Category: music
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Mighty Lemon Drops, World Without End, 1988 on Sire
Mighty Lemon Drops, World Without End, 1988 on Sire. “You cant stop my heart from turning / inside out” Via Music Connection in Manchester NH (yes, from before social distancing started)
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Shelby Lynne, I Cant Imagine, 2015 on Rounder
Shelby Lynne, I Cant Imagine, 2015 on Rounder Records. Shelby Lynne has a new album coming out 4/17 – this was her last previous solo effort and first on Rounder
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The Church, Starfish, 1988 on Arista
The Church, Starfish, 1988 on Arista. “Sometimes when this place gets kind of empty / sound of their breath fades with the light” This one I’ve had since it came out though I never had the bonus 12″ EP some of the early UK/Europe pressings included
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Marlon Williams, Make Way For Love, 2018 on Dead Oceans.
Marlon Williams, Make Way For Love, 2018 on Dead Oceans. Second studio album from New Zealand’s Marlon Williams – who was also recently featured on Courtney Barnett’s MTV Unplugged release. Via Daddy Kool Records in St.Pete FL.
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The English Beat, Wha’ppen, 1981 on Sire.
The English Beat (or as they were known in the UK, The Beat), Wha’ppen, 1981 on Sire. Went through a mod phase in the early eighties – you just can’t go wrong with the English Beat This album cover makes an appearance in Sam Mendes’ film Empire of Light
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The Beatles, The Beatles, 1968 on Apple
The Beatles, The Beatles, 1968 on Apple This is the 50th anniversary remaster edition. I still have my 80s copy too, though the included photos have thumbnail holes from where I pinned the to the wall. Remaster sounds wonderful – and I think this album would still sound fresh if it came out today. One…
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Richard Thompson, Electric, 2013 2xLP on New West
Richard Thompson, Electric, 2013 2xLP on New West I’m a Long-time fan of Richard Thompson This album was recorded on Nashville at Buddy Miller’s home, with a trio (supplemented by guest players, including Alison Krauss doing backing vocals on The Snow Goose).
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Trio, 1987 on Warner Bros.
Trio, 1987 on Warner Bros. Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt. This is one of those albums I was probably too “cool” for when it came out, but learned to appreciate later. Note the paper cutout dolls on the original paper inner sleeve Via Planet Records in Cambridge MA.
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Boiled in Lead, From the Ladle to the Grave, 1989 on Atomic Theory.
Boiled in Lead, From the Ladle to the Grave, 1989 on Atomic Theory. Minneapolos based band doing Celtic, folk, world music. Oh, the microorganism . . . Feels apt for this era
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Stray Cats, Built For Speed, 1982 on EMI America.
Stray Cats, Built For Speed, 1982 on EMI America. This was their US debut, built from two earlier UK releases. Brian Setzer of course went on to a big hit with Jump Jive an’ Wail. Jim Phantom and Lee Rocker went on to Phantom, Rocker & Slick (among other things). I think this was the…
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Robert Plant, Now and Zen, 1988 on Es Paranza Records.
Robert Plant, Now and Zen, 1988 on Es Paranza Records. Es Paranza was a boutique label for Plant’s solo work Two tracks with Jimmy Page. My copy did not come with the Wolverhampton Wanderers mini-flag but it’s a great record.
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The Alarm, self-titled EP, 1983 on IRS Records.
The Alarm, self-titled EP, 1983 on IRS Records. The Alarm are out on tour in 2020 and Mike Peters is doing a show (Mike Peters Presents The Alarm – Hurricane of Change) at the Wang Theatre Boch Center in Boston on April 9th
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Jerry Harrison, The Red And The Black, 1981 on Sire
After yesterday’s pre-Jerry Harrison Talking Heads, some solo work: Jerry Harrison, The Red And The Black, 1981 on Sire Nona Hendryx , Bernie Worrell, Adrian Belew and other guests on this first solo effort – great record in it’s own right Via Planet Records in Cambridge MA
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Talking Heads, The CBS Demos, 1975
Talking Heads, The CBS Demos, from 1975. (Unofficial) This is a fantastic bootleg of the pre-Jerry Harrison Talking Heads showing just how great they were out of the gate – alongside “The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads” it is my favorite of theirs. Via Academy Records in NYC
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Van Halen, Women and Children First, 1980 on Warner Brothers.
Van Halen, Women and Children First, 1980 on Warner Brothers. I didn’t really discover VH until 1984, with Panama, but then went back to the earlier albums including this one. Via Music Connection in Manchester NH
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Crazy Heart, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, 2010 on New West
Crazy Heart, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, 2010 on New West Ryan Bingham, T-Bone Burnett, Jeff Bridges, plus songs from Lightnin’ Hopkins, Buck Owens, and Kitty Wells. “It’s funny how fallin’ feels like flyin’ / for a little while” I preferred this soundtrack (and movie) to any of the versions of A Star Is Born.
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U2, Songs of Experience, 2017 2xLP on Island Records.
U2, Songs of Experience, 2017 2xLP on Island Records. I’ve been a committed U2 fan since the early 80s – discovered them in the War / Under A Blood Red Sky era, and have loved their energy and passion ever since. This is the follow up to Songs of Innocence, the one that got automagically…
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Simply Red, Picture Book, 1985 on Elektra.
Simply Red, Picture Book, 1985 on Elektra. This is such a solidly great debut album – Mick Hucknall, Toney Bowers, Chris Joyce, Tim Kellett, Sylvan Richardson, and Fritz McIntyre. If you only know them via “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” you should go back to this record.