The Now Spinning/Recent Purchases Thread

A couple of cool Buicks in the video also. I saw a '58 (?) early on, and a '60 convertible (probably a LeSabre).

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The blue and white one is a 1955. I was wondering if the video was shot in Havana...with what I understand of trade restrictions, I didn't think it would be possible.
 
The blue and white one is a 1955. I was wondering if the video was shot in Havana...with what I understand of trade restrictions, I didn't think it would be possible.
Raul Malo has Cuban ancestry, so it is possible the video may be from Havana. (It is possible the "street" video was shot there and sent over to the US.)
 
The DirectStream DAC got a software update (Windom...formerly Snowmass) and I'm giving it a spin while I work here. This is spinning at the moment:

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The first couple Mavericks albums were more rooted in country, but here is where Raul Malo starts adding more of his vast influences. "Dance The Night Away" adds some of the Latino influences:



PBS had a Great Performances episode on Raul Malo called "Havana Time Machine." It is only available for streaming if you are a PBS donor, but there is a DVD (no BluRay, unfortunately) of the program. I am going to order it nonetheless. Malo has Cuban ancestry (his parents were born there), and he is visiting Cuba for the first time in this program, discovering his musical roots.
 
I just download on itunes, former A&M & Warner Bros. artist Gary Wright "Connected" which came out in 2010!! What a great sounding CD that I listened on headphones!! This is Gary's best solo album so far of his career since Spooky Tooth "Spooky Two"!!
 
New arrival:

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Like the title says, this album was recorded and mixed in mono. It fits the old-timey feel of many of the songs on this record. Another couple of recent records by the James Hunter Six were also released only in mono, which suits their sound perfectly.

In a few weeks, a new Mavericks release is on the way. It seems to be mostly a covers album, with their unique spin on the tunes:

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Here's the pre-release single, "Swingin'," a cover of the John Anderson tune.

 
Wow it seems Mono recordings are starting to become Cool again at least for some artists it sounds more well suited and more natural for them the key for me is if it sounds good and carefully well produced in all the right places. And for some listeners they would prefer to have all the sound in one room so to speak. With no separation. Just my opinion.
 
Here's a little of the James Hunter Six--I don't know if all of his albums are this way, but the two I own are released only in mono. Once you hear the music, it fits the format!



 
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Here's a little of the James Hunter Six--I don't know if all of his albums are this way, but the two I own are released only in mono. Once you hear the music, it fits the format!




I agree and I rest my case and this music is great it has that old school melody/rhythm vibe going for it and the vocals are excellent.
 
I agree and I rest my case and this music is great it has that old school melody/rhythm vibe going for it and the vocals are excellent.
I hear that he's quite a road warrior, preferring to tour but not making too many records. They definitely have a sound that is a throwback to classic soul of the 50s and 60s. It is one of those sounds that never grows old.
 
I hear that he's quite a road warrior, preferring to tour but not making too many records. They definitely have a sound that is a throwback to classic soul of the 50s and 60s. It is one of those sounds that never grows old.
I totally agree and this is the kind of music we need so much more of especially on the Radio these days
 
I totally agree and this is the kind of music we need so much more of especially on the Radio these days
Definitely. Mass market radio totally misses the majority of music being made today. I don't even think small record labels even bother trying to get into terrestrial radio now, not like they did decades ago. All they need to do is drop a few tracks on the Internet and at YouTube to get their publicity now. There might be a few stray satellite stations that pick up these lesser known artists and bands, but that is kind of a walled-off environment requiring a subscription.
 
The Mavericks Play The Hits is out next Friday, and I've heard a couple more singles from the album. What they've done here is an all-covers album of country songs that Raul Malo says they cut their teeth on in the band's early days. So there's everything here from Waylon Jennings ("Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way") to Freddy Fender ("Before The Next Teardrop Falls"), John Anderson ("Swingin'") and Patty Loveless ("Blame It On Your Heart"). Got the limited edition translucent gold vinyl edition on preorder.

Another tune I recently found that is in a retro style is "Crusin' To The Park" by Durand Jones and The Indications, a recent group that does a full-blown throwback to 60s and 70s soul. It reminds me a lot of what I have been listening to lately (a lot of 70s soul). I could almost hear The Stylistics doing a tune like this, back in the day.

