i got some records today. they are:

1. bette midler - the divine miss m - clean copy, only paid a dollar for it too. why the fuck would i touch this? daytime hustler, that's why. you can walk out of any thrift store in america with a copy of this, too. much cheaper than the almost identical break from dennis coffey. the whole song isn't bad, and 'do you want to dance?' is alright. this version of 'leader of the pack' is ok, as well, with a slower intro before they start accelerating and things get a little crazy. i listen to all the records i get all the way through at least once, even this one, as much of a headache as it can be.

2. le pamplemousse - le spank 12" - a water-damaged jacket made this mine for $2. now i've got doubles of 'monkey see, monkey see', one of my favorite tracks to use the echo with. 'le spank' is good, more on a disco tip, but the b-side wins in my opinion. seriously dope jam here.

3. boz scaggs - silk degrees - putting this on, i think to myself 'why did i get this again?' just b/c soulstrut has a graemlin with this doesn't make it good; after all, leo sayer's got one too. (for the record, i don't think i bought this b/c of said graemlin.) i'm thinking i got fooled into buying this. bad bar rock. there's about half a bar of drums on the intro to 'what do you want the girl to do', and the intro as a whle sounds choppable. still a garbage song though. 'harbor lights' has an ok intro with some electric piano and then quickly goes downhill. side b starts much better though. 'lowdown' is a track i have heard before, with a nice drum intro, reminiscent of sly's 'a family affair' if i'm not mistaken. the-breaks says some people have used this, maybe that's where i've heard it. i'm not expecting anything else on this album, but 'love me tomorrow' kinda grooves. 'lido shuffle' has a gary-glitter-esque intro that you probably couldn't do anything with. and 'we're all alone' is a slow ballad! this album is so common, its not funny. cheap, its probably ok to get.

4. cold blood - lydia pense & cold blood - i've got sisyphus and cold blood and i thoroughly enjoy both of these, so when i saw this for cheap, i picked it up. it's 1976, but they're still playing that uptempo funk that gets folks spinning on their heads. the production is cleaner than before, an artifact of the times, no doubt. 'i get off on you' has a wicked intro with some synth action before a very disco chorus. has anyone used this? 'drink the wine' is a nice track that starts out quiet and then steps it up (and down). 'i got happiness' starts very cheesily and slowly improves from there. 'feel the fire' starts very nicely, with some quick funk drums + bass in the intro. this one stays up the whole track, a real stormer. side b starts with some midtempo funk w/ some disco hihats. i've definitely heard the intro to 'back here again' before, w/ it's drums + horn hits. 'i love you more than you'll ever know' is a slow ballad. premo used this? 'blinded by love' is good funky music. the last track doesn' do much for me.

5. chuck brown & the soul searchers - bustin loose 12" - you know this classic track. i've got it on 45, and this is the first time i've seen it on a 12". excellent track from a gogo don. gimme the bridge now! and it's got breaks on both sides, as opposed to the 45 i've got, which starts the b-side w/ the break.

6. mutabaruka - check it! - this cat did some unique tracks, almost like a ragga hiphop delivery over dub tracks. very cool stuff. this pressing is on alligator, so it's probably a reissue, but i'm fine with that. earl 'chinna' smith produced this w/ mutabaruka at tuff gong studios in kingston, and it features players such as augustus pablo and carlton barrett. if you're not familiar with this guy, you should definitely check him out.