On my turntable: K-tel - Gold Rush 79 Volume Two

The latest in my collection of dirt cheap (but oh so fancy) K-tel LPs is Gold Rush 79 Volume Two (1979). I rarely pay more than a buck for these beauties, and the amount of magic often found in the grooves is priceless. In the case of this record, these five alone make it worth the 50 cents (click on song titles for awesome videos):

"Knock on Wood" - Amii Stewart
"Get Off" - Foxy
"Disco Nights (Rock Freak)" - G.Q.
"Every 1's a Winner" - Hot Chocolate
"You and I" - Rick James

I love when I hear a song that I had all but forgotten and would never remember just by the song title alone. Firefall's "Strange Way" (also on this LP) is one such song, and I don't think I've heard it in several decades. What a flashback.

2:35 pm

On my office wall.

1095 days of fanciness

I started my Fancy Blog three years ago today with a little blurb about the (then) new Rolling Stones LP, A Bigger Bang. In the 1095 days since that first entry I've blogged about 363 other LPs, and many of you have shared your own histories with those same records. It is this interactive facet that remains my favorite part of the whole blog experience, and y'all have contributed in ways that have made it all far more fancy than I ever anticipated. For that I humbly say thank you!!

(tasty cake pic stolen from pinkcakebox)

Dressy Bessy is right

Records are Art

(taken from Dressy Bessy's MySpace page):Dressy Bessy released their brand spankin'
new album Holler and Stomp on 9/16.

The band is also on tour this fall, with scheduled dates in both Minneapolis (10/24) and St. Paul (10/29).

Because rednecks have voting rights too...

...all people with common sense really need to go to the polls this year. No, really. No excuses will be accepted. You heard me.

(props to Joe.My.God)

On my turntable: De La Soul - Buhloone Mindstate

I was looking for a fall record to fit today's mood, and pulled this one out. I looked up the release date, and it came out this week in 1993 (9/24). I love when that happens.

Buhloone Mindstate is by far my favorite De La Soul record. It takes all the best intricacies of De La and Prince Paul's work and brings it to a jazzier, slightly more mature (but still clever & psychedelic) level. This particular copy is a counterfeit with fewer songs than the actual LP. I intend to get a legit original copy eventually. With the recent reissue of De La Soul is Dead on vinyl, perhaps there is hope that Mindstate will see a proper re-release. Word 'em up.

Official Videos:
"Breakadawn"
"Ego Trippin' (part two)"

Look through my window

2:02 pm, GAPSA office.

On my turntable: The Turtles - Happy Together

When it comes to my turntable, the summer of 2008 was largely about The Turtles. It took me by surprise, since I was feeling no need whatsoever to explore them. In June I took a risk on The Turtles' Greatest Hits, which set the musical tone of the next three months.

Happy Together (1967) is an intriguingly sophisticated album. Several of the songs have some not-so-subtle drug references, but the teeny-bopper bubble-psych grooves make them seem somehow innocent. Quite jazzy arrangements color some of the tracks, which are perfect for Howard Kaylan's Vegas crooning. The only track I could really do without is "Happy Together", although I'm sure I'll warm up to the song again someday.

Videos:
"Happy Together" (original promo film)
"Guide for the Married Man"

8:21 pm

From the dollar bin at Targets.

shocking.

Clay's gay.




I give him points for making it official though.

(from People.com)

4:10 pm

Taking a break before class
on the fancy green couch in the GAPSA office.

Cats aren't good with technology

I think this cat might have fudged a few things on his resume, because fixing computer printers is definitely not one of his strengths. Whoever hired him should have done a more thorough background check.

(Eternal thanks to CuteOverload.com)

wake-up song: "Only The Lonely"

In my head as I woke up this morning:

Emmy rug

Dude is so obviously wearing a wig. Not that there's any shame, if that's your thing. I just think Piven looks better without it.

