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David Bowie — 637, 636, 635

ALBUMS: ‘Let’s Dance’ (1983), ‘Fame and Fashion’ Greatest Hits (1984), ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’ (1972)

MVC Rating:  Stardust: 5.0./$$$$; Let’s Dance: 3.5; $$$; Greatest Hits: 4.0/$$$

It’s pretty simple. Get the Ziggy Stardust album. It’s so good. It’s one of the top 10 rock albums of all  time IMHO.

Now Bowie was a shapeshifter at the highest level. An artist in the real sense of the word. He was a trans-genre space oddity. He sold millions, changed musical styles like coats, and even had a worldwide Christmas hit duet with Bing Crosby.

If you want to broaden your Bowie collection like me, I would do what I did. Such simple advice. Get ‘’Let’s Dance’ the album and the greatest hits disc Iisted above. And of course as I said, get Ziggy first.

(A live album, David Live is also pretty good or maybe interesting as Bowie rearranged some of familiar songs.)

Now the ‘Let’s Dance’ recommendation might raise eyebrows. “It’s Bowie going disco,” goes the critique.

Well, he sort of pioneered quality disco, didn’t he? Fame and  Young Americans are the rare disco type songs that have shelf life, almost classics.

Bowie was one of the few white artists ever invited to the TV dance show Soul Train, singing Golden Years. Or should I say lip-syncing, not one of his finest performances.

But get this: The lead guitarist on the Let’s Dance album? Stevie Ray Vaughn, one of the best guitarists of all time. He’s scratching it up with his guitar chops over the heavy bass-line in this one. Still very fun to listen to.

Bowie always had good musicians. Guitarist Mick Ronson was on Ziggy.

From my three albums I can come up with a killer 10-12 song  mix, and I’ll do it in order of my favorite songs.

  1. Starman
  2. Five years
  3. Heroes
  4. Modern Love
  5. Young Americans
  6. .Ashes to Ashes
  7. Let’s Dance
  8. Suffragette City
  9. Moonage Daydream
  10. Changes
  11. BONUS: Space Oddity, Fame

Not a bad lineup from three albums. Start with Ziggy.

Counting down my 678  vinyl records  before I die of  brain disease.

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Staying Alive

Requip. Memantine. Sinemet. Vinyl.

Now which of these will help me live longer?

The first three are drugs I’ve taken or am taking to battle my disease. While  they will help with the symptoms, they aren’t proven to stop this disease.

I have Lewy Body dementia and my life is expected to be 5 to 7 years (but varies widely) after diagnosis. I was diagnosed 13 months ago at age 56.

For more of my story click on the About Me button and  read some of the links.

The fourth item, Vinyl, as in vinyl records is what I am banking on. I am reviewing on this  website my collection of vinyl records, mostly from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s’. I have 678 records. I’ve made a vow to  complete my collection before I go to that big used record store in the sky.

So my birthday — which was on Nov. 9 this year* — my sister Julie sends me albums. New vinyl record albums not some rummage sale used discs. And she said there will be more at other events in time. She said they are going to keep me alive longer.

And you know I think she’s right, this project which I am loving will keep me going. And I’ve got a long way to go..

And it’s getting longer. Four more records I haven’t even heard  of. (Well I know Fleet Foxes a little.)

Here’s what Julie and Rob and family sent me. I’ve listened to some but am not ready to review. I will slip them in alphabetically as I am doing. I’m in the B’s right now.

  • “Crack-up” by Fleet Foxes.
  • “Milano” by Danielle Luppis & Parouet Courts.
  • “Relatives in Descent” by Protomartyr
  • “Pure Comedy” by Father John Misty

And one that I picked up at a mini concert on the back porch of a basketball buddy of mine. It’s a husband wife team and the band and album is called:  When Particles Collide “This Town.”

So here’s some exciting new music I’ll be reviewing after I get to know them a bit.

Thanks and much love to  Julie, Rob, Sophie, Rachel, Graeme,  Jake and my lovely daughter Emily.

*Interesting note, but that’s what my b-day was last year.

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Kurtis Blow — 638

 

ALBUM: Party Time (1983)

MVC Rating: 3.5/$$

This is early, early rap, hip hop or whatever you want to call it.

I’d put this on at a party  and the white boys would actually get up and dance. Throw in a little Grandmaster Flash and it was hopping around time. Bad dancing. (Except for me, of course.)

I remember once at a small dinner party at our  house, I pulled out my rap collection of about three records, feeling kind of impressed with myself that I was on the cutting edge.

I think I put on “New York, New York (Big City of Dreams)” by Grandmaster Flash. This was early 1980s and we were living in Birmingham. This was the very inception of rap as a popular culture sort of thing. (That means white people were discovering it). Flash and Blow were pioneers, with “The Message” by Flash and “The Breaks” by Blow.

Again feeling a little too proud of myself, I asked a black colleague who was at the party how he liked it.

My colleague said he didn’t like rap. He liked hard rock, heavy metal.

Oops, one of those moments. Um, Mike I think it is time to flip the record on your STEREOtype!

 Yes man, and we will be serving the fried fowl a little later. 

