Wednesday, September 28, 2022

RIP Joe Bussard

 How many records do you have and what will happen to them when you die?  This is actually a question that I've contemplated off and on over the years.  I have a pretty decent CD collection.  I don't buy as much anymore now that I'm retired and streaming has come into our lives.  But what I have is pretty impressive.  I have no idea how much it's worth or whether there are big money collectibles buried in the archives (as I call them). 
  The question about passing along a record collection has come up again after the passing of Joe Bussard.  With over 15,000 vinyl records, Bussard was a king to many record collectors.  His archive consisted of pre-1955 early old timey Country, Gospel, Blues, Folk 78 rpm's/singles/albums.  But he seemed to love his 78 rpm's more than any other format. He could be a cranky individual. Bussard would tell interviewers that no good Jazz records came out after 1933, Country after 1955. And he hated Rock 'n' Roll. 
  I first became aware of Bussard from a 2002 collection called Down In The Basement, which consisted of 24 sides selected by Joe. From there various mini-documentaries began to pop up on YouTube, and all were amazing to watch.  The reaction Bussard got while playing one of his favorite cuts was a joy to watch.  That's the power of music!  About 10 years ago a weekly one hour radio show he hosted from his basement began to appear in podcast form.  And I made it a habit to listen to it as all these amazing records came out of his collection.  

  It's not clear if Bussard made plans to preserve his collection.  Library of Congress? A university? He said no.  But he did tell an interviewer in 2012 that he'd like to see his records sold at an auction. These records tell a story of early 20th century life.  There are fabulous moments that we still need to hear.  Luckily, in 2012 a non-profit called Music Memory digitized Joe's collection. An important task in case something tragic would happen to it (fire, flooding). 
  As for my own modest (compared to Joe's) records, I once told my wife and son that you can do whatever you want with them when I'm gone.  If there's money to be had in there, it's all yours.  Give it away for free?  It's up to them. But after Bussard's death, I'm beginning to have second thoughts about this approach.  These records tell the story of my life as well as the ones Bussard loved.  To have the best of them sitting in a Goodwill store gathering dust doesn't seem right.  What all this means is that I'm going to spend some time looking over what I have.  Something I haven't done in years.  Hopefully, I can connect with these records again with the same euphoric joy Joe Bussard did with his 78 rpm's.

Sunday, September 25, 2022

Playlist for 9/25

A Tribute to John Anderson - Various 
Brother Brothers - Cover to Cover
Pedal Steel (NYT Spotify Playlist)
Steady On (Spotify Playlist)
There's Darkness All Around Me Now (Spotify Playlist)
Colin Blunstone - One Year
Trainwreck: Woodstock '99 (Netflix Documentary)

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

My Favorite Albums of 1982

Below are an A-Z listing of my favorite albums released in 1982.  Lots of genres, and most likely, even in 2022, lots of albums that I still haven't heard.  All are studio or live, no greatest hits albums.  

A Flock of Seagulls - s/t
ABC - Lexicon of Love
Adam Ant - Friend Or Foe
Alabama - Mountain Music
Alan Parsons Project - Eye In The Sky
Aretha Franklin - Jump To It
Asia - s/t
Bad Brains - s/t
Billy Idol - s/t
Billy Joel - Nylon Curtain
Billy Squier - Emotions In Motion
Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska
Cameo - Alligator Woman
Cheap Trick - One on One
Chicago - 16
Clash - Combat Rock
Crosby, Stills & Nash - Daylight Again
Culture Club - Kissing To Be Clever
DeBarge - All This Love
Deniece Williams - Niecy
Dexy's Midnight Runners - Too-Rye-Ay
Dionne Warwick - Heartbreaker
Dire Straits - Love Over Gold
Donald Fagen - Nightfly
Donna Summer - s/t
Duran Duran - Rio
Eddie Money - No Control
Elvis Costello - Imperial Bedroom
English Beat - Special Beat Service
Fleetwood Mac - Mirage
Flipper - Album/Generic Flipper
Gap Band - IV
George Clinton - Computer Games
George Strait - Strait From The Heart
Go-Go's - Vacation
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - Message
Gregory Isaacs - Night Nurse
Huey Lewis & the News - Picture This
Husker Du - Everything Falls Apart
Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast
Jam - The Gift
Joe Jackson - Night and Day
John Anderson - Wild & Blue
John Cougar Mellencamp - American Fool
Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance
Kate Bush - Dreaming
Kid Creole & The Coconuts - Tropical Gangsters 
King Sunny Ade - Juju Music
Kool & The Gang - As One
Laurie Anderson - Big Science
Led Zeppelin - Coda
Lionel Richie - s/t
Luther Vandross - Forever, For Always, For Love
Marshall Crenshaw - s/t
Marvin Gaye - Midnight Love
Men at Work - Business As Usual
Merle Haggard - Going Where The Lonely Go
Michael Jackson - Thriller
Mission of Burma - Vs.
Neil Young - Trans
Ornette Coleman - Of Human Feelings
Patrice Rushen - Straight From The Heart
Paul McCartney - Tug of War
Peter Gabriel - s/t
Phil Collins - Hello I Must Be Going
Prince - 1999
Professor Longhair - Last Mardi Gras
Psychedelic Furs - Forever Now
Ray Parker Jr. - The Other Woman
Richard & Linda Thompson - Shoot Out The Lights
Ricky Skaggs - Highways & Heartaches
Robert Plant - Pictures At Eleven
Ronnie Milsap - Inside
Rosanne Cash- Somewhere In The Stars
Roxy Music - Avalon
Rush - Signals
Shalamar - Friends
Simple Minds - New Gold Mine
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Kiss In The Dreamhouse
Squeeze - Sweets From A Stranger
Steve Miller - Abracadabra
Toto - IV
Van Halen - Diver Down
Warren Zevon - Envoy
Willie Nelson - Always On My Mind
Willie Nelson & Webb Pierce - In The Jailhouse Now
X - Under The Big Black Sun
Yazoo - Upstairs at Eric's 

