The Cave Singers - No Witch

The Cave Singers - No Witch

2011

If the sound of dust lifting off from patting bongo drums appeals to you, this album will as well. If raspy echo laced chants to a hidden ghost send you into a dream of fantasy past, this album is in that spirit. If you like your music to peak and valley in time to strums and hooks that seem to belly up from a time long gone - jackpot. If you have any curiosity about what a melodica is, then welcome to "No Witch", a back woods style tribute to knee slappin' boot stompers, folk, roots rock, bluegrass, and probably some sort of hipster trend that I am yet to get in on. The whole affair has a touch of the black magic in it. Approach with caution.

I learned of the Cave Singers through a long term relationship with another awesome band that decided to call it quits after their third album. I was lucky to have seen Pretty Girls Make Graves out of Seattle, who played the second Siren Festival in Coney Island Brooklyn, NY in 2002 (along with Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Les Savy Fav, The Shins, The Donnas, Mooney Suzuki, Sleater Kinney, etc.). Does that sound trite? Well, anyways I bought their record and have seen them three times since. I felt like they kept getting better and better (live... the records are good, but live is like... sweet baby Jehosaphat!), but they decided to do a farewell tour in an amicable nature. They killed in the farewell show I caught at the Black Cat, and out of PGMG came the Cave Singers from guitar whiz Derek Fudesco.

So... this guy is some sort of musical freak because he just absolutely owns every instrument he touches. He's got a soulful vibe; sort of a mystic shamble thing. It's something to see. On record it comes across, especially on "Haller Lake" and "No Prosecution if we Bail". These and others are full of the sort of huff and puff rock that makes this album have a dance around the fire medicine man/peyote kind of vibe. Some of the tones are steeped in this dark mantra of yesterwhen. It's hard to really figure out what singer Peter Quirk is going on about (but in concert it looked pretty important). The lyric sheet didn't help much. Seems that somebody had a bad day mostly while on acid... but it's hard to figure out. Their first two albums are a little more straight forward in this area. On "No Witch" the Cave Singers got stung by the poetry scorpion. It made things go all strange. Example: "Faze Wave" - "gold workout before I saw you, you're waiting for a ride, saw you at the supermarket shopping for a mind"  - uhh, whut?

Anyways, it's good, so you should try and listen to it a few times or something. If you can't find this one maybe the first ones are easier to track down, "Invitation Songs" and "Welcome Joy".

Street Sweeper Social Club

Well, this post has been a long time coming.  The VVs were first introduced to this supergroup of Tom Morello (formerly of Rage Against the Machine) on guitar and Boots Riley (formerly of The Coup) on vocals at a show in 2009.  Morello was touring on his solo gig, The Nightwatchman, which is mostly acoustic folk music, at Sonar in Baltimore.  The opening act was actually Street Sweeper (as they called themselves then) with Boots rapping and Morello unplugged.  This was not expected, in fact, it seemed like they just came up with the idea for the collaboration on the way to the gig.  It was awesome.  Boots has some pretty sharp lyrics, telling stories of the times, and laced with his brick to the face kind of humor.  Boots is also like four feet tall (his stunning afro adds at least a foot) and pretty adorable.  You will want to give him a high five and a noogie.  Of course Morello's guitar riffs are epic.  Both of Morello's projects that we saw that night were, although vastly different, pretty mind-blowing.  The Nightwatchman's music is definitely worth checking out.  To get a sense of the rest of the show, I distinctly remember ending the night with an all-room Pete Seeger-esque sing-along to Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land".  Yeah.

So back to Street Sweeper.  In the 2009 show, Boots and Morello were in the beginnings of forming their band, and it seemed like they were trying out their demo songs to gauge the audience perception.  Not by accident we saw them again, this time opening for Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction in 2010 at Merriweather Post Pavilion.  They rocked, but in a different way than that first show.  For one, the music was hard and heavy, stadium style, but in a good way.  Morello was playing guitar with his teeth and Boots was busting out the dance moves coinciding with his lyrics.  "Promenade" from the group's first full length album, and remixed on this EP, is an all interactive square dance accompanied by Boots instructing the listeners to circulate and dosey-do.  Their best song preformed live that also carries through to the recorded format is "MEGABLAST" (how can that not be all caps?) - which yes, is an awesome rip-off of Public Enemy's "Megablast" appearing on Yo! Bum Rush the Show.  Speaking of remakes, the seven track Ghetto Blaster EP contains two pretty respectable ones - M.I.A.'s "Paper Airplanes" and LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out".  In fact,  "Mama Said" does not sound anything like the original due to Morello's heavy guitar;  the only thing that resembles a cover is the lyrics.  "The New Fuck You" is really not as evil as it sounds and it is a bouncy catchy song to end Side A with.  All of the new songs on the EP are tight, loud, and thoroughly sing-along-able.  Hope the Street Sweepers come back to town again soon.  Every track on this album is primed for a nasty concert throw-down.  Did I mention I'm a sucker for red translucent vinyl?

