Introspection IV

Introspection IV from 1960 on the Warner Brothers record label. On vinyl.

Just stumbled across this earlier today.

How to describe this? I'm just going to steal a sentence or two from the album sleeve: "A study in the weird wanderings of the mind. Relationship of outre tales to modern music ...."

Short stories with music. Listening to the tone of the spoken word narration, I was reminded of the original, Little Shop of Horrors movie, which also came from 1960. 

The sort of oddball recording that I love having in my collection. In fact, I found this in a bin marked, "Oddities." And according to the title, there's at least three more in the series to be found. Not sure that I want all of them but one certainly ups the coolness level of my collection.

Willard Grant Conspiracy

Willard Grant Conspiracy - Mojave

From 1999 on Slow River Records.

You can call it Singer/Songwriter or Americana if you'd like. Or maybe Alt-Country or Indie Rock. I just know that I love Robert Fisher's voice and songwriting and that he passed away too soon.

Find a way to hear 'How To Get To Heaven' .... even if it's just the twenty-eight second clip that's currently the only option on Youtube. A desert island song selection.

Camel - The Snow Goose

Camel - The Snow Goose

Vinyl record on Janus Records, from 1975. A concept album. I listened to it often when it came out and saw Camel in concert at the old Paramount Theater in downtown Portland, Oregon, while on a tour supporting this record. It's been at least forty years since I've listened to it.

Progressive rock and primarily instrumental. At the time, my friends and I dove deeply into the music. The music is based on a short story published in 1940 by the author, Paul Gallico, and later expanded into a novella.

The Snow Goose is a simple, short written parable on the regenerative power of friendship and love, set against a backdrop of the horror of war. It documents the growth of a friendship between Philip Rhayader, an artist living a solitary life in an abandoned lighthouse in the marshlands of Essex because of his disabilities, and a young local girl, Fritha. The snow goose, symbolic of both Rhayader (Gallico) and the world itself, wounded by gunshot and many miles from home, is found by Fritha and, as the human friendship blossoms, the bird is nursed back to flight, and revisits the lighthouse in its migration for several years. As Fritha grows up, Rhayader and his small sailboat eventually are lost in the Dunkirk evacuation, having saved several hundred men. The bird, which was with Rhayader, returns briefly to the grown Fritha on the marshes. She interprets this as Rhayader's soul taking farewell of her (and realizes she had come to love him). Afterwards, a German pilot destroys Rhayader's lighthouse and all of his work, except for one portrait Fritha saves after his death: a painting of her as Rhayader first saw her – a child, with the wounded snow goose in her arms.

Wikipedia

Sunday Evening Playlist

There's no telling where this may lead. Another late night playlist of things I'm hearing, enabled by having to be no where except where I want to be, in the morning .... 

• Kurt Vile - Like Exploding Stones .... New one to my ears. Over seven minutes of far out and groovy, finger tapping melody.
• Todd Rundgren - I Saw the Light .... Seemed like a natural follow-up or pre-cursor to Kurt Vile.

Out of town yesterday, on a afternoon vinyl hunting excursion and I had a record in my hand, some late 1960's, psychedelic rock album .... Kind of a spendy title with a cool cover photo, which I put back in the bins, cleverly hiding it among titles from another genre and it dawns on me now that someone else will quickly stumble upon my hiding place, which I likely won't recall shall I return, but I wanted to do a little research prior to purchasing, but can't recall the band or the title. That's how I apparently roll at 66 ....and one day. 

• John Doe - The Golden State .... I picked up the album this is on at a public library used book sale several years ago for a dollar, came home and put it in the cd player and ran off to do something else without hitting play. A few weeks later, I was listening to whatever was in line before this on the cd changer, the album concluded and this album and song started. I was like: "What the hell is this?" (In a good way.)
• Dave Alvin - Nine Volt Heart .... "Plastic silver nine volt heart, you click it on and let the music start."
• Joseph Arthur - Mercedes .... 1996 I think. It was a Saturday night, I'm sure of. I put on the headphones at a Borders Books listening station with no idea what I was about to hear. 
• Kelly Joe Phelps - Crow's Nest .... I seem to return to this song every month.
• Mimicking Birds - Burning Stars
• The Jayhawks - Comeback Kids .... I've sung along enough times at home that they may as well have had me in the studio helping with backing vocals. 
• The Choir - In Loves Shadow .... From a youtube video that popped up on my homepage one day. A compilation of "Garage Rock" from the 1960's. Mostly stuff I've never heard before.
• Danny and the Counts - Ode to Wind .... From the same 60's Garage Rock compilation, mentioned above. A great discovery!! If I came across either of these on 45's vinyl, I'd snap them up in an instant. Might not even check the price. 

