THE HISSING OF SUMMER LAWNS

Released 40 years ago, this folk/jazz album by singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell remains intriguing.

“Don’t Interrupt the Sorrow”, “Shades of Scarlett Conquering”, and “Harry’s House / Centerpiece” continue to be some of my favorites. Eclectic for sure, and not for everyone – just the way I like it.

U.S. original LPs sound great, as do the 180 gram reissues.

Get well soon, Joni. Happy 90th Mom!

Continue reading “”

ON THE ROAD TO HWY 61 REVISITED

When Bob Dylan was growing up in the 1950s, Highway 61 stretched from Duluth, Minnesota (his birthplace) down to St. Louis, through Memphis, into the Mississippi Delta, and eventually ending in New Orleans. Along the way, the route passed the home towns of influential musicians like Muddy Waters, Son House, Elvis Presley, and Charley Patton. Blues legend Robert Johnson allegedly sold his soul to the devil for mastery of the blues. The location? Where Route 61 (now known as the “Blues Highway”) crosses Route 49 in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Continue reading “”

LOOKING FORWARD

2015 is sure to be an interesting year. The Porsche community has a lot to look forward to with Rennsport Reunion V scheduled for the fall in Monterey. Held every four years, it is a must see event for any car enthusiast. I will be producing a documentary film on Roger Grago to debut there, and I’ll be revisiting Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats for a future book. Also, there are some amazing editorial stories to come as well – Pre-A 356s, early 911 racing cars, an iconic 914-6, and many others.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Continue reading “”

layla-album-cover2.jpg

LAYLA AND DUANE ALLMAN

A certifiable all-time classic, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs is a blues-rock album by the pseudo-group “Derek and the Dominos”. It is best known for its eponymous title track, “Layla,” inspired by Eric Clapton’s infatuation with Patti Boyd (then George Harrison’s wife). It seems the perfect winter listen for the end of this year. Continue reading “”

REMEMBERING JACK BRUCE AND CREAM

Jack Bruce passed away today at age 71. He was a founding member of the influential British psychedelic power rock trio Cream – along with Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton. In the two short years they played together (1966-1968), Bruce sang and co-wrote most of Cream’s singles, including the hits “Sunshine of Your Love”, “White Room”, and “I Feel Free”. Many consider him one of the greatest bass players of all time. Cream was the world’s first successful supergroup – a group that foreshadowed Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.

(Photographer: Unknown)

Continue reading “”

THE BEATLES IN MONO VINYL BOX DONE RIGHT

Apparently all the complaints from last year about The Beatles stereo LP box pressings got through to EMI. Optimal and analog tapes were enlisted for this new Mono box. Even Michael Fremer (and a respected mastering engineer) are saying good things about it on Analog Planet. I’m buying this John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr set on wax… Yeah, I’m a Beatles completist. Continue reading “”

NEW LED ZEPPELIN VINYL REISSUES

The long awaited Led Zep LPs are on record store shelves sealed in cellophane or spinning on young listeners USB turntables now.

The up side is they’re not scratchy or noisy, the down side is they don’t sound as good as originals or the Classic vinyl reissues from a few years ago. Continue reading “”

NOTHING IS EVERYTHING

Who Came First was a 1972 release created by Pete Townshend, songwriter and guitarist of the rock group The Who. It included demos from the aborted album Lifehouse, some of which appeared on the chart busting Who’s Next. These tracks were recorded at Townshend’s home studio and payed tribute to his avatar, Meher Baba. Continue reading “”

FROM COURT AND SPARK TO NIGHT RIDE HOME

Released 40 years ago this month, Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark was her first album in almost two years.

Mitchell infused her singer-songwriter folk-rock music with jazz inflections played by session musicians. The result was her most successful commercial effort ever. The album reached No. 2 in the United States in 1974 and eventually sold over 2 million copies. The recent WB 180 gram LP is a sublime reissue. Continue reading “”

LED ZEPPELIN II – A MASTERING LESSON

44 years ago today, Led Zeppelin released their second album. Eddie Kramer had engineered it, and Bob Ludwig was called in to give the record a “hotter” sound in the LP mastering phase. The resulting pressings have an “RL” inscribed in the run out area of the vinyl. Unfortunately, the dynamics in the grooves made these records unplayable on the inexpensive turntables of the day. So the lacquers were replaced with tamer sounding ones. Continue reading “”

NEIL YOUNG – ON THE BEACH BY CASSIUS (SH FORUM)

“Was it the Falcon? The Flying V used on the previous year’s tour?”

“It doesn’t really matter what guitar it was, because it’s the tone that cuts through. It’s the ‘real-est’. The most emotive piece of music I’ve ever heard.” Continue reading “”