Buried Treasure: Black Sugar

[Today: Peruvian funk as sweet and raw as the title promises...]

‘Nuff said. I’m going to let the music doing the talking on this one, and go enjoy some Friday sunshine…

Listen: Viajecito

Masterpiece: Kiko

[Today: Riding the slipstream...]

Kiko is an album that lives in the wee hours, when the tissue thin membrane between dreams and reality becomes a slipstream into another world. “I’ll teach you to jump on the wind’s back, and away we go,” promised Peter Pan, but this is an album that rides the rails and travels the back alleys to Never Never Land. The title track sees a young boy drifting off to sleep and gazing at the lavender moon before taking flight into a world of imagination. The songs here might be about his adventures in dreamland, or they might be about all the things that happen once the sun goes down and the stars come out. Either way, this is an original blend of latin styles, roots rock, and psychedelia.

Los Lobos came rumbling out of East LA and into the Los Angeles punk scene of the late-70s. They spent their first five albums establishing a solid roots sound, but nonetheless became best known for a cover of Ritchie Valens’ ‘La Bamba’ for the movie of the same name. By the time they got around to Kiko, they were looking to take their sound in a new direction and bring some novel musical elements into the mix. Songs like ‘Two Janes’ and ‘Short Side Of Nothing’ feature characters looking to break free of familiar terrain, and they were created by a band that was looking to do the same.

Released in May of 1992, this experimental tour-de-force is without a doubt Los Lobos’ masterwork. From South African Mbaqanga to New Orleans marches to angelic harp and beyond, the varying sounds and styles captured here make this a veritable concept album about rural music. It’s the sound of a circus train traveling from town to town along the back roads, visiting many different and colorful locations without ever leaving the solid tracks that allow it to move forward. Kiko has aged extremely well, and its melancholy air is balanced with enough loose joy to make this an album worth discovering over and over again…

Listen: Kiko And The Lavender Moon

Listen: Saint Behind The Glass

Listen: Dream In Blue

Doubleshot Tuesday: Whenever You Need Somebody/Bang! Pow! Boom!

[Today: The joy of the absurd...]

Ton after ton of processed cheese passed itself off as music during the 1980s, and you’d have to’ve been pretty stout-hearted to escape the decade without getting a little on your fingers. Personally I enjoyed Dead Or Alive, Bon Jovi, Thompson Twins, The Fixx and dozens of other bands that today rate as either a guilty pleasure or a vivid reminder of my unformed (or just plain awful) taste in music as a teen. I can cop to a laundry list of cheesy musicians I liked during the 80s, but Rick Astley wouldn’t be on that list. However, my best friend Bobby did like Rick Astley, and because he often drove, we often listened to Rick Astley while cruising around Springfield in his white, mid-70s Pontiac Sunbird (look out ladies).

Like me, Bobby probably has a giant scroll of bad 80s bands he once loved, and like me he probably forgot all about Rick Astley right around the time Guns ‘N Roses appeared on the scene. But recently Astley has returned to pop culture with a vengeance in the form of the “Rickroll” – a gag link that is supposed to go to some item of interest, but instead leads to the Rick Astley video for ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’. Click that link, and you’ve been Rickrolled. Enough people have been Rolled that his video has had nearly 24 million hits on YouTube and the term Rickroll has its own Wikipedia page.

The funny thing about all this Rickrolling is that it brings back some great memories of rolling through my hometown with my best friend, and I’ve realized that I like this music (for the nostalgia) much more now than I ever did then. The knee-jerk reaction might be to laugh it off or say that it sucks, but strictly speaking, ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ is no worse than Journey or a lot of the other stuff you’d have liked if you’d been in high school during that era…

*****

I’ve written some not-so-nice stuff about the Insane Clown Posse in the past, and I’d like to use this opportunity to take it all back. You guys rule! I might not like the music, and probably never will, but how can anyone dislike a band with such a great sense of humor? They and their Horror-Core (don’t ask) Juggalo (ditto) followers have recently been the springboard for a series of inspired spoofs from the likes of Saturday Night Live. When the dust settled, the New York Times arts blog stepped in and talked to some key figures involved to trace the history of ICP-inspired comedy.

