Here are ten things that I got a kick out of during the month of April:
ONE – Swamp Dogg * I’m Not Selling Out, I’m Buying In
I’ve already talked about the Dogg at length, so I’m just going to say one thing: this might be the greatest album that is currently not in print on disc.
TWO – Mingering Mike: The Amazing Career Of An Imaginary Soul Superstar
If you’ve ever dreamed of being a rock star, then this is the book for you.
THREE – Zeph & Azeem * ‘What If’ (Exclusive Remix)
We live in a country that tortures prisoners, fabricates reason for war, and spies on its citizens. So where do the lies end and the truths begin? Zeph & Azeem explore the edge of reality on this amazing remix of a track from their forthcoming album ‘Rise Up’. Huge props to Azeem for letting me share it with you here:
Zeph & Azeem – What If (xclusive rmx)
FOUR – Fear Of A Black Hat (Sony Pictures)
This mockumentary from 1992 follows the fictitious rap group NWH (Niggaz With Hats) on their roller coaster ride through the music industry. It’s a brilliant skewering of the rap game that owes more than a little debt to Spinal Tap. NWH’s white managers get shot where Tap’s drummers exploded into flames, and Tasty Taste has a gun collection and bazooka to Nigel Tufnel’s guitars and amp that went to ‘eleven’. But who cares – this is still hilarious and highly recommended.
FIVE – Paul Trynka * Iggy Pop: Open Up And Bleed
I’m only about a quarter of the way through this biography (written by the former editor of Mojo magazine), but it makes the list solely on the descriptions of the young, clean-cut, and bookish Jim Osterberg. Unbelievably, this is the first biography ever written about Iggy. As one of the most colorful characters to ever cross a stage, he has the charisma and anectdotes to fill several volumes. But for now, this will more than do the trick.
SIX – Woody Guthrie * This Land Is Your Land
Last month I picked up an original Folkways copy of this record (not shown above because it’s so damn rare – that’s the cd version) for two dollars at our local flea market. Two bucks! Excuse me while I kiss the sky…
SEVEN – Sonny Boy Williamson * One Way Out
Like Swamp Dogg, I’ve already talked about this one, but it’s been a record that keeps getting flipped from side one to side two to side one and back and forth over and over. Good stuff.
EIGHT – Rock’s Back Pages (www.rocksbackpages.com)
This pay site ($50 per year) is well worth the dough – it’s like having a stack of vintage music magazines at your disposal. In the past month I’ve read great features about Curtis Mayfield’s Superfly soundtrack, War, James Brown, JJ Cale, Bo Diddley, Johnny Cash, Joe Walsh, The Allman Brothers, and outstanding interviews with Muddy Waters (from Oui magazine in 1973) and Led Zeppelin. Treat yourself to a time machine…
NINE – Fairport Convention * ‘Who Knows Where The Time Goes’
From their 1969 album ‘Unhalfbricking’, this song came up on my cd changer last week and was like an uppercut to the chin. There’s no doubt that this song belongs here.
TEN – Internet Traffic * Thanks For Visiting
I wasn’t planning on telling any of my people about this blog until May 1, and wasn’t expecting much (if any) traffic here until that date. Then Oliver Wang put my Hip-Hop Sgt. Pepper’s cover art on the front page of his amazing blog Soul-Sides, and the traffic hasn’t slowed since. Big thanks to O-Dub for sending people my way, and big thanks to you for stopping by.
Tags: Fairport Convention, Iggy Pop, Mingering Mike, Sonny Boy Williamson, Swamp Dogg, Woody Guthrie, Zeph & Azeem
