Simon & Garfunkel – Bookends Sealed LP (Columbia; KCS 9529)

There’s not really much to say about this record that hasn’t already been said. I mean, not that that has stopped me before, but…I think it will now. By the way, is following the word that, with another that, proper english? Hmmm…I wonder. Okay, I do have something to add – there are a few S&G songs that provide Graypunk with some of his earliest childhood musical memories. During summers whilst I was attending elementary school, the campus was open during the days so kids actually had a place to hang out and commune. Yeah, kinda quaint when you consider what is happening in the public school systems these days.

I have very vivid memories of bouncing back and forth between the carrom and bumper pool tables while “Cecilia” or “Mrs. Robinson” was playing on the AM radio. Firstly, I can’t believe I pulled “carrom” out of the deep and addled recesses of my brain. That is unusual. Because I probably haven’t played carrom since I was in elementary school. But secondly, I LOVED those songs, especially “Cecilia.” And yes, I know that wasn’t on “Bookends.” It was couple of summers later. Regardless, those songs, amongst others, made me stop. And listen.

Okay, that’s it. This copy of “Bookends” is a sealed original stereo first pressing. I really, really, really wish it were mono, as those are crazy rare. An open near mint mono copy, with poster, sold on eBay earlier this year for almost $400. But alas, it’s stereo. But sealed stereo, with first pressing prefix and poster and custom clear sticker running across the top and the requisite “breathe holes” on the front shrink. Outside of a very small and very light bottom spine crease and a couple of tiny corner pushes (dude, it’s 43 years old!), the jacket is in excellent shape.

http://www.musicstack.com/item/21000146

http://www.gemm.com/item/Simon–and–Garfunkel/Bookends/GML1450135902/

Yeah, I know it’s a bit pricey. Or so you’ll think until you see VG+ copies for $50 or another sealed copy listed for, ummm, over $400. So see, at $150, I’m like Crazy Eddie insane cheap!

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April 12, 2011

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Should It Stay Or Should It Go: Imperial Drag CD

I have thousands upon thousands of CD’s. And one of the many things I hope to accomplish in 2011 is to dramatically pare down my compact disc collection. I mean, once there’s music in the sky, why would I need all these non-recyclable silver discs ? Well, let’s say I need to keep a thousand of ’em. That leaves me room to retain stuff that I’ll (likely) never be able to stream and some stuff that I just can’t emotionally part with. Regardless, it still leaves me with, oh, 7 or 8000 discs that I need to whittle down to, ummm, considerably less than that number.

So, in an effort to entertain myself (and maybe you), I will occasionally pull out a piece of music that I haven’t listed to in, oh, probably a good ten years (or longer) and make a decision as to whether said CD is worthy of retention. Or, even owning in the first place. Yes, the vast majority of my collection came at no cost to me. Twenty-five years in music retail, and having been there at the dawn of digital, I accumulated a lot of music. But seriously, I was selective. I could easily have a storage locker or two filled with music. And I know people who do. Okay, I know one guy who does…and he knows who he is.

Today’s contestant – Imperial Drag. Who, you ask?  Yeah, a perfectly legitimate question. Imperial Drag was one of a few projects begat as a result of the dissolution of Jellyfish. (A moment of silence, please) Seriously, the reverence this band has cultivated over the years is admittedly borders on the freakish. But hey, I love both of those records. Different bands. Different records. Different reasons. But in my book, both achieve a higher pop calling.

Imperial Drag? Not so much. This band is basically Roger Manning’s baby. (Though it should be noted that vocalist Eric Dover toured as Jellyfish’ second guitarist at one point). And hey, I’m typically cool with Roger Manning affairs. I just don’t think this one ever, uh, coalesced. Strike one – Dover. Can he sing? Yes. Does he look good? Yes? Does he possess any discernible pop craftsmanship beyond those two qualities. Ummmm….not really? He had certainly proven by then he couldn’t write a song and lacked any innate charisma, as evidenced by his previous gig fronting Slash’s Snakepit. Note to any band backing Slash – he plays guitar. And he plays it very well. He doesn’t write songs. Sadly, neither did anyone else in his Snakepit.