Saturday, September 17, 2022

Playlist for 9/17

Lewis Taylor - Numb
Dawes - Misadventures of Doomscroller
Caamp - Lavender Days
Now 83 - Various
Heavy Heavy - Life and Life Only
Tedeschi Trucks Band - I Am The Moon III: Fall
Loudon Wainwright III - Lifetime Achievement
Maggie Rogers - Surrender

Thursday, September 15, 2022

Music List A Month (September): Top 100 Soul/Funk/Disco Albums (1970's)

 This list came from a 2016 poll that I voted in.  The rules were only to vote for a set amount of nominees.  For some reason I stopped att 77 albums for my ballot. I could have tinkered with this list.  But decided not to make any changes.  There were some albums missing on the list of nominees that I would have voted for (KC, Sylvester). Those make up another 23 albums listed below. Making this a solid 100 albums. 

1. Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life (1976)

2. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (1971)

3. Spinners - Spinners (1973)
4. Michael Jackson - Off the Wall (1979)
5. Earth, Wind & Fire - Gratitude (1975)
6. Funkadelic - One Nation Under a Groove (1978)
7. Curtis Mayfield - Superfly (1972)
8. Stylistics - s/t (1971)
9. Average White Band - AWB (1974)
10. Chic - Risqué (1979)
11. Sly & The Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' On (1971)
12. O'Jays - Back Stabbers (1972)
13. Al Green - Call Me (1973)
14. Stevie Wonder - Innervisions (1973)
15. Millie Jackson - Caught Up (1974)
16. Bill Withers - Still Bill (1972)
17. Teddy Pendergrass - Life Is a Song Worth Singing (1978)
18. Smokey Robinson - A Quiet Storm (1975)
19. Donna Summer - Bad Girls (1979)
20. Ashford & Simpson - Is It Still Good to Ya (1978)
21. Aretha Franklin - Amazing Grace (1972)
22. Isley Brothers - 3 + 3 (1973)
23. Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On (1973)
24. James Brown - Sex Machine (1970)
25. Parliament - Mothership Connection (1975)
26. Gladys Knight & The Pips - Imagination (1973)
27. Spinners - Pick of the Litter (1975)
28. Boz Scaggs - Silk Degrees (1976)
29. Commodores - s/t (1977)
30. Stevie Wonder - Talking Book (1972)
31. Deniece Williams - This Is Niecy (1976)
32. Ray, Goodman & Brown - Ray, Goodman & Brown (1979)
33. Earth, Wind & Fire - All 'n All (1977)
34. Barry White - Can't Get Enough (1974)
35. Wild Tchoupitoulas - The Wild Tchoupitoulas (1976)
36. Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - To Be True (1975)
37. Chi-Lites - (For God's Sake) Give More Power to the People (1971)
38. Blue Magic - s/t (1974)
39. Jackson 5 - ABC (1970)
40. Curtis Mayfield - Curtis (1970)
41. Donny Hathaway - Everything Is Everything (1970)
42. Ohio Players - Honey (1975)
43. Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan - Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan (1975)
44. Marvin Gaye - Here, My Dear (1978)
45. Swamp Dogg - Total Destruction to Your Mind (1970)
46. Earth, Wind & Fire - That's The Way Of The World  (1975)
47. Parliament - Funkentelechy vs. The Placebo Syndrome (1977)
48. Funkadelic - Maggot Brain  (1971)
49. Sly & The Family Stone - Fresh (1973)
50. Bill Withers - Just As I Am (1971)
51. Ashford & Simpson - So So Satisfied (1977)
52. War - All Day Music  (1971)
53. Labelle - Nightbirds (1974)
54. Kool & the Gang - Wild and Peaceful (1973)
55. Al Green - I'm Still in Love With You (1972)
56. Chic - C'est Chic  (1978)
57. Staple Singers - Be Altitude: Respect Yourself (1972)
58. Van Morrison - Moondance  (1970)
59. Meters - Rejuvenation (1974)
60. Delfonics  - s/t (1970)
61. Van Morrison - Moondance  (1970)
62. Isley Brothers - Heat Is On  (1975)
63. Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band  -  s/t (1976)
64. Isaac Hayes - Shaft  (1971)
65. Minnie Riperton - Perfect Angel  (1974)
66. Aretha Franklin - Spirit In The Dark  (1970)
67. Heatwave - Too Hot To Handle (1976)
68. Stylistics - Round 2  (1972)
69. Raydio - s/t (1978)
70. Bee Gees - Main Course (1975)
71. Syreeta - Stevie Wonder Presents (1974)
72. Jacksons - Destiny (1978)
73. Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - Wake Up Everybody (1975)
74. War - Why Can't We Be Friends (1975)
75. Gil Scott-Heron - Pieces Of A Man (1971)
76. Aretha Franklin - Young, Gifted and Black (1972)
77. Daryl Hall & John Oates - Abandoned Luncheonette (1973)

