Record Store Day Wrap up - by Paul Epstein

So how does one really know when it is the best day ever!? Well obviously things like the marriage of your kids, birth of grandkids, paying off your mortgage - these sorts of things are really important milestones. However, I’m talking about in a professional sense. In the 22 years we’ve been in business (yes this weekend also marks our 22nd anniversary) I can not recall a day that felt quite like this one. All I can say is it was unbelievable. The only way I can get my arms completely around it is to break it into pieces.

1. The Stuff- This year there was some serious stuff - both quantity and quality. Close to 200 hundred unique LPs, 45’s, 12”, Books and DVDs guaranteed diversity. After seeing the growth from year one to year two, we decided to really try and step up the numbers we brought in this year. In spite of the economic climate of the last year I swallowed hard and threw away the budget. Our buyers did an incredible job of predicting what would be hot and we had sufficient quantity to get almost everybody what they wanted. As always there are a couple of items that are runaway hits and blow out in the first few hours. This year those were The Beastie Boys, The Hold Steady and Sharon Jones covering the Beatles. Those were the couple of items we ran out of. For the most part though we didn’t run out, and as a result sold huge quantities of The Flaming Lips, The Rolling Stones, John Lennon, The Raconteurs, MGMT, Them Crooked Vultures and on and on and on. The product mix was heavily leaning toward vinyl, which is pretty much the story of the music business in the last year. Not that vinyl sales have taken over CD sales, but the rebirth of the collector’s format is both surprising and rewarding.

2. The Folks- By 9:00 a.m. there were probably close to a hundred people in line. When we opened the doors, the store immediately filled up with approximately 250 people. It didn’t stop. They kept pouring in. By 11:00 a.m. the line from the register went all the way to the back of the store. It stayed that way until mid-afternoon. We had had four cashiers ringing them up as fast as they could, but it was just overwhelming. I stayed on the floor the entire day and I did not hear one cross word. I didn’t hear one complaint or one demand. As the customers clustered around the products I would hear people call out “Here’s the Black Keys 12” who needs it?” They were actually helping each other. I saw at least 20 ex-employees. Nothing makes me happier than that. I was also gratified by the number of customers just wishing the store well in a general sense; long time customers, first timers, a surprising number of out-of-staters who traveled for the event-people of all types just happy to be there and happy to see a real record store still in existence. One interesting demographical observation: the majority of the crowd was males 25-35 - the exact crowd that populated our store when we started 22 years ago. In spite of everything that has changed, some things remain the same.

3. The DJs- We had 4 DJs play throughout the day, as we did last year, and this formula proved to be absolutely the perfect thing again. Arturo from KUVO kicked things off with a rousing, danceable set of R&B, Jazz and World music that was just perfect, Next Sam from 1190 played a wild, high energy set of Hip Hop and Electronica, then our own A-What, who is one half of Pirate Signal (and a Twist employee) demonstrated his amazing turntable skills and burned it down playing rare grooves and old school rap. Then around 3:00 p.m. another crowd of about a hundred people started filtering in for DJ Bonobo’s amazing downtempo set. An incredibly unassuming guy, Bonobo slid in and quietly blew minds. His set was so natural and well-chosen people kept asking me when he was going to play. “He’s playing right now!” He was a natural fit and the perfect cap to our Record Store Day DJ sets.

4. The Staff- I’ve said it before, but it was so obvious again on this day - we have the best staff of any record store ever! Our people were so great, and so patient, and helpful. Lots of people showed up and helped, and everyone was in a great mood. It is tremendously rewarding to me, that the store doing well makes the staff happy. They were saying to me all day “I wish it could be like this every day.” From the bottom of my heart I thank them for what they do every day.

5. The Business- what can I say - it was the biggest day we have ever had. Last year in the depths of despair I remember saying to Jill, “we will never say those words- ‘best day ever’ ever again.” I believed the business was on the big downhill slide that would never be reversed. I’m not sure it will be reversed, but we can still do some honkin’ big numbers when the conditions are right. As I mentioned before, it was that same old demographic that always bought records still showing up. This is the generation that was supposed to be lost for good. And yet, there they were buying with gusto. Not just the RSD stuff - they were staying and shopping for everything. We sold so much new and used vinyl it was shocking. I don’t know what the future holds, but I for one, am going to wait for the fat lady to sing before I say “never” ever again.

So I guess it was a perfect day. The only negative I can think of was the fact that Jill had to go to California to visit her parents and wasn’t there. We talked on the phone Saturday night and I thanked her for helping me make my dream come true. I said; “Can you believe this is what has become of our little store?” Thanks folks.

-Paul Epstein

I'd Love to Turn You On #7: King Sunny Ade - Juju Music

Welcome to Twist & Shout’s “I’d Love To Turn You On” a fortnightly column by our deeply knowledgeable staff of hardcore collectors and music lovers who want to spend some time turning you on to some of their favorite releases of yore; titles that may have slipped out of the public favor, or perhaps never quite found the audience they deserve. Dig in to some terrific musical esoterica and enjoy the sounds.



"...the rhythm is basically simple and, once you hook it up, it flows endlessly."

So says King Sunny Ade in the liner notes and the music herein bears it out - 20 players working toward one goal of creating a melodic, tightly interwoven music that manages to marry traditional Africa with the modern West, to feel earthbound and look up and out toward some psychedelic space at the same time. Does it sound like too much to put on one record's shoulders? For proof listen to the lead track "Ja Funmi," just over 7 minutes of absolute perfection, in which Sunny Ade and his African Beats bring their Nigerian dance music up north to meet English label owner Chris Blackwell and French producer Martin Meissonnier to have them help sharpen up the hooks without losing the rhythmic sleekness. Together they create a music that's at once calming and exciting, both soothing and crazy in its density, and like nothing you've ever heard before - unless you've listened to Sunny Ade, that is. And dig in further to hear Ade's sharp guitar leads trading off with Demala Adepoju's Hawaiian-sounding steel guitar (especially on "Ma Jaiye Oni") and the synthesizers and keyboards played by both Ade and Meissonnier providing some of the most unique sounds you've ever heard on any record anywhere - check the way the drums and synths interact on the otherworldly "Sunny Ti De Ariya" for the best example.
This record is the result of Blackwell's search for a new star to fill the shoes on his label that were left vacant when global superstar Bob Marley passed away in 1981. He wanted someone whose music was accessible enough to cross over in the West, someone who was already an established star in their homeland, and King Sunny Ade, who'd been performing music professionally since he was a teenager and running his own record label since the early 1970's, fit the bill perfectly. Ade made two more records for Blackwell's label - the great Synchro System and Aura, both now sadly out of print and both well worth snapping up when you find them - before he parted ways with the label and in some ways this first effort is their best, culling through the band's recent catalog and sharpening up the tunes for consumption outside of Africa without losing their edge or sacrificing an iota of Ade's musical integrity. I can't think of a synthesis of Africa and Europe more successful than this record. From here, continue to explore outward because in my experience, you simply can't go wrong with anything in King Sunny Ade's catalog. Sadly, King Sunny Ade and his African Beats were scheduled to play next Friday, April 30th at the Boulder Theater but have been forced to cancel their North American tour due to circumstances arising from the death of two band members late last month in an auto accident. When the group finds themselves able to come to the States again, I strongly suggest that you make the show. You won't regret it.
-- Patrick

