Playlist Week of 2016-04-23

* Dowland: Lachrimae or Seven Teares 1604 (Hesperion XX/Savall) (Alia Vox SACD)

* Stockhausen: “Atmen gibt das Leben…” (Norddeutschen Rundfunks/Stockhausen) (DG LP)

* Sun Ra: Spaceways (Black Lion/ORG LP)

* Herbie Hancock: Mwandishi (Warner Bros. LP)

* Herbie Hancock: Crossings (Warner Bros. LP)

* Les McCann: Invitation To Openness (Atlantic LP)

* Marvin Gaye: What’s Going On (Motown/Mobile Fidelity SACD)

* Prince: Lovesexy (Warner Bros. LP)

* Alan Stivell: Live in Dublin (Fontana LP)

* John Renbourn: The Attic Tapes (Riverboat 2LP)

* Bob Dylan: "Melancholy Mood" + 3 (Columbia 7” EP)

* Van Morrison: Poetic Champions Compose (Mercury LP)

* Kevin Ayers, Eno et al.: June 1, 1974 (Island LP)

* Tony Conrad & Faust: Outside The Dream Syndicate (Superior Viaduct LP)

* Edgar Froese: Aqua (Virgin LP)

* Edgar Froese: Macula Transfer (Brain LP)

* Harmonia: Documents 1975 (Groenland LP)

* Harald Grosskopf: Synthesist (Sky/Bureau B LP)

* VCSR: Tape #4 (Permanent LP)

* Pere Ubu: “30 Seconds Over Tokyo”/”Heart of Darkness” (Nearpan/Fire 7”)

* DNA:  “You & You”/ “Little Ants” (Superior Viaduct 7”)

* Arto Lindsay: Encyclopedia of Arto (Northern Spy 2LP)

* Guided By Voices: Please Be Honest (GBV, Inc. LP)

* Boris & Merzbow: Gensho Part 1 (Relapse 2LP)

* Boris & Merzbow: Gensho Part 2 (Relapse 2LP)

* The Sword: "John The Revelator" (Razor & Tie 7”)
* Zombi: Spirit Animal (Relapse 2LP) †/‡

* Lower Dens: “Batman”/ “Dear Betty Baby” (Gnomonsong 7”)

* London Grammar: If You Wait (Columbia 2LP)

†=iPod/iTunes

‡=car

Commentary:

2016 is turning out to be a bad year for rock stars (and famous musicians in general). But it was shock to hear of the sudden passing of Prince at the age of 57 -- that's only a few years older than me! 

Coming of age in the '80s it was impossible not be captivated by Prince's unique brand of funky pop music and while I lost track of him as the '90s wore on (and his draconian stance on copyright didn't help), I always had tremendous respect for his outsized talents. 

Of course, there is is lots of speculation right now about the actual cause of death -- and rumors are swirling around of serious opiate abuse -- but none of that really matters. The music will live on.

So, who's next to leave the planet?

+++

As promised, here's another record collecting video. The Vinyl Community Love Train stopped by my house this week!

Playlist Week of 2016-04-16

* Tasavallan Presidentti: Milky Way Moses (Janus LP)

* Jukka Tolonen: Tolonen! (Janus LP)

* Osibisa: Osibisa (Decca LP)

* Spirit: Farther Along (Mercury LP)

* Emmylou Harris: Wrecking Ball (Deluxe Edition) (Nonesuch 3LP)

* David Sylvian: Dead Bees On A Cake (Virgin CD)

* Edgar Froese: Epsilon In Malaysian Pale (Virgin LP)

* Harmonia: Musik von Harmonia (Brain/Grönland LP)

* Harmonia: Deluxe (Brain/Grönland LP)

* Tim Blake: Crystal Machine (Egg LP)

* Tim Blake & Crystal Machine: Blake’s New Jerusalem (Egg LP)

* Heldon: II “Allez Teia” (Urus LP)

* Heldon: Third (Urus 2LP)

* Heldon: IV “Agneta Nilsson” (Urus LP)

* Richard Pinhas & John Livengood: Cyborg Sally (SouffleContinuum 2LP)

* Clearlight: Visions (Polydor LP)

* VCSR: Tape #4 (Permanent LP)

* Steve Roach & Byron Metcalf: The Serpent’s Lair (Projekt 2CD)

* Pete Namlook & Bill Laswell: Psychonavigation (Subharmonic CD)

