The College Crowd Digs Me

"Life Is But A Dream" - Wichita Fall (1968) Looking at this album front and back, I thought the band was going to play some variation of the country-rock sound.  But I was not even near the ballpark.  "Life Is But A Dream" is filled with catchy pop and slightly psych-tinged songs delivered via heavy orchestral arrangements.  Very, very good arrangements.  The vocals are outstanding, as well without dipping into the sunshine.  But I was so unprepared for the wave, I had to give the record a couple of spins before my mind was accepting of the sound.  Note To Self:  Stop with the preconceived notions.  Wichita Fall was totally in for a penny and a pound with the mostly uplifting arrangements, and yet the band never allows itself to slip into cheap sugarshack land.  I read somewhere that  Wichita Fall  was closer to Buffalo Springfield before signing with Imperial.  It would've been interesting to hear Wichita Fall with some of...

Over at Hogs Ear Report , are a few recommended Cramps albums and 45s you might have missed.  Ron drops some backstory and shows the albums - Front...Back...Inside.  FBI, baby! Crackle is running the crazy, strange cult classic... Phantasm .  It's free and it's been a long while since it's been offered anywhere.  If you have Roku...stretch out and watch it on your big screen while you still can.  Or right there from your computer, if you so choose. The Rising Storm recommends "The Electric Banana Blows Your Mind" ...a collection of songs recorded in the late 60s by The Pretty Things .  Really good stuff. "The 50 Best Dystopian Movies of All Time" at Paste .  I've seen 25 of them.  A couple on the list I think I watched, but remember nothing about them...so I didn't count them.  One movie on the list I highly recommend is  Alphaville. (1965)   Great story and looks terrific. "Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma"  - Steve Miller Band /...

(a short jaunt) "Whiskey Man" - Molly Hatchet  / "Flirtin' With Disaster" (1979) I enjoy some southern rock occasionally and Molly Hatchet with Danny Joe Brown vocals is some of the classic best.  Music for a pedal-to-the-medal...Copperhead Road...highway moonshine run.   Or maybe just get some work done in the backyard and just pretend you're on Copperhead Road somewhere.  Either way...turn the key and crank it.  This was the opening track from  Molly Hatchet's sophomore album. (OWN) "Under The Red Sky" - Bob Dylan / "Under The Red Sky" (1990) Is this title track a metaphor for young love that fades?  A young romance grown cold?  Or is it...just what it is?  At this point in Bob Dylan's long career, we really just don't know.  Still, I rather enjoy this gentle little ditty quite a bit and have decided to make up my own various meanings in my head.   I haven't listened to the rest of this square, but "Under The R...

"Shanti" - Shanti (1971) This is a West Coast attitude using an Eastern Indian paintbrush. Originating out of San Francisco, Shanti's self-titled album   fills a niche in your collection you weren't even aware you were missing.  Their sound is choice meat.  Many times you'll swear that you hear sitars, but surprisingly, there are none to be found on the album.  It is a Sarod played by Ashish Khan .  Add the sounds of Indian drums, tabla, and the like and it gives everything a cool worldly vibe. Sometimes Shanti rocks straight out with hints of Derek and the Dominos and early Santana jams.  And the vocals when they appear...well, they're bang.  But it's when Shanti mixes everything together that really makes for some heady times.  The good jammin' stuff.   You can listen to this album with intent or just let the music spread its magic in the background. "Shanti" (back) Pulling favorites is hard because the album feels like an experienc...

Donovan has always been a cool, laidback survivor.  Like a pixie hiding and dancing on a pin.  Now check out this new song/video by Donovan ... "I Am The Shaman" ...dusted with the eyes of director  David Lynch . You've seen the original.  Now here is the less familiar adaptation of this classic.  Directed by Werner Herzog and starring Klaus Kinski  as the strange, sallow title character, "Nosferatu the Vampyre" (1979) is fascinating to watch.   "...Cleanse yourself of the expectation that things will happen. Get with the flow. This movie works like an LP record: You can't love the music until you've heard the words so often they're sounds." ~ Roger Ebert **** (free-Youtube) Plain and Fancy  recommends  "Live 1969"  - Simon And Garfunkel ...a collection of performances captured from a six-city run before the dynamic duo decided to cut bait. Every conversation you're going to have this summer at  Crooks and Liars .  M...

(a short jaunt) "Kings" - Steely Dan / "Can’t Buy A Thrill" (1972) "Now they lay his body down.  Sad old men who run this town." A great song from a fantastic debut album.  This lesser-known gem could jam on and on and I wouldn't mind.   Whoever is playing the guitar solo has some legs.  Now is it King Richard the Lionhearted or Richard Nixon, the "lyin'" King that Steely D brings to mind?  The song works either way. (OWN) "Strange Days" - Humble Pie / "Rock On" (1971) Humble Pie has been a little bit hit or miss for me, but "Strange Days" has always been one of my favorites. This is some darker Pie with spooky Steve Marriott vocals and a slight jazzy psych nod going down.  That's Peter Frampton's  guitar you hear slithering in and out of the mist.  This was also Humble Pie's fourth studio album and was to be Frampton's last with the band. (NEED)  "Don’t Be Cruel" - Cheap Tric...

