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Showing posts from April, 2010

Lost Gem: "Lay Down Burden" - Brian Wilson (1998)

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"And if I had the chance... I'd never let you go. Just want you to know." ~ Brian Wilson ~ Brian Wilson, of course, was the leader of the Beach Boys ...but he was much more than that. Brian was a composer and innovator in the various ways of creating vocal harmonies and instrument dalliances that were once unheard of. Absolutely groundbreaking stuff. And he made the music sound so warm...fun and ridiculously simple to our ears... we forget how wicked-smart he was/is. I'm a cheerleader...when it comes to Brian. He practically disappears off the face of the earth in the seventies and eighties...battling demons of various ilk.  Almost forgotten.  Only to walk back in and successfully and bravely pull it all back together. Brian Wilson's music makes us feel better. Simple as that. Lost Gem:-->   "Lay Down Burden" ...is a perfect example of complex simplicity,,,making harmony and instrument sound Pre-School and Higher-Ed at th

Lost Gem: "Homeless Brother" - Don McLean (1974)

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"Smash your bottle on the gravestone... and live while you can." ~ Don McLean ~ One of the more neglected albums from the seventies... "Homeless Brother" (1974) was from our Americana troubadour.. . Don McLean . Filled with beautiful and catchy songs that sound like they've been around forever...McLean sings of the spirit in every man. Don McLean is a genuine McTreasure. Lost Gem:-->   "Homeless Brother" ...This mid-tempo folk gem flows effortlessly from verse to verse with McLean throwing out one great observation after another like candy at a Shriner's parade. All the more relevant today...and one can't help but feel the chill of knowing... "there, but for the grace..." .  A classic. Have you heard this one? I was walking by the graveyard, late last Friday night I heard somebody yelling, it sounded like a fight It was just a drunken hobo dancing circles in the night Pouring whiskey on the headstones in t

Lost Gem: "Grateful When You're Dead/Jerry Was There" - Kula Shaker (1996)

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"Oh I'm telling you man... Jerry was there." ~ Kula Shaker ~ Kula Shaker's debut... "K" (1996) ...was psychedelia kool and mysticism magic...led by airman Crispian Mills. Drawing from the best of that late sixties rock-and-roll whip... Kula Shaker ...grabs ahold of the carnival rings and make it their own. Call this awesome album... Psychetrippyticism Rock . Lost Gem:-->   "Grateful When You're Dead/Jerry Was There" ...is an explosion of influences. Starting with some Hendrix riff spankage (courtesy of Mills )...and winding down with some Jerry Garcia trippage. "Knock. Knock." "Who's there?" "Major Crankage ...and I have orders for you to TURN IT UP !" Have you heard this one? I'm painting, I paint a picture in your mind If you're driving roads to suicide, I know you can sympathise If your love is a cheatin' and if you're blinded by the pain Your honeymoon in summer

Lost Gem: "Coney Island Baby" - Lou Reed (1975)

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" When you're all alone and lonely  in your midnight hour. And you find that your soul it's been up for sale ." ~ Lou Reed ~ Many fans that tested the RnR waters...on Lou Reed's earlier 1975 notorious release... "MMM" ...surely felt... bitten by a copperhead and stung by a scorpion. The experience was an unexpected head-shaker. So when Lou dropped "Coney Island Baby" later that same year...most had to be thinking... "fool me on ce..."  and spent their hard earned money elsewhere. But cream almost always rises to the top...and Lou Reed proved once again why he is and always will be a savior to rock. The door-breaking Lou Reed is a street reporter. A chameleon ...challenging us to see life in colors not found in your basic crayon box. Lost Gem:-->   "Coney Island Baby" ...the title track and it's all about the vibe. And this tune oozes with undeniable vibe. Lou recites early memories over a strip

Lost Gem: "Midnight Moses" - Sensational Alex Harvey Band (1972)

