Oakland's Vinyl Vault - At San Quentin

Well, the good news is the world has not ended.  The bad news is that that means you get to "enjoy" another episode of Oakland's Vinyl Vault.  Today we get one of the handful of live albums that I have in my stacks.  In order to have seen the live performance that the album captured, you would have had to been a hardened criminal.  That's because today we are looking at Johnny Cash At San Quentin.

Release Date: June 4, 1969
Singles: A Boy Named Sue

The second most famous album to be recorded at a prison, Johnny Cash At San Quentin does not have as strong of a set list as its predecessor, At Folsom Prison.  But what it lacks musically, it makes up for in pure Johnny Cash charisma.  Only Cash could have playful banter with a roomful of some of the most hardened criminals the state of California has to offer, as if they were any other crowd.  At one point, while Cash is addressing the crowd, somebody apparently yells something out, and Cash responds:

"What?  Excuse me, I couldn't hear you, I was talking."

The highlight of the album, for me, is when Cash plays "San Quentin."  The crowd loves it so much (the guards, not so much) that Cash decides to play it again.  And crazy part is that for some reason when they were deciding which songs to include on the album, they opted to keep both performances of "San Quentin," so the second side of the album starts off with back-to-back versions of the same damn song.  I'd be willing to bet there's no other album in history that does that.

Rating: 6 shivs - Johnny Cash really was a unique talent and character in the world of music, and what this album gets right is giving you Johnny Cash, raw and unfiltered (but not uncensored on the original release).  A fun record, even if it's not quite as good as the more famous At Folsom Prison.

And now here's Johnny performing "San Quentin."  Along with the album, the concert was also filmed, so we can watch actual footage!  Huzzah!



I can't believe there wasn't a riot.  Pat is crazy.

Oakland's Vinyl Vault - Meddle

It's that time again, children!  Today we look at another great album, with an awful cover.  It's Meddle, by the Pink Floyd.

Release date: October 30, 1971
Singles: One of These Days

So before we get into the music, let's discuss the cover a little bit.  The image, if you couldn't tell, and I don't blame you if you couldn't, is a close up of an ear.  But not just an ear.  It's an ear underwater, and those ripples you see are caused by sound waves entering the ear. As a concept, this seems like it might make a cool cover.  Unfortunately, in reality it just looks bad.

But luckily for us, once you take the album out of its sleeve and put it onto a turntable, you forget all about the cover.  This album, for me at least, marks the beginning of the golden age of Pink Floyd, in which they would go onto make Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall.  In 1971, it had been roughly 3 years since Syd Barrett left the group.  On Meddle, David Gilmour, who essentially replaced Barrett, finally emerged as a creative force within the group.  The result was that Pink Floyd started making some really good music.  Unfortunately it would also lead to a power struggle between Waters and Gilmour that would eventually break up the group, but what can you do.

Musically, you get a lot of different styles on Meddle.  It starts out with the single, "One of These Days," which other than a bizarre spoken line by Nick Mason, is an instrumental.  That leads to a rare Pink Floyd love song, "A Pillow of Winds."  The album continues with "Fearless" and "San Tropez," a light and breezy number.  The first side ends with "Seamus," which features vocals by a dog, and is what many consider to be the worst Pink Floyd song ever written, but I actually kind of like it.

The back side of the album is what makes this a great album instead of a good one. "Echoes."  It's a masterpiece.  Whether or not you believe that it syncs up with the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey (it totally does), you can still have your mind blown listening to this song.  It is epic.

Rating: 3 black monoliths up - A great album to just sit and listen to (or watch a certain part of a certain movie with a certain song from the album).  Definitely a must-own for any Pink Floyd or prog-rock fan.

And now, because I can, and so you can judge for yourself, here is "Echoes" synced up with the end of 2001.  Enjoy!



Pat is crazy.

Oakland's Vinyl Vault - Head Hunters

Get funky, reader.  This week the randomizer spit out the jazz funk classic, Head Hunters by Herbie Hancock.

Release date: October 13, 1973
Singles: Chameleon

I have to start out by just saying it: I love pretty much everything about this album.  I love the cover art.  I love the fact that there are only four tracks, each one completely different than the others.  I even love saying, "Herbie Hancock Head Hunters."  Must be the alliteration.

Since there are only four tracks, I might as well just go through them in order.  First up, "Chameleon."  If you've heard the single version (which I doubt since it is only available on 45), then you know half the story.  Actually, not even close to half, because the single is heavily edited.  And by "heavily edited," I mean the single is a shade under 3 minutes, and the album version is almost 16 minutes long.  When listening to the album version, it's easy to forget halfway through that you're still listening to the first song on the album, and then the main riff comes back around and you remember.  It's awesome.

Finishing off side one is "Watermelon Man," which I kind of consider to be the core of the album.  It screams "Head Hunters."  It's a fun tune, and is probably one of my favorite tracks on any of the albums I own.  Flipping the disc over gets you to "Sly," a tune dedicated to Sly Stone, of Sly & the Family Stone fame.  Like its namesake, "Sly" is extra funky.  It's another tune that you can sort of lose yourself in in the middle, and then be brought home when the opening riff suddenly reappears near the end of the song.  The album closes with "Vein Melter," which is a fantastic name for a song.  It closes the album on a nice slow, steady groove.

Rating: 10 shrunken heads - A classic album for a reason.  If the words jazz or funk even remotely interest you, then you should pick up this album.  If they don't, then maybe listen to it first.

Now here's "Sly," in all its glory.  Enjoy!



Pat is crazy.

Oakland's Vinyl Vault - Fleetwood Mac

It's been a while, but I'm back with a pre-Thanksgiving treat: another look into my vinyl vault!  The randomizer seems to have enjoyed Rumours so much that it is giving us more Fleetwood Mac.  This time it's their second self-titled album.

