Maggie Rogers

Maggie Rogers - 'Notes From the Archive: Recordings 2011-2016'

I had never heard of her prior to two weeks ago. I read a few lines of a review, checked out a few seconds of song samples and ordered this. It was more than next day delivery but even next day would have been too long of a wait.

How could I have not have known? I can't know everything but there's no way these songs should have passed by me all these years without notice. 

Starts with an Indie Rock vibe but feels more Singer/Songwriter the deeper you get. Reminds of new discoveries made during late night listening sessions of Oregon Public Broadcasting radio. 

And I love the simplicity and the black of the cover art. All you really need is the basics.  

Highlights after two listens are, 'Wolves', 'Blood Ballet' and 'Does It Feel Slow?' which is a duet with Holden Jaffe (another new name for me), but every song feels incredibly must listen vital.

"I'm not waiting for the wolves to rip my heart out, I'm not waiting for the wolves."

Jack Teagarden

'1944' from Jack Teagarden & His Orchestra.

Big Band Jazz. On vinyl. A compilation of his recordings from 1944.

Jack Teagarden sings and plays trombone.

 

Opera ..... Verdi

Verdi - "Requiem"

From, 'Verdi - The Complete Works', a 75 CD box set. 

So whoever thought that I would be listening to opera? ....... and liking it!!!!  But that's what has happened on this cold winter late night!!!

Found a couple of these at the Friends of the Library, used bookstore. Since I was chatting with a Twitter friend just a few days ago about opera, I thought that maybe I should take a chance. And there's more there. Maybe not the entire Decca Records collection shown here but a third of it. All appearing to be incredibly clean and in near mint condition. And now, as I type these words, I've discovered that there's two discs in each package. Another genre now has representation in my collection. 

A Strange Dream

 'A Strange Dream' by Smokescreens

Listening to on Youtube. In consideration for possible purchase. What would be described as Jangle Pop. Expect lots of guitars and a bouncy sound. And yes, the cover art is a factor once again!!

Went ahead and made the purchase on vinyl. The collection gets exponentially cooler.

12/12/20 .... And now it has arrived in the mail!!! I love next day delivery!!

Eddie Condon

On Vinyl. Never heard of the musician but again I loved the cover photo and it was in the dollar bin so I thought why not ....It's a tribute to his friends in the Jazz world according to the sub-title. People such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, The Gershwin's and others ..... 

More vital history lessons!!!

It's from 1956, the tear I was born which is another reason to listen.

McKinney's Cotton Pickers

McKinney's Cotton Pickers

Released in 1957 on ten inch vinyl. It's Big Band Jazz from the 1920's. Found  while digging through bins of old Jazz recordings. 

Feels like I'm watching history pass by. 

I love the cover art. Probably would have just kept digging right on by it had I not taken notice of the cover. Cover Art matters!!!

Desert Island Albums

I could make a desert island album list every week and each might change slightly but would have most of these records listed most of the time. There's no way I can limit it to five or ten. Even twenty is a struggle .....

• Neil Young - After the Goldrush
• Keith Jarrett - Koln Concert .... Heard for the first time on late night FM-radio. Improvisational piano Jazz. My first Jazz album. Timeless.
• Son Volt - Okemah and the Melody of Riot .... Discovered Son Volt before I discovered the band that they came out of, Uncle Tupelo.
• Peter Gabriel - So
• U2 - The Joshua Tree .... When it first came out (vinyl) I listened exclusively to the side that had the songs that received radio play. It wasn't until years later that I discovered the greatness of side two.
• Jackson Browne - Late For the Sky ..... Eighteen years old. Freshman in college. Away from home for the first time and listening to this each day.
• Bob Dylan - Blood On the Tracks .... Same as above. Got to know all these songs intimately. Terribly homesick and it helped to get me through that first year of college.
• Bob Dylan - Slow Train Coming
• Cat Stevens - Tea For The Tillerman .... Early 1970's. The phone on the wall rang. I answered. A friend on the other end of the line told me to be quiet and listen. 
• John Coltrane - Giant Steps .... The first CD that I purchased. Made the transition from vinyl to compact disc just a little easier and less stressful. Though I did find my way back to vinyl years later.
• Pete Yorn - Musicforthemorningafter ...... That's the title. No spaces between the words.
• Traveling Wilburys - Traveling Wilburys Volume 1
• Warren Zevon - Warren Zevon .... Heard him in concert in Portland, 1976, opening for Jackson Browne and was hooked from the first song, 'Frank and Jessie James.'
• Warren Zevon - Bad Luck Streak In Dancing School
• Yo La Tengo - Fade
• Tom Petty - Wildflowers
• Guess Who - Wheatfield Soul
• Bonnie Raitt - Home Plate
• Little Feat - Under the Radar .... My old friend and Little Feat lover Mitch (RIP) always refused to listen to the post-Lowell George era recordings, I couldn't even get him to listen to this one. It's my favorite though.
• John Hiatt - Slow Turning
• The Feelies - Here Before
• Portland Cello Project - Portland Cello Project
• Donald Fagan - The Nightfly
• Gordon Lightfoot - Sundown
• Neil Young - Harvest

I would just have to go down with the ship. I would never be able to swim to that desert island with all the albums that I struggle to choose from.