Flock of Seagulls

A Flock of Seagulls - 1982

No, really, it's good. The guy's hair isn't even totally atrocious yet.

So much of this record is awesome! Maybe my excitement here could be partially attributed to low expectations, but the actual quality and pep of this record cannot be denied. A good number of the songs on the album are jingly-jangly pop gems with some fine tuned laser light-sheen, primed for late night electro boogaloo dance parties (or early morning pancake flipping). It's hard to really follow what lead man Mike Score is singing about, but generally it can be summed up in the titles: I Ran, Space Age Love Song, You Can Run, Don't Ask Me, Messages, Telecommunication, Modern Love is Automatic, Standing in the Doorway, D.N.A., and Man Made ... ahh yes, a sci-fi workout album! I guess the real trick is that it's not just 80's pop. There are strong bass lines, wailing guitar hooks, a convulsive drumline, and traces of a hip hop stutter rhythm in sections. Many of the choruses demand full sing-along participation as well.

The two obvious singles/hits live on side A while side B is one propulsive and interesting song after the next. The second track "Modern Love is Automatic" is like listening to music on another planet, and the fourth "D.N.A." is just pure fun. Both feature tempo shifts that are at times ushered in via an explosion or a bleep bloop. This album is categorized for its 80's synths as new wave - as they called it then - which is just a crappy short hand for saying high energy pop rock with synths. Either way, there is no mistaking the sound for anything other than groundbreaking. This album kick-started the 80's MTV sound.

This find was snapped up at the True Vine in Hampden/Baltimore along with a good chunk of other affordable vinyl (none as good as this one). Since we were able to snag this album for a dollar in preparation for a very important 80s birthday party we got to check the entire thing out. Imagine if we weren't using vinyl? We would likely have just Limewire'd "I Ran" or scoffed at the idea of buying the CD. Hooray for records! This record in no way was expected to be good by either of us, but thank goodness for vinyl!

Nite City

How good is this music?  
How bad is this singer?
Why the fade out at the end of nearly all the tracks?
How hard is this crew trying to destroy the world with each song?  
Why are they totally trying to CRUSH IT one epic "best song ever man!" after the next?
Why did Ray Manzarek go from The Doors to Nite City?
Lastly, why do they all have longer, poofy-er hair than me?


...Further proving that buying any old record out of sheer curiosity can be hazardous to your health (your hearing in particular)...


That is all.

Landing on Water

Landing on Water - Neil Young 1986
Why review this album? We've already done two Neil Young albums (Trans, Le Noise) and the idea that we'll be reviewing all Young's albums should immediately be stricken! The main reason to review "Landing on Water" is because so many people pass off Young's music from the 80s as terrible, and a divergence from what he did best in the decades before and after.  The album is 80s, experimental, and extremely listenable. In fact... it's fun, which is something special when you're singing about the weighty things that Young does (homelessness, war, the death of hippie-dom, poverty). It's really something that he manages to get quirky pop music with serious messages to meld into something more than just absolute cheese. Yes, there is some cheese here, but it's the good kind, think Wisconsin Cheddar. It works in his favor, the fact that he can play in these oddball pop landscapes without getting absolutely ruined by them. It's pretty incredible. This particular album has all sorts of typical 80's cheese moments: crummy synths, sing along choirs, slick production, etc. What is missing that you would normally experience in the typical pop crap of the age? Well, for starters the songs don't make me want to hurl. Young sings genuine themes in a passionate way without preaching. The total lack of filler is nice. What's cool as well is that the cover of the album is somewhat avant garde, instead of some airbrushed glamour shot.
Catchy tracks of the album: "People on the Street" and "Touch the Night"
Noteworthy good tracks on the album: "Hippie Dream" and "Bad News Beat"
Bonus Points: "Drifters" has kazoo-ish type noises that overlay the synth rifts.
Sidenote: This album was unpriced at CD Game Exchange, but had a previous pricetag from another store for $1.99 on it. When going to pay, the cashier didn't know what to charge and called over another employee for consultation, who in turn, reasoned "Well, its a Neil Young album, so its at least $5". Needless to say, I got it for the price I wanted, but ohhhh the reasoning!

