Albums »Stretchin’ Out in Bootsy’s Rubber Band

Bootsy Collins (1976)

The centerpiece of Stretchin’ Out in Bootsy’s Rubber Band is the fantastic “I’d Rather Be With You”. It’s an absolutely perfect example of the kind of slow groovy/sexual innuendo/hip swaying spectacle that is funk at its best. A live, jammy, white-caped version is also worth a looksee.

I’d Rather Be With You, despite being a huge hit, was (blissfully) left off the play-lists of the oldies stations we grew up with, so it’s been spared the obnoxious overplaying that’s crippled so many genre classics and feels as fresh and exciting as the day it was made – but, even though I’m devoting so digital ink to this one song, I don’t want you to think that the rest of the album is mere filler.

Love Vibes (featuring the lovely vocals of Leslyn Bailey), Vanish In Our Sleep, and Physical Love – they’re all so much fun! Which is exactly what this album is all about, as is pretty clear from the rainbow font and motorcycle photograph on the cover. It’s absolutely perfect listening for the beginning of spring.

See more: Albums


2 Comments →
Posted on March 28, 2010

Albums »The Doors in Concert

by The Doors

I have a bunch of friends that hate The Doors. On one hand, I simply do not understand but on the other, if you’re really big on the contemporary, sensitive and overly modest indie rock man style, I can see there would be more than a little resistance to the shirtless leather panted swagger of Morrison and co with their drugged up poetry and out of control sexual confidence. If you count yourself among these haters, you should definitely avoid The Doors in Concert. If you think he’s got the bluster of an high school senior talking the pants of every girl he meets on record, you should listen to him ask “wrap your legs around my neck” followed by “it’s getting hard” live. As full of high school hormones the innuendo is, god help me, it still works on me like gang busters.

As an adult, I might be snide about the equivalent sexual pop stars of kids today. The silly antics and puffed up machismo or bravado, but the same things make me tingle with delight here. It helps that the music is genuinely dynamic, exciting, and classic and never more so than when the band is performing at their best. And they’re at their best in phenomenal, angry versions of the epic When the Music’s Over – perhaps my favorite Doors song (it makes me want to scream along “We want the world and we want it now!”) as well as the equally epic The End and the jangly Roadhouse Blues.

There’s so much youthful exuberance and this is exactly the kind of album that makes me feel like I really missed out by not living through the sixties then wonder how everybody’s parents turned out so square and republican regardless.

See more: Albums


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on March 21, 2010

Albums »I Hear A New World

by Joe Meek (1959)

Fascinated with the space program, producer Joe Meek made I Hear a New World as a pet project in the late 50’s. Comprised of various aural experiments, the result was ground breaking and would have been at home played on space stereos in the farthest reaches of the universe. I’ve been listening to it for days and it’s as beautiful as it is odd. One song in particular, Valley of No Return, has been teasing me with its familiar strangeness, calling to some other piece of music (I believe from a movie soundtrack) buried deep  in my mind – but the identity of the similar tune continues to elude me.

Mostly instrumental, a few songs include human voices but they’re creepy and Chipmunk-like which makes them feel like they come from a David Lynch meets Santa Conquers the Martians universe which, you may surprised to discover, is not such a terrible place to be transported to.

After a little bit of research, I was shocked and saddened to find out that this pioneering master musician (whose accomplishments are even more astounding once you learn that he was tone deaf) succumbed to a very tragic ending: after a decline in popularity and bouts of depression and paranoia, he killed his land-lady then turned the gun on himself. He was 37.
Click here for the rest of I Hear A New World

See more: Albums


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on March 14, 2010

Albums »Roger the Engineer

by The Yardbirds (1966)

Whether it’s presaging the darker sludge of Black Sabbath (Since the World Began), a gentle Crimson and Cloveresque beauty (Shapes in my Mind), a roadhouse rattle (Nazz are Blue), some psychedelia (Hot House of Omagarashid), or capturing an energetic catchiness (Over, Sideways, Under Down) The Yardbirds’ Roger the Engineer is a perfect snapshot of the sound of its time.

