Shamefully, this is the first G. Love album I’ve ever owned on vinyl, and it arrived just two days ago. Having had his first three albums back in high school and early tech school, I found it necessary to track down these once owned compact discs in vinyl form. Coast to Coast Motel shines the light on a much more blues focused GL&SS, which, if you ask me, makes it their best, although not my favorite output. They’re all but dead to me now, but these first three albums are, without question, impactful strokes of genius.
Tag Archives: wax
Seductive Sophomore
Bauhaus’ sophomore effort isn’t as head-splitting as their monstrous debut, which would be an impossible feat in and of itself, but 1981’s Mask is certainly deserving of the same analytical repeated listening treatment as 1980’s In the Flat Field. I can only speak for these two albums as, within them, exists the limits of my exploration, but I will say, albeit obviously, that I’ve not heard a Bauhaus track that I didn’t absolutely adore. Dig it.
The Back of the Hand
I hesitated, wrongfully, at obtaining both extremely limited copies of the Mike Watt & the Secondmen / Bernays Propaganda split 7′. Asian Man Records went all out with this 2-track release, offering only 150 pressings on black cherry, and 150 on raspberry vinyl. Spun them both the other night, and am very happy to have obtained both variants. It’s solid, angry, in-your-face Watt, and it’s essential listening material.
Resist
My first Suuns records annnnnd, I’m a little excited about it. She also doubles as the first record I purchased after discovering a new sound off Shazam, so there’s that. Resistance was the track that grabbed my ear (you should really check it out), but the album is solid straight through. I’m curious to see what Pitchfork gave it (“it” being 2016’s Hold/Still, the band’s fourth album)… and they gave it a zero, because they haven’t reviewed it yet (sigh). Well, (raises glass in hopeful anticipation) here’s hoping they get around to it in a timely fashion, and that they dig it as much as I do.
KKFC (Meow)
I vaguely remember ordering this… let alone two copies, but I’m a bit intrigued to spin this Kitty Kat Fan Club 7″. Pressed 300 times on purple, and 200 times on red, this Asian Man records release (AM311) arrived in our mailbox last evening, or at least, that’s when I retrieved it. Regardless, I’ll leave you to your evening, or very early morning, and spin these playful ditties and enjoy some (several) glasses of whiskey. 4.5 stars out of 5.
Einstein on the Couch
When Einstein on the Beach makes a late night appearance, one can be certain that one of the following two things are present. 1) an over-tired listener and 2) whiskey has been consumed. Both were the case in last night’s presentation of Philip Glass’ mind-melting masterpiece.
Give the Gift of (Mystery) Music
The perfectly wrapped mystery gift sits on display for a few additional days. Its impeccable wrapping, a work of art in and of itself, is both a thoughtful gesture, and a display-worthy presentation. Thank you, mystery gift givers!
Camp Firewood
Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time ever, the original music to David Wain’s 2001 circumcised classic, Wet Hot American Summer has, finally, received a proper, 12″ vinyl pressing for the first time, EVER (I feel like we’ve already been over this, but that’s cool). Released by Mondo as a pre-order a few months ago, this bitch just arrived the other day, and boy-oh-boy, are we happy about this release! Haven’t listened to it just yet, but shit, she’s next in the rotation.
Vinyl Me, Insert
Ok, so I may not love this insert simply because it’s reminiscent of inserts 50 years its junior, although that helps, but what really stands out is its simplistic, yet effective layout, not to mention its frame worthy design. This modern takes on vintage art, recently discovered last night, is just one of the things that makes this shameless collector secretly grin.
Rogue Double
So I placed my Vinyl Me, Please order for an unforgiving friend and I got double copies of this exclusive. Do I keep, or do I sell? Hmmm…
Clutter Be Damned
I am a man who despises clutter. Be it in my iTunes library with all the inconsistent meta data, be it my Discogs collection with incomplete listings, and more recently, (sigh) the “catch all” corner. 78s, 45s (all of them), recently damaged albums, Record Store Day goodies, slipmats, stickers, and random inserts all need a place to stay, and it kills me, on a daily basis, that this corner of the office is that place. Every collector eventually gets to this point, some several times throughout their collecting tenure. Getting into this fix is easy. It’s getting out that’s the challenging part.
