The Now Spinning/Recent Purchases Thread

[Mr Bill]

Since I've finally gotten a working turntable for the first time in 29 years (a long story my fellow moderators know all about) I've been picking an album to play as I cook and/or clean up every night... The first night it was Lani Hall's Double or Nothing, second night, Herb's Just You & Me and a few non-A&Ms on other nights... Last night (Taco Thursday as I had to work late on the traditional Taco Tuesday) I picked this terrific LP from A&M/I.R.S. artist The Payola$...

After one Ep on A&M of Canada (also released on I.R.S. US as a 7-inch "mini album" -- a format that lasted only for two records) and a full LP (In A Place Like This) on A&M Canada/I.R.S. in the US of A, No Stranger to Danger followed on A&M proper (though it carried the I.R.S. logo indicating it, like the A&M Oingo Boingo albums, was part of the agreement I.R.S. had with A&M to let A&M "cherry pick" I.R.S. artists A&M felt had potential for greatness under the more powerful promotion arms of A&M proper). The "hit" from this album was "Eyes of A Stranger" which never really caught my ear. It was popular on Rodney On The ROQ, Richard Blade and other 80s programming of the time, and still appears on many 80's comps.... But in my mind, the tune "Some Old Song" would have been a HUGE hit if only IT had been selected to be the single.

Here it is for your enjoyment... I trust "Some Old Song" will catch your ear the way it did mine some 40 years ago...



--Mr Bill

 

[AM Matt]

I do have The Payolas "20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection" Canada import on CD but that the only one that I have. Apple iTunes does have "Between A Rock And A Hyde Place: The Best Of" (complete album) (audio only)

 

[Mr Bill]

That compilation isn't bad, but it overlooks a LOT of "classic" Payola$s tracks. The thing I think hurt this band was the selection of their name -- whole funny in the early days of punk/new wave, the term "payola" still carried bad juju (even to this day)... Tha change form "Payola$" to "Paul Hyde and Payolas" was not enough and too late. Then the change to "Rock & Hyde" (combined with a change from A&M to Crapitol) was again too little too late... This band deserved more!

One would think with Bob Rock (Metallica producer and superb musician himself) and later albums produced by the legendary David Foster, this band would've had a major impact in pop music... Alas, not so...

Lead vocalist/guitarist and songwriter Paul Hyde continued to perform up until 2020, including a couple "Payolas" reunions with Bob Rock and other previous bandmates... Today he is focused on his visual imagery projects. Interesting as Sterling Storm, the lead singer of the other I.R.S. "mini LP" artist (The Humans) now works as a set designer...

Paul Hyde's son, David Nelson is a Canadian Rapper who works under the name "Emotionz," and is quite different than his dad, musically...

--Mr Bill

 

[Rudy]

I'm really needing to catch up on getting more of the IRS vinyl before it becomes completely unobtainium. I'm happy, though, that I got those four reissued Cramps LPs on 180g colored vinyl, as they were nicely mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearant and, if I'm not mistaken, pressed at QRP (which is operated by Analogue Productions). On Gravest Hits, I had the choice between black or red vinyl, and chose the black because it was less expensive (not as many were pressed on red); the jackets matched the records inside, so the red vinyl reissue had the red-tinted jacket.

I did get two Tom Robinson titles, Sector 27 and North by Northwest, in sealed condition if I'm not mistaken. I also really need to get the Oingo Boingo 10" again since mine has some groove burn from playing it so much in my high school years.

 

[Mr Bill]

I've been posting my nightly "now playing during cooking/cleanup" in our family chat group... Last night was Tom's Power and the Glory album and I posited, "I doubt my kids will even look to see who this is (but my daughter-in-law likely will)."

I'm still waiting t hear if they think Dad is still a "stick-in-the-mud" right-wing homophobe after researching who TR is/was...