I Gatti

Gato Barbieri - Chapter One: Latin America, 1973


Well this record wins the What Just Happened Award for the week.  It comes to us from being bought on a whim at Woodwards in Hampden, Baltimore, and with having known nothing about it.  Its a total chaotic cluster.  I'm tired after listening to it only once.  Perhaps, there will be a second listen and blog in the future, but, I need to recover first.  I don't think its a bad record, just different.  As "G.V.A" (possibly a former owner of this record) has scrawled on the back cover, "Gato could be better one side not bad", which sums it up pretty well. 
Tip of the day: I do not recommend listening to this record while hungover.

The Shirks!

45s 
"Dangerous" 
"DC is Doomed" 
"Disease"

The Shirks are a local DC band that does NOTHING on the internet, plays straight ahead garage rock without a hint of irony, only releases 45s (and the occasional mix-tape), and totally kicks ass in tightly wound 30 minute live sets... I may be a little biased. It might just behoove you to find the next show these four fellows are playing and go. Finding is the difficult part though as the show can be a bit of word of mouth and luck. Keep an eye on local venues; Black Cat, Velvet Lounge, Comet, Quarry House, etc. Chat up the local bartenders, record store folks. Maybe you'll get hints from listings in the City Paper.

The songs on these three 45s are all cut from the same cloth. High energy, chug-a-chug rhythm, sing along chorus's, no waste. Facefulls of 70's era punk get amped up with an unhealthy fist drubbing of Ramones styled rah-rah-rahs. The breakneck Devo pacing will certainly have you head thrashing and makes me grin from ear to ear. No lyric sheet (or even any info on the DC is Doomed 45), but it's pretty easy to sort out what the songs are about. Living in the city with the dregs of the world and making the most of it. That's what I pick up. The low-fi production could use a little more vocal on a few of the recordings but generally it's a bit swampy. For full effect I recommend you crank it up LOUD!!! Some very catchy tunes with stellar guitar work. It's classic.

In response to my concern that the band has yet to release a full LP, Shirks vocalist Al gave me the rundown on how to best enjoy your collection of 45s. Place chair next to turntable. Play 45, flip, change 45, repeat. It's that simple.

Ellington at Newport

So I find myself having listened to this album at least 4 times this weekend.  It could be out of sheer laziness of not having to switch the record, but it's probably more because it's good.  This record makes me happy.


The 1956 recording starts off modestly with a new Ellington composition for the Festival.  Although apparently its reception isn't what Ellington had hoped for, it's pretty swingin.  It starts a little big band-y full of squealing trumpets and trombones, and morphs into a sultry piano and alto sax duet accompanied by the pulse of the ride cymbals (the sustained and shimmering "do-da-do").  


What really stands out happens on Side B with the performance of "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue" where Paul Gonsalves was told by Duke to blow on the tenor sax for as long as he wanted, which turned out lasting for a remarkable 27 straight choruses (and in no way is that a bad thing). During this, the cover notes mention the "girl who launches 7,000 cheers" (accompanied by a flattering photo) who began dancing in one of the boxes and set off the crowds' building excitement and got them to their feet.  The recording really shines through on expressing how everyone was having a great time both playing and being a part of this performance.  Put to vinyl, the energy of that moment in 1956 has really captured me.

