It's alive....

The strange, ever changing landscape of 2011 continues, new things arriving and old things vanishing. Opportunities knocking and the cosmos sending messages. And UPS bringing my Super Deluxe version of 'Some Girls'! First, we'll tackle the "Live in Texas '78" DVD from the Rolling Stones.

In the great touring history of the Stones, critics, fans, historians, hippies, etc tend to look at the '78 tour as one of the lesser Stones tours. With '69 and '72 tours setting such a high and groundbreaking benchmark ('73 was pretty sharp too), a letdown sooner or later had to be expected. After their masterpiece 'Exile on Main St.", the Stones' next few albums got a little bit laid back (coinciding with Keith Richards' heroin addiction) and critics and the public started taking their shots at a now seemingly bloated Rolling Stones. Now, the Stones (especially Mick Jagger) are always on top of what's happening currently in music and that, combined with the criticism they were taking, they proceeded to record an album that showed they were still on top of things and could not only hang but rule the music world. 'Some Girls' put the Stones right back on top of the game and they headed off on the road to show it off.

The "Live in Texas '78" DVD was recorded at a smallish venue in Fort Worth, Texas, in July of 1978. The DVD comes in at over 2 hours total, so we have the good fortune of seeing the entire show. They open with a quick nod to their roots with Chuck Berry's "Let It Rock" and a brisk 'All Down the Line". They were certainly sharp on this night. Relaxed but confident. After a rousing "Star Star", they kicked into the first of seven straight from 'Some Girls', plowing into 'When the Whip Comes Down' (complete with extra lyrics). For a band with a large body of work (even then), that's almost unheard of. 'Some Girls' was a bad ass record and they knew it. During Mick's rap in "Miss You", the band doesn't even bother to drop the volume like on the record; instead just storming right on through. After working up to a high energy "Respectable", the band finally gives mercy to the crowd, strolling through "Faraway Eyes", bringing the 'Some Girls' section to a close. After a great version of "Love in Vain", things pick up again with a steady "Tumbling Dice" and a rousing "Happy". I really love watching them do this back in the days when Keith and Mick would share the mic during the choruses of this song; before Mick was contractually obligated to take a hike during Keith's songs. I love Mick's surprise as Keith bails out on the first chorus, just wanting to play guitar. His enthusiasm rolls right into the 2nd Berry number of the night, "Sweet Little Sixteen". They go for the kill, finishing off with "Brown Sugar" and "Jumping Jack Flash". It appeared the band was bringing "Jack" to a finish but Keith simply refused to stop playing so everyone was treated to another minute or so. Despite the powerful finish, it was apparent the Stones saved their best punch for the 'Some Girls' tunes. Their enthusiasm for the record was very apparent. 'Some Girls' had a serious New York flavor to it; in the lyrics and in it's attitude. A healthy dose of "Here it is. Take it or leave it". Again, this show was in a small venue. But you couldn't help but still feel that New York attitude towards the show. Flat out lean and mean. No confetti, no explosions, no giant inflatable dicks, not even a horn section. No harp or horns seemed pretty apt for this show. There was certainly no blowing or sucking here...

It's ONLY rock and roll...

Just a quick drive by here. Lotsa great stuff coming from the Rolling Stones these days. First (or as far back as I'm going...), the release of a DVD from a 1978 show in Dallas. The movie was shown in select theaters around the world and is now out there for purchase. I haven't gotten a chance to spy on it yet but it'll be a part of my library soon enough. Then, comes the release of a re-mastered 'Some Girls' next Monday. As is the custom from our favorite class rock artists these days, there will be multiple versions (although they don't get too outta hand on this one); the CD, a Deluxe version with a 2nd disc of out takes (note: they did this with the re-release of 'Exile on Main Street' as well, where most are basic tracks which Don Was picked out and the band fleshed them out and added new vocals on some as well), and a SUPER Deluxe version with said CD's, a DVD, a 100 page book, a picture sleeve 45 of "Beast of Burden" (which they sez is rare...), five postcards designed for the set, a poster (also designed for the set) and a photo from a never released photo session at the time of the album's release. I've never been in a position (or was that much of a sucker) to dive in on the super-duper-you-want-how-much-for-that? versions but, never say never. IT'S SOME GIRLS!!!! I was always a Stones fan of sorts growing up ('Let It Bleed' is part of my DNA) but when 'Some Girls' came out, it was absolutely lights out. While there's many many bigger Stones fans than myself, I've never met one. Oh, and also being released is a concert CD from a legendary show in Brussels from 1973. Many say 1972 was when the Stones peaked but, you may wanna give this on a listen. More on those later So, adios for now...

Just got paid today...

