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
Much like love itself, all one need do is search for the term among all the others and pull out your favorites. Thusly, your Valentine's Weekend Ten. X!
Another week, another great TVD vinyl giveaway! This week: the all hip-hop edition! (Covering all the bases here on the blog, huh?) Up for grabs this week is the new Murs LP, 'Murs for President' and 'Notorious', the Biggie Smalls movie soundtrack.
You know the drill; grab our attention in the comments WITH your email address (important!) so we can contact you about your triumphant win. (Or, you can comment and forward your email address in an email to us. We're not picky.) And remember - each entry into our vinyl contest is an automatic entry to win the Stanton T.90 USB turntable on Record Store Day 2009!
Just make it funny. Or make it smart. About record stores. Or Record Store Day. Or vinyl. About us or you. Or something else all together. Just make it before next Monday (2/16) when we'll choose our winner. (AND launch giveaway #4...)
My first exposure to rap and hip hop came in the form of the music channel The Box, which I don't think exists in the US anymore. The Box gave viewers the ability to dial in and by touch tone phone request what video they wanted to see. I was 9. We had just moved to Alabama after spending 8 years overseas in Europe. My older brother and I would get home from school and watch whatever was on the Rap/Hip Hop channel of the Box. N.W.A. Wu-Tang. West coast rap. East coast rap. Music videos filled with stuff I couldn't dream up. I always thought I'd get in trouble if my mom found out we were watching these music videos. Guns. Alcohol. Drugs. Bikinis. When I was 9 we weren't even allowed to watch the Simpsons or Married With Children (no, seriously, although that rule was later dropped only after being back in the states a few years, and I thank my parents for having such mercy on myself and my siblings.) But I loved it.
To my memory, nobody ever requested De La Soul. Which is a damn shame because that meant I would have to wait until I was in middle school, for my brother to listen to them (and Tribe Called Quest among others), for me to be exposed to their musical goodness. I was late in the game to loving De La Soul (although, considering my age, maybe no so late) so I didn't have any De La on vinyl. Until Sunday that is. At the Record Fair (Did you go? If you didn't you should spend the weekend sober and reading Old Man and the Sea all the way through 20 times in a row in order to properly punish yourself. As if not going and experiencing the greatness of the Fair wasn't punishment enough! zing!) I came across 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul's first album. I've listened to it maybe 8 times since Sunday. Now you can join me. Enjoy.
U2 was never my band. Like so much other music, they were on the radio in the background, on television, at parties--nearly ubiquitous. You know, just fine. Just there. Stuff for the masses. I'd rather hear something else, etc.
BUT, if there's a time period or a vibe for this week's walk, it's typified by the video for New Year's Day. Not my band, but after all these years--my soundtrack.
(And the rereleases on vinyl sound gorgeous and look even better...I've bought them all. Perhaps there's a U2 switch in the works? Hmm.)
You know how it is with first dates--very often they rely completely on happenstance and timing. There's simply no way around it.
Fortunate we be then, to have Boston, Mass's Aloud right here--in DC...yep...tonight. Now, you do with this info as you will, but we here at TVD think it'd be wise to be front and center at Velvet Lounge later, saaay...about 10PM or so. (And I'd come with flowers. It IS Valentine's Day week after all.) Meanwhile, Henry Beguiristain (vocals/guitars) has a valentine for us:
"It was a few years ago I was reminded how wonderful listening to vinyl can be. I was hanging out with a friend of mine one evening and was amazed that she'd never heard Strawberry Fields Forever on vinyl. I promptly dusted off the record player, placed the Magical Mystery Tour LP onto the turntable, and did my best to carefully place the needle where the track began (or at least my best approximation). Fireworks. Well, maybe fireworks and the musky smell of old record sleeves. Anyway, I was 13 years old all over again, listening to that song for the first time after I'd raided my mom's stash of records one afternoon, poring over non-extant hidden meanings and figuring out WHO exactly buried Paul.
