Book Time

A great book to spend an hour or two browsing through. R. Crumb's, "The Complete Record Cover Collection." Full of his drawings and graphics for various record covers, mostly of old Blues, Country and Jazz recordings from the 1920's and 30's. Many obscure musicians and recordings. It's fascinating pausing and lingering for a moment or two, over each illustration before turning the page and discovering what's next. It causes me to want to search out each and every record.

Goodreads

An example of one of the many unique, imaginative and colorful images that fill the pages of this book. I've never heard of any of the musicians on this record but would happily give it a listen and add to my record collection based on the cover art alone.

Time For Discovery

From 2014 ..... Sonny and the Sunsets - Talent Night at the Ashram. Thanks to my local record store for ordering it for me and getting it in quickly! Another case of just when you think that there's nothing new to discover, you stumble onto some song samples online and are instantly hooked. There's a variety of sounds and influences on this recording.

Just Another Mood Inspired Tuesday Evening Playlist

A little slice of Americana on a Tuesday night. Inspired mostly while searching for a better alternative for the evening. By a need to turn off the mind numbing noise on television. Changing the channel didn't seem to help for this moment in time ....

• Bruce Hornsby & Ricky Skaggs - Gulf of Mexico Fishing Boat Blues
• Arlo Guthrie - Deportees .... Written by his Father which always adds a little extra feeling to the listening experience. I imagine to the playing experience of the performer as well.
• Rosanne Cash - Motherless Children
• Robert Earl Keen - I Gotta Go
• Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band with Gillian Welch & David Rawlings - So Good .... I once saw Gillian Welch and David Rawlings doing an in-store show at Music Millennium in Portland. Well I didn't really "see" them during the actual performance. I was there, was even firmly planted in a good viewing spot, or so I thought. But second by second got inched out of my spot by people arriving. When the show started it was so crowded and I was so far away from my original perch that I couldn't see a thing. Heard them play though. And when it was all over they walked right by me as they departed. Though I didn't realize it until they were past. I could have said hello but too late. 
• Justin Townes Earle - Can't Hardly Wait .... Saw him end a concert at Mississippi Studios in Portland with this tune. Covering an old Replacements song. Seemed at the time like the greatest ending ever!!!
• Loudon Wainwright III - Motel Blues .... He appears in some of the earliest episodes of M.A.S.H. as "Spalding" He was in three episodes of season three, guitar in hand if memory serves.
• The Seldom Scene - Wait a Minute .... Old classic Folk/Country/Bluegrass/Americana. Not sure what to label it besides a great song. 
• Chris Pureka - Swann Song .... "But you just learn to love the little things, I've lived long enough to know. And I'm still waving from this front porch and this is still my swan song."
• Freedy Johnston - Wichita Lineman .... Another time proven classic song and for myself, a Desert Island Disc song. 
• Eliza Gilkyson - The Beauty Way
• The Naked and Famous - Young Blood ..... It just came up and I started listening. Searching for a way to connect it to Americana. Hmmmm, parts of it remind of Kate Bush. Oh she's British you say. Well I suppose that could be considered real early Americana. 
• Iggy and the Stooges - Gimme Danger .... OK I'm officially headed in a different direction now with this playlist. You can't come around here and only expect to hear one genre. 
• Joe Brown - That's The Way It Goes .... From "The Concert for George" (Harrison.) I love the George Harrison slide guitar sound on this.

Time For Some New Steve Earle Tunes

Some new Steve Earle music came out this week. It's a little different sound from what he's done before. It's his Blues album. Though listening to it for the first time, you might think he's been writing The Blues forever. Terraplane by Steve Earle and backed up once again by The Dukes. It wasn't long ago that I was wondering if maybe he had something new out and if I had missed its release?

All Music Guide Review

Music Choice Blues Playlist

Another late night playlist. Because I've got those, ain't no work in the morning Blues, and late evening is unquestionably the best time to listen to music.

