Gold is a single-sided 7″ released by Drunken Fish Records (Santa Monica, CA) back in the summer of 1992. It contains one song, Gold, and was limited to 500 copies. The name of the band is Rocket from the Crypt, and although the color in the photo is a bit misleading, the sleeve is actually red, while the record is actually a yellow-ish, gold-like color. This copy, just obtained, came with Mardi Gras-esque beads, as it did upon its initial release some 25 years ago, though I have reason to question the legitimacy of these beads. No matter, as we’re now one step closer to completing the (never-ending) Rocket from the Crypt discography!
Tag Archives: CA
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.
Femmes
My one and only show at the Ventura Theatre during my film school tenure. Crazy to think that it was already 11 years ago. The Violent Femmes, they bring all their equipment on the bus. And, they did not disappoint.
3 Year Anniversary Celebration – Venice Open Mic Night
For your upcoming, insatiable, mid-week evening of debaucherous enlightenment, look no further than Larry’s in Venice, CA, tomorrow evening. Not mentioned on the enigmatic flyer to the left is 3-year veteran, and Venice Open Mic Night originator / evening entertainer / Soviet Monica philanthropist, Isaac Irvin. The living myth (and connoisseur of German motor engineering) celebrates 3 years of open mic history, and the city of Los Angeles is invited. Also slated for your skirt-grabbing, live art pleasure is famed West Los Angeles painter / entrepreneur, Al Torres. So, let’s face it. Thursday be damned, and for damned good reason. See y’all at Larry’s tomorrow night!
Latin Lingo
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!
Fat Stacks
Ok, so how this works is, the pile on the left is TBD, or “to be digitized,” while the pile on the right is NTLT, or “need to listen to.” There was a time when the NTLT was something like 30+ records deep, and as you can see, we’ve covered some good ground, but the problem with continuing to accumulate records we couldn’t possibly live (or be caught dead) without, is that the NTLT, then subsequently the TBD, remain to be long-lasting stacks consistently fixed in these slightly varied plies on the floor. Either I need to adjust my ingestion process to amuse my morbid fear of clutter, or I need to listen to more damn records. I think the solution is painfully obvious.
Lazy and Unapologetic
I’m taking the day off. Enjoy your family and friends while you can, and listen to good music at every damn opportunity that arrives. Cheers, PG.
Have? Need?
Always looking out for my fellow record obsessed, this photo was sent to a Tull-lover, with the simple text of, “Have? Need?” This is not a rare exchange that goes out among our local collecting comrades, and in this case, the $3 needed not be spent. I was however strictly instructed to acquire 1974’s War Child, but in lieu of time, I had to pass it up. (Raises glass), here’s to those to act before asking. Happy Sunday, kids!
NINJAs in Irvine
I ran across a stack of concert tickets last week while digging for non-music related fall decorations (such a thing should not exist in my humble opinion), and I thought that this would be a nice change of pace from the standard peak, pull, and photograph post. Cleverly dubbed the NINJA Tour (combining NIN and Jane’s Addiction… see what they did there?), 5/20/09 would mark the first time I’d ever see Jane’s Addiction perform, and as I’d been listening to them since early Jr. High, I jumped at the opportunity (by driving to the venue) to see this historically prominent act. I all but completely ignored NIN, but Jane’s were nothing short of astonishing, and with no hint of anticipatory letdown. Jane Says… you listen.
Funky Cold Sangria
In Los Angeles and craving some badass pizza with a little local hip hop flair (and let’s be honest, aren’t we all in one way or another)? Then why not make the most of your cheat day with some of the best pizza the area has to offer with the Delicious Vinyl influenced Delicious Pizza? From a Soulflower to a Rick Ross, your LA-based beat-palate will be satisfied with enough room for some Funky Cold Sangria. Seriously, this is the best place on Earth!
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?