Hello again, from a dark bedroom in an undisclosed location somewheres in the American southwest. I just wanted to post some pictures from the ZZ Top concert I attended at the end of September. This was my 6th time seeing the band and they never fail to please. Springing for the fan club pre-sale, I ended up with a pretty nice seat. The set list hasn't changed too much over the last decade, as they pretty much stick to the hits. The nightly Blues tune does vary from tour to tour and they do throw in a coupla surprise tunes. The stage show has been pretty stripped down too, the point being as, they're just coming to git down to bizness. While the songs pretty much stay the same, the playing is still red hot and, as you can see by the pics, these guys still dig gettin' down in da groove every night...

But Seriously folks...

Howdy, youse guys! It's a NOTIMEWARP MUSIC blog sighting! With baseball almost over, my two football teams a combined 5-9 (thank God for the Jets), no NBA, and sporadic hockey coverage, I think I gots some time to do the music thang! The playlist is coming along. Trying to decide on multiple playlists or just one big one. So much music to choose from but just putting it together! Oy vey! But it's still fun and exciting and I'm looking forward to getting it back on line for everyone to dig. And I'm still pack ratting music like crazy. New stuff coming out from Jane's Addiction, Tom Waits (who I never really got into but the new record's pretty nice), bonus tracks on a re-release of "Some Girls", has all kept me pretty busy and the ears perked up. Plus, I got about 100 Cd's from a friend who does a little wheeling and dealing so, there's alla that to catch up to also. Makes for some happy listening. Speaking of listening, the "I'm gonna listen to alla my vinyl this year" project bit the big one. I'll just keep listing stuff for the rest of the year (to officially mark how spectacularly the project failed). As you'll see below, I did a nice run of Talking Heads albums. I got turned onto the Heads with "Take Me to the River" and got my hands on a copy of 'More Songs About Buildings and Food' from the radio station I was working at at the time. I then got a copy of 'Fear of Music' (same source) when it came out and was hooked from there. But it was the crazy ass rhythms of 'Remain in Light' that made me a Heads fanatic. It's still my favorite Talking Heads album to this day. But, I'm going back to my first Heads album for a video. This is from 1978, when the album was still brand new and this song opens side 2...



Albums listened to since last post; "'77", "More Songs About Buildings and Food", "Fear of Music", "Remain in Light", "Speaking in Tongues", "Little Creatures" (Talking Heads), "My Turn to Love You" (Eddy Grant), "Confrontation" (Bob Marley). Total listened to: 158. To go: 510.

Time flies...

Hey there groovies and groovettes! Where does the time go! Seems like just a few weeks ago I was taking pictures of alla my records and telling y'all about it. Another long gap between entries and it also doesn't look like we're gonna make it through alla the albums this year. Unless, of course, I go on a non-stop 5 day listening marathon.

Well, it's been 13 months now since NOTIMEWARP RADIO went into ghost hiatus mode. Man, do I hate it. During this time, I've met some pretty hep cats on Facebook who would so appreciate the righteous grooves delivered on a daily basis by said radio station. And the music I've acquired in that time needs to be spread out there for all to hear! So, with alla that in mind, I think it's time for a comeback. The best I can do at this point, is to return to the same format I had before on Live 365. A lotta the limitations from before are still there, on both their end and on mine too but, at least getting the songs out there is doable. As time progresses, I'll keep working (stop laughing) and researching and gathering to someday present the kind of station I know needs to be out there. So, the time frame we're shootin' fer is around the enda the year, give or take a coupla few months either way. Finding time to do alla the work is hard this time of year (YOU buy a sports package and try not to get yer money's worth) but each passing day, that passion burns hotter and hotter. Follow the blog and the fan page on Facebook for updates and alla that jazz.

The ultra cool pic is from Jimmie Vaughan's show here back in June. Not the sharpest of pics but still ultra cool. Now to watch some Rolling Stones...
Albums listened to since last post; "I Robot", "Pyramid" (Alan Parsons Project), "Now and Zen" (Robert Plant), "Flowers", "Flashpoint", "Stripped" (Rolling Stones), "The Joshua Tree" (U2), "Trouble in Mind" (Mance Lipscomb), "Minute By Minute" (Doobie Brothers), "Magazine", "Bebe Le Strange", "Greatest Hits / Live" (Heart), "Before the Rain" (Lee Oskar), "No Reason to Cry" (Eric Clapton) . Total listened to: 150. To go: 438 (142 days)

Mighty musical Memorial Day weekend...

Lotsa great stuff for the ears and eyes this holiday weekend! Friday started off with a free concert by The Plateros at Ft. McDowell Community Center, just northeast of Phoenix. It'd been a coupla years since I'd seen them play. Bassist-Father-Buddha Murphy Platero has since stepped down as the band's bass player to oversee the band's business operations. Now Bronson Begay handles the bass playing duties and background vocals. The band still throws out a bunch of tasty blues and rock covers (including a ridiculous cover of ZZ Top's 'Just Got Paid', albeit via Joe Bonamassa) and mixes in some of their own stuff as well. They played a few brand new songs that showed a shift towards a funk-blues-rock direction, which should really help set them apart from a lotta blues bands out there now. It also is a bit of a relief to see them ease away from the heavy Los Lonely Boys influence that dominated their debut CD, "Hang On".