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"Underneath  the green veranda... singin' a song  for mad Miranda." ~ Sensational Alex Harvey Band ~ "Framed" (1972) was Sensational Alex Harvey Band's ... "Knock! Knock!  We're coming in!"... debut. This eclectic Scotsman  Alex Harvey  challenged music fans to "...just try and stay out of their way, just try."   Impossible . Their music was rock  solid  poundage and theatrical trippage . Oozing with in-your-face confidence... SAHB ...did whatever they wanted with brash and undeniable musicianship. Lost Gem:-->   "Midnight Moses" ...is a sledge-driven ball-bruiser  with Harvey throwing down the gauntlet...like Ernest T. Bass at a Window Breaker's Convention. Zal Cleminson ...the mime-faced, guitar-spank lord...... brings the strings in wicked-creep fashion. Enormously underrated... and way ahead. Have you heard this one? Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey Underneath the green veranda sin

Lost Gem: "Sail Away" - David Gray (1998)

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" I've been talking drunken gibberish. Falling in and out of bars ."  ~ David Gray ~ This is the ... bobble-headed Chesire cat ... David Gray's fourth CD.  And a brilliant piece of work it is. "White Ladder" fills the speakers with an array of addictive heady grooves. .meant for icing it down for the evening. It's strictly for three hours past sundown enjoyment. DG throws down some mature music.. both relaxing and romantic ...and perfect for those occasional return visits into memories. Lost Gem:-->   "Sail Away" ...is a wonderful vibatious groove tune...that says absolutely nothing new about love. But David's conviction of the words...remind all of us...of that private bittersweet aching...for something we've lost ...and how urgently we sometimes desire to have it back. There are no do-overs in love........ Ah...but just once. Have you heard this one? Sail away with me honey I put my heart in your hands S

Lost Gem: "Up And Down" - The Cars (1980)

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"You might have been a crack shot shooter... hung up on your figurine." ~ The Cars ~ Tight red miniskirt thighs flash naughty possibilities off the wet city pavement.   Neon lights simply had no chance. That was The Cars.   Led by Rik Ocasek ... The Cars were a ground-breaking band out of Boston with a heart of..."cold". "Panorama" was The Cars third studio album...and the deliciously icy aura...throws a darker shadow on the oft-sentimental...tunnels of love. And it was made for... urban high speed window-down cruising. Midnight moments...both urgent and nameless . Yet oddly beautiful. Lost Gem:-->   "Up And Down" ...is a brilliant example of new wave and classic rock meshing into an amazing ear-candy explosion ...much bigger than its separate parts. Have you heard this one? Do you have to be so hard to get. Especially with those emerald eyes. You might have been a neon lover. But you didn't have to advertise

Lost Gem: "Rat Bat Blue" - Deep Purple (1973)

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"Hey baby, what you gonna do... when the lights go up on you ?" ~ Deep Purple ~ "Who Do We Think We Are" (1973) ...was the seventh studio album from Deep Purple . And it had the dubious task...the impossible task...of trying to follow up their signature high-mark... "Machine Head" ...with another slam-dunk. And, guess what? This extremely overlooked Deep Purple rock-pounder ...almost pulls it off. This is classic rock at its blistering best ...with several songs that will have new listeners scratching their head wondering why these tunes from... "WDWTWA" ...have been criminally ignored. Lost Gem:--> "Rat Bat Blue" ...is a get-out-of-the-way ...Purple rocker. Catch some awesome Blackmore riffing. And wicked...I mean wicked... Jon Lord keyboard play. Classic vocal rock god... Ian Gillian proves why he couldn't be replaced. Add bassist Glover and drummer Paice ...and you have a pretty good recipe for churn

Lost Gem: "Gotta Get Away" - Randy Meisner (1980)

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"It's been too long a time. I've been ready to go... But I just couldn't face it. ~ Randy Meisner ~  "One More Song" (1980)...unfairly found itself a room near the ice machine in the..." Motel Six discount bin" . Maybe it was the changing musical climate...but... ex- Poco / Eagle ... Randy Meisner's music was sadly being dismissed. The underrated solo work of  Randy Meisner ...was certainly as enjoyable as any of the other Eagles who tripped off alone on their own vinyl spins. Meisner's work is filled with honest... earth-strong songs ...and may surprise many how well the music still holds up.   Lost Gem:-->   "Gotta Get Away" ...is Meisner's humble farewell to "life in the fast lane"...and captures nicely the warm down-to-earth... L.A. country-rock sounds...proving this Eagle still knew how to fly. Have you heard this one? I gotta get away Gonna leave this town today It's been t