Imperial Drag suffers from the same problem. Namely, boredom. Dull songs framed in unimaginative rock cliches, this time with faux funk leanings. Just not a lot that you could deem as memorable. I kinda liked the faux-Brian Mayish guitar work in “Salvation Army Band” and I actually dig the faux acoustic blues of the following track, “Dandelion.” But that is also is the over-riding problem here – everything is faux something.

But Kevin, you ask – what is not faux about Jellyfish? Nothing, I suppose. But the one thing that elevates Jellyfish beyond the silliness are songs. And all that really matters are the songs. And Jellyfish had a load of ’em. And Imperial drag did not. Strike all the poses you like (and as a fan of a good pose, I’ll look at ’em all), but if you don’t have songs, bugger off.

So okay, Imperial Drag – you are hereby on notice. You’re going. The only decision left is what to do with that one dollar that this CD is legitimately worth on eBay. It would almost be worth more as parts. That was, if the jewel case wasn’t broken.

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April 12, 2011

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Slovenly – Even So EP (New Alliance; NAR 019)

The 80’s regularly gets a bad rap when it comes to music. And I suppose there are a slew of easy targets to hold up in support of that view. But man, it was a super freaking great time for american rock bands. Whether it was punk or jangle pop or a new jag of psych pop or damaged art rock or sludgy grunge or just the simple joyousness of bands like the Replacements or Soul Asylum playing actual rock and roll music, I absorbed it all. Or at least tried, as I often struggled to connect with much of what New Alliance released post D. Boon’s death (New Alliance was founded and run by the Minutemen).

Once the remaining Minutemen sold the imprint to SST’s Greg Ginn, who was already distributing the band’s records, New Alliance more or less became the home for Ginn’s more, ummm, adventurous releases. And part of the roster featured a handful of SF Bay Area post-punk bands that had the abiity to kick up a din. That is, if you could hear the din through the din. Slovenly, which was started by Saccharine Trust drummer Rob Holzman, fit that bill.

You see, I know so little about Sovenly that I didn’t even realize the band was put together by a Saccharine Trust dude. But yeah, that makes so much sense. There’s definitely a lineage there, that of artfully arranged and aggressively played heavy rock with a heathy dose of noise. It’s the space were metal, jazz, prog and punk intersect. And it can alternately be a very beautiful or somewhat frightening place to spend time.

“Even So” was Slovenly’s 1984 four-song debut on New Alliance, and came out almost a year before the band’s debut full-length. Again, I don’t know the band and it was kinda hard even finding some references. I mean, no mention of it from Trouser Press? Yet All Music Guide actually has a short write-up about it? (Final sentence – “Mid-’80s avant-garde art punk seldom sounded this fun.”). But I did learn enough to know it’s fairly rare. Word. Oh, don’t think I mentioned it is sealed. It is. Great jacket, to boot.

http://www.musicstack.com/item/402989142

http://www.gemm.com/item/Slovenly/Even–So/GML1450443872/

http://www.discogs.com/sell/list?release_id=1126524&ev=rb

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April 10, 2011

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Eddie Hinton – Very Extremely Dangerous Sealed LP (Capricorn; CPN 0204)

Eddie Hinton was a bad-ass. It’s truly tragic how many people have never heard of this guy. And then there are countless others, like myself, who knew “of” him, but never took the time – at the time – to listen and appreciate. While I was pretty late to the party, I’m glad I eventually made it. (And thanks to TB for making it happen.) On reflection, party is probably a pretty bad metaphor to use in regards to Hinton. While it may have initially seemed like one endless hoot, much of his later life was anything but a good time.

Hinton initial calling card was as a guitarist. And what a guitarist he was, finding himself at the young age of 22 fronting what would go down as one of the best bands ever – The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (AK, The Swampers, so named by Leon Russell). Reportedly Hinton turned down the opportunity to join The Allman Brothers to play with MSRS. And during the late 60′ and early 70’s, a bunch of white southern good old boys were the backing band for some absolutely killer soul music – Percy Sledge, Wilson Pickett, Aretha, Arthur Alexander, Solomon Burke, Otis Redding. That’s for starters. It was a pivotal moment not just for soul music, but for music. Thank you, Jerry Wexler.