Release date: July 11, 1975
Singles: Warm Ways, Over My Head, Rhiannon, Say You Love Me

Let me start out by commenting on the fact that this is their second album simply titled Fleetwood Mac.  Since the release of the first one, in 1968, there had been a few lineup changes.  The only members to appear on both were group founders Mick Fleetwood and John "Mac" McVie, who played drums and bass, respectively.  I find this quite funny, since the drummer and the bassist in stereotypical rock bands are notoriously replaceable.

Moving on.  This album marked a new era for Fleetwood Mac with the additions of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, one of which is a man.  With those key pickups, Fleetwood Mac would soar to new heights, and it all started with this album.  On Fleetwood Mac, you get a preview of the potential of this group, which would be borne out in their next album, the uber-popular Rumours, which we've already discussed.  Three of the singles charted in the top 20 in the US ("Warm Ways" was only released as a single in the UK), and that doesn't even include "Landslide," which is today arguably their most popular song.

Rating: 6 thumbs up - This album is quite good.  It is fun, light, and easy to listen to and enjoy.  I would recommend it for summer get-togethers in the park, drinking on the porch, that sort of thing.

Now here's "World Turning." Enjoy!



Pat is crazy.

Yelling at my TV

All commercials are annoying, but usually they don't make me actively angry.  Well, Apple has changed that with their latest batch of iPhone 5 commercials.  Take this one for example:



It is the single most infuriating commercial ever produced.  "Well I guess the laws of physics are more like general guidelines."  I want to kick every person involved with this commercial directly in the balls as hard as I can.  I knew marketing people were idiots, but c'mon.  I can't even bring myself to explain what is wrong with this commercial because it is so obvious, and also painful to think about.  I never liked Apple, but now I actively dislike it.

And that commercial is just the tip of the shitberg.  There's also the "iPhone 5 screen is exactly the right size because this is the range of your thumb" commercial, which implies that Apple is the only one smart enough to realize that hand-held devices should be the size of your hands.  Also, should people with smaller hands buy the older iPhones with the smaller screens?  What about Shaq?  Is apple going to make an XL model for him?  Oh wait, that's the iPad.

Finally, is the "earphones shaped like your ears" commercial.  First off, those are not shaped like an ear, and are indubitably just as uncomfortable as any other earphone.  Second, if it's so "common sense" to make earphones that way, why'd it take you so damn long to figure it out?  Now that I think about it though, the utter smugness of this commercial perfectly matches the stereotype of Apple users, so bravo on that one, Apple marketing team.  Bravo.

Pat is crazy.

How to Find Pat Is Crazy

The top ten things people googled that lead them to this stupid, stupid site:

1. cj wilson - I wrote one article about how I hate CJ Wilson a long time ago.  Who'd have thought that would be the most popular thing I've even written?  I mean, it was really quite terrible... kind of like CJ Wilson...

2. old man wandering - This one I really have no idea how it leads here.  Maybe from that long ago post about the old people who sat behind us at the hockey game?  Either way, it amuses me greatly.

3.can you bernie lean - Let's Go Oakland!

4.crazy mind fuck ideas - This one is all Justin.  I enjoy the fact that someone came here looking for "crazy mind fuck ideas."  He was probably disappointed.

5.crazy pat - It's kind of sad that this is only number 5 on the list.

6. harry potter nummer 1 - Apparently this is a great site for people who had to watch the harry potter movies because they couldn't read.

7. hate fucked harry potter - It's also a great site for people who do not speak english well and hate harry potter.

8. is immortal technique crazy- Unfortunately, all this person found out from this site is that Pat is crazy.  No word on Immortal Technique's sanity.

9. mind fucked ideas - I guess not all mind fucked ideas are crazy.

10.mindfuck ideas - Is "mind fuck" one word or two?

Oakland's Vinyl Vault - Are You Experienced

Get ready to have your face melted off, because this week's featured album is by the guitar hero-led group, the Jimi Hendrix Experience.  What better place to start than with their debut album, Are You Experienced?

Release Date: May 12, 1967
Singles: Hey Joe, Purple Haze, The Wind Cries Mary

Let me begin today with a quick technical note: I, living in the US, have the US version of the album, which differs in the following way from the original British release: "Red House," "Can You See Me," and "Remember" are replaced on the US version with the hit singles, "Hey Joe," "Purple Haze," and "The Wind Cries Mary," and the order of the songs is changed.

The result of these changes is that nearly 50 years later, this album sounds like a best-of.  There are more tracks that get air-time on today's oldies stations than don't.  With a debut album like this, it is easy to see why Jimi Hendrix was able to achieve Rock God status despite his tragically short time on the scene. 

Rating: One flaming guitar up - This album is pretty much a must own for anybody who likes the rock 'n' roll music.  The only problem is that it's pretty hard to find a good used copy (which I finally did. Woohoo!), so you may want to fork over the $20+ for a new copy.

And now here's the title track, for your enjoyment:



Pat is crazy.

Oakland's Vinyl Vault - Crosby, Stills & Nash

The random album generator has spit out another one for us to consider this week. You may recognize many of the songs because they appeared earlier already on the most ridiculous best of album in history, So Far.  This week it's the Neil Young-less songs from that album.  Yes, it's Crosby, Stills & Nash.

Release Date: May 29, 1969
Singles: Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, Marrakesh Express

Before we get into the music, a fun story about the cover art.  The group found an abandoned house and posed for the picture seen above.  However, this photo was taken before they decided on the name of their band, which of course is Crosby, Stills & Nash.  The problem with that is that in the photo they are sitting, from left to right, Nash, Stills, and Crosby.  In order to prevent people getting confused about who is who, the band decided to go back to the house and take another photo, this time sitting in the correct order.  So why is it that they do not appear in that order on the album cover pictured above?  The house had been demolished, and they couldn't retake the picture.

