Back before their unscheduled hiatus, Los Angeles’ Cypress Hill unleashed a one-two punch with 1998’s Tequila Sunrise and Dr. Greenthumb, resurrected here. The latter was a personal favorite on and around the time of this 12″ release, but the former is / was just as good. Here’s hoping you had a 120 proof day… Lord knows we needed it!
Author Archives: The Prudent Groove
America… don’t fuck this up.
Hot Topic Exclusive
The day isn’t green, I’m just happy not to have to worry about acquiring this damn album ever again. Been holding out for the, ANY, green vinyl version of Green Day’s Dookie, and little over a year ago, I finally pulled the trigger. Happy Monday from the Caribbean, kids.
Jimi on the Beach
I’m not sure if Jimi ever played Cancún, but if he did, he certainly stayed at Now Sapphire. Swim up pools and exotic cocktails starting at 9am. Bring the kids.
Full Moon Fever
Shedding the Heartbreakers (for the most part… some members contributed throughout), 1989’s Full Moon Fever marks Tom Petty’s voyage into a very lucrative solo career. His debut album was, not entirely surprisingly, produced by Jeff Lynne (of Electric Light Orchestra), Tom Petty (of Tom Petty… k’mon), and Mike Campbell (of Don Henley and Stevie Nicks fame), and features the still-to-this-day radio hits, Runnin’ Down a Dream, I Won’t Back Down, and Free Fallin’. Classic rock for a modern age (well, as far as the late 1980s were concerned), Full Moon River is essential listening material for any decade.Vital Idolatry
This 1987 reissue of the 1985 compilation of the same name features on its US release an extra track (To Be a Lover), and an alternate track order, but still features, like its older original, massively successful remixes of the chart-topping singles from Billy’s first three albums. Songs like, Mony Mony, Hot in the City, Dancing with Myself, and both parts to White Wedding help make for a very enjoyable, slightly edgy spin (in that pop, mid-1980s type of way), and does its job of perfectly capturing the rock-synth-pop radio-friendly hits of this bygone era. One doesn’t hear much from Billy these days, but we’ll always have our White Wedding.
Disco is Dead
Every once in a while I’ll stumble across a record in the ol’ collection that 1) I had no idea I had and, 2) have no recollection of acquiring. Gloria Gaynor’s Love Tracks is one of these albums. The $0.99 price sticker on the cover offers a clue that it was purchased at a thrift store in Oxnard, CA in / around the mid 2000s, but that’s left to speculation. Anyway, disco has always gotten a bad rap from the corners of where I came from, but as an avid fan of electronic music of all sorts, I can get behind this drug-induced display of excess in a big way. 1978 was a good year for this lifestyle, and I halfheartedly believe that ol’ Gloria was speaking for the genre when she cried, I Will Survive, the feature track from this roller-disco favorite. Anyway, don’t forget to dance, kids.
Clearly, the Right Decision
As clear as an unmuddied lake, this 2016 reissue (from The Netherlands region) recently popped up in the US Epitaph online store, and was swiftly nabbed by staff here at The Prudent Groove. We now own Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent a total of five times, and the way Epitaph is kicking out short runs of color variants, that number is likely to increase very soon. Although not as prolific as their opus, 1998’s The Shape of Punk to Come, this 1996 precursor couples perfectly to create the uncompromising, one-two, hardcore punk-punch. Epitaph still has copies at the posting of this blurb, so jump on in.
The Unique Rhythms of…
Richard Marino and his Orchestra, straight from the pre-British Invasion days of 1961. Titled, quite magnificently, The Magic Beat!, this easy-listening, metronome-pace-keeping, jazz-pop (corn) masterwork features finger-licking tracks like, Lisbon Antiqua, Hot Sombrero, and Rots-O-Ruck (fairly certain that last one hurdles the line of racism in a pretty big way). Anyway, you’ll have the best luck finding The Magic Beat! in the magic dollar bin at your local brick and mortar, and, as with most records featured here, comes highly recommended.The Sound of the ‘Sixties!
Here is a colorful interpretation of The Sound of the Sixties courtesy of Liberty Records. Have a look. These inserts make for great desktop wallpaper, in my humble opinion.
A Sliver of Silver
Another day, another The Shape of Punk to Come variant… and I’m on board. Happy listening, kids.
‘eezer
Drifting away, drink by drink, whilst classic, early 2000 personal chart-toppers blare… disturbing my neighbors with little to no remorse. For those keeping score, we’re well acquainted with the slide-like effects of our homemade Manhattans, and with a riddled knock at the front door, things just went from great, to amazing. Behold! The Original Master Recording release of Weezer’s debut album. Apparently there’s a black vinyl version (sorry buddy), but we’re not gonna touch on that here. LOOK HOW DAMN BEAUTIFUL THIS RECORD IS! Anyway, there was a bit of record goo (read: vinyl debris) fixed to track one upon the initial submerging, but that’s been tested and we’re all good to go. I decided to hold off on the initial christening until tomorrow (now today… see how that works), so that I could mentally appreciate this album’s greatness. Rambling is now over… thank you for your patience.
Ladies and Gentlemen…
Steve Miller.
With a Side of Schmilsson
When snicker-snackin’ at 3:24 am, consider a salty toss of Nilsson (here, featured as Schmilsson). Calories don’t count at night, am I right?
Live from the Crypt
So, here’s a show, a live, musical performance by my favorite band… in the city with which I live… and I, unfortunately, and with an honest heart, doubt I’ll be able to make it. What’s the killer… IT’S DAMN FREE! Find yourself in the Studio City area on a random Thursday evening looking for boots, mosey on down to Studio City and check out only the greatest rock n’ roll band and live performance of all time.
Gimme that Burzootie, Baby
Well, it’s Tuesday, and it has felt like a Friday for the past three weeks. So, among other things much less noteworthy, let’s, at least for a moment, give an awkward nod to MCA & Burzootie (Adam Yauch and Jay Burnett) on their 1985 12″ Drum Machine. Once a sought after trophy in the Beastie Boys display case, and understandably, this borderline schizophrenic three track 12″ is post-post-hardcore, pre-License to Ill MCA, and is more than demanding of this, or any Tuesday night’s delicious spins. Spin with caution, and spin often.
The Now Sound Orchestra Strikes Back
The name looks right, at least, familiar, but the characters on the cover… not exactly sure what’s going on here. More disco than initially expected, the Now Sound Orchestra’s flamboyant interpretations of classic, sci-fi favorites is something, SHOULD be something, worthy of this amazing cover art. A classic, ready for reevaluation. You’re welcome.
The Magic Beat
AUDITION RECORD (iPhone Photoshop app wouldn’t allow a savable crop) #itisjustmylegs
SSINGLES
I was a little surprised to discover that I’d not touched upon arguably one of the greatest singles compilations ever to emerge from the early 1980s… Singles – 45’s and Under by Squeeze. She was my first introduction to the band, and I thought little to nothing about it upon first spin. Now, she’s one of my top 20 all-time releases. Copies are cheap, so if you find one, snatch it up!
Clowning Around
It seems as though everyone is afraid of clowns these days. Let’s not forget the classics. Have a Class Clown kind of a weekend, kids. Also, RIP George Carlin.
The Prudent Groove 