Paul's Friday Reflections on Record Store Day 2010

As the third annual Record Store Day approaches I am asked by the press, national and local, what it all means, why we are still here, and what the record stores' place in our culture is exactly. I always try to come up with positive, happy reasons for people to come in and buy, but am obviously left with these very same questions circling my own brain looking for a satisfactory answer. 2010 has proven to be another interesting, and believe it or not, hopeful year for us. In 2009 we saw a drop in revenue the likes of which I have never seen. It made the post 9/11 malaise seem like a walk in the park. It seemed that shortly after the bottom dropped out of the housing market, and shortly before Obama was elected the public just went home... and stayed there, for about a year. Around Christmas of '09 we started to see a few turtles poke their heads out. We had a pretty good Christmas season, and then sometime in January we realized that the turtles were still around. In fact it seemed that people were starting to act like their old selves again. Our best seller for the week started to sell 30, 40, 50 and upwards, more like the old days. The vinyl half of the store would fill up every day around three in the afternoon as though the cocoon of bad economic news was peeling away and folks were starting to pck up the pieces of their shattered lives. Of course, one of those pieces is always music and the comfort it brings. As the months started to pass it seemed this was not a temporary situation. We have continued to make up the lost ground of '09 and '10 is shaping up to be a fine year.

Which brings us to Record Store Day. As preparations for the celebration started to really gear up, it became clear to us that this year the labels were taking this shit seriously. Because of the relatively rare phenomenon of growth that they witnessed the last two years of RSD, the music industry has recognized that a big part of collecting music is having something to hold, cherish, pass on etc, and that the best, no, the only place to do that is in the independent record stores - not the chains - the independents. They have delivered a torrent of really cool collectible stuff this year that outnumbers by three times the offerings of last year (which doubled the amount we saw the first year). Our back room is literally swimming with boxes of product. It is unbelievable, the amount of mind-blowing special stuff back there. As a collector myself, with each new box that comes in I have felt that wonderful pulse quickening that only records can bring. It makes me wonder why the labels don't recognize the obvious, and give the people what they want. There are close to 200 items that we will have for sale on Saturday, and I think it is safe to say there is something for everyone. Let me talk about a couple of items I've previewed:

The Flaming Lips perform Dark Side of The Moon- wow, when I first heard about it I thought it had to be an unsubstantiated rumor, but here it is. I'm listening to it as I write this. Early reports were mixed. I heard some Floyd aficionados didn't like it because it was too modern, and I heard other people say it was great. I come down with the latter crowd. I think it is absolutely cosmic, original, modern and true to the original all at the same time. Ably assisted by Stardeath and White dwarfs, Peaches and Henry Rollins, it sounds like the original thrown in a sonic blender with some recent technology, a little 21st century angst and a dash of beat matching to come up with something that is both familiar and totally new and modern. With a great cover art, a mint green record and a cd thrown into the package, I anticipate this being the hottest item of the day. Don't worry, we bought lots. In fact it is worth mentioning at this point, that we bought LOTS OF EVERYTHING!! Because of the aforementioned growth we have seen in RSD, we stepped out big time this year. No guarantees of course, but I do feel like we will be able to take care of almost everybody this year.

I Need That Record DVD- What a great movie this was. It seems as though it started out as a documentary about the closing of a classic record store. Then at some point it looks like the directors decided to take it a bit wider and look at why so many independent record stores are closing. Then they started interviewing important musicians (Thurston Moore, Ian Mackaye, Mike Watt, an erudite Lenny Kaye and a bitter, foul-mouthed, absolutely hilarious Glen Branca) and looking at the overall problems with the music industry. The resulting film is a rambling journey through the underside of pop culture. It will have you alternately crying tears of laughter and sadness as you see one of the truly unique backwaters of American culture disappear before your eyes.

That's just a couple of things out of hundreds. There is the reissue of REM's classic Murmur on light blue clear vinyl, the Them Crooked Vultures 10" picture disc with unreleased material. The John Lennon 7" triple pack, The Jimi Hendrix Live at Clark University LP, The Rolling Stones 7" with two unreleased Exile era songs, The Wilco Kicking Television vinyl box set, The Raconteurs vinyl reissue of Broken Boy Soldier with copper embossed cover(we got almost a fifth of the entire amount made of this release), Beastie Boys 12' w/ surprise songs on it… need I continue??? It's big people and it's all for you!!
Click here for a complete list of record store day titles we'll have on Saturday

One other thing I must make mention of is the fine new book called Record Store Days by Gary Calamar and Phil Gallo. In the last few years there have been a number of books written about the life and death of record stores. Most of them have been flawed in one way or another. Record Store Days is finally a fully satisfying primer on record store culture. Packed with photos and anecdotes from most of the classic record stores (us included) it really captures the flavor of record store life. Less glossy, but equally enjoyable is James P. Goss' book Vinyl Lives which profiles many of the great record stores of modern times (again including us). These books offer a tangible reminder of what rare and wonderful places record stores are.

Because what this is really about is this: we, as a culture, occasionally need a gentle tap on the shoulder, a reminder of what, in our headlong dash toward the finish line, we leave behind. It's not just architecture and technology that are being affected by the breakneck acceleration of change in today's world, it is art, interpersonal relationships, matters of the brain and heart that start to recede over the horizon as we plug in to more and more devices. Maybe Record Store day is a speed bump on the culture highway, that after you hit your head on the roof of the car you look in the rear view and say, "what was that? I better slow down."

See You In The Aisles,
Paul Epstein

Thursday Reflections on Record Store Day

To celebrate Record Store Day, we've asked our staff - past and present - and a bunch of musicians, industry folks, and friends of the store to cough up some thoughts about what record stores mean to them. We'll post a few replies every day from now until Record Store Day. Check 'em out:

V.V. Brown (her album Travelling Like the Light streets 4/20 on Capitol Records)
"This 26-year-old Brit's debut album is a high-energy mash-up of genres and styles - it's doo-wop meets electronica meets Amy Winehouse. A sure-to-be-hit." –Glamour

•When was the last time you got that constricted blood-vessel
feeling of "Oh my God I can't believe it's here. I've been looking for
this record for..." In other words, is there a "Holy Grail" that you've
been searching for in every music store and thrift store all across this
great land of ours?
Little Dragon. It was an album that made me excited again about music.

•Is record shopping different, or do you get the same feeling
at a bookstore or at Checker Auto Parts?
Its different. I love looking at the art work, being excited by the journey. I usually spend hours looking. Especially vinyl.

•Do you ever buy for investment or is it all for the love of
music?
Mostly its all about the love. Love is an investment.

•Have you ever bought something and as you are handing the
money over you are saying to yourself "why am I buying this?!"
Some pop albums that I'm only buying out of curiosity rather than love that I know I wont really like but Im just curious due to the producer.

•What items did you say that about?
Cheryl Cole. An English singer. it was more a business purchase.

•Conversely, what's the worst case of remorse you've
ever had by letting something slip through your fingers?
I' m not sure....

•How do you hear about new music these days?
The internet is the only way I seem to discover new music.

•Do you have a favorite music blog? magazine? website?
I don't really have a favourite.

•Do you listen to the radio? Satellite or old fashioned?
I dont have much time to listen to traditional radio these days so Im a fan of the last fm and more internet radio stations.

