Friday, April 23, 2010

San Francisco


4-23-10 San Francisco


I recently spent a few days shopping for CD’s in the San Francisco bay area! I found:


ALGARNAS TRADGARD – FRAMTIDEN AR ETT SVAVANDE…, SILENCE SWE CD

Psychedelic / progressive rock title that I really used to like a lot – how will it sound in 2010?

ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND – AT FILLMORE EAST, MERCURY US SACDx2

Classic rock music played live, via SACD. I’m not the biggest Allman Bros. fan, but…SACD!

AMON DUUL II – HIJACK, SPV DE CD re

Probably the last Amon Duul II album that I really liked.

BIRTH CONTROL – PLASTIC PEOPLE, REPERTOIRE DE CD

A fantastic Birth Control album, probably my favorite! I never knew about this CD until recently.

BOWIE, DAVID – HEROES, TOSHIBA JPN CD kami sleeve

Nicely mastered and anatomically correct issue. Not my favorite Bowie latter day album.

BRAHMS / TCHAIKOVSKY – VIOLIN CONCERTOS, RCA RED US SACD

More chasing the Classical dragon on SACD – Jascha Heifetz and Fritz Reiner!

BYRDS – G.H., COLUMBIA US SACD non-hybrid

I really don’t like buying non-hybrid SACD’s, but…this was never issued any other way as an SACD.

COLTRANE, JOHN – A LOVE SUPREME, IMPULSE US SACD non-hybrid

See above entry.

COOKE, SAM – AT THE COPA, ABKCO US SACD

COOKE, SAM – KEEP MOVIN' ON, ABKCO US SACD

I wonder how many of these Allen Klein got released as SACD’s? Not a huge Sam Cooke fan.

CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL – s/t [1st], FANTASY US SACD

I did not have this on CD at all, so was pleased to find a used hybrid SACD of it.

CUTLER, IVOR / LINDA HURST – PRIVILEGE, HOORGI HOUSE UK CD

The most recent re-issue by his family’s Hoorgi House label, via Rough Trade.

DEAN, ELTON / MARK HEWINS – BAR TORQUE, MOONJUNE UK CD

British jazz CD by the late Elton Dean, who worked extensively with Soft Machine.

FAMILY – PEEL SESSIONS, STRANGE FRUIT NL CD5

Live for the BBC 1973 – Roger Chapman & Family!

GAYE, MARVIN – COLLECTION, MOTOWN US SACD

Yes, I am an SACD freak these days – whatever can be found used, inexpensive etc.

GLASS, PHILIP / KRONOS QUARTET – DRACULA, NONESUCH US CD O.S.T.

Used CD of this title, $6.95 – the movie on DVD with the same Philip Glass soundtrack, $9.95.

GRUPPO D'ALTERNATIVA – IPOTESI, VINYL MAGIC IT CD kami sleeve

I remember having this Italian prog LP long ago, great cover, not great vocalist.

GUTHRIE, ARLO – ALICE'S RESTAURANT, RYKODISC US CD O.S.T.

These green tray Rykodisc OST’s are all out of print now, and this was inexpensive.

HACKETT, STEVE – TILL WE HAVE FACES, HERALD US CD re

Somewhere in my notes, I realized I wanted a CD of this, and I found an inexpensive used copy!

HAMMILL, PETER – SILENT CORNER AND EMPTY STAGE, CHARISMA UK CD re

Been trying to pick up the Hammill re-masters used, as possible. Worth it for the bonus tracks!

IMPRESSIONS – COMPLETE A AND B SIDES 1961 – 1968, ECLIPSE UK 2CD

2010 has really been a Curtis Mayfield / Impressions year for me, 60 tracks!

MANZANERA, PHIL – PRIMITIVE GUITARS, EXPRESSION UK CD re

First time I’ve had this on CD, with bonus tracks!

MORAZ, PATRICK – STORY OF i, VIRGIN UK CD

Not a re-mastered version, very inexpensive!

MR. OIZO – LAMBS ANGER, BECAUSE FR CD

The 3rd album from Mr. Oizo, from 2008. French electronica with no rules!