From the Witchwood

From the Witchwood by The Strawbs.

On gatefold vinyl. From 1971. Progressive rock with Rick Wakeman on organ and synthesizer before joining Yes and eventually going solo.

Beautiful cover art. In my eternally ongoing vinyl wanderings, I don't recall seeing copies of this out there in bins. I'd like to think, if nothing else, that I have unique tastes.

Favorite songs are the first and last: 'A Glimpse of Heaven' and 'I'll Carry On Beside You.'

Saturday Evening Playlist

A playlist of random Youtube videos that I'm watching and listening to tonight. No theme, not one genre. Probably makes little sense to anyone but somehow, one thing is leading me to another.

• The Strawbs - I'll Carry On Beside You ..... From 1971 and the, 'From the Witchwood' album. 
• New Order - True Faith
• John Prine - Wedding Day in Funeralville .... From the, 'Common Sense' album which I purchased because I read that Jackson Browne sang backing vocals on a song or two. 
• Velvet Underground -  Pale Blue Eyes
• Yo La Tengo - Last Days of Disco
• Willard Grant Conspiracy - Soft Hand .... I enjoy singing along to the "Who'll, Who'll" part.
• Greg Brown  - Cold and Dark and Wet .... Or is it Wet and Cold and Dark?    
• Loudon Wainright III - The Swimming Song
• Uncle Tupelo - Moonshiner .... In case I haven't made my position on the subject clear, I'm on the Son Volt side of the breakup.
• Jonatha Brooke - Because I Told You So .... Saw her play this live on a locally produced (Portland, OR) music video program, that aired late on Saturday nights. Like 1:30am. I thought I was the only person in the world watching it but talking to my boss one day about various subjects, I found that he used to watch this video program as regularly as I. This was the 1990's and I've loved this song since.

Sage Francis

Sage Francis - "Copper Gone" from 2014.

I guess it eventually had to happen ....Hip-hop. 

A few of my old friends will likely shake their heads and not understand.

You never know about new or different sounds and ideas (or anything for that matter) until you give those ideas a chance. Not that hip-hop is new to the world but it's new to me. I've just never paid much attention except for a few songs by Seattle's, Blue Scholars.

It was after someone on Twitter had posted a photo of the album cover and mentioned how the record had changed their life. So I went to Youtube and saw a thumbnail for the song, "Make Em Purr."  I listened. Then I listened three or four more times. I loved the haunting piano that plays behind the beats and vocals. I had trouble walking away. I was hooked.

Emmylou

"Cimarron" by Emmylou Harris. Released in 1981. 

For some odd reason, I had this record tucked away in the closet instead of on display with the main collection. Imagine the level of sanity that must have went into this decision.

Incredibly beautiful voice. Still is today!!

There's a beautiful cover of Townes Van Zandt's, "If I Needed You," where the vocals are shared with one of my favorite country music voices, Don Williams. There's also a cover of a longtime favorite Poco song, "Rose of Cimarron." And also a cover of Springsteen's, "The Price You Pay," .... Quite a contrast of two powerful voices between Emmylou's version and that of 'The Boss.'.

Henry Franklin

"The Skipper," from 1972 by Jazz bassist, Henry Franklin. Originally released on Black Jazz Records and reissued in 2021 by Real Gone Music.

I had never heard of Henry Franklin prior to two weeks ago. It was late evening and I was thumbing through the coffee table book, "Dust & Grooves," .... about people and their vinyl record collections and came to the page with a devotee talking about completing his collection of 1970's, Black Jazz Records titles while displaying this record. A little research was the result, followed by a little sampling of sounds and a quick purchase. 

These titles from Black Jazz Records are not something that I ever see "in the wild," as the vinyl community folks like to say. So I've ordered four more records originally released by the label. 

As much as I'd like to have an original copy, the reissue sounds great and I love the cover design and photography. Included with the record is a two-sided, vinyl sleeve size sheet, of liner and song notes. Isn't that all that one really needs?

Sukay of the Andes

Having completed my browsing and upon taking my most recent vinyl haul to the cash register and the owner says: "Hey, there's one more box over here on the floor to look through."  Well that's not the sort of invitation that I've ever turned down.

Among nothing else note worthy, I suddenly found this!!

I fell in love with music from the Andes Mountains in South America, several years ago while wandering around the local summer art festival. The pipes, the groove, the beat, the fun!! It turns out though, that recordings were difficult to find locally. Until that is, when nearly a decade later, I just happen to stumble across this vinyl record in a aged cardboard box, on the floor, at the side of the cash register.  

I don't know if this is the same group that I saw that day at the art festival but it's the same type of music. And it's still lively and fun!!