On my turntable: Fanny - Rock and Roll Survivors

Rock and Roll Survivors (1974) is my only Fanny LP, and as I understand it's not a very good representation of what Fanny really was. Fanny has a very interesting history as one of the true original all-women rock bands, and it's sad that forty years on we still don't have many female bands in the spotlight. Instead we get female pop stars and the occasional singer/songwriter.

www.FannyRocks.com

On my turntable: The Smithereens: Especially For You

I was working at Don Leary's record store in 1986 when this album was released. One of the biggest perks of working at a record store was getting my hands on new releases before the rest of the record buying public, but in the case of Especially For You, I remember stocking the LP, studying the cover, and being mostly disinterested.

It took me a couple of years to warm up to The Smithereens, and it wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I finally bought this particular album (for a sweet 40 cents at the thrifty store), and of course I love it. Better late than never.

Official Videos:
"Behind the Wall of Sleep"
"Blood and Roses"
"In a Lonely Place"

Hubby meme

For once I'm posting about something other than me, me, me. Here's 20 questions about my registered same-sex-domestic partner, my puddin', my bunnydaddy, Leo:

1. Sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?

Law & Order.

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?

Dorothy Lynch

3. What's one food he doesn't like?

Anything hot/spicy.

4. You go out to the bar. What does he order?

A Shirley Temple.

5. Where did he go to high school?

Trinity High School, Louisville, KY.

6. What size shoe does he wear?

6? 6.5?

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be?

He collects Catholic things with Jesus and Mary on them.

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?

Tough one. Probably a tie: BLT or Turkey with muenster cheese & mayo. He also loves my mom's white person special: Oscar Meyer bologna on white bread with Miracle Whip and iceberg lettuce, and sometimes one slice of American cheese.

9. What would this person eat every day if he could?

Pasta.

10. What is his favorite cereal?

Cheerios with lots of sugar (close second: Rice Krispies with lots of sugar).

11. What would he never wear?

A mullet (close second: zubaz)

12. What is his favorite sports team?

Does the cast of Rent count as a sports team?

13. Who will he vote for?

O B A M A.

14. Who is his best friend?

Diet Pepsi.

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do?

Listen to the shampoo bottle when it says "repeat".

16. How many states has he lived in?

3

17. What is his heritage?

Mexican American Catholic.

18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake?

Anything but chocolate.

19. Did he play sports in high school?

Only if musical theater counts as a sport.

20. What could he spend hours doing?

Reading about Jesus or things pertaining to Jesus or other Catholic stuff.

2008: Best of Quarter III

The best of the past three months (according to our turntable and car CD player). Titles in green are all available on vinyl.

20. "Fancy Pants" - Al Hirt
19. "Choose What You're Watching" - The Newno2
18. "Lights and Music" - Cut Copy
17. "Donny & Marie Hits Medley" (live) - D & M
16. "Always Where I Need to Be" - The Kooks
15. "Ladies of the World" - Flight of the Conchords
14. "Paisley Pattern Ground" - Black Hollies
13. "Holy Man (Taylor Hawkins version)" - Dennis Wilson
12. "Somewhere Friday Night" - The Turtles
11. "Believe in Me" - Sloan
10. "Invisible" - Wendy & Lisa
9. "Lupe Brown" - The Fratellis
8. "Good Riddance (time of your life)" - Glen Campbell
7. "Ain't Gonna Cut It" - Puffy AmiYumi
6. "Accelerate" - R.E.M.
5. "Oxygen to the Brain" - Brian Wilson
4. "Troublemaker" - Weezer
3. "What's Victoria's Secret" - Rick Springfield
2. "Great DJ" - Ting Tings
1. "Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight" - Tiny Tim

today's dig

I had a great trip to the record store today, walking out with a good handful of tunes for 10 smackers. There are few things I find more satisfying than a good dig through the local record shops, and luckily Twin Cities still has a good half dozen thriving stores.

Today's acquisitions:
The Box Tops - Greatest Hits
Dionne Warwick - Very Dionne (promo)
K-tel - 24 Country & Western Greats, Vol. 6
The English Beat - What Is Beat?
Diane Hilderbrand - Early Morning Blues & Greens
Definition of Sound - "Moira Jane's Cafe" 12"
Wham! - "Young Guns"/"Bad Boys" 12"
Crystal Waters - "Gypsy Woman" 12"
Pat Benatar - "Shadows of the Night" 45
Pat Benatar - "Love is a Battlefield" 45
The Motels - "Only the Lonely" 45

Support your local independent record stores!!

