Well this album said “pick me” when I found it at Know Name Records (Minneapolis): Grover Washington, KUDU Records (CTI), a Marvin Gaye cover as the titular track, Van Gelder Studios, an amazing photo of a very funky Grover (with knee high boots) on the back and best of all a $1.00 price tag.
This 1971 release is half funk jazz and half what would eventually be called smooth jazz. The smooth jazz is fine background music, but the funk jazz is amazing. The entire side one is brilliant jazz funk and the cover of Gaye’s Inner City Blues really can’t be beat – it is nasty funk and Grover shreds his solos. Inner City Blues is highly recommended if you want to exercise the bottom end of you sound system. This is seven minutes of ecstasy. Side 2 is above average smooth jazz, but frankly something I can live without. But side 1 is clearly worth the price of admission (for 10 times my buck price tag).
This was Grover debut. I believe the back story is that this was supposed to be a Hank Crawford date and Hank had a last minute conflict so Creed Taylor pushed session guy Grover forward to save the date. This happy accident put Grover on the map and he became a huge star over the next ten years.
Unfortunately the stereo store has become a rarity. Blame it on big box stores and home theater. When I was younger they were sprinkled all over town.
Today I walked into the greatest stereo store I have ever been to in my life. Audio Perfection was like like walking into an audio magazine come alive. I guess this is what it might feel like for a lifetime subscriber of Playboy to walk into the Mansion. I have never seen so many amazing audiophile brands in one place. The place was thick with amazing equipment. Great listening rooms too boot!
And the staff was nice – not snotty like you might expect from a place with such high end stuff (we are talking about a Ferrari dealer here). They did not make a audiophile wannabe like me feel like a fool in the least. My purpose was to learn about record cleaning machines and about phono preamps. My salesman (Eric?) respected that I was not a buyer today and gave me all the information I needed. He was as attentive as if I were about to spend 10 grand, Unfortunately I was short on time, but I got a chance to spin one of my own sides on some of their amazing equipment (Clearaudio, Audio Research and Magnepan and god know what else was part of the system) – wow what a thrill. The salesman even took the time to swap in phono preamp in my price range into their topnotch system.
I hope to be back real soon to play with their toys some more and hopefully take one home. How I have lived here 52 years and never been into this place is beyond me. And don’t just believe me – this is multiple year City Pages “Best of” award winner.
When King of Lambs came out earlier this year my judgment was that it was not the greatest Radiohead album ever, but I liked it. In fact my only criticism at the time was that I thought it was kind of short at little over 30 minutes. There were a couple of tunes I would put on my own Radiohead best of mix (about all you can expect from any album from a band you love – most bands are only allowed two full album masterpieces in their catalog – Radiohead has arguable three – but as you see I only count two).
I appreciated that Radiohead threw us all a bone with the free singles Supercollider/The Butcher this summer to make up for the short album. I am not enough of a fan to have paid for and kept track of the endless remixes of The King of Lambs songs that have come out over the last several months. But I am enough of a fan to have picked up the two CD collection of these remixes for $12 bucks at my local Best Buy this week.
I have listened to the collection a few times now and some of the remixes I really like. Others I just don’t get. Now let me take the opportunity to say I don’t get most techno, electronica, dubstep or whatever you want to call it (and I assume that what these remixes are). But keep in mind I am middle aged and not particularly adventurous in my listening (more than most my age, but more often than not I would prefer to listen to a classic Steely Dan side on vinyl).
I have no idea if the right audience for this music would think this stuff is cool or not. Pitchfork gave it a 6.0 – which by their standards is pretty good. They gave James Blake a 9.0 – which I find unlistenable. So I guess means this means this Radiohead remix is at the Katy Perry level (that is, Radiohead bubblegum remixes). Anyway I would say I like about half of the songs here. I prefer CD 1 as I can still hear Radiohead in most of the remixes. CD 2 deconstructs some of the songs to the point that you would not even know the source artist – maybe that is cool, but I did buy a Radiohead album.
Let me give you some background on my own experience with Radiohead. I picked up The Bends when if first came out – I must have read a review or something. I was completely blown away by it. This was the most excited I had been about a new band since U2 first came on the scene. I found it completely original pop music (that you could actually listen too – most “original” pop music is over my head – at least at first). Everyone I played it for thought it was cool too. I learned reading magazines that cool music heads (AKA music snobs) thought it was cool too. Wow – I was riding on the edge of hip pop music.
I could not wait for the follow up OK Computer and was not disappointed – it was even better. Then came Kid A. I distinctly remember my first contact with it. I bought it the day it came out, I brought my daughter to gymnastics and had uninterrupted hour to kill (now this was a time in my life with small kids when an hour uninterrupted to listen to my favorite band was about as good as it gets). I listened with an enthusiastic ear and I was devastated – I did not like it, in fact I hated it. What at the coolest band in the world done? Had they completely lost their mojo?
Then I learned the devastating news – all the music taste-makers said this was a breakthrough album – a work of genius (for example see Pitchfork’s rare 10.0 review). Oh no. I was no longer hip. I continued to try and listened to Kid A over and over to see if I could learn to like it. Maybe it would be one of those albums that I could learn to like and love (in my cannon that would be Miles Davis Bitches Brew and The Rolling Stones Exile of Main Street – albums I genuinely did not get at first but learned to love). But it never stuck. 10 plus years later I can kind of get it, but not really.