In 1969, the core of the Rhythm Section started Muscle Shoals Sound, and never looked back. The 70’s saw them working with a score of Stax artists, most famously the Staple Singers and Johnny Taylor. But the band would work with any artist in any genre, from The Rolling Stones to The Oak Ridge Boys, Clarence Carter to Lynyrd Skynrd, JJ Cale to Joe Tex. All comers welcome.

Hinton had also developed a reputation for being one hell of a soul singer himself. In his book Sweet Soul Music, Peter Guralnick described Eddie Hinton as “the last of the great white soul singers.” And that was definitely on display on his 1978 recording debut on Capricorn Records, “Very Highly Dangerous.” And backed by, of course, The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Yeah, dude could sing. And play. It’s a damn beautiful record; the embodiment of the melodic bliss in my head when I hear the words “southern soul”.

Sadly, between the fact that the prevailing music cycles did not play in soul’s favor in the late 70’s (a horrible time for rhythm & blues in general as every soul singer still standing was forced to record a disco record, or at least something disco leaning) and the pressing reality that Capricorn wasn’t long for this world (they collapsed the following year), the record never really received it’s promotional due. And, even more sadly, neither did Hinton. A second record was never finished and personal issues weighed heavily on Hinton in the ensuing years.

However, with a little help from his friends, the late 80’s and early 90’s provided a little redemption for Hinton, returning to the recording studio and finding himself in demand for live appearances. While finishing up a new record in 1995, Hinton died unexpectedly of a heart attack at the super young age of 51. (Hey, I’m almost there, so yes, I consider it “super young.”). The recordings would be released a few years later as “Hard Luck Guy,” ironically on a resuscitated Capricorn Records, and provides a truly worthy bookend to “Very Extremely Dangerous.” Man, that guy had it.

http://www.musicstack.com/item/399314521

http://www.gemm.com/item/Hinton-c—Eddie/Very–Extremely–Dangerous/GML1450135901/

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April 8, 2011

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Eric Clapton – 24 Nights Sealed 2LP (Reprise; W1 26420)

A quick one. I mean, why would I need to go on about an Eric Clapton live record? In light of the vinyl configuration being on it’s last legs at the time (at least as far as the majors were concerned), “24 Nights” was one of those 90’s records that was released exclusively through Columbia House. And actually manufactured by Columbia House. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing as some of these Columbia House pressings sound  really, really great. Really. So yeah, 2LP live set in a gatefold jacket (this one is one tiny corner push away from perfection) culled from two years of shows at Royal Albert Hall in London. And no, I don’t have idea how many shows he did do. He did do? A horrible sentence, but you get the point, no? $65.

http://www.musicstack.com/item/399314523

http://www.gemm.com/item/Clapton-c—Eric/24–Nights/GML1450135903/

 

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April 5, 2011

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Mick Martin – Prisoner Of The Sky Sealed LP (Round Mound Of Sound)

Mick Martin is a local legend in these parts. He’s been performing in the Sacramento Valley, and beyond, for some 40 years now, many of those years fronting the Blues Rockers (it’s the band’s 25th Anniversary this year). And he’s been hosting a local blues show for over 20 years now, starting at legendary free-form rock station KZAP in the late 80’s to now, where you can hear him for four hours every Saturday afternoon on Capital Public Radio, delivering a passionate and informed mix of old-school classic blues and English rock bands that co-opted old-school classic blues. (Dude loves him some Stones)

Having moved here in 1997, I have to honestly say I only know him as a radio host. I mean, I am well aware of the guys legacy here – he’s probably been at, near or around every major musical event that went down in Sacramento in the 60’s and 70’s. I also recently discovered (thank you, Google!) that he worked with Russ Solomon way back in the day at the original Tower store at 16th & Broadway. I did not know that.