 
Here's a little of the James Hunter Six--I don't know if all of his albums are this way, but the two I own are released only in mono. Once you hear the music, it fits the format!






Wow! Where's this guy been all of my life? Listening to his music is like listening to James Brown, Otis Redding, Dennis Yost and the Classics lV, Sam Cooke and Delbert McClinton all rolled into one...

Rood, this isn't the first time you've turned me onto some good stuff, but it's definitely one of the best!
 
Wow! Where's this guy been all of my life? Listening to his music is like listening to James Brown, Otis Redding, Dennis Yost and the Classics lV, Sam Cooke and Delbert McClinton all rolled into one...

Rood, this isn't the first time you've turned me onto some good stuff, but it's definitely one of the best!
👍👍

I have to thank my pal Dustin for turning me on to the James Hunter Six, and I enjoy Hunter for those same reasons. Few are making music like this today! And it's proof that just because it's an older style, that doesn't mean it's stale or out of date. He's got a perfect bluesy voice for the music, but what I also like is that the band is right behind him like a 1-2 punch with a similar energy.

That is a common thread in what appeals to me, especially in my last couple months of posts here. The Stray Cats were always a throwback to rockabilly from a few decades prior, and they're still doing it today...and happen to be good musicians on top of it. Durand Jones & The Indications is another--I haven't explored their two albums yet, but the single I posted is clearly rooted in 60s and 70s soul. Charles Bradley is supposed to be another good one--I haven't explored his recordings yet. The retro country band BR549 hails back to country music from decades past with a bit of a modern twist to the lyrics (of their self-penned songs), and it was estimated they knew over 600 cover songs that they played especially during their early years at Robert's on Lower Broadway in Nashville.

Even The Mavericks have some of that vibe--leader Raul Malo is fully aware of his Cuban ancestry (born in Miami to Cuban immigrants) and explores it through his albums. The first three Mavericks albums were squarely rooted in country music, which is where they made their name and got on the charts. The fourth (Music for All Occasions) added other influences (including Tejano accordianist Flaco Jimenez on "All You Do Is Bring Me Down"), and by Trampoline, he finally had a chance to apply his other influences. In concert, he's been known to play a few classic Latin American tunes like "Guantanamera." All this is rolled up into their own unique style that you can't exactly put a name to, but is recognizable as being their own.

The nicest part of all of these? No drum machines. 😁
 
I really don't mind drum machines too much, but it's all about context. Bands that add drum machines an an attempt to modernize and sound relevant just come across as awkward. Some artists or bands were built around drum machines or synths (Prince, Depeche Mode, Yazoo, etc.) so it's fits with their sound.

Or if it is for artistic effect, like what Pat Metheny did on a few of his songs, it's not a big deal. (My favorite is on the tune "Sunlight" from Secret Story--Pat had a "Steely Dan moment" where he tried numerous drummers to get a particular sound on that tune, but nobody could get the feel he was looking for. He ended up using a drum programmer whose work nailed exactly what he was looking for. And unless you know to listen for it, you'd think it was a human drummer.) Pat's album We Live Here was controversial to some of his fans since he used drum machines on it, but that was largely due to him exploring "street" sounds on that record, much like Herb doing the same with North on South St..

(Steely Dan moment--that's the infamous story for the song "Peg" where they went through a handful of top-tier guitarists who didn't nail the guitar solo they wanted until Jay Graydon cut his well-known solo on it.)
 
I've stumbled onto something else as an offshoot from a favorite musician/band.

Sha has been the bass- and contra-bass clarinet and saxophone mainstay in Nik Bärtsch's Ronin (and Mobile) for many years, and I wasn't aware that he had a couple of recordings of his own as a leader. Sha's Feckel is his group, and features Kaspar Rast on drums (who appears on all of Nik Bärtsch's recordings) along with electric guitar and bass. This album is Feckel for Lovers, which I am guessing may be a tongue-in-cheek title.