So how does a group that only has two albums make a best of album?  They have two really good albums, and this is the first of those two.  The album starts off strong with three of the group's hits, "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," "Marrakesh Express," and "Guinnevere."  The second side starts with another hit song, "Wooden Ships."  The rest of the album is strong, and many of the songs probably could have charted if they had been released as singles.  Another interesting note about this album is that it features two love songs inspired by Joni Mitchell - written by two different men: Crosby and Nash.  No word on whether Stills wrote one that didn't make the cut.

Rating: 12 thumbs up - This is the kind of album a supergroup like Crosby, Stills & Nash is supposed to put out.  All three of them had been members of successful bands before coming together, but this album rocketed the trio to the status of rock legends.

Here's "Pre-Road Downs," which didn't make the cut for So Far, but is still a great song.  Enjoy!



Pat is crazy.

Can you Bernie Lean?

The A's can. Hopefully right into the post-season.

Oakland's Vinyl Vault - All Things Must Pass

Oh great and powerful random generator, what album should we listen to next?

The longest one you own!

Righty-o.  That would be the triple album, All Things Must Pass, by George Harrison.

Release Date: November 27, 1970
Singles: My Sweet Lord, What Is Life

This was the first album Harrison released after the Beatles broke up, and he apparently had been saving some songs up, because this is a long one.  Regarding its length, Harrison supposedly said, "I didn't have many tunes on Beatles records, so doing an album like All Things Must Pass was like going to the bathroom and letting it out."  Good god, I love George Harrison.  Let it all out, buddy.

So it is long.  But is it good?  Hell yes.  The first side is just phenomenal. It opens with "I'd Have You Anytime," a great song co-written by Bob Dylan. Next is "My Sweet Lord," the big single off the album, which is a great song, but "Wah-Wah," immediately after it, might be my favorite on the album. The side closes with "Isn't It a Pity," which is such a good song that they put it on the album twice (okay, the second time is a shorter version, but even that is 4:45 long).  Other highlights from the first two discs include the other single, "What Is Life," and the title track.

The material on the third disc is taken from jam sessions done during the recording of the rest of the album.  Let me tell you, nobody could get a group of musicians together quite like George Harrison.  Eric Clapton (obviously), fellow Cream member Ginger Baker, pretty much all of the Derek and the Dominoes crew, Ringo, Billy Preston, and Klaus Voormann, among others, all jamming together?  I like my chances.

With All Things Must Pass, George was able to step out of the shadow of John and Paul, and establish himself as a great musician in his own right.  Even with its great length, this album still leaves you wanting more.  But, as George tells us, sunrise don't last all morning, and even triple albums must end sometime.

Rating: 4 gnomes up - I never even thought to look for a George Harrison solo album until Justin clued me in to this one, and am I ever glad he did. This is one of my favorites in the vault.  So thanks, J-Hen!

Now here's a very George-ish tune, "Awaiting On You All."  Enjoy!



Pat is crazy.

Oakland's Vinyl Vault - Pet Sounds

Back again after an extended break. I've been meaning to write this one for a while, but somehow have gotten caught up in being lazy. Anyway, here's an album with a Wikipedia page a mile long, so you know it's an all time classic. It's Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys!



Release Date: May 16, 1966
Singles: Caroline, No; Sloop John B; Wouldn't It Be Nice

Late in 1965, Brian Wilson heard the Beatles album Rubber Soul, and it inspired him to attempt to write the greatest rock album of all time.  The result was Pet Sounds, and Wilson came damn close to his target. In this album, the Beach Boys have grown up.  Gone are the mentions of surfing, racing cars, and chasing girls.  The only mention of the sea or water at all is on the single "Sloop John B," which was a cover song.  Not everybody was on board with these changes.  In fact, during the recording of the album Mike Love allegedly commented, "who's gonna hear this shit? The ears of a dog?," inspiring the album title.

The music on this one speaks for itself.  The opening track, "Wouldn't It Be Nice," is a spectacular number, and really sets the tone for the album.  The music flows gracefully from track to track, and the harmonies and composition are where Wilson's genius really comes out.  Just a joy to listen to, and one of my favorites.

Rating: 5 goats up - This album is definitely in the category of "must hear before you die."  It really deserves all the praise that has been heaped onto it over the years.

Now here's "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times."



Pat is Crazy.

Oakland's Vinyl Vault - Brothers and Sisters

Hello again, I'm back from my long break, and I've got some sweet tunes for this week.  It's the southern rock classic, Brothers and Sisters by the Allman Brothers Band.

Release Date: August 1973
Singles: Ramblin' Man, Jessica

The Allman Brothers started Brothers and Sisters a brother short.  This was the first album recorded in its entirety after the death of Duane Allman in a tragic motorcycle accident.  Then, during the early recording of the album, another band member, bassist Berry Oakley, died as the result of a motorcycle accident, just blocks away from Duane's fatal crash.

But the music must go on! Dickey Betts took over the bulk of the songwriting, and with great success.  His "Ramblin' Man" reached #2 on the charts, and the album as a whole went to #1.  There are only 7 tracks (and only 6 of them are listed on the cover of my copy), and the shortest track is "Wasted Words" at 4:20.  There are long instrumental solos ("Jessica," the longest track is all instrumental) and that's just the way I like it.

Rating: 8 thumbs up - A great, complete album.  Perfect for summer, so get all your brothers and sisters together and enjoy the long southern rock jams of the Allmans.

Here's "Jelly Jelly," which is getting the special treatment here on Pat is Crazy because it got left off the cover of the original album cover.  Enjoy!



Pat is crazy!

Oakland's Vinyl Vault - Elton John

This week the old random generator has pulled out another one of the more seldom listened to albums in my collection.  It's the eponymous album from Elton John.

