a bunch of records + cds gone, cash in my hand + these:

1. the ramsey lewis trio - upendo ni pamoja - i've always shied away from ramsey lewis _trio_ records because i don't know. but i've heard this one is good, and so i picked it up. starts w/ two classics, 'slipping into darkness' and 'people make the world go round'. 'concierto de aranjuez' has a nice open bassline, and then with drums. side 2 opens with two nice groovers. this version of 'put your hand in the hand' is a shuffle, rather than a nice break like the ocean version (which i have, nyah!). 'collage', on the other hand, has a pretty wierd intro before becoming a slow groover. strange ending, too.

2. rare earth - one world - this is what i've been feeling, this rock guitar + latin percussion + heavy bass just going after it. i'd call it 'danceable rock' but humorless balding hipsters would tell me that's gang of four or some other nonsense. it ain't classic rock, it's got too much of a beat (although it's definitely close). the first track is 'what'd i say', the ray charles classic with a few breakdowns, the second one allowing the horns to get theirs, and the third w/ a vocal+percussion thing slightly reminiscent of titanic's 'macumba' (now there's a record i need to track down!). it of course has a huge ending that segues into a nice percussion outro. 'if i die' has that classic rock vocal sound. 'the seed' has an ill struttin intro which turns out to be the best part of the track. 'i just want to celebrate' has a nice neck snap to it, then things get a little overblown and then get dubbed out, and only _then_ do we get the dope break. damn, that's a nice one. side 2 high points include the breakdown in 'someone to love' and the drum + vocal bits in 'any man can be a fool'.

another day, some more records traded and sold. here's what i got:

soft machine - third - everyone who tells me about soft machine seems to be a hipster, kinda like free design fans. as a result, i've shied away from their records. but i took a 'chance' and got this and its pretty cool. very proggy, 'slightly all the time' is the best track on here. i never thought i'd listen to stuff like this.

grover washington jr - baddest (white label promo copy) - what can i say? it was a cheap two disk set that has the 9 minute version of 'mr. magic'. 'it feels so good' has its moments as well, and the intro on 'a secret place' is kinda cool. the reggae version of 'lean on me', however, can be done without. it shares a side with a 13 minute norman whitfield track called 'masterpiece' that sounds really good. these are all cti cuts, but this is a motown release.

yellow magic orchestra - x8multiplies - i geek all over their first album, but wasn't as into 'technodelic'. 'behind the mask' rocks it, as does 'rydeen'. it gets wierder after this. very enjoyable.

atomic rooster - made in england - british prog rockers here. this ain't bad music here. 'time take my life' has a little strut in it, and the intro to 'little bit of inner air' is pretty crazy. did anyone use that? 'never to loose' grooves. the b-side into is kinda wierd. 'people you can't trust' has a really nice verse section.

lou rawls - the way it was / the way it is - an axelrod production, this is good old soul music. but the intro to 'season of the witch' has a scratch in it? shame.

the salsoul orchestra - s/t - this is all pretty good disco stuff. i like 'tale of three cities' and 'chicago bus stop'. not a bad find.