Album Cover Artwork

Because I'm a huge fan of exciting images, great album covers and album design, especially from the late 1950's and the 1960's ..... Found at the record store yesterday.

And I'll give it a listen too.

Shuffle Time Again

Another round of the iPod on shuffle play. Late night/early morning weekend edition ..... because someone, somewhere has to be playing music for the night to hear. In case it's feeling a little lonely and anxious in the darkness.

• Son Volt - Caryatid Easy
• Yo La Tengo - I Feel Like Going Home
• Matt Nathanson - To The Beat of Our Noisey Hearts
• Blue Merle - Part of Your History
• John Prine - Unwed Fathers (Live) .... So many great songs that he's written!
• Bob Mould - The Breach .... Finger tapping on my desk, adding a second drummer to the song.
• Poco - You Better Think Twice
• Big Country - We're Not In Kansas .... Acoustic version.
• Keith Richards - 999
• Assembly of Dust - Vaulted Sky
• Ryan Adams - Oh My Sweet Carolina
• Hunters & Collectors - When the River Runs Dry .... Aussie band. Along with The Church, Midnight Oil and Paul Kelly, my favs from Australia!
• Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Stars Spill Out Of Cups

Record Store Day!!

Another "Record Store Day" today! My kind of holiday! Vinyl junkies, geeks and dorks galore in the record store. Wait a minute ..... I'm one of those geeks. Just not the insane variety that stands in a long line for several hours waiting for the doors to open. I mosey on in whenever I get around to it. And glad that I do. From the photos that I've seen it looks like it was a mob scene during the first hour. I probably missed out on some good stories but I'm way too old and lacking in perseverance for this standing-in-line stuff.

It's fascinating to me, the number of kids, teenagers and 20-somethings, that frequent record stores today. Sometimes I think they outnumber us geezers. How did they discover these black discs called records? I feel the urge occasionally to stop and tell them about the grand old days of record stores, the BCD era (before compact discs) when there was three or four in town. When one might go out of business but another would always pop up. When every decent sized town had a record store. When they would burn incense in the store. Long before the internet .... When every store would have the huge Schwann Catalog on the counter for reference. When the majority of the band and musician names on the records were known to me. When I was young!! I wonder if they would listen?

I did pick up a couple Record Store Day limited releases to do my part to observe and honor todays occasion .....

• Typhoon - Prosthetic Love (Piano Version) ..... 7-inch vinyl. A local band!
• The Animals - The Animals No. 2 ..... 10-inch vinyl. From 1965. Their second EP.

Also found .....

• Kai Winding & J.J. Johnson - The Great Kai and J.J. ..... Jazz from 1961. Both are trombonists. Bill Evans on piano. On Impulse Records, another of the great classic Jazz record labels.
• Clyde McCoy - The Uncollected 1938 .... Big Band Swing. From radio broadcasts. On Hindsight Records. Part of a series of enjoyable recordings of different big bands from the 1930's-50's. I've been taking home anything that I can find from this series. History to me. Something my parents may have listened to in their youth which makes it fascinating. With the live narration introducing each song, you almost feel like you are back in those days, in front of your radio.

Slow Train Coming

Dylan's born again album. I just think that it's great music. Right there with "Blood On The Tracks" as his best from the 1970's and 80's. And there's Mark Knopfler on guitar!!

Dylan appeared on Saturday Night Live back then. Viewing the program in those days was a Saturday evening routine for me, before the first big cast change in the Not Ready For Prime Time Players. He played songs from the new album. I have to remind myself that this was new music in the late 70's not the classic that I view it as today. I was still in the process of getting to know the songs. As I recall they gave him the time to perform three songs. Two songs has generally been the norm.

Matthew Ryan

Just for you guys, my longtime friends and gang here on the Facebook... This is well obviously me rehearsing Suffer No More up in my lair. Enjoy...? Really wanting you guys to come out to these shows. This band is gigantic and we're committed to giving you guys the very best we have. Not just from Boxers, but also a lot of surprises from all over the span of things from May Day on. Even a Strays song? Maybe even a new cover of a song most of us probably love. Visit the site www.matthewryanonline.com/tour. Come see us! Help spread the word. Por favor.#matthewryan #boxers #livemusic

Posted by Matthew Ryan on Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Rockin' With The Ramones

I don't just listen to old Jazz, Blues, Singer/Songwriter tunes and classic 1960's.

During excursions and pilgrimages years ago to Salem and Portland record stores, a friend and I would make a point to stop and ponder the song titles on Ramones albums and chuckle. (It's probably a good thing for the two of us that a genuine die-hard Ramones fan didn't walk by and take offense.) We would occasionally bring them up as a topic in casual conversation. Talk about being a couple of "Pinheads." Eventually though, I started listening to the actual songs. Maybe it was because of the MTV video for "Pet Cemetary."  I used to think of The Ramones as Punk Rock ..... but it's really just fun Rock! Songs that are guitarish, short and quick and meant to be played loud!! Even if "Shelia Is A Punk Rocker" and "Suzy Is A Headbanger."