Release date: April 10, 1970
Singles: Take Me to the Pilot, Your Song, Border Song

This is the album that introduced America to one of the most famous singer-songwriter duos in Elton John and Bernie Taupin.  The album starts off on a high note with "Your Song," which remains one of Elton John's biggest hits.  "Your Song" was originally released as the B-side to "Take Me to the Pilot," but proved to be so popular that the sides were flip-flopped, making "Your Song" the A-side.

Unfortunately, the rest of the album fails to live up to that fantastic opener.  This album is very frustrating to me because it is so close to being a good album, but it falls just short.  Some of the songs drag a little too much for me, and there just doesn't seem to be much flow as the album goes on.  The result is a mediocre album that has some bright spots.  You can definitely hear the talent and potential of a young Elton John, but he hadn't quite figured it all out yet.

Rating: Four thumbs up - It's not a bad album, and there are some great tunes to be found on it.  The front side is a little weak following "Your Song," but it finishes strong with a solid second side.

Now here's one of the more up-tempo numbers from the back side, "The Cage."



Pat is crazy.

Oakland's Vinyl Vault - Rumours

How do you measure the success of an album?  Is it by the critics reviews?  The commercial profits?  The awards won?  Well if you go by number of albums sold, with over 19 million copies sold in the US alone, today's album was one of the most successful of all time.  It's Rumours by Fleetwood Mac!

Release Date: February 4, 1977
Singles: Go Your Own Way, Don't Stop, Dreams, You Make Loving Fun

In 1976, Fleetwood Mac was enjoying their greatest success as a band, with their previous album, Fleetwood Mac, reaching number 1 on the US charts and selling over 4 million copies.  Personally, however, things weren't so rosy.  John and Christine McVie got divorced, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks were in a tumultuous on again/off again relationship, and Mick Fleetwood discovered that his wife had an affair with his best friend.  But out of this trying situation, the band came together and made one hell of an album. 

You can hear the band's personal problems in the lyrics of this album.  And it turns out that a lot of people can identify with going through relationship problems, and I think that is a big part of what made this album so successful.  The music is also top notch, and perfectly compliments the vocals.

Rating: 10 thumbs up - It's no secret why Rumours is one of the best-selling albums of all time: it earned it.  All the songs are great, and they flow together wonderfully.  A great album to have in the regular rotation, and it's obviously easy to find in the bins because there were so many of them produced and sold.  No reason not to pick it up.

A lot of the songs on this album receive regular airplay on the "hits of the '70s, '80s and today" stations, so here's one that maybe doesn't get as much.  Here's "Songbird."  Enjoy!



Pat is crazy.

Oakland's Vinyl Vault - The Band

This week I've got another good one for you, reader.  It's the classic eponymous album from The Band.

Release Date: September 22, 1969
Singles: Rag Mama Rag, Up on Cripple Creek

There are very few things where a person can say the [noun], and everybody knows what is being talked about.  There is no "The Car" or "The Sandwich," but there are "The Pill," and "The Catch." So if you're going to go around calling yourself "The Band," you'd better be good.  Luckily for the Band, and us, they are damn good.  And their self-titled album, sometimes referred to as "The Brown Album," is probably their best album.

Musically, it's not your typical 1969 rock 'n' roll album.  It feels older.  It sounds sepia-toned.  It takes you back to a time where things were all black and white, life was simple.  There's influences from country, rag-time, blues, and rock and roll.  The result is spectacular.

This album is a joy to listen to, and it sounds like the Band had a good time making it too.  Each member plays different instruments on different songs, there are three different lead singers throughout the album, there's horns, and a fiddle, and a clavinet.

Rating: 15 thumbs up - This is about as good as an album gets for me.  It's a timeless album.  If I could figure out a way to put my turntable on repeat (and have it automatically flip the album each time), I would listen to this album over and over and over again.  I highly recommend checking it out.

It was hard to pick a song from this album, because I enjoy them all.  But here is "Rockin' Chair," and if you want to go listen to the rest of the album on your own, that's fine by me.



Pat is crazy.

Oakland's Vinyl Vault - xx

It's the 21st century, and this week we're actually going to listen to some music from it! Yes, not all of my vinyl is 30+ years old.  So, this week enjoy the eponymous debut album from the xx.

Release date: August 17, 2009
Singles: Cystalised, Basic Space, Islands, VCR

Before I get into the music, let me comment on the cover design for this album.  The black part of the cover you see above is the outer cover, with an x cut out, with the inner sleeve being white.  While this is a nice idea and looks good on its own, it is rather annoying for storage purposes. This is because if you try to slide an album in next to this one, it invariably gets caught up in the x cutout part, and you end up damaging the xx cover.

Anyway, once you get over that fact and put the record on the turntable, everything gets better.  The music is simple and rhythmic, and the vocals are captivating.  The result is a album that is great to listen to.  It is not overpowering, so makes great background music for most activities, or you can simply close your eyes, lie down and enjoy it.

Rating: 6 thumbs up - The rhythms and vocals of the songs combine in such a way that seems to get instantly stuck in your head.  There is just something about the simple arrangements and wonderful vocals that is really quite enthralling.  I encourage you to check it out.

This album was well received critically, and things are looking good for the future of the xx.  You can really see the joy on their faces in this music video for "Crystalised."



Pat is crazy.

Oakland's Vinyl Vault - Born in the U.S.A.

This week we have another iconic album, this time from that decade of decades, the 1980s.  It's our first repeat artist, the Boss, this time with Born (wait for it...) in the USA!

Release Date: June 4, 1984
Singles: Dancing in the Dark, Cover Me, Born in the U.S.A., I'm On Fire, Glory Days, I'm Goin' Down, My Hometown

Is it patriotic? Is it not? Does it really matter?  All I know is that Born in the U.S.A. turned Bruce Springsteen from a rock 'n' roll star into a superstar.  This album had as many top ten singles as Thriller (all freakin' 7 of 'em!).  That should give you an indication of how successful it was.

