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Tag Archives: Audiophile Music

fiftieth Anniversary 12 CD Boxed Set, Soul’d Out: The Complete Wattstax Collection, Honors Legendary Festival And The Social Movement It Supported


Soul’d Out: The Complete Wattstax Collection is a vital new archival launch, maybe probably the most necessary releases of the yr as it’s in impact an audio documentary of an historic second. Everyone ought to hearken to this music and commentary for a large number of causes which I’ll contact on throughout this assessment…

I’m working my manner by means of this fabulous 12 CD super-deluxe-edition boxed set celebrating the legendary Wattstax Festival, newly and lovingly issued by Craft Recordings in celebration of the occasion’s fiftieth Anniversary. 

Soul’d Out: The Complete Wattstax Collection is each fantastic and overwhelming on the identical time. There will not be solely quite a lot of music right here, however taken as  complete the set turns into a poignant doc of a big cultural touchstone occasion, in some ways a turning level for society. If you like soul music and likewise wish to get a fast schooling on the affect of this epic live performance which introduced collectively 110,000 African Americans in an announcement of unity, peace and ahead wanting concord, this assortment is in some ways floor zero for understanding what went on 50 years in the past. Through the music and the improbable included hardbound guide with considerate essays and insights, this set not only a reminder of these turbulent occasions — the message remains to be extremely necessary right this moment. 

There’s an entire lot of music right here on this assortment and I’m nonetheless working my manner by means of all of it however I’ll attempt offer you a number of the highlights I’ve found to date. 

First and foremost, these recordings — which had been initially captured on 8-channel multi-track analog tape — sound actually terrific! 

Featuring an nearly Who’s Who of the royalty of the Stax Records label at the moment, Soul’d Out: The Complete Wattstax Collection provides the listener successfully a entrance row seat to expertise this whole live performance in a manner not for the reason that authentic radio broadcasts — arguably as by no means earlier than given the wealth of beforehand unreleased materials. This is the primary time many of those recordings have been launched of their entirety and collectively in a single set like this. 

The Wattstax performances embrace at least Isaac Hayes at his “Black Moses” peak, using the success his multi-Grammy Award profitable soundtrack theme to the film Shaft and comply with on hit recordings. You’ll additionally hear excellent performances by The Staple Singers, Carla Thomas, Eddie Floyd, David Porter, Kim Weston and The Bar-kays. 

The Bar-kays

Overall, to date I’ve been very impressed with Soul’d Out: The Complete Wattstax Collection in its completeness, thoughtfulness and a spotlight to delivering the very best constancy from these dwell recordings.   

Carla Thomas

As nice because the music is without doubt one of the most poignant — and albeit, tear-inducing — elements for me are the quite a few topical dialogue factors made by audio system from the stage to the viewers. One particularly is particularly inspiring as Rev. Jesse Jackson leads the group by means of his iconic spine-tingling inspirational speech, to reiterate the underlying group constructing premise of this even, the group chanting “I Am Somebody” is concurrently thrilling and heartwarming. 

Melvin Van Peebles took this idea a step additional, main the group by means of repeating these three phrases aloud because the phrases had been posted over the digital scoreboard within the large stadium. His message — titled “We’re Here To Consecrate, Not Desecrate” within the set — is given its personal observe itemizing earlier than main into his introduction of The Staple Singers (who’re on the prime of their recreation with Mavis Staples particularly pulling out all of the stops).  

The Staple Singers

One of my favourite performances to date – and I’m nonetheless working my manner by means of the hours and hours of music on this assortment — is David Porter’s passionate and heartwarming set. Kim Weston’s “Lift Every Voice And Sing” (aka The Black National Anthem) is a stunner however she additionally kicks off the occasion (which was being broadcast on radio) with a grooving soulful model of “The Star Spangled Banner”- it’s maybe the primary model I’ve heard that really swings! 

Albert King’s full set is included, once more fortunately in a single place as bits had been earlier launched on a number of totally different albums through the years. 

While Issac Hayes’ headlining set had been issued beforehand as an impartial CD, it’s nice having it included right here in context with this occasion.

Issac Hayes

We additionally get to listen to the whole uncut practically 20-minute “Salvation Symphony,” an authentic composition opening the occasion which had been edited down on the unique LP launch. Composed and carried out by Dale Warren and The Wattstax ’72 Orchestra, there’s some searing mad guitar soloing happening towards the top of this epic endeavor which served as opening music for the present (I’m nonetheless attempting to determine who the participant was on this piece however whoever it’s they’re smokin’!) 

One of probably the most fascinating elements of Soul’d Out: The Complete Wattstax Collection is the inclusion of reveals recorded within the aftermath of Wattstax for performers who couldn’t make it to the occasion on the unique present day. Some of those performances had been included within the authentic soundtrack (significantly on Wattstax 2: The Living Word). But many weren’t.  

So right here for the primary time we get to listen to a full set by Chicago’s The Sons Of The Slum, a band managed by Pervis Staples (who’d been within the earlier incarnation of The Staples Singers) and which launched a number of singles on Stax within the early Nineteen Seventies.  Their set is nice funky enjoyable within the vein of Sly & The Family Stone and James Brown however with a little bit of a psychedelic funk twist this facet of Parliament Funkadelic. Here they cowl James Brown’s “Think About It,” a scorching excessive power model of Otis Redding’s “Respect” and an amazing medley of “Papa Was A Rollin Stone/Dance To The Music/Music Lover/I Want To Take You Higher”  in addition to their very own single “The Man.” 

The Sons Of The Slum by no means bought to place out an album. And in some methods, I can hear why this recording could have remained within the archives all these years as there are elements the place of their enthusiasm the band will get a bit out of tune — however that’s minor within the grand scheme of issues. Their power greater than compensates and at the least now we get to listen to what this formidable band may ship dwell on stage and not using a internet. 

Cover artwork for the hardcover guide included within the set…

These Summit Club units are important together with The Emotions, Little Milton, Mel & Tim, Johnny Taylor and Rufus Thomas.  There are so many different artists on this set I’m nonetheless working my manner by means of all of it however I hope by now you get the concept Soul’d Out: The Complete Wattstax Collection is a vital assortment for followers of soul, R’nB, Blues.

12 CDs packaged thoughtfully for simple accessibility…

As I acknowledged at first of this assessment, this is a vital launch, maybe probably the most necessary releases of the yr.  Everyone ought to pay attention. 

This message graced the inner-sleeves of the unique 1972 Wattstax LPs

For you vinyl followers, I even have reviewed each reissues of the 2 companion film soundtracks from the Wattstax film documenting this epic 1972 live performance occasion. These two double-disc units have been in want of a superb reissue collection for a while: Wattstax: The Living Word and The Living Word: Wattstax 2. For my assessment of the vinyl, please click on right here to learn up on it on Analog Planet.

New Zappa Mudd Club /Munich 3-CD Set Delivers Rich Les Paul-Driven Rock Crunch Throughout Overlooked 1980 Tour


If I’ve discovered one factor in all these years reviewing archival releases from the property of Frank Zappa it’s to belief the style, opinion and imaginative and prescient of Vaultmeister Joe Travers. He is the guru who has taken the helm of the Mothers-ship, steering us followers gingerly by way of the deeply rewarding waters into Zappa’s legendary archives. Travers’ passionate drive behind these releases is roughly equal to the affect of the late nice Dick Latvala who initiated the pioneering “Dick’s Picks” sequence of archival releases for The Grateful Dead.

