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Johnny Cash – At Folsom Prison (Columbia – CS 9639, 1968 🇺🇸)

Jenny Owen Youngs and I had a great chat about imperfection in recording—which led us to Johnny Cash’s legendary “prison albums,” full of ambient noise and raw presence. I flub the title of “25 Minutes to Go,” but you’ll get the point.

We also dig into the deluxe edition of her Avalanche record and her hit podcast “Buffering the Vampire”.

Full episode drops Wednesday at www.theSharpNotes.com.

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Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (Columbia – PC 33453, 1975)

I know I’m not telling my Floyd fan friends anything they don’t already know—but I think the reason I’ve always felt a little disconnected from their music is that the band was never chasing chart-topping singles. They were more interested in creating a carefully constructed sonic environment.

To their credit, that makes their commercial success even more impressive.

I enjoyed revisiting this recently—but you’ve got to be in the right headspace. You have to let the band’s meandering sonic story take the lead. What begins as a quiet creek might just end in a full-blown waterfall.

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Bill Evans – Further Ahead (Live In Finland 1964-1969) (Elemental Music – 5990551, 2025)

Hard to believe Record Store Day was already two weeks ago. I’m still catching up on this year’s releases — though that’s not really surprising, considering the embarrassing number of records have been sitting on my shelves, unplayed and waiting.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this set, but it exceeded whatever expectations I had. It also gave me a deeper appreciation for just how clean live recordings could be in the ’60s.

There’s a lot to unpack here — the liner notes alone are dense — so I’m still working my way through it all. But what I’ve heard so far is outstanding.

Looking forward to speaking with Zev Feldman in the next few weeks about this release and his remarkable career. Hope you’re looking forward to that too.

Did you pick this one up? What are your thoughts?

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There is no #2 at Columbia Records, Paul Rappaport explains being the best in rock promotions.

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William Hooker continues proving that the fringe is still the center | The Sharp Notes Interview w/ Evan Toth. Hooker talks free jazz, vinyl as artifact, and his newest album that was recorded at Brooklyn’s Roulette Intermedium.

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Paul Rappaport talks about the good old days running promotion at Columbia Records #ironmaiden #fencing #musicbusiness

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Elvis Costello And The Attractions – Punch The Clock (F-Beat – RPL-8211, 1983 🇯🇵) Elvis announced more dates on his “Radio Soul!” tour which features music that he released up until 1986 (which features the bulk of his greatest hits material, of course) and - also, of course - will certainly include some numbers from “Punch the Clock” which - if you’ll heed my suggestion - is best consumed Side B first. For more info about the tour, visit the Sharp Notes dot com and read all about it.

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Grant Green – Shades of Green (Blue Note – BST-84413, 1972 🇺🇸)

Wow. Finally got my hands on this semi-grail, and the wait was worth it. Mille grazie to @station1booksvinyl for connecting me with a sealed copy—untouched since 1972.

From what I’ve gathered, this album hasn’t seen a vinyl reissue since its original release. @bluenoterecords & @jazzsaraswati, could this be a future Tone Poet contender?

Sonically, this pressing is outstanding. The drums? Three-dimensional and right in your face. Grant’s guitar? As sharp and soulful as ever, effortlessly bridging jazz and straight-up rock & roll. (Did he and Chuck Berry ever cross paths?)

The tracklist leans contemporary (for ’72), which might not be for the purists—but for me, it’s heaven. The intimacy of Grant’s take on “If You Really Love Me”? Unmatched. “Sunrise, Sunset”? Didn’t see that coming. And “In the Middle”? Pure gritty, hot summer city strut.

“Shades of Green” just keeps giving. But that album cover? Well, you can’t have it all, can you?

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Jeannie Piersol – The Nest (High Moon Records – SKU: HMR019, 2025 🇺🇸)

What a pleasure it was to speak with Jeannie - and Alex Palao - yesterday about this exciting release from High Moon that came out just a few short weeks ago; it was a long time in the making.

What do I mean when I use the word exciting? I mean, discovery. Of finding music that you didn’t know existed and to be given a release that treats the work with the reverence and scholarship that it deserves. And to be able to speak with the key figure of the project was a real treat.

Did she have stories about rubbing elbows with Grace Slick and Janis Joplin? Sure, but she also wanted to talk about the Super Bowl. It was all fine with me. I’ll be posting the interview soon, but in the meantime, take a listen to this terrific compendium of Jeannie’s work; it’s better than great: it’s singular.

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Serebii Finds Freedom in Self-Imposed Boundaries | The Sharp Notes Interview: In a world where bigger, louder, and more visible often seem to reign supreme, Serebii finds freedom in the art of restraint.

"A friend of mine told me about “the spell” when you feel a song has lost your interest in a moment, it is simply the goal of deciphering what pulled you out of the magic, it can involve cut throat decision making, sometimes removing elements of songs of even entire sections, to get back to the enchantment of the song."

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Dylan’s Messy Masterpiece Turns a Half Century Old

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What if a musician chose to keep their music off of streaming services and simply release physical media? Well, @willdailey is about to experiment with that very idea and he and Evan Toth delve into the details of his plan.

"I'm trying to be pro connection. First and foremost, I just decided that, you know what, I have enough in life. I don't need to be measured by any of the things that are put upon artists that aren't real. Let's be honest. By asking for less of the things that we assign measurement to, I believe I can add more to the individual connection people might have to this particular album. It's going to be slower, it's going to be quieter. I have to admit, I don't mind those things at all. It's going to be more fortifying at the same time."

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Find Joe Bataan's "Riot!" on your Black Friday Record Store Day excursions. Read about this exclusive Fania Records / Craft Recordings below. Only 2,100 of these were pressed, so keep your eyes peeled if you love late 60s #Boogaloo. #vinyl #BlackFriday

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Today may be Turkey Day, but tomorrow is Record Store Day's Black Friday. One of the albums available will be Charles Tolliver's "Live at the Captain's Cabin". Read a review by Evan Toth and see if it's on your shopping list.

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Happy Thanksgiving, gang!

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The Wrensilva Story

Scott Salyer from Wrensilva speaks about the story behind the company who is creating the world's finest console stereo in the 21st century.

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The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour

On this day in 1967, The Beatles continued perfecting their pre-holiday release schedule. Is it "I buried Paul" or "cranberry sauce"? Who knows? Happy Thanksgiving eve!