This Time It's Personal: The November 2023 Record Challenge Thread

November 5
You: “Excuse me, but could you special order two records for me?”
Record store clerk: “Sure thing! Which ones?”
You: “um, Chicago’s 19 and also their fourth Christmas album”
Record store clerk: “Uhh…”
You: “I made the mistake of buying their first record and now I have to own them all.”

Which band/musician made you “go down the rabbit hole,” making you feel the need to buy everything they ever put out? What? You never did that? You have incredible will-power, you say? Ohhh well good for you! Play whatever you want then, I don’t care.

Super Furry Animals - Phantom Power

I had my old SFA CDs, and wasn't necessarily planning to get all their albums on vinyl, but then I picked up Guerrilla, and I've been grabbing the 20th-anniversary reissues as they come out since.

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Day 5:
You: “Excuse me, but could you special order two records for me?”
Record store clerk: “Sure thing! Which ones?”
You: “um, Chicago’s 19 and also their fourth Christmas album”
Record store clerk: “Uhh…”
You: “I made the mistake of buying their first record and now I have to own them all.”

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings - Soul of a Woman

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The first non-holiday SJ&TDK album I bought and the record that properly set me down the Daptone rabbit hole, which has since extended to Colemine, Penrose, Kimberlite and possibly more…
 
November 4
You: “If you like _____, then you’ll DEFINITELY love _______. This is THE BEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR!!”
Them: :::crickets:::
What is one of your favorite artists/records that you feel is criminally underrated or ignored and makes you question your taste in music because no one else is raving about it? Now is the time to sell us on it!

Robert Charlebois et Louise Forestier "Robert Charlebois avec Louise Forestier" (1968 Gamma)
I'll go with record that is incredibly important to an entire culture and completely unknown to pretty much everyone else. As mentioned in the "Fresh Grabs" thread, I found a superb original copy over the weekend. Gives me a chance to spin it - and it sounds really great. This is a late 60's psychedelic record from Quebec. The reason it's important is that it's regarded as the first record that embraces our patois as spoken so it symbolizes a self-affirmation of sorts. And was shocking at the time with its use of our catholic-based swear words. Charlebois spent time in California before recording this, experimenting with music - lyrically, some of the songs reflect this as he sings about not being sure of his place anymore when returning. Musically, this is a psychedelic record with jazz and orchestral elements. The big hit "Lindberg" is still on the airwaves over here, to this day.

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A couple samples:



 
November 4
You: “If you like _____, then you’ll DEFINITELY love _______. This is THE BEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR!!”
Them: :::crickets:::

What is one of your favorite artists/records that you feel is criminally underrated or ignored and makes you question your taste in music because no one else is raving about it? Now is the time to sell us on it!


Jonny Nash - Point of Entry

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This is currently my vote for my favorite ambient album of 2023. The only instance of Jonny Nash that I have seen on the forum is when @Ghost commented on my acquisition of the record in the Fresh Grabs thread.
It is radiant. Free-flowing. Akin to a oceanside summer breeze. Occasional floaty vocal presence that adorns the gentle, resonant fingerpicked guitar that provides atmosphere comparable to Slowdive's Pygmalion era. The understated synthesizers are reserved and safe, near subliminal textures. These textures blend together to surround you like a sleepy afternoon somewhere warm, assured, and secluded.
He is great in his own right, but his Gaussian Curve output with Italian ambient great Gigi Masin and Balearic composer/artist Marco Sterk is heavenly. Some of the most divine (and yet under the radar) that I've ever come across in the genre.

One of my favorite songs of the year:
 
November 4
What is one of your favorite artists/records that you feel is criminally underrated or ignored and makes you question your taste in music because no one else is raving about it? Now is the time to sell us on it!

Criminally underrated, sadly ignored stateside but absolutely no self-doubt involved.

My first exposure to You Am I was on the Soundgarden 'Superunknown' tour as an opener in '95. I remember everything about their set. Spellbinding rock and roll with an earworm in every tune. Tim has a lot in common with Paul Westerberg lyrically and Pete Townsend musically.

Think an amalgam of The Who, The Replacements and Big Star. And keep in mind - this was their debut. Further growth and complexity ensued.

Every song has a memorable hook or line or riff...











You Am I - Sound As Ever

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November 5
Which band/musician made you “go down the rabbit hole,” making you feel the need to buy everything they ever put out? What? You never did that? You have incredible will-power, you say? Ohhh well good for you! Play whatever you want then, I don’t care.

There are many artists that fall into this category, but Neil Young is my most severe.

Uhhhhhhh....

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Apparently, this isn't quite all of them. Discogs count is 227.

"Honey, it's just another life insurance policy for you. Plus, I could be the Sun Ra guy."

Everyone slams this record so y'all come getcha some...