This newest launch comes from an period of Zappa’s music that I’ve truthfully had some misgivings about over time. And apparently Mr. Travers himself admitted that the Spring 1980 tour hadn’t been a giant precedence however he apparently discovered a number of associated tapes that Zappa had been engaged on at one level or one other. So he ultimately discovered time to discover the recordings and located a lot greatness inside. 

Thus we now have this high quality new album referred to as Zappa ’80 Mudd Club / Munich and very like the nice 1981 Halloween performances which I reviewed some time again (click on right here), this recording has gone an extended option to modified my perspective on what Frank was doing right now. Central to this uncommon interval is that Zappa was working with a comparatively stripped down, five-piece rockin’ again up band to tackle tour supporting new materials he was engaged on. This tight environment friendly unit additionally discovered itself sporting an incredible new drummer who was solely with Zappa for a short while, David Logeman.

The first disc of Zappa ’80 Mudd Club / Munich comes from an unique look on the legendary downtown New York hipster venue referred to as The Mudd Club. I keep in mind when this present occurred again within the day and plenty of of my Zappa fan mates have been buzzing about it. This recording comes from Zappa’s Nagra reel-to-reel which he was operating at the back of the membership. It sounds actually fairly good all issues thought of and on it your hear this nascent band coming collectively earlier than your very ears. It is actually fascinating listening to Zappa, whom by this time we’d grow to be accustomed to listening to dwell on giant live performance phases earlier than 1000’s of followers, enjoying for about 240 fortunate followers. You can really feel the shut ambiance on these recordings. 

But actually, that is all a heat up for the whole live performance later on the finish of the tour in Germany. Recorded on the Olympiahalle in Munich on July 3, 1980, this performace is kind of outstanding on quite a few ranges. Part of the present had been broadcast however now we get to listen to the whole present and to this point I’ve been tremendous impressed. Everything concerning the preparations and total sound of this band may be very concise. Adding to pure rock bliss is that we discover Zappa enjoying his lovely Les Paul, so his overdriven sound is fierce and ripping.

This can also be a major launch and that it’s the first all digital recording that Zappa ever made on tour, recorded within the Sony PCM-1600 format on 3/4-inch U-Matic video tape. Happily, it sounds fairly great as CDs go as a result of principally we’re listening to the native unique recording that was laid down at the moment. Even although it’s 16 bit, 44.1 kHz — not coincidentally the eventual normal — the recording sounds wonderful. There apparently was a substantial quantity of restoration work performed fixing dropouts from saftey grasp copies Zappa had made (the PCM video format is seemingly infamous for growing dropouts over time). These recordings have been finally mastered by the legendary Bernie Grundman and it sounds it. 

At the top of the day it comes right down to music and the band right here is just about on fireplace. I’m significantly taken with this model of “Easy Meat,” a music which Zappa had been engaged on since 1970 which finally noticed launch on the disappointing Tinseltown Rebellion album (1981). I want Frank had issued this model of the music. No disrespect to keyboardist Tommy Mars, however one of many points I’ve all the time had with Tinseltown typically is that the keyboards have been blended option to excessive for my style — I’m admittedly accustomed to Zappa’s guitar main his sound however there the synthesizer sounds are likely to dominate. That mentioned, this model feels extra balanced and rocking, plus Zappa’s solo is pretty epic.  

Other tracks value noting on this set are “Dancin’ Fool” and “Bobby Brown Goes Down” each of which get significantly robust crowd responses. I’ve learn previously that the latter music grew to become an enormous hit in Europe; the wiki says “It was a number-one-hit in Norway and Sweden and positioned at quantity 4 within the German charts, the place it bought greater than 250,000 items.”  This is kind of superb given the subject material of the music on the time — a couple of mysoginistic closeted dysfunctional Gay file firm govt! However, the group goes audibly bonkers when Zappa launches into the Doo Wop flavored ditty! Zappa continues the frivolities with a scorching model of “Ms. Pinky,” from Zoot Allures (1976) a couple of blow up private leisure doll. Good clear enjoyable, youngsters!  

Seriously, Zappa ’80 Mudd Club / Munich is a joyous three CD set which sounds nice and within reason priced. The recordings are traditionally important, and also you most likely want them in your assortment if you’re a Zappa fan.  I hope to get my palms on the vinyl editions quickly and can report on these as quickly as I get them. You may also discover it streaming on Qobuz (click on right here), Tidal (click on right here) and Apple Music ().  

The Songs of Bacharach & Costello: Four CDs Plus Two Vinyl LPs Super Deluxe Edition Boxed Set Shines Light On One Of The Great Modern Day Songwriting Collaborations In Music History


The Songs of Bacharach & Costello is a brand new multi-disc tour-de-force tremendous deluxe version portfolio-styled boxed set that waspersonally compiled by Elvis Costello, being launched early in March. Assembling the entire revealed songs he wrote with one of many best composers of standard music of our twentieth and twenty first century occasions, Burt Bacharach, the gathering explores and honors their outstanding and fruitful musical partnership.

Celebrating this collaboration which started in 1995 and continued up till Mr. Bacharach’s premature passing this month (RIP), The Songs of Bacharach & Costello offers a a lot wanted deep dive into the music these high quality artists created collectively. Revolving round their critically acclaimed 1998 launch Painted From Memory — newly remastered from the unique analog tapes by legendary audio engineer/producer Bob Ludwig — this expansive musical journey takes us by way of a wealth of beforehand unreleased materials from the studios and live performance levels together with items of an unfinished musical that was being explored.

For vinyl followers, I’ve reviewed the 2 LP set included in The Songs of Bacharach & Costello over on Analog Planet (click on right here for that evaluation). This evaluation will nonetheless traverse the 4 digital compact discs in additional depth.

The 4 discs included in The Songs of Bacharach & Costello are damaged up into compelling classes, successfully particular person album listening experiences. 

First, after all, there may be Bob Ludwig’s newly remastered model of the unique album, Painted From Memory. This is adopted by a sequel of types titled Taken From Life,compiling many beforehand unreleased recordings crafted over time past the preliminary album launch, together with materials pegged for a proposed musical primarily based on the unique album. This disc consists of visitor performances from Cassandra Wilson, Bill Frisell, Audra Mae and others.   

The archival flavored CD Because It’s A Lonely World – Live options Mr. Costello performing largely beforehand unreleased materials on the live performance stage along with his very long time keyboard accompanist, Steve Nieve.  

And lastly, there’s a beautiful assortment that includes Elvis overlaying different songs written by Burt Bacharach and his authentic songwriting accomplice Hal David, titled appropriately: Costello Sings Bacharach/David. This assortment is especially particular because it consists of numerous recordings from the very quick unique tour Elvis made with Burt Bacharach (which, alas, I sadly was not in geographical proximity to see on the time).

All that mentioned, lets dive in to every of the discs in The Songs of Bacharach & Costello:

Painted From Memory 

The remastered CD of the unique Painted From Memory album as included on this new boxed set sounds glorious as CDs go. I in contrast this to an authentic promotional launch model of the album — which had the early HDCD encoding (my Oppo common participant can decode this). In basic, every thing sounds richer and hotter on this new version with far more detailing obvious. In some methods, it’s fairly near Mobile Fidelity’s SACD model which I personal as nicely and in someways maybe higher given entry to the newest remastering know-how and the magic contact of an artist like engineer Bob Ludwig.

