Legendary Stardust Cowboy - "Launch Pad Favorites" 2 X Vinyl, LP, Compilation, 2016 (Munster Records)

Ziggy Stardust came out of Legendary Stardust Cowboy.  David Bowie discovered him in America when he first came to the country as a Mercury recording artist.  Going through the other artists on this label he found a 45 rpm single of "Paralyzed," probably one of the more unusual releases from a major U.S. label ever.  Perhaps two or three minutes of noise, that one would gather had roots in rockabilly music.  Bowie thought it was a work of genius, and clearly, he's a man who not only has taste but knows 'weird' like no other artist at that time. 

There is a school of art called Brut, or better known in English as 'outside artists.'  Legendary Stardust Cowboy, real name is Norman Carl Odam may be a cowboy from outer space.  Which makes him very outside artist.   There seem to be two interests in Odam's life - rockabilly music and space travel.  It's not unusual for 1950s musicians to be obsessed with outer space life, but Legendary Stardust Cowboy brings it to another level.   For instance, he's not really what we call a singer.  Yet, there is something about his voice, especially with the addition of his songwriting.   He's a great songwriter.   You have to go through the most shocking sound of his records, and really (REALLY) listen to his music, but there is nothing more beautiful out there than his "I Took A Trip (On A Gemini Spaceship)."  Probably the most romantic outer space song ever.  Up their with Bowie's "Space Oddity," which by hook or crook, Odam did a cover of that song.  Either as a tribute to Bowie's support or a genuine appreciation of Bowie's interest in outer space songs.  Bowie eventually did a cover of "I Took A Trip" on "Heathen."   If you hear the Bowie version and not look at the credits, you would think, "of course Bowie wrote this."   Perhaps Bowie was influenced not only by Odam's song, but his lyrical writing as well.  "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust" is a combination of Legendary Stardust Cowboy and Vince Taylor.  Two outside and perhaps 'insane' artists who went too far off the map.  Norman Carl Odam is  still here with us, and his remarkable work is represented so well in this compilatiion "Launch Pad Favorites."   

There is not a bad cut on this album.  The other classic songs beside "I Took A Trip" is "Radar" and "Linda."  Still, one can admire "I Hate CD's."   There are a few compilations of Legendary Stardust Cowboy's work, but this collection put together by Spain's Munster Records is superb.  Also nice packaging with a lyric sheet.   As mentioned, Odam is a very good and talented lyricist.  

Miles Davis - "Sketches of Spain" Vinyl, Album, Mono, LP, 1960 (Columbia)

This album was a big presence in my childhood, but not in my parent's house.  This is the one Miles album that they didn't like.  On the other hand,  the Preppy-set and architects adored Miles Davis' "Sketches of Spain."  The album feels like a mid-century home.  Hi-fi world loves "Sketches of Spain."  For a Jazzier, the idea of the string section with Jazz is a no-no.  Which in theory is totally correct.  Then there is this album, which is not really a jazz or classical album  Maybe it's the combination of the two "Classjazz."  

The album is arranged and conducted by Gil Evans, and this is very much his album as well as Miles'.   The music is based on the Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez."  I never heard the original so I can't comment on it, except that it's a score for guitar and orchestra.  Miles, of course,  removed the guitar for his trumpet.  Beyond that, it is a magnificent Gil Evans album.  In truth, both of them collaborated on the album.  Hand-in-hand they made this album.  Two sessions: first on November 20, 1959, and the other on March 10, 1960.  I wasn't kidding that this is an album made for and by the influence of mid-century design.  

The modernist approach is someone who keeps the eye on the present and stays alive for the future. The past is the past unless you can somehow control the imagery and power of the former.  Like the music of the late 1950s, "Sketches of Spain" has traces of exotica.  To my ears, it's not far off from Martin Denny's take on exotic islands.  Spain is a romantic image, especially for those who never visited that country.  "Sketches of Spain" by its very title admits that it is a work that doesn't go into Spain, but the observation of an outsider looking within a culture. 

Miles doing "Porgy and Bess" with Gil Evans was another trip through a different landscape. Most of the Miles' recordings are all placed in a location that is totally Milesville.  I think Paris, Manhattan, San Francisco as not as a foreign destination, but a home to Miles and his aesthetic. "Sketches of Spain" is a tourist visiting with a map in place, but then through the eyes of Miles/Evans, it becomes an adventure of sorts.  

The music is gorgeous and the arrangements strike me as perfection.  It's an album that is easy on the ears and the heart.  What is important to know is that once this music is done, Miles is going to travel without a map.  And that is what he did.