1975: Early Impressions

      In the early days of Sound Mind, I was quite forthcoming with my disdain for Bob Dylan. Since then, I have tried to have an open mind about Zimmerman. When one of the You Tubers from Tastes Like Music began a video series documenting his attempt to "get" Dylan, I tried to play along. I couldn't do it. On all of these Deep Dives I've been doing, I've listened to whatever Dylan albums came out those years. None of them have made the cut. But surely, 1975's Blood on the Tracks would make my Top 25. It's the critics consensus Number 1 album that year. Many consider it his best. What am I missing?

     Dylan released two albums in 1975, Blood on the Tracks, and The Basement Tapes with The Band. I gave both of them 3.5 Stars. Truthfully, even though I'm not a huge fan of The Band, I felt the Basements Tapes was slightly more interesting and varied. I'd never listen to either of them again, however. I'm only 22 albums  into my 1975 listening and I've already got Joni Mitchell, two Neil Young's, Patti Smith, Springsteen, Elton John, and McCartney all light years ahead of Dylan. How is Dylan so revered when Joni Mitchell exists in the World. She is 10 times the storyteller and her vocal delivery is fascinating. Her voice is mesmerizing and her compositions are exquisite. After I get through this 1975 dive, I'm going to dive into Joni's catalog. 

     Of course, I jinxed myself again regarding my 1975 Mt. Rushmore. There are already at least two albums that are going to move up to my top four, and one of my Mt. Rushmore's probably won't even make my Top 25 after a reassessment. I still have about 80 more albums to get through, so it may be a while before that is revealed. I'm going to attempt to squeeze some other posts in here, but I want to get through these 1975 albums as soon as possible. After the big hitters, it promises to be an eclectic Top 25. Peace.

Settling In

      We moved into our new house two weeks ago and I have my records and gear mostly set up. I just got back from my second trip to Used Kids Records. I picked up a 2023 reissue of Miles Davis' Sorcerer, which is numbered and on green vinyl, and a used copy of Jerry Goldsmith's Planet of the Apes soundtrack. On my first visit, I picked up the last two Connections records I needed to complete the Columbus band's discography in my collection, and a used copy of Golden Earring's Moontan. In addition, I got a copy of the remastered Revolver album for Father's day from my daughter. So, I'm already off to a solid start collecting in a new city. There are plenty of record stores to explore, but Used Kids has the reputation of being the best. Spoonful will probably be my next stop. Now that I'm getting settled in, I should be posting on a regular basis again shortly. The next big project will be a 1975 Deep Dive. I'm working on my listening list and will begin digging in later today. I don't expect my Mt. Rushmore to change, but I'll keep an open mind. I also need to decide if I'll be considering live albums. I generally don't like to, but there are some good ones in 1975. Stay tuned. Peace.

The Purge

      No, this isn't a post about the movie franchise. It's the conclusion of the process of downsizing my music collection before we move to Columbus. The journey was difficult, emotional, and cathartic. In the end, I kept more CDs than I had originally intended, but still sent about 550 on to new homes. That, combined with about 150 albums, meant I got rid of about a third of my physical music collection. I still have 1200 records and 300 CDs to move, which is still daunting. At first, I was going to just take cash for my stuff, but, in the moment ,I elected to take part cash, and part trade. So, I did add a few items into my collection. Those items are:

1. PINK FLOYD AT POMPEII

     This is the new remastering of Pink Floyd's iconic performance in the ruins of an ancient amphitheater. This is the first legit album release of this performance and I'm going to spin it after I finish this post. Of course, I've seen the movie and the songs are fantastic. I'm also going to circle back and get that Nick Mason live album. It has a great version of the Syd Barrett era track, "Lucifer Sam". 

2. OASIS - DEFINITELY, MAYBE

     I had been putting off picking this up, but with trade credit I finally pulled the trigger. One of the all-time great debut albums. 

3. KING CRIMSON - RED

     I posted about this in my 1974 series. Tremendous album.

4. DINOSAUR JR - EAR BLEEDING COUNTRY

     I didn't purge this CD, but ended up getting the 2xLP set anyway. I love this comp and it's pressed on black and white splatter vinyl. 

