TVD's Weekend Shots

In the summer of '84, my Aunt Gerry and her husband, my Uncle "Turk", came to stay with us for two weeks...which JUST so happened to coincide with a new found fondness for slipping out the door and around the house for a puff or twelve.

My folks were a known commodity...I was in sync with their schedules, knew their patterns, and 99% of the time no one was the wiser. Gerry, bless her with her white zinc'd nose and terrycloth beach hat, was another story. Her patterns were erratic--one moment she's sunning herself out on the deck, another moment she's mixing whiskey sours. What to make of this? I was forced to wait it out til things settled down. And wait. And wait...

I count some of my finest moments on earth to be those when finally the lights went out and I snuck out into the simmering summer. Alone with the crickets and the fireflies in the purple light...y'know--thinking things over for the first time. I'd have played all these songs waiting for this moment and when slipping back in and returning to the same playlist, they sounded all that much better.

Gerry and Turk are both gone now and yet I think of that summer as the Last Great Summer when I had nothing but time to just...wait...things...out.

Heaven 17 - Let Me Go (Mp3)
Echo & The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon (Mp3)
Seona Dancing - More To Lose (Mp3)
Vitamin Z - Burning Flame (Mp3)
Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy (Original 12-inch extended version) (Mp3)
China Crisis - Wishful Thinking (Mp3)
The Style Council - You're The Best Thing (Mp3)
Everything But The Girl - When All's Well (Mp3)
Lotus Eaters - The First Picture Of You (Mp3)
INXS - I Send A Message (Rare Extended Mix) (Mp3)
Depeche Mode - Everything Counts (Mp3)
The Clash - Career Opportunities (Mp3)
The Pale Fountains - From Across The Kitchen Table (Mp3)
Tears For Fears - Watch Me Bleed (Mp3)
The Fixx - Red Skies (Mp3)

TVD | Friday @ Random

I'm still shaking my head a bit at placing number five on Makeoutclub's Top 10 Mp3 Blogs of All Time List. JUST when I was wondering if this experiment in blogging about all things vinyl might have run its course, comes this fine recognition. And considering the zillions of blogs out there, I'm more than honored.

If I can be allowed one (tiny) quibble however, it has to do with this line in their write-up: "Given their nature, music posted on the Vinyl District are mainly in the “classic rock” area..." Actually, I'm not sure that's accurate. Much to Mick's dismay, there's the random KISS post for sure (it's my 'adultolescence' ...right?) ...the Thin Lizzy fascination, my T-Rexstacy, and certainly musings about all things '70's, but truthfully 85% of the TVD content tends to be of the post-punk/punk/new wave variety. Now, don't get me wrong, I dig me some AOR/FM radio rock...just not THAT much.

I think the thing is that, yea sure, vinyl's on the upswing in terms of sales volume (however incrementally) but still the majority of all new releases are most certainly CD or Mp3-based. (I can't tell you when the last time I actually bought a CD was though--maybe a boxset or some rare find on ebay...but really, who buys CDs any longer?) I actually do buy my new, NEW releases on vinyl...lovingly pressed and assembled for the 10 or 12 (fill-in-the-blanks) like me. From Bauhaus's "Go Away White" on white vinyl, to the new Supergrass or Joe Jackson LP's--all were previewed via download and purchased new. But I've had a quandary regarding posting some of this new stuff as vinyl rips for example. I mean, when it's readily available now, why undermine the sale of the shiny new stuff by Mp3-ing it up, of all things?

So, I've tended to indeed go back and highlight the stuff that kicked me in the ass way back when and perhaps it's heard for the very first time by someone. And OK, becomes a "classic" for them along the way. That'd be nice. (Hm. Now maybe if I add quotation marks around 'classic' like that, Makeoutclub was indeed RIGHT on the money...? Hm.)

If the powers that be see fit, these artists below deserve their new releases on vinyl and then you can say to your e-friends that you heard this brand new track on TVD and wow, cool--now it's out on vinyl! And that'll be when I see you at the next (fill-in-the-blank) meeting. "Hi, my name is Jon.............."

