Frank Sinatra - "Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!!" (1961) - Capitol Records
Hello Friends,
Tonight on Vinyl in the Valley we're rocking out to some late Capitol-era Frank Sinatra. Ol' Blue Eyes is in peak form on this 1961 release covering such classics as "When You're Smiling", "Blue Moon", "Paper Moon", "September in the Rain", "My Blue Heaven" and "Always."
Backed by Nelson Riddle's fiery and upbeat orchestra, these tunes are among the fastest tunes ever recorded by Sinatra. Some tunes-- like "Paper Moon" and "My Blue Heaven"-- almost seem like they've been recorded in double-time. Hey Frank... pass those jazz salts down this way! A swingin' session indeed!
Even though its Fall outside, its the Summer of Love tonight on Vinyl in the Valley! Tonight we're cranking Cream's second (and best) LP, Disraeli Gears. Psychedelic blues at its absolute best! In 1966, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce & Eric Clapton formed the first rock & roll supergroup; a heavy-sounding British trio with roots planted firmly in traditional blues and jazz music. Big egos would eventually win out and the band would break-up just two years later, but not before leaving a giant mark in rock & roll history! The album opens with an amazing one-two punch: "Strange Brew"-- a trippy blues tune featuring Clapton on lead vocals-- and the iconic "Sunshine of Your Love"-- featuring one of classic rock's most famous riffs. There's some great wah-wah pedal work on "World of Pain" and more great guitar-bass-drums interwining on the Bruce-helmed, "Dance the Night Away". Ginger Baker's "Blue Condition" (probably the album's weak link) finishes off Side One.
Side Two begins with the awesome "Tales of Brave Ulysses"-- a psychedelic-blues ballad based on Homer'sOdyssey with some more killer wah-wah playing. The equally excellent, "SWABLR" (aka "She Walks Like A Bearded Rainbow") follows. Not sure exactly what's going on in this song, but it may be about having sex with a transvestite! Hey, don't judge!
Next up is Jack Bruce's absolutely haunting, "We're Going Wrong". With spare, falsetto vocals and tribal drumming, its a song that would not be out of place in some 1967 teenager's Vietnam nightmare or acid flashback!
Clapton sings and arranges a version of "Outside Woman Blues"-- an obscure call-and-response blues tune written by Blind Joe Reynolds. Not to be outdone, Bruce comes back with a raucous honky-tonk blues number, "Take It Back"-- which may or may not be about kids burning their draft cards. The album concludes with the barroom diddy, "Mother's Lament"-- a perfectly silly and nostalgic conclusion to such a bold and ground-breaking album! Fun Fact: Hey kids, did you know that the title of this album is a malapropism? When Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker were talking about bicycles, a roadie chimed in with the statement that "yea, its got them disraeli gears" mistaking the 19th Century British Prime Minister for "derailleur gears". In a similar story, one time on Election day I saw two sassy ladies at Walmart discussing the possible outcome of the Presidential Election and one turned to the other and said, "It don't matter who wins the popular vote, its the electrical vote that counts!" ZAP!
Bobby Hackett - "Live at the Roosevelt Grill" (1977) - Chiaroscuro
Hello Friends, Jazz trumpeter Bobby Hackett is perhaps best known for his work with the Jackie Gleason orchestra playing atmospheric trumpet and cornet solos against a back-drop of lush string arrangements that conveyed both dreaminess and solitude. He was an accomplished jazz musician who played with Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, The Andrew Sisters, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and many other jazz greats. In 1970, Bobby's quintet had a regular gig at New York's Roosevelt Grill and producer Hank O'Neal had the good sense to record a number of these gigs. This album was recorded in 1970 but released posthumously in 1977 (Hackett died of a heart attack in 1976.) Unlike his "easy listening" work of the late 50's and early 60's, these live recordings are tried and true tributes to Dixieland music. The arrangements are solid and upbeat, definitely tipping a hat to the early Hot Fives' and Hot Sevens' recordings of Louis Armstrong. Some very good cornet work by Hackett and some nice trombone solos by Vic Dickenson. Perhaps the best thing about this LP are the really snarky and cantankerous liner notes written by producer, Hank O'Neal. He uses this space as his pulpit to really demolish contemporary jazz/dixieland music, musicians and audiences. For instance, he writes how contemporary musicians became "victims of their own laziness" with an "audience... so generally stupid that they couldn't tell the difference." OUCH! And how "the fault lay with the guys... that kept playing the same tunes over and over because the drunks who listened to them wanted to hear them!" YIKES! And how by giving "these tunes a listen" you'll realize "what time, tone and taste can do for a tune!" MEEEEEOWWW! RATING: 3.5 Fidgety Feet out of 5
Hello friends, On the turntable tonight we're celebrating the Autumnal Equinox with the dueling piano stylings of Mr. Arthur Ferrante and Mr. Louis Teicher! This 1966 release is actually a re-release of an earlier LP, Postcards from Paris (1962). Its solid and schmaltzy, with a definite French flair, but not a lot in the way of exotic arrangements or weird experimentation like on their earlier records.