But we were cool. He laughed.

I put on some Led Zeppelin.

Counting down my vinyl records before I die of brain disease.

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Shelley Berman –639

ALBUMS: Outside Shelley Berman

MVC Rating: 3.5/$

Sounds like a 1950’s version of Seinfeld, perhaps crossed with a little bit of Lenny Bruce rage. He euphemizes some sexual content here, very slyly I might add.

He died this year but before that he was a character in Curb Your Enthusiasm, a show everyone recommends but I know little about other than Larry David stars.

Noted for accusing Bob Newhart of copping his one-sided phone routine where he pretends like he’s on the phone with some famous person from history. (See videos).

Bob pretending to be on the phone to Lincoln’s press agent, for example. “Your thinking of shaving? Um let’s  re-think this Abe,  sweetheart.” Or something like that.

I think Newhart won that spat when they realized a number of comics did that schtick.

He seems to be quick with the wit, funny even. A prototype comic of sorts.

But I can’t see flipping through my records and saying I wanna listen to some Berman  right now. I NEED BERMAN RIGHT NOW. No, cant see me doing that.

I prefer what I call the Steven Wright style:

“What’s another word for Thesaurus?”

Counting down my vinyl records before I die of brain disease.

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Roy Moore regrets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is an actual vinyl 45 rpm record I received a very long time ago from a man, an assistant prosecutor in Gadsden, Alabama. I was doing a story about this 30-something who wanted to be a judge. He was making news by railing against sitting judges in Etowah County, alleging ethical lapses and such.

Maybe I was committing an ethical lapse taking the 45, but i think its value then  was under our company policy prohibitions.

The man running  in Alabama for a U.S. Senate seat is now facing a wave of allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior with underage girls.

I’m not going to comment right now on guilt or innocence or the guilt  and shame of the innocents.

But I do want to say that I have a regret about that time  way back in 1982 when I, a cub reporter, was living in  Jacksonville, AL for nine months covering Anniston, Gadsden and Talladega for the Birmingham News.

My regret: That I didn’t spend more time in Gadsden. More time covering Roy Moore.

Curious about the music? I’ll reserve judgement on that as  well, but you can listen yourself.

http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/02/alabama_anti-gay_judge_roy_moo.html

 

 

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Big Country — 641, 640

 

ALBUMS: The Crossing (1983), Steeltown (1984)

MVC Rating: The Crossing 4.0/$$; Steeltown: 3.5, $$

The fact that I have two Big Country albums means I must have liked them a lot. Or at least the first one to make me buy the second one. I do like Big Country although haven’t listened to this band in years.

They sing in Scottish accents and make their guitars sound like bagpipes in a wall of sound that is rousing and dare I say, war-like

On a scale of their contemporaries the Alarm and the Waterboys, I’d place them ahead of the Alarm and behind the Waterboys purely subjective because I like all three.  I got into the Waterboys because they walked to the precipice of something new – big music — thanks to Mike Scott.

Probably my two favorite BC cuts are “In a Big Country’ off the Crossing and ‘Where the Rose is Sown’ off of Steeltown. These are killer songs.

And both sound alike.

Which is my critique. Powerful sounds, roaring Scottish guitars in riff driven waves make them sound good. But up creeps a sameness that I think took away from how good these songs are. They wouldn’t be the first group accused of milking a successful song/sound. I mean there is no artist (except the elite of the elite who can make basic rock and roll sound new again all the time. The sound Big Country milks is especially good. Just don’t expect something that continues to evolve.

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The Birmingham Community Choir — 642

Let God Into You, He Cares for You  (Date not listed)

Perhaps because it is Sunday. And perhaps because it is more or less next on my alphabetical list to count down my 678 records, I’m going to go to the Birmingham Community Choir.

I remember buying this in Birmingham before I went away, perhaps in 1983 or 1984. I bought it in a predominantly black neighborhood, that if memory serves me, focused primarily on gospel music.

This is big booming Sunday-go-to-church music, which I am preparing to  do to hear my wife, Interim Associate Pastor Catherine Oliver, deliver the sermon at 11 at First Presbyterian Birmingham.

This choir  was directed by Lawrence T. Sneed.

It has old school gospel  songs, ‘I Dreamed of a City ‘Called Glory’ and the MLK tribute ‘Let Freedom Ring’ and ‘And Jesus is on the Mainline’ and ‘I’ll See You in the Rapture.”

I h ave not been able to find this album on the Internet. Though I did find another from this same choir called “Why Can’t I.” I also believe I bought other records from this store, including gospel by Al Green and Little Richard.

Anyone with more information, let me know in the comments.

Counting down my 678 vinyl records before I die of brain disease.

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The Beatles Mystery– 644, 643

ALBUMS: Beatles Alpha Omega (1972), The Beatles/1967-1970 (Blue Album 1973)

MVC Rating:  Alpha 4.5/$$$$$/Blue 5.0/$$$$$

I want to write about the Beatles. I really do.

But I find I don’t have the words right now to describe what they did and what they mean. They were in my opinion the greatest rock band ever and possibly in the top 5 of greatest musical artists in terms of breaking new ground and influence.

