The College Crowd Digs Me

Graphic Novel Find "Justice League Of America Archives - Volume 1" (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.) "Justice League Of America Archives - Volume 1" by Gardner F. Fox --  Mike Sekowsky (Illustrator) 1992 by DC COMICS  256 pages  Includes:  The Brave and the Bold  #28-30 and Justice League of America  #1–6. (1960-61) This beautiful hardbound archive collection is all about nostalgia.  A time when friendship and teamwork were all that mattered.  A time of innocence. A time of confidences. JLA is made up of seven superheroes that team up to combat a "dangerous" giant starfish (I'm serious) determined to take over the Earth.   The superheroes include  Aquaman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter (who I was

"37 Minutes Of..." - Group Therapy (1969) There isn't a whole lot out there about this 60s band that hails from New York.  Over at Discogs, they pin down Group Therapy as being psych rock...and there is a bit of trippage goin' on.  I read somewhere they sounded like a poor man's Vanilla Fudge ...and they do, sort of, lean in that general direction.  But they're not as sludgy...or trippy.  A few songs do fuzz it up, but not nearly enough. It would have been nice to hear the band really light it up. Their label gave Group Therapy a nice gatefold unipak for their sophomore effort though, and I'm a sucker for gatefold albums. The copy I found appears to have been well-taken care of as the unipak has not come unglued yet.  For those who might not be aware, a gatefold with a unipak sleeve means you have to first open your gatefold in order to access the record.  The idea was to protect the record from accidentally sliding out...and not a bad idea in th

(a short jaunt) "Flip The Switch" - The Rolling Stones / "Bridges to Babylon" (1997) This was the opening track on their 23rd studio album.  And it was also one of the first albums I bought with my own money.  Actually, it was a nicely packaged CD.  The song has Charlie and Keef driving the bus right out the gate.  In fact, the whole album sounds like everyone showered, shaved and had a healthy breakfast.  Fun lyrics.  It was the best thing they'd done in years.  "Bridges..." still sounds fresh and I played the shit out of it. "Space Captain" - Joe Cocker / "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" (1970) In small doses, I enjoy Joe Cocker , but his music has been a little hit and miss for me.  However, JC always seemed to bump it up a notch...I mean, really commit...when he had his good friends at his back.  And when that happens, I'm all in.  Here's a good example and one seldom heard.  Love the playful "ooohs

"Kinks Kontraband" - The Kinks (1988) I picked this up back in November from a private record flipper I affectionately refer to as..." The Garageman ."  This is an unofficial Kinks release.  A bootleg mix of  BBC live recordings and outtakes.  Side One is definitely the stronger.  It's filled with 9 early live BBC recordings and a demo.  Yes, their two early biggies are on here, but it's the lesser known that really ices the cake.  One is the never studio recorded song by the band... "This Strange Effect."   It has a haunting, floaty vibe that dances on trippy and is just killer.  Side Two opens with a tasty garage-fuzz outtake of... "Time Will Tell."   There is also a rare live track from the Preservation period... "Slum Kids" ...and is a nice rescue.  The album's last three songs are later stuff, and I like them, but I just didn't hear much difference in the outtakes.  I'll leave that to true Kinks aficion

(a short jaunt) "Don’t Bogart That Joint" (live) - Little Feat / "Waiting for Columbus" (1978) This song is over and done before anyone could even begin to accuse someone of hogging the doobie.  In a little over a minute, Little Feat reminds everyone how much fun they're having.  Happy driving.  Many consider "WFC" one of the best live albums ever recorded. "Revelation" - Fleetwood Mac / "Penguin" (1973) My appreciation of Bob Welch during his Fleetwood Mac period has grown in leaps and bounds.  Love this song.  Bob's guitar work is diamond and I've always been a sucker for the way Bob's floaty vocals add haunting mystery to some of the songs.  Plus John McVie's driving bass on this jam is just killer.  Btw...the penguin has been Fleetwood Mac's mascot since the early days when John and Christine  were just lovebirds living near the London Zoo. "The Pause of Mr. Claus" (live)

HERE'S AN IDEA! "Merry Christmas Mr. Bean" (1992)...is an episode from the UK television show that ran for four seasons called, you guessed it..., "Mr. Bean."  This had been in my "watch-later" box for months, along with other holiday finds, to curl up with as the "silver bells" get closer.  I'm really glad I did.  This is a wonderful little gem.  It follows Mr. Bean from the evening before Christmas until the big day.  It's all very funny and sweet and a tad melancholy in that special Mr. Bean trademark fashion.  This should be annual watching along with The Grinch...Charlie Brown...and The Andy Griffith Xmas episode.  It will never grow old, only endearing. "Merry Christmas Mr Bean"   (1992) Good Stuff Casey Chambers Follow Me On FACEBOOK

"You Broke My Heart So..." - Spooky Tooth (1973) This was Spooky Tooth's 5th album.  The one with the ridiculously blunt title.  When I finally got the gatefold home and gave the inside a better look...it turned out to be a bait-n-switch.  The inside is an exaggerated drawn picture of a crazy-mad woman doing the "jaw-breaking."  Pretty funny.  And the album's pretty good, too.  New guitarist Mick Jones (Foreigner) replaced Luther "Ariel Bender" Grosvenor on this album and gives Spooky Tooth a more guitar-driven sound.  Don't get me wrong.  Original member, Gary Wright  is still heavily involved.  His solid keyboard work and backing vocals always seem to give songs a groovy ethereal vibe even on the more harder tracks.  I like reading AMG, but their 2-star rating of this album, I think, is way off!  Apart from a couple of weaker tracks, there's not a bad song on here.  For some reason, Spooky Tooth is one of those bands that seem to

"Mornings On Horseback" ...David McCullough (1981) 445 pages NO SPOILERS: This biography from David McCullough is a little bit different.  This one focuses on the life of Theodore Roosevelt before he runs for president.  Before he reaches the age of 30 even.  We learn in Teedie's childhood years...(yes, that's what he was called before the T.R. moniker caught on)...he was mostly a sickly kid that struggled with wicked asthmatic attacks.  Which is a tough gig, for sure, but his family was so very rich that whenever he had one, they'd pack up and take him on a trip.  Lots of trips! To the south. To the north. Across the ocean and other various places around the world to ease his suffering.  And sometimes Teedie would weasel an unnecessary trip or two just because he could.  Now I trivialize with tongue in cheek, but I think we can all agree the poor boy suffered from extreme bouts of entitlement, too. However, as he entered high school and college, T

(a 20-minute jaunt) "Tragic Magic"   -  Traffic / "Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory" (1973) One of the reasons I love traffic is Chris Wood .  His honking jazzical sax always adds mystery and trip to the Rock whenever it raises its head.  On this instrumental jam, Wood feeds his sax through a pick-up and wah-wah pedal.  Nice one for highway driving. "Slipping into Christmas" - Leon Russell / "Slipping Into Christmas"  7" (1972) What a tasty gem!   After all the over-played songs of the season have been regurgitated...(and we're just barely kissing December)... Leon Russell saves the day.  Evidently, this Xmas blues song was only released on a 45 in 1972 and then quickly disappeared into the void.  "Well deck the halls with teardrops, Scrooge ain’t got a thing on me."   I'll take all of this you got! "Bus Rider" - The Guess Who / "Share The Land" (1970) My ears hear a little BTO