The College Crowd Digs Me

(a short jaunt) "T.B. Sheets" - Van Morrison / "Blowin' Your Mind" (1967) "Now listen, Julie baby. It ain't natural for you to cry in the midnight. It ain't natural for you to cry when the midnight comes into the wee small hours...long 'fore the break of dawn." The repetitive groove about death digging its claws into the door hits pretty deep.  Tuberculosis is the reaper this time.  "I can almost smell your TB sheets on your sick bed."   And Van begging off his apologies is chillingly honest.  And heavy.  Almost accidental trance music.  (And that's Morrison you hear blowing the mean harp...as well as the mind.)  The song is raw, real, and rude.  Like Sufjan Stevens doing a bad Don Rickles impression.  "Gotta go, baby gotta go!"   This was Van the Man's debut album. (OWN) "Take A Friend" - Rush / "Rush" (1974) "Take yourself a friend. Keep 'em till the end. Whether woman or man i...

"The Progressive Blues Experiment" - Johnny Winter (1969) I'm not the biggest aficionado of the blues.  I mean, I'll pull a blues album from a bin from time to time if my pockets are feeling extra full, but I don't usually search.  However, I had been actively looking for Johnny Winter's debut album "The Progressive Blues Experiment"  for quite a spell.  I first heard this record on a local radio station that used to play blues on Sunday mornings and fell in love with it.  So I was always keeping my eye out for a really clean copy with a good price tag, but I could never find both.  Now I have one. "The Progressive Blues Experiment" is a backwoods chainsaw of electric blues, both original songs, and covers, all worked out in Johnny Winter fashion.  Oh, to be a fly on the wall watching the jaws drop when this pale, thin, wispy-haired new kid on the block from Beaumont, Texas threw down some of his guitar witchery on stage for the first ti...

(4 For Friday) *  This is how an armadillo protects itself from a larger enemy. *   George Harrison  breaks down "Abbey Road" track-by-track   and it's "Gold Jerry. Gold!" *  I was always fascinated by people making shadow puppets on the wall  and here's a pretty cool example. *   A Hallmark Star Trek commercial with our good friend... Mr. Spock . "Shake The Devil" - Tommy Bolin / "Private Eyes" (1976) Good stuff. Casey Chambers Follow Me On FACEBOOK  

"Hard Meat" - Hard Meat (1970) I like late 60s and early 70s acid rock/hard rock and Hard Meat's self-titled debut is a welcome addition to the shelf.  The album has good songwriting and the arrangements are filled with tasty guitar jams and gentle chillouts that compliment rather than distract.  It's not a heavy psych album, but this combination does give a floaty, almost lysergic, vibe over much of the square. This talented British trio released two albums in 1970, the other being "Through A Window" ...but both failed to put any knots on the chart.  The following year, Hard Meat  zipped up their pants and called it a day.  Both albums are rated pretty highly though and are worth picking up should your paths ever cross.  "Hard Meat"  (back) Favorites include the 10+ minute " Run Shaker Life."   "Through A Window" starts off gentle and then catches fire with guitar, bass, and drums each fighting for purchase.  The atmospheric...

"The Early Bird Cafe" - The Serfs (1969) I love the album Mike Finnigan  did with The Jerry Hahn Brotherhood.   And I certainly dig his under-appreciated Finnigan and Wood project.  So even though the front was torn to shit, I grabbed it. The square was found amongst a lot of other $2 and $3 albums and I was curious yellow.  The album is a bit of a soul-rock-funk get-together.  And it's not a bad listen at all.  But nothing really stood out either. Two of the tracks would later find their way onto the excellent  The Jerry Hahn Brotherhood  album (1970) the following year.  And find a much better home there.  Of the three covers, Dylan's  “Like A Rolling Stone”  is the one I enjoyed most.   The Serfs also give Miles Davis'  "All Blue"  a run which is cool.  And they do no harm to the oft-covered "I'm A Man."   The Serfs can certainly bring it to the house, but as talented as t...

