Happy Jaws Day, kiddos! (Photo courtesy of Jillian Kenney)
Category Archives: Misc
Delicious Pizza
By far the best pizza in all of Los Angeles, the newly opened Delicious Pizza not only takes its logo, hip-hop motif, and aesthetic flare from the LA-based label, it was in-part founded by non other than Delicious Vinyl co-founder Michael Ross. With wall-to-wall memorabilia from hip-hop’s golden age, Delicious Pizza is 2nd-to-none for great eats, great tunes, and dirt-cheap cocktails. Part museum, part hip-hop heaven, Delicious Pizza, in every conceivable way, lives up to its name.
Triple Digit Green
Sometimes in the triple digit heat in the middle of the desert you find a lovely little oasis and suddenly everything clicks like you knew that it should. God save the Village Green, ladies and gentlemen.
Old Time Piano
This is a fun one. So, long, sappy, convoluted story short, work has been a bear lately, so this past Saturday I decided to have some selfish fun. After liquoring up my SO on heavy margaritas and Mexican food, I nonchalantly informed her that we were heading to the local brick and mortar and that she had one, very important task at hand… one she certainly did not ask for, and one she admirably knocked out of the vinyl-spinning park. She was to pick out one record, period. See, she doesn’t collect vinyl… she cooks… and is amazing at it. I, collect… and eat her delicious goods. So, amongst a sea of Radiohead, Johnny Cash, and Beatles-related material, she picked Frank Froeba’s Old Time Piano 10″. I love this woman, and impromptu pairings of Mexican and record hunting is, I’m sorry kiddo, now a thing.
Write it With Your Paw
What is it about hand-numbered releases that draws so much mild elation from the collector? Is it the rarity? The often, almost illegible scribble isn’t much of a draw. Perhaps it’s hoping to score as low a number as possible? Or maybe, in the case of this 2008 vinyl release of Lawrence Arms’ 1999 debut album, A Guided Tour of Chicago, the hand-written, numbered feature is just a bonus that accompanies this album’s debut pressing. Whichever the reasoning behind its appeal, hand-numbered releases certainly aren’t going anywhere, and to that simple fact, I’m remain indifferent.
Reflections of the Hypothetical
If circumstances prohibited you to purchase only one more record before you died, what would it be?
Stipulations:
– Purchase needs to be new; no duplicate purchases (a 3rd copy of Richard Pryor’s Greatest Hits does not qualify… as awful as that sounds)
– Purchaser understands that no other record will be obtained after said purchase, and that this particular record will “complete” purchaser’s collection (or some type shit)
– Purchaser understands the depressing limitations that once and for all, the hunt is finally over (bummin’ me out, man)
Talk amongst yourselves…
(Photo is a desktop reflection of June 8th’s posting, for those of you keeping score…)
Screeching Queers AKA The Mr. Weasel Experience
If you find yourself aimlessly wandering around the Santa Ana area off Harbor Blvd on Saturday, August 8th, pop into The Observatory and check out Screeching Weasel, The Queers, and The Mr. T Experience. Fools were handing out these fliers after Saturday’s Rocket from the Crypt show and I thoughtlessly threw this guy in my back pocket. He emerged this morning while cleaning out the ol’ pockets. If you missed Rocket, you missed another mind-blowing experience. Happy Monday.
Live in Concert
Robert Gerard Goulet is many thing to many, many people. Vegas crooner, housewife heart-throb, and of course, uncompromising supernatural connoisseur à la Beetlejuice. But before his mustache-swaggered role in Tim Burton’s 1988 classic, Mr. Goulet released his first live album, 1963’s Robert Goulet in Person: Recorded Live in Concert. Jam packed with a medley per side, Mr. Goulet’s sugar sweet wails covers, including the medleys, 17 poppy jazz favorites, and is perfect mood setting music for dress-up play dates with your cocktail wielding significant other. Mr. Goulet comes highly recommended from the Groove. Happy Friday!
Radio
Back in 1985, and well before Mama Said Knock You Out, Ladies Love Cool James, aka LL Cool J released his full-length debut on Def Jam Records titled simply, Radio. The man was still in high school at the time, kids! Which when you listen to this raw, early hip-hop classic, is kind of overwhelming to fathom, to say the least. Produced by Mr. Def Jam, Rick Rubin, Radio helped launch the lucrative career of James Todd Smith (also LL Cool J) which, among many other things, helped to secure a recurring (title) role on NCIS: Los Angeles. Why the hell didn’t I rap in High School?! I could have had a cop show by now! (Thinks to himself) Oh yeah, J had talent! Nurture the young, kids!
Roam
With CCR, Hendrix, Dylan, and original compositions by Neil Young, the 1980 soundtrack to the Hunter S. Thompson laugh-riot, Where the Buffalo Roam, is classic, classic rock. Bill Murray, aka Mr. Thompson even does a goofy-ass version of Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds. Needless to say, this comp is worthy of any and every Gonzo out there.
