Category: Vinyl / Tunes Blog

AMERICAN TUNE

Paul Simon performed this song at the pre-inaugural concert for Jimmy Carter, held at the Kennedy Center, the evening before Carter’s swearing-in as president. That was a long time ago, and the signs were already there. By 2014, the die was cast. I hope today is not the last chapter in the book on America.

BBC News

9-19-24

JD Souther R.I.P.

One of the best country rock singer-songwriters, who worked with everyone from Roy Orbison to the Eagles to Linda Ronstadt to James Taylor, has passed. JD Souther is seen here live (no autotune) with James, along with the great Warner Brothers house band, “The Section”, minus Russ Kunkel who would become engaged to Carly Simon. It was a small town after all.

ONCE IN A LIFETIME

This song from the Talking Heads album Remain in Light gets better the older I get. Produced and cowritten by Brian Eno, it was recorded 24 years ago. Eno was also one of the mixers and played keyboards, guitars, bass guitar, percussion, and backing vocals. Still sounds great on vinyl.

STREETLIFE SERENADER

“Streetlife Serenader” is one the best Billy Joel songs but it doesn’t make most lists. Why? Because it’s too good. Probably best heard on the live album Songs In the Attic.

BREAKFAST IN AMERICA

What would you say to an album that summed up the neural code of America in less than 60 minutes?

It seems astonishing to think that 45 years ago a band from the UK named Supertramp could create a #1 album worldwide that purports to understand the complexities of America. It turns out they could, because this nation has never been all that complicated.

Sounds best on original U.S. vinyl.

Image of worn out flowers in South Puget Sound, Washington, Pacific Northwest

YOU CAN SEND ME DEAD FLOWERS

“When you’re sitting there in your silk upholstered chair…”

Maybe you know those lyrics, and maybe you don’t. Yet, everyone who has heard a Robert Ludwig (RL) mastered first UK LP pressing of Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones played back on a great sounding system knows exactly what I’m talking about.

Mick Taylor on lead guitar:

RECORD COLLECTING

If you are after the best reproduction of sound quality in recorded music for any performance you will want to collect direct copies of the original master tape. That’s true for everything recorded up to about 1985. After that most music was recorded digitally.

Of course, direct copies on tape are very hard to find or very expensive, or both. So most serious audiophiles spring for the original all analog LP record created the years the album was first released in the country where the music was recorded, mastered, and cut to vinyl. Continue reading “”

4-3-24

HAPPY WORLD PARTY DAY!

World Party, along with the newly coined day, is the name of a band led by the recently deceased Karl Wallinger. He was part of the Celtic group The Waterboys, but left in the late ’80s to produce a string of stellar solo albums, including Goodbye Jumbo in 1990.

Much of the world never paid attention to this non-grunge record at the time. Yet, in the UK it was hit, it was nominated for a Grammy, and made the best list at Q Magazine. Like all his records, they sound great on original vinyl, but an early CD will do just fine. You can also stream it dumbed down, or hear it remastered compressed and loud on a new CD or LP.

Wallinger’s music is a channeled mix of The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Dylan, and Beach Boys set to catchy lyrics. There are some lessons for life enclosed in his albums for those who are bored with inconsequential music.

(Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

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CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER

Enlightenment is one of my favorite Van Morrison records. So much so, that I think I’m part Irish. But it’s no 23 and me for me.

I’ll just enjoy life, one day at a time.

9-1-23

R.I.P. JIMMY BUFFETT

It is with great sadness that I report the passing of Jimmy Buffett.

I’m not sure where to begin, except to say his music is what saw me through much of the ’80s.

I was traveling around the world with my camera, a bunch of film, and a walkman. I ended up shooting stock in tropical locations nine months of the year because I was good at it and it paid really well. I became a “citizen of the world”, and his music was my soundtrack. Continue reading “”