I've been catching up on my vinyl and listening to my tunes with my sister, who graced me with a rare visit from the high SoCal desert. But tonight I need a hi-rez fix of pure jazz-pop-rock Donald Fagen...

So I played "Kamakiriad" in DVD-A on the 5.2 channel and I felt like I was in the studio- with the guys. Chillin' at the Teahouse On The Tracks.

She was pretty astounded at how good music can sound at home. It was nice.

the Urban Verbs (first album, 1980) Great band from DC. Didn't make a big national impact but should have, one of the best original and unique sounding bands of the time. Pretty good sounding vinyl too.

chico hamilton - quintet featuring buddy colette (LP)

miles davis - sketches of spain (LP)

getz/gilberto (LP)

steve reich - music for mallet instruments voices and organ, six marimbas (CD)

I like your style, enframed.

Last night I listened to:
1. Death: For the Whole World to See
2. Serge Gainsbourg: Histoire De Melody Nelson
3. Dock Boggs: False Hearted Lover's Blues

All on beautiful vinyl.

thanks, stephen.

i'm curious about that death album. i'm not a big fan of MC5 but love the stooges.

Quote:
i'm curious about that death album. i'm not a big fan of MC5 but love the stooges.

Well, FWIW, they remind me more of the Stooges than the MC5. You can listen to a few tracks here. "Politicians In My Eyes" is probably my favorite.

i'm diggin it. thanks.

arvo part - tabula rasa (lp)

the black heart procession - 1 (lp)

new order - power, corruption & lies (lp)

chappaquiddick skyline - s/t (cd)

enframed: You is one hip mofo geezer!

ha. nah...i don't even have a beard.

You are much more subversive without one.

Quote:
You are much more subversive without one.

True.

Last night I listened to:
1. Albert Ayler Trio: Spiritual Unity
Fricking awesome, with Sunny Murray and Gary Peacock. Murray on percussion is like a typewriter or something, tapping tapping tapping furiously, while Peacock is weaving acid clouds and Ayler sings of ghosts. On ESP-Disk.
2. Extra Golden: Thank You Very Quickly

the black heart procession - the spell (lp). this one is much more rock than all of their previous, with more distortion on the guitars and faster tempo on many tracks.

fontanelle - style drift (lp)

http://www.amazon.com/My-Funny-Valentine/dp/B000SZHF4G

http://www.amazon.com/Chet-Baker-And-Art-Pepper/dp/B000T2E8LG

the heads - dead in the water
rem - fables of the reconstruction
calla - collisions
rainbow - rising

The heads - is that the band that was the talking heads minus D. Byrne and w/ Janette Napolitano?

Also - I have one Calla album - Strength in Numbers -excellent - what others do you recommend?

the heads are a psyche/rock/metal band from the uk. they record almost every time they play together. most of the stuff i have sounds like "long gone" on the myspace page. they have two albums available in the US and a few OOP 10" records.

calla's stuff is all very similar, but personally i like "collisions" best. "televise" and "scavengers" are also good. i've not heard any others.

Yesterday was a drizzly wet Spring day in Dallas so it was time for some (mostly) Texas music.

Willie Nelson; The Milkcow Blues CD

A 2000 release this album features headliners glad to share the stage with Willie, many for not the first or last time. Susan Tedeschi, Jimmy Vaughn, Francine Reed, B.B. King, Dr. John and Kenny Wayne Shepard contribute their talents while Willie is, as always, there to collaborate. The selections cover five decades of the music Nelson grew up with and played as a DJ as well as five of Willie's own compositions. Most importantly this is what Willie probably played at the honky tonks and fish fry's early in his career. There is an unmistakeable Texas Swing to every cut that makes this more Gatemouth Brown than Freddy King and reminds us this music was first written to get people out of their seats and dancing.

M: 5
S: 4

http://www.amazon.com/Milk-Cow-Blues/dp/B000WGXIK6

Lyle Lovett; Pontiac CD

A Texas Troubadour mixes big band jazz and alt country in his second and probably his best album. No one song leads to the next and yet all perfectly fit together. Recorded in the late '80's the CD plays heavily on its "digital" roots - the LP is better.

M; 5
S; 4

http://www.amazon.com/Pontiac-Lyle-Lovett/dp/B000002PG8

Waylon Jennings; The Essential Waylon Jennings CD

You'll need more than one disc to cover all of what is essential about Jennings and his music, I have several. This collection was released before Jennings became one of the music industry's favorite artists - a dead one. Pick your title if you are looking to understand Jennings career but the swampy Outlaw music from the self described "Psychedelic Cowboy" who was inflenced by Jimmie Rodgers and Buddy Holly starts here.