Nostalgia aside, what really pulled me in was simply how great it all sounded. This is how these songs were meant to be heard. Rich, WARM, with a bit of hiss, crackly at times, and not compressed to hell. These are all the qualities that fewer and fewer albums coming out seem to lack—sacrificed on the Altar of Blandness, often mistaken for some vague notion of Loudness. One can go on all day about sound, though, which is ultimately in the ear of the beholder. At the end of the day, I guess the main allure of the LP is that, by its very nature, it DEMANDS to be appreciated. The packaging is too large to ignore. The disc itself is extremely fragile and must always be handled with care. A little after twenty minutes you have to get your ass up off the couch to flip it over. And, unless you're willing to put in the work, there's no shuffle function here; THIS ALBUM WILL BE LISTENED TO. As a result, something happens, something important, that has been seemingly bred out of us in the 21st Century: you stop and smell the roses.
While I'll freely admit that my iPod is my constant companion, there's something to be said for vinyl outlasting audio cassettes, 8-tracks, and—soon enough—CDs. So while I'm not suggesting this magnificent format is going to overtake mp3s in popularity anytime soon, I'd be willing to place my bets that vinyl would make for good cover during a nuclear explosion. At least that's what it says when you play Octopus's Garden in reverse..."
I've said it before in this spot and I'll say it again, memories are affixed to records and unique tracks off those records. Yet, even before I ever owned this LP, 'The Cuttter' was echoing out in the cold, desolate winter streets as I waited for the dog to do his business in the drifting snow.
I wonder if anyone looked out their window and wondered just what the heck that kid's doing out in a blizzard with a radio blasting forth? Something ELSE the ipod has taken away it seems.
This past December, under the guise of a little experiment here at TVD, I wrote that I, you, we spend an inordinate amount of time by ourselves in our daily lives performing those basic, mundane tasks that are the essence of being human--showering, brushing one's teeth, taking out the garbage...the list goes on.
In my teen years which are normally the most social of times, it seemed I'd go out of my way to retire to solitude after school and most oddly on the weekends. I wasn't a loner by any real stretch of the imagination...just sorta' kept to myself with the outlets being drawing and reading, for example. The major outlet however was: music.
I was reminded recently about "Things from England," Scott "The Professor" Muni's Friday afternoon 4-6PM radio show on New York City's WNEW-FM. I'd tape the entire show and later, on walks outside by myself or with the family dog, boom-box in tow, would listen to the program back as Scottso's voice boomed off homes braced for winter weather, buttressed by tall snow drifts that I never seem to experience any longer.
There's a quiet solitude within this winter weather I recall quite fondly when I'd head outdoors into the snow for a long walk around the block or up the hill where we'd sleigh-ride ...but long after everyone had gone home. Bathed in purple/orange streetlight--that was the place for me. And "The "Professor."
This week we're gonna go on some of those walks again with some of the music that, for good or for bad, became the soundtrack...
It's an understatement to say that we here at TVD are proud to have teamed with Som Records,DC Soul, and Civilian Art Projects to bring you what we hope will be one of many Washington, DC Record Fairs.
Please join us this Sunday, February 8th in the Civilian Arts gallery located at 406 7th Street, NW for an afternoon of records, DJ’s, (adult) refreshments, and yea -- more records. We’ve got dealers from New York, Richmond, and all points in between hawking their vinyl wares. DJ’s confirmed so far include DJ’s Name Names, D-Mac, and Nitekrawler.
So, get to brunch. Knock back a few Bloody Marys (as we'll have) and join us this Sunday. We'll be the folks with our noses in the crates...
DJ Nitekrawler's got one hell of a weekend in front of him. Tonight it's Moneytown over at Dahlak, and then on Sunday he cohosts our little Record Fair. But even with all of that, he's got something special for the TVD readership along with your Friday parting glances:
"I recently released a 45rpm single in conjunction with Peoples Potential Unlimited: "George Smallwood - Lady Disco / Mr. Sunshine" .....tracks originally recorded and released in shamefully limited quantities during the late 70s and early 80s. For those of you w/record players that dig disco and groovin' soul tunes, I'll have 5 copies at the show that I'll be giving away for free.......all you gotta do is be one of the first 5 people that ask me for um. First come, first serve, so get there early. And look out for a record release party coming up sometime soon....George (yes, he still can play) will be rockin' the keyboard and vocals to get your head bobbin'." The Tierras – Right On A HEAVY HEAVY track. Too bad no one has any idea who the Tierras are.
