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Tinsley Ellis at Shalin Liu, Rockport
If you’ve never been to the Shalin Liu performing arts center in Rockport, it’s a fantastic venue, with a large scale window backing up to Rockport Harbor. Last night we saw blues guitarist/singer/songwriter Tinsley Ellis, who put on a great show. That’s his 1937 National resonator guitar on stage above – he walked on with…
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boygenius, boygenius, 2018 on Matador
Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker are boygenius – this was their debut self-titled EP, which came out in 2018. They recorded and produced the EP in just four days at Sound City in LA. Love the nod to Crosby, Stills & Nash’s debut album in the cover photo. They’re joined here by Anna…
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Maria McKee, Peddlin’ Dreams, 2005 on Cooking Vinyl / Eleven Thirty
McKee was the front woman for Lone Justice, who put out two albums in the 80s, but has gone on to a solo career that has resurged in the new millenium. This is a really great and surprising record, including a cover of Neil Young’s “Barstool Blues” and “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am”…
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Def Leppard, Pyromania, 1983 on Mercury
For me this is one of those albums I loved as a 13 year old, then outgrew for many years (aka thought I was too cool for something so massively popular and unapologetically hair metal) but have come again to appreciate with wiser ears. It was their massive breakout, with “Photograph,” “Rock of Ages,” and…
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Pink Floyd, Animals, 1977 on Columbia
What a fantastic album – from the opening note to the closing. I came to Pink Floyd later – not discovering their albums in the sequence they came out, but starting with The Wall and then branching out, eventually getting back to the Syd Barrett days. This record was their 10th studio LP and came…
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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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Peter Buck, I Am Back to Blow Your Mind Once Again, 2014 on Mississippi/Change Records
The follow up to Buck’s self-titled debut release, also on Mississippi Records out of Portland OR. Buck works again here with Scott McCaughey, William Rieflin, Corin Tucker, and Jenny Conlee, but also Patterson Hood who co-wrote and sings “Southerner.” Also includes a cover of The Mummies’ “(You Must Fight To Live) On the Planet of…
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U2, Lemon (Remixes), 1993 on Island
Lemon was one of the singles from Zooropa – in the era while I was just entering grad school and thus not really following bands or collecting vinyl – so right in the dearth of 90s and 2000s vinyl in my collection. Was happy to find this EP of remixes on yellow translucent vinyl, including…
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13th Floor Elevators, Flivver, 1988 on World Productions of Compact Music
I first heard Roky Erickson and the 13th Floor Elevators on fourth or fifth generation tape copies from friends in the 80s, but didn’t really come to appreciate them fully until much later. This record, on a bootleg Italian label with releases in the late 80s and early 90s, gathers live performances from The Avalon…
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David Bowie, Aladdin Sane, 1973 on RCA Victor
Bowie’s sixth studio album, this was the followup to Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. It features Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder, and Woody Woodmansey (aka the Spiders From Mars). It was recorded during breaks in the Ziggy Stardust tour. Includes a cover of “Let’s Spend the Night Together” as well as “The Jean Genie”…
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Koerner Ray & Glover, The Return of Koerner Ray & Glover, 1965 on Elektra
“Spider” John Koerner, Dave “Snaker” Ray, and Tony “Little Sun” Glover were a Minneapolis blues/folk trio who met at the University of Minnesota and played frequently in Dinkytown and the West Bank. This was their third release on Elektra and the the last before a seven year gap – capturing their early folk/blues approach. Produced…
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Nikki Lane, Denim & Diamonds, 2022 on New West Records
Nikki Lane’s fourth full length – her third on New West – produced by Josh Homme. My copy is the purple vinyl edition purportedly limited to 300 units per the hype sticker, which I got directly from New West. From the title track: My boss called me up, said if you don’t tow the line…
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Fiona Apple, The Idler Wheel . . . , 2012 on Clean Slate / Epic
The full title is The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do but most people refer to it just as The Idler Wheel. The title comes from a poem Apple wrote. Fiona Apple’s fourth studio album and her most commercially…
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Aqualung, Aqualung, 2002 on B-Unique Records
The first decade of the 2000 is not well represented in my vinyl collection. I was fresh out of grad school and not buying much vinyl, nor even really following much in the way of contemporary music. But Aqualung I could not miss – I loved this CD and Matt’s Hales’ appearances on shows like…
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Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, The Sky is Crying, 1991 on Epic
This was the fifth and final studio album from Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, compiling tracks cut earlier and released more than a year after Vaughan’s death in August of 1990. (Compiled by Jimmie Vaughan). It includes a wonderful version of Hendrix’s “Little Wing” in addition to the title track and Willie Dixon’s “Close…
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Daryl Hall and John Oates, Private Eyes, 1981 on RCA
I thought of this as an early Hall & Oates record, until I checked out their discography, which goes back to 1972’s Whole Oats. Turns out it is their 10th full length studio record! It was the source of the hit singles “Private Eyes” and “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do).” The album…
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Bob Dylan / The Band, Before the Flood, 1974 on Asylum
This was the first released live album by Dylan, though of course since then many earlier live recordings have been released. After this came out Dylan went back to Columbia records, having recorded only Planet Waves and this LP for Asylum – later reissues starting in the 80s are actually on Columbia or imprints of…