Here at THE VINYL DISTRICTwe're good consumers. All Mp3's are posted to promote and give exposure to the music and are linked for a limited time. Please download to preview, then head promptly to your local vinyl vendor (or - OK, CD store too) and fork over your hard earned cash. You'll appreciate the piece of mind.
Got something you think we should be listening to or reading? thevinyldistrict (at) gmail.com
Tonight we get a bit of an update. As Rick told us earlier and updated on the Orpheus website, "I floated the question as to whether we should remain open thru November and maybe December. While the response was not overwhelming, those that did respond were overwhelmingly positive... so... WE WILL BE OPEN ALL WEEKENDS IN NOVEMBER."
The month of December we understand, will be totally reliant on the customer response for November. Dizzy Dizzy with Sean Epstein will play in-store this Saturday at 9PM - and it's totally free.
Blues is a tricky genre despite its prevalence. It can either run its routine on ya' or TRANSCEND and lift right off the ground. Led Zeppelin spent very little time on terra firma alongside their peers and lifted off into misty, ethereal heights. And it's not because they perhaps had the best triumvirate of musicians and the finest drummer of all time (apologies to those Moon and Starr worshippers) it's because their studio performances were engineered, recorded, and produced so magnificently.
Via Wiki: "Page is credited for the innovations in sound recording he brought to the studio during the years he was a member of Led Zeppelin. During the late 1960s, most British music producers placed microphones directly in front of amplifiers and drums, resulting in the sometimes "tinny" sound of the recordings of the era. Page commented to Guitar World magazine that he felt the drum sounds of the day in particular "sounded like cardboard boxes." Instead, Page was a fan of 1950s recording techniques; Sun Studios being a particular favourite. In the same Guitar World interview, Page remarked, "Recording used to be a science", and "[engineers] used to have a maxim: distance equals depth." Taking this maxim to heart, Page developed the idea of placing an additional microphone some distance from the amplifier (as much as twenty feet) and then recording the balance between the two. By adopting this technique, Page became one of the first British producers to record a band's "ambient sound" - the distance of a note's time-lag from one end of the room to the other.
For the recording of several Led Zeppelin tracks, such as "Whole Lotta Love" and "You Shook Me", Page additionally utilized "reverse echo" - a technique which he claims to have invented himself while with The Yardbirds (he had originally developed the method when recording the 1967 single "Ten Little Indians"). This production technique involved hearing the echo before the main sound instead of after it, achieved by turning the tape over and employing the echo on a spare track, then turning the tape back over again to get the echo preceding the signal.
Page has stated that, as producer, he deliberately changed the audio engineers on Led Zeppelin albums, from Glyn Johns for the first album, to Eddie Kramer for Led Zeppelin II, to Andy Johns for Led Zeppelin III and later albums. He explained that "I consciously kept changing engineers because I didn't want people to think that they were responsible for our sound. I wanted people to know it was me."
In an interview he gave to Guitar World magazine in 1993, Page remarked on his work as a producer: “Many people think of me as just a riff guitarist, but I think of myself in broader terms... [A]s a producer I would like to be remembered as someone who was able to sustain a band of unquestionable individual talent, and push it to the forefront during its working career. I think I really captured the best of our output, growth, change and maturity on tape -- the multifaceted gem that is Led Zeppelin."
U.K. Post Punk legends The Homosexuals are back at it again and raising hell for the next month in support of their new 10” VINYL EP, 'Love Guns'. The band on a 17-date U.S. tour stomps into DC on this Thursday, November 13th with a show at The Velvet Lounge and TVD's got a pair of tickets to give away.
The Homosexuals – who have been a major influence on many young bands such as The Black Lips and Deerhunter – have been throwing down mayhem and have marched to a beat all their own since being formed by eccentric frontman Bruno Wizard in the mid-70’s. No matter how you talk about The Homosexuals' live show, it's almost always going to lessen the value of the real experience. They throw together "well-constructed Brit-punk — early-Buzzcocks-meets-Vibrators — with more intelligence and sense than blind aggression," as Trouser Press proclaimed.