Their version of the title track, "Autumn Leaves" makes me wish they covered the sad walking away music from the 1980's "Incredible Hulk" television show!
Tonight we're rocking out to the debut album by The Ventures. Hailing from Tacoma, Washington, The Ventures' big guitar sounding surf rock instrumentals influenced an entire generation of budding musicians who practiced these songs with their neighborhood buddies in countless suburban garages! From the chart-topping title track to their versions of "Raunchy", "Morgen", Duke Ellington's "Caravan" and Santo & Johnny's "Sleepwalk", this album is 27 minutes of twangy bliss-- thanks, in no small part, to lead guitarist's Bob Bogle's whammy bar virtuosity! Listening to "My Own True Love (Tara's Theme)" sounds like a slow dance at an early 1960's high school dance when the Civics teacher, Mrs. McGillicuddy, breaks you and your partner up for dancing too close! And even though those guys in the background aren't really the Ventures (the band was unavailable for the photo shoot), its a great album cover! Check out the heels on that brunette! Yowsa! RATING: 5 Cities of Destiny out of 5
Hello friends, Going back and forth from the tiki bar to the turntable all night long really makes you work up a mean, mean thirst! Tonight we're taking a break from record reviews and instead we're focusing our attention on one of the world's most delicious (and misunderstood) libations-- RUM. Described by Marco Polo in the 14th Century as "very good wine made of sugar", the history of rum is as interesting and complex as the drink itself. The story of Rum is the story of slavery, of pirates, of Navies, of the New World, of exploration, colonization, capitalism, rebellion and of course, hot, drunk college girls on Spring Break! YO HO HO, indeed!
EL DORADO 5 YEAR DEMERARA RUM
Distiller: Demerara Distillers, Ltd. Country: GUYANA Cost: $20.00 Proof: 80 Size: 750 ml Description: Aged for 5+ years in Oak Casks Ned Tugent says: "Initial sweetness quickly subsides into a caramel/vanilla coke taste. Very drinkable. Fine by itself, but would also make a great mixer! B+" Tiki T says: "A fine rum. No nonsense on the front of the palette followed by sweet notes of vanilla bourbon. A-!" We had to Wikipedia to find out exactly where Guyana is and it turns out its on the Northeastern coast of South America, next to Venezuela. In addition to rum, Guyana produces and exports rice, gold, bauxite and Demerara sugar. Formerly a Dutch and a British Colony, culturally its part of the Caribbean and its the only country in South American where English is the official language. Tiki T. would also like to point out that Guyana was the host to the famous, Jonestown Massacre where on November 18, 1978, cult-leader Jim Jones led over 900 of his followers in the largest mass suicide in modern history! Forget the Kool Aid, should've stuck with the rum! Anyways, here's the El Dorado website. Enjoy!
The patio furniture is getting frosty in the mornings, the cover has been slipped over the pool, and Tiki T. is retiring lemony summer drinks in favor of headier holiday fare.
Usually I give you recipes that can be consumed all night. Not so with the following one. In fact, I suggest making this in a small glass custard cup or petite champagne glass to enjoy as a sweet nip, lest you move your mambo-fest into the bathroom.
The "Vaina" is a Chilean cocktail, regarded as a rich indulgence in the "nog" family. The marriage of yolk, cocoa and brandy goes straight to your hips, but so do these Latin rhythms, so go nuts!
Shake vigorously 1 egg yolk with your choice of brandy or port wine, 1 egg white, splash of heavy cream, and a generous pinch of high grade cocoa powder. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and more cocoa.
I don't know if I would recommend this for a "date night", given possible gastric catastrophe, but if you're home alone in sweatpants, drink up muchacho!
