Hendrix Mix

If you're a music nerd like I am, you of course are familiar with our national holiday in Record Store Day. Launched a few years back to get people back in record stores by offering up collectors items and limited releases of records, it's been rather successful. I've made it a point to go these past few years, both in April and on Black Friday, as there have been some good releases. Plus its kinda fun to see what record stores get what. Waiting in line for a few hours, well lets just say beer helps. So I decided to close out this year with some Jimi Hendrix record store day releases. Few 7's and a bootleg of sorts. All good stuff.

Jimi Hendrix released a mere four records during his career. Since then a boatload of post humorous albums have been released. Some poorly put together trying to cash in and the majority released by the Hendrix family. Which in recent years seems to be uncovering new material every year. So with that in mind, lets dive into some of the releases.

First up is 'Live At Clark University'. This came out in 2010 for Record Store Day. This at best is a cleaned up partial bootleg. Record at Clark University in Worcester MA on March 15, 1968 during the second show. Recorded under the Jimi Hendrix Experience moniker, the LP is 5 songs. Side A is "Fire", "Red House" and "Foxey Lady". Side B is "Purple Haze" and "Wild Thing". The album like I said is pretty much a partial bootleg with some hiccups along the way. Some are more noticeable then others. This is pieced out into Side A and Side B on the rip. Released under Dagger Records (88697-64873-1) in 2010, this is the first time the LP was played.

Next up is the 7' of 'Fire'. This 7' was released in 2011 to go along with the release of the box set 'West Coast Seattle Boy'. Side A is "Fire" record at Olympic Studios in London on February 8, 1967. This mix is a previously unreleased alternate take from the 'West Coast Seattle Boy' boxset. Side B is a previously unreleased track called "Touch You". Recorded in the same studio on December 20, 1967. Released under the Hendrix Legacy Label (88697-858551-7). This is the second time this 7' was played.

Third in the list is a release from 2013. This is the 7' for 'Hey Joe'. These are the original Mono mixes. Side A is "Hey Joe" and the B side is "Stone Free". Both of these songs are in the Mono format have been unavailable since their first release in 1966. This was a limited numbered release. Released in 2013 under the Hendrix Legacy Label (887654-84807-9). This is No. 4872 (Gold Stamped). This is the second time this 7' was played.

Lastly is a release from this year's Black Friday Record Store Day. This is the 'Fire' 7' released to go along with the 'Miami Pop Festival' LP. Side A is "Fire" and B Side is "Foxey Lady" both taken from Hendrix's performance at the Miami Pop Festival on May 18, 1968. This as well is a limited release. Released in 2013 on the Hendrix Legacy Label (888837-91727-8). This is No. 4809 (Gold Stamped). This is the second time this 7' was played.

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Saw You Drown

I was flipping through the collection to see if I could find something that perhaps fit the doom and gloom of December. I did stumble upon some Katatonia and thought it's somewhat fitting. This is a bit of a treat too. Something a little rare that I'm not sure I've played before. So enjoy a little 10' slice of Katatonia with the '05 release of 'Saw You Drown'.

Katatonia is and for a lot of people, a tale of two bands. Starting out as teenagers in the Swedish Doom/Death scene before undergoing some changes and emerging as a Depressive Metal giant later. The band released their first demos in 91/92 as a bunch of teenagers. And by 93 had released their first LP. Starting out as a Doom/Death metal band the band released a few more records in that genre, including releasing 'Sounds Of Decay' which featured a vocalist change to Opeth frontman Mikael Akerfeldt. 1998 marked a change to the bands sound. Gone were the growls of frontman Jonas Renske, replaced by what would some would argue a more progressive depressive sound and clean vocals. 'Saw You Drown' marks a dawn of a new band and the beginning of an evolution. The EP is 4 songs and clocks in just under twenty-five minutes, but provides a window into what the sound of a new band was going to be. Depressing and moody the album is what Katatonia has been known for in the recent years, making depressing music sound really good.

I got into the late period Katatonia before the really Doom/Death stuff. Not to say I don't like the earlier material, but I'm partial to the latter releases. Albums like 'Tonight's Decision' and 'Last Fair Deal Gone Down' are masterpieces in their own rights. Beautifully haunted pieces of music. The band continues to release outstanding work. Take in this years release, 'Dethroned & Uncrowned' a stripped down remixed and reworked effort of their last record 'Dead End Kings'. I was lucky enough to catch Katatonia earlier this year as thr direct and only support for Opeth. Two Swedish Metal giants with ties to each other over the years. I got to see them after only flying in a few hours earlier from California and still dealing with the loss of my Grandfather who had passed earlier in the week. Exhausted and still emotionally frail, maybe depressing metal wasn't what I needed, but it was exactly what I needed to pick me up. Amazing live show. While there is always sorrow, there is always hope.

