SPINNING THIS WEEK.... 3/12/23 - 3/18/23

And, just as we were hoping “Spring has sprung”, it did not……………., it’s 17 degrees and snowing in my neck of the woods. It’s a good thing I’ve got a reason to stay inside and listen to more vinyl…….. :) So, this week we’ll start with the “must have” album of the week…… remastered by Jimmy himself, you gotta have it.

Since my original copy was lost to the sands of time, 1/4-barrel parties (Keg parties for those of you not from HERE), someone swiping it to separate stems and seeds (another thing lost to the sands of time methinks)….., whatever, maybe all of the above, I bought the new-ish, 2-LP, 180g, Atlantic 8122795941 which includes the original album on LP-1 and studio outtakes on LP-2……………….., this album sounds AMAZING! Even the studio outtake LP. Jimmy obviously brought John forward in the mix during the remastering process. Bonham has never sounded better. OMG!!! The intro to No Quarter, Side 2, Song 3 is worth the purchase price alone…… I’ve never really “heard” it until now, and my guess is that you haven’t either….Go get it, this is awesome!

Anticipating the upcoming release of his 3rd full-length album, and because this week contains St. Patrick’s Day, I thought it only fitting to spin Hoziers Sophomore LP. I’ve got news for those of you who think good music died in the 70’s………….., listen to this. “Pop-music” this isn’t….., genre-bending for sure, it is maybe one of the few bands that I’m hard pressed to categorize. The vinyl itself is truly excellent, the 2-LP, 180g pressing is unbelievably quiet……….., in fact, considering that this is a “factory” release, not some high-brow “audiophile” pressing, it is remarkable……., or maybe it’s “that” and my Denon DL 103 starting to break-in….., either way, this album is officially “Groovy”. :)

Released in 2011 (another album I bought, sans analogue front-end at the time), and now sadly out of print. A shame too, considering here we have 11 fantastic new tunes with Alison fronting perhaps one of the best Bluegrass bands in existence. Rounder Records 11661-0665-1, pressed on 180g “Audiophile-Quality” (their words, not mine) vinyl and thoughtfully packaged with a nice inner-sleeve and gatefold jacket. Absolutely worth buying if you can find a copy. I return to this album quite frequently, Dustbowl Children, and Lay My Burden Down, being a couple of my favorite cuts on side one. Great stuff!

The last vinyl of the week is a 2-LP set that I bought RSD 2016……, the memory of which continues to warm my heart. Pulling an all-nighter in line with my son Ben on the sidewalk in front of the now defunct Exclusive Co. on Brady……., I actually bought this album by mistake. In my sleep-deprived delirium I thought it said “Son House”! You can imagine my surprise when I opened my album bag several hours (and nap) later and discovered this. Yay, new music!……. wow, it doesn’t suk. In fact, after the sound-person got their “sea-legs” a couple of tunes in, it sounds great for a small-venue, live recording. If you’re unfamiliar with this band (it’s not the name of some guy) think early Petty meets Big Head Todd and the Monsters with a bit of Hootie and the Blowfish thrown in for good measure. Neat stuff, a bit o’ slide guitar and dobro too. Lucky me, this was a limited pressing of 6000 copies, maybe there’s still one out there with your name on it? Till next week, Peace, Out.