I’ve been keeping a “Sonic Diary” elsewhere, taking notes on whatever I happen to be listening to, whatever it may be. It’s interesting to go back to them from time to time to see what I was thinking about what I was listening to. I figured I’d start keeping them here, even though there is no audio media to accompany them. I mean, who really needs me to feed them Simon and Garfunkel, fer Chrissake… 😉
Some of the lesser known stuff may appear in upcoming podcasts…who knows? This is exactly how that selection process begins…
Simon and Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Waters
(Columbia LP – 1970)
“So Long Frank Lloyd Wright”, for whatever reason, was an interminable brain-stain this week, so I figured the only way to erase it was to finally listen to it. So I pulled out the vinyl, and fell in love with S&G all over again. Decades have come and gone since I’ve listened to a S&G record all the way through. I guess that means I’ve come full circle – but I’m not sure what exactly that implies. In fact, the notion of that bothered me so much, I had to throw down the first acid/DNB/Jungle thing I could reach for and that was…
1.8.7 – The Cities COllection
(Jungle Sky CD – 2000)
And the familiar “Blaaaaang” of the San Francisco track reset my inner clock and kept the tears of sentimentality at bay, at least for now. It all started because I decided to clean and dust my studio this morning – really, it’s unworkable in there – and now here I am, cloistered in the house on a rainy day cranking 1.8.7. Jordana’s sense of rhythmic flow on this CD just rocks. Its a collection of tracks named after cities, compiling the EPs with Hollywood, Los Angeles and New York (EP1), Pittsburgh, Miami and San Francisco (EP2) and two exclusive tracks, Philadelphia and Detroit. Hot
One Mile North
(Ba Da Bing! CD – 2003)
One Mile North is the New York-based project of guitarist Jon Hills and keyboardist Mark Bajuk. Breathaking and painstaking passages. It is like wandering through an unknown place, blanketed by silken curtains that flow in the breeze, caressing you as you pass through, only to find more. Their softness soothes you and the breeze cools you, as the music beckons you on. (I know, how lame is this…but, you get the picture?)
Joni James – When I Fall In Love
(MGM LP – 1960)
The first Joni, a Your Hit Parade era megastar, she sold over 100 Million records – a phenomenal feat for a female artist in the 1950s. Consequently, Joni’s records are easily obtained in thrift stores everywhere. Her style is soulless and naive, like Doris Day in a training bra, and “Joni dreamed the dreams that girls have always dreamed – the tender, misty world of the first romance, the longings, the laughter and the loneliness of young love…” Man, they sure don’t write liner notes like they used to! This is an album of standards, and she hauls out some sweet versions of Embraceable You and People Will Say We’re In Love. But, I definitely have to be in the mood for this stuff…
Gene Pitney – Greatest Hists of All Time
(Musicor LP – 1966)
Gene Pitney’s Big Sixteen
(Musicor LP – 1964)
We watched the classic “Town Without Pity” this week (where the fabulous jukebox image above was ganked from…), and the movie’s theme song, a childhood favorite of mine, was stuck in my head. So I dug out both of these LPs. There’s a fair amount of overlap, but a total of 23 unique tracks over both LPs. So I’ve had my Gene Pitney fix for a bit. It was great to listen to “Last Chance to Turn Around” again. 