Joan Baez - "Diamonds And Rust" (1977)

Hello Friends,

If you're having trouble sleeping, this Joan Baez song might do the trick.

Actually its a pretty song which is most likely about her tumultuous affair with Bob Dylan in the 1960's, "a couple of light years ago".

Also, it makes you appreciate Judas Priest's cover version all the more.

Lighten up Joan!

Movie Night: Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

Hello Friends,

Grab your popcorn and pull up a stool, its Movie Night again on Vinyl in the Valley!

Tonight we're watching Inside Llewyn Davis, a 2013 movie written and directed by the great Joel & Ethan Coen.

No one quite portrays the existential crises of modern man as enjoyably as the Coen Brothers do in their films.  From Barton Fink to Big Lebowski to their terribly underrated masterpiece, A Serious Man, the brothers Coen seem to be drawn to characters who are on psychic journeys-- road movies not necessarily of a specific place or time, but rather of a state of mind.

Inside Llewyn Davis is a film that could have only been made by the Coens.  The story revolves around the ups and downs (mostly downs) of the title character, Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac), a folk singer bouncing around clubs & coffee shops in 1961 Greenwich Village.  Musically, 1961 is kind of in a creative abyss taking place between Rock and Roll's first Golden Age and the next generation of greats like Bob Dylan and The Beatles. 

Based very loosely on real life folkster Dave Van Ronk, Llewyn's odyssey is one of just scraping by, never quite "making it", playing folk covers in cafes, sleeping on couches, burning bridges and chasing cats.  Along the way, there's the last of his "friends", folk duo Jim & Jean (Justin Timberlake & Carey Mulligan); a revealing trip to the abortion clinic; a road trip to wintery Chicago; beatnik poets (Garrett Hedlund), junkie jazzmen (John Goodman) and a brief glimpse of this new folky upstart (Dylan) who's about to turn this entire world on its ear.  And cats, cats, cats.

The entire cast is great.  Adam Driver who plays Al Cody (loosely based on Ramblin' Jack Elliott) is a real standout!

Although we agree its a little bit of a tough and challenging movie at times, we give Inside Llewyn Davis two cocktail glasses up!  Au revoir!

We'll see you next time, friends, until then the Tiki Bar is closed*.  

(* not really)

Hi-Fi Holidays: The New Possibility

John Fahey - "The New Possibility: John Fahey's Guitar Soli Christmas Album" (1968) - Takoma Records

Hello Friends,

We've got a little bit of a unique one on the Holiday Turntable tonight: a solo guitar instrumental album by American folk artist John Fahey.   Minimalist to be sure, Fahey's style combines avant-garde arrangements with a traditional country-blues style of steel string guitar picking.  The resulting music has a way of sounding both old and new at the same time. (Fahey's style was termed "American Primitivism" in the late 50's.  Besides Fahey, the most famous proponent of this style is guitarist Leo Kottke.)

The bottom line is if you enjoy well-played Christmas music on an acoustic guitar this record is a must listen.  (Also, we can't be positive, but this might be the first acoustic guitar Christmas album ever.  Couldn't find any examples of this style of music before 1968!)   

Released on Fahey's own label, Takoma Records, it remains the best-selling release of his 40 year recording career.  Its really good from start to finish with the triumvirate of Side One's "Auld Lang Syne", "The Bells of St Marys" and "Good King Wenceslas" being the record's high point!

RATING: 4.5 gathering winter fuels out of 5




is known as American Primitivism.  

This is another 

Movie Night: A Mighty Wind (2003)

Hello Friends,

Grab your popcorn and pull up a stool, its Movie Night again on Vinyl in the Valley!

Tonight we're watching the 2003 film, A Mighty Wind.

Directed by Christopher Guest, A Mighty Wind is filmed in the same mockumentary-style as his previous classics, This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman & Best In Show and stars many of the same familar faces including Michael Mckean, Fred Willard, Eugene Levy, Harry Shearer, Catherine O'Hara, Jennifer Coolidge, Bob Balaban, Jane Lynch, Ed Begley, Jr and the always adorable, Parker Posey! 

A Mighty Wind "documents" the events leading up to a big revivalist folk concert featuring fictional groups that resemble 60's folk acts like The Kingston Trio, The Weavers, Peter, Paul & Mary, etc.  Eugene Levy is a real highlight as Mitch Cohen (one half of the fictional folk duo, Mitch & Mickey) as is the always awesome (and sometimes inappropriate), Fred Willard ("Wha Happen?") 

If there's one complaint about the movie is that it falls a little flat in comparison to Guest's earlier films but, in fairness, Spinal Tap, Guffman & Best in Show are pretty much perfect films so its a little unfair to compare this movie to those classics! Still, A Mighty Wind is funnier that 90% of the comedies released theatrically anyways. 

One song from the movie, "A Kiss At the End of the Rainbow" was even nominated for an Oscar and lost to some shitty new age song from The Lord of the Rings called "Into the West".  Try tapping your toes to that crap, kids!

Good movie!  Fun music!  We give two enthusiastic cocktail glasses up! 

We'll see you next time, friends, until then the Tiki Bar is closed*.  

(* not really)

RIP Richie Havens

Richie Havens - "Alarm Clock" (1971) - Stormy Forest

Hello Friends,

Richie Havens-- aka the crazy looking black guy with the big stompin' feet that opened the Woodstock music festival-- died this week at age 72.

A folk singer from Brooklyn, NY who emerged in the Greenwich Village 1960's folk revival movement, Richie Havens with his deep, distinctive voice and mad man open strumming style of guitar playing, carved out a nice little niche for himself with fans of soulful folk music.  However, he was most famous for his opening act improvisations at the 1969 Woodstock music festival.

Legend has it that Richie Havens was scheduled to open the festival with a short opening set.  However, due to traffic tie-ups and general disorganization, promoters told Havens to stretch his set out so the audience wouldn't have to sit too long between performers.  Havens then improvised a foot-stompin' tune based on the old spiritual, "Motherless Child" which became one of the festival's most memorable moments and helped put Havens on the map!

Released post-Woodstock, Alarm Clock remains one of the most successful LP's of Havens's five decade career.  Released on his own record label, Stormy Forest, the album consists mostly of Haven guitar-based originals like "To Give Your Love Away", "Younger Men Grow Older", "Girls Don't Run Away", "Some Will Wait" and the title track.  Lots of songs about the passage of time which seemed an appropriate listen after the hearing the news of his passing.  The album will be most remembered for his soulful cover of George Harrison's hit, "Here Comes the Sun" (video after the jump.)  

RIP Richie Havens!

RATING: 4 Younger Men Grow Older Everyday out of 5