Here at Audiophile Review we obtain a whole lot of albums for assessment consideration. We attempt to take heed to all of them and report on titles that we get pleasure from and really feel are worthy of your consideration. If you’d prefer to preview this music, you’ll find all of those albums following conveniently streaming on Qobuz, Tidal and Apple Music. But after all, in case you benefit from the music, its at all times greatest to point out your assist for the artists purchase shopping for their bodily albums on vinyl or CD and associated merchandise.
Back in 2019 I reviewed an exquisite album by a brand new group, the brainchild of composer, singer and performer John Brodeur, referred to as Bird Streets (click on right here to learn that assessment). With ties to the Big Star multi-verse, Brodeur and his flock just lately launched the vinyl model of their new Bird Streets album referred to as Lagoon and it was price wait.
This new album presents a candy mix of huge daring, energy pop-leaning rock epics, loosely psychedelic periodically folk-flavored ballads and no scarcity of earworm-y hooks. Featuring extra subtle manufacturing supporting the at instances deeper and heavier themes, this album is each a logical successor to its debut and a major step ahead for Mr. Brodeur on many ranges, from orchestral strings and soulful horns and to Mellotron prospers.
Spread throughout two LPs, the expansive album was recorded at a large number of studios together with Big Star home-base Ardent Studios. Produced by Wilco guitarist Patrick Sansone and mastered by Grammy nominee Pete Lyman, this new Bird Streets album consists of Big Star drummer Jody Stephens, Aimee Mann, John Davis (of SuperDrag) and lots of different luminaries.
The customary weight opaque bone-white vinyl urgent is excellent and the sound may be very good as trendy pop albums go — spinning at 45 RPM for very best constancy, this album sounds nice while you crank it up loud! Each disc on Lagoon involves you housed in a protecting plastic-lined audiophile-grade inside sleeve.
Check out Brodeur’s haunting Thom-Yorke-worthy scream on the of “Ambulance” — “this isn’t a victory!” — because the mellotron brings you again right down to earth. I really like the Memphis-flavored horn part on “Disappearing Act” driving house the poignant line “only a couple drinks away from being nameless” — I may think about a singer with voice like late nice soul legend Solomon Burke singing this tune! Some of my different favourite tracks on Lagoon are the opening monitor “Sleeper Agent,” the maybe confessional “Burnout” and the primary single launch “Let You Down” which has such a wonderful refrain able to be your subsequent earworm (video follows).
Eno, Forever Voiceless
I held my breath on this unique Record Store Day vocal-free version of Brian Eno’s newest album FOREVERANEVERMORE because it was pressed on crystal clear vinyl. Knowing how this type of factor may play out, I may have both been caught with a clunker or gotten a winner. For essentially the most half, my copy is the latter. There is somewhat little bit of floor noise in the beginning nevertheless it goes away briefly order. It wasn’t a deal breaker for me. My buddy Ian up in Vancouver wasn’t so fortunate as his copy of the album was terribly noisy. Fortunately, he was capable of finding one other copy at a unique retailer than the place he obtained his preliminary copy so he’s okay now. But, nonetheless, we actually shouldn’t need to climate this type of storm when spending $30 – $40 or extra on a model new album. (Dear high quality management people: please take be aware).
That stated, the brand new new “unvoiced” model of Eno’s new music is certainly very attention-grabbing, satisfying and finally stunning Of course, the music takes on a really totally different sensibility with out Mr. Eno’s haunting vocals delivering the at instances dire lyrics discovered on the unique album. And in that sense, having this model accessible is useful for these moments went you simply need to delight in his ambiance. On its personal, the music takes on a unique type of magnificence distinctive to Eno. How neat that we are able to get two so very totally different experiences from basically the identical music!
I solely want this had been included on Blu-ray version of FOREVERANEVERMORE; If you missed my assessment of that version please click on right here to learn it.
