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TCCDM Pulls One Out..."Aoxomoxoa" - Grateful Dead (1969)

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"Aoxomoxoa" - Grateful Dead (1969 )      I've never been a deep-diver of The Grateful Dead , but I do have a handful of their albums, both studio and live stuff.  I like the vibes they give off.  I like the spirit.  I like the mojo.  I've been especially wanting to collect their early stuff from the 60s when the purse strings allow.  I still need "Anthem Of The Sun," but I did pick up  "Aoxomoxoa" recently.   I'd been looking for a nice copy for quite a spell, and knew one would show up soon enough, so I forgoed listening to the album until I had one in my hands.  On this square, The Grateful Dead still employ the psychematized strangeness of the late 60s, but now with hints of  "Workingman's Dead" and "American Beauty" which were soon to follow.  Of course, the improvised noodling still remains, and it's almost the best of both worlds.  Apart from one dirtclod on side two, mostly because it's out of place, th...
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TCCDM Pulls One Out..."Hall Of The Mountain Grill" - Hawkwind (1974)

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"Hall Of The Mountain Grill" - Hawkwind (1974)      "Hall Of The Mountain Grill" is much more chill than I expected, but wonderfully so.  The music is dense with layers of synths, Mellotrons, and oboes. Saxes and tasty guitar-riffage.  Pleasing sounds that surprise the mind.  Hawkwind  rocks and trips whenever and wherever it pleases, as they are wont to do.  But this square sounds even more in-the-moment.  Cosmic, but without the debris.  I really liked it.         Perhaps not as hard as Hawkwind's earlier albums, but it doesn't disappoint.  Apart from an occasional odd mixing (a little muddy in places), I like everything about it.  And it's a delicious conundrum that you can crank this puppy without restraint in the daytime or kick back in the late-evening and chill the fawk out.  It's a square that's two mints in one .   "Hall Of The Mountain Grill" - Hawkwind (back) "Hall Of The M...
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TCCDM Dig and Flip: Once An Eagle - Anton Myrer (1968)

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Once An Eagle by Anton Myrer (1968) Paperback, 1291 pages NO SPOILERS:      Once An Eagle is a story that explores soldiering and the choices made in becoming a good soldier and leader.  And rank, fair or not, means almost everything.  And how the military can become an intoxicating lifestyle for some.  Just as interesting are the effects on the family.  Wives, in particular, must be skillful in weaving their way through the unwritten social rules within the military circle.  That's an interesting trip in and of itself.        Amid all this flibbety-floo, the book introduces two main characters, each with their own approach to leading men.  Each presented as the antithesis of the other.  Neither is completely right nor wrong.  However, our main protagonist, Sam Damon, is a leader we would all hope to follow as he rises through the ranks.  Damon's military journey takes him through the course of th...
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TCCDM Pulls One Out..."The Revolt Of Emily Young" - Foxx (1970)

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"The Revolt Of Emily Young" - Foxx (1970)      Well, the album cover and gatefold are very cool, and guess what?  "The Revolt Of Emily Young"  is pretty cool, as well.  The album is a mix of psych-pop and psych-rock, lightly lysergicafied.  And without the least bit of gum.  "…Emily Young" is an attempt at a concept album, but don't let that scare you away.  A young girl, a bit of a rebel, but a good kid, takes off on her own, where her mind gets expanded, as does her view of the world.  And, spoiler alert, Emily becomes a death notch on the belt of life.  Something like that, but it doesn't really matter because the songs are amazingly good.  No stinkers anywhere.  The band mixes up the vibes with crazy-smart lyrics and tempos that keep everything interesting.      Foxx may be a little-known band with a little-known album, but for a psych obscurity, it still has a modest price.  "The Revolt Of Emily...
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Interview -- Gerry Polci (The Four Seasons)

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"And it humbles you in ways that  you should be humbled because there are so many great players." ~ Gerry Polci ~      Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.  Everyone loves  The Four Seasons , the golden vocals of Frankie Valli , and the gazillion hit singles they released.  To some, they were The Beatles before The Beatles.  When the 70s arrived, however, the band was still loved but mostly forgotten.  Frankie was still pulling down solo hits now and then.  Good ones, but not the same.  But then some strange rock-n-roll magical thing happened, and The Four Seasons caught everyone by the unawares.  In 1975, the band released a new album, "Who Loves You," and it was like Boom Boom Mancini going fifteen again.  And radio loved'em.      Sure, the golden one, Frankie Valli , was still sounding great as ever, but as the 70s rolled on, new faces were beginning to replace old faces in the...
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TCCDM Pulls One Out..."Rare Bird" - Rare Bird (1969)

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"Rare Bird" - Rare Bird (1969 )      I've been a fan of Rare Bird for a while now, but I had never heard their self-titled debut album, except for one or two songs on KSHE.  I'd been choosing to wait until I owned the square so I could actually drop the needle on it myself.  I recently picked this up for $10, and it doesn't disappoint.  It's as enjoyable as I had hoped.       Rare Bird's debut was on the earliest cusp of the Prog movement, one of the proto-prog puppies of rock.  Not prog-heavy, but something's happening, for sure.  There is a pretty broad spectrum of progressive rock out there, and Rare Bird definitely falls closer into the realm of Procol Harum than King Crimson, but believe me, Rare Bird sounds nothing like them at all.       One of the fascinating things about Rare Bird and their debut… is that there is no guitar to be found. And yet, you don't miss it.  It's like the guitar is ther...
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TCCDM Pulls One Out..."Halloween III: Season Of The Witch" (STK) - John Carpenter (1982 - Rei 2023)

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"Halloween III: Season Of The Witch" (STK) - John Carpenter (1982 - Rei 2023 )       "Halloween III: Season Of The Witch" is not quite as iconic as the "Halloween" soundtrack, but it doesn't kowtow either.  "Halloween III" has its own eerie, sinister vibes to please the discerning ears.  The synthesizer movements are unnerving and filled with trepidation.  Just another excellent John Carpenter soundtrack with a satisfying replay factor for sure.       And now might be just the right time to keep an eye out for one while the October holiday is still months away.  I grabbed my copy in mid-January at 25% off.  That made my purchase about $27.  If you find one near the $30 mark, you're getting a steal.  I'd recommend keeping the peepers open now. "Halloween III: Season Of The Witch" (STK)  (back) "Halloween III: Season Of The Witch" (STK) (gimmix sleeve & contents) Favorites include: "Halloween III - Seas...
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