Sunday, February 27, 2011

Peter Frampton Did Not Invent The Talk Box




Wichita Lineman- The Heartaches MP3

Plastic Saddle- The Heartaches MP3

2/24/11

beeradvocate.com- A-

Captain Lawrence Nor'Easter Winter Warmer (Strong Ale)-Community Beverage, Queens, NY- 25.6 oz. bomber into 12OZ. Brandy Snifter- 12% ABV- Poured very dark brown with some hints of ruby when held up to the light. About a fingers worth of dense, dark tan head. Little to no lacing and the head receded at a medium pace. Off the bat this ale had a strong alcohol aroma. You could say overpowering but that is not to say its bad. This is advertised as a winter warmer so I was actually hoping it would be on the "boozy" side. After it warmed up a bit I did detect some dark "berry" like qualities which could be attributed to the elderberries used in the brewing process and maybe some woodieness as well. This is not a beer for the faint of heart. This is a kick back and take it easy kind of beer with a couple of good records and not much else to do. Definitely alot of bourbon qualities found here and I like it. This beer was an expensive and I kind of had buyers remorse after purchasing it. I have wanted to try a bourbon barrel aged beer for awhile and this is the first one I came across and it ended up being more expensive than I anticipated. I probably would not get this beer again but I am glad I tried it and it fit the bill for a "winter warmer".

On the turntable is Wichita Lineman- The Heartaches- Recorded for RCA in Nashville, TN in 1969. The Heartaches were Dottie West’s backing band from the mid sixties. I bought this LP a few years ago at the WFMU Record Fair with no knowledge of who they were but it looked promising.I really love the cover of this LP. Some Nashville cats from the sixties. I was just sort of getting into country music particularly instrumental country music when I bought this LP. I was also at the time and still am a big fan of the song “Wichita Lineman”. So this looked like a safe bet even though I Knew nothing of the band. One of the great things about this record is the inclusion of a Vibraphone on a number of tracks. Certainly an unusual instrument for a country record but it really adds some depth to these recordings and makes it stand out from the other country instrumental records I have from this time period. A rich, moody quality is apparent in their vocal less version of Wichita Lineman. Another stand out track is their version of Plastic Saddles with a Talk-Box applied to the pedal steel guitar, a not uncommon effect employed by steel guitarists in the early-mid sixties, long before it was popularized by Peter Frampton.

Friday, February 18, 2011

These Are All My Fingerprints On This Glass




Confessions Of A Broken Man- Porter Wagoner MP3


beeradvocate.com- A-

Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale- Key Food, Forest Hills Queens-Bomber into Belgian Beer Glass- 7.2% ABV- Poured a dark ruby color bordering on brown. Two finger tan head which hung around quite a bit. Some globby spots of lacing on the glass. Aroma is fruity with hops and malts in the background. More grapefruit or citrus fruits than the dark fruits present in some of the beers I have had lately. Medium to light body with modest carbonation. I actually bought this beer last minute at the local supermarket which has an above average beer selection for a supermarket. I was planning on drinking a bourbon barrel aged "winter warmer" but it is unseasonably warm today here in NYC, 60 degrees, so I wanted to save that for next week when hopefully it will be a bit colder so I can truly enjoy a true "winter warmer". This is a pretty bitter beer, very hoppy and not quite what I expected. I was expecting something a bit maltier. There are malts present but this is very hoppy, probably the hoppiest ale I've had not including IPA's. This is a good beer but not sure if I would seek it out regularly but I would like to try it off the tap.

On the turntable is Confessions Of A Broken Man- Porter Wagoner- Recorded for RCA in 1964, no other info available. I am a big Porter Wagoner fan. Alot of his LP's have not been reissued on CD but I have two excellent CD compilations issued by Omni Recordings. I also have a few of his LP's. A legend in country music but sad to say a man of another era and one not mentioned often these days. Mr. Wagoner, in addition to a successful music career, had a very popular music television show broadcast in the 60's and 70's and was also known for discovering Dolly Parton. In the mid to late sixties on top of all of his other obligations Mr. Wagoner managed to release a string of LP's based loosely on his alter ego "Skid Row Joe" and this is one of those albums. This alter ego allowed Mr. Wagoner to explore the seamier side of life filled with down on their luck characters. With haunting spoken word sections and wonderful instrumental accompaniment Mr. Wagoner sets the stage for a man wrestling with his demons, trying to make his way through a world which neglects him. This reflective song cycle can really make you think earnestly about the decisions people make and their consequences. Mr. Wagoner was extremely insightful and it begs the question, how did he come up with such compassionate songs about men far less successful than him? In any event we will probably never know the answer to that question. I have included an MP3 of the title track "Confessions Of A Broken Man". Note the steel guitar, mournful organ and the emotionally charged speak-sing style Mr. Wagoner implements.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Make A Believer Out Of Me




