Beck — The Information

• Artist: Beck
• Title: The Information
• Year: 2006
• Format: CD
• Rating (1-10): 10
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 2006 – Christmas gift!
• Keeper: Yes

I haven’t read anything about Beck’s new record, The Information. I’m sure there are tons of intelligent and thoughtful reviews out there, but you won’t find that here. This is an excellent Beck record, with a little bit of everything and a whole lotta awesomeness. The moods and styles are typically eclectic, but there’s a certain laid back darkness to it. I like it.

Even the total package is interesting. The “Beck” label is a sticker on the case. The insert is a blank fold of graph paper. Inside, and pictured below, is a large sheet of stickers. And maybe best of all there is another disk: a DVD with a video for every song on the album! I’d say it looks like most of them were made the same day with about 30 friends, a couple hundred costumes, a rented mansion or palace, and some nutty video mixing.

You can download the album of course, and maybe even the videos, but where are you gonna get those cool stickers if you don’t buy the disk?

My favorite songs are “Cellphone’s Dead” and “We Dance Alone.” How can I not give this one a “10”?

Visit Beck.com.

XTC — Dear God

XTC -- Dear God

• Artist: XTC
• Title: Dear God
• Year: 1986
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1986 – When she worked at Plan 9 Records in Richmond, VA
• Keeper: Yes

Oh man, what was I saying before? So much for redoubling my posting frequency…

XTC created some minor controversy with their single “Dear God.” It seems it was originally a b-side for another single from the album Skylarking. It became such a hit that the album was repressed to include it. As a pop song, I think it’s solid, and certainly more interesting musically than most. The flipside on this is “Big Day” which has a much more psychedelic sound, but not as cartoonish as their stuff under the pseudonym The Dukes of Stratosphear. It’s decent but kind of boring.

And that concludes this pass through the 7 inch singles. We’re all out of Ys and Zs. For the next few posts I’ll put up some new stuff.

Weather Theatre — Bridge to Heaven

Weather Theatre -- Bridge to Heaven

• Artist: Weather Theatre
• Title: Bridge to Heaven
• Year: 1988
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 4
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: ?
• Keeper: No

I know… It probably appears one of my new year’s resolutions was to maintain my slackness in posting records, but it’s not true. I’m going to try to do better than every other day.

But this record by Weather Theatre isn’t that motivating. Even their fancy pants spelling of “Theatre” is offputting. I don’t know anything about these guys. They are a higly mediocre “alternative” band with some mild Echo and The Bunnymen wannabe thing going on. There’s a fancy pants fold out record cover, and the songs included are “Bridge to Heaven” and “Great God’s Gift.” It’s hard to believe this band came out of Seattle in the late 1980s.

The U.V’s — Dropping Bombs

The U.V.s -- Dropping Bombs

• Artist: The U.V’s
• Title: Dropping Bombs
• Year: 1989
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 4
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1989 – At our store RIP records in Norfolk, VA
• Keeper: No

The U.V’s (and that’s exactly how they spell it on the cover) are a band I know little about. All three songs on this record are incredibly boring. On “Dropping Bombs”, “Real World”, and “Deepest Blue” the band just plods along like any neighborhood garage band, with no energy and vocals, well, that go with the music. Since they are Australian, I think, I’m sure my expectations were high when I first got this.

Spinal Tap – Christmas With the Devil

• Artist: Spinal Tap
• Title: Christmas With the Devil
• Year: 1984
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: I have no idea…
• Keeper: Yes

I slammed so hard on my new skateboard ramp tonight that I threw up. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get out the out the door to back porch in time. The last time I threw up on the back porch I was a teenager coming home drunk from a party. (That only happened once, Mom!) So, I guess I was overdue for some porch puking. Damn, dude, it hurts. Anyhow…

I was going to post this record on Christmas, but I forgot to upload the picture before we started traveling. So, here it is on new year’s day. “Christmas with the Devil” is a very funny song from the very funny Spinal Tap from the very funny movie, Rob Reiner’s spoof that kept on spoofin’ for quite a while.

