Sloan: Alive & Alright (2023)

 Cracking live set from one of my favorite bands of all time, performing one of their greatest albums live in front of a tiny crowd on a sound stage, back in 2000. The tracks are delivered slightly out of order, and there is one extra song, but this is still an outstanding account of Sloan’s powers as a live band.

Guided By Voices: Cool Planet (2014)

 The 6th and final album of the reunion era, Cool Planet might not be as immediate as some of the earlier ones but there are still several great tracks here. The best are from Tobin Sprout, who offers up several gems including “All American Boy” and “Narrated By Paul” (among others). The rest of the album is dominated by Bob Pollard and it does not sound too far off from his solo work of the time. While it can be argued that he saved his best songs for those solo albums but there are still many fantastic tracks here, including “Males Of Wormwood Mars” and “Table At Fool’s Tooth”. 

By this point, Kevin Fennell had been sacked and replaced by former/future GbV drummer, Kevin March, so the whole “classic lineup” thing was kaput. There must have been other issues with the lineup as, a few months after this album the band abruptly split. Tours were cancelled and the bridge was burned. Sad but that reunion had never been expected in the first place, so every song and album was a gift. 

Within three years of that split, a new GbV came into being and has since, without any lineup changes, has since released sixteen albums (we’ll talk about those later).

Guided By Voices: Motivational Jumpsuit (2014)

 This 5th reunion era album was the one that always seemed to elude me, until this week, and I may be hearing this for the first time ever. As with all of the albums from this era (or any era really), there are a lot of really killer tracks (including some fantastic Tobin Sprout offerings) and a lot that don’t really differentiate from other tracks from this period. That said, this album is remarkably consistent and I am very glad to finally welcome it to the collection.

Guided By Voices: English Little League (2013)

 The 4th album to come from the reconstituted GbV came only 15 months after the first but there still was no shortage of material and ideas. As always, some of it is classic GbV and some of it is way left field. At the time I felt it was getting to be too much and it all started to blend together, and guess I kinda feel that way still but, considering how that story unfolded (and continues to), hindsight and distance has given this album identity and purpose. So long as you have that then I guess you’re okay. There would be another album around the corner anyway….

Guided By Voices: Down At The Racetrack (2013)

 In the midst of the deluge of albums and singles to come during the reunion era came this six track EP that harkens back to their early ’90s releases such as The Grand Hour, Get Out Of My Stations, Static Airplane Jive, etc. Solid little record.

Guided By Voices: Class Clown Spots A UFO (2012)

 Proving that Let’s Go Eat The Factory was no fluke, the reconstituted Guided By Voices bounded back five months later with this set which is one of the best of this era. This one just hits, right and left. It’s a bit more obtuse than Factory, but also a bit more consistent. “Keep It In Motion” is a killer single and the title track is just one of the best GbV tracks ever.

Guided By Voices: Let's Go Eat The Factory (2012)

 The arrival of Motivational Jumpsuit rendered my reunion-era GbV collection complete. It’s been a long time since I have explored this period, which consisted of two years, six albums, and twenty 7” singles. Tobin Sprout was back. So was Mitch Mitchell, Kevin Fennell, and Greg Demos. These are the dudes that played on those lo-fi ‘90s albums that put the band on the map. 

Let’s Go Eat The Factory arrived in early 2012, and just like that GbV was back, eight years after a completely different lineup was put to bed. It seems like there was a deliberate attempt to make this album seem more in line with those patchwork early releases, even though most of the recordings are quite hi-fi. Fortunately it works and what we have is a fantastic, extremely underrated GbV album. It’s nice to have Tobin Sprout’s songs back in the running, even if they are mostly all solo efforts that are flown in remotely. 

This is gonna be a fun dive.

Guided By Voices: Nowhere To Go But Up (2023)

The third new GbV album of the year (and the 16th to come from the Pollard/Gillard/Bare/Shue/March lineup) is yet another win.

Grateful Dead: Without A Net (1990)

 The last of the original-canon Dead albums to enter my vinyl collection. Very glad I held out. This new pressing is beautiful, and beautifully priced. The performances on this set, recorded in 1990, capture Brent-era Grateful Dead at the peak of its powers.

Guided By Voices: Mag Earwhig! (1997)

Over 39 albums in 36 years (and counting, rapidly) the band behind the name Guided By Voices changed considerably (and often) and made a great variety of records with an almost countless assortment of musical contributors, all of whom defer to Robert Pollard. Some albums were slick, some were packed with classics, some were patchworks of scratchy, lo-fi mini-masterpieces, and some were just plain weird. None more so than 1997’s Mag Earwhig!, though not for the usual reasons. 

