Björk - Volta UK 2xLP
This is Volta, Björk’s 6th studio album, released in 2007 by One Little Indian. The packaging for this LP is incredible… or annoying if you actually want to open it. The figure on the front is actually a sticker which is meant to be removed so you can open up the flaps to get to the inside. Upon opening their LPs for the first time, some fans found that the sticker rips easily, or loses it’s stickiness after a while and will no longer hold the flaps shut. An alternative way to open the box is to unfold the flaps at the top and slide the contents out (as pictured below). While this method keeps the sticker intact, it is still annoying to do and it can wrinkle the box. Anyway, what’s inside this mystery box? This record has been out for just over a year so most Björk fans already know, but in case you’re new, 5 “Russian Doll” style folders, each with a different flame letter pic, house 2 180 gram heavyweight LPs. The packaging as definitely beautiful and original, although annoying to deal with. At least the music on the inside is worth the trouble.
Track List:
Side A:
01. Earth Intruders
02. Wanderlust
Side B:
01. The Dull Flame Of Desire
02. Innocence
Side C:
01. I See Who You Are
02. Vertebrae By Vertebrae
03. Pneumonia
Side D:
01. Hope
02. Declare Independence
03. My Juvenile
The Polyphonic Spree - The Fragile Army 2xLP
The Fragile Army is The Polyphonic Spree’s third full length album. It was released by TVT Records (along with Good Records) in 2007. I bought this record from a store called Long In The Tooth in Philadelphia. This album continues the same style you have come to know from their previous records. Some people who haven’t really listened to the Spree seem to think they are a cult, which is kind of silly. I saw them perform in 2004 at the First Unitarian Church in Philly and it was one of the best live shows I have ever seen. This is the first Spree record to have more than 10 tracks.
Track List:
Side A:
01. Section 21 [Together We're Heavy]
02. Section 22 [Running Away]
03. Section 23 [Get Up And Go]
Side B:
01. Section 24 [The Fragile Army]
02. Section 25 [Younger Yesterday]
03. Section 26 [We Crawl]
Side C:
01. Section 27 [Mental Cabaret]
02. Section 28 [Guaranteed Nightlife]
03. Section 29 [Light To Follow]
Side D:
01. Section 30 [Watch Us Explode (Justify)]
02. Section 31 [Overblow Your Nest]
03 Section 32 [The Championship]
Hall And Oats - Private Eyes
Yet another in the series of “free records I got from my neighbor when she threw them away.” This is Private Eyes by Hall And Oats. I’m not really a big Hall And Oats fan. “Private Eyes” is probably the only song I knew from them before listening to this record. Aside from knowing it from the radio, this kid Dom I used to work with always sang it while we were working. I don’t know why. So I guess I picked this up for some of that nostalgic value. A lot of the records I have hold either some kind of nostalgic or camp value. The artwork on this record is pretty cool and was weird to photograph, especially the back cover, but I think it came out ok. Side A is listed as Side A on the disc label and Side B is listed as Side One on the other side. Released in 1981 by RCA.
Track List:
Side A:
01. Private Eyes
02. Looking For A Good Sign
03. I Can’t Go For That
04. Mano A Mano
05. Did It In A Minute
Side B:
01. Head Above Water
02. Tell Me What You Want
03. Friday Let Me Down
04. Unguarded Minute
05. Your Imagination
06. Some Men
Radiohead - Pyramid Song 12″
“Pyramid Song” is a single from Radiohead’s 2001 album Amnesiac. This is the 12″ vinyl version of the single which was also issued on CD. “Pyramid Song” is on Side A, while two B Sides (er, that is to say “non-album tracks”), “Fast Track” and “The Amazing Sounds Of Orgy” are on, well, Side B. I paid $10 for this record at Tunes in Ocean City, NJ in 2001. Released by Parlophone/EMI.
Track List:
Side A:
01. Pyramid Song
Side B:
01. Fast Track
02. The Amazing Sounds Of Orgy
Ink & Dagger/Le Shok Split
Ink & Dagger’s split with Le Shok came out in 1999 on Initial Records. Each band has one song. “Catch The Flashback” for I&D and “Electric Digits” on the Le Shok side. I don;r remember exactly when or where I bought this (right around the time it came out) or how much it cost me. I do remember, however, that it contains 1 of 2 Le Shok songs I have heard that I think are any good (”TV In My Eye” being the other). So there you have it, two good songs from one great band and one band with only 2 good songs (as far as I know..)
Track List:
Side A:
Ink & Dagger - Catch The Flashback
Etching: BEGIN THE FREAKOUT!
Side B:
Le Shok - Electric Digits
Etching: JOIN THE SECRET SERVICE!
Yusef Lateef - The Diverse Yusef Lateef
The Diverse Yusef Lateef is another one of the records reccommended to me by my friend when I asked him for some good jazz. This is by far my favorite of what he gave me. This record incorporates world music rhythms and tonalities and combines it with American jazz and the result is amazing. This record only has 4 songs on it. I don’t know if that’s because it’s a promo copy or if that’s how it was originally released. I have seen CD Rhino reissues of it online with many more tracks added. This copy was released in 1970 by Atlantic.
Track List:
Side A:
01: Live Humble
02: A Long Time Ago
Side B:
01: Eboness
02: Chandra
Björk - Isobel/Hyperballad 12″ Single
The Isobel/Hyperballad 12″ single is part of a series of 5 UK singles that were released by One Little Indian in 1997 during the Post era. For whatever reason, the singles are listed on the bjork.com discography as part of the Possibly Maybe singles, even though (a remix of) the song only appears on one of the singles. Anyway, as you can see, the packaging and art for this single (as well as the other 4) is very simple. All the info and track listing is on the front along with the bar code. The back is blank. The embossed Björk logo at the top right is pretty cool, but overall it’s very minimalistic.
Track List:
Side A:
Isobel’s Lonely Heart (Goldie Remix)
Side AA:
Hyperballad (Robin Hood Riding Through The Glen Mix)
Converge - Petitioning Forever 2xLP
Petitioning Forever is a remaster/repress of two awesome Converge records combined into one amazing release. Petitioning The Empty Sky was released in 1997 by Equal Vision and When Forever Comes Crashing was released in 1998 also by Equal Vision. In 2005 both of these albums were remastered and re-released with bonus tracks on CD. Petitioning Forever is the vinyl version of the re-release. This copy of the record was pressed on red/orange and blue/white vinyl. I bought it last year from Toilet Water in Ocean City, NJ.
Track List:
Petitioning The Empty Sky:
Side A:
01. The Saddest Day
02. Forsaken
03. Albatross
04. Dead
05. Shingles
Etching: CATFISH ON THE BASS
Side B:
01. Buried But Breathing
02. Farewell Note To This City
03. Color Me Blood Red
04. Love As Arson (Alternate Version)
Etching: COLL BREEZE ON THE SKINS
When Forever Comes Crashing:
Side C:
01. My Unsaid Everything
02. The High Cost Of Playing God
03. In Harms Way
04. Conduit
05. The Lowest Common Denominator
Etching: BIG TIME ON THE GIT
Side D:
01. Towering Jehovah
02. When Forever Comes Crashing
03. Ten Cents
04. Year Of The Swine
05. Letterbomb
06. Love As Arson
07. Bitter And Then Some (Unreleased Demo Version)
Etching:MONKEYSNAKE ON THE WOX
Vanilla Fudge - Near The Beginning
Here’s another freebie I got from my record store owning friend, Vanilla Fudge’s Near The Beginning. This record is in bad shape. The cover is almost falling apart. I love it. This album only has 4 songs on it but that’s OK since one of them is 23 minutes long. 1969 Atco Records.
Track List:
Side A:
01. Shotgun
02. Some Velvet Morning
03. Where Is Happiness
Side B:
01. Break Song
Charlie Parker And His Orchestra - Night And Day
Here’s another jazz record my friend recommended to me, Charlie Parker’s Night And Day. He plays with a big band on this record and it sounds great. The cover boasts “Electronically re-recorded to simulate stereo” whatever that means. Released in 1950 by Verve Records
Track List:
Side A:
01. Night And Day
02. Almost Like Being In Love
03. I Can’t Get Started
04. What Is This Thing Called Love
05. Laura
Side B:
01. Temptation
02. Autumn In New York
03. Lover
04. Stella By Starlight
05. Dancing In The Dark
