(in no particular order, by the way)
BOB DYLAN Tempest
Well, it certainly provides the Perfect soundtrack to the Man/the Legend’s latest Rolling Stone interview, for starters. Neat Duquesne Whistle video, too.
NEIL YOUNG Psychedelic Pill
2012 was an admittedly slow year for forever-young Neil: only two albums, one film, one autobiography, one death scare (this one c/o NBC News!) and one ear-boggling audio format. Still.
EDGAR BREAU Patches Of Blue
Another veteran, long-lasting Canucklehead, Edgar spent his own Zuma years flying the proto-legendary Simply Saucer, landing today with precisely the kind of funk blue folk amalgam which continues to elude, for one, Robbie Robertson. Instead, Edgar’s textural Patches swirl steadily up and down the roadways and railways of North America via Michael J. Birthelmer’s nuanced yet nutty production/arrangement, managing even to take 3:17 out for a reasonably alt. bossa nova along the way.
DAVID GRAHAME AND LANE STEINBERG Grahame Steinberg
David Grahame = was Paul in the Broadway production of “Beatlemania”
Lane Steinberg = was one of “three teenage Jews attempting to remake With The
Beatles in Miami in 1982” with his band The Wind (according to
Victim Of Time dot com)
David = has opened for Elvis Costello and The Pretenders
Lane = has covered Henry Mancini and The Mothers of Invention
David = co-wrote To Be With You with Mister Big
Lane = co-wrote – and recorded! – an entire album with R. Stevie Moore
David = some of his songs have been on Party of Five, Ed, Providence and
Dawson’s Creek
Lane = some of his songs have been on Maria Bartiromo, Condoleezza Rice,
Lindsey Buckingham’s beard and Puffy’s handgun
David = once turned down a deal with Atlantic Records (who wanted to make him
“another David Cassidy”)
Lane = once recorded the definitive version of I Think I Love You
Grahame Steinberg = one of the undoubtedly twelve best of 2012 I have heard
…and the same will go for you.
THE BEACH BOYS That’s Why God Made The Radio
Wherein the Universe’s oldest boys reunite atop an old Bond theme (and some state-of-the-audio/visual slight-of-ear).
…which reminds me,
Be Sure to check out These guys as well:
CHRIS RICHARDS AND THE SUBTRACTIONS Get Yer La La’s Out
And speaking of Brian’s Boys, two of those other much-revered retro-“B” icons (as in Big Star via Badfinger) are instantly conjured as Chris’ latest and greatest kicks straight up into a solid half-hour of beaty, BIG, and bouncy P-pop. A special Gary Pig tip-o-the-virtual-snout must go as well to GYLLsO producer David Feeny, who records the Subtractions’ six-strings with a raw stinging power unheard since the storied days of Tim Boykin’s Lolas …
not to mention Steve Jones’ Bollock-ing of yore.
BIG BOY PETE Cold Turkey
Of the song Cold Turkey (no, not the fine Plastic Ono 45) (or even the Dick Van Dyke movie), may I quote this disc’s liner notes: “Cold Turkey was recorded in 1968 at Pete Miller’s home-studio on Margetson Avenue in Norwich, England on a Bang & Olufsen Beocord 2000 tape-recorder running at a tape speed of 3 3/4 i.p.s. The dominating snare reverb came from the reverb unit for a Farfisa organ. Vocals were sung through a Shure 726 ‘Elvis mic’ and also a Reslo ribbon mic. The WW2 air-raid shelter in Pete’s garden served as the echo chamber” …and that’s just ONE of the dozen vintage Big Boy beauts you should hear herein!
RICK HARPER Turn It Down, Richard Lee!
Meanwhile, bravely home-recording on the other side of the planet, here’s yet another slyly sonic, all-singing, sometimes stinging self-confessional from the One and Only Rickenharper; a friendly Ghost on the Canvas …along with a thin wild We’re In The Money that even hearing isn’t quite believing!
ALAN CLAYSON One Dover Soul
One terrific sonic stew of Syd, Eric’s SanFran Animals, indelible String Band, eclectic Prunes, prehistoric Unit Four + 2, Love ‘n’ Fugs, Gainsbourg and Hazlewood, some Varèse even, all beautifully buoyed by Alan’s never-fearing lyrical-slash-melodic munificence. P.S.: and guitarist/engineer/producer Wreckless Eric herein has never sounded so… well, wreckless!
THE DOUGHBOYS Shakin’ Our Souls
The don’t-ever-be-fooled-by-imitations New Jersey Doughboys resolutely enter their second half-century making the kind of utterly joyous noise even Raider rough-houser Mark Lindsay can’t help but contribute liner notes (not to mention sax!) to.
BILL LLOYD Boy King Of Tokyo
Honestly, after an entire year spent listening – and listening – to this latest Best Record Ever by Nashville’s greatest, the only thing I could possibly fault, if pressed, would be the misspelling of Marcia Brady’s given name on the enclosed press sheet. But, by 2013, I’ll be ready to forgive even that.
PETE TOWNSHEND Who I Am (the audio book) (unabridged, I’ll have you know)
yes, All 15 ( ! ) discs; all 19 ( !! ) hours of it ….no, Really !!!
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