The College Crowd Digs Me

"Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann (2017) Hardcover, 338 pages      In the very late 19th century, the Osage Indian Nation  was forcibly moved by the U.S. government from their ancestral land to a mostly barren piece of squat in Oklahoma.  But that relocation rightfully backfired in the government's face when it was unexpectedly discovered the Osage Indians were now sitting atop one of the richest oil veins in the world.  This discovery suddenly made the Osage some of the richest people in the country.  To make matters worse, the mineral rights were only legally transferable to a family member.  This little jig in the hitch meant no one outside the Osage could get to the money.     So, of course, a few greedy local bastards attempted to get their hands on some of that green paper by winning the trust of members of the Osage Indians and then meticulously began a drawn-out killing spree of dozens in the community.  This was t...

"The Fallen Angels" - The Fallen Angels (1967) The Fallen Angels was a garagey psych-rock band with good pop-rock sensibilities.  Their self-titled debut album was a pretty solid affair.  Good lyrics and nice melodic catch with enough pop-psych flavor to make things interesting without losing direction.  The band hailed from our nation's capital, Washington D.C.  And off the top of my head and without doing a quick Google search, I can't think of another rock band from those parts. (I'm sure there must be a few.) There are occasional light dustings of horns here and there, but not very much.  I only mention this because the opening track, and it's a really good one, has a little brass.  But this is absolutely not a horn album, so don't let that damper your picnic.  "The Fallen Angels" (back) Favorites include the pop-psych dreamcatcher "Introspective Looking Glass" and shadow-vibed "Love, Don't Talk To Strangers."   Both...

(4 For Friday) *   The  Vinyl Richie Channel  begins a theme  ( subject to end at any time )  starting with his  "Ten Best Albums 1965."   Richie shares minutia about each album and why they made the list.  It's just a list...and you can pretty much dig it or smell it.  Vinyl Richie  is always warped fun and nothing to get hung about.  Subscribe and watch a few.  *   Rule #1.  Don't drink and mosh. *  Remember when The Cramps performed at a California Psychiatric Hospital?  Now there's a very cool, short documentary... "We Were There To Be There" ...about how it all went down.  And you're gonna want to watch it. *   Put your nose very close to the screen and then slowly pull away.  You'll see an impossibly cool 3-D butterfly.   It's one of those brain game things.  It took me a couple of tries, but it's worth it. (It's easier with an iPad.) "Slow Turning" - John Hiatt / "Slow Turni...

(a short jaunt) "Gypsy In Me" - Bonnie Raitt / "Dig In Deep" (2016) "Hello, goodbye, honey It's been good and I must be going. Restless, I guess When I'm in one place for too long." Ms. Raitt is the spicy " Queen of Slide,"  no doubt.  She's been there, done that, and yet Bonnie still brings a healthy dose of pixie dust with her sashay.  Glad to hear this one, 'cause there's just never enough Bonnie to go 'round.  This is her 17th studio album. (NEED) "I Like To Rock" - April Wine / "Harder ... Faster" (1979) "Come on, can't you see? That when we all let go... we get high on rock 'n' roll." This was April Wine's eighth studio album.  I once compiled a list of my favorite "feel good" driving songs.  This song was pretty high up on the list. And who doesn't love the homage to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones on the fade-out?   Caught me at just the right t...

"Charge" - Charge (1973 - Rei 2019) Charge was a British hard rock trio from the early 70s who recorded one album, made a few pressings to pitch to the ties, and then quickly disappeared into the sunset.  It wasn't until 20 years later when a few bootlegs started showing up on the market that interest grew and turned a forgotten piece of square into a sought-after curiosity. The album is hard rock with good lyrics and vocals...all dusted with some garagey-prog ambiance and light psych wanderings.  The album also avoids the blues-rock cliches that often permeated many albums of this period.  There is also a portent undercurrent that gives the album an overall edginess.  Not heavy dark…but it's there.  Charge's self-titled album is a good spin, if a bit stingy on the total runtime. "Charge" - Charge (back) Original copies are nigh on impossible to find and expensive, while many bootlegs have been reported as being very muddy or dull.  This is the first...

