Category: music
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Jeff Beck, Truth, 1968 on Epic
This was Beck’s solo debut, following after time in the Yardbirds, and features Ron Wood, pre-Faces Rod Stewart, Keith Moon (credited as “You Know Who”) and Mick Waller as well as John Paul Jones on Hammond Organ on one track. I came to Jeff Beck late – I knew his work in the Yardbirds but…
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Jeff Tweedy, Love is the King, 2020 on dBpm Records
Tweedy went into recording mode when Wilco’s tour was put on hold due to Covid-19 in April of 2020. Both Tweedy’s sons, Spencer and Sam, contribute to the album: Spencer primarily on drums and Sam (credited as Sammy) on harmony vocals. It’s a wonderful album full of great writing and classic Tweedy vocals. (Side note:…
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Peter Buck, Self-Titled, 2012 on Mississippi/Change Records
First solo album by the long-time guitarist for R.E.M., released in 2012 on Mississippi Change records. My copy is from the second pressing, which means it omits the song L.V.M.F. on side two, though it is still printed on the label (and crossed out on the rear cover). He sampled from Sonny Boy Williams’ profane…
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Tom Tom Club, The Man With The 4-Way Hips (12″ Single), 1983 on Sire
Tom Tom Club, of course, were Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz from Talking Heads. It started as a side project while Talking Heads were still active, but has kept making music long after the Heads split. The song was on Close to the Bone, Tom Tom Club’s second full length, and was released in the…
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Parliament, The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein, 1976 on Casablanca
One of my rules of thumb is that any 70s Parliament or Funkadelic vinyl I find that is in reasonable shape and not too expense I just buy. This was the fifth album under the Parliament name and produced hits for “Dr. Funkenstein” and “Do That Stuff.” Love the afrofuturism / science funk of the…
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The Rolling Stones, Flowers, 1967 on London Records
This was the second compilation album for the Stones, collecting some studio cuts that had not been released (or released but not on the US versions of albums). My copy, via Vinyl Destination in Lowell MA, has definitely seen better days The black tape seam repair was the work of a previous owner. Nonetheless it…
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Dean & Britta, Quarantine Tapes, 2021 on Double Feature Records
This was released first in 2020 in digital format by Dean & Britta themselves, but then issued on vinyl and CD by Double Feature Records in 2021. Dean & Britta are Dean Wareham & Britta Phillips of Luna. (Wareham was also one of the founding members of Galaxie 500). They’ve been doing film scores under…
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Wye Oak, Shriek, 2014 on Merge Records
Third album on Merge Records and fourth overall for Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack, produced by Wye Oak with Nicolas Vernhes (who had worked with Fischerspooner and Dirty Projectors). Artwork by Ashley North Compton My copy via Dyno Records in Newburyport MA
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Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden, March 28th 2024
A bit delayed in getting this post up – but a few weeks back I got the chance (thanks to some stellar partners at work) to see Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden. It was a fantastic show and a wonderful experience. It was the 100th consecutive show of his current residency at MSG, meaning…
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Willie Nelson & Webb Pierce, In the Jailhouse Now, 1982 on Columbia
i love a good Willie Nelson tribute album or duet album: San Antonio Rose with Ray Price, For the Good Times (a tribute to Price), the tribute album to Harlan Howard, the duets collected on Heroes, and the like. This is in the realm of a duet album, while his hero Webb Pierce was still…
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Bruce Cockburn, Circles in the Stream, 1977 on True North
I came to Cockburn through the activist tours of the 80s and his hit “If I Had a Rocket Launcher” from Stealing Fire. But he had a decades long career before that, especially with success in his native Canada. Cockburn is joined by Robert Boucher, Pat Godfrey, and Bill Usher. This album was recorded live…
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The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Time Further Out – Miro Reflections, 1961 on Columbia
While movie science fiction fans celebrate May 4th as Star Wars Day (“May the 4th be with you”), jazz heads know it as Dave Brubeck Day, 5/4 time being the signature of Time Out. Lesser known is that there were three more albums following: Time Further Out, Countown – Time In Outer Space, and Time…
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Maggie Rogers, Notes From The Archive: Recordings 2011-2016, 2021 on Debay Sounds
Like many people, I first became aware of Rogers when a clip of her song “Alaska” being played to Pharrell Williams during a class at NYU Tisch went viral – he essentially had no advice for her other than to keep doing what she was doing. This release (on her own imprint) collects pieces from…
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Wye Oak, The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs, 2018 on Merge Records
The most recent full length from Andy Stack and Jenn Wasner, on Merge. The Wye Oak was the largest white oak tree in the US until it died in 2002 (at over 460 years old). There is still a Wye Oak State Park in Talbot County. The album was mixed by John Congleton and mastered…
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The Housemartins, The People Who Grinned Themselves To Death, 1987 on Elektra
On this record the Housemartins were Norman Cook, Dave Hemingway, Stan Cullimore, Pete Wingfield, and P.D. (Paul) Heaton. Heaton & Hemingway went on to form The Beautiful South, while Norman Cook went on to form Beats International (and also was Fatboy Slim). The Housemartins were Christian Socialists from Hull (in the UK, not Massachusetts), which…
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Freddie Roach, Brown Sugar, 1964 on Blue Note
Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder, with Joe Henderson, Eddie Wright, and Clarence Johnston joining Freddie Roach. As Roach says in the liner notes, describing folks dancing: “I watched that multitude of people pulsing, boiling, melting, looking for all the world like sweet fudge. I thought this is my favorite dessert – Brown Sugar. If only…
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Various Artists, Live Forever: A Tribute To Billy Joe Shaver, 2022 on New West Records
Fantastic collection of covers of the original outlaw country troubador. Standouts for me are Miranda Lambert and Margo Price but really all the tracks are wonderful. Produced by Charlie Sexton and Freddy Fletcher. My copy is the limited edition on “Old Chunk of Coal” grey vinyl via Vinyl Me Please.
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Wye Oak, Tween, 2016 on Merge
Baltimore’s Wye Oak (who started as Monarch) are Andy Stack and Jenn Wasner, and get described as either indie-rock-infused folk, or folk-infused indie rock. Either way I like it. Tween collects things recorded between their albums Civilian (2011) and Shriek (2014) though it came out later. Ashley North Compton did the cover (as she did…