Leonard Bernstein - George Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris

I don't know a whole hell of a lot about this music. I played it during dinner the other night. It was nice background music, interesting to listen to. I'm pretty sure this record was my grandfather's. It was in great shape. Didn't really need cleaning and played nicely. I did learn while listening to this that Leonard Bernstein and Elmer Bernstein are not the same person.

[discogs]

Henry Mancini - The Best of Mancini

I've been trying to get through all the Stones and Beatles I have so I can... well mostly so I can be done with them. I feel like that would be a milestone. But I've been busy and haven't done much with the records the last week or so. And to be honest I'm getting tired of the Beatles and the Stones. So I thought I'd switch it up a little and grab something from the middle of the "music for old people stack."

Big, sweeping, cinematic jazz. I'm glad I picked this one. Peter Gunn. Baby Elephant Walk. Bunch of other stuff I neither recognize nor have I ever heard of. Most of it pretty good. Certainly listenable while I clean my apartment and try to potty train my two year old.

There was... is a big old white spot of dust on side two that I could not remove. I was afraid it would be unplayable. Sprayed that sucker with record cleaner, used the special anti-static brush that they charge you too much for, the velvet brush that they charge you too much for, hit it with the extra special record cleaner that the guy at the record store told me was WAY better than the stuff that came from the velvet brush which you can tell because they charge you way too much for it. Nothing worked. So I figured, fuck it, let's give it a spin. Plays just fine. No idea what that stuff is. It's just staying there looking bad and not affecting playability at all.

Even though this isn't a soundtrack, I tagged it as one since so many of these songs have been in movies.

HO-HOLY CRAP, I could have done without hearing "The Days of Wine and Roses." Some things don't translate well across generations, I guess.

[wikipedia]

Stanley Turrentine - In The Pocket

Who in the what? Cleaning and playing these records is slow going so I'm going to keep posting pics of these and what I think of them in the meantime. At the rate I'm going this is going to take well over a year to play all these records. Especially since Amy is getting sick of me telling her she can't watch the news because I need to listen to Mott the Hoople.


So, in that spirit, who the hell is this guy? Whoever he is, I have his record, and I can smell your jealousy from here. Suck on that!

Tom Waits - Nighthawks at the Diner

So this one cleaned up nicely and plays well. I like Tom Waits. But I like old creepy The Black Rider, Tom Waits, not young, hip, witty Tom Waits. This is cool and all and I might play it at a party for background. I don't think I'd ever play it on my own. Nice live double album though and it's in pretty good shape so that's cool. I just really prefer Tom Waits' work from after he embraced the dark side of the force. This is from before.

[wikipedia]

Jean-Luc Ponty, Stephane Grappelli - Violin Summit

It's like dueling guitars only with violins and no one gets sodomized by a hillbilly. I hope.

[wikipedia]

Sting - Dream of the Blue Turtles

Ok, so... here's the thing. I loved the Police. Still do. I totally loved them and everything they did except for the 1986 version of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" which sucked in a way only exceptions to incredible bodies of work can.

So I was amped when this album came out, amped in the way only a precocious ten-year-old can be when his musical idol finally comes out with a solo album. It was a good album. I still think it's listenable. "Shadows in the Rain", "Consider Me Gone", "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free", this is a solid album. His next solo album, ...Nothing Like the Sun was, in my opinion, just as good. "The Lazarus Heart", "Englishman in New York", "We'll Be Together": strong work.

I need to make this next part very clear. I had no way of knowing he was going to unleash the horror that is "Fields of Gold" upon the world. Okay? How the fuck was I supposed to know in 1985 that he was gonna shit all over everything the Police ever did, and go on about his life pumping out volume after volume of shitty dentist's office music for another twenty plus fucking years?!?

I had no idea he was gonna turn 50, get into tantric sex and start boning 20-year olds!

I was just a kid!

I liked the Police! That's all!

NONE of what came after this is my fault!

[wikipedia]

Kenny G - Duotones

*spit take* BA-HA-HA-HA-HAHAHAAAAAAAAA!

[wikipedia]

Chuck Mangione - Children of Sanchez

I feel uncertain that this Chuck Mangione album is distinct enough from the other Chuck Mangione album to justify owning both of them.

[wikipedia]

Chuck Mangione - Feels So Good

I'm gonna go ahead and blame this one on my stepfather. Not the one I have now, the one who's my sister's dad. I remember hearing this when I was a kid. They make fun of this guy in King of the Hill. Um. Nice hat. I think this may qualify as my first mullet sighting. Let's call it a mullet and move forward. There's a lot more mullets out there. My mom bought LPs all the way into the 80s.

[wikipedia]