(4 For Friday) *  Here's another enjoyable  'Vinyl Finds"  flashback...this time from the PsycheDerek Channel .  Derek  is sharing his  All-Time Favorite, 5 Star Psychedelic Records  and you're gonna want to watch this.  Kick back with something cool and enjoy the show.  They're timeless. *   Here is our favorite sheriff... Andy Griffith ...talking about the last words Aunt Bee  said to him before she passed. *   Some are cool.  Some are just...meh.  22 Life Hacks .  Take what you need and leave the rest. *   With all the eye-rolling calm the Captain can muster, "All passengers go to their cabins and put on lifejackets. There is no cause for alarm." ...here is the 1953 version of "Titanic."    This b/w film is certainly not as draining as James Cameron's 3 1/2 hour ass-breaker...but is almost as entertaining.  Maybe it didn't rack up a bunch of statues, but it did win an Oscar for Best ...

 (a short jaunt) "Apricot Brandy" - Rhinoceros / "Rhinoceros" (1968) Very cool hearing early lesser-known bands do their thing.  I remember exactly where I found this album.  It was squeezed in the middle of an over-packed dollar box filled mostly with Peter, Paul & Mary records.  I almost stopped looking before I hit it.  Rhinoceros was mostly a blues-rock acid band that was okay, but not nearly as cool as their album cover would suggest.  Nonetheless, they were still a supergroup of sorts.  Members from Iron Butterfly , Buffalo Springfield ,  The Daily Flash, and  The Electric Flag  were all plugging in together.  Mostly blues-rock stuff, but  " Apricot Brandy" is a pretty good jammer and fun to yank the crank just the same.  The song was from the band's first album. (OWN) "Waiting (Phase One)" / Porcupine Tree / "Signify" (1996) "Waiting... to be born again. Wanting... the saddest kind of pain. Waiting for the d...

"Herb Alpert Presents" - Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66  (1966) Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 are always "good vibe" albums to pick up wherever you can find one.  The jazzy-pop Latin flavors are lite and heady and perfect for the background chill.   Sergio brings out hot grooves and rhythms that dance around cool vocals that toss off sweetly sophisticated attitudes.  The music pushes away shadows with ease.  And I absolutely love having a variety of spices in my collection. Favorites include "Mas Que Nada" which was one of their signature songs.  "The Joker"  is Austin Powers cool.  The closing track..." Berimbau."  makes me want to flip the album over and start again.  And their very early cover of The Beatles ... "Daytripper"  (sp) is a keeper.  I found my copy still in shrink while digging thru boxes one weekend during a Spektrum Records Saturday morning backyard sale.  I couldn't have paid more than a buck...

  (4 For Friday) *   This cat name of McCartney had just recently formed a new band called... Wings , and AM, Then FM  takes us back to the group's oft-maligned debut album, “Wild Life."  Good stuff. *  A couple of songs from The Rolling Stones concert as seen from the perspective of Charlie Watts .  It's fascinating and I couldn't look away.  Plus we get to see the famous Charlie Watts pre-show dance. *   A cool "timeless" VC vinyl flashback...this time from Earhead Six ...showing records (new and used) he picked up while perusing on  good ol' RSD 2020 .  Always entertaining and when you're finished, go watch another!  *   Cindy Crawford talks with  Chris Farley, Adan Sandler, and David Spade over dinner before an SNL show.  Like being a fly on the wall. "Hide And Seek" - The Feminine Complex (1969) Good stuff. Casey Chambers Follow Me On FACEBOOK

"The Bazaar Of Bad Dreams"   by Stephen King (2015) Hardcover, 495 pages NO SPOILERS: This Stephen King collection of short stories is filled with a collage of ideas. (Really? Collage? That's the word I wanna go with?)  How about I say each story has a different timbre in the telling.  Edgy, emotional, amusing, scary, disturbing, clever, beautiful, and weird.  A collage.  And we both know that every story can't all be cream and peaches.  I mean, at least one story has to come in last place, right?  It's the long-held rule of ranking.  But I'm not gonna play that. There was really not a bad story in the bunch.  Or a weak one for that matter.  So spend your money fearlessly and your time freely with no regrets. If my note-taking is correct, (I don't have the hardback in front of me at the moment) there are twenty shorts waiting to be devoured within the cover.  I especially enjoyed reading the little prefaces before each story ex...

