alltherecords-blog

[alltherecords-blog]

Crom-tech “Slowdime 12″” (1999)

This record politely tells you that it is 45rpms right where it also tells you side 1 and 2. Hear that Bad Manner’s? Maybe you should take note. I guess that’s why you’re called Bad Manners. I like the idea that I’m going into listening to Cromtech and knowing nothing about them except that they are a polite band.

This guitar sounds like a kazoo and I’m nervous that I actually did put it on too fast of a speed! Alex is reassuring me that it’s supposed to sound like this. What. The. Heck. This is like Albert Ayler on a sugar high in another dimension. No thank you.

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

The guitar noise is so stabby. I feel the notes going through my hard skull and into my soft brain and stabbing it.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

There is no track listing and no song names, which is probably for the best for you. I’m not even joking that I feel like I’m getting a real headache and might need advil. I guess I’m supposed to enjoy the speed that a real person is playing this guitar at? A real person making this nightmare brain hurt music. I can not appreciate you. I won’t do it.

I wonder what this sounds like on 33rpm.

Oh thank god, side one is over. Alex just said that he likes side two better. Let me put a cold compress on my forehead before flipping the record.

Does this sound less kazoo stabby or am I just used to it by now? I’m kind of noticing the drums a little more on this side. I think I really am sort of getting used to it. Nowhere near liking it though, let’s keep that clear.

There’s some sort of playful interlude that almost sounds like it could be in one of those really old black and white cartoons. But then it gets painful again, just when you start to relax. Oh wait, it was almost classical there for a second. Now we're back to Albert Ayler the metal version. Oh god when will I get out of this maze!

Alex just told me his favorite song on the album is now playing and he’s tapping his foot and bobbing his head furiously while playing air guitar. What....

Oh my god, I made it. Good night.

If you like suffering, you can listen to one track of the album here. That’s all I could find on youtube.

[alltherecords-blog]

Creedence Clearwater Revival “Cosmo’s Factory” (1970)

I think I started smelling phantom Patchouli when “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” came on. This song is great! I love the little guitar solo interlude, and when it gets very slow, but there’s definitely a hippie stigma attached to it. Before putting this album on, I looked at all of the pictures taken by Bob Fogerty on the back cover and all I could think about was that these guys looked like stereotypes of hippies. And this probably has no actual merit to it, but they also look like kind of cocky assholes.

CCR is one of those bands that I know everything about and absolutely nothing about. Their  songs are still played on the radio all the time! But what were they like when they were together and writing these famous songs? Their Wikipedia page says that they’re actually from San Francisco and not the south. Did you know that?

I enjoyed the first four songs, but it wasn’t until “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” came on that I finally felt the urge to write something. I was actually about to turn the record player off and come back to it tomorrow, because I just wasn’t inspired to comment on anything, but then that phantom patchouli smell came in through the back door, so to speak.

Let’s see what side two brings.

I also read about this album earlier than I usually do because I wasn’t feeling inspired and saw that it is considered their best by critics and fans. I like not knowing that information until after I’ve listened to the entire thing, but I’ll try to keep it out of my review.

You would think that “Up And Around The Bend,” would have been the first song on side one, not side two! This song is so familiar that it’s a little hard to hear. I wish I could hear it with fresh ears. I wish I could play it for Harvey for the first time and that he could talk and tell me what he thinks. As I typed that sentence I just realized that I will actually get to do that eventually! And that is the reason people have babies.

“Who’ll Stop The Rain,’” feels like a discovery of a beautiful song that was waiting to be written. The song waited patiently for a long time somewhere until John Foggerty found it, and he gave it to us.

Another “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” cover! I wonder how many albums Alex has that cover this song. So far, I’ve written about the original version on the “Big Chill Soundtrack.” This is a pretty fine version. I’m perfectly happy about the fact that it’s eleven minutes long. The ramblingness of it never loses some sort of electric energy that you can feel and they get real deep away from the chorus and into the jam. That main guitar riff is such a genius riff, I would guess that playing it over and over again on the guitar would be very satisfying.

This album has a lot of great songs on it that everyone loves, but I don’t feel any passion for it. Except for “Who’ll Stop The Rain,” there’s a passionate space in my soul for that one.

[alltherecords-blog]

The Cramps “Bad Music For Bad People” (1984)

The first thing I’m noticing about this cover is the really awesome drawings on the front and the back by Stephen Blickenstaff. I immediately googled him and found his website which looks like it was last updated in 2004. He seems really sweet and also into cats which confirms my theory about him being a cool, sweet dude:

In this photo, I'm awaiting final approval by my (late) cat Hamilton, on some monster heads I've sculpted.

Click here to find out more about these.

This website is putting me in a great mood and almost inspiring me to write this entire post in comic sans! (Almost, but not quite.) On that note, let’s put the record on!

The first song, “Garbageman,” starts with a really inviting catchiness, yet something feels very unique about this song. Halfway through there’s a sweet guitar solo. This feels like a perfect combination of blues and punk. I really like this song.

With this project, I’m often discovering that the image on the cover of an album, the name of the band and title of the album can often seem much “scarier” than the music inside could ever be. I can picture myself not even considering ever listening to this album when I was a teenager just getting into music, because it would have seemed scary, and intimidating and not for me. Something told me - maybe it was adults, friends, MTV, society in general, that an album that looked like that on the outside was probably for kids who wore leather jackets, had weird piercings or spikes in their hair. And was probably more likely for boys. But while the music sounds different than stuff you hear on the radio, it also feels friendly and inclusive and beautiful. I wish I’d had someone to hand me this record when I was a lot younger and reassured me that I should be listening to it. I’m sure I saw it a million times at The Princeton Record Exchange, but I was too busy looking through Dave Matthew’s Band and Counting Crows cds to stop and consider if that album could also be for me. That the musicians wanted someone like me listening to it too.

“Love Me,” has such a raw, southern, country feel to it. It feels like Road House music, with a little bit of Elvis in the vocals.

I love how raw and rambling “She Said,” is, even though I can’t really tell what he’s saying, I like the feel of this song and the drums really hold the whole thing together.

On to side two. “Goo Goo Muck,” has a little bit of a B-52’s vibe sounding kind of surfy and silly. I’m loving this album. Some wikipedia reading is telling me that the lead singer, Lux Interior died in 2009 and that Poison Ivy, one of the guitar players is a woman! Must read more! I wonder if she came up with the name of the band.

Awww I just found this really sweet interview with Poison Ivy and Lux Interior! Why are they not the most famous rock couple ever?

Poison Ivy: There's not anything that we deny each other. I'll always hear somebody say, "Oh, I'd like to buy that but my wife would kill me", or vice versa, and I'm, like, "God, what is that?" We don't feel that either one of us has any right to say anything about the other's needs. We just have to trust that person and what that person is entitled to. Fortunately, we happen to like a lot of the samea things, but even if we didn't, that shouldn't matter. We're both real free-thinkers. We're nice to each other. There's all those reasons why we're together, but I think it's also karmic. We're karmically entwined.

He's easy to love. He's someone I can get crazy with, I knew that about him right away. I thought: "Oh boy, what's gonna happen now? Something exciting!" It's still happening.

Omg, I’m going to cry. This is the most romantic interview I’ve ever read. It’s so sad that Lux died.

Lux Interior:We're different in a lot of ways. I tend to fly off the handle and go crazy and start screaming and she tends to be a bit wiser and calmer and more patient than I am - before she starts going wild, too. I think she's a lot classier than I am, but I think I've gained a lot of class from her. It's hard to figure out how we're different because we're together all the time and we always do everything together. In a way it's kind of one thing, me and her, but she's also very much an individual and very strong. She grows like a tree. She's faceted like a diamond. There's a million sides to Ivy and I just love all of them.

This album is amazing and it was written by true and pure love.  I wish I would have known not to be afraid of it when I was younger but I’m really glad I discovered it tonight.

[alltherecords-blog]

Couch/Bullet In The Head split 12″ (1993)

Tonight’s album is by the band Couch. I know nothing about this band. Conversation that was just yelled across the house because Alex is doing the dishes:

Me: Is the album called “Bullet In The Head?”

Alex: It’s a split.

Me: What?

Alex: It’s a split.

Me: What?

Alex: Side A is a band called Couch. Side B is a band called Bullet In The Head.

Me: What?! How was I supposed to know that?

Seriously though, I’m pretty sure I’m totally unfamiliar with the concept of a split album. Wait, that’s not true! I randomly bought the Oneida/Liars split album when I was in college. And then ended up becoming friends with Kid Millions after I moved to New York. So the moral of the story is, split albums lead to friendship.