This album is pre-Page Yardbirds with a heavy influence by the innovative guitarist Jeff Beck. The reissue I have includes several bonus tracks as well as a combination of both the US and UK original releases which were inexplicably different.

The band never seemed to resonate with the American public quite as strongly as other British Invasion acts did, but as it was the launching pad for Beck, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page, it’s hard to look back on the Yardbirds without wonder. Roger the Engineer is an eclectic display of their talents and it’s quickly becoming one of my favorites of the era. Plus, I adore the cover art: a wonky, trippy pen drawing by band member Chris Dreja.

Click here for the rest of Roger the Engineer

See more: Albums


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on February 21, 2010

Albums »Opium

by Matt Berry (2005)

It’s common knowledge that I suffer from periodic fits of Matt Berry obsession; fortunately, there’s always something new to discover and to fall in love with concerning the man with the golden baritone. This time it’s Opium, his semi-comedic album (available on iTunes!) that has lifted my spirits this week more times than I can mention.

If you thought the Snuff Box theme got in your head (due to the fact that it’s played at least twice per episode), you’ll be happy to hear that the same catchy melody resurfaces, and is set to new lyrics, on Opium. Another high point on an album replete with high points is a sexual escapade called ‘Taking Control of Your Body’ that’s bound to inflame the libido of fans of Barry White, Serge Gainsbourg and “Weird Al” Yankovich alike.

Opium is a difficult piece of music to attach a label to. It is, of course, not entirely serious – there are bizarre spoken word sections about visiting an old-timey prostitute in a tavern and lines like, “They want dancers, young gay dancers!” or, “I need some kind of black magic reggae to sort this one out,” and yet I’ve been listening to this record so, so much this past week that the irony has vanished and has been replaced with a sense of pure, familiar enjoyment.

It’s my dream to see the man in person, he plays out often in London (I even priced a trip out there for one of his shows, but it seemed a bit extravagant just to see One Track Lover – which is not included on Opium, FYI – though not quite as pricey as the trip Jim conceived around a rare Maddy Prior/Tim Hart appearance a while back) but there are no NYC dates listed on his site…

American audiences have yet to catch on, and the kind of specific and offbeat humor Berry deals in may not be immediately appealing to legions of Yanks, so my dream is likely to remain just that… Opium feels the void nicely though.

See more: Albums


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on February 14, 2010

Albums »My Funny Valentine

by Chet Baker (1954)

Smooth and sultry and oh so romantic, the voice and trumpet of Chet Baker is incomparable (as you’ll see in this week’s hunk category, he was also incredibly, mind numbingly handsome). So sad then that a substantial drug addiction ruined his career, resulting in his name attaining less than household status; he deserves to be remembered as a true jazz great. If you love the standards like I do, and are interested in delving into his work, there’s no better place to start than one of his early recordings, My Funny Valentine.

Released in 1954, the soft and haunting album which includes the title song, Someone to Watch Over Me, Let’s Get Lost, and Isn’t It Romantic, is appropriately dedicated “to lovers”.


See more: Albums


One Comment →
Posted on February 7, 2010

Albums »Barabajagal

album-Donovan-Barabajagalby Donovan (1969)

The grandpa of cutie-pie-gentle-folk-rock does good and tries mixing up his usual MO on Barabajagal with strange arrangements, blurred influences and inconsistent songs. I Love My Shirt is awful – apologies to anyone who is a fan – but its inclusion on this album doesn’t diminish the brilliance of all the other gems any less.