"Mecki Mark Men" - Mecki Mark Men (1968) Mecki Mark Men was a Swedish band with a debut album that is a bit of a mind blow.  The songs are an array of groovy psych trippage that's sometimes in your face and sometimes a dreamy flush.  There are some experimental jazz mumblings wandering around inside, as well.  The avant-garde variety.  On the songs with lyrics, the vocals have a familiar Jimi Hendrix timbre that fans will no doubt recognize. (The band did open for Hendrix a few times after all)  This might irritate some, but I'm totally cool with it.  They're from Sweden.  Whaddyagonnado? There is nothing on the album that is really commercial radio, but a couple of songs could've...if they would've.  Mecki Mark Men accomplished what I think they set out to do.  Help the listener take a ride without leaving the house.  I've heard from others in the vinyl community that Mecki Mark Men's follow-up album... "Running In The Summer Night"...

 (4 For Friday) *   20 vintage b/w photos colorized by Sébastien De Oliveira .  Each picture is fascinating and almost other-worldly.  And you wanna know something?  Those people from the past aren't dusty at all! *   The best thing about the Vinyl Community record find videos are they're timeless.  Let's revisit  The Psychedelic Record Run #42 with  Matt Sands and The Psych Professor . *   Phil Collins makes his solo debut on Tom Snyder's Tomorrow Show at 40 Year Itch . *   Here's a cool film from The Criterion Collection .  "Blow Out" (1981) stars John Travolta as the sound guy for exploitation films who gets caught up in a cover-up.  The movie was in  Roger Ebert's Four-Stars Only book reviews.  Gene Siskel dug it, too. (free-Youtube) "V" - Golden Smog / "Down By The Old Mainstream" (1995) Good stuff. Casey Chambers Follow Me On FACEBOOK

(a short jaunt) "Faith Healer" - Sensational Alex Harvey Band / "Next" (1973) "Can I put my hands on you? Can I put my hands on you? The faith healer" SAHB is an extraordinary band that comes at you from left field, way over the fence, and under the bleachers.  The band delivers their musical mystery box with delicious, sometimes goofy, in-your-face strangeness...but always while playing with great skill.  Honestly, you'll either love SAHB for their game...or you'll hate'em because of it.  Me, I like'em.  And " Faith Healer" is a great song and a great introduction.  Dripping with edgy atmosphere.  And Alex Harvey's vocals bring to mind a certain Stephen King character to great effect.  First time hearing in the car.  This was the Sensational Alex Harvey Band's 2nd album. (NEED) "Little By Little" - Robert Plant / "Shaken 'n' Stirred (1985) "Little by little  the air clears. Little by li...

"Somebody's Watching" - Rare Bird (1973) Sounding like some kind of Doobie Brothers/Steely Dan hybrid, if Rare Bird hadn't had such a prog reputation preceding them...this album might've been all over the radio.  The band's GPS was definitely feeding them a different route on their journey.  Certainly not as proggy.  Although the last song on side two carries the prog-rock banner rather nicely.  It throws a cool nod to Ennio Morricone and is just killer. "Somebody's Watching" finds Rare Bird with a bit of AOR rock funk in the fire.  They can still wicked-play and jamm-off nicely in a delightful fashion.  The progressive band from England doesn't dance with the prog-lady too often on this album.  But knowing that going in...what they pull off is a solid spin just the same. "Somebody's Watching" - Rare Bird (back) Favorites include the closing track and most prog song on the album... "Dollars..." mentioned earlier....