Against all odds, ICP members Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J have a positive, enlightened outlook on those who poke fun at their music and followers. When SNL ran a mock version of their video for the song ‘Miracles’ (which really is a great piece of unintentional comedy), Violent J called his mom to tell her about it. Regarding the SNL spoof, Shaggy 2 Dope told the New York Times, “I remember back in the day when Weird Al Yankovic did ‘Amish Paradise,’ off Coolio’s ‘Gangsta Paradise.’ Somehow Coolio got mad. If Weird Al wanted to do one of our songs, I’d be like, ‘Hell yeah.’ To me, it’s the same thing with Saturday Night Live.” And with that measured response, 2 Dope struck a mortal blow against the stereotyping of insane killer clowns.

Violent J was willing to concede to NYT that “Two clowns floating around in space, swearing, rapping about wonderful things. I get that that’s funny to an outsider.” It sure is fellas. Keep up the good work…

A Day At The Flea IX

‘Twas a perfect weekend to hit the flea market, and The P and I took full advantage. Here are some of my highlights…

Charlie Musselwhite | Memphis, Tennessee

Steve Miller Band | Number 5

The Salsoul Orchestra | Greatest Disco Hits: Music For Non-Stop Dancing

Otis Redding | The Soul Album

Osibisa | Woyaya

Muhammad Ali | Ali and His Gang Vs. Mr. Tooth Decay

Sandy Bull | Fantasias For Guitar & Banjo

Various Artists | Canada’s Finest: Solid Gold (K-Tel)

Rick Astley | Whenever You Need Somebody

Ali Akbar Khan | Sound Of The Sarod: Recorded In Concert

J.D. Crowe And The New South | J.D. Crowe And The New South

Oscar Peterson | The Oscar Peterson Quartet

Johnny Cash | His Greatest Hits, Volume II

Woody Guthrie | The Early Years

Jean-Luc Ponty | King Kong

Public Enemy | Fear Of A Black Planet

Public Enemy | It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

Video Break: Posse On Broadway

Sir Mix-A-Lot >> Posse On Broadway. This one’s for Seattle…

Supersonic Wax: A Look Inside 6 Seattle Record Stores

The P and I recently snuck up to Seattle for a quick visit. I took one day of our trip to bomb around town and check out some of the recommended area record stores. Here’s where I went and what I saw…

Bop Street Records * 5219 Ballard Ave NW Seattle, WA 98107 * (206) 297-2232 * www.bopstreetrecords.com

[click to enlarge any image]

The skinny: Bop Street is one of the great record stores in the entire country. Owner Dave Voorhees founded it in 1974, and his current stock consists of more than a half-million used records that fill room after room of the main floor and basement of this gigantic store. I walked in shortly after they opened and Voorhees came out from behind the counter, commented on my Dusty Groove t-shirt, and offered to give me a tour of his store. Sweet! While waving me behind doors spray-painted EMPLOYEES ONLY – KEEP OUT, he regaled me with story after story of his time in the music business and the rock stars who’d come in to visit and signed their name on his wall. The whole thing added up to one of the coolest experiences I’ve had in any record store. Toss in the fact that Voorhees is moving his store a few blocks away over the next few months, and I felt lucky to have set foot in this configuration of this store when I did…

Of interest: The basement of Bop Street is bigger in itself than most record stores, and was crammed with $3 albums (I believe this was a temporary sale) that would cheaply fortify any classic rock collection. This store is so big that it is absolutely overwhelming. Voorhees told me that members of Radiohead had recently spent an entire 8-hour day shopping there and it’s easy to see how. Unfortunately, this was the first store I visited, and I only had an hour or so to spend. Next visit I’ll budget more time…

Bonus points: One could easily spend an hour just checking out the graffiti and autographs that run along the wall on the main floor, as well as the mural along the back wall. But huge bonus points to Dave Voorhees for making my visit so memorable. I’ve never had a record store owner act like a better host than he did. Thanks to him and his amazing store, this is as close as I’ll ever come to visiting Willy Wonka’s Record Factory…

