Santo & Johnny Hawaii

Santo & Johnny - "Hawaii" (1961) - Canadian American

Aloha friends!

Put down that rigatoni and pick up that pineapple chicken!  Our favorite Italian-American guitar-playing brothers are back with their third LP-- taking us on a one way trip to the Hawaiian islands by way of Brooklyn, NY!

On Hawaii, the Farina boys are backed by the inconspicuous Hutch Davie orchestra and chorus, but once again the clear star of the album is the haunting and precise pedal steel guitar playing.  Its sound is strange & familiar, tropical and other-worldly, all at the same time! 

The Hawaiian-themed album contains such classics as "Blue Hawaii", "Sweet Lelani", "Hawaiian War Chant" and "The Hawaiian Wedding Song".    


RATING: 4 Pineapple Princesses out of a possible 5

Poking the Starfish

Les Baxter's Jewels of the Sea

As the LP Cover says, "Titillating Orchestrations for Listening and Loving"... well I for one AM titillated after these deep sea adventures of Mr. Baxter's.

The music here is lush and very cinematic.  Its like a soundtrack for a movie that doesn't exist! 

Jewels of the Sea stars Steve McQueen as "Decker" and Ernest Borgnine as his bumbling sidekick, "Spence".  Its the tale of two lovelorn sailors on leave on the South Pacific island of Vanuatu.  One night, after breaking up a fight at the local cantina, these two meet a beautiful woman wading in the water.  As they approach her, a thick, mysterious fog rolls in and when it clears, the woman is gone.  Thinking her drowned, Decker dives in tries to save her and he too is pulled down by the tide.  What he sees next, he can't believe!  Is he hallucinating from a blow to the head that he received in the bar fight? Or, is the woman a mermaid who tells him that the military's presence is disturbing their otherwise tranquil underwater kingdom?            

Sounds like something I'd get in line for! 

Also, I'm not sure if the girl on the cover is a mermaid or just a regular girl who can still look sexy while holding her breath?  Though I guess it really doesn't matter!

RATING: 3.5 sea monkeys out of a possible 5  

Prog Rock Saturday: In the Court of the Crimson King

King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King (1969)

Summer's here kids and we all know what that means!  Its time for Prog Rock Saturdays at "Vinyl in the Valley"!  


And what a way to start things off with King Crimson's debut, the incomparable In the Court of the Crimson King.  


The opener, "21st Century Schizoid Man" is a heavy metal, prog-rock masterpiece.  From Robert Fripp's chainsaw-sounding guitars, to Greg Lake's distorted vocal, with lyrics like "politicians funeral pyre / innocents raped with napalm fire", the song is a futuristic epic thinly veiled as a Vietnam-era protest song.  What a way to kick things off!


Immediately following the shit storm of "Schizoid Man" is the genteel and harmonious (and flute-filled!), "I Talk To The WInd" that morphs into the the wailing and mellotron-heavy, "Epitaph" which sounds like the soundtrack to some apocalyptic spaghetti western!   


Time to flip!

PROG ROCK SATURDAYS HAVE RETURNED!

At the close of our last Vinyl in the Valley staff meeting, I was given the fortunate task of advising you all that....PROG ROCK SATURDAYS ARE BACK!

Yes friends, back by popular demand, starting this Saturday we'll be blowing the dust off of some fine pieces of progressive music and spinning them into the wee hours. 

We'll be delving into the abyss of late 60s and 70s innovation and savoring some of England's strangest musical offerings!

King Crimson! Yes! Early Pink Floyd! Early Genesis with Peter Gabriel!

I know, I know. You can hardly contain yourself, right?

I'm not going to pretend that this is some of the sexiest shit in the world, but it's definitely worth a listen!

And I'll be behind the bar concocting equally weird drinks to wet your proggy whistle!

So join us this Saturday in the Court of the Crimson King!

XO,
Tiki T.

Monkee Punch!

Hello Friends,

There's a lot to be said when it comes to the first two records by the Monkees!

On the one hand, there's some really great melodies, some solidly written songs and some really fun, Beatles-influenced bubblegum pop!  On the other, music purists might argue that these two albums are more representative of clever marketing rather than artistic music-making.  Hmmm?

Here on "Vinyl in the Valley" we'll leave these arguments to the intellectuals because tonight we know what side of the Monkee Bars we're swinging on!

The Monkees - The Monkees (1966)

Eleven of the twelve songs on the The Monkees' eponymous debut are written by non-Monkees. Pretty much every track features either Micky Dolenz or Davy Jones singing with a band of session musicians who provide the backing music.  It does have the superhits: "(Theme from) The Monkees" and "Last Train to Clarksville"; the sappy, "I Wanna Be Free"; the sole Nesmith composition, "Papa Gene's Blues"; and the fantastic, Stonesy, "Saturday's Child" (written by David Gates of Bread fame.)

