The College Crowd Digs Me

"The Ultimate Prophecy" - J. D. Blackfoot (1970 )      The pronouncement ,  "This is the ultimate prophecy,"  that introduces side two of the album has become almost  legendary.  And from there, it's off to the market we go!  And though the title track is only five minutes long, the four songs that follow slide into one another, making for a cool 23-minute cosmic journey.  Not heavy psych, but its trippy lyrics give things a heady feel.  There are brief moments of spoken word that are both over-the-top and through the woods.  There is occasional fuzz to warm the cockles of your heart.  And when the needle lifts, you're left with a satisfying sense of closure.      As for side one, the songs are enjoyable, but on a whole other level.  Each song has a cosmic New Riders vibe.  Country rock, but nothing twangy.  Each song is different without straying too far from the main trail.  Again, the albu...

"Abominog" - Uriah Heep (1982 )      The curtains don't match the drapes on this, Uriah Heep's 14th album.  From the cover, I was hoping for some early Heep action like "Gypsy" or "Look At Yourself" or "Bird of Prey" but not even.  Instead,  "Abominog" has a very 80s AOR-MTV vibe.  Not that Uriah Heep was ever an MTV favorite.  After my initial disappointment of not getting my epic Uriah Heep fix, I spun this square again with fresh ears and cranked it up.  And even if the draperies didn't match so well, they still reached the floor.  At this point, original Heep guitarist  Mick Box  and drummer  Lee Kerslake were   the last men standing, trying to push on.   The album was definitely feeling the effects of departed songwriter  and keyboardist  Ken Hensley.   However,  Mick Box  wisely enlisted ex-Trapeze singer  Peter Goalby,  along with keyboardist  John Sincla...

Sarum: The Novel Of England by Edward Rutherfurd (1987) Paperback, 1035 pages NO SPOILERS:      I've always been struck by how my homeland, America, holds little quarter compared to the centuries of history that England has endured. Author Edward  Rutherfurd  introduces us to  Sarum , England, better known as Salisbury, where Stonehenge and the famous Salisbury Cathedral are located . From the Stone Age to the mid-twentieth century, we are introduced to a variety of characters throughout many generations who are affected by this strange and beautiful area.        And it's that balance of characters and place that gives the reader a peculiar sense of smallness.  Where the land is bigger than any person or persons could ever be.  Rutherfurd  offers many vignettes along the way that are both engaging and easily devoured. Although no one we are introduced to within these pages overstay their welcome, I was happy to meet t...

"The Cycle Is Complete" - Bruce Palmer (1970 )      "The Cycle Is Complete" doesn't fall into the category of rare albums, but I honestly have to question how many were pressed.  I rarely, if ever, see any in the wild.  The music on here is not the Buffalo Springfield country-rock sound that the colored headband Bruce Palmer sports on the front cover suggests.  The music hits the ears with a jazzy psych-prog shadow knocking at the door.  And it is a trippy, jammy, tranced-out experience when you let it all in.  Nothing found here would have received much radio play.  Nothing found here that the record company was hoping for or expecting, I'm sure.  But the underground would've eaten it up.      Bruce Palmer was the bassist for Buffalo Springfield , and with similarities that recall Syd Barrett or Skip Spence.  No, he wasn't ill or violent, but Palmer definitely floated on his own clouds and was eventually replaced...

"...the first time I took a dive into the grass, it felt like crystallized needles piercing into my skin." ~ Jay Underwood ~        Jay Underwood has been cast in dozens of films and TV shows, from his award-winning break-out role in the film  "The Boy Who Could Fly" ...to shows such as  "The West Wing"  and  "The X-Files."   However, for me, and I was just a middle-school video junkie...it was the John Candy comedy "Uncle Buck" where I was first introduced.  Playing 'Bug' ...the priggish, low-grounder boyfriend of Uncle Buck's niece and the foil for John Candy's wrath, Jay Underwood was perfect.  I mean, how could one not enjoy the confused terror in Bug's eyes in almost every one of his scenes? But in this movie, there is also one of those "if you blink, you miss it" kind of thing that happens.  It's actually a very, very small snip of a much bigger scene.  Nothing to get hung about.  And yet, Bug...

"Skeleton Crew" - Madisen Ward And The Mama Bear  (2015 )       “All I need is a sip of cherry cola and pie.”  Madisen Ward is a "know thyself" singer-songwriter who, together with Mama Bear , mixes up a fresh and timeless square of acoustic alt-folk rock that mesh beautifully.  Madisen's lyrics are original, honest, and on the sleeve—simple but never throwaway.  And m uch like Tom Waits or Geddy Lee,  Madisen Ward  also has a unique left-field vocal style that one will either embrace or defer.  As for me, I found the vocal tones and harmonies so warm and comfortable that I easily forgot about it and just sat back and enjoyed the music.      I didn't expect "Skeleton Crew" to rent so much space on my turntable, but the duo's debut is a good one.  I have nothing that sounds like this. The album is dusted with atmosphere—haunting one minute, uplifting the next.  This may be a Kansas City son-and-mother act, but ...