest LP '59/'6?] The Wailers from Tacoma, WA, stompin' Northwest scene-mates of The Kingsmen, Paul Revere & The Raiders, and The Sonics
Booker T. & The MG's - "And Now!" [Stax stereo LP '66] This monster sounds so alive you can practically see down the throat of Booker T.'s Leslie horn
The Gloria Coleman Quartet featuring Pola Roberts - "Soul Sisters" [Impulse! mono LP '63] Gender-balanced Hammond organ group with Grant Green guitar and Leo Wright alto, Pola Roberts drums.
Cannonball Adderly - "...And The Poll Winners" [Riverside mono LP '60] With Ray Brown, Wes Montgomery, Victor Feldman, Louis Hayes
Bob Brookmeyer/Bossa Nova - "Trombone Jazz Samba" [Verve stereo LP '62] With Jim Hall & Jimmy Raney guitars, Gary McFarland vibes, Willie Bobo drums, Carmen Costa & Jose Paulo percussion
Gabor Szabo - "Dreams" [Skye LP '68] Hungarian psych-funk-jazz at its finest, from the genre's originator, master, and sole exponent! |
Little Anthony & The Imperials - "Goin' Out Of My Head" [DCP mono LP '65]
The Grass Roots - "Let's Live For Today" [Dunhill stereo LP '67]
Gabor Szabo - "His Great Hits" [ABC/Impulse! 2LP compilation '71, rec. '62-'67] The cover shot shows the best view of his idiosyncratic guitar rig, a Gibson J-160E flattop acoustic with built-in magnetic neck pickup similar to the ones made famous by the Beatles, through the otherwise obscure but quite cool looking Toby "Sound Column" red Formica, cylindrical 2-12" solid-state amplifier (which a little research turns up was made by one Toby Guynn, still a small manufacturer of vehicle subwoofers and HT/stereo subs and speakers in the Fort Worth area, at toby.com)
Naif Agby & His Orchestra - "El Debke" [Audio Fidelity stereo LP '62]
Count Basie - "One O'Clock Jump" [Columbia LP '56, rec. '42-'51]
Buddy Cole - "Have Organ, Will Swing" [Warner Bros. stereo LP '58] Unusually, the jacket notes take the step of listing "Other organ albums suggested for your listening pleasure" by three other artists and their labels, all of which are totally unaffiliated with WB (they are: George Wright on HiFi; Wild Bill Davis on Imperial; Milt Buckner on Capitol)
Red Garland Trio + Ray Barreto, conga - "Manteca" [Status/Prestige reissue LP '58/?]
Gerry Mulligan/Paul Desmond - "Gerry Mulligan Meets Paul Desmond" [Verve mono LP '57]
Hank Crawford - "Dig These Blues" [Atlantic mono LP '65] |
Cali dreamin'...
The Seeds - "Future" [GNP Crescendo mono LP '67] Although the cover illustration of their third album is a cool timepiece, and the equally flowery, everything-but-the-commune-sink instrumental ornamentation may be goofy fun -- and despite the fact that no less than about two and a half of the songs are nevertheless shameless musical rewrites of their breakout hit "Pushin' Too Hard" (amittedly standard operating procedure with these guys, mostly because that's what they were capable of) -- as the inclusion of the earlier leftover B-side of that single ("Out Of The Question") makes clear by comparison, the more tripped-out music here is ultimately a good bit less memorable than the succinctly unhinged, leering aggression of the first two albums
The Turtles - "Turtle Soup" [White Whale/Blimp LP '69] In me 'umble opinion, the Turtles' swan song (aside from the odd'n'ends collection "Wooden Head") is one of the underappreciated albums of its era, as good in its play-it-straight way as its more celebrated and flamboyant (and likewise self-penned) predecesor "Battle Of The Bands", but for a group known primarily as a singles act on the strength of their radio hits, in the end no number of great rockin' pop albums lacking that one hit single was gonna be enough to stave off the inevitable in a time when gorgeous three-minute symphonettes and witty playfulness just weren't where it was at, man
The Flamin' Groovies - "Flamingo" [Kama Sutra LP '70] Why the San Fran rockers couldn't break through remains a stumper, given how strong a case their second album for as many labels (hint hint!) makes for the original group's unvarnished balls-out greatness (which they capped on the next year's epochal "Teenage Head" -- drawing favorable press comparisons to the Stones' "Exile...", though it still didn't sell) |
Snooks Eaglin - "Possum Up A Simmon Tree" [Arhoolie LP '7?, rec. '58] The great New Orleans blind street guitarist/singer, and one of the most knockout performers I ever saw at the Jazz & Heritage Festival there
Quincy Jones - "The Great Wide World Of..." [Mercury mono LP '60] Less gimicky than some of his later arranging, alternately powerhouse and evocative with tons of recorded atmosphere and slam, liners by Dizzy Gillespie
Archie Bell & The Drells - "There's Gonna Be A Showdown" [Atlantic LP '69] Whatever happened to blue sharkskin suits?