"Between The Buttons" - The Rolling Stones (1967 ) I had never listened to this record proper.  Never gave it a spin front to back.  And I had no idea.  The music is much different from their early r&b cover song style.  Or their harder rock style that was on the horizon.  "Between The Buttons" is a straight-up pop-rock album dusted with psychedelic ideas here and there.  Spinning this square is like catching The Rolling Stones in the middle of shape-shifting.  And that's pretty cool. Deeper track favorites include  "She Smiled Sweetly"  with its Dylanesque hints of  "Just Like A Woman."   Just slightly, but that may just be my ears.   "My Obsession"  has a garage-punk vibe with off-key vocals fighting for purchase and Charlie's drums reffing the match.  In fact, Charlie's drumming is way out front on a lot of the songs.  "Something Happened To Me Yesterday"  is a real charmer and sounds the way B...

A very cool documentary about  The Highwaymen in the Studio . (1995) Johnny, Willie, Kris, and Waylon.  Like a fly on the wall. (free - Youtube) 40 Year Itch and the  Kraftwerk tribute to PCs. In the vinyl community,  PsycheDerek  shows another interesting batch of recent album and 45 discoveries.  Short and always good descriptions. Over at You Must Remember This , created by  Karina Longworth,  is a 12-episode gem of a podcast exploring the infamous murders committed in the summer of 1969 by followers of Charles Manson .   Anything by Karina Longworth is worth your time. "Frivolous Tonight" - XTC / "Apple Venus Volume 1" (1999) Good stuff. Casey Chambers Follow Me On FACEBOOK

"Cauldron" - Fifty Foot Hose (1968) Fifty Foot Hose was a psychedelic band from San Francisco.  Their one and only album "Cauldron" (1968) was released to very little fanfare, but it is an outstanding electronic psych album.  Songs are catchy, trippy, groovy adventures with the music filled with strange, spacey sounds and rushes and special effects that push everything forward.  All the crackerbox sounds were from a synth contraption invented by bassist, Cork Marcheschi .  The cool vocals, mostly by Nancy Blossom , are just perfect for what's going down. But unlike The United States Of America outfit, Fifty Foot Hose did have guitars in their band.  And they cooked!  One might think that with all the trickery and magic, the songs would lose their structure, but surprisingly, none of them ever gets lost on the playground.   "Cauldron" - Fifty Foot Hose (back) Fifty Foot Hose had been a bit of a grail for me and one I figured I'd have to go on...

"Gone With The Wind" by Margaret Mitchell (1936) Hardcover, 1037 pages NO SPOILERS: "User in the front seat. Player in the back seat. Gotta make my mind up. Which one should I take?"    Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett  Butler.   Oh, those crazy kids.  And we can't forget Melanie and Ashley with their own head trips to work out.  "Gone With The Wind" is a basket of eggs and nothing arrives unbroken.  This historical novel follows Scarlett, the young, “fiddle-de-dee” Georgia southern belle... before, during, and after the Civil War.  All the main characters are complicated and wonderfully written without any cheap, shortcut resolutions. And there is a lot going on.  The history, the politics, the good, bad and ugly are all on display.  But make no mistake... "Gone With The Wind" is one head-shaking love story.  A selfish manipulator.  A rogue scoundrel.  A loyal friend.  A slightly-used dishtowel.  Together, they al...

The (new) Vinyl Villain reminds us of a great debut single by The White Stripes. It's a real joy watching Keith Richards talk and demonstrate the famous 5-string guitar technique he's used on so many great songs at Open Culture . Cowboy poet Baxter Black riffs off "A Vegetarian's Nightmare" much to Johnny Carson's delight. How is this even possible?  Magnus Carlsen . Mind-blown! Happy Birthday! "Fine Memory" - Bob Seger (1975) Good stuff. Casey Chambers Follow Me On FACEBOOK

 (a short jaunt) "Beggar's Farm" - Jethro Tull / "This Was" (1968) "...someday soon's gonna find you way down on Beggar's Farm."    This was from Tull's debut album with the fine guitarist Mick Abraham throwing down the very cool and trancy guitar riff.  Vocals, flute, bass, and drums...everything has an ominous vibe that throws caution.  I think I first heard this gem on a compilation and thinking to myself..."When Jethro Tull is good, they are very, very good!"  I don't hear this one near enough. (NEED)  "Room Full Of Mirrors" - Jimi Hendrix / "Live at the LA Forum" (1970) This was supposedly taken from the opening night of Jimi's tour.  There are much better live recordings of this song out there, I'm told.  I've not delved deep at all.  But this one gives you a pretty good idea of what they were laying down.  I just can't keep up with Jimi's estate. (NEED) "Crossroads...

"Stereotomy" - The Alan Parsons Project (1985)  (w/gimmix slipcover) To be honest, I picked up “Stereotomy” for its unusual gimmix cover.  For their 9th album, the original “Stereotomy” packaging comes with a red/blue translucent PVC slipcover that filters out colors of the album artwork and lettering when the album cover slides in and out. (Pay no attention to round hype sticker on front...it was there when I found it.)  My copy has a tight-fitting slipcover, so after flipping it around a few times looking at it, I just left it off. As for the music, the sound quality is top-notch, as always, but the actual songs were a little disappointing.  Nothing really stands out or gives me that APP buzz we've all come to expect.  Nor has the album aged particularly well.  Still, it is APP...so it's certainly not a wash. "Stereotomy" (back w/gimmix slipcover) I'm not sure what the concept theme for this album is, but the title track is pretty cool with its fiv...