So, I think, the obvious question is: did he sell out?  And the answer is: sort of.  Musically, there is a much more commercial feel to the songs.  The synthesizer, that staple of '80s pop music, was used by the E Street Band for the first time.  The songs are upbeat, and have a great, driving energy to them.

But lyrically, the New Boss is, as the Who would say, the same as the Old Boss.  He's still singing about union halls, losing your job, hard times, desperation, and the struggle to overcome.  So it's not exactly the "rah-rah America is the greatest" album that it is sometimes portrayed to be.

On a completely separate note for you Conan O'Brien fans, this album also features a familiar back-up singer: La Bamba.  As far as I can tell, this was his first association with the E Street Band, one that continues today, as he played with them at last year's Super Bowl.

Rating: 13 thumbs up (one from each of the original colonies!) - Despite it's more commercial feel, the Boss still manages to put the same passion and energy into this album that he did in his previous ones. Plenty of bands sell out a little bit to be more successful commercially, but nobody has done it better than the Boss, as evidenced by the record tying 7 top ten singles produced.

Now what goes hand-in-hand with selling out musically?  Making music videos!  Normally, I try to give you all a non-single song to listen to that maybe you haven't heard before. But this video is too good to pass up, thanks in large part to Steven Van Zandt.  Here's "Glory Days." Enjoy!



Pat is crazy.

Oakland's Vinyl Vault - Chicago II

This week's album features winds from the Windy City. That's right, it's the band with the least creatively named albums of all time: Chicago, with their album Chicago II!

Release date: January 26, 1970
Singles: 25 or 6 to 4, Make Me Smile, Colour My World

Chicago II (officially named Chicago, since the first album was before they shortened their name from the Chicago Transit Authority, but referred to as Chicago II because pretty much all of their over 30 albums are named "Chicago (number)"), like the band's first album, is a double album.  Although the first album was a success, Chicago II is the album that really made the band a household name, and for a good reason: it's a great album.  All three of the singles off this album charted in the top 10, and "25 or 6 to 4" is still one of their biggest hits.  And the rest of the songs aren't too shabby either.

The first disc flows really smoothly, with the highlight being the "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon" suite of songs.  The third side of the album doesn't flow as well as the other 3 sides, but more than makes up for it by having three great songs in "Fancy Colours," "25 or 6 to 4," and "Memories of Love."  Early Chicago was not afraid to get political, and did just that on the fourth side, with the great song "It Better End Soon."

Rating: 10 thumbs up - Even though it's a double album, when it ends I always want more.  Great album from start to finish.  It's also a really easy find, as there are a ton of Chicago albums in every record store ever, and you should be able to get a copy on the cheap (I got mine for $0.50), so there's no excuse for not having it!

Well, I wanted to play you "It Better End Soon," my friends, but I could not find it in video form on the big truck that is the internet, so instead I will class up the joint a little with some "Fancy Colours" (and you know it's fancy because they added the "u" to the word color!)



Pat is crazy.

Happy Birthday Karl

Oakland's Vinyl Vault - Wonderwall Music

Today we dip into the vinyl vault and pull out an album that has some fun trivia attached to it: it was the first album to be released by Apple Records, and it was the first official solo album by a member of the Beatles. It is also one of the few albums I own that was given to me as a present (thanks Justin!).

It's Wonderwall Music by George Harrison!

Release date: November 1, 1968

Although this album is by George Harrison, he isn't on it, he just wrote and produced it.  In case you can't tell, this is actually a soundtrack for the movie Wonderwall, which, if you're interested in watching it, is available on Youtube.  Like most movie scores, it's almost entirely instrumental.

George Harrison had never written a soundtrack for a movie before, and I think that is somewhat obvious when you watch the movie.  I also wonder(wall) if the people who asked George Harrison to do the soundtrack realized that they were going to get a lot of Indian music out of the deal, because there's nothing particularly Indian about the movie.

But enough about the movie, I'm here to talk about the music, independent from anything else. This album was made while George Harrison was a member of the Beatles, but there's nothing Beatle-ish about it. As I mentioned before, a lot of it is very Indian sounding, and in fact a lot of the album was recorded in India. While I think it fails as a movie soundtrack, it does fairly well for an instrumental album. I think George does a good job of using traditional Indian instruments to play more western music. He also mixes in some non-Indian numbers that were recorded back in England. The end result is fairly interesting and pretty easy on the ears.

Rating: Four thumbs up - certainly not a must-have in the catalog, but a nice addition and a historic one to boot. If you're a Harrison fan, and you can find it, I would recommend getting it.

Now it just wouldn't be a George Harrison solo album without an appearance by Eric Clapton, and this album doesn't disappoint (though he is credited as Eddie Clayton). Here's Clapton on Ski-ing:



Pat is crazy.

A Show with Ze Frank

Ze Frank, of The Show with Ze Frank, is back with a show, A Show with Ze Frank.

If I Had a Hammer

Lockout

Hello again! I was going to write a informative post about the political happenings of the day, but then realized that Justin is far better at that sort of thing (thanks Justin!), and decided instead just to do what I do best mediocre-ly well: review shit.

This time it's the movie Lockout, which is about a prison in space.



The movie starts out with our hero, Snow, who I think maybe some sort of government agent although it's not really made too clear, being blamed for trying to steal some government secrets, although he claims he was really trying to protect them. Anyway, nobody is buying that so they plan on sending him to MS-1, a prison in space, for 3 years. Meanwhile, however, the President's daughter is on MS-1 and inadvertently allows all the prisoners to escape. Whoops! So now, instead of just going to prison, Snow is being allowed (for some reason) to try and rescue the President's daughter, and at the same time secretly find his buddy, who happens to be a prisoner on MS-1, who can prove that he is innocent of the whole stealing government secrets thing. How fun!