• Jackson Browne - For Everyman
• Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water ..... 'The Boxer' might be the greatest song ever written. They certainly don't write songs like this anymore.
• Liz Story - Escape of the Circus Ponies ..... Solo piano stories without words. Very visual for me. 
• Keith Jarrett - Changeless .... Hypnotic in spots. Beautiful throughout. Improvisational Jazz trio.
• Colin Linden - Through the Storm, Through the Night
• Sonny Landreth - Levee Town .... Slide guitar heaven!!!
• Eugene Friesen - New Friend .... Turn out the lights and prepare to be taken places. Majestic cello!!
• Joseph Arthur - Big City Secrets .... Put on the headphones at Borders one night ..... 
• John Prine - Common sense .... Picked it up because I read that Jackson Browne was singing background vocals on a song. Discovered John Prine!!!
• Jolene - In the Gloaming
• Peter Himmelman - From Strength to Strength

When starting, this was supposed to be ten favorites. Though I knew I could never limit it to that. The list could easily be much longer than the above. Fifty years of listening and collecting tends to have that effect on a person. There's two choices: List everything or nothing!!!

• The Wallflowers - Bringing Down the Horse

12/25/20 ...... And two very recent additions ......

• The Bats - Foothills
• Maggie Rogers - Notes From the Archive: Recordings 2011-2016

The Glands

The Glands - 'Double Coda'

I know next to nothing about The Glands. Perhaps less than nothing. This was a blind compact disc buy. Stumbled upon three different albums, listened to thirty second (if that) samples of a couple songs and went with my gut feeling. Really had no idea at what I would discover but further hesitation might just mean losing out

The opening song, 'So High,' has a Beatlesesque vibe.

I hear bits and pieces that suggest influences from The Replacements and The Rolling Stones. 

From what I read, this is a collection of unreleased tracks. Great tunes here!! And apparently I still have the released tracks to look forward to. My instincts came through again!!

The Ellington Suites

Duke Ellington - The Ellington Suites.

An antique shop find on vinyl.

Jazz pieces recorded in 1959 and the early 1970's. Three separate suites that fit well together.

Impressions of side one .... It alternates between big-band, cinematic type songs and smaller, quartet ballads.

'The Single Petal of a Rose' is a beautiful tender piano ballad with a hint of cello.

'Apes and Peacocks' sounds like it could have been written for a movie. Perhaps a film such as the original 'Little Shop of Horrors.' In this case that's a good thing. 

Tomorrow..... A more focused listen to side two when not multi-tasking.

I love the cover photo and the mix of green and black. Eye catching!!! Causes the desire to flip it over for further checking it out/

Scene Creamers

A totally blind buy!! Attracted by the cover art. 

The Scene Creamers - 'I Suck On That Emotion' From 2003 and on vinyl. A definite upgrade to the collection.

There's a sticky pad note attached that informs: "Members of The Make Up" Well I don't know The Make Up either. 

While listening, The Rolling Stones and The Stooges came to mind. Hints of Psychedelia and Post-Punk. 

I'm becoming quite accomplished in the art of blind buying. My working theory is, Go with the cover art if the price is right. It's a gamble but after fifty years of record buying, the instincts are usually correct. This was one of three blind buys from a Saturday afternoon bin digging session. My idea of fun.

Saturate Before Using

Jackson Browne's self titled first album .... also known as 'Saturate Before Using.'

Bought this 48 years ago and have likely listened to it at several dozen times or more over the years. Most likely one of the first fifty records added to my, at the time, beginning and growing collection. I heard 'Rock Me On the Water' and "Doctor My Eyes' on the radio and his music became my go-to sounds for the next twenty-five years.

Saw this in my downtown antique shop, .... where the guy working there always calls me "young man," .... and with a note attached (from a trusted source) that informs, "Early Pressing" and I don't have to look to know that it's in great condition ..... and well I couldn't pass that up, even if it is a duplicate copy. And especially after gazing at the song titles and getting all excited and feeling like it was 1972 again. 

I tried listening as if it was my first time. But that's tough to pull off. It's actually has been quite awhile since my last listen. 

So why would I buy such a thing if I already have a copy? ..... Because the sleeve has a different feel (texture) compared to my own, often spun, original copy, I'm a  huge fan, an obsessed collector and mostly because I'm a nerd!!

Mathias Eick

'Skala' from Mathias Eick. On ECM Records from 2011.

ECM's motto, 'The most beautiful sound next to silence.' ..... I've probably mentioned that here a time or two previously.

Trumpet player.

My continuing search for new sounds and directions in Jazz has led to the discovery of Mathias Eick.

And a bonus with beautiful cover art!! Which has become a general necessity these days to be added to my collection.  

AND it's on vinyl!!! 

There's two additional recordings currently in the mail. It appears that I'm officially hooked.