Plus, I always enjoyed Mike Nesmith's scowl on the otherwise smiley cover photo! What's wrong Mike Nesmith?  Is that hat making you itchy? 

RATING: 4 itchy hats out of 5




Click for More of the Monkees...

Champagne, Candlelight & Kisses

 Jackie Gleason - Champagne, Candlelight and Kisses (1963)

Hello Friends,

Tonight on "Vinyl in the Valley" we're enjoying the swooning sounds of our favorite fat bastard, Jackie Gleason.

Actually, by this point in his music career, I don't think Gleason had much to do with the recording of these albums and instead let producers and arrangers handle most of the workload.  Hey, why conduct an orchestra when you could be drinking?

"Let me show you what you can do..."

In any case, like most of his Capitol LP's this one plays out like the soundtrack to a Woody Allen movie.  There's the familiar-sounding arrangements complete with lush strings and muted horns ("Theme from Bus Stop", "Its Been a Long, Long Time", "Everything Happens to Me"), but there's also some uncharacteristically bouncy, upbeat and even dixieland-inspired jazzier tunes ("Undecided", "All By Myself", "Just You, Just Me").  I guess between the champagne, candlelight & kisses we're supposed to squeeze in some calisthenics!  

The album cover looks like a service cart in James Bond's hotel room:  Champagne on ice, vintage-looking crystal goblets, a glass tumbler with hand-rolled cigarettes,  softly burning candles and... OMG is that a Pu-Pu platter?!?!?

RATING:

3.5 Trips to the Moon out of a possible 5

Tiki Tips: 2,000 Light Years from Home Punch

When listening to old Stones records, I like a cocktail that can be ladled sloppily into my cup as I stumble back and forth between tiki bar and turntable. What finer than a stiff-n-sturdy punch? A classic and versatile little number that can feed a crowd or just you alone.


This one is pretty strong, so be sure your guests can handle it. Or else you could end up with a real "Altamont" situation on your hands!


I share the following recipe because it has brought me years of unbridled joy and bad decisions.


It's my own doing too! (Or shall I say un-doing?)

Tiki's 2,000 Light Years from Home Punch
1) maraschino cherries that have been soaked overnight in a bath of white rum, almond extract and cinnamon (the rum bath goes in the punch, too!)
2) thin orange slices
3) large bottle white rum
4) large bottle lightly spiced rum
5) pineapple juice
6) few shakes of almond extract (to your liking)
7) tangerine juice
8) 1 can lemon soda (I prefer San Pellagrino)
9) cranberry juice
10) dash allspice
11) dash cinnamon
12) cinnamon sticks

Combine it all in a glass bowl and pop a cinnamon stick in each guest's glass.
That's all the guidance I can give you on this one. Taste as you pour and adjust to your liking. I've given you the building blocks, what you do with it is your own sordid business.


Keep it cool babies, until next time....
XO,
Tiki T.

Metamorphosis

The Rolling Stones - Metamorphosis (1975)

Hello friends!

This oft-overlooked Rolling Stones outtakes compilation has got us buzzing! (get it?) 

Tracks are compiled from their fertile period of '64 to '70 and include a demo version of "Out of Time"; an alternate version of "Heart of Stone" with Jimmy Page(!) playing lead; a great Bill Wyman original, "Downtown Suzie"; and a cover of the Stevie Wonder song,  "I Don't Know Why" which was reportedly recorded on July 3, 1969-- the same night that Brian Jones was murdered died.  

Great Franz Kafka-themed album cover, too!  If you haven't yet read Kafka's novella, "The Metamorphosis" you should stop playing on the computer and read it dummy!

RATING: 3.5 Memos from Turner out of a possible 5

The Night We Called It a Day

Frank Sinatra - Where Are You? (1957)

Hello friends!

Feeling a little lonely this evening?  Feeling like the world has beat you down?  Do you just not care anymore?

Well then, you've come to the right place! 

On tonight's "Vinyl in the Valley", we're pouring our scotch & sodas on the stiff side while our favorite blue-eyed crooner woos us with some of his most melancholy ballads.

Now be warned, this is ain't the upbeat, globe-trottin', swingin' Sinatra style that we've come to know and love.  This is the morose, end-of-his-line torch singer who goes home to a dark apartment-- smelling of booze and stale cigarettes-- with two dollars left in his pocket, some dame's number illegibly scribbled on a book of matches and with enough personal regrets to keep him sleeping 'til Tuesday!