•Who would you love to see performing at Twist & Shout (or the
local record store in your town)? Why?
Gorillaz. Innovative and their new album is amazing

•Anything random to add?
Check out my comic book out may 7th on www.thecityofabacus.com

Wednesday Reflections on Record Store Day

To celebrate Record Store Day, we've asked our staff - past and present - and a bunch of musicians, industry folks, and friends of the store to cough up some thoughts about what record stores mean to them. We'll post a few replies every day from now until Record Store Day. Check 'em out:

From Artist, DJ, Producer, all round amazing talent: Howie B

•When was the last time you got that constricted blood-vessel feeling of "Oh my God I can't believe it's here. I've been looking for this record for..." In other words, is there a "Holy Grail" that you've been searching for in every music store and thrift store all across this great land of ours?
I found a copy of Creedance Clearwater Revival covers done by a Bluegrass band the other week in a small record shop in Paris. Magic


•Is record shopping different, or do you get the same feeling at a bookstore or at Checker Auto Parts?
It is a unique experience that is unequalled my only comparison is buying a musical instrument

•Do you ever buy for investment or is it all for the love of music?
I will never sell my records !

•Have you ever bought something and as you are handing the money over you are saying to yourself "why am I buying this?!" What items did you say that about? Conversely, what's the worst case of remorse you've ever had by letting something slip through your fingers?
No

•How do you hear about new music these days?
I still am on word of mouth from mates, and shops and my kids now too

•Do you listen to the radio? Satellite or old fashioned?
I love listening to the radio, it is still for me the best medium to propagate music

•Who would you love to see performing at Twist & Shout (or the local record store in your town)? Why?
I would love to see a band called Lupen Crook they are a three piece from Maidstone they rock

•Anything random to add?
Thats it!

Tuesday Reflections on Record Store Day

To celebrate Record Store Day, we've asked our staff - past and present - and a bunch of musicians, industry folks, and friends of the store to cough up some thoughts about what record stores mean to them. We'll post a few replies every day from now until Record Store Day. Check 'em out:

Joel
Twist and Shout Employee

• When was the last time you got that constricted blood-vessel feeling of "Oh my God I can't believe it's here. I've been looking for this record for..." In other words, is there a "Holy Grail" that you've been searching for in every music store and thrift store all across this great land of ours?
It has been a week or so since I got excited about an LP I have been looking for. It arrived at Twist and Shout and was priced reasonably considering what it is. It is the Plasmatics 1st EP called Meet The Plasmatics. I had seen this once before at a record convention in Oklahoma many years ago. I beleive it was the black vinyl pressing and was out of my price range. The one I snatched up the other day is a clear vinyl pressing which I have tried to research and find out how many of each color were pressed: NO luck. I even emailed the main Plasmatics/Wendy O. Williams fan site and they couldn't remember. Anyway it was one of few vinyl pieces I did not have, so I was very pleased to hold it in my hands- in great condition at that! P.S. The 6th of April (1998) was the day Wendy passed away. R.I.P. W.O.W.

•Is record shopping different, or do you get the same feeling at a bookstore or at Checker Auto Parts?
Music shopping is WAY different. Shopping for things you have a major interest in is exciting and finding something you didn't expect to see (sometimes ever) is a great feeling.

•Do you ever buy for investment or is it all for the love of music?
Both. I will admit I have put time and effort into knowing what is rare and taking advantage of a valuable find. But it stems from my DEEP love of music and my continued widening of musical taste parameters. Music is #1 in my day to day interests and thoughts (doesn't hurt working around music every day)!

•Have you ever bought something and as you are handing the money over you are saying to yourself "why am I buying this?!" What items did you say that about? Conversely, what's the worst case of remorse you've ever had by letting something slip through your fingers?
No, I do not thoughtlessly buy music anymore. When I first started buying cassettes and LPs I did buy albums based on the album cover, name of the band and name of the album. Even then I was thinking and hoping it sounded good. Mostly it was a good choice. Remorse? I guess it was when I didn't come up with $500 for a Deadsy demo cassette on eBay. I have never seen another since or before!

•How do you hear about new music these days?
Work, internet, word of mouth. I see plenty of new music at work but VERY little sparks any interest.

•Do you have a favorite music blog? magazine? website?
I don't bother with magazines anymore. Website? Maybe Pitchfork.com or Antimusic.com

•Do you listen to the radio? Satellite or old fashioned?
I choose what I hear as much as possible. The only radio I ever play is KUVO for some good jazz late at night.

•Who would you love to see performing at Twist & Shout (or the local record store in your town)? Why?
Jonsi! He is the singer of Sigur Ros- who always amaze me live and has a new solo album out. He also is touring for it and should come do an intimate acoustic set for Twist!

•Anything random to add?
This Record Store Day is going to be massive! It just shows how some bands/labels still care about the art of Limited Editions and the resurgence of vinyl! I am looking forward to it quite a lot!

Mojiferous J. Colossus (Joe)
Twist and Shout Employee, wizard

• When was the last time you got that constricted blood-vessel feeling of "Oh my God I can't believe it's here. I've been looking for this record for..." In other words, is there a "Holy Grail" that you've been searching for in every music store and thrift store all across this great land of ours?
McLusky's Do Dallas on LP -- I didn't buy it when we had copies at the vinyl store way back when, because it was a relatively expensive import and I figured we would get more copies... Boy was I wrong -- It was proof that when you really like an album you should just buy it there and then. Anyway, the album went out of print and I couldn't find it anywhere, and copies on the internet were going for crazy amounts of money. And then one just kind of fell into my hands almost by accident through a friend. I actually did the double-take, look around to make sure no one was waiting in the corner to snatch it away from me.

•Is record shopping different, or do you get the same feeling at a bookstore or at Checker Auto Parts?
After 15 years in record stores, music shopping has become more like sleepwalking to me -- it's almost like I can smell a stack of weird records from across the room. I don't know how to describe it, but it is no longer an active thing, I will flip through a stack of moldy records at a thrift store and pick things I like out based on whether I've ever seen the record before. With music obscurity does not equal lack of talent (often the opposite is true,) one of my favorite 45s is "Lover Doll" by Wes Reynolds -- ever heard of him? Neither had I, but the song is amazing and I would have never heard it if I didn't spend so much time digging through random stuff no one had ever heard of. Shopping in a record store is more like an archaeological dig than a consumer experience.

•Do you ever buy for investment or is it all for the love of music?
Definitely for the love -- when I pass on and my relatives have to pick through my record collection they will wonder why grandpa owned so many records about cooking meat or the complete discography of so many mediocre 70s mustache rock bands.

•Have you ever bought something and as you are handing the money over you are saying to yourself "why am I buying this?!" What items did you say that about? Conversely, what's the worst case of remorse you've ever had by letting something slip through your fingers?
Remorse is easy -- the McLusky record was definitely something I kicked myself about for years. Regret, on the other hand, not so much. I'm old enough to not be ashamed in my terrible taste in music...

•How do you hear about new music these days?
Mostly work. There is so much just in this one place, and I already have a backlog of "stuff to listen to" that I would have to hire a staff if I got information from anywhere else.

•Do you listen to the radio? Satellite or old fashioned?
I'm not sure I even have a working radio in my house... There are many times that I'll be feeling indecisive and put on a podcast or a stream (often WFMU.) That's kind of like radio, right? Just without all the advertising and the 50 spins of the same song every day.

