The Band – Music From Big Pink

I find it difficult to review “classic” albums simply because anything I am going to say has been said before. But I don’t think I review albums proper…I am more going for just capturing what I think of the album. So I’ll give this one a go.

I love to listen to The Band. They are one of those bands who I often hear debated. Seems people either think they are brilliant or they don’t get what all the hype is about. I don’t know if I think they are brilliant, but I sure do love to listen to them. And you can’t do much better than Music From the Big Pink.

To me this album is road trips with my mom as a small kid, blasting “The Weight” and singing the words along long before I knew what the words were saying. It makes sense that I love it all again as an adult because this album just sounds like a precursor to the music I enjoy these days. It sounds like a bunch of guys drinking a bunch of beer and smoking a bunch of whatever and singing songs about what they know. Everything sounds so gloriously off-kilter that it must be calculated chaos. And that’s fine. Because this is still an album I reach for when I want to drink a beer and think about time passing or not passing me by.

And there are days when nothing sounds better to me than barricading myself in a “pink house seated in the sun of Overlook Mountain in West Saugerties, New York.”

If you don’t “get what all the hype is about” with The Band, give them another try. If you still don’t like what you hear, that’s okay…but they deserve a second listen.

Joan Baez – In Concert

This is a record I got on one of the famous $10 for a box of records days at Jerry’s records. Jerry’s Records is the greatest record store ever. Located on Murray Avenue in the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh, PA…there’s just nothing else quite like it.  Crazy selection, constantly changing, cheap as hell.  If you got there just before closing time on a Sunday, Jerry would often be known to make everyone still in the store do a shot of whiskey.  I spent a far too large portion of my law school student loans at Jerry’s.

Anyway, once a year, Jerry’s would fill boxes with as many records as they could and customers could come and buy boxes for ten dollars each. You couldn’t look through the boxes and see what you were getting, you just had to take a chance.  I always got more than $10 worth of treasures in my boxes.  This particular box contained Joan Baez in Concert, Otis Redding Live in Europe, a Rick James’ record, and a Ted Nugent record in an Aerosmith Toys in the Attic sleeve. 

I know that Joan Baez has a great voice.  I know that in my mind, but my ears find it pretty damn annoying.  But if her voice doesn’t annoy you, or you can deal, there is some good stuff to be found here.  “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You” – made famous by Led Zeppelin leads off with a bang.

But no folk album would be worth its weight in flowers and hippie tears without a crowd joining in rendition of “Kumbaya.”  Followed immediately by Joan saying “I’ll sing you the gentlest folk fest song I know” and diving in to “What Have They Done to the Rain.” Say it ain’t so, Joan.

If you like this kind of music (which honestly I do, I just have never really been into Joan’s voice), check out the book Positively 4th Street.  An interesting read about Baez, her sister Mimi (Farina), Richard Farina, Bob Dylan and the emergence of that whole scene.

Badfinger – Magic Christian Music

From the back cover: “Badfinger are very close to each other, living together, their life is playing together…they offer you themselves and their music, so listen, as I have done, enjoy it–and feel close to Badfinger.” – I love that.

This album was released in 1970 on The Beatles’ Apple label.  The band’s biggest hit is the Paul McCartney scribed “Come and Get It” which bats lead off on Magic Christian Music.  The title is a reference to the fact that this album is partially a soundtrack. By that I mean three of the songs are from a Peter Sellers movie I’ve never seen called The Magic Christians.  The soundtrack songs are ”Come and Get It”, “Rock of All Ages”, and “Carry on Till Tomorrow.” The Beatles’ influence is heavy, but why wouldn’t you want to be influenced by The Beatles in 1970?

I’ve long been partial to “Midnight Sun” but there’s quite a few keepers here.

I love this album and have since I first brought it home.  Not quite a desert-island disc but it did make the initial record cut for the trek to Portland. 

Note: Due to the wonderful cover, I always think of this album as being titled Magic Christian Finger which is a way better title.

amalgamated sons of rest – s/t

This was an ep collaboration between Jason Molina (Songs: Ohia, Magnolia Electric Co.), Will Oldham (Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Palace), and Alasdair Roberts (who I had never heard of before I bought this but is a Scottish artist).  I had really high hopes for this project because I am a very big Molina fan and a pretty big Oldham fan, but this album falls flat. It’s not that it isn’t good…it’s plenty good, but it should be great. This is a dream collaboration for those of us who like mopey fellows.  The problem here is that the Molina songs sound like Molina songs and the Oldham songs sound like Oldham songs.  The act of the collaboration seems to bring nothing new to the table.

The album lists six songs with typical Molina/Oldham gimmicky titles (“The Gypsey He-Witch”, “Jennie Blackbird’s Blues”).  Each of the collaborators sings lead on two songs. Plus there is a final unlisted song where they take turns. 

A major plus, and the reason to buy this on vinyl and not on cd, is the etching on the record.  Side B has a nice etched scene that appears to be a continuation of the album cover. 

All in all, a solid listen and perfect for a rainy Sunday in Portland, but a disappointment from these greats.

Introduction

I have a pretty sizeable record collection.  I had been separated from the majority of that collection for the past 2.5 years.  Now I’m looking to get reaquainted. As I put a high premium on organization, I thought the best way to get reaquainted with my records would be in alphabetical order.

 I moved from Pennsylvania to Oregon a few years ago. I moved with just my car and what I could fit in it. I could fit two record players and two crates of records.  Recently my girlfriend’s father gave us an amazing stereo – his hand-me-down Bang & Olufsen Beomaster 2400 complete with a Beogram 3404 record player (it’s pictured in the banner above).  This inspired me get back in touch with my record collection.  So when I was home for Christmas I packed up all my records and shipped them to Oregon. 

 Now I will attempt to listen to them all, in order.

I’m not really sure how this blog will evolve, but I’d like to document this process so I can remember what I like and don’t like.