--Mr Bill

 

[Rudy]

First world problems--loading my 400 GB SD card and 256GB USB thumb drive prior to a road trip. The latter is pretty much set as it's everything that is not jazz or classical. The 400GB holds the good stuff. I just had to remove a few things I haven't listened to, and load up a few that I've added in recent months.

No time to needle drop any of the new rekkids. Although I might see if I can squeak in doing Bill Evans Trio 64 and Trio 65. Verve's CD versions aren't as good as the vinyl (Analogue Productions on the former, ORG on the latter).

I almost thought about grabbing that new Bacharch/Costello on vinyl as it was remastered by Bob Ludwig. If the price is any better I may grab it when I'm back. Smokin' at the Half Note (Wes Montgomery and the Wynton Kelly Trio) came out Friday and that one is a must-have.

I have a twelve hour haul tomorrow, with a night and a dinner date in Lincoln NE. A year ago, I remember playing CTI albums the entire way out. Since I have way more now than I did back then, it should make for an interesting drive. Or I may end up playing nothing...

 

[Rudy]

I am blaming Qobuz for this one.

Open Qobuz

open.qobuz.com

There is an "autoplay" option after your queue has played, and I had it turned on. This ended up playing, so I listened to the rest of the album. It has a similar late night vibe to Diana Krall's The Look of Love album (which features Claus Ogerman's strings), but she has a voice that is similar to that of Bebel Gilberto's.

BTW, I listened to one of those Diana Krall tracks ("I Get Along Without You Very Well") on a system today that I probably couldn't afford in my lifetime but....wow. I heard this system at AXPONA but the rooms there are never ideal. I visited the manufacturer, PS Audio, this afternoon as I haven't visited in five years, and got about a half hour listening to the aspen FR30 speakers. This was in the main listening room (which is used for both demonstrating equipment as well as developing new components).

Nipper waits in the lobby...

 

[jfiedler17]

After one Ep on A&M of Canada (also released on I.R.S. US as a 7-inch "mini album" -- a format that lasted only for two records) and a full LP (In A Place Like This) on A&M Canada/I.R.S. in the US of A, No Stranger to Danger followed on A&M proper (though it carried the I.R.S. logo indicating it, like the A&M Oingo Boingo albums, was part of the agreement I.R.S. had with A&M to let A&M "cherry pick" I.R.S. artists A&M felt had potential for greatness under the more powerful promotion arms of A&M proper). The "hit" from this album was "Eyes of A Stranger" which never really caught my ear. It was popular on Rodney On The ROQ, Richard Blade and other 80s programming of the time, and still appears on many 80's comps.... But in my mind, the tune "Some Old Song" would have been a HUGE hit if only IT had been selected to be the single.

Agreed. "Eyes of a Stranger" is the only song of theirs I ever seem to encounter on the radio, but I've never really latched onto that one for some reason, and I find myself listening to "Some Old Song" and "Romance" much more often.

I did get two Tom Robinson titles, Sector 27 and North by Northwest, in sealed condition if I'm not mistaken.

I've not heard either of those yet, but I do have his first two albums (Power in the Darkness and TRB Two) and listen to those quite often. ("2-4-6-8 Motorway" is about as fun and infectious as songs come, and "Bully for You" - it's impossible for someone like myself to not immediately take to something both written by Peter Gabriel and produced by Todd Rundgren - is incredibly underappreciated, not in the least since I'd also swear it's where Roger Waters must have come up with the idea for "Another Brick in the Wall.")
Hope and Glory is the one of his I hope to find next, if just so I can have a copy of "War Baby" in some form. I heard that song for the first time just last year via my favorite local radio station, and it totally blew me away. I didn't recognize it as being by him at first, if only because it's so different from his TRB-era material, but it's become my new favorite song of his since then.
Very underrated songwriter, that guy. Shame he never really caught on here in the U.S..

