Bob Dylan: Bob Dylan (1962)

 

I totally forgot that I own this on vinyl. A savagely underrated debut, this. Sure, it may only include two original songs and it may not possess the iconic sense of poetry  that would soon follow, from his next album forward. But what this record does is two things: one, it introduces the character of “Bob Dylan” to the world. A primer, to get accustomed to Bob’s style, before he hits you with his own shit. Secondly, this album serves as a perfect exclamation point to his coffee house upbringing, and the hundreds of songs he cut his teeth on. If you have the bootlegs (official and otherwise) then you know what I mean.

Charlie Gearheart (1939-2024)

 

RIP Charlie Gearheart. Papa Goose has flown. This band should have been a much bigger deal.

Focus: 3 (1972) & Ship Of Memories (1976)

 

I went digging through the dollar bin today, on a very specific quest that turned out to be fruitless, but I nabbed a couple Focus albums and that is a win. Aside from a few clips, here and there, I never really heard this band. I know who they are, and see their albums in the bin all the time, but did not know their music at all. So I finally pulled the trigger (can’t leave empty handed, right?) and snagged these two. What a wise choice. This band totally lives up to the legend. Of the two albums here, Focus 3 is the better and more vital, though the hodgepodge Ship Of Memories yields some pretty amazing moments as well. 

I’m pretty sure I saw other Focus albums today. I might have make a return trip…

Locomotiv GT (1971)

 

The great vinyl purge continues. This one will be spared for now. Fun stuff.

Blind Willie McTell: The Legendary Library Of Congress Session (1940)

 I’m sticking a pin in this round of the great vinyl purge. I’ve easily put in 30 hours in the last two days (and there will be another round soon). So far, over 500 records have been pulled and will either be put up for sale or decommissioned. This is absolutely not one of them. These recordings are a treasure.

Pallas: The Sentinel (1984)

 As with my It Bites revelation last night, I’m finally giving this slab of 1984 neo-prog a go. I never could get past the sheen of the opening track, so I’d put it away. Pressing on, finally, it all came together quickly, and now I totally get it. Despite being produced by Eddy Offord, this does not have much in common with Yes or ELP. Instead, I hear shades of Van der Graaf, Rush, and Saga, among others. There is a rawness to the production that stands in contrast to other recordings from that era. But I do wonder how this would have sounded had they had a more fluid drummer; this dude’s playing is very stiff and it drags the material down at times (especially during the slow parts). The writing and arranging is very original, sometimes even clever, but it’s clear why bands like Marillion and IQ left them in the dust. That being said, this is a very cool record and I’m glad I stuck it out. I will spin this many more times and explore this band’s catalog further.

Bread: Manna (1971)

 Spinning a Bread album for the first time in my life. I’ve had this probably 35 years and now it’s on the chopping block. I don’t think I could name a single Bread song and I always assumed them to be really soft, and I guess they are, but there is a lot more character in their music than I assumed. And some of the tracks even rock. That said, I don’t see this passing muster. If I ever get a wild hair to hear this again, a copy of this can be found in every single Goodwill and dollar bin in the country.