[jsaliga]

Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime



While San Pedro's Minutemen may have developed their reputation and musical following as West coast punk rockers, by the time their masterpiece Double Nickels on the Dime was released the band had integrated a variety of musical aesthetics into its sound.  This is not a typical punk rock record...not even close.  There is awesome musicianship at work here for starters.  D. Boon shows that he has the guitar playing chops needed to express his musical ideas.  George Hurley on drums and Mike Watt on bass are no less impressive in the technical mastery over their respective instruments.  This is a double LP with 43 songs packed into it, and there is not one wasted note nor a second of filler on this album.  There certainly is punk angst to be found in the message in many of the tunes, but the delivery is often melodic, and done in a way that doesn't soften the songs to the point where it becomes a bowlfull of counterculture mush.  This is musical profundity of high order.  Also refreshing is that the quality of sound engineering and recording is stunning and matches the level of songcraft and performance.  Each instrument is cleanly miked as are D. Boon and Mike Watt on vocals.  You are not likely to hear a better recorded and mixed rock album.  Required listening for anyone who professes to be a rock fan.

--Jerome

[jsaliga]

Cab Calloway - Are You Hep to the Jive?



I owe at least some of my fondness for jazz to seeing Cab Calloway in a collection of Paramount shorts from the 1930s and 1940s that used to air frequently on an independent local TV channel where I grew up in the 1960s and 70s.  Even when I was listening to Led Zeppelin and Kiss in the 1970s I aways thought big bands were way cool and was a closet fan of Count Basie.  I just didn't say that to any of the friends I hung around with during those years; they may not have understood.  If we had to find an entertainer today who was the equivalent of Cab Calloway in the 1930s in terms of talent and importance....well I'm not sure there is one.  This compliation from Columbia/Legacy is a real treat.  There is a collection of 22 great songs performed by the man himself, lovingly transcripted from 78rpm shellac records stored in the Columbia vaults.  The sound quality is surprisingly good, though I would have preferred a bit less processing on the click removal.  But honestly, this is really just me picking nits.  It really sounds great and the songs are all first rate: Are You All Reet?, Everybody Eats When They Come to My House, Are You Hep to the Jive?, Papa's in Bed with His Britches On, What's Buzzin' Cousin?, Don't Falter at the Alter, Minnie the Moocher, and many others.  It recently went out of print (what a shame  ), but there are still a lot of used copies around on Amazon and new copies on eBay that are selling for about $10 to $12.  Get it while you can.

--Jerome

[rajacat]

Jerome,

You really have an impressive music collection. Man, you must have thousands of albums. Just keeping it organized certainly requires a good cataloging system. I see that you have it listed alphabetically according to artist/composer. I imagine that you can also change it to genre or any other listing preference.

-Roy

[jsaliga]

Hi Roy,

I have about 2,400 CDs and roughly 1,000 vinyl LPs.  Only about 350 of my LPs are cataloged in my Collection database.  Since I like to do cover scans of the original album art it can be a lot of work.  I don't know if I'll ever have all of my vinyl in my database.

I use software called Music Collector from Collectorz.com

http://www.collectorz.com/music/

--Jerome

[rajacat]

I just keep returning to this album. She writes her own songs and can really get most out of the lyrics with her sweet, smooth, soulful, sexy and supple voice. Young and definitely a talent to keep and eye on. I'll soon purchase her live album.

-Roy


ps....Ms. Rae also sings The River on Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Papers

[Airborn]

Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime

Outstanding choice, Jerome!   I've loved the Minutemen since I first heard them live in Richmond, VA (anyone know "The Fan") in 1983.  If you like Double Nickels, check out What Makes a Man Start Fires?, Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat and Three Way Tie (for last), which has my favorite MM song, "The Big Stick."  If you remember Ronald Reagan and the war in Nicaragua, how can you not appreciate lyrics like "Over there in Managua Square, American made bombs are falling everywhere.  They kill women and children and animals too, these bombs are made by both me and you.  We're told we hold a big stick over there."

We seem to have similar taste all over the place (from heavy metal to punk to Indie to Jazz), so  I don't think I'll spoil your thread by mentioning a couple of other non-audiophile favorites of mine:

Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation
Daydream Nation is widely considered as one of the great alternative masterpieces of the 1980s. I bought this album when it first came out and it is one of the few that I have continued to listen to often over the years.  It has the energy, wit and rawness of punk mixed with the epic scope of progrock.