OMNIBUS WIND ENSEMBLE – MUSIC BY FRANK ZAPPA, OPUS 3 SW SACD

Incredible sounding Swedish band playing the music of Frank Zappa very accurately.

REED, JERRY – ESSENTIAL, RCA US CD

I like these 20 track RCA C&W “Best Of” CD’s!

RUSSELL, LEONSTOP ALL THAT JAZZ, DCC US CD

The last of the original Leon Russell albums that I wanted on CD; with 2 x bonus tracks!

SOPWITH CAMEL – s/t, ACADIA UK CD

The debut album with “Hello Hello” – real 1966 hippie music!

STARDUST, ALVINs/t, 7T'S UK CD

His debut album on CD, with numerous bonus tracks. The album before “My Coo Ca Choo”.

TCHAIKOVSKY – SYMPHONY No. 4, BIS SWE SACD

Another inexpensive used Classical SACD, this time from Sweden!

THOMPSON, RICHARD & LINDA – SHOOT OUT THE LIGHTS, HANNIBAL US SACD

A stereo hybrid SACD, sounded pretty good when I checked out when I got home!

V.A. – GREAT JEWISH MUSIC – MARC BOLAN, TZADIK US CD

“Tribute to Marc Bolan” with Arto Lindsay with Marc Ribot, Lloyd Cole, Tall Dwarfs, Buckethead etc.

V.A. – ORIGINAL MASTERS – THE SINGLES, DEUTSCHE GR DE 2CD

Double CD of Deutsche Grammophon classical 45’s from ’53 to ’65!

V.A. – SCHIZOID DIMENSION – KING CRIMSON TRIBUTE, PURPLE PYR US CD

“Tribute to King Crimson” with Brand X, David Cross and a bunch of people I’ve never heard of.

VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR – GODBLUFF, VIRGIN JPN CD kami sleeve

I updated my CD of this title with a Japanese paper sleeve CD, with 2 x bonus tracks!

YELLO – TOUCH, POLYDOR DE CD ’09 issue

I didn’t even know this existed! Easily the most expensive CD of the trip (over US$30!)

ZAPPA, FRANK – AS AN AM, FOO-EEE US CD

ZAPPA, FRANK – MAKE A JAZZ NOISE HERE, RYKODISC US 2CD re

I pick ‘em up as I find ‘em. One of the “Beats The Boots” titles and a Rykodisc re-master of a title previously issued by Barking Pumpkin.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Ron:

Interestingly enough, "Heroes" is my favorite mid-period Bowie album. I define Early as '67-72. Middle as 72-80. I consider latter day Bowie as "Let's Dance" onward. But with a 40+ year career, maybe we can redefine the granularity of the nomenclature with which we describe it? Shall We? Lets!

Early Years - '67-'71 (scratching at success)
Superstar Years - '72-'76 (selling by the truckload)
Berlin Years - '77-'80 (experimental influences)
Wilderness Years - '81-'82 (only a few tracks surface)
Megastar Years - '83-'87 (Bowie printed money during his EMI deal, which defined diminishing monetary returns)
Tin Machine Years - '88-'92 (self-explanatory)
Re-Climbing The Mountain Years - '93-'03 (attempts to re-connect with his mojo with variable results)
Retirement Years - '04-current (prove me wrong!)

That's the Eight Phases Of Bowie®. That seems about right, yes? I realize that it's a bit much making a phase out of the period between "Scary Monsters" and "Let's Dance" but only a handful of tracks surfaced during that time, but arguably, his influence was never more pronounced on the UK music scene. Yet apart from the Queen single, Baal EP, Alabama Song single and the original Cat People track, nothing else was released.

And I maintain that we've heard the last of Mr. Bowie, following his angioplasty in 2004. Why else would the CD soundtrack to his 2004 live DVD (quite good) be being released as an album a full six years later? Contractual obligations, my friends. The old monster rears its ugly head! And I'm fine with no more Bowie to gnash my teeth over. His last album was spotty, but the last cut was a full-on jazz tune that was magnificent. If that's the last song he releases, he's got nothing to be ashamed of, though I was hoping for a full album in this vein).