M; 5
S; 4

http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Essential%20Waylon%20Jennings:1921186417

Albert King; The Best of Albert King CD

Well, I was looking to stay with Texas music but I came across this leg of the "King Triad" while looking through the stacks for Freddy. This CD is a favorite for both its music and its sound quality. The man who invented Blues Power and never had time for chords plays his single string attack on his own hits, covers some other's hits and plays what others will cover later. If you had never heard Big Momma Thornton's version and thought Elvis owned "Hound Dog", give King's version a try. Always inventive and always unique, King's upside down Flying "V" Gibson provides a sound not often associated with the blues, with the low E on the bottom however, huge bends and biting sound are King's trademark. Whether you want to listen or play along, Albert is one of the three Kings any blues guitarist should start with.

M; 5
S; 4.5

http://www.amazon.com/Best-Albert-King-Vol-1/dp/B000000XGV

http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/10%20Monsters%20of%20the%20Flying%20V/

Dwight Yoakam; Dwight Sings Buck CD

Not exactly Texas and not exactly Bakersfield this CD has Yoakam doing what his best friend and mentor did best - acting naturally. Mr. Martin meets Mr. Telecaster presents the largest obstacle in this CD. Yoakam is best when he is in his own element creating wall of sound alt country with a half dozen different rhythms going at once. Buck never played that way. Heartfelt and worthy of a listen this one just goes to prove Owens was an original who cannot be copied.

M; 5
S; 4

http://www.amazon.com/Dwight-Sings-Buck-Yoakam/dp/B000V6BE12

Stevie Ray Vaughn; Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble - The Real Deal: Greatest Hits 2 CD

Another case of what the music industry loves best - reissuing a dead legend's greatest hits. You have your choice of which CD to buy when selecting your "essential" SRV catalog. I haven't heard any difference between the various collections as far as sound quality is concerned since this is what SRV is supposed to sound like. None the less SRV broke from the Freddie King, Gatemouth Brown style of Texas Blues to become an influence in his own right. Brother Jimmie, who taught Stevie how to play, actually does it better but you can't not have at least one SRV album in your collection if you like the blues.

M; 4.5
S; 3

http://www.amazon.com/Stevie-Ray-Vaughan-Double-Trouble/dp/B00000ICN8/ref=pd_sim_m_1

A bunch of stuff last night but I'll mention in particular:
Portishead, the new (2008) album "Third". Wow. Don't remember how long since their last album but it must be 10 years - and this new one might be their best one yet. Heavy beauty.

Last night was.....

The Allman Brothers Band At Filmore East (LP all 4 sides plus 1 side from Eat A Peach)

John McLaughlin The Promise (CD)

Stanley Turrentine Sugar (LP)

fuxa - venoy
king crimson - in the court of the crimson king
talking heads - "this must be the place"

all lps.

After the season finale of "24" (one of the rare tv shows I like) I kicked back with the iPod and Grados so as to not disturb the familia. I have about 1500 songs on the 20 gig, listening on shuffle, when the Pixies' "Velouria" comes on. I love all things Pixie, so I was especially stoked when that song was followed by The Bad Plus' version of..."Velouria!" SPOOKY!

I mean, what are the odds?

The Wannamaker Organ playing "Come, Sweet Death" in multichannel.

jarvis cocker - further complications (lp)

Sonny Boy Wiliamson With the Yardbirds; mono LP

Recorded live in 1963 at the Crawdaddy Club in London. The Yardbirds were very young and didn't realize they were playing with Sonny Boy "II" and not the original Williamson who had died several years earlier. After a short rehearsal the set begins as Williamson begins to rearrange both the songs and the order of performance adding pieces that were never rehearsed. Since Sonny Boy seems to be there only to make a paycheck the attraction of this album is to hear the young Eric Clapton make the best of the situation as the band tries to follow along with a performer who isn't strictly tied to playing 12 bar blues in 12 bars. This is from a double set that also includes early live Yardbirds recordings with the original band members.

M; 4.5
S; 3.5

Joe Cocker, I Can Stand a Little Rain LP

I've had this album for so long and played it so often I don't remember a time when I didn't love this music. Alcohol and cigarette fueled vocals surrounded by outstanding performances and captured in an excellent recording for any time period let alone this one, this is IMO Cocker's best. The CD is equally as good in many ways but the LP is still the better choice. Highly recommended.

M; 5
S; 4.5

http://www.amazon.com/Can-Stand-Little-Rain-Cocker/dp/B00166G7K4

Harry Belfonte Belafonte Sings the Blues mono LP

Recorded in 1958 when Ray Charles was the closest thing to "the blues" for most of the folks who were buying this album and when neither Belafonte nor Charles could actually sit at the same table with some of the folks who were buying this album.

