Another one of those records filed so deeply away into collection that I didn’t know I owned. There are more records in this category than I’m willing to admit. The Mighty Lemon Drops and their 1986 debut, Happy Head, must have been an early (verrrrrry early) thrift store find… that or from the $1 bin at Amoeba… before their prices skyrocket. Anyway, Happy Head is very 1986 indie-rock. It’s melodic, structurally sound, and certainly worthy of a spin… I just need to remember I own it.
Monthly Archives: October 2017
The Hike
Unfortunately, these are the only two Nilsson records in the collection. Something happened over the last few years, or appears to have happened anyway, which resulted in Nilsson album prices skyrocketing. I remember seeing casual albums for $8 – $10, where now they fetch upwards to $25-$30. And I’m generally only noticing this hike with Nilsson records specifically. I don’t know… something sure the hell is going on.
Mo Monks
Third Man Records released a 5-track EP earlier this year of previously unreleased material from 1967 by The Monks. This copy, though reasonably priced at $10.99, was in fact NOT the hand numbered white vinyl version limited to 300 copies. All good, however, as the music within captures this obscure band during their (presumably) last recording session prior to their inevitable breakup. All-in-all, a necessary acquisition, if only for the sake of modern music history.
Boots & Legs
One of these is a bootleg. Can you tell which one? Ok, the one on the right is clearly not an original release, but it was pressed on double orange vinyl… though it skips like a rock. Anyway, the bootleg (the one on the right, remember) was acquired first at a thrift store in the San Fernando Valley some years back, and the left was recently purchased from the $1 bin at the shop down the street. Bootlegs certainly have their time and place, but now that I own the original, I’m not sure I’d buy this one again given the opportunity.
Lesson #2
Rock N’ Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This).
Sphinctour
It’s been raining Ministry here lately. First was Animositisomina (originally released on compact disc in ’03), followed by this, 2002’s Sphinctour (getting the first-ever vinyl treatment earlier this year… like three weeks ago…), and finally, another first-ever-on-vinyl-blah-blah, 2004’s Houses of the Molé. All three were necessary acquisitions, and I’m now in possession of every studio Ministry album from 1983’s With Sympathy to 2006’s Rio Grande Blood (12 albums in total). Its the simple things, really.
Blues & Brass
After the success of The Man with the Golden Arm (Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score), Mr. Bernstein ventured away from the silver screen and into the modest world of long play analog media storage. His first album is this 1956 release on Decca, Blues & Brass, which captures what the back sleeve describes as “city blues” throughout 12 dramatic and late-night-comforting tracks. If Mr. Bernstein’s film scoring career wasn’t as hugely successful as it was (he scored The Ten Commandments the same year as this album’s release, mind you), he could have easily notched out a Space Age Pop, lounge-infused, groove-based career as a successful studio musician. Find this album. You’ll thank me later.
Bongos / Flues / Guitars
The title is all you need to know about Enoch Light’s 1960 insta-classic, Bongos / Flues / Guitars. Command Records, and Mr. Light specifically, cranked out a substantial number of quality LPs in the late 1950s – early 1960s. Though officially credited to Los Admiradores, Mr. Light acted as Director and Producer, not to mention he released the album on his Command label. Buy it for the mid-century cover, keep it for the floral, Latin jazz.
Animositisomina
Ministry’s 2003 studio album, Animositisomina FINALLY gets a vinyl release courtesy of UK’s Let Them Eat Vinyl. This 14-year-old album would be the last collaboration between industrial icons Al Jourgensen and Paul Barker, also known as Hypo Luxa and Hermes Pan. This was my go-to album whilst delivering pizza to the west side of Madison, WI before I moved back to California, and I am, without a doubt, ecstatic about its first-ever vinyl release.
Get Used… and Like it!
From what I can ascertain, Cheap Thrills is a functioning brick and mortar record shop in San Luis Obispo, CA. The internet tells me that it opened its doors back in 1971, and this protective record sleeve tells me that they deal / dealt in compact discs, tapes, video games, and LPs, all of the used variety. With a tagline like “get used… and like it!” it’s no wonder Cheap Thrills is still in business after 46 years.
Double the Gods?
Not exactly sure why we need to own The Young Gods’ 1986 EP, Envoy! multiple times, but this is our reality. Is it good, yup. Wax Trax! Records #21 (wax021), but double copies?! Somebody dropped the ball (me).
The Prudent Groove 