Category Archives: The TVD Storefront

The smart choices continue in Craft Recordings’ Original Jazz Classics reissue series. The latest entry, out April 26, is Groovy by the Red Garland Trio. Originally released by the Prestige label in 1957, it finds pianist Garland in the stalwart company of bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Art Taylor. This new remastered edition on 180-gram vinyl with a tip-on jacket brings truth to its title.

Going by the title alone might lead to the assumption that Groovy is Red Garland’s attempt to get hip with the R&R generation, knocking out versions of (for instance) “Windy,” a Lennon-McCartney, a Dylan, and with maybe a couple contempo movie themes sprinkled in. Or perhaps the record captures the pianist dabbling in soul-jazz a la Ramsey Lewis or Les McCann or later Horace Silver. Possibly it’s a boogaloo crossover.

But no, no and no; by 1963, Red Garland was essentially retired, at least as a recording artist, at some point returning to his native Texas, reportedly to care for his mother. A few more records with Garland as a leader were released as the ’60s progressed, but they were all collected material from ’62 or before. There was a successful if not especially celebrated ’70s comeback, but the music on which Garland’s reputation rests was cut between 1955-’62 and is primarily focused upon his work in the quintet of trumpeter Miles Davis and sessions with tenor saxophonist John Coltrane.

Garland frequently teamed with bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones, with the three designated as “The Rhythm Section.” The praise was specifically bestowed due to their work with Davis, but they also added value to Sonny Rollins’ Tenor Madness and were spotlighted in the title of Art Pepper’s Meets the Rhythm Section.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | The true test of originality for any musician comes when you hear an instrument being played and you instantly know who’s playing it. For electric guitarists, certainly Hendrix qualifies; Page and Clapton, too. Maybe Eddie Van Halen before the legion of imitators. You probably have your own list, but to us, standing toe-to-toe (or pick-to-pick) with those legends is Television guitarist and solo artist Tom Verlaine.

2006’s Around picks up the lofty mantle of the Warm and Cool album that was released 14 years prior with another set of utterly mesmerizing instrumentals, ranging from solo, almost raga-esque explorations (“Flame”) to post-rock vamps (“Balcony”) to abstract sketches (“A Burned Letter”) to the kind of indescribable, utterly gorgeous beauty that only this man and his guitar could pull off (“Eighty-Eights”).

That’s old Television band-mate Billy Ficca on drums; bassist and original engineer Patrick Derivaz’s new mastering for vinyl will make this record sing and breathe along with you (and vice versa). Tom’s long-time partner, artist Jutta Koether, again supplies notes in the enclosed insert. Sunglasses brown pressing for this album’s vinyl debut.

Remembering Charles Mingus, born on this day in 1922. —Ed.

Bassist-bandleader-composer Charles Mingus remains one of the most important figures in the history of recorded sound. A jazzman of uncommon versatility, his extensive achievement is deeply linked to a voluminous personality and an occasionally volatile temper. In 1963, as part of a brief, fertile association with Impulse! Records, he waxed The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady; it’s widely rated as the apex of his career, which in turn awards it placement amongst the great moments in 20th century music. A vinyl reissue is out now courtesy of Superior Viaduct.

Please forgive me if I’ve fallen egregiously behind the times, but I continue to perceive the goal of education as more than a factory churning out highly efficient producers brandishing economically useful skills, a mass of graduates left to dodge underemployment in hopes of spending decades in the modern workplace’s existential ditch. But maybe I’m just frightfully naive in considering higher learning as the valiant endeavoring to intellectually engage with generations of individuals, hopefully leaving them at least somewhat prepared for the ups and downs of existence, and potentially armed in adulthood with the knowledge to utilize portions of history’s immense landscape to their advantage.

And not only history but art, which is easily the most disrespected component in contemporary academe. This may come as a shock to anyone aware of the number of art schools, conservatories, and Liberal Arts institutions taking up residence from sea to shining sea, but my observation concerns quality rather than quantity; to get down to the matter at hand, while Charles Mingus’ life and music are far from absent in the educational curriculum, I know of no school offering an extended, intensive course in Mingus Studies.