1. Teen Age Riot - Utterly brilliant. Great lyrics, riffage, drumming, craftsmanship - everything.
2. Silver Rocket - Opens with doomy arpeggios and riffs. A very angry sounding song, and an excellent one, but the rock song doesn't last long - it moves into pure distortion before the second minute.
3. The Sprawl - Fantastic lyrics, ridiculously cool. Threatening sounding. Breaks down for the last few minutes.
4. Cross The Breeze - Gorgeous opening riff but soon moves into complex, fast art-punk. Great use of guitar duetting.
5. Eric's Trip - Sounds drug-fuelled. Very atmospheric and dark.
6. Total Trash - Good, memorable but sounds similar to whats gone before it.
7. Hey Joni - Ditto.
8. Providence - Dark, artsy, neo-classical piece blending stark piano with a spoken sample and rumblings. Different, but not much of a composition on its own.
9. Candle - Opens with the most gorgeous guitar work you could imagine, then goes into good but standard fare.
10. Rain King - The most distorted, dischordant, challenging song and with the exception of Providence the least conventional. Screaming, burning, angry, excellent.
11. Kissability - Good lyrically, somewhat insubstantial musically until the last few seconds.
12. Trilogy - This song has everything you could want in its 14 minutes: straight-up rock, beauty, dischord, artsy - often all these at once.

Pixies, Doolittle
Doolittle is, quite simply, the Pixies best album. It is an absolute masterpiece. There is no filler whatsoever. It starts out with the raw, catchy "Debaser", moves onto the far from "Tame", which transitions so well between quiet whispers and screeching (but somehow melodic) vocals. And then there's "Wave of Mutilation", a wonderful bit of surf music reminiscent of the Beach Boys. And "I Bleed", a spectacular duet between the anguished voice of the lead singer, Black Francis, and the sweet chick-crooning of Kim Deal, who went on to form the Breeders. Then there's the pop masterpiece, "Here Comes Your Man", the anxious "Dead", the powerful "Monkey Gone to Hell and the disturbing "Mr. Grieves"... and the album ends with the incredible "Gouge Away."  There is not much more I can say except Doolittle is incredible. Borrow a copy from a friend if you' don't have it, but somehow you must listen to this album.

[jsaliga]

Roy, thanks for the tip.  I ordered that CD today.

I really like soul music, especially Philly Soul.  So let me recommend my favorite Philly Soul album:


Billy Paul - 360 Degrees of Billy Paul



Of course the record has the chart topper Me and Mrs. Jones, and that is the song for which Billy Paul is most remembered.  But this album has a very strong set of songs and Paul's heartfelt, emotive delivery really sets this record apart from the rest of the pack.  The tune I'm Just A Prisoner alone makes the album worth having.  He also does a very nice soul-jazz version of It's Too Late, which Carole King made into a hit, and a cover of Let's Stay Together, which is Al Green's signature song.  The nice thing about these Billy Paul covers is he takes these songs and puts his stamp on them, making them his own rather than doing a cheap knock-off in order to fill space on the album.  I'm listening to the album as I write this and it still sounds vital and fresh, despite being recorded in 1972.  The Columbia/Legacy CD is out of print but can still be inexpensively found on eBay, and the sound is very faithful to the vinyl LP (I have both).  It's the pinnacle of Philly Soul and a must have for fans of the genre. 

--Jerome

[rajacat]

Thanks Jerome,
I'll first check Amazon and see if the CD version is available from one of their alternative sellers.

I still haven't decided if I'm going to purchase a vinyl rig. It's really tempting and I'm sure that it will addicting and soon I would be a turntable tweaker. A number of years ago I had a vinyl collection  and an old AR TT to entertain me but  jettisoned  that gear when I took to the  sea for some years. The debate centers around when and if high resolution digital audio will become more available at a reasonable price and I would use the $'s that would've gone into analog gear to upgrade my digital setup.

-Roy

[Derockster]

Hey Jerome I'll double up on the Jimmy Smith Midnight Special but on vinyl not cd.Regards derockster aa

[rajacat]

Corrine Bailey Rae
I just keep returning to this album. She writes her own songs and can really get most out of the lyrics with her sweet, smooth, soulful, sexy and supple voice. Young and definitely a talent to keep and eye on. I'll soon purchase her live album.

-Roy


ps....Ms. Rae also sings The River on Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Papers


[/quote]

Now as I listen to this (Corrine Bailey Rae) album, I realize that it has been another victim of levels compression. Regardless, I still enjoy it. Her cut on River certainly is better produced. I hope on the live album the levels are untouched.

 Tonight I followed it with Kurt Elling....The Messenger. the producers have done a much better job of retaining the musical balance. Of course, I like some of the cuts better than others and I have never been a fan of scat so those cuts could be excised with no loss from my point of view.



-Roy

[jsaliga]

Henry Mancini - Music from Peter Gunn



Here is a jazz masterpiece that is frequently overlooked by jazz fans.  Don't let the fact this is music from a television show fool you.  There is serious swing and blues going on here, with a rhythm and attack that rivals some of the best stuff done by Count Basie at the height of his years at Verve.  The blues numbers from slow to mid tempo provide a terrific counterpoint to the swing tunes.  And oddly enough there were no really big names in the lineup of musicians on this recording date.  Nearly all of them were session players.  But the music and the performances are inspired, and the ensemble gathered for this date deliver what was probably the performance of their careers.  No serious jazz collection can be considered complete without this album.  Mine is a Speaker's Corner 180 gram audiophile vinyl pressing that sounds incredible.  There are also orginal vinyl pressings to be found.  Stay away from the CD reissue on Buddah.  If you want the CD version then go for the RCA Victor import from Japan.  You can get it for less than $30 on Amazon.com.