Taken From Life 

This unbelievable CD assembles musics from a proposed theatrical staging revolving across the Painted From Memory album. While the present by no means got here to fruition (at the least as of but!) a lot new music was written and recorded alongside the methods (a few of which was sprinkled out on different releases over time).  While I after all love the 5 tracks with backing from Elvis’ band The Imposters, Audra Mae’s recordings of “I Looked Away,” “In The Darkest Place” and most dramatically “What’s Her Name Today?” are highly effective and at occasions coronary heart wrenching. If you aren’t positive who Audra Mae is (as I wasn’t previous to this launch) please do verify the Wiki web page (click on right here) for her fascinating background which incorporates genetic ties to a minimum of Judy Garland! 

Cassandra Wilson & Bill Frisell’s model of the tune “Painted From Memory” works a lot better on this context than on Frisell’s largely instrumental album, The Sweetest Punch (the place it initially appeared). While I perceive the necessity to eradicate duplication of songs, it could have been good for the sake of completeness to incorporate each tracks she sang on that album (one was a duet with Elvis on  “I Still Have That Other Girl”) however I suppose on the flip aspect not together with it offers us purpose to carry on to our authentic CDs — or if you happen to don’t personal the album, search it out — to benefit from the music in its authentic context!  Poignantly, Taken From Life ends with Mr. Bacharach himself singing an early run by way of of one of many new songs, “Lie Back & Think Of England.”  It is kind of haunting.

Because It’s A Lonely World – Live

This discs largely options Elvis along with his career-long accompanist — and member of his authentic bands — Steve Nieve. While the duo had launched numerous recordings from the 1996 tour, these didn’t function any of the music from the Painted From Memory collaboration (there’s a multi-disc boxed set out there that includes EPs culled from cities the place they carried out). 

The so known as “Lonely World” tour in 1999 did, nonetheless, discover them performing a lot of these Bacharach-Costello items, so this new CD offers us six tour recordings from Japan, Australia and Canada. Two tracks recorded with the The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra are additionally included and as icing on the cake we get to listen to a high quality model of “This House Is Empty Now” from Late Night with Conan O’Brien in New York City that includes Burt Bacharach himself on piano! All the recordings sound glorious regardless of coming from completely different sources and reveals. 

Costello Sings Bacharach/David

The closing disc delivers precisely what the title guarantees stretching throughout completely different durations of his profession. Opening with a Burt Bacharach-Hal David tune which was a 1964 UK #3 hit for Dusty Springfield, “I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself,” Costello’s model right here first appeared on the 1977 Stiff Records tour-document album known as Live Stiffs, underscoring Costello’s deep connection to Mr. Bacharach’s music proper from the start of his profession. This tune additionally closes the album sequence, taken from a efficiency with Mr. Bacharach recorded reside at Sony Music Studios In New York City for the 1998 Sessions at West 54th tv present.  It is concurrently thrilling to listen to simply how a lot Elvis has grown as a performer between these two variations nevertheless it additionally underscores simply how a lot he arrived on the scene able to flower, delivering ardour a-plenty in that uncooked early take. 

Sandwiched between, Costello typically pulls out all of the stops delivering highly effective variations of Bacharach-David classics like “Make It Easy On Yourself” and “Anyone Who Had A Heart” with Mr. Bacharach supporting him on piano. 

An apart: I can solely think about the sense of pleasure and stress Costello confronted every evening on this tour, delivering excellent performances on stage with — and for — the Maestro, particularly as these songs are literally fairly difficult.

Overall The Songs of Bacharach & Costello assortment is known as a marvel and an amazing providing from Elvis in tribute to his 25-plus yr partnership with one of many best songwriters of our occasions. 

Perhaps my solely needs is that each one this materials was introduced in a excessive decision archival audio format equivalent to Blu-ray Disc (I assume it will likely be streaming on main providers, hopefully in high-res). I’d have favored to have heard this remixed into Dolby Atmos and included on a Blu-ray. I do perceive that the set will likely be streaming in Atmos on Apple Music, which I plan to take a look at sooner or later — if it seems to be compelling I’ll attempt to write about it from that vantage level.

In abstract, I do know it wasn’t essentially supposed, however The Songs of Bacharach & Costello ended up as a loving farewell to Maestro Bacharach.

But maybe it additionally marks a brand new starting. In some methods, this set illustrates a digital passing the baton (if you’ll) on to Mr. Costello who along with his personal exemplary profession is arguably the rightful heir-apparent to assist preserve Bacharach’s music alive for at the least a number of generations to return. With the unique album and this new set, Elvis arguably set the fashionable customary for others to aspire when performing Burt Bacharach’s music. That is kind of an honor (and duty) if you cease to consider it.

If you’re keen on Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach’s music, you want The Songs of Bacharach & Costello.

Rest in peace, Mr. Bacharach, and thanks for the music. And thanks Elvis for taking us all together with you on this wondrous journey. 

Get Crazy!  Classic Lost Film By Rock & Roll High School Director Sparkles In New 2K-Transferred Kino Lorber Blu-ray With Soundtrack By Lou Reed, Sparks, Marshall Crenshaw, Adrian Belew, The Ramones & more


Mea culpa. Just last month I learned that one of my favorite “cult” films had finally been restored and issued on Blu-ray Disc back at the end of 2020… So I felt compelled to fill you in on it figuring that if I missed this new release, you might have missed it as well! So, please file this review under the category of “better late than never!”

I recently learned that in late 2020, Kino Lorber reissued for the first time on Blu-ray Disc, a classic unintentionally underground film which was made in the early 1980s: Get Crazy. This fun movie which falls somewhere in the grand spaces between Spinal Tap and Airplane for numerous reasons never quite saw the light of day even on DVD. 

I have learned since getting this fine new reissue that it barely got released at all!  This is kind of amazing because Get Crazy was produced by the man who directed one of the iconic comedy films of the punk / new wave era –– Rock ‘n’ Roll High School – Allan Arkush (Fame, Caddyshack II, Moonlighting, Crossing Jordan, etc.)

Get Crazy Director Allan Arkush

I first discovered Get Crazy in a somewhat backwards way, when I first came across the soundtrack album at a used record shop in New York City back in the 1980s. (side note: I’m pretty sure I got it at Sounds Records, for those of you who remember that legendary shop down on Saint Marks Place )

Some years later, I found a VHS copy of the film, which became a quick favorite of mine, given just how ridiculous and wonderful it all was! 

Get Crazy stars some incredible (an unexpected) actors and musicians working side by side including: Malcolm McDowell (Clockwork Orange, O’ Lucky Man, Caligula), Lou Reed (Velvet Underground), Howard Kaylan (The Turtles, Frank Zappa), John Densmore (The Doors) as well as ‘60s teen idols Fabian and Bobby Sherman (playing roles as evil henchmen!), Ed Begley Jr. (St. Elsewhere, Spinal Tap, An Officer & A Gentleman) , Daniel Stern (Home Alone, City Slickers, Diner, Milagro Beanfield War), Miles Chapin (Murder She Wrote, People Vs. Larry Flynt, Man On The Moon). There are many others. 

Lou Reed as “Auden”

So why did this wonderful madcap film get lost in the sauce? Well, it turns out from the bonus materials on this new Kino Lorber edition that the film effectively got caught up in a scenario akin to the classic Mel Brooks film The Producers (and if you don’t know that movie or the later musical, well you need to go watch it soon). The “After Party” documentary traces the origins of the film — including many of the actors and crew, in a Covid-era Zoom-styled production — explaining that the film was not only barely released theatrically but was put out on VHS in shoddy form. Get Crazy came and went without much notice. And then the original film and negatives were lost for decades despite ongoing searches until sleuths at Kino Lorber found it! 