Just in case you've never seen it...

This is what totally stoned out of your head looks like. Look for at least three giggling Monkees beginning at 3:27 into this clip (hint - it's all in the eyes):

The clip (from The Monkees' "Fairy Tale" episode) concludes with the majestic psychedelic creation "Daily Nightly", written by Nesmith Monkee and sung by Dolenz Monkee.

Lucky Old Son

Brian Wilson and his band will perform That Lucky Old Sun in its entirety on November 15th at the State Theatre in Minneapolis.

www.brianwilson.com/tour

Sweeeeeeeeet.

Look through my window

This is the view of downtown Minneapolis from our front porch. Not taken with a proper camera by any stretch, but the moon was looking particularly striking hanging over downtown tonight and I thought it deserved a picture.

Tee of the day

From The Hives show earlier this year. Leo tells me it says "NO SALVATION WITHOUT THE HIVES", or something like that.

"Less Meat, Less Heat"

Here's a little something I just received from the Christian Vegetarian Association that has some interesting statistics:

August 31
Gent, Belgium. On Saturday, Rachendra Pachauri, head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Nobel Peace prize winner, lectured at length about the effects of meat consumption on climate change. Dr. Pachauri was invited by the Belgian vegetarian organisation EVA and addressed more than 600 people at the University of Ghent. The event was called "Less Meat, Less Heat" and was organized together with Greenpeace Belgium and WWF Belgium.

Dr Pachauri said that in order to counter climate change, lifestyle changes are very important. One of the potentially most beneficial lifestyle changes, according to the IPCC president, would be the switch to a diet with less meat and more vegetarian meals.

Addressing his Belgian audience, Dr. Pachauri made the following comparison: if during one year, all Belgians would just have one meatless day a week, this would have the same beneficial effect on greenhouse gas emission as taking almost one million cars off the Belgian roads for an entire year.

Dr. Pachauri said meat production is responsible for 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions, mainly due to emission of methane from ruminants (cows, sheep and goats), emissions from manure, and the effects of deforestation for cattle grazing and animal feed. He also pointed out that producing a kilogram of beef requires about 15.000 liters of water.

Dr. Pachauri ended his talk by a quote from Gandhi: 'be the change you want to see in the world'. He said we each need to take our responsibility and can create a big effect by individual actions, decreasing our meat intake being one of them...

Full article: www.vegetarisme.be/pachauri

McCain on Palin's national security experience

I just heard this on Meet the Press: In a recent interview with WCSH in Portland, Maine, John McCain was questioned about Palin's national security experience. His response (and this is word for word, I swear):

"Energy.
She knows more about energy than probably anyone else in the United States of America."

Really? No - I mean REALLY? OK America, I'm going to give it to you straight. If you believe this bullshit then you are a grade-A bonafide DUMBASS, because there is literally, LITERALLY no way on this planet, no - in this universe, that Sarah Palin, former mayor of Podunk, Alaska, is THE premiere expert on energy in the entire US of A. How is this even happening? It's as if half the country has completely removed itself from anything that remotely resembles reality. Drill, baby, drill a hole in my head. Please.

Palin & Hilary

"I can see Russia from my house!" Beautiful.

Let the games begin!

So the Gophers won today, beating the Montana State Bobcats 35 to 23. Go Gophers! OK, I've got a confession to make. Although I am absolutely true to my school, I'll admit that I'm not the biggest sports fanatic. I do enjoy football season though, and I love all the hoopla surrounding college football.

This year to show my gopher spirit I'll be blasting selections from the Songs of the University 45 (pictured, above), courtesy of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association. There's no date on the record, but judging by the looks of Goldy on the front cover, I'd guess this is from the 70's (If any U of M historians out there can correct me please feel free).

Speaking of Gopher Football, this year's Homecoming game is November 1st at the Metrodome. This will be the final homecoming to take place in the dome, as next year's game will be played in the fancy new TCF Bank Stadium on campus.

On my turntable: Meet Glen Campbell

When it comes to music, I love surprises, and Meet Glen Campbell (2008) is one of the nicest surprises of the year. This album is the rebirth of the Wichita Lineman more than it is the return of the Rhinestone Cowboy. It's the expert studio musician > temporary Beach Boy > recording star > television star Glen Campbell, before unfathomable fame turned him into a mean, self-destructive drunk.