Knights - The Words Don't Come (Mp3)
The Joy Formidable - Austere (Mp3)
CIAM - The Journey (Mp3)
Bon Iver - Blindsided (Mp3)
Liam Finn - This Place Is Killing Me (Mp3)

(First track courtesy of Cale at BYT...can't get it out of my head now. Thanks, I think.)

TVD Voted #5 Among Makeoutclub's Top 10 Mp3 Blogs of All Time!

Yea, I had to reread that a few times too.

"Ever since the initial burst of blogs coming in after the pioneers like Fluxblog and Stereogum, there’s been a steady stream each day of brand new mp3 blogs. Some are set up purely for promotional reasons (it took awhile but sometime around ’06, record labels began to see the benefit of giving away single tracks) but a majority of mp3 blogs authored and maintained by fans with the desire to share the music they love. Power to the people, it is back," the eight-year old Makeoutclub writes.

"Those looking for a quick mp3 fix may just hit up one of the directories available (i.e. Elbows and Hype Machine) but when looking for a consistent introduction to new music as well as a reminder of old favorites, some of these mp3 blogs are clearly standing out above the rest."

#5 Vinyl District
"Relative newcomer to the mp3 blogosphere world (b. July 2007), the Vinyl District stress the importance of consumers continuing to purchase vinyl instead of downloading everything. They claim to be good consumers and ask that their site visitors try to remain the same. That being said, the Vinyl District exists to “promote and give exposure” to music that might have never made it out of the vinyl bin. Seeing as compressed digital files are far less superior to actual vinyl, the Vinyl District is legitimately promotional and is one of the first effective ways to sort through piles of virtual vinyl. Given their nature, music posted on the Vinyl District are mainly in the “classic rock” area with much love shown to bands like the Clash."

Coming in ahead of some my own morning reads such as I Am Fuel, You Are Friends and An Aquarium Drunkard, and right behind such notables as The Music Slut, Stereogum and Daytrotter, The Vinyl District--the semi-new kid at the dance--placed numero five-o. Amazing.

So, Makeoutclub, if I could I would--with a hickey thrown in for good measure. Thanks for the nod...

(Image courtesy LP Cover Lover.)

TVD's Daily Wax | All Request Week

All Request Week continues here at TVD, and frankly I'm surprising myself with what's stashed in the archives--so Mark, here's a three-fer for you this morning. Good pal (and your WellerWeek author) Noah also wrote requesting some Grant Lee Buffalo, and here's two of my favorites.

And Mr. B. Walker, I've got some bad news, however--I got nuthin'. Those are some obscure requests there, my friend. But here's a tip, go check out what whiteray's up to at Echoes in the Wind. His exceptional taste and story-telling seems to be riiight up your alley. Tell him TVD sentcha'.

Pilot - Magic (Mp3)
The Tubes - She's A Beauty (Mp3)
Slade - Run, Runaway (Mp3)
Grant Lee Buffalo - Stars N' Stripes (Mp3)
Grant Lee Buffalo - Mockingbirds (Mp3)

Viva La Revolution!

One of my favorite bands as of late, Ghost Mice, a little known band consisting of a guy on guitar and a girl on violin, who work their behinds off playing shows in peoples' houses, community centers, churches, wherever they can really, have a song in which they sing "punk rock music saved my life." When I heard those lyrics I felt something surge through me, memories of the past- people, places, events- that will stick with me always but which I rarely think about these days. It was both an overwhelming and wonderful feeling, hearing those lyrics. This is what led me to my first official TVD post. I credit a few punk bands with really influencing my tastes in music and my outlook on life (which you will, no doubt hear about in the near future) and while they didn't exactly "save my life," the Adicts have always had the ability to get me in the mood for going out and having a good time.

Although they began in the 1970s, the following decade was when they really shined. Sure they rose to popularity on the indie charts well after punk was pronounced "dead" but their songs are the kind that even the most square of persons can tap their feet to while sitting in a dingy bar waiting for the band they've come to see take the stage. I couldn't decide which album to offer a tasting of so I've given you kids a smattering of 1981's "Songs of Praise" and 1982's "Sound of Music." Listen and let these Clockwork Orange-esque punkers get you "adicted."

