Tag: vinylcollection
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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…
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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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Ella Fitzgerald, Misty Blue, 1968 on Capitol
My copy is a pressing on Pickwick/33, “by arrangement with Capitol Records” – not sure what year. (45 Worlds says 1971). These reissues only have 9 tracks where the original Capitol release had 11 – omitted are “I Taught Him Everything He Knows” and “Turn The World Around (The Other Way).” As the liner notes…
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Justin Townes Earle, Live at Grimey’s, September 4th, 2014, on BMG.
Though it was recorded in 2014, and released in 2015 on Vagrant Records, my copy is the 2023 Record Store Day reissue on BMG – two 45rpm records in blue vinyl. This was recorded the month Single Mothers was being released but also includes songs that would be on Absent Fathers My copy via Newbury…
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M. Ward, The End of Amnesia, 2001 on Future Farmer Recordings
M. Ward’s sophomore album, following up Duet for Guitars #2 – and what a wonderful album it is. My copy is a 20th anniversary reissue on vinyl from Jealous Butcher Records which sounds amazing. Future Farmer did release a vinyl edition in 2009 but this one is remastered by Adam Gonsalves at Telegraph Mastering. Liner…
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The Time, Pandemonium, 1990 on Paisely Park
This was the fourth full length from Morris Day’s The Time, with Terry Lewis, Jellybean Johnson, Jesse Johnson, Jimmy Jam, Monte Moir, and Jerome Benton (who delivers the mirror). The song “Donald Trump (Black Version)” resurfaced back in 2016 for obvious reasons, but otherwise it’s just a fun funk album about food and sex.
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Gang Starr, No More Mr. Nice Guy, 1989 on Wild Pitch Records
Houton’s DJ Premier and Boston’s Guru as a Brooklyn based hip hop duo, sometimes credited as the originators of jazz rap / jazz hip hop. “Words I Manifest” does sample “Night in Tunisia” and the album featured the song “Jazz Music.” My copy is the Vinyl Me Please reissue from 2022, with listening notes by…
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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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Donovan, Catch the Wind, 1965 on Hickory
Donovan’s debut, this LP was titled “What’s Bin Did And What’s Bin Hid” in the UK (and it seems like everywhere outside the US), but “Catch The Wind” in the US . It came out a bit later here and the single was already on the charts, so they wanted the LP title to match.…
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Shame, Food for Worms, 2023 on Dead Oceans
My membership in Secretly Society actually introduced me to shame, a post-punk band from the UK (who style their name in lower case). This was their third LP for Dead Oceans, recorded at Assault and Battery studios in London, and produced by Flood. My copy in red/blue split vinyl via Secretly Society where it was…
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Conor Oberst, Ruminations, 2016 on Nonesuch
Oberst was hospitalized in 2015 in the middle of a tour for the punk band Desaparecidos, and this album was written and recorded in the recovery from that experience. It was recorded in Omaha in just two days, with Ben Brodin as Engineer, Mike Mogis doing the mixing, and Bob Ludwig mastering. My copy is…
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R.E.M., Dead Letter Office, 1987 on IRS Records
Divded into a “Post” side and a “Script” side, this was one of my favorite R.E.M. releases of the 80s, with the unofficial subtitle from the rear cover: “We do sountracks, a virtuous compost, Being a Compendium Of Oddities Collared and B-sides compiled.” “Voice of Harold” was a completely different vocal improvised over the track…