tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42229886031984696792024-02-07T01:15:39.936-08:00The Trail-Off GrooveNotes on an Out-of-Control Hobbyrocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.comBlogger211125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-86605876244551226352014-09-26T21:05:00.000-07:002014-09-26T21:05:09.827-07:00Stevie Nicks: Goddess Edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizYlFsqjy2g6Ca2cwZayI-nK9wFhgEzcYISWB0F11q-30TqRmOJ-LGOTseCUQ_PQUzcmcaPvuQbii0l-T3tbyhDC8akpIR_tkEF0R7Q-7oA-LU7eqecG6qMRCkBPUWGEbV3_NsNFJxksg/s1600/stevie+nicks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizYlFsqjy2g6Ca2cwZayI-nK9wFhgEzcYISWB0F11q-30TqRmOJ-LGOTseCUQ_PQUzcmcaPvuQbii0l-T3tbyhDC8akpIR_tkEF0R7Q-7oA-LU7eqecG6qMRCkBPUWGEbV3_NsNFJxksg/s1600/stevie+nicks.jpg" height="400" width="327" /></a></div>
Long before the popularity of selfies, Stevie Nicks was making Polaroid self-portraits. Her talents are beyond comprehension. When my admiration for Stevie Nicks seems to have no room to grow, she does <b><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/sep/24/-sp-stevie-nicks-self-portrait-gallery" target="_blank">this</a></b>.rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-86060044413530293182014-08-23T23:23:00.001-07:002014-08-26T22:54:45.185-07:00Rocky's Kindred SpiritContrary to my past inclinations, I've been listening to a lot of contemporary music, like Vampire Weekend, Sharon Van Etten, and Kurt Vile, and liking it. When I listen to MGMT I think if I were their age, I could really connect with their music. As it is, I enjoy and appreciate their music but without the immediacy of music that has really mattered to me.<br />
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My favorite album of the year so far (I've yet to listen to J Mascis' new solo album) is Strand of Oaks' <i>Heal</i>. Strand of Oaks is essentially Timothy Showalter, a small-town Midwestern boy just like me. In this hirsute stoner of a man, I've found a kindred spirit. He's got a gig in San Francisco this weekend. Rocky will be there supporting the triumph of Midwestern slackerdom.<br />
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Here's a brief introduction to Mr. Showalter:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/k7FPl36EmYw?rel=0" width="640"></iframe>rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-41669461821595181472014-08-21T00:12:00.001-07:002014-08-21T00:12:22.259-07:00UmmagummaCan you spot the differences between the two covers of Pink Floyd's <i>Ummagumma</i>?<br />
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The one on the left is a US pressing and the other is a UK pressing. The US pressing has the annoying text in the upper left corner and the photo is slightly under-exposed. But what really bothers me is the blank white square above the "PINK FLOYD" text at the bottom of the cover. The UK cover shows the blank square as the soundtrack album of <i>Gigi</i>. For me this omission ruins the great cover designed by Hipnosis. Only very early US pressings of <i>Ummagumma</i> show the <i>Gigi</i> album. It was quickly removed from later pressings because of copyright reasons. Pressings in other countries retained the <i>Gigi</i> album on the cover. I had never seen the complete cover until I came across a UK pressing in a record store in Soho a few years ago. The copy wasn't in good shape. So I passed it up. I've been on the look-out ever since. </div>
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When you've been collecting records as long as I have, it's no longer surprising that you'd be luckless finding a specific album for years and then within a short span you'd come across multiple copies. So it was last Sunday at a record swap that I came across a near mint copy of an original German pressing of <i>Ummagumma</i> with the <i>Gigi</i> album on the cover. I didn't hesitate to buy it. At the same record swap, I found a late 70s UK copy of <i>Ummagumma</i>, shown above. I bought that one, too. Why? Because I found it to be doubly satisfying after all these years of having gone without.</div>
<br />rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-12365929092243839042014-08-16T23:00:00.001-07:002014-08-16T23:03:41.471-07:00TelevisionListening to Television Live at the Old Waldorf, a Record Store Day exclusive bought a couple of years ago, sent me into a reverie of sorts. First, there was the metronomic music. Then the play of direct and reflected light on my fire place. And the memories associated with Television....<br />
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Listening to the Violent Femmes in my college dorm room on my roommate's stereo, a guy from down the hall sticks his curly-topped head in the door, followed by his unnaturally long neck, and then the rest of his lanky frame. He's completely inside the room now. After listening for a minute, he says, "If you like this, you should check out Television. I think you'd really them." That was the first time I had heard of the group, which surprised my self-invited guest. Then again I hadn't grown up in NYC and acquired a certain knowingness like he had.<br />