The Adicts - Viva La Revolution (from Songs of Praise) (Mp3)
The Adicts - Just Like Me (from Songs of Praise) (Mp3)
The Adicts - How Sad (from Sound of Music) (Mp3)
The Adicts - Chinese Takeaway (from Sound of Music) (Mp3)

TVD's Daily Wax | All Request Week

On Monday, Boyd wrote in with some requests, and now come Wednesday morning, here they be. Hope we've chose wisely for ya. Keep 'em coming in, folks. I can't believe you've all downloaded everything as soon as they've been posted?

Todd Rundgren - Couldn't I Just Tell You (Mp3)
The Cars - Let's Go (Mp3)
The Pretenders - Mystery Achievement (Mp3)
The Jam - The Bitterest Pill (Mp3)

The Karla DeVito track wasn't in our archives, Boyd so hopefully this will suffice...

TVD's Daily Wax | The Pale Fountains "Longshot For Your Love"

As mentioned yesterday, to celebrate TVD Year One, we're doing an all request week---so let's have 'em. If I get enough, we'll go clear into the Weekend Shots, so don't be shy. And as I always say, if the day's posting makes just ONE person happy, I've done my job. So, Ms. Urban Gypsy, today's your day. You'd be wise to click here and here too.

The Pale Fountains - (There's Always) Something On My Mind (Mp3)
The Pale Fountains - Benoit's Christmas (Mp3)
The Pale Fountains - Free (Mp3)
The Pale Fountains - Hey There Fred (Mp3)
The Pale Fountains - Just A Girl (Mp3)

TVD Spotlight | Robert Wyatt | Part I

I have to admit. I kinda paced around back and forth in my mind over the last week trying to think about what my first TVD entry should be. One idea definitely stuck with me the longer I thought about it. Something on Robert Wyatt. More than that. A mini-series on Robert Wyatt. Not like some PBS or BBC type of thing (though he is from Bristol). Just a little three-course meal dedicated to a master chef of psychedelic, progressive chefs. I mean --- he IS the earlier and jazz-fusion. Let's me think about that some more. Ok - he's possibly a master chef of all chefs in all of the kitchens of music. The Food Network can contact to me about that weird analogy later if they want to, but to say that he's influenced me and others greatly is an understatement.

I'll sing more specific praises and give the backstory of his career like the nerd that I am later. For now though, I'll just say this: unreal drummer (notice the patterns, signatures, solos), incredible vocalist (the melodies he choses to use), gripping lyricist, spectacular beard. You'll notice the beard thing in the third part of the series. I promise...

Let's kick it off with the Wyatt-era Soft Machine. Primarily Volumes One and Two.
--Mukisa



Soft Machine - Save Yourself (Vol. 1) (Mp3)
Soft Machine - So Boot If At All (Vol. 1) (Mp3)
Soft Machine - We Did It Again (Vol. 1) (Mp3)
Soft Machine - Returns To The Bedroom (Vol. 2) (Mp3)
Soft Machine - As Long As He Lies Perfectly Still (Vol. 2) (Mp3)
Soft Machine - Hibou, Anemone And Bear (Vol. 2) (Mp3)

TVD | Turns One

One.

What were you doing when you were one? Me...I was in diapers and drinking from a bottle. So, yes...very little has changed. (ding!)

My dad used to have a saying after say, I expressed a distaste for banana cream pie or something. He'd moan, "Aw - you don't know what's good." And he said it often enough, truly without disdain or anything, where'd I almost say it along with him at times. Then I got a bit older and thought about that line, and not that he meant it really, but it dismissed all of my opinions on ANY-thing outright. "I don't know what's GOOD." Like I'm in some netherworld flailing about with the truly mediocre.