Colours - S/T [Dot LP '68] With bassist Carl Radle, soon of Derek & The Dominos fame
Brotherhood - S/T [RCA LP '68] With bassist Phil "Fang" Volk, guitarist Drake Levin and drummer Mike "Smitty" Smith, all late of Paul Revere & The Raiders fame
Alex Chilton - "Like Flies On Sherbert" [Aura LP '80] |
MC5 - "Back In The USA" [Atlantic LP '70] Curse you, Jon Landau
Hal Blaine - "Psychedelic Percussion" [Dunhill mono LP '67] They spent so much time calling in every exotic instrument rental in LA for this wacked-out session that they forgot to write any tunes
Ahmad Jamal - "The Piano Scene Of..." [Epic mono LP '59]
The Small Faces - "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake" [Compleat LP reissue '85, orig. '68]
Terry Reid - "Bang Bang, You're Terry Reid" [Epic LP '68]
Terry Reid - S/T [Epic LP '69] If this British guitarist/singer had never chosen to attempt aping the Small Faces' Steve Marriott he might have been okay. As it is, each of his original albums contains one fine original (including "Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace", as covered to great effect by Cheap Trick), several lesser originals, and a clutch of mostly well-chosen but laughably inept covers he destroys with overwrought vocal histrionics and wrongheaded arrangements courtesy his organ-based power-trio (including what may be the worst version of "Summertime Blues" ever waxed), the single notable exception being Lorraine Ellison's wrenching soul classic "Stay With Me Baby", which actually suits his, um, style fairly well. |
Hey Paanders, old 'found' vinyl, sometimes scratchy, is where I mostly live too, along with less than the utmost in playback gear (and would even if I had the money to burn).
The Electric Prunes - S/T [Reprise mono LP '67]
The Monkees - "Head" O.M.P. Sndtrk. [Colgems LP '68]
Phil And The Frantics - Rough Diamonds: The History Of Garage Band Music/Volume Three [Voxx LP '85]
"Get Off My Back" - Unissued Sixties Garage Acetates/Volume One [Norton LP '09] |
Ian Hunter - S/T [Columbia LP '75]
Bee Gees - "Odessa" [Atco 2LP '69]
Badfinger - S/T [WB LP '74]
Ike & Tina - "'Nuff Said" [UA LP '71]
The Hollies - "The Other Side Of...Plus" [See For Miles LP comp. '90, orig. rec. '63-'70]
V/A - "The Rock-A-Round: Hair-Raising Rock N' Roll From The Vaults Of The National Recording Corporation 1958-60" [Norton LP comp. '97]
Charlie Byrd - "The Guitar Artistry Of..." [Riverside mono LP '63]
Barry Harris - "Stay Right With It" [Milestone 2LP comp. '78, rec. '60-'62] |
The Challengers - "Surfbeat" [Vault mono LP '63]
The Challengers - "K-39" [Vault mono LP '64]
Aki Aleong & The Nobles - "Come Surf With Me" [Vee Jay mono LP '63]
Charlie Byrd - "Bossa Nova Pelos Passaros" [Riverside/Fantasy-OJC LP reissue '8?, orig. '62]
Chuck Wayne - "Morning Mist" [Prestige stereo LP '65]
Sonny Fortune - "Awakening" [Horizon/A&M LP '75]
Gene & Jerry - "One & One" [Mercury LP '71] That would be Chandler and Butler |
Hi Philb7777, I'm not familiar with that last record or the band, but I am curious if it's "power pop at its best" what makes the pleasure guilty? Were they on a national label or is it a record one is unlikely to stumble across outside of Chicagoland?
Quincy Jones - "The Slender Thread" Orig. M.P. Sndtrk. [Mercury LP '65]
Dale Hawkins - S/T [Chess comp. LP '84, rec. late 50's]
Nilsson - "Aerial Ballet" [RCA Victor LP '68]
The Beau Brummels - S/T [WB LP '75] |
Yeah, not much 70's "power pop" (never have dug that term) featured memorable lyrics, Big Star and Cheap Trick excepted (bands who really transcended the label anyway). But a lot of the best of it did tend to come out of the Midwest. I'll keep a lookout... |
LJ: Lyres, Wipers...nice! (Fun fact: The pink dress worn by the cover model on "Lyres Lyres" has a provenance connected to the fairer member of this household!) |
Oliver Nelson - "More Blues And The Abstract Truth" [MCA/Impulse! LP reissue '64/8?]
Max Roach - "Deeds Not Words" [Riverside stereo LP reissue '58/'68]
"Murder, Inc." [Time Series 2000 stereo LP '60] Large band crime jazz
Barney Kessel - "Barney Kessel's Swingin' Party At Contemporary" [Contemporary stereo LP reissue '63/'7?, rec. '60] Um, like the title sez...
