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Showing posts from April, 2018

Horse Head Vinyl...Dig and Spin: "Osibisa" - Osibisa (1971)

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"Osibisa"   --  Osibisa (1971) jazz fusion, afrobeat, prog-funk, psych dust Debut album. Gatefold. On Decca (rainbow Decca logo bar) 7 tracks Horse Head Vinyl..."Dig and Spin" (#4) Osibisa pulls from a spectrum of genres for their debut. There are African beats. Jazz fusion. Rock. Light dustings of psych. Proggy bends. Flutes and brass. A bagful of percussion.  And the band manages to meld the good stuff together and leave the chaff on the floor. This reads like way too much shenanigans, I know.  It's an idea that really shouldn't sound this good.  But it works. "Osibisa" - Osibisa (back cover) The album is mostly instrumental with vocals here and there.  And it has aged very well. Osibisa's debut can still be found in bargain boxes and is well-worth taking a chance. "Osibisa" - Osibisa   (inside gatefold) Decca label FOR CHERRY PICKERS: "The Dawn" ...opening track. Begins with a bri

Horse Head Vinyl...Dig and Spin: "The Snake" - Harvey Mandel (1972)

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"The Snake" -  Harvey Mandel (1972) blues rock, jazz blues, psych blues 5th album. Gatefold. On Janus Records (brown, orange) 9 tracks Horse Head Vinyl..."Dig and Spin" (#3) I didn't dislike this record.  The music is good.  Mostly instrumental jazzy-blues rock.  Songs segue nicely from one to the next.  And there's a light dusting of psych-blues (if that's a thing)  Very light...and appreciated when you hear it.  But it's an album, when, after you play it that first time, you realize that nothing really stood out. Don't misunderstand.  It's not boring.  But it took a few spins before the music started to speak to me.  A grower! "The Snake" - Harvey Mandel (back cover) Janus Records label I wasn't familiar with Harvey Mandel when I picked this record up. But I discovered that this guitarist has a pretty solid smack of cred. Two things immediately made me smile upon learning more about Mandel. 1)

Horse Head Reads...Dig and Flip - "Preacher Volume 1: Gone to Texas"

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Graphic Novel Find "Preacher Vol. 1: Gone to Texas" (Last fall, I stumbled upon a good sized box filled with a variety of graphic novels at an estate sale. No official count yet, as I'm just pulling from the box when I find time to read one.  Afterward, I'll post the book and go from there.) "Preacher Vol. 1: Gone to Texas" Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon 1996 by Vertigo 199 pages (includes issues 1-7 of the original series) No Spoilers: "Preacher" is a violent tale that's both original and quirky. And looks as good as it reads. Apparently, there was a taboo romp in heaven between an angel and a demon that spawned a rogue angel.  An angel that's...a little bit country, a little bit rock-n-roll.  So to speak. The angel goes rogue and escapes to Earth and into the body of a young Texas preacher named Jesse. Meanwhile, archangels in heaven send the "Saint of Killers" to find him and bring him back...or worse. And

Interview -- Royston Langdon (Spacehog, LEEDS)

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"I'm tired of being someone  that I never knew."   ~ Royston Langdon ~ Lost in the shuffle of beaucoup bands that seemed to drop out of the sky in the ‘90s, Spacehog was one of my go-to's.  Spacehog , as I can best describe them, were the best parts of hard glam-pop rock. A refreshing offering of cut loose, infectious tunes. Frontman Royston Langdon's vocals had the qualities of Ziggy-era Bowie and "Preservation" Ray Davies .  He was both hard and fragile.  And the music filled a rock-and-roll sweet-spot while trying to walk the tightropes of high school. So it's exciting news learning that Royston Langdon is set to release a solo album of new songs.  It's been  20+ years since “Resident Alien” hit our speakers.  He thankfully has survived all the parties and the shim-sham.  He's a grown-up now.  Not a given for anybody these days. And better still, while he was working it out,  Royston Langdon gave us the opportunity to gr