So, it started to crack me up and I began to use it in common conversation to the point where my buddy John picked up on it and we were off dismissing each other's taste in everything but mostly music. The computer whiz he is, John set up a bulletin board where, not just he and I, but our entire group of friends would tell each other, "you don't know what's f'n good," practically 24/7. Whoo boy--nothing like dissing your pals on the internet, I tell you.

So, imagine our surprise when the thing got hacked and destroyed. I mean - what? Am I gonna have to WORK now? (I kid, employer!) But it was a real drag and as John and I were plotting the return of YDKWG in some guise, I got to tinkering with Wordpress then Blogspot--and TVD was born. Without forethought or planning. Boom. I was off.

I was enamored with the Retro Music Snob blog at the time (who's back if you didn't know...) and reached out for some guidance and he was damn gracious with his time and advice and do's and don'ts. Two things he said still resonate with me: update daily, give folks a reason to return, and second--don't let it become a job. Sage advice on both fronts, I'm thinking.

Well, I've been fortunate--the thing took off. After 415 posts, 134,655 unique visits, and 246,975 pageviews, I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to YOU, the readers who've visited, commented, and participated each day. It's you guys who make the entire endeavor ultimately worthwhile. I'd be remiss if I didn't thank the advertisers over there on the left who've offered their support as well. All I had to say was "DC vinyl blog" and each and every one signed on with enthusiasm. Two-thirds of the "Vinyl District Frequents" list graciously swapped links with me and allowed this blog to swim further down the river on their backs. I trust the wind has picked up enough here to return the favor.

So, with all of this said, I'm sure you'd think it odd that I've been ready to toss in the towel here. Against RMS's wise council, it has become a bit of a job. I've daydreamed about ebaying the blog and selling it off to the highest bidder who'd earn the keys to TVD HQ. Or, like the "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" or whatever that book/movie is called, handing it off to another keeper of the flame and hoping the new caretaker looks after it with the same thoughtfulness and care.

Ultimately, the nagging question has been just how long can one blog survive trumpeting VINYL? Well, we're about to find out.

Beginning this week, three new voices will join the mix here at TVD, lending a welcome hand to what has been a one-man blog. Over the coming days Billups, Mukisa, and Kristin will be introducing themselves to you as new, frequent contributors here at TVD. They'll be lending not just their voices to the proceedings, but their record collections as well. And while I trust that there's plenty of overlap in our individual tastes, there's enough divergence to cover ground that this blogger could never accomplish singularly. You'll still have me here each morning waxing nostalgic, but there will also be plenty to have you popping back in throughout the day.

Plus, we have even more ticket giveaways to come as well as some opportunities to score some brand new vinyl, so you readers who aren't locals can win something too for a change. Nice, huh?

So, welcome to year two of this little experiment. Thank you for having us.

_______

A note about this week's "theme"--an all-request week. Rarely does a morning pass where I don't receive a request for something posted way back when, and as much as I'd like to honor those requests for reposts, they're a tough thing to pull off with any frequency. So this week - let us have it! If you've missed something that we've previously posted, want some more, or think it just may be in the TVD archives, leave a comment and we'll post it as a small way of simply saying thanks...and cheers!

The Clash - London Calling (Mp3)
The Sound - Wildest Dreams (Mp3)
T-Rex - Cosmic Dancer (Mp3)
The Clientele - Isn't Life Strange (Mp3)
David Sylvian - Nostalgia (Mp3)

TVD's Weekend Shots

Maybe it's the high gas prices or that turntables aren't on wheels, but I'm hearing a-plenty about "staycations" -- a vacation that's spent at one's home enjoying all that home and one's home environs have to offer. So, as a public service, TVD hereby presents two ingredients to enliven your "holistay" ...

Classic Rum & Coke:
5.0 oz. Cola
2.0 oz. Light Rum
Directions: Fill a Highball glass almost full with ice cubes. Pour Rum and Coke into the Highball glass. Stir well, garnish with a Lemon Wedge, umbrella, and serve til morning.

...and these, your Saturday into Sunday Soundtrack.

