Listening Journal: June 2 – 8

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Neil Young with Crazy Horse – Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere: I’m a sucker for long songs and Everybody has two great ones in “Down by the River” and “Cowgirl in the Sand.” The guitar solos are stellar, and that’s coming from a guy who hates guitar solos.

Gracie Abrams – Good Riddance | The Secret of Us: I can’t remember the last time I was this enraptured by someone’s voice, but it was probably when I first heard A Silver Mt. Zion in 2008. And if that’s not the weirdest comparison either Efrim Menuck or Gracie Abrams will ever get, I can’t imagine what is.

Julia Fordham – Julia Fordham: When I was immersed in Jessie Ware’s Devotion, I ran across a few comparisons to Fordham. I liked her second album, Porcelain, back in the day, so I picked up her debut. Her voice is even richer than I remember but the production is so dated that I feel like I’m in an ‘80s movie about young professionals with shoulder pads and moussed hair struggling to find love. The album has a few “under-produced” moments where the beauty of Fordham’s voice shines, but like any terrifying monster, the dodgy jazz and melodramatic synths always come back.

Jessie Ware – Devotion: Listening to Julia Fordham’s debut inspired me to revisit Devotion. Maybe in 20 years, I’ll hate this production too. Right now, though, this album is an absolute joy.

Grateful Dead – 10/19/72 (St. Louis, MO): For any other band, this would be a career-defining show. For the Dead, it’s a really good concert. The run from “Bird Song” through “The Other One” is the highlight, with a ton of beauty packed into those 50 minutes.

Grateful Dead – 3/23/95 (Charlotte, NC): For the past few months, I’ve focused on shows from the early ‘70s and this is a breath of fresh air. Bruce Hornsby guested on piano for the entire show, and it sounds like he inspired the rest of the band to show up in a big way. It’s not a perfect show by a long shot but the sound is clear, Garcia’s guitar playing is stellar, and the energy is exciting.

Old friends who made it into rotation this week: Ela Minus and DJ Python: Corazón (Ricardo Villalobos Remixes)

Record store finds this week: I found a ton of great stuff this week! Some highlights include the new Pulp record, three classic Stevie Wonder records in great condition, a CD of Joe Claussell (who I used to go hear spin at Body & Soul when I lived in NYC) remixing Nicola Conte, and a 12” single of “Sassy, Frassy, Classy” by Venus Starr which cannot possibly be anything but amazing.

About Chuck

After spending 10 years working as a professional bassist, Chuck realized he loves listening to music much more than playing it. Eleven albums or events that dramatically influenced his relationship with music and life, in the order he encountered them: Fleetwood Mac, Rumours; Van Halen, Fair Warning; Foreigner, 4 tour, 2/9/1982; John Coltrane, Crescent; De La Soul, Three Feet High and Rising; Puccini, La Boheme (Beecham, de los Angeles); Everything But The Girl, Walking Wounded; Carl Cox, live at Twilo, 2000; Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Yanqui UXO; Grateful Dead, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Grateful Dead (Fillmore East, NYC, 1971); Taylor Swift, 1989.

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