The Kinks - "Face To Face" [Reprise mono LP '66]
The Fallen Angels - S/T [Roulette stereo LP '67]
The Sopwith Camel - "Hello Hello" [Kama Sutra LP reissue '67/'73]
Van Dyke Parks - "Song Cycle" [Edsel LP reissue '86, orig. WB '68]
Julian Bream - "The Golden Age of English Lute Music" [RCA Victor Soria Series mono LP '61] The playing's great, alas if only the recording were as swell the deluxe packaging |
Dengue Fever - "Cannibal Courtship" [Fantasy LP '11]
Dengue Fever - "Sleepwalking Through The Mekong" Sndtrk. [M80 CD '09]
Hawkwind - "Hall Of The Mountain Grill" [U.A. LP '74]
Raspberries - "Starting Over" [Capitol LP '74]
The Mixtures - "Stompin' At The Rainbow" [Linda/Minky Records CD expanded reissue '62/'10]
The Spinners - "Original Spinners" [Motown mono LP '67]
John Coltrane - "Ole Coltrane" [Atlantic LP repress '61/'69]
Alice Coltrane - "Journey In Satchidananda" [Impulse!/MCA LP reissue '70/'97]
Martinu/Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 - Neumann/Czech Philharmonic Orchestra [Supraphon (Czech) CD reissue '78/'94]
Schubert/Complete Trios - Beaux Arts Trio/Grumiaux Trio [Philips 2CD reissue comp. '66-'69/'93] |
The Marvelettes - "Return Of The Marvelettes" [Tamla LP '70] It was a short-lived return -- this is their swan song
Rudy Ray Moore/V.A. - "Dolemite" MP Sndtrk. [Generation International repro LP '75/?]
Dizzy Gillespie - "It's My Way" [Solid State LP '69] Actually, it's not, if Diz's way is bebop (or jazz period). A failed 'hip' commercial stab replete with strings and studio backing, but upon further listening, a few redundant pop-hits-of-the-day covers aside, I dig it anyway as really a pretty good joint of its type, taken on those terms...
Gregory Isaacs - "Soon Forward" [Virgin LP '79]
Prince Far I & The Arabs - "Cry Tuff Dub Encounter Chapter IV" [Trojan LP '81]
Game Theory - "The Big Shot Chronicles" [Rational/Enigma LP '86] The best thing about revisiting this, other than the towering hairstyles worn by the group, are the inserts touting stickers and tee-shirts as modeled by kids with yet more of that great 80's hair (and shades!) and advertising Enigma releases by this gob-smackingly improbable mix of acts: Poison, Agent Orange, Stryper, T.S.O.L., Allan Holdsworth, The Smithereens, and Peter Hammill; plus the Enigma Variations, featuring such old-time favorites as Channel 3, Green On Red, Redd Kross, Plasticland, The Pandoras, Rain Parade, The Effigies, Tex & The Horseheads, Jet Black Berries, Greg Sage (late of the above-mentioned Wipers), Leaving Trains, The Untouchables, 45 Grave, Get Smart, and so much more! Just enclose your check or money for $8.98 and send to Enigma Mailorder, El Segundo CA (please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery)
The Neanderthals - "In Space" [Munster LP '05] With Eddie Angel guitar, of Los Straitjackets fame |
And now for s'more grooves that aren't micro or stereo! Spinning my way through stacks of mostly 60's soul 45's, that I'm slowly winnowing towards recording to a comp CD-R (or two)...
Eddie & Ernie - "Outcast"/"I'm Gonna Love You Always" [Eastern]
The Shar-mels - "Tell Me Why"/"I'd Love To Be Loved" [Palm]
Cash McCall - "S.O.S."/"I'm In Danger" [Checker]
The Jive Five - "You'll Fall In Love"/"Crying Like A Baby" [Musicor]
The Vontastics - "Never Let Your Love Grow Old"/"You Can Work It Out" [St. Lawrence]
The Caper Brothers - "I Ain't Gonna Write You"/"There Goes My Heart Again" [Roulette]
Yvonne Fair - "Baby, Baby, Baby"/"Just As Sure (As You Play, You Must Pay)" [Smash]
The Accents - "Better Watch Out Boy"/"Tell Me" [Challenge]
The Epsilons - "The Echo"/"Really Rockin'" [Stax]
James Carr - "Gonna Send You Back To Georgia"/"I'm A Fool For You" [Goldwax]
June Edwards - "Heaven Help Me (I'm Falling In Love With You)"/"My Man (My Sweet Man)" [South Camp]
The Elgins - "We're Gonna Have A Good Time"/"Here In Your Arms" [Congress]
Sharon Soul - "How Can I Get To You?"/"Don't Say Goodbye Love" [Wild Deuce]
Ocapellos - "Anytime"/"The Stars" [Checker]
Otis Clay - "Show Place"/"That's How It Is" [One-derful!]
