The College Crowd Digs Me

The College Crowd Digs Me Snowy White   (Pink Floyd, Thin Lizzy) "It's funny how these things happen,  but they're pretty loose most of the time when they do." ~ Snowy White ~   Jamison Newlander  ( Alan Frog -  "The Lost Boys") "Kill your brother. You'll feel better." Jamison Newlander     Henry Lee Summer "I just always have played music.  For better   or worse, I banked my whole life on it." ~ Henry Lee Summer ~  Courtney Gains ( Malachai -  "Children Of The Corn") "It's an iconic line at this point.  People scream that to me still to this day." ~ Courtney Gains ~ A big thank you to everyone who dropped by The College Crowd Digs Me this year. Good stuff. Casey Chambers Follow Me On FACEBOOK    

"Head Hunters" - Herbie Hancock (1973 )      I'm not up too much on my jazz, but I do pick up some things here and there.  Herbie Hancock's "Head Hunters" is one of those albums I've had on my radar.  It's some early representations of jazz fusion and certainly one of the most successful.  At one time it was the largest-selling jazz album of all time.  One of the things that make the square so tasty is the seamless blend of funk that mixes into the jazz.  No big thing nowadays, I suppose, but back in 1973 the idea was almost blasphemous.  "Head Hunters" is jazz-whipped and funky. It grooves and trips and jazzes off in all the right places.  There are jazz improv breaks throughout the songs, for sure, so Herbie doesn't bite the hand that feeds him.  But he does gnaw on them a little bit.  Jazz purists might have been taken aback, but as for the rest... ...give me some more candy! I'm glad I waited until actually spinning the...

The Rook by Daniel O'Malley (2012) Softcover, 486 pages   NO SPOILERS:      Author Daniel O'Malley takes a familiar trope and turns it the fawk on its noggin.   In The Rook , we meet Myfanwy (pronounced Miff-un-ee) Thomas, a member of a clandestine government of "special" agents, who discovers she has amnesia via instructions she left for herself to read should this circumstance ever occur.  With this premise quickly laid out, Myfawny takes the reader on a thrilling adventure that is grossly graphic and totally unpredictable.  Like a Scully/Mulder/Jason Bourne hook-up, The Rook is one coffee-spitting idea after another.   The main characters, good and bad, are easy to take a shine to.  The bombardment of ideas and sticky situations are non-stop.  And the clever web of mysteries Myfanwy finds herself caught in is both dangerous and amusing.  For an author's debut, Daniel O'Malley takes it to the house.   I...

"Red Hash" - Gary Higgins (1973 - Rei 2008) Gary Higgins's only album... "Red Hash" ...is a highly recommended folk-psych album that rubs shoulders a bit with loner-rock and together creates an aura of self-introspection that drifts and dips like a trail of incense.  Restlessness and loneliness are captured in the strangest of ways.  Familiar, yet not.  Flutes, cellos, and organs lightly drop in and out of songs, without ever taking over.  Seasoning the mood.  Haunting the rooms.  The lysergic vibes that wander around the square are hard to pin down, but when the needle lifts, it feels like we've taken a little trip.  Higgins , from the state of Connecticut, produced the album himself and it succeeds on every level Shortly before the album's release, Higgins was arrested for selling or possessing marijuana and was incarcerated for two years.  Friends distributed the album for him, less than a thousand got out, but all the necessary promotion ne...

"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 ...