Crosby, Stills & Nash

One of my first album purchases. And there's a vague memory that it was actually a Christmas present from my parents.

It's been awhile since I've listened to it in its original format. You can still get lucky on the radio dial and pick up random selections from the record. Most of the songs became FM-radio staples back in the early 1970's. And most of the songs appeared years later in various greatest hits or other Crosby, Stills and Nash (and sometimes Young) compilations.

Their best album!! It still sounds great 45 years later. It doesn't seem possible ..... Closing in on half a century. Proud to say that I was there when the album initially came out. A teenager searching for great new sounds.

They came from The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and The Hollies. From here they branched out into CSNY, Crosby & Nash, Stills and Young, Manassas and everyone doing numerous solo projects. There were more great songs to follow. Also some forgettable stuff. This first group effort is strong through-out.

Tom Petty and Mudcrutch

Newly released .... The second studio album from Mudcrutch. Tom Petty's pre-Heartbreakers band. Sharing thoughts with the owner of my local record store this weekend .... We agreed that it sure was nice of Tom Petty and the other Heartbreakers who are involved, to take part in these Mudcrutch projects to assist the guys who didn't make it into Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, a little recognition.

And the music is pretty solid as well!! But then, that was never in doubt.

New Jayhawks!!

A new one from The Jayhawks!! Paging Mr. Proust. A little word association .... You say "Americana" or "Alternative-Country" and The Jayhawks are the first band that I think of. Another collection of great songs!! Guitars and vocal harmonies and the involvement of former R.E.M. members!

I'm not sure of my initial introduction to their music. Probably through my love of Son Volt's sound and the search for related music.

Always an emphasis on songwriting so there's never a danger of filler material.

On my short list for the best new releases of 2016.

Playing Roulette

A 2016 Record Store Day find. On ten-inch vinyl. Recorded in 1960. Part of my striving to be a John Coltrane completist though the actual music sure doesn't disappoint. He certainly was prolific in his relatively short time making music.

Nine Stories

Jazz bassist!! Having read a few sentences of an album review from a two or three year old Jazz Times magazine that was laying around at home combined with one look at the album cover artwork and knew I had to seek out this recording. There's also something about the albums title that caught my attention. Music should tell stories and spark imagination and memories. Jazz is the perfect genre for inspiring imagination.

The Attic Tapes

Another Record Store Day observed and celebrated. My kind of holiday!!

So many special vinyl record releases for the occasion. And so many these days that I find myself knowing very little about. But John Renbourn is from my youth.

"Mastered from old tapes found in a friend's attic, this is a vintage collection of previously unreleased rarities and early works by one of the guitar's truly great innovators. The Record Store Day edition features five vinyl-only tracks and sleeve notes written by John shortly before his death in March 2015."

Gather Around Folks, It's Old Timey Hour

Various Artists - Instrumental Music of the Southern Appalachians.

Keeping great traditional tunes alive!! Old timey harmonica, fiddle, guitar, dulcimer and banjo tunes. You can almost see the players, sitting on their front porch, with children, friends and neighbors all gathered around, picking, clapping and stomping away.

Part of my ongoing search for obscure and historical recordings. They shouldn't be forgotten. Found this one recently on vinyl. Great artwork on the cover.

1960's AM Radio Hits Playlist

Very little causes a sense of aching (as in something I miss badly) nostalgia for me like memories of times spent listening to AM-radio hits from the later half of the 1960's. A time when radio was king!! Memories of anxiously waiting by your radio because you knew that one of your favorite songs would be playing soon. Just when I was reaching the age where I began to notice that there was more to the world around me besides sports ..... like music. Oh and girls also.

• The Turtles - You Showed Me
• The Troggs - Love Is All Around
• Small Faces - Itchycoo Park
• The Delfonics - La La Means I Love You
• The Foundations - Baby Now That I've Found You
• Gary Puckett and The Union Gap - Young Girl
• Eric Burdon and The Animals - San Francisco Nights
• The Moody Blues - Nights In White Satin
• The Guess Who - These Eyes
• The Box Tops - Cry Like a Baby
• Manfred Mann - The Mighty Quinn
• The Seekers - Georgy Girl

I've likely noted most of these songs here previously but they deserve repeated listenings. From a genuinely unique time in music. Makes me wish that at least a few people still wrote music like this.

Watching and Hearing

It's very wet and windy outside so there's a lot of time for music.

Via car radio, iTunes, dvr and Youtube ...... Just some stuff that I've heard this weekend at what seemed like just the right moment for each.

• Mimicking Birds - Burning Stars
• R.E.M. - What's the Frequency Kenneth?
• Star Anna - Nerves
• Mumford & Sons - Ditmas
• Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill
• Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World
• Joseph Arthur - Travel As Equals
• Joseph Arthur - Saint of Impossible Causes
• Bob Mould - The Silence Between Us

The Velvet Underground

From 1969. Two evenings at a club in San Francisco. Live recordings. And the voice of Lou Reed!! Helping take rock music of the later half of the 1960's in a different direction. A fascinating listen from a fascinating period of music.

Obscure Vinyl

Those much treasured records where you are pretty sure that you're the only person in the world (besides possibly the musicians and their family) who has a copy.

• The Rhead Brothers - Dedicate (1977)
• The Lost Gonzo Band - The Lost Gonzo Band (1975)
• The Gyuto Monks - Tibetan Tantric Choir (1987)
• David James Holster - Chinese Honeymoon (1979)
• Meisburg and Walters - Love's An Easy Song (1977)
• Michael Katakas - A Simpler Time (1977)
• Peter Bardens - Vintage '69 (1976)
• Jo Jo Zepp & The Falcons - Screaming Targets (1980)
• John Dawson Read - Read On (1976)

Playlist

• Poco - Faith In The Families .... I keep coming back to this one lately. It's like I just have to hear it a couple of times a week.
• Steely Dan - Jack of Speed
• Donald Fagan - I.G.Y. (What A Beautiful World) ..... I recall hearing this early one Sunday morning many years ago. Felt perfect for that moment. That's when it grabbed me. I love the horns.
• Johnny Mandel - The Shadow of Your Smile ..... From the soundtrack for the 1965 movie, The Sandpiper. One of those movies that I first saw most likely late one Saturday night. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. California beach feel. An artist community. Sad and lonely feel. Defining a time and place. Also listened to a Frank Sinatra version. 
• Arlo Guthrie - The Motorcycle Song (The Significance of the Pickle) .... Arlo telling a story.
• John Coltrane Quartet - Central Park West ..... A classic mid-1960's Coltrane ballad. I love how it fades out.
• Tallis Scholars - Allegri: Miserere .... It's the blend of voices!! I could sit in one place for hours just listening, taking it all in.
• David Lindley and Wally Ingram - Cat Food Sandwiches ..... Saw Lindley play this in concert in Portland a few years ago. At Mississippi Studios. The highlight of the evening!!