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Much later, like years later, I did check out Television and discovered they were nothing like the Violent Femmes, except perhaps a similar yelping vocal delivery of the lead singers. Television were cool and sophisticated with two superbly gifted guitarists. The Violent Femmes basically played bastardized hillbilly music with amateurish gusto. There's something to be said for both. But if I had to choose Marquee Moon or the Violent Femmes' eponymous album to keep in my record collection, it would be Marquee Moon, hands down.<br />
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Several years later while living in Ann Arbor, I had a chance to see Television live at the Michigan Theater, a large old-fashioned movie house. They were supposed to play at the Michigan Theater, but a few days before the concert, the venue was changed to the Blind Pig, a small hole-in-the-wall club. Apparently there just weren't that many Television fans in Ann Arbor. I felt bad for the group. They deserved better. Then again, they never did gain the fame of their fellow CBGB cohorts like the Talking Heads, the Ramones, and Blondie.<br />
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I felt bad for the band, but I felt great for my friend and myself. We got to see and hear a great band in a small club. We were so close that I could have reached out and touched Tom Verlaine. The guitar solos were out of this world, like jazz in their inventiveness but kick-you-in-the-guts powerful like rock. It was one of the best concerts I'd seen.<br />
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Listening to Television Live at the Old Waldorf, I realized how music is a continuum for one's life--it ties moments together and also serves as a marker for how those moments differ and how one's self is the same and changed through time.<br />
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<br />rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-18074595558687249962014-02-16T22:24:00.001-08:002014-02-16T22:28:00.526-08:00Fever PitchThis week I was faced with the choice of buying new underwear or more records. Guess which I picked? The holes in my underwear aren't that bad yet. And if I didn't pick up the limited edition black-on-black pressing of Queens of the Stone Age's <i>Like Clockwork</i> or the first pressing of Deafheaven's <i>Sunbather</i>, I'd likely be paying a lot more for them later. That's how my mind was working, or not working. Of course, it was really a false choice. I could've bought new underwear and more records. It was just a matter of going beyond my self-imposed spending budget. It was also revealing that I chose records before underwear. If it ever turned out to be a real choice, say, when I'm living off a measly Social Security check, I'd be darning the holes in my underwear. That's what I've learned about myself this week.<br />
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The idea that I had to choose between underwear and records was, I think, my subconscious mind pointing out to me the absurd point my record collecting has reached. I blew a lot money on records this month. There could be several explanations or rationalizations, one of which might have to do with the cataloging I've been doing. I've realized that many of the records I've bought have appreciated in value, some considerably. This seemed to justify buying more records. One's underwear never appreciates in value, unless you happen to convince President Obama or Derek Jeter to wear and then return your underwear and you could somehow authenticate that. No, this is the wrong way of thinking. It's better not to think of records as a commodity. That's a fool's game. I need to take out my numbered, pink vinyl copy of Madonna's <i>Confession's on the Dance Floor</i> and place it in a prominent spot in my listening room. It's been a great source of shame, because I bought it, not because I had any interest in the music, but purely as a speculative play. It hasn't appreciated in value at all. I need Madonna's pink leotarded ass to mock the schmuck that I was to buy the album. That should break this fever.<br />
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Tomorrow is a work holiday. I plan on making a trip to Kohl's.rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-46324559028355351842014-02-13T23:44:00.000-08:002014-02-13T23:44:10.194-08:00Swedish Pop Music Break: Jens LekmanJens, the wedding singer:<br />
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and singing in someone's living room:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/xict1Xc4-18?rel=0" width="640"></iframe>rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-80907140306302407092014-02-11T22:07:00.001-08:002014-02-12T23:10:58.056-08:00Bloody Expensive Black Sabbath<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Who would've thought there were so many well-heeled Black Sabbath fans. As I've tried to procure an original UK pressing of <i>Paranoid</i>, I'm learning one needs to have a lot of cash on hand to get a clean copy. Recently I bid on one on eBay and lost out by $7. The winning bid was $198, not including postage from Britain. Why would I be willing to pay nearly $200 for a UK original pressing when I have a clean US original pressing? Because the UK pressings sound so much better than the US pressings. It's the country-of-origin rule. The UK records were made from the original master tapes. The US records were made from inferior copy tapes. The difference is huge for Black Sabbath records. I want to hear that chunka-chunka, heavy metal sludge in high fidelity.<br />
