Presented here, with little-to-no creative description (read: little-to-no sizable effort) is a snapshot illustration of the mighty Lynyrd Skynyrd making southern rock mythical music. Art is by Dean Kilpatrick, and it can be found within the pried bowels of the band’s 1979 best-of, Gold & Platinum. Carry on.
Category Archives: 1979
Gold Plated
Lynyrd Skynyrd Gold & Platinum Band… sounds important… shit, think I’ll check it out. Spanning the band’s most prolific years (1972 – 1977), Gold & Platinum is a monster of a compilation, and managed to go 3x Platinum in its own right. Skynyrd albums are fairly affordable these days, and while I always recommend starting with a band’s debut, then mosey on down the discography line, in a pinch, this heavy-hitter covers all the bases, and offers a few, subtle surprises along the way.
Armed Forces
So happy to finally get this stellar Elvis Costello and the Attractions album from ’79 titled, Armed Forces. Presented here is the US variant cover (UK cover showcases elephants, for those with inquisitive minds). Obviously a much-needed classic, this copy was purchased by my nephews at a South Jersey record shop as a holiday gift. Thanks again, buddies!!
Now
So, I’m trying to convince my wife that Apocalypse Now is arguably the best war film ever made. It’s not my favorite, but the dismal and carnal world that F. F. Coppola crafted, coupled with the otherworldly performance by Martin Sheen makes for a gasping concoction of audio and visual stimulation that never really leaves the subconscious. She’s never seen it (gasp!), so we’re going to begin with Carmine and Francis Coppola’s Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Fingers crossed we both survive the horror.
52
I’m a bit ashamed to admit that it took me until a week ago to acquire this seminal new wave classic, The B-52’s self-titled debut from 1979. For years I thought I’d already owned it, which is why I’d passed it up so many uneducated times, but now, all those misfortunes are a thing of the past, because Rock Lobster (final track on side 1) has finally come home.
Meco Meco
This was an oops purchase, well, the second copy anyway. Meco Monardo, known primarily for his disco-infused Star Wars album, Music Inspired by Star Wars and other Galactic Funk, continued to tackle box office monsters with his 1978 release of The Wizard of Oz, and this 1979 offering, Superman and Other Galactic Heroes. So nice, we had to buy it twice… by sheer accident. If you can stomach disco, and have an ear for cinematic familiarity, Meco is your man.
The Kids…
What we know: The Kids Are Alright is a delightful little track released by The Who in August of 1966.What we also know: The Kids Are Alright is a rockumentary, featuring The Who, released in May of 1979.
What we also, also know: The Kids Are Alright is a double LP soundtrack to the aforementioned rockumentary, and contains some of this legendary band’s greatest hits.
The Kids… Are Alright
Back to the Top
It’s a Degüello kind of day ’round these here parts. Actually, it’s BEEN a Degüello kind of day for some time coming. It should be on Spotify if you don’t have it (which you should), so be sure to check it out at some point today. Originally slated for today’s post was 1983’s Eliminator… that was until I found some unidentified gunk on the cover. Far be it for me to air my dirty vinyl laundry.
Bustin’ Out
If you’re like me, and randomly find yourself in the mood for some late 70s freaky funk, might I suggest you bust out of L Seven with James Ambrose Johnson, Jr. (aka Rick James) on this, the man’s 2nd studio album, Bustin’ out of L Seven. I mean, the weekend is almost here, so why not let the funk get’cha a head start?
Epic Stereo Cassette
Double analog owner of this “Epic Stereo Cassette” MAY have cycled one official listen way back in the day, but she’s new meat now that Mr. Suave Walkman is in town. One acquires an eye for the essentials, regardless of the medium, while on the frigid hunt. 2 Record Set on One Cassette ain’t too shappy… Epic Stereo Cassette
Bela Lugosi = Dead
Get in, get out, not unlike the first release from Goth rock kingpins, Bauhaus. With only three tracks, including a demo for Dark Entries, this 1979 Small Wonder Records release, appropriately titled Bela Lugosi’s Dead, is essential Saturday listening material for those t-shirt and jeans punk rockers looking for something with a little more agony. Listen with caution, friends, but listen often.
PoPo
Message in a Bottle was one of the catchy, radio-tastic songs I’d heard as a kid that really kind of stuck with me over the ensuing years. At the time, I had no idea who the hell The Police were, but that track and Wrapped Around My Finger seemed to “mean” something, although I couldn’t quite comprehend why. Images of leafing through G.I. Joe figures at the East Town Mall with the lampooning lyrics of Sting pummeling through the speakers is an experience I’ll never forego. That may be why I now own their entire catalog.
Breakfast
In just a few hours it’ll be time to eat… breakfast, Supertramp style. Breakfast in America marks the band’s sixth studio album, and with it, four amazing singles, including Goodbye Stranger, likely what you’ll be saying tomorrow morning when its time for that breakfast, catch my drift?
Fight War, Not Wars…
Fight war, not wars. Destroy power, not people. – Crass
They wouldn’t be revered if they weren’t delicious. In the most simplistic of terms, Crass were holders of mirrors, reflecting the filth and smut of humanity. Blaming the frame which holds the mirror is much more popular than facing the impure and whorish tendencies we all inhabit as we stand and reflect. We hope to see something fixed, something humane, but reflection cannot, and does not lie.
Comp Time
Comps! Comps! Get ‘yer Comps! I grew up on comps, and found them to be a lucrative open door into an unknown, and possibly euphoric new world. Sometimes this world is filled with lavish new shapes and colors presented by then unknown artists with which to analyze and follow, and other times the world is a stale, duct-taped collage of one-note forgettables.
Released in 1979, this Casablanca Records 2 LP comp was my “go-to” disco album (as much as a 17-year-old “goes-to” disco in rural Wisconsin) back in 1997, and is a golden what’s-what of radio-raging jams. Shake Your Groove Thing, Y.M.C.A., Last Dance, Hot Jungle Drums and Voo Doo Rhythm, and Le Freak unveil the shawl to many more sweaty, overheated body-gyrating grooves. If you can stomach disco, A Night at Studio 54 is a great beginner’s guide to the ruckus genre, and comes “high”-ly recommended.
The Prudent Groove 