By this point, Guided By Voices had finally taken hold and were on the cusp of major label-hood when guitarist Tobin Sprout, whose contributions were far fewer than Bob’s but so very great in their own right, left the band after 1996’s Under The Bushes Under The Stars. Bob took that opportunity to sack the rest of the band, instead hiring Cobra Verde to back him up, and pushing onward. 

This partnership would last one album and tour before Bob again sacked everyone (except for guitarist Doug Gillard, who continues to play in GbV to this day) and built a new band. The lone album to come from this transitional lineup features 21 songs. A handful, however, are holdovers from the prior lineup, so those dudes  feature on songs like “I Am Produced” and “Jane Of The Waking Universe”, while the new band can be heard on stuff like “Bulldog Skin”, “Portable Men’s Society”, and the Gillard-penned “I Am A Tree”. This is all stitched together with lo-fi solo Bob tracks, most of which are fragmentary, some lucid, some obtuse. Basically, this is a typical GbV album. It’s just the personnel (and circumstances) that make this a bit of a tough nut. 

Following this album would come a Pollard solo album called Waved Out and then two albums for TVT records, starting with 1999’s Rik Ocasek-produced Do The Collapse. That album kicked off what is more or less the second great GbV lineup. The most commercially successful version of GbV, they would produce five albums over the next four years and tour the world many times over, before splitting in 2004. 

Meanwhile, Cobra Verde went back to being Cobra Verde and that was that.

Arthur Lee: Vindicator (1972)

 A little Arthurly for this Saturday morning.

Widespread Panic: Space Wrangler (1988)

 A little WSMFP for a Friday night!

Grateful Dead: Saint Of Circumstance (rec. 6/17/91)

 Giants Stadium 6/17/91. The Dead weren’t always ON during the stadium era but when they were, they would elevate the whole goddamn place. Any show that opens with “Eyes Of The World” is going to be something huge. Quite possibly the best “Saint Of Circumstance” the band ever played. And then there is “Dark Star”, weaving in and out and all around the second set while never actually getting there. This is the height of the Bruce/Vince era and the band was on a completely different level.

Scrawl: Plus, Also, Too (1987)

 Scrawl’s 1987 debut is punchy and just damn cool. I don’t know them as well as I should but it’s pretty obvious that Jenny Toomey listened to this band a lot, as this reminds me of a louder, more raw Tsunami. This is an album that I’ve had for ages and probably listened to a few times way back but it’s still fresh to my ears and I dig it a lot. I have a couple more of their records so I will take a quick dive. And then probably pull out my Tsunami records….

Grateful Dead: Dick's Picks Vol. 2 (rec. 10/31/71)

 Whenever you hear about the best “Dark Star” it’s usually 8/27/72, 2/27/69, 6/10/73, or any from 1974.  This version is right up there with the best. It may even sit at the top. Just absolutely cataclysmic. The rest of this short set is super solid as well. The band was only a couple months’ in on the Keith Godchaux era and they were really starting to jell. I am ever so grateful for this new pressing from Real Gone, the first to be mastered to vinyl from the source tapes. This sounds amazing and has perhaps the greatest use of a blank side ever.

Motorpsycho: Rock Bottom / Silver Dollar Forger (2023)

 Fresh from across the pond. The mighty Motorpsycho takes on Nazareth and UFO, and they completely crush it.

The Beatles: Something New (1964)

 Of course the Capitol albums were totally jive but this is definitely one of the jivest. All but three songs are from A Hard Day’s Night, but totally shuffled. Fortunately that album is the peak of their early era so that music is welcome anywhere. Its just weird for it to be only slightly out of context. It’s cool to get “Slow Down” and “Matchbox” on record but who the hell needs a German version of “I Want To Hold Your Hand”? I mean, it’s amusing but that’s a bonus track n a much later box set at best. Capitol was squeezing so much product out of The Beatles and this album…I mean, even the title doesn’t give a shit. 

That said, this record kicks. 