Allen Goorwitz (aka Garfield) as the Bill Graham-inspired promoter

It is quite tragic that a film made with this much love at its heart got such poor treatment, but at least Get Crazy is getting a second chance in the 21st Century looking and sounding better than ever. 

The semi autobiographical script began as a tribute to director Allan Arkush’s experiences working at Bill Graham’s Fillmore East in its 1968-1971 heyday. But, due to the machinations of the film production universe, Get Crazy ended up staged in the 80s punk and new wave era (with plenty of nods to vintage rock and blues before it). This is very much a love letter to the rock and roll universe — from the fandom and on- and off-stage concert mayhem, to the pure mad bravado and non-stop visual punning in most every scene. Yet, the film also remains remarkably poignant and heartfelt. 

The Kino Lorber website, this paragraph sums it up pretty well:

“From Allan Arkush, the acclaimed director of the cult classics Hollywood Boulevard, Rock ‘n’ Roll High School and Heartbeeps, comes this raucous musical comedy that invites you to get crazy… and say goodbye to your brain! Its December 31, 1982, and Saturn Theater owner Max Wolfe is attempting to stage the biggest rock and roll concert of all time. But things aren’t going right. His doctor tells him he might have a fatal disease; his nephew and his arch-rival are in cahoots; a crazed fire inspector is spraying the audience with foam; and someone is trying to kill him and blow up the theater. Of course, these are secondary problems compared to those posed by the crazy rock and roll performers themselves. The gags come fast and furious from the truly insane cast that includes Allen Garfield, Daniel Stern, Gail Edwards, Miles Chapin, Ed Begley Jr., Stacey Nelkin, Bill Henderson, Lou Reed, Howard Kaylan, Lori Eastside, Lee Ving, John Densmore, Robert Picardo, Bobby Sherman, Paul Bartel, Mary Woronov, Clint Howard, Linnea Quigley, Dick Miller and the great Malcolm McDowell as debauched rock star Reggie Wanker.”

Malcolm McDowell as Reggie Wanker

The new Blu-ray release looks fantastic as Kino Lorber found the original negative and thus Get Crazy is presented in a brand new 2K master which was approved by Director Allan Arkush.

Back to the “love letter” I mentioned earlier, if you are a deep music fan you will pick up on many jokes and iconic touchstones embedded within Get Crazy.  

One of my favorite scenes is the first appearance of Lou Reed who plays the role of a Dylan-esque character named — quite humorously — Auden (another great poet, for those not in the know). When we first see Auden appear in the film, the set is designed to look like Bob Dylan’s iconic 1965 album, Bringing It All Back Home, right down to the woman in the red dress remaining absolutely still. Instead of the blurry fisheye lens the whole room is covered in spiderwebs (because the character is supposed to have been dead and nobody had seen him for year). It’s really quite brilliant when you stop to think about it.

There are all sorts of irreverent (and perhaps politically incorrect at times these days) period references, but it’s all done in a very tongue-in-cheek manner with a loving heart that works.

One of the most incredible performances happens with a band that was brought in for the show that I had never heard of, which was an assemblage by someone called Nada fronted by Lori Eastside (from King Creole & The Coconuts), which had something like 15 members on stage, playing new wave, power pop ala The Go Go’s and The Bangles. Iconic punk rock singer Lee Ving – – of Fear – steals many scenes in his off-the-hook role as “Piggy” (including some amazing stage driving scenes!)

Malcolm McDowell pulls off a bravado performance as Reggie Wanker — an aging rock star modeled after Mick Jagger and Rod Stewart. Don’t forget to watch for the incredible drum solo by John Densmore of The Doors, who are at one point switches out his drumsticks for some turkey legs (which he of course eats along the way!). Again stupid mad, fun.

If this all sounds outrageous, and ridiculous, it is! And that’s part of the joy of Get Crazy.  

The Doors’ John Densmore and matched Turkey leg drumsticks

Get Crazy looks great in its new 2K transfer and 1080p Blu-ray Disc presentation.  The stereo soundtrack is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio and is perfectly fine for this type of film. And there are some nice bonus materials including the aforementioned “After Party” documentary, trailers, a new music video (featuring Sparks!) and much more.  

My only “nit” to pick is that no booklet was included in the package to tell the back story of the film in print form. But again, fortunately there is that heartwarming “After Party” documentary which connects all the dots for us visually and aurally. Again, it is amazing that this Blu-ray Disc exists at all!

My only genuine disappointment was that there was not a bonus track included of Lou Reed’s performance of the song “Little Sister” on its own without the rolling, closing credits, going over him. I understand why this song was put at the end of the film as it was but still, it would’ve been nice to have had a clean version without all the credits. This song is one of Lou Reed’s finest of his latter day renaissance period.  

Howard Kaylan as Captain Cloud

Maybe someday they’ll find the original production elements and can include it in a a super Deluxe Edition — when and if Get Crazy becomes a wildly popular film again… for the first time!

At least for now Get Crazy is preserved and available for a new generation to discover. I hope that they will re-issue the soundtrack album, perhaps for Record Store Day because it’s a super fun collection including a punchy title tune by Sparks (who are arguably more popular now than they were back then) and, apart from the early 1990s boxed set Lou Reed anthology called Between Thought And Expression, the only place where this song resides. 

If you click on the title of Get Crazy anywhere in this review, it will take you to Amazon where you can purchase the film on Blu-ray.  

If you love rock ‘n’ roll, the music world of the 1960s through the 1980s, and madcap comedy films such as Airplane then Get Crazy may be your magic elixir of freewheeling fun.  Do check it out.

Following are some clips from the film as found on YouTube. 

Rock Lives On Guided By Voices’ New Dual Releases “La La Land” & Tremblers & Goggles By Rank,” Out Now On Vinyl & Qobuz, Tidal & Apple Lossless Streaming


By now, I suspect that if you’re reading this review, you fall into one of two camps: an established Guide By Voices (GBV) fan, who hasn’t yet heard their latest releases, or an on-the-fence fan of their older material who has become overwhelmed with the sheer volume of releases over the years.

Indeed, GBV has been going through quite a renaissance over the past five-to-ten years, depending on how you count.  Particularly, the latest incarnation of the group which includes late ‘90s second GBV line-up (aka Cobra Verde era) guitarist, Doug Gillard, and the hard rocking guitar icon in his own right, Bobby Bare, Jr.  Together with an incredible rhythm, section of Kevin March on drums and bassist Mark Shue, the current incarnation of GBV is one of the strongest versions of the band… arguably, ever.  They are a perfect blend which captures the freewheeling spirit of the earlier bands with the musical chops to handle the more progressive compositions of the band’s leader, Robert Pollard.

While on average it seems like GBV puts out three albums per year (more if you count Pollard’s many side projects), some perspective on new release schedules might help some of you on-the-fence GBV fans who are a bit overwhelmed by the volume.  

Consider…. In the 1960s… it was very common for artists and bands to put a new albums every six months (or more) for a variety of reasons (artistic momentum, wealth of material, financial opportunity, etc.). In that light, it doesn’t surprise me that Robert Pollard, leader of GBV and himself a student of all things British invasion and power pop, somewhat mirrors that aesthetic in the band’s stunningly prolific release schedule.  

But the thing that is amazing is how they deliver — album after album — mostly great, often compelling and almost always  exciting new music.

To that, GBV’s latest album called La La Land is a real kick. And what I didn’t realize is that it was related to the prior release called Trembler’s And Goggles By Rank which I’ve been enjoying but hadn’t had a chance to review it.  When I went back to listen to that album (issued late last year), I realize that indeed, it feels like the two recordings are connected.

