by Tom Waits (1988)

Seeing Tom Waits live is like the Holy Grail for me. After a couple years of fulfilling my live in concert dreams (Lindsey Buckingham, Fleetwood Mac, Britney Spears, Nick Cave, Grace Jones, and R. Kelly) he’s the only big one left. It’s a rare occurrence, with the last tour being a couple years ago. Fortunately for all of us, his previous concert film, Big Time is available to stream from netflix even as DVDs are difficult to track down.

Theatrical with a German expressionist meets vaudeville vibe, it’s a joy to watch, especially for long time fans. Waits performs some of my favorite songs from Rain Dogs, Frank’s Wild Years and Swordfishtrombones and charms the audience with piano side monologues about pregnancy, erotica, and strip clubs.

His wife Kathleen Brennan, who sparked Waits’ gravely, strange and fantastic turn by introducing him to Captain Beefheart was the co-creative behind this performance.

The album, which was released after the video, is a great listen even with out the visual accompaniment.

Click here for the rest of Big Time

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Posted on December 23, 2010

by Desmond Dekker (1969)

As a casual reggae and ska listener, I can’t say I knew too much about Mr. Desmond Dekker beyond his name and his hit “Israelites” and “007 (Shanty Town)“. I’ve been recently in the mood for catchy upbeat classic reggae though and This Is Desmond Dekkar (despite curiously misspelling his name) is a great introduction to his early work and totally fits the bill.

A reissue of a 1969 album, This Is Desmond Dekkar also features 19 additional tracks. The entire album is a stylish, pleasant, transporting experience from the excellent aforementioned hits to the lesser known tracks like Sabotage and Nincompoop. Known as “The King of Ska”, Dekker was at the forefront of a new movement (and even helped Bob Marley with his start). The early 60’s, rude boy portion of his decades long career is well represented here.

Plus, there’s nothing better for dancing a baby around than this.

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Posted on November 12, 2010

by The Carpenters (1971)

The Carpenters self titled album is an iconic one of its time, and many will argue, of the worst of its time. Schmaltzy, cheesy, feathery soft and mild, Karen and brother Richard were the number one selling act in the 1970’s (this album alone went quadruple platinum). Still, it’s soothing music like this that sometimes hits the mid afternoon spot and can anyone deny that she possessed one of the nicest voices ever recorded?

You’ll likely be familiar with most of the album’s many hits (Rainy Days and Mondays, For All We Know, Superstar) but there are less often played songs here too. Drusilla Penny, a rare Carpenters ditty sung by Richard, is Jim’s favorite (though he is not a big fan over all) but some of the others are admittedly a bit much to handle even for me as I recommend you give this adult contemporary dynamo a chance (see Bacharach medley and Saturday).

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Posted on October 12, 2010

by Leonard Cohen (1971)

I guess Leonard Cohen‘s third album, Songs of Love and Hate could be considered baby Van’s first album pick because he’s been quite moved to kick and punch whenever it’s played. Looks like he’ll be one moody little poet kid because Jim Morrison also gets him going. Fortunately mommy likes the album too. It’s got my favorite Cohen song possibly of all time, the incredibly sad Famous Blue Raincoat.

The entire album is perhaps his most effectively depressing with suicide, infidelity, the pain of becoming obsolete, and lost love as just a few of the topics covered. It’s spare and sparse (only eight tracks) with the focus being on his signature melancholy and beautiful lyrics. I’d call him the perhaps the best lyricist of all time, and this album is certainly evidence of this.

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Posted on September 26, 2010

by Iceberg Slim (1976)

I am slightly conflicted about recommending the pimp poetry spoken word gem Reflections by Iceberg Slim. It has become a favorite of Jim and mine since we came across it and became intrigued during our last Amoeba trip but it’s definitely not pc. It contains offensive material to nearly everyone (women and homosexuals getting the worst of it) but both the work and the man behind it is more complex than that. Slim, born Robert Beck, was an actual pimp for most of his young life and after a long prison sentence, decided to write about his life experiences. The result was the cult classic (though largely ignored) book, Pimp: The Story of My Life. Long before the gangsta rap that spoke of the violence and brutality of the streets, Slim was using his life as inspiration for eye opening and disturbing truths.

Reflections is his sing songy spoken word version of that rough life but accompanied by the Red Holloway Quartet, it’s also addictive, jazzy and strangely calming (kind of like a beatnik Dr. Seuss from a pimps point of view) and is unlike anything else you’re likely to have in your library. If you can get past the content and take it as one man’s experiences concerning a certain dark lifestyle, which by the way is always eloquent and often poignant and heartbreaking, this could be one of the greatest albums you’ll discover this year if only for the undeniable smoothness of his incredible voice.

