Delirium Tremens Noel- Received as part of a gift basket- Belgian Beer Glass - 10.0% ABV
Head- Huge off white, bone colored head- no lacing
Color- Reddish copper color
Mouthfeel- Pleasant, medium body with active carbonation
Aroma- Not a whole lot other than roasted malts.
Taste/ Overall- The taste of this reminds me of dark cherries and other dark fruits. It has some of the stickiness I associate with this type of big beer but it isn't to unpleasant. For a 10% ABV I feel like the booze is well hidden and this is actually a nice beer to sip on. I don't see myself buying this again because I am not really a fan of the style but it is a very enjoyable ale and well executed.
On the turntable is Deja Vu- CSNY- Released in 1970 on Atlantic Records- I have been reading the book Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor and CSNY and the Lost Story of 1970. Its a really good book and tells the story of these artists and their respective releases from 1970 and how their stories related to the culture at large in 1970. Unfortunately I was not even born yet so I didn't experience the year myself but I have always been fascinated with this time period.
Of all of these bands I am most interested most in CSNY. I know most people would prefer the Beatles but for me I think I actually listen more to CSNY and their various off-shoots more than any other of the bands mentioned. The one biography I have read about CSNY does not go as in depth as I would like but I would recommend David Crosby's autobiography Long Time Gone which is excellent though at times hard to read based on his graphic description of his descent into freebase cocaine. I just got the Deja Vu record recently. Its a clean copy and I got it for a buck. I have seen this record many times but never got around to buying it. It was an essential addition to my CSNY & Family collection. Is this album a masterpiece? I am not sure but it was an album that defined the era and changed a lot about the music industry itself. I was familiar with most of the songs on this album but Country Girl is still fairly new to me and a wonderful song that I had not been exposed to and more in the vein of the expansive tracks he was producing with Jack Nitszche on his first solo LP. I didn't post anything from this album this time around because these songs are readily available to anyone who wants them.
Oskar Blues Smidy Stout- Brouweji Lane- Colorado- 32oz. Growler into Belgian Beer Glass - N/A ABV
Head- About a 2 finger of head, lacey, not dense and receded quikly. Color had purple highlights
Color- Black, hints of reddish purple.
Mouthfeel- Light bodied, medium to heavy carbonation
Aroma- Not a whole lot other than roasted malts.
Taste/ Overall- Suprisingly...kind of disappointing. This was from a a tap but almost tastes like it came from a bottle. Not that it tastes flat, which it doesn't, but it lacks the body I expect from a tap drawn stout. Aditionaly the flavor profile is lackluster, not a whole lot going on in the sense of savoring different flavors. Not a bad beer but not one I would seek out again.
On the turntable is Sunday's Child- John Martyn- Recorded for Island Records in 1974- This was chosen tonight as an exercise in shopping in ones own collection. After buying music for as long as I have, inevitably, one is gonna acquire albums that don't receive as much attention as they deserve. This means you can in a sense "shop" in ones own collection and find an album which is essentially "new" and needs to be properly listened to again. This is the case with this album which I broke out earlier this week after a couple of years of being stowed away.I got this album about four years ago when I lived around the corner from a record store. Dangerous thing... living around the corner from a record store... but also a fun experience. I could literally gather change from my seat cushions walk downstairs around the corner and buy a record for $2 and go home with some new music to listen to. It also encouraged stockpiling albums which isn't always a good thing.
This is one of John Martyn's albums that doesn't seem to get the same respect as his more experimental albums like Solid Air and Bless The Weather. It's unfortunate because this album probably deserves a bit more respect and I happen to enjoy it. It doesn't hurt that this LP is generally considerably less expensive than the albums mentioned above if your lucky enough to come across original copies! Its closer structurally to a traditional singer/songwriter's style but it also offers some ethereal, woozy songs that are easy to get lost in. He reminds me of Bert Jancsh with a stronger voice and more restrained guitar picking. His songs bear some resemblance to the hypnotic qualities so often found in Van Morrison's music. This album includes some nice use of a wah-wah pedal in places and tasteful, spare keyboard work provided by Martyn himself. Also of note is the rhythmic bass playing of Danny Thompson. Included above is an MP3 of the traditional tune Spencer The Rover which may be in some way related to the other traditional ballad The Irish Rover.
Full Sail LTD. 03 Pilsner- Brouweji Lane- Greenpoint Brooklyn, NY- 32oz. Growler into Pub Glass- 5..5% ABV (damn!)
