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October, 2009

Youth in Asia

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That Tender Age Theme Song (not sure of the country of origin – anyone?)

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (43 votes, average: 3.51 out of 5)
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No room for mirth or trifling here

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“Born to Die”   The Rodeheavers   They look to be in some kind of sick, cult-of-the-damned, death pact.     Born to Die is also a 1976 album by Grand Funk Railroad.   And a 1763 poem by Charles Wesley:

And am I only born to die?
And must I suddenly comply
With nature’s stern decree?
What after death for me remains?
Celestial joys, or hellish pains,
To all eternity?

How then ought I on earth to live,
While God prolongs the kind reprieve
And props the house of clay?
My sole concern, my single care,
To watch, and tremble, and prepare
Against the fatal day.

No room for mirth or trifling here,
For worldly hope, or worldly fear,
If life so soon is gone:
If now the Judge is at the door,
And all mankind must stand before
The inexorable throne!

No matter which my thoughts employ,
A moment’s misery, or joy;
But O! when both shall end,
Where shall I find my destined place?
Shall I my everlasting days
With fiends, or angels spend?

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (55 votes, average: 3.58 out of 5)
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Summertime blues

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July’s self-titled record is easily one of the top UK Psych Lp’s.   Epic Records   (1968) Tony Duhig on guitar, John Field on flute and keyboards, Tom Newman on vocals, Alan James playing bass, and Chris Jackson on drums.   The band lasted barely a year, leaving behind one of the most sought-after LPs of the British psychedelic boom (on the Major Minor label in England, and Epic Records in the U.S. and Canada). Their sound was a mix of trippy, lugubrious psychedelic meanderings, eerie, trippy vignettes (“Dandelion Seeds,” “My Clown”), and strange, bright electric-acoustic textured tracks (“Friendly Man”), with some dazzling guitar workouts (Crying Is for Writers”) for good measure, all spiced with some elements of world music, courtesy of Tony Duhig (who has since come to regard July as an embarrassing element in his resume). Their first single, “My Clown” b/w “Dandelion Seeds,” has come to be considered a classic piece of psychedelia while the album is just plain collectable, despite some shortcomings. The band separated in 1969, with Duhig moving on to Jade Warrior, Newman becoming a well-respected engineer, with Mike Oldfield Tubular Bells to his credit, and bassist Alan James later working with Cat Stevens and Kevin Coyne, among others.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (67 votes, average: 3.79 out of 5)
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Sssssummer lawnssss

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The Hissing of Summer Lawns   Joni Mitchell (1975)   Asylum Records

“In France They Kiss on Main Street”, “The Jungle Line”, “Edith and the Kingpin”, “Don’t Interrupt The Sorrow”, “Shades of Scarlett Conquering”, “The Hissing of Summer Lawns”, “The Boho Dance”, “Harry’s House/Centerpiece”, “Sweet Bird”, “Shadows and Light”

Graham Nash, David Crosby and James Taylor all contribute background vocals.   Taylor, Robben Ford, Jeff Baxter, Larry Carlton on guitar.   Victor Feldman, Joe Sample on keyboard.   Max Bennett and Wilton Felder, bass.   Chuck Findley and Bud Shank, horns.   Plus the Warrior Drums of Burundi on “The Jungle Line”.   Fun fact: the Burundi drums on this track were sampled on the Beastie Boys ‘B-boy Bouillabaisse’ from Paul’s Boutique

The follow up to Court and Spark, Joni’s most commercially successful album, Summer Lawns saw her risking new-found success with an edgier, experimental and adventurous album (and perhaps rock’s first dabbling in World Music?)   Critically scorned at the time, its now much loved as one of Joni’s most brilliant, personal artistic statements.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (47 votes, average: 3.49 out of 5)
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Do you wanna dance?

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1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (38 votes, average: 3.39 out of 5)
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Pin-up(side) down

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“Stretching Out”   Zoot Sims, Al Cohn,   United Artists   (1958)     The rest of the superb band includes Harry “Sweets” Edison, Hank Jones, bassist Eddie Jones, guitarist Freddie Green, and drummer Charlie Persip.

1. Stretching Out (Bob Brookmeyer) 6:09
2. Now Will You Be Good? (Jentes-Pease-Terker) 5:27
3. Pennies From Heaven (Johnston-Burke) 6:14
4. King Porter Stomp (Morton-Burke-Robbins) 4:38
5. Aint Misbehavin (Waller-Razaf-Brooks) 6:53
6. Bee Kay (Bill potts) 6:39

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (73 votes, average: 4.27 out of 5)
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Double f – Double s

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Another Stereo Demonstration Record.   This one on Decca UK.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (54 votes, average: 4.22 out of 5)
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Italian stallion

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Rocky Roberts “Ma Non Ti Lascio Appassionatament”   Durium Records Italy   Check him out on Youtube!

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (50 votes, average: 4.02 out of 5)
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How to listen to records when a mouse is in the house

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“Sucessos Em Desfile” Sammy Kaye and his Orchestra   Columbia Records

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (48 votes, average: 4.31 out of 5)
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Vampire Academy

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The Vampires   Satellite Records   Singapore   Two from a cool website called Mod-ified Check it out to read more and listen too.

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“Go Go West” with Rocky Wong and The Dick Day Group   Orchard Records

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (54 votes, average: 4.39 out of 5)
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