•Who would you love to see performing at Twist & Shout (or the local record store in your town)? Why?
That's a really long list... I would really like to see what a grindcore band (Cattle Decapitation, for example) or somebody like Merzbow would do for an instore.

Real Guitar Heroes

Two of my absolute favorite guitar players are putting out new CDS this month. Jeff Beck, who seems to be riding yet another career peak, (3rd one by my count) releases Emotion & Commotion and the more understated and lower profile John Mclaughlin gives us To The One. Amazingly neither man is coasting on his sizable reputation, nor has either one stopped searching. Mclaughlin's album is an interesting hybrid of his many styles, although it leans more rock and fusion than he has in some time. His excellent band, The 4th Dimension, gives him the freedom to go whichever way he desires, secure in the knowledge that they can meet his musical needs. To The One most reminded me of his playing of the late 70's around the time of his album Johnny Mclaughlin Electric Guitarist. He is sticking with electric guitar and the fluidity of his runs will knock you out. He has lost no speed whatsoever, he just plays with a slightly more delicate touch then in his Mahavishnu days. In the liner notes Mclaughlin claims the inspiration for this album is Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" and his own spiritual journey since the 1960's. I didn't hear the exact correlation to "A Love Supreme" but, as usual, Mclaughlin's compositional skills and abilities as a soloist are completely transcendent.

With his amazing appearance at Clapton's Crossroads concert and the triumph of his live release Performing This Week: Live At Ronnie Scott's Jeff Beck has come out of his shell as he does every decade or so, to remind the world that he is probably the most innovative and unique rock guitarist living. Without as much as a nod toward fashion or "relevance" he delivers a wildly diverse set of songs that showcase his unpredictable talents. Opening with Jeff Buckley's arrangement of Benjamin Britten's "Corpus Christi Carol" Beck wrings an overwhelming amount of emotion from his guitar for this beautiful melody. He follows up with a tribute to Jan Hammer called "Hammerhead" that showcases his harder, crunchier tendencies. Possibly the highlight of the album is Beck's sumptuous cover of "Over The Rainbow" where he proves once and for all that it's not the number of notes you play, but where they go that matters. The second half of the album features a series of Female guest singers who, for the most part, do pretty well. The question always arises - "why would we want to hear anybody sing when we have Jeff Beck playing?" But, I suppose not everybody likes entirely instrumental albums. Joss Stone's version of "I Put A Spell On You" seemed like the least necessary cut on the album to me, but Imelda May's cover of another Jeff Buckley number "Lilac Wine" is just beautiful, and opera singer Olivia Safe joins Beck for a couple of numbers that are shiver-inducing, especially the album closing "Elegy For Dunkirk" which finds, guitar, orchestra and voice blending to perfect effect. It is doubtful that fans of Beck's most bombastic work will be fully satisfied with this album. After all he includes an orchestra on almost every song, but those who have carefully followed Beck and seen his career rise to the surface again recently will find much to love in this thoughtful and classy album.
Paul Epstein

Monday Reflections on Record Store Day

To celebrate Record Store Day, we've asked our staff - past and present - and a bunch of musicians, industry folks, and friends of the store to cough up some thoughts about what record stores mean to them. We'll post a few replies every day from now until Record Store Day. Check 'em out:

Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
Very Good Looking Sales Dude
Beggars Group/Matador Records

•When was the last time you got that constricted blood-vessel feeling of "Oh my God I can't believe it's here. I've been looking for this record for..." In other words, is there a "Holy Grail" that you've been searching for in every music store and thrift store all across this great land of ours?
I put out a record years ago. I look for it every time I'm at a record store. Yea, it's narcissism in action. Fuck you.

•Is record shopping different, or do you get the same feeling at a bookstore or at Checker Auto Parts?
If you have to ask this question or need to look for an answer to this question, then you've probably never been record shopping.

•Do you ever buy for investment or is it all for the love of music?
I've never sold a record. I occasionally trade some dollar bin, impulse buys for some stuff I really need. And I've only got one record that's unopened. They're made to be played. Not to be stared at.

•Have you ever bought something and as you are handing the money over you are saying to yourself "why am I buying this?!" What items did you say that about? Conversely, what's the worst case of remorse you've ever had by letting something slip through your fingers?
I recently re-alphabetized my collection only to discover that I have more albums by Pat Benatar than any other artist. This answers both of those questions.

•How do you hear about new music these days?
Around.

•Do you have a favorite music blog? magazine? website?
Brooklyn Vegan is great. The commenters are insufferable but the blog itself is so objective and informative. I don't want to hear your fucking bullshit, third-rate blog opinions. I want to hear who's playing tonight.

•Do you listen to the radio? Satellite or old fashioned?
Not really because I haven't had a car in years and that's where I did most of my radio jamming. Of course, I'll always listen to WFMU (mostly online now) and whenever I go back to my hometown I dig on WPRB (Princeton, NJ) if the signal is strong enough at the Jersey Shore. Yea I'm from the Jersey Shore. So what? Wanna fight about it?

•Who would you love to see performing at Twist & Shout (or the local record store in your town)? Why?
Nirvana.

•Anything random to add?
Butts. And faces. Buttfaces.

Arturo Gómez
Music Director and lifelong music collector and connoisseur
Jazz89 KUVO/KVJZ

•Is record shopping different, or do you get the same feeling at a bookstore or at Checker Auto Parts?
For me there is a huge difference shopping for music because besides purchasing a product, music deals with my emotions, it can soothe my soul or cause my juices to flow. Either way it is a rush of endorphins, a feel good experience.

•Do you ever buy for investment or is it all for the love of music?
I have been buying music since my adolescent and teen years in the 1960s and although overwhelmingly it is for the love of music, I must admit that several times while diggin' in the crates I have come across a record that is known to be collectable at a good price so I copped it with the hopes of selling it for a profit.

•Anything random to add?
Back in the mid-1980s when CDs began to enter the market, I didn’t fall for its hype and trade in, sell or get rid of my records collection. I continued to buy LPs and began to acquire CDs to add to my music library as a new format, similar to what others did when cassettes were released. I am not surprised that there is a so-called “resurgence” of LP manufacturing and sales as the warm sounds of a record in good condition played on a good system is superior to the tinny sound of a CD, records have a more earthy sound plus there’s no comparison of the artwork and liners of a LP cover to that of a CD. All it would take is a solar flare to wipe out all the data of all the discs in the world leaving them useless as already has occurred with the first generation of CDs, meanwhile I have 78rpm records nearly a 100 years old that sill play well as do my LPs and 45rpms, they playback through friction which will endure forever.

Julio Enriquez
www.CAUSEEQUALSTIME.com

•When was the last time you got that constricted blood-vessel feeling of "Oh my God I can't believe it's here. I've been looking for this record for..." In other words, is there a "Holy Grail" that you've been searching for in every music store and thrift store all across this great land of ours?
I found a Bryan Ferry record the other day that made my day. I've been looking for any Roxy Music on vinyl for the longest time. That, and completing my Rolling Stones collection on vinyl.

•Is record shopping different, or do you get the same feeling at a bookstore or at Checker Auto Parts?
Record shopping is more of a thrill. Nothing compares to opening up that new piece of music and putting on your turntable or cd player.