The Room is Waiting
She may be remastered, but she’s nothing short of an essential staple of any, and every modest collection. Dear Fugazi, please and thank you dearly.
File Under D for Dino
No, not the fun loving, prehistoric Snorkasaurus from Bedrock, but instead, the golden-throated matador, and decades old wearer of many hats, Dean Martin. Originally released in 1961 by Reprise, Dino Latino takes the Italian American south of the border for a stampeding collection of Latin gems. Check it out, if only for the outlandish cover.
The Show Was Bad, But the Drinks are Free…
… broke and tired…
Kids, Don’t Rat on Your Friends
Today’s midday gesture of obscenities to the neighbors (who are all lovely, btw) came in the form of tangerine sweetness offered directly from Dischord Records. Fellow wallmates need a sudden and unscheduled jolt of energy every once in a while. They’ve said as much, if only in my head. At the very least, exposure is an educational experience.
Spreading the fear of violence through the comforts of vinyl since 2013. – The Prudent Groove
Sham-Woah!
Starting any viable discography with a Greatest Hits album is both shameful and amateur… but I did it anyway. I couldn’t find either of Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs’ first two albums, Wooly Bully and Their Second Album, so I settled for this shameful, yet strikingly enjoyable Best of. As a child of the 80s, it’s painfully difficult to listen to Wooly Bully and not think of the opening scene in 1984’s Splash. I try, desperately, but to no avail. Be that as it may, I’m more than pleased with my disgraceful $7 purchase, I just wish it wasn’t my first by this clever, off-beat outfit. Anyway, happy Friday.
So Long and Thanks for All the Kale
NOFX’s 1997 minorpiece, So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes received an exclusive Hot Topic (pauses post to eat Sugarfish dinner… mmm… resumes post) release along with its 2010 tan vinyl counterpart (previously touched upon here). Limited to 650 copies, this kale green version fetches a not-so-hefty $39.99 over at Disogs (current as of this post), and is one of six colored releases (original black in 1997, clear pink reissue in 2009, this green version from 2010, the tan version previously mentioned from 2010, a brown version from 2014, and finally, again current as of this post, a pink marbled version also from 2014). So there you have it, kids. Everything you never needed to know about the colored vinyl pressings by this @$$hole band’s seventh studio album. Cheers.
Share the Adventure!
It’s a Dog, It’s a Cat, It’s a Fan Club! Either it wasn’t important enough at the time to file away into the manila folders of my memory, or I’d just discovered an amazing insert inside the soundtrack to my Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade LP! This was mentioned here before, but when we play Fireball Island (only the best board game in the history of board games), we listen Indiana Jones soundtracks. This past Sunday, we were on our tiebreaker game, our third, and that’s when this little gem, now 27 years old, was discovered. The Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine, as you well know, became the Star Wars Insider magazine with issue #23, and has, in its tenure, and as of June 14th, seen its 166th issue. Share the adventure!Red Headed Seeker
This illusive little slithering snake has managed to outrun me for the last, conceivable time. Found this essential gem over the weekend for a cool $6.42 at my local brick & mortar. I’ve checked the country section for this album at that store every week for the past several years, and I finally walked away red handed. Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain, originally a track written for Roy Acuff by Fred Rose, has been covered in the studio over 8 times, includes renditions by both Conway Twitty and Hank Williams. I can’t say I’ve heard each and every version, but I’m confident in stating that none could be better than Willie Nelson’s soft-spoken, heartfelt version, track five on Columbia Records’ 1975 masterpiece, Red Headed Stranger.
7/4
It is the Fourth of July.
The Prudent Groove 