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Marty Stuart, Busy Bee Cafe, 1982 on Sugar Hill Records
No, that’s not the same Sugar Hill that put out Rapper’s Delight – it’s a folk/bluegrass label out of North Carolina, later merged in Concord and now Rounder. Although Stuart’s recorded output starts in the 80s, he spent years touring with Lester Flatt and in Johnny Cash’s road band. This was his second album, the…
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St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Angels in Science Fiction, 2023 on ATO Records
This is the fifth full length album from Alabama’s St. Paul & The Broken Bones, and their second on ATO. Beautiful packing with a lovely lyrics booklet. It’s also a great record, with its origins reportedly in letters Paul Janeway wrote to his (at the time) not yet born child. It’s the kind of album,…
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Leonard Cohen, Songs From The Road, 2010 on Columbia
Leonard Cohen’s output is nothing short of spectacular, across studio albums and live recordings. These songs were recorded on tour in 2008 and 2009 when he was in his mid-seventies. The liner notes catalogue in detail why each performance was selected from across a lengthy tour. He sounds great, as does the band. In Europe…
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The Decemberists, Picaresque, 2005 on Kill Rock Stars
The Decemberists may be my single most favorite band of the new millenium. Colin Meloy’s lyricism can seem cloying or pretentious to some but I love it – perhaps having spent the 1990s in grad school myself prepared me well. Picaresque was their third studio album and the last on Kill Rock Stars before moving…
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Mazzy Star, So Tonight That I Might See, 1993 on Capitol
Mazzy Star grew out of an earlier band called Opal – David Roback and Hope Sandoval actually performed as Opal before renaming themselves to Mazzy Star. (Yes, like most people, I thought Mazzy Star was the lead singer’s name but it is not – she’s Hope Sandoval). Roback was also a founder of Rain Parade…
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The Romantics, The Romantics, 1980 on Nemperor / Epic
“What I like about you, you hold me tight / tell me I’m the only one / wanna come over tonight” The Romantics were a Detroit power-pop / new wave band formed in the late 70s: Wally Palmer, Rich Cole, Mike Skill, and Jimmy Marinos. “That’s What I Like About You” made a top 50…
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M. Ward, Rockport MA, August 2nd, 2024
Got a chance to see M. Ward last night at the beautiful Shalin Liu in Rockport MA It’s a beautiful venue, but the lighting seems to have foiled my (admitted limited) photography skills. He’s on a kind of warm-up tour for the impeding release of The Best of M. Ward, I assume coming out on…
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Michael Franks, The Art of Tea, 1975 on Reprise
Franks is an interesting figure – from my pov very over looked these days, but quite successful at the time. He was the center of the so-called “Quiet Storm” movement – jazz influenced, sooth vocals – sort of adjacent to Yacht Rock but with a more R&B / smooth jazz base. (There was a “Quiet…
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Mary Gauthier, Dark Enough to See The Stars, 2022 on In The Black Records
I’ve posted a number of Mary Gauthier records before – been following her career from the beginnings as she transitioned from chef/owner of Dixie Kitchen on Mass Ave by Berkeley to singer/songwriter at the Mews in Provincetown in the off-season. The title track is a co-write with Beth Nielsen Chapman: In an ocean black and…
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Syd Straw, Surprise, 1989 on Virgin
Syd Straw’s career started as a backup singer for Pat Benatar, and fronting Golden Palaminos on a couple of their albums. This was her solo debut, with MIchael Stipe (of R.E.M.) joining on “Future 40s” and other guests like Ry Cooder, Van Dyke Parks, Richard Thompson, Anton Fier, Bernie Worrell, Marc Ribot, Peter Holsapple, Dan…
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Duke Ellington, The Intimate Ellington, 1977 on Pablo Records
Recorded in NYC between 1969 and 1971, with a variety of players. Includes “Moon Maiden” with just Ellington singing and accompanying himself on Celeste, and also some great renditions of “I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good)” and “Sophisticated Lady” but also some less well known songs. Pablo Records was Norman Granz’s label created…
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The Beatles, Revolver, 1966 on Parlophone / Capitol
Classic Beatles LP as they started shifting toward innovative studio techniques, took more drugs, and got more experimental – continuing the shift that started on Rubber Soul with tracks like “Tomorrow Never Knows”: Turn off you mind / relax and float downstream / it is not dying / it is not dying Artwork by Klaus…
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The Dropkick Murphys, Turn Up That Dial, 2021 on Born & Bred Records
The Dropkick Murphys formed in Quincy Massachusetts in the mid 90s, with Ken Casey, Rick Barton and Mike McColgan – Casey’s the only one still involved as of this recent LP. They created Born & Bred as an imprint to release their own music through the Independent Label Group / Alternative Distribution Alliance. My copy…
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Toto, Tovo IV, 1982 on Columbia
Toto came together as a group of studio / session musicians, including Jeff, Steve, and Mike Porcaro with Steve Lukather and David Paich. This was their breakout album, with the now unavoidable “Africa” and “Rosanna.” Per wikipedia, although Steve Porcaro was dating Rosanna Arquette at the time, songwriter David Paich insists “Rosanna” was not about…
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Paul Collins’ Beat, The Beat, 1979 on CBS / Columbia
Paul Collins’ Beat was originally just called “The Beat” (as is evident in the artwork) but was renamed Paul Collins’ Beat to avoid confusion with that other “The Beat” (itself renamed to The English Beat in the US). Collins’ legacy includes the Nerves and the Plimsouls, both with Peter Case. Columbia could not use the…
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Various Artists, Newport Broadside: Topical Songs at the Newport Folk Festival, 1963; 1964 on Vanguard
The Newport Folk Festival for 2024 is coming up this week. This record collects performances from 61 years ago, by Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, Sam Hinton, Bob Davenport, The Freedom Singers, Jim Garland, Ed McCurdy, Phil Ochs, Peter La Farge, and Joan Baez. I love seeing the folks we now recognize as giants…
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Chet Baker, Chet Baker Sings, 1956 on World Pacific Records
Chet Baker is on of my all time favorite jazz trumpeters and singers. The tone in both his trumpet and his voice is just amazing – subtle, warm, smooth. This recorded was recorded in LA (the Forum Teater & Capitol Studios) by Allan Emig and Phil Turetsky. Sleeve notes by Gerald Heard, pictured on the…