That’s a shame, for it’s a program of vast possibilities, and though discerning jazz fans might think it contrary to his legacy, the objective wouldn’t be the tailoring of copycat instrumentalists (bluntly, an impossible task) but instead an immersion into reading, writing, discussing, creating, and of course a whole lot of listening.

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Remembering Glen Campbell, born on this day in 1936. —Ed.

The English Pre-Raphaelite poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti once wrote, “Each hour flings a bomb at my burning soul.” Before adding, “Neither from owl nor from bat can peace be gained until I clasp my wombat.” I admit to being completely flummoxed by what this Rossetti chap means by “his wombat.” Did he have, in his personal menagerie, an actual wombat? One that he clasped to his troubled bosom when bombs were being catapulted at his burning soul? Your guess as is good as mine.

But I digress. The point I’m trying to make, albeit in a hopelessly circuitous way, is that my soul too has been burning of late, and I don’t see a wombat in sight. I have a cat, but when I attempt to clasp him to my bosom he is immediately transformed into a furious blur of tooth and claw. So I ask myself; how best can I regain my peace? And the answer, stated as succinctly as possible, is Glen Campbell.

The odd thing is that despite the fact that I grew up in a rural backwater, in a town so small that the “Welcome to Littlestown” sign and the “You Are Now Leaving Littlestown” sign were the same sign and many of my fellow townspeople made those toothless rustics in Deliverance look like cosmopolitan sophisticates, the only country music I ever heard came to me via Hee Haw, which I would occasionally watch with the old man. That said, I totally loved “Rhinestone Cowboy.” It fell into the rarified genre of glam country, and I could never hear it often enough. That said, I’d never heard any of his other songs and was never tempted to buy a G.C. LP.

When I finally got around to listening to him as an adult, and happened upon such immortal songs as “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston,” and “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” I’ll admit I was disappointed. The string-heavy arrangements turned these great numbers to treacle. Distracted from the songs’ greatness, they did. Which I why I was thrilled to discover Campbell’s final studio LP (he’s still with us, but in the final stages of Alzheimer’s disease), 2013’s See You There.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | The true test of originality for any musician comes when you hear an instrument being played and you instantly know who’s playing it. For electric guitarists, certainly Hendrix qualifies; Page and Clapton, too. Maybe Eddie Van Halen before the legion of imitators. You probably have your own list, but to us, standing toe-to-toe (or pick-to-pick) with those legends is Television guitarist and solo artist Tom Verlaine.

His self-taught, jazz-influenced style, largely devoid of effects, and vibrato tone makes any Verlaine solo unmistakably a Verlaine solo. That he was quite an accomplished, idiosyncratic songwriter is just a bonus. Real Gone Music is very proud to announce that we have arranged with the Verlaine estate to release Tom’s last three solo albums on LP, starting with his 1992 instrumental masterpiece Warm and Cool, which has never been released on vinyl in the U.S.

Swirling within this album’s 14 compositions are hints of rock, jazz, country, surf, and even a little bit of the guitar noir found on Angelo Badalamenti’s soundtracks for David Lynch, all given brilliant new life in a fresh mastering for vinyl by long-time Verlaine collaborator Patrick Derivaz, who also played bass on the album. Simultaneously avant-garde and familiar-sounding, Warm and Cool is as contemporary and forward-thinking as any music coming out today, but—as the new liner notes by Verlaine’s life partner Jutta Koether point out—the album fits into a larger modern art and philosophical context.

Indeed, reading Koether’s poetic love letter to her dear departed and listening to this gorgeous, daring music makes for a profound experience we are eager to share. Pink vinyl pressing to go with the artful choice of type hue on the front cover.

Remembering Bernie Worrell, born on this day in 1944. —Ed.