Delores Lynn - "The Big Search Is On"/"Just Tell It Like It Is" [Junior]
The Flamingos - "Since My Baby Put Me Down"/"Brooklyn Boogaloo" [Philips]
The Dynamic Tints - "Rosemarie"/"Be My Lady" [Twinight]
Little Richard - "I Need Love"/"The Commandments Of Love" [Okeh]
Springers - "I Know Why" [Way Out promo]
Barbara Wilson - "Make Me Happy"/"On The Other Hand" [Aura]
Vernon Harrell & Little Gigi - "Baby Don'tcha Worry"/"All That's Good" [Decca]
Nella Dodds - "P's And Q's"/"Your Love Back" [Wand]
The Lovejoys - "Payin' (For The Wrong I've Done)"/"It's Mighty Nice" [Tiger]
Jackie Ross - "New Lover"/"Jerk And Twine" [Chess]
Linda Jones - "Hypnotized"/"I Can't Stop Lovin' My Baby" [Loma]
Charles Farren - "You Got Everything"/"Alone" [Limelight]
The DC Playboys - "Too Much"/"You Were All I Needed" [Arock]
Lorraine Ellison - "Don't Let It Go To Your Head"/"I Dig You Baby" [Mercury]
The Freeman Brothers - "Beautiful Brown Eyes"/"My Baby" [Soul]
Lee Holland - "Give Me Back My Heart"/"Let's Stay Together" [King promo]
The Dreams Band - "(They Call Me) Jesse James"/"Charge" [D.C. Sound Ltd.]
The Poets - "She Blew A Good Thing"/"Out To Lunch" [Symbol]
Betty & Rose - "That Twistin' Feeling"/"Doodle Doo Doo" [Press]
Jimmy Hughes - "You Might As Well Forget Him" [Fame promo]
Falcons - "(I'm A Fool) I Must Love You"/"Love, Love, Love" [Big Wheel]
The Incredibles - "Standing Here Crying"/"All Of A Sudden" [Tetragrammaton]
The Continental 4 - "I Don't Have You"/"The Way I Love You" [Jay-Walking]
Ollie & The Nightingales - "Girl, You Have My Heart Singing"/"I Got A Sure Thing" [Stax]
Kelly Brothers - "You're That Great Big Feeling"/"Falling In Love Again" [Sims]
Little Jerry Williams - "Baby, You're My Everything"/"Just What Do You Plan To Do About It" [Calla]
Bonnie & Lee - "I Need Ya (Gotta Have You For My Own)"/"The Way I Feel About You" [Fairmount]
The Ascots - "Miss Heartbreaker"/"This Old Heartache" [mir-A-don]
Sam & Bill - "I Feel Like Crying"/"I'll Try" [Decca]
Billy Hambric - "Talk To Me Baby"/"Human" [Fury]
Sam Hawkins - "Bad As They Come"/"Hold On Baby" [Blue Cat]
The Sensations - "Please Baby Please"/"Too Shy" [Way Out]
Billy Butler & The Four Enchanters - "Found True Love"/"Lady Love" [Okeh]
Roddy Joy - "Come Back Baby"/"Love Hit Me With A Wallop" [Red Bird]
Howard Tate - "Baby, I Love You"/"How Blue Can You Get" [Verve]
Sonny Warner - "Bell Bottom Blue Jeans"/"Been So Long" [Checker]
Rudy Lewis - "Baby I Dig Love"/"I've Loved You So Long" [Atlantic]
Irma And The Larks - "Without You Baby"/"Don't Cry" [Priority]
Willie West - "Hello Mama"/"Greatest Love" [Deesu]
Kenny Ballard - "It Sure Looks Good"/"I Wanna Love You" [Toy]
Freddy Scott And The Four Steps - "Same Ole Beat"/"Take A Rest" [Marlin]
Lavell Hardy - "Don't Lose Your Groove"/"Women Of The World" [Rojac]
Karen Small - "Boys Are Made To Love"/"Hey Love" [Venus]
Little Jewel - "I Want To"/"It Doesn't Matter" [Tay-Ster]
Jimmy Robins - "I Can't Please You"/"I Made It Over" [Jerhart]
Harold Burrage - "How You Fix Your Mouth (To Say What You Say)"/"Got To Find A Way" [M-Pac!]