•Do you ever buy for investment or is it all for the love of music?
All for the love of music.

•Do you have a favorite music blog? magazine? website?
Favorite blog: Gorilla vs Bear Magazine: Fader Website: Perez Hilton

•Do you listen to the radio? Satellite or old fashioned?
Old fashioned-I listen to sports radio a lot, and NPR.

•Who would you love to see performing at Twist & Shout (or the local record store in your town)? Why?
PAVEMENT, because they're dreamy.

•Anything random to add?
More instore performances!

I'd Love to Turn You On #6: The Flaming Lips - Zaireeka

Welcome to Twist & Shout’s “I’d Love To Turn You On” a fortnightly column by our deeply knowledgeable staff of hardcore collectors and music lovers who want to spend some time turning you on to some of their favorite releases of yore; titles that may have slipped out of the public favor, or perhaps never quite found the audience they deserve. Dig in to some terrific musical esoterica and enjoy the sounds.



The Flaming Lips have always been weird. The past decade and a half have shown their weirdness, originality and inventiveness truly come alive, not unlike an odd little creature growing and maturing (mature, you ask? Wayne Coyne is approaching 50 after all). In 1997 the band released Zaireeka a four-CD set with each disc designed to be played simultaneously on four different CD players. Inspired by the 'Parking Lot Experiments' in 1996 in which the band handed out cassettes to be played in attendee's car stereos, Zaireeka consists of eight songs with each disc containing different portions of the songs on each track. When the four CDs are played together, you hear the complete songs from four different sources in four different areas of the room. Many factors affect a Zaireeka listening experience: the quality of the CD players and speakers used, the volume set on each player, your choice of physical positioning in the room and even if the CDs are started at the same exact time - CD players are likely to become slightly off-sync. This doesn't mean it is being heard 'wrong' this way, just different. No two sessions will be exactly the same - thus the brilliance of it!

Now the songs: All eight tracks are songs with melodies, beats, vocals, etc. but they are enhanced with all sorts of extra noises and sounds. These do not clutter up the songs with noise (though there are some intense, noisy sections) but mostly add ambience or texture to the well-written songs that these three guys have honed quite well. Wayne's voice is top-notch here, showing his capable harmonies and emotion put into focus leading songs like "Riding to Work in the Year 2025 (Your Invisible Now)" and "Thirty-Five Thousand Feet of Despair." There are multiple moments of psychedelia and disorientation at the same time, but never is there a dull instance. These recording sessions contained leftovers that ended up as songs on The Soft Bulletin, though they're a bit more contained there. Zaireeka's finale is a fantastic tale about Wayne's dogs. It is told by Wayne as he likes to do: segueing into an ultra catchy song title sung and repeated, then climaxing in an ending you just have to hear - and hear it properly! Meaning: I advise you NOT to play each disc by itself or mix them together onto one CD-r. Take the extra time and effort and borrow a couple of friends and their CD players and create your own experience as this album is intended and deserves!

Joel

Furthur-March 5th and 6th 2010 Broomfield, Colorado

Was I crazy, or were these shows as good as I thought they were? Well, we have the CDs for sale in the store now, and I can safely say that I was not crazy. This iteration of the post-Jerry Dead has finally achieved the thing that has been missing for so long; confidence. That’s the difference between Furthur and The Other Ones and the three different versions of the Dead we have seen over the last 15 years. With new guitarist John Kadlecik (from Dark Star Orchestra) the band has what it has needed; a guitar player who knows how it is supposed to be played and plays it the way it is supposed to be played. I think the world of Jimmy Herring and Warren Haynes, but they did not play The Grateful Dead’s music with the confidence needed to free the other players up to do what they are supposed to do - which is play freely. With all the other variations the guitar players were hesitant, forcing Bob and Phil to compensate, thus making them drop the beat and the whole thing goes to hell. One of the things about the Grateful Dead that is not properly understood, is that their ability to improvise was based on a 100% stone-cold mastery of the material. Musicians cannot go out and blow freely and stay in the right key and hit the changes unless they have the music DOWN. Now with John Kadlecik nailing the Jerry parts, the music flows freely like it used to. During the first night, while the band was chugging through the rare “Mason’s Children” I remember thinking, wow, Phil is playing free-I haven’t heard him play this free way in years. He wasn’t having to lead the band, and so he was free to play like Phil Lesh. Without fail, every single person I spoke to after these shows was thrilled with the band, the venue and the overall experience. The song selection at the Broomfield shows was totally memorable, and it is worth reliving the moment when they shifted from “Dark Star” to Pink Floyd’s “Time” over and over. Get em while they’re hot.
Paul Epstein

The T.A.M.I. Show

I first saw this film on TV, late night, sometime in the early 70’s. I remember thinking, "wow that was really a fun concert." I couldn’t believe the number of young musicians appearing (in 1964) who by decades end would be the biggest names in popular music. And here they were, playing in what looked like a small auditorium in front of a crowd of screaming teens. There was something uncharacteristically relaxed about the whole affair. The artists played and then announced each other, and there seemed to be a very comfortable vibe onstage. Sometime in the late 70’s or early 80’s I got my first bootleg VHS tape of the show. It was horrible quality, with un-synched sound, and it seemed to be missing stuff I remembered - most notably the Beach Boys segment. Over the next 30 or so years I got many different copies of T.A.M.I. and became more and more obsessed with this wonderful film. My interest in it shifted throughout the years. Initially I was most excited by the set by a young Rolling Stones - full of piss and vinegar. Keith was such a complete bad ass playing stinging guitar parts while Mick and Brian Jones flirted with the crowd. Mick is clearly already a performing genius. Somewhere in there I became aware of James Brown’s incendiary performance. It is arguably the greatest 10 minutes of popular music ever recorded. It has everything - or I should say James has everything. His vocal power is unmatched, and he is singing in his own language, replete with screams, cries, unidentifiable words and, when he wants, sweet soul crooning. But the real revelation is his physical presence. After watching this video of James Brown at his peak, you can only marvel at how Michael Jackson learned EVERYTHING from James Brown. He is the most physical, powerful, energetic and magnetic performer ever. You can’t even take in all his movements, he is so blinding. And confidence - there has never been a performer who looked more like he belonged on stage than James Brown. Throughout the years, I would bring music fans to my house, and when I had discerned that they might appreciate it, I would put on James from T.A.M.I. and watch as their jaw hit the floor. Now, it is finally out legitimately, in way better quality than ever before, and, once again, it is a complete revelation.

The Stones and James Brown remain as incredible as ever, but now my focus has shifted to some of the other performers. Chuck Berry opens the show and is magic to watch at this young age. His moves are classic and he is absolutely the textbook of rock and roll riffs. This is obvious as throughout the show we see other groups like The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys and Jan and Dean completely rip him off. The Motown contingent is also in full effect with an incredibly handsome Marvin Gaye knocking it out of the park and the Supremes showing off why Diana Ross would become one of the biggest stars in the world during the next decade. Surprisingly, Leslie Gore is something of an eye-opener too. She looks fab with her flip haircut but really knocked me out with her strong, confident vocals. It made me reevaluate my appreciation of her. The other huge revelation of this set is the previously missing set by The Beach Boys. It is very fun and enjoyable until Brian Wilson steps to the mike to deliver an absolutely devastating version of “Surfer Girl.” His falsetto is heartbreaking, and the knowledge of what would happen to the poor guy later in life makes this an extremely poignant performance.

