3.22.6

(note: this started out as an email to sean.)

tueday night after playing shadowrun i didn't feel like sleeping, so i started driving north. i made it all the way to belfast, me before i had to get gas. i had a good lobster omlette for breakfast at marriner's in camden and started driving back to boston on us 1. on the way back, i made two stops:

1. salvation army - the pickings are usually really slim, and this was no exception. i got a very scratched up copy of 'the donny osmond album' that i had to cop a jacket for. i picked it up because i saw a cover of 'burning bridges', the mike curb congregation classic w/ huge drums. this cover does not have any open drums, it's got a nice strut to it, but thats it. there was also something at thebeginning of 'time to ride' that might be usable, but this was pretty much a no-go. i also got 'ginger haired man' by gallery on 45. why, you might ask? exhibit a: the label, this was released on sussex, a detroit label that i've heard good things about. it was distributed by buddha. exhibit b) it was arranged and produced by michael theodore not important) and dennis coffey (hugely important). dennis coffey wrote a lot of highly desirable records, but this was a huge waste. you'd have laughed to see my face fall when i finally go this home and played it. fuck it any way, total: $0.92 for the both + tax.

2. i kept driving and found another record store out in bfe. the sign claimed to have 'used lps', so i went in. the owner was there and bored and so we talked while i dug through his stacks. he had an og meters - trick bag in nice shape for $20, but i passed on it. there was some other interesting stuff too, but the price wasn't right for me. instead, i left w/ the following:
a. faces - long player - i pulled out a faces record and casually mentioned to the owner that i didn't know anything about them. this was rod stewart's band before he went solo. he put on a best of faces while i dug. i heard a track called bad & ruined that started with a head-nodding intro, and the deal was sealed when i heard the drum break halfway through. good find. the jacket looks like a 12", as in it shows the label on the record through the jacket. cop it if you find it under $10, its a good find.
b. manfred mann - chapter three - here's someone else i don't know anything about, but i had seen 'snakeskin garter' on a comp (dusty fingers maybe?). this is a really cool record, every track has a really nice dusty (as in fingers, not as in rice krispies) feel to it. 'snakeskin garter' is dope, of course, but i also liked 'travelling lady' and 'a study in inaccuracy'. definitely a good find.
c. sly and the family stone - there's a riot going on - what can i say? classic stuff. this even had the lyric inset with it. i haven't listened to it yet, so there's no stand-out tracks from me, but c'mon! it's sly! even if he looked a little off on tv a minute ago, that doesn't change what he did back then. i expect this to be good, esp. since this is the first time i've seen it in the field.
d. the best cop i got on this trip: ramsey lewis - them changes (sealed)! i love the stuff ramsey lewis did w/ cleveland eaton and morris jennings, and this has phil upchurch sitting it for some live shows in minneapolis. the link goes to place where you can hear the break on 'them changes'. good stuff. this is my second sealed record (that's not a repress); so do i hold it and try to flip it or open it up and appreciate it?