On MGC, a sober Glen puts his classic spin on 10 contemporary songs, making them indelibly his. The album hosts an all-star list of supporting musicians, including Jason Falkner (Three O'Clock, Jellyfish), Wendy Melvoin (Wendy & Lisa, The Revolution), Roger Manning, Jr (Jellyfish), Chris Chaney (Jane's Addiction), and Rick Nielsen & Robin Zander (Cheap Trick). While the whole album is fantastic, there are some highlights: "Sing" (Travis), "Sadly Beautiful" (Paul Westerberg), "Jesus" (Velvet Underground), and "Good Riddance (Time of your life)" (Green Day). At 72, Glen's voice is clear as ever, and kids of the 70's (like myself) will likely find an unexpected comfort in hearing his voice on these tracks. It's an AM radio, "have a nice day", "keep on truckin'" sort of warm & fuzzy feeling.

The limited edition LP also features a little somethings extra: a tasteful 2008 remix of Glen's 1969 hit "Galveston", as well as a coupon for a free download of the entire album.

Video:
"Meet Glen Campbell" Trailer from Capitol records
"These Days" (old Jackson Browne song, from AOL Sessions)

The Time in Minneapolis last night

The original lineup of The Time played a show last night in downtown Minneapolis, five minutes from our house. Unfortunately I didn't get to see the show, but it's great knowing that these guys are working together again. Check out a giddy Roxanne Battle interviewing Jimmy, Terry, and Morris prior to last night's show:

On my turntable: Eric Leeds - Times Squared

Eric Leeds has been involved in more Prince projects than probably anyone else. His 1991 solo debut, Times Squared, is not a bad album, but like most in the Paisley Park catalog, it's not highly memorable record either. It's a pleasant listen, though.
Considering the list of musicians on Times Squared, it could have almost been a Madhouse record. Prince himself wrote or co-wrote most of the tracks, and performs on all but two of them.

Eric Leeds on MySpace

On my turntable: T.Rex - T.Rextacy

I discovered T.Rex five years ago by way of the song "Jeepster", followed by a download of the full Electric Warrior (1971) album, and the inevitable, essential vinyl copy. Last week at the thrift store, for less than the cost of a candy bar, I scored the mighty satisfying T.Rextacy: The Best of T.Rex, 1970-1973 (1985). If we owe Marc Bolan anything it's the acknowledgment of his prominent role in the birth of glam, which is more than evident on this LP.

Video:
"Ride a White Swan"
"Jeepster" (live)
Unplugged Medley (from the film "Born to Boogie", w/Ringo Starr)

The making of Weezer on vinyl

A great video of the making of Weezer's new LP on 180g double vinyl.

The Fratellis @ First Avenue

The Fratellis rocked the house tonight.

Video: "Look Out Sunshine" by The Fratellis

Blackout

I'm considering a day away from news today. After yesterday's childish playground antics from the McPain camp, I feel burned out on politics. My head hurts from thinking that half of the country might actually be supporting the Republican ticket. Have people not seen the photos and footage of McCain and Bush hugging, kissing, swapping spit, touching each other's nipples, and romantically caressing the firmness in each other's buttocks? Get a damn room, already! All you need to know is in those photos. McCain intends to work for only the wealthiest Americans, just like Bush. Bush has failed his country on a monumental, almost indescribable scale -- why would anyone want cast a vote for 4 more years of Bush's failed policies?

Yeah I need a break.

(make-out photo montage from thinkprogress.org)

My fave b-sides: The Bee Gees - "Kilburn Towers"

(July 14, 2006 was my last "fave b-sides" entry, so I think it's pretty safe to call this an abandoned feature...)

The b-side of 1968's "I Started A Joke" was the overlooked gem "Kilburn Towers", which is probably my all-time favorite Bee Gees song. My guess is that this airy, moody track is mostly a Barry Gibb solo recording. Whatever it is, it's perfect. The song comes from the band's third Atco LP, Idea.