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I picked up an original UK pressing of <i>Volume IV</i> in a record shop in Soho on my last visit to London a couple of years ago. That's when I discovered the truth. In addition to the sound quality, the Vertigo record label is as cool as it gets. Even more so when it's spinning on the platter. One of my collecting goals is to get the first four Black Sabbath albums on the original UK Vertigo label.<br />
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Shortly after I returned from London, I came across an original UK pressing of Black Sabbath's first album at Amoeba. I didn't blink at paying $100 for it, which is the most I've paid for a single record. It turned out to be an even better decision than I thought, because this copy turned out to be a rare early pressing with "A Philips Record Product" on the label. This signifies the very earliest pressing, as the label was switched shortly after the record was released. I had no idea at the time. It doesn't really matter to me, but it matters to well-heeled Black Sabbath record collectors. And I mean <i>really</i> well-heeled. I've been tracking UK Vertigo <i>Paranoid</i> sales on eBay for the past few weeks. A near mint copy sold for over $1,000. That's crazy money for a rock record. As far as <i>Paranoid</i>, the most desirable copies have inside the gatefold a credit to "Jim Simpson, Big Bear Management", which signifies the very earliest pressing, just like the "A Philips Record Product" on the label does for the first album.<br />
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I've resorted to eBay, because in all the time I've spent at record stores and swaps, the only original UK Vertigo pressing of a Black Sabbath album I've come across is the one I bought at Amoeba. Well, I think I've procured a UK Vertigo pressing of <i>Paranoid</i> on eBay. It was newly listed as a "Buy It Now" item. The counter on the page indicated I was the 8th person to view the page. The posted photo of the album cover showed quite a bit of ring wear. The photo of the label showed it was clearly an original pressing. The item description was sparse, describing the vinyl as in very good condition with slight surface marks. That could mean anything. There was no mention of the "Jim Simpson" credit. The seller didn't seem too knowledgeable, as he was mainly a bookseller. For $69 shipped from the UK, I took a gamble and bought it. We'll see how it turns out in a couple weeks when the UK Vertigo <i>Paranoid</i> arrives on these shores.rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-59885459162252524422014-02-10T21:27:00.001-08:002014-02-10T21:27:29.203-08:00rocky's e-commerce business<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've started cataloging my record collection on the Discogs website. It's saved me a whole a lot of time, because the website has data on most albums ever released. It's just a matter clicking on the pressing I have and then entering the condition of the record and any personal notes. It's still a lot of work. I've completed my jazz collection (around 800 LPs) and just started my pop/rock collection, which may be three times the size of the jazz collection.<br />
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Discogs is also a platform for buying and selling records online. Using historic data on past sales, the website calculates the low end, median, and high end value of one's record collection. I know already that, aside from my house, my record collection is my most valuable possession.<br />
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As I've been cataloging my records, I've been culling records that I want to get rid of. I've been dividing them into three piles by their value. There's the less than $10 pile, the $10-30 pile, and the probably-more-than-$30 pile. I took the first pile to a friend who owns a record store, a really nice guy who always gives me a discount when I buy his already reasonably priced records. I just gave him the box of records. When he asked me how much I wanted for the records, I told him, "it's gratis." He looked at me quizzically, either confused by the word or the concept.<br />
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I've started listing records from the over-$30 pile on the Discogs website for sale. Five have been listed. So far, two have sold. My first sale was a German pressing of Pearl Jam's <i>Ten</i> that was rendered redundant when I found an original US pressing. It was returned to its country of origin, bought by a guy in Germany. I basically recouped what I paid for it. My second sale was an original pressing of Smashing Pumpkins' <i>Gish</i>. I had two copies. It was priced below its market value. Someone got a deal on it and rocky made a 5-fold profit. Everyone wins! We'll see how this e-commerce business turns out, whether it's worth the hassle and potential headaches.rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-19182857599091576242014-02-06T20:31:00.002-08:002014-02-06T20:42:46.639-08:00Sticker