M; 4
S; 4

Quote:
The Wannamaker Organ playing "Come, Sweet Death" in multichannel.

I get to hear it live quite frequently. Although Macys now owns the old Wannamakers store they kept the organ and the "Eagle". The Eagle has been a place where people that are shopping in downtown Phila. have traditionally met. As in "I'll meet you under the Eagle when you're through shopping".

Last nights sounds:
Joe Farrell Moon Germs LP
Herbie Hancock Headhunters LP
Fleetwood Mac The Dance CD

Quote:

Quote:
The Wannamaker Organ playing "Come, Sweet Death" in multichannel.

I get to hear it live quite frequently. Although Macys now owns the old Wannamakers store they kept the organ and the "Eagle".

You are a lucky (*&&(*, indeed.

How are they doing on the reconstruction? I know that the brass ranks were pretty messed up while the building was vacant and the organ society was trying to get them fixed.

I so want to do an NSM recording there.

As far as I know it's working fine. It was being played during the last Christmas season. I went downtown to hear it. I go every holiday season at minimum. About 3 blocks away we've got another nice organ at the Kimmel center. The Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ has nearly 7,000 pipes. I've heard that one a couple of times.

Listening tonight

Canonball Adderley Quintet Mercy, Mercy, Mercy LP but have the CD also.

Horacee Arnold Tales Of The Exonerated Flee LP

Tony Bennett Unplugged CD

J.S. Bach The Well Tempered Clavier Sviatoslov Richter; Piano LP

The Beatles Abbey Road LP

the pernice brothers - live a little (cd)

terry riley - descending moonshine dervishes (lp)

This weekend I listened to ...

Keb' Mo'; Just Like You, CD

A contemporary blues artist who has more than sufficient blues power for Martin Scorsese's "Best of the Blues" series (http://www.bizrate.com/bluesmusic/martin-scorsese-presents-the-blues%3A-keb%27-mo%27-by-keb%27-mo%27-(cd-09%2F09%2F2003)--pid9036213/compareprices__kw--martin+scorsese+%2B+best+of+the+blues+cd+%2B+keb+mo__qcid--1029538.html), this CD is bluesy enough to have Bonnie Raitt as a guest artist and folksy enough to have Jackson Browne alongside of her. Keb'Mo' charts his own course with his blues and if you're looking for Buddy Guy/Chicago Style House Rockin' Blues, then you'd best look elsewhere. This is music to sit and listen to for at least the first two times around - then turn up the volume and enjoy the music.

The recording reminded me very much of the Direct to Master Discs that were coming out of Japan in the late 1970's & '80's. Super clean and out the whazoo dynamics with full, tight bass and an impressive soundstage this is a top notch recording and a Grammy Award winner to boot.

M; 4.5
S; 4.5 (Downgraded from 5.0 due only to the obvious studio construction of the album, otherwise, for a studio production, 5.0 all the way and an impressive 5.0 at that)

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&key...sl_9aq7yngiu1_e

T-Bone Walker; Mean Old World, mono CD

A compilation and remastering disc comprising twenty years of Walker's recorded history this disc utlizes the OWE technology; http://www.ourworldnet.com/main/techno.htm, to obtain very good archival sound. Walker, recognized as "The Godfather of Electric Blues Guitar", came out of the Texas Blues tradition combining Country Blues, New Orleans Jazz and Big Band Swing into a style that was uniquely his own. Playing his guitar behind his back, between his legs or with his teeth, Walker was a consumate showman and two decades later an inspiration to those who heard his music on scratchy 78's, read about his exploits and decided they too wanted to be a Guitar God.

Walker was also the first of the Country Blues artists to head out to Los Angeles in 1934 where his overwhelming popularity and money making draw allowed him to be instrumental in integrating black and white audiences and transcending "race" music.

Everyone should get to know T-Bone Walker.

M; 4.0 (This is a good set but omits several of Walker's biggest hits, most notably his masterpiece "Call It Stormy Monday".)
S; 4.0

http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf-8&...onday&type=

Blind Pig Records 25th Anniversary Collection, three CD set

It took me the weekend to get through this set since I repeated several selections multiple times along the way. BP has more than one Anniversary Collection to choose from, I have three and they all represent some of the best blues collections you can find. Similar to Alligator and Rhino Records, BP puts together in one place a group of the finest working musicians the major labels won't touch. Unlike Rhino and more similar to the Alligator Records catalog, BP records hard working, travelling the country to play whenever they get the chance musicians and only occasionally sells on past catalogs.

