Really stacked...

The massive re-ripping is done. Four weeks of spending almost alla my free time ripping cd's. Four weeks just to get them all done. 1000+ cd's. Meanwhile, I've still been listening to the record collection and have blog entries all stacked up. So, lemme throw the latest update (I'm actually a lot further ahead than the numbers below) and a video and hope to get back here later this week!



Albums listened to since last post; "Go to Heaven" (Grateful Dead), "Fiyo on the Bayou" (Neville Brothers), "Big Hits" (Rolling Stones), "The Cars", "Panorama" (Cars), "Bob Marley Live", "Time Fades Away" (Neil Young), "Outlandos D'Amour", "Regatta De Blanc" (Police), "Best of Spinners", "The World is a Ghetto" (War). Total albums listened to: 56. To go: 630.

Hello again music fans! Today finds me a bit under the weather. Home from work, alternating between naps and the long process of re-ripping my CD collection. The video below is from a show I saw back in 1984 on some late night show. I had heard of Sparks like most everyone else at the time, from their hit single 'Cool Places'. On this show, they performed that and this song 'Wish I Looked a Little Better'. At that time, I had a small black & white TV with an earphone jack in the front. I bought an adapter from Radio Shack and would plug one end into the earphone jack and the other end into my cassette deck. I recorded the 2 Sparks songs that night. Now, for the first time in color (!) since I last saw it, is Sparks.

Albums listened to since last post; "The Doors", "Rides Again" (James Gang), "Band on the Run" (Paul McCartney), "In Outer Space" (Sparks), "Live with Jan Hammer Group", "There and Back", "Flash" (Jeff Beck), "Working Man's Dead" (Grateful Dead). Total listened to: 45. To go: 641 (313 days).

They called it Rock...

Man... thanks to a computer virus (wiping out my software) and an external hard drive crash (wiping out 14K plus songs and another 2000 pics), I've had a lotta reinstalling and re-ripping to do. And, of course, no time for the blog. I've still been listening to the ol' record collection though. So, to help me catch up a bit, I'll just stick in a cool video from one of the albums I've listened to. First up, is a coupla songs from Nick Lowe with Rockpile in 1978. The first concert I ever went to was a triple bill of Elvis Costello, Mink DeVille, and Nick Lowe that same year. Nick was supporting his great album "Pure Pop For Now People". Dig it...


Albums listened to since last post; "Pure Pop for Now People" (Nick Lowe), "Live at the Met" (Robin Williams), "Natty Dread" (Bob Marley), "Songs from the Big Chair" (Tears for Fears), "This is Buddy Guy", "Strong Persuader" (Robert Cray). Total listened to: 37. To go: 649. Days: 326

Stones alone

And so we meet again... What a tough few weeks! Last weekend, a virus made it's way into my hard drive, resulting in a total scrub of everything on there. Good thing my music and pictures are on an external drive! So, now it's time to play catch up. The record listening has been coming along nicely. I got the new Ron Wood CD, "I Feel Like Playing" and a few days later, found Mick Taylor's debut album "Mick Taylor". So, I decided to go on a Stones solo thing. With the Mick Taylor album, somehow I never got around to checking it out (it came out in 1979). While I really wasn't expecting a Stonesy sounding record, I did expect some recognizable guitar sounds and maybe some things in the Stones groove. I do already have a live CD he did in Europe which does include some Stones numbers, including his encore of 'Can't You Hear Me Knocking'. With alla that in mind, I didn't find as much stuff to sink my teeth into as I expected. 'Alabama' (not the Neil Young one), 'Slow Blues', 'Giddy-Up', and 'Spanish / A Minor' turned out to be songs of note. Taylor has always been such a great player and he does display it here, usually in an understated way.

I then dug into "Monkey Grip" by Bill Wyman. It's a decent record full of lotsa grooving, bluesy, good time music. While not a star studded affair, he does get some decent help from Dr. John, Lowell George, George Terry, and Leon Russell. 'Crazy Woman', 'What a Blow', 'Pussy' (yes, that one), and 'White Lightnin' ' highlight this one.

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' debut albums were much documented. Keef's record sees Keith do songs that sound like songs he would do. No big stars, other that Bootsy Collins playing bass on 'Big Enough'. I remember at the time thinking it was the best Stones album they never made. Mick's record received by far the most hype. It was practically an event went it came out. It's a very 80's sounding record that, among others, includes a some what restrained Jeff Beck. Any record that has Jeff Beck on at least half of it's songs can't be all that bad, could it?