ShockAt the last record swap I attended, I was shocked that a dealer was selling the Replacements' <i>Let It Be</i> album for $75. Usually dealers at record swaps price their records realistically, sometimes at a bargain, sometimes a little optimistically. But $75 for <i>Let It Be</i> seemed completely out of the ball park. I figured $15-20 was the fair value of this album. After all, it's not a rare record. Although it wasn't a popular album on the level of <i>Joshua Tree</i>, I'm sure it sold a lot back in the days when one's only choices of media were vinyl or cassette. So, I went on to eBay to check how much <i>Let It Be</i> was selling for. Sure enough, $75 is in line with the typical selling price. In fact, there were copies that sold for $175 and $200. Wow! I think we've entered bubble territory for vinyl records. (BTW rocky has a minty original pressing of <i>Let It Be</i>, as well as every other Replacements album, that he won't be parting with.)rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-20905733626304233572014-02-06T20:18:00.002-08:002014-02-06T20:18:47.896-08:00On Listening to U2 Joshua Tree<i>Joshua Tree</i> is acclaimed as one of the greatest rock albums. It's ranked #27 on Rolling Stone's <i>500 Greatest Albums of All Time</i>. I have to admit that a part of me likes U2, but my affinity for U2 has a limit. I blame Bono. The aspect I like about U2 is their rock romantic grandeur. In this respect, U2 is a lot like Bruce Springsteen, who I love, at least the Springsteen before <i>Born in the USA</i>. However, unlike Springsteen, U2's grandeur has a profoundly impersonal stamp to it. As I listen to <i>Joshua Tre</i>e, I'm impressed by how abstract it is. Even when Bono uses "I", it comes across as an abstract "I". Bono keeps his distance from the listener. He's the observer sharing his observations. Even when he's singing passionately, he's not emoting from within; it's about external circumstances. You can compare this perspective with Springsteen post <i>Born in the USA</i>. As superstardom distances the singer from the experiences of the common man, he latches on to external causes to stir his passions. Springsteen isn't able to sing about feeling love riding the Tilt-a-Whirl any more; he has to sing about Tom Joad now. It's apparent Bono was like this from the start. It seems only logical that he's become the ever-sunglass-wearing rock star championing humanitarian cause.rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-92003153977201050262014-01-26T23:29:00.003-08:002014-01-26T23:43:23.171-08:00Recent Acquisitions: January 26, 2014It's been a while since I've posted recent acquisitions. The report from the field is the continuing change of the record-buying demographic. The kids have us middle-aged guys out-numbered, at least in the Bay Area record shops. What is most encouraging among the kids there are an equal number of gals as guys buying records. Among my own age group, it's probably 98 percent guys. So, what are the kids buying? Of course, current bands, who are releasing albums on vinyl as a matter of course. But the kids are also raiding the classic rock bins. On my last trip to Amoeba, the Pink Floyd bin was empty! I had never seen it empty before. The Led Zeppelin section was almost empty as well. Common albums by classic rock bands that sold for $5 five or ten years ago are now fetching $15-20. Fortunately, rocky is stocked up on his classic rock LPs, and in search of more exotic fare.<br />
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Here's rocky's haul from the past couple weeks:<br />
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<i>Mark Murphy</i>, <b>Stolen Moments</b> (Muse, $2). Mark Murphy is the coolest jazz singer most non-jazz listeners have never heard of. That's because he's a true bop jazz singer, with all the characteristics of jazz artists that turn off the general public. He's no Frank Sinatra or Diana Krall. That's a shame, because more people should listen to Mark Murphy. He really lifts me up. This album recorded in the 1978 is among his best, as good as his classic albums from the 60s. For the title track, Murphy wrote lyrics to the jazz standard composed by Oliver Nelson.<br />
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<i>Beck</i>, <b>Odelay</b> (ORG, 4-LP deluxe limited edition, $10). This was released by an audiophile label a few years ago. I almost bought it last year when it was on sale for $50, but decided not to since I had two copies of the original pressing. I wasn't sure getting the bonus tracks was worth half a Benjamin. Well, I was kicking myself when it went out of print and the set was selling for $150 on ebay. Finding this near mint copy for $10 was a true act of divine intervention on the part of the vinyl gods. Had I know how good the bonus tracks sounded, I wouldn't have hesitated buying it for $50.<br />
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<i>Dolly Parton</i>, <b>Coat of Many Colors</b> (RCA original pressing, $5). This is about the hardest hitting album I've listened to in a while. Dolly sings about growing up poor, a mother cheating on her daughter, a woman in a twisted, abusive relationship, and other tales from the white ghetto. What a great album from a deceptively tough singer!<br />