 

[Rudy]

I've been listening in spurts during the trip. Some hours it's silence. Otherwise, I'll play a few albums in a row from the same artist. Two days ago (or was it yesterday--it's all a blur) it was a handful of Michael Franks albums, which I haven't listened to in a while. This afternoon during the final hours of the rally it was Jean-Luc Ponty. I've had Brubeck playing on and off as well.

 

[Mark-T]

"Design if a Decade" by Janet Jackson- a greatest hits album.
Rather groundbreaking singles due to the production- but unfortunately by the end of the compilation, it begins to sounds all the same. Great for cherry picking individual tunes though.

 

[Rudy]

I still think Control and Rhythm Nation are her two best albums. The production was a big plus--Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis had developed beyond their earlier Minneapolis sound and got something a lot more sophisticated as a result. Control was more stripped down and lean, where Rhythm Nation had a lot more layers to it. I could listen to both of these all the way through and feel as though I've had all the "greatest hits" I need. I couldn't listen much to janet. and only played it a couple of times. (And wasn't that the album where they went overboard with a ton of "interludes" between all the songs?)

Janet's first two A&M albums are nearly forgotten today. Dream Street (her second) was such a dud that our local R&B stations didn't play a single track from it (in fact, I only learned about it when I saw a used copy of that record in a dollar bin just a couple years after it was released), whereas her first album at least had two or three minor radio hits.

 

[jfiedler17]

I still think Control and Rhythm Nation are her two best albums. The production was a big plus--Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis had developed beyond their earlier Minneapolis sound and got something a lot more sophisticated as a result. Control was more stripped down and lean, where Rhythm Nation had a lot more layers to it. I could listen to both of these all the way through and feel as though I've had all the "greatest hits" I need. I couldn't listen much to janet. and only played it a couple of times. (And wasn't that the album where they went overboard with a ton of "interludes" between all the songs?)

The interludes started on Rhythm Nation, but most of them were just a few seconds each, so they weren't as noticeable as they were on later releases. janet. has its moments (though my two favorites on there are the least characteristic of the album as a whole: "What'll I Do" sounds more like a lost Stax soul song from the '60s than '90s R&B/hip-hop, and "Whoops Now" isn't even listed on the cover and is hidden at the very end of the CD after a long pause), but it's a noticeably less melodic album than any of her previous records (there are even moments where it almost sounds discordant, like the breaks on "If") and it's where her music also starts to get much more lyrically unsuitable for younger ears. She kinda lost me from that point onwards, with the exception of the occasional sunny-sounding single like "Runaway" or "Someone to Call My Lover."

I agree that Control and Rhythm Nation still remain her two best records. She's always been best working in tandem with Jam and Lewis, and their chemistry was never better than it was during those years. The songs were consistently strong, and the albums just had a real sense of focus and unity that's missing from everything after that. I probably prefer Control to Rhythm Nation ever so slightly, if just because the sheer strength of songs like "When I Think of You" and "Let's Wait Awhile," which I think is still the prettiest thing she's ever done - the lyric's so innocent, the melody's lovely, and the chord sequence reminds me of one of my favorite America songs, "Daisy Jane."

 

[Mark-T]

I agree Control and Rhythm Nation are the two best. In general, I find her voice to be rather thin, but I can't resist the production!

 

[Rudy]

I agree Control and Rhythm Nation are the two best. In general, I find her voice to be rather thin, but I can't resist the production!

I agree--it's the whole package that works for me. I prefer singers in a deeper register for the most part.

 

[Rudy]

I've been on somewhat of a Michael Franks kick lately. And while looking through Qobuz while working outdoors, I discovered that his frequent vocal partner, Veronica Nunn, had a few records under her own name, including one called The Art of Michael Franks. On the album, which I'm listening to now, she puts a smoky jazz twist on a collection of Franks' tunes, drawn from albums throughout his career.