Les Baxter's "Wild Guitars" (1959) - Capitol Records
Ole Friends, Tonight we're listening to another fun entry in the Les Baxter Capitol Records library. Tiki tunes with a Latin and Flamenco flair featuring a trio of classical guitarists-- Nestor Amaral, Joe Carioca and Pepe Gamboa. Andres Segovia this ain't!
From the opening frenzy of Khachaturian's "Sabre Dance", these tracks contains Baxter's exotic percussion and choral accompaniments accented by the sounds of rhythmic six strings. The standard, "My Buddy" is disguised as a feverish samba. The songs "Mandolino", "Cubana Mulatta" and "Cabayo" are Baxter originals and sound like something you might hear upon entering some South American cantina in the late 1950's. The album closes with some excellent finger-picking on the speedy "Tico Tico"-- a song composed by Brazilian composer, Zequinha de Abreu in 1917 and made famous not only for its numerous versions but for the fact the Grateful Dead would often play in during their tuning jams between songs. I'll take the Les Baxter version any day! RATING: 4 Brazilian Slave Songs out of 5
Football season's here! So gather up all your rowdy friends! Grab your wheelbarrow-t.v., some smokes and some snappy autumn outfits! Tell your wives and girlfriends that you're raking the backyard and proceed to get shitfaced! Hike!
Ian Hunter - "You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic" (1979) - Chrysalis
Hello friends,
Tonight on "Vinyl in the Valley" we're listening to what is arguably Ian Hunter's best record since his days with Mott the Hoople!
Featuring members of the E Street Band as back-up musicians and Bowie's ex-guitarist, Mick Ronson, producing, "You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic" is a great example of what happened to "glam rock" by the late 70's. Its good, with some really solid rocking songs, but its polished-sounding and not sleazy or sexy enough. Its glam without the gay... and who wants that?
(Even Barry Manilow had a top 10 hit with a saccharine cover of the song, "Ships", from this album!)
The best song on this LP, by far, is the epic, "Cleveland Rocks". This song is great for two reasons, (a) it was the theme song to "The Drew Carey Show" and (b) Cleveland does rock! The songs are all pretty good, but every time I hear Hunter's voice, I sort of wish I was listening to "All the Young Dudes"...
Yes - "Close to the Edge" (1972) - Atlantic Records
Hello friends,
As another summer draws to its bittersweet close, we've got one more "Prog Rock Saturday" in us before we bid adieu to bbq's, baseball and fireflies and say hello to sweaters, long walks and hard ciders! Tonight on the turntable, we've got Yes's 1972 prog masterpiece, Close to The Edge, recorded by a band of virtuoso musicians at the height of their creativity and cohesiveness.
The album consists of just three songs with the title track taking up all of Side One. Now this may sound extremely over-indulgent (and it could be argued that it indeed is) however the end result is highly listenable; the music is complex without being alienating. The songs and themes on the album seem to be influenced by some sort of New Age-y spirituality but-- unlike, say the double album, Tales from Topographic Oceans-- the mysticism does not distract from the music at hand. Rather than sounding too "mathy" or overwrought, the album comes off as five musicians pushing themselves to new limits while creating some pretty solid early 70's FM rock. (This is the classic Yes lineup that reads like a who's who of prog-rock: Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Bill Bruford, Chris Squire & Rick Wakeman.) Side One is dedicated to the epic song "Close to the Edge" which consists of four separate movements. Full of tempo changes and cryptic/cosmic lyrics sung in Anderson's near castrato voice ("Close to the Edge, down by the river, not right away, not right away"), "Close to the Edge" comes very close to going over the edge, but somehow remains listenable throughout. In fact, the middle section "I Get Up I Get Down" with its delicate two-part harmonies and massive cathedral-style organ is downright pretty! Side Two begins with the tuning of a twelve 12-string guitar which leads into a very straightforward chord progression. "And You and I"-- also consisting of four smaller movements-- is the band at their absolute peak. There's more melodic shifts, tempo changes and harmonies that you can shake a stick at, but somehow it all holds up in this ten minute epic. The album ends with the riff-based and funky "Siberian Khatru". Not sure exactly what the title means but at this point who cares? Clocking in at just under 9 minutes, this is the album's shortest song and features some pretty amazing Steve Howe guitar work! Season's change. The nights grow cooler as the days grow shorter; the leaves on the trees are starting to change color; icy cold vodka martinis are being replaced by whiskey sours and stiff manhattans. Ah, the circle of life! RATING: 5 Sad Preachers nailed upon the coloured doors of time out of 5