The following night, I began a project I've been meaning to get around to for some time; photgraphing my entire 12" vinyl collection. Starting around 9p Saturday, I took picture after picture until I finally reached the point of "you're not gonna get this done before sunrise" (which was only half way through) and went to bed at 4:30a. And what a great opportunity to listen to more vinyl! I usually went with whatever I just took a picture of at the time of the previous record finishing. Some of those are listed below. Anyways, more on that next time!

Albums listened to since last post; "Candy Man" (Mississippi John Hurt), "Surrealistic Pillow" (Jefferson Airplane), "Riptide" (Robert Palmer), "Strikes" (Blackfoot), "4 Way Street" (Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young), "Dog and Butterfly" (Heart), "Mike's Murder" (Joe Jackson), "Honky Dory", "Tonight" (David Bowie), "Laid Back" (Gregg Allman), "Wired" (Jeff Beck), "Sam Cooke", "Bob Dylan", "Great Moments with B.B. King", "I Robot" (Alan Parsons Project). Total listened to: 136. To go: 552 (214 days).

The Candy Man...

Hey, look! Another blog entry! With almost half the year gone (already?), I'm nowhere near half way through my albums. It's still not impossible to get through them all. Got a holiday weekend coming up! Anyways, today's video is from Mississippi John Hurt, an appearance he made on a show Pete Seger had. If there was a king of the Counrty Blues, it was Hurt. Dig on this one;



Albums listened to since last post; "Live" (Robin Trower), "Dreamboat Annie", "Little Queen" (Heart), "Ladies Invited", "Nightmares" (J. Geils Band), "The Immortal Mississippi John Hurt", "So Many Roads" (John Hammond), "Pryor Goes Foxx Hunting" (Redd Foxx & Richard Pryor), "The Cream" (John Lee Hooker), "Ralf & Florian" (Kraftwerk).Total listened to: 121. To go: 567 (228 days).

For your pleasure...

Well, I wanted to do a nice little entry on Roxy Music today. I listened to a good chunk of my RM collection. But, that life... it just keeps pullin' ya in all different directions. So, once again, I've dug out a video from something from one of those records. This one's from 1976, performed in Stockholm.



Albums listened to since last post; "Full House", "Bloodshot" (J. Geils Band), "Mercy" (Steve Jones), "New Orleans Heat" (Albert King), "Secrets" (Robert Palmer), "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn", "Ummagumma" (Pink Floyd), "For Your Pleasure", "Stranded", "Country Life", "Siren" (Roxy Music), "Melting Pot" (Booker T. and the MG's).Total listened to: 111. To go: 577 (335 days).

24 hours at a time...

Good evening, music lovers! I'm getting close to catching up on my blog entries here. I still need to drop the needle a buncha more times. Today's blog video is from the Marshall Tucker Band. Southern Rock that tended to go in a more Country - Jazz direction. Brothers Toy and Tommy Caldwell anchored this band from Spartenburg, SC through the 70's. Tommy passed away shortly after the release of "Running Like the Wind". The video is from 1975 at Charlie Dainel's Volunteer Jam. Charlie joins in with some mean fiddle playing. Dig it;




You can also find an absolutely epic version of this song on their "Where We All Belong" album. Groovin' right along...

Albums listened to since last post; "Marshall Tucker Band", "Searchin' for a Rainbow", "Long Hard Ride", "Carolina Dreams", "Running Like the Wind", "Together Forever" (Marshall Tucker Band), "Not of This Earth" (Joe Satriani), "The Tubes", "Blind Faith". Total listened to: 99. To go: 589.

