Author: John EckmanPage 15 of 102

Dawes, Misadventures of Doomscroller, 2022 on Rounder

I’m a huge fan of Dawes going back to Nothing is Wrong in 2011 and look forward to everything they put out. (They’re also playing the Cabot Theater…

Savages, Adore Life, 2016 on Matador

Sophomore LP from English post-punk band fronted by Gemma Thompson (guitar) and Jehnny Beth (vocals), with Ay?e Hassan (bass) and Fay Milton (drums). Love the post-punk revival sound…

Billy Bragg, Brewing Up With Billy Bragg, 1984 on CD Presents

Billy Bragg’s sophomore full length, subtitled “a puckish satire on contemporary mores.” This was released on Go! Discs in the UK but David Ferguson‘s CD Presents in the…

Doug Sahm, Groover’s Paradise, 1974 on Warner Bros

Doug Sahm’s quite an interesting figure I knew little about until Vinyl Me Please introduced me to this LP. He was a founding member of the Sir Douglas…

Wilson Pickett, Hey Jude, 1969 on Atlantic

Recorded at Fame studios in Muscle Shoals Alabama with a band that included Duane Allman as well as Jerry Jemmott and Roger Hawkins. It’s a classic late 60s…

Lilli Lewis, Americana, 2021 Self-Released

Feels oddly appropriate to post this one the week of Thanksgiving – Lilli Lewis’ Americana, which is as much an assertion as title – claiming the right to…

Benjamin Booker, Self-Titled, 2014 on ATO Records

Wonderful debut full-length on ATO from New Orleans based blues / soul guitarist/singer/songwriter Booker. Recorded (analog) at the Bomb Shelter (Nashville) and produced by Andrija Tokic who worked…

Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Almost Blue, 1981 on Columbia

Recorded in Nashville, this is Costello’s covers album of country greats – including Hank Williams and George Jones. I love Costello in his Americana / roots / country…

The Oscar Peterson Trio, In a Mellow Mood, 1973 on MPS-BASF

This 2xLP set is actually a reissue of The Way I Really Play and Mellow Mood, which were volumes III and V of the Exclusively For My Friends…

Nancy Sinatra, How Does That Grab You?, 1966 on Reprise

Another Lee Hazlewood produced mid-sixties Nancy Sinatra record – this was the followup to Boots – on Reprise. It didn’t do as well as Boots, but did reach…

Steve Earle, Townes: The Basics, 2021 on New West

As the back cover explains, the album Townes (a collection of Townes Van Zandt covers) was released in 2009 – but this LP collects the solo guitar and…

Depeche Mode, Speak & Spell: The 12″ Singles, 2018 on Mute

Reissued box of singles by Rhino / Sire / Mute. The singles: “Dreaming of Me,” “New Life,” and “Just Can’t Get Enough” all came out in 1981, the…

Let’s Active, Cypress, 1984 on IRS Records

Mitch Easter, Faye Hunter, and Sara Romweber’s debut full-length as Let’s Active, following after the Afoot EP. My copy is UK pressing – “A & M Records Ltd…

Weather Report, I Sing The Body Electric, 1972 on Columbia

Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Miroslav Vitous, Eric Gravatt, and guests, in a foundational fusion album from the early 70s. This was their second album after a self-titled debut….

Dave Van Ronk, Folksinger, 1962 on Prestige International

Van Ronk was a key figure in the Greenwich Village folk scene of the 60s, sometimes called the Mayor of MacDougal Street. He’s the most visible model for…

American Aquarium, Lamentations, 2020 on New West

How could you not love a band that takes its name from “I am trying to break your heart”? BJ Barham’s writing here is based on the book…

Depeche Mode, Live at Crocs Night Club Rayleigh Essex 27th June 1981, unlabelled bootleg, 2018

Per discogs, this seems to be a 2018 Spanish pressing of a bootleg that first appeared in the UK in 2006. Track A6 is listed just as “Boys”…

Aztec Camera; High Land, Hard Rain; 1983 on Sire

Aztec Camera were a Scottish new wave band led by Roddy Frame – this was their debut album recorded for Rough Trade in the UK and distributed in…

Steve Goodman, Steve Goodman, 1971 on Buddah Records

Steve Goodman’s an under-appreciated American singer songwriter, mostly known as the guy who wrote “City of New Orleans” (as in, Good Morning, America, how are ya? Don’t you…

The Suburbs at the Icehouse, November 3rd 2023

While I was in town for my mother’s 80th birthday, I was able to pick up tickets to see The Suburbs at Icehouse. (I guess this is the…