Been a while since I did a Fresh Grabs post. I've been kind of quiet (been working on a baseball card project and I honestly have most of what I want in terms of records so it's more a "when an opportunity arises" but some highlights from a few recent local runs.
I went on a big blues and blues adjacent kick recently so I had to hit the one store around me that really gets the
good stuff with the best big doggo in and he did not disappoint. The first two are pretty much heavily that store and some other spare pickups.
The first cube is straight blues goodness. Mance is interesting in that he, as many, got his "career" start super late. This is a later press of his debut album at the young age of...65 years old when he was discovered. Luther Johnson, not to be confused with Luther Johnson, and Luther Johnson, and Luther Johnson...this one was southern boy and midwestern honed who left us a bit too early. The Blind (Reverend) Pearly Brown is a real tough find and more in the Gospel-Blues realm, there's just not a ton out there for him. The bottom row is a tiny bit more familiar with Albert King, but I wanted the highlight the other two. Lucille Spann was the last spouse of Otis Spann, put out one album with his band.
It wrecks and is some top flight Chicago Blues in my book- strong recommend. The Judy Roderick is kind of wild because I feel like I hear some Joni and Bonnie in there but it pre-dates it. That one is at least on Spotify, it's spare but it's rock solid.
Mance Lipscomb - Texas Sharecropper and Songster
Luther Johnson - Lonesome in my Bedroom
Blind Pearly Brown - Georgia Street Singer
Albert King - Live Wire / Blues Power
Lucille Spann - Cry Before I Go
Judy Roderick - Woman Blue
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The second is a couple great Bossa Nova titles (man Latin Jazz is great) and a couple more Southern Blues goodies. The Blues in the Missisippi Night is a 40s field recording releases in the late 1950s and is a mix of spoken word and traditional music. Other than Joe Willie Wilkins and His King Biscuit Boys being an amazing artist name - it's another example kind of like Mance and Lucille of a super later start for a pretty major talent - just top notch blues from a man in his 50s who had been a supporting artist for years. The Bossa Nova folks luckily a bit better known - Stan Getz and Luis Bonfa's sophomore effort and the first collaboration between VInce Guaraldi and Bola Sete are both rock solid genre records.
Blues in the Mississippi Night
Stan Getz & Luiz Bonfa - Jazz Samba Encore!
Joe Willie Wilkins & His King Biscuit Boys - Memphis Blues Caravan
Vince Guaraldi, Bola Sete, & Friends
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Finally, a mishmosh of second hand pickups from Newbury, Bull Moose, and a couple smaller vendors
I don't think I have to say much on Tears for Fears or Willie Nelson - two all time classic albums in clean shape at very solid pricing which I had been looking for for a while The other four are a bit more interesting. Janelle Monae's Metropolis is the first "suite" and the hardest to find at this point. Honestly, I likely should have re-allocated this cash elsewhere given that there's already the possibility of a repress, but functionally completing the Monae discography with a title that deserves a lot more attention was too hard to resist. The most obscure of these is probably The Black Queen - Infinite Games. I was immediately drawn to the art and there's sparse info anywhere on it, so I pulled up Spotify in the store, listened to one song, and held on. The genre Discogs uses Darkwave which I think is a fair overall representation but it's real good heavier music. The Last Five Years OST is one I have been hunting for a LONG while now. For background, the movie was barely put into theatres and is an adaptation of a fairly successful off-broadway play. The film itself was eh, but the music is very strong musical fare from Jason Robert Brown with great musical performances. Plus, there's not exactly a ton of Anna Kendrick on wax (Trolls and Pitch Perfect basically) and it's probably the best she has out there song quality wise. It was a limited run of 1000 that goes really quick on the rare occurence it pops up on Discogs so this was a pickup I rushed out for. Finally, while they've pressed a lot of different versions of the music of
It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown...this is the show. Felt right for the season.
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