Music From Star Wars: Performed by the Electric Moog Orchestra

Music From Star Wars: Performed by the Electric Moog Orchestra - 1977

This a pretty terrible record. It pretty much nearly made Sara cry. I kind of like the fact that it sounds a little like early video game music with better drums, but generally, it is the piece de regurge. So why review such a lousy record? Well, besides the fact that it only ran me a buck at CD/Game Exchange in Silver Spring, I have to also give a shout to one particular track. On a whole, the album is lame bleeps and bloops, which really drains the joy out of John WIlliam's superb original soundtrack. One track in which this actually complements the original source material is the music from the Cantina Band. You know, that scene in the first movie with all of the fun oddball creatures getting their drink on whilst networking for space related job activity? Well, the band in the futuristic space dive bar is busting out some serious space funk. It's easy to picture the moog version fitting right into the movie, it's so shitty/futuristic. The moog version has a lot less jazz and swing, it fills in with a bitchin' drum solo, manic crackhead tempo, and it even gets kind of dark and psych-rock towards the end. It's the kind of track that will turn your head because it actually one-ups the original in a dirty kind of ham fisted way. Is this enough to recommend seeking out the entire album? No, not by a long shot. Nice to know it happened though. The decision to green light this project must have been made around the same time George Lucas approved the Star Wars Holiday Special. Also bad, but some parts just work and are kind of revolutionary in they're own freakish way.

We've Got a Fuzzbox and We're Gonna Use It

Fuzzbox - We've Got A Fuzzbox and We're Gonna Use It 1987

This is actually one of the very first vinyl records I ever purchased. Picked it up in '91 at Yesterday and Today Records along with "Bleach" from Nirvana on pink see-thru vinyl. Before '91 I was listing to mostly crappy glam hair metal, tried and true classic rock, and whatever lame pop rock that was radio friendly. A high school friend I barely knew lent me a video cassette of an English comedy show on late MTV called "The Young Ones"(worth seeking out, if you're a crackhead) and the tape included about a half an hour of the early alt music show 120 Minutes. Cable television had not arrived at our house just yet, so what I was seeing was completely new, strange, and compelling. The Fuzzbox video for "Love is the Slug" was absolutely crap, but it also completely blew my mind. What the hell was going on here anyways!?! These sort of Jem and the Holograms looking pop/punk young ladies were dancing badly, sort of dancing, not really dancing. It looked stupid, but it was train wreck stupid. Most importantly though was the buzzsaw sound that accompanied the driving pulse of the tune. Yeah, the ladies chirp and tween through the almost incomprehensible lyrics, but it never tops that grinding guitar fuzz. It's a freaking monster.

The album is just a damn bastard. It's bouncy and filled with plenty of thunder. The songs are generally mini stories about love and loss for the high school set. "Love is the Slug", "Jackie", You Got Me", and "What's the Point" all follow that mold to a t. The last two tracks of the album, "Preconceptions" and "Rules and Regulations"(the first single the group ever recorded) break away from this and actually do a fine job at explaining why being a teenager and being different can just completely blow. The whole thing is done so tongue in cheek though, it's hard not to smile and dance. Even "XX Sex" which has a sing along "rape, rape, rape" finale, will make you jump up and down like an idiot.

Why did people forget about this great band? Well, the rest of their career was absolute poop, lacking almost any signs of the aforementioned good stuff. Bugger.

Le Noise

Le Noise 2010 - Neil Young


So I sold my soul to the devil by buying this record.  The act of purchasing vinyl from Amazon.  As my alibi, I did it solely for the price.  Local stores were retailing this one for about $37, and I cannot justify paying that much for ONE record (unless is has been encrusted with gold plated rubies).  I honestly feel awful for small record stores, because I have no idea how they are supposed to sell new vinyl to folks who aren't rich or stupid, or both?


The album is, as far as I can tell, strictly guitar and vocals which are melded into a feedback drenched apocalypse.  The guitar is full of grit and static, and just might be played in an echo room vortex.  Neil is exorcising some real demons in the form of an "end of the world/end of his rock life" rock out explosion of ennui.  I mean, Eddie Vedder must be just pooping his pants right now.  That is not a dis.  Neil is doing what he does best.  He is dissecting himself and everything around in the most basic and honest ways.  Having really feasted on Neil's back catalog lately (most recently the really obscure 80's cannon) this is refreshingly diverse, odd, and unencumbered by anything resembling bullshit.  It is totally legit.


Produced by fellow Cannuck Daniel Lanois, the two Northerners kick up a good deal of drift and side winding washed out fuzz.  It works, I'm really not sure why, but it seems Neil really was just digging doing his thing.  There are flourishes of spanish guitar, tidbits of tunes long lost, and a slew of nimble/catchy odes to the art of singing about love and war.  He even gives a shout out to the greatest Neil Young album of all time, "TRANS" during the song, "Hitchhiker" where he lifts the hook from "Like an Inca".  Way to go Mr. Y, sampling your own work.  Neil has this strange knack for sounding like he is doing things on purpose; the purpose of making music that is interesting to him.   If you can tune into that, then you're golden.  He's jumped into all sorts of genres over the years and certainly had his share of drug induced/producer induced WTF moments committed to record, but this one seems truer than true. My question is does anybody actually still care?  For some reason I feel like Neil may have just blown straight past any actually radio format.  Will he ever get play again and really, does it matter?