Vinyl Finds - Continuing Adventures

From 1969. Looks like the original vinyl. Great voice!! The liner notes calls his music, "swamp music." His most famous song is "Pork Salad Annie." It's not found here but his "Rainy Night In Georgia" is. And once again, great album cover artwork! The 1960's, probably the best decade for album covers.

While following Jackson Browne, Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Cat Stevens, etc., during the 1970's and beyond, Tony Joe White (and others) went mostly un-noticed. It's time now to make up for that.

Singer/Songwriter! Blues-rock! Swamp music! It's just great sounds missed out on for so many years. It feels like unearthing lost treasures when finding and giving an initial listening, 46 years later. And it just looks cool visually in a collection! Put it inside a plastic sleeve and it looks like a rare collectors item.

The search for more continues!

The Dollar Vinyl Record Bin

I can't help it. No matter how hard I try to kick the habit, I'm always searching for sounds. Especially for new old sounds. Those black platters call me back again and again. The dollar vinyl bargain bin has been good to me of late. Occasional gems and surprises are unearthed. Titles that maybe hadn't been on my radar or watch list but that immediately strike a chord or emotion upon unexpected discovery. Found this evening:

• Dick Gregory - In Living Black and White (1961) ..... Comedy / Spoken Word
• Jimmy Webb - Words and Music (1970)
• The Sandpiper Movie Soundtrack (1965) ..... Not so well known Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor movie. Charles Bronson is in it as well.

Historical documents. Part of the era where I grew up. Looking back, it's become a fascinating time for me. Too young during much of those days to have much knowledge of the world. I first saw The Sandpiper late one night, probably in the later 1970's or early 1980's. The perfect late night movie! The themes and the feel of the movie caught my attention .... The California beach lifestyle, an artist community, being unfaithful in marriage, changing seasons. And it's theme song: "The Shadow of Your Smile" ..... haunting, yearning, unrealized love, a tinge of sadness. Familiar emotions.

I'm always interested in words, thoughts, expressions and attitudes from years long ago and how they've changed since. Towards that concept, the Dick Gregory record is a must have!! If nothing else, just simply to hear a voice from 55 years ago and what people found amusing in those days ..... the messages they wanted to share.

And Jimmy Webb ..... One of the alltime greatest songwriters!! He wrote two of my favorites ....  "Wichita Lineman," and "The Highwayman." And so many others.

It's funny but a day or two after posting this, the movie, The Sandpiper, (which is not often on television) was on Turner Classic Movies cable channel. 

Cannonball Live!!

Vinyl find today ..... Great Jazz!! And it was live! From 1960. It must have been an exciting time to be a Jazz fan. Riverside is one of those classic Jazz labels that was all about great music. And once again for me, the album cover artwork is a huge part of the attraction. There's liner notes too. Something all recordings should have.

Recurring Image

I think that I desire to get one of those Crosley record players. So I can just sit in the corner and listen to records. Just like in the younger days before one could afford to purchase a component stereo system. A little minimalism for seven inch vinyl and 45-rpm's. 78's too! Even the occasional long playing album. Especially those from the 1960's or older. A return to youth. A little nostalgia. An image that I have floating around in my head of how certain things were meant to be. Just the basics please. Only the time to listen required.

You Never Know Just What You Might Find

Thumbing through the one dollar vinyl bin at my local record store and I came across this gem from 1967. Cashman, Pistilli and West, "Bound To Happen."

I used to hear a song or two by Cashman and West on 1970's FM radio. And Terry Cashman is known for his song, "Talkin' Baseball." It was a hit in the 1980's and he's written lyrics since that are specific for most of the major league teams.

It's funny the thoughts that come to mind as you listen for the first time to music from decades ago. Upon first listen I hear bits and pieces of The Association, Peter Paul and Mary and Donovan in this recording. For an instant I even thought that I heard a little snippet of 60's British Invasion. Maybe the next listen will bring someone else to mind?

All Those Years Ago

Another playlist from long ago. There's like a personal visual video snippet playing in my eyes, from a moment of my life that goes with each. Though I suppose that's true with most songs that will cause you to stop and listen every time that they are heard.

• The Eagles - King of Hollywood
• U2 - New Years Day
• Steely Dan - Doctor Wu
• Grateful Dead - Uncle Johns Band
• Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Listen To Her Heart
• Tom Jans - Gotta Move
• Neil Young - Like a Hurricane
• Benjamin Orr (from The Cars) - Stay the Night
• Jim Carroll Band - Day and Night
• The Boomtown Rats - I Don't Like Mondays
• Warren Zevon - Lawyers, Guns and Money
• Big Country - Lost Patrol
• Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World
• Bruce Springsteen - Factory