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Disc a Day -- Eclectica
Disc a Day -- Eclectica
Vitaminic Capsule
Releases to be Administered Daily
Blues/R&B |
Classic Rock |
Eclectica |
Funk |
Jazz |
Modern Rock |
New Orleans |
Reggae |
World
| Tom Waits -- Mule Variations (Epitaph) |
| Tom Waits' Epitaph debut marks a high point in a distinguised career
of ballads, stomps and surreal surprises. "Get Behind The
Mule" ups John Lee Hooker's ante in the raw loping blues
category. Waits may not be a megastar, but he assures us he's
"Big In Japan". At the recent Bridge School Benefit
show, his hunched-back, grisled vocals shocked some audience members,
but then they had to admit, 'he's got a good sound here'. In a
vision spanning films, musicals and songwriting, Waits' down and
out, pork pie hat wearing persona rubs off on ya, as it did on
signpost releases Frank's Wild Years and Swordfishtrombones
in the 80's. "Black Market Baby" offers a heart felt
moment while "What's He Building?" scraps convention
for a beat spoken word vignette about
a creepy neighbor to great sound effects. Mule Variations
hits as a true style-piece and state of his art. |
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| Robert Mitchum -- Calypso, is Like So... (Scamp) |
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Robert Mitchum, the wanderer, found his way to
Trinidad for a film, but was enticed, and maybe intoxicated by the lilting delivery of vocals
over the Tropical rhythms. Maybe he was just intoxicated. On "Not Me," Mitchum lets loose with
salvos of Calypso wisdom seldom heard in such a classy hi-fi package. No doubt a good disc to
have around come martini hour. |
| Beau Jocque
-- Gonna Take You Downtown (Rounder) | | clectica from way down South in Louisiana. Beau Jocque is the
heavy metal Zydeco sensation as hot as Tobasco. On his fourth release he takes you downtown
with a cover of War's "Cisco Kid" and Dylan's "Knockin' on
Heaven's Door" along with several low down, high-octane originals.
Expanding the range of Zydeco, Beau Jocque's intensity and flair is only
matched by the late great Clifton Chenier.
Excellent guitar work from Russel "Sly" Dorian, Sr. rocks without compromising the Creole roots. |
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| New York's Ensemble for
Early Music -- Istanpitta (Lyrichord) |
| The Lyrichord label features many great world releases and
today we stretch that palette to include pre-Colonial Europe with
Istanpitta On this disc New York's ensemble for Early Music takles the
difficult scholarly task of researching and recreating an era which is not
only long gone, but poorly documented. Powerfully performed pieces on this
richly recorded cd feature Middle Eastern strains in Italian works as well
as moments from French, German, English and other Early musics. A great
ingredient to this mix is the drumming of virtuoso Glen Velez, whose cd
"Rhythmcolor" will soon be featured on this program. |
| Folklorist/Recordist Alan Lomax
got together
with Atlantic Records honcho Ahmet Ertegun to compile some great music
which could potentially have popular appeal. The original lp's first
released in the late 1950's, are now collected here display the rural,
untampered quality found in Lomax's legendary treasure trove of recordings.
Taped during several travels before the music business affected the time
honred styles of The South, ranging here from the Georgia Sea Islands to
The Mississippi Delta. In this set you find great slices of gospel, blues,
folk and many combinations. |
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| Various Artists -- The
Alladin Story (2 cd's, EMI) |
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Floyd Dixon's "Telephone Blues"
typifies the quality smoky blues sound of the standout R&B label
Alladin Records, founded by Leo and Edward Mesner in 1945. Starting with
Illinois Jacquet's version of the Lionel Hampton classic "Flying
Home" and continuting to sign veteran performers such as Billie
Holliday, Louis Jordan and Charles Brown, well into the rock and roll era.
Alladin captured sounds from New York and Chicago to L.A. and New Orleans
up until its 1961 sale to Imperial. These cd's transport you back to those
magnificent post war days with cut after delicious cut. |
| Various
Artists -- Rockabilly in Memphis (Sony)
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| Rockabilly in Memphis
breaks out
the sounds of Rock's inception. Well researched and selected by the
Smithsonian, these tracks feature Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee
Lewis. Get back to the roots in style with 18 hot ones include
"Stuttering Cindy", "Ooby Dooby" and "Boppin' the
Blues". Those were heady days when Sam Philips Sun label cranked out
raw blasts of guitar and vocal married to a killer backbeat. The dawn of rock. |  |
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| Tom Waits -- Night On Earth (Island) |
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"Baby I'm Not A Baby Anymore," "Los Angeles Mood (Chromium Decensions)," and "Good Old World (Waltz)" capture Waits doing what he does best: creating moody abstract swatches of a roots music that never was. Commissioned by filmaker Jim Jarmusch, Waits was not distracted by more fanciful aspects of staging as on the recent Big Time and The Black Rider efforts -- vintage Rain Dog.
We eagerly await The Mule Variations. |
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