The A's can. Hopefully right into the post-season.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Friday, September 28, 2012
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.
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.
Friday, September 14, 2012
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.
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.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
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!
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!
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
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.
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.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
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.
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.
Monday, June 4, 2012
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.
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.
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