The College Crowd Digs Me

"Midnight Express Soundtrack" - Giorgio Moroder (1978) Without ever having seen the film or heard the soundtrack, you might still be familiar with one of the songs.  Late-night radio "Coast To Coast AM" has been using "The Chase"   as their opening theme for years.  The hypnotic electronica sets a tone that's uneasy and urgent.  The "Midnight Express Soundtrack" is filled with various shadows of synth and techno that create an overall aura of both portents and despair.  Melodic in a heavy-hearted way.   All instrumentals but for a mockish blues-like song and a vocal adaptation of the Midnight Express theme.  Fine, but not as enjoyable as the instrumentals.   Soundtrack film scores can often be a rabid octopus with songs coming from every direction.  Finding a square with an unerring balance can be a landmine.  They are out there, but not a given.  I think Giorgio Moroder mostly succeeds with this score and gives th...

"Akido" - Akido (1972)      For an obscurity, this one-and-done album "Akido" is pretty good.  There is a nice symbiosis between the funky African-style drumbeats and vocals...and the psych-inspired guitar work that really mesh.  Together, they make for a heady, exotic spin.  The album sets the table with traditional African rhythms before sliding into funky acid psych grooves that never let up.  It's a spin that grows with every rotation.  Not overly psych embellished, but there is an overall psych aura that more than brushes the edges of the genre.  It's good.  This is the kind of album you can actively listen to or simply have partying in the background.  I'm glad I grabbed it. "Akido" (back) "Akido" (inside gatefold) Favorites include: "Psychedelic Baby" "Midnight Lady" "Confusion" "Happy Song" This album was part of the trifecta of my estate sale finds.  The third and last album I grabb...

"American Flyer" - American Flyer (1976) File "American Flyer" under the heading of bargain bin gold.  Semi-gold, anyway.  The music has a nice Eagles-Poco-Parsons singer-songwriter aura about it.  Nothing mind-blowing, but it's pretty solid.  No tracks to skip.  The harmonies and vocals are warm and soothing, as is the music.  Side one is fantastic.  It's the kind of album to spin in the evenings when you're winding down.  And one or two simoleons will let you take it home all day long.  And ain't it nice when the ol' billfold takes a gentle hit for a change.  Kinda makes up for some of the bigger purchases.  And in this case...it was a steal.   For better or worse, American Flyer carries a bit of a "supergroup" tag on its back with members of Pure Prairie League , Blues Magoos , BS&T , and Velvet Underground each represented.  And it was produced by George Martin.  However, their self-titled album was ...

"Aorta" - Aorta (1969)   The Chicago-based band... Aorta ...and their 1969 self-titled debut album, reminds me of Three Dog Night if they had all dropped acid on the way to the studio and were just starting to feel the rush.  The harmonies are tight and bright, as you might expect, but there's also fuzz guitars and keyboard flourishes to be found here as well.  Many of the songs are dusted with shenanigans and take unexpected louies that please the head and keep things from becoming Malt-o-meal.   "Aorta" is a psych pop-rock album, to be sure.  Not heavy, but a few songs  really do get out there.  Overall, there's a lot to like on this album.  The band released another album the following year but I'd read somewhere that the music had a more Christian country rock vibe.  Not at all like their debut.  I haven't heard the LP myself, so correct me if I'm off-base.     "Aorta" - Aorta (back) "Aorta" - Aorta (ins...

"Harumi" - Harumi (1968) The mysterious Japanese singer, Harumi , traveled to New York and recorded this self-titled double album, his one and only, and then just disappeared.  Literally.  But what a groovy psychedelic treat he left us.  The square is in a beautiful gatefold filled with four sides of psychedelia.  Two sides are wonderful baroque-ish psych-pop gifts each dusted with gentle mind-pleasing studio effects.  Not a misstep in the bunch. The other sides, three and four, are a totally different psych bag with each having only one track. "Twice Told Tales..." is a floaty mind-expanding Japanese musical journey that travels beneath a soft-spoken (stoned-like) conversation.  "Samurai Memories" is a jammy trip with Harumi, his parents, and his sister sharing memories in spoken Japanese.  Different, for sure, but not at all bad.  And in the proper state of mind, can take you on a magic bus.  Tom Wilson (Velvet Underground, Dylan, S ...