Head- Nice head, creamy but dissipated prettty quickly
Color- Pale gold, straw
Mouthfeel- Light but with presence
Aroma- Lemony, light hops maybe some grass
Taste/ Overall- This is a a really clean crisp beer with a bit more complexity than an average pilsner. Its got some life to it but is very drinkable. I will easily put this growler away. More appropriate for a spring or summer day in my opinion.
On the turntable is Rock Of Ages- The Band- Recorded at the old Academy on 14th Street in Manhattan over the "eclipse of new years 1971-72". This record stands as the 2nd most important live record produced by The Band. I never got to see The Band preform but I did get to see the Levon Helm Band play in Central Park in the summer of 2010. I chose this LP to listen to tonight for two reasons. First I haven’t listened to it in at least 4 years. I am reacquainting myself with a lot of records that had been boxed up and I am now working my way through like they are new records to me. Second I am reading The Band’s biography Across The Great Divide by Barney Hoskyns. It’s a good read so far and I am about 2/3 of the way through. The Band's music is is unlike any other bands music. They were innovators who incorporated traditional strains of American folk music into modern compositions and simplified the recording by circumventing the traditional studio environment and creating their own recording environment which now is common place. There story and impact on popular culture and music resonates to this day.
The Band ushered in a new era of music which at least temporarily grounded egos and made artists like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton reassess their own careers and musical directions. Clapton needed to be talked down from a ledge (figurtively, not literally)after hearing Music From Big Pink and the original Basement Tape bootlegs. He was disillusioned with the direction of his own band, Cream, at that time. I just finished up reading about the recording of this LP and it gave me some well needed perspective on the origin of this record. I bought this double LP at one of the first WFMU record fairs I went to. My only previous experience with The Band before buying this LP was through the film The Last Waltz. It’s funny that my first exposure to The Band was through their final “OFFICIAL” performance. It also happened to be the first time I saw Neil Young, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison and Joni Mitchell perform. They all turned out to be all artists whose catalogs I would later become extremely familiar with but at the time of watching the film had only been aware of their hits.
It’s a mystery to me why I chose this LP to buy first. This was before I had my own computer to do research so I didn’t really know exactly where to start with the Band’s catalog and did not really know anyone who could lead me in a particular direction. I was aware of Music From Big Pink and still wonder why I didn’t start there because it probably would have made more sense. I am actually embarrassed to admit that I don’t own Music From Big Pink something I plan on remedying in the near future. The truth of the matter is I stumbled on to this record and bought it blind (in the sense that this was my first exposure to the band other than the hits I knew from the radio and from the movie The Last Waltz). The cover art for this LP is terrible and I can't pinpoint what would attract me to it but luckily the music was as magnetic as it was timeless. In the book Across the Great Divide Hoskyns points out this LP was released at the same time as some other popular double live LP's but to my knowledge this album in particular is rarely mentioned in discussions of great live albums of the 70's. I wonder why?
Both The Last Waltz and this LP are augmented by a horn section. The horn section for me is most effective for me during the song The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. The performance of this song during The Last Waltz really defined why people regard this movie as one of the best music films of all time. I hate to use this superlative but it is a truly “electrifying” , especially Levon Helm’s vocal underpinned by the brass section, which left me speechless. I had never heard this song before and it was great to re-experience it on the Rock of Ages LP. The funny thing is when I finally heard the original version from The Band’s self titled LP I was actually taken back a bit because it didn’t have quite the dramatic affect as the live versions.
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout 2011- TriBoro Beverage- Astoria, Queens- 12 oz. bottle into Belgian Beer Glass- 14.5% ABV (damn!)
Head- About half a finger of head which receded almost immediately. The head while there was brown with pinkish, purple hues. Absolutely zero lacing
Color- Black, motor oil black
Mouthfeel- Medium bodied, with medium active carbonation. Nice, not exactly creamy but a velvety texture which is quite nice.
Aroma- Definitely can smell sweet bourbon. Vanilla but predominately bourbon. As it has warmed up a bit it has really gotten a boozy aroma to it.
Taste/ Overall- This is my last review of the year and somehow I ended up doing the same amount of reviews as last year which is a bit disappointing. But in the big picture I am happy I continued doing reviews and hope to continue to do so in 2012. Hopefully I can continue to both improve my writing and refine my ideas about both music and beer. For my last post of 2011 I have something special to drink and something I have waited a long time to try. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout! This is a pretty hard beer to come by around these parts