As for the Ronnie Wood CD, it seemed a bit underwhelming, until about track 4, when he's joined by Billy Gibbons for a couple numbers. It is worth picking up, though. Onto the next stack o' records!

Albums listened to since last post; "Amorica" (Black Crowes), "Mick Taylor", "She's the Boss" (Mick Jagger), "Monkey Grip" (Bill Wyman), "Talk is Cheap" (Keith Richards) . Total listened to: 31. To go: 655 (337 days).

Down and dirty...

Figgered I better post something before I run over my tag characters limit. Diggin' the vinyl although I'm a bit offa the pace. I'll be adding another one to the collection tomorrow too. Finally received a CD and a DVD I've been waiting for. More on those later too. I've been all over the place with the vinyl selections. One, I dig the variety and, two, some artists, I have a serious number of albums from. There'll be some "periods", if you will. I'm really diggin' this Wailers album right now. I think it was their first, or one of them anyways (good research, huh?). Last night, I was grooving to "Ray Charles Greatest Hits". This was one of FOUR albums I picked up at a thrift store one day. Flipping through the Barry Manilows, John Denvers, "Thriller"s, and other assorted nonsense, there were these old and HEAVY Ray Charles records. Guess someone flipped out and gave them away. I couldn't have paid more than $10 for the four. And they're in great shape too. So, if you're looking for some good old vinyl, get down and dirty and flip through those dusty frisbees 'cause ya never know when you'll find those jewels from some fool's old collection they decided to give away. Most of the time, you just get dirty. But have hope! Back to the music...

Albums listened to since last post; "Hey Jude" (Beatles), "Night in the Ruts" (Aerosmith), "Computer World" (Kraftwerk), "This Year's Model" (Elvis Costello), "Ray Charles Greatest Hits", "Burnin'" (Wailers). Total listened to: 26. To go: 659 (344 days).

Change...

So much for going in order. I dug a couple out today circa 1979-80. Today is the anniversary of one of my not so pleasant memories from '79, that turned out to be a pretty crazy year. On the plus side that year, I started a 14 month stint as an intern at a local disco radio station. To have a passion for music like I do and to work at a radio station (even if it was disco), for a teen was an absolute dream job. Watching the goings on of a station, seeing new records (and getting some of the doubles) as they came in, knowing about stuff months before any of your friends would, reading 'Radio & Records' magazine every week, was all just to cool. A 2 week summer trip back east for the first time since we moved to the moon was also in the cards that year. Soaking in the vibes from NYC from across the river was pretty bitchin' too. I had a chance (I guess) to see KISS at MSG but replied I'd rather see the Allman Brothers (ah... good taste even then!). Well, that didn't happen either, since my Aunt and her boyfriend had seen the Allmans 20+ times already. Turned out, the KISS concert was reviewed in Rolling Stone! Ah, well... I lived none the less. So, today I took a mental musical trip back to that era with "Candy-O" and the Tubes "Remote Control". I had listened to "Change No Change" by Elliot Easton yesterday and it left me craving a bit more. So, slap on my favorite Cars album. I'm still a bit offa the pace for listening but I don't think I'm doing too bad. Turntable's getting a lotta use. Hope it holds up. I do have another in reserve, just in case...

Albums listened to since last post; "Original Folk Blues" (Lightning Hopkins), "Clear Spot" (Captain Beefheart), "Change No Change" (Elliot Easton), "Candy-O" (Cars), "Remote Control" (Tubes). Total listened to: 20. To go: 665 (352 days)

Point five...

Having fallen a bit offa the pace, I found a record that let's me "cheat". My copy of the Band's "Moondog Matinee" is a bit special. Side one is side one of "Moondog". Side two, however, is actually the soundtrack to "More" by Pink Floyd. Somebody at Capital records somehow let god knows how many copies of this go out in error. I haven't heard of any others out there, even though I'm willing to bet I don't have the only one. If someone has some knowledge of this mishap, please post in the comments or email me at notimewarpradio@yahoo.com. If I can find some more info, I'll post it too. Too bad though, side 2 looks pretty interesting. At least I got the side with 'Mystery Train', which is worth checking out. So, anyways, I get to listen to what's essentially a half an album and count it as one! Since it has the Band cover and labels, I think I can count it as the Band record.