Of course it does….

moe. - Not Normal (2020)

A companion to their 2020 full-length, this five song EP (spread over two discs) is a fantastic record in its own right. It kicks off with Chuck Garvey’s intricate “New Hope For The New Year” and continues with Rob Derhak’s wonderfully weird “Pill Vacation”. Al Schnier takes care of the C-side with the road-worked “ATL” as well as “Screaming & Kicking”, which is classic Al. Rob closes out this set with “Prestige Worldwide”, which had been kicking around the rotation for a few years and becoming a monster. A key lyric from this song gave these two sets their name - “this is not, we are not normal”. Ain’t that the truth. 

Despite appearances this is definitely not just a set of leftovers. These tracks are every bit as good (or better) as the ones on the proper LP, and some of them have become standards. I look very forward to what this band does next.

moe. - This Is Not, We Are (2020)

 The most recent release from one of the coolest bands out there. I’ve been digging moe. since 1996 and they continue to get better with age. As with most of their albums, the songs were all road tested, sometimes for several years, and it shows. This is a solid set played by a super tight band. Rob’s bass in the middle of “LL3” is one of my all time favorite moe.ments, as is the wacky groove on Jim Laughlin’s instrumental, “Jazz Cigarette”. Rob Derhak dominates the songwriting here, contributing five of the albums nine tracks, including the wicked “Skitchin’ Buffalo”, but Al Schnier gets off a couple of fantastic numbers (“Crushing” and “Dangerous Game”), and Chuck Garvey offers up the calmly-weird “Undertone”. Chuck is not as prolific as Rob & Al but when he brings in a song he really brings it. 

This was the last release before Chuck’s stroke (and the first since Rob’s cancer battle). The band had a very rough few years but were abetted by friends, to keep playing throughout Chuck’s recovery. Fortunately he is back with the band and sounding incredible.

Grateful Dead: Madison Square Garden 3/9/81

 

Just arrived today, from the wonderful Nail City Record. We got five LPs of killer Dead from an era that I don’t often explore, drawn from last year’s massive MSG 81/82/83 box set and given a standalone vinyl release, with artwork derived from its parent box (the packaging of which earned the Dead their first-ever Grammy). This was the early Brent era and the band was finally hitting full stride, evidenced here from the get-go with a certifiably wicked “Feel Like A Stranger” that kicks off this fiery set. The recording is super clean and the vinyl cut sounds phenomenal. These damn Dead boxes are gonna be the death of me but they are all so worth it. 

The next few hours are gonna be fun.

Blitzen Trapper: American Goldwing (2011)

 Not usually the BT album that I grab at random but this is a killer LP (as are all of their albums) and a great way to kick off this Saturday. 

Plus, this includes “Love The Way You Walk Away”, one of the greatest songs ever.

Midnight Oil, 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 (1983)

I reached for the new Metric but my finger landed on its fantastic next door neighbor.

Dave Brubeck Quartet: Jazz At The College Of The Pacific (1953)

 A little Brubeck to ride out EP Saturday.

Sex Pistols: Anarchy In The UK (1983 reissue)

The exclamation point on EP Saturday.

Mike Gordon: The Last Step (2015)

 The EPs roll along with this five track set of leftovers from Mike Gordon’s 2014 album, Overstep. There are some really cool tracks on here, especially the opening “Normal Phoebe”. The only song to ever make it to the Phish stage was “Snow” (once, and it really did not land). This version is actually performed by Phish (augmented by guitarist Scott Murawski) and the song, which is far more suited for the studio than the stage, is greatly vindicated. Gordo’s solo work is not for everyone but there is always something cool going on there.

Pavement - Perfect Sound Forever (1990)

 This EP basically invented the ‘90s.

Cheap Trick - Found All The Parts (1980)

 EP Saturday continues with this collection of four random tracks from around the Cheap Trick vault. Nothing terribly vital here but the live version of “Day Tripper” is pretty hot.

Moe Tucker: Moejadkatebarry (1987)

 EP Saturday continues with this deep dig from the shelf. Moe Tucker is joined by Jad Fair on vocals for five songs, three of which have a direct Velvets connection. We also get a very fractured take on “Baby What You Want Me To Do”.

Darling Buds: Shame On You (1988)

 The Darling Buds is another band that I really wish had gone the distance. Their early stuff, in particular, is still one of my favorite things.

The Stone Roses: Sally Cinnamon (1987)

 The Stone Roses would ultimately become the greatest letdown in the entire history of rock, due to their failure to hold it together, but that was furthest thing from anyone’s mind in the beginning, when they were poised to be the biggest thing since the Beatles. While their sound would grow immensely, and quickly, this 1987 EP capped off the band’s pre-Silvertone era spectacularly.