The final revelation of this wonderful movie is the audience. I sat there and literally teared up as I watched all those teenage girls screaming at the top of their lungs. SHIT, this used to be really fun and life affirming. It is a million miles away from what music has become. If you are a baby boomer watching this audience, you will remember the thrill of what drew you to rock music in the first place. If you are younger, it will show you why baby boomers mistakenly thought they created the universe. There is such excitement and vitality in the performances and the audience’s reaction it seems like it had to be made up. It couldn’t be real. It is - it really is.
Paul Epstein

The White Stripes - Under Great White Northern Lights

A Twist employee and I were talking about The White Stripes as we were listening to the CD version of this chronicle of the band’s tour of Canada to promote the Icky Thump album. The employee (who doesn’t like most new music) was asking “what is it about The White Stripes? They aren’t doing anything that hasn’t been done before, yet…” My response was simply “sincerity.” There is something entirely real about Jack White. Even the affectations of dress and style do nothing to detract from the feeling that there is something so true to the heart of music in what he does. If you have doubted this up until now, I suggest you get Under Great White Northern Lights and see exactly what you have been missing. Directed by Emmett Malloy who has previously worked with Jack Johnson, Under Great White Northern Lights stands on its own as a fascinating and beautiful film, but it completely blows your mind as a rock documentary. There are several subtexts running through the film, all of which work together seamlessly to create a completely satisfying musical experience. The tour itself was unique in that it covered every province and territory in the Canada. This finds them playing in tiny towns and backwaters in remote areas. In addition they tried to perform impromptu gigs in the afternoons at weird locations. These scenes which show them in bowling alleys, lodges, bars, Indian community centers and town squares is some of the most compelling footage in the movie, and it gives the viewer a clue as to how fearless and talented Jack White really is. The scene of him playing a Blind Willie McTell song to a group of Inuit tribal elders sends chills down your spine. Jack’s partner in music, Meg White and her relationship to Jack are also delved into in a quiet and emotional way. It is now common knowledge that they are former husband and wife and it is very clear that lots of real heavy emotional baggage exists between the two. In fact the closing scene of Jack and Meg seated on a piano bench together - Jack crooning “White Moon” while Meg silently weeps by his side provides both insight and additional mystery to their relationship. Meg for her part is possibly the most alluring woman in music. Miniscule, sexy and pathologically quiet, she is the solid rhythmic rock to Jack’s frenetic aural quicksilver. She plays the absolute most basic meat and potatoes thud style of drumming, but it absolutely perfect behind Jack’s bluesy, hard rock guitar bravado. The fact that these two people create such a mightier roar than bands with 5 times as many members remains one of the secrets to The White Stripes’ appeal.
Ultimately the film turns on the riveting footage of the band onstage. There is no question in my mind that, as my friend Lu said “Jack White - he is the anointed one of this generation isn’t he?” Yes Lu, he sure is.
Paul Epstein

John Grant - Queen of Denmark

Queen of Denmark is the album John Grant was meant to create, after over a decade in local Denver band the Czars, John had toured the Western world with high acclaim. But like so many Rock ‘n’ Roll stories the band's story was riddled with conflict and pain. The band notoriously went down in flames and for a few years he continued to perform under the Czars moniker with a rotating cast, until a little lucky star shone in his direction through the Austin band Midlake. This amazing and talented band befriended him in his time of need, and with all the pain and wisdom he had garnered over the years John recorded this truly autobiographical musical journey.

John's voice is one of those deep beautiful timbres that reminds me of a Nick Cave, but his writing style has always reminded me of Joni Mitchell, and he has an appreciation for vivid imagery. He gives a nod to the great seventies band ABBA in the odyssey "Barbarella", and there is also a tinge of influence from Bread, but regardless of whom he is channeling, it brings you to a sunny time where music was a sweetness that could carry you away, as those amber retro organ sounds melt the years of cynicism away. This is one of the most impressive debut albums I have heard in a long time. This is such a well-crafted pop devotional that each song is strong and takes you somewhere deep, and at no point does it become laborious.
The album was produced and co-written with Midlake bassist Paul Alexander, for their shared label Bella Union, which has always had an ear for bands with rich textures and a bit of transcendent pop feel. The elaborate textures of Grant's melodies are given the love and care they deserve, and all his heartbreak is here on the album for you to share, as is the hauntingly beautiful world he has seen through his own eyes.

The album starts off wonderfully, with the intense song "TC and the Honeybear". It is so epic I always find myself singing along with his rich sultry voice and I feel my heart drop a little at the end of the song. That is the kind of emotive power that makes me want to listen to it over and over. "Marz" might actually be my favorite song, filled with innocence hope and delight, because as you close your eyes you will be transported to an old fashion soda shop heaven filled with ice-cream sodas and goodies galore.

Like so many Twist and Shout customers I love film and pop culture references, and for those of you who share my love the track "Sigourney Weaver" is right up your alley, some of the lines were so great it made me laugh out loud. It shows all of John’s insecurities as well as his strengths, plus it has some rocking distorted electric guitar. This whole album ranges across a spectrum of genres, from a rag time roll to some ELP-like synth, it absorbs you. There are some strong lyrics that just make me grin because clearly he doesn’t give a “fuck” about being censored. At times the album is like Scissor Sisters without all the glam and a really pissed off Elton John that would make Stevie Wonder proud. As a bit of a gay pop icon in the late 90's Grant dealt with his own struggles going against the mainstream tide. As I was listening to the track "Jesus Hates Faggots", I couldn't help but think of the intolerance Mississippi teen Constance faced while trying to attend prom with her girlfriend. John wrote "Jesus Hates Faggots" in a direct rebuttal to the absurdity of using religion to justify bigotry. Thank you John for being so brave with your words, I hope it gives us a little something to think about.

The Czars were so original and diverse, and one of my all time favorite Denver bands, and all the former members of the Czars continue to enrich our local music scene. But it was time for John to move on and make an album that was really all him. At no point during Queen of Denmark does the band take away from Grant's style, this is like a diamond that has been polished: it was beautiful before, but now it is stunning. We will have this album at Twist on Tuesday April 6th, so please come down and hear this little Colorado Music gem.

-Natasha

I'd Love to Turn You On #5: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Kicking Against the Pricks

We spend so much of our time buying, selling and listening to the latest releases that we sometimes forget to plumb the depths. Every one of us here got in to record store thing, at some level, because we have a deep interest and curiosity about all kinds of music. Most of us are collectors to some degree or another, and one of the abiding joys of collecting is to pull out the rare, beautiful, little known or downright obscure album and turn on a friend. Sometimes it's a classic that needs to be shined up and put back on the top shelf. With that in mind we are going to revive a column we used to include in our newsletters called, appropriately enough, I'd Love To Turn You On. This will give our super collectors and musical academicians to wax poetic about their favorite albums (or movie or book for that matter).

Nick Cave is a great songwriter.  Actually, Nick Cave is an amazing songwriter, one of the best in all of rock.  But as many great songs as Cave has written, I think he's an even better interpreter.  His cover versions always manage to shed new light on and bring new life to classic songs from a wide variety of genres and sources that also illuminate Cave's deep musical knowledge and appreciation.  That's why I consider Kicking Against the Pricks his greatest album.  Considering how many dubious all-covers albums have cluttered our shelves over the years, Cave and the Seeds' achievement here is all the more remarkable.

