Category: Misc
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Giant Sand, Returns To Valley of Rain, 2018 on Fire Records
Howe Gelb and company (on this record that’s Scott Garber, Winston Watson, Gabriel Sullivan, and Annie Dolan plus guests) return to (and re-record) the material from their debut Valley of Rain (1985). Great alt-country / Americana / punk from Tuscon AZ. Worth picking up whether you had (and loved) the original or are new to…
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Nina Simone, Baltimore, 1978 on CTI
The inimitable Nina Simone recorded in Brussels in January 1978 – her first and only record with CTI (Creed Taylor Inc). Apparently she and Creed Taylor did not find good creative collaboration and she disclaimed any choice of material or creative control. “Baltimore” is the Randy Newman song from Little Criminals. Quincy Jones’ version of…
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Gene Loves Jezebel, Immigrant, 1985 on Relativity / Situation Two
Gene Loves Jezebel were twin brothers Jay Aston and Michael Aston, delivering post-punk with a goth-adjacent feel – most well known in the US for “Desire.” This was their second album, following Promise. Later they had a follow hit with “The Motion of Love” from their fourth album The House of Dolls. Relativity was a…
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Cowboy Junkies, Songs of the Recollection, 2022 on Proper Records
Margo, Michael, and Peter Timmins plus Alan Anton make up Toronto Canada’s Cowboy Junkies. This 2022 album is a collection of covers reflecting their formative influences: Bowie, Gram Parsons, Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot, Vic Chesnutt, and The Cure. Some of these songs are previously released on b-sides or other compilations but it…
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ZZ Top, ZZ Top’s First Album, 1971 on London / Warner Bros
Originally issued in the US on London Records (the American imprint of Decca) in 1971, ZZ Top‘s First Album was reissued by Warner Bros in 1978, likely based on the success of Tres Hombres, Fandango, and Tejas – their 1979 Degüello would be their first new album on Warner Bros. The original LP was not…
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Prince, Controversy, 1981 on Warner Bros.
Prince’s fourth full-length album, which he wrote, produced, and played most the instruments on. (André Cymone gets co-writing credit on “Do Me Baby” on some later versions, but is not credited here – plus backing vocals for Wendy & Lisa, Bobby Z for Drums and Lisa and Fink for keys on some tracks). I love…
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Sunny War, Anarchist Gospel, 2023 on New West
Sunny War, for me, came out of nowhere – I was not familiar with her earlier work though she’s put out 6 previous full length albums (one with Micah Nelson aka Particle Kid), but I will definitely be looking to pick up those older albums now that i’ve heard this one. Her bandcamp says: Sunny…
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Bauhaus, Burning From The Inside, 1983 on Beggars Banquet / A&M
Quite a shift from yesterday’s post of Oscar Peterson’s Return Engagement to Bauhaus, but that’s the joy of a diverse collection. I was just a touch too late to find Bauhaus – by the time I was a fan in the mid-eighties they’d already splintered into the many follow-on groups (Tones on Tail, Love &…
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M. Ward, The End of Amnesia, 2001 on Future Farmer Recordings
M. Ward’s sophomore album, following up Duet for Guitars #2 – and what a wonderful album it is. My copy is a 20th anniversary reissue on vinyl from Jealous Butcher Records which sounds amazing. Future Farmer did release a vinyl edition in 2009 but this one is remastered by Adam Gonsalves at Telegraph Mastering. Liner…
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Various Artists, 89.3 The Current, 2005 on Minnesota Public Radio (MPR 116)
Great compilation of recordings made in the studios of Minnesota Public Radio. The Current is the branded name for KCMP, 89.3, and was created when MPR bought WCAL-FM, the college station at St. Olaf, in 2004. So I guess this release was partially celebrating the roll out of The Current. Lots of great things here,…
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Echo and the Bunnymen, B-Sides and Live (2001-2005), 2022 on Demon Records
Released digitally in 2007 by Cooking Vinyl, but reissued on vinyl by Demon Records for Record Store Day 2022, on clear vinyl. A number of songs from Live at Reading Festival 2005, a remix of “Rescue,” and some acoustic versions. Great pressing and package. My copy via the discount rack at Newbury Comics in the…
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Jolie Holland & Samantha Parton, Wildflower Blues, 2017 on Cinquefoil
Holland and Parton were the original core of the Be Good Tanyas, later joined by Trish Klein and Frazey Ford. I was (and still am) a massive fan of the Be Good Tanyas, often letting their albums Blue Horse and Chinatown run all day while working. Here they reunite on an album via Cinquefoil Records,…
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Dead or Alive, Youthquake, 1985 on Epic
Dead or Alive sometimes get put in the one hit wonder category, based on the massive success of “You Spin Me Round” but this is really a great record. I had the 12″ single of “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)” when it came out, but didn’t find the full LP until recently –…
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Talking Heads, Live on Tour, 1979 on Warner Bros
The Warner Bros. Music Show was a series of releases sent to radio stations for broadcast between 1979 and 1988 – they weren’t ever really intended to be released to consumers, but because they were distributed on vinyl they show up in vintage stores from time to time. I was not hip enough (as a…
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R.E.M., reckoning, 1984 on IRS
R.E.M.’s second full length LP (following Murmur – Chronic Town was just an EP) and the best album titled Reckoning to come out in the 80s (the second best being the Grateful Dead’s acoustic Reckoning). To be fair there isn’t really an R.E.M. album I don’t love, but this is one of my favorites –…
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Peter Case, HWY 62, 2015 on Omnivore Recordings
I’ve been a big fan of Peter Case since discovering The Man With The Blue Postmodern Fragmented Neo-Traditionalist Guitar in the 80s. I didn’t know it at the time but he has a great long history with The Nerves (who recorded the original “Hanging On the Telephone” that Blondie later made big), The Plimsouls (“A…
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UB40, Self-Titled, 1988 on A&M
Ub40’s eighth studio album, released in the US on A&M (It was on DEP International in the UK). Includes the Dusty Springfield cover “Breakfast In Bed” with Chrissie Hynde. At this point they were mega stars, not the early political unknown band I’d loved in the early 80s, but I still think this album sounds…
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The Ink Spots, If I Didn’t Care, 1964 on Crown Records (CST 448)
Crown is somewhat reviled as the king of the discount labels – records were issued without even paper inner sleeves, and issues records between 1953 and 1972. Records issue by Crown often have really noisy recordings or sound warn, but this one actually holds up pretty well. Their biggest single, the title track here, came…