Funkadelic—and Parliament as well, naturally—were America’s go-to bands for psychedelic funk at the dawn of the Seventies; their acid-fried, groove-based jams came complete with fries, shake, and a generous helping of raunchy high humor, and you would practically have to be a member of the KKK to deny them. Theirs wasn’t just the sound of Black Liberation, it was the sound of Human Liberation, because as George Clinton understood only all too well, we all need to free our asses.

If 1970’s Free Your Ass… And Your Mind Will Follow isn’t my favorite Funkadelic album it’s not for lack of good old-fashioned genius. It’s just a mite uneven. Side One’s as great a one-two punch as you’re ever likely to bump your ass against. Side Two, with the notable exception of the brilliant “Funky Dollar Bill,” not so much. That said, this six-song LP—weaker second side and all—still constitutes an essential addition to any sentient life form’s home musical library. Believe me when I say the people on Venus (they prefer to be called people; “alien” is considered a racial slur) will want to purchase this album if they haven’t already. People from Venus are in need of some ass freeing too.

Robert Christgau once said of this baby, “Not only is the shit weird, the weirdness signifies,” and to that I can only add “Amen.” Opener “Free Your Ass and Your Mind Will Follow” is a 10-minute freak-out over which the brilliant Eddie Hazel plays blistering guitar of the sort that will make you forget all about Jimi Hendrix. He’s joined by a madcap chorus of vocalists (I count eight in the band’s lineup) repeating slogans (“Free your mind!”, “The kingdom of heaven is within!”, “Open up your funky mind and you can fly”), uttering paradoxes (“Freedom is free of the need to be free”), and generally getting all hotted up. It also boasts great bass by Billy Nelson and some very fuzzy organ by his magnificentness Bernie Worrell, and may well constitute the coolest dime bag of music you’ll ever snort up your ears.

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There’s a unique quality that actors and actresses bring to songwriting and musicianship. Oftentimes, they create works that lean heavily on the idea that the singer, or narrator, is a character. Of course, all musicians and songwriters do this to some extent, but there’s another level of commitment when it’s done by a musician who also happens to be an actor.

Rebecca Pidgeon is well-known in both worlds, as an actress and as a musician and songwriter. This year she’s released her 11th full-length album titled, Songs of LA which explores the City of Angles’ by simultaneously studying its daytime sunshine alongside the town’s hauntingly dark nights. Pidgeon’s long-time writing partner, David Batteau, worked on many of these songs with Rebecca before the pandemic sidelined the project. Here, Rebecca fuses her acting chops with her songwriting and performing prowess.

Join Rebecca and me on this episode as she takes me on a journey through some of Tinseltown’s creepiest back-alleys as we discuss her new album, her multifaceted career, and how everything that glitters in La La Land isn’t always gold.

Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.

Remembering Dickey Betts. —Ed.

When it comes to your bad karma and shitty luck, The Allman Brothers Band is a tough act to follow. And no, I’m not just talking about the tragedy that was Allman and Woman. I’m talking about the motorcycle accidents that claimed the lives of Duane Allman and Berry Oakley; rampant infighting and supernatural drug use; and a big-time cocaine distribution bust that led Gregg Allman to testify against his road manager in order to save his own ass. But despite the deaths, the duplicity, and even Cher and Man, The Allmans remain the most influential Southern blues-rock band of all time, and next to Lynyrd Skynyrd, the best damn band to hail from south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

But here’s the thing about the Allmans; I can honestly say I never much cared for them until Duane Allman took that fatal spill on his motorcycle. Because Duane, God bless his totally rad facial hair, was a blues player, and the fact is I despise the blues. As The Simpsons’ Bleeding Gums Murphy immortally said, “The blues isn’t about feeling better. It’s about making other people feel WORSE.” Don’t get me wrong; I can handle them if they’ve been radically tweaked, freaked, warped, or twisted. But Duane, a traditionalist, played ‘em old school, making me the dick at the party who ran out screaming every time somebody put on “Statesboro Blues” or, even worse, “Stormy Monday.” As for “Whipping Post,” it’s way up there on my Shit Parade alongside “Midnight Rambler,” “People Have the Power,” and the entire recorded output of The Clash.