Don Drummond & Tommy McCook - (Music Is My) Occupation (Mp3)
Bongo Man Byfield - Bongo Man (Mp3)
Derrick Morgan - Fat Man (Mp3)
Lord Tanamo - Iron Bar (Mp3)
Millie - My Boy Lollipop (Mp3)
Eric "Monty" Morris - Penny Reel-O (Mp3)
Roland Alphonso & The Soul Brothers - Phoenix City (Mp3)
Stranger Cole - Rough And Tough (Mp3)
The Clarendonians - Rude Boy Gone A Jail (Mp3)
Desmond Dekker & The Aces - Rudy Got Soul (Mp3)

Be sure to pop back in on Monday...we've got a bit of news, we do...

TVD | Friday @ Random

Forgive me ... I am sleepwalking.
I am jangling along to some song of the moment,
suffering it's sweetness,
luxuriating in it's feeble aproximation of starlight.
Meanwhile there is a real world ...
trains are late, doctors are breaking bad news,
but I am living in a lullaby.

The Field Mice - Let's Kiss And Make Up (Mp3)
The Pale Fountains - (Don't Let Your Love) Start A War (Mp3)
Shack - Cup of Tea (Mp3)
The Shop Assistants - Somewhere In China (Mp3)
Pale Saints - True Coming Dream (Mp3)

TVD's Daily Wax | Thin Lizzy "Jailbreak"

I'm not sure if it was the Iron Maiden LP from yesterday or the dilemma with categorizing and/or alphabetizing my records...but the clouds parted and the comments exploded. For god, for bad, and well, often way off topic. Yet, this was the just the type of conversations we'd have day in and day out at the record stores I worked in. I guess 'High Fidelity' captured it all rather well--and really what I'd envisioned this forum to be way back when (like last July, ahem...) So, keep 'em coming. Comment is king.

Now, to Swiss Adam's dismay, I give you the last of cartoon rock week:

Thin Lizzy - Cowboy Song (Mp3)
Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak (Mp3)
Thin Lizzy - Running Back (Mp3)
Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back In Town (Mp3)
Thin Lizzy - Warriors (Mp3)

TVD's Daily Wax | Iron Maiden "The Number of the Beast"

I've got a dilemma with my record collection I think--it's too diverse. Normally, that's a strength, right? But last night as I was adding a new stack to the shelves--swapping out the generic inner sleeves for pristine new ones then slapping on the poly sleeves--I was thinking I've got a problem. And it's a problem with mixing genres, I think. Last night's stack consisted of some Ozzy records, and some Rush records...The Hollies, Neil Young, Steely Dan, Molly Hatchet (really, not joking), Nazareth...well, you get the picture. It was a 'rock' stack. But I'm a notorious alphabetizer, so I was sliding this stack in between Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Culture Club, Coltrane, Sylvian, Mingus...and I thought, this ain't right. Should I separate my genres?

Back in high school, my friends were as diverse. This Maiden LP reminds me of partying under the boardwalk at the Jersey Shore...a trash can with a fire lit inside to keep us warm in winter. Some cold Jack and a few cigs with the 'wrong' bunch of friends, some still around and a few who have passed on. Come the following Mondays I'd be back in my 'honors' classes thinking, "should I separate my genres?"

Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast (Mp3)
Iron Maiden - Hallowed Be Thy Name (Live) (Mp3)
Iron Maiden - The Prisoner (Mp3)
Iron Maiden - 22 Acacia Avenue (Mp3)
Iron Maiden - Run To The Hills (Mp3)

TVD's Daily Wax | Guns n' Roses "Appetite For Destruction"

After a long time out in the woods, I guess it was the Goth girls who let me know it was OK to dig Rock again. I mean, in their dorm rooms in college, there'd be posters of The Cult alongside posters of Led Zeppelin, The Cure right next to Black Sabbath. And it was another Goth girl who turned me onto G n' R. Somehow she had gotten her hands on some early, uncompromising Guns demos and played them over the in-store speakers at the Record World in Georgetown Park Mall where we worked together. Sure, it was LA metal, but it KILLED.

They used to say it was the teeny-bopper high school girls who had their finger on pulse of the next big thing to come around the corner. But me? I think it's really the Goth girls.

