Slip out of that saddle and come a little closer. Let me help you with that bit. We can share some true 'unbridled' passion.
Sunday, July 28, 2019
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Saturday, July 20, 2019
Captain Beefheart - Send it to Me
In 1968, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band released their second LP
Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band - Strictly Personal (Blue Thumb 1968)
One of many albums at the time appearing like a letter.
The band was not happy with the release as the producer, Bob Krasnow, took his liberties with the mix. Added phasing and blurring of the tracks were not blessed by artist. The Captain has since disowned it.
At the time the band was searching for a new name. One of the suggestions, Blue Thumb, was rejected by Krasnow. When he launched his own record label, he called it Blue Thumb. The release featured on this post is the first LP on the label (BTS1).
The pressing I purchased for the whopping sum of $2.99 is the original first pressing predating Blue Thumbs distribution deal with Capitol.
Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band - Strictly Personal (Blue Thumb 1968)
One of many albums at the time appearing like a letter.
The band was not happy with the release as the producer, Bob Krasnow, took his liberties with the mix. Added phasing and blurring of the tracks were not blessed by artist. The Captain has since disowned it.
At the time the band was searching for a new name. One of the suggestions, Blue Thumb, was rejected by Krasnow. When he launched his own record label, he called it Blue Thumb. The release featured on this post is the first LP on the label (BTS1).
The pressing I purchased for the whopping sum of $2.99 is the original first pressing predating Blue Thumbs distribution deal with Capitol.
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
McLemore Avenue
In 1969, The Beatles's Abbey Road was released with it's now iconic cover featuring the band crossing the street in front of the Abbey Road studios in London. In 1970, Booker T and the MG's released an album covering the tracks.
Booker T and the MG's - McLemore Avenue (Stax 1970)
Booker T and the MG's were the house band at Stax Records located on McLemore Avenue in Memphis. It makes sense we get them crossing the street in front of the Stax studio in Memphis.
There's even a version of the back cover featuring a street sign.
As an extra added bonus - a gatefold.
Saturday, July 13, 2019
The Last Alice Cooper Album
In 1974 Alice Cooper released their final album
Alice Cooper - Muscle of Love (Warner Brothers 1974)
It came in a corrugated cardboard box with pre printed stains.
Inside we get a bit of a story as told in three panels.
Inner sleeve front we see Alice Cooper dressed in sailor suits. It's assumed they're on shore leave loaded with cash about to enter The Institute of Nude Wresting.
Inner sleeve back - the band has been beaten up and thrown out. The nude wrestler appears to have been a gorilla.
As an extra added bonus, a bookcover was included for all you schoolkids. The front depicts the aftermath of their escapades. A sentence of peeling potatoes by the score.
During their lifespan, the singer changed his name to Alice Cooper. He was then able to continue his career without a loss of momentum. I file all band records under A and Alice's solo records under C.
The rest of the guys carried on as Billion Dollar Babies. Their career went nowhere.
Alice Cooper - Muscle of Love (Warner Brothers 1974)
It came in a corrugated cardboard box with pre printed stains.
Inside we get a bit of a story as told in three panels.
Inner sleeve front we see Alice Cooper dressed in sailor suits. It's assumed they're on shore leave loaded with cash about to enter The Institute of Nude Wresting.
Inner sleeve back - the band has been beaten up and thrown out. The nude wrestler appears to have been a gorilla.
As an extra added bonus, a bookcover was included for all you schoolkids. The front depicts the aftermath of their escapades. A sentence of peeling potatoes by the score.
During their lifespan, the singer changed his name to Alice Cooper. He was then able to continue his career without a loss of momentum. I file all band records under A and Alice's solo records under C.
The rest of the guys carried on as Billion Dollar Babies. Their career went nowhere.
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
Love Walked In
My wife is taking some well deserved time off after completing a brutal long term project. This means I should be greeted with this when I come home from work.
Looking forward to it.
Saturday, July 6, 2019
RIP Series - Gary Duncan
Guitarist and vocalist for Quicksilver Messenger Service.
Quicksilver was a band on the San Francisco scene. After the success of the Jefferson Airplane, the majors all signed their Bay Area bands. Columbia got Big Brother, Santana and It's a Beautiful Day. Warner Brothers got the Grateful Dead. Capitol got Quicksilver and The Steve Miller Band.
Their first album is a classic of the era. Often overshadowed by the Airplane and the Dead, it's arguably a better album than either of their debuts.
Quicksilver was a band on the San Francisco scene. After the success of the Jefferson Airplane, the majors all signed their Bay Area bands. Columbia got Big Brother, Santana and It's a Beautiful Day. Warner Brothers got the Grateful Dead. Capitol got Quicksilver and The Steve Miller Band.
Their first album is a classic of the era. Often overshadowed by the Airplane and the Dead, it's arguably a better album than either of their debuts.
Monday, July 1, 2019
Happy 4th Of July - F**k Yeah!
Happy 4th. I don't have many records that celebrate being an American. Here's one of the few
Grand Funk (nee Grand Funk Railroad) - We're An American Band (Capitol 1973)
What's so American about it aside from the modifier indicating our nationality? The title track deals with groupie excesses not unique to Yanks. The Rolling Stones (among others) said it better.
Let's look at things that make this American.....
1. The band in a hay loft surrounded by American Flags. Probably chased out there by the proverbial farmer's daughter's father. Are they supposed to be travelling salesmen? If they're a rock band and forced to seek shelter on a farm, they ain't playin' Madison Square Garden.
2. The retail history of the record - Originally put out there at full price, returned, placed in the cutout bin (as evidenced by the typical Capitol hole in the upper right), sold to a consumer, sold back to a record store, placed in the used bin then purchased by me for $2.99 from Rockaway Records in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles.
3. And lets talk American manufacturing ingenuity. Record packaging is assembled by hand. Factory workers take a cover, a record, and an inner sleeve and manually put them together. This is one of those fold over covers where the record is inserted on the left. The worker, not wanting to reconfigure the robotic sequence they'd developed over the years treated it as though it was inserted on the right. This was probably outside the watchful eye of the supervisor. So if you line up the cutout hole with the hole in the inner sleeve we find the opening on the bottom. The inner sleeve was inserted upside down.
By the way - this record was huge.
Grand Funk (nee Grand Funk Railroad) - We're An American Band (Capitol 1973)
What's so American about it aside from the modifier indicating our nationality? The title track deals with groupie excesses not unique to Yanks. The Rolling Stones (among others) said it better.
Let's look at things that make this American.....
1. The band in a hay loft surrounded by American Flags. Probably chased out there by the proverbial farmer's daughter's father. Are they supposed to be travelling salesmen? If they're a rock band and forced to seek shelter on a farm, they ain't playin' Madison Square Garden.
2. The retail history of the record - Originally put out there at full price, returned, placed in the cutout bin (as evidenced by the typical Capitol hole in the upper right), sold to a consumer, sold back to a record store, placed in the used bin then purchased by me for $2.99 from Rockaway Records in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles.
3. And lets talk American manufacturing ingenuity. Record packaging is assembled by hand. Factory workers take a cover, a record, and an inner sleeve and manually put them together. This is one of those fold over covers where the record is inserted on the left. The worker, not wanting to reconfigure the robotic sequence they'd developed over the years treated it as though it was inserted on the right. This was probably outside the watchful eye of the supervisor. So if you line up the cutout hole with the hole in the inner sleeve we find the opening on the bottom. The inner sleeve was inserted upside down.
By the way - this record was huge.
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