Plead your case in the comments and we'll choose a winner for the Post Punk mayhem Thursday morning. Don't forget to leave us some contact info too!
"Simply put, one of the most flawlessly great British punk/post-punk bands." —WFMU
"The Homosexuals were, by all accounts, one of those late-1970s UK garage-punk bands that deserved to reach a wider audience alongside icons like the Sex Pistols, the Clash, and all the rest." —Marc Hogan, Pitchfork
"I just had the closest thing to a religious experience since my bar mitzvah... "The Homosexuals played the most dynamic, explosive set I've seen in a couple years." —The Washington Post
So, I said, "Hey, Feral Children, what's your take on vinyl these days?"
"Vinyl commands respect. It sounds better than any other format, has stood the test of time, and requires a commitment in the way of spatial concerns--both for the vinyl itself, and from a lack of portability standpoint. The idea of vinyl with digital downloads is a great thing that solves the problem my wife has of wanting to take the new Pleasureboaters on her elipticals at the gym, while I just want to sit in my favorite chair with a glass of scotch and listen to the record spin."
The thing about TVD's fourth favorite producer, Tony Visconti, that I appreciate in a very different vein from yesterday's producer extraordinaire, Roy Thomas Baker, is that Tony doesn't come with a particular 'sound' per se. Where RTB seems to impart his stamp on a recording, Visconti allows the artist to breathe in the studio. "My policy is to interfere as little as possible, but to draw out the best in the artists I work with, especially the singers. The best part is towards the end, when I sit at a mixing console and put it all together. It’s actually a very nice occupation."
Whether he's functioning as coach, mentor, or conspirator, his crystalline recordings capture just that - the singularity of an artist's unique confection. And I should add, he's worked with some very fine songwriters, indeed:
Time was when the announcement of a particular producer for an artist's next recording project was indeed heralded as NEWS. Labels and artists would jockey for position to marry a producer, and most importantly a producer's SOUND, to an upcoming release. As such, yours truly followed the hiring of a producer with 'inside baseball'-like interest.
And that interest hasn't abated, despite the role of producer all but being ruled out of the current hype-equation. So, this week, we'll go about remedying the current brand of under-appreciation a bit as we count down TVD's Top Five Producers. Ever.
Coming in at number five is: Roy Thomas Baker. As Mix magazine noted, "Baker's name...will forever be associated with Queen albums such as Queen II and Night at the Opera, which contained the track “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the band's ode to rock 'n' roll bombast, and was filled to the brim with overdubs. It was the highpoint of what Baker calls his “kitchen sink production time: Any idea that we had, we just threw it on.”"
Indeed, the hallmark of his production style is the multilayered, operatic vocal approach which shines on not only Queen records but on such diverse releases by Nazareth, Guns N' Roses, The Who, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Cars, Foreigner, Journey, Pilot, Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe, T. Rex, Devo, The Stranglers, Dusty Springfield, Starcastle, T'Pau, Yes, Cheap Trick, Gasolin' and The Darkness. Most recently he has worked with The Smashing Pumpkins on their 2007 album, Zeitgeist.
This week we catch up with TVD's very first 'First Date', Los Angeles singer/songwriter/siren Leerone, who clues us into what's spinning on her turntable these days:
Strange Brew Some things are hard to define. You know that moment, when something you see or hear for example, stops you in your tracks and you’re just taken? Transfixed? And you can’t really explain why but you know that you’ve been touched by something outside of yourself? I love those moments. The following songs had that very affect on me. Well, that’s not entirely true. Some of the tracks merely tickled my musical taste buds. Regardless, they all have a special place in my sonic library and have been among my recent listens.
Glasser - Apply (Mp3) She performs with an interpretive dance troupe, need I say more?
Leerone - Empty Houses (Mp3) Yes, a shout out to myself. This song doesn’t get as much love as I think it deserves. It’s like the well known archetype: the pretty girl in high school who wears glasses and is a book worm and no one notices her but when they do...