I spotted once I listened to Paco De Lucía: The Montreux Years that I’m just about a novice beginner relating to Mr. De Lucía’s music. Sure, I’ve heard his enjoying on the basic trio recording with John McLaughlin and Al Di Meola, Friday Night In San Francisco. And, I’ve heard some solo recordings by him. But I used to be stunned to listen to him in full on, jazz fusion-like band settings which mix sizzling grooves together with his masterful enjoying. At instances the music jogged my memory of The Gypsy Kings (“Solo Quiero Caminar”) however with fiery improvisation taking the music into new areas of exploration. “Alta Mar” options haunting fretless bass soloing by Carlos Benevent that raises ghostly echoes of the affect the late nice Jaco Pastorius. For this launch the producers cherry-picked from three of his mind-numbly good performances on the pageant in 1984, 2006 and 2011 and they’re glorious.
As with prior releases within the archival Montreux Jazz Festival sequence, the constancy on Paco De Lucía: The Montreux Years is exemplary, pressed on 180-gram heavy weight vinyl that’s thick, darkish, quiet and properly centered. Clearly , I’ve far more listening to do with a view to totally respect the scope of this impeccably gifted and influential guitarist. Until then Paco De Lucía: The Montreux Yearss proving to be introductory primer for me and that’s most likely the perfect complement I can provide for any compilation.
They’re additionally providing an opportunity to win a signed Rega Planar 3.
Record Store Day has unveiled a collection of particular records which are being offered to boost funds for its charity accomplice, Warchild.
The assortment contains particular version records from The Cure, Miles Davis, Brian Eno, Celeste and extra. A donation of £1 from each copy offered will go to Warchild. Check out the record beneath.
Frank Turner – Tape Deck Heart (Tenth-anniversary burnt pink vinyl, metallic-printed, gatefold sleeve and new liner notes)
Celeste – Lately EP (pink vinyl)
Mike Oldfield – TUBULAR BELLS – OPUS ONE
Marc Almond – Fantastic Star (first-ever vinyl urgent)
The Police – Every Breath You Take (Fortieth-anniversary bundle)
Brian Eno – FOREVER VOICELESS (crystal clear vinyl)
The Cure – Show (Thirtieth-anniversary image disc)
Miles Davis – Rare Miles From The Complete On The Corner Sessions (colored vinyl)
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – Up Your Alley (lemonade colored vinyl)
Dirty Projectors & Björk – Mount Wittenberg Orca (containing 13 unreleased bonus tracks)
Record Store Day can be operating a raffle the place followers can win a Rega Planar 3 turntable signed by both Kae Tempest, Frank Turner or Foals. Winners will likely be introduced April 30.
They’re additionally providing an opportunity to win a signed Rega Planar 3.
Record Store Day has unveiled a sequence of particular records which are being bought to boost funds for its charity accomplice, Warchild.
The assortment contains particular version records from The Cure, Miles Davis, Brian Eno, Celeste and extra. A donation of £1 from each copy bought will go to Warchild. Check out the checklist beneath.
Frank Turner – Tape Deck Heart (Tenth-anniversary burnt crimson vinyl, metallic-printed, gatefold sleeve and new liner notes)
Celeste – Lately EP (pink vinyl)
Mike Oldfield – TUBULAR BELLS – OPUS ONE
Marc Almond – Fantastic Star (first-ever vinyl urgent)
The Police – Every Breath You Take (Fortieth-anniversary bundle)
Brian Eno – FOREVER VOICELESS (crystal clear vinyl)
The Cure – Show (Thirtieth-anniversary image disc)
Miles Davis – Rare Miles From The Complete On The Corner Sessions (colored vinyl)
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – Up Your Alley (lemonade colored vinyl)
Dirty Projectors & Björk – Mount Wittenberg Orca (containing 13 unreleased bonus tracks)
Record Store Day can be working a raffle the place followers can win a Rega Planar 3 turntable signed by both Kae Tempest, Frank Turner or Foals. Winners might be introduced April 30.
I had high hopes for a reissue of a hard to find 1970 album by the great Minnie Riperton, Come To My Garden. Given that it had the “RSD Essentials” hype sticker on it, I expected something special. For me, it was not…
This album is Minnie’s solo debut after leaving the great band Rotary Connection and it is a highly regarded affair, perplexing in its obscurity. Produced and arranged by the great Charles Stepney, Come To My Garden features the equally great Ramsey Lewis on Piano as well as some members of his band from that period. Stepney had in fact produced and arranged Lewis’ fantastic 1968 release Mother Nature’s Son (an album entirely covering tracks from The Beatles’ then brand new White Album) so its not a surprise that Come To My Garden bears some of that same vibe.