--Jerome

[Flashman]

Rajacat recommended a Kurt Elling album, so I'll throw in another.  Try "This Time It's Love" and you'll find a voice that is as velvety as Mel Torme's but that can also scat with the best of them.  The CD is very well engineered and features a tight jazz ensemble.  Check out the comments on Amazon for the album.  You won't be disappointed.

[jsaliga]

Magic Slim & the Teardrops - Grand Slam



If you're into gritty Chicago style electric blues then run out and get yourself some Magic Slim.  The guy's been making blues records since the 1970s, and while some of his later stuff got a little bit repetitive, it's all really excellent.  Grand Slam is a set recorded in 1982, and it finds Magic Slim and his backing band the Teardrops in fine form.  The man is a blues wailer in the great tradition of the blues, and he has superb guitar playing chops that allow Magic Slim to deliver his songs with the emotion and expression that few bluesmen could match.  This is truely addictive music, and once you get this CD and start listening it will be hard to put it down.  A no-brainer buy for any fan of the blues.

--Jerome

[rajacat]

I found this piece of vinyl at my local record store. It looks to be in excellent condition with just a little bit of dust on the surface. It still has the new record sheen. I've always been a Taj Mahal fan and was lucky enough to see him live in our little town about 15 years ago. This will be first record I'll play to celebrate my return to LPs. My phonopreamp should be here any day now.

-Roy

[jsaliga]

Niiiiiiice! 

--Jerome

[jsaliga]

Mosaic Records - The Columbia Small Group Swing Sessions, 1953-62



I really like Mosaic records, especially their comprehensive boxed sets.  They aren't cheap, but I think you get a lot of value for the money and in my experience the mastering is uniformly great.  I normally would not recommend that someone go out and spend $136 on an 8 CD boxed set, no matter how good.  It's a lot of coin to spend in one go, and there's no denying that these sets have somewhat limited appeal.  But if you're a small group swing fan there really is no other game in town since much of this music can no longer be found anywhere else.  The cast of players here is truely great: Ruby Braff, Buck Clayton, Marlowe Morris, Illinois Jacquet, Kenny Burrell, Herb Ellis, Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Jimmy Rushing, and many others.  If you aren't familar with most of these names then all I can say is that if you are a fan of swing then this is a very worthwhile set to have in order to get to know them.  Superb music with excellent sound engineering and mastering.

--Jerome

[jsaliga]

X - Under the Big Black Sun



X was an L.A. punk band that had mainstream appeal thanks mainly to bassist John Doe's tight songwriting, Exene Cervenka's steady but explosive singing, and guitarist Billy Zoom's great rockabilly guitar chops.  There are 11 tracks on the original album, and the CD -- a fine remaster issued by Rhino -- has 5 bonus tracks.  Both are very much worth having.  All of the songs are truely great, but the creme de la creme for me are the tunes The Hungry Wolf and Blue Spark.

--Jerome

[jsaliga]

Morphine - Cure for Pain



Now we're talkin'.  How about a rock group that doesn't regularly feature guitar work, but instead sports hefty doses of baritone and alto sax?  It works for me, and extraordinarily well.  Mark Sandman's songwriter's pen and vocals hit a bullseye on this album.  Add Dana Colley's great saxaphone playing and Jerry Deupree's propulsive drumming and you have a winning combination.  There is a balance of ballads and rockers here, they're all pretty infectious, but I tend to favor the rockers by a slim a margin.  If you're not really familiar with the group, are a rock fan, and in search of something different -- look no further.  Highly recommended.

--Jerome

[zybar]

Morphine - Cure for Pain



Now we're talkin'.  How about a rock group doesn't regularly feature guitar work, but instead sports hefty doses of baritone and alto sax?  It works for me, and extraordinarily well.  Mark Sandman's songwriter's pen and vocals hit a bullseye on this album.  Add Dana Colley's great saxaphone playing and Jerry Deupree's propulsive drumming and you have a winning combination.  There is a balance of ballads and rockers here, they're all pretty infectious, but I tend to favor the rockers by a slim a margin.  If you're not really familiar with the group, are a rock fan, and in search of something different -- look no further.  Highly recommended.

--Jerome

I have everything Morphine ever produced and love it all!!

As good as "Cure For Pain" is, I think their best work was "Yes".

Too bad Mark Sandman died of a heart attack at such a young age.

George

[zybar]

Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes





This is Tori's major breakthrough and it deserves all the accolades it racked up over the years.  This album showcases Tori's writing ability, as well as her strong vocals and piano play.  The lyrics tackle some very intense and personal issues from religion to relationships to her own rape.  You can hear how Tori just poured herself into this album and produced music that is charged with emotion...so much so, that it almost forces the listener to share in that emotion in a song by song fashion.

The production of the album is very good and not cluttered or artificial.

For me, this is Tori's best album from top to bottom.

George