Fabulous Poodles - Mirror Star

Fabulous Poodles - Mirror Star 1978


Ok, it's important to note that this album is hot pink vinyl. A demo copy, found in the twenty five cent bin at the Deep Groove Records in Richmond, VA, and it's hot pink. How do you refuse an album like that? Not knowing anything about the band had me close to second guessing, but I am certainly glad that I went through with my big purchase. Did I mention the pink vinyl?

What happens musically here is really a treat. You get tinges of 70's Rolling Stones (Chicago Boxcar), early Elvis Costello (B Movies), and some new wave as well.  Flashes of 50's era "strum and tumble" show up here and there also.  It's a spare affair, with a few dashes of just about everything rock and roll that had come before.  I can imagine that "turn off, turn off, turn off my microphone!" would have been a great sing-along before leading into a wicked drum/synthesizer breakdown.  Some of the tunes even get into country and doo-wop territory (Roll Your Own).  It is all here.  Lead man, Tony de Meur has traces of Bowie, Thorogood, and Jagger.  This particular record is a combination of the first two releases from the UK which seemed to be enough to propel them stateside as opening act for Tom Petty, The Ramones, and even as the backing band for legendary Chuck Berry.  So what the F#&^$% happened to these guys!?!  Was it because they were called the Fabulous Poodles?  Probably, but the internet tells me it was more a case of the music business (relentless touring, a lack of label support, and an evil overlordish manager) and who am I to argue with the internet?  Well, the internet isn't saying much.  Seems this group's three album achievement wasn't enough to garner the attention of the modern media.  Did I mention hot pink?

Plain Brown Wrapper

The Best of Peter and Gordon


How can you resist buying this record for $0.99 from Joe's Record Paradise?  Someone back in the day clearly cared enough about this album to create a new handmade painted cover made from a paper bag.  Did this record lose its sleeve or do we have an arts and crafter who did this to all their vinyl?  Regardless, this cover is awesome and deserves a blog.  The music is good, nothing to write home about.  The Beatles wrote for these guys, so the album is a cross between the Fab Four's lyrics and guitar and the harmony of the Everly Brothers. Not too shabby.  But seriously, back to the cover.  I can see the pencil of the cursive handwriting as the first draft of the cover before the owner painted it.  The paper is even shellacked or finished in some way to keep it from aging.  Nice craftsmanship.  

Turn over this stellar cover and it details not only the names of the tracks, but also their playing time.  Take notice of the Capital Records logo in the lower righthand corner.  Now that takes commitment.

The Whole Thing Started With Rock & Roll Now It's Out of Control

Ray Manzarek - The Whole Thing Started With Rock & Roll Now It's Out of Control - 1974

Curiosity about the former keyboardist from The Doors led to the purchase of this one from CD Cellar in Falls Church, VA, and its definitely worth a spin, or two, or three (getting the idea?).... The record starts off as you would expect with classic Door-sy sounding keyboards and vocals. Who knew that Mr. Manzarek could sing too? He sounds strangely like he's doing his best Jim Morrison impersonation, and this is in no way depressing. It all works well, but give it til track 3, "Whirling Dervish" where you will realize you've found something special. Steve Reich-esque minimalist scaling, featuring clarinets and sax, morph into what sounds like a middle eastern Hava Nagila inspired break from the main loop. Wait for the end of Side A with "Begin the World Again" that funkifies the whole album.

This record is spattered with Manzarek's deep voice which falls somewhere in the range of Johnny Cash or Glen Danzig especially on the catchy "I Wake Up Screaming" and "Bicentenial Blues" (which features Manzarek's liberty in including the hook from "Light My Fire"). It's a dancing disco tinged affair that is well worth your time and boogie.


On a side note, if you care what your neighbors think, don't play the end of Side B during the summer with the windows open in the middle of the day. It starts off innocent enough, but quickly takes a turn for the worse, when it vividly could double for the soundtrack to a raunchy 70's porn.


Of Note: the sleeve give a special thanks to Iggy Pop and credits Patti Smith as Poetress. Nice.