So, last week I ran across a sealed copy of a Martin record from, I believe 1979. But hey, I nicked that from an old eBay listing, so I wouldn’t swear that is the case. In fact, I can’t attest to much about this record. “Prisoner In The Sky” is a private press recording, released on Round Mound Of Sound. And 1979 sounds about right as Martin was a member of another local band – Orion Express – that released one album on the same local imprint in 1975. And that group broke up in 1977. And I believe that this record was the second release on Round Mound Of Sound (and maybe the last?).

“Prisoner In The Sky” was recorded in Sacramento, produced by Martin and David Houston (another local legend, who also engineered and mixed the record). The record remains ensconced in its original factory seal. The passing 23 years have taken a slight toll on the jacket, with the mouth corners both displaying tiny creases and a bit of rubbing while the bottom spine corner is a twee gnarly about 1″ in from the corner (dent, crease and seam wear). That said, no splits or other major nastiness. And again, it’s sealed.

Musically, all I can say with any assuredness is that it’s gonna be straight up blues rock. While this album rarely comes up for auction on eBay (or anywhere else, for that matter), every time it does come up for sale, there is a notation about a reportedly “killer drum break” during the medley of “Bo Diddley/You Can’t Judge A Book By Its Cover.” Whether there truly is a “killer drum break” can only be spoken to by those who have heard it. But hey, if it helps sell a record, then of course there’s a killer drum break. I heard it from a guy who heard it from a guy who originally saw it posted in an eBay listing years ago…and the legend lives on. $60.

http://www.musicstack.com/item/399316267

http://www.gemm.com/item/Martin-c—Mick/Prisoner–Of–The–Sky/GML1450135914/

 

 

 

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April 5, 2011

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Patricia Hardin & Tom Russell – Ring Of Bone Sealed LP (Demo Records)

All the way back in the 70’s, folk singer/cowboy poet Tom Russell made his initial foray into recorded music, cutting a pair of albums with vocalist/pianist Patricia Hardin for Mountain View, CA-based Demo Records. The first of the pair – “Ring Of Bone” was issued in 1976 and the follow-up, “Wax Museum” was released a couple of years later.

I don’t know much of anything about these two records, but here’s what I can tell you – both Russell and Hardin were on a pretty sweet jag when they entered an Austin studio to record “Ring Of Bone.” Both had taken New Folk honors at the Kerrville Folk Festival the year before, and Hardin followed that by taking the grand prize at the Kerrville Country & Western Songwriters competition that shortly followed. Russell was also a semi-finalist for that award. Feeling an album was the next logical step, Mike Mordecai, an Austin mover-and-shaker at the time (and still is!), put together a band, booked time at Odyssey Sound in Austin and the pair cut the songs that make up “Ring Of Bone” in three days. Critical acclaim followed, including a super nice endorsement from Chet Flippo.

The two decided to decamp to San Francisco, with one of the primary reasons being to hopefully land a record deal. And they almost did. Just another in a long line of industry stories that end with the artist getting hosed, as Vanguard had a deal on the table and then pulled that deal when their lawyer got a little cute in regards to revisions/alterations to the contract. The two moved forward, self-recording their second album with Bernie Krauss producing before going their separate ways shortly after releasing the album. It must have been a brutal period for Russell, as it was several years later before he was heard from again. At least, from a recording perspective.

In the mid 90’s, Hardin actually released both albums on one CD, though had to drop one song from each album to make all the songs fit on one disc. The LP configuration for either title is, as you might imagine, crazy scarce. In light of this record being 35 years old (!), it’s in amazing shape. A very small, light top right corner crease and some rubbing on the bottom right corner. Otherwise, super, super nice. And again, still sealed! $150.

You can find it here…

http://www.musicstack.com/item/399316268

Also should eventually turn up on Gemm; apparently taking a while to upload my new file.

