I had a very busy day Saturday, but did not let that stop me from making a visit to the wonderful Toadstool Sounds in lovely Peterborough New Hampshire for Record Store Day 2012. I must admit that I was fairly disappointed in this year's titles, however there were a couple that kept me content.
The faithful repress of Patti Smith's 1975 full length debut Horses takes the prize. The original audio has been tastefully remastered and finds itself now pressed to high-grade, medium-weight vinyl just for RSD. The last US vinyl pressing of Horses was in 1977, so this was long overdue. The remaster was performed with a great attention to detail; we get a bit more bass and the upper midrange distortion has been nearly eliminated. Because we also still get a little bit of the hissing S's, it tells me that rather than risking over-processing the original masters things were performed with a fairly light touch and a devotion to maintain the character of original recording. Arista also did a great job of keeping the classic look and feel of the record with detail right down to the labels on the disc. It has a sweet retro flavor, and I love it.
Be sure to look for Patti's new record, BANGA, due out this June!
When I first read the RSD 2012 list I thought someone may have made an error: a Mastodon/Feist split? Indeed, the Feistodon 7" just seemed too cool to be true yet here it is in my hand. Side A contains Mastodon's cover of Feist's A Commotion, from Metals:
Side B contains Feist's cover of Mastodon's Black Tongue, from The Hunter:
I rather enjoy when a cover is adapted into the performing artist's style and these two are great examples of just that. Here's to hoping that next year we see more interesting titles and/or limited represses of hard-to-find gems. Thank you to Patti, Leslie, and the men of Mastodon for making my RSD 2012 experience worth it, and thank you to Eric and Megan of Toadstool Sounds.
Record Store Day: a reasonable way to enjoy the Black Friday shopping experience. This time around I stayed close to home and picked up my goodies "just down the road" at The Toadstool in Peterborough, NH.
Every Autumn I go through a phase when I have to listen to Type O Negative - a mood envelopes me. There's something about it that takes me back to a particular era in my life, and the sound of TON is a heartwarming and cleansing retrospection that re-energizes my heart; it's a ritual. There is no other band out there like TON, and there never will be. Their dry dark humor and over-the-top melodrama masked a truly beautiful core expression - one that provided solace to those absorbed with feelings of negativity, self blame, and emptiness. They dissolved depression and self-pity by recognizing and embracing the dark extremities of the human emotional scale in sometimes ridiculous and sometimes very intense ways.
Today I am very happy to have in my possession the Type O Negative vinyl box set. Limited to just 1000 copies and containing all six Roadrunner-released albums on green vinyl, this was the only RSD title that got me really excited. As soon as I had the box open I had to jump right to Haunted...and oh my, to finally hear this on vinyl is...a holy moment.
The pressing quality and vinyl mastering is quite good; the clarity of sound is beyond what I was expecting to hear - it's almost as though I am hearing these albums for the first time...the songs are the same, but there is a hint of difference in sonic character and a greater depth of clarity. Each album comes in its own gatefold jacket with brand new liner notes; the original album art adorning the front and back - only now unobscured by the iconic Type O Negative corner logo and album title, giving these editions a classic and clean look...well...as classic and clean as a hairy asshole can look I suppose. This really is a fantastic tribute to Mr. Peter T. Ratajczyk, one of the most unique and talented songwriters in rock history. The only thing missing is Dead Again - though since it was not originally released by Roadrunner, I am not surprised; I guess I'll be adding that to my vinyl wish list.
I also left with the Songbook double vinyl by Chris Cornell. This is a collection of stripped-down acoustic versions of several Cornell originals (spanning his entire career) and a few covers, all recorded live during his Songbook tour. This may have been worth it alone for the incredible version of Fell On Black Days...
...and I picked up a copy of the only Small Sur album I did not have, We Live In Houses Made Of Wood. I didn't even know this existed - I can't wait to listen to it. It came in a lovely recycled cardboard sleeve by Tender Loving Empire - a Portland, OR label and store. I usually avoid purchasing CDs, but I made an exception for this one.
I've been told I have developed a spending habit. Clearly not true, though over the last few weeks I've been augmenting my vinyl collection in various ways. While this post proves, indeed, that I am more hipster than you, it also proves that I am nowhere near as hipster as this person.
Deliciously swirled, translucent, vinyl discus.
I've recently retrieved some old favorites from storage at my parents' house. These gems have been in waiting, faithfully counting the days in the closet of my old bedroom until they see the light once again. The most note-worthy among them are some original pressings: Master Of Puppets (Metallica - 1986), ...And Justice For All (Metallica -1988), The Number Of The Beast (Iron Maiden - 1983), Powerslave (Iron Maiden - 1984), Sad Wings Of Destiny (Judas Priest - 1976), Blizzard Of Ozz (Ozzy Osbourne - 1980), and March Of The Saint (Armored Saint - 1984). Listening to these classics has been a real treat of nostalgic delight.
