Mark Weber on the West Coast Experimental Jazz Scene and the Shape of Things to Come Sun Ra Arkestra – April 2, 1981 Los Angeles – photo by Mark Weber I first got onto Mark Weber when I was researching Horace Tapscott and landed on Mark’s … [Read More...]
SPIN CYCLE-Rare, Overlooked and Worthwhile Records to Explore
SPIN CYCLE- Rare, Overlooked and Worthwhile Records to Explore I cycle through a lot of records here—some are rare or obscure and many are deserving of further attention, but most don’t get covered simply due to time constraints. Many are … [Read More...]
Black Cat Bones-Barbed Wire Sandwich
Black Cat Bones-Barbed Wire Sandwich An important album by a short-lived band known for the association of various members with a number of other early heavy rock and blues rock bands, among … [Read More...]
Air-Air
Air-Air This is a stunning record. Composed and performed by a band with a long working relationship with Herbie Mann (who produced the album), its vocal parts shine with soulful beauty thanks … [Read More...]
The Talking Blues-Doug MacLeod’s Break the Chain
The Talking Blues-Doug MacLeod’s Break the Chain I’ve always liked the blues. In some ways the simplest, yet often the most difficult music to play: the changes are easy, and while … [Read More...]
Randy Holden- Guitar God (Interview)
Randy Holden- Guitar God For those of you with an appreciation for hard, heavy guitar-centric rock from the period, it doesn’t get any better than Randy Holden. His solo album, Population II, is … [Read More...]
Atomic Rooster- Death Walks Behind You– Two Pressings
Atomic Rooster- Death Walks Behind You Two pressings: US and UK An interesting heavy rock record by an oft-overlooked band, this album—which was probably their best and most commercially … [Read More...]
The National Reserve- Motel La Grange
The National Reserve- Motel La Grange You can listen to Sean Walsh and The National Reserve’s Motel La Grange and be reminded of so many different strands of music from the past without … [Read More...]
Comus: First Utterance + Interview with Members of Comus
Comus: First Utterance The folk music revival of the ‘60s not only revitalized interest in traditional music but also sparked the creation of more contemporary sounds that were … [Read More...]
Josefus-Dead Man & SXSW
Josefus-Dead Man & SXSW Before we get to Josefus, and their classic, Dead Man, a precursor album of hard rock that was seemingly lost except to an informed group of fans and … [Read More...]
The Curious Case Of Record Cleaning In The Quest For Sonic Perfection
The Curious Case Of Record Cleaning In The Quest For Sonic Perfection Michael Bodell, September 1, 2018 “If there exists a more effective, easy, reliable, and utterly transformative way of cleaning LPs, I have yet to hear it.” Art Dudley, Stereophile March 2015 In 1952, Bendix Corporation of Davenport, Iowa took ultrasonic cleaning from the laboratory and into production for the first time. The company experimented with ultrasonic applications through the 1950s to find tank cleaning in a fluid an optimal use, especially in industrial applications. Ultrasonic cleaning, Bendix discovered, proved highly effective in dislodging and removing surface contamination and dirt through shock waves and fluid acceleration that accompanied the collapse of acoustic cavitation bubbles. Since ultrasonic sound waves at frequencies above 20kHz penetrate deep into crevices and cavities on both small and large objects its adoption for cleaning was swift in manufacturing for medical equipment, electronics, aerospace and automobiles. Time Magazine published an article, ‘Ultrasonics: Unheard Progress' in its March 16, 1959 issue. The article highlighted ultrasonic research and applications by Bendix. The article also featured the work of select fast growing companies building ultrasonic tanks to clean anything from engine parts to electric shavers to ball-point pens to entire cash registers. One firm, Detrex Chemical Industries of Detroit, was the largest U.S. manufacturer of dry-cleaning equipment. Their Chief Engineer T.J. Kearny was quoted: “Someday we’ll be cleaning clothes with ultrasonic equipment.” The possibilities then seemed endless driving experimentation for an ever-widening set of new applications. Seven years later in November 1966 just as pop and rock ’n’ rock record sales were exploding among Baby Boomers, Richard W. Henes, a Michigan Tech schooled mechanical engineer, applied for a U.S. patent for … [Read More...]
Peter Green: A Love That Burns- Definitive Reference Guide by Richard Orlando (3 volumes, Smiling Corgi Press 2017).
Peter Green: A Love That Burns- Definitive Reference Guide by Richard Orlando (3 volumes, Smiling Corgi Press 2017). To call this exhaustive study of Peter Green’s performances an ambitious undertaking would be damning by faint praise: over 1,900 pages, cataloging and commenting on the history and attributes of 1,000 recorded performances by the legendary guitarist Peter Green spread among three volumes. These volumes took author Richard Orlando more than 15 years to assemble. Green is a relatively modern artist who composed and performed within our lifetimes—and within a fairly narrow window of time. However, detailed information about the body of his work is not nearly as widespread or accessible as it is for many other artists of lesser significance. Orlando was forced to do the sort of music archeology often reserved for the early blues players, unearthing forgotten history even if it was not that long past. The level of detail on track history and the sheer scope of Orlando’s opus are staggering. But even more surprising --his prose is readable and engaging. Most reference books are just that—dry collections of data or factoids with no real narrative quality. Contrast that with the following passage: At the same time, he must have found full vindication of his belief in his own abilities at the thought that it was Mayall who now came to him. How else to explain that someone with a professional career consisting of one failed single and six-months of club work, believed he was now ready to step into “God’s” shoes. A Love That Burns, Vol. 1, p. 53. Orlando divides his writing into three volumes, each covering a defined period: Blues Gonna Be My Only Way 1961-June 1969; Under Way- June 1968-October 1969 and All My Trying Was Up- November 1969-June 1971. Smiling Corgi Press offers them as e-books and in paperback form. Unlike most “reference” books, my reading of the first book began at the … [Read More...]