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Posted on September 5, 2010

by Clutchy Hopkins (2006)

The neighborhood corner Aussie gem, Five Leaves has much to recommend it (a brilliant chicken sandwich, pavlova, muesli, gravlax, and excellent coffee to name a few) but aside from the food and an affable staff, there’s always good tunes playing. I am usually familiar with what their spinning, and sometimes pleasantly surprised (True Stories by Talking Heads is woefully forgotten and underplayed). This morning though, a music I was thoroughly enjoying was unknown to me. It ended up being a one Clutchy Hopkins, a man whose very identity in in question and the stuff of mystery and legend.

Considered a dj, his music is an amalgamation of styles and sounds and as far from the monotonous stuff that inspires squatting, hoola hooping in McCarren Park (anyone else privy to that display Saturday?) that I usually associate with the term “dj”.

The album is self produced and likely to become the soundtrack to the rest of my summer. Very lovely stuff.

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Posted on August 15, 2010

by Bruce Springsteen (1984)

I was once told, when Dancing in the Dark popped up on my ipod play list at work, that I was considered cool until that moment. Born in the USA, due to it’s affirming pop sensibility, was basically a blockbuster of an album, making red blooded Americans the country over into hip swinging radio rock lovers. Sure, it doesn’t have the kind of quiet cred of the dark and brooding Nebraska and nowadays anything too popular is bound for a backlash, but to ignore and deny the albums enduring greatness is a mistake.

First, there’s all those hits. I mean, my god, there’s the title song, Dancing in the Dark, Cover Me, I’m on Fire, Glory Days and My Hometown – all solid rock anthems with his homegrown social commentary that go perfectly with fireworks, worn denim, a beer, and back yards. When these songs come on, I still feel happy to hear them, and maybe by now, when their days of constant radio play behind them, they can incite the same energy in you. At least give it a try on the 4th, and don’t skip the lesser known tracks that you probably haven’t heard too many times to count.

And, for the record, if loving this album is lame, I don’t want to be cool.

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Posted on June 27, 2010

by The Smiths (1986)

The Smiths are the kind of band that elicits such tenacious adoration and devotion from it’s fans and that love is something you either get or you don’t. For those that like me get it, you only have to hear a refrain:

“I’ve got the twenty first century breathing down my neck”,

“Oh mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head…”,

“A dreaded sunny day..”,

“And now I know how Joan of Arc felt…”,

“Take me out tonight.”,

“From the ice age to the dole age there is but one concern…”

to be transported to an emotional state that’s frankly (Mr Shankly) hard to describe. There’s part longing, part sentiment, part defiance, part arrogance, part romance and part glorious despair in their music. All the songs quoted above, which are so ingrained in certain children of the 80s, and were personally such a part of my adolescence are found on The Queen is Dead. It’s an undeniably impressive track listing of catchy, unrepeated (because really, who since has the same sound and dynamics as the Smiths?) pop musical wonderment. It’s one of the few listening experiences that actually make the pain and complexity of adolescence sound appealing and dignified. It’s really hitting the spot lately.

If you missed out on the Smiths so far, and want to get on board, well you could really start with any album as they’re all phenomenal, but many find this to be their best total effort.

Click here for the rest of The Queen is Dead

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Posted on May 16, 2010

Bootsy Collins (1976)

The centerpiece of Stretchin’ Out in Bootsy’s Rubber Band is the fantastic “I’d Rather Be With You”. It’s an absolutely perfect example of the kind of slow groovy/sexual innuendo/hip swaying spectacle that is funk at its best. A live, jammy, white-caped version is also worth a looksee.

I’d Rather Be With You, despite being a huge hit, was (blissfully) left off the play-lists of the oldies stations we grew up with, so it’s been spared the obnoxious overplaying that’s crippled so many genre classics and feels as fresh and exciting as the day it was made – but, even though I’m devoting so digital ink to this one song, I don’t want you to think that the rest of the album is mere filler.

Love Vibes (featuring the lovely vocals of Leslyn Bailey), Vanish In Our Sleep, and Physical Love – they’re all so much fun! Which is exactly what this album is all about, as is pretty clear from the rainbow font and motorcycle photograph on the cover. It’s absolutely perfect listening for the beginning of spring.

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Posted on March 28, 2010