The College Crowd Digs Me

"The Notorious Byrd Brothers" - The Byrds (1968)      "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" is a very, very good album and way more psych-dusted than I expected.  Apart from the opening track that I've yet to warm up to and "Old John Robertson" which is a good song but sounds jarringly out of step with the rest of the more strange and floaty guitar passages, it is gold.  Mostly though, everything moves along as it should in a wonderful heady hippie bong-tipping flair.      And my gosh, what a delicious flock of  Byrds shenanigans that were going on during the recording.  David Crosby was sent packing 3 months before the record dropped.  He was upset about many, many things.  As was the band, with him. (Wiki it.)  Halfway through the sessions, drummer Michael Clarke took off for a little while...to mend his mind, perhaps...and then returned.  He was immediately cut loose after the record was finished.  Even Gene Cla...

"The Merry-Go-Round" (front) I passed on The Merry-Go-Round on a few occasions simply because I thought the music would be a little too bubbly for my taste.  Too sweet.  But I was way off base.  The Merry-Go-Round made a tasty pop-flavored...folk-rock album that offers up the kind of attention one might expect from Lennon-McCartney.  And yet, The Merry-Go-Round pull off their own vibe.  Emitt Rhodes , who just recently passed, was writing and singing good stuff even as a teenager.  There's nothing jaw-dropping, but the songs do have a maturity that impresses, especially for the times.  This, their lone album, is not a must-own, but it can still be found cheap, and I recommend picking up your own copy.  A bonus is that the record sounds better with every new spin. Favorites are "You're A Very Lovely Woman," which was a minor hit for the band...and way too good for Top 40.  I love the dark, brooding flavor the song offers, and it bears ...

"The Great Escape" by Paul Brickhill (1950) Softcover, 264 pages “The Great Escape” is an intensely detailed account of prisoners held in a German POW camp known as Stalag Luft-III .  The camp was made to hold the riskiest of war prisoners.  Author Paul Brickhill , who takes us into this camp, was himself a prisoner.  The guards were constantly on the lookout for any escape tricks.  Scrutinizing every movement they made.  Tunnels were not unheard of, but they were almost always unsuccessful and extremely dangerous.  And, as you can imagine, digging one is a ton of hard work and just one snafu and...pffft!  For the prisoners to have their best chance of pulling this off, the tunnel has to be deeper.  The tunnel has to be longer.  And the tunnel, of course, has to be dug in absolute incognito.  And not just one tunnel this time...but three!  And with prison guards constantly eyeballing them...well...that's a lot of major ...

"I'm Still In Love With You" - Al Green (1972) For whatever reason, I seldom see any Al Green albums in the wild.  Nice copies are just scarce and hard to come by.  For a guy who hit the sacred trifecta in the early 70s...well...those albums be hiding.  But hey, I finally have one now.  "I'm Still In Love With You" was his 5th studio album, but it was the middle child in his powerful trilogy of albums squeezed between "Let's Stay Together"  (1972) and "Call Me." (1973)  Each considered one of his masterpieces. Everybody should know Al Green by now, but for those who haven't the pleasure, Green's vocals are very distinct.  Beautifully unique.  Warm and romantic, and funky when funk is necessary.  And on this album...mercy!  The horns and drums absolutely pop.  And in just the right measure.  Just enough to let you know they are in the house but they have no plans of moving in. Al Green wrote seven of the nine son...

"The Blue Things" - The Blue Things  (1966) The album cover reminds me of an early " Twilight Zone" episode where four young strangers dressed in black boots and leather jackets rent a house in a small town and have the whole neighborhood peaking through their curtains.  In 1966, and hailing from the midwestern town of Hays, Kansas,  The Blue Things probably got that a lot.  These boys from the plains with their cool and exotic swag and swagger played garage-tinged folk-rock that was out in front.  The band's lone self-titled album has a bit of Beau Brummels going on and little hints of that folkier jangle-jangle the Beatles were working.  But they had their own walk.  The album is a really enjoyable spin that still holds up today. Favorites are the catchy "High Life" that nudges The Beatles.  The garage " La Do Da Da" is killer stuff and one I imagine they tore up live.  "Doll House" is another hidden gem.  The band al...

"Andre The Giant: Life And Legend" by Box Brown First Second (2014) 240 pages (I stumbled upon a good-sized box filled with a variety of graphic novels at an estate sale. No official count as I've just been pulling from the box when I find time to read one.  Afterward, I post the book and go from there.) Andre Roussimoff.  He was born with a very painful disease that caused extreme growth in his body.  He was 7'4" and nearly 600 lbs and we came to know him as Andre the Giant.  Author and artist  Box Brown  presents an interesting overview of Andre's life...starting from his school days until his much too early, but not unexpected, death at 46.  In between, we learn about some of Andre's experiences both inside the professional wrestling ring and out.  As well as being offered a part in the wonderful film, "The Princess Bride" playing (you guessed it) the lovable giant, Fezzik . Brown only scratches the surface, but that is t...

"Autosalvage" - Autosalvage (1968) The lone album from Autosalvage is really enjoyable psych-rock.  And an album that's kind of hard to pin down.  Different musical genres show up here.  Garage slips into blues-rock slips into folk-rock with everything dusted in psych.  You would think that an amalgam of musical styles like this would be jarring, but the changes are sneaky and smooth as butter.  And everything works.  There are nice vocals and unique melodies to be found here, too.  Mind-bubble lyrics.  Freaky time changes.  Unusual chord choices.  Noisy, sometimes jangly guitars.  A little fuzz.  A little tape-manipulation.  Unexpected sounds.  There may be a wee smidgen of Byrds or Beatles hiding deep in the shadows, but this is all Autosalvage.  The playing is tight.  Fresh and fearless.  This is a psych album in every way.  Autosalvage ...that little ol' band from New York...recorded a...