I've also been hunting for some very particular titles...records that mean something special to me. Comus' First Utterance is a very unique and inspiring album. It's been repressed a few times since its first reralease in 1971, but always in short quantities; it sells quickly and immediately goes up in price when stock diminishes. My 180g copy is from Rise Above Records (Relics). I think it was a failure of a grey/white swirl, but I like it that way - it adds to the charm and oddness of this strange record. As you can see the artwork is very 70's and just gorgeous. The quality of the pressing is quite good as well; the audio sounds very clean and robust.
In a previous post I linked to a Youtube rip of Song To Comus. Here's Drip Drip...
Lou, oh, Lou. I would love to track down a vinyl copy of Beloved One if such a thing exists, but in the meantime I have managed to snag a copy of Lou Rhodes' One Good Thing. It still seems to be floating around on the internet in various places for around $16...get yours while you still can. This record sounds quite a bit different from its digital counterpart - perhaps partly the product of vinyl mastering. The end result, to my ears, is a more smooth and mellow mix; the additional instrumentation and reverb feel more organic.
Opeth's Deliverance and Damnation...I purchased both of these at In The Moment Records, a locally-owned shop in Brattleboro, VT that specializes in vinyl. These two albums were recorded at the same time, July through September of 2002. I was a Senior at Ithaca College when they were first released and I very much associate that time of my life with these records. They inspire within me creation and excitement for new opportunity. Here and now they are found on 180g double LPs. The first disc of Deliverance only contains two songs (one per side)...now that's how you do it! The 1970's prog/psych vibe of Damnation is a wonder to observe on vinyl.
Baroness finally rereleased their first two EPs, First and Second, on vinyl in the form of one 12" disc. This is Baroness before the multi-part harmonies...in fact these two EP's are more abrasive and metal than anything else they've done. That said, while they lack some of the signature characteristics of Red Album and Blue Record, they do contain the necessary elements that make Baroness what they are...brilliantly awesome.
In my last post I mentioned Barn Owl...my order from Thrill Jockey Records came in. Along with Ancestral Star I also ordered Eternal Tapestry's lastest, Beyond The 4th Door. Both of these records are guaranteed to chill you out rather nicely.
Ancestral Star, Barn Owl's third album, is a lush and layered drone, teaming with minimalist beauty. Here's a sample that I believe speaks that which my words cannot...
Beyond The 4th Door has been my introduction to Eternal Tapestry and I am quite satisfied - their third record provides a vibrant soundscape of psychedelic garage ambiance. These guys do what many other bands try to do, but they do it right...and rather fantastically well. The disc is a really cool translucent yellow/black swirl that can be seen in detail in the first image of this post.
Last Saturday, April 16th, was Record Store Day - a true holiday for us analog music fanatics. Rosie and I woke up early to drive out to In The Moment for when they opened specially at 9am. I had three titles as my top priority, all of which I am very happy to report are now within my possession. This first is the new Between The Buried And Me, The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues, which I shared in my last post. The RSD exclusive pressing of 1000 copies were 180g colored vinyl records (mine is clear, as you can see below). According to an interview with Paul Waggoner, Hypersleep Dialogues is part one of a two-part concept. No word yet as to when BTBAM plan to release the second volume or if it has yet been recorded.
The next disc on my hit list was Neurosis' Sovereign rerelease, limited to 600 copies. The vinyl is a 180g disc in a light violet (pink?) swirl. Sovereign, which has been long out of print, was originally released in 2000 as an EP - though its four songs, recorded in the same sessions as Times Of Grace, clock in at around 33 minutes. It will be released again shortly on regular black vinyl and CD by Neurot Recordings.
Finally, what would RSD have been without an Opeth single containing a song that has only ever been released in a video game soundtrack? The Throat Of Winter is not what I was expecting at all. The song is an acoustic jam with a 70's vibe, and offers quite an interesting listening experience. Hear for yourself...
The 7" disc (yes disc) contains just the one song on one side. What's on the other side? A laser etched Opeth logo of course!
So with all of these recent purchases you may ask what's still on my vinyl short list? The new Storm Of Light for sure, some Decemberists, the new PJ Harvey, Bloom by Lou Rhodes if I can track one down, Obscura's Omnivium, Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger, Isis' Wavering Radiant, and lots and lots of Patti Smith! Oh..and this. ...so...styluses at the ready..."VinylinumHabitus!"