One highlight is the track "Leading Me Back to You," which features a guest vocal by Michael Franks. (Turning the tables, as it were, as Veronica would make an appearance on his albums as well as sing in his touring band.) Her voice is in a husky middle range alto that I like, and she is featured with Franks nicely on the track. This one did not appear on his albums--this was a track that appeared on Joe Sample's late 80s album Spellbound. (Sample appeared on Franks' first major label album, The Art of Tea.)



The original version from Samples' album (which also featured guest vocal parts by Take 6, and Al Jarreau, who sang another Franks composition "Somehow Our Love Survives") is featured here.

 

[Rudy]

Michael Franks also has an A&M connection, by way of the Sonny & Brownie album from 1973. Franks contributed three tracks ("You Bring Out the Boogie in Me," "White Boy Lost in the Blues," and "Jesus Gonna Make It Alright") and played guitar and banjo on these tracks as well. These are tracks 3, 6, and 10 in the playlist below.

 

[Bobberman]

I've been on somewhat of a Michael Franks kick lately. And while looking through Qobuz while working outdoors, I discovered that his frequent vocal partner, Veronica Nunn, had a few records under her own name, including one called The Art of Michael Franks. On the album, which I'm listening to now, she puts a smoky jazz twist on a collection of Franks' tunes, drawn from albums throughout his career.

One highlight is the track "Leading Me Back to You," which features a guest vocal by Michael Franks. (Turning the tables, as it were, as Veronica would make an appearance on his albums as well as sing in his touring band.) Her voice is in a husky middle range alto that I like, and she is featured with Franks nicely on the track. This one did not appear on his albums--this was a track that appeared on Joe Sample's late 80s album Spellbound. (Sample appeared on Franks' first major label album, The Art of Tea.)



The original version from Samples' album (which also featured guest vocal parts by Take 6, and Al Jarreau, who sang another Franks composition "Somehow Our Love Survives") is featured here.

BRAVO that slower version remaining True to the original while being done More slower and in a more traditional Jazz vein

 

[Rudy]

Raul Malo's latest is Say Less, his first all-instrumental album.



A few of the tracks were recorded with The Mavericks. Others were recorded in his home studio, many with his son Dino Malo. Pretty good album so far! Just found out the Mavs were in town yesterday evening...I missed out but on the other hand, at least Ticketmaster did not get a penny from me.

 

[Mark-T]

I've been on somewhat of a Michael Franks kick lately. And while looking through Qobuz while working outdoors, I discovered that his frequent vocal partner, Veronica Nunn, had a few records under her own name, including one called The Art of Michael Franks. On the album, which I'm listening to now, she puts a smoky jazz twist on a collection of Franks' tunes, drawn from albums throughout his career.

One highlight is the track "Leading Me Back to You," which features a guest vocal by Michael Franks. (Turning the tables, as it were, as Veronica would make an appearance on his albums as well as sing in his touring band.) Her voice is in a husky middle range alto that I like, and she is featured with Franks nicely on the track. This one did not appear on his albums--this was a track that appeared on Joe Sample's late 80s album Spellbound. (Sample appeared on Franks' first major label album, The Art of Tea.)



The original version from Samples' album (which also featured guest vocal parts by Take 6, and Al Jarreau, who sang another Franks composition "Somehow Our Love Survives") is featured here.

What a GREAT and distinctive voice she has- and a very nice track!

 

[Rudy]

What a GREAT and distinctive voice she has- and a very nice track!

She appears to be one of those singers who isn't a household name and is often overlooked in the grand scheme of things. It says a lot that she has accompanied Michael Franks on his tours for a couple of decades. I can't recall if she was touring for his album The Camera Never Lies (which is when I saw Franks on tour), but despite his band members changing over the years, she has remained a constant, in addition to appearing on his later albums.

She's one of those singers I would like to surreptitiously slip into playlists or use as a demo track just to get her name out there.

 

[Rudy]

This evening I'm doing the Audiophile Workout. In other words, I'm playing some of my 45 RPM LP sets and I have to get up every 8-15 minutes to flip sides.

