The College Crowd Digs Me

(a short jaunt) "Good Clean Fun" - Allman Brothers / "Seven Turns" (1990) Apparently, this was the first time that the "Midnight Rider" Gregg Allman and the "Ramblin' Man" Dickey Betts shared writing credits.  That's pretty cool that they finally did and really surprising that it took'em so long.  Southern rock and the boys are getting'er done.  It only took'em nine studio albums to get there.  Anyway, the song sounds like a jukebox good time to me.   And boy, don't it make ya feel good hearing Dickey tear it up in the middle. (NEED) "Mr. Radio" - ELO / "The Electric Light Orchestra" (1971) Old radio tuning sounds at the beginning and experimental studio trickery at the end is very cool and a bit trippy.  No one can mix the classical strings with pop-rock so seamlessly as  ELO .  I'm guessing Jeff Lynne was the man behind the curtains on this one.  And the song from the band's debut album ...

"YES" - YES (1969) Part of the fun of collecting vinyl is spinning the egg from whence a legendary band has hatched.  In 1969,  YES released their eponymous debut album sans guitarist Steve Howe ...sans keyboardist Rick Wakeman ...hell, even artist Roger Dean was missing.  On this enjoyable debut, Peter Banks  was wielding the ax.  Tony Kaye  was commandeering the keys.  And David Gahr was responsible for the album cover. And still, the band was cooking with electric gas even then.  However, the album was more prog-pop than we were used to.  Elements of jazz snaked into the mix.  And, oh yeah, the band added a few psychedelic flourishes here and there.  In fact, if you are someone not especially fond of YES , check out this biscuit.  You might be pleasantly surprised. "YES" (back) Favorites include the wickedly clever cover of The Beatles, "Every Little Thing."   Beatle covers are pretty much a snore for me, but with ...

NightFire shares their list of the best horror novel that takes place in each state. By his own admission, Elijah Wood is a record nerd.  And he talks about his most recent vinyl pick-ups at What's In My Bag. Echoes In The Wind shares the surprising musical artist that takes up most of his digital real estate. Always fun watching Jeff over at the Vinyl Community's  Burnout Shelter show his record finds.  "Just Passing" - Small Faces / b-side (1967) Good stuff. Casey Chambers Follow Me On FACEBOOK

  "Early Morning Blues and Greens" - Diane Hildebrand (1968) Diane Hildebrand had been writing songs for TV shows and musical acts like The Monkees and folk-psych band The Lewis & Clarke Expedition when she recorded her only album for Elektra Records.  "Early Morning Blues and Greens"  is a very cool singer-songwriter album with a dark, sometimes melancholic, air about it.  The album is not without a little bit of psych flavor floating around, as well.  And the unfamiliar vocals of  Hildebrand are pretty nice to hear. "Early Morning Blues and Greens" - Diane Hildebrand (back) The album is on the highly-regarded Elektra Records 4000 series and can usually be had for under $10...if you can find a copy in the wild.  Side One is the stronger, but the drop-off is hardly noticeable.  Favorites are "Jan’s Blues."   "From Rea Who Died Last Summer."   "The Reincarnation Of Emmalina Stearns."   And  "You Wonder Why You...

(a 20-minute jaunt) "Deserted Cities Of The Heart" - Cream / "Wheels of Fire" (1968) Surprisingly, I don't own this album.  But the song, the last track on side two, sounds like a legit lost classic to me.  Where have you been all this time radio-radio?  It has a blistering Eric Clapton solo with Ginger Baker committing homicide on his drums for good measure.  Jack Bruce does the rest.  This was Cream's 3rd album, a double package half studio/half live.  And for what it's worth, "Wheels Of Fire" checked-in at #205 on RS 500 greatest albums of all time. (NEED) "Breathless" - Todd Rundgren / "Something / Anything?" (1972) I have a love/hate relationship with this most-talented chameleon.  Todd is a shape-shifter.  A swimmer of deep waters.  Tightwires without a net.  Pulls his bow while blindfolded.  And sometimes he gets too clever for his own good.  But sometimes he gets it right.  "Something/Anything?" is ...

Bookgasm reviewed the latest novel from Stephen King. The Hits Just Keep On Comin' cherry-picks a few songs from the weekend of March 9, 1991. Vinyl Community's PsycheDerek shares his personal list of Top 20 Psych Albums on ABC Records. The Wicker Tree (2011) ...not as good as the original film, but is still a bit of fun nonetheless. "Turn Your Head" - Rare Bird ‎/ "Somebody's Watching" (1973) Good stuff. Casey Chambers Follow Me On FACEBOOK  

"The Outlaw Blues Band" - The Outlaw Blues Band (1968) The Outlaw Blues Band's self-titled album is a unique mix of stinging blues guitars and tasty blows of jazz horn and vibraharp in all the right measures.  The blues-rock and jazz blend make for a cool, sometimes downright avant-garde journey.  And for 1968, sounds fresh and a few years ahead of its time.  There's a couple of weaker tracks, but mostly this is a satisfying album on many levels. The album was a total blind purchase.  I'd never seen the album, but it was from '68 and the cover looked interesting.  Tagged at $14, I may have overpaid, but I wanted to leave the store with something.  Weighing my chances of stumbling on the album again, I pulled the trigger.  I'm really glad I did.  The square sounds better with each spin.  "The Outlaw Blues Band" (back) Favorites are the psych-dusted "I've Got To Have Peace On My Mind."    The heady "Death Dog Of Doom" is...