Both of these albums are expansive to the GBV sound, a little bit more in keeping with some of Robert Pollard’s solo albums. The songs sometimes are a little longer, and if it’s possible, the arrangements are even more adventurous.  Sure, GBV’s trademark chugging-baddass double-whammy wall of sound overdriven electric guitars and Pollard’s fab British flavored vocals are intact. But, there is a sense depth and breadth going on these days which elevates this music to a level some of you fence sitters might want to explore.  

In some ways, the tracks blend together like a mini rock opera, often with carefully crafted segues. Even within many of the songs there are often multiple movements which take the music on fairly radical departures.

In the diversity of sounds department, on these newer albums you’ll hear keyboards (synthesizers, organs, piano), string sections, acoustic guitars and even choral harmony moments!

The one-two punch of “Another Day To Heal’ which blends seamlessly into “Released Into Dementia” makes for a powerful album opening couplet to La La Land. “Ballroom Etiquette” feels like a lost track by Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders run through a Parachute-era Pretty Things blender with its hooky chorus coda “most likely, if you go, you will only make a show of yourself.”  “Cousin Jackie” is another gem that offers a message we can still really use out here in California with its “make it rain” chants. 

As I listen, I can’t help but feel that the music is kind of like if The Who had done an entire album of songs modeled after their early  mini rock opera called “A Quick One, While He’s Away.” This, blended with the expansive spirit of the subsequent album The Who Sell Out — and at times meshed with the epic grandeur of  Quadrophenia — the result is a heady brew, indeed.

“Queen of Spaces” is a gorgeous slow acoustic mood piece which provides a much needed breather in La La Land. This sets the stage for the almost theatrical intro to “Slowly On The Wheel” (single piano key notes and vocals) which builds in movements (and clocks in at nearly six minutes long) winding up in an acoustic guitar-drive to the end of that road.  

While most of La La Land and Trembler’s And Goggles By Rank are not Lo Fi in any way shape or form, GBV offers a nod to its past on “Wild Kingdom” which opens with what sounds like an early sketch demo that blends into the full band take (albeit in a slightly different key, but it works somehow). 

There are plenty of driving rockers like the album closing “Face Eraser” and “Pockets.”

Trembler’s And Goggles By Rank offers similar drive and power right from the opening track “Lizard On The Red Brick Wall.”

The single release “Alex Bell” — another one of those five minute epic rock mini-operettas — seems to be a tribute of sorts to Big Star’s Alex Chilton (see 45 RPM release cover art above). It really got me at the gorgeous layered jangling guitar break that just pushed fresh air into the song as it transitioned in to the lovely driving epic coda, as Pollard sings: “I see you every time there is a ghost in town.” 

Title tune “Goggles By Rank” feels like another love letter to The Who, this time tasting like an out-take from their Odds & Sods collection (of out-takes and rarities!). The song comes complete with rolling Keith Moon-like drums, deep reverb on the Daltry-esque vocals and slashing Townshend-inspired power chords.

I could go on but I think you get the idea… there is some fine rock and roll going on in these new GBV records (well, there is always fine rock and roll going on in most GBV records, but I digress….)

In general, both La La Land and Trembler’s And Goggles By Rank sound excellent, mixed brilliantly by Travis Harrison. Even though these are probably digital recordings, the music sounds fat and rich even when you turn up the volume on your amplifier.  The standard weight vinyl pressings are nice, quiet and well centered.  

Both albums come housed in high-quality plastic lined inner sleeves and the discs have nice custom label designs — a departure from the standard design of many late period GBV releases.

Still, the question arises as to whether you need to own both of these albums albums? If you’re a deep GBV fan, you probably already have the albums or have at least ordered them by now. If you’re one of the fans who are overwhelmed and still on the fence, I encourage you to listen to their albums a bit online.

Both albums are streaming in CD quality on Qobuz, Tidal and Apple Music (as is most of their catalog).  All sound good with slight nuanced differences between the three in terms of how the services process their sound. From my past experiences, albums on Apple Lossless typically sound brighter, while the same music on Tidal and sounds rounder and richer. Qobuz found a happy balance, delivering a sonic palette somewhere betwixt and between.

Any way you listen, I suspect that by the your second or third spin you’ll want to get La La Land and Trembler’s And Goggles By Rank on vinyl for the fun cover art and warming sound on your favorite turntable and pre-amp. 

Rock and roll is certainly not dead. Long live rock. Long live GBV. 

Oft-Sampled Collector’s Grail Vinyl Of Hoagy Carmichael PBS TV Prog-Jazz Soundtrack Reissued For New Generations To Explore

Lately I’ve been talking with a number of friends about the efforts (and need) to keep the music of our forefathers (and fore-mothers, if you will) alive for future generations to discover. The Beatles and their families have been doing a great job keeping their universe of musics alive through new reissues, streaming, tribute recordings, archival releases and more.  Indeed, many new generation listeners are discovering the musical joys of Frank Zappa, Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Raymond Scott, Charles Mingus and many more due to the efforts of surviving family members and the artists’ estates. 

Hoagy Carmichael

One artist who still seems to get overlooked these days actually wrote what is considered one of the greatest of American standards: “Stardust.” Yet, most people I know refer to the song as Willie Nelson’s tune, not Hoagy Carmichael who wrote it in 1927!  Indeed, Willie’s version was on the Billboard charts for some 10 years from its release as the title track for the 1978 album. According to the wiki, Hoagy Carmichael’s song has been recorded some 1500 times and translated into 40 different languages.

The Stark Reality

Still, not all of Hoagy Carmichael’s music has received that same level of devotion. Thus, the late 1960s efforts by his son — who was named Hoagy Bix — to help keep his father’s music alive and relevant to new generation of listeners was noble. His journey began when he quit his Wall Street job for a more heartfelt career path which landed him aligned with the important Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) television affiliate, WGBH in Boston. In due time he met musicians working on other programs there and before long a group — named The Stark Reality (led by vibraphonist Monty Stark) — was recording music for a new children’s music education program called Hoagy Carmichael’s Music Shop, starring Hoagy Carmichael himself. 

Reinventing the songs from a 1958 children’s album Carmichael made for Golden Records, The Stark Reality music for the TV program was issued briefly on pianist Ahmad Jamal’s own short-lived music label AJP Records in 1969. It became a much sought after collectors item, its appeal no doubt enhanced in 21st Century times having been sampled by no less than The Black Eyed Peas on one of their smash hit albums. 

The album was called The Stark Reality Discovers Hoagy Carmichael’s Music Shop and features Monty and his band — which included a young future-guitar legend John Abercrombie — winding their way around Hoagy Carmichael’s music in a manner more akin to the emerging progressive musics of the period than the sounds one would commonly associate with the so-called “Great American Songbook.”  Their interpretations took these innocent songs into some remarkable places. 

Fast forward, now we have a fine new reissue — released on Record Store Day featuring fresh lacquers cut from the original tapes in an all-analog transfer by the great Bernie Grundman —  of this rather wondrous rarity. 

Monty Stark

This music on The Stark Reality Discovers Hoagy Carmichael’s Music Shop blends jazz, rock, psychedelia and whimsical pop all into one. Its kind of like if 1969-era Jerry Garcia was brought in to make music for Sesame Street backed by a band like The Soft Machine, but instead of Mike Ratlidge on organ, there was Monty Stark jamming out his electric vibrabphone. 