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April 4, 2011

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Record Stores: A Dying U.S. Industry

Of course, everybody has known this for years. The chain store count decline alone over the past ten years is staggering. So, there’s a piece over at Huffington Post noting the Top Ten Dying U.S. Industries. And hey, record stores made the list. And a very sweet showing at number two. Sandwiched between Apparel Manufacturing at number one and Manufactured Home Dealers at number three. Ha! Take that mobile home sellers. And mill workers (#6). And formal wear and costume rental companies (#9). I mean if you can’t afford to actually go anywhere nice, why would you need to actually dress nice? Likewise, if you can download music for free, why would you need to buy it?

But yeah, it sucks. All of it. It’s mind boggling how many folks in the music industry, who have been unemployed for years, are still trying to lock down a job. Any job. The music biz, as it once was, doesn’t really prepare you for anything happening in the real world. It was a fantasy existence. But you don’t realize it until you’re outside of that world. Then, its too late.

Anyhoo, if you care about what the other half dozen dying U.S. businesses are, pop over to HufPo to find out. Based on how much cash AOL just gave ’em, I can’t imagine everyone doesn’t know how to get there. That said, I NEVER go there.

New stuff uploaded – and detailed – tonight and/or tomorrow. Picked up some sweet sealed stuff on Friday. More to come.

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April 4, 2011

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Latin High Mass For Nostalgic Catholics (World Library Of Sacred Music; LR-2281-SM)

Close to 20 years ago, I married a nice Catholic girl. Check that, I married a Catholic girl. (I mean, she is very nice, but when you actually hear the words “nice Catholic girl”, I believe it carries certain connotations that aren’t necessarily applicable to my wife). And yeah, okay, she’s a lapsed Catholic. That is, she’s as Catholic as I am Southern Baptist (which I am, er, was…it’s been a while, but since I was once baptized, I may be a Baptist for life, though not really sure how that works). And my brother, who was also raised Baptist, converted to Catholicism. So, all I can really say about the religion is that I know some people who are Catholic. Oh, and that Catholic weddings are the longest weddings ever.

Ugh. I’ll be hearing about this later, but I’m not going back and changing that last paragraph at this point. Anyway, I stumbled across a sealed copy of this record recently and I just had to buy it. The one thing that truly fascinates me about many organized religions is the accompanying ritual. And the Catholics can definitely get their ritual on. And while I believe the rituals on display here are a bit outdated, it truly is a little piece of history, a contextualization of the service as it was back in the day.

From the back jacket of the album…

“Catholics on both sides of the generation gap are longing to hear how the Latin High Mass used to sound. This album, in fact, was produced in response to increasing requests for such a record. It is a beautiful and authentic rendition of a complete High Mass with Propers sung in Gregorian Chant, and the Mass Ordinary in Polyphony. This album is not intended to appeal solely to wistful longings for a bygone age, nor is it meant to disparage in the least the older liturgy that requires periodic reform in a changing society. Rather, this record is presented with a deep reverence for the past and for the tradition from which alone can evolve a renewed spirit of liturgy and worship.”

And let it be known that, in light of previous instances of sarcasm found here, it is not my intent here to disparage anything or anyone. As someone who spent a great deal of his formative years (like, from ages 0 to 16) in church, and one whose mother and siblings are all deeply religious, it is not my goal to offend. I’m just here to enlighten. That’s not true. I’m just here to, ummm, turn a profit.

By the way, pretty cool illustrations on the jacket, reproduced from a 1937 text – New Roman Missal, by Father Lasance.

A mere $10…http://www.musicstack.com/item/392759249

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March 29, 2011

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Reflections On A Rock & Roll Weekend

“Reflections” is a bit of a overstatement. It’s more like, what I can cobble together this morning through the eardrum buzz. So, as we have already established in previous episodes, I’m old. Also previously revealed – I love the rock. And roll. More so the roll than the rock. And if you pressed me to name my three favorite rock and roll bands, Soundtrack Of Our Lives would invariably be on the list, no matter what the day or time. So I was super psyched a couple of months ago when I saw they would be playing Sacramento on a short US run following SXSW. Not psyched for the band, mind you, as I had my doubts as to whether anyone in this town would actually turn out for such a show.