Out Of The Depths- Mahalia Jackson MP3

2/12/11

beeradvocate.com rating- B

Smuttynose Winter Lager- Brouweji Lane- Greenpoint, Brklyn- 32 oz.. Growler into 12oz Brandy Snifter- Poured a dark brown with some hints of red around the edges. About one fingers worth of tan head which receded rapidly. Little to no lacing on the glass. The aroma has a lot of raisins and dark fruit qualities mixed in with malty characteristics. A medium bodied mouthfeel with a silky texture. Carbonation is high compared to the other winter lagers I have had. I was looking for a "winter warmer" when I bought this and it doesn't exactly hit the mark in that respect. That said it didn't advertise itself as a winter warmer. This is a good beer but not particularly distinguishable from other winter lagers I have had except for the carbonation. It's a good beer but not something I would seek out again.

On the turntable is The Worlds Greatest Gospel Singer- Mahalia Jackson- American music popular music has deep, deep roots in gospel music. If you traced the most influential artists of the 20th century backwards through their musical lineage you would eventually reach some type of gospel influence, directly or indirectly. In some ways the two are inseparable. From Ray Charles to Hank Williams and Sam Cooke to Johnny Cash most of the great artists of the 20th Century (and most of my favorites) had some connection to gospel music and as a result the people who were inspired by them did to. In today's music world the connection is harder to identify and pales in comparison to the influence that "church" music had on pop music in the 20th Century. My personal vinyl collection is about 98% secular music but there are a few gospel records in there and this is one of the better ones. Mahalia Jackson is backed by a jazzy, r&b flavored combo identified as the Fall-Jones Ensemble.

I was raised in a Catholic family but at this point in my life I am a bit of a lapsed Catholic. Unfortunately the music I heard in church growing up was nothing like the music contained in this LP. If it had been I may have paid more attention. The religious themes and references to Jesus don't bother me as it might some other people. I can appreciate this music as it is even if I don't subscribe to the message wholeheartedly. The band that backs Ms. Jackson is a swinging one and really adds to Ms. Jackson's performances. She has a wonderful voice, a voice that can make you a believer if you already aren't one.

Thursday, February 3, 2011




Skillet Licker MP3- Willis Jackson

2/3/11

beeradvocate.com- A-

Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout- Euro Market, 31 St. Astoria, NY- Bomber into Belgium Beer Glass- 5.% ABV- Poured with a creamy, butterscotch 2 finger head. Receded at a medium pace, not a whole lot of lacing left on the class. Dark black with hints of red around the edges with no real light coming through the glass. Rich, roasted malts, though I don't really detect any "oatmeal". Nice medium body with a silky finish. Light to medium amount of carbonation. Very smooth, very drinkable. I have actually seen this beer many times. Its often in delis and supermarkets and I remember seeing it around way before craft beers started showing up on shelves in bodegas and supermarkets. The whole idea of an oatmeal stout kind of freaked me out but this is a quality beer. I have never seen it in a bar but would think that it would be a nice stout to try from a tap. I would definitely consider getting this again if I was in the mood for a stout.




On the turntable is Gator Tails- Willis Jackson- Recorded in NYC for Verve Records in 1964. I believe this is the first Verve Records post I have done but there will definitely be more! I chose this record because I recently read an interesting article about an arranger named Claus Ogerman in Wax Poetics magazine. It was a really good article and brought to my attention one of the key jazz arrangers of the 1960's and 1970's. I have had a soft spot for jazz arrangers and I find their role as composer in the world of music which is essentially based on improvisation a compelling one. A balanced musical framework is important to a composition and is an aid to the improvisatory elements of jazz. In the article they mentioned a number of artists Ogerman worked with (Jimmy, Smith, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Cal Tjader, etc.) and I have a couple of the albums mentioned but I could access this one easily at the moment. Willis Jackson made a name for himself as a session, r&b and jazz musician in the 50's through the 70's. His playing has an edge and economy which makes him at home in both ballads and gritty soul numbers. There are number of fine songs on this album. The classic public domain song Frankie and Johnny, the smokey drift of Early One Morning and a funky version of the classic pop tune On Broadway. I included the MP3 version of Skillet Licker a groovy little Latin influenced gem, alluded to in the liner notes as, specifically arranged by Mr. Ogerman. My one regret about this LP is that Verve failed to include the names of the other musicians playing on this LP in the liner notes.