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<i>The Slits</i>, <b>Cut</b> (Antilles original US pressing, $28). An album by an all-female band called the Slits with a cover featuring the band members topless with torsos covered in mud. It's got to be great, right? Yup.<br />
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<i>The Feelies</i>, <b>Crazy Rhythms</b> (Stiff Records original pressing, $28). I missed the boat on this classic album when it came out. One of the pop-rock best albums ever!<br />
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<i>The Zombies</i>, <b>Odessey and Oracle</b> (Date Records original US pressing, $29). I've always wanted to own an original pressing of this classic psychedelic album, but never came across a decent copy for less than $100. Can you say score? Score. Again. Score. I feel whole now.<br />
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<i>Arcade Fire</i>, <b>Reflektor</b> (Merge Records, $21). This album sounded promising--brainiac band releases dance-oriented album. I was thinking classic Talking Heads. It might be great album. But I can't fucking tell. The production and sound quality suck so much it makes me want to hurl.<br />
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<i>Drake</i>, <b>Take Care</b> (Cash Money Records, $17). The first LP is great with Drake mixing the usual rap braggadocio with actual tenderness that makes the whole more real. The second LP of this 2-LP album is rather pedestrian. Arcade Fire needs to take a lesson from Drake on how to put out good-sounding vinyl.<br />
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<i>The Swans</i>, <b>The Seer</b> (Young God Records, $25). I can't remember the last album that bore deep beneath me and stirred all sorts of primal emotions. It makes me want to strip off my clothes, cover my torso in mud and howl at the moon. It's music for the end of the world.rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-13605048064707446262014-01-18T22:31:00.000-08:002014-01-18T22:49:37.897-08:00The Dionne Warwick ExperienceI can't seem to get enough of the songs of Burt Bacharach and Hal David these days. The most prolific and one of the best interpreters of Bacharach-David songs is Dionne Warwick. I had a 2-lp record of Dionne Warwick singing Bacharach-David songs called <i>Go With Love</i>. It's a compilation album released by Columbia House for members of its record club. My copy played like, as vinyl listeners call it, Rice Krispies (i.e., "snap, crackle, and pop!"). I also had a lot of Warwick's proper albums released by the Scepter label in the 60s, each of which contained a handful of Bacharach-David songs. But the Scepter albums were poorly pressed on noisy vinyl and the sound quality was equally poor. So I was on the hunt for another compilation album of Warwick singing Bacharach. I thought I found it in the 2-LP <i>The Dionne Warwick Story</i>, her smiling face on the cover looking up at me from the dollar bin got me all excited. It had a great song list. But when I took it home and played it, it turned out to be a live album. Yuck. I wanted the studio versions.<br />
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Well, when you look hard enough, sometimes you find what you're looking for. Today I hit pay dirt when I came across another copy of <i>Go With Love</i>. That's not so unusual. What was amazing was the copy I found was still sealed. It was an album from probably the 70s that was, for all intents and purposes, brand new. It plays beautifully on quiet vinyl and with better sound quality than the Scepter albums. It's the best three dollars I've spent this year. That's my Dionne Warwick Experience. (Side note: I think The Dionne Warwick Experience would be a great name for a punk band. Okay, maybe not.)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/X0EA7a5LqDg?rel=0" width="480"></iframe>rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-49851467382058233552014-01-04T21:29:00.000-08:002014-01-04T21:29:30.155-08:00Golden Eagle SunriseAny hobby that gets you up at the crack of dawn is a good hobby. Because you see things around dawn that you don't see at any other time of day. The reason I woke so early on a Sunday morning was to get to the Newark record swap. To get there I take a scenic drive through the Niles Canyon, an other worldly spit of nature connecting the Amador-Livermore Valley with the San Francisco Bay. As I made my through the winding road, I spotted what appeared to be a large animal standing in the middle of the road, literally standing in between the two yellow lines dividing the travel lanes. When I got closer, I could see it wasn't a single animal, but a large bird standing atop an animal carcass. I slowed down and passed the dark honey-colored bird. I recognized it as a Golden Eagle. I knew because of the hours I spent as a young boy studying the pictures of eagles in the World Book Encyclopedia. In real life, the eagle was much larger that I ever imagined as a young boy. The eagle never took flight even as I got within five feet of it. It just calmly watched me pass by. That's how animals at the top of the food chain react.<br />