Albums listened to since last post; "The Firm" (Firm), "Moondog Matinee" (Band). Total listened to: 15. To go: 670 (355 days)

... and roll

With Keef still being a bit of a hot topic on the heels of his new book, "Life", I thought I'd whip out one of my Rolling Stones stories. In 1990, the job I worked at, had hired a temp. We got to talking about this and that, eventually music. Such a subject seldom excluded the mention of the Stones. One day, this temp guy comes in and says "I just made your day today" and shows me pictures from the Stones 1981 visit to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe (Phoenix), in which he had snuck in a camera. This was the same concert that made up a majority of their film "Let's Spend the Night Together" He had a shot from the back of the stadium and a couple pics from the opening bands (Joe Ely, George Thorogood), and a number of the main attraction themselves. He was right up front too. The idea was that I would take the pictures home, see which ones I wanted to make copies of (this was back before the whole home scanner/printer days), and bring them back to him. I had this picture blown into an 8" X 10" and made copies of several more. I brought the pictures back to work and found that he'd been let go. Well, crap. I had a message phone number for him and left several messages with who ever was answering the phone. Never heard from him again. Now, I'm really good at safely placing stuff into my "archives". Once I get something I think's worth keeping, it stays. So, chances are good that these pictures in my possession are probably safer than if he would've kept them (he did loan them out to a stranger). But, even being as fanatical about the Stones as I am, they still weren't mine. But, 20 years later, I can still look at them and share the story. I didn't make this concert (many of my friends did) as I didn't have the resources (money, transportation to and from Phoenix) to go. I had, however, got to see them 2 1/2 months earlier when I won (!) tickets to see them in Boulder, CO. Another story for another blog...

Albums listened to since last post; "Out of Our Heads", "Between the Buttons", "December's Children" (Rolling Stones), "Propaganda" (Various artists), "Super Sessions" (Bloomfield/Kooper/Stills). Total listened to: 13. To go: 672 (357 days)

Rocks

Just a quick little progress update on the record listening. I was taking them in order until I got to a double live record from Aerosmith. Nothing wrong with it but, instead of listening to the same songs (albeit live versions) I just heard over the last few days, I thought I'd jump around a little. One of my favorite Bowie albums, and a little Band before dinner seemed like the way to go. Got a 3 day weekend with a variety of cool events (Navajo culture things) and one not so hot (starter on the Funkmobile sounds like it's thinking of bailing...). But, with some luck, I can get in some more listening. In a nerdy moment, I figured I need to listen to about 2 albums a day to hit them all by New Year's Eve. Slightly behind the pace at the moment but, that's where weekends come in to help out! It's gonna be a tough project in all 'cause, I gotta hear new stuff too. Good thing there's some stuff in there I haven't heard in some years. Still, it's a pretty cool thing to try and do... Layin' da needle in da groove...

Albums listened to since last post: "Rocks", "Draw the Line" (Aerosmith), "Aladdin Sane" (David Bowie), "Best of the Band" (Band). Total listened to: 8. To go: 677 ( 359 days)

Shifting through the desert sands...

...but my head's in New York City! One of my highest points of 2010 was visiting New York for the first time in over 30 years. The energy, diversity, and power of the city is nothing short of awesome. I only got a couple quick stabs into Manhattan but that buzz has lasted quite a while. My 2nd trip in was the one that was really special. My first time in that city alone, to go which ever way I chose. After coming out at the temple that is Madison Square Garden, I ventured north towards Times Square. Taking pictures left and right, just busting at the seams. Found my way into Roxy Delicatessen and behind the wheel of a sandwich with a full pound of Pastrami. How am I gonna eat this thing? I slayed what I could and it was worth every bite. I then ventured into the Hard Rock. Hard Rock NYC... damn... I was on a tight schedule (get back to Jersey before dark) so I just looked around at all I could without having to go into the dining area. First, I ran across the guitar wall. It's comprised of nothing but Gibson bodies. Alright, let's get a picture of that. Nice sofa over here to kick back on to get some perspective... A few hits and misses later, I got my shot. Cruised around some more and found lots of metal stuff. Eeh... not really a big metal fan. Then, there was the Beatles stuff. They have the collarless suits, with the band's TWA bags (guessing from their first tour).