Kicking Against the Pricks was originally a 12-track album released in 1986.  The version I own and became obsessed with is a mid-90s CD reissue that adds two bonus tracks, "Black Betty" and "Running Scared," dropped right in the middle.  The version you're going to buy was remastered last year and released as a two disc set.  Disc 1 restores the original running order, Disc 2 is a DVD that includes a 5.1 mix, the bonus tracks, and some videos.

The first thing that must be discussed is the fantastic performance by the Bad Seeds.  Always more than a mere backing band, the Seeds are true collaborators and here they are in stellar form.  Barry Adamson and Thomas Wylder provide a solid rhythm section, Blixa Bargeld (from industrial pioneers Einstürzende Neubauten) throws in some stinging guitar licks and Bad Seeds MVP Mick Harvey is all over the place.

Of course, it's the songs themselves that make the album.  Opener "Muddy Water" may just be the best and it's mysterious in more ways than one.  The title, lyrics and mood suggest the brooding of deep southern blues.  But it was actually written and originally recorded by pioneering 70s bluegrass group The Seldom Scene.  Harvey's organ solo is breathtaking, eclipsed only by Cave's haunting vocal.  When he croons "Hard to say just what I'm losin/Ain't never felt so all alone" it’s like a punch to the gut.

Several of the selections are songs with numerous cover versions throughout the years, as if Cave were assembling an alternate universe songbook of rock/folk/blues standards.  "Long Black Veil" is no less effective for its fairly traditional reading, but "Hey Joe" is something else entirely.  It starts off tight and keeps wrenching up the tension level like a tightening noose.  Their take on master songsmith Jimmy Webb's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" is more Glen Campbell than Isaac Hayes yet still manages to convey the heartbreak beneath the song's pop surface.  The most radical reinvention just might be the Velvet Underground's "All Tomorrow's Parties" which comes across like a demented sea shanty.

Kicking Against the Pricks made Cave's fascination with all forms of song, particularly American folk and blues, clear for all to see.  It would serve as a map for his future musical directions but on its own stands as an amazing performance by an amazing performer.

Dr. Dog – Shame Shame (available Tuesday, April 6th!)

When I think of Dr. Dog I always think back to 2006, when they put out the first 1000 copies of Takers and Leavers. The covers of the CD were custom made; each one was unique, with found images and chaotic random art (some were even by the band members themselves). Since then I have been a big fan of this psychedelic indie rock band from Philly. Known for their wacky, creative style, with their early tracks made in the basement with an eight-track player, these guys built quite a following. Over the past decade they have managed to retain that spark for individuality and the closeness of a barn jam filled with acidheads. Shame Shame is the sixth album by these DYI artists and the first to be on the Anti- Label. Though it gets more polish from savvy producers and a bit more shine, it still has this close intimate feel of an album that has pure artistic control. Dr. Dog was discovered by Jim James of My Morning Jacket, so it is no surprise to find him as a guest vocalist. They spent time touring with Wilco, and you can hear the influence that must have rubbed off along the road. Slide guitar meets crashing piano combined with knob-tweaking brilliance, it is as if they have found a way to merge the sound of 90’ British indie with something very modern and brand new. This feels like a very personal album influenced by their friends, family and neighborhood. If you are a fan of that Americana-meets-psychedelic sound then I think you will like this album as much as I did. - Natasha

The Knife - Tomorrow, In a Year

The latest release from the Swedish sibling electropop duo The Knife is a commissioned opera about the life and work of Charles Darwin and sees the artists teaming up with Mt. Sims and Planningtorock for an emotional, yet mostly quiet experimentation into the sound of evolution and variation. It has to be said that this album is not what a usual fan of The Knife might come to expect for their next release. This opera is more akin to the lo-fi, quiet sounds of Fever Ray, but much more subdued - it takes longer to interpret all of the sounds and get started. In fact, it takes over 4 minutes of static nature based sounds like leaves rustling for the actual vocals to begin. Since the newest release is an opera, it will take reading the libretto and a couple of times listening all the way through for the true quality of the album to sink in. Tomorrow, In a Year grows in sound layers, track by track, and by the end becomes something so much more complicated and meaningful than its natural beginnings. To further communicate Darwin's life the lyrics jump from technical observations in his work to his personal journals and other works. Most of the vocals are provided by Kristina Wahlin, and Karin Andersson of the Knife and Fever Ray doesn't make an appearance until track 8. The bonus CD will be more rewarding for fans of their past work. However it is also in a slower, quieter style. The last track on the bonus CD offers an alternative vocal version of "Annie's Box" sung by Karin. This song adds a beautiful cello piece that helps relate Darwin's pain at losing his 10 year-daughter, Annie, and Karin's vocal draws out some extra emotions as well. Altogether, this is a tough album to digest for any fan, but very rewarding for anyone willing to take the time and consider the immense ambition, style and amazing artistry put into it. -Chris B

I'd Love to Turn You On #4: Laura Nyro – Eli & The 13th Confession

We spend so much of our time buying, selling and listening to the latest releases that we sometimes forget to plumb the depths. Every one of us here got in to record store thing, at some level, because we have a deep interest and curiosity about all kinds of music. Most of us are collectors to some degree or another, and one of the abiding joys of collecting is to pull out the rare, beautiful, little known or downright obscure album and turn on a friend. Sometimes it's a classic that needs to be shined up and put back on the top shelf. With that in mind we are going to revive a column we used to include in our newsletters called, appropriately enough, I'd Love To Turn You On. This will give our super collectors and musical academicians to wax poetic about their favorite albums (or movie or book for that matter).

Laura Nyro was the New York high priestess of song for a few precious years in the late '60s and early '70s. Before Carole King ventured out solo and when Joni Mitchell was still a folk singer, Laura was blazing a trail, writing wild, original songs and performing with an energetic passion rarely seen in the pop world. She was a riveting performer, a fearless singer and a songwriter of genius. But, as is the case with many cult artists, the diamonds that Laura made are known to only a few die-hards. So go on and give this disc a spin – it’s one of the great albums of the 60s, by a singular talent. 


On Eli we hear a young woman singing her own songs. But that is where any familiarity ends. Laura's songs are strange. She has a blatant disregard for tempo and conventional structure, and loves tripping us up with frequent key and time changes. The band that accompanies her on this disc is obviously full of seasoned session guys, because they follow her brilliantly through the labyrinthine compositions. Laura likes to challenge and never holds back; the words are sung with a religious abandon that I've only ever heard in Van Morrison or Nina Simone. 



However it's not all crazy, and there is much here to enjoy on a casual level. If you've ever turned on a radio in the past 25 years, you'll recognize Laura's original versions of the classics “Stone Soul Picnic,” “Sweet Blindness,” and “Eli's Coming,” which were copied almost note for note (with the edges rounded off) by The 5th Dimension and Three Dog Night. There are pop songs and heartbreaking ballads, too: “Emmie” in particular is one of Laura's most gorgeous pieces, and the influence on Todd Rundgren and Rickie Lee Jones is palpable.

