The platters that matter (slight return)

Back into it, then.

In the second of an occasional series, Silky will run you through another mighty haul of vinyl. The more I think about it,the more I realise we in Australia pay far too much for most things and in particular for records.

I have been slumming it over in North America again, this time in the extremely civilised, extremely scenic enclave of Vancouver, where I took time out from my occupation as Luge Correspondent to grab a swag of records. $3 each and I think you'll agree some absolute classics.

Getting them back was a slight challenge, involving patience, derring-do and a flimsy paper bag that split fairly early in the piece. I had an eight hour layover in LA and --resolving not to just sit around the world's worst airport AGAIN, took a cab down to Venice beach and attempted the walk to Santa Monica pier. Due to the threat of terrorism American airports no longer have lockers which meant I had to carry the records along with my cumbersome laptop bag. The paper record bag disintegrated after about 100m and I completed a fairly miserable hour-long trudge, hugging my platters to my chest in a light drizzle.

here's the haul:
Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Punch the clock
Elvis in his 'uncool glasses, discovering jazz, hanging with Chet Baker' phase. Every day I write the book is a bit dinky but Shipbuilding is an immortal classic that is a fair bit better in the original form than the cover version I have somewhere by Suede.

Madness - Absolutely
Kind of a childhood nostalgia trip, baggy trousers etc. Reminds me of watching The Young Ones.Their first album and my favourite. Has one of those 'introducing the band' pieces of pop journalism on the back cover (I love these).

Richard and Linda Thompson - Shoot out the lights
Walking on a wire etc. Linda sings quite nicely, I think. You know that song Wall of Death? When I was a kid I thought it was 'Let me ride on/the water-bed/one more time.' It makes better sense, I still believe.

Seals and Crofts - Greatest Hits
I think this is soft-rock genius and can't stop listening to it. I love the beards on the cover, I love the song Ruby Jean and Billie Lee. I love Summer Breeze.

Aerosmith - Night in the ruts
Hot blues rock. Joe Perry is smokin' in his 1979 prime.

Divinyls - What a life
Canada is a good place to buy classic oz rock as to them this is just another lame 80s album. Pleasure and pain etc.

The Church - The Church
ditto. An Unguarded Moment is just about perfect isn't it?

The Pretenders - Get Close
A classic, didn't have it. Mrs Silky loves'em.

Van Halen - Diver Down
1982 album featuring some il-advised covers that I find amusing. Pretty Woman? Where have all the good times gone? Dancing in the street? Sure thing guys.More cocaine!

The Very Best of the Everly Brothers
Always loved them, didn't have any.

Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris - Trio
Had never heard of this but couldn't resist it. It's great. It's from 1987. There's a song called Hobo's Meditation. The insert features cutout paper dolls of all three gals.

Michael Nesmith - Infinite Rider on the big dogma.
Cool title, Hansel.

The Byrds - Byrdmaniax
Was pretty chuffed to grab this for $3. I remember that UT has strong views on the Byrds,though I can't quite remember what they are. My view is that this is a pretty sweet record.

10CC - Deceptive Bends
Without doubt one of the greatest album covers of all time. The Canadian version has a turqiose background instead of purple. It's EVEN COOLER. I also quite like The Things we do for love.

Elvis Costello - Taking Liberties
This one is a massive childhood nostalgia trip. An American comp of his first four albums. I think Girls Talk was my favourite song when I was about six.
ELO - Out of the Blue
I now have just about every ELO album ever recorded. I alone believe this to be a good thing. This is the very height of their annoyingness, Mr Blue Sky etc.

ELO - On the third day
As above. Grieg turns in his grave as Lynne shines up an improved take on In the hall of the mountain king.

Van Halen - Van Halen
As if this needs to even be explained.

Eric Clapton - Just one Night
Live? At Budokan? A double album? With Albert Lee? (Y)

Blondie - Autoamerican
Shamelessly currying favour with Mrs Silky after a month away from home. The birth of hip hop is captured here by a white woman who can't rhyme or flow.

Ted Nugent - Free For All
Yet to listen but I expect this to be relatively epic and yet relatively tuneless at the same time. Seduced by hot cover art and not for the first time.

Elvis Costello - King of America
Not my favourite EC but still pretty good.

Hot Gear

It seemed a while between purchases for the band. And in lieu of actually playing anything I thought owning more stuff might compensate. Both are a direct pinch from Kurdt's rig. For many years his only two pedals were the small calone and DS-2. So why not? He was able to make his guitar sound like buildings collapsing (Moby's description and inadvertant, I beleive, reference to Einsturzende Neubauten).


Hot Rock.

Back In Black

Long time no speak. Things I have learned in the interim:

1) I am slightly embarrassed that we have let the blog slide...Paddy once said "No one blogs anymore"...and he was right...but we bucked the trend for quite some time. We should have kept it up.

2) The Beatles remasters caused me to listen to most of the Beatles' albums for the first time. I was unaware how many ordinary songs they had hidden on their early albums. Sie Liebt Dich is a total revelation.

3) My new squid baby is a lovely boy.

4) I miss rehearsing, let alone playing gigs. Silky's facebook post about LAX gives me hope that we may soon be on again once more for some hot hot rock!

5) Justine Clarke is the greatest interpreter of song of the modern era. Disagree? Pick up Songs To Make You Smile and listen to how effortlessly and good humouredly she glides between the many genres covered.

6) My son was wrong at least two ways when he said "Pat gave me that" about a present that Paddy gave the new squid. Possibly three ways if it was in fact from Fluffy via said Pat. The blanket and excellent hat for son number one are equally as excellent for son number two Fluffy. You know your kiddy shizzle, no question.

It is lovely to be back. Hopefully this will inspire others but at least one of them is now a celebrity blogger who probably won't lower himself. I am down the coast this week and have the uke with me (could not fit the guitar and even had to give up underpant space for the uke). Some new songs in the offing...just need a band.