The Modern Lovers - "The Modern Lovers Vinyl, Album, Reissue, 2019/1976 (Music on Vinyl)

The first time I heard the words "Modern Lovers" was in Interview magazine, and there was an interview with Jonathan Richman, the lead lover in this band. It was before I heard any music by them, and they were a band that mostly played in the Boston/NYC area. I was equally intrigued and amazed about Richman's stance on rock n' roll as a highly poetic/romantic platform but through his unique eyes. Not precisely innocence, but one who ruled out anything negative by taking ugly and making it beautiful. If rock n' roll is deformed in the sense of its decadence, then Jonathan only sees enlightenment that is borderline spiritual. Still, there are emotional feelings in every song. The way he portrays "Pablo Picasso" as a stud-in-the-make, in it's Velvet Underground minimalism. The juxtaposition of Picasso's image as an artist, human being, and Richman is treating him like a Velvet's subject matter. His observation strength is through, and his guitar playing is glued to the Lou Reed/Sterling Morrison aesthetic. If Reed is cynical, Richman is hopefully in the most profound manner. "Roadrunner," of course, is the ultimate car and get on the highway song.  An essential album because it's a unique voice, which artists like Morrissey and others used as a springboard for their angst and work. John Cale's production is never fussy, just reporting the fact.  With Jarry Harrison (Talking Heads), David Robinson (The Cars), and Ernie Brooks supply the foundation for Jonathan's flight into the genius level. 

V.A. -"History of British Rock" Compilation, 2 x Vinyl, 1974 (Sire)

Music became a force for me during my childhood. I was nine or 10-years old when The Beatles made their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, and the impact of that event or spectacle had made a great impression for me. I wasn't aware that there was British English in the landscape until I heard them speak Liverpool English. The Beatles, for me, besides being a great band, also were the heavenly gate to the entrance of British music culture for yours truly. The Stones came upon me at the same time as the Fab Four. However, it was the Honeycombs that made an impression on me in a very insightful manner that still gives me goosebumps when I hear their recording "Have I The Right." In 1974 when I turned 20, I purchased "History of British Rock," due that they have The Honeycombs' hit song on this compilation.

Alas, this collection brought memories back to me in the same manner as Marcel Proust's character taking a bite of the French cookie. Billy J. Kramer, The Mindbenders (great name for a band by the way), Troggs, and so forth had a magnificent presence in my childhood. Therefore even in my 20's and thinking of the present, I was taken to my childhood in a pleasant manner. The album also introduced me to new music that wasn't popular in Los Angeles in the early 60s, such as Cliff Richard's "Blue Turns To Grey," a remarkable song by Jagger/Richards and an excellent recording. Also, Status Quo's "Pictures of Matchstick Men," Dusty Springfield's "I Only Want To Be With You," and The Pretty Things "Don't Bring Me Down." Those were new songs for me. I have read about these artists in teenage magazines, but never had the opportunity to hear the songs, until I purchased "History of British Rock."

Over the years, I lost this compilation but recently purchased a copy at Rockaway Records, which was under $5. Now, the album not only takes me back to the early 60s but also 1974, when I originally bought the album. A record is not only a listening experience but also an entranceway to one's past.

Pierre Bachelet & Hervé Roy - "Emmanuelle" OST, CD, Japan, 1974/1990 (Warner Brothers Music)

I bought my CD copy of the OST "Emmanuelle" some years ago in Tokyo.  For whatever reason, it seems to be the perfect city to buy the ultimate Euro soft-porn soundtrack.   The score is by Pierre Bachelet and Hervé Roy, and it reeks of 1970's swingers' scent.   The album is a favorite of mine because it's basically the same melody played in various styles and settings.  Luckily, the melody is pretty and of course, flexible for the needs of the producer(s) of the film "Emmanuelle."  With song titles like "Emmanuelle Song," Emmanuelle in Thailand, "Emmanuelle Swims, " and the controversial "Rape Sequence," mostly due that the composers borrowed from a King Crimson composition. 

An album like this I feel can't be made in the 21st-century, not only for its eros but the focus on one theme as it is played out throughout the album and movie.  One of my (guilty) faves, and a trip back to a world that's different then from now. 