• Gregg Allman - Floating Bridge
• Omar Kent Dykes - Man Down There .... A new name for me and one to check into further hence the bold lettering on the title.
• Jimmy Carpenter - Walk Away .... There's a few notes in the song that sounds like they were possibly borrowed from the song, "Harper Valley PTA." I suppose with all the songs written in the history of time and a definite finite number of musical notes and their combinations to use in songwriting, there might be an occasion or two using the same combination (or close) for a few seconds.
• Peggy Scott-Adams - Bill .... Should I know who Bill is?
• John Mayall - Why Did You Go Last Night ..... With accordion that gives the song a bit of Zydeco feeling. One to seek out if not currently in my collection.
• Sam Cooke - Shake
• Percy Mayfield - My Jug And I ..... A little repetitive Jazz saxophone line included. Catchy, though I can't place who it reminds of. 
• Janiva Magness - One Heartache Too Late
• James Carr - You've Got My Mind Messed Up .... 1960's R&B. Did it receive much or any  radio play? It should have. It's not posted in my head though as one that I've heard before. A hint of early Van Morrison in there.
• The Mannish Boys - I Idolize You
• Lightnin' Hopkins - L.A. Blues .... Classic old piano Blues!!
• Professor Longhair - Big Chief .... I've missed out on so much great music over the years by not listening to The Blues. Trying to make up for that serious omission these days. 

Time Fades Away

My original vinyl from 1973 is scratched to hell. It's never been released on compact disc. You can't even find a used vinyl copy anywhere. A remastered vinyl was supposed to be released on Record Store Day a year or so ago but was called back. Then I heard it was released on the last Record Store Day, Black Friday event a few months ago but my local store received no copies. (Or maybe the owner, since I know he's a big NY fan, kept their copy for himself?) Guess I should have expected that since it was limited to around 3000 copies and not released by itself but as part of a box set of re-issues and likely with a hefty price tag. Supposedly Neil Young hates it.

So I'll just have to continue to be happy with my scratched original vinyl. (At the time, I was still a year or two away from realizing the importance of proper care of one's vinyl treasures. My attitude apparently being that I'll just buy another one.) It was a little different take on the live album concept ..... New songs done in concert!! It trails only Harvest and After The Goldrush as my favorite Neil Young records.

Eleventh Confession

One of my favorites from the 1980's!!! I love the drums and percussion in this. I recall reading a magazine article or album review back then about his song, "This Father's Day." (I'm never quite sure of anything these days but I think it was in Rolling Stone.) His music was new to me at the time. I found a cassette tape of the album that it was on and discovered "Eleventh Confession."

Thursday Evening Playlist of the Sleepy Eyed Man

Tonights playlist. Just because. Do I have to have a reason besides a hankering to hear the songs before the evening has passed?

• Jay Farrar - Open Ground
• James Keelaghan - Your Secret .... "I won't be your secret anymore."
• Pearl Jam - Wishlist .... Kinda the same as a playlist in my mind. 
• Greensky Bluegrass - Old Barns .... Memory of driving home late evening after seeing the band in concert with this tune playing loudly on the car CD player and of having that floating on clouds feeling!!
• The Boxer Rebellion - If You Run
• The Strokes - Two Kinds of Happiness
• Matthew Ryan - The Complete Family
• Ray Charles - I Got a Woman
• Stephen Bruton - Bigger Wheel
• Paul Kelly - Big Fine Girl
• In-Flight Safety - Surround
• Gregg Allman - Multi Colored Lady .... Flashbacks to Freshman year in college. Being on my own for the first time. Big change from all that I knew before. Feeling a little cold and alone but curious to see what was up ahead in life.
• Fitzmaurice Band - Barely a Man
• The Appleseed Cast - Blind Man's Arrow
• The Steel Wheels - The Cuckoo ..... A little modernized Americana, Appalachia, Old-Timey, toe-tappin, get up and dance feel. Which is exactly what I did. Probably won't be able to sleep now.
• Liz Story - Leo .... Solo piano to calm my soul.