Musically, Come To My Garden is a wonderful album, a swirling slice of post-psychedelic symphonic pop ‘n soul which fits in the late ‘60s vibe perfectly. Stepney’s adventurous arrangements lend a rich bed for Riperton’s emotive singing, delivering many unexpected shimmering twists and turns. This album is kind of like what might have happened had Minnie thrown a stoned soul picnic with Jimmy Webb, The Fifth Dimension, Laura Nyro and Barbara Streisand.
So what is my problem about this reissue?
Well, first lets talk about the pressing…
My copy had quite a bit of rollercoaster warping going on… it played ok but for $30 I expect an album to have some sense of stability. The bigger problem was that my copy was seriously off center on one side. That killed it for me as it made Minnie’s voice and Stepney’s orchestral arrangements waver quite a bit, especially on tunes like the title track which has lots long held orchestral string notes, horns and celestial harmony vocals which sway in and out of tune due to this problem.
This is the reissue label design
The album does come with a nice gatefold like the very rare first pressings from 1970. Yet, the physical record itself is graced with a simple white label with plain text which makes it look like a cheap pirate/bootleg. They could have at least tried to recreate a likeness of the old original GRT Records label.
Overall the reissue of Come To My Garden sounded pretty good but at times I wondered if I was hearing a record of a record — aka, a “needle drop.” This sounds a hair brighter than my 1974 Janus Records second pressing so some equalization no doubt went into the making of this album but overall there is an odd muted flavor over-riding the whole album. There were moments where I felt like I was hearing groove distortion that wasn’t part of the new album pressing, if that makes sense.
This is what the original GRT label looked like for Come To My Garden
Now, this could be on the new album. Or it may be on the original recording. For example, on my 1974 second edition (the first reissue, on Janus Records) on “Rainy Day In Centerville,” there is some hot distortion, perhaps a result of poor mastering back in the day or maybe a pressing glitch. This new edition has that same issue but its been reined in quite a bit.
There is no information on the album as to what the sources are for making this reissue.
Anyhow, now we come to the big question: do you need to own this RSD Essentials reissue of Come To My Garden? That, Dear Readers, depends on your budget and how important it is to have an original.
If you can get this edition inexpensively, it might well do the trick for some of you. I paid about $30 for mine which is just expensive enough to make me question it. That said, at the time of this writing, there were just a handful of 1974 editions on Discogs and all are going for upwards of $80-$100 each (there is only one GRT first pressing available in the US there selling for about $300). So, yes, it is very much an “in-demand” album.
If you really like Minnie and money is no object, it might be worth spending the coin on one of these earlier editions. But if you want to see the original gatefold cover design and don’t mind possible sonic anomalies and ambiguities, this new reissue might just do the trick until you find an original.
Either way its a great album so whatever way you listen, give Come To My Garden a spin.
I had high hopes for a reissue of a hard to find 1970 album by the great Minnie Riperton, Come To My Garden. Given that it had the “RSD Essentials” hype sticker on it, I expected something special. For me, it was not…
This album is Minnie’s solo debut after leaving the great band Rotary Connection and it is a highly regarded affair, perplexing in its obscurity. Produced and arranged by the great Charles Stepney, Come To My Garden features the equally great Ramsey Lewis on Piano as well as some members of his band from that period. Stepney had in fact produced and arranged Lewis’ fantastic 1968 release Mother Nature’s Son (an album entirely covering tracks from The Beatles’ then brand new White Album) so its not a surprise that Come To My Garden bears some of that same vibe.
Musically, Come To My Garden is a wonderful album, a swirling slice of post-psychedelic symphonic pop ‘n soul which fits in the late ‘60s vibe perfectly. Stepney’s adventurous arrangements lend a rich bed for Riperton’s emotive singing, delivering many unexpected shimmering twists and turns. This album is kind of like what might have happened had Minnie thrown a stoned soul picnic with Jimmy Webb, The Fifth Dimension, Laura Nyro and Barbara Streisand.