Circa: Soon
(Photo to come as soon as this 3rd rate, garbage bag Wi-Fi decides to start functioning…) So the lovely SO and I decided to take a trip to Sultan City, mainly because I’m a big dumb idiot. I have no idea what to anticipate, but expectations are certainly running on 11! (As previously stated, Wi-Fi at this Palms Springs hotel is garbage bag) #giveusakiss
Update @ 12:17: Wi-Fi decides to function, and allows my feeble image upload to compete. Don’t come to Palm Springs for the Wi-Fi, kids…
Pitchfork – Saturn Outhouse – Clear Vinyl
Please excuse the lateness of today’s post. It was for a legitimate, and vinyl related cause, I assure you. Here’s the skinny: So yesterday, on our way back from our 6th year at Comic-Con (in San Diego), my vinyl collecting doppelganger and I hit up Lou’s Records in Encinitas, CA. We’d read a few reviews and decided to check it out. We were less than impressed with the selection, as it was really kind of picked through. Apparently Lou’s is a famous little joint. My doppelganger informed me that Pearl Jam used to play there, but I didn’t pay it much mind, since I don’t care for PJ and/or much that comes from this guy’s face. So, after only about five minutes, and upon quick realization that all the grooves we were looking for could not be found, we decided to bounce. On our swift escape, something caught my eye. It was… a clear vinyl version of Pitchfork’s first EP, Saturn Outhouse. Limited to only 100 copies on clear vinyl, this little 7” also happens to be hand numbered. This copy reads: 6/100.
So, like the intelligent and forward thinking chap that I am, I passed it up. I left it there, got back into the car, and headed back to Los Angeles. Late last night, an itch started, and it wouldn’t let up no matter how much I attempted to ignore it. I began searching for any info on this clear vinyl release on the inter-webs, but couldn’t find much of anything on it. The black vinyl version can be found just about anywhere, including amongst the 45s in my collection, but I’d never heard of this version, and since it was the first ANYTHING released by Rocket from the Crypt mastermind, John Reis, I’d felt I’d made a HUGE mistake by not picking it up.
Fast-forward to this morning. After reading a thoughtful post about this clear vinyl release, I started to feel bad for this guy. He’d been hunting all over for this particular record, up to and including contacting the band, and he ended up finding one for a hefty $250. I thought, hmmm. It took this poor guy 18 years to track this record down… and I know where I can get one for a cool $25. So I called Lou’s to make sure they still had it, hopped in my rocket ship and drove an hour and a half to Encinitas. I just got back (traffic was a bastard on the northbound 405), so, yeah. Today’s post is late. But look at what I have!!!
1967 Elektra Records Catalog
How much more is the 1967 Catalog from Elektra Records compared to the 1966 Catalog from Elektra Records (not pictured here)? One… exactly one more. Nowhere else in the history of mankind (except, maybe for Orange County, CA in the late 70s) will you be able to find Jean Shepherd’s albums (complete with Elektra catalog numbers… EKL = mono prefix), Love’s first two albums (this catalog was pressed before Love released Forever Changes…), debut albums by *Tim Buckley as well as *The Doors (* indicates new release), and seven albums by The Oranim Zabar Israeli Troupe featuring Geula Gill (offered in both stereo and mono).
This little time warp was an exciting find in the record section of my local thrift store, and will serve as my immediate music-hunting checklist (if anybody was interested).
For Students of Speech and Interpretation
I woke up at 4:11 this morning with a death-like worry. I was afraid I’d neglected to return the Speech in Action record to the Aggeler High library. So, half-dazed and fully panicked, I threw on the lights and checked the “educational section” of my library. Through tears and a palpitating heart, I discovered that yes; it was due, but thankfully, not until 3pm today.
Speech in Action is exactly what it sounds like: Examples of people speaking with different inflections pertaining to their different points of motivation. John Callaway, the narrator, gives a brief description to each of the 10 types of speech and interpretation, after which an example of each is performed by some of topnotch vocal chords 1965 has ever heard (Roy Neal and Charlton Heston to name a few).
For many of us, casual conversation at the office (usually about Nutella or the social need for foot deodorant) is something that comes naturally, and rarely requires much preparation. This is “speech to inform.” I would have had no Earthly idea that my early morning rants on what constitutes a “good” cup of coffee were actually mundane, yet surprisingly engaging “speeches to inform” had it not been for these beacons of educational, and applicable grooves. I never thought I’d say this, but thank you, Mr. Heston.
If you’re stuck giving a speech at your next VFW luncheon, or you foresee an upcoming monologue directed towards your girlfriend’s father in the last-ditch attempts to persuade him that his daughter need not stay in that night, try Speech in Action. You’ll gain confidence, stature, and Godlike wisdom. Check it out. That is, if I actually remember to return it.
The Prudent Groove 