Walter (Wendy) Carlos - "Stanley Kurbrick's A Clockwork Orange" OST, Vinyl, LP, 1972 (Warner Brothers)

A beautiful icy cruel album for our brutal times at the moment (Trump Virus). Wendy Carlos, who made most of the music on this album, adopts Beethoven and Sir Edward Elgar, as well as a memorable version of Rossini's "William Tell Overture." The thing about Kubrick is that he was always two steps ahead of a lot of other mainstream artists.  Stanley's approach to using music, such as classical, is unique and bold. Kenneth Anger comes to mind as a fellow genius in using music/songs to convey the mood of the images. The soundtrack to "A Clockwork Orange" is very much not only fits the images of the film exceptionally well but also expresses the rot that is the 20th and 21st-century. This is music that reminds you of a rich past but in a bleak present. Mostly due to the skill and vision of Carlos in making something new out of old material. As I look at images of the virus and how it has affected various parts of the world, I hear this soundtrack in my head. This is the music that announces that we are fucked. 

Kimley and I have a podcast called Book Musik, and we did an episode focusing on Wendy Carlos. You can hear it here:  BOOK MUSIK: Wendy Carlos

Jazz in Paris, Vol 3 -"Saint-Germain-Des-Prés (1946-1956) 3 x CD, Compilation, 2004 (Gitanes Jazz Productions )

I love everything French ever since I was a tot and my dad took me to see a Bardot movie in Larkspur  California.  Over decades my love of Parisian aesthetic came to fruition with the music of Serge Gainsbourg, Boris Vian, Les Rita Mitsuko, and many others.  I also love French Jazz, which sometime sounds like American Jazz, but with a French twist to the sound.  In 2004, they released a "Jazz in Paris" series that is excellent.  Eventually, they then made CD boxsets with an additional book in the package.   One can't go wrong with the quality of the book as well as the music of course.  Volume 3 is "Saint-Germain-Des-Prés (1946-1956), and it's a compilation that goes beyond excellence.

Saint-Germain was the focal point of those years for writing and music-making.  Think of it as Liverpool in the early 1960s or Height Asbury in the Psychedelic Era, or NYC from the 1930s to 1970s.  It seems that brilliance was from the air and landed on the grand boulevard of Saint-Germain.

Boris Vian and some others introduce American Jazz into Paris, by releasing recordings as well as arranging tours for various Jazz artists such as Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, and others.  This collection mostly focuses on French jazz musicians like Django Reinhardt, René Urtreger Trio, and including my hero Boris Vian. 

There are also Americans such as Sidney Bechet And His Feetwarmers,  Don Byas, and so forth. Still, the magnificence of the playing and the communication between the two cultures are breathtaking. Beautiful moments of time and this boxset takes you to ground zero of French greatness.  

King Crimson - "THRAK" 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered 2019/1995 (Discipline Global Mobile)

I wrote about King Crimson's 1995 album "THRAK" a little awhile ago, concerning the CD release of this album. Listening to it again (and again) "THRAK" is King Crimson's best album. The sound of two guitars (or more overdubs), two basses, and two drummers, in other words, a double-trio setting makes the sound hard with moments of softness that is truly beautiful. "Coda: Marine 475 is like the greatest Yardbirds rave-up within under three-minutes. I have never been a mega-fan of Adrian Belew's writing, but here he shines as both writer and guitarist. "THRAK" is an accurate title to this work, because that is the overall sound of the album. 

The music is orchestral and very contained in the hands of Robert Fripp and company. Fripp is the Duke Ellington of this band, and he knows how to obtain a singular focus, while still showing each musician's character and trademark. Bill Bruford and Pat Mastelotto work brilliantly together to give loose almost chaotic rhythms to match the sweetness and mostly the harshness of the guitars. My favorite guitar albums are the first Television and Feelies albums, and "THRAK" is another excellent guitar record. 

Jeff Beck - "Tallyman" b/w "Rock My Plimsoul" 45prm single, yellow vinyl, 1967/2015 (Epic/Sundazed)

Jeff Beck always appealed to me due to his clothes sense, physical looks, and of course, his guitar playing.  There is something no-nonsense concerning his approach to music-making.  I admire that and being a fan of The Yardbirds, I feel a devotion to his time in that band.  Still, in 1968, when I purchased his album "Truth" I was disappointed in its conservative approach to rock.  I loved the craziness and wildness of The Yardbirds singles and their manic quality.  Beck, on his own, was a tad tasteful.   He had a great band, with such talent as Rod Stewart, Ron Wood as the bassist, and Mick Weller as a drummer - plus the presence of the great Nicky Hopkins.  Still, there was something missing in the mix, and I think that was due that Beck is not a songwriter.  Also, he's not a great arranger like Jimmy Page, who by the way, I don't think he's a songwriter as well.  But he knows a great tune if you get my drift. 

"Tally Man" is an interesting record/song by Beck. Written by the great Graham Gouldman, who wrote hits for The Yardbirds as well as Herman's Hermits, and produced by Mickie Most.  I believe it's Beck on lead vocals, and it's a wonderful pop song done in that Beck manner to make it heavy.  A one-off single before the album, or before he got the band together.