So that's the setup. Edward Douglas, a professional movie reviewer, said this movie was like "Die Hard meets Blade Runner," which I totally agree with. It's like Die Hard because it features one vigilante taking on the bad guys from the inside, and it's like Blade Runner because... um... well... because it's set in the future. So really, you could have said that it is Die Hard meets Wall-E and still been just as correct.

Now, for the record, I love this kind of movie, mostly for it's unintentional comedic value. And this one did not disappoint. It's got lots of action, with "witty" remarks after various fights, and some horrible, 5th-grade level plot writing. Goldmine. A lot of these types of movies bend the laws of physics to make the stunts more exciting. This movie, however, takes physics and kicks it in the balls.

So now, for my own amusement, and to give you an idea of just how ridiculous this movie is, I will review the stuff in this movie that is implausible, and the stuff that kicks physics in the balls.

IMPLAUSIBLE:

First and foremost, a prison in space. Why in the HELL would we spend butt-loads of money to build, operate, and transport prisoners to this prison? The movie feebly tries to explain this by saying that they are actually using the prisoners to experiment on them to learn more about the possibility of deep-space travel. I appreciate the effort, but not really convincing me that it is worth it. Next, the prison has a very formidable EXTERNAL defense system, consisting of automatic gun turrets that fire at approaching ships. I have no idea why they installed it. Seems quite unnecessary for a prison in space to guard from threats coming from outside the prison... in space. Meanwhile, they appear to have no defense system at all inside the prison, since all the prisoners are kept in "stasis," which appears to be similar to cryogenically freezing. Third, is that while the prison is in space, apparently it is not kept in a stable orbit, because when the pilot or whatever of the prison dies, it immediately begins falling out of space, conveniently heading for the eastern seaboard instead of the 75% of the earth covered by water.

My favorite part, however, is the 25th Amendment that is invoked in this movie. Here's the setup: the space prison is falling out of space towards Manhattan, and the military brass wants to blow it to pieces before it gets there. The President is understandably not on board with this because it would kill his daughter. Who's going to win out? Will the President kill his daughter (and some worthless criminals) to potentially save thousands of lives on Earth? Well, luckily we don't have to wonder too long because the military guy immediately invokes the 25th Amendment, which states: if the President's decision making ability is impaired for personal reasons, then the decision may be made by the nearest asshole... or something like that... pending the approval of Congress. I have to say, I am SHOCKED that the 25th Amendment was ratified. What were we thinking?

KICKING PHYSICS IN THE BALLS:

First off, I'm just going to ignore the whole "gravity generator" thing, because even though I don't think it's possible to generate gravity, it is set in the future and a lot of science fiction movies set in space don't even acknowledge the fact that all the actors are walking around on spaceships even though there should be no gravity.  At least, I would ignore it if it stopped there.  But no, it doesn't, because our hero, Snow, en route to completing his mission, must cross over this gravity generator with a Last Crusade style leap of faith. You see, for inexplicable reasons, there is no gravity directly above said gravity generator, and this will allow our hero to cross safely. And, once again, I would have given it a begrudging pass if it had stopped there.  But it didn't.  Oh no. You see, because when the gravity generator stops working... there is gravity. In space. What the shit?

And the no-gravity in space misunderstanding doesn't stop there. The biggest kick to the genitalia of science comes near the end of the movie when our hero and lovely lady escape from space prison by simply jumping out of it, where they should float safely away, it being space and all. Except in this space instead of floating our heroes plummet straight towards the surface of the earth, sky diving from what appears to be hundreds of miles above the surface of the earth. Because, apparently you can do that.

Well, that's all folks. I hope you enjoyed it. Pat is crazy.

Wel-Pac Squid Directions

It's Going to be All Right

Decline of Democracy

In 2010 the Republican Party swept to power in state governments across the country. With the corporate co-opted Tea Party movement fueling the enthusiasm for the Republican agenda, state legislatures quickly went to work addressing Tea Party concerns. The President of the United States was not a natural citizen. His birth certificate was a fake. Massive voter fraud must have brought him to office, I mean who would vote for a black man?

In more than a dozen states new laws have been put into place which make it more difficult for students and communities of color to exercise their right to vote. The United States Department of Justice had to intervine to block laws passed in Texas and South Carolina for violating the Voting Rights Act. The state of Texas is currently objecting to the continuation of the Voting Rights Act. The NAACP has been compelled to send a delegation to Geneva to petition the United Nations Human Rights Commission to bring attention to how these new laws threaten the voting rights of millions of US citizens. While most of these laws are being put into effect in the south, the state of Michigan has put in place the most reprehensible of these new laws.

Rick Snyder, the sitting Governor of Michigan, has pushed through a law, which has given him, no overstatement here, dictatorial powers to disincorporate entire municipal governments, fire elected officials, and the ability to put in power anyone of his choosing, with no oversight. Maddow gives a good rundown of the present situation in the Wolverine State:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Oakland's Vinyl Vault - The Velvet Underground

Hello children! Sorry I've been away so long, but I've been surprisingly busy for an unemployed person. Anyway, let's get back into it. This week we've got a good one, so I hope it was worth the wait: it's the eponymous album from the Velvet Underground.



Release Date: March, 1969
Singles: What Goes On

This album was the first Velvet Underground album without founding member John Cale, leaving front man Lou Reed pretty much in complete control of the band. The result was a much softer, folk-inspired sound than the previous albums.

I really like this album. It's a great album to relax to. The songs are simple, yet beautiful. Simple, that is, until you get to "The Murder Mystery," where it gets a little weird. Sterling Morrison and Lou Reed talk simultaneously so it's hard to understand what either is saying, and even reading the lyrics it's hard to figure out what any of it means. That said, it's a strangely enchanting song.