The Gypsies - "Diamonds Rubies Gold And Fame"/"Jerk It" [Old Town]
Don Gardner - "There's Nothing I Want To Do (Unless It's With You)"/"Let's Party" [TNT]
The Volumes - "Gotta Give Her Love"/"I Can't Live Without You" [American Arts]
Marvin Smith - "Time Stopped"/"Have More Time" [Brunswick]
Spencer Wiggins - "Double Lovin'"/"I'd Rather Go Blind" [Fame]
Jimmy Dee - "Shanty Town"/"The Push" [Palm]
Jackey Beaver - "Jack-A-Rue"/"Silly Boy" [Checker promo]
Otis Leavill - "Let Her Love Me"/"When The Music Grooves" [Blue Rock]
Freddie Hughes - "I Gotta Keep My Bluff In"/"Natural Man" [Wand]
Danny White - "Taking Inventory"/"Cracked Up Over You" [Decca]
Johnson, Hawkins, Tatum & Durr - "You Can't Blame Me"/"Your Love Keeps Drawing Me Closer" [Capsoul]
'Nuff for tonight... |
Jerry Van Rooyen - "At 250 Miles Per Hour" [Crippled Dick Hot Wax comp. LP '96 (Germany), rec. '67-'68] Soundtrack selections arranged and conducted by the Dutch composer, from producer Pier A. Caminnecci's Aquila Films euro-sexploitation titles "Succubus" (AKA "Necronomicon"), "How Short Is The Time For Love", "Death On A Rainy Day", and "The Vampire Happening"
Jacques Brel - "Le Formidable..." [Vanguard LP '67]
Charles Mingus - "The Clown" [Atlantic LP reissue '57/'84]
The Birthday Party - "Junkyard" [4AD LP '82]
Shostakovich/Symphony No.6 - Boult/LPO [Everest stereo LP '6?] |
Marian McPartland With Strings - "Silent Pool" [Concord Jazz CD '97] Piano trio with full string section arranged and conducted by Alan Broadbent, performing all McPartland originals from throughout her long history. Beautifully written, played and recorded (with just a couple minor fall-offs in each of those areas, relatively speaking, from the notably high standard), this has been in near-continuous play since I picked it up a few days ago. Projects of this type, quality and expense aren't attempted too often anymore in the present day, fewer still this successfully IMO. This luscious and timeless-sounding treat deftly straddles the spaces between conptemplative "lounge" piano jazz (in the vintage Bill Evans or Ahmad Jamal sense), standards-inspired melodiousness, and classical romanticism -- not to mention between small-group, ensemble, and concerto -- while scrupulously avoiding any poppy, show-tuney, exotic, new-agey, or virtuosic missteps or affectations. Highly recommended! |
McCoy Tyner - "Reevaluation: The Impulse Years" [Impulse!/ABC 2LP comp. '73, rec. '62-'65]
Max Roach - "Max Roach Plus Four On The Chicago Scene" [EmArcy/Mercury mono LP '58] With Booker Little, Bob Cranshaw, George Coleman
Elmer Bernstein - "Paris Swings" [Capitol mono LP '59]
Webb Pierce - "Cross Country" [Decca stereo LP '62] Totally awesome cover shot of Webb in front of his modern ranch house, decked out in a baby blue cowboy suit emblazoned with gold lame gingerbread, climbin' into his custom convertible ride, the interior of which is upholstered in fancy tooled-leather (including the sun visors, dash and door panels) and cowhide, and festooned with big ol' silver dollars afixed almost everywhere, a pearl-handled silver-plated pistol for the column shifter, horseshoe pedals, and a stitched leather saddle crowning the center console between the bucket seats that looks like it's sized for a junior buckaroo to ride shotgun
Nilsson - "Harry" [RCA Victor LP '69]
Tin Tin - "Toast And Marmalade For Tea" [Polydor (Canada) LP '71] Produced by Maurice Gibb
Alice Cooper - "The Last Temptation" [Epic/Sony (England) LP '94] |
Les Fleur De Lys - "Reflections" [Turning Point/Abraxas (Italy) LP comp. '03, rec. '65-'68] British group best remembered for their hot Jimmy Page-produced cover version of the Who's "Circles", they went through many lineups and related offshoots under other band names (Rupert's People, Chocolate Frog) as well as backing singer Sharon Tandy, at various times including Pete Sears and Gordon Haskell (King Crimson) among other notables
Mott The Hoople - "Wildlife" [Atlantic LP '71]
Howard McGhee - "Shades Of Blue" [Black Lion LP '7?, rec. '61] With George Coleman, Junior Mance, Jimmy Cobb. A quite excellent 'comeback' recording in the straight-ahead hard-bop vein from this lesser-known trumpeter, originally hailing from the 40's big-band and bebop eras, after sitting out most of the 50's due to unspecified personal issues (which might be guessed at since "rehabilitation period" is mentioned), but the otherwise detailed liners fail to indicate why this clearly deserving album apparently didn't see release at the time
Gerry Mulligan - "Night Lights" [Philips/Polygram (Japan) LP reissue '63/'7?] With Jim Hall, Art Farmer, Bob Brookmeyer
Dizzy Gillespie - "Soul & Salvation" [Tribute LP '69] Outright funky pop dance groove with electric bass and rhythm guitars, and even some female soul background vocals, featuring James Moody (sounding more like Jr. Walker and Maceo Parker) and Joe Newman
The Jazz Crusaders - "Lighthouse '69" [World Pacific Jazz LP '69 (duh!)]