Where Are You?-- which was later re-released as The Night We Called It A Day-- is a lesser-known LP from Sinatra's incredible Capitol Years.  Here, the orchestra is conducted by Gordon Jenkins (a departure from frequent Sinatra collaborator, Nelson Riddle) whose lush arrangements only accentuate the loneliness and fragility heard in the great singer's voice.  From the longing strings on the opening title track to the bluesy, yearning closing number-- "Baby, Won't You Please Come Home?"-- this is some heartbreaking shit!

RATING:
5 too many drinks after 'last call' out of a possible 5

Happy Mother's Day with the Queen!

Oops... I almost forgot!

Hello friends!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there!

We're celebrating Mum's day properly this year: with flowers, wine and a two-fer from Queen!

Queen - A Night at the Opera (1975)

Queen's fourth-- and possibly best-- LP.  There's the acerbic opener, "Death on Two Legs"; Roger Taylor's arena-rocking "I'm in Love with my Car"; the familiar, "Your My Best Friend"; and concluding the LP, the unmatched, seemingly timeless "Bohemian Rhapsody."

RATING: 5 thunderbolts and lightning out of a possible 5

Queen - A Day at the Races (1976)

Queen's fifth record-- and second in a row named after a Marx Bros. movie!-- kicks off with "Tie Your Mother Down".  Nothing says "Love You Mom" like this hard rockin' little ditty!

There's also Brian May's great ballad "Long Away", the hit "Somebody to Love", "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" and the ode to their huge Japanese fan base, "Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)". 

Plenty of the kick-ass vocal and guitar overdubbing that Queen became famous for.  However, this one is a bit more "polished"-sounding than "Opera" which isn't necessarily a good thing!

RATING: 4 Zeppos out of a possible 5

Dusty!

Dusty Springfield - Dusty (1964)

Hello Sports Fans!

Touted as America's newest lesbian singing star, Dusty's second stateside LP is a decent mix of blue-eyed soul and pre-British Invasion R&B.

The first four oustanding tracks would all sound right at home on one of your "break up" mix tapes that you made back in high school. "All Cried Out", "I Wish I'd Never Loved You", "Can I Get a Witness" and the epic-sounding, "Summer is Over" are all pretty amazing!

The rest of the album gets a little sugary, but the highlight of the record is the closing number: an emotional and raucous rendition of the Burt Bacharach & Hal David break-up ballad, "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself." 

Overall, this is a good 60's pop album that lays the groundwork for the big, soulful sounds that she would become much more famous for later in the decade.

In case you're interested, here's a clip of the White Stripes performing "IJDKWTDWM" live in Glastonbury in 2005. 

The White Stripes - I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself (live)

RATING: 4 peroxide bottles out of a possible 5

Tiki Tips: The French 75

"I am ze locksmith of love, no?"

Ah, the French 75! 

Try to find something with more class and sophistication (certainly not me at 1 AM on a Saturday!).

Pair this cocktail with a Yves Montand record and voila!  Paris in a pinch!

Muddle a sugar cube and fresh lemon juice in the bottom of a champagne glass.
Add gin and your favorite champagne.

Known in France as the "Soixante Quinze", this drink is lauded in the Savoy Cocktail Book as "hitting with remarkable precision".  If they mean my head against the wall, then correct they are!

XO,
-Tiki T.

Viva La Creep!

Formidable???

France's Formidable Yves Montand (1959)

Bonjour Friends!

Hope your passports are up to date because tonight we're drinking Bordeaux, eating stinky cheese and getting lost on the winding streets of Paris, France.

Actually, we're not going anywhere.  We're dimming the lights, cracking open a box of our finest Burgundy and listening to France's Formidable (oxymoron?) Yves Montand on the ol' turntable.   This pre-60's French Pop music is downright sleazy.  I have no idea what the fuck he's singing about but it all sounds so dirty.  Its like every song is about playing grab ass with your sister or sleeping with your wife!  Hey, keep your hands off her you creep!

"Did you put something in my drink?"
"Oui."

In addition to a pretty successful recording and movie career, Montand is also famous for banging Marilyn Monroe while filming the movie, Lets Make Love.  I guess he took that title literally!  What a creep!!! 

RATING: 3.5 Freedom Fries out of a possible 5

Tiki Tips: The Sporco

Enjoy the sounds of Santo and Johnny with a posh little cocktail called the "Prosecco Sporco".

A drink highly favored by the "One Percenters" of Northern Italy can be enjoyed at your humblest of home bars!

Fill a champagne glass with your favorite Prosecco and add a dash of Campari. While Campari on its own can be verrrry bitter, it mingles so nicely with the sweet fizziness of the Prosecco. Twist in an orange peel and enjoy, goomba!