I mentioned this was a rare one for me. The album was originally released in 98 to 1,500 copies. Long out of print it was sought after as a collectors item. In 2005 the band decided to release it on a limited edition 10' Blue Vinyl. So this is it, the rip of the LP. Here's the specks; 2005 Release by Infinite Vinyl (Imprint Of The End Records) on Blue Colored Vinyl. Limited to 1,000 copies. This is #65 of 1,000. Record IVS010. There is a bit of skip at the end of the LP and some crackle as is normal with some of these colored pressings. This I believe is the first time I've played this LP, at worst it's the second time.

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Cream

There have been many a supergroup that have come and gone. There have been many influential power trios as well. But one band can claim to be both. Cream was just that band. Taking their name literally, the were the Cream of the crop at the time. Consisting of Bassist/Vocalist Jack Bruce, Guitarist/Vocalist/God Eric Clapton and Madman Drummer Ginger Baker, Cream existed for a short period. 2 years to be exact, 66-68. Think about that, in that time they released 2 studio albums and essentially 2 live albums, 'Goodbye'  was a mix of live and studio cuts. Oh and toured quite a bit too. So for the LP rip I dug into the vault and pulled out 'Disraeli Gears'.

1967 in America started what turned out to be the Hippie Movement. New and groundbreaking artists that were making noise in the UK were making a splash in the US finally. Acts like Hendrix, The Who, Big Brother And Holding Company, Otis Redding and Cream. The band broke through in the states with their 67 release 'Disraeli Gears', which contained hits like "Strange Brew" and the ever catchy "Sunshine Of Your Love", which in time Hendrix would actually cover and occasionally play live. The album took a mere three days to record. A feat that is now unheard of. Also this was in the days before technology, that's pretty damn impressive. Also the record was produced by future Mountain Bassist, Felix Pappalardi. This is a prime example of music in 67. The blues influence mixed with the cutting edge of rock that was happening at the time. Some would even to go as far as crediting Cream as one of the first Heavy Metal bands. While it's disputed, you can definitely hear the influence in future Metal bands.

Cream sadly broke up many years before my existence. Sadly the band never ended on good terms and everyone went on to do their own thing. Clapton of course went onto a nice career with Derek And The Dominos and then a solo career. Bruce went onto a solo career and occasionally played with Baker. Baker of course went on to play again with Clapton in Blind Faith and pursue a solo career and a career is pissing people off and getting kicked out of countries. Seriously the man is a living bad ass who can play the hell outta the drums. The band hasn't followed suit like many older bands and reunited much over the years. Playing a handful of reunion shows in 05 was about all we were ever gonna get. However both Baker's and Bruce's kids carry on the legacy and play under the moniker Sons Of Cream.

Vinyl info, this is a rip of the original American release on ATCO Records, SD 33-232. I picked this up a while back down here in STL at Vintage Vinyl for a mere $5. The album has very slight wear, but sounds so good.

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Ghost Ver. 2.0

Since I finished up the A-Z blog post I've kinda wondered where to go with things. I want to continue to bring music to the masses and share stories in the process. So I decided to go with some Vinyl rips. Basically I've got some old vinyl sitting around and thought why not give people the Vinyl experience. So what I've done is ripped an album outta my collection and what you have is the Vinyl transfer. Now the issue is track splitting, so I've split the LPs into Side A/B etc. Another issue is of course some of my Vinyl isn't in the best shape, hisses and pops and the occasional skips, but I think these enhance the experience. So enough rambling, let us get into this.

I posted about Ghost BC, (read Ghost), a while ago. I though why not bring the doom and mysterious sound from this band back. For those of you not familiar with the band, it's a Swedish outfit with a cult like Pope in Papa Emeritus and the nameless Ghouls. Speculation about who is really in the band is widely a discussed topic. Dave Grohl (Nirvana/Foo Fighters) has played Drums on occasion for the band, so there's that. Musically speaking it's Blue Oyster Cult meets Mercyful Fate. It's a delightful mix of music. Their first LP wa released to critical acclaim. So with the follow up, 'Infestissumam' the band continues on with the mystery and Satanic overtones from the first album.

About the rip. This is taken from the Red Colored Gatefold LP that was released when the album was released. There are a few cracks and hisses here and there. This is only the second time the record has been played.

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Zappa

Time to finally end the A-Z run that this blog has had. I'm gonna end it with Frank Zappa's 'rock opera', "Joe's Garage". Originally released as three separate records in 79 and later released as a box set in 87, this album dealt with the like of censorship, free will, the government and wondering why it burns when you pee. Somewhat of a tongue in cheek mixed with a cautionary tale, this album continues with the maddening genius that Zappa was. There's really no way to describe the record. It's bizarre, funny, overtly sexual and childish in parts. This is just one of those albums you really have to listen to. For me it ranks up with some of his best work.