“Grandfather Clock” is a neat jazz work out — think what might have happened had Vince Guaraldi’s been allowed to record Charlie Brown Peanuts jams that went on for eight minutes — with Abercrombie’s raw overdriven distorted guitar soloing flying over the band’s swinging clarity, a fine bass solo from Phil Morrison and Stark’s own super distorted psychedelic vibraphone freakout. 

On The Stark Reality Discovers Hoagy Carmichael’s Music Shop you can hear the influence of then-cutting-edge jazz rock fusion pioneers such as Frank Zappa and Larry Coryell and Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew era music.  

“Dreams” is a great little prog rock type piece. And, for some reason — and happily for us fans of his music — there is a gorgeous John Abercrombie original included on the album called “Blue Pillow.” It is great on its own but in context it also delivers a much needed break from the intensity of the album (much in the way that “Mood For A Day” provided breathing space for listeners of Yes’ groundbreaking 1971 progressive rock album, Fragile

The Stark Reality Discovers Hoagy Carmichael’s Music Shop was apparently issued in 2015 in a three LP configuration but this new version — produced by the folks at Now-Again Records — reproduces the original AJP Records label design and two-disc track listing. 

I am assuming that the new version is closer to the running order of the tracks on the original album (vs. the 2015 three-disc version which bears a different sequence). It is also probably more affordable than the triple disc version. While The Stark Reality Discovers Hoagy Carmichael’s Music Shop sounds very good, it is at its root a fairly unpolished production, feeling at times like an indie rock record from the ‘90s (only playing offbeat jazz fusion constructs). 

The standard weight black vinyl pressing of The Stark Reality Discovers Hoagy Carmichael’s Music Shop which I bought sounds fine. It is well centered and generally very quiet. No issues on that front. 

John Abercrombie

I have to say I’ve never seen an original copy of The Stark Reality Discovers Hoagy Carmichael’s Music Shopshow up anywhere in the wilds of record collecting. Those rare “OG” copies reportedly sell for upwards of $1000. Indeed, I found a listing of a promo copy sold on record collecting marketplace website Popsike some years back for $800. There are no 1969 editions currently available on the other big collectors selling site, Discogs.

The Stark Reality Discovers Hoagy Carmichael’s Music Shop is a cool record if you like quirky sounds that dance around the fringes of the mainstream while touching down in prog and jazz fusion.  As much as this is inspired by Hoagy, the music ultimately is very far out and removed from the composer’s originals — I have one or two albums of his in my collection — so I’ll likely be filing this along with my John Abercrombie records.

If you want an idea of what the TV show was like and how the music was used, a clip exists on YouTube with different segments from the program. 

A clip of the expanded band performing exists as well

Seminal Ghetto Records Rarities Rescued & Restored In Vinyl Me Please’s Seven-LP Latin Soul-Jazz Super Deluxe Edition Boxed Set

In the early 1970s, pioneering Latin soul jazz performer Joe Bataan walked away from the umbrella of Fania Records to start his own company, Ghetto Records. On this label he issued the records he wanted, made how he wanted them produced. There is a much deeper back story involved here but I don’t want to be a spoiler. Especially as you can read about the label’s rich history in the wonderful new boxed set from the good folks at Vinyl Me Please (VMP). They have dug deep down into the archives to create a LP boxed set of six seminal releases from Bataan’s label: The Story of Ghetto Records. The collection includes a brand new seventh album of previously unreleased and long lost recordings by Bataan himself!

On the VMP website, a single sentence goes a long way to summarize this collection:

“A story told through seven albums of Latin soul meeting the hardest salsa, modal jazz, and frenetic boogaloo – sounds you’ve ever heard, with special attention to telling Bataan’s story and his groundbreaking label.” 

Joe Bataan (circa 1970)

These recordings, like many vintage Soul and Jazz records are difficult to find in their original vinyl incarnations. These are the kinds of records which were likely played to death as the party records they were, making clean originals elusive today.  Additionally, quantities of these records may have been limited and focused on regional markets (such as New York). Distribution was key to a recording’s success and longevity back in the day, so independent labels sometimes struggled getting releases out to the world.

Back in the 1970s, there was no internet, downloads or streaming. So if the records didn’t get into the stores, pretty much no one got them. Thus, original albums on Ghetto Records are now hard to find and collectible. At the time of this writing, not many were available on Discogs and even the unofficial copies there are selling for higher prices.

These recordings are so rare that many of the original tapes are no longer available. Thus the VMP website explains, transparently: 

“All titles except for Los Que Son (which was cut AAA from tapes) and “Drug Story” and “Latin Soul Squaredance” from Drug Story (which were sourced from master tapes) were restored and remastered from needle drops of original vinyl copies by Jason Bitner. With the exception of Drug Story, lacquers for all titles were cut by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering.”

The website continues explaining just what a labor of love this project was:

“Ghetto Records’ master tapes were largely lost in the chaos of the label’s closure in the mid-70s. The team at Now-Again sourced the cleanest copies of rare original vinyl, which mastering engineer Jason Bitner spliced, restored and remastered. The exception was the Paul Ortiz album Los Que Son, whose master tapes Bataan zealously guarded over the years, and which was cut in an all-analog transfer. The never heard Bataan songs on Drug Story were found on a master tape in Spain, decades after Bataan thought he had lost it forever.”

All albums in The Story of Ghetto Recordsare pressed on high-quality 180-gram, black vinyl, pressed at GZ in Europe. I’ve been working my way through the set and all seem to be quiet and well centered. 

Overall I’m really enjoying The Story of Ghetto Records and it’s been an eye-opener in terms of many artists that I hadn’t heard of before. These folks were crafters of some spectacular grooves, for certain. 

Some of my favorites so far include the great Latin percussionist Candido’s Y Su Movimiento which sounds fantastic even for a so called “needle drop” copy.  “Bochinches” is a fun tune with killer sounding drums, cowbells, shakers and other percussion instruments forward in the mix against a swinging acoustic piano and full horn section.  

And how could I not fall in love with a swinging booty-shaker of a tune named “Felix The Cat”?  By Papo Felix with Ray Rodriquez, I like this one especially for its rich multi-layered saxophone punches and nice Stereo sound stage. 

All Ears album by La Fantastica has some sweet, super tight breaks on tracks like “Ya No Te Quiero” which lead into very jazz-like soloing and jamming,  with lovely counterpoint from vibraphonist Gregory Swift.

Paul Ortiz’ Los Que Son — one of the albums made from surviving master tapes — indeed has a somewhat more open and air-y feel to it which no doubt helps slow jams like “Tender Love” sparkle. That song is hyped on the cover as “the hit” and according to the liner notes it went to Number One on Latin radio in New York for several months.  

A side note: I don’t know if it is my imagination but this song sounds super familiar to me! Perhaps I heard this on another lowrider compilation? Maybe I remember hearing this chorus as a kid when flipping channels on my transistor AM radio or maybe someone was playing it on a boombox at the beach?  Heck, I could have heard it walking on the streets of New York when we went up to see my grandparents who lived in Washington Heights at the time (which had a strong Latin American community living there). I love moments like this when something deeply embedded in the back of the brain jumps to the forefront! 

All the album covers are of a classic design, finished in glossy laminated cover stock and made of thick cardboard construction — while I don’t own any originals to compare to, I will risk saying that these are probably better editions than the issues from the early 1970s. One of the albums, All Ears by La Fantastica is a beautiful and near-psychedelic looking gatefold design with super groovy ears, rainbows and other period-graphic flourishes. 