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If I had to describe it, it's like an instrumental prog rock/jazz album. There's a lot of polyrhythm, a little dissonance, heavy guitar, solid beat, and both loose improvisation along with some of the structural discipline from Nik Bärtsch's group. Sha's tune "A" from this recording would be recorded by Nik Bärtsch's Ronin on Awase, the first non-Bärtsch composition on any of his albums. Two of the tunes were composed by the group Oceansize.

Here is a performance by Sha's Feckel at EXIL, the live music club which Nik Bärtsch co-owns and plays at every Monday evening ("Montags"). The tunes "48" and "A" are performed here; I couldn't identify the third tune during the last four minutes.

 
Two things. The new Mavericks release is available today, and I've already given it a play in Qobuz this morning. A stellar job by the group--it sounds like they were having a lot of fun remaking these classics. They recorded Elvis's "Don't Be Cruel" and even managed to turn a Bruce Springsteen tune into something that I can actually listen to all the way thorugh ("Hungry Heart").

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I've also been listening to Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim (OK, Tom Jobim :laugh: ) this morning--the three CTi albums. I discovered Qobuz has high-res versions of Wave and Tide, and I've been playing those along with Stone Flower. Also in the queue are The Wonderful World of Antonio Carlos Jobim (Warner, high-res) and The Composer of Desafinado, Plays (Verve, SACD).
 
Got Harry Connick Jr. "Tribute To Cole Porter", Hootie And The Blowfish "Imperfect Circle", Jeff Lynne's ELO "From Out Of Nowhere", Bruce Cockburn "Crowing Ignites", Robbie Robertson "Sinematic", Bruce Springsteen "Western Stars" (movie soundtrack), Taylor Swift "Lover", Sheryl Crow "Threads" & Trisha Yearwood "Every Girl". Got a lot of listening to do WHEW!!!
 
Dang, I thought RCA and Columbia Record Clubs were dead? Lol. That’s a small fortune Matt. Have a great weekend with your new cache of music. Sounds like a fun one to me.
 
I just got on itunes, The 1910 Fruitgum Co. "Hard Ride" (1969 on Buddah) that went nowhere on the Billboard Top 200 Album Charts because it did not chart. On the cover are the "Hell's Angels" with their motorcycles!! The song "The Train" (45 single) only went to # 57 in October of 1969 which the MONO 45 version has the "choo choos" while the album version does not have it. That group did that song on John Byner's "Somethin' Else" in early 1970 & can be found on YouTube riding the train!! The song "Don't Have To Run And Hide" kicks things off with the horn section & somehow the lead singer is barely heard in the mix because of the horns. The song "Beggars Epitath" reminds me of Blood, Sweat & Tears!! The songs "Eulogy" & "Selub" has a Janis Joplin soundalike which is 9 minutes!! The song "All These Things" has 2 singers, one on the left & one on the right speaker & adds a bell at the end of the song!! The song "Creations Of Simon" is the sequel to the song "Simon Says" (which was their biggest hit)!! The song "Collections Of Thoughts" has a sexy guitar vibe to the song in which a couple is whispering to each other & saying "Where do I start?" The songs "In The Beginning" & "The Thing" is a weird & wild instrumental going back & fourth using sound effects & horns!! The last song "Togetherly Alone (5 Movements)" (on side 2) reminds me of Chicago's "III" (from 1971) which they did the songs "Man Vs. Man" & "The End" (both instrumentals) which closes Side 4!! Has anyone listened or bought the album back then & what are your thoughts?? Bought the used album in Flint, Michigan in March of 1988 at a used record store BUT the album has some scratches!! The itunes download sounds great which runs 40:16 in playing time BUT does NOT have the MONO version of "The Train" which is missing!! Yes indeed, The 1910 Fruitgum Company still tours across the U.S. doing their songs & some oldies!!
 
The flip 45 MONO single of "The Train" by The 1910 Fruitgum Co. is an instrumental called "Eternal Light" which is 1:50 in length also in MONO. I have not yet seen that group in concert in Michigan yet but hopefully in 2020!!
 
By the way, the song "Eternal Light" on the Buddah label does run 1:50 (from "The Best Of" Repertoire import CD) & NOT 2:25 which was a misprint on the 45 single!! Saw that on the EBay website!!
 
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