And just past that is the acoustic guitar George Harrison used during his Concert for Bangladesh in 1971 at MSG. I then wandered out to the gift shop to purchase the obligatory t-shirt, waiting in line and gazing at alla the other various souvenirs about the store. Also, a nice collection of framed Rolling Stones album covers and replica tour posters, signed by the band. Amazingly I didn't take any pictures of those. You can buy litographs that look exactly the same. Maybe lurking somewhere else in the cafe was something more mind blowing... I then headed up to 48th St to see the former location of Manny's Music on Music Row. I knew it was bought out by Sam Ash but I still wanted to check out the building. Without the pictures on the wall, seemed like just another music store filled with cool instruments. That was the end of the musical part of my journey. I headed south to the National Museum of the American Indian then across the street to Battery Park and my first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty. With the sun racing towards the horizon, it was time to jam back to Jersey. My next trip back to the big city, I wanna do a rock and roll tour of the place. You know, Electric Ladyland and alla that. 4 hours isn't enough time to cram in a lot but, I think I did alright.

Listened to "Toys in the Attic" (Aerosmith) today. Looking at my list, geez, my collection is so classic rock... but I got the stuff BEFORE it was classic! That's what makes it cool...

Albums listened to since last post; "Toys in the Attic" (Aerosmith). Total listened to: 4. To go: 681 (362 days)

And the first album listened to this year is...

... also the first album I ever owned, "The Captain and Me", the 1973 album from the Doobie Brothers. As a nine year old still living back east, 'Long Train Running' totally captivated me. What a groove this song had (though I didn't realize at the time that was what was capturing my attention) and it rocked! That summer, the family headed west (or "to the moon" as I liked to put it). My birthday rolled around in September and this is what I wanted. Sears had all albums on sale for $3.33 (!). I bugged and bugged my father for this record. We may have gotten there the last day of the sale. But, damn it, I had my first record. And the whole family got to listen to that sucker at least once a day. The record is long since unplayable (I'm on copy #2) but I do still have the first record I ever owned, 37 years later...

I also got into the first two Aeromith albums today. While the first one tipped you off these guys were good, "Get Your Wings" brought the funk. They dropped down into a lowdown in da street groove with attitude. Right outta the gate, 'Same Old Song and Dance' and 'Lord of the Thighs' showed some serious teeth. Tight grooves, a bit of horns, a bit of snarl, and serious guitars. This was a whole 'nother ball game! All kindsa great stuff on there. The real hidden gem is 'Woman of the World'. I can't remember them really doing anything else like it. Man, this record sure does have my turntable excited... that needle's just jumpin' through side two...

Albums listed to since last post; "The Captain and Me" (Doobie Brothers), "Aerosmith", "Get Your Wings" (Aerosmith). Total listened to: 3. To go: 682 (364 days)

2011: The Year of the ALBUM

Happy New Year everybody! It's that time of year again for resolutions, fresh starts, page turning, and alla that other symbolic shit. 2010 was fulla highs and lows, like I guess every year is. Lots to be thankful for and lots left to do for this year. The blog started slow, picked up the pace in the middle, and kinda faded at the end of 2010. Things really went in both directions for me at the end there. I guess that's called "balance".

Anyways, in addition to the previously promised project (which is still on the agenda), this year, I'm going to listen to my entire album collection! Big deal, eh? Well, there's 685 albums to listen to. There are also a good number of double albums and a few triples there as well. There's records I've never listened to! There's some I haven't heard in over 30 years! Now, the plan here is to listen to them all by the end of the year. Also, it hasta be VINYL; no listening to the CD instead to help the count. How does it relate to this blog? Well, for one, I will NOT be writing about every album. I will update which albums I've listened to since the last post and how many I have left to go. Maybe there'll be a story to go along with some of them. We'll see. And let's not forget that I will probably purchase a few more as the year goes on. I will, for the most part, listen to them the way I have them filed; alphabetic and chronologic (how else am I gonna find this stuff), but not strictly. I'll print out a list so I can check off what I've already listened to.

So, between this, my memorabilia photography project, and any other musical rambles, this SHOULD be an active year for the blog. Time will tell, won't it. I guess it's time to drop the needle in da groove...