I Put a Spell on You!!

Ooga Booga Friends!

Don't think it's lost on old Tiki T. that the record review below is borderline racist.  But we here at "V in the V" feel that nobody who reads our material will get too offended.

So on that note, slap on your black face and beat that drum, cuz we're drinkin' tonight!!

Dawa literally translates to "medicine" or "magic potion" in Swahili so you know this is a cocktail to cure what ails you on a Saturday night. The original recipe calls for a stick from the Dawa tree, but if you can't get your hands on this, a wooden honey stick will do.

1 teaspoon of brown sugar 
3 oz vodka
Whole lime, quartered with skin on
ice
1 Dawa stick twisted in creamed honey 

In a tumbler, shake your vodka, sugar, crushed lime and ice. Muddle that lime like you would a mojito. Pour into a tumbler glass and garnish with the honey-coated stick. This little drink should have your special lady doing a fertility dance in no time!!!

XO,

Tiki T.

The Heart of Darkness

Les Baxter - "Les Baxter's African Jazz" (1959) - Capitol Records

Jambo Friends,

We're in store for a sonic tiki trip to the dark continent tonight and there's no better tour guide than Les Baxter.  So brush up on your swahili, put on your safari hats and let's go!

To quote the liner notes from this fantastic LP, "Africa still echoes with the primitive beat.  But the continent is no longer dark.  For ancient Africa has collided with the twentieth century and the result is a flamboyant explosion."  Hmm.

The titles to some of these songs is worth the price of admission alone: "Congo Train", "Elephant Trail", "Banana Boy", "Mombasa After Midnight", "Walkin' Watusi", "Ostrich Hunt", "Cairo Bazaar", "Jungalero" & "Balinese Bongos".  Between the cover art and these song titles, how could you see this record in 1959 and NOT buy it???

The album is all instrumental with all selections composed by Baxter.  There's some jazzy trombone and tenor sax playing, but what stands out are the exotic percussion sounds and sound effects, punctuated by manic bongos, floating vibraphones and tiptoeing marimbas.  (Not to mention some cool-sounding pre-surf rock guitar work on "Cairo Bazaar"!)

There's pretty much nothing not to love about this album... "a thrilling adventure in exotic sound!"

RATING: 4.5 Shrunken Heads out of 5

Prog Rock Saturday: Shades of Deep Purple

Deep Purple - "Shades of Deep Purple" (1968) - Tetragrammaton

Hello friends and welcome to another installment of Prog Rock Saturday!

We're enjoying this midsummer's weather with a few cool cocktails and the sounds of Deep Purple's debut LP.

Now don't get your wizard hats all in a bunch!  Shades of Deep Purple definitely qualifies as an early example of prog-rock.  With long jam-filled songs and a big emphasis on classically-inspired organ, Deep Purple started out as an English proggy-psychedelic band in 1968 and, rather wisely, evolved into a more hard rock outfit by the early 70's.  Plus, founding member and organist, Jon Lord passed away this week at the age of 71 after a bout with pancreatic cancer.  So hush up and enjoy a killer of a debut album!

The LP opens with the bluesy instrumental, "And the Address", which sets the tone for the rest of the album which might be described as "Cream meets the Hammond Organ!" 

Next is the band's earliest hit, the classic, "Hush".  With its howling wolf intro, killer organ solo and lyrics about an extremely obsessed ex-boyfriend, "Hush" helped put this quintet on the map and, to this day, remains a classic of late 60's British rock. 

"One More Rainy Day" is a melodic, yet heavy ballad that sounds not too different from early Zeppelin (think: "Your Time is Gonna Come", also from '68!)       

Side One concludes with a monster Hammond organ solo-- a heavy interpretation of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherezade-- that morphs into the Skip James song, "I'm So Glad" (previously covered by the aforementioned, Cream, on their debut LP, Fresh Cream.

Named for a hallucinogenic plant that is often used in witchcraft and demon conjuring spells, Side Two opens with the Ritchie Blackmore-penned, "Mandrake Root".  In fact, their six minute cover of The Beatles' "Help"-- which follows-- sounds slowed and stoned as if recorded under the influence of a little Mandragora officinarum!  

Following "Help" is a driving, trippy little tune called, "Love Help Me".  

The last song on the album begins with a Bolero-style dueling guitar/Hammond B-3 organ intro (which as Tiki T. points out, reminds her of the Patti Page song "Conquest", also covered by the White Stripes!)  The bolero breaks and a heavy cover of the garage rock standard, "Hey Joe" closes out the album.  Great, great version of the song to close out one of rock & roll's greatest debut albums!