And that's kind of amusing since some audiophile complain that they don't like 45 RPM albums since they have to get up too often to flip sides. Yet...have you seen some of the attendees at AXPONA? They could stand to get up out of that chair a lot more often!

It's like Michael Fremer, who joked during one of his turntable setup seminars that I attended (and it went over the heads of the rest of the attendees apparently)--he gets up early and always has the workout gym at the hotel to himself during audio shows.

It's the MoFi 45 RPM Kind of Blue this evening. Not sure if I'll play Time Out next, or Time Further Out. I want to get in Diana Krall's The Look of Love 45 rpm set also, and possibly a side or two of Belafonte Sings The Blues.

My preorder for Jazz Samba should be here within a week. Release date is Friday. But Amazon seems to ship it on release date vs. shipping it a day or two early to arrive on release date. This is the Verve Acoustic Sounds Series reissue. I have this in a high-res download as well as a DCC gold CD from decades ago. Very excited to hear this version when it gets here.

In the past I have complained about how some of the records from Analogue Productions haven't been too well centered. Yet most new pressings in the past year or two have been perfect. When I took a tour through Quality Record Pressing (Salina, KS) a couple of weeks ago, they have gotten in new computerized equipment which helps them center the stampers properly, based on the lock groove in the run-out area. All of these Verve Acoustic Sounds series records are all perfectly centered, and the vinyl has been unusually quiet.

 

[Rudy]

"Take Five."

 

[Rudy]

From the Verve Acoustic Sounds series, an ¡mpulse! record.

Other than two vocal tracks, Ray Charles sticks mostly to organ here. In a way, it sounds as though Charles was a guest performer on a Quincy Jones record, and that's not necessarily a bad thing as it's a good way to hear more Quincy Jones arrangements. Q is leading the Count Basie band on this set. (Ralph Burns arranged four of the ten tracks on the record, including the vocal track "I've Got News for You", one that our high school big band played).

This followed another ¡mpulse! record this morning, Quincy Jones' The Quintessence. Which is up there with his best big band albums, like Birth of a Band. Some of the albums before and after this one tended to lean heavily on covers of popular songs and weren't as adventurous as these two.



I'm hoping Acoustic Sounds gets around to The Quintessence in a future reissue.

 

[Rudy]

Seeing a brief video this morning of a pal Josh playing his guitar, I was somehow triggered to play the first Van Halen album.

Side One of this album has to be one of those perfect album sides. Being their debut, those five tracks tell you everything you need to know about Van Halen. "Runnin' With The Devil" establishes David Lee Roth's attitude, swagger, and massive ego. "Eruption" is one of those tracks that I imagine when most guitar players heard it, they were thinking, "What the heck did I just hear??" Eddie Van Halen's calling card, to so speak--it's not that "tapping" on the guitar was new (Steve Hackett did it quite well on early Genesis albums in years prior), but he introduced the technique to a whole generation of hard rock guitarists, establishing him as one of the preeminent guitarists in the biz almost overnight. "You Really Got Me" (a cover ot the Kinks song) and "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" showed the force of the rhythm section of Michael Anthony and Alex Van Halen working tightly together, along with their backing vocals. And "I'm The One" gets to show off a little of Alex's manic drumming technique.

Side two holds up well ("Jamie's Cryin'" and "Ice Cream Man" are fan favorites), and the only real dud is "On Fire" that ends side two. But while they had many good songs and albums after this one, this one really captured the moment well, and producer Ted Templeman managed to harness the energy of their local live performances and put it on record.

My pressing is one of those "HQ 180" reissues from Warner Bros. but in this case, Warner reused the metal parts from the Hoffman-mastered DCC vinyl version. I had a Warner pressing from the early 80s at one point but (stupidly) traded it in for the CD version.

 

[AM Matt]

The late Tina Turner "Twenty Four Seven" (from December 7, 1999) was the last studio solo album. Tina Turner - Twenty Four Seven Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic