“ come on Eileen” starts out with the phrase ‘poor old Johnny Ray’.... who I came to learn after the fact was a singer of some acclaim in years past. I gotta believe more people know the Dexy’s song than him. ... maybe not the best example. Hitchcock and the Higsons shared the same temporal space.by Bip
Jimmy Eat World’s “authority song” is not a cover but actually a song about playing mellencamp’s ‘authority song’ on the jukebox. Same song says “the DJ never has it, JMC ‘automatic’”.by Bip
Just heard it...”your fandango”... I LIKE it!!! Sparks / Todd reunite!by Bip
Definitely agree that I don’t like when stores mixed the new and used stuff. I pretty much exclusively look for used albums. Also understand the comparison to church; I’ve certainly visited record stores and found calm and inner-peace on many occasions. Before I lock my car door to visit any record store, I make sure I have what I call the ‘big 6’: -Car keys (duh) -Wallet (ditto) -Celby Bip
Mrs Bip was binge-watching “the Sopranos” awhile back.... I just couldn’t get into it. Regardless, from the other room I hear it. ‘Wait a minute.... I know this.... could it be??’ They played ‘evidently chickentown’ in one of the episodes. Wouldn’t have expected that.by Bip
Please join me in praying for the Nuge.... who had to come to terms with the fake pandemic Details Here Perhaps he thought the symptoms were Cat Scratch Fever (yeah I know... low hanging fruit)by Bip
Who says nice things don’t happen to nice people? BUT....I think I need to know if you got the multiple copies of Beatles white album before or after you posted the “controversial White Album” thread. Could be a cosmic example of karma. Funnily enough, I once gave a duplicate copy of TP 41 (Ocasek on cover) to someone who gifted me a copy of the Bette Bright lp I’d been hunting. TP...by Bip
I considered starting a new topic for this, but sometimes these long threads feel like a real team-building exercise for us. (Ha... when someone at work mentions phrases like ‘team-building’ or ‘thinking outside the box’, I usually have to stop myself from stabbing them with a mechanical pencil). So...what ARE your typical strategies for visiting a record store? I’ve already admitted that Iby Bip
I would’ve never thought of ‘long, long, long’ as a keeper.... might’ve gone with “I will” which is a toss-off, but nice. After that it’s kind of a game of inches. To me, the controversy isn’t which songs you pick but would the album be BETTER if trimmed down? Sure, the batting avg would be better... but would the album itself be better? I vote no. I generally prefer the Beatles pre-196by Bip
Nice, zoo. If you’re a real geek like myself you stop the video and zoom in on the book shelf and try to see what titles he has.by Bip
You both included the Weather Station, which is one of the acts I was familiar with and had sought out prior to your posts. Interesting album!by Bip
Delvin... so true!! I absolutely abhor going to a record store with anybody else.... and avoid it at all costs. But sometimes visiting a different city on vacation, you stumble on a record store... and you are DYING to go in....and you kid yourself you can browse it quickly in ten minutes while your suddenly oppressive family waits... but you KNOW you want at least an hour and a half. Damned fby Bip
Well, I’m impressed that I actually had heard of five of these artists before listening. But Sophie’s “Bipp” still makes me the happiest, for obvious reasons. Good song ... really catchy beat...and cool playlist!by Bip
Never made it near Ameoba but love Mr Fab’s description about focusing on a specific format and genre. So many of my record store visits in big cities have been with impatient and unsympathetic family in tow...how much more can I push my luck with these people looking for kajagoogoo import 12” singles?by Bip
Wow monk. Absolutely loved reading your thoughts. The emergence of ZTT and that sound still seems so fresh and exciting to me. In ‘83, did my parents think the Perry Como hits of ‘53 still seem fresh and exciting ? I want to offer hope, though... 12” singles by obscure bands turn up all the time, albeit unexpectedly and often where you least expect them. In a trip to the Salvation Army theby Bip
I can’t easily come up with an album. Scenes, most certainly... the NYC Bowery scene of the late 70’s, the nascent Seattle scene...”ah, you shoulda been there before the man swept in and commercialized it”. The one song that hits me first is Springsteen’s cover of Tom Waite’s “jersey girl” that I first heard on his 5-lp live album. The song is obviously a cover, and the bulk of theby Bip
Not too long ago I rewatched Bowie’s interview with Cavett from 1974. (Diamond dogs era). He gets a bit giggly and fidgety so everyone figures he’s high on cocaine at the time of this discussion. Cavett would allow for quiet, slow discussion and introspection... that yes, is even uncomfortable to watch sometimes. Compare it to the late night interviews of today, where they just wouldn’t letby Bip
I have a ridiculous number of 12” singles in my vinyl collection. I was never a club DJ or anything...but recently the amount of them I had sort of crept up on me. I guess my age-bracket kind of helped pre-destine me to fall prey to the exciting metallic sheen of 80s big electronic drum sounds. But did I really need ALL these blancmange and gene loves jezebel extended mixes?? But then,by Bip
Thank you for playing ‘she sheila’. Love that song. They’re one of those acts that fit so nicely into that “not really new wave/ sorta no-name AOR/ kinda power-pop” genre I love... like the missing piece to a jigsaw puzzle.by Bip
I don’t hear it. Maybe if I sped it way up?? The guitar line just doesn’t seem close enough. (mind you, I’ve been told I’m not always the best listener....) Now Nirvana’s ‘come as you are’’s lift from Killing Joke’s ‘eighties’?? THAT I heard straight away.by Bip
Ha... welcome to the club! Those bastards will indeed send you scurrying down unfamiliar rabbit holes. Because they’re British, they tend to mention quite a bit that’s not in my wheelhouse.....but sounds like it should be. The fact that they don’t play ANY sample clips makes it even more intriguing. Looking forward to hearing their new episode on 1981.by Bip
I’m thinking if you’ve heard a few of his songs and it doesn’t work for you, I probably wouldn’t dig too deep. As I mentioned his songs were catchy and consistent (i.e. they generally mined the same territory... and did it quite well!). Power pop isn’t a bad description... I hear some Dwight Twilley in there sometimes. I’m a used vinyl guy and have picked up quite a few of his albums... ifby Bip
Pretty certain this is NOT the Weathermen I’m familiar with (late 80s electronic band on Play it Again Sam records.... who are reviewed on this site). Hmmm... (*note to self*) this might make a good idea for a thread: different artists with the same name. Anyway, always nice to learn about a prolific artist you’re totally oblivious to. Unfortunately in sad circumstances in this case.by Bip
I’m not from the Midwest but pretty familiar with Michael Stanley. Under-appreciated 80s AOR is something that I’ve loved for years... and the Michael Stanley Band were consistently catchy on their albums. Sure, not for everyone...but if you’re so inclined you might want to give them a spin.by Bip
Ah geez yeah of course those two Paul Youngs. Probably the only two on the whole list that sang on top 5 US hits. And probably in the same year!!by Bip
It’s funny as I read this thread I find myself yelling at all of you. You crazy crazy fools. I want to ring all of your doorbells with a pile of records and a portable turntable under my arm (maybe haul them around with a little red wagon) and show you how wrong you are, and convince you that you need more...more...MORE!!! Don’t you want to cram your limited living space full of potentiby Bip
I’ve put some thought into this thread... it’s a good topic! I agree that Greatest hits albums are cheating (my $1 Seals & Crofts greatest hits lp is likely all I need by them). I’m a collector. Constantly looking to build the library. Not at all content to have everything through Spotify, etc. I’m reminded of this article about “Lester Bangs’ basement”HERE. Bangs’ goal was to haveby Bip
I was looking on discogs... was the Milk n Cookies album never released in the US in ‘75?? I only see copies from the UK and a couple European countries. Seems odd for a US band so clearly American teenager-based. And not even a reissue in the early 80s during power pop’s heyday? Looks like you had to buy it as an import. It’s how I got the Stray Cats debut....but even they got US releasby Bip
I suppose you’re right. I never heard smooth jazz at home or on the radio, but probably did in retail stores without realizing it was burrowing its way into my psyche. I suppose this explains why early hip hop recycled the same beats so often (i.e. ‘funky drummer’)...so much harder to find good source material back then, pre-internet. You had to somehow find it on a record through trial andby Bip
The question is “how the heck did young inner-city youth come across a worthy snippet on a Bob James album?” Where would they have heard it? James Brown drumbeats and Chic basslines I understand....but where was Bob James being played back then?!?by Bip