The title song is catchy and grand, Superlungs My Supergirl is that kind of groovy tune that you can envision short skirted free chicks jamming to shot at a low angle in some counterculture B movie, while Where is She is soft and lovely and spun from feelings of being in love and clouds, Happiness Runs is like the quirkiness of a Wes Anderson movie distilled into music,  The Love Song is very Belle and Sebastian but a bit too goofy for my tastes, Susan on the West Coast Waiting is just odd and perfect, and he goes all off the rails with the storytelling and epic sound wall of Atlantis, Trude has a the upbeat feel of the best and most approachable of the Dead, then Pamela Jo ventures into vaudevillian territory (for better or worse, depending on your mood).

An album reissue came out a few years back with several bonus tracks; I don’t have it but from what I’ve read it might be well worth the investment.

See more: Albums


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on January 17, 2010

Albums »Third

portishead 3rdby Portishead (2008)

Third was the first Portishead album in a decade, and while it retains the sensibilities of the band as I remember them, the album manages to feel new and excitingly different as well. I was never a huge fan of the band, but enjoyed their spacey dark hits when they would play on college radio stations or MTV, usually accompanied by visually stunning videos. I became aware of this release when it played in the background of a lovely paella meal at Mercat Negre. It reminded us a bit of Amon Duul II, so we were surprised to hear it was Portishead. Since listening to it more, the album reminds me less of the kraut rock band than it did originally, but unlike the connotations of 90’s trip hop I associate with the band, this album certainly has a moody, almost psychedelic vibe.

Third was both a critical and comercial success and made many short lists for the best albums of its year.

Click here for the rest of Third

See more: Albums


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on January 10, 2010

Albums »Let Love In

nick-cave-let-love-in-750by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (1994)

Calling Let Love In a masterpiece is almost too little praise for such a brooding, effective, and wholly unique album. If you’ve heard Red Right Hand, probably the most popular track on the record, you know what you’re in for: a rumbling, jangling and creepy ride with murderous swagger and joyfully dark imagery. It embodies the fire and brimstone that Cave is known for without ignoring the heart aching ballads.

In an accomplished oeuvre that includes stints with The Birthday Party, Grinderman, and of course the Bad Seeds, Let Love In is among his very best which. Several of the songs (like the aforementioned Red Right Hand, Do You Love Me – so awesome it’s broken into two parts – and Loverman) qualify as epic, so this is not one you listen to idly in the back ground. Oh, and Metallica’s Loverman cover, with its slick production and lack of shadowy urgency, only highlights how far from Cave’s caliber of raw awesomeness they have fallen .

Click here for the rest of Let Love In

See more: Albums


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on December 13, 2009

Albums »Chronic Town

R.E.M. Chronic Town album artR.E.M. (1982)

Sure, R.E.M went on to become a pretty big band, but I’ve always thought their first EP contains some of their best work. I hadn’t listened to these songs for a long time, but a fairly recent interview with Tucker Martine on All Songs Considered put me back in the mood and I dug up my copy of Dead Letter Office.

All the elements that would propel the band first to the top of the college charts and then onward and upward to the real big time when they signed with Warner Brothers (the first time, back in 1988 and then again, for like $80 million, in 1996) are pretty much fully formed: Peter Buck’s signature urgent, jangly guitar tone, Stipe’s mumbly and oblique lyrics, Mike Mills’s thoughtful – even occasionally playful – bass lines, and Bill Berry’s masterful fills would serve the band well up to the release of Document; and that’s partially what’s so wild about this record: the point of view comes across so complete, so… so wholly developed that the only other debut recording I can draw a comparison to is that of another jangly-toned guitar player and enigmatic front man.

The first two tracks have always been favorites of mine with Stumble edging out Wolves, Lower as a song I can listen to over, and over, and over again – and they’re both overlong, which is something I absolutely love about them. Mitch Easter‘s ahead-of-their time production techniques (weird sound-scape breakdowns with almost Native Americany undertones) and the insistent mystery these songs evoke make them endlessly re-playable pieces of pop music – even with the advent of online lyric databases, the meaning of these songs still eludes me.

The images below/after the jump harken back to a special time when buttoning your top button was totally de rigueur.

Click here for the rest of Chronic Town

See more: Albums


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on December 6, 2009