Tag: vinylfinds
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Sonny Clark Trio, Sonny Clark Trio, 1958 on Blue Note
Sonny Clark with Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums – recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in 1957 in Hackensack. Liner notes by Leonard Feather, cover designed by Reid Miles. Love these renditions of “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” and “Two Bass Hit” – and the “I’ll Remember April” with…
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The Rave-Ups, Chance, 1990 on Epic
The Rave-Ups are likely best known as the band in Pretty in Pink. (Molly Ringwald’s sister Beth was in a relationship with Jimmer Podrasky, and Ringwald brought John Hughes to see the band). This was their third and last studio album of the first go ’round (they put out a new album in 2022 on…
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Squeeze, East Side Story, 1981 on A&M
Squeeze’s fourth studio LP, between 1980’s Argybargy and 1982’s Sweets from a Stranger. This was the first album after Jools Holland departed, replaced by Paul Carrack, who provided lead vocals on “Tempted.” Produced by Elvis Costello and Roger Bechirian, except for “In Quintessence” which was produced by Dave Edmunds. My copy, via Academy Records in…
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Supertramp, Breakfast in America, 1979 on A&M.
Though I imagine it’s the one Supertramp album most folks could name, this was their sixth LP. It’s got “The Logical Song” “Goodbye Stranger” and “Take the Long Way Home” – all Billboard Top 100 singles. Love the iconic cover with the twin towers of the World Trade Center and Kate Murtagh in statue-of-liberty-as-waitress pose.…
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The Jeff Beck Group, Beck-Ola, 1969 on Epic
Beck’s second studio LP, following Truth, and credited to the Jeff Beck Group. The cover is René Magritte’s “The Listening Room.” Ron Wood on bass, Rod Stewart on vocals, Nicky Hopkins piano and Tony Newman on drums. My copy – a 1969 Epic pressing – via a private sale. Amazing record in great shape despite…
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Marvin Gaye, What’s Going On Live, 2019 on Tamla / Motown / UMe
Recorded in 1972 but not released until 2019. More of an album for completists, this is the first time Gaye had performed in a number of years (since the death of Tammi Terrell). It’s a bit uneven – sort of like a live rehearsal bootleg – but worth picking up if you’re a big fan…
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Cat Power, Jukebox, 2008 on Matador
Eighth studio album from Cat Power, mostly covers with two originals mixed in. Pretty eclectic selection of tunes to cover, from Kander & Ebb’s “New York” through Hank Williams and The Highwaymen, to Dylan, Janis Joplin, and Joni Mitchell – plus Billie Holiday’s “Don’t Explain.” Chan Marshall is joined by Erik Paparazzi, Jim White, Judah…
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Tori Amos, Unde the Pink, 1994 on Atlantic
Amos’ sophomore album every bit as compelling and memorable as her debut Little Earthquakes. Very much also on repeat throughout the Eckman household in the 1990s – I can still sing every word of many of these songs: Pretty Good Year, God, Past the Mission, The Waitress, Cornflake Girl. Whenever I find myself in an…
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Fleshtones, Up Front, 1980 on I.R.S. Records
First EP Fleshtones issued, before the release of Roman Gods. Fleshtones were Bill Milhizer, Jan Marek Pakulski, Keith Streng, and Peter Zaremba. Miles Copeland signed them to IRS Records, and got them on Urgh! A Music War. Zaremba may be better known to some as the host of I.R.S. Records Presents the Cutting Edge on…
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Johnny Winter, Johnny Winter, 1969 on Columbia
Johnny Winter’s self-titled official debut album (The Progressive Blues Experiment came out the year before as a kind of unauthorized debut on Sonobeat, then sold to Imperial). Mix of blues standard covers (“Good Morning Little School Girl,” “I’ll Drown in My Own Tears,” and “Mean Mistreater”) along with Johnny Winter originals. Winter produced, and is…
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Tori Amos, Little Earthquakes, 1992 on Atlantic
Tori Amos’ debut album from 1992. I had this CD (and Under the Pink) on constant repeat through graduate school – happy to finally get a copy on vinyl. What an amazing album – still gives me chills 30+ years later. “Me and a Gun” of course, but also “Silent All These Years,” “China,” “Precious…
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Beat Surrender, Foundation, 1985 on Shake Records
Beat Surrender (this one at least – there are many things by that name including the Jam’s last single) was a Boston band made up of Paul Souza, Jackson White, David Matthews, and Ted Lyon. Check out that 1985 look on the back cover! Paul Souza went on to be in The Velveteen Playboys and…
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The Oscar Peterson Trio, Con Alma: Live in Lugano, 1964 on Mack Avenue / Two Lions
First released in 2023, this set was recorded at Teatro Apollo in Lugano Switzerland by RSI Radiotelevisione svizzera (the Swiss Broadcasting subsidary covering Italian speaking Switzerland) on May 26, 1964. Mack Avenue Records is a Detroit label founded by Gretchen Valade who gets executive producer credit here. Two Lions is a label Peterson’s widow Kelly…
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Bessie Smith, Any Woman’s Blues, 1970 on Columbia
This is was the second in a series of five 2xLP releases on Columbia in 1970-1972 that covered Smith’s recordings for the label. These recordings were made between September 1923 and March 1930, all recorded in New York. Piano by Fletcher Henderson, Clarence Williams, Irving Johns, James Price Johnson, and Jimmy Jones. Other musicians include…
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Tinsley Ellis, Naked Truth, 2024 on Alligator Records
Tinsley Ellis has put out over 20 albums between 1982 and 2024, including more than a dozen on Chicago’s Alligator Records, one of my favorite blues labels (founded in 1971). This, his latest, Includes “Grown Ass Man” (which I think should probably be “grown-ass man” since it’s really a compound adjective, isn’t it?) as well…
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Squeeze, Sweets From a Stranger, 1982 on A&M
Fifth studio album from Squeeze, this one including Don Snow, John Bentley, and Gilson Lavis alongside Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook. and featuring “Black Coffee in Bed” with backing vocals from Elvis Costello and Paul Young. Lover the overlay flap on the front – “When it comes to Squeeze, they can’t be called ‘critics’” –…
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Nick Lowe, Labour of Lust, 1979 on Columbia
Second album released under the Nick Lowe name, recorded with the same personnel from Rockpile and in the same year as Dave Edmunds’ Repeat When Necessary. The US and UK versions have different track list – this is the US version, including “American Squirm” as track A4. This has “Cruel To Be Kind” which became…
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Thelonious Monk, The Unique Thelonious Monk, 1956 on Riverside
Monk recorded by Rudy Van Gelder, with Oscar Pettiford on bass and Art Blakey on drums, produced by Orrin Keepnews and Bill Grauer – originally Riverside RLP 12-209 with a different cover. My copy, via Academy Records in NYC, is the 1983 reissue in the Original Jazz Classics series, issued by Fantasy which acquired the…