The Might Be Giants: Don't Let's Start (1987)

 TMBG is one of the most truly special musical institutions to ever exist and that was obvious from the very beginning.

Metric: Formentera II (2023)

 When I first heard about a “part two” of Metric’s excellent last album I was slightly dubious. Excited, of course, but I figured it would be like a glorified bonus disc and that is absolutely not the case. This is very much its own beast and it is fucking incredible. I can’t wait to spin this a thousand more times.

Misfits: Die Die My Darling (1984)

 EP Saturday rolls on with this three-song slab of classic Misfits. Features the original version of “Mommy Can I Go Out And Kill Tonight?”, one of their best songs ever.

U2: U23 (1979)

 Love U2. Hate U2. Think what you like, I don’t care. But there is no denying that their 1979 debut EP was not like anything else that had ever come before (or, really, since). It was a much needed shot in the arm that really helped to kickstart the post-punk era. Two of the three songs would be re-recorded the following year for Boy (one of the greatest debut albums ever) but these versions are raw and have a sound all their own.

Big Country: Wonderland (1984)

 EP Saturday continues with this 1983 4-songer that features two outstanding new songs paired with two Crossing-era b-sides. “Wonderland” is classic Big Country, a song that should have been a massive hit. “All Fall Together” is one of my favorites, and is far superior in its vocal arrangement. “Angle Park” offers a hint of what the band sounded like before their debut album, while the epic non-LP title track, “The Crossing” is one of the greatest BC songs ever.

Bangles: Bangles (1983)

 Kicking off EP Saturday with the Bangles’ 1982 debut. One of the best EPs ever.

Metric: Grow Up And Blow Away (rec. 2001)

 Getting psyched for tomorrow’s arrival of Formentera II by going all the way back to the beginning. In some respects this sounds very different from the band they grew to be but it is still unmistakably Metric. This album actually wound up sitting in the can for a few years, finally coming out after their second album, Live It Out, started to make a splash. Good thing it did because this record is fantastic. 

Metric is one of those bands that never sounds out of sync with the times but also sounds like no other band on earth and that is made abundantly clear from the outset and that is why, over two decades later, they are still very much their own band.

U2: Songs Of Surrender (LP #3) (2023)

 Finally decided to dive further into this set and check out the third LP. The track list is pretty cool. Not too many obvious choices. Still, this is pretty unnecessary. I really like the concept but it just doesn’t deliver. It all comes across as demos and Bono’s vocal is  very close and clean (a little reverb coulda gone a long way). The undisputed highlight on this volume is “Electrical Storm”, which comes across exactly how the rest of the set should have done. This spacy, funky take on “The Fly” is also pretty crucial. 

When this album came out I got annoyed as I thought it was a waste of time for an old band to mess around with a vanity project instead of an actual album (that clock’s tickin’ yo). Fortunately they just sorta put it out and moved on. No hoopla, no spectacle, time to get back to work. I can appreciate that now. Of course this will always be my least favorite U2 release but that’s cool. They have redeemed themselves with “Atomic City”….

Paul Kelly & The Messengers: Gossip (1986)

 A little bit of the Australian Dylan to kick off the last gasp of this weekend. So good.

REM: Accelerate (2008)

 After the slippery slope of soft rock sent REM to their nadir, on 2004’s Around The Sun, they made the wise decision to refer to Jacknife Lee who helped the band get back to the essence of who they once were, and the result was this fiery, loud, propulsive set that flies by in about half an hour and is easily one of the best redemption tales any band ever delivered. So many people had written the band off by this point and this album has not gotten as much attention as it’s deserved. Those who paid attention were treated to one of the most inspired REM albums in well over a decade. 

While Bill Berry is missed, the late, great Bill Rieflin does a hell of a job, propelling these songs. And every song is fantastic. Highlights include “Living Well Is The Best Revenge”, the slow burn of “Houston”, Mike Mills’ bass work on “Man Sized Wreath”, the quirky psych-pop of “Mr. Richards”, and the bangin’ single, “Supernatural Superserious”. But really the entire album is killer and is worth listening to closely. This is the REM that I so dearly miss.

Spock's Beard: X (2010)

 Getting psyched for the vinyl release of Feel Euphoria and taking X for a spin. The former was the first of four with drummer Nick D’Virgilio in the lead vocal role, while the latter was his last. And what a banger he went out on. Every moment of this album is vital, from beginning to end. Particular highlights are the opening “Edge Of The In-Between”, and the killer single, “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. We get a couple of epics with the phenomenal suite, “From The Darkness”, and the album-closing “Jaws Of Heaven”, and we get a maniacal instrumental in the form of “Kamikaze”. The 9-minute “The Quiet House” feels like two different songs, seamlessly intertwined, both of which will be stuck in my head for days. 