I asked Alex how he decided to alphabetize this album under C for Couch instead of B for Bullet in the head and he kind of went on a long tangent about how it’s always a really hard decision with split albums. I zoned out a bit. Long story short: he likes Couch better.

I’ll be the judge of that! Let’s put it on!

Ah yes, the melodious sound of banging on trash cans and a dying goose. Alex just started barking “old man” at me. AKA “singing along.” There’s also the sound of a person dying in the background (an old man, I suppose?) I can tell Alex is so excited to put me through this experiment in sound.

The second song starts off sounding more like music but then turns into a rattling swarm of killer bees. This song feels kind of defeated whereas “Old Man” felt triumphant.

The next song starts with an auctioneer speaking gibberish. It’s spooky. This song is called “Chinese Mechanic,” and there is possibly real Chinese being yelled or gibberish, I’m pretty sure this band is white dudes, so...either way, I don’t really know what to say.

The next song has a Jon Spencer Blues explosion vibe. I think I’m okay with it. He just yelled something and then Alex said, “that song’s called truckload of boats.” I think you can guess what he yelled then. And now the side is over. What was that? I feel like I was just on a roller coaster of weirdness. Okay, let’s check out Bullet In The Head.

This has a much more elegant space vibe to it. More like an alien’s laser bullet in the head than an earthling’s bullet. And then the song ends with the sound of someone running on a treadmill.

Song two is feeling a lot like song one. Maybe you’re inside of a wind tunnel and a plane is flying overhead. What you’re hearing is a song. And it is this song. Maybe your dryer is broken and your radio is on top of it playing only static. That is a song. And it is this song.

Well, that was a short window into the sound of some folks fulfilling a creative urge. It was fine! I can’t really imagine ever wanting to put it on again, but I’m glad it exists and I’m glad I listened to it. Go music, you’ve surprised me again.

Alex says: I mentioned couch in the Bassholes review way back when, because it was Marlon Magas, 1/2 of couch, that introduced me to them. Marlon Magas was this guy who worked at the record store we worked at. He was probably in his early 20’s, but he seemed impossibly mature and impossibly cool when I was in high school. And he was this unassuming guy who told us one day to come see his band, Couch. I couldn’t believe how bizarre and life changing they were.

We were stupid shit snot nosed punks listening to bands like Minor Threat, all punks who dressed weird and played fast and loud, but were essentially playing music with melodies. And then we went and saw Couch and it was like entering another dimension. They wore suits! They looked like G-Men! They played something that approximated music, but wasn’t quite music, and it was scary and gleeful all at the same time. I remember I asked Mr. Velocity Hopkins what kind of amplifier he had and he responded to me in German! Who were these weirdos?!

Velocity Hopkins (AKA Pete Larsen) ran Bulb Records, the label this record came out on, and it was just incomprehensible to me that there was a dude in my town putting out music that sounded like this. Realizing that music could sound like this helped me realize how huge and varied the world is and how exciting and scary music can be. It can be like landing on another planet. It can be sounds you’ve never heard before. It can sound like a snake charmer and a wretch fighting in a junkyard, or a guy reciting his mantra in a cave while a dog careens across piano strings.

To me, these were guys who were rejecting fashion, rejecting “the scene,” even rejecting music, and they seemed like they were having so much fun doing it. They were so fucking cool.

It’s not like I wake up every morning and think to myself “I really have to listen to that couch album,” but it’s hard to overstate how eye-opening it was to see them play.

Thanks for reading. Don’t forget you can follow me on twitter @sohollz

[alltherecords-blog]

Alice Cooper “Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits” (1974)

I know that Alice Cooper is heavy metal but that’s about it! I just asked Alex if “Alice Cooper” is a band or a person- and as I was saying it I thought, this is going to sound like an insanely naive question. But turns out it’s perfectly valid because apparently it started out as the band name and then the lead singer “Vincent Furnier,” took it as his name, so now it’s a person. Alex’s copy of this record has the name “Nancy Oliver” written in the bottom right hand corner. I love that this album was first owned by a girl! Unless “Nancy Oliver,” was some dude’s heavy metal name. Imagine Nancy Oliver and Alice Cooper jamming together in their parent’s garage.

Let’s put it on!

The first song is “I’m Eighteen,” and this just sounds like regular rock and roll not “heavy metal”! (The only recording on youtube is a live recording and the video is really good.) Alex’s record is very scratchy btw. “I’ve got a baby’s brain and an old man’s heart,” is the sweetest, funniest and most poignant line I’ve ever heard. This song is so earnest! “I’m eighteen, I get confused everyday.” So true. This song doesn’t sound polished at all. I like how raspy his voice is. I can also picture a sea of young white dudes all chanting violently “I’m eighteen,” together at a concert.

“Desperado,” really has a lot of different layers to it, when the strings came in it really surprised me. I can’t decided if I love it or if it’s cheesy.

I’m not sure how I feel about this album, none of these feel like big hit songs to me so far (although I did like “I’m Eighteen”) and this is their greatest hits album. Like “Under My Wheels,” isn’t offending me, but I can’t really picture myself singing along to this song. And then a saxophone comes in? I feel like this song should be making me feel more excited than it is.

“Be My Lover,” starts with a very catchy riff and feels like it’s going to build up to a good chorus. Huh, but then it almost get’s doo-wopy. How the hell is this a “shock rock” band? They sound so clean cut and sweet!

“School’s Out,” is the only song I recognize so far, and I do like this song. You can’t help but sing along to the “no more pencils, no more books,” chorus and the guitar sounds really cool. The whole song sounds cool. It is a song written by the cool kids who hate school. And why should they like it when rock and roll is so much better? I could see someone listening to this song and thinking, I want to play guitar like that. The record winding down ending is a little strange though, I don’t think I even noticed that when they play it on the radio.

On to side two!

“Hello Hooray,” is the first song. That would be a good lifestyle blog name. Uh, what is this. Are they trying to be like Pink Floyd? Because I’m getting a little bit of a The Wall vibe in this song. I don’t like rock songs that have a circus vibe to them. But I do like the line “I’ve been waiting so long to sing my song.” It does make me feel like saying “hooray,” for Alice.

I’m noticing that except for “Elected,” every song on side two has an amazing name. “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” “Billion Dollar Babies,” “Teenage Lament ‘74” and “Muscle of Love.” Something about the phrase “Billion Dollar Babies,” is really funny to me, and I just love the sound of the words “teenage,” and “lament,” together.

“Elected,” is a crap song. Crap in title, crap in sound.

All in all, I didn’t really love this album. I think the next time I’m in the mood for “heavy metal,” from the 70s, I’ll just put on “Paranoid,” instead.

[alltherecords-blog]

The Best of Sam Cooke (1962)

I always feel intimidated when I have to write about a classic album that I already know really well. It’s so much easier to write about a classic album that I’ve never heard of because I can write about feeling my way through it. I’ve already worn a groove of opinion and emotions into this record. Those emotions are reliable though. I know how this record is going to make me feel before I put it on, that’s why I put this record on a lot. WIll I be able to articulate that feeling with words though? I’m going to try my best.

Before starting the record, I read the back cover for the first time. This album is from 1965 a reprint from the original 1962.This album has been on this earth for 50 years!!! I wonder where it was before it was in our house in the stupid record collection. Anyway, the note on the back is written by Hugo and Luigi who were producers at the RCA Victor Label. They sign their names at the end of what they’ve written and there’s this little “Hugo & Luigi” logo which makes me think that was something people looked for when they bought records. Like, if Hugo & Luigi liked it, they probably would too. Oh yeah, there’s totally a wikipedia page about them. And check out this website http://kokomo.ca/hugo.htm.

Alright, let’s put the music on and have some fun! The first song is “You Send Me,” and I sort of feel like I could listen to just the sound of that first “darling,” over and over again and I would be perfectly content. Like if this record skipped and it played that “darling” on an endless loop, I don’t think I’d get up off the couch to fix it. I’m noticing for the first time the background vocals. They almost don’t sound like human voices and more like an instrument. An organ maybe?

I’m really listening to the lyrics of “Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha,” for the first time, I didn’t realized it was about being on a date with a girl who doesn’t know the “cha cha cha.” He’s so nice about it! I’d be like, uh, deal breaker.

The next song is “For Sentimental Reasons,” and the idea of just singing “IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyou,” over and over is really the best idea. You know when it also works? Totally different song, but very similar I think, when Van Morrison says “And the love that loves the love that loves the love that loves the love that loves to love the love that loves to love the love that loves."  in “Madame George.”  Thinking “Madame George,” is making me want to read the Lester Bangs essay about Astral Weeks again.