So what is my problem about this reissue?
Well, first lets talk about the pressing…
My copy had quite a bit of rollercoaster warping going on… it played ok but for $30 I expect an album to have some sense of stability. The bigger problem was that my copy was seriously off center on one side. That killed it for me as it made Minnie’s voice and Stepney’s orchestral arrangements waver quite a bit, especially on tunes like the title track which has lots long held orchestral string notes, horns and celestial harmony vocals which sway in and out of tune due to this problem.
This is the reissue label design
The album does come with a nice gatefold like the very rare first pressings from 1970. Yet, the physical record itself is graced with a simple white label with plain text which makes it look like a cheap pirate/bootleg. They could have at least tried to recreate a likeness of the old original GRT Records label.
Overall the reissue of Come To My Garden sounded pretty good but at times I wondered if I was hearing a record of a record — aka, a “needle drop.” This sounds a hair brighter than my 1974 Janus Records second pressing so some equalization no doubt went into the making of this album but overall there is an odd muted flavor over-riding the whole album. There were moments where I felt like I was hearing groove distortion that wasn’t part of the new album pressing, if that makes sense.
This is what the original GRT label looked like for Come To My Garden
Now, this could be on the new album. Or it may be on the original recording. For example, on my 1974 second edition (the first reissue, on Janus Records) on “Rainy Day In Centerville,” there is some hot distortion, perhaps a result of poor mastering back in the day or maybe a pressing glitch. This new edition has that same issue but its been reined in quite a bit.
There is no information on the album as to what the sources are for making this reissue.
Anyhow, now we come to the big question: do you need to own this RSD Essentials reissue of Come To My Garden? That, Dear Readers, depends on your budget and how important it is to have an original.
If you can get this edition inexpensively, it might well do the trick for some of you. I paid about $30 for mine which is just expensive enough to make me question it. That said, at the time of this writing, there were just a handful of 1974 editions on Discogs and all are going for upwards of $80-$100 each (there is only one GRT first pressing available in the US there selling for about $300). So, yes, it is very much an “in-demand” album.
If you really like Minnie and money is no object, it might be worth spending the coin on one of these earlier editions. But if you want to see the original gatefold cover design and don’t mind possible sonic anomalies and ambiguities, this new reissue might just do the trick until you find an original.
Either way its a great album so whatever way you listen, give Come To My Garden a spin.
I have noticed a kind of fascinating phenomenon going on among record collectors and in the back of my head it has raised some questions worth exploring and speculating on…
(spoiler alert: there is no single cause nor a right or wrong answer!).
We all have our own favorite musics, I get that. And there are no doubt certain “classics” which have attained a certain stature where they will likely always find a new audience. There are moments when an obscure or forgotten recording suddenly — seemingly, out of nowhere — becomes the flavor du jour… that “gotta have it” release… the Record Day Special edition people scramble for.… And in some cases, a resurgent #1 hit!
Tastes change and music is a journey, I get all that. It is one of the reasons I have been such a music geek my entire life!
But, when I see newbie collectors snapping up certain obscurities while overlooking important basic building blocks of pop, rock, blues and jazz, I often take a moment to pause. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve overheard wonky conversations between young collectors while digging through the racks at Amoeba Music. I’ve periodically even offered to help confused looking young collectors in stores — and even at flea market crate digging expeditions — on choices to make…
I relish the joy of exploring new sounds, so I would never be one to discourage anyone for trying music they are interested in. Thinking about all this over time, the notion of desire came to mind, acknowledging the passion spikes and the influencers driving them. These movements can ultimately push up prices of certain records dramatically. Meanwhile, there are other albums with equally stellar casts and performances which many sadly overlook.
And while its related, I’m not talking here about the whole Tik-Tok phenomenon. That is a separate thing unto itself, whereby a snippet of music blows up and a whole new generation is suddenly turned onto this music. For an easy example, you might remember the Fleetwood Mac tune used several years ago by the cranberry juice-drinking skateboarder guy on his way to work which became an international viral hit. And because of that 30 second clip, Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 hit “Dreams” re-entered the charts (don’t believe me? click here to read NPR’s report on it). Not surprisingly, vinyl pressings — originals and reissues — which were already escalating in price due, went up further (at least from what I’ve seen out in the wilds).