* Pete Namlook & Bill Laswell: Psychonavigation 2 (FAX CD)

* Ulver: Bergtatt (Century Media LP)

* Ulver: Kveldssanger (Century Media LP)

* Ulver: Nattens Madrigal (Century Media LP)

* Zombi: The Zombi Anthology (Relapse LP) †/‡

* Zombi: Cosmos (Relapse LP) †/‡

* Zombi: Surface To Air (Relapse LP) †/‡

* Nothing: A.C.D. (Relapse 12”)

* Charles Rumback & Ryley Walker: Cannots (Dead Oceans LP)

†=iPod/iTunes

‡=car

Commentary:

Big week for the record-collecting nerd this week with a record show on Sunday at a hotel out by the airport (and, holy cow, what amazing records I found!) but Saturday the 16th was also Record Store Day. 

Every year I tell myself I don't care -- but then wind up going out to a couple of the smaller stores after the crowds have thinned. And, what do you know? I found some cool stuff. Hope you all had a good one! A video is forthcoming...

Playlist Week of 2016-04-09

* Eddie Henderson: Realization/Inside Out (Capricorn/Soul Brother CD)

* Vijay Iyer & Wadada Leo Smith: A Cosmic Rhythm With Each Stroke (ECM CD)

* Vijay Iyer Trio: Break Stuff (ECM CD)

* The Out Louds (T.Fujiwara/B.Goldberg/M.Halvorson): The Out Louds (Relative Pitch CD)

* Ingrid Laubrock & Tom Rainey: Buoyancy (Relative Pitch CD)

* Bob Dylan: The Bootleg Series Vol.8: Tell Tale Signs 1989-2006 (Columbia 2CD)

* Van Morrison: Wavelength (Polydor CD)

* John Martyn: Solid Air (Island LP)

* Tim Buckley: Dream Letter: Live In London 1968 (Enigma Retro 2CD)

* Silver Apples: Silver Apples (Kapp LP)

* Tangerine Dream: Phaedra (Virgin LP)

* Tangerine Dream: Sorcerer OST (MCA LP)

* Tangerine Dream: Exit (Elektra LP)

* Pierre Moerlen’s Gong: Downwind (Arista LP)

* Pete Namlook: Air I & II (FAX 2CD)

* OM: Live (Outer Battery LP)

* Kylesa: Exhausting Fire (Season of Mist LP)

* The Sword: High Country (Razor & Tie 2LP) †/‡

* Syd Arthur: On an On (Harvest LP) †/‡

* Syd Arthur: Sound Mirror (Harvest LP) †/‡

†=iPod/iTunes

‡=car

Commentary:

The Moogertron 3700 is complete (for now). Can't wait to really dive in deep! Here's a taste:

Playlist Week of 2016-04-02

* Biber: Missa Christi Resurgentis (English Concert/Manze) (Harmonia Mundi SACD)

* Andrew Hill: Time Lines (Blue Note CD)

* Eddie Henderson: Sunburst (Blue Note LP)

* Eddie Henderson: Heritage (Blue Note LP)

* John McLaughlin: Johnny McLaughlin: Electric Guitarist (Columbia LP)

* Ingrid Laubrock: Ubatuba (Firehouse 12)

* Don Muro: It’s Time (Sine Wave/Flannelgraph LP)

* Tangerine Dream: Firestarter OST (MCA LP)

* Klaus Schulze: Blackdance (Virgin/Caroline LP)

* Klaus Schulze: Body Love OST (Island LP)

* Steven Halpern: Deja-Blues (Open Channel CD)

* Matthew Bourne: Moogmemory (Leaf LP/CD)

* Camel: Rain Dances (EMI CD) †/‡

* Opeth: Pale Communion (Roadrunner CD/Blu-Ray) †/‡

* Tortoise: Beacons of Ancestorship (Thrill Jockey LP)

* Tortoise: The Catastrophist (Thrill Jockey LP)

* Wild Nothing: Life of Pause (Captured Tracks LP)

* White Hills: Timeless Tracks For Aural Pleasure (Thrill Jockey LP)

* White Hills: Walks For Motorists (Thrill Jockey LP)

* Earthless: From The Ages (Tee Pee 2LP)

* Ryley Walker: Primrose Green (Dead Oceans LP)

†=iPod/iTunes

‡=car

Commentary:

Just got back from the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville. Rather than trying to write about it all, I just went ahead and made a video. Yeah, I went record shopping as well...