On my turntable (back to school edition): Duran Duran - Liberty

Album: Liberty
Released: August 20, 1990

School: University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (senior year)

Liberty was one of my big fall records in 1990. Although it's not one of Duran Duran's best, the album did include two great singles ("Violence of Summer" and "Serious"), and was the band's first full album with former Missing Persons guitarist Warren Cuccurullo as an official member. Warren remained a major contributor to the band for over a decade.

Official videos:
"Violence of Summer"
"Serious"

The politics of hate

Whether they admit it publicly or not, the man in this picture represents the beliefs of many evangelicals who prescribe to Focus on the Family's principles. "Pray the gay away" is about eliminating us, who we are, how God made us. Many of these people want us dead, because they have been taught to hate by their church, in the name of some fictional, hateful god, the same type of war-mongering god that is worshiped in Sarah Palin's church.

(picture from the Dump Michelle Bachmann blog)

2:39 pm

Emergency caffeine deficiencies call for coffee machine coffee.

Today's annoying headline

From MSNBC.com:

"Fears grow of terrorist with
‘an American face'"

Hmmm. "American Face." What does that look like exactly? Have you walked outside lately, MSNBC? Americans are a pretty diverse looking crowd. How do you describe an "American face"? Oh wait - is "American face" the new racist code for "White, Non-Muslim-looking face"?

Headlines like this are irresponsible.

Look through my window

Looking out of Eddy Hall,
University of Minnesota

"Pray the gay away"?!

Oh hell no. According to Associated Press, Sarah Palin's church is promoting a conference that hopes to "Pray the Gay Away", using the power of prayer to "convert" gays into far more godlike straights. Phrases such as "pray the gay away" are very dangerous. I wonder if we'll hear as much about Palin's church as we did about Obama's.

4:45 pm

This is what an unamused rabbit looks like.

Ill Doctrine on Palin

The man nails it:

illdoctrine.com

On my turntable: Culture Club - Waking Up With the House On Fire

By the time this album was released in November 1984 the public was experiencing a bit of a Boy George burnout. Waking Up With The House On Fire included a few great singles, but otherwise it failed to live up to its multi-platinum predecessor, Colour By Numbers (1983).

If my memory is correct, I bought this album on election day, 1984, at the student-run record store on campus . It was the first election where I was eligible to vote, and I voted for Walter Mondale. When I returned to the dorm after voting I was faced with half a dozen testosterone-crazed dimwits who berated me for voting democrat. I was unaware that in America, the only people who vote democrat are women and queers. Assholes. I retreated to my room and enjoyed my new Culture Club record.

Official videos:
"The War Song"
"Mistake no. 3"
"The Medal Song"

Saturday Morning tv: Schoolhouse Rock

This one was always one of my favorites because Monkees records were in the drug store record machine:

"Noun is a Person Place or Thing"

EMI/Capitol Vaults LPs, round II

The next round of 180g LPs in the "EMI/Capitol Vaults" series is slated for October 28th. This batch includes:

The Band - The Band
The Band - Music From the Big Pink
Queensryche - Operation Mind Crime
Megadeth - Peace Sells But Who's Buying
Megadeth - Rust In Peace
John Lennon - Rock N Roll
The Stray Cats - Built For Speed
The Beach Boys - Endless Summer
Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure
Roxy Music - Roxy Music
The Verve - Urban Hymns

9:22 pm

Scratching my head a bit, attempting to dive back into a study routine.

Saturday Morning tv: Jackson 5ive & The Osmonds

In the fall of '72, ABC created a 1-2 punch with the pairing of The Jackson 5ive and Osmonds cartoons. The shows were colorful, bordering on psychedelic, vehicles for the music of the Osmonds & Jacksons, who largely dominated the youth market at the time. It was probably the best hour of Saturday morning tv during the 72-73 season.

"Drill, Baby, Drill"

Wow.
I just saw Rudy "9-11" Giuliani say "Drill, Baby, Drill" during his speech, provoking hoots, hollers, and a rousing chant of DRILLBABYDRILL from the wealthy, mostly white-privileged republican crowd.
Shameful.

This semester

Just in case you've never seen it...