When he starts saying “La ta ta ta ta ta,” in “Wonderful World,” it just makes you feel like smiling. “Summertime,” almost feels like it doesn’t quite fit in with these other songs. It has an eerie downbeat feel to it especially when the background singer comes in. It’s also melancholy in a way the other songs aren’t. This isn’t about being on a date with someone who doesn’t know how to cha cha. I love when he really holds a note out. I’m realizing just now that this song is maybe meant to be sung to children, as a lullaby? Because of the line, “So hush little baby, Don't you cry.” Yeah. It’s totally a lullaby! I never realized that. And it’s definitely a spooky lullaby. It has never come up on my Raffi pandora station, I’ll tell you that much.

Side two starts with “Chain Gang.” This is also a sad song but it’s hard to remember that when because of the catchy refrain at the beginning - “Hoo! Haaa! Hoo! Haaa!” Maybe it’s just me, but “Cupid,” is a song that I always forget about and it might even be my favorite on this album. I think it would be a great sleeper karaoke song. No one would see it coming and everyone would love it. Especially if you have a sweet singing voice. Which I do not, but I still want to try and remember to sing in the next time I do Karaoke.

Okay everyone get up. You can’t listen to “Twistin’ the Night Away,” sitting down. You just can’t.  Sam Cooke’s voice sounds like he’s telling you a comforting story that may be a little funny at times. It sounds like he has a smile on his face while he’s singing and also like he’s thinking, I just want you to be happy. Also, if anyone can tell me where this place somewhere up a New York way is, please tell me.

The album ends with “Bring It On Home To Me,” which, actually I think this is the best song. Singing about heartbreak is almost always better than singing about love. His voice has a pain about it in this song too. It’s still sweet and smooth but troubled somehow.

These are the greatest hits from one of the greatest artists of all time and I loved it. 12 perfect songs. Listen to it. Feel the feels.

[alltherecords-blog]

The Third Unheard: Connecticut Hip Hop 1979-1983 (2004)

I studied the cover and inside gatefold of this album for a while before even putting the music on. There is a note from the compiler, which doesn’t really tell me much, as someone who really doesn’t know anything about the Connecticut rap scene, but it doesn’t matter because all I need to know can be found in the old poster which takes up most of the gatefold. The first thing I noticed was the time of the show: “Sunday 8:00 pm-Until (Your Moma [sic] Call). and then I noticed what it says in the upper right hand corner:

This show will be videotaped. There has never been a show like it in Connecticut or be another like it. It will be the talk of 1984, and the video will proved if you were there. Tell your Moma[sic] don’t drop you off, come party with you.

That is a bold and intriguing declaration. And looking at it from the smartphone age we live in now, it just reinforces that the urge to document endlessly, just to prove you were there and a part of something, was around way before it was so easy to prove. The arrogance of this poster cannot be contained. All over it says “A once in a life time show,” “Anyone who is someone will be there.” And a small detail that in 1984 no one would think twice about really sticks out to me. The directions. “Direction: Take New England Thru Way [sic] (95) to Exit (31) Go east to Benton St., Make a left.” I can just picture some kid pulling this poster off of their college bulletin board, piling in a car with some old high school friends (the concert was on Christmas day, so they’re home visiting their families) and smoking a joint down the New England thruway all the way to exit 31 to prove that they were there and saw something life changing.

I’m afraid that this poster might not be real though- I’m hoping it’s at least the modification of a real poster.Since this album is a compilation of connecticut hip hop from 1979-1983, we’re not about to listen to a live recording of what this poster advertises and it does say the album’s title at the top. I’m hoping that that’s the only thing they added to this poster, because as I just scanned it even closer to see if it was obvious that it was fake or not I noticed this part “featuring a four year old break dancer.” Come on! This really was the show of shows.

So with all that in mind, let’s put this record (another double lp!) on!

The first song is called “Rappin’ WIth Mr. Magic,” and starts with a very solid bass line and some clapping. To really prove that this is a Connecticut song, Mr. Magic starts naming Connecticut

towns followed by a chorus saying “we’re down!” I like the fast funkiness of this rap which also has a lot of clever lines, but everytime I tried to write one down, I’d get too distracted by the next line, so you’ll have to just listen for yourself. The next song “Get Up (And Go To School)” by Pookey Blow is either a woman or a child. It really does sound like a child’s voice. And since it’s a rap about school, I’m going to go with the child theory. Is this the four year old break dancer?

In the middle of the school raps, there’s the classic “Hotel, motel, Holiday Inn” line from “Rapper’s Delight,” which is always a fun time to be able to yell out “say what?” There are some more call and response lines which are great. I feel like I need to remember to play this song in the mornings when Harvey starts going to school. And then the kazoo jam comes in and you know this is an A+ song.

On to side two with “Party People (remix)” by Rappermatical 5. This definitely sounds like a song you could roller skate to. This one has some great horns and the bass is almost overpowering the sound. There’s also a pretty intense synthesizer solo accompanied by the sounds of people partying in the background. This definitely feels like a great song to play at a party especially when they start saying names like “If your name is Vern, then you’ve got a lot of money to burn. We’re gonna give you the name ‘Disco V.’ Disco V, you run society.” This song really builds, you can feel the excitement growing and picture a dance floor just getting crazier and crazier.

The next song, “Million Dollar Legs,” by The Outlaw Four starts with a very heavy drum beat and then the phrase “Million dollar legs,” said a few times, which feels kind of funny to me. The rapping between “Million dollar legs,” is mainly about bragging about being a ladies dream. “Ladies if you please, we have the remedies.” The rapping turns into group rap/singing about the ladies! That was a great interlude. And it’s immediately followed by a funky saxophone solo. This song’s kind of got it all. I really like all of the brass instruments included in these songs.

On to side three! It starts with an energetic instrumental jam complete with laser beam sounds.  Mr. Magic again with “Potential 1980.” This album really builds in a great way. You should play it in the exact order when you have people over. By the time you make it to side three, it will be just enough time to get people warmed up and dancing. This feels like disco and I’m loving every booty shaking moment. Ha! That’s funny, the next song by The Chillie 3 MCs is called “Shake your boody!” One thing’s for sure, whether it’s a booty or a boody, when this record is playing it cannot be contained!

Let’s put on the last side! Oh shit the kazoos and some serious synthesizer are back with “2001 Kazoo’s” by Mr Magic and Positive Choice Band.  Alex says that this is his favorite song on the album, but so far I think “Potential 1980” and “Get Up (And Go To School)” are my favorites. This song is good though. All the songs on this album just make you feel good. Like the poster recommends, tell your Moma, come party with you. The last song is “Ventriloquist Rap,” and I’m pretty sure he’s rapping as a ventriloquist with a puppet. Willie Brown and Woodie. Is Woodie the puppet? It’s pretty impressive if that’s the case. How do you even learn how to be a ventriloquist? This song helps you wind down from all the boody shaking ruckus and you’ve got to wonder what it was like to see a rapping ventriloquist at the video taped show of all shows in 1984.

PS- I’m trying to tweet again. So follow me if you like @sohollz and it’ll feel like we’re real and true pals!

[alltherecords-blog]

The Congos “Heart of the Congos Deluxe Edition” (1977/2008)

Another double lp! Not totally sure what to expect with this one, as there is pretty much no information and I haven’t heard of the band before. I’m going to guess reggae based on the picture on the cover, but who knows, really? What I do know is that these guys look like they’re having fun, which is always a good sign. Cedric Myton and Roy Johnson. Cedric and Roy, those are two names you don’t hear that much anymore. I like both of them. Let’s put it on.

The first song, “Fisherman,” starts right off with a slow sexy vibe and then almost seems like a type of folk song with the lyrics, “Row fisherman row.” I guess a lot of reggae has a little bit of a folk music vibe in spirit. Almost religious, but not really. Ah, here we go, wikipedia says that stylistically, reggae incorporates some musical elements of “mento” which is “a celebratory, rural folk form that served its largely rural audience as dance music and an alternative to the hymns and adapted chanteys of local church singing.” Isn’t that what I just said?

The second song, “Congoman,” has really beautiful vocals. I’m really liking this song. The vocals are slow and drawn out but the music is faster paced and bouncy, you can hear the staccato beats. There is a really nice repetitiveness to this song.

I really like the quiet sweetness of these vocals, it’s very pleasant and beautiful. “Children Crying,” makes you want to pick up a baby and dance with him.

Oh, I know this next song! Where do I know it from? “La La Bam Bam.” I feel like this album would be a good thing to listen to when you’re really sleepy and it’s a saturday afternoon and all the windows are open. You can definitely take a very satisfying nap to this music.

