10/16 Waterloo Twice

Yeah... so I initially went to waterloo to get a copy of Sufjan Steven's new album on record, but they didn't have it so I got these records

What's Going on --12
Jardim Electrico by Os Mutantes -- 14
E Seus Cometas No Pais Do Baurets by Os Mutantes --14

Then I went with A friend and got these
Volunteered Slavery by Roland Kirk -- 8
Elephant Jokes by Robert Pollard --11

You should know about What's Going on...

For the mutantes, I was really feeling let down by their latest (I mean Sergio Diaz's latest)... A paper will follow about how the Tropicalist project has become irrelevant. I hadn't heard those two so I got them... I was not disappointed.

Roland Kirk- 1 man, 3 saxophones. Cool little live set.

Elephant Jokes also makes up for some disappointment over GBV Stuff (Looking at you Isolation Drills and Do the Collapse)...

REDEMPTION ALL AROUND

David Bowie, Shawn Philips, and other observations

Ok... This is sort of strange. I'll be doing a cd review. I don't always like spending money so I get cds from the library, fun stuff right. Well the cd I want to talk about is David Bowie's Diamond Dogs. I sort of feel bad smack talking it because this album, along with Pin Ups, are sort of a low point for DB. These are very much of a period in between abandoing Ziggy and becoming the Thin White Duke. This much seems apparent: if Pin Ups saw Bowie looking back on his days as Davy Jones with such groups as the Mannish Boys, Diamond Dogs shows him trying to grasp what he will become. Simply put, Bowie doesn't know what alter-ego he wants to be. The theme of the album (i.e. Orwell's 1984) and the disturbing dog penis point to that glam rock persona we are all familiar with. However, after Aladin Sane, which cannot be denied as a very small and safe step away from Ziggy Stardust, this option seems tired. The increase of strings and saxophone, in my humble opinion, do point towards a Young Americans. The result is a "concept album" showcasing Bowie stretching himself. There are, however, a couple of good tracks, but if you own this album, you probably do so for one song: "Rebel Rebel". It's everything that's right about Bowie and it's not surprising that it is still a staple of his live shows.

The other Bowie album I want to talk about is Low. First off, the cover is great: it's otherworldly (a still from the movie "The Man Who Sold the World") and it's a visual pun (Low Profile ha ha...). On side A he takes the sound of Station to Station and ups the ante. The songs here are more bizarre and, oddly enough, more poppy. Side B finds Brian Eno helping create various song-scapes which fit in nicely after side a. Largely this album succeeds in all the places diamond dogs fails: Bowie takes on ONE alter-ego intensely, he focuses on the sound more than a concept, and there is new territory being explored.

For my last record of the post I want to talk about Shawn Phillip's Second Contribution. I bought this record because it has a guy in a CAPE with a 12-string guitar. The review on AMG says the sound is dated but that is an understatement. It starts off with a couple of songs that sound like the sort of stuff Frank Zappa loved to parody (see we're only in it for the money). Also the title for the first song is "She Was Waitin' For Her Mother At The Station In Topino And You Know I Love You Baby But It's Getting Too Heavy To Laugh"... what the hell... If you have to abbreviate your song title on the record it's probably too long. Who would guess what the hell "SWWFHMATSITAYKILYBBIGTH" stands for. But he is from Fort Worth and the record is a grower. At the end I found myself enjoying it despite the dated sound.

Michael Cera is the new dandy. I know it's weird but check it out... He's Twee as shutyomouth. He tries to wear nice clothes. And he's really sexually awkward. He's so stuck in this role, it's weird. He needs to get out of it or else people will be like "Hey, you're the same in every movie so that's who I think you are. We're Cousin's... Marry Me." yep...

Review again

Ok lauren.... another two.

I originally thought that Edgar Winter's White Trash would be a good sleazy funk album... I was wrong. First off it's a Blue Eyed Soul album and while I love that genre (well sometimes) as much as the next this record has some problems. The first of which is a pretty big one--- There are really only 3 songs. Maybe studying computers has made me a nihilist reductionary but it's true. The first is the sort of classic horns good time feeling one. The second is the piano with the gospel-esque chior in the background with a bunch of soloists shrieking. The third is a combination of the two. It just ends up feeling really awkward. A lot of people hate on young americans but I feel like that album is much more substantive than this one.

Now on to Kimono in My House by Sparks. This album is great because it's from when the Sparks Brothers were back in their prime. Let's face it, my first Sparks album, Angst In My Pants, has several weak spots (I'm looking at you "I Predict", "Nicotina", and "Tarzan And Jane"), but in the jolly old UK the Sparks aren't sparking around. Each song is zany and the band is in top form. Also the guitar-keyboard conflict is not at an all time high (i.e. the synths haven't made their move yet , so much so that the guitars must strike back in the previous album mentioned). Bravo brothers mael, way to freak out those glam rock kids.

Reviews and stuff

Let's start off with the easiest one, Goat's Head Soup. I like it enough to buy a better copy... bam done.

Help!, and yes the American one. Let's see how pissed off I am by it's butchering (ha ha...) Well "I've Just Seen A Face" isn't here. Am I pissed off? Not really, Rubber Soul really benefits from it's inclusion. I don't really care for Ringo so "Act Naturally" isn't a big loss either. "It's Only Love" is also on Rubber Soul so eh... I don't care for old school r&b covers so "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" isn't bad either. It does hit me in the gut to know that "Yesterday" was taken away as well as "You Like Me Too Much" (another harrison joint but I am partial). However, I don't mind the Indian interludes so it's all good.

Stevie Wonder's Talking Book is great. It's just a classic motown record. That's pretty much all there is to say about it.

Hunky Dory by David Bowie's pretty bitching too. It's usually compared to The Man That Sold the World (because Hunky Dory is not heavy metal) and Space Oddity (because it's similar). But it's great. It's got classic bowie moments and it seems he's trying to taking on music hall and velvet underground stuff.

Ok well those are four yo.

10/1/10 Half Price and Exchange

Ok so I got a bunch of records from my friend and I also got some from half price clearance. I won't go through all of them (or most of them) in this one sitting but I will go over all of them eventually.

Lauren Records--
Hunky Dory by David Bowie --10
Low by David Bowie -- 10
Kimono My House by Sparks --18
Red Apple Falls by Smog --13

1/2 Price
Help by the Beatles -- 8
Goat's Head Soup by the Rolling Stones -- 6
Talking Book by Stevie Wonder -- 4
Edgar Winter's White Trash --1
Second Contribution by Shawn Phillips--1
Live Peace in toronto 1969 by the plastic ono band --1
Shaved fish by the plastic ono band -- 1

So I'll go through these as I get time... yeah