Mono-Printing / Zinefest

At the SPX last month I picked up a flier for the Richmond Zine Fest. Having no prior knowledge of the fest, knowing little to nothing about Richmond, and with mini-comics piled up, the Vagabonds headed two hours due south of DC for adventure. I had never made what I considered a "zine" before, but during the week, in a fit of middle of the night dreaming, I realized that this blog thing could be organized, jazzed up, and turned to print. The organization was pretty easy. Microsoft Word and I got along pretty decently, and the copy machine only gave me a few minor headaches. Still, the book looked kind of dull. Arting up the cover was something that sprang to mind, though I don't readily have access to screen printing materials these days. With an old 45 from my brother's abandoned collection, a brush, and a tub of screen ink I went to work.

Pretty easy to do with only a minor mess. The 45 (The Other Ones - Holiday) will likely never spin again, but my books were complete. Folks at the fest reacted well to the vinyl-file content, the snazzy covers, and the VVers had they-selves a true zine. Records; is there nothing they can't do? Up to this point my love of 45s had been pretty low, mostly due to the fact that I always feel like I have to get up to change the record the moment I have sat down. Even recent acquisitions by local DC band “The Shirks” have done little to dull my pain in this department (nothing personal The Shirks, but how about a full length already?). Using a slab of forgotten vinyl to make a project come together really was an unexpected delight.

Several books were swapped and a good time was had by the zinesters.

P.S. Richmond is a super sweet town. Laid back and collegiate, there are heaps of things to do. We found our way to Deep Groove Vinyl after the fest and the friendly owner had a sidewalk sale going on to benefit the local park. Twenty-five cent records (which he eventually made free for a donation to the park fund) netted us a stack of gems. Reviews to come soon...

Thanks Richmond!


P.P.S. Making a zine really got us to look over the blog again and do some cleaning up. Sloppy editing? None more...we hopes.

America

Kurtis Blow - America - 1985


Yet another Kurtis Blow album with an awesome cover. This was eyed while checking out at Joe's Record Paradise last night as  it was sitting behind the counter. Our cashier said this "concept album" was for sale and upon flipping to the back cover, we were all immediately in awe of Kurtis Blow's "sweet mullet" as quoted by the Joe's cashier. Add this to the collection of Kurtis Blow ridiculous back album covers (see our post for his first album).


So buying this record was a toss up, since it a) was not $1 or less for an album that we knew absolutely nothing about, b) is from 1985 c) gives special thanks to Slick Vick (who is this? Slick Rick's inferior brother), and d) has a track called "Super Sperm". However, it does contain a track "If I Ruled the World" - music and lyrics by Kurtis Blow. Could this be the original of the song that I know by Nas and Lauryn Hill? I had to find out.


Of course it is the archetype of the song that I know from the 90's by Nas; I should know by now that very few 90's rap and hip hop songs are originals. The hook is the similar, but the verses of Blow's song sound more like Will Smith's Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme. "As I arrived, the crowd started to cheer - And then someone yelled out, 'The King is here!'" Many lyrics on this one will likely remind you of early Will Smith, one song "Summertime Groove" in particular seems a straight steal by Mr. Smith... perhaps an homage.


The rest of the songs sound a lot like beat boxing, but with a beat machine on a keyboard. This makes sense since this same year he produced the Fat Boys album which pioneered the human beat box along with Doug E. Fresh. I sorta wish I had a boom box to rock this album.


Overall, I think I would be ok just buying a single of If I Ruled the World, nothing REALLY stands out on the rest of the album, but its fun to listen to. The first track has a few moments of inspiration, but it is kind of watered down.


PS - try really hard to not listen to the last track on Side B - "Don't Cha Feel Like Makin Love" - its as bad as your would think for a Kurtis Blow Side B track. What is it with this guy and his incredibly bad album ending tracks? It's like he's trying to prove a point that he can indeed embarass himself at least once per album. This track sounds like the worst Poison song ever recorded. BAD!!!

Blueridgin'

Fall is upon us and I can't wait to get out to Shenandoah Valley for some long solo hikes and back country camping. The drive west always finds me listening to the same play-list, a mix of classic bluegrass and folk, alt-country, and The Fleet Foxes.