Black Horizon – Black Horizon How can you go wrong with a group called Black Horizon? Still somewhat of a mystery in the chronicles of Washington DC soul, this mid-70s outfit meshed conscious lyrics with RAW disco-funk grooves. BAM! The Shadows of Soul – Shadows of Soul Not a very creative name for your track Shadows…….but it is KILLER.
Freddie Wilson – What Would It Be Like In the tradition of James brown comes…..another Georgia guy who sounds like James Brown. And it’s good. Yeah. Get down.
Little Denise – Check Me Out If I were to overhear you saying that you wanted to check out Denise, it would probably be disturbing as she seems pretty gosh darn young. But anyways, I like the track and you will too.
Eddie Floyd – Big Bird This is seriously one of the heaviest things the Stax label ever put out. Don’t sleep! A Moneytown favorite!
Lloyd Price – Bad Conditions Considering the condition of the economy, and the weather lately, and my, um, love life…..yeah. It fits. But it will make you feel good, regardless. Mary Alice McCall – Wade In The Water Ok. So you might be writing off this tune already since it’s another version of that gospel tune that I’m sure we all bump sooo often….but seriously…..this one is different. If you don’t find yourself moving like a possessed spirit in the presence of a priest, then you’ve got some issues with your hearing.
The Exits – Got To Have Money One of my favorite tracks ever. Got the beat, got the lyrics, got the feel. It’s all there folks. Reuben Bell – Action Speaks Louder Than Words And to close, a moral message…..courtesy of Moneytown! Moneytown Promo Mix #5, “Dear Patrick” ('bout 30 min.) (Mp3)
"ORPHEUS RECORDS WILL BE OPEN THE REMAINING FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS IN FEBRUARY ....Friday & Saturday...Noon til 9pm.......February 6 & 7...Feb 13 & 14...Feb 20 & 21 and Feb 27 & 28...There are about 2000 lps out, that weren't out 3 weeks ago. They are not part of the "sale", but they are priced to move. Come on in, gobble them up, and while you're here........ THIS WEEKEND CONTINUES OUR 2nd ANNUAL "GOING OUT OF BUSINESS SALE". To Commemorate the occasion ALL THE LPS THAT WE WERE SELLING FOR ONE DOLLAR WILL BE 2 FOR A DOLLAR.... The new release & re-issue lps that have never been part of the sale are on display, still FULL PRICE. MOST OTHER LPS IN THE STORE ARE 2 FOR ONE DOLLAR. THAT MEANS: if the sticker says it's 99 cents it's 2 for a dollar, if the sticker says it's $9.99, it's 2 for a dollar, if the sticker says it's $29.99 or even more (not likely) it's still 2 for a dollar. Come on in, stack 'em up and buy as much as you can afford, or more, 2 for ONE DOLLAR. Please bring boxes if you need them, we're out..."
The Submarines have covered The Morning Benders. The Morning Benders have covered The Submarines. Now TVD's got you covered with a pair of tickets for Sunday night's show at The Black Cat and a tour CD for the individual jumping up and down and waving in the comments to get our attention.
So now, here's a tip for one perfect Sunday -- head on over to Civilian Arts for the TVD, Som Records, and DC Soul-sponsored Record Fair, then zip on over to the Cat and catch the Subs and the Benders live. It does not get better, now does it?
The contest closes on Friday, so get to typing! (Remember to leave us some contact info too!)