Neil Young - Landing On Water

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Yer Ol' Uncle D said:
November 4
What is one of your favorite artists/records that you feel is criminally underrated or ignored and makes you question your taste in music because no one else is raving about it? Now is the time to sell us on it!

Criminally underrated, sadly ignored stateside but absolutely no self-doubt involved.

My first exposure to You Am I was on the Soundgarden 'Superunknown' tour as an opener in '95. I remember everything about their set. Spellbinding rock and roll with an earworm in every tune. Tim has a lot in common with Paul Westerberg lyrically and Pete Townsend musically.

Think an amalgam of The Who, The Replacements and Big Star. And keep in mind - this was their debut. Further growth and complexity ensued.

Every song has a memorable hook or line or riff...











You Am I - Sound As Ever

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Click to expand...

I’m going to see them tonight!
 
November 6
“This is probably in my top 5 favorite acid-funk alternative jazz -country albums of all time.”

Play an album that is a perfect representation of one of your favorite musical genres. Why do you like this genre so much? What are some other artists/records that you’d recommend in this genre?

I wasn't thinking this album originally, but while playing it I thought it's a good fit here - You got the nu / alternative metal-ness of Chino Moreno singing - and the sludge / progressive / post-metal of ISIS - so that's a combo that is right in my wheelhouse.

(I had planned on some score or soundtrack, as I do have a lot, but I thought this one fits me better)

Palms – Palms
Ipecac Recordings – IPC266LP, 2013/2023

10th Anniversary - with 2 previously unreleased tracks

Revolver exclusive Silver Marble variant - limited to 350

Cut at Rare Form Mastering

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November 1
Guest comes to your home for the first time: “You seem to like music a lot- holy smokes that’s a LOT of vinyls!” (Guest runs their hand -too aggressively, you determine- across the spines of the records)

What was the first album you remember having? Did you get it as a kid or did you more recently get into this silly hobby? Can you still smell the liner notes when you hear these songs?

This one is when i got back into records, after holding out for a couple years knowing I would go overboard! 😁 I hit the local to grab a few records, so it was the original black version of this which I eventually PIF’d when i grabbed the VMPv version. Also picked up Paul’s Boutique on that initial trip too, but this sounded like a nice listen this morning. Some “way too many records and counting”, and here we are.

Hoping to catch up and stay up on this month, we’ll actually be home!

King Tuff - The Other

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November 2
“Yeah the record’s great, but you’ve GOT to see them live!”

What was one of your all-time favorite concerts that you’ve been to, who went with you, and where was it? If you’ve never been to a show, who would you love to see (or love to have seen) live? Digital high-fives will be given if you include photos from the show.

Still remember this show after seeing Alejandro so many times over the years. There used to be a piano against the back wall in this odd shaped room, and I jumped up and sat on it and had a great view. Alejandro’s voice was epic that night, and enthralled the crowd once again. Get a chance to see him, you’ll feel like he’s singing directly to you.

Alejandro Escovedo - Gravity

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November 5
Which band/musician made you “go down the rabbit hole,” making you feel the need to buy everything they ever put out? What? You never did that? You have incredible will-power, you say? Ohhh well good for you! Play whatever you want then, I don’t care.

It's a tie between Pearl Jam and Neil Young, and it all distills down to a moment just over 30 years ago where Pearl Jam played Animal on the MTV awards, and then brought Neil out for an incendiary version of Rockin' in the Free World. Watching that is seared in my memory and solidified the rabbit hole for both of these artists. While there are only 11 studio albums in the PJ catalog, I'm up to 35 releases of PJ and related bands.

Going with the next album in my collection playthrough for today's spin. Someday I'll get that copy of Mirrorball to tie it all together though.

Pearl Jam ~ Fox Theater 4/03/94

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ovember 3
“Hey, this is our song! Remember?”
“No.”

What record will forever remind you of that special someone, a relative, or a good friend and why? What does it remind you of doing with them? (ahem, keep it clean)

We’ll go with Mom on this one. This was not her type of music, but for some reason she enjoyed it and even more so the cover. When I was younger I’d always ask my parents to change the music and/or play it louder in the car and would get “you can do what you want when you have your own car” 😄 Then I’m older and she would tell me to turn my music down. But every time she’d get in the car when i was taking her somewhere I’d see her smile at that cover, so I’d play it a good portion of the time. Still didn’t want it loud, but all was good. Miss her!

Tortoise - TNT

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November 4
You: “If you like _____, then you’ll DEFINITELY love _______. This is THE BEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR!!”
Them: :::crickets:::

What is one of your favorite artists/records that you feel is criminally underrated or ignored and makes you question your taste in music because no one else is raving about it? Now is the time to sell us on it!

This one is probably not ignored too badly on this forum, but one of my favorite artists of the last few years. His new record is a fantastic double live album, this is from a couple years back. If you like that dusty instrumental desert country sound, this is for you. Never fails to put me at ease.