5. ELF POWER - WHEN THE RED KING COMES

     Elf Power are a band from the Elephant 6 collective, which also included Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control, among others. This reissue also came with a bonus 7". 

6. RIK EMMETT - DIAMONDS

     Rik Emmett was the guitarist and co-vocalist of the Canadian band Triumph. I took a flyer on this album. It's a best of comp from the early part of Rik's solo career, which I'm not familiar with at all. I guess the time to take a flyer is when you have credit. It should be good, though.

7. PROCOL HARUM - S/T

     I've been looking for a copy of this for a while. Coincidentally, the Record Den had a pile of records that someone else had just brought in and this was on top of the stack. It was meant to be. 

     I put back a few things that I will probably go back for before we move; Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark, The Beatles - Revolver remaster, and the aforementioned Nick Mason. I may have down-sized, but I'm still a collector. Peace.

Jill Sobule R.I.P.

      Last week, I meant to publish a post on The Fixx because my wife and I went to see them at the Kent Stage recently. It was a great show and the opening act was Jill Sobule doing a solo, acoustic set. My wife wasn't familiar with her and I was only vaguely aware that she had a song in the 90's, "I Kissed a Girl". It turns out, she was a delightful performer and was promoting a musical, "Fuck 7th Grade". It's a biographical telling of her queer journey. The songs were hilarious, yet touching. Her performance was almost childlike, but her playing was quite skilled. 

     So, it came as a shock just days later when The Fixx posted online that Jill had passed away suddenly. Apparently, she died in a house fire. Tributes came pouring in from artists she had worked with and more still who were dear friends. Among them Jane Weidlen of The Go-Gos and Joan Osborne. I had no idea how many people she touched in the music industry or the number of artists she collaborated with. I'm not going to pretend I was a big fan and her music really isn't in my wheelhouse, but she was an engaging performer who meant a lot to many people. I'm glad I was able to see her in her element, making people smile for a few minutes in a shitty world. Peace.

     Just a quick note on The Fixx. I have never seen anyone command the stage like Cy Curnin. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. His voice is still singular. His lyrics are even more biting than they were 40 years ago. His movements were mesmerizing. And a shout out to guitarist, Jamie West-Oram. I love his signature guitar sound that features staccato notes, strumming muted strings, and shimmering arpeggios. The highlight was "Stand or Fall" and "Deeper and Deeper" back to back. Amazing show! 

2025 Rock Hall Inductees

      I am pleasantly shocked by the 2025 inductee class. Four of the five artists I voted for ( The White Stripes, Soundgarden, Bad Company, and Chubby Checker ) actually got in. Sorry Oasis. It also seems that the fan vote didn't hold enough sway to secure an induction for Phish, which comes as a huge relief. The puzzling results of the fan vote also failed to keep The White Stripes out. Sometimes, I'm a huge fan of gatekeepers. 

     Rounding out the 2025 class are Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, and Outkast. I'm not surprised that these artists will be inducted and I'm happy for their fans. However, I could make a really tight E.P. of all their songs that I know. That's slightly hyperbolic, but I do know enough to know they aren't my thing. I can't begrudge Joe Cocker for achieving world wide fame from histrionic Beatles covers. And I love "Hey Ya" as much as the next guy, but I have failed to penetrate the rest of Outkast's catalog. And who could possibly be against girls wanting to have fun. My lack of fandom is probably a personal failure on my part. 

     If the induction ceremony were being held in Cleveland, I would definitely go to see The White Stripes and Soundgarden. But it's in L.A., so I shan't be attending. 

     I'm very heartened that The White Stripes got in given their poor showing in the fan voting. But they are a critics band and Jack White is an industry icon, so I was hopeful. Fingers crossed that Jack and Meg reunite for the ceremony. 

     Soundgarden are also well-deserving, but sadly Chris Cornell didn't live long enough to enjoy the recognition. It will be interesting to see if anyone is chosen to fill his shoes for the ceremony, like Geddy Lee did for Chris Squier when YES were inducted. 

     I like Bad Company, but their induction is throwing a bone to dudes who stopped listening to new music 50 years ago that want to be the arbiters of what is and isn't "Rock". However, they do have some great songs and Paul Rodgers was at his peak with Bad Company. 