The bottom line? One man’s tragedy is another man’s blessing, and Duane’s untimely demise had the ironic effect of transforming The Allman Brothers Band into a group whose music I actually like. 1972’s Eat a Peach had a few great songs, such as “Blue Sky” and “Melissa,” that took the band in a non-blues direction, but it also included the infamous “Mountain Jam”—really, did the world really need a song so long it took up two sides of a double LP? It took the advent of guitarist/vocalist Dickey Betts as the Allman’s de facto leader to produce 1973’s Brothers and Sisters, which emphasized a unique hybrid of country rock over the blues, and threw in some good-times boogie for good measure.

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Celebrating Bez on his 60th birthday. —Ed.

A crash course for the ravers—back in the late 1980s, Happy Mondays became the veritable house band for Madchester’s e-fueled rave scene, which transformed an entire generation of Joe Bloggs-clad English kids into pinwheel-eyed, whizz-happy 24-hour party people stepping on and up, up, up to a dizzying sound composed of equal parts alternative rock, acid house, funk, and psychedelia.

Oh, it was a glorious time, a true Renaissance as it were. I’d have loved to be there when the party started, and every blessed baggy-jeans wearing ecstasy-altered geezer at the Haçienda loved every other baggy-jeans wearing ecstasy-altered geezer at the Haçienda. And every single one of them knew the song—which just happened to be the Happy Monday’s deliriously danceable “Step On,” with its infectious keyboard progression and funky drumming—would go on forever.

It didn’t of course—I strongly recommend Pulp’s “Sorted for e’s and Whizz” if you’re looking for a post-mortem—and Happy Mondays crashed as hard, or harder, than anybody else, having gone “crack crazy” (in guitarist Paul Ryder’s words) in Barbados during the sessions that would culminate in 1992’s Yes Please! But you can still hear the joy of being young and very, very chemically altered in every song on Happy Mondays’ 1999 Greatest Hits.

On such immortal ravers as “Step On,” “Kinky Afro,” “Loose Fit,” “Mad Cyril,” and “24-Hour Party People” brothers Shaun and Paul Ryder and Company (including of course, the band’s official “dancer” Bez) kept the punters soaring above the dance floor all night long. It’s all there in “Kinky Afro”—Brit pop melded smoothly to a seductive groove—and “Loose Fit,” the definitive baggy anthem and Madchester fashion manifesto, which fuses funky percussion to a lovely riff and a message (“Don’t need no tight fits in my wardrobe today”) that put a sizeable segment of England’s youth in flares.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | The Hold Steady are pleased to announce Stay Positive, a charming, illustrated children’s book based on the beloved song of the same name, arriving October 1 via Akashic Books. Pre-orders are available now wherever books are sold.

Signed copies of Stay Positive—which features The Hold Steady song illustrated by award-winning cartoonist and comic book author David “El Dee” Espinosa—will also be available. In addition, a Limited-Edition Package is on offer including bookplates signed by the band, an exclusive Stay Positive sticker sheet, and official Stay Positive-themed, THS reusable water bottle only available as part of this bundle.A call to arms to stand strong and persevere during trying times, Stay Positive is based upon the title track of The Hold Steady’s acclaimed 2008 fourth album, a longtime fan favorite and staple of the band’s jubilant live shows. The new 32-page book for readers of all ages follows the path of a humble armadillo who discovers along the way how music can pull together a disparate cast of characters. A lesson in tenacity and maintaining a positive attitude when encountering adverse situations, Stay Positive ends up in a unified celebration that mirrors the triumphant joy of a Hold Steady performance.

“‘Stay Positive’ has a line that says, ‘The kids at the shows will have kids of their own,’ and it’s true: each year more Hold Steady fans become parents or grandparents,” says The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn. “So, I’m thrilled that we’re offering the children’s book version of Stay Positive, which brings THS joy to the whole family.”