Although Laura had contemporaries like Janis Ian and Dory Previn, she was essentially out there on her own, doing her thing unlike anyone before or since. Laura fused Brill Building pop, show tunes, and gospel with her own raw soul - all combined for something truly unique. She's weird, geeky, awkward, deep and maybe a little damaged. Way ahead of the curve in 1968, Laura was touching on dark, poetic themes that conjured ghosts like an ancient blues record. Laura is not one of those boring, wet confessional songwriters, so don't be afraid.



Of course, Laura isn't for everyone. Not everyone is going to feel the way I do about Laura. Some will find her shrill, others might find her difficult, annoying. But, if you are one of the lucky ones you'll fall for her, and nothing else musically will quite matter the way she does.

Elvis Costello, Elton John, Bob Dylan and Alice Cooper are all fans. Now it's your turn.

--Ben Sumner

Check this picture out.

Dave Alvin, formerly of the Blasters posted this on his facebook page. It just kills me. Here you have one of the great American roots bands, The Blasters, as young men, running in to one of the great eccentric legends of modern music on the streets of Southern California. I love that Zappa is carrying some high-end shopping bags and looks every bit the sophisticated Cary Grant to The Blasters dead-end kids. I love both these artists, but with completely different sides of my brain. The Blasters represent the last gasp of American Rock and Roll that had some genuine connection to the grimy black and white streets of the mid-20th century. They were kids out of Downey, California who idolized the past generations of blues, country and r&b singers and forged their own version of real Americana. The band’s authentic arrangements were bookended by brothers Phil and Dave Alvin, who like all great brother acts could barely stand the sight of each other. Older brother Phil was a charismatic frontman gifted with one of the great rock voices. Dave is a lightning guitar ace who is capable of writing the great American short-story in 2 minutes 30. His songs like “American Music,” “One Red Rose,” “Fools Paradise” or “Just Another Sunday” are just perfect little rock gems - as good as anything that came out in the 70’s or 80’s. 
Zappa on the other hand, is a figure of such towering achievement, and so unlike any other popular artist that it is hard to talk about him in the context of rock and roll. He is an artist completely of his time, but detached from the constraints of popular fashion to such a degree that he was always leading his own parade. He was fearless in the face of style, political correctness and his fans expectations. This would lead one to believe that he was a real condescending jerk. Interestingly, almost every musician who dealt with him, on album or socially, has said quite the opposite. He had the reputation of being a generous and friendly person who did not feel he was above his peers in any way. He was friendly with many bands, and showed a keen understanding of all types of music. Dave Alvin remembers him as being friendly, and the picture shows him as a sweet, middle-aged eccentric - just the way you’d hope to remember him. I have nothing remarkable to say about this picture - just that it is two of my favorite musicians that have nothing to do with each other, together and looking, well - like humans.

Wanna check em out? Unfortunately some of the Blasters best stuff is out of print - but their first, primal recordings (American Music) are still available and very worth getting. Zappa is like exploring the universe. Where to start? How about a very obvious and a very un-obvious place? His early album Hot Rats remains one of the most musically satisfying rock albums ever. The fact that it was made in 1969 and still sounds futuristic still speaks volumes. Speaking of volumes of futuristic music, give Boulez Conducts Zappa a try if you want to hear Zappa’s music in a completely different context (classical), but still hear all the trademark wit and compositional abilities. No matter what he tackled, Frank Zappa accomplished it with a completely original, musical take that was uniquely his own.
Paul Epstein

Grateful Dead - Road Trips Vol. 3 No. 2 Austin 11/15/71

I’ve often considered 1971 to be one of the real transition years of the Grateful Dead. They were leaving the frenetic psychedelic explorations of the late 60’s behind, embracing a more song-based approach to their music with the albums American Beauty and Workingman’s Dead and making their in-concert performances more about crisp run-throughs of newer songs and less about long improvisations. Also, the recent loss of 2nd drummer Micky Hart and the addition of technically superior piano player Keith Godchaux made the band as tight as they had ever been, if not as spacey or experimental. Thus this concert from the end of 1971 is something of an anomaly as it incorporates lots of tightly played new songs and some longer improv barn-burners as well. Songs like show opener “Truckin,” a lean “Playin’ In The Band,” a beautifully sung “Brokedown Palace” and a hot-shit “Cumberland Blues” show the band smartly running through their paces and putting extra effort on the vocal front. The real highlights come at the ends of both sets when they break out unexpected longer jams. The first set reaches it’s climax with a “Dark Star” that goes into deep space, comes out improbably into “El Paso” and then descends back into the maelstrom before exploding into “Casey Jones.” The second set seems to be ending in a pretty standard fashion with the crowd pleasing “Not Fadeaway” when the band slips into about 7 minutes of extreme high-energy imrov touching on lots of familiar themes in an exhilarating fashion. They then go into one of the great versions of “Goin’ Down The Road Felling Bad” before finishing up with a reprise of “Not Fadeaway” and “Johnny B. Goode.” That sequence is played with such vim and vigor it will leave you breathless.

We currently have the version of this release that comes with an extra bonus disc from the night before when they played in Fort Worth, Texas and it contains some great playing, in particular a long and exploratory “Other One” with “Me and My Uncle” galloping out of the middle of the jam.
Paul Epstein

Why Record Stores Matter

The other day a friendly gentleman approached the counter holding a record and wearing a smile. He held up a Charlie Parker 10” record on the Savoy label and said something to the effect of “this is my record.” According to the gentleman this record, this VERY record was purchased by him when it came out in 1948. Sometime in the ensuing 60 years he sold the record (he thought in California in the 70’s). Now, here in 2010 he is poking around one of the few places in the country it could possibly be, and lo and behold there it is. He points to his name written on the jacket, and a bunch of doodles on the back that he drew. “Yep it’s mine.” He purchased the record and left happily.

Now when this story came to me through an employee and I just about flipped out. This is exactly what I’ve been saying for years. The great tradition of second hand stores in this country act as more than just retail outlets - they are estuaries that collect the cultural castoffs, the flotsam and jetsam of our society, and then like putting a plain rock in a tumbler and having it come out a jewel, these items resurface later as little time capsules that not only still perform their original duties (in this case giving us the genius of Charlie Parker) but they also carry with them the smells, the feel, the secret messages of the life, or lives of those whose hands they passed through. In this case, the record was purchased 62 years ago - think of the worlds the original purchaser has come through since originally plopping down a buck or two for the record. Think of the all the lives that might have touched it since he sold it, and the journey the record itself took to find itself at Twist and Shout in 2010, and then back in its original owners’ hands. Think of all the life that the record was close to. It sat in living rooms while the world changed - it sat there during the Korean War, Vietnam, Woodstock, Watergate, Disco, 9/11, countless financial ups and downs. Not to mention the individual lives of the people who owned and loved it - Marriage? Divorce? Kids? Maybe a kid sold it to us after his father died. Maybe someone learned to play sax by listening to that record over and over. Maybe it was the last record someone listened to before leaving home. 

The image that keeps coming back to me is that of a message in a bottle. Someone throws it into the ocean in hopes that it will travel miles and come ashore to someone’s hands. It might contain a mystery, or a great love affair, or a buried treasure, but it is a romantic notion. That the bottle you throw in the ocean could wash up on shore next to YOU, years later, is almost too much to believe. But there it was, in the hands of the guy who originally bought it, with his original doodles on the back - just amazing. This is why we have and continue to need record stores. Where else could this happen?

--Paul Epstein