On to side two. I’m also familiar with this song, “Can’t Come In.” Continues to have sweet soothing vocals. I’m finding the bass line in this song in particular to be very comforting. In every song though, it seems like the bass line will take your hand and walk you through the welcoming arms that are these songs. This album is a warm hug.

“The Wrong Thing,” has very high vocals which I feel like gives it a playful and celebratory feel. Also, the occasional whistle noise! But there is a little bit of sadness too. Especially in the chorus: “All they do, they just say the wrong thing all over”

This really feels like a great album to listen to on your phone, I think it could really help if you’re going through something slightly stressful, like a plane ride or a commute. I think it could really help someone chill out and see the world differently.

So this reissue is a double lp “Deluxe Edition.” The first album which I just finished was “Heart of the Congos,” the “All-time Classic.” And yes, I agree, that shit was an instant classic in my book. Anyone who listens to this album will definitely love it. I have never been so sure of anything in my entire life!

The second album is just called “The Best of the Rest,” but it feels hard to listen to right after just hearing “Heart of the Congos” for the first time. I feel like I need a moment to live in that hug some more. But it’s Sunday night, and getting late and I’m just going to put the second record on. The first song, “Days Chasing Days,” still has a sweet soothing sound to it, but not as friendly and welcoming! Am I being biased because I know it’s not part of the classic album? I don’t know. I don’t think so. The next song, “Hail the World of Jah,” is definitely friendly though. So far it feels like this album is more rambling and “Heart of the Congos” has a much more cohesive feel about it. You want to listen to those songs together in that order. I’m not getting that feeling so far with “The Best of the Rest.”

Side two starts with “Stay Alive.” I don’t think I like the idea of this deluxe edition. “Heart of the Congos,” is such a stand alone album, why pair it with less classic songs? I guess it was a deal, more music when you only buy one record. But for the purposes of discovering an amazing album and writing about it as you are experiencing that discovery, it’s not really working. I feel like I rushed through the savoring part that comes with a new discovery, and while these songs are pleasant, I’d rather just re-listen to “Heart of the Congos.” I really reccomend “Heart of the Congos,” if you haven’t listened to it before! It’s an album for everyone’s collection!

[alltherecords-blog]

Mr. Len “Class-x (Tribute to Company Flow)” 2003

Alex really likes rap music, (I will call it rap music just like I insist on calling punk “punk music”!) but he keeps a lot of his rap records (mostly singles) in a separate place with his djing records- will I ever get to that area of our house? I think they’re in the basement right now...only time will tell. But occasionally a rap record slips in to the regular collection section. I think the last one I reviewed was Biz Markie “The Biz Never Sleep”  And now I’m reviewing Mr. Len “Class-x (Tribute to Company Flow).”(Alex has this flied under C for “Company Flow.”) Will it be a problem that I’m not familiar with the band they’re tributing to? Group? Alex just clarified to me that Mr. Len was in Company Flow so that this album is actually more like b-sides than a tribute. I’m feeling confused! And it’s a double LP! Ahhh! I’m mad already!! Let’s put it on.

The first song, “Juvenile Techniques” has a very sweet description underneath it that is making me feel happy. “This was the first song we released and it was the song that sparked our friendship and respect for each other's musical direction.” I like the slow beat mixed with faster rapping but it’s hard to really hear all of the words. I just noticed a mention of Tina Turner and a “Fisher Price mic.” I think this song is about being awesome even though they’re inexperienced. I think that’s a good message.

Every song has a line or two written underneath it on the back cover by Mr. Len. The next one, “People Are Shady” has “always been a favorite” of his. This one has quiet vocals that are making me squint my eyes to hear better. It’s funny how some lines just stand out to you like, “sucking dicks up in the bleachers,” and then others you just do not hear at all. This is a very quiet and slow rap song. I can’t really hear anything special about it, but it seems like if you were stoned, you would enjoy it. There is a great piano sample that they keep playing in the background. I wonder how they thought to sample it- it’s definitely not your typical hip-hop sample sound.

The next song, “Fire in Which You Burn” says “Wouldn’t you Have been angry if this wasn’t on here?” underneath it. So, I just asked Alex if this song was famous and he said yes, and that it was the first song he ever heard by them and was blown away by the rapping. I’m not really getting it. It just sounds like people are talking really fast to a random drum and sitar in the background. It kind of sounds like poetry when you can hear what they’re saying.

I’m trying to let it wash over me. I promise.

The next song “Weight,” sounds like a woman rapping to me. Which perked my ears up immediately. Alex just googled it. Her name is Queen Heroin. I want to hear more from her.

I just noticed there is a song on side b called “Linda Tripp.” Haha throwback. Alex said it’s really good and clever because the premise is they secretly record a phone call from another rapper and play it in there song. On to side B then! But first, the song “End II End Burners (remix)”

I’m trying to let it wash over me, but I really can’t understand what they’re saying. I feel so lame saying this. But it just sounds like a person talking really fast. And I like fast talkers! I’m from New Jersey! But, I feel like it’s not connecting in a part of my brain that it’s supposed to be. Maybe if it was just lyrics and no beat in the background to distract me. I guess that’s called poetry. But it’s hard to hear a beat and fast talking my brain feels like I really just want them to slow down. Am I supposed to feel this way? I just told Alex that I don’t know what they’re talking about and he said, “They’re talking about how great they rap, basically always.”

On to Linda Tripp! It starts with the phone call. This one feels like my favorite so far. I like how the beat comes in and I like how they’re sort of finishing each other’s sentences as they rap. I can tell that they’re definitely being mean in this song.

OH! A sample from Popeye!! I know this! That’s at the end of the LInda Tripp song. Best ending ever.

The next song starts with beat boxing that is making me feel good. This is “Lil Johnny’s Interlude,” very good rhythm!

Alex is enjoying this a lot more than me. He says it’s “atmospheric and smart and dense. The production sounds creepy, it sounds like it’s from the future, it sounds like blade runner, it sounds like it’s from another planet. It’s awesome. It’s also super dirty and sounds like it was recorded in someone’s basement, so I can understand why you don’t understand it. But it’s really good!” We all know Alex loves music that sounds like it’s from another planet- I’m talking to you Helious Creed! So, not surprising. All it’s done for me so far is made me feel like I want to go watch Popeye instead of finish listening to this DOUBLE LP!!

But I must press on. On to side C.

It starts with a song called “Patriotism.” I can tell I like the message of this song, I’m going to look up the lyrics and start it over. Alex just said, “Oh shit, Sarah’s on Rap Genius.” I really like the sound of these words together: “Join the census, censorship sentences sentence.”

Also: “My favorite flavor of gas is mustard.” I’m actually having a flashback. I’m pretty sure my college best friend who was a crazy hippie played this song a lot- I’m going to try and confirm that statement. Hold on. Yes! Confirmed through text message. Memory Moment!

Alex just said that the sample on the next song “Infokill,” “Sounds like you’re in a opera house in the future.” It doesn’t sound that special to me though.

On to side D! I might keep looking at Rap Genius, it’s helping a bit. AH! No lyrics for the first song! “Lencorcism.” I’m liking the beat to this song a lot. I don’t really know what this youtube comment about this song means, but I love it.  “Mr.Len kingin' it. This cut smells like pure '82 linoleum. Love this shit.” I mean, I think I know what it means emotionally just not literally. I love the idea of remembering the smell of pure linoleum from 1982. There is a song called “Linoleum” on this side though- so, still confused. Under “Lencorcism,” it says “Because I’m Vain” and under “Linoleum,” it says, “Me being vain again.” So they must be related. Can anyone explain this mystery to me?

All and all, this was a very long album that had some moments for me but ultimately just made me want to watch Popeye instead.

Alex says: In the summer of 1998, I was living in Ypsilanti michigan. I was depressed, I was bored, my band had just broken up, and I was living with a bunch of dickheads (I’m talking about you, Jason). I felt like the vibrant scene I was a part of in high school was fracturing, people were moving away, venues were closing. I was totally lost.

So I was constantly pulling for those little moments of magic, and in order to manufacture them, I would do basically anything. I would follow around people I barely knew, I’d try any drug, I’d stay up all night drinking coffee at the diner, I’d skateboard aimlessly around town at three in the morning with complete strangers - anything to feel like I wasn’t alone.

One evening, I was hanging out with a friend, and he was hanging out with a bunch of other folks I thought were “too cool” for me. You know, people who had better records than me, were funnier than me, were more comfortable in their own skin. I looked up to them and wanted more than anything for them to think that I was cool too. So when my friend took off and left me alone with them, I was totally over the moon. It was a magic moment. I wasn’t alone. It wasn’t even manufactured, really.

