Flashing Back Playlist

 Friday night, flashback playlist. Seems to be a common theme with me ....

• Paul Davis - Cool Night ..... From 1981. Some things should not be forgotten. I was reading my Lefsitz Letter email about Paul Davis who had a string of radio hits in my younger days. 'Cool Night' was mentioned, reminding me of what a great song it is. 
• The Eagles - I Can't Tell You Why
• Todd Rundgren - Hello It's Me ..... Todd's old classic hits cause so much nostalgia for me. All these bittersweet memories of youth. It's like they are still close but just barely out of reach.
• Michael Martin Murphy - Wildfire ..... I thought that I'd never care to hear this song again, but here I am listening.
• Gerry Rafferty - Right Down the Line ..... 'Baker Street' was huge, but I've always liked this one better.

This looks like it's turning into a 70's, soft rock playlist. I'll have to make up for that later. 😊

• 10cc - I'm Not In Love ..... One of those songs heard repeatedly on the radio but it never became a favorite. Time though, brings appreciation.
• Al Stewart - Time Passages .... My old friend, Scott, was a huge Al Stewart fan. I used to walk around the corner to his house to play basketball or compare baseball cards and often ended up hanging out with his older brother, Rod, who became my vinyl record collecting mentor.
• Jefferson Starship - Miracles ..... I never purchased any Jefferson Airplane records back then. For some reason that I fail to recall, I walked into a record store one day and purchased the Starship's, 'Red Octopus' album. 
• Crosby, Stills & Nash - Southern Cross .... As I recall, it had felt like an eternity between their last album and when 'CSN' came out in 1977. Sure, there was all the solo albums by each and the various duo pairings, Crosby & Nash, Still & Young Band, etc., but that just wasn't quite the same. This was the first song heard upon their return from what has turned out to be my favorite CSN .... and if you choose to include, Y, album. 
• Steely Dan - Dirty Work

Portico Quartet

New vinyl titled, 'Terrain' from Portico Quartet.

Discovered this group about a year ago while searching for new directions in jazz. This is their recently released recording. A fusion of sounds .... jazz, contemporary jazz and maybe even a little avant-garde or free jazz.

Makes me wish that I could review records and relay an accurate idea of what was heard. 

Fascinating looping rhythms that swirl and soar (in my case), for moments after the needle has been lifted from the turntable.

The Search for the Turtle's Navel

From 1976 on vinyl. 'The Search for the Turtle's Navel' by William Ackerman. 

Solo acoustic guitar pieces. 

It led to a decade of seeking out additional records by William Ackerman and anything else produced by Windham Hill Records. Primarily the solo acoustic guitar and piano records. 

Good things come in three's, right? I was already a huge fan of guitarists, Leo Kottke and John Fahey when I first heard this. I thought, there had to be a third.

I smile at some of the song titles and notes on the back cover ....

'The Pink Chiffon Tricycle Queen' - "Proving once and for all that speed and dexterity are not enough."

'Slow Motion Roast Beef Restaurant Seduction' - "The woman across from you is moonlit and confessing something. Suddenly the flood comes."

'What the Buzzard Told Suzanne' - "Conveys the mood of terrible heat and concerns itself with how unwelcome enlightenment can be without ice cubes."

Friday Evening, Post-Workday, Playlist for the Elderly Geezer

Friday evening. Listening to and watching whatever videos come to mind and pop up from nowhere and anywhere .....

• Canned Heat - Let's Work Together ..... Needed to hear a little slide guitar tonight ..... and probably tomorrow too.
• Neil Young - Heart of Gold
• Kelly Joe Phelps - Moonshiner
• Jason Isbell - If We Were Vampires / The Magician
• John Prine - Crooked Piece of Time .... One positive development that came out of a marriage from long ago was introducing my ex-wife to John Prine's music. In case she's reading this, I say that with a smile.
• Arlo Guthrie - Shackle and Chains .... "And at night, through the bars, I gaze at the stars ....."
• The Sir Douglas Quintet - She's About a Mover .... Sometimes you just need to go back to the mid-1960's.
• Oscar Issac - Queen Jane .... From the movie. 'Inside Llewyn Davis.'

• Tom Waits - Bad as Me .... Switching things up a bit.
• The Feelies - Raised Eyebrows 

Evening Machines

Gregory Alan Isakov - 'Evening Machines' from 2018 on vinyl and the Dualtone label. Singer/Songwriter from Colorado, first heard live on a National Public Radio broadcast a few years ago. 

Turned out to be a great day to be tuned in or else I might have remained clueless through life.

I never see any of his recordings in record stores. I finally ordered a cd offering online a few months ago. Very excited upon its arrival which quickly soured upon discovery of Rickie Lee Jones, 'Flying Cowboys' inside the packaging. Nothing against RLJ but I already have Flying Cowboys on vinyl in my collection. After the passing of a month or so, I decided to take another chance on this one. 

Kenny Wheeler

Kenny Wheeler and the John Dankworth Orchestra - 'Windmill Tilter: The Story of Don Quixote.' Just arrived on my doorstep a few days ago. A 2021 reissue of a 1969 album. On 180-gram black vinyl.

 

Kenny Wheeler is a jazz trumpeter. In places I hear this sound or tone that I've come to associate in my thoughts with movies from the 1960's that have underlying themes or feelings of loneliness. It's a sound that I love.

The audio quality is incredibly good!! And the cover art is what initially caused me to seek out song samples.

Alive On Arrival

I still remember a few things so clearly .....

The late 1970's ..... Punk and New-Wave had kicked in the door, demanded our attention and was dominating what was being heard. It seemed like music was rapidly and radically changing. Storytelling and singer/songwriters seemed to be in sudden decline.

Then this came out.

He reminded me of Bob Dylan. He played acoustic guitar, he played harmonica and was armed with great melodies and lyrics. Forty-some years later, I'm not sure if I came up with that Bob Dylam comparison on my own or if I read it somewhere. perhaps in Rolling Stone magazine? 

'Alive on Arrival' by Steve Forbert. From 1978 on vinyl and the Nemperor Record label.

Maybe my memories are skewed by the passing of years and decades, but I recall bringing home this and Dire Straits debut record, on the same day. If true, what a day that was!!