Join TVD this Monday (11/10) when our pal and previous 'First Date' John Foster aka Sad Crocodile joins Quote and Sean McArdle for a wee bit of music making at Iota. Sure, it's late notice and in truth John had packed up for the winter after recording but just couldn't say no ...so come on out for what should be a wonderful night.
Those readers with a sharp eye will recall seeing this cover in the past and note that I've been slipping in L.E.O. tracks wherever possible. Simply put, this is one of the finest releases I've heard in some time AND bolsters Angry Old Man Rule #3: Quit ripping off the '80's and go about ripping off the '70's!
In this scenario, the overarching influence is E.L.O., but L.E.O. (get it?) aren't merely ripping off Jeff Lynne's stylistics and production nuances, just merely incorporating them as their own in a (semi-)modern context and writing entirely new music that feels as familiar as an LP whose grooves are worn beyond warmth.
Not Lame's blog had some background a little while back, "Among the collaborators assembled here as L.E.O. are vocalist Andy Sturmer, from nineties power pop-icon Jellyfish; singer-guitarist Mike Viola, formerly of the Candy Butchers and co-writer of the Oscar-nominated movie theme "That Thing You Do!"; multi-platinum producer John Fields; Papas Fritas founder/producer Tony Goddess; Matt Mahaffey of the acclaimed one-man-band Self; Jason Scheff, vocalist and bassist for the legendary band Chicago; singer-songwriter Paula Kelley; Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman; and even the Hanson brothers. This wildly eclectic crew was brought together by Boston pop auteur Bleu (William James McAuley III), who whimsically decided to embark on this unique project four years ago and managed to cajole his many far-flung pals to join him for the ride."
I've been pretty vocal on this blog about being hyper-nostalgic and there's been no loss of the sentiment as I've prepared to witness the closing of Orpheus Records in Clarendon...another thing that's been well chronicled in this space.
But last night comes word that, despite the big going out of business sign and the lowered prices leading up to last weekend and this weekend's dollar days--Rick may have been granted a reprieve for a little while and may be able to stay open through December and NOT shut forever this coming Saturday.
So, he asked me last night what I thought -- should he stay there through December and selfishly I thought, "Well, YEA!" but for practical reasons he wondered if the loyal regulars and semi-regulars would embrace the notion of things going back to the way they were for a little while and then more close-out sales in a month or more. Here's how Rick put in on the Orpheus website:
"In the 'better late than never' category we are going to attempt to communicate with others. It would be nice to be able to let you know what's going on here. It would also be nice to know what more of you are thinking. By that I mean what you think about the short term future of Orpheus Records. After all the proclamations about our demise we have another reprieve from the landlord for December... What do YOU think?? Would you like to see Orpheus around another month or so? Should I stay or should I go NOW? (apologies to the Clash) Please, let me know. If I stayed would you like to see the Vinyl Ink stock that's been sitting here for years?? Or do you only want me to put out stuff for a dollar. Most of the stock that is not currently available to you would NOT be a dollar. We only have a little time left. I'd like to use it to our mutual advantage. Talk to me!!!"
So, TVD readers and Orpheus regulars and (semi-regulars), here's an opportunity to directly influence what happens over the next month or more...let us and Rick know how you feel. And I mean NOW as a decision needs to be made...another month? Wanna see that Vinyl Ink stash hit the bins? Or stick with the close out dollar days? SPEAK UP!
Update 11/7:A number of online media outlets have picked up on TVD's/Orpheus Records' call for feedback. Washington City Paper has a piece here this morning, DCRTV sheds some more light here (scroll down a bit), and our blog pal IntangibleArts shares his thoughts on the topic here. TVD will report back next week on how all of this has shaken out, but in the meantime please continue to make your voice heard.
Inexplicably, the '80's are back with a vengeance. And for about a moment or two, I was charmed. But folks...a polite reminder -- the '80's were a reaction to the swagger of the '70's. The DIY aesthetic was a reaction to the overblown pomposity of an era. But '80's for '80's sake is a reaction to well, being fresh out of ideas. (And the 'ironic' boat shoes? Just a tip: weren't cool then. Even worse now.) Rule #3: Stop ripping off the '80's. Rip off the '70's.