Ann-Margret - "Songs From 'The Swinger' And Other Swingin' Songs" [RCA Victor mono LP '66] She'll melt your transistors, bub!
"Barbarella" O.M.P. Soundtrack [Dynovoice LP '69] Music and songs by Bob Crewe and Charles Fox |
Bill Evans Trio - "With Symphony Orchestra" [Verve/Polydor (France) LP reissue '66/'7?]
Count Basie & His Orchestra - "One O'Clock Jump" [Columbia LP '56, rec. '42-'51]
Xavier Cugat & His Orchestra - "Viva Cugat!" [Mercury stereo LP '61]
Small Faces - "The Autumn Stone" [Immediate (England) 2LP comp. '69]
The Turtles - "Wooden Head" [Rhino LP reissue '70/'84]
The Dramatics - "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get" [Volt LP '72] |
"Sad-core"???
I haven't heard (or seen) this, but I oughta...Thanks to the prompt I looked it up on IMDB, and noticed that the bass player was Pierre Michelot (Jacques Loussier Trio) and the drummer Kenny Clarke (MJQ).
Then pursuing that further, additionally noticed that ex-pat Clarke also had a music credit for "An Occurence At Owl Creek Bridge" (an Oscar-winning French short of the Ambrose Bierce story, picked up here as a last-season Twilight Zone episode), which I haven't seen since we were shown it in grade school but well remember, so great an impression did it make on me at the time...Things you never knew! |
Shakin' Street - S/T [Columbia promo LP '80] With Ross The Boss (Dictators) on lead guitar and produced by Sandy Pearlman (who may have helped Blue Oyster Cult, though not The Clash), and named after an MC5 classic, how wrong can you go? Fortunately not all that very much, at least for rockin' purposes, with Tunisian-born leader/singer Fabienne Shine (also a French ex-model and Johnny Thunders gal pal) kickin' out the jams as good as she looked (even if the cliched lyrics and generally disposable tunes are no great threat to any of the songwriters in the aforementioned bands).
Johnny Winter - "First Winter" [Buddah LP '69] Doesn't collect all his pre-fame single sides, just those produced by Huey P. Meaux (in addition to being a reknowned Houston hit producer and studio owner, also a convicted child pornographer, who died earlier this year), but such non-blues Winter originals as the psych/folk-rock "Birds Can't Row Boats" and the fuzzed-up Texas garage raver "Coming Up Fast" sound much better here than on the usual-suspect genre comps. Incredibly, Winter managed in just one year, 1969, to have four different albums come out on four different labels!
The Pentangle - "Basket Of Light" [Reprise LP '69] Unplugged before there was an unplugged. (Brief aside: During the whole dubious "Unplugged" fad of the mid-90's, I always wondered why some contrarian-leaning band didn't release an all-electric live album entitled "Plugged".)
Sparks - "A Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing" [Bearsville LP '72] Pros: It's new-wave music, in 1972(!). Cons: It's largely unlistenable, in any year.
Rose Maddox - "The One Rose" [Capitol mono LP '60] Very hot honky-tonk-verging-on-rockabilly re-recordings of her earlier singles, including three Hank Williams numbers, with the scorching plank-spanking supplied by Maddox brothers Cal and Henry - twangalicious!
Shirley Scott Trio - "Scottie" [Prestige mono LP '58] Feminine master of the more subtle, calliope-toned Hammond jazz organ, as opposed to her more hyper and growly (and famous) male peers
Shirley Scott Trio - "For Members Only" [Impulse! mono LP '63] With large band accompaniment on side 1 arranged and conducted by Oliver Nelson - who I dig the most, but it's the haunting Trio-only closer on side 2 (and Scott original) "We're Goin' Home" that I can't get out of my head
Phil Woods - "Greek Cooking" [Impulse! mono LP '67]
Monty Alexander - "Taste Of Freedom" [MGM LP '71]
Oliver Nelson - "Images" [Prestige 2LP comp. '76, rec. '60-'61] Repackage of two albums originally released on New Jazz featuring Eric Dolphy in quintet and sextet settings, with characteristically explosive playing from both reed men |
Count Basie - S/T [Brunswick mono LP '57] Early 78rpm sides
The Gants - "I Wonder" [Bam Caruso (England) LP comp. '88, rec. '65-'67] Selections culled from their three albums and six singles on Liberty
The Pentangle - "Sweet Child" [Reprise 2LP '68] Half live, half studio, all excellent
Hickory Wind - "At The Wednesday Night Waltz" [Adelphi LP '74] Local DC area acoustic group mixed bluegrass, traditional Piedmont folk and string-band influences
Hickory Wind - "Fresh Produce" [Flying Fish LP '75]
The Plimsouls - S/T [Planet LP '81]
To the discard pile:
The Hollywood Stars - S/T [Arista LP '77] Great as he is, Kim Fowley involvement (only some shared songwriting credits in this case) has never been a guarantee
Slade - "Till Deaf Do Us Part" [RCA (England) LP '81] Great as they were, this one is too late in the game |
Sergio Mendes Trio - "In The Brazilian Bag" [Tower stereo LP '66] Piano trio + guests Wanda de Sah vocals, Rosinha de Valenca guitar (fantastic playing), Bud Shank flute & alto sax. A gorgeous samba record originally released on parent label Capitol the year before.
