Yet Another Day At The Flea

Yesterday the P and I braved the wind and cold and journeyed out to our local flea market. As usual, I scavenged through many dusty, hive-inducing crates of lousy records, in search of overlooked treasures. Here’s some of what I found, good and bad:

Terry Reid * Seed Of Memory – Reid famously turned down the lead singer’s job for a little band that would end up calling itself Led Zeppelin. His swooping falsetto would have been perfect in that group, but the music he ended up making on his own is unjustly overlooked. His album River is a masterpiece, and Seed Of Memory just might be better, with a funk-lite sound that is the perfect setting for that voice.

Swamp Dogg * Cuffed Collared & Tagged – Dogg’s third long-player, released in 1972, features a kickin’ version of John Prine’s ‘Sam Stone’ alongside his usual funk/soul whackiness. As Dogg himself says rather awkwardly in the sleeve notes, “Everything that is necessary to make a hit album I have; Ego, talent, originality, humor and I am dynamic, articulate, defiant, altruistic, considerate, warm, wonderful & humble.” His abundant confidence notwithstanding, Dogg never got that hit album, but he made plenty that could’ve been.

Wynton Marsalis & Edita Gruberova with Raymond Leppard and the Engish Chamber Orchestra – Two more names on the cover, and this album turns into a law firm! Here Marsalis shows off his classical side, and takes on pieces by Handel, Purcell, and Fasch. Gruberova is a soprano who adds operatic flair to three of the nine tracks. The perfect music for driving through the countryside, and perhaps the soundtrack for the next round of Grey Poupon ads.

Deodato * Prelude – Deodato might be the foremost purveyors of what never came to be known as Fusion-Disco. The group is named after pianist Eumir Deodato, but features talents such as Stanley Clarke, Ray Barreto, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham, and Hubert Laws. Imagine a sprawling, latin-tinged, dancefloor-ready version of the theme to 2001: A Space Odyssey, and you’ve got their hit single ‘Thus Sprach Zarathustra’. The album also features jazzy interpretations of classical pieces, which are sure to turn many off, but make for decent background music.

Jackie Wilson * Merry Christmas From Jackie Wilson – Either Jackie had his voice surgically altered for this recording, or he’s doing the world’s worst Elvis imitation. Either way, this one is b-a-d, even by holiday album standards.

Clifton Chenier * The King Of Zydeco - The title of this album is no empty boast – the accordian-playing Chenier is widely regarded to be the king of zydeco music (and he’s got that funky crown to prove it). This 1981 album was recorded live at the Montreaux Jazz Festival. Chenier introduces his band, they immediately launch into a red-hot zydeco version of ‘Jambalaya’, and the fun doesn’t let up from there.

Andres Segovia * Three Centuries Of The Guitar – Classical guitar wizard Segovia is one of the most consistently undervalued artists on vinyl. His records seem to get lumped in with traditional Classical albums, and they often end up with a $1 stickers on them, even though they’re all excellent. Segovia’s music also allows you to listen intently and enjoy, or tune it out and let it play in the background. Highly recommended.

Jacques Brel * The Poetic World Of Jacques Brel – Jacques sings with LOTS of emotion! I’m happy!!! I’m sad!!! No no no!!! Yes yes yes!!!

National Lampoon * Good-bye Pop 1952-1976 – Oh, I get it: a crappy album about how crappy music was in the 70’s. Guess the joke’s on me…

Irwin The Disco Duck – How could I pass up a cover like that?

Johnny Cash * At San Quentin [4-Track Tape] – My find of the day. This ancient 4-Track, reel-to-reel style tape cost me only five bucks. In Europe, that’s like 69 cents right now…

Tags: Clifton Chenier, Deodato, flea market, Irwin The Disco Duck, Jacques Brel, Johnny Cash, Segovia, Swamp Dogg, Terry Reid, vinyl bargains, Wynton Marsalis