I received an email to TVD HQ a little while back which read something to the effect of "we hear you've blogged about Minnie Ripperton's "Loving You" and that you're a fan. Please check out our artist's rendition, etc., etc..."
I was sort of scratching my head, really. I mean, I guess I included "Loving You" among some '70's posts, but a fan? That seemed strong. But more worrisome was the notion of someone covering that song with its myriad of octaves. First, that person would have to have an incredible range, and even IF that was the case, that tune could easily tumble right into the schmaltz category...and not in a good way. But I clicked the link anyway.
And was pretty blown away:
For a week when we're discussing the hit or miss (ok, largely miss) nature of the music industry these days and the artists and bands foisted upon us, along comes Minnie as a reminder of genuine, non-Protool talent. And none too soon, as well...
"Hey Everybody! I'm Minnie Murphy and I'm so excited to be a featured artist on The Vinyl District this week! My first single, "Take Me To Texas Tonight" is being released to radio right now and I don't know what to expect next. I'm very proud of the work and I really hope that people like it. It's taken me awhile to get this far but this song has stood strong for 8 years now and I'm just so excited for the world to finally hear it. Check out more of my music at myspace.com/minniemurphy. Thanks so much for listening."
Benjamin Franklin was quoted a saying that one of the greatest gifts God gave man was the appreciation and for his or her own voice. I'll go one better and propose that the greater gift is our own voices hung on a song. Or a clever lyric. With a wise twist. Or not. Maybe it's just something sweet. Or dirty. Or sexy. But wherever it resides, it's in a warm bed going toe to toe with tunefulness. Rule #2: It's the melody, stupid.
I've been digging seriously since the late 1980's but when I opened my own used record store in 2003, I had to take my digging to the next level. I currently own Som Records at 1843 14th Street, NW in Washington, DC. If you're reading this blog then you probably already know what a digger is, but I will explain anyway:
A digger in record collector parlance is someone who constantly looks everywhere and at all times for new and interesting records. These records can be for DJing, sampling, playing at home, trading for other records, reselling, whatever.
Sitting at home a surfing e-bay and GEMM for records does not make you a digger. Going down to your local record store to buy the latest Belle and Sebastian LP does not make you a digger unless you have to go through EVERY record in that shop before you leave. Getting up before dawn on a cold winter's morning (after DJing the night before) to get to a flea market in West Virginia that may or may not even have records might make you a digger.
Slowing down whenever you see a yard sale and training your wife to spot record boxes at 35 miles per hour might make you a digger. Diving through DUSTY piles of ten foot vertical stacks of records in a shed in the back of "antique" mall in rural Florida while you battle heat and insects to find 2-3 good records might make you a digger. (OK, enough Jeff Foxworthy retreads, let's talk records...)
In this space I'll be featuring a new record every month. I will explain where and how I found that record and what that record is all about. Why I like it, why it's valuable or interesting, where I found it and how I found it. I'll also give you a brief history of the album (when possible) and give sound clips.
Sometimes people ask me in the shop "where do you find your records?" That is a question I would never answer completely. No true digger (no smart digger) would ever reveal all of his secret spots and contacts. "Just go down to the Goodwill on every second Tuesday of the month at 11:15AM. Knock twice on the back door and ask for Willie. He'll show you into the Blue Note storage room where you can grab an armload full for ten bucks."
In these days of e-bay hoarding and record flipping revealing all of my secrets would not be prudent. I can tell you that I shop for records at record stores, thrift stores, record shows, flea markets, estate sales, antique malls, online, in newspapers, at friend's houses, at relative's houses, at stranger's houses, in my own house, at book stores, church sales, library sales, bake sales, on the side of the road (really) and just about anywhere actually. My digging descriptions each month may not have ALL the details you want but will hopefully give you, the reader, an idea of how it all went down. To me there's nothing more exciting than finding a record that you've never heard of that's been collecting dust in someone's basement for over thirty years and being the first person to play that record since 1975. When that record happens to be great and/or valuable then you've struck digging gold. I better stop typing now, there are records out there that need to be found... _____________
Thanks go out to Stefan Glerum for use of his illustration at the top of this post which will adorn Neal's monthly crate dispatches. Check out the rest of Stefan's amazing work here - and he's even got prints for sale!