Rating: 12 thumbs up - Lou Reed was on top of his game for this album. A classic from one of the most influential bands in the 60s.

And now here's "I'm Set Free." Enjoy!



Pat is crazy

Oakland's Vinyl Vault - So Far

Hello again! This week, we will be looking at one of the few compilation albums in my collection: So Far by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.



Release: August 19, 1974

This is not your typical compilation album. Mostly because Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young had only made ONE studio album together before this came out, and ONE non-album single. So how is it possible that they made a compilation album? Ah, well it turns out they also have songs that are from the Crosby, Stills & Nash (no Young) catalog. A catalog, that consisted of ONE album.

Yes, this is a compilation of two albums, and one non-album single (and its B-side). That is how much people loved Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. I myself got the album because I wanted the non-album single, "Ohio," and I liked the cover art, which is a picture drawn by Joni Mitchell.

There's not much to say about the album musically. Obviously all the songs on it, with maybe the exception of "Find the Cost of Freedom," the B-side to "Ohio," are hits, otherwise they wouldn't be on a compilation album.

Anyway, here is that B-side, "Find the Cost of Freedom." Enjoy.



Pat is crazy.

Oakland's Vinyl Vault - Let's Get It On

Valentine's Day is far behind us, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't still be romantic. So this week, find a lover and listen to what one critic called "one of the most sexually charged albums ever recorded:" Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye.



Release Date: August 28, 1973
Singles: Let's Get It On, Come Get to This, You Sure Love to Ball

Before I get into the music, I have to say a little bit about the artwork. In the gatefold, Marvin has written a little note to his listeners. It starts with "I can't see anything wrong with sex between consenting anybodies," goes on to say "Have your sex, it can be very exciting, if you're lucky. I hope the music that I present here makes you lucky," and ends with, "and thanks to all you women for sweet inspiration." I cannot think of a more perfect note to go along with this album.

Now, the music. It opens with, of course, the title track, which is one of my favorite songs of all time. It's beautiful. Now, if you can play it loud enough, or have sex quiet enough, to hear the rest of the album, it is also quite good. The album gently makes love to your ears with it's soulful vocals and smooth groove.

Rating: One eight-inch (Ok, seven-inch) thumb straight (slightly curved) up - A great, iconic album. Delivers exactly what you'd expect, and more.

Now here's "If I Should Die Tonight." Enjoy.



Pat is crazy.

Oakland's Vinyl Vault - Moving Pictures

Well, if you know me at all, you knew this had to happen sooner or later: it's RUSH HOUR!!!!!! That's right, this week we get our first taste of Rush, Canada's most successful rock band of all time. And what better place to start than with their most successful album, Moving Pictures.



Release date: February 12, 1981
Singles: Limelight, Tom Sawyer, Vital Signs

Before I get into the music, I have to mention the cover. Obviously, the name of the album is Moving Pictures, and the cover art shows some guys moving pictures. Pretty simple, right? Oh, but that's not all. You look at the pictures themselves and discover that they are emotionally moving pictures. Now you're thinking, oh Rush, how clever you are. But wait, there's more. When you turn the album over, you discover that there is a camera crew making a motion or moving picture of the whole scene! Ohhh, Rush.

Now, the music. The first side is all classics. Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, YYZ (quick note about YYZ: that's the airport code for Toronto, and the rhythm at the beginning of the song is actually YYZ in morse code. Ohhh, Rush), and Limelight. The other side ain't bad either, even if it isn't in KQRS's regular rotation.

Rating: 11 thumbs up - This album is Rush at its pinnacle. Neil Peart, Geddy Lee, and Alex Lifeson didn't do anything much better before, and certainly not after. After this, they started going in a different direction. In fact, "The Camera Eye" on side 2 is the last song Rush has made that is over 10 minutes long. That says everything.

Now enjoy the official music video of "Vital Signs." Music videos back then weren't the big productions they are nowadays. The highlight for me is seeing Neil Peart in an Expos hat. So Canadian.



Pat is crazy.

Can Dialectics Break Bricks?

A clip from Vienet's 1973 kung-fu classic:

Oakland's Vinyl Vault - Last Time Around

Up this week is the final album from Buffalo Springfield. The band was breaking up, but still contractually obligated to produce a third album. Here is the aptly named, Last Time Around.



Release Date: July 30, 1968
Singles: (none)

As mentioned above, the band was breaking up as this album was recorded. No song had every member of the band playing on it. Stephen Stills did most of the album, appearing in 9 of the 12 songs. Neil Young appeared in only 4 songs, and wasn't even there to take the photo for the albums cover (they added his photo later, and apparently couldn't find one of him looking to his right).

Considering the circumstances, I think this album is pretty good. Some of the songs understandably lack polish, but they aren't terrible.

Rating: 3 thumbs up - no songs really stand out, good or bad, so it makes for good background music. Probably only need to buy it if you're a Buffalo Springfield fan and want the complete trilogy.

To highlight the unfinished nature of this album, here's "Questions." If you think you sort of recognize it, that's because Stills later used it as the end to "Carry On," which opens the Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young album, Déjà Vu.



Pat is crazy.

Luxury Comedy

Fresh new laughs, comin' at ya like a beam, like a ray, like a buzzard, it's Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy:



Episode 1
Episode 3

Oakland's Vinyl Vault - Fragile

This week we get our first taste of some prog rock: Fragile, by Yes



Release Date: November 26, 1971
Singles: Roundabout

Fragile opens up with one of Yes's biggest hits, Roundabout. Let me repeat that: one of their biggest hits is a song about roundabouts. Traffic circles. These things:



Anyway, the driving bass line really gets this album going. Like a lot of prog rock, this album has some lengthy tracks, and some short ones. There's changes in time signatures. "Five Per Cent for Nothing," which opens the second side of the album, sounds like a jumble of notes that barely qualifies as music. If you don't like prog rock, you probably won't like this. But give it a shot if you've never heard prog rock as this is a prog rock classic.