It was weird, because I was walking into a totally normal day for these kids, but for me it was a cascade of perfect incidents. First, we got high and ate vietnamese food, which was amazing and delicious. Then they took me back to their pad and I watched Wild Style for the first time, which was just an overwhelming and exciting experience. And then, afterward, they put on Company Flow’s Funcrusher Plus. Stoned, coming down off of Wild Style and Vietnamese food, Company Flow was hard to process, but then there was a track called “Help Wanted” that featured a bunch of samples of this movie I was into at the time called The Holy Mountain, and I was totally sold.

I went home feeling like I had broken through into an awesome new clique. The next day I went and bought Funcrusher Plus and listened to it nonstop in the cold, sober light of day, it was still amazing. I listened to that album on repeat all summer. But I never hungout with the cool kids again.

[alltherecords-blog]

Alice Coltrane “Journey In Satchidananda” (1970)

There’s usually a baby in that doorway jumper behind me at this time of day. I dropped Harvey off at his first official day care trial day this morning, as I’m going back to work on Monday. I’m home, it’s 11:30 in the morning, and it’s just me here, so I’m writing a review! What better way to distract myself from that weird feeling that comes with change than to put on some music.

Alice Coltrane is up and this is an album that I’m pretty familiar with, it’s been a go-to for a while now when I’m looking for something instrumental. Let’s talk about the cover first. It’s a picture of Alice, by herself, without any instruments sitting on the floor with an orange/red background. She’s looking off into the distance and looking quintessentially 1970s with her hair, leather braided headband, jewelry and dress. Inside the gate-fold, Alice Coltrane actually writes a little description about each song- score! And from what’s she’s written, I now know that this is a very spiritual album (I never bothered to read the inside cover before.) 

Quote:“Anyone listening to this selection should try to envision himself floating on an ocean of Satchidanandaji’s love, which is literally carrying countless devotees across the vicissitudes and stormy blasts of life to the other shore.” 

Swami Satchidananda was Coltrane’s “beloved spiritual preceptor.”Let’s put it on and envision that ocean!

The first song, “Journey in Satchidananda” starts with some serious bass and then a harp comes in. Why is the harp not used in more music? Why don’t more people play the harp? It’s so beautiful! The bass keeps this song together as some saxophone comes in and feels like the bottom of a ship rocking in the ocean. The ocean of Satchindanadaji’s love, that is. There’s all these bells and tambourine sounds in the background which are the seagulls lulling you to sleep as you rock back and forth in a giant ocean cradle. 

The next song is called “Shiva-Loka.” Coltrane writes in the liner notes: 

“Shiva is God, in one of his myriad forms, as the third person of the Hindu Trinity, in his aspect as dissolver of creation. Loka means realm or abode. I try to stretch my mind thoughts over to Shiva-Loka, one of the highest points of the universe.” 

In this song, the harp really pulls you in and then the saxophone sounds really sweet and beautiful, more smooth and less avant than it sounded in the first song.  It’s definitely stretching my mind thoughts right now. Even though there is so much going on in this song- saxophone, harp, bass, percussion, bells, tambourine, it feels like a real quiet groove and perfect for my real quiet, baby-free house right now.Coltrane writes, “I hope that this album will be a form of meditation and a spiritual awakening for those who listen with their inner ear.” And there definitely is an urge to listen to it sitting still with your eyes closed. I think I might have to try that. What if I put this album on, and just sat still and listened with my eyes closed the entire time? What would happen to my mind thoughts?

I decided to do it. I re-listened to side one sitting quietly with my eyes closed the entire time. It was kind of hard! The first thing I noticed was really how beautiful the harp is. I also thought it sounded very similar to a piano at first, until the piano comes in on the last song, “Stopover Bombay,” and I realized how different it sounds! Midway through “Shiva-Loka” I almost started falling asleep/dreaming and had to remember to really listen to the music.

On to side two. the first songs is called “Something About John Coltrane.” Coltrane writes, 

“I know that there remains to this very day something inexplicable and indefinable about John Coltrane, ‘Something About John Coltrane,’ is set on a d-minor mode and will not be unfamiliar to John's followers. It is played beautifully.” 

I want to know more about their marriage! They weren’t together for that long before John died of liver cancer at age 40, but they had three children together. They met in 1962 and he died  in 1967. So much happened in those five years! This album was put out three years after his death. I wonder how Alice was feeling at that time.

I’m enjoying this song, it feels like the most improvised one so far. But it’s not giving me that “rocking in a boat floating on an ocean of Satchidanandaji’s love” feeling that the first song gave me.

The next and final song is 11 and a half minutes long and is called “Isis and Osiris.”  This song was recorded live at the Village Gate and feels very mysterious and dreamy in the beginning. The drums and harp seem to be trying to hypnotize you. The Wikipedia page about The Village Gate is pretty interesting. This line is super depressing though: “The Village Gate closed its Greenwich Village location in February, 1994. The ground floor is currently occupied by CVS/Pharmacy.” (Le) Poisson Rouge occupies the sublevel though, which is cool. I saw Bill Callohan there when he was touring for “Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle” and it was fantastic. Also, the Village Gate sign is still hanging on the corner. You can see it on Google maps. So, the next time you walk by that dumb CVS, look up!

As the song progresses there is an upbeat melody that seems like it is asking you to dance. I’m really enjoying the drums in this song. The audience applause threw me off a little, even though I knew it was a live recording- they were so quiet the for most of the song! Must have been lost in those heady mind thoughts.

Bottom line- this album is amazing and everyone should listen to it. All jazz should include 100% more harps. 

[alltherecords-blog]

cLOUDDEAD “dead dogs two” (2004)

Alex has no idea what this record is. Conversation that just happened:

Alex: What’s next?

Me: Cloudhead.

Alex: What?

Me: No. Cloud Dead.

Alex: What?

Me: cLouddead.

Alex: I don’t know what that is.

Me:..

Alex: How the fuck do I have that?

We’re both intrigued! It looks like a single and on the back it says “this is clouddead number 9 of 10.” So...let’s put it on!

First of all, we can’t figure out the speed it’s supposed to be played on! 33 sounds way to slow, but 45 sounds chimpmunk-y! But I think 45 is right. So, I’m not digging the vocals. This song is called “Dead Dogs Two,” and the vocals are too distracting for me to enjoy it. Oh no. Then there’s like a talking/rapping part. No. After the rapping part, the song gets softer in this sort of dreamy pretty way, with string instruments which I am enjoying.

Turns out I listened to side two first, which was “Dead Dogs Two” Remixed by boards of canada. It’s not labeled! I can’t be held responsible! That’s the only song since it’s a single. Let’s flip ‘er ova’!

So this is “Dead Dogs Two,” the original. Hmmm. I really don’t like the sound of the vocals it’s distracting me from the musical parts which I think I do like. It’s kind of reminding me of The Postal Service a little bit. Youtube is telling me that Werner Herzog’s voice is at the end. Alex was like, “yeah, I could tell it was.” Whatever. (Insert eye rolling imogi here.)

The next song is called “Mulholland Instrumental.” It’s weird and ugly sounding, but ugly sounding in a deliberate way. Alex just said, “this sounds like something I would have recorded in high school,” He still has no recollection of ever purchasing this record, ever listening to it or ever hearing of this band. Ahhh! Memory is so fickle!

Mulholland Instrumental is not a song. It is sounds. That’s my final statement.

[alltherecords-blog]

The Harder They Come Soundtrack (1974)

When you open this gate fold album, the first thing you see is a man’s face (I don’t know who it is) and the second thing you see are some naked boobies right above his head. I feel like that has to be the first thing I mention about this album. 

The colorful cover and interesting gatefold collage are definitely making me want to watch “The Harder They Come”- but how would one do that? Netflix? Amazon Prime? The Public Library? Which-side note- I would like to take this moment to plug the public library as an amazing source for movies that are not on Netflix streaming, because does anyone pay for the mail in service anymore? Use interlibrary loan- WHICH IS FREE and you’ll probably find the movie you’re looking for. Like, for instance “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” which I wanted to watch after watching the Gilmore Girls’ episode, “They Shoot Gilmore’s Don’t They?” Long story short, it was a particularly crazy movie to watch as a sleep deprived new parent, but I got it using interlibrary loan at the public library! (I just did a search for “The Harder They Come,” and 4 of 4 copies are available through interlibrary loan! Woot Woot! Gonna put that shit on hold!)

But in the mean time, I will review this soundtrack without having seen the movie. Maybe that’s not a wise choice, but we must obey the order of the collection.

