Month: August 2020

I don’t know what it was. Maybe it was the cooler weather we’ve been having here the past couple of days. Maybe it was the impact of the rather remarkable (I refuse to use “unprecedented” anymore, it’s become – sadly – overused) situation that the Post Office has become controversial. The POST OFFICE. Maybe it was the turn of the calendar, and me recognizing that I’ve been working from home for seven months now, with no end in sight. In any event, the gravity of our current situation brought me back here, finally. (My last post was in April, for crying out loud.) I’ve got a lot to talk about. So I went to my collection and pulled out a bunch of vinyl I haven’t listened to on the turntable for a while, and I’m at the keyboard. Randy Newman’s Good Old Boys kind of called out to me tonight, and it kind of fits the current mood. Let’s do some fast takes tonight.

• The Kink Kronikles. Aside from the Buzzcocks’ Singles Going Steady, has there ever been a better anthology? If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll agree. TKK is, like SGS, more than a collection of hits, though it functions as that, of course. It’s pretty much devoid of the primal, early, “You Really Got Me”-era songs, and more devoted to presenting the full spectrum of the Kinks’ brilliance, from Ray Davies’ well-documented observations of English life to his brother Dave’s best work. And John Mendelssohn’s liner notes are simultaneously moving, insightful and hysterically funny. Soon to be re-pressed for the first Record Store Day Drop in August! On red vinyl!

• You know what Clapton album is just as good, maybe better than Slowhand? 461 Ocean Boulevard. Fight me.
• Found recently at Mystery Train in Gloucester: a SEALED copy of Johnnie Taylor’s Rare Stamps. Not someone I had on my Stax-artist-I’ve-got-to-check-out list, but, DAMN, this is some grrrrrrrreat soul music.

• I’m going to be covering audio gear more. This terrible pandemic has taken so much from us in life (170,000 dead as of this writing) and livelihood. Aside from – thankfully – my go-to record stores re-opening, there has been little to do musically; no concerts or gatherings. So I’m directed some of my pent-up music-related energies into to restoring electronic gear from the mid-70’s to early 80’s golden era of hifi. I’ve always admired the 1975-1978 Harman/Kardon industrial design (as well as their peerless audio design), including their Citation line. I just got an H/K 330c stereo receiver (cheap!) to restore as a first project. The 330c was a starter receiver that they sold tons of – it’s only rated at 20 watts/channel, but punches way above its weight. I’ll talk about my restoration efforts in future posts. Wish me luck!