Last week's 'First Date'Fredrik return again this week with a little something under the arm for TVD readers. To celebrate the release of their new video, "11 Years," TVD's got a vinyl copy of their new release "Na Na Ni" to award to the sharpest, wittiest, vinyl-related commenter of the bunch. And that winner needn't be in DC, so all you visitors from far-flung destinations all have a chance as well to snap up the vinyl from the Swedish popsters. (Remember to leave us some contact info too, please...)
If you're a regular reader and familiar with the continuing TVD narrative, you were witness to a brimming over with disgust last week for about 97% of the artists and bands that are pimped daily by Pitchfork and Stereogum respectively. It depresses me to no end to think that the kids coming up today will have a generation of half-baked bands or pseudo-talents to recall as their collective 'first's.
It depresses me even MORE however, to be referring to the 'kids these days' as it seems I was one of 'em just an hour ago. But to hell with it - I'll embrace it in a new TVD feature: Angry Old Man, wherein we attempt to re-raise the bar that has been dropped precariously low over the past say...ten years. (I could go back even farther, but alas, I'm no spring chicken and time's a-wastin'...)
In the summer summer of '76 I was a whopping NINE years old and one of my best buddies was my pal Nick who, if I recall correctly, was two or three years older than me--a whopping 11 or 12. Nick had this odd set up for a bedroom in his home as his parents, brother and sister all had their bedrooms upstairs while Nick had a precursor to Baby's First Bachelor Pad with his bedroom on the ground level and the ability to come and go as he pleased. This totally blew my mind up - the FREEDOM, I'd think often. Nick was also in possession of more than a few cigarettes and Playboy magazines which solidified his rep, at least in my eyes, as one cool kid. My folks weren't similarly convinced.
It was that summer when one late afternoon I found myself sitting in Nick's disorderly downstairs and the kid put a copy of KISS "Destroyer" in my hands and dropped the needle onto Track One -- "Detroit Rock City". The sound effects, the radio in the diner with its subtle build up into the song knocked me the hell over. Like the jazz standard I recall thinking, "how long has this been going ON?" I was transfixed to say the very least. Grabbed around the neck and THROTTLED was more like it.
A tiny bit later it was like I was taken out to the playground and given a serious rock schooling as Sweet's "Fox on the Run" drilled its candy confection into my cranium. Another good friend Carol had an older sister who introduced her, then us, to BOWIE. We'd sit in Carol's room among her doll collection and listen to "Space Oddity" over and over with the drapes shut tight. Then Alice Cooper...imagine - Alice is a GUY. No waaaaay. And "Bohemian Rhapsody" ...one of my very first 45's b/w "I'm In Love With My Car," a Roger Taylor composition that got as much play as the operatic A side which even my folks found oddly compelling for all of its classical music strains.
So, what's the point you ask? You were NINE. Where's the tie in with the Pitchgummers?
Well, inherently, THAT's my first point. That 'something' is missing. That stomach-twisting, chill inducing 'otherness' is all but nonexistent this morning and most mornings on the Pitch/Gum frontpages. Ask yourself - is anything reaching through the monitor and sending your life into an upswirl? You needn't be nine to be simply excited and enraptured, and a whole generation is knobbing at the teet which isn't even delivering this one, BASIC nutrient. The ONE ingredient careers are built and sustained upon. (U2, anyone?) Really, if I'm thinking through mathematical progressions to get to the center of your Protools lollypop, you're doing it all wrong.
Tonight we get a bit of an update. As Rick told us earlier and updated on the Orpheus website, "I floated the question as to whether we should remain open thru November and maybe December. While the response was not overwhelming, those that did respond were overwhelmingly positive... so... WE WILL BE OPEN ALL WEEKENDS IN NOVEMBER." 