...this is what bat-shit crazy looks like:

Minnesota's own Anita Bryant, congresswoman Michelle Bachmann spoke at last night's republican convention. The woman is a cartoon. As she talks you can actually see how unglued she is.

2:05 pm

My mom gave me this awesome plant for my campus office.
Thanks Mom!

just answer the question...

I have yet to see one republican answer the question "Is Sarah Palin the most qualified republican that John McCain could have picked for the job of VP?". For example, Minnesota wingnut Michelle Bachmann was on Larry King last night:

KING: Congressman Bachmann, are you saying that this is most qualified Republican [McCain] could have picked?

BACHMANN: This is the pick that John McCain made. And I think John McCain has exercised excellent...

KING: No, the que -- that's not the question.

The question is, is it in your opinion this is the most qualified Republican he could have selected?

BACHMAN: I think the answer, again, is this is the one that John McCain selected and she is qualified. Let's face it, she is a qualified candidate for vice president.

Nobody is answering this question because the answer is painfully obvious. Most Americans can name at least a half dozen other people with better qualifications than Palin.

7:56 pm

Here's one for the ladies: A birdseye view of Simon sprawled out like he owns the place, showing off his shapely bunn-tocks. Sometimes when we find him like this we whistle and holler "Hey Simon - nice 'tocks!".

I'm considering submitting this one to Bun Fancy magazine.

What's new pussycat?

Today was 50% off day at our favorite thrift store. Leo found this sexy Josie & The Pussycats glass (1977) with my name on it for 90 cents.
Meow.

Rolling Stone review: That Lucky Old Sun

A nice, concise review of Brian Wilson's new opus (from RollingStone.com):

"At 25, I turned out the light/'Cause I couldn't handle the glare in my tired eyes." Those lines in "Goin' Home" bluntly refer to Brian Wilson's famous mental shutdown in 1967, during the sessions for the aborted Beach Boys album Smile. But that bridge is sung by a pitch-perfect choir in a radiant, white-funk song that, like the rest of this record, evokes the healing feeling of the Beach Boys' great Smile-recovery LPs, 1967's Wild Honey and 1968's Friends. A series of compact tunes and spoken reveries written by Wilson with Scott Bennett and original Smile lyricist Van Dyke Parks, That Lucky Old Sun is blatantly nostalgic in its pre-acid California dreaming (the title cover was a 1949 hit for Frankie Laine) and echoes of Wilson's early less-troubled bloom: the surf-side doo-wop of "Good Kind of Love," the deep saxes and vibraphone in "Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl." His voice is drowsy and uneven in the narratives, but he sings with a reborn will, even when the truth hurts. "I wasted a lot of years," Wilson admits in "Oxygen to the Brain" but insists, as the circus horns come in, "I'm filling up my lungs again and breathing life." That Lucky Old Sun lacks the magnificent shock of SMiLE, Wilson's 2004 completion of that '67 album. But it has a natural, hopeful flow that leaves you warm all over.

www.BrianWilson.com

Putting America first (election year edition)

OK, maybe I'm being too harsh or too sensitive (or both), but I get the impression that the administration, and even more so, John McCain, are trying to promote how pro-active they're being with hurricane Gustav. It's almost as if they want a treat for not pissing on the furniture. You know what? This isn't something you get praise for, because IT'S YOUR JOB. This is what you should have done three years ago with Katrina. What about the families who are still suffering from the way you handled that disaster?

Just so we don't forget (and I'm not implying that anyone reading this has forgotten), here's Keith Olbermann's thoughtful editorial on how the government put America last in 2005:

Saturday Morning tv: Freakies cereal

In the 70's, any cereal that was worth its weight in sugar was promoted by a cartoon of some sort. The characters were as memorable as real cartoon stars like Bugs Bunny or Yogi Bear: Quisp, Sugar Bear, Frankenberry, Tony the Tiger, Toucan Sam. One of the best campaigns belonged to Freakies cereal. The ads aired with such frequency that I'm not sure if it even mattered whether the cereal was any good. Does anyone even remember how it tasted? I'm guessing not so good, since it was only on the market for 2 or 3 years. Kids knew the names of all the characters though (after hearing them over and over and over in the commercials), and we collected the little toys that came in every box of Freakies.