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SADE’S AURAL APHRODISIAC
When Diamond Life burst onto the scene in 1984/1985 it provided a calm oasis. This was not post-punk or techno-pop. This was an album of lush and lovely music with smooth jazz moods and world beat underpinnings. Superficially cool, the Latin tempos trapped in the grooves simmered with a passion just waiting to explode. Continue reading “”
PORSCHE BOXSTER : ANTICIPATION
Check out this brand new Porsche Channel commercial on the latest Boxster (981). When rain threatened the photo shoot, they decided to roll with it.
Way to go guys. Yes!
ONE DAY AMONG MANY
We are now ten years beyond the unthinkable, the World Trade Center attack, thirty years past another example of a world gone wrong – the murder of John Lennon, nearly fifty years on from the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and seventy years after the one that first jolted the U.S. out of its reality, the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The world is certainly a different place today because of those events. Hopefully it will be much, much longer before we encounter another act of senseless violence.
HERB ALPERT’S COVER GIRL
Forty-seven years ago Herb Alpert released a record on his A&M label that went on to sell over six million copies. The playfully erotic LP cover, which was risqué at the time, featured a whipped cream-covered fashion model named Dolores Erickson. The image, now a pop culture icon, certainly didn’t hurt sales. Continue reading “”
RACING IN SLOW MOTION
Here’s a film that’s one of the very best examples of what can be done when melding historic and modern race footage with sound and music. If you are a motorsports fan you are sure to enjoy it. Continue reading “”
VACATION
Vacation. From the Latin word vacatio, meaning freedom or exemption. A restful respite. A period of exemption from the world. A soulfully fulfilling experience of freedom.
An island in Washington state’s South Puget Sound holds a recluse that my wife and I can escape to for a couple of days every month. Once or twice a year we spend two or more weeks at a time there. Continue reading “”
THE DOORS ON 45 RPM VINYL
Check out the link below for a review by Michael Fremer on the new Analogue Productions release of the seminal The Doors first album.
Mastered by Doug Sax on 45 RPM 12″ LP and SACD from analog tape, and overseen by original recording engineer Bruce Botnik, this reissue is a killer diller. The only thing that might be better would be Sax cutting it from the master tape, but that’s apparently unusable. Yes, the original Elektra gold label LP with no RE in the dead wax pressed at Monarch is a little more “alive” since it was cut from the original master, but this one will still light your fire. Continue reading “”
WHEN LENNON MET MCCARTNEY
55 years ago, on the afternoon of July 6th 1957, a skiffle group called The Quarrymen played in the garden of St Peter’s Church in Liverpool. While setting up their equipment to play, the bass player, Ivan Vaughan, introduced the band to one of his classmates from Liverpool Institute, the 15-year-old Paul McCartney. John Lennon, lead singer and guitarist for the group, was one year older than McCartney. The pair chatted for a few minutes, and McCartney even showed Lennon how to tune a guitar. Continue reading “”
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!
Congratulations to Bob Tilton on the 2nd anniversary of his WerkCrew blog site. It’s been a pleasure to be involved in his projects and to watch him grow as a photographer. The guy’s got a seriously good eye.
Also, be sure and check out the “VPI Traveler Turntable and Dynavector Cartridge Giveaway” from Music Direct on Michael Fremer’s Analog Planet site. You could win a brand-new record spinner!
1960’S LAUREL CANYON, LOS ANGELES REVISITED
In 1969, the Aquarian themes of Woodstock (peace, love and music) were being played out on a smaller scale in the secluded Los Angeles neighborhood of Laurel Canyon, which is defined by a road that links Hollywood Blvd. to Mulholland Drive. Two years earlier Joni Mitchell had purchased a wooden cottage that had been built by a jazz musician into the side of a hill on Lookout Mountain Avenue. Several of the songs Mitchell wrote at the time, including the title track of her third album, were a direct result of her embracing that slice of bohemian counter-culture. Continue reading “”
FAVORITE ALBUMS
Compiling a personal list of favorite albums can be challenging. From the first song to the last – not many records hang together as a whole.
This is one of the supposed advantages of downloading singles. You get to hear just the “good stuff”. Unfortunately, the good stuff tends to change with time, and this practice tends to ignore the concept of the well-crafted thematic album that can transport you to a another place. Continue reading “”
ENJOYING TURNTABLES AND VINYL WITHOUT OBSESSING
Record Store Day is this Saturday. In preparation, here are a couple of good articles in The New York Times and the LA Weekly on enjoying the advantages of vinyl records without going crazy. There are lots of options for turntables, cartridges, and phono stages now that make spinning wax very easy. Collecting near mint first pressing original LPs, or tracking down the best sounding records? Well, you can go a little nuts doing that! Continue reading “”
KID CHARLEMAGNE
Three dozen years ago, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen of Steely Dan were putting the finishing touches on one of their lesser known albums – The Royal Scam. It’s a “fusion of a funk rhythm and jazz harmonies with rock and roll instrumentals and lyrical style†according to Wikpedia.
Of particular note is the track, “Kid Charlemagne”. On this song, guitarist Larry Carlton incorporated a jazz-inflected electric solo. It’s become famous for its difficulty to play and also for the finger-tapped hammer-on technique implemented near the end. This effect was not widely used until Van Halen’s first album was released two years later. Continue reading “”
BOB DYLAN
Fifty years ago today, Bob Dylan released his debut album on Columbia Records. Billboard said at the time, “Dylan, when he finds his own style, could win a big following.”
Like many of Dylan’s early albums, including Freewheelin’, you want to hear this in mono. The stereo records of this title are hard panned 2 track mixes with the guitar in one channel and vocals in the other. Sony recently put out a Dylan mono LP and CD box set that sounds great. Continue reading “”
GIVE US A RING
In the wee small hours of the evening/morning when I’m home I often sit down and listen to vinyl records on my stereo. Sometimes it’s Sinatra. Sometimes it’s Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Beck, Nick Drake or John Martyn. Here’s something I find fascinating…
Once I begin to play certain songs, I know I will be hearing them in my head for hours. Here’s a virtually unknown tune from 1970, it’s disarmingly simple and comforting, an endless poem/lullaby song cycle that’s somewhat melancholic, with lyrics that make no sense whatsoever. Perfect for those trying to fall asleep. Paul Harris on piano is sublime.
BLUES BREAKERS MONO LP REVIEW
My article discussing this landmark 1966 British blues album and Sundazed’s recent mono reissue is now on-line at Michael Fremer’s MusicAngle.com. Included is a brief history of the role Eric Clapton played in John Mayall’s Blues Breakers band and how the various pressings compare for this often preferred mono mix.
(Photographer: Unknown. Layout: John Mayall)
Update 6/4/12: My article did not make the transition when MusicAngle switched to AnalogPlanet, but is still available here. Continue reading “”