XTC — Ball and Chain

XTC -- Ball and Chain

• Artist: XTC
• Title: Ball and Chain
• Year: 1982
• Format: Vinyl 10 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: ?
• Keeper: Yes

Tracy

What would you rate this record?

Mary

I think a 6 or 7.

Tracy

Is it a 6 or 7?

Mary

A 7. It’s pretty good if you like XTC. For XTC it’s a good record.

Tracy

OK.

Mary

Don’t quote me.

I prefer the first song on the flip, “No Thugs in Our House.” Printed across the top of the jacket is:

• File Under – Teen Groups
• 10″ single for the price a 7″ single

Steve Weisberg — I Can’t Stand Another Night Alone (In Bed With You)

Steve Weisberg -- I Can't Stand Another Night Alone (In Bed With You)

• Artist: Steve Weisberg
• Title: I Can’t Stand Another Night Alone (In Bed With You)
• Year: 1986
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1988? – I think I got this at the record store my brother and I had.
• Keeper: Yes

I wasn’t sure this was going to be a keeper, but after playing it again, several times, I now remember how good it is. I can’t really remember how I got the record. Steve Weisberg is from the same town our record store was in so there must’ve been some awareness of him, maybe one of our customers told me about it. Anyhow, I Can’t Stand Another Night Alone (In Bed With You) is a very ambitious record. It’s hard to believe he was only 22 when this was recorded. And the list of contributing musicians is just as impressive. There are lot of jazz world big shots and just generally famous musicians like Hiram Bullock and Anton Fier. The music sounds somewhat like a film score, similar to The Cat by Jimmy Smith. It combines big band and jazz with Bullock’s shredding guitar and doesn’t sound the least bit pure. Which is great.

More about Steve Weisberg at Wikipedia.

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble — Couldn’t Stand the Weather

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble -- Couldn't Stand the Weather

• Artist: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
• Title: Couldn’t Stand the Weather
• Year: 1984
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 9
• Owner: Tracy and Bob
• Acquired: 2005 – Inherited from Bob Bobala
• Keeper: Yes

Oh, too many to blogs to keep up with. I haven’t been posting as often as I want. It’s too late and I’m too tired to do this record justice. Suffice it to say that Stevie Ray Vaughan was a massively talented genius and Couldn’t Stand the Weather is an excellent album. I think if I listened to it for another day I’d probably rate it a “10.” From memory I was thinking that this record wasn’t quite as good as the first, but now I’m not so sure. Stevie and Double Trouble (Tommy Shannon on bass and Chris Layton on drums) are slamming on all eight tracks. My favorite is the heavy funk title track, “Couldn’t Stand the Weather.” And their version of Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)” is phenomenal. I’m a huge Hendrix fan, but I like listening to this version just a little bit more. Vaughan’s tone is super fat. This is another record Bob should have kept.

More about Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble.

U2 — Pride (In the Name of Love) – Japan

U2 -- Pride (In the Name of Love) - Japan

• Artist: U2
• Title: Pride (In the Name of Love) – Japan
• Year: 1985
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1985 – Probably Tower Records in DC
• Keeper: Yes

Based on the track listing, according to Wikipedia, we have “Version 3” of this “Pride” 12 inch by U2. But that page doesn’t mention anything about it being a Japanese promo, which it is.

Side 1
“Pride (In the Name of Love)” (Single Version)
“Boomerang I” (Instrumental)
“Boomerang II”

Side 2
“11 O’Clock Tick Tock” (Long Version)
“Touch”

The “Boomerang” songs sound more like Duran Duran than what you would expect from U2. I like them. “11 O’clock” is a previously unreleased version. I don’t recognize “Touch” at all; it sounds very early. We’re going to keep this one. It has some interesting extras, a great package, and it appears to be a “collector’s item.”

The Tell-Tale Hearts – The Tell-Tale Hearts

The Tell-Tale Hearts - The Tell-Tale Hearts

• Artist: The Tell-Tale Hearts
• Title: The Tell-Tale Hearts
• Year: 1984
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1984 – Not sure where, probably mail order from Voxx Records.
• Keeper: Yes

I can’t believe The Tell-Tale Hearts still exist as a band, but they do have a MySpace page. So, at least you can go hear what I’m talking about. I used to love this stuff, and I still do. By “this stuff” I mean bands in the mid-1980s that were making music like, and even dressing like, proto-punk bands from the mid-1960s. That may seem a little corny in retrospect, but how is it any different from Interpol sounding like Joy Division? Or any of the numerous “post punk” bands on the scene the last few years? I love this self-titled record. My favorite track is the hyper-speed punked-out celebration of being in love titled “It Came to Me.” The Tell-Tale Hearts were, maybe still are, one of the best of this fun music scene. I don’t play this record much, but I always enjoy it when I do.

