This is a great early 90s album that I did not find out about until the late 90s. I found out about the group on their second album Somersault. I loved the second album so much I looked for more from the group. When I started looking for this album I realized that it was old enough and there were not many printed as it was a group that not many knew about. I started looking at Japanese imports then. It took a bit but I found a copy for 40 bucks sealed. It was the only copy that I had seen so I bought it. My wife, at the time, complained that I had spent too much money on the disc. She obviously did not and does not understand how much music meant to me. This is one of the greatest albums on the planet to me. At one point I tried to get her to understand this. One evening in the winter I laid out a blanket on the floor in front of the entertainment center with the lights out so we could sit and listen to the album and talk. She was very uncomfortable with this but she at least tried to listen to the music. She did not understand why this appealed to me. For me it is simple, underground pop music done exquisitely. For me these three albums are more fun than any music found on the top 40 stations still today. She has always been into the alternative rock music. She still likes it today. She would tell me that I had blinders on for all the music that is out there. I think she has it backwards. I have a wide range of music that I like. At the time that she said this she was into the new country sound. I never liked new country. I did like the stuff Garth Brooks was putting out at the time though. I think that this was the basis for her claim. Very narrow minded on her part seeing as I like music from so many different genres of music with a large collection of music. I listened to this album recently and did not realize how much I listened to the album. I could sing along with just about all the songs. I really thought that this album was one that I just got because I wanted more from the group but did not listen to it much. Was I wrong about that. It was like going back to that moment that I just mentioned, laying on that blanket in the dimming light trying to explain to my x-wife that this music that I am going to play is really fun and happy pop music. Hearing her say that I don’t really care about the music but I will give it a listen for you was very disheartening for me. I guess it showed that she cared for me but not for the music I like. This is very difficult for me because I like music so much. My current wife has a better understanding of this but there is still a lot of things that I like that she will never get. It doesn’t help that as I have gotten older I have found more music that I like making it more difficult for anybody to like everything that I like.
David Bowie – Station To Station
I found a used copy of this a couple of days ago. It was yet another of those moments where you don’t think you will find anything but when you do it is so unexpected that your knees almost give out and you have a sudden intake of breath out of complete surprise. My wife was with me when I found this record and had a sudden flash of concern but then realized that I had found a diamond in the rough and she started to laugh at me for my reaction. This is David Bowie’s tenth release. It was released on the heals of the film that he was a part of called The Man Who Fell To Earth. The cover of the album is actually a still from the movie. The album features the character that Bowie created called the thin white duke. The album features music styles from the genres Krautrock and funk. Although the album is only six tracks the album as a whole is one of his strongest. The big single off this album is Golden Years. It features Bowie singing with a very smooth vocal that reminds me of my mother carrying me in the sunlight. Maybe this is a subconscious memory that I have that is triggered by this song. I also remember the title track to the album. I don’t think that the whole track would have been played on the radio; it is over ten minuets long. I do think that there was a radio edit of the track that has been played though. I remember the lyrics, “It’s the return of the thin white duke.” from the song as it played. This album was recently repressed in a big box set for $175. I couldn't justify spending that much money for an original six track album. I could spend six bucks on an original pressing though.
Dinosaur Jr. – With Out A Sound
This was a band that I passed on when the album was new back in 1994. Although the single was very good there was only one single that hit radio from the album. I recently picked up this album used and in good condition from a local store. It is a rare LP since it was released in the mid 90s. I started thinking about the single again since playing the Rock Band game. It is a playable track from the game. So when I came across the album on vinyl I couldn’t say no. I remember watching the video when it came out on MTV. It featured the lead singer playing a game of golf through a city instead of on a golf course. An interesting idea really but it would make it more difficult considering one would need to dodge all the cars and other glass items that are in a city. It would also be difficult getting from the roads to the hole that was located at the top of a skyscraper. After listening to the rest of the album I find it interesting but depressing. I read up on the album a little and found that all of the songs were written after the lead singer’s father had passed away. It is still a good album but unless you are interested in downer music this one may be a pass.
Buster Poindexter – Buster Poindexter S/T
I loved the single off this album. As a kid I remember having a small boom box that had two cassette decks in it. I would listen to the radio in my room and record songs that I liked to the cassette. I probably have the single from this album, Hot, Hot, Hot, recorded at least ten times on one tape along with a few other songs that I really liked from the years around 1987. I listened to the album fro the first time thinking that this guy is so weird. I later found that he is the lead singer for the punk group The New York Dolls. This did not explain much to me. I think that he is even weirder than before realizing this. Buster Poindexter is not his real name but it is very catchy to hear the name. It is for sure one that, upon hearing, I would never forget. I still call people this when I am annoyed with them. The album is nothing spectacular to me but I am happy that I have it and would not give it up. I hope that means something to someone else besides me. The single of awesome the rest of the album is good.
The Jam – All Mod Cons
This is a group that I grew up knowing nothing about. I am sure that I have heard singles from the group on the radio but they meant nothing to me. A couple of years ago I picked up a book that had some great pictures and stories about the group along with a full discography from them. I should say that it is more of a trackography since the five CDs did not have the tracks in release order. There are a lot of b-sides included with this set. I had to separate the tracks into a quasi album listing so I could figure out when they came from at the very least. It is good music but not that impressionable on me.
I am currently in the process of adding a NAS to the network so that the hard drive crash that happened last fall doesn't happen again. This is the reason for the lack of a 1975 mix tape. I will try to get it up in the next post.
That is all for now.
No comments:
Post a Comment