Record Store Day 2012 - hits and misses...

so I sneaked away from the soldering bench and the family on Saturday morning for a few hours.. it is always nice to flip through vinyl on a Saturday morning.. especially in the Spring...

I will be completely honest and say that I am bummed that I did not find the first ever vinyl release of Junta.. I think Phish did a really cool thing by releasing this very early and really interesting album on three pieces of 180 gram vinyl for only $40... on the $60 version, they included a signed screenprint by the original artist... very cool... but they went quickly.. by noon there were 500 copies on eBay.. I suppose the band cannot do anything about scalpers, just like tickets for all those years... but I will say that I have been extremely lucky and never, ever shut out of a show.. even some super duper way sold out events.. so I guess my karma is pretty good...

enough of that.. you guys would not support scalpers.. so on to the scores... and the rest of a very beautiful morning in which I hit *three* record stores...

so first up is my only RSD special.. the Black Angels... I guess I was feeling a little bit angry as this made me feel much better.. it is two early EP's put together and a few tracks from an early album, one of which, Manipulation, is especially dark and powerful... not for the faint of heart, but....

next is my only genuinely all Soul album of the day... but it is James Carr... if you have not ever heard "At the Dark End of the Street" you are missing out...

Roy Buchanan is a guitar wizard... check him out on You Tube.. he seems a humble guy who just says everything with a guitar..

Stanley Clarke "School Days" is one that I just needed a better copy of.. the track "Desert Song" with McLaughlin is great... besides, I want those pants... and it was a buck... WTF, it's only a buck! (which you Deadheads will recall as the slogan wookies used to sell grilled cheese sandwiches on tour)

do I have to say something about the guitar work of Jimmie Vaughan?  maybe I do.. he has that strut.. not the normal Texas blues that is so in your face... I love his playing...

and this one. whoah... this is Muddy Waters and Otis Spann... the best of all those attempts to combine new school hippie blues players with the greats from teh 40's and 50's... this one works.. not a sonic marvel, but amazing music.. close your eyes and wish you were there... (and it was $5 for two lp's!)

same with this one... a classic... I have resigned myself to the fact that I will never own the original.. so a later mint reissue is just fine.. the Wolf... a mighty man... as a bonus, my kids seem to get what he was about.. an original..

oh, look at that!.. an album that is not all guitar.. I did not notice until I got home, but I guess my two year affair with the saxophone must be over.. from this stack, it looks like I never left the blues section.. hmm... so I obviously bought this for Memphis Slim, who I like very much.. maybe I belong in this backwards 1950's conservative town after all... I just need to learn how to wail away on my porch..

uh, oh... another guitar god... Ulmer.. wow... if you like this music, you already know him..

and, gasp, a CD!  yeah, but how cool is this?.. this guy was playing live in the record store.. Muddy Waters and Junior Kimbrough covers.. solo.. guitar, bass drum and hi-hat.. and talking about how he had been up all night.. they had a party last night.. but he was loving the fact that a small group of us knew all the tunes he was playing.. so I bought his CD.. Eric Hughes.. he said he had two singles that were top ten on the blues charts.. so I happily handed him $10... 

and for Richie.. yet another use for transformers.. to hold up vinyl when you take snapshots..

so I will leave you with some short video of Eric Hughes playing on no sleep at one of the record stores.. tough, lonely gig.. but you gotta get by...

Peace,
Me