spin, spin....spin the black circle

Last weekend I added 'record seller' to my list of accomplishments.  Me and a buddy rented a table at the local record convention and sold our wares.

Croatian Cultural Centre, April 15, 2012

Great day, lots of fun, but I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't in same league as the rest of the sellers.  I was just trying to make a little scratch by selling off some vinyl I don't need and a bunch of CD's I never listen to anymore.  Still, I made enough to pay for the table and have some extra.  All in all fine by me. It was more about hanging out and talking to other collectors.  Seeing what other people were buying or looking for.  I resisted the urge to go and spend the profits at tables, this was more about taking baby steps into another world.  I'll admit I was intrigued but also a little worried.  Worried because what I was hearing from some of the other vendors was disturbing.  Basically almost all of them said sales were slow, turnout was low, and the people who were buying were buying the cheaper records.  Others said that they brought stuff that they thought would sell, but no one was interested.  Now this goes against what I'm reading everywhere that say's record sales are going up.  Maybe the rise of vinyl is not going as fast as some would hope.  But then again, I'm at a record convention not a store.

Ahhh enough with the morbid talk!!  I had a blast, talked to a lot of great people, sold a little, and saw a lot of younger people out which makes me believe everything is on the right track.  It will all sort itself out.

Oh, and I couldn't help myself.

I had to buy something right!

Life's what happens when you're making other plans.

Seems like forever since I've posted.  Well not 'seems', it has been.  I apologize to my blog for my neglect.  Been busy with life lately but thought this was worth a post.  A recent article on techdirt talked about re-mixing.  Seems like the lines between inspiration and straight up borrowing have been blurred for a long time.

Here is a link to the article: Michael Jackson, Pirate Remixer

Now the bullet points to the article are:
1) Mike admitted to Darryl Hall that he copped a bass line from him for 'Billie Jean' and hoped Darryl didn't mind.
2) Hall didn't mind because he lifted the bass line from another song.
3) Quincy, the song's producer, hated the bass line but Mike insisted they keep it.
4) History ensued.

In my opinion this is inspiration pure and simple.  Case closed.  But if you listen to the 2 songs in today's climate, you would probably have a team of rats lawyers telling you that its theft.  So which is it?

i'd call it my death, but i'll only fade away

Gary Anthony James Webb, aka Gary Numan started out as a punker.  Got kicked out of his first punk band for being too 'creative'.  He would then form Tubeway Army and following some success release 'The Pleasure Principle' as himself.  Talk about anti-punk!  The album was completely void of guitars, with Gary using only synths.  Some consider it one of the founding synth pop albums along with the work of Kraftwerk, a heavy influence on Gary.  It also relies heavily on Gary's fascination with sci-fi themes and particularly his thoughts on androids and machines.  Of course the albums big hit was 'Cars', but everyone knows that one.  For this post we'll look at another track.  'M.E.' is sung from the point of view of the last machine on Earth.  Basement Jaxx really liked it....

it's just that demon life has got you in it's sway

What's your favourite Stones era?  60's? 70's? Do I dare ask, 80's?  I think for me it's the 70's.  Starting in 1971 with 'Sticky Fingers' and ending in '78 with 'Some Girls' it's a period where the boys were playing a loose type of rock'n'roll that I can always listen to.  Of course if I had to choose my favourite Stones' album it would have to be 'Sticky Fingers'.

Gotta love a cover with a real zipper!!

I got my first vinyl copy of this while at university in Victoria.  I believe it was at Endangered Species Music in Fernwood.  The store is gone now but I remember picking up the album and seeing the real zipper and knowing I had to have it.  Somehow lost that copy but I've picked up another one since and I'm glad I have it in the collection again.  When it comes to the tracks, 'Sway' is probably my favourite followed closely by 'Can't You Hear Me Knocking' and 'Wild Horses'.  The distortion on the guitar in 'Knocking' is awesome.  The Burrito Brothers cover of 'Wild Horses' was actually released before this version came out. Gram Parsons heard it and convinced the boys to let him do a version.  The album was also the first released on their own label 'Rolling Stones' in conjunction with Atlantic.  It was a big deal then because they finally got their own way and had total creative control of what they were releasing and when.  Before then, they were under the thumb of Decca Records.  This was also the first time the iconic Stones 'Lips' logo was used.

Like I said earlier, 'Sway' is my fave so here ya go!

you wanted the best you got the best

June 27, 2011.  Abbotsford, BC.  KISS.  The site of my son's first concert.  What can I say, great first show for a kid.  The boys still know how to put on a spectacle.  Lights, pyro, fire breathing, blood spitting, it was all there.  My brother and I took him and he loved it!  Right from the first song until the encore.  They ended the show with 'Rock and Roll All Nite' and showered the entire arena with confetti from 4 giant cannons.  We were literally covered.  My brother had never seen them before and said to me that he had been waiting 31 years to see them live.

Kiss was such a huge part of our growing up that I can't help place their songs on the classics list.  When we were kids we dressed up as Kiss for Halloween.  We dressed up and put on fake concerts in the basement.  Posters, albums, tapes, hell even 8-track tapes, we had it all.  You got to hand it to Paul and Gene, they figured out early on in their career that they needed a hook.  Something to make them stand out.  Well it worked and here they are 30 plus years later and still out there, putting on a show.  And lets face it, with Kiss, its all about the show.

Gonna feature one of the tracks that I think got the crowd going the most.

Recent Hair Metal Finds

Went on a 80's Hair Metal Search recently.  Here's what I got.

Been looking for this for a while now.  Finally got it a Apollo at a decent price.  I had mentioned in an earlier post that it was one of my purchases one Xmas in Edmonton.  It's probably one of my faves from back then.  Round and Round, Lack of Communication, You're In Trouble, all classics.  For some reason I always loved the way 'Lack' started, all spontaneous sounding.  In hindsight its probably planned but whatever.

What can I say, I'm a sucker for 80's metal.  These guys had a few good albums in the late 80's early 90's but it's this one, their debut, that I like the best.  Tom Kieffer had this weird raspy voice that really worked perfectly with the music.

Ah yes, more 80's metal goodness.  'Seventeen', gotta love it.  Kip Winger, leader and bass player, cut his teeth working for Alice Cooper before forming Winger with Reb Beach.

Now the next question is what song to post?  Each album has its own gems, so what's it gonna be?

Lack of Communication.  That'll work.  Do yourself a favour and check the other albums out as well.

Billy Preston Pt 2

Billy Preston.  Fifth Beatle, in demand session musician, actor, and damn fine solo artist.  The list of musicians he worked with is too long to list here but a quick wiki will give you the 411.  I've been on a bit of a Preston collecting spree as of late and this album is my latest acquisition.  Released in 1971, the album is a mix of soul, gospel, and funk that Billy had always been doing.  The reason I got the album was for the Grammy winning instrumental jam 'Outa-Space'.  So with out further ado, I present 'Outa-Space'