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That's what I remember from my trip to the record swap last month. I don't remember the records I picked up. I just have that picture of the majestic, grand eagle. Oh, I also remember thinking at the record swap that only short, old Asian men seem to collect classical albums. None over 5'-3" in height, which is about how tall the Golden Eagle stood atop the carcass.rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-10630260190044595652013-11-24T16:07:00.002-08:002013-11-24T16:13:22.506-08:00InterludeLately I've been listening to a lot of Belle and Sebastian and Morrissey. It's been an exercise in self-consciousness of sorts. I remember in college I posed with a copy of Bob Dylan's "Blood in the Tracks" for a photo, my roommate told me I was self-deluded. He was right in a way. The stories Dylan spins on the album couldn't be further from my own privileged, sheltered life. No, what really hits closer to home are B&S and, perhaps to a lesser degree, Morrissey.<br />
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Listening to Morrissey led me to seeking out a Timi Yuro album. There's a fantastic duet of Morrissey and Siouxsie Sioux singing "Interlude", which was originally sung by Yuro in the 60s. I found a copy of the Timi Yuro album yesterday ($1.95 what a bargain!). It's got to be one of the spookiest foreboding love songs ever recorded. No wonder Morrissey and Siouxsie chose to cover it.<br />
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rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-12792234536252970552013-11-20T22:54:00.003-08:002013-11-20T22:54:50.260-08:00Why I Hold on to RecordsA few years ago I picked up Vic Chesnutt's North Star Deserter after listening to an interview with Chesnutt on Fresh Air. I listened to it once and shelved it. I just didn't get it. Last night I pulled it off the shelf and listened to it again a second time. My reaction was completely different this time around. I found the album deeply moving, powerful, and darkly humorous.<br />
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The history of music is littered with tragic stories of misfits, lost souls, and ill-fated characters. Even in this context, <b><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/26/arts/music/26chesnutt.html?_r=0">Chestnutt's life</a></b> is particularly tragic. After a car accident left him paralyzed as a teenager, he tried to make the best of it as creative artist. He turned to poetry and music, but in the end he gave into the sad fate of life by taking his life. His struggles are plainly expressed in his songs. Sometimes you get it. Sometimes you don't.<br />
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Take this song for example. At times it strikes me as simply bad. At other times, it's deeply moving. I count a number of Chesnutt's songs as among those mercurial songs that seem to reflect the state of your soul.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/IV7QHYY5bTQ?rel=0" width="640"></iframe>rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-54499649464075989952013-10-27T22:10:00.001-07:002013-10-27T22:10:37.281-07:00Bob Dylan's Another Self PortraitI've neglected this blog because recently I was under the mistaken belief that there were more important things in life than records.<br />
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During this period I wasn't inspired to pick up many records, perhaps two or three a month. I went on a small binge in the past week, which found eight new records in my collection. One is actually a boxed set, <i>Another Self Portrait</i> by Bob Dylan, Volume 10 of his Bootleg Series (a misleading title since these are official releases from Columbia). This is a compilation of 35 unreleased songs from 1969-1970, most of which were recorded for the <i>Self Portrait</i> album. As Dylan fans know, that album is the subject of probably the most famous opening line of a record review, penned by Greil Marcus, "What is this shit?" Well, it's a compilation of covers of traditional and obscure songs. And most of it is pretty shitty. So, the idea of a 3-lp box set of outtakes from that period didn't sound promising. I bought it anyway. Boy, I'm glad I did, because it's brilliant. What's confounding is that the best songs Dylan recorded never made it on to the album. What's clear is that Dylan's trash heap contains more treasures than the best work of 99.99 percent of musicians out there. Here we have Dylan basically curating and interpreting songs that he finds worth singing and recording. The lyrics are simpler and more straight-forward than his own elliptical songs, if not as poetic or sophisticated. Because of or despite this quality, the songs come across more personal. Contributing to the intimate quality of these outtakes are the spare arrangements, shorn of the overdubs of the songs that made it on the original album. <i>Another Self Portrait</i> goes to show that people who think Bob Dylan's talents lie in his songwriting are really short-changing his overall genius.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/x9QjykYWtJ8?rel=0" width="480"></iframe>rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-9297811367319479432013-03-26T23:59:00.002-07:002013-03-27T00:03:28.454-07:00(Non-Swedish) Pop Music BreakSo simple, so brilliant. It might as well as be Swedish.