Saturday, January 31, 2009

Quicksilver Messenger Service - Solid Silver (Capitol ST11462 - 1975)






One of mine. The condition was pretty good. Maybe about average for my stuff. I saw Quicksilver in Pittsburgh around the time this came out. Amazon shows this a discontinued by the manufacturer but available from resellers starting at $9. They show the original release date as October '75 and I saw them in February, presumably in '76, but the souvenir poster that's been tucked in this album for more than 30 years doesn't have a year. By this time, it feels to me that the QMS sound is a bit dated. While this album is as solid as the name implies, it also feels a bit contrived for some of the central figures from the summer of love. When psychodelia and Madison Avenue collide, it always feels a little funny to me. Don't get me wrong, I love the Monkees but the commercialism is just a little weird for me sometimes. The highlight for me on this album is the David Freiberg, Robert Hunter collaboration, I Heard You Singing.


Thursday, January 29, 2009

Lou Reed - Rock n Roll Animal (RCA APL10472 - 1974)






Iconic. Released the year I graduated from high school. Condition: Really clean but a couple of minor ticks. Not one of mine. Amazon has it for $14 on CD with bonus tracks.
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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

New Light Box





Four flourescent under cabinet lights; 12" long, 8 watts each with connecting cords. Plywood base with foam core and duct tape.

New Grass Revival - New Grass Revival (Starday SLP482 - 1972




This was Lans'. The album contained a few clicks and pops here and there but the material is quite nice. I really enjoyed the Vassar tune, "Lonesome Fiddle". At over 7 minutes, it dominates the A-side. I can't find this on Amazon, except to say that it's been discontinued by the manufacturer.
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Tuesday, January 27, 2009

New Grass Revival - Barren County (Flying Fish FF083 - 1979)









Let's see if I remember how to do this.... This was definitely one of Lans' albums. The condition is really good... there might have been a few artifacts, but nothing really notable. Amazon has this for 17 bucks on CD. The material was pleasant and well executed but didn't bowl me over.

I made a new lightbox for taking the album photos. These are the first images from this new contraption. It should make setting up easier and I thought the colors looked pretty true. I'm not sure why the lefthand inside image is so much brighter than the righthand one.