Weekend Music Roundup!

It's the weekend...AND Record Store Day! It's been a few weeks since the Roundup has appeared, simply because I haven't yet adapted to my new schedule, which causes Saturday to be busy. When I remember on Sunday, it always feels too late. So this week, I'm prepared. In the spirit of Record Store Day, a holiday in my world, this week's list is vinyl only. These are albums that I've picked up over the past several weeks and they run the course from heavy rock, jazz, classical, and even Britpop. Nothing on here is very contemporary or new, as I typically listen to new albums digitally first to see what is worth blowing the cash for vinyl. Hopefully you're out hunting for Record Store Day...enjoy.

Black Pearl - Black Pearl: The one and only album from the West Coast psychedelic blues rock band was released in 1969 on Atlantic Records, which was the rock label to be on back then. It was the same year Atlantic released Led Zeppelin's debut, and this is clearly meant to go along with that record. This is hard rock, but with obvious soul influences instead of Zep's blues influences. The result is not as successful, but this is still a good lost album of the genre. The guitar work is fantastic, and the vocals are brilliant in Ian Svenonius way of being wild and uncontrolled. "White Devil," "Forget It," and "Bent Over" are standout tracks on this record.  

The Wood Children - Happens Everyday: This 12" single from the UK band was released in 1988, a year before their one and only full length album. This was a London band that was making jangle pop, but being from London, it sounds more like a pre-Britpop band than the Manchester jangle bands like The Smiths. Only three songs, but all three are pretty solid if you're into this kind of thing, as I am. "Two Red Buses" sounds like Suede, four years before Suede.

Faces - A Nod is as Good as a Wink...to a Blind Horse: The third album after Small Faces added Rod Stewart to become simply Faces, this was released in 1971, when the band was at its peak. Having never been a Rod fan, I found myself recently questioning that choice after digging some of their work on the radio. I found this for $1 and felt it certainly was worth a shot. A bar blues band at heart, there's always been something about them that feels like a poor man's Rolling Stones, but that's not such a bad thing. Their a far better poor man's Rolling Stones than Aerosmith. It includes two of my favorites, "Memphis" and "Stay With Me," but every song is solid on here. 

Jelly Roll Morton - The Immortal Jelly Roll Morton: This compilation was released in 1967 and gathers together rare recordings. There's been something of a Jelly Roll goldmine in the discount bins at the local shops and I never turn one of his records for a $1. His ragtime dixie jazz is like music from another world where interesting and unexplainable things are taking place all around you. This is a particularly good compilation in that regards. Music straight out of a opioid dream.

 New York Philharmonic - The Firebird: I picked this record up, literally taken off the junk pile, because my daughter is obsessed with classical ballet scores, and the Firebird is a particular favorite of hers. She was thrilled when I brought this home and listened intently. As is to be expected from Stravinsky, it's dramatic and intense at times, soft and beautiful at others. It's a piece of music meant to tell a story and it's does it very well.

Electric Light Orchestra - Balance of Power: Throughout the '70s, ELO was one of the most widely listened to prog bands, and they continued their career in earnest up to this album, released in 1986. This is far removed from their classic sound and takes on the mid-80's keyboard pop rock sound that dominated the radio. Given to me by a friend, this is actually my first real entry into this band, which really doesn't qualify as an entry. In a way, that might be a positive though, because I come in without the baggage of "oh, this sounds nothing like them" and get to hear it as it is...an 80's pop rock album that could've served as a soundtrack to almost any movie that I watched during my elementary school years. "So Serious," "Getting to the Point," and "Without Someone" were standouts for me.