Edmundo Ros & His Orchestra - "Rhythms Of The South" [London FFSS stereo LP '57]
Sonny Stitt Quartet - "The Hard Swing" [Verve stereo LP '60]
McCoy Tyner - "...Plays Ellington" [Impulse! mono promo LP '64] Trio with the Coltrane rhythm section of Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones. What a perfectly mesmerizing album.
Quincy Jones - "The Lost Man" O.M.P. Soundtrack [Uni promo LP '69]
Traffic - "Mr. Fantasy" [U.A. LP '68] Outside of "Dear Mr. Fantasy" and to a lesser extent "Paper Sun", most of the rest of this psyche-foolery really doesn't hold up all that well
The Allman Brothers Band - "At Fillmore East" [Capricorn 2LP '71]
Nilsson - "...Sings Newman" [RCA Victor LP '70] Songs and piano by Randy Newman
Robin Gibb - "Robin's Reign" [Atco LP '70] Probably one of the first, if not the first, art-pop album to make extensive use of an electronic rhythm box as a sonic-seasoning effect
The Bee Gees - "Trafalgar" [Atco LP '71]
Stairsteps - S/T [Buddah LP '70] AKA The 5 Stairsteps as they were formerly (and continued to be best) known, this album included their biggest hit "O-o-h Child" but also leads off with two mystifyingly pointless, though quite okay, Beatles covers (Lennon's "Dear Prudence" and "Getting Better"), in that the original arrangements are barely changed, while the style is hardly the Stairsteps' own. |
Bobby Jaspar & Herbie Mann - "Flute Flight" [Prestige mono LP '57] With Tommy Flanagan piano, Joe Puma guitar, Doug Watkins or Wendell Marshall bass, Eddie Costa vibes, Bobby Donaldson drums
Terry Gibbs Quartet - "Plays The Duke" [EmArcy mono LP '58] With Pete Jolly accordian, Leroy Vinegar bass, Gary Frommer drums, Gibbs play marimba and xylophone in addition to vibes. Got that big mono sound to love, and I don't believe this has ever been released on CD.
Donald Byrd With Clare Fischer & Strings - "September Afternoon" [Discovery stereo LP '82, orig. rec. '57] Originally done for Warner Brothers but, as per Fischer's liners, "the company started to release the album and then withdrew it and stuck it in the can where it has remained about twenty five years", calling it "...in essence a time-capsule -- made, buried, lost and finally recovered." Then he actually apologizes for the fine early stereo sound, which to me is far preferable to the sound of most albums recorded at the time of his writing. Now of course long since OOP and I don't believe has ever been made available on CD.
Gary McFarland - "Soft Samba" [Verve mono LP '64] This is good for a disbelieving chuckle: Inside the gatefold liners where producer credit is listed, Creed Taylor's familiar trademark signature appears on a small sticker placed over where his name presumably is also printed underneath sans script, which I guess must not have been good enough, maybe even violated terms of his contract, meaning Verve must've had to go to this retroactive trouble for every copy shipped
Freddie McCoy - "Peas'n'Rice" [Prestige stereo LP '67]
The Challengers - "California Kicks" [GNP Crescendo promo mono LP '66]
Charlie Rich - "Sings Country & Western" [Hi promo stereo LP '67]
Deep Purple - "Shade Of..." [Tetragrammaton LP '68]
Julian Bream & George Malcolm - "Sonatas For Lute And Harpsichord" [ RCA Red Seal LP '69] Bach and Vivaldi. It never occured to me before how similar these two instruments can sound. |
Thanks again Rushton, you encourage me to keep it up (much to the chagrin of some I'm sure! ;^) |
The Incredible String Band - "Wee Tam" [Elektra LP '69]
Roy Loney & The Phantom Movers - "Contents Under Pressure" [War Bride LP '81]
Ahmad Jamal - "The Piano Scene Of Ahmad Jamal" [Epic mono LP '59]
Joe Williams - "The Exciting Joe Williams" [RCA Victor stereo LP '65] Like the title sez! Huge punchy sound with of course the voice and performances to match (except for the last track on side 1, not a song worthy of the rest of the album), plus one of the absolute sauvest cover shots ever
Dizzy Gillespie + 21 - "Perceptions" [Verve mono LP '61] Composed and arranged by J.J. Johnson, conducted by Gunther Schuller
Antonio Carlos Jobim - "The Composer Of Desafinado, Plays" [Verve mono LP '63]
The Walter Wanderly Trio - "Cheganca" [Verve stereo LP '66] Supercharged, space-age Hammond organ bossanova, in sound so tubey-luscious, it's like a coffee caramel that melts in your ear |
