A holiday in my household, my wife and I will get up at 6:00 am this Saturday and head down to the Electric Fetus for Record Store Day (store opens at 9:00 and numbers given out at 8:00).
I have scoured “THE LIST” many times and have settled in on my priorities. This is music-head heaven. Half the fun is the spectacle of hundreds of music nerds jonesing for their ultimate fix. Check back this weekend and see what I scored. Here is this year’s wish list in order of priority:
- Big Star Nothing Can Hurt Me [Special Pressing]
- Stephen Malkmus and Friends Can’s Ege Bamyasi
- Daniel Lanois Acadie
- The Cal Tjader Trio The Cal Tjader Trio (Fantasy 3-9)
- Gary Clark Jr. HWUL Raw Cuts, Vol. 2
- Fela Kuti Sorrow Tears and Blood/Perambulator
- Shuggie Otis Introducing Shuggie Otis
The latest Dawes album is the best Jackson Browne album since Late for the Sky. I am not sure if that is an endorsement or sad indictment of my sentimental and dated taste. I have been stuck in that Laurel Cannon vibe for 35 years now (hell I just bought a bought a 180 gram reissue Joni Mitchell Blue album to augment my crackling original long player and CD). I am grateful for artist like Ryan Adams, Jeff Tweedy, and Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith for sustaining my 7o’s buzz.
I loved North Hills when it came out a few years ago, but was mildly disappointed with Nothing Is Wrong (but don’t most sophomores disappoint?). Stories Don’t End suggests these guys are for real.
I rarely care about lyrics, but I actually listened to this album from start to finish reading along with the lyrics. I love the simplicity of the language and the effortless shifts from tangible moments to fragile feelings and subtle examinations from both sides now.
Musically the vocals are front and center with a rumbling instrumentation providing a bedrock. Sonically it is fuzzy tube warm. Goldsmith proves you don’t have to be a gifted vocalist, you just have to have an authentic voice.
My son lives in Chicago and whenever I visit him I make point of visiting my favorite Chicago record stores and try to discover a new one. This last trip my wife picked up a tip about Logan Hardware. This store’s twist is that it has vintage arcade game museum. That twist is a nice way to distinguish yourself and attract some visitors, but I am record guy. I peeked at the museum, but spent my time in the crates.
I was impressed – a good collection of vinyl – new and used, CD’s, 45s, videos and tchotchkes. The store has a nice cool hipster vibe. The store is the right size – I don’t like a record stores to be too big or too small. My focus is on vinyl, so the perfect size store is one that I can dig their crates in about an hour and still leave some crates for next time. There needs to be room for people to just hang out. Logan Hardware fit the bill.
They had nice diverse collection – I would not say there was a particular style – all over the map – but well sorted. The store is organized by gene. I tend to focus on jazz and there was a good 20 minutes of browsing. I snapped up a nice new Larry Young reissue. I moved over to the blues section and picked up a couple of early 80’s Z.Z. Hill albums (used in pristine condition and very reasonably priced). I moved over to rock and picked up the hair metal classic Cinderella’s Long Cold Winter (also used in pristine condition and reasonably priced).
The true judge of a record store is would I go back? The answer is yes. I like the selection, the quality, the reasonable prices and the vibe. A bonus is that all used records are in plastic sleeves. Highly recommended.
For a flavor of the store check out this video from their website.
One of my favorite albums of 2010 was Black Dub (eponymous) which introduced me to the soulful voice of Trixie Whitley. Black Dub is a Daniel Lanois (producer of U2, Dylan, Peter Gabriel, etc,) inspired collaboration that mixes dub, blues, soul and rock. I have always loved Lanois production work – it atmospheric, yet epic. His solo work has been a mixed bag for me and I came to Black Dub assuming the worst (AKA weird), but fortunately Trixie Whitley popped out as a unique flavor in Lanois’ sonic gumbo. Lanois is the consummate collaborator and with Trixie he had the perfect muse to inpire him.
Here was an artist I wanted to hear more from. Who was this young woman? Turns out she is singer-songwriter-guitarist Chris Whitley’s daughter. I was gaga over Chris Whitley’s debut, Living with the Law (1991), back in the early 90s. That album was recorded in Lanois’ home studio (although not produced by Lanois). Interesting connection.
I was very excited to see Trixie Whitley release what I thought was her debut – turns out it is her fourth (she has 3 EPs). Musically it has a similar feel as the Black Dub album, but it is more of a conventionally pop album and flaunts Trixie’ pop diva pipes. However you are not going to confuse this with Adele, Joss Stone or Alicia Keys – this is much more off-center, yet not deliberately quirky like Fiona Apple.
I find this music indescribably good and defer to the sample below to allow the music to speak for itself. Please give this a listen – this is one of the best new releases of the first quarter of 2013.
Found this at the Rock Sale for a buck – a true gem. This album is the source of the mega-hit “Lovin’ You.” Minnie is famous for a few things: her incredibly high voice – that almost sounds like a whistle, being the mom of SNL alum Maya Rudolph, and tragically dying of breast cancer at 31.
In addition to having the mega-hit “Lovin’ You,” this album is graced with a pretty amazing incognito sideman and arranger/producer: El Toro Negro (AKA Wonderlove, Stevland Hardaway Morris, Stevland Hardaway Judkins – better known as Stevie Wonder). Wonder, who was at the height of his powers when this album was made (1974), is all over this album without overshadowing Minnie.
The album is not traditional R&B – it is rock, it pop, and it is soul The album has more in common with the various female singer-songwriters of the day (Joni Mitchell, Carole King, etc.) than a soul diva.