Rating: Five thumbs up - I like most of the tracks on this album, but I think the tracks don't really flow that well together.

Here's "We Have Heaven." And a game to go along with it: try to figure out what the hell is being said without looking it up.



Pat is crazy.

Oakland's Vinyl Vault - Darkness on the Edge of Town

Hello again! This week, I will be looking and listening to Darkness on the Edge of Town by the Boss, Bruce Springsteen.



Release Date: June 2, 1978
Singles: Prove It All Night, Badlands

I have to admit, this is an album that I rarely listen to. One of the reasons I wanted to do this project of reviewing all my albums was to force myself to actually listen to all my albums, instead of just my favorite ones.

This album is raw Springsteen. The cover says it all. Working-class guy from Jersey. Things may seem good, but there's darkness on the edge of town (get it?). If this album were a baseball player, it would be Nick Punto. Gritty. White. Underrated. Announcers/music critics all love it. There's no hit single on this album, no star (I mean, can you tell me how "Prove It All Night" goes, because I can't and I just listened to the damn thing!).

This album is a true album, not just a collection of songs. It has a theme. I've always felt that Springsteen gets somewhat overlooked as one of the great American songwriters. But I say, if he's good enough for Joe Posnanski, he's good enough for me!

Rating: 7 thumbs up - Great listen, solid all the way through. Springsteen's passion really comes through. I think I'm going to have to put this one into the regular rotation.

And now, without further ado, that "hit" single, Prove It All Night. Enjoy!



Pat Is Crazy

Oakland's Vinyl Vault - Sounds of Silence

Greetings faithful follower(s)! This week I have decided to start a new (possibly) weekly tradition: I will review an album from my vinyl collection. I (of course) already have a spreadsheet of all the albums that I own, and I have put them in random order with the help of the internet, and I will go through them one by one! I will try to give a little information about each album (with the help of Wikipedia) and give my thoughts about it.

First up: Sounds of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel.



Release date: January 17, 1966
Singles: The Sounds of Silence (previously released), I Am a Rock

The name of the album obviously comes from their hit single, which had been previously released on their debut album Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. The art work is kind of interesting to me. On the front cover, it appears that Simon and Garfunkel are either being harassed by the trailing photographer or are else looking back as they flee the scene of a crime. The back cover has shots of Simon and Garfunkel in what I can only assume are attempts to look like tough guys, smoking cigarettes and loitering.

The album is pretty much what you'd expect from Simon and Garfunkel: folk rock. One thing that I thought was a little odd was that side 2 opens with back to back songs about a man committing suicide: "Richard Cory" and "A Most Peculiar Man." Actually, in general the album is pretty dark. There isn't a single happy song on this album. Even "We've Got a Groovy Thing Goin'" (which the back of the album says was "just for fun") is about that groovy thing leaving Simon and/or Garfunkel's depressed ass. Hello darkness, my old friend indeed.

Rating: 5 thumbs up - It's a solid album. It's not my favorite album of Simon and Garfunkel's, but it's a good listen nonetheless.

Now here's "Richard Cory," which for some reason somebody synched up to The Shawshank Redemption. Enjoy!



Pat is crazy.

Oakland's Inferno - Part III

Here is the long awaited part three of my journey. Here are Part I and Part II in the likely case you have no idea what I'm talking about.

As my guide, Obi-Wan, and I walked along the perilous path through hell, a great wind began to blow. "We are now entering the second circle of hell, where those who succumbed to desire reside," my master informed me.

As I struggled to keep my eyes open before the fierce gusts, I looked around for the tortured souls of the lustful, but could not find anyone. "Where are they, Obi-Wan?" The old jedi smiled as I followed his gaze upwards.

"Wheeeeeeeeeee!" cried a shade as it soared above us, being blown about by the wind. As I looked closer, I noticed that the sky was filled with shades like this one.

"Wow!" I said. "That must be quite a thrill! I'd love to talk with one of them and hear about how they got here."

With a wave of Obi-Wan's hand, one of the souls imprisoned in this circle floated down towards us. "O condemned soul, my friend here is curious to learn more about your plight. Please, tell us who you are, and how you ended up here," he said to the soul.

"I am Sir Lancelot of Camelot. While I lived, I did many great deeds. Alas, it was my love for my lord's lovely lady Guinevere that has doomed me to this place. Our love was forbidden, and was a destructive force. In the end I lost everything. After Arthur died, Lady Guinevere became a nun, and I a hermit. Long did I live afterwards, and eventually I came to peace with the actions of my youth, but I guess that God did not, for he sent my soul here upon my death."

"Man, that is rough," I responded.

"Actually, it's not that bad here," replied Lancelot. "I fly around all day like a bird. The worst part is simply that we are here for eternity, and that there is not much to do. We're all great philosophers now, since we have had so much time to think. If you would like, I could share with you some of my insights."

"Unfortunately, we do not have time for that," cut in Obi-Wan. "We must be going now. Farewell!"

And so we continued on to the next circle of hell. "Here the gluttonous are punished. I hope you brought an umbrella," said my master.

"Why's that?" I asked, "there's not a cloud in the sky. In fact, we're underground. It couldn't possibly ra..."

My voice trailed off as we came to a solid wall of rain. The third circle of hell was eternally rained upon. "Damn," I swore. "Let's move quickly through this one, shall we?"

We plunged into the third circle, our hands over our heads, trying futilely to stay dry. As we ran, I looked around and saw giant crowds of obese people. It looked like a state fair.

Finally, we got to the fourth circle, and the rain ceased. To find out what I and Obi-Wan discovered there, tune in next time!

Pat is crazy.