Following this album, Nick D’Virgilio left the band and was replaced by touring drummer Jimmy Keegan and Enchant vocalist Ted Leonard for three further albums (NdV returned on drums for the latest, Noise Floor, but in a session role only). While each era of Spock’s has their high points, this album will always be my favorite.

REM: Reveal (2001)

 The second trio-era REM album mostly drifted past me when it came out. I never disliked it but never quite connected with it. I always felt that the album was just too twee, or something like that. So it sat on the shelf for decades and was never given a proper reassessment until this new vinyl release. 

Upon relisten, the jury is still out. The songs are all great, and the band tries a lot of new things (texturally), but it’s all pretty mellow, all mid tempo. There’s no big fire moment, nothing that would make a crowd jump up and down. This is theatre music, for seated patrons and polite applause. Nothing wrong with that but variety can be a nice thing. It’s just clear that the band is still trying to find its footing without Bill. 

That said, there is much to love about this album. “The Lifting”, “She Just Wants To Be”, “Disappear”, “Beachball”, even the cutesy “Imitation Of Life” has a lot to offer. 

This definitely would be a better album had they not cut “Fascinating” at the last minute (killer track worth seeking out) but that’s how it goes. 

Unfortunately REM would follow this soft-rock path all the way to their nadir, before rising up to cap off their career with a bang.

Fanny: Charity Ball (1971)

 This second Fanny album, originally released in 1971, just might be their best. This is a band that deserved so much more than what they got and I’m so glad they are finally getting their due respect.

The Alarm: Forwards (2023)

 The fact that Mike Peters is still alive and making music in 2023 is a beautiful feat, and perfectly indicative of the fighting spirit that has been the hallmark of The Alarm since the beginning. The lineup may be different but the fire is there and, once again, Mike Peters delivers a solid set of earnest anthems and inquisitive rockers. 

This one just might make the list.

REM: New Adventures In Hi-Fi (1996)

 REM capped off their first 15 years, and Bill Berry’s tenure in the band, with this long, road-recorded album that touches upon pretty much every vibe the band ever attempted, and they completely nail it on every track. This album always got swept away in the wave of Monster indifference but just one detailed spin will reveal this to be perhaps the purest example of REM that you could ever find. Every song is perfect and some of them (“New Test Leper”, “Low Desert”, “Leave”, “Electrolyte”, and the monumental “So Fast So Numb”) stand among the band’s finest work. 

Following this album, drummer Bill traded in his sticks for a tractor and the band continued as a trio for another 15 years. They would go on to create some exquisite works (and some abysmal ones too) but they never did quite capture the spirit of the band in its original form. They were a force and New Adventures In Hi-Fi is, fortunately, one hell of a way to go out.

REM: Pretty Pictures (rec. 1981-1983)

 Another vintage boot that I picked up at Record Mart, back in 1990 or so. This set collects studio sessions from the pre-Murmur era and features several songs that never saw an official release, as well as early versions of songs that later appeared on Chronic Town, Murmur, Reckoning, and Lifes Rich Pageant. 

Side three is a particular revelation as it reveals that Chronic Town could easily have been a full-length but was very wisely cut down to an EP (Murmur could have been so different). 

Side four collects recordings of all those songs from their early live sets while the first two sides offer up “That Beat” and “Skank”, neither of which ever got an official release. 

This copy has been well worn for three decades, and is a bit scratchy, from the thousand spins this got back in the day, but it is still one hell of a spin. I love this set.

REM: Georgia Peaches...Ripe! (rec. 1981)

 REM had only been a band for about eight months when this set was recorded, live before a small but enthusiastic hometown crowd. Even at this early stage the band had several albums worth of material and there are songs on this set that would  appear on Chronic Town, Murmur, Reckoning, Lifes Rich Pageant, and Dead Letter Office, plus there are fourteen songs that never made it to the recording stage. As a bonus, this set kicks off with a fun cover of Buddy Holly’s “Rave On”, which is exactly what this young band did for the next hour or so. 

This album is one of many REM boots that I bought at the late, great Record Mart (in ALX Va), back in 1990 or so. When I was in middle and high school, pretty much every penny I earned was spent there. I still have dreams about that place.