Needless to say I have purchased about everything Radiohead has commercially released on the hopes of getting that Bends/OK Computer high. In Rainbows and King Of Lambs are getting close – reasonable reminders of the band I once loved. With that I can endorse TKOL RMX as a something a Radiohead fan will get a kick out of, but not something for the casual fan. I would be curious what someone more hip than me would think.
I have been waiting for a Ryan Adams album like this for a long time. Just listened to it about three times and it is wonderful.
I first fell for Ryan Adams when I picked up Whiskeytown Strangers Almanac (1997). I bought Strangers Almanac when it first came out because it was cheap and I liked the cover. I put it on and fell hard for it. I bet I listened to it a 100 times over the next few months. Whiskeytown seemed to be an invisible band – no more releases – apparently broken up – very little information.
Then I found out the engaging voice of Whiskeytown was Ryan Adams and he had a new solo album Heartbreaker (2000)- and wow that was even better that Strangers Almanac. Then came Gold (2001) which is on my top ten albums of all time.
I saw Ryan Adams on tour to support Gold and wow was he an amazing performer. Then came the dark years – questionable live performances (fortunately I never saw one) and mediocre solo albums that came at a speed that was too hard to digest.
Some hope when he formed the Cardinals, but nothing quite hit me with the grandeur of those first 3 albums I fell in love with. Until now – this may be in the same league. Not sure why – sobriety, a great producer in Glyn Johns, great musicians supporting (Benmont Tench and Norah Jones) – who knows, but it I am happy to have this new CD in my hands.
This is classic singer songwriter stuff with a wonderful 70s vibe. Wonderfully recorded and subtle, but powerful arrangements. So turn the lights down low and make sure there are no distractions and listen to this through. Very mellow, but not boring. Looking forward to seeing the live show December 13 at the State Theater (Minneapolis).
For more on Ryan Adams see is very cool new site.
I consider myself lucky that I live near a audio store like the Needle Doctor. For a lover of vinyl this is a little piece of heaven. Primarily a mail order/online operation, they do have a retail store in St. Louis Park (west suburb of Minneapolis). Their specialty is all things necessary to play a vinyl record: cleaning supplies, turntables, cartridges and of course needles. But they also do have a full array of audio equipment too (speakers, amps, etc.).
I can spend hours on their website lusting for additions and upgrades to my system. In addition to their inventory, what I really like is they are really great guys: excellent customer service and no snob factor. They will make you feel comfortable whether you want to spend a $100 on a turntable or $10,000.
Today I went to the retail store to get some first hand advice on some future investments – I made sure to leave my wallet at home to avoid temptation. And so I was reminded of what a great place this is and felt the need to make this post.
Sometimes you need to go on circumstantial evidence – in this case a very cool cover (both front and back) and a great label (ECM). Plus a ringing endorsement from my favorite vendor at the bi-monthly Minnesota Record Show (sorry I don’t know his name, but he always resides in the same corner – NW I believe).
I did not know any of the players, but I had a good feel this was going to be good an sure enough it is. A kind of mellow Weather Report/Oregon fusion. This came out in in 1977.
Turns out on further research that Dom Um Ramao has played with Weather Report, Cannonball Adderley, Tony Bennett, Paul Simon, etc.
Well this turns out to be a pretty brilliant little album. Very percussive, but also the guitars and sax gives it some real cool melodies too. Several Google’s have rendered nothing to give me more information about this album – which makes me very happy. Wonderfully obscure – like something that would be profiled in Wax Poetics – I feel so hip!
This is one of my favorite albums from the mid 8o’s. I had the European CD edition. I have no idea how I came across it. The other day I found a US vinyl US edition (in great condition for a buck). I was fascinated that it one had a different cover, but more importantly a few songs were remixed by Ric Ocasek ( the Cars). I guess the American label must have felt it some songs need to dust the British off. I honestly could barely tell the difference.
This was kind of folk new wave – a sort of British REM. Anyway I highly recommend the album.
US Edition:
I just watched this movie on DVD the other night – wow was it fantastic. It is a very inspirational biopic of an autistic women who goes to college, gets a master’s degree (eventually a PhD) and uses her gifted mind to revolutionize the cattle industry. Claire Danes acting is amazing, but the story is so amazing that if it was fiction you would not believe it. Highly recommended.
This is a pretty great idea – Hank Williams left behind notebooks filled with lyrics and various artists who have been inspired by Hank finish them into songs and perform them. What caught my eye was the Bob Dylan connection. Bob was the first to try his hand at this and he used his vanity label (Egyptian Records) and his real label (Columbia) to bring this to this concept to the masses.
As you can see by the cover it includes a nice mix of conventional country artist and roots influenced pop artists. Everyone takes a pretty straight forward Hank approach – no one is trying to be too cute here – and that is a good thing.
Not a bad cut on here. If you are not familiar with Hank this will be an easy way to get your feet wet, but don’t stop here – immediately go out and get a Hank’s greatest hits album and enjoy the greatest country music writer/performer of all time.
It is rare that I am moved by a public figure’s death, let alone a CEO. But Steve Jobs was a very special guy. He was neither a programer or an engineer, yet his vision has had a huge (if not the most significant) effect on how we all use and view technology. He was a marketing guy who lived primarily on his instincts. I have few heroes, but Steve Jobs was on my short list. RIP Steve Jobs may we all be inspired by your work. To paraphrase Seth Godin – Jobs gave you the gift of the technology you are using to read this blog, do something useful with it.
Axl's Catch Groove 