If it's on Dunhill it must be done well.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Friday, July 24, 2015
Wild Blue Yonder
Sam says, "I'll see you next year"
I'm about to say I won't be back
But Sam went to get a beer
And I'm left here to ponder
Over the wild blue yonder
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Hamilton Camp
By request, here's "Here's to You" by sometime folkie and part-time M*A*S*H* actor Hamilton Camp.
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
DJ Shadow
I wrote a piece for The Vinyl Factory about one of my all-time favorite albums, "Endtroducing."
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Smile
From Pickwick/33, here is an album of righteous rottenness by a studio group called the Funnies who recorded shaky versions of several Partridge Family songs and other hits of the day, including "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo," "Put Your Hand in the Hand," and "You've Got a Friend." The record was a little damaged so it took some work to clean it up, and there are a few skips here and there. But don't let that keep you from smiling when you listen to this stone exploito classic.
Monday, July 20, 2015
Pop Symphony No. 1
Here's a true obscure gem from Jan & Dean's Jan Berry, who, with the help of arranger George Tipton, created his very own Teenage Symphony to God. This all-instrumental record features the Wrecking Crew, and the lush orchestrations are reminiscent of Phil Spector's wall of sound.
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Friday, July 17, 2015
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Friday, July 10, 2015
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Monday, July 6, 2015
The Street People
When I think Pickwick Records, I think "classy" and "big budget." This little record does not disappoint. I mean, where else can you find songs like "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo," "Love Her Madly," and "Booty Butt" all on the same album? Snazzy cover, too.
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Raw
I ain't no Rolling Stone
No, I can't get no girl reaction
I'm out here all alone
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Theme From "Mr. Novak"
Monday, June 29, 2015
Friday, June 26, 2015
Songs of Love and Regret
And acted a little more quick
When I think of what I might have done
It just makes my heart feel sick
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Western Daylight
This album picks up where my last album, "Eastern Standard," leaves off. A sequel of sorts, then.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Saturday, June 13, 2015
My Son the Surf Nut
Don't know what it's like where you are, but it's pretty much summer weather-wise here in Boston.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
The Bell Curve
I construct my albums like puzzles, with each song a piece that's part of the greater whole - and the instrumentals play a critical role. They are meant to heighten or shift a mood, or add a sense of drama that lyrics can't quite convey. Removed from their respective albums, they take on whole different meanings. I have endeavored here to maximize the effect of each track by arranging them in such a way that creates a definite ebb and flow; an acoustic number is followed by a funk workout, which is followed by a more abstract ambient work followed by a hip-hop piece. You can play this collection a track at a time, but it is my hope that you will crank up the ol' headphones, fire up your favorite substance, tune out the world and tune in to "The Bell Curve" for the full two hours.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Monday, June 8, 2015
Eastern Standard
You flash an evil grin
"I am Henry the Eighth," you say
"And you're my Anne Boleyn"
Saturday, June 6, 2015
We Got a Groovy Thing Going
And I'm with you again
There's a dream that I have
And we're laughing
And in this dream that I have
You are writing your name in the sky
In this dream that I have
You are dancing
Split Level
By request, here is Split Level's "Divided We Stand," which has been described as a "record driven by a relentless wave of feel-good pop melodies - its eyes positively blaze with tartrazine-fuelled, can-do optimism - all mixed up with glorious sunshine psychedelia, none-more-timely 'raga' twanglings and, oh yes, full-on, churchified, ecclesiastical chanting."
Friday, June 5, 2015
Spanky & Our Gang
Spanky and her cohorts reveal a more mature country-pop sound for what would be their final record. Who was buying it?
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Stu Phillips
A very mellow record of the hits of the day, arranged by Stu Phillips. This one goes out as a big thank you to Jason, who made a nice $$$ contribution to this site.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
The Surfing Song Book
The Rincon Surfside Band were really just an alias for P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri, the production and songwriting team that eventually contributed to the careers of The Mamas & The Papas, Barry McGuire, and many others. Backing them were the Wrecking Crew, which turn what could be a minor piece of exploito into something pretty boss, as the kids used to say.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Westphalia
"Westphalia" was my fourth album, and even though several songs were done at least in part at Woolly Mammoth Studios in Boston, most of it was recorded on my own. In fact, the very first track I made for it, "Dime in My Pocket," was the first one I ever did solely at home. In the beginning I thought it would just be a demo, but the more I worked on it and the more it started to come together, the more I thought, "Hey, I can do this." The song itself is a bit strange - very few rhymes and I'm not sure exactly what it is about - but what it taught me was how to create a certain feel, and that was as important as just about anything else. Overall, I think this is me at my most unhinged, my head ringing with possibilities.
Sunday, May 31, 2015
San Diego Reader Interview
Yeah, so I a did an interview recently with the San Diego Reader where I talk about my album Quartet and some other things.
Saturday, May 30, 2015
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
"Ricochet," the Dirt Band's second album, finds the group transitioning from a folky-pysch sound into something a little more rootsy. It's a fun record with a couple of rare Jackson Browne tunes tossed in, but I could've used with a little less kazoo.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Jerry Merrick
Jerry's songs have been recorded by B.J. Thomas, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Susan Tedeschi, but he is best known for writing "Follow," which appeared on the 1967 Richie Havens album "Mixed Bag." Here is his LP from 1968.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
The Abstracts
One-off record on Atlantic’s short-lived Pompeii subsidiary. No great work of art, but not without merit.
Monday, May 18, 2015
Chad Mitchell
In which the veteran folkie jettisons his trio and becomes ... himself. If anyone has his "Love, a Feeling Of" album, please put a link in the comments.
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Monday, May 11, 2015
Remember Me
Into a windowless room
Where the sweat on the tiles
Is the only perfume
On the desk is a diary
And next to it a vase
The rose draws blood
And it drips on the lace
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Friday, May 8, 2015
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Ray Brown
Aussie Ray came to L.A. in 1967 with high hopes, one would assume. After all, Capitol had just signed him, and studio ace David Axelrod was to be his producer. But despite a $30,000 budget, the album tanked - something about an odd choice of cover songs. Still, this lush little record has its moments. (This is a re-up, by request.)
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Friday, May 1, 2015
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)