Welcome back Albert! (In lesser news, misspelling "suavest" not exactly a suave move on my part -- certainly not deserving of Joe Williams' hounds-tooth & pipe ;^)
Barney Kessel - "Plays Carmen" [Contemporary mono LP '59] Subtitled "Modern Jazz Performances From Bizet's Opera". Group includes Buddy Collette, Andre Previn, Shelly Manne, Herb Geller and Victor Feldman, adapted and arranged by Kessel, who is in fine form on guitar. Warm and intimate, quite dynamic and very clean, reasonably extended sound by Roy DuNann
The Paul Winter Sextet - "Jazz Meets The Bossa Nova" [Columbia stereo LP '62] Redundantly-titled, percussion-crazy swell set, capable of generating a spread of sound seemingly greater than the width of the room far in excess of the speaker positions, without the help of added reverb either |
The Originals - "Baby I'm For Real" [Soul LP '69]
Luther Ingram - "If Loving You Is Wrong I Don't Want To Be Right" [Koko LP '72]
Moments - "Moments With You" [Stang LP '76] |
Norman Connors - "Love From The Sun" [Buddah LP '73] With Herbie Hancock, Hubert Laws, Eddie Henderson, Gary Bartz, Buster Williams, Carlos Garnett, DeeDee Bridgewater, in a celestial set from before the drummer/leader switched to pop-soul crossover mode
Phil Upchurch - "Lovin' Feeling" [Blue Thumb promo LP '73] The bluesy jazz guitarist better known as a sideman (Carmen McRea, Chess records house band) and for his "You Can't Sit Down" instro pop hit of the early 60's, delivers a funky pop-jazz set somewhere between Grant Green and George Benson
Lonnie Smith - "Drives" [Blue Note LP '70] Hot organ quintet set by Benson's one-time Hammond man (not to be confused with better-known keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith)
Sergio Mendes - "The Beat Of Brazil" [Atlantic LP '67] Arranged by Antonio Carlos Jobim, recorded by Philips in Rio de Janeiro with Brazilian sextet. Bossa nova of course, but with very credible straight modern jazz aspects as well, more so than on Jobim's own stuff. Quoth Sergio: "I've never heard an American drummer who can play Brazilian rhythm correctly...When you hear the sound in Brazil, there is no basic rhythmic pattern - no straight tempo - it's loose - there are shifts...It reflects the same kind of feeling that American drummers have when they play jazz. But for some reason, when they attempt Brazilian rhythm, it just sounds like a 'nice' beat." |
Gee, whadya think God talking to Noah sounds like over a good hi-fi?
I myself am partial to Nichols & May, and Derek & Clive (for the uninitiated, Dudley Moore and Peter Cook, being very naughty indeed). |
Marian McPartland - "A Delicate Balance" [Halcyon LP '72]
Duke Ellington - "...Meets Coleman Hawkins" [Impulse! stereo LP '63]
Michel Legrand - "Legrand Jazz" [Columbia mono LP '58]
James Moody - "Last Train From Overbrook" [Argo mono LP '58] As detailed in the liners, Overbrook was the New Jersey mental institution where Moody was consigned for treatment of alcoholism for the 5 months prior to taking the overnight train to Chicago (after gaining his doctor's permission) to record this album
George Freeman - "Birth Sign" [Delmark LP '72] Guitarist sideman for, at various times, Richard 'Groove' Holmes, Gene Ammons, and Shirley Scott, here joined by his tenorist brother Von Freeman on this collection of primarily originals
Johnny Hodges with Leon Thomas & Oliver Nelson - "3 Shades Of Blue" [Flying Dutchman LP '70]
Ray Bryant - "The Ray Bryant Touch" [Cadet mono LP '67]
Sonny Fortune - "Waves Of Dreams" [Horizon/A&M LP '76]
Jimmy Hughes - "Why Not Tonight?" [Atco mono LP '67] Compilation of the southern soul singer's Fame label singles, including my fave "Neighbor, Neighbor" |
Returning my recent purchase of the Beach Boys' "SMiLE" on 2LP due to high distortion levels in the pressing (inner bands, side 2 only, but not always the quietest surfaces elsewhere either). Noise and distortion issues aside however, IMO the sound quality and packaging weren't all they were hyped up to be in any event. With its bloated bottom, thin mids, and exagerated highs, to go with a rather flat soundstage, it sounds neither like a good-quality 60's record, nor like a typical 60's Beach Boys pressing (which usually suffered from compromised sound in different ways). And the look and feel of the printed materials are in no way period-accurate, or even noteworthy by current standards. So, rather than trying again, I may just play it safe and go with the CD set instead... |