This particular Collection includes Arthur Adams, Magic Slim, Tommy Castro and Delbert McClinton, Jonny Shines and Pinetop Perkins among the artists who work the clubs and bars hundreds of nights a year and record regularly for Blind Pig. A wonderful "Last Chance" performed by George "Harmonica" Smith is worth the price of the disc.

Blind Pig Records came out of the successful Detroit blues bar Blind Pig Cafe and this Collection includes flavors of Funk and R&B, Memphis Soul and hard Blues Rock that make it somewhat unlike the other BP Collections I own. Still there is no shortage of Stratocasters on this CD along with the Telecasters, LP's, ES335's, J200's and even a twelve string Resonator played with a real cut off the bottle neck slide so you'll find more than one something to suit your taste on this CD. Listen and choose which BP disc suits your tastes but I would recommend all of their catalog as a beginning point on modern day, working the crowds Blues Power.

M; 4 to 5 (depending on the artist, the selection and your taste)
S; 4.5

http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/musi...+Collection.htm

Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest
I sort of want everyone to go out and buy this, or find a way to listen online, and let me know what you think. I think it's special, but I tend to overreact when I enjoy new albums. Jon Iverson has already put me in my place with this one, telling me that the Beach Boys were obviously a huge influence. Jon says that Grizzly Bear achieves a certain mastery of many influences, but does not break new ground. I wonder, however, if there is any new ground to be broken. Maybe a mastery of many influences is the best we can hope for, maybe there can only be new combinations of old things. In any case, even if Veckatimest does not prove to be a lasting piece of work, it's certainly beautiful for now. I wrote a little bit about it at the blog.

lali puna - faking the books (mp3), tri-decoder (lp), scary world theory (LP)

interpol - turn on the bright lights (cd)

jimi hendrix - are you experienced? (lp)

gas - nah und fern (mp3)

film school - s/t (mp3

Quote:
Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest
I sort of want everyone to go out and buy this, or find a way to listen online, and let me know what you think. I think it's special, but I tend to overreact when I enjoy new albums. Jon Iverson has already put me in my place with this one, telling me that the Beach Boys were obviously a huge influence. Jon says that Grizzly Bear achieves a certain mastery of many influences, but does not break new ground. I wonder, however, if there is any new ground to be broken. Maybe a mastery of many influences is the best we can hope for, maybe there can only be new combinations of old things. In any case, even if Veckatimest does not prove to be a lasting piece of work, it's certainly beautiful for now. I wrote a little bit about it at the blog.

ah yes, out today. i'll be picking this up this afternoon. thanks for the reminder.

some tracks are streaming here: http://grizzly-bear.net/music/

edit: picked up the lp this afternoon. will listen at home. mp3's with lp purchase.

Review today in the Washington Post - I put this here FYI, not because I agree w/ it. This reviewer D. Malitz specializes in mere snark and i don't trust his judgments on music. I haven't heard this new Veckatimest but enjoy their previous album.

"Of all the bands that could have been named Grizzly Bear it ends up being a bunch of precious art-rockers from Brooklyn whose music has no teeth at all. What a shame. The band is universally adored -- critics, bloggers, Josh Groban, they all sing their praises -- but the truth must be told: Grizzly Bear makes boring, bloated music that at best sounds like a second-rate Beach Boys rip-off and at worst indulges in the worst prog-rock excesses of the '70s. "Veckatimest," the band's third album, is a trudging affair. Grizzly Bear's songs are like fancy, 500-piece jigsaw puzzles. There are the cascading harmonies, choral arrangements, specks of violin, twinkles of piano, reverb-drenched electric guitar. Except once everything interlocks and you stop to take in the final product, there's nothing there. It's all meandering textures. This is a band of sonic showoffs, nothing more. And who likes showoffs?..."

Quote:
Review today in the Washington Post - I put this here FYI, not because I agree w/ it. This reviewer D. Malitz specializes in mere snark and i don't trust his judgments on music. I haven't heard this new Veckatimest but enjoy their previous album.

"Of all the bands that could have been named Grizzly Bear it ends up being a bunch of precious art-rockers from Brooklyn whose music has no teeth at all. What a shame. The band is universally adored -- critics, bloggers, Josh Groban, they all sing their praises -- but the truth must be told: Grizzly Bear makes boring, bloated music that at best sounds like a second-rate Beach Boys rip-off and at worst indulges in the worst prog-rock excesses of the '70s. "Veckatimest," the band's third album, is a trudging affair. Grizzly Bear's songs are like fancy, 500-piece jigsaw puzzles. There are the cascading harmonies, choral arrangements, specks of violin, twinkles of piano, reverb-drenched electric guitar. Except once everything interlocks and you stop to take in the final product, there's nothing there. It's all meandering textures. This is a band of sonic showoffs, nothing more. And who likes showoffs?..."