Key purchases: Harvey Mandel – The Snake (LP), Bobby Bland – Call On Me (LP), Rolling Stones – Between The Buttons (8-track), Bop Street Records t-shirt

*****

Easy Street Records * 20 Mercer St. Seattle, WA 98109 * (206) 691-EASY * EasyStreetOnline.com

The skinny: Large store that features a mix of new and used vinyl and CDs. Easy Street has funky decor and the vibe of an independent store that’s been around for awhile…

Of interest: The vintage flyers along the back wall are definitely worth a peek. This store also has an LP Club which entitles members to a free LP after buying 15 records, and features a strong Local Music section…

Bonus points: For their listening stations, which were made from vintage pay phones. Very cool…

Key purchases: James Brown – In The Jungle Groove (reissue LP), Neko Case – Middle Cyclone (LP), The Beatles – This Is The… Savage Young Beatles (used LP), Record Store Days (book)

*****

Jive Time Records * 3506 Fremont Ave N. Seattle, WA 98103 * www.jivetimerecords.com

The skinny: Small, well-organized shop that features used vinyl. This shop couldn’t have been more than 500 square feet, and they do a fine job of fitting in the maximum amount of LPs without making the store feel cramped.

Of interest: Very good $1, $3 and $5 bargain bins…

Bonus points: Super-friendly staff. Neat, clean store. Cool colors and logo. Loved the dog + record player in their front window, complete with a “Jive Time” record on the turntable…

Key purchases: Cactus – Cactus (LP), Various Artists – Sound Explosion (Ronco LP)

*****

Sonic Boom Records * 1525 Melrose Ave. Seattle, WA 98122 * (206) 568-BOOM and 2209 NW Market St. Seattle WA 98107 (flagship store) * (206) 297-BOOM * www.sonicboomrecords.com

The skinny: Very clean, roomy store that has an industrial modern feel. New and used LPs and CDs, although their selection of new LPs and CDs far outstrips their used bins. I visited their Capitol Hill store, and it’s my understanding that their flagship store in Ballard is the one to see. Next time…

Of interest: Good selection of new vinyl. However, everything was $3-$5 more than what I’d pay at my local Amoeba Records (I’m spoiled that way, but still…) so I didn’t buy any new albums. I did find a beat up but very playable copy of Here Are The Sonics!!! and a thrashed but playable copy of Neil Young’s On The Beach, so good things can be found in their used bins…

Bonus points: For the aforementioned used LPs – good finds both…

Key purchases: Neil Young – On The Beach (used LP), The Sonics – Here Are The Sonics!!! (used LP)

*****

Holy Cow Records * 1501 Pike Place #325 Seattle, WA 98101 * (206) 405-4200

The skinny: Small used LP & CD store located in the catacombs beneath Pike Place Market. In spite of the signage out front, this store has plenty of records for the size of its footprint. Staff was very helpful and friendly and made an extra effort to help my cousin Chris find an album he was looking for…

Of interest: A pretty decent $3 LP crate. The fact that you get to visit Pike Place market on your way to the record store is pretty cool…

Bonus points: For The Sonics poster hanging above the Funk/Soul section that trumpets “The Sonics In Glorious Mono”…

Key purchases: Mance Lipscomb – Vol. 4 (used LP)

*****

Wall Of Sound * 315 E. Pine St. Seattle, WA * (206) 441-9880 * WOSound.com

The skinny: Small, stylish, spare, eclectic record shop. Good vibe and an unusual selection of records – not the place to go if you’re looking to beef up your Led Zeppelin, but it’s the perfect place to find that Krautrock album you’ve been searching high and low for…

Of interest: Nice selection of posters on the wall that were on sale for reasonable prices. I might have been in the market if I didn’t have an airplane ride between me and home…

Bonus points: For having interesting $2 and $3 bins – one of which had the album my cousin Chris was looking for (the self-titled album by the fusion/funk/disco band Chase)…

Key purchases: Public Enemy – ‘Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos’ (12″ Single), Chase – Chase (used LP)

Further reading: Seattle newspaper The Stranger tracks the financial health of area music retailers.