Zappa was a creative genius on so many levels it's almost not believable. In his career Zappa released 62 albums. That alone is from 66-93 alone. After his death the family to date has released 32 albums. That's 94 total records. Let that sit in. That's insane. And it's not like he made the same record twice. He mixed plenty of styles of music, even going as far as recording classical music towards the end of his career. Not to mention he's played with some incredible musicians over the years, such as Captain Beefheart, Terry Bozio, Steve Vai and many more. Oh yeah and he testified on the Senate about the good ol PMRC. Plus he named his kids some whacked out names. In short Zappa was a mad genius.

Zappa I think has and always will be one of those artists that you either like or you don't. Almost like you get it or you don't. The music and the topics are just out there enough to draw you in. For me as a rather impressionable teen, finding Zappa's music was like finding gold. I think for me the point where I really got Zappa was listening to "Apostrophe". Still to this day I love that record front to back. And that is my goal with this blog, to find an album that you love, share it with the masses and hope you can find people that appreciate it as much as you do.

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Slowhand Unplugged

Time to resurrect this blog in some way. It's been a rather long time since anything was posted here. Trying to fix that. Work and life tend to interfere more and more daily. But tis no excuse to bring forth some quality records. Decided to go with some Clapton for this post. "Unplugged" has been gaining some attention again of late due to the fact of the newly released reissue. Not to mention I stumbled across the actually old Unplugged performance tonight on TV. So let's highlight this monster of a record.

Originally released back in 92, "Unplugged"  became a smash based on two songs alone. The popular ballad about Clapton's sons tragic death, 'Tears In Heaven' and the stripped down version of the classic Derek & The Domino's epic 'Layla'. To put things in perspective, a few facts about how big this album was. Six Grammy's, RIAA certified Diamond, for those unaware, that's over 10 million copies sold in the US. Oh and the guitar he played, that nice old Martin sold for $791,500 at auction in 04. All this while the guitar God grieved and went through the pain of losing a child. Simply put this album put Clapton back on the radar.

This is probably in the top five of MTV Unplugged ever. Top three in reality. Clapton was almost on the verge of becoming a forgotten guitar hero. His last album prior to "Unplugged" was 89's "Journeyman", an album that started a comeback of sorts for the trouble rocker. This album showed what a stripped down rocker could do with some old classics and blues numbers. Start to finish this is a beast of an album.

Many moons ago when we had moved up into the desert of California, we finally joined the tech craze and bought a CD player. Keep in mind this is like the mid 90's. We were behind the times. But also this is the time were everything was released on cassette as well. This was one of the first CDs we had bought. And to this day despite a few moves later, still has it and breaks it out on occasion. I can never put my finger on it, but it seems as the weather changes and the leaves begin to fall and I make the switch to Stouts, I have to break this album out. There's so many good memories of just hanging around, watching the leaves fall or the weather change and this album being played in the background. With a nip in the air and the impending Winter coming, it seemed like a good time to dust this classic off.

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Rust Never Sleeps

Closing things out with an album that features a song that many regard as one of Neil Young's best. Released in 1979 as a somewhat Live album "Rust Never Sleeps" is what some may consider his last good record before things went a little crazy. The majority of the record was recorded at The Boarding House in San Francisco during the 78 tour. The album is half acoustic and half electric, closing with the song "My My, Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue)". Overdubs were added to cut out the majority of the crowd noise, although some can still be heard. Young would later release "Live Rust" to accompany the album and movie. The album was a play on the Rust-Oleum spray paint. You can credit Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo for that. Few people know that Devo and Neil Young worked together during this time period. While this doesn't really count as a true Live album, it's one of the better 'shopped' ones of its time.

My Dad used to joke this was one of the worst Neil Young albums ever. The ongoing joke was that Neil was to messed up to play his own material. It might have been true. While it's far from the worst album in the catalog, it is one of the more relevant ones. 'My My, Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue)' features one of rock musics best lyrics in, "It's Better To Burn Out, Then Fade Away". That line would famously be quoted nearly two decades later in Kurt Cobain's suicide note. Even Sex Pistols frontman Johnny Rotten isn't quite sure why Neil references him in the song. In any case it is one of musics more well known lyrics and song. Neil would later dedicate the album "Sleeps With Angels" to Cobain and even thank him in his Rock Hall Of Fame speech. The song itself was inspired by Devo actually. Just goes to show how many genres music can cross and have an impact.

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