(4 For Friday) *   Saving a harvest from a runaway fire. Like his pants are on fire and his ass is a catchin'! *   Take a look at some 1960 jazz on Blue Note records over at The Music Aficionado . *   Check out 30 famous meme people ...then and now. *   Watching ball juggling from above . "Peace Like A River" - Paul Simon / "Paul Simon" (1972)  Good stuff. Casey Chambers Follow Me On FACEBOOK  

"July" - July (1968 - Rei 2017) July's self-titled debut album is a must-own for any fan of the psychedelic genre.  Hailing from England, July  tickles the head with a chameleon of catchy, well-constructed songs filled with tasty fuzz, percussion, organ, and sitar that take groovy detours and louies.   Sometimes a psych band just wants to throw things at the wall.  But here, there is a distinct method to their madness.  Choices are made with intent.  This is psych-pop and psych-rock that satisfies from needle drop to label.  And the album art is as fantastic as the music.  The kind of cover everyone passes around to inspect from every angle. Imagine Syd Barrett hanging out with Sgt Pepper and drinking the same kool-aid.  It's a ridiculous and amazing idea.  But I kid you not, there are moments when the two seem to be knocking boots.  Sadly, this was to be July's only album.  A couple of members went on to form... J...

"Presenting..." - Lothar And The Hand People (1968 - Rei 1972) Lothar and the Hand People , from Denver, is cited as being the first band to tour with a Moog synthesizer and the theremin.  The theremin is named Lothar and played by John Emelin , one of the Hand People.  The band went on to share the stage with several well-known acts of the era from Hendrix to the Grateful Dead.  That's a pretty cool biscuit to nibble on. But don't let this mislead you into believing their debut album is a monster dose of electronica poundage coming at you.  I mean, this isn't the Silver Apples.  This is not the Great Gatsby.  "Presenting..."  is a mishmash of psych-dusted pop-rock with odd, mostly catchy songs, and with the Moog and theremin peaking in and out using a small paint brush rather than a giant roller.  It's not deep, but it's fun for what it is.  The album has a bit of a Fuggs bent to it and aside from a couple of wankers, there's more to ...

(4 For Friday) *   Bloggerhythms takes a look at Roseanne Cash and her "Seven Year Ache." *   Kate Bush  gives her rare stamp of approval to " Stranger Things"  using one of her songs.   And the rest of us are all the better for it.  Go get you some. *   The boys are back in town...sort of.  The  "Beavis and Butthead Do The Universe"  trailer. *   Take a quick peek at the  50 Productivity Tips Chart .  Save it.  Try something different. "Heart to Heart" - Aldo Nova / "Aldo Nova" (1982) Good stuff. Casey Chambers Follow Me On FACEBOOK

Sandman Mystery Theatre: Book One by Matt Wagner, Guy Davis Vertigo (2016 ) Graphic softcover, 323 pages Sandman is a crimefighter from the Golden Age of comics.  His only weapon is a sleeping-gas gun.  That might sound lame, but author Matt Wagner takes a crack at it by bringing us three stories filled with gritty helpings of pulp noir panache.  Wesley Dodds (aka Sandman) is a rather doughy character of average ability with a strong taste for righting wrongs.  Dodds is no Sherlock Holmes, but he does keep his eyes and ears open.  When he's off on a hunt, he becomes Sandman donning a clumsy gas mask and carrying his self-built weapon.  Solving crime in the 1930s.  And that's the setup. The other protagonist, and the more interesting, is Dian Belmont , the daughter of the DA.  Belmont is like a 20ish Nancy Drew who enjoys the nightlife and digging into a mystery herself.  And this all might sound lame, no way to get around it...but...

"At The Village Gate" - Larry Coryell (1971 - RSD 2021) Last year, I remember someone from the Vinyl Community holding up the Larry Coryell , "At The Village Gate" album that they purchased on one of the Record Store Days.  And they described it as sounding like slightly psych-dusted jazz-fused blues-rock.  And that's exactly what it is.  Larry Coryell , along with bassist Mervin Bronson and Harry Wilkinson on drums bring some jammin' acid rockvibes on this puppy.  The good kind.  There's a guitar jazz mind behind all of it, for sure...but this is an inspired power trio by any definition.  There is a minimal amount of vocals on the album.  Coryell's wife joins him on one.  But it's the inspired guitar burns of Coryell when he cuts loose that keep you flipping this bad boy over. Larry Coryell  was an influential jazz guitarist who gave us an early introduction to what we now know as fusion.  He has played with legends and his own dis...

(4 For Friday) *   Vertical dominos bring us our boy  Mario's face.   This is clever...and you're gonna wanna see this. *   The entire  collection of CREAM magazine  is available to peruse. For free.   Boy Howdy!  *   Bees returning back to their hive... in slo-mo.    A few of the bees might've stayed out too late. *   Time is ticking away.  27 colorized photos from the past.   Will make you pause a wee bit.   "One Piece Thermo-Molded Country Plastic Chair" - David Lee Roth (2021) Good stuff. Casey Chambers Follow Me On FACEBOOK