William Tyler - Goes West

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November 5
You: “Excuse me, but could you special order two records for me?”
Record store clerk: “Sure thing! Which ones?”
You: “um, Chicago’s 19 and also their fourth Christmas album”
Record store clerk: “Uhh…”
You: “I made the mistake of buying their first record and now I have to own them all.”
Which band/musician made you “go down the rabbit hole,” making you feel the need to buy everything they ever put out? What? You never did that? You have incredible will-power, you say? Ohhh well good for you! Play whatever you want then, I don’t care.

Various Artists "Soul Slabs Vol. 2" (2019 Colemine Records)
Went down a Colemine Records rabbit hole starting around RSD2019. I even started the thread on here named "Colemine Records Rabbit Hole". It all started with this compilation, which brought me back to another deep rabbit hole I got into around the turn of the century, collecting Soul Fire, Daptone, Jazzman, Truth & Soul records and the like. I stuck to LP's this time but went back into their discography and snapped up as much as I could. Orgone, Durand Jones, Microphonics, Delvon Lamarr, Postales, Soul Scratch, Ikebe Shakedown and now Kendra Morris, Ghostfunk Orchestra, Ironsides and Rudy De Anda. I'm still collecting, but I'm a bit more selective these days. I'll never match the likes of @Lee Newman and others on here (I only have 49 records from Colemine/Karma Chief/3 Palm), but this music is so good and demands to be shared. Looking forward to a Soul Slabs Vol. 4.

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Turbo said:
November 5
You: “Excuse me, but could you special order two records for me?”
Record store clerk: “Sure thing! Which ones?”
You: “um, Chicago’s 19 and also their fourth Christmas album”
Record store clerk: “Uhh…”
You: “I made the mistake of buying their first record and now I have to own them all.”
Which band/musician made you “go down the rabbit hole,” making you feel the need to buy everything they ever put out? What? You never did that? You have incredible will-power, you say? Ohhh well good for you! Play whatever you want then, I don’t care.

Various Artists "Soul Slabs Vol. 2" (2019 Colemine Records)
Went down a Colemine Records rabbit hole starting around RSD2019. I even started the thread on here named "Colemine Records Rabbit Hole". It all started with this compilation, which brought me back to another deep rabbit hole I got into around the turn of the century, collecting Soul Fire, Daptone, Jazzman, Truth & Soul records and the like. I stuck to LP's this time but went back into their discography and snapped up as much as I could. Orgone, Durand Jones, Microphonics, Delvon Lamarr, Postales, Soul Scratch, Ikebe Shakedown and now Kendra Morris, Ghostfunk Orchestra, Ironsides and Rudy De Anda. I'm still collecting, but I'm a bit more selective these days. I'll never match the likes of @Lee Newman and others on here (I only have 49 records from Colemine/Karma Chief/3 Palm), but this music is so good and demands to be shared. Looking forward to a Soul Slabs Vol. 4.

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Click to expand...
I blame @Crabbers
 
November 6
“This is probably in my top 5 favorite acid-funk alternative jazz -country albums of all time.”

Play an album that is a perfect representation of one of your favorite musical genres. Why do you like this genre so much? What are some other artists/records that you’d recommend in this genre?

I'm in no way an expert on Alt-Country or Americana or whatever this falls in, but I would consider this album my gateway into that genre. I lived in Chicago & Minnesota from 94-97 and discovering the Jayhawks is a core memory of that time. Hearing songs from them on REV105 in Minnesota or WXRT in Chicago brought me back to the 70's stations I grew up with in Southern California with the tight harmonies between Mark Olson and Gary Louris, and prominent guitars- but with a decidedly world weary / midwestern feel. Their first two albums (this one and Tomorrow The Green Grass) are definitely in my top 5 of the genre though.

The Jayhawks ~ "Hollywood Town Hall"

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November 5
You: “Excuse me, but could you special order two records for me?”
Record store clerk: “Sure thing! Which ones?”
You: “um, Chicago’s 19 and also their fourth Christmas album”
Record store clerk: “Uhh…”
You: “I made the mistake of buying their first record and now I have to own them all.”

Which band/musician made you “go down the rabbit hole,” making you feel the need to buy everything they ever put out? What? You never did that? Youhave incredible will-power, you say? Ohhh well good for you! Play whatever you want then, I don’t care.

Since the Christmas lights were just put up this morning on the house, and you mentioned a Christmas album, let’s go with this one. Been picking up everything from Hiss Golden Messenger since I saw him open for Justin Townes Earle and just destroy it. Solo set and I was mesmerized. Picked up all the box with 4 early records and everything since. This second record of this is actually a dub reworking of the first record, and gonna play that. They actually did a full record and called themselves Revelators Sound System, and I have that one too.

Hiss Golden Messenger meets Revelators on South Robinson Street - The Sounding Joy

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