Playlist Week of 4-17-10

* Vivaldi: Double Violin Concertos (VBO/Marcon/Carmignola/Mullova) (Arkiv Prod. CD)
* Vivaldi: Cello Sonatas (ter Linden/Mortensen) (Brilliant Classics 2CD)
* J.S. Bach Violin Sonatas (Kuijken/Leonhardt) (d.1) (Harmonia Mundi 2CD)
* Handel: 12 Solo Sonatas (AAM/Egarr) (d.1) (Harmonia Mundi 2CD)
* Venice Baroque Orchestra (Marcon/Carmignola): Concerto Veneziano (Arkiv Prod. CD)
* Venice Baroque Orchestra (Marcon/Carmignola): Concerto Italiano (Arkiv Prod. CD)
* Poulenc: Works for Piano (Parkin) (d.2) (Chandos CD)
* Sun Ra: Horizon (Art Yard)
* Sun Ra: Nidhamu + Dark Myth Equation Visitation (Art Yard CD)
* Cecil Taylor: Air (Candid CD)
* Henry Grimes Trio: The Call (ESP-Disk’ CD)
* Matthew Shipp: 4D (Thirsty Ear CD)
* Mahavishnu Orchestra: Palace Theatre, Waterbury, CT 5-17-73 (SBD 2CDR)
* Mahavishu Orchestra: Vienna 8-29-75 (FM CDR)
* Pat Metheny Group: We Live Here (Geffen CD)
* Bob Marley & The Wailers: The Complete Wailers 1967-1972 Part I (JAD 3CD)
* Various Artists: Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era (d.1-2) (Rhino CD)
* Jimi Hendrix: Valleys of Neptune (Experience Hendrix/Sony CD)
* Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon (Capitol SACD)
* Grateful Dead: Berkeley Community Theatre, CA 8-24-72 IIx (SBD CDR)
* Grateful Dead: Dick’s Picks Vol.26: Cow Palace, Daly City, CA 3-23-74 (GD 2CD)
* Jerry Garcia Band: How Sweet It Is (GD/Arista CD)
* Chicago Transit Authority: Chicago Transit Authority (Rhino 2LP)
* Chicago: Chicago II (Rhino 2LP)
* The Band: Rock of Ages (Capitol/MFSL SACD)
* Bob Dylan: Desire (Columbia SACD)
* Van Morrison: Astral Weeks (Warner Bros. LP)
* Van Morrison: Moondance (Warner Bros. LP)
* Van Morrison: Tupelo Honey (Polydor CD)
* Van Morrison: Common One (Warner Bros. CD)
* Tom Waits: Glitter & Doom (Live) (Anti- 2LP)
* Can: Guildhall, Plymouth, England 5-xx-72 (AUD CDR)
* U2: The Unforgettable Fire (Deluxe Edition) (d.1) (Island/Universal 2CD)
* Sonic Youth: Rather Ripped (Geffen CD)
* Stereolab: Emperor Tomato Ketchup (Elektra CD)
* DJ Spooky: The Secret Song (Thirsty Ear CD)

Commentary:

Happy Record Store Day! I slept in a bit this morning and so didn’t get over Grimey’s in time to snag any of exclusive releases. That’s OK; there wasn’t really anything I felt I had to have. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful day and when I finally got there, around 11:00 a.m. there was still line out the door just to get in! Holy smokes, the place was PACKED. Every aisle in the store was jammed with people, young and old, either trying to shop or forming ad hoc lines to the cash registers. It was truly an anarchic madhouse, but everyone was happy to be there and totally cool amidst the chaos. Indeed music tames the savage beast!

I took advantage of the sale and grabbed a few things that had been on my (ever expanding) wantlist and immediately got into what appeared to be a check-out line. While it took almost an hour to finally pay for my stuff, I enjoyed chatting with folks while we waited – it turned out the guy behind me also lives here in bucolic Kingston Springs! We agreed it’s a delightful place to live. I stashed my loot in the car and made my way back to the parking lot where there was live music, beer, and many crates of used records and CDs. I managed to catch most of How Cozy’s set, which was great! Alumnus of Southern Girls Rock and Roll Camp, these youngsters have written some smart songs executed with simple but effective guitar/drums/vocal instrumentation. Good stuff! I rummaged through the bins for a while and enjoyed a tasty pulled pork sandwich from Jimmy Carl’s Lunch Box along with a zesty Pale Ale from Nashville’s own superb Yazoo Brewing Co. and split. As I was walking down the alley to my car, I saw this totally destroyed record sitting on top of the trunk of this car. It appeared to me to be an appropriate work of public art inspired by Record Store Day, so I took a photograph (above). (There are more photos from the event on my Flickr photostream, but they’re really not very good. Click the link on the sidebar if you’re interested.)

What did I wait in line to buy on Record Store Day? I’m almost ashamed to say it’s once again (mostly) more music from my youth. I guess I really am just another middle-aged fuddy-duddy. The truth is I would rather spend my hard-earned money on lovingly reissued albums from the seventies and eighties than take a chance on something new. What can I say? (Van Morrison would say this: “There’s no why, just is.”) Ever since Sam Byrd sent me that “mystery disc” which reacquainted me with Chicago (the band), I have wanted to splurge on the 2009 Rhino vinyl reissues of their first two albums. So I did. These things are done right: the exact-repro packaging is first rate and the all-analog 180-gram discs sound amazing! I also picked up Mobile Fidelity’s recent SACD of The Band’s Rock of Ages, their expansive live album, and it greatly benefits from MoFi’s meticulous, high resolution mastering job. While I’m not that big of a U2 fan, I have always been fond of The Unforgettable Fire, if only for the lush production job by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. My original LP is more than a little beat up so I bought the new “deluxe edition” 2-CD set, which includes all the B-Sides, remixes and other bonus tracks. The mastering job is decent, the slipcased, hardbound-book packaging is truly “deluxe,” and it’s nice to have this old friend in conveniently digital form. Finally, John Abercrombie’s latest album on ECM had been sitting forlornly in the jazz bin for months, so I rescued it and brought it home. Haven’t listened to that one yet, but I’m sure it will be perfect for a mellow evening. In all, it was an excellent Record Store Day!

Folks keep insisting that sound recordings sold as physical products is a moribund industry, but after today you might think otherwise. Ten or fifteen years ago, it looked like the LP was utterly obsolete, but today I saw more folks shelling out (sometimes) big bucks for vinyl than anything else – and, like I said, the store was jam-packed with eager customers. This gives me hope that records – and record stores – will remain a viable concern in the Twenty-First Century. They are some of my most favorite things in the world.