Covers are kind of like relationships. The first time you hear a cover, it's like the start of a relationship where you are reminded of things from past relationships, but you are also experiencing something new. A good cover is like a fun brand new relationship where you really dig the person and you get to enjoy all the things that make being with someone fun. A bad cover however is like when you realize why you're single-maybe what you had in the past was awesome and this new thing kind of blows. In fact, this new thing may be ruining the concept of relationships for you altogether. Ok thank you for bearing with me during that awful analogy I just made. But I think you get my point?
Covers and I have a sordid relationship. Sometimes I’ll love a cover more than the original. Other times the cover is so bad it will actually make me hate the original. Still, other times I'll hate the original but I'll completely dig the cover. For instance a few months back I came across a George Benson album in which he covers Beatles songs. I bought the album at the encouragement of my friend Ben but was reluctant to listen to it. Like a bad relationship, the Beatles have left me with some baggage. When I was in college I dated a guy who absolutely loved them. His musical tastes in general were great and it wasn’t as if all he listened to were the Beatles. However, he listened to a lot of the Beatles. During the course of our relationship, in the summer before I came to law school, I worked in a Beatles themed bar. And just like with the guy I was dating, it wasn’t all Beatles all the time. But it was a lot of damn Beatles. After that period of my life, I had Beatles baggage. From the stuff you hear regularly on the radio to the more obscure music-I couldn’t hear any of it. So you can understand my reluctance to get this George Benson album. Probably what really prompted me to buy it was my friend Ben saying that if I didn’t he would, and my overachieving competitive side kicked in so at that point I had to buy it. I came home and gave it a listen while doing the dishes. I didn’t want to give it the full attention it probably deserved. I couldn’t. I had to ease in, just like with any new relationship.
Not too long ago I gave Ben the album in exchange for a few of his records. It’s not that I hated the album, but he wanted it more than I did. As with relationships, you gotta know when to let go. I’m still not sure exactly how I feel about the album, so instead of telling you, loyal readers, how I feel, I want your reactions. (Don’t I always!)
Not for one moment do we think we need to school the readership of TVD in regard to these three seminal Van Morrison releases, 1968's 'Astral Weeks' and Van's two bits of brilliance from 1970, 'Moondance' and 'His Band and the Street Choir.'
What we do need to impart however, is that this triumvirate of 180gram remastered vinyl from the original analog master tapes is the mind-blowing prize for the second week of our Record Store Day 2009 'Eleven Weeks of Vinyl Giveaways' contest! That's right--this week's one winner gets all three LPs shipped directly to his or her mailbox.
By now you know the drill; grab our attention in the comments WITH your email address (important!) so we can contact you about your triumphant win. (Or, you can comment and forward your email address in an email to us. We're not picky.)
Just make it funny. Or make it smart. About record stores. Or Record Store Day. Or vinyl. About us or you. Or something else all together. Just make it before next Monday (2/9) when we'll choose our winner. (AND launch giveaway #3...)
In honor the 2nd annual Record Store Day, Matador Records will be releasing the following limited edition vinyl titles, only available at independent retailers taking part in RSD2009:
OLE-864-7 - Jay Reatard “Hang Them All” 7″ b/w Sonic Youth - “No Garage” OLE-865-7 - Sonic Youth - “Pay No Mind” (Beck cover) b/w Beck - “Green Light” (Sonic Youth cover) 7″ OLE-855-1 - Pavement Live In Germany LP
Matador's making 2,500 each of the above. After they’re gone, to quote the Matador Matablog, "...tough fuckin’ shit."
"Despite a reputation for profanity, Pryor briefly hosted a children's show on CBS in 1984 called Pryor's Place. Like Sesame Street, Pryor's Place featured a cast of puppets, hanging out and having fun in a surprisingly friendly inner-city environment along with several children and characters portrayed by Pryor himself. However, Pryor's Place frequently dealt with more sobering issues than Sesame Street. It was cancelled shortly after its debut, despite the efforts of famed puppeteers Sid and Marty Krofft and a theme song by Ray Parker Jr. of Ghostbusters fame to ensure its success."
Much like love itself, all one need do is search for the term among all the others and pull out your favorites. Thusly, your Valentine's Weekend Ten. 