Stuck in ‘93
This, I will say, is the face of sadness. Me? I’m a glass half empty kind of guy; always have been, likely always will be. So when the mood strikes, 1993 comes up. (Cut to three hours later…) Been stuck in ’93 today… Slapstick, The Smashing Pumpkins, Propagandhi… So, the daily pedestal need not be vacant for long. In other words, make it happen sooner, rather than later, or, like, whatever, man. Also, tomorrow is Punk Rock BBQ at Liquid Kitty, so, the Groove will like, you know, see you fools there!
#843
Let’s do this. For day #843, in my exhausted and lethargic state, and also because I’ve just about had it with humanity, here is a list of “in the mail” records that have yet to hit our doorstep; Some for obvious reasons (they haven’t been released yet), and others because they’re apparently being couriered by the Pony Express. Happy Saturday, kids:
Refused – Freedom (2x color versions)
Goldfinger – Goldfinger
Pygmy Lush – Bitter River (brown vinyl)
Where the Buffalo Roam (The Original Movie Soundtrack)
Tomahawk – Oddfellows
Damaged Bug – Cold Hot Plumbs
Faith No More – Sol Invictus (clear vinyl, I think)
DON’T BLAME ME
So reads the warrior of accountabilities pin on the lapel of the heavily saturated, liver-wigged, bloodstained, and anti-patriot of yesterday’s future on the cover of Ministry’s 1996 album, Filth Pig. Scumbags reunite and cast your hollow vote for this season’s cosmetic romance, and paint those faces of joyful optimism and mirroring nationalism with the juice stains of filtered truth and industrial bruising.
Prime Cuts
Prime Cuts Vol. 1, the 2000 Delicious Vinyl comp features 2 LPs worth of electro and hip-hop gems from LA’s finest, Delicious Vinyl Records. Label mainstays like The Brand New Heavies, The Pharcyde, Buckwhead, and Fat Lip are all presented, as is the on-again, off-again actress on the cover, Shannyn Sossamon, pre-A Knight’s Tale (remember A Knight’s Tale… remember Shannyn Sossamon?!). Anyway, this comp can be nabbed off Discogs.com for damn cheap ($2 bucks!), and is a great addition to any dub, downtempo fan who likes their beats PG-13, and their lyrics NC-17.
Sincerely, Herb Alpert
Sergio Mendes and his Brasil ’66 were given glowing praise by none other than Herb Alpert on the band’s debut album, Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66. In addition to being the producer of the album, presenter, and co-owner of the label, Mr. Alpert offered his pen, and his signature to a praising write-up on the album’s back cover. If you’re not familiar with the vivacious Latin Jazz ensemble, consider Mr. Alpert’s expert opinion on the matter. You certainly will not regret it.
Sex
Just a (snarky) reminder… happy Sunday, kiddos!
504
So, for this coffin I’m about to open, this is where I stand… the Ramones are NOT, in my humble opinion, punk. Were they influential monarchs of the mid-70’s rock-crowd-extravaganza? Yes. Grandfathers of punk? (Fuck) no. Proto-punk? YeAH! Where does Death factor into this equation? If the Ramones are, globally considered punk, than Death, without a doubt should also be included into the fold. Disagree? That’s your right, but you’re wrong. 🙂
5” of Freedom
Introducing, into the fold, the format family of hi-fidelity folly, Rocket from the Crypt’s 1995 release, a covers release if you will, and, for now, you will, Plays the Music Machine. Music-wise, these are covers by the world’s most prolific rock’n’roll band (RFTC) paying homage to the 1966 release by The Music Machine, (Turn on) The Music Machine. So (Monty Python’s “get ON with it” rings fairly true, here), RFTC’s 2-track offering is, in fact, because I now own it, pressed on 5” vinyl. So, depending on which photo your eyes navigate towards, here is the spectrum of sizes this, to my knowledge, format covers. 5” – 7” – 10” – 12”. Enjoy your weekend, you savage bastards (he said lovingly)!
(Clean your keyboard, fool!)
311 for Sale
So, I made a mistake with this purchase, mainly for two separate, but strikingly similar reasons. Reason #1: I’m an idiot. Reason #2: I’m an idiot. When I initially saw this release pop up on the RSD checklist, I stupidly thought it was a reissue of one of their early singles or EPs, and not a 2-track nub of material released after I’d already disowned the band. That, in a nutshell, is Reason #1. I didn’t do my homework, and now I’m $10 poorer. Reason #2 is a bit more complicated, but just as foolhardy. Because I exhibit obsessive-compulsive behavior and want to maintain the stupid-ass Record Store Day sticker on the plastic shrink wrap, I can’t tell with a degree of certainty which way the sealed sleeve opens. All other RSD 7″‘s purchased open on the right like a standard LP, but I’m not so sure with 311’s release. The only other option would be the top, but I’m not seeing a definitive opening with which to start my blade. So, here it sits.. unwanted, and unopened. 311 for sale.
Oo, Baby-Baby!
If I were to say that Salt-N-Pepa’s Push It played, on vinyl, while the SO and I enjoyed fondue at the dinning room table, would that make up for the sorry fact that I was too busy at work today to research and compile a narrative for today’s scheduled post on Jefferson Starship’s 1976 album Spitfire? No? Well, then, shit. At least I was able to enjoy Salt-N-Pepa’s Push It on vinyl while dipping delicious food bits into boiling broth to satisfy my stomach. Choose your battles, kids.
The Prudent Groove 