Thursday, December 31, 2015

The New World


No none of us are alone in this
One way or other we face the abyss
The bum, the cabbie and the millionaire
Hitler and Ghandi and good ol' Voltaire
One thing's for sure we all grow frail
The electric charge comes off our third rail
And if you fight it then you are a fool
Ain't it a bitch how life is so cruel

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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

The Heads of the Family


Some classic Alshire exploito for all you "heads" out there. More trash and/or treasure to come in the new year. Best to you all!

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Monday, December 28, 2015

Summerville


Let's hang out in hotels
And sneak into their swimming pools
If they ever catch us
We'll say we don't play by their stinkin' rules
We'll go down to the Esplanade
On the Fourth of July
Stay up late for the fireworks
Plastered all over the Summerville sky

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Sunday, December 27, 2015

Goodbye Tomorrow


And into my garden stole
When the night had veiled the pole
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretched beneath the tree

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Saturday, December 26, 2015

The Bumpers


Here's a record I found under the Christmas tree yesterday. Freshly ripped (scratches and all) for you!

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Head for the Hills


The cool wind of hope blows eternal
As if to keep us on our toes
Maybe there'll be a brighter day tomorrow
So pack up all of your woes

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Friday, December 25, 2015

A Long Day's Journey


You may think it's all a game
But you're wrong, you're wrong
We're all connected just the same
One big ol' throng
You may think you'll get away
With telling all your lies
Well you are in, I bet
For one big surprise

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Tuesday, December 22, 2015

23 Skidoo


When I ride on the subway
Well I feel so alone
No one looks me in the eye
No one tosses me a bone
All the pretty girls are texting
And twirling their hair
And I feel just like a no one
Who is not really there

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Sunday, December 20, 2015

Friday, December 18, 2015

Rodney Allen Rippy


By request, here's a re-up of a record that is guaranteed to clear out your Xmas party guests.

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Secrets and Lies


You tell me your stories
And I want to believe
You tell me your stories
And you deceive me
They sound realistic
They sound true
But there’s something about them
That’s not quite you

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Jackie and Roy


By request, here are the smooth sounds of Jackie and Roy.

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Thursday, December 17, 2015

Bossa Rio


Produced by Sergio Mendes for A&M, Bossa Rio had the same feel as Brasil 66, with harmony vocals and Bossa grooves - but without all the ballads and slower stuff.

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Wednesday, December 16, 2015

We Got a Groovy Thing Going


There's a dream that I have
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

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Sunday, December 13, 2015

Songs of Love and Regret


What if I had read the signs
And acted a little more quick
When I think of what I might have done
It just makes my heart feel sick

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Saturday, December 12, 2015

Nicholas Lampe


Don't know about you, but I really flip for this sort of '70s Southern singer/songwriter record. This one features string arrangements by Arif Mardin; production by Ahmet Ertegun; and performances by Muscle Shoals stalwarts Roger Hawkins, David Hood, and Barry Beckett. Good shit.

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Thursday, December 10, 2015

Fountain of Youth


Obscure Colgems band.
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The Top-40 Song Book


Another obscuro, this one featuring intros of "tunes made famous by the Beatles" et al., set to some stellar David Axelrod arrangements. Sorry about the snaps, crackles and pops (the vinyl had someone's greasy fingerprints all over it), although I think it adds a certain period charm.

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Wednesday, December 9, 2015

I Will Never Forgive You


You stand before me 

Your arms outstretched 

With your eyes staring up at the sky 

Your hand is waving 

And your black hair is blowing 

Could be hello, could be goodbye 

I will be waiting until you decide 

I will be waiting 

I'm along for the ride

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Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Kith


It wearies me; you say it wearies you

But how I caught it, found it, or came by it

What stuff 'tis made of, whereof it is born

I am to learn

And such a want-wit sadness makes of me

That I have much ado to know myself

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Saturday, December 5, 2015

This Lonesome Road


Sometimes you're lucky
Through all your hard work
Sometimes you're not
And you go berserk
You hope for the best
But the weary don't rest

NB: All the older albums of mine that I've been posting here recently have been newly remastered.

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Friday, December 4, 2015

Meet Eliot Wilder


We sail in the twilight of eternal now
When suddenly someone takes a long step off the bow
We search for him for an eternity
One, two, three
One, two, three
I'm in you
You in me

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Thursday, December 3, 2015

The Ghana Soul Explosion!


Freshly ripped for you, here's a funky Pickwick knock-off featuring soul hits of the day and a few odd jams.

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Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Merry Christmas Darling


My contribution to the Christmas-album pile, a rare A&M Records compilation. Happy holidays!

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The Great Escape


There will be good times
When we reach our destination
It will be like a life on permanent vacation
There is no freakin' bureaucracy
There is no red tape
So come on, come on, come on
Come on, come on, come on
It's the great escape

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Sunday, November 29, 2015

Travelogue


My car is a clunker
Not like the fancy ones for which I valet
And when it breaks down
I ditch it hoping someone will just tow it away
I own one nice shirt
And one nice pair of pants
I go to work and take my place
With all the other worker ants

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John Ussery


Some funky '70s rock, produced by Delaney Bramblett.