Hmm, maybe D. Malitz is right. I haven't listened to a lot of Beach Boys or prog, so I wouldn't know. Jon Iverson would probably agree with Malitz's review.

Quote:
There are the cascading harmonies, choral arrangements, specks of violin, twinkles of piano, reverb-drenched electric guitar. Except once everything interlocks and you stop to take in the final product, there's nothing there. It's all meandering textures."

But that does sound like something I'd like.

d. malitz on the whole is wrong.

show offs? hardly. none of those guys is rick wakeman, neil peart, or robert fripp.

he's not wrong about the influences, the beach boys (yellow house has just as much of that sound) and prog have always been there, heck, grizzly bear even covers yes' "owner of a lonely heart" on an early release. i highly doubt that is the extent of their knowledge of yes and prog in general. i picked up ELO on this release and that track is one of my favorites.

calling the songs fancy, 500-piece jigsaw puzzles is inaccurate; it's pop, it's simply not that complicated.

Quote:
d. malitz on the whole is wrong. ...

Agreed. He and his fellow WashPost music writer/blogger "J. Freedom DuLac" suffer from reviewer disease - they're up on every trend and microtrend and are "hip" in that way but too snarky and superficial.
Plus they're too in love with Bruce Springsteen, a love they're otherwise too antsy to give to any other artist.
Weird.

grizzly bear - veckatimest lp

oh man, i LOVE this album. i imagine that they decided the track order based on the double lp format. they did a very good job, the flow is perfect. listened last night at home to the lp for the first time and it sounded so, so good. it's a very rich record and was immediately satisfying, unlike yellow house, which took me a while to enjoy. (however, horn of plenty and early both i enjoyed right away. i did notice more so last night that the "prog" influence is heaviest in the recording of the bass, i like it.

anyway, fans of pop should pick this up.

grizzly bear veckatimest lp (again)

pink floyd atom heart mother lp

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest on LP

Max Richter - 24 Postcards on LP

http://fat-cat.co.uk/fatcat/release.php?id=267

Jethro Tull This Was lp

Cactus Restrictions lp

Sir Lord Baltimore Kingdom Come lp

Theory of a Deadman: Scars and Souvenirs

Quote:
I hate my job, all of my rich friends
I hate everyone to the bitter end.
Nothing turns out right There's no end in sight
I hate my life!

Arthur Lyman - Hawaiian Sunset (what a soothing lullaby - but I have a weakness for all things Tiki)

Donald Fagen - Karmakiriad

Lou Donaldson - Mr. Shing-a-ling ("Sweet Lou" plays some of the most accessible and user friendly jazz on the planet)

Quote:
Dire Straits; Love Over Gold, Remaster CD

A classic that benefits from the remaster. Like DSOTM a disc you should have at least two copies of and preferrably one vinyl and one CD. $7.99 in the clearance bin at B. Dalton.

I've got a pristine German vinyl pressing of this. Does that qualify? Don't like Pink Floyd at all, though. Sorry.

Last night I listened to...

Mads Mouritz & The Bleeding Hearts: One of my favourite bands of the last year or two. couldn't even get arrested in his home country of Denmark, but I think he really deserves wider recognition. A unique voice who sings and writes songs in both English (with his band The Bleeding Hearts) and Danish, in another incarnation called The "Mouritz/H

over the weekend...

tortoise - beacons of ancestorship (mp3)
tortoise - it's all around you (lp)
gojogo - all is fair (cd)
grizzly bear - veckatimest (lp and mp3)

oh yeah, and tar - handsome and roundhouse (lps)

David Bowie - The Man Who Sold the World lp

Miles Davis - In Person, Friday Night at the Blackhawk lp

Presently listening to Ry Cooder, "We Shall be Happy" from "Jazz"

Quote:
tortoise - beacons of ancestorship (mp3)
tortoise - it's all around you (lp)

Tortoise rocks...

Gui Boratto - Take My Breath Away (LP)
Oscar Peterson - Put on a Happy Face (LP)
Alfred Cortot - 4 Chopin Ballades, Japanese EMI, mono

the new tortoise is ok. i'll pick up the lp when it's released but i haven't really developed a liking for it yet. no marimba, no vibes, lot's of repetition (not a bad thing, per se), seemed pieced together in a lot of places, too many synth farts.

i love tortoise but this one is just...i'll keep listening.

live, they always rock.

sandoz in dub (chapter 2): live in the earth lp

kraftwerk - the man-machine lp