But I gotta back that up, and right now I’m going to think about it a bit more as I go through my 678 vinyl records that I am reviewing for www.myvinylcountdown.com.

Meanwhile …., I’m going to offer up a little look at the two Beatles albums I have  — again not a review of the music but a little story behind the origins of these two albums.

Two you say? Doesn’t sound like the Beatles collection of someone who thinks they are all that.

Well my two ‘albums’ are two anthologies totaling six vinyl discs in all. (Plus I have a lot, probably most of the Beatles catalog digitalized.)

One of the collections is a box The other collection I have is commonly referred to as the Blue Album which covers Beatles from 1967 to 1970. My brother had the Red Album which covered 1962 to 1966. If you have the red and blue albums, 2 records in each set, you have the essence of the group’s great work, but I would recommend the separate albums as well, especially Revolver, Sgt. Pepper and the White Album.

Now funny thing about the 4-record Alpha and Omega. It’s a bootleg. They call it a needle-drop bootleg because the bootlegger recorded these records right off the original records. Dropped the needle on a record on a turntable turned on a microphone and pressed the results in vinyl.

The sound quality is not supposed to be as good but I can’t really tell. The discs themselves contain songs in a peculiar order, sometimes alphabetical sometimes not. The only address on the albums is a P.O. Box from Asbury Park, N.J.

There’s also mixed  in with the Beatles songs some solo songs such as McCartney’s Uncle Albert and Lennon’s Imagine.

Odd.

I’m not exactly sure where I got this. My wife, Catherine, says she thinks it could have been her sisters or her brothers’. It’s possible I found it at a flea market.

I know I got my ‘blue’ album as a Christmas present from my parents at about age 12 or 13.

The Alpha Omega album was actually sold on late night TV in the US. Apparently copyright laws varied from the UK to USA and gave someone the audacity to just steal these off of Beatles records.There are several versions of this bootleg.

Apple Records apparently chose to come out with the red and blue albums shortly after the bootlegs to counter with an ‘authorized’ compilation. In fact a paper sheet included in my blue album says, “These are the only authorized collections of The Beatles. On Apple Records.”

At www.discogs.com where they sell and buy records, I found these notes on one of their web pages.

In January 1973, two pirated Beatles box sets appeared in the United States, Alpha Omega Volumes I & II: The Story Of The Beatles (Audio Tape Inc. ATRBH 3583). These four-LP collections were advertised on TV and radio stations in the Midwest and were sold by mail order. Instead of taking legal action, Capitol Records countered by putting out two official Beatles anthologies, The Beatles 1962-1966 (US: Apple SKBO 3403) and The Beatles 1967-1970 (US: Apple SKBO 3404). However, in March, a $15 million lawsuit was filed by manager Allen Klein on behalf of George Harrison, along with Capitol and Apple Records, against the manufacturers and distributors of the bootleg package, and against American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., who had been advertising it. 
http://www.rarebeatles.com/boxsets/boxset.htm

Counting down my vinyl records before I die of brain disease.

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Big Audio Dynamite–645

ALBUM: This is Big Audio Dynamite (1985)

MVC Rating: 4.9/$$:

This is really interesting. Mick Jones, exiled from the Clash, in 1985 decided to go avant disco hip-hop with a pinch of Zappa discordant sauce. Some of it is interesting, as I said, some is not so listenable.

I don’t mean that in a totally negative way. I admire the exploration. Big Audio Dynamite was looking for the next big bang.

Here’s how I’d describe one (or more) song passages: Gunshots amid the Ennio Morricone whip-snaps, guitar strums and radio free Europe  broadcasts burst out of looping ska-like background music. Whew. What does that mean. Almost got to hear it to believe it.

One thing I would have nixed if I was in studio: drum machines. Already program-y sounding, the machine powered drums push it too close to ready made.

‘Sudden Impact’ and BAD are songs where the band’s vision comes together for fully functional and interesting dance music. Kind of like a funked-up Sandinista sound. If you don’t have Sandinista the near genius mish-mash by the Clash, I’d go there before you go here.

This came out in 1985 so I probably bought this from Chuck at the alternative WUXTRY in Birmingham.

From BAD on the album:

These are the things that drive me crazy

These are the things that make me mad

Counting down my 678 vinyl records before I die of brain disease.

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5 at 5 (another Friday round)

Here we go again. It’s time for 5 at 5.

It goes like this, at 5 p.m. (or any time you wish)  pick up our music storage devices, whether they are  I-Pods, cell phones or other and set it to random play all songs.

Then we share our lists  and argue about who had the best list or laugh at what came up the fact that my first song was Justin Timberlake.

I have 7,494 songs in my I-pod. And due to some kid usage of my 120 GB I-Pod, there are some that I can’t explain like how Justin got on. I will post this and  encourage others to post their results in the comment section (by clicking on the title of this post.

Post in comments by hitting the title of the post and scrolling to the bottom.

Here’s mine:

My Pony by Justin Timberlake

Fast Freight by the Kingston Trio

I Am the Walrus by the Beatles

Point A by Michael Hedges

Tell it Like it Is by Aaron  Neville.