A classic pop album of the 70s. If you have not ever heard “Lovin’ You” check it out below.
Not sure how I stumbled upon this release – it came out last fall. I assume I read a review. I listened to it a few times and then forgot about it. Found it in my iTunes last night. It was a pleasant discovery, like finding a $20 bill in suit coat pocket.
A very cool contemporary instrumental soul-jazz album. Menahan Street Band are a Brooklyn-based group connected to the Daptone scene. Members have or do serve in The Dap-Kings, Antibalas, The Budos Band, etc. Their 2008 debut album, Make The Road By Walking, was sampled by Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Kid Cudi, Curren$y to name the heavy hitters.
The music is kind of slow, spooky, and cinematic. Slurring horns, cheesy (and that is good thing) keyboards, guitars and even some harp. Think of a funkified spaghetti western. This makes great background music, but it is also rich enough to enjoy in an active listening mode. The overall vibe is late night with bourbon and good cigar.
Check out the video below to get a sense of the band.
Curtiss A was a founder of the Twin Cities punk and New Wave scene in the late 70s and early 80s that hatched The Replacements and Hüsker Dü. He has continued to stay connected and relevant to the TC music scene by his annual John Lennon tribute.
Curtiss A is one of the few guys on the Minneapolis punk scene I actual knew back in the day. A high school buddy of mine ran a comic book store where Curt worked. Although I was not a comic book guy, I used to hang out at the store and met Curt a few times. I knew he had a side career as a rocker, but I was not really hip to that scene – so he was just cool older guy in black leather jacket – kind of like the Fonz without the punchline.
Curt was a touch older than the a lot of the kids on the punk scene and he always seemed more authentically 60s garage rock and roll than punk – but his aggressive garage rock style fit well with punks. Let’s face it 60s garage rock is the punk fountainhead.
At the time this album came out I was more of a jazz guy and conventional pop music fan. I went to several punk shows at the Longhorn, but beyond the aggressiveness (which appealed to my angry young man stage), I really did not get it. A few years later when The Replacements and Hüsker Dü became famous I finally figured it all out and became a fan of the music.
I was aware of this album at the time, but never owned it. It was quite the big deal because it was not only reviewed Rolling Stone, but received a 5 star review. Listening to it now you can see it was foundational material for bands like The Replacements. “Ride Away” could fit on any era of The Replacements. A young Paul Westerberg must have thought Curt was a god with his rock and roll swagger and well crafted rock and roll scream (I recall he was nick named the Dean of Scream for his amazing pipes – think John Lennon’s “Mother”). Where the average punk was riding on pure attitude, Curtiss A was more from the pedigree of The Clash – an experienced and seasoned rocker who was a misfit in the classic rock era, but fit like a glove in the punk world.
I found this LP in near mint condition for two bucks at the recent Rock Sale and I often see it around local Twin Cities record bins so the next time you see it grab it and you will get a sense where The Replacements and Hüsker Dü came from. A true classic and the very definition of Crate Digger’s Gold.
By 1989 Daniel Lanois had been on quite a roll:
– John Hassel’s Power Spot (jazz)
– Peter Gabriel’s So
– U2’s Joshua Tree
– Robbie Robertson’s Robbie Robertson
– Dylan’s Oh Mercy
And then the Neville Brother’s Yellow Moon. I have been familiar with this album as it made some noise at the time (1989) and brought the Neville Brothers to the mainstream. Somehow I managed to never have this in my collection.
I recently picked up a decent quality LP version for $2 at the Rock Sale. I had forgotten that it was a Danny Lanois production until I dropped the needle on the first cut and I heard the unmistakable Lanois sound – I rushed to the linear notes to verify that this must be Lanois and sure enough it was.
This is not a typical Neville Brothers release, but it is a perfect calling card none the less. Despite his Canadian birth, Lanois has a New Orleans soul. He perfectly applies his unique ambiance to the Neville Brothers. He transforms them to a new sound without selling them out. It is a true collaboration. Imagine U2’s Joshua Tree applied to New Orleans R&B and then spiced with Dylan and you have Yellow Moon.
This is my first installment of Dumpster Dive Darlings – see Analog Audio of Minnesota for the post.
My buddy Paul over at Analog Audio of Minnesota has a great idea – review LPs that can easily be found in good condition for a $1 or less. We both love a carefully curated audiophile 45 reissue on heavy vinyl – but the average audiophile with a large music appetite can’t afford to have their whole collection made of up of this kind of material – you need to pad the shelf with some bargains too. It is amazing how many great albums you can find for under a buck at record stores, garage sales and even record shows. Typically these are albums that sold really well – thus there is lots of inventory. The key is that this stuff is not rare. Pretty much everything you hear on classic rock radio can be found for on vinyl for less than a buck. I call these gems “Dumpster Dive Darlings.”
Now Crate Digger’s Gold is a whole different animal. It is not rare, just obscure. Crate Digger’s Gold is not a collector’s item at collector’s prices – a Crate Digger’s Gold LP is typically under $5 and may be in dubious condition. Crate Digger’s Gold might be an album you have been searching for years (and was never issued on CD – or at least not a decent CD) or it might be something you buy on whim because you like the cover, admire the sidemen, trust the label, or love the producer. The key is that you want everyone to hear it and be amazed at your clever taste.
I plan to continue to review Crate Digger’s Gold on CatchGroove . Dumpster Dive Darling LPs will be featured on Analog Audio of Minnesota’s site. I will cross-post Dumpster Dive Darling reviews on CatchGroove too. Please free to make suggestions!
Axl's Catch Groove 