As you can tell, I am enjoying VMP’s The Story of Ghetto Records.  If you are ready to make the deep dive — and a set like this requires a certain level of dedication on the part of the listener to dig down and fully appreciate the nuanced differences between these recordings — there is much fine music here to discover.  You’ll no doubt want to return to these albums a lot. I know I plan to. 

If you are a fan of rich rare Latin soul grooves, picking up The Story of Ghetto Records should be a no brainer. 

Seminal Ghetto Records Rarities Rescued & Restored In Vinyl Me Please’s Seven-LP Latin Soul-Jazz Super Deluxe Edition Boxed Set

In the early 1970s, pioneering Latin soul jazz performer Joe Bataan walked away from the umbrella of Fania Records to start his own company, Ghetto Records. On this label he issued the records he wanted, made how he wanted them produced. There is a much deeper back story involved here but I don’t want to be a spoiler. Especially as you can read about the label’s rich history in the wonderful new boxed set from the good folks at Vinyl Me Please (VMP). They have dug deep down into the archives to create a LP boxed set of six seminal releases from Bataan’s label: The Story of Ghetto Records. The collection includes a brand new seventh album of previously unreleased and long lost recordings by Bataan himself!

On the VMP website, a single sentence goes a long way to summarize this collection:

“A story told through seven albums of Latin soul meeting the hardest salsa, modal jazz, and frenetic boogaloo – sounds you’ve ever heard, with special attention to telling Bataan’s story and his groundbreaking label.” 

Joe Bataan (circa 1970)

These recordings, like many vintage Soul and Jazz records are difficult to find in their original vinyl incarnations. These are the kinds of records which were likely played to death as the party records they were, making clean originals elusive today.  Additionally, quantities of these records may have been limited and focused on regional markets (such as New York). Distribution was key to a recording’s success and longevity back in the day, so independent labels sometimes struggled getting releases out to the world.

Back in the 1970s, there was no internet, downloads or streaming. So if the records didn’t get into the stores, pretty much no one got them. Thus, original albums on Ghetto Records are now hard to find and collectible. At the time of this writing, not many were available on Discogs and even the unofficial copies there are selling for higher prices.

These recordings are so rare that many of the original tapes are no longer available. Thus the VMP website explains, transparently: 

“All titles except for Los Que Son (which was cut AAA from tapes) and “Drug Story” and “Latin Soul Squaredance” from Drug Story (which were sourced from master tapes) were restored and remastered from needle drops of original vinyl copies by Jason Bitner. With the exception of Drug Story, lacquers for all titles were cut by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering.”

The website continues explaining just what a labor of love this project was:

“Ghetto Records’ master tapes were largely lost in the chaos of the label’s closure in the mid-70s. The team at Now-Again sourced the cleanest copies of rare original vinyl, which mastering engineer Jason Bitner spliced, restored and remastered. The exception was the Paul Ortiz album Los Que Son, whose master tapes Bataan zealously guarded over the years, and which was cut in an all-analog transfer. The never heard Bataan songs on Drug Story were found on a master tape in Spain, decades after Bataan thought he had lost it forever.”

All albums in The Story of Ghetto Recordsare pressed on high-quality 180-gram, black vinyl, pressed at GZ in Europe. I’ve been working my way through the set and all seem to be quiet and well centered. 

Overall I’m really enjoying The Story of Ghetto Records and it’s been an eye-opener in terms of many artists that I hadn’t heard of before. These folks were crafters of some spectacular grooves, for certain. 

Some of my favorites so far include the great Latin percussionist Candido’s Y Su Movimiento which sounds fantastic even for a so called “needle drop” copy.  “Bochinches” is a fun tune with killer sounding drums, cowbells, shakers and other percussion instruments forward in the mix against a swinging acoustic piano and full horn section.  

And how could I not fall in love with a swinging booty-shaker of a tune named “Felix The Cat”?  By Papo Felix with Ray Rodriquez, I like this one especially for its rich multi-layered saxophone punches and nice Stereo sound stage. 

All Ears album by La Fantastica has some sweet, super tight breaks on tracks like “Ya No Te Quiero” which lead into very jazz-like soloing and jamming,  with lovely counterpoint from vibraphonist Gregory Swift.

Paul Ortiz’ Los Que Son — one of the albums made from surviving master tapes — indeed has a somewhat more open and air-y feel to it which no doubt helps slow jams like “Tender Love” sparkle. That song is hyped on the cover as “the hit” and according to the liner notes it went to Number One on Latin radio in New York for several months.  

A side note: I don’t know if it is my imagination but this song sounds super familiar to me! Perhaps I heard this on another lowrider compilation? Maybe I remember hearing this chorus as a kid when flipping channels on my transistor AM radio or maybe someone was playing it on a boombox at the beach?  Heck, I could have heard it walking on the streets of New York when we went up to see my grandparents who lived in Washington Heights at the time (which had a strong Latin American community living there). I love moments like this when something deeply embedded in the back of the brain jumps to the forefront! 

All the album covers are of a classic design, finished in glossy laminated cover stock and made of thick cardboard construction — while I don’t own any originals to compare to, I will risk saying that these are probably better editions than the issues from the early 1970s. One of the albums, All Ears by La Fantastica is a beautiful and near-psychedelic looking gatefold design with super groovy ears, rainbows and other period-graphic flourishes. 

As you can tell, I am enjoying VMP’s The Story of Ghetto Records.  If you are ready to make the deep dive — and a set like this requires a certain level of dedication on the part of the listener to dig down and fully appreciate the nuanced differences between these recordings — there is much fine music here to discover.  You’ll no doubt want to return to these albums a lot. I know I plan to. 

If you are a fan of rich rare Latin soul grooves, picking up The Story of Ghetto Records should be a no brainer. 

Seminal Ghetto Records Rarities Rescued & Restored In Vinyl Me Please’s Seven-LP Latin Soul-Jazz Super Deluxe Edition Boxed Set

In the early 1970s, pioneering Latin soul jazz performer Joe Bataan walked away from the umbrella of Fania Records to start his own company, Ghetto Records. On this label he issued the records he wanted, made how he wanted them produced. There is a much deeper back story involved here but I don’t want to be a spoiler. Especially as you can read about the label’s rich history in the wonderful new boxed set from the good folks at Vinyl Me Please (VMP). They have dug deep down into the archives to create a LP boxed set of six seminal releases from Bataan’s label: The Story of Ghetto Records. The collection includes a brand new seventh album of previously unreleased and long lost recordings by Bataan himself!

On the VMP website, a single sentence goes a long way to summarize this collection:

“A story told through seven albums of Latin soul meeting the hardest salsa, modal jazz, and frenetic boogaloo – sounds you’ve ever heard, with special attention to telling Bataan’s story and his groundbreaking label.” 

Joe Bataan (circa 1970)

These recordings, like many vintage Soul and Jazz records are difficult to find in their original vinyl incarnations. These are the kinds of records which were likely played to death as the party records they were, making clean originals elusive today.  Additionally, quantities of these records may have been limited and focused on regional markets (such as New York). Distribution was key to a recording’s success and longevity back in the day, so independent labels sometimes struggled getting releases out to the world.

Back in the 1970s, there was no internet, downloads or streaming. So if the records didn’t get into the stores, pretty much no one got them. Thus, original albums on Ghetto Records are now hard to find and collectible. At the time of this writing, not many were available on Discogs and even the unofficial copies there are selling for higher prices.

These recordings are so rare that many of the original tapes are no longer available. Thus the VMP website explains, transparently: 

“All titles except for Los Que Son (which was cut AAA from tapes) and “Drug Story” and “Latin Soul Squaredance” from Drug Story (which were sourced from master tapes) were restored and remastered from needle drops of original vinyl copies by Jason Bitner. With the exception of Drug Story, lacquers for all titles were cut by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering.”