I’ve actually listened to this album a ton already because it’s a really good selection of classic, feel good reggae songs. It’s always a hit when you put it on! So let’s go.

The first song, “You Can Get it If You Really Want,” is obviously the classic feel good inspirational song, what an encouraging message. It’s the total opposite of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” isn’t it? I have a friend whose mom used to always sing that to him when he was a kid and probably being whiney about something. He should have sung this song back to her, it would have been the ultimate comeback! Where’s a time machine when you need one?

The second song starts with people saying something in what I want to call “Jamaican,” but I know there’s no Jamaican language. Is it called Patois? Yes it is. I googled it. You’d think this this song would be called “Stop That Train,” but it’s called “Draw Your Brakes.” Well, we know what drawing your brakes does, don’t we? It stops that train. This song has a pleasantly plodding along rhythm to it and a beautiful chorus. I really like it.

According to this website, he is saying ““Forward and payaaka, manhangle (manhandle) and den go saaka.” Which basically means, go find someone else’s girlfriend and fuck her. Yikes.

The next song is the very beautiful and spiritual “Rivers of Babylon.” When I was in high school and college I LOVED the band Sublime SO MUCH. And I have to admit that I became familiar with their version of this song before ever hearing the Melodians’ version. And even though I find Sublime’s music to be super cheesy now, I definitely don’t mind if it comes on the radio or something, which it never does. Look, I didn’t know any better. The Melodians’ version is the only version worth listening to.

The next song is “Many River’s To Cross,” and also very spiritual especially with it’s organ opening. This song feels more like a soul/R&B/Otis Redding type genre of a song, but Jimmy Cliff’s voice is just so sweet and passionate, he’s the only person I want to hear singing it. This song also has some beautiful background singers that really take it to the next level.

I just asked Alex if these songs existed before this movie came out and he said he doesn’t think so because in the movie there are scenes of them recording songs, like the one that’s playing right now, “Sweet and Dandy.” That’s pretty crazy. I always think about that with “The Graduate.” When people saw “The Graduate” in the theater, they were hearing “Mrs. Robinson” for the first time!! How exciting must that have been? Same thing for these songs.

Okay, this is from the wikipedia page about the soundtrack: The heart of the soundtrack comes from performances by the film's star, reggae singer Jimmy Cliff. Only the title track "The Harder They Come" was recorded by Cliff specifically for the soundtrack, with three earlier songs by Cliff added.[5] The remainder of the album is a compilation of singles released in Jamaica from the period of 1967 through 1972, assembled by the The Harder They Come director and co-writer, Perry Henzell, from songs by favored reggae singers.[6] In addition to Cliff, these artists include The Melodians, The Slickers, DJ Scotty, and seminal early reggae stars Desmond Dekker and Toots and the Maytals.

So, Alex was wrong. But still, let’s think about hearing Mrs. Robinson for the first time in a movie again!!! And this soundtrack definitely changed the popularity of reggae music in the United States ,as it should have.

Side two! The great thing about this album is that it’s still consistently excellent on side two, which starts with “Johnny Too Bad,” by The Slickers. Followed by “Shanty Town,” by Desmond Dekker and then “Pressure Drop!” How can you not love that? I just feel like it’s impossible to not like this album.

I think pressure drop might be my favorite song on this album even though it’s really hard to pick a favorite. The “Oh yeahs,” are just too irresistible not to sing along with. And by the end of the song it’s really hard not to get up out of your chair and start dancing.

Alex just called me a “closet hippie,” for knowing that “Sitting Here in Limbo,” was covered by the Grateful Dead.

Then, the best part about this album? They play “You Can Get It If You Really Want,” and “The Harder They Come,” AGAIN at the end! Because they know you actually want to listen to them again.  Ahh so good. I love it.

Alex Says: When I was a kid, my dad had this little nylon cassette holder in his car and he made a bunch of tapes - from where, I’m not entirely sure, and then he ran the little inserts into his typewriter and typed up the song information for each one. Now this is when I was very young, like too young to read, and all of the cassettes were totally indistinguishable to me. So it was a crapshoot whenever my dad put one on - was he going to play some Beethoven? The Beatles? Or The Harder They Come soundtrack?

Of course, I didn’t know it as The Harder They Come soundtrack, because I couldn’t quite process the fact that there were millions of musicians in the world. So I thought that this album, Black Uhuru, Peter Tosh, Burning Spear, all the great reggae/dancehall/ska my dad listened to when I was a kid, was being written and performed by just one person. Bob Marley.

Eventually, my dad put his reggae up on the shelf, got into zydeco and Buena Vista Social Club and shit, and I forgot about this album. But then, in his early teens, my brother decided to become a SHARP. I think this is a movement that has been lost to history, but it stood for SkinHead Against Racial Prejudice. So essentially, him and his friends dressed up like racists and listened to rudeboy jams and wore Doc Martens and suspenders and cuffed jeans -- they just weren’t beating up minorities. In addition to all the other accoutrement of the SHARP lifestyle, my brother started listening to a lot of first and second wave ska, Desmond Dekker, The Specials, The Selecter, and this brand new fusion metal/ska/punk band called The MIghty Mighty Bosstones. And, somehow, this album made it back into the rotation. Which was a nice surprise, because everything about this album is kind of perfect.

I remember when I was a kid being really enamored of “Sweet and Dandy,” probably because it’s the most childlike song on the album. It’s bouncy and joyous, and I always misheard the part where they say Johnson has to “hold up is head” as Johnson has “a hole up his head.” That really tickled me. A guy with a hole in his head. And then all the people in white gonna eat up Johnson’s wedding cake. But listening to it today, “Many Rivers to Cross” was really really hitting me where it counts. In another life, Jimmy Cliff would have had the kind of success Al Green had. He certainly had the chops for it.

[alltherecords-blog]

Chrome “Half Machine Lip Moves” (1979)

Oh hello. Look at me, I’m a woman enjoying a glass of wine while her baby sleeps peacefully in his crib upstairs, and has been since 7pm. I’m a mom, you guys, and I know it’s been a while, but tonight was the first night in a while I felt like I could apply my brainpower to a review after dinner instead of collapsing like a zombie in front of the tv. We’ve been living life in three hour increments since January 30th when our sweet baby boy arrived in the world, and eleven weeks later, I declare tonight the night to listen to some music and write about it. Hope you enjoy, I’ve missed you all.

So remember when we were in the Chrome Zone, back in October and I was fantasizing about naming our baby Helios Creed? Well, we didn’t name him Helios, but I ended up buying Alex his two favorite Chrome albums on vinyl for Christmas: “Half Machine Lip Moves” and “Alien Soundtracks” (because he didn’t own them, and they’re his favorites, and I actually love his stupid record collection.) And he just said to me, “you know, you really should review them.” So, I’m going back to Chrome. Let’s get into it! The Chrome Zone! Tonight we’re listening to “Half Machine Lip Moves.” Let’s go!

Wow! It sounds like punk music, actaully. (Alex just made fun of me for saying “punk music” again, instead of just “punk,” but whatevs.) We’ve got some serious drums going on here. The drums are definitely my favorite thing right away in this first song. I just told Alex that it was reminding me of the Stooges and right as I said that it got all space invader, scary sounding and he said, “does it still??” No, it does not still. Kinda wish it did.

So I don’t think I’m going to be able to link to songs for this review because there’s no song listing. All the lyrics of the entire album are smooshed together in this tiny paragraph. You figure it out! I’m sleep deprived! Here’s the entire album on youtube.

It feels like the kind of album that should be thought of as one big sound. Spacey sounds are kind of persisting in the background, but we’ve got two jamming guitars going now too, feeling more “rock and roll.” It feels like just as a song starts to sound like a normal rock or punk song, it starts to get weird with either vocals or, I guess I would call it “background noise?” right now it sounds like someone is banging on a metal pipe in an empty warehouse and yelling into a distorted microphone.

The banging pipe/distortion is continuing and I’m picturing some sort of punk rock factory. The music sounds like a machine being put together on an assembly line in a mental institution, or a bunch a weirdos just banging away to make some strange art.

Okay, we’re back to a more punk sounding songs, Alex just sang out “we’re not afraid of the Russians.” I am liking this, I feel like it’s the perfect mixture of weird art and traditional song. It’s just weird enough and there are a lot of layers. Like, suddenly a groovy guitar solo comes in and it seems like they’d be really fun to see live, even though I’m remembering that they’re the band that never does live shows. This feels really improvisational.