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Saturday, November 28, 2015

101


Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position
But certainty is an absurd one
Why not celebrate the vastness of our ignorance
And be a possibilian

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Friday, November 27, 2015

Promise


You talk like a politician
Or a guy who sells used cars
Or a guy who says he doesn't want your money
Or a guy who tells stories in bars
You sound oh so confident
Like you really believe what you say
Where's the truth
Where's the lie
What does it matter anyway

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Thursday, November 26, 2015

The Main Attraction


And now ... something light to help you digest after your Thanksgiving meal.

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Something Festive


Since we're getting into the season (something my daughter constantly reminds me of), I thought I'd post one of my fav holiday records.

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Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Michael Seven


Here's an extremely rare instro record that features sessioners Mike Melvoin, Louie Shelton and Hal Blaine.

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Lost Time


We write novels that tell our stories
But they don't get it right
We build great statues to our heroes
But they cast a strange light
We get ourselves ready for takeoff
But we never take flight

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Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Thought Palaces


You boyfriend was a jerk
And he beat you to a pulp
One time I kicked his ass
You jumped back with a gulp
Then you disappeared
Moved out to LA
Starred on "Melrose Place"
Life is one big soiree

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Monday, November 23, 2015

The Essential Invisible


I heard a song in the middle of a dream
And it woke me from my slumber
It spurred me on, it rocked my world
You could say it had my number
I got my sack and I got good shoes
And I got a certain esprit
And I know when I get to the top of the mountain
I will be set free

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Sunday, November 22, 2015

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Arthur Miller and All the Little Millers


Kinda folky, kinda bluesy, kinda jazzy, kinda who-knows-what. A thoroughly enjoyable record in any event.

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Scoundrels


Most of the characters in these songs are people I know, have once known or, perhaps, imagined I knew. They are all rather slippery people, the kind you are not quite sure of, the kind that leave you guessing. When they tell you something personal, as they often do, you wonder how much of it is true and how much fabrication. The thing is, they don't know themselves - so how can you? And yet, because they are often good at sounding like they know what they are saying, and because they look and act completely convincing, you want to buy in.

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Thursday, November 19, 2015

Personality Crisis


For people who live unexamined lives, the world just happens, happening as it does beyond their will or ability to act upon it. Because, to them, there are always external forces - perhaps God, perhaps chance, perhaps circumstance - that they believe are outside their ability to understand and control. In most cases, they get away with so much because they think so little. But if they began a process of self-evaluation and -examination, they may come to discover that there is much they can do. Or, at the very least, they can stop deflecting blame for the pain they inflict. Coming to this place of discovery requires much work - more work than most people want to invest in. But the ultimate reward can be great, not only for the people who awaken to their lives, but also to the people in their orbit. They just need to start. But the question remains: How to begin?

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Tuesday, November 17, 2015

P.F. Sloan


Remembering P.F. Sloan. Rest in peace.

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The Spinners


Not those Spinners, unless those Spinners were, in a previous incarnation, a slightly wobbly barroom country band.

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Thursday, November 12, 2015

Jonah


I picked up this one for two reasons: the mustaches and Ron "Sugar Sugar" Dante's production. Turns out, it's really a sweet little record. Give it a spin.

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Skymonters


By request, here's the Skymonters record, which features singer and sometime actor Hamilton Camp.

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Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Social Studies


Nowadays everyone's got a window
A clear and unobstructed view
You'd think with all that information
That we would know
We would know what to do

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Monday, November 9, 2015

Hamilton Affair


Would anyone out there in Mondoland have this record to share? I tried to snag it on Soulseek, but the ungenerous uploader disallowed me from downloading it. You know, I've posted hundreds of albums over years and have answered as many of your requests as best I can. Now's your chance to return the favor.

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Soul Concern


It's likely your soul was their sole concern. Either that, or your money.

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Saturday, November 7, 2015

End of the Road


There comes a time when a certain relationship reaches an end, but one of the parties seems to be unaware that this has happened. Or maybe that person lives in a state of denial. Or is oblivious. Or just wants to pretend that what's has gone on for the last decade or two or three is hunky dory, even though no effort or energy whatsoever has been put into keeping the relationship alive. It's just this thing, this entity - but it is not true; it does not breathe, it does not move, it is not about anything at all. And what do you say to this person? How do you tell him or her that you are at the end of the road?

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Thursday, November 5, 2015

Speak, Memory


This album, originally recorded in 2010, has several of my favorite tracks on it, including "Crossing the Line," "Midnight Town" and "The Devil Ain't Got No Music," which was inspired by a line that Mavis Staples uttered on "The Colbert Report" when asked how she felt about singing the devil's music. (Subsequently, in the past year, the blues singer Lurrie Bell has recorded a tune using the same title, but I got there first!). At any rate, after listening to this record recently, I thought it could be better - not only the mix, but the vocals as well. So I've given it a fresh coat of paint.

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