Savage Republic — Jamahinya

• Artist: Savage Republic
• Title: Jamahinya
• Year: 1988
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1988 – Promo at our record store
• Keeper: Maybe

I never did know much about Savage Republic, but Trouser Press can tell you all about the band. This album, Jamahinya, has a great package with a nice gatefold and matte finish. If I remember correctly, most records put out by their record label, Fundamental, back then had great packaging. Savage Republic’s sound is not something I can easily explain. It’s definitely arty, often rhythmic, and the vocals are kinda nerdy. That said, I’ve always liked this record even though I haven’t played it often, and I can’t imagine the vocals sounding any other way.

Kevin Shelton’s Skateboard Collection at The Push Gallery

This one if for my main man Bennie. He was the first guy I knew to have a “serious” skateboard. It was a Kryptonics Krypstick with gnarly see-through pizza deck grip tape, Tracker trucks, and some sweet green Kryptonic wheels. He was cool enough to let me use it to commute to summer school one year in junior high. It was slower than riding my bike but I really wanted to show off that board, even though it belonged to Bennie.

Asheville’s Kevin Shelton has quite a collection of cool boards too. And he’s not just a collector; he once was pro and road for Walker skateboards. Thanks to Push Skateshop Kevin’s collection is on display in their gallery. The gallery, which is probably bigger than the skateshop, regularly has art exhibited, paintings, sculptures etc., but this collection really combines the twin forces of art and skating like nothing else. I didn’t even know about it until I started talking to Rob, the owner, when he was helping out at my son’s skateboard camp last week. He helped Mars learn some new things. Maybe I can get him to coach me.

I took a ton a pics of this collection and had a difficult time picking these few. Shelton also has quite a collection of vintage snowboards and land luges on display, but the skateboards are what do it for me. Here are some of my favorites.

R.E.M. — Dead Letter Office

• Artist: R.E.M.
• Title: Dead Letter Office
• Year: 1987
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: ?
• Acquired: ?
• Keeper: Yes

I have another ticket stub that doesn’t really belong with the record of the day. It’s from R.E.M.’s tour to support the 1984 album Reckoning and I should’ve mentioned it when I posted that one. For some reason I did mention the show, with opening act Dream Syndicate, on the Murmur post. I see the ticket is stamped “COMP” so maybe I won tickets on the radio or something.

The thing I remember most is talking to Dream Syndicate guitarist Karl Precoda between bands. I thought they put on a great, and surprisingly hard-rockin’ show, and I made sure to tell him that. He seemed like a pretty cool guy, but he decided to leave the band soon after this tour. At least I know it wasn’t my fault. Another memorable bit was that during R.E.M.’s set the power went out. This was a relatively small place, better-suited to conventions. I remember some minimal amount of light, and that the band carried on in some sort of acoustic mode for a while. I was glad to see they were cool like that, and not some whiny prima donnas.

To the record… Dead Letter Office is a compilation of rarities, outtakes, b-sides and covers. Despite the odds it’s a pretty listenable collection. Peter Buck also wrote some great notes about each song on the liner. Good ol’ Wikipedia has more info about it.

Phantom Tollbooth — EP

• Artist: Phantom Tollbooth
• Title: EP
• Year: 1986
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 5
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: When? Plan 9 Records in Richmond, VA.
• Keeper: No

Funny thing, when I was listening to this EP by Phantom Tollbooth I kept thinking it sounded like a more metallic version of The Minutemen, with lamer, scratchier vocals. Then, I looked up some info I saw that Trouser Press had something similar to say. It has some decent moments, and if you’re into noisy art-rock you might dig it. We have more than enough of that stuff. I don’t need to hear it again.

Ozzy Osbourne — Diary of a Madman

• Artist: Ozzy Osbourne
• Title: Diary of a Madman
• Year: 1981
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 6
• Owner: Tracy and Bob
• Acquired: 2005 – Inherited from Bob Bobala when he moved to California
• Keeper: Yes

Usually, I only post a concert ticket stub if it’s from a tour that supported the album I’m discussing. That’s not the case here, but there are some connections to my Ozzfest 2001 ticket stub and this copy of Ozzy Osbourne’s Diary of a Madman. Both were given to me by my friend Bob Bobala.

Bob scored some killer tickets for the show at Nissan Pavilion. They were really close to the stage, in the shade, and not cheap. I bought Bob a shirt at the show, a lot cheaper. It was a long day of metal chaos and social observing. Black Sabbath with all the original members was, of course, the highlight; they blew everyone else away. By the end of the show we were getting pelted with ketchup packs and drink bottles by the jealous riffraff sitting on the grass, but it was worth it to see Sabbath up close.

Then, when Bob moved away he gave me quite a few records. This was one of them. I’ve always been a big fan of Sabbath but I never really followed Osbourne’s solo work. I have to admit I was kind of disappointed with the album as a whole. The big hit “Flying High Again” is excellent, but there is little else that comes close.

This was the last album Randy Rhoads recorded before he died. There’s also some interesting controversy about the credits for bass and drums. Sarzo and Aldridge pictured on the liner below didn’t play on the record.

I’m still a little surprised Bob didn’t keep this record when he moved. I’m going to take good care of it for him.