I can't think of any other band who's sound instantly takes me to visions of the Blue Ridge Mountains as I speed my way down route 60. The fact that the Fleet Foxes are originally from Seattle is absolutely mind numbing. The incredible vocal harmonies mixed with technical guitar work, simple percussion, as well as the twang of a mandolin hearken back to the music of of pre- 1950 Appalachia. This band started out simply buy posting music on Myspace and gathering a word of mouth following. In 2008 Sub-Pop released the Fleet Foxes first and thus far only album. The self titled album is now being sold as a 2xlp, A&B being the full length album and C&D being their EP "Sun Giant". There isn't a song on these records I could do without, though I do have a favorite "Blue Ridge Mountains"... for obvious reasons.

Get outside, enjoy the cooling temperatures, but make sure you pick up the Fleet Foxes Lp before you do. Personally I have listened to this album so many times that I can recite the entire album as I make my way down the AT. I suggest you do the same.

FAT BOYS!

Fat Boys - 1984

Say hello to the human beatbox. At a mere 15 cents this album was a freaking steal from the newly opened CD/Game Exchange in Takoma Park. It features strong production from the one and only Kurtis Blow and some ahead of its time hip hop from the boys of fat. The songs feature some deft rapping that borders on the ludicrous at times, but never deep ends into clowning. It's a solid effort that can get a living room dance party going in short order. The sleeve mysteriously had a single for "Sex Machine" from a later album crammed in with it. The single (featuring a straight rip of James Brown's "Sex Machine")is "meh". Our copy came in a sleeve that looked like it had been chewed on by a pack of starving hyaenas, but after some close inspection of the dense shmootz at the shop, the grooves were unharmed.

So the guys are fat and they rap. Haha, I get it. That's it, right? WRONG. This stuff is tight, the guys are on their game, and it's a good time! Tracks like "Jail House Rap", "Fat Boys", and "Human Beat Box" are just awesome! The beat boxing, while groundbreaking at the time, still holds strong and is a zillion times better than any auto-tune bs that the new school guys are putting out there. GET A COPY RIGHT NOW.

Not sure why this album got lost to the sands of time, perhaps the Boys let the quality slip a few notches after this first LP, as evidenced by the "Sex Machine" single I mentioned earlier. Maybe they were having so much fun that they became a self-parody. The important thing to remember here is that future platters don't matter much when the one that's spinning is so damn tight.

Introducing the In-Car Record Player!

After a long day of digging through crates of vinyl and finding some gems (or what you think could be gems), ever think to yourself while driving home in the car, "Man, I wish someone invented a record player for the car!" Well, folks, your day has come . . . Introducing the first In-Dash No-Skip Turntable! You no longer have to wait the long trip home battling traffic to check out your records, now you can enjoy your vinyl finds en route.


Wondering how the In-Dash No-Skip Turntable plays your vinyl without skipping when you hit a pothole in the road? Well, our product uses cutting edge technology developed by NASA engineers for the currently under wraps Mars mission. This sleek sound system is hydraulically suspended, the turntable and needle hover in a diamond chamber padded with liquid nitrogen. The record enters the chamber much like a CD in a car, press the button, and the needle lovingly hits all the grooves. Our patent pending design is vertically mounted, which enables less of a chance of skipping and superior sound quality for you!


Upgrade your model to include the specially featured smoke machine! Pulling from our liquid nitrogen already used in the suspension of the turntable, create your very own smokey ambiance in your car while you groove to your tunes.


So hurry and order your In-Dash No-Skip Turntable for your car, truck, bus, van, train, airplane, or Winnebago today! While supplies last!


Coming soon the Egg-Crate No-Skip Turntable for bicycles!

Aqualung

"Aqualung, my friend..." [must be sung with a squished up face and lower jaw jutted out]


Well, this purchase was indeed all inspired by the silliest of silly movies, "Anchorman, The Legend of Ron Burgundy" (for Ron's inspiration in the movie listen to Side B "My God" which features a disturbingly powerful flute solo with mad trillos).  Expectations for this one were pretty low and yet, there was a glimmer of jazz flute that induced hope.  Found in an egg crate bin at Gerosa Records in a VV's hometown of Brookfield, CT, this album got dusted off to travel back to DC with us.  


Jethro Tull's masterpiece is a rocking, epic, profane mess of bluster, theatre, and hooky jams.  More guitar and rhythm section than flute (though the flute is certainly well featured), this record gets the head bobbing in an appreciative "satan is the master" sway.  It is truly a rocking album mostly about a hobo.