The website continues explaining just what a labor of love this project was:

“Ghetto Records’ master tapes were largely lost in the chaos of the label’s closure in the mid-70s. The team at Now-Again sourced the cleanest copies of rare original vinyl, which mastering engineer Jason Bitner spliced, restored and remastered. The exception was the Paul Ortiz album Los Que Son, whose master tapes Bataan zealously guarded over the years, and which was cut in an all-analog transfer. The never heard Bataan songs on Drug Story were found on a master tape in Spain, decades after Bataan thought he had lost it forever.”

All albums in The Story of Ghetto Recordsare pressed on high-quality 180-gram, black vinyl, pressed at GZ in Europe. I’ve been working my way through the set and all seem to be quiet and well centered. 

Overall I’m really enjoying The Story of Ghetto Records and it’s been an eye-opener in terms of many artists that I hadn’t heard of before. These folks were crafters of some spectacular grooves, for certain. 

Some of my favorites so far include the great Latin percussionist Candido’s Y Su Movimiento which sounds fantastic even for a so called “needle drop” copy.  “Bochinches” is a fun tune with killer sounding drums, cowbells, shakers and other percussion instruments forward in the mix against a swinging acoustic piano and full horn section.  

And how could I not fall in love with a swinging booty-shaker of a tune named “Felix The Cat”?  By Papo Felix with Ray Rodriquez, I like this one especially for its rich multi-layered saxophone punches and nice Stereo sound stage. 

All Ears album by La Fantastica has some sweet, super tight breaks on tracks like “Ya No Te Quiero” which lead into very jazz-like soloing and jamming,  with lovely counterpoint from vibraphonist Gregory Swift.

Paul Ortiz’ Los Que Son — one of the albums made from surviving master tapes — indeed has a somewhat more open and air-y feel to it which no doubt helps slow jams like “Tender Love” sparkle. That song is hyped on the cover as “the hit” and according to the liner notes it went to Number One on Latin radio in New York for several months.  

A side note: I don’t know if it is my imagination but this song sounds super familiar to me! Perhaps I heard this on another lowrider compilation? Maybe I remember hearing this chorus as a kid when flipping channels on my transistor AM radio or maybe someone was playing it on a boombox at the beach?  Heck, I could have heard it walking on the streets of New York when we went up to see my grandparents who lived in Washington Heights at the time (which had a strong Latin American community living there). I love moments like this when something deeply embedded in the back of the brain jumps to the forefront! 

All the album covers are of a classic design, finished in glossy laminated cover stock and made of thick cardboard construction — while I don’t own any originals to compare to, I will risk saying that these are probably better editions than the issues from the early 1970s. One of the albums, All Ears by La Fantastica is a beautiful and near-psychedelic looking gatefold design with super groovy ears, rainbows and other period-graphic flourishes. 

As you can tell, I am enjoying VMP’s The Story of Ghetto Records.  If you are ready to make the deep dive — and a set like this requires a certain level of dedication on the part of the listener to dig down and fully appreciate the nuanced differences between these recordings — there is much fine music here to discover.  You’ll no doubt want to return to these albums a lot. I know I plan to. 

If you are a fan of rich rare Latin soul grooves, picking up The Story of Ghetto Records should be a no brainer. 

New Brian Eno Dolby Atmos 5.1 Surround Sound Blu-ray FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE Offers Rich Immersive Listening Experience

It took me a bit to get my head around the new Brian Eno recording, FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE. Once I understood it’s intent, I was able to allow myself to follow this legendary artist on the deep musical journey contained within.

For those not familiar with his music, Eno is one of the pioneers of what we now commonly refer to as “ambient music.” He is also a leading light in experimental musics including with collaborators as diverse as King Crimson’s Robert Fripp, Harold Budd, Jon Hassell and The Velvet Underground’s John Cale. Eno also has a great legacy of his own having come out of Britain’s legendary glam rock band Roxy Music. After leaving the group, he created four particularly inspired rock oriented recordings in mid 1970s before mostly directing his career towards ambient soundscapes, soundtracks and audio-visual installations around the world. 

While FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE is available on vinyl as well as streaming, it is also available as a surround sound experience which will be the focus of this review.  Mixed into the new Dolby Atmos format and available only on Blu-ray Disc, the album delivers a rich immersion which can take the listener even more into Eno’s mindset than the Stereo mix.

The music on this new Eno record is beautiful but admittedly a bit heavy as it is warning people about what is happening on our planet and its likely effects on mankind.  

His website explains: “It’s a sonically beguiling, ultimately optimistic exploration of the narrowing, precarious future of humanity and our planet. As Eno himself concludes, “Briefly, we need to fall in love again, but this time with Nature, with Civilisation and with our hopes for the future.” 

While it isn’t all doom and gloom, FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE isn’t the dreamy, optimal bliss he explored long ago on tracks like “On Some Faraway Beach” from his solo debut Here Come The Warm Jets (“Given the chance I’ll die like a baby on some far away beach, when the season’s over….”).  A beautiful track like “These Small Noises” offers a harsher endgame vision (“Go to Earth, our hair on fire, go to Hell, in Hell to burn).

I think you get the idea… this isn’t easy, but many things that are good are worth working to appreciate. 

The mix on FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE is gently immersive yet very effective, delivering music and sound effects from all the surround channels and fields.  One of the challenges of mixing for Dolby Atmos is that it is a format originally (primarily?) designed for movies in theaters, not necessarily music. So an artist has to really consider what they want to do with those additional channels to make a compelling, notably the new “height” channels. 

I have heard some remixes of older music into Dolby Atmos and most have been quite disappointing as the producers simply added a bunch of artificial reverb, not really thinking about the experience as a three dimensional space where discrete information can be delivered to the listener. 

On Eno’s FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE in Dolby Atmos you’ll hear distinct detailing coming from each of the speakers at different points. Whether it’s a chime or the chang-like sound of an exotic bell, or some other kind of sparkly percussive instrument, all of these combine to create a beautiful, rewarding listening experience. At points you’ll feel like you are sitting in the out of doors, perhaps in or near a forest, with birds tweeting and other sounds of nature around you.  

The Super Deluxe Edition website offered some useful additional insight into Eno’s creative process in making this new Dolby Atmos listening experience. Engineer Emre Ramazanoglu reported: “It was fascinating approaching this Atmos mix with Brian in the room. He approached the mix in an extremely unorthodox fashion, removing the concept of a ‘front’ in the mix stage. It’s a fully immersive experience unlike others I have mixed. The song was still kept at the heart of the Atmos transformation though and he paid enormous attention to the position of each element and how that supported the piece as a whole. There will be also be differences from the stereo mix other than the spatial reimagining, due to the creative process that involved certain elements being subtly different from the original stereo masters.”

In many ways surround sound is the ideal way to hear FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE because it’s all ultimately about nature and man’s relationship to it.  As I said earlier this album is a little bit heavy so don’t go into this expected to hear purely soothing music. Eno sings on most of the tracks on here his voice is rich and compelling. Lyrically some of the songs may deliver a gut punch but that is the point. Ultimately, FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE is a wake up call. Listen with open ears and open mind.

Brian Eno’s FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE in surround sound was only available for a limited time from the Super Deluxe Edition website, which is where I ordered my copy from. It is sold out at this point but if there is demand perhaps there will be another pressing run. It’s well worth getting if you have a Dolby Atmos set up and are into Eno’s music.

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