Thinking Of An Old Friend Tonight

For my old buddy Mitch (Rest in Peace), who's favorite band was the original lineup of Little Feat. Bill Payne providing the vocals here. Hope you are hearing this tonight Mitch!!

Mitch lost his battle with cancer a little over a year ago. Though he shattered the timeline given him by the doctors. I'll never forget the time that I had came across and purchased an old Victrola record player. The only problem ..... I had no 78's to play on it. One day there was a knock on my door. It was Mitch with an armful of pitch black 78rpm records that he had saved for years from his parents collection. There must have been forty or fifty records in his arms. A thing of beauty!! Most worn and scratched but there were several keepers among the stack. Even if there had been none though, it was the thought that mattered.

Mitch was a huge fan of the groups original leader and main voice, Lowell George. Another who passed away far too soon. He loved the groups music from the 1970's and was extremely loyal to the band that he knew. When they broke up in the early 1980's and then got back together at the end of the decade, he had no interest in the new band. Even despite all major efforts on my part to demonstrate that the re-formed group was worthy of listening to and that Craig Fuller's voice even somewhat resembled Lowell George's. There was no Lowell George so it wasn't really Little Feat as far as he was concerned. Some people are just not replaceable. I didn't understand his attitude at the time but I do now.

Memories of Wheatfield Soul

Flashing back to teenage years and memories of listening to The Guess Who at a friends house. Two songs have always stood out ..... The classic and beautiful, "These Eyes" and the possibly haunting and frightening, "Friends of Mine" which despite being ten minutes long, and despite lyrics describing a condemned man walking to his hanging (we probably thought that the lyrics were cool), would often get repeat listenings. It was one of those songs that would get an after school playing/listening before my friends parents arrived home from work so we could crank up the volume. Certainly not a tune that you would ever hear on the AM radio top-40 weekly hit list being counted down by Casey Kasem. I'm not sure but we may not have listened to anything else from the album? It was likely an eye opener for a young teenager just released from eight years of Catholic School. I recall a teacher who let us play "Atlantis" by Donovan and Simon and Garfunkels, "The Sounds of Silence" in the classroom but I suspect that "Friends of Mine" just might not have been allowed.

When I think of the conclusion of the 1960's and the transition into the 1970's, this record always comes to mind. Sitting on the floor listening to it on a portable turntable. Quoting lyrics. Pondering the meaning of Friends of Mine. Forty-six years later though, it's the heartbreak described in These Eyes that stands out. I used to assume that it was a love song .... possibly because those two words, "these eyes," was the vision taken and absorbed from the song but the rest of the lyrics are about heartache.

 Friends Of Mine Lyrics

Today's Vinyl Jazz Discoveries

An afternoon stop at my local record store. Seems to be a Jazz kind of day. Lured in by the liner notes, song notes and album cover artwork of each.

• Don Shirley - Drown In My Own Tears
• Jimmy Lunceford and His Orchestra
• Clark Terry / Bob Brookmeyer Quintet - The Power of Positive Swinging

Then listening to the "Divaville" Jazz program on KMHD-radio, Gresham, Oregon ..... Dedicated to exploring Jazz Vocal recordings primarily from the 1930's-1960's years. Great voices heard here!! Despite the news and rumors over the past decade that it's dying, there's still good sounds to be heard on the radio.

Divaville Radio
KMHD Jazz Radio

In the liner notes ..... "One index of the singular pleasures to be had from the music of the Clark Terry - Bob Brookmeyer Quintet is that it not so much defies categories but rather ignores them."

I wonder occasionally that if it wasn't for myself, would some of these records ever be taken home?  I often declare, "No more!" ..... but then a week or two later, I'm back searching through the vinyl bins. There always seems to be something previously un-noticed. It's my addiction I suppose.

Local Music Art On Display

Culture on display in Salem, Oregon!!! In the middle of an empty lot in town. One story that I've heard is that there once was a used car dealership on this spot (which I don't recall) and this is all that remains. Though what the connection is with used cars is a mystery. It blends in with everything around it. It's easy to miss if you are not looking for it.