XO!

-Tiki T.

Santo and Johnny Encore

Santo & Johnny - Encore (1960)

Grab your pomade and open that Chianti... these Baciagaloops are at it again! 

On their second LP, the Brooklyn-bred Farina brothers are back with 12 more pedal steel guitar masterpieces! 

The style and sound is close to what it was on their self-titled debut LP (here), released a year prior in 1959.  Its sparse and haunting with an otherworldly pedal steel sound that can cut through a dense fog on a dark night.  The highlights are "Tear Drop", "Venus" and the fantastically sad-sounding, "You Belong to Me."

RATING: 4.5 Prego Jars* out of a possible 5

(* Its in there!)

 

Bee Thousand: The Director's Cut

Ashes on the turntable, books knocked over, beer spilled in Rorschach patterns on the rug, and crudely drawn UFOs scrawled on cocktail napkins.

Yup, we must’ve listened to a Guided by Voices record last night.

Bee Thousand, the 1994 release by the prolific Kings of lo-fi Guided by Voices, is no small feat. In fact, it’s a rough masterpiece drawing sounds from the British invasion, psych, prog rock and punk. The album is working something out as it goes and you can hear the evolution of songs actually occurring. While a lot of the material may be off-putting (the recording is so piss poor on some of these tracks, it’s like somebody threw cassette tapes in a swimming pool and a lot of the lyrics are about spacecraft and warlocks), the sheer brilliance of lead singer Bob Pollard rears itself in unimaginable ways. The true shame of it all is that so much of his beautiful stuff gets lost in the fray.

I can’t sell you on this band. It’s too tall of an order. Getting into this band means drowning in an endless abyss of record releases. You end up lost in a laboratory full of Pollard’s test tubes and beakers of frothing weirdo genius. And nobody really wants to hear about this band at cocktail parties, believe me.

But while Bee Thousand may be a hurtle for some, it is salvation for others. It really is some kind of indescribable magic.

Tiki’s Track Picks: "Smothered in Hugs", "Tractor Rape Chain", "The Goldheart Mountain Top Queen Directory."

XO! -Tiki T

Nights in Black Satin

The George Shearing Quintet - Black Satin (1956)

Hello Friends,

Turn the lights down low and stop watering down those drinks 'cuz tonight we're enjoying those "satin-smooth" sounds of Mr. George Shearing.  


Shearing-- a skilled jazz pianist with be-bop and Latin influences-- leads his quintet while Billy May arranges the orchestra making for a most seductive listening experience.  Lyrical and mysterious melodies are set to a lush and velvety backdrop.  Black Satin, indeed!


This is serious jazz for the Sears crowd.


RATING: 4 longing gazes out of a possible 5 

(Passed) Out on the Tiles

Hats off to Ned for an outstanding review of Led Zep III! Surely a solid record that has stood the test of time.

Another thing I like about Zep III is its cocktail versatility!

Listening to "The Immigrant Song" may put you in the mood for potent Scandinavian-style shooters of vodka or Akvavit (these selections would pair nicely with pickled herring, smoked fish or freshly killed boar).

But as the record shifts to mellower tones, a lingering cocktail will go nicely. Try a gin martini or vodka with a twist (perhaps a tangerine twist?).

You can also skip the fanfare and enjoy a bottle of sturdy mid priced Bordeaux. Pouring wine into a goblet is preferred for possible demon conjuring later on in the night! Next week: How to wash those stubborn chalk pentagrams out of the carpet!

XO,
Tiki T.

Time to get the Led out!

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III (1970)

Hello friends!

Is there any doubt that Led Zeppelin III is the best Led Zeppelin LP? 

Its smack in the middle of a string of five albums that form a "murderer's row" of classic FM rock.

Also, is there a human alive who doesn't get pumped when hearing those opening lines from the lead-off, "Immigrant Song"?  To this day, whenever I hear it, I want to dress like a Viking, navigate across a frozen tundra and kill a wild boar with my bare hands. 

"Ah... Aaaaaaahaaaah... Ah!"
"Ah... Aaaaaaahaaaah... Ah!"

But its the ballad-y, acoustic numbers that makes me feel that Led Zep III has probably stood the tests of time better than any of their other LPs.   Not to mention there's some really fine Jimmy Page guitar-playing, especially on the C-minor blues, "Since I've Been Loving You" and the rawking "Celebration Day".

Plus, the original record has a spinny wheel thing that changes the images on the front cover.  This is a lot of fun for like five minutes.

RATING: 5 hammers of the gods out of a possible 5