Back to the original discussion however, I’m talking here about the drivers behind reissues of obscure soul-jazz, folk, psychedelia, hard rock and proto-metal. So its the notion of a hot reissue of a once longtime discontinued album — such as the RSD reissue of Dust some years back — while hugely popular and influential albums by the likes of Mountain, The James Gang and Savoy Brown are overlooked. It is those conversations I’ve had with several different metal heads who are deeply and seriously into Billy Joel’s pre-fame attempt at hard psychedelic rock as the heavy duo named Attilla.
As great as Nick Drake is, if it wasn’t for an internet ad, would as many people know about him these days? According to the Wiki: “In 1999, “Pink Moon” was used in a Volkswagen commercial, boosting Drake’s US album sales from about 6,000 copies in 1999 to 74,000 in 2000.”
And if these 74,000 then new fans liked Nick’s music, did they then seek out his contemporaries like Sandy Denny and The Strawbs as well as Fairport Convention? Have they listened to or even heard of Duncan Browne? And for those hep to Sandy’s music, have they heard Judy Collins who was the first to record Sandy’s classic tune “Who Knows Where The Time Goes?” (note: Judy’s fantastic 1968 album of the same name is commonly available in bargain bins and thrift shops everywhere, featuring a stellar backing band and gorgeous production — highly highly recommended!).
While I’ve been encouraged to see people rediscovering folk-leaning artists like Cat Stevens, Gordon Lightfoot and James Taylor — probably as part of the whole “yacht rock” trend — but I wonder if they even know who Richie Havens, Peter Paul & Mary, Phil Ochs and Melanie were? Carole King seems to be getting popular again — and a new generation is exploring Joni Mitchell’s music, which is great! But have they even heard of Laura Nyro?
Here are some probably incomplete loose pieces of the puzzle as to why this kind of thing occurs:
Scarcity — This is the most obvious reason certain albums are expensive and sometimes collectible, but it is worth formally stating for those new to the universe of collecting vinyl records. Some records were produced in such small quantities back in the day that they have been desirable and in demand for a long time, especially if they didn’t sell particularly well (that is part of why they are rare!). Also because of the limitations of playback equipment back in The 1950s and 60s many of the surviving copies that exist are not in great condition, so when a very clean — or even simply decent — version shows up it is highly desired and sought after.
Status — Certain artists have gained such legendary stature over the years that generations of collectors continue to seek them out: Led Zeppelin, Beatles, Pink Floyd, Coltrane, Brubeck… I get it. However, I have noticed many jumping on old obscurities before they even explore the basic backbones of the music universe, so they are listening — effectively — without context. This is a two-edged sword. I mean, all music is good so I’m glad they are exploring! But, I suspect people might appreciate what they are hearing more fully if they had some reference points… hold on to that thought a bit…
Certain cultural tastemakers may be helping to spur this on such as a noted DJ spinning and sampling the track. It is curious how some of artists languished, relatively obscure for decades, but then sudden everyone seems to be more interested them than much bigger and important names.
I’m not dismissing their talents by any stretch of the imagination, but I do find it fascinating to see really young collectors snapping up groovy — and sometimes costly — reissues by relatively obscure artists like Tina Brooks or Andrew Hill. I am guessing here but I suspect they are doing this before they have heard core influential releases by Charles Mingus, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bill Evans and Duke Ellington as well as deeper albums by Miles Davis and Coltrane apart from their biggest hits (ie. Kind Of Blue, Giant Steps, Love Supreme). I could go on, but I think you get where I’m going on this…
Certain styles of jazz, particularly soul- and groove-leaning artists have gained stature as essential DJ spins (again, resulting in new reissues and such). So, a newer collector might be interested in seeking out some obscure groove that was sampled by a DJ before they even listen to important and influential sounds that helped shape that track.
Which leads to…
Samples — Nothing particularly new here but its worth bringing up how in these days of DJs and remixes there is a deep subculture of remixers who are constantly looking for a killer groove and a monster drum break to sample and re-purpose in some new hit-to-be.
