Tag: Mill No. 5
Former textile mill in Lowell, MA that was home to Vinyl Destination, then later A Damn Shame records, as well as host of many record fairs. Now closed and being converted into apartments.
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The Suburbs, In Combo, 1980 on Twin/Tone
The debut album from Minneapolis band The Suburbs. Twin/Tone’s catalog (in 1984) described it thusly: Inspired, frenetic, sometimes absurb, the Suburbs’ debut LP is a rocker. Considerably more raw and flippant than their latter efforts. In Combo documents phase one. New York Rocker said that the Suburbs “alternate btween clenched teeth acid boogie and cartoon…
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Bauhaus, Burning From The Inside, 1983 on Beggars Banquet / A&M
Quite a shift from yesterday’s post of Oscar Peterson’s Return Engagement to Bauhaus, but that’s the joy of a diverse collection. I was just a touch too late to find Bauhaus – by the time I was a fan in the mid-eighties they’d already splintered into the many follow-on groups (Tones on Tail, Love &…
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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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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 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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Cowboy Junkies, The Trinity Session, 1988 on RCA
I could have (and would have) sworn this album was called The Trinity Sessions, plural, but I would have been wrong: it’s singular. (The session was recorded at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Toronto). Fair, since it truly is a singular (in the sense of unique / one of a kind) album. It…
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Gary Numan, The Pleasure Principle, 1979 on ATCO/Beggars Banquet
The cover and title echo back to Magritte’s 1937 painting Le Principe du Plaisir. Most people know this album for the track “Cars” but it’s really a more important album than that would suggest. It’s Numan moving away from Tubeway Army, recording as their single “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” was released. Early synth, new wave, electronic…
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David Bowie, Diamond Dogs, 1974 on RCA Victor
Bowie’s eighth studio album, recorded following the disbanding of the Spiders from Mars, working (again) with producer Tony Visconti. The recording band includes Tony Newman and Aynsley Dunbar on Drums, Herbie Flowers on Bass, Mike Garson on Keyboards, and Bowie (credited only by last name) playing guitar, saxes, moog, and mellotron. The cover painting is…
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Leon Russell, Leon Russell and the Shelter People, 1971 on Shelter Records
There’s been a resurgence of interest in Leon Russell lately, with a tribute album (A Song For Leon) and a biography (Leon Russell: The Master of Space and Time’s Journey Through Rock & Roll History) both out this spring. I’ve been a fan for a long time – “A Song for You” (especially the Donny…
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Ry Cooder, Boomer’s Story, 1972 on Reprise
I love Ry Cooder’s career – so many different threads, all of which are wonderful. This was his third studio album in a roots/Americana/blues tradition. Randy Newman guests on piano on “Rally ‘Round The Flag” and Sleepy John Estes on “President Kennedy.” The title track gets credited to “Traditional” here but is actually “The Railroad…
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Fugees, The Score, 1996 on Columbia / Ruffhouse
Very hard to find original pressings of this – my copy is a 2021 reissue. This is an absolute must have, alongside The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which followed 2 years later. How Many Mics, Ready or Not, Killing Me Softly, No Woman No Cry – so much of this album is just perfect. It’s…
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Bonnie Raitt, Takin My Time, 1973 on Warner Bros
Raitt’s third full length album, produced by John Hall. Great versions of Mose Allison’s “Everybody’s Cryin’ Mercy” and Jackson Browne’s “I Thought I was a Child.” Guests include Taj Mahal, Bill Payne, Jim Keltner, and Lowell George. My copy via a record fair at Mill No 5 in Lowell MA
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The Chesterfield Kings, The Berlin Wall of Sound, 1990 on Mirror Records
The Chesterfield Kings were a garage-rock band from Rochester NY fronted by Greg Prevost. i randomly found a single of theirs in the mid-eighties (“She Told Me Lies”) but this is the first time I’ve seen a full length LP. By 1990 they were leaning a bit more heavy / hard rock than their earlier…
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Japandroids, Near to the Wild Heart of Life, 2017 on Anti- Records
Third full length from Vancouver BC rock duo Japandroids, and their first on Anti-. Came with a 24 page booklet insert and poster. There was a ~5 year break after Celebration Rock and lots of incessant touring. I think it’s a more mature record than the previous two and look forward to more. My copy…
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ZZ Top, Rio Grande Mud, 1972 on London Records
Second album from the Texas blues/rock trio of Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard. London Records basically represented Decca in the US from 1947 to 1980. I love all of their output up to (and including) Eliminator in 1983 – after that I feel like there is a bit of a fall off into…
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Wall of Voodoo, Ring of Fire (Remix) / The Morricone Themes (Live), 1982 on Index
12″ single from Stan Ridgway and Wall of Voodoo. The live tracks were recorded live at “The Barn” (Barstow CA?) November 22, 1980. Not sure why they chose to label Hang ‘Em High as composed by Morricone as it wasn’t – it was actually composed by Dominic Frontiere. My copy via a record fair at…