So, after I moped through what was a fairly miserable Friday, I headed over to Harlow’s after watching a couple of great NCAA games (yeah, also a stellar weekend of college hoops!). As I suspected, a light turnout for Sweden’s finest (and no, it’s not Robyn, tho I’m cool with Robyn). But hey, they rocked it like the pros they are for the, oh, 50 or so folks who made the trip. (I think I might be generous with that number). And again, the bst part is that is was a ten minute drive from my house (which was good in light of the number of beers I had in me).

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night! Steven and I had tickets for OMD (Orchestral Manouvres In The Dark) at The Fox in Oakland. (Yeah, I know…NOT rock. Or roll.) Bought the tickets about a month ago, and I’ll admit it was in the throes of nostalgia. You see, I LOVE the first handful of OMD records. But not so much after that. The band definitely has two very distinct periods in its history. And I will also admit that in the days leaning up to the show, I was having some slight misgivings about the ticket purchase, knowing that it was a 90-minute drive to (and 90 minutes back from) the venue in which they were playing. However, TSOOL happened to be playing the last night of their tour just across the street from the Fox and wouldn’t take the stage until after OMD finished (thank you, curfew!). So, I was re-energized and it was on.

OMD show was pretty good. And freakin’ packed. I could not believe how many people were there. The show was moved from a room in SF that holds – I think – several hundred people to a sizable theater that had as many as a few thousand in attendance. Seriously? Anyhoo, the band sounded great. The crowd was completely into it. Me? I liked half the set a lot. The other half? Eh. And I’ll just come out and say it – Andy McCluskey’s dancing (or his take on that verb) is, to out in mildly, a bit distracting. At least he admits it and actually warns the crowd it’s coming. So I’ll give him props for that. But I actually had to close my eyes during the mini-set of songs from “Architecture & Morality” in order to simply enjoy the songs. But hey, it’s also entertainment, right? And the crowd loved it, so who am I to judge? We then headed across the street for another great TSOOL show. A little indulgent, but again, last night of the tour and they weren’t really touring in support of any studio record, so these shows were great if you’re a longtime fan of the band. Thanks to Steven for indulging me while I indulged in TSOOL while the band indulged themselves. Occasionally, indulgence is great. Usually only if it’s a vice of some sort.

Got home at 3 am Sunday morning. Did I mention I was old? Got up in time to take in the two Elite 8 games. But outside of that, I really didn’t have the brain activity to do much else. Games end and Michelle heads out to run an errand and comes back with a pizza. Pizza gone and two glasses of red wine later, I have a timely email exchange with another friend, Jason. One of the topics – that evening’s show in Sacto featuring Puerto Rican garage-punkers Davila 666, with a couple of cool Atlanta bands – The Biters and The Booze – opening. I had really wanted to go, but had pretty much written it off as I wasn’t sure I actually had the motor skills to drive across town. Jason had a friend that was trying to goad him into going. Before I know it, we’re on the phone and talking each other into going.

So glad I had the second wind. Or maybe it was the wine. I think it was more to do with being local, only $5 and I just knew that I was going to miss something if I didn’t slide off the couch and stumble into the tiniest club I’ve entered in quite some time. (Oh, and “club” is generous). Man, am I glad I did. Do yourself a favor and go see Davilla if you are presented with the opportunity. Again, six-piece band from Puerto Rico, all the songs delivered in Spanish. It soooo didn’t matter that you couldn’t understand a single word sung. Or, umm, shouted. Either way. Garage punk that touched all the bases – I heard elements of glam, girl group pop, hardcore, ska, dub reggae, metal and soul. All delivered with a super heavy dose of reverb and a liberal use of tambourine. Check…and check. I can’t even come up with a worthy comparison, though I will say that they kind of remind me of Sweden’s Caesars, mainly due to the vocal reverb thing.

So, all told, a superb weekend musically. A great weekend of basketball. Not exactly the best of weekends for my alcohol-soaked and sonically assaulted brain, but it will recover in time. I’m not sure in how much time, but…whatever.

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March 28, 2011

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