Alex just told me that the song on now is “You’ve Been Duplicated,” so here’s a link. It’s got a lot of scary whisper singing in it and the kind of guitar that sounds like it encourages travel, it’s rambling along on that winding road we call music.

I just said to Alex, so what makes you want to put this on and listen to it? I like it, but I can’t see myself thinking, I want to listen to this album right now! Like I do with other music that I like. Alex said, “It’s just totally out of control, it sounds like it’s from another fucking planet. I could listen to this album for a 100 years and never figure out how they made all the sounds on it. Like, this is something played backwards, it’s all crazy, it’s total mayhem.” I think that makes a lot of sense. You have to hear it like that though - how did they make it? What are they doing? Are they aliens? Are they human? You have to throw away the “I wish there was something I could sing along to,” feeling. You must accept the crazy. You have to be curious

On to side two!

Okay, well, side two is definitely the more haunted side. Oh it’s creepy! It sounds like he’s singing with a vampire cape wrapped around himself. He’s singing about how he saw me in a monkey cage at the zoo.

Let’s talk about the cover for a bit. I have nothing to say actually. It’s boring. But definitely reinforces that this music is meant to be listened to on the moon. Also, the vinyl is navy blue. And I love it.

I’m really digging the All Music review of this album which calls, Edge’s vocals “Iggy-ish!” so it’s not just me! The Edge vocals are really standing out to me even though it’s Helios who get’s more into the outer space vibe.

Overall, I’m happy to be exposed to this album. It was fun to listen to and then try to describe what I was hearing through writing. But, I know when I’m home alone, or with Harvey (that’s what we named our son btw, instead of Helios!) and thumbing through our records, looking for something to put on, this is never going to be my first choice. However, I’m going to try and remember that I liked it and put it on anyway one day and see what happens. If anything, I think it’ll make me a pretty cool mom.

Alex says: I taped this off of my friend Michael Troutman in ... probably 1997 or so, and then one day when I was on my way to community college I popped it in the tape player and I was like “what is this! It sounds like the rolling stones were abducted by aliens!” I listened to it non-stop for a month or so, and then Michael Troutman got in my car, and told me it was Chrome. I was hooked after that.

I would say if there was a sound I would like to emulate more than any other in the world as a musician, it would be the fried, weird Chrome rock songs. They sound like they’re having so much fun. They are trying to seem kind of menacing and weird, but their music is actually pretty goofy. Really steady drumming, kind of bouncy synth bass, just a lot of fun. It’s kind of jarring -- scary music that sounds fun.

[alltherecords-blog]

The Clash "Give 'Em Enough Rope" (1978)

Hey everyone, today I'm reviewing the last Clash album in Alex's collection. But before we start, for anyone wondering if I've had that baby yet, click here to find out! http://www.haveyouhadthatbabyyet.com/

Due date is Feb. 3rd, I was originally hoping for January 29th, because that's Oprah's birthday, but now I'm just hoping I make it through the blizzard without going into labor. So, I take it back, wait until your due date, or longer please, baby!

I actually started this review last night but stopped writing after the first side, I just felt like I wasn't saying anything original or interesting and wasn't really giving it my all, so I said I'd come back to it tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure the only reason I did was because I got an email from a stranger today telling me how much he loves my blog, and that his only complaint is that I've slowed down in reviews. "Oh, to back to the heady days of May and June 2014 when you must have had a lot of downtime to listen to music." He wrote, and it totally inspired me to finish this review, which ended up being really fun to write. So, this one's for you, Jim.  And thanks to everyone else who's encouraged me, I've been doing this for almost a year and we're still in the C's! But this project really isn't about the finish line, is it?

Okay! So let's listen to The Clash, shall we? The first song is called "Safe European Home," and I'm enjoying the upbeat sound, although based on the title I have a feeling the lyrics aren't as upbeat as the tune, but I can understand them that clearly. Although Alex keeps occasionally singing out a line, such as "they've got the weed and they've got the taxis." I really like how the song closes with the "Rudie come from Jamaica" part. It really makes you want to get up and start dancing with someone that you really like. Like your best friend or a boy you are in love with. Great start, you guys!

"English Civil War," has some pretty great guitar solos. I asked Alex "how do you feel about these guitar solos?" and he said, "they rule, how do you feel about them." I said, "yeah, I was thinking the same thing." Is "The Ants Go Marching One by One," a war song? Because I think of it as a children's song. Right? Don't we learn this song as kids? Because of that, I feel like I'm not really into the melody of this song, but I do like the guitar solos. 

I'm not sure how I feel about the piano in "Cheap-skate." I think I like when they stick to a more guitar heavy sound. I asked Alex how he feels about the piano and he said, "I don't know, I think it's kind of a cool thing to do, being a punk band and playing the piano like that," Might have a point there, but I feel like it's just not the sound I want to be hearing right now. Then he said, "but it's a little too late 50's R&B for my taste."

When I first looked at the cover, I said, "oh, it's Chinese!" But it's not really. The lettering is English with an with extra marks here and there to make them look like Chinese characters. I'm not sure where the cover images come from, but I like the collage look to it. I'm going to Google the cover and see if I get any info. When you first look at Wikipedia, you'll find one extremely noncontroversial sentence about the cover that says this:

"The cover was designed by Gene Grief, the front of which was based on a postcard titled "End of the Trail", photographed by Adrian Atwater and featuring Wallace Irving Robertson."

But then when you google: "gene grief end of the trail" you will find this amazing website where you will learn that there actually is a controversy. Gene Grief stole the credit for this cover! It was really designed by Hugh Brown. Click through to get the website whole story, also to see this very cool photograph of Mick Jones taken by Hugh Brown. Gene Grief sounds like a real jerk. Oh, also, make sure you click on the links for the songs "Safe European Home" and "Stay Free."

Alright, on to side two!

Side two definitely does not start with the bang that side one starts with, with "Guns of the Roof," I'm finding this song pretty boring actually.

'Stay Free," is way too poppy to be a Clash song, but it's still good. It kind of sounds like a cover. It also sounds like it would be a really fun song to cover. I'd like to hear a girl's voice sing this song.

Even though the second side is underwhelming, I like this album, and I like these songs way better than their more polished, produced, and popular ones like "Rock the Casbah." I'm glad it lives in my house, with it's controversial cover art so that I can listen to it and look at it whenever I want. Stay safe in the blizzard fellow north easterners! I recommend putting on some clash albums, hunkering the fuck down and rocking the fuck out.

[alltherecords-blog]

The Clash "Black Market Clash" (1980)

Look at this little cutie! We’re talking the opposite of 3 disc Sandinista! here. Instead we’ve got a nice little 9 song 10-inch. I noticed it is a “cut copy” (see me throwing that record lingo around like it ‘aint no thing?) and asked Alex if that means it’s worth more money and he said he doesn’t think so. According to the sticker on the back Alex bought this 10 inch for $4.72 at Encore records. He thinks his friend Fred Thomas gave it to him as a present actually. Aw, sweet Fred, you left the price tag on!

I’m also really into the fact that the sleeve is super soft and brown and almost feels like paper towel paper. There’s a phone number written on it in Alex’s handwriting.With no area code. Remember when you didn’t need to write down area codes? I want to call it, but what should I say?

Well in the mean time, let’s put some music on!

These songs are going by so fast! We’re on number three already with a cover of “Pressure Drop.” How could you not love any version of this song? I don’t think I’ve ever heard this version and I’m really liking it. People should play this song at weddings more often.

The next song is “Cheat” which starts off with some pretty awesome lyrics: “I get violent when i'm fucked up I get silent when i'm drugged up.” SO BADASS. Aren’t you crushing out so hard on the boy singing those lyrics right now? That’s what I should say if I call the number on the sleeve.

On to side two with a very mellow song called “bankrobber/robber dub.” Let’s be honest here, ideally you should be smoking a joint while listening to this song, or have any kind of head space that encourages slow motion. I really like his voice on this song, it sounds kind of hoarse and passionate.

Here’s an interesting tidbit: according to theclash.com, “the album cover shows an image of Clash video-maker Don Letts during the 1976 Notting Hill riot.” Now I have to look up Notting Hill riot. Apparently there were two. The one in 1958 is more famous and has a wikipedia page. The one from the cover was also racially charged. 

Side two is a total chill out jam session. Just put it on and let it carry you away.

This ten inch was good and I’m glad we own it. Thanks for giving it to Alex all those years ago, Fred!

By the way, Alex hosts a new podcast called Reply All. You should follow their tumblr. He is drawing pictures for people who send him screenshots of good iTunes reviews of his show, and since we were listening to this together, he decided to draw the image of Don Letts from the cover of Black Market Clash.