I can’t find much info about this record. According to the album notes at Wikipedia it’s rare, but both sides were added as bonus tracks to the This Is Spinal Tap CD. The “band” did a brutually funny performance of this song on Saturday Night Live that included chained elves pulling Santa’s sleigh with a Christmas tree on fire. That’s from memory. There must be a video out there somewhere, but I can’t find it.

The elves are dressed in leather
And the angels are in chains
The sugar plums are rancid
And the stockings are in flames

Christmas with the Devil!

R.E.M. — It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

• Artist: R.E.M.
• Title: It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
• Year: 1987
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1987 – Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA
• Keeper: Yes

Haven’t I already logged this song? Maybe it was 12 inch. Mary has a ton of singles and many of them are R.E.M. pieces. “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” was, of course, a big hit. It’s hard to forget that one, but I can’t remember much about “Last Date” on the flipside. I played it a couple times before we left, and we’re still on the road. (One night to go!) I think it was an instrumental and I’m pretty sure I was digging it.

Freda Payne — Band Of Gold

• Artist: Freda Payne
• Title: Band Of Gold
• Year: ???
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1987 ? – Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA

Mary bought this record in the mid to late-1980s. There’s no year anywhere on the label, and I know it was originally released much earlier. The story on this one is that Mary and her friend Alice Hawkins were at the original 9:30 Club to see Let’s Active. Apparently Mitch Easter himself was either DJing or making requests when Freda Payne’s “Band of Gold” came on. Mary and Alice loved it and were the only people dancing. Everyone else was too cool to get excited by some old Motown stuff. Mitch came over to the ladies and said “this is a great song!” Mary knew then she had to get the record.

The flipside something completely different: “She’s Not Just Another Woman” by The 8th Day. This number is a more funky tune. I dig it, but I never heard of the band before now and I don’t know anything about them.

Sinead O’Connor — Mandinka

• Artist: Sinead O’Connor
• Title: Mandinka
• Year: 1987
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: Dunno

“Mandinka” is pretty solid pop song, but if I never hear it again that’s OK. I worked at a record store with a friend, Robby Lloyd, when this came out and he played it so much that I think I’m set for life. “Drink Before the War” on the flipside is Sinead’s version of a metal power ballad, but with keyboards. I’m not kidding; this song builds like it was written by The Scorpions or something. One thing for sure, Sinead O’Connor has one good looking head. I’m jealous.

Naked Raygun — Vanilla Blue

• Artist: Naked Raygun
• Title: Vanilla Blue
• Year: 1987
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1987? — Maybe when I was working at Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA
• Keeper: Maybe

Christmas has made me so slack. We’re on the road now, but I played a buncha records and loaded up the pics right before we left. This one is Naked Raygun’s “Vanilla Blue.” For no particular reason I never really got into this band, but I like this song. I’m not sure how to describe it other than to say it’s interesting. The flipside is called “Slim” and it’s not so interesting. I think it’s just some samples of Slim Pickens from some old movies with some silly music backing it up. That’s three somes in one sentence y’all. Check out that sweet colored vinyl!

INXS — I Send a Message

• Artist: INXS
• Title: I Send a Message
• Year: 1984
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 6
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1987? – Used at Plan 9 Records in Richmond, VA
• Keeper: No

This INXS single, “I Send a Message”, is decent. I think I remember it from the radio or MTV. The back has “Mechanical” which does in fact have a lot of mechanical sounds mixed in with some strange too-arty ska groove. I doubt many people would recognize it as INXS. I think I bought one of their albums way back, but I really know much about the band. That said, I do have a story.

My friend John Hurlock and I went to see the Go Gos at the amusement park King’s Dominion. Please don’t tell anyone I told you this. Anyhow, we were in high school and it seemed like a good idea at the time–have fun at the park all day and see the Go Gos for cheap, $5 or something. This would have been in the very early 1980s. INXS was the opening band. At the time I had heard of them but that was about it. When they came on stage all the girls in the audience started losing it. They were screaming and rushing to the front. John and I were completely baffled since we had no idea Michael Hutchence was such a teen idol. It was like those films of the Beatles at Shea Stadium. Crazy.