Record Store Day blues 2011

Ok, I didn't get the Blues as much as I brought home some Blues. Despite the date at the top of the post, today is Record Store Day 2011, April 16. I scanned the list of special releases coming out today and prepared my list. After synching up my CD and album lists with my Blackberry, I hit the road. First store was modestly packed and I was able to find one record on my list, the special reissue of John Hammond (Jr.)'s "So Many Roads". Sporting a stellar support cast of Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Mike Bloomfield (on piano!), and Charlie Musselwhite, I figured this belongs amongst my other pieces of great aural history. The next store was within walking distance and, after a short wait for them to open ("Don't they know this is a holiday?"), we all go in to find out the store didn't order any of the Record Store Day releases. Not cool. It's really a great record store (do NOT look behind the counter...) but this was bad form. I headed over to store #3 to complete my day's shopping. In the mix was a reissue of the fantastic "The Immortal Mississippi John Hurt" (Country Blues at it's best) and a CD reissue of "Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix". I was actually kinda fooled by a special release of a 3 song single, with 2 songs from the CD and an unreleased live version of Robert Randolph doing 'Purple Haze'. Funny that the CD I bought had an issue date of 2011, when the CD was originally issued in 2004. In any event, it's well worth picking up for Clapton's scorching version of 'Burning of the Midnight Lamp', Prince's 'Purple House', Santana's 'Spanish Castle Magic', and a ridiculous 'Power of Soul' by Bootsy Collins with help from George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars. These songs were playlist staples when I had NOTIMEWARP RADIO going. I also grabbed me a CD copy of John Lennon's "Walls and Bridges" and the DVD of "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones". Not a bad score, I think. Too bad the Pink Floyd, Live in London 66/67 disc wasn't still available. While I really dig the resurgence of vinyl, both records cost me (give or take a coupla) $20. I've never paid that much for a single piece of music before. I think the record companies still aren't getting it or they've just found another way to stick it to us. For an industry so panicked about people stealing music, they continue to put it out there at excessive costs. Dunno... in my book, it just encourages people to look for cheaper options, which, while the anger is directed at the record labels, it's the artist who gets screwed again. But, anyway, time to get the good vibes going with that John Hammond record, some BBQ beans, a burger, then the Rolling Stones when they were the absolute baddest mofos on the planet! Down in the grooves...


Albums listened to since last post; "Aja" (Steely Dan), "Harvest" (Neil Young), "Stampede" (Doobie Brothers), "Touchdown" (Bob James), "No Wave" (Various), "About Face" (David Gilmour), "Al Green's Greatest Hits", "In the Mood" (John Lee Hooker), "The Secret Value of Daydreaming" (Julian Lennon). Total listened to: 90. To go: 598.

Oozing through the grooves...

Another large gap between posts but, here we are today. Gots the creative jones creeping in as I grab some more new music for the collection, itching to pick up my camera again, Record Store 2011 approaches, listening to tons of music all stirred up on my ipod classic... inspiration just oozing from all directions. It's starting to look like I'm gonna need some serious listening marathons to get through the whole collection by year's end. Regardless if I get through them all, I'm finding some great stuff I either haven't heard in years or just plain forget about. So, this edition's video is from 1975 as the Doobie Brothers rip through 'Neal's Fandango' and 'Road Angel', which the last one comes from the "What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" album. The Doobies were my first "real" favorite band. I bought my first album, "The Captain and Me" for my 10th birthday. The Doobies were called a "bubblegum rock" band back then and I never got that. Ok, I was into them and was a 10 year old but, they weren't playing mindless pop; these guys rocked! Dig the vid -



Albums listened to since last post; "Toulouse Street", "What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" (Doobie Brothers), "Band of Gypsys" (Jimi Hendrix), "Ghost in the Machine" (Police), "Gaucho" (Steely Dan), "Jailbreak" (Thin Lizzy), "Sweet Dreams" (Eurythmics), "Stone Crazy" (Buddy Guy), "Purple Rain" (Prince), "Sly & the Family Stone Greatest Hits". Total listened to: 81. To go: 605.

Classic before it was classic...

Time for anutha post! The positive of the great drive crash of '11 has been the hard nosed dedication of getting my library EXACTLY how I want it and making sure that not one single song isn't on a hard copy somewhere. Meanwhile, I'm really enjoying my journey through my album collection. It's quite a kick when you hear something that you haven't heard in a decade or so, that gets you outta your chair to check out what the name of the song that you're listening to. This post finds us with some serious classic rock records. With the ripping project, I've put on stuff I'm still pretty familiar with that I can half listen to. Here's a video that looks like something some alien would pull outta time capsule or something. Lynyrd Skynyrd on some TV show in 1974, with Bob Burns still on drums(!). Til we groove again...



Albums listened to since last post; "Smash Hits" (Jimi Hendrix), "Pronounced", "Second Helping", "Nuthin' Fancy" (Lynyrd Skynyrd), "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere" (Neil Young), "Let's Dance", "Fame and Fashion" (David Bowie). Total listened to: 71. To go: 615.

but you're so high...

And back again for another quick blog blurb. Lists of albums listened to are stackin' up like crazy, as life keeps me on this ca-razy rollercoaster. Instead of long entry, I'll just hit ya with this video of Albert Collins tearing it up at Buddy Guy's Legends...



Albums listened to since last post; "Shake it Up" (Cars), "Zenyatta Mondatta" (Police), "Freaky Styley" (Red Hot Chili Peppers), "The Unforgettable Fire" (U2), "Don't Lose Your Cool", "Cold Snap" (Albert Collins), "Security" (Peter Gabriel), "David Gilmour". Total listened to: 64. To go: 622.

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...