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EU1CDSP7FRk?rel=0" width="480"></iframe>rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-80764238487356226972013-03-20T12:09:00.000-07:002013-03-20T12:12:00.885-07:00Transportation for the Soul<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Recently I picked up a few soul jazz albums at a flea market in Berkeley. Listening to these albums has transported me to some imagined life, living and growing up in Oakland in the 60s and 70s and listening to these albums deep into the night. I know books and movies can transport you to a different time and place. I’m discovering with these albums, that music can do the same. Surface noise on a record usually bothers me, but with these records it only adds to the illusion of a different life. I’m not listening to this music on a fancy hi-fi in my suburban house; I’m listening to it on a humble turntable that’s tearing up the grooves with each play in some smoke-filled apartment in Oakland. I’ve grown particularly fond of Willis Jackson’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Please Mr. Jackson</i>, which is the last piece of music I’ve listened to before going to bed each night since I got it. There’s one song on the album that sounds like a party that’s broken out in the middle of a church service. It’s not something I’ve ever experienced personally, but I connect with it somehow. It brings me comfort, like it was a part of my imagined past.</span>rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-61058633317612864782013-03-12T22:36:00.002-07:002013-03-12T22:49:54.204-07:00Coming Soon to a Record Store Near You: Bernstein's Mahler 2I've marked March 31 on my calendar, because that's the date Leonard Bernstein's recording of Mahler's 2nd Symphony ("Resurrection") with the New York Philharmonic will be reissued on vinyl. This is my favorite performance of one of my favorite works of art. I have the CD, but missed out on the vinyl when it was originally released in 1990. The original vinyl pressing reportedly sounds better than the CD pressing, which doesn't make much sense since it is a digital recording. I would love to have found out, but original pressings sell for hundreds of dollars. Now my curiosity will be satisfied for a lot less with this vinyl reissue.<br />
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The reissue, according to one source, is being produced by a Korean company. Multiple sources confirm it will be cut at Emil Berliner Studio, which was the in-house mastering facility of Deutsche Grammophon, the label that issued the original recording of the performance. The reissue will be pressed at Pallas in Germany, one of the world's best record pressing plants. Needless to say I have high hopes. This is the most exciting reissue in years for me.<br />
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Bernstein, the over-the-top conductor, was the perfect match for Mahler, the over-the-top composer. Here he is conducting the finale of the 2nd with the London Philharmonic in crappy YouTube fidelity:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rECVyN5D60I?rel=0" width="640"></iframe>rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-74901026375642223232013-03-10T20:26:00.001-07:002013-03-20T22:20:34.110-07:00New New Acquisitions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Instead of keeping up with Alabama Shakes and A$AP Rocky and all the hot new bands, I tend to discover new (for me) music from the past. There's so much of it. Here are a few albums I've picked up recently by musicians who, until now, weren't represented in my record (or cd) collection and I hadn't heard much of:<br />
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<b>The Soft Boys</b>, <i>Underwater Moonlight</i> (Armageddon, original UK pressing, $10). No, it's not an album recorded by the first test group for Viagra. This album, released in 1980, pretty much set the template for all the slightly off-kilter jangle pop of the 80s (e.g. REM, Smiths) I was listening to back in the day.<br />
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<b>Popol Vuh</b>, <i>In the Garden of the Pharaohs/Aguirre</i> (Celestial Harmonies, German reissued DMM pressing, $15). What do you get when you combine a spacey moog synthesizer and primitive drumming? Werner Herzog bait. After Popol Vuh released their first few albums in the early 70s, including <i>In the Garden of the Pharaohs</i>, Herzog tapped this band to score a number of his films, including <i>Aguirre the Wrath of God</i>. This double LP reissue combines two of their earlier albums. It sounds stunning. I first heard of Popol Vuh a few years ago at Amoeba, where I over-heard a record store clerk tell a fellow clerk that it's becoming really hard to find Popol Vuh on vinyl. That's the kind of comment that sticks with a record collector. And it turned out to be true. While I've come across a handful of albums by other krautrock bands, this is the first one I'd seen by Popol Vuh. Of course, I snapped it up. <br />
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<b>Ben Folds</b>, <i>Songs for Silverman</i> (Epic, 2-LP, $10). Is Ben Folds the male Tori Amos? Maybe.<br />