Bonus votes:
Al Green - Let's Stay Together (72)
Bootsy's Rubber Band - Bootsy? Player of the Year (78)
Brothers Johnson - Look Out For #1 (76)
Cerrone - Love In C Minor (76)
Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers - Bustin' Loose (79)
George Benson - Breezin' (76)
Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters (73)
Isley Brothers - Go For Your Guns (77)
KC & The Sunshine Band - s/t (75)
KC & The Sunshine Band - Part 3 (76)
L.T.D. - Something to Love (77)
Manhattans - s/t (76)
Natalie Cole - Inseparable (75)
Ohio Players - Fire (74)
O'Jays - Ship Ahoy (73)
Peabo Bryson - Reaching For The Sky (77)
Peaches & Herb - 2 Hot (78)
Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway - s/t (72)
Shalamar - Big Fun (79)
Sister Sledge - We Are Family (79)
Spinners - Mighty Love (74)
Sylvester - Step II (78)

Sunday, September 11, 2022

Music Years of My Life: September 11, 2001

 First posted in September 2016

We all seek comfort in music when tragedy strikes.  One of the things I remember most about September 11, 2001, was going to Borders to buy the new Bob Dylan album, "Love and Theft" in the late afternoon.  9/11 was a Tuesday, which back then was New Release day, so I did what was normal for me on a Tuesday, and go to Borders (or Circuit City) and check out the latest CD's.  It was odd that inside this big store people were going about their daily business of browsing books, magazines, CD's, etc., while over the store's speaker system was a newscast of 9/11 events.

The comfort of entertainment in times like that can't be denied.  For some it's as much needed as family, faith.  On September 21 the first benefit concert was broadcast, America: A Tribute to Heroes.  An unplugged/acoustic show, which featured many notable performances.  On October 20, a bigger event was staged, Concert For New York City, which had many powerful moments.

There were also patriotic songs post 9/11, mostly from the Country field. Two I liked were Alan Jackson's "Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning" and Aaron Tippin's "Where The Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly".

Many people have noted Clear Channel's infamous memorandum of songs which the company suggested radio stations not play. The list came out a week after 9/11.  In the end, it's memo didn't say stations couldn't play, say "In The Air Tonight" or "Free Fallin'", but suggested use their own judgment.  Still, as misguided as the their list was, it gives you an idea of how fragile the national psyche was in those early days. 

Music has always played a part in my life.  In times of stress and personal pain, music can soothe you.  We always go back to the songs we love.

Friday, September 09, 2022

Playlist for 9/9

Dionne Warwick: Don't Make Me Over (2022 Documentary)
Neil Young - Toast
Tommy Womack - I Thought I Was Fine
Luke Bell - s/t
The Day The Music Died: The Story of Don McLean's American Pie (2022 Documentary)
Burna Boy - Love Damini
Crystal Thomas - Now Dig This
Sonny Green - Found! One Soul Singer
John Primer & Bob Corritore - Gypsy Woman Told Me
j-hope - Jack In The Box

Thursday, September 01, 2022

Playlist for 9/1

Amanda Shires - Take It Like A Man
Ella Fitzgerald - At the Hollywood Bowl 
Dean Martin: King of Cool (2021 Documentary)
John Moreland - Birds In The Ceiling
Deslondes - Ways & Means
Arlo Mckinley - This Mess We're In
Joan Shelley - The Spur
Bryan Ferry - Love Letters EP
Heroes and Villain: Sound of Los Angeles 65-68 (Cherry Red Box Set)
2022 MTV Video Music Awards 
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