On a street well traveled while engaged with my daily life journeys and missions ..... I likely drove by for years before noticing. I wouldn't mind having it at the approach to my front door.

Fading Into Oblivion

There's currently only a few still remaining but there was once a time when every decent sized city or town had several stores where you could shop for components to make up your dream stereo system. Speakers, turntables, receivers, tape decks, etc ..... And all manner of add ons that would better your sound quality and light up like a Christmas tree. And a dozen or more major brands with their lines of equipment. There were periods of fashion where silver was the preferred color. Black had its time as well. People would browse up and down the aisles like it was a record store, oooohhhhhhing and ahhhhhhing especially at the speakers, where size used to matter. Each visit was an adventure. These stores were popular hang out spots in the 1970's and 80's.

Many years ago, I purchased a graphic equalizer. I never really learned how to properly use it and never knew the proper verbiage. It had 16-20 different sliding knobs/levers where you could manipulate and play with the audio. All I knew was to experiment from the central setting of each slider ...... up, down, down, up ..... find a spot you enjoyed and leave it alone for a song or a day or a week, then experiment some more.

People would share and discuss the wattage of their receivers/amplifiers. I never got into that. I always had a little volume to spare if suddenly called for by changing situations ..... you know, in case your parents left home for awhile or you noticed that the neighbors were away. I recall once putting on the Eagles song,  The King of Hollywood, with its biting guitar riff and sleazy vocals and having both floors of the house shaking. It wasn't heavy metal or punk or even approaching such but it was rock!! And getting lost in the big sound!! Kids these days with all their headphone and ear bud wearing ways, never experience that. Unless they have some damned good, extremely caring, music loving parents or a old weird uncle like me.

Everything always looked so pretty on the store shelves. How does one choose? I used to think that if I ever were to get rich, I'd build a home with six or seven listening rooms and equip each with a different sound system. Instead of collecting classic cars, I'd collect stereo equipment. 

Always Time For A Good Story

In John Prine's case, every song tells a story!! John Prine is a master songwriter and storyteller!! And there's occasionally a healthy dose of wry humor in his lyrics.

This record was a chance taken long ago. Purchased because I noticed Jackson Browne listed in the credits as contributing backing vocals on one song. I was initially disapointed because I couldn't identify JB's voice in the background. (The voices of Glenn Frey and J.D. Souther are mixed in there as well.) Then I listened to the songs. Turned out to be a risk that was full of years of rewards. There's not a weak offering in his forty-plus year catalogue.

This album contains one of my alltime favorite song titles  ..... "Come Back To Us Barbara Lewis Hare Krishna Beauregard."

A Jazz Playlist

Choose from Mainstream, Swing, Big-Band, Bebop, Improvisational, Jazz Fusion, West Coast, etc .... Many sub genres. I enjoy both the older and more recent sounds.

• Chick Corea - The Hilltop ..... A dance!!
• Oregon - Witchi-Tai-To .... A Native American chant. Covered by several, I first heard it by Rachel Faro. 
• Pat Metheny Group - Slip Away
• Jean-Luc Ponty - Renaissance
• Keith Jarrett Trio - Lifeline .... Approaching hypnotic. Swirls and builds, swirls and builds, then slowly fades away.
• John Coltrane - Central Park West .... Always keep your eyes and ears open. You never know what might suddenly be there in front of you. I found the vinyl LP that this song is on at a flea market.
• Charlie Christian - Seven Come Eleven
• Charles Mingus - Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting
• Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli - J'attendrai Swing
• Bill Evans - Remembering The Rain .... Introduced by Venus Flytrap at the conclusion of the WKRP in Cincinnati episode dealing with the real life stampede when the doors opened for a 1979 Who concert in Cincinnati resulting in the loss of life of eleven people.
• Bill Frisell - Keep Your Eyes Open
• Turtle Island String Quartet - Stolen Moments