     And I'm still amazed that Chubby Checker wasn't already in the Rock Hall. 

     In closing, I'd like to quote the great Jack White, "You can't be a pimp AND a prostitute". Peace. 

     

Record Store Day 2025: Leftovers

      Thought I'd toss off a quick post about my trip to the Record Den today to check out the RSD leftovers. I almost picked up the Joni Mitchell live set, but was tipped off by my guy that he had heard the recording had too much crowd noise, so I passed on it. I'll just pick up a copy of Court and Spark and some L.A. Express albums from the used bin another day.

     I did buy two more records and, oddly enough, they are the two best sounding records I got this year. They were also both mastered by Jim Webber, who I'm not familiar with, but they sound amazing. I picked up their last copy of the David Bowie live 2003 show and the Hindu Love Gods. I wasn't really familiar with the Hindu Love Gods, except that it was Warren Zevon and members of R.E.M. What a fantastic record. I was a little concerned when I opened it and the record was filthy. I gave it a quick brush and put it on and it was a dynamic listen. Their cover of "Raspberry Beret" was electric. It had a tinge of a raved up "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me". They also did a solid cover of "Battleship Chains", which had been covered four years prior by the Georgia Satellites. It also has several blues covers, and to their credit, it doesn't sound like an R.E.M. album fronted by Warren Zevon. It's quite muscular with virtually no jangle. 

     The great thing about the Bowie show, besides how it sounds, is the song curation. There are no old Bowie hits. It opens with "New Killer Star" and a fantastic cover of The Modern Lovers "Pablo Picasso". Side two opens with an inspired performance of "Looking For Water". I mainly bought this out of FOMO. It was the last one they had and couldn't pass on it. Glad I didn't. I've been kind of leery about some of these recent Bowie releases, but this one is spectacular. Now, if they'd just reissue the first Tin Machine album I'd be all set. Also, a quick tip of the hat to long-time Bowie bassist, Gail Ann Dorsey. She drives this set and doesn't get the due she deserves. I hope Black Friday is half as good as RSD this year. Peace.

Record Store Day 2025

      What a fantastic Record Store Day! Huge line at the Record Den. I was on a tight budget and picked up all seven releases that were must haves. There were so many great releases this year, I could easily have picked up another 20-30 titles if I had unlimited funds. I will probably circle back in the next couple weeks and pick up a few more. I'm definitely interested in the live Joni Mitchell, because it's from the Court and Spark tour and features Tom Scott and the L.A. Express. I also need to hit the used bin for a bunch of Tom Scott records. He's one of my favorite sax players, but I don't have anything by him. He was interviewed by Rick Beato recently and provided some insight into his time working with Joni Mitchell. There were also many jazz releases I would like to pick up, like Freddie Hubbard, Mulligan and Monk, and Bill Evans. Here's a breakdown of what I did get. Peace.

1. MJ Lenderman 

     This is a live recording with his band The Wind. It's a two record set on stunning translucent teal vinyl. 

2. The Verlaines - Some Disenchanted Evening

     As you know, The Verlaines are my favorite Flying Nun band, and this is a reissue of their 1990 album on mossy green vinyl.

3. Geddy Lee

     This is a 12" single of the lost demos from his 2000 solo album, My Favorite Headache. 

4. Gorky's Zygotic Minci - Barafundle

     This is the first U.S. LP release of their 1997 album on "Jungle" vinyl. Not sure what they mean by jungle vinyl, but it's cool. 

5. The Grays - Ro Sham Bo

     This album almost made my Top 25 of 1994. It's a 2 LP reissue with bonus tracks. The album title always reminds me of Eric Cartman. IYKYK. 

6. Harvey Danger - King James Version

     This is a first time on vinyl, 2 LP release on "Deep Sea Blue" vinyl that looks very similar to the MJ Lenderman teal. Comes with four bonus tracks.

7. Neil Finn

     This is another first time on vinyl release of Neil Finn's 1999 Sessions at West 54th. I'm very excited for this one. I have the Ben Folds Five LP in this series and it's outstanding. This covers songs from his solo career, as well as Split Enz and Crowded House.