Mott- Mad Shadows Somewhere between rock and glam, between obscurity and fame, Mott the Hoople delivered an album—Mad Shadows— that was a commercial and critical failure. But its loose arrangements, odd juxtaposition of styles and “unfocused” quality give it a dark aspect that makes it worthwhile to listen today. The record was produced for Island by Guy Stevens, a broken genius whose work spans some of the great pink label recordings (Free’s Tons of Sobs, certain tracks by Winwood and Traffic) and culminated in albums like The Clash’s London Calling. Stevens was a... Read More
Bachdenkel- Lemmings, Staligrad
Bachdenkel- Lemmings, Staligrad Anybody who was into this band back in the day was probably a pretty deep “head”—it’s one thing to find some long lost album that has been forgotten in the crush of time, but these guys seemed to be pretty obscure even when they were at their peak. Their first album—Lemmings—was released by Philips France. I have yet to see a copy in the flesh. Most of the old pressings in circulation are somewhat later issues by the Initial Recording Company. My copy of Lemmings is “numbered” but has no “bonus EP”- the reissue on Initial was sold... Read More
Record Reviews: The Obscure and Familiar
Record Reviews and Capsules: I’m long overdue to write some short pieces on individual albums. I like to write longer essays and articles, but those take time: to research, obtain interviews and edit. As a result, my coverage of individual records has suffered recently. No more! I haven’t given up the long-form piece – several are in the works, along with a few practical articles on ultrasonic cleaning and record flattening. In the meantime, many record reviews (or capsules—really just a “quickie” review to bring the album to your attention) are now coming your... Read More
Road Trip: Brooklyn Record Shopping
Road Trip: Brooklyn Record Shopping With the dog days of summer now behind us in New York, it was time for another road trip. This time, we decided to trek to Brooklyn to visit a few record shops (and enjoy some good food along the way). We lived in Brooklyn back when it wasn’t “hip.” In those days, Brooklyn was known for more expansive old apartments at cheaper rents than Manhattan and good local restaurants, particularly ethnic restaurants. It was not, however, a destination (except perhaps for the Botanical Garden, the Brooklyn Museum and a few other spots of interest,... Read More
Interview with Glenn Berger, Author of “Never Say No to A Rock Star”
The following interview with Glenn Berger ties into the release of his new book about working at the legendary A&R Studios in New York City during the golden age of the studio. Readers are encouraged to first read the accompanying review of Berger’s book, “Never Say No To a Rock Star In the Studio with Dylan, Sinatra, Jagger and More. Glenn Berger, after he had moved on from A & R Studios You got the job at A&R Studios when you were 17 years old. Did you have any sense of the caliber of artists and production work going on there when you started? GB: Oh,... Read More
Never Say No To a Rock Star In the Studio With Dylan, Sinatra, Jagger and More by Glenn Berger
Inside A&R Studios in its Heyday-Glenn Berger Recounts the Golden Era Working with Phil Ramone This is the rare “insider” book on the rock music business in its heyday: rare because unlike the name-dropping, image-burnishing autobiographies of many fabled artists and engineers, often told from the vantage point of age and (sometimes faded) celebrity, we are in the studio—Phil Ramone’s to be exact—witnessing the performances and engineering craft of the best in the business through the eyes (and ears) of a young intern/apprentice/assistant engineer. The author, Glenn... Read More
Prog Rock Obscurities – by Ken Golden
Prog Rock Obscurities – by Ken Golden Any list of recommended albums is simply a snapshot representing a momentary state of mind. Here are 10 prog rock albums that will require some digging but if you are a fan of the genre you will be rewarded. Don’t think of this as a definitive “top 10” just 10 great ones in no particular order: Spring – same (RCA Neon). Neon was RCA’s answer to Philips Vertigo label. In fact they poached Vertigo founder Olav Wyper and he set up shop offering similar fare. Spring was from Leicester in the UK. Their sole album was released... Read More
Digging Deeper into Progressive Rock with Ken Golden
I am delighted to include a piece by Ken Golden, entitled “Prog Rock Obscurities” on some of the more obscure, but still accessible, masterpieces of “prog” rock. Ken has not only become my “go to” guy on matters “prog” but has an interesting history: After years of crate digging and buying some of the most obscure (and ultimately valuable) period “progressive rock” records (when they were still obscure, but far cheaper), Ken launched a company, The Laser’s Edge, in 1987 to distribute digital copies of rare progressive rock... Read More
JOSH WHITE: JOSH AT MIDNIGHT REMASTERED (Ramseur Records Ram 1-811)
Blues is both some of the simplest and hardest music to play: I don’t care if it’s played on a Les Paul pumped through a stack of Marshalls or a beat down acoustic guitar from an old ’78—it isn’t the notes, it’s the feeling, the tone and rhythm that convey the emotion, not pyrotechnics. Josh White is somewhat of an enigma to me- he was around in the earliest days of the rural blues, learning his chops from street performers in the South where he grew up. White helped popularize a regional style of “Piedmont blues,” known for its distinctive fingerpicking and alternating... Read More
A Nice Note from a Reader~
The expertise Mr. Hart freely shares in his thoughtful reviews and compelling articles through The Vinyl Press should be required reading for any serious collector. Besides publishing informative interviews with recording artists like Ian Anderson, the record reviews in The Vinyl Press provide an important guide to filling those obscure niches every collector has. Any worthwhile LP collection should include examples of the excellent but underappreciated recordings by artists such as Bloodwyn Pig, Captain Beyond and Terry Reid – albums that likely never would have entered my ken without... Read More
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