Here's an awesome video of the band performing "Hush" on "Playboy After Dark" in 1969...

  
  
RATING: 4.5 Dancing Playmates out of a possible 5
       

Pass the jazz salts...

Fleetwood Mac - Tusk (1979) - Warner Bros.

Holy crap!  I'm not sure what just happened!  After listening to this double-album I feel like I've been on a 3 day speed binge... my hands are shaking, my eyes are bloodshot, there's half naked bodies all over my living room floor and my kitchen is absolutely spotless!

This is the album where you realize the 70's have really gone too far. 

After the hugely successful (and amazing) Rumours, Tusk is like being hungover while listening to a coked-up friend talk about his recent break-up: its tense, indulgent, rambling and largely incoherent.       

The album opens with the relatively sane-sounding, Christine McVie tune, "Over & Over".   I think to myself, "Alright cool, let's dim the lights and open that bottle of wine, its gonna be a relaxing evening!"  

WRONG! Its right after this that the train speeds off the tracks with Lindsey Buckingham's "The Ledge".  With its spazzy vocals, guitar line and drum beats I begin to feel panicked.  Should I lock the door?  Turn off the lights? Who's in here with me?  Its not until Stevie Nick's "Sara" that I can even sit down again.  

The calm doesn't last long when Side Two opens with the crazed-sounding, "What Makes You Think You're the One?" and I begin to empathize with the dog on the album cover who's growling & angrily pulling at someone's pant leg! 

Just about every song is steeped in paranoia, loneliness, jealousy and general unhappiness.   For an hour and fifteen minutes, the listener is invited into this world of over-indulgence and heartache that never really lets up!  Its quite a ride!

Everything comes to a head on the albums penultimate track, "Tusk".      

With a driving beat, marching band, buried vocals and ultra-paranoid lyrics, "Tusk" is the sound of a heart-exploding at a high school pep rally!  Somehow, at this point, it all comes together and makes sense. The party's over kids!    

The album concludes with the McVie song, the short & sweet,  "Never Forget" with the repeated line "Oooh ooh we will never forget tonight!"  You can say that again!  As the needle lifts off the record and the cracks of dawn shine through the curtains, I notice the time and wonder if I should try to get some sleep or stay up and listen to one more record?  


RATING: 4 out of possible 5 weeks in rehab

Jack White gets it

Hello Friends,

Do you get goosebumps when you hear the snap, crackle, popping sound when the needle hits the record?  Does listening to vinyl transport you to a Zen-like state and affect you in a way that digital music cannot?  Do you feel the "thrill of the hunt" in record stores, thrift stores, flea markets and garage sales?  

Here's a great Jack White quote regarding record stores and music, in general:

"I think its high time the mentors, big brothers, big sisters, parents, guardians and neighborhood ne'er do wells, start taking younger people that look up to them to a real record store and show them what an important part of life music really is.  I trust no one who hasn't time for music.  What a shame to leave a child, or worse, a generation ophaned from one of life's great beauties."

Here at Vinyl in the Valley, we couldn't agree more!

Also, here's a great article/interview with Mr. White regarding the artistic merit and nostalgic value of listening to records.   

Jack White and the Romance of Vinyl

Thanks Jack White!  Now put away your I-Pods, buy some records and stare at the liner notes and every inch of those beautiful album covers while and let the snap, crackle & pop of the music do the rest!  

"V in V" Conference 2012!!!!

Oh, hello friends!

Sorry, I didn't see you there.

Tiki T. coming to you straight from the annual "Vinyl in the Valley Conference" which was held in the city of brotherly love this year, Philly!

We kicked off the festivities (oops...I mean, business meetings) at Rum Bar. A great modern take on the vintage tiki bar. Minimally tasteful decor and a variety of happy hour rum punches....Bravo!

I myself did it up right with a classic daiquiri, while Mr. Tugent enjoyed one with grapefruit bitters (apparently a take on a Hemingway cocktail). We mulled over the usual topics during happy hour, sampled a chile infused rum which proved to be a naughty little number, and then it was off to dinner for a uniquely authentic Chinese experience. The rum punches were the stuff of 1950s nostalgia...sickly sweet and $4.50 a pop. We were then greeted with a live writhing eel table side, which found its way into Ned's stir fry. Crispy and oily, I am so glad that eels have found a higher purpose than swimming around people's legs and freaking them out.

