R.E.M. — Reckoning

• Artist: R.E.M.
• Title: Reckoning
• Year: 1984
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Tracy / Mary – Both had copies.
• Acquired: 1984 – Unknown origin.
• Keeper: Yes

Last time I played R.E.M. I made the mistake of playing Judas Priest right before. This time I made sure to play Priest after spinning “Reckoning.” And goodness knows I needed it. I hate to sound like I’m bashing R.E.M. over and over. I almost feel guilty for not liking it more, but I just can’t get into it. This was the last R.E.M. record I ever bought and it was only 1984! I played it three times today and I have to admit that it’s quality music. I’m sure at the time it was refreshing to hear a guitar band that was making essentially “naked” music with intelligent lyrics.

Will I ever play it again? I seriously doubt it, but I will keep it. Mary likes them and we have all their records.

(Tidbit: On the spine of the cover it says “File Under Water.”)

Charlie Parker — History Of Jazz

• Artist: Charlie Parker
• Title: History Of Jazz
• Year: 1973
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 2005 – Inherited from my friend Bob Bobala.
• Keeper: Yes

It’s Charlie Parker. What else can I say? Maybe that this is the isn’t the best recording or pressing, but it’s decent. Perfect music for when it’s time to chill, or when the parents are over for dinner, or when I’m staring at the fish tank, or when I’m not sure what I should be doing, or when…

Ohio Players — Fire

• Artist: Ohio Players
• Title: Fire
• Year: 1974
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1998 ? – Pretty sure I got this at Record Mart in Alexandria, VA.
• Keeper: Yes

I’m ’bout to choke
From the smoke
Lemme tighten up my stroke
You’re a four alarm bay-baaaay

And when you sing the word “stroke” in the Ohio Players most awesome song “Fire” you have to go for the falsetto like you just sat on a tack. Some of the other songs on this record are sorta spaced out, trippy pop like you would expect on a mid-1970s soul record. Then, they hit you with “What The Hell” on side two. That song is one of the most metallic funk-jazz odysseys ever laid down. It’s like Funkadelic or something.

Signing off from another house hunting trip to Asheville, NC. Total driving time today: over 12 hours. When will it end?

Nervous Eaters — Hot Steel And Acid

• Artist: Nervous Eaters
• Title: Hot Steel And Acid
• Year: 1986
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1986 – Bought it when I worked at Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA.
• Keeper: Yes

How many times have you said to yourself “I feel like hearing some Nervous Eaters”? Never? Seriously? OK, I admit I kinda forget they exist, but almost every time I see “Hot Steel And Acid” in the collection I give it a spin. The Nervous Eaters are hard, fast rock and roll with dashes of punk and blues. I didn’t know anything about the band when I bought this and I still don’t. I think the cool die-cut album cover and the fact that they were on the label Ace Of Hearts with other good bands like the Lyres prompted me to check it out. (UPDATE: NervousEaters.com no seems to be owned by the band.)

Madness — One Step Beyond…

• Artist: Madness
• Title: One Step Beyond…
• Year: 1979
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 10
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1981 ? – Unknown origin.
• Keeper: Yes

Madness in general, and the album “One Step Beyond…” in particular is at the top of everyone’s list of favorite music in our house. Everything on here is a hit in some way. “One Step Beyond”, “Night Boat To Cairo”, “The Prince”, the greatest ska version of “Swan Lake” ever recorded, and my favorite, “Bed & Breakfast Man.” B&B is a complete tease with verse after verse until they finally give up the chorus one glorious time at the very end. Excellent album and we play it all the time. More about Madness.

Laibach — Let It Be

• Artist: Laibach
• Title: Let It Be
• Year: 1988
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 9
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1988 – Bought it for myself at our store RIP Records in Norfollk, VA.
• Keeper: Yes

More Laibach! Ja! Ja! Laibach is my all-time favorite Slovenian band. This collection of songs from the Beatles “Let It Be” makes me deeply regret not having all of their music. There’s still time!

The album is titled “Let It Be” but the title track itself is missing. The other songs, in a new order as per Laibach, are all insanely original interpretations. I could go on and on, but someone has already done a great article on the band at Wikipedia. Read more about them.

Paul Kelly and The Messengers — Under The Sun

• Artist: Paul Kelly and The Messengers
• Title: Under The Sun
• Year: 1988
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 6
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1988 – Ordered for her at our store RIP Records in Norfolk, VA.
• Keeper: Maybe

This falls into the decent-music-that-I’ll-probably-never-play-again category. It’s sorta roots rock with steel or pedal steel guitar thrown in occassionally. I could listen to all day and it wouldn’t bother me, but it doesn’t excite me either. Should we keep it?

Joe Jackson — Body and Soul

• Artist: Joe Jackson
• Title: Body and Soul
• Year: 1984
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1984 – Unknown origin.
• Keeper: Yes

Uh… When I first played this yesterday I told Mary it sounded more like Billy Joe(l) Jackson than I expected. I got the stink eye put on me for that comment. Just sayin’…

That said, “Body and Soul” has one of my all-time favorite songs on it: “You Can’t Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want).” Once that gets stuck in my head it’s there for a long time. “Cha Cha Loco” is another winner; I had forgotten about that one. Some of the other songs are just a little too “grand” or something. too fancy, too Lawrence Welk. I rated it high with an “8” because the great songs are just so great. This is not rock and roll, it’s a collection of sophisticated songs and arrangements. Am I just too unsophisticated to get it?

Billy Idol — Don’t Stop

• Artist: Billy Idol
• Title: Don’t Stop
• Year: 1981
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 5
• Owner: Tracy / Mary – We both had copies.
• Acquired: 1981 – Unknown origin.
• Keeper: Yes

Please, do stop. Actually, this is a reasonably listenable pop record. It’s hard to think that Billy Idol was in Generation X, not that they were really all that punk, but still… “Don’t Stop” is a four song EP that includes a cover of “Mony Mony” and the hit orginal “Dancing With Myself.” This guy definitely turned into a clown, but like any decent clown he’s always good for some laughs. More about that later…

Slim Harpo — The Best of Slim Harpo – The Original King Bee

• Artist: Slim Harpo
• Title: The Best of Slim Harpo – The Original King Bee
• Year: 1983
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1983 – I think I mail ordered this directly from Rhino Records.
• Keeper: Yes

I file Slim Harpo under “H” but I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that neither of those are his real names. I bought this record in one of my many blues phases; I was still in highschool during this one. The thing is Slim is not all that bluesy. Many pursists don’t like his stuff because he mixed it up with everything from rock and roll to country. That eclecticism didn’t keep him from having fans in the highest echelons in rock. Many bands from the Rolling Stones on down have recorded covers of his songs, “I’m a King Bee” and “Hipshake” in particular. The Moody Blues even named their band after one of his songs. My favorites are “Baby Scratch My Back” and “The Hippy Song.”