Listen to his show! It's good!

[alltherecords-blog]

The Clash "Sandinista!' (1980)

This review took me FOREVER. I started it ON THANKSGIVING. Being a triple album there is a lot to get through and a lot that just felt boring and hard to write about, even though I did like a lot of it. You’ll see that I do not talk about every song on this album, not even close. But I listened to the entire thing. So here it is. I finished it. Thank god, we can all move on.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Let’s listen to some Clash! And this album is a feast with 6 sides! Unbutton your pants and let’s do this!

“The Magnificent Seven”! Kinda disco-y! I’m like the fast paced beat though. It almost sounds like rapping, especially early 80s rapping, and I feel like they’re totally pulling it off.  I just realized that the title of this album includes an exclamation point. Funny that I felt the need to include on after the first song too. There’s something very exclamation pointy about this song.

“Hitsville U.K.”  Feels so celebratory and delightfully 80s. And maybe this is just Thanksgiving night talking, but it almost sounds like a Christmas song. A really good one! With the male and female voices and xylophone. It’s just invoking a jolly feeling.

Now we’re into some serious reggae with “Junco Partner.” I feel like The Clash is the rare kind of band that can pull of three songs in a row that sound nothing like each other on an album, because somehow, they still manage to sound like Clash songs.

Okay, the beginning of “Something About England,” is waaaaay different than anything else I’ve ever heard by this band. Is this like their Pet Sounds album? I like it though, I feel like this album is just confirming what I’ve been saying since review number one- The Clash is a fucking awesome.

On to side two!

Of course side two starts with a waltz called “Rebel Waltz”. I’d like to see a dance performance done to this song. While I am enjoying this album, a lot, I am sort of missing that big hit song feel from the other two albums. So far I think “The Magnificent Seven” is the only one that comes close to that category.

Because “One More Time,” and then “One More Time Dub” is a little much. I think my enthusiasm for this album is waning a little bit.

On to side three! This side feels like a mini reggae album interlude. Something to remember: if you’re in the mood for Clash reggae songs, put on side three of Sandinista! That’s the thing about long albums like this. Sometimes you forget that you don’t always have to start at side one and the later sides barely get listened to because you never last that long. So next time you put on Sandinista!, maybe start on side three.

Alright, we’re halfway there. I’m going to go pee and eat that cupcake I grabbed on the way out of my Aunt and Uncle’s house before putting on side four. Actually I decided to watch While You Were Sleeping and then go to bed. So now it’s the day after Thanksgiving! Let’s put on side four!

“Police on My Back” sounds very Clashy. I like the yelling out of days of the week. This is a good one. “Midnight Log,” has kind of a cowboy western feel about it. But then we’re back to some serious reggae with “The Equaliser.” I kind of wish all of the reggae songs were on their own album together, because they’re starting to mess up my flow a little bit. With that said, I like these songs, and think it’s a great album to put on when you’re doing something else. But when I’m just sitting here trying to really listen to each song, the reggae songs kind of take me out of the zone.

The lyrics of “Washington Bullets,” is like a Clash version of “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” or “It’s the End of the World as we Know it.” I feel like I used to think those kind of “history lyrics,” were really cool when I was younger. But now I’m underwhelmed by them. “Broadway,” ends with a little girl singing a cover of “Guns of Brixton.” That was unexpected. I think they should have cut it.

Alright, we’re on the last lp onto side 5! It starts with “Lose this Skin,” which is very fiddle heavy and is almost reminding me of Dave Matthews Band for a second! Because of the fiddle. I just yelled, “who is singing this?!?” Tymon Dogg is singing this. Huh. Who is that? Alex says this song reminds him of Three Dog Night’s “Joy to the World.” You just never know where this album is going to take you, do ya? PS- It’s now December 28th btw. 11 more songs to go.

I feel like this album has hidden mixtape gems. Like this song, “Charlie Don’t Surf,” I feel like this would be impressive to include on a mixtape for someone who would probably be like, I’ve never heard this Clash song before! But then they could move on with their lives and not have to listen to three lps worth of Clash songs that they’ve never really heard of before.

I’ve lost track of what song I’m on, still on side five. After “Charlie Don’t Surf,” it almost started sounding like Pink Floyd to me with “Mensforth Hill.”

Oh yeah, side 6! Let’s do this! On this side so far, every song starts with some cryptic talking and then goes into a mostly reggae sounding song. Except for “Silicone On Sapphire,” which sounds like a song from the future. I’m sorry guys, I’m just not feeling children singing on this album. What’s going on with “Career Opportunities?”

Ultimately, I don’t hate this album, I just hate trying to review it. This is a great long thing to listen to when you’re hanging around the house. It lasts for a few hours and some of the songs are really good. The other songs are fine, and might surprise you while you’re walking through the living room to get some more coffee or something like that. But you’re not going to want to talk about every song on here. There’s just too much. Just listen to it and shut up. And don’t feel like you have to start on side one every time.

[alltherecords-blog]

Henry Mancini, His Orchestra and Chorus "A Very Mancini Christmas" (1966)

I was obsessed with Audrey Hepburn for a very long time (I’d say about 7th grade through most of college). I would also like to point out that my obsession with Audrey Hepburn happened way before Ikea sold prints of Holly Golightly that you could hang on the wall, and way before that Gap ad. So when I saw a Best of Henry Mancini CD at the Princeton Record exchange, I immediately wanted it because of  “Moon River.” I loved to listen to this cd to fall asleep to. With that said, I would have never discovered Audrey Hepburn if it wasn’t for my older cousin Liz who discovered her first. I will admit my early obsession started because I just wanted to be obsessed with anything Liz was obsessed with. (Other obsessions included W magazine and New York City). But then it did turn into a true idolization and love for Audrey that I still have, even though back in seventh grade, no one knew who I was talking about when I brought her up, and I liked it that way.

So when I found out that Alex had the Henry Mancini Christmas album I was very excited about it and excited to impress him with my previous knowledge of who Henry Mancini is. “Oh, I love Henry Mancini,” is what I got to say. But I’m kind of bummed because if my cousins and I had known about a Henry Mancini Christmas Album during our peak Audrey obsession days we would have be SO OBSESSED WITH IT. Because that was the whole point- obsessions.

Either way, I have it to listen to now! So let’s stare at the beautiful jeweled snowflake on the cover for a few minutes and then put it on!

Well, we start off with “The Little Drummer Boy,” and we all know how I feel about this song. However, the vocals are kind of soothing and relaxing and this is definitely a better version than The Supremes' version.

Thank god though, next up is a medley! I love a good medley and a Christmas themed medley is usually the best kind. It starts off with a real jazzy version of “Jingle Bells” where they say “Jingle-ingle-ingle” once instead of just “jingle,” to take you by jazzy surprise. And then some really joyful horns come in.  I can feel it, we’re medley-ing into “Sleigh Ride”! so smooth guys, so seamless.

Oh my god, I just realized that almost this entire album is medleys.

The vocals on this album are just super dreamy and jazzy. You should be sitting in a leather chair in front of the fire drinking a good scotch on the rocks when listening to it, while your faithful dog sleeps by your feet.

The next medley is a combination of “Winter Wonderland” and “Silver Bells.” Jazz it up Mancini singers! Jazz. It. Up. Even though they’re we’re jazzing up “Winter Wonderland,” it gets pretty sleepy once we segue into “Silver Bells.” Why? Because “Silver Bells,” is a boring, sleepy ass song. There’s no saving it. You just have to wait for it to be over. Which luckily it now is.

Good, because now we’re going into a “Frosty the Snowman” and “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,” the true children’s Christmas songs.

Side A closes with “White Christmas.” What is it about this song that makes me love it so much? Why do I love this song but hate “Silver Bells”? If someone knows the answer, please explain it to me. This song is so good. Also, it was written by a Jewish person, which furthers my argument that Christmas is best celebrated as an American holiday and not a Christian one.

Side B starts with an instrumental. It’s pretty but a little boring. It feels like something an orchestra plays before that actual play starts. Just to get everyone to shut up and pay attention. I’m a little distracted right now though by Irving Berlin’s fascinating wikipedia page. Go read it!

Side B is turning out to be a little more boring than side A. It’s definitely more subdued and less jazzy even though it’s still medley packed. I’m still enjoying it though, it’s all classic Christmas tunes it and is good background music to listen to while you’re reading Irving Berlin’s extensive wikipedia page. This side is a little more the traditional religious songs too especially with the “We Three Kings,” “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” and “Joy to the world” medley.

All in all this album is good. Not a favorite Christmas choice, but a good evening, holiday cocktail party jam. You might want to give it a try.