But I suppose the best lesson I took away from this trip is that simplicity is the key to happiness in the home bar arena. So let's pay homage with the veteran Ma Tai.

Here we go, kids...

Healthy Slug of White Rum
1.2 oz Creme de Almond
Splash Maraschino
Splash Pineapple Juice
Splash Sweet and Sour
Healthy Slug of Dark Rum

Shake vigorously, pour over ice in Collins glass and understand that god loves you.

Until the next record....
XO,
Tiki T.

Forbidden Island

Martin Denny - "Forbidden Island" (1958) - Liberty Records

Hello friends and welcome to the Forbidden Island!

Why is it forbidden?  We're not sure exactly!  Perhaps its an island full of blood-thirsty headhunters?  Or, perhaps its inhabitants are giant, prehistoric beasts?  If we're lucky it is an exotic isle populated by sexy brunettes, dressed in sarongs, who tempt us with fancy rum drinks, a cool island breeze and the distant sounds of some out-of-this-world tiki music!

Whatever the reason, Forbidden Island is a classic of the Exotica genre.   Its Martin Denny's third album and it is a fantastic trip through the dark jungles, sandy beaches and swinging hotel lounges of the South Pacific!

While taking a break as house band at Don The Beachcomber's Bora Bora Lounge in the heart of Waikiki, Denny's quartet came up with a dozen atmospheric & hypnotic tracks including 5 originals ("Cobra", "Exotica", "Goony Birds", "Primitiva" and the title track) and some excellent covers ("Port Au Prince", "Bali Hai" & "March of the Siamese Children").  As far as instruments go there's a lot of string bass and piano, but there's also bongos, marimbas, celestes, xylophones, vibes and of course the highly exotic bird calling and special effects of percussionist, August Colon.  

What an album!  From start to finish each of these 3 minute masterpieces is a luau for your ears!   

And yes, that's Exotica girl, Miss Sandy Warner once again gracing a fantastic album cover!

RATING: 5 Mai Tai's out of 5  

Prog Rock Saturday: Selling England by the Pound

Genesis - "Selling England By The Pound" (1973) - The Famous Charisma Label

Hello friends and welcome to another Prog Rock Saturday here on "V in the V"!

Tonight we've got Genesis's Selling England By The Pound on the turntable and boy is it a weird one!  This is Peter Gabriel-era Genesis, so for those of you familiar with the hits of the late 70's and 80's Phil Collins-version of the band, you're in for a real treat and/or shock.

This LP is proggy, political, challenging and just plain weird.  Its also very English with a lot of the lyrics making cryptic references to people & places uniquely British!

Side One is definitely the more listenable side.  The opener, "Dancing with the Moonlight Knight", has Gabriel making ironic references to British credit card debt, the controversial Green Shield Trading Stamp Program, fatties and the growing presence of the "Wimpy" fast-food burger chain across England's towns and hamlets.

Next we have the band's highest charting single to date, the fantastic "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" about a young man who is perfectly content mowing his neighbors' lawns and not concerned with the complications of adulthood and success!  

Next is the epic-sounding, "Firth of Fifth" with its weird time signatures, chord progressions and Gabriel-played flute solos.   

Side One concludes with the quiet Phil Collins ballad, "More Fool Me".  Featuring sparse vocals and only acoustic guitar, its quite a calming force in the middle of the maelstrom of complex art rock.

If Side One is the "rock" side, then Side Two is definitely the "prog" side.  "The Battle of Epping Forest" is a mini-opera about a London turf war in which Peter Gabriel changes his voice when singing about different characters like "Bob the Knob" and "Mick the Prick".  Again, there's lots of time changes and chord progressions so for the beginner Genesis fan, there's a lot to wrap your head around!  Its like West Side Story on Adderall! 

Next up is the Renaissance fair-sounding instrumental, "After the Ordeal" which actually features some remarkable guitar-playing by Steve Hackett.

There's more theatrics in Gabriel's update of "Romeo & Juliet" in "The Cinema Show".  Again, not a bad song, but the four-plus minute keyboard solo in the songs second-half is a bit of a deal breaker!

  

Side Two concludes with "Aisle of Plenty" which is a reprise of the album's opener.  This time with Gabriel making ironic wordplay about British grocery stores: Fine Fare, Safeway, Tesco & The Co-op.  (Apparently, Gabriel did his shopping at Sainsbury!)