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Those hankering for an international strain of stripped-down ’60s rock blare should investigate Mejor de Los Nuggetz: ‘60s Garage and Psych. It serves up mucho Spanish language R&R action and arrives on opaque red vinyl just in time for Record Store Day courtesy of Liberation Hall. The bands (and one gal singer) hailed from various locales in Mexico, Spain, and South America. The songs are all covers of rock, R&B, and pop hits from the USA and UK. A few radio station IDs and commercials for cars and cola enhance the weave of a very appealing listen.

Driving home the impact of the Rolling Stones on the ’60 garage rock phenomenon, the Mexican band Los Apson opens Mejor de Los Nuggetz with an echoey, stomping “Satisfacción.” Additionally, the Barcelona-based Los Salvajes are featured with two Stones covers, “La Neurastenia,” an energetic version of “19th Nervous Breakdown” with killer bursts of fuzz, and “Todo Negro,” a reading of “Paint It, Black” that deftly retains the urgency of the original. “Voy Por Ti,” the last song on the album and the second by Los Apson, dishes out Willie Dixon’s “The Seventh Son” in the spirit of the early Stones.

Much of the source material on Mejor de Los Nuggetz derives from the UK. There’s “Nuestra Generación” by Barcelona’s Lone Star, a lean, manic take of The Who’s “My Generation,” while later in the album, Los Belmonts of Mexico City brings “Arriba Abajo Y a Los Lados,” an impressive version of The Yardbirds’ “Over Under Sideways Down.” Later still, Mexico’s Los Matemáticos are heard with “Me Atrapaste,” a ripping run-through of The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me.”

Spain’s Los Mustang’s version of The Beatles’ “Please Please Me” is a crisp chime-pop delight. A few years later and the band had gravitated to the other side of the Atlantic for inspiration with “La Carta,” a take of The Box Tops’ “The Letter” that is faithful to the original as it establishes a growing tendency toward pop.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Can have announced Can Live in Aston 1977, the latest in an ongoing series of Can album releases focusing on the band’s live performances. It is set for release on vinyl, CD, and digitally on May 31, 2024 via Mute and Future Days.

Live in Aston 1977 is a whole new lens through which we can view a unique band with seemingly inexhaustible energy for live performance. It comes at a difficult period for Can; their recently released eighth studio album, Saw Delight, had been badly received and although posterity has been kinder, the reviews on release were savage. It might be expected that the live performances from this time would reflect some of the criticisms of the album, that they were slowing down, perhaps even feeling a little jaded, but it cements the notion that Can live, at any period, was mercurial.

Within the Can Live series, this is the first to feature bassist Rosko Gee (Traffic) who had recently joined Irmin Schmidt, Jaki Liebezeit, Michael Karoli, and Holger Czukay (who, relieved of bass duties, is credited with “waveform radio and spec. sounds” on the album). Rosko would perform with them until the band’s split in 1979.

Recordings from the series have been uncovered and pieced together from recordings within the Spoon Records vaults and those sent in by helpful fans, and brought into the 21st century by founding member Irmin Schmidt and producer / engineer René Tinner who have compiled and edited all the albums in this series.

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It would be very presumptuous for any musical artist to title an album “everybody digs,” followed by their name. In the case of Bill Evans, it’s nearly a fact, especially if you are a fan of the best jazz pianists of all time.

This 1959 album was his second as a leader and perhaps his best, prior to the four albums he would release as a member of the Bill Evans Trio between 1959 and 1961 with Paul Motian and Scott LaFaro. All five of the albums mentioned above were released on Riverside. His debut as leader was also on Riverside, with his third album on Milestone, and then a quartet release on United Artists with Bob Brookmeyer, Percy Heath, and Connie Kay. Other than another album on United Artists, one on Atlantic and one on Verve, he would have three more Riverside releases through 1963.

