This classic jazz album was recorded in Montreux Jazz Festival in 1969, and is a fine record documenting a collaboration between pianist and vocalist Les McCann and trumpet player Eddie Harris. It is a fine sample of late 60s jazz–a little edgy, but not so edgy that the masses couldn’t find its grooves enjoyable.That it was a popular record is not surprising; it’s a very chilled-out, enjoyable snapshot of two jazz musicians at the height of their talent. Enjoy!
Hi–
We’re getting ready to put this baby to bed, and if you’re curious as to what’s in store, take a gander of my profile of Texas Is The Reason for The Big Takeover. The entire conversation will be included in the debut print edition, due in April!
Enjoy!
Joseph
A happy announcement: the first issue of The Recoup is done! That picture above represents the final editing and proofreading job I have ahead of me this weekend. When completed, it will be sent to our layout master, and then to the printer, and then will be available to you!
Here’s a brief sample of the music I’ll be listening to as I grind away, perfecting this bad boy.
Posted in from the desk of joseph, Videocast
Tagged News, The Recoup, Update, videocast
We here at The Recoup would like to wish Yoko Ono a happy 80th birthday! Her music and her art has always been divisive, and she has always been true to herself. Her art is uncompromising but not uninviting, serious but never too serious. A sense of fun has always been woven into her music, even at times when she wasn’t necessarily supposed to be “funny.”
And she didn’t break up the Beatles.
She pissed off the world, but she made John Lennon happy, and isn’t that way more important?
In the forthcoming print issue of The Recoup, I will share with you the forlorn story of my teenage martyrdom for Yoko Ono. It wasn’t easy growing up in East Texas in the 1980s and being a Yoko Ono fan, that’s for sure!
In the meantime, enjoy a dozen little peeks into her unique, fascinating career. Negative comments will be deleted. Just so you know.
Posted in Happy Birthday, Tribute, Videocast
Tagged Happy Birthday, tribute, videocast, Yoko Ono
Back in the 1990s, one of the more controversial punk-rock bands was Pansy Division. The group, led by the duo of Jon Ginoli and Chris Freeman, wrote hilarious songs about gay love, life, and a very open lifestyle, all in the guise of some excellent pop-punk. As a straight man, I appreciated their sense of humor and bravery, even though some of the songs depicted a lifestyle very, very foreign to me. I enjoyed their music and booked them a number of times, because I felt their message was an important one–and because they were a fun live band, too!
One of their better songs came in 1995, when they released a Valentine’s Day single. The song tells the tale of the love-lorn, and as someone who has suffered from chronic singularity for most of his life, I can appreciate the sentiment, regardless of the gender is being missed.
The single was on a lovely clear red vinyl–it was Valentine’s, of course!
The flip-side, however, was even more fun than the sad song on the A-side. They recorded two New Wave covers, both love songs of the finest caliber. The first was a cover of Josie Cotton’s classic love song, “He Could Be The One,” best known for its appearance on the soundtrack to the film Valley Girl. Sadly, it’s not uploaded on Youtube, but here’s the original:
The second song was a cover of Depeche Mode’s “What’s Your Name?” but the band retitled it “Pretty Boy,” as they felt it was the true title of the song. The original is a song of ambiguous sexuality–it was the era of androgyny, of course–but their cover removes all ambiguity. Again, the studio version isn’t on Youtube, but there’s a pretty good live version, so here ya go:
For those that like the day, I wish you a happy Valentine’s Day. For those of you who hate the day…tomorrow, the world may be struck by an asteroid, so be brave, be strong, don’t be too grumpy, because today’s not the end of the world. That’s tomorrow!
For many teenagers, the soundtrack to the teen movie Pump Up The Volume served as their primer to so-called “alternative rock.” It’s a great record, one you should seek out immediately if you have not heard it.
The lead single from the film was Concrete Blonde‘s cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Everybody Knows.” It was a minor hit, setting up the band for success with their next single, “Joey,” from their soon-to-be-a-hit album, Bloodletting.
Though not released officially in the United States, this lovely song did appear on a vinyl single, released in Australia, with a Sonic Youth song from the soundtrack, “Titanium Expose,” on the flip-side.
The pairing is sublime, a mixture of two sounds that contrast each other well. The A-side is dark and somber, while the flip side is noisy and fast and hazy.
Sometime in 1991, I happened upon a copy of this single for sale for a buck, and being a fan of both bands, grabbed it up, and was reminded of it toady after looking up Concrete Blonde on Discogs. It’s a somewhat rare single for both parties, even though the songs themselves are relatively easy to find. Still, it’s a great little record, and listening to the two songs again is making me smile on this hazy, humid night.
I have no idea where my copy of this record is–time and going away to college has a way of losing things for you…
Posted in Lost Singles
Tagged 1990, Concrete Blonde, Leonard Cohen, Lost Singles, Pump Up the Volume, Sonic Youth
Today sees the release of one of country music’s Holy Grails–the only known solo album by Don Rich. Who was he, you might ask? Rich was the creative partner of Buck Owens‘ backing band, The Buckaroos, from 1960 to the time of his fatal motorcycle accident in 1974. Dead at the young age of 32, Rich never had the chance to fully express himself creatively as a solo act.
He was a superb guitarist, and with Owens’ role on the show Hee Haw, he was a young man whose star was indeed on the rise. Rich had taken the vocalist turn on a number of the Buckaroos’ albums, and with him having the occasional vocalist spot live on television, it would have been unsurprising for Rich to seek out the opportunity to be a solo act as well. Nor is it surprising that Rich’s first album would be a collection of George Jones covers.
In the archival process, the songs have been left alone, leaving these songs in the same condition Rich left behind. There’s a rawness to the songs, thanks to the decision to use an eight-track recording setup, which suits the songs quite well. As to why these records have been lost…who knows? They weren’t found until last year, when they accidentally turned up in a vault search.
As one might expect, the songs selections included a mixture of Jones’ hits, tempered with lesser-known songs as well. His take on familiar numbers like “She Thinks I Still Care,” “The Race is On,” and “White Lightning” may not reach the level of the by-now-standard versions by Jones, but they’re still excellent renditions. Lesser-known songs, such as “Too Much Water” and “Love Bug,” fare better, as they don’t have the specter of familiarity hanging over them.
As a point to mention–and to make the album not feel so slight–four Buck Owens-sung Hee Haw recordings have been added to the collection, all of which feature Don Rich. They’re slightly redundant, as two songs, “The Race is On” and “Too Much Water” appear twice, and don’t necessarily add anything to the collection, but they do feature Rich and Owens together.
Don Rich’s death was hard on Owens, who, as legend has it, had a premonition of his death the night before it happened, shortly after a taping session. So lost in grief was Owens that in later years he would state that he nearly quit making music as a result. While 43 years may be a long-time-coming for a debut, these ten songs were indeed a promising start, and would have made a fine introduction to a lost talent.
Don Rich Sings George Jones is available now on Omnivore Recordings
