After the discussion of The Band in the Grateful Thread, I put this on for the first time in a while: I've loved the Basement Tapes since I first dug out my dad's double LP. A few years later, my college roommate had a Dylan boot with about 40 minutes from The Basement. In the early days of file sharing on the internet, I spent months scouring Napster and finally completed the old 5cd boot Genuine Basement Tapes. Then I found DylanTree and got the 4cd Tree With Roots set. I'm sure I've downloaded several other versions over the years. It isn't the best thing that Dylan ever did, and it isn't the best thing The Band ever did, but it never fails to amaze me.
What a great live archival release! Neil Young - Bluenote Cafe I like that sticker in the car window.
Spirit debut album (mono mix). I prefer this mix, it has a welcomed extra punch, and not having the drums confined in the left channel is quite a relief. An excellent album by a humble eclectic band that managed to merge diverse genres without getting a pompous pastiche as a result.
Spirit recorded a soundtrack for the film Model Shop in 1968, but the tracks remained unreleased until 2005. Mostly instrumental and jazz-oriented. Truly pleasing.
Selected numbers from this release. I eventually grow tired of Plant's mannerisms, in spite of the splendid vocalist he was; Bonham's solo on "Moby Dick" is far too long, in spite of the monster drummer he was; and some passages sound self-indulgent to my ears. In my opinion, it was a better band when recording at a studio. Nevertheless, there are plenty of brilliant moments here! (By the way, the new mastering of this album is still too loud. A real pity).
I used to be an absolutely yuge Led Zeppelin fan. The older I get and more removed from that time, the more I realize that Plant is the weak link musically in that band (I know he co-wrote many songs and that’s a different ball of wax). Plant live is nearly unbearable for me.
I wouldn't go as far as saying he's the weak link, but sometimes I have a hard time putting up with his live singing. For instance, I think his singing on the studio version of "Since I've Been Loving You" is brilliant, whereas on this 1972 performance he relies on irritating mannerisms. Generally, I prefer his singing on The Song Remains The Same, mainly because he was having throat problems and he had to restrain a bit. I love his voice, but not the way he sometimes uses it.
Hawkwind Warrior on the Edge of Time First Band from Outer Space Impressionable Sounds of the Subsonic
Doing my "album club" listening: Belle and Sebastian, The Life Pursuit - really enjoyed this one, I need to check out more of their stuff. I've got a mix tape that a friend made years ago with selections from their first few albums, but never delved deeper. Sonic Youth, A Thousand Leaves - one of a couple albums between Washing Machine and Murray Street that I'd somehow never gotten around to picking up or checking out. Very good, and certainly what one would expect as a transition point between those two albums. Mushroom - Glazed Popems. Great instrumental stuff, with some jazz-funk and some Bert Jansch-inspired acoustic based numbers. Really liking this. The Overcoats - Young. Not for me. Dual female vocals over very modern, guitarless production with weird glitch vocal loops in the background.
Of all the various Neil shows I have seen this version of Flying on the Ground is Wrong from that very chilly (in that Bay Area way) Greek show is at the top of that list. They played a surprise show at The Saddle Rack Club either days before or after the Greek that was a barn burner as well...
A Thousand Leaves is probably my favorite SY album. Love the loping droning vibe. Great songs abound.
I've been enjoying it a lot. Nels Cline recently did a nice cover of Snare, Girl on his Lovers album, which is a great listen in general.