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<b>The Dells</b>, <i>Love Is Blue</i> (Cadet, original pressing, $5). One of my record-buying excursions turned out to be a splurge on soul records. The Dells are not exactly obscure, but this is the first album I've heard by them. You just can't go wrong buying a soul album from the late 60s/early 70s.<br />
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<b>Charles Earland</b>, <i>Black Talk!</i> (Prestige, original pressing, $15). I've been looking for this album ever since I read Michael Chabon's <i>Telegraph Avenue</i>, in which it's mentioned. I suspect one of the main characters in the book, Cochise Jones, is partially based on this seminal soul jazz organ player. Earland shows even a Beatles tune can be made to sound funky.<br />
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<b>Lauryn Hill</b>, <i>The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill</i> (Columbia, 2-LP, $13). How did I miss this album the first time around? Absolutely brilliant. Note to self: I have to listen to less music by mopey, uptight white guys and listen to more music by soulful black women.<br />
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<b>Scott Walker</b>, <i>Scott Walker 3</i> (Smash, white label promo original pressing, $30). Scott Walker is a prime example of the mopey, white guy I should be listening to less.rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-9947843513036627352013-03-08T00:21:00.001-08:002013-03-08T00:27:27.383-08:00Bonus SongSome vinyl albums include bonus songs not found on the CD, either on a 7" single included with the LP or on the LP itself. Ben Folds' <i>Songs for Silverman </i>LP, which I recently picked up, includes this cover of a Dr. Dre song not included on the CD version of the album. Feel free to karaoke.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/S-l-c3rTlnE?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-55802638997874056182013-02-24T22:45:00.000-08:002013-02-24T22:45:58.408-08:00Ode to Record Stores: Needle to the GrooveRecord stores take on the personality of the store owner. Case in point: Needle to the Groove in the historic Niles District of Fremont has a unique hip-hop character. The owner, Dan the Record Man, used to be a DJ before he opened the store, which explains the "mural" on the wall, the dual turntables at the counter, and all the boom boxes adorning the store. Sure, you can buy records online from a number of web stores, but none has the personalized character of a real, live record store. Needle to the Groove is also a hang-out for locals. Try hanging out at an online record store.<br />
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<br />rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-17557503165467708432013-02-23T21:17:00.001-08:002013-02-23T21:17:18.309-08:00The Onion Makes Me CryI used to think The Onion was funny until I read this <strong><a href="http://www.theonion.com/articles/man-who-bought-34th-anniversary-reissue-of-fleetwo,31416/">parody</a>.</strong>rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-86399955349384893982013-02-18T23:11:00.004-08:002013-02-18T23:20:54.951-08:00Ode to Record Stores: Rooky Ricardo's RecordsAs a collector of soul vinyl in the Bay Area, you have to know the three R's: Rooky Ricardo's Records on Haight Street. This is the place for soul records, especially 45s. One could easily spend an entire day digging through boxes of soul 45s here. And it would be a nice place to spend a day. The store has been recently spiffed up in cool 50s decor. The storefront space is perfect for just hanging out. You know, like people used to before our society became all about time management, daily planners, and the purpose-driven life. I think Rooky's got it right and it's got soul.<br />
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rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222988603198469679.post-22532576267982893112013-02-17T16:43:00.003-08:002013-02-17T17:54:16.072-08:00Record Collecting as Art<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year I've already bought two different copies of The Beatles' "White Album", an original German pressing made from UK plates with the top-loading cover (pictured) and an 80s German direct metal mastered (DMM) pressing on white vinyl. This brings my collection of White Albums to seven copies, which leaves me about 386 copies short of Rutherford Chang's collection. He only collects one record, the White Album. It's a fascinating art project, which you can read about <a href="http://www.dustandgrooves.com/rutherford-chang-we-buy-white-albums/"><b>here</b></a>.<br />
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Chang approaches each copy of the record as a cultural artifact, the White Album being the perfect vehicle, a literal blank canvas, for history to be recorded. Not only will each record cover show different signs of wear and/or defacement, each record will sound different from varying groove wear and scratches. While I have several copies of the White Album, because I'm searching for the best-sounding version among many mastering and pressing variation, Chang is clearly collecting for different reasons. It's both physical and conceptual art. I think Yoko Ono, as a former member of the Fluxus art group, may approve.rocky dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909656359227321903noreply@blogger.com0