Between his solo debut in 1956 and this album, in 1958 alone he worked as a sideman on albums for George Russell, Don Elliot, Joe Puma, Jimmy Knepper, Sahib Shihab, Idrees Sulieman, Eddie Costa, Hellen Merrill, Hal McKusick, Michel Legrand, Cannonball Adderley, Art Farmer, Chet Baker, and Charles Mingus, along with three for Tony Scott. He also recorded with Miles Davis, was in his band, and would appear on the legendary Kind Of Blue the following year.

There are three solo piano pieces here and Evans is joined on the other tracks by Sam Jones on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Evans wrote a short musical epilogue that clocks in at under a minute and that closes each side, as well as the classic and sprawling “Peace Piece,” with the rest of the songs here covers. The other absolute classic here is also a long, sprawling track: a cover of Cole Poter’s “Night and Day” that Evans moves through with ingenious modulations. The drumming by Jones in spots adds a jaunty kick that elevates this beautiful song to something heart-stopping.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Featuring stories from: Weyes Blood, Fleet Foxes, Bob Mould, Dawn Richard, Sylvan Esso, Kevin Morby, Pavement, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, PUP, Portugal. The Man, The Beths, Talking Heads’ Chris Frantz, Kero Kero Bonito and more.

Most people know musicians as keen observers of the world around them, but many do not realize that they are true untapped resources for thoughtful, incisive food and travel writing. In Taste in Music: Eating on Tour with Indie Musicians (Chronicle Books | September 24, 2024| $27.95| Hardcover) musician Alex Bleeker (Real Estate) and food and travel journalist Luke Pyenson (formerly of Frankie Cosmos), explore the unique relationship between touring and food and the bonds formed by shared meals and culinary adventures.

With over twenty years of experience in the music industry, Alex and Luke are the perfect guides to take readers on tour with a diverse lineup of inspiring indie musicians from around the world, sharing meals and travel experiences, peeking behind the curtain at this singular and singularly misunderstood way of life. These stories, like the best songs or meals, evoke something central about the human experience.

Having toured with their own bands—Real Estate and Frankie Cosmos, respectively—they’re asking all the right questions, shedding light and understanding on the lives of touring musicians and the people feeding them. Taste in Music offers a unique glimpse into the off-stage experiences of a diverse lineup of fellow Indie musicians, each with their own ideas on food as it relates to hospitality, self-care, family, and identity.

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Singer, guitarist, and songwriter Ernest Tubb was a groundbreaker and an enduring star in the country music field, charting hits across four decades. Collecting early sessions with his backing band the Texas Troubadours, ORG Music’s Record Store Day 2024 release The World Broadcast Recordings 1944–1945 offers a vivid portrait of Tubb’s emerging talent, its 14 tracks reinforcing the artist as the trailblazer of the style known as honky-tonk. The set is available April 20 in a limited edition of 1,800 copies.

Like most successful musicians, Ernest Tubb struggled to find his footing. Enamored of the great Jimmie Rodgers, Tubb’s first record, cut in 1936 for RCA, was a tribute to the Singing Brakeman. “The Passing of Jimmie Rodgers” was unsuccessful in terms of sales. After a tonsillectomy changed his singing style (and ended his ability to yodel a la Rodgers), Tubb first turned to songwriting before giving performing another shot in a manner far less indebted to his idol.

Cut for Decca in 1941, “Walking the Floor Over You” was Tubb’s first hit and just as importantly is the disc where the honky-tonk subgenre effectively begins. The removal of those tonsils resulted in a sharp vocal twang that helped set the standard for male C&W singers across most of the ensuing 20th century; it’s safe to say that Tubb inspired as many imitators, some becoming major stars in their own right, as Rodgers did himself.

“Walking the Floor Over You” was rerecorded by Tubb numerous times in his career, with the first revisit heard here, from sessions held in Los Angeles at Decca Records in 1944. World Broadcasting System was a subsidiary of Decca that offered recordings direct to radio stations on a subscription basis (rather than selling to record stores) through an exclusive agreement with the musician’s union immediately following the resolution of the recording ban of 1942–1944.

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