The College Crowd Digs Me

"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...

"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...

"Rockin' At The Hops" - Chuck Berry (1960 )      This was Chuck Berry's fourth album, and not one of his best, but not bad by any means.  There are twelve songs on the square. Six tracks are "I wanna hear that one again" kind of songs.  And the other six tracks are just Chuck Berry generic.  Good, but I think you know what I mean.   Still, it's Chuck Berry, so even his weaker stuff has some legs.  Remember, we're still a few years away from The Beatles and The Stones breaking out, so this was all solid groundwork.      I didn't really need this album since I already had CB's yellow "The Great Twenty-Eight,"  but this album cover was too cool to pass up.  I may not play this one as often, but I like to display it.  It looks too cool to hide away.  Spektrum Music had this in their bin for $17, and for an album over 60 years old, the cover is still poppin' fresh!  Very clean.  This isn't an expen...

"Chamaeleon Church" - Chamaeleon Church (1968 )      This album was a Christmas present to myself.  I bought it in January.  I knew it was going to be a bit of a pony-up, but I was hoping to find a copy closer to $40 or $50.  That never happened.  Most were floating closer to the $100 mark.  I never once saw one in the wild.  I had to pay up, but it was a price I could live with.  $70, plus shipping.  You can find one cheaper, I'm sure, but I'd waited long enough, so I jumped.  " Chamaeleon Church" is a psych album, but it seldom gets talked about much in the community, other than the fact that SNL alum Chevy Chase was the drummer.  I'm sure this has moved the price needle up just a smidge.      But here's the thing.  The album has more going for it than just Chevy on the skins.  This self-titled album is pretty darn good.  The songwriting is especially strong, thanks to leader Ted Myers , ...

"Ram" - Paul & Linda McCartney (1971)       I'm still catching up on my "new arrivals" box, which goes back to October.  I'm slow, I know.  But I give almost every album I bring into the house at least a couple of active listening spins before moving on.  Often, a particular album will hang around the turntable even longer.  Busy is as busy does.  (I'm talking like young Forrest Gump as I type that last sentence.)   But it's all good one way or the other.      As for Paul and Linda McCartney's "Ram," it was rescued from a nearly full box of albums marked at $1.00 each.  Giving this square a good once-over, I would say the cover was VG.  There are corner dings and a mild bit of ring wear, but no splits or tears. No watermarks.  As for the vinyl, it looks VG and played VG+ after a couple of laps with my spinclean.  This will make a good player copy, and I'm cool with that.      I'm not a ...

"Back From Rio" - Roger McGuinn (1991)      "Back From Rio" was an album I'd been looking for...for longer than I thought would be necessary.  Not an easy album to find, though CDs are aplenty.  This was Roger McGuinn's sixth studio album and the one where all his cool cat friends showed up to cast their lot with the jingle-jangler.  And a lot of love can be heard on this album.  It's fun and special.      The album has the 12-string McGuinn magic all over the square, making everything a whole lot better.  (See what I did there?)  Not perfect, but nothing to skip either.  A fun one to spin.  A couple of original Byrd-peeps make an appearance.  Elvis Costello contributes a great song.  Michael Penn and even Stan Ridgway help butter the bread.  And there are other musicians that contribute, as well, but it's Tom Petty and a few of his bandmates that really shine the light on Roger McGuinn.  No sur...