Guns n' Roses - Mr. Brownstone (Mp3)
Guns n' Roses - My Michelle (Mp3)
Guns n' Roses - Nightrain (Mp3)
Guns n' Roses - Rocket Queen (Mp3)
Guns n' Roses - Think About You (Mp3)

TVD's Daily Wax | KISS "Love Gun"

In '79, during a run-up to the release of KISS's 'Dynasty' LP, The New York Times published a long article in their magazine section about the band. I forget the overall gist of the piece, but something set my Mom off a bit where she said almost in passing "I'm going to come down there (where I had my stereo and LPs) and take those KISS records..." "Not if I don't get to 'em first," I thought. I gathered up all my KISS LP's and hid them in a seldom used closet that my folks stored luggage in...and for about a year plus, when I was up for a serious 'Christine Sixteen' butt wiggle, I'd ferret the LP out from the closet, spin at a respectable volume not to be overheard, and return it pronto to the mothballed storage closet.

Eventually it dawned on me that Mom's threat was an idle one at best...but the line had been drawn: us -vs- them, later distilled to: "Rock, be rocked, or step aside." (Ah,...NJ.)

KISS - I Stole Your Love (Mp3)
KISS - Love Gun (Mp3)
KISS - Christine Sixteen (Mp3)
KISS - Shock Me (Mp3)
KISS - Then She Kissed Me (Mp3)

TVD's Weekend Shots

We're a little under the weather today at ol' TVD HQ, so we're more than just happy that SG from DC Casualty has stepped up to the plate with 10 for your weekend:

"So, I suppose my theme for this week would be some sort of a summer fling's chronology. While I was tempted to fill this list w/politically charged folk punk or lay some obscure klezmer-laced hip hop on you, my current state of girltastic wimpie-ness has gotten the better of me - hence the theme. I suppose it might be time for me to light a few candles, pop open some wine and put ole Kate Bush on the record player..."

Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen In Love (Mp3)
Bouncing Souls - Hopeless Romantic (Mp3)
Defiance, Ohio - Lullabies (Mp3)
Avoid One Thing - Lean On Sheena (Mp3)
Artie Morris - Back Home Again (Mp3)
Billy Bragg - A New England (Mp3)
The Car Is On Fire - Ex Sex Is (Not) The Best (Title) (Mp3)
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - Doin' Alright With The Boys (Mp3)
Aretha Franklin - The House That Jack Built (Mp3)
David Bowie - Queen Bitch (Mp3)

TVD Ticket Giveaway | Jay Brannan | Sunday (7/11) at the 9:30

Most Sunday evenings after most weekends, I want a night out musically to "pick me up and undress me/lay me down and caress me" to quote one Mr. Joe Jackson. Ex-New Yorker Jackson may have been channeling current New Yorker and indie singer/songwriter Jay Brannan who brings his soaring tenor and introspective musings to the 9:30 this Sunday evening for a special seated show at the club. Jay's given TVD a pair of tickets to pass along to one lucky yet wistful scenster, and all you need do is to let us know just HOW special it'd be for you to attend the show this Sunday night in the comments section (or just say hello!) and we'll choose a winner for the pair by Friday at noon.

"Often erroneously billed as a 'sensitive songwriter,' Brannan is more like a roaring, emotional force."
-Julian Hooper, FLAVORPILL

Jay Brannan - Can't Have It All (Mp3)


Official Website
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TVD Shuffle Bored | July 10, 2008

The line between artist and audience: "Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith have been uncompromising in their dislike for ('The Way You Are') in the years following its release, Orzabal stating it was "the point we realized we had to change direction", while Smith was even more direct in proclaiming it "the worst thing we've done.""

Yet, oddly, a TVD favorite.

The Babys - Turn And Walk Away (Mp3)
Boz Scaggs - Lowdown (Mp3)
The Motors - Tenement Steps (Mp3)
Tears For Fears - The Way You Are (Extended Version) (Mp3)
Dwight Twilley - Girls (Mp3)