If you visit the brilliant website called “WhoSampled” (.com) you can backwards engineer (if you will) the DNA of some of these more dance oriented recordings to locate the source of the grooves. I did a little bit of quick sleuthing and found some interesting examples. If you are interested, in the following list, click on the artist names to go to the WhoSampled page on where their grooves and beats appear in remixes: Bobby Hutcherson, Lee Morgan, Charles Earland, Idris Muhammad, Ramsey Lewis, Azar Lawrence and Sun Ra. There are many others, but you get the idea. These elements are connected and those fancy reissues of once obscure albums which never gained much traction upon their original release are likely happening for a reason…
Streaming — Love it or hate it, the streaming world no doubt has its influence on music discovery. Whether it is a pre-programmed playlist from Spotify or Apple Music or a podcast, streaming is effectively an extension of the underlying original concept of broadcast radio. Where it gets interesting is how streaming is international — with playlists sometimes more diverse and varied than most commercial radio stations — there is actually more opportunity to discover once obscure and forgotten music than ever before. This is a good thing.
Heck, one of my favorite artists, Kate Bush, has recently experienced a burst of international success after her 1985 hit song “Running Up That Hill” appeared in an episode of the popular Netflix streaming media series Stranger Things. Again, according to the Wiki, “It became the most streamed song on Spotify in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and globally…. On 17 June, the song reached number one in the UK, making it Bush’s second UK number one.”
Shiny & Sparkly — I have written about the notion of “newness” (if you will) a little bit in the past (click here and here), a curious phenomenon I’ve heard about from numerous record store owners and dealer types. And it is one that has benefited me actually in someways. It seems that young collectors just getting into vinyl in the last 10 years or so will only buy used albums if they are pristine. They would rather buy a new reissue if pushed on making a choice, even if it was not going to sound as good or had compromised cover art. It stands to reason in some ways as most of these folks were raised in the digital audio era (CDs and streams), a time when music was presented in a seemingly pristine manner with hypothetically no scratches or surface noise.
And while these new collectors do understand the improvement in sound by switching over to vinyl from the crummy MP3s they were consuming in mass quantities, they don’t seem to understand the whole notion that a used album can be imperfect and that it is not a bad thing necessarily.
Now the notion of condition has always impacted the value of a record but in recent years it’s gotten quite extreme to the point where I find it quite laughable, discovering perfectly wonderful and quite rare records showing up in bargain bins simply because of a relatively minor imperfection of some sort (some of you reading this may have seen my periodic “bargain bin therapy” social media posts on this topic). I’m not complaining about this — and this is really more of a heads up to collectors who may be on a budget to keep their eyes open! — but it is yet another curious piece to this puzzle-of-a-sort I’m discussing here…
Case in point: a year or so back I was at a flea market, waiting for my turn at a crate of albums from a vendor. There were two other collectors in front of me and at least one aggressive eBay flipper dude who was first in line and who grabbed most of the low hanging — mostly Blue Note — fruit. By the time I got to the box “all” that was left for me was a pretty lovely copy of Charles Mingus’ 1959 classic LP Ah Um on the original six eye stereo Columbia Records label. I got it for five dollars.
Yes the cover had a little stain on it which cleaned off very easily and I had to wash the album the album (something I do sometimes even with new releases), but it plays beautifully. And, yes, it has a little visual scuff on it that doesn’t impact the sound. In this kind of playable condition it’s easily a $100 album if I wanted to “flip” it (but I don’t as it is a prized record in my collection now!). Yet, consider how two collectors and an aggressive dealer before me overlooked this album because it wasn’t a Blue Note or it wasn’t “perfect.” Or perhaps they just didn’t know what they were doing! Either way, I walked away excited and happy!
Again, it is a curious thing, all this… I think.
Anyhow, this topic has been brewing in the back of my mind for some time so I figured I’d put it all down inall its rambling sprawling — and perhaps not as focused as it might be — glory, to share with you, Dear Readers, as food for thought.
Hoping you find all the albums of your dreams while you are out in the wilds looking for lost treasures. Happy hunting!