And, we've come full circle!  Yes its a little weird, but Selling England By The Pound is another proggy masterpiece.  And for all his eccentricities, Gabriel was ahead of his time thematically.  Singing about debt, laziness, obesity and a nation obsessed with blind consumerism in 1973?  One can almost forgive his goofy outfits!


RATING: 4.5 Lawnmowers out of 5... Keep them mowing blades sharp!   

Holiday on those Magical Islands of Hawaii

Willie Alunai and his Band - "Holiday on those Magical Islands of Hawaii" (1959) - Parade Record Company

Aloha Friends!

Hawaii became the 50th state of the union on August 21, 1959.  This LP, released shortly thereafter, captures the enchanting and island moods of our most famous archipelago!

With steel guitar galore, this album is the perfect soundtrack to a midsummer's night luau!  

More importantly we like what the seemingly innocuous cover art is implying:

"Come and knock on our door..."

Alright!  Alright!  


RATING: 3.5 Island Threesomes out of a Possible 5

Happy Fourth of July!

Hello Friends!

And Happy Birthday America!

Get outside today, grill up some hot dogs and light off some fireworks!  Hopefully your local fireworks went a little better than this AWESOME display in San Diego...



Sorry little girl that these weren't "big" enough for your personal taste!

U-S-A! U-S-A!

Workin' Like a Dog in a Rock-n-Roll Band

Hello Friends,

Break out the Boones Farm and the water beds!

Tiki T. here inviting you to step back in time to 1973.

We're steadily pulling out of Vietnam, Sanford and Son is on the tube, Bowie is causing gender confusion, Pink Floyd is blowing minds with the release of Dark Side, I can't shake this dang case of the crabs, and five sniveling punks from Boston have just released a no-frills record simply called Aerosmith.
We love this one on a hot summer night! It's full of garage-y goodness with sadly forgotten treasures all over the place. "One Way Street" is a bluesy Cajun rocker. "Movin' Out", the first song Joe Perry and Steven Tyler ever wrote together, is raw and spooky. The sound of the guitar and vocals dipping in and out a little reminds us that this is still a band steeped in low fi sincerity. After all, this is before the excessive bloat of 70s rock music kicks in and ruins everything.

And obviously you've got your classics on here that never tire. "Dream On" (though I'd be just fine to never hear it again), "Mama Kin" and the funky Rufus Thomas cover "Walkin' the Dog".

Always a party pleaser, this one is great to throw on when having friends over for late night drinks.

All and all, a definite "Must Have" on vinyl!
Rating:  4 Microphone Scarves out of a possible 5. 

Singing in the Sunshine, Laughing in the Rain

Led Zeppelin - "Houses of the Holy" (1973) - Atlantic Records

Holy shit kids!  Summer is here and you know what that means!?!?!  Let's crack some beers, conjure up some demons and listen to Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy.

Is there any better way to kick off a long, hot summer than with Led Zep's fifth album?  If there is, we'd like to know!  

There's a ton of references to summer, and weather in general, on this album.  Its like an ode to meteorology!  Like Robert Plant croons in "The Rain Song":  "It is the summer of my smiles / flee from me Keepers of the Gloom..."  Ummm... our thoughts exactly!  

With the galloping, epic opening number-- "The Song Remains the Same"-- we're off to a great start!  One of the band's best tunes!  It sets the table for what we're in store for: some "California sunlight" & "Sweet Calcutta rain."   

Next we're going to chill out a little bit with the aforementioned, acousticy "Rain Song" and the quiet-loud-quiet of "Over the Hills and Far Away".  Side one closes with the synthy funk of "The Crunge" (hey, they can't all be classics!) 

Side Two is home to the upbeat "Dancing Days" and the reggae-influenced, "D'yer Mak'er"-- two FM radio staples.  Then there's the weirdly atmospheric "No Quarter".  With mystical lyrics about "The winds of Thor" and "Dogs of Doom", the song could be the soundtrack for Game of Thrones.   

The album concludes with rollicking "The Ocean"-- a song dedicated to Led Zep's growing legion of fans-- features a great riff, some bruising drums and a doo-wop inspired coda!      

Fun Fact: The iconic & controversial album cover for Houses of the Holy-- portraying pink-hued, naked blond children climbing some sort of apocalyptic landscape was inspired by the mutant children appearing at the end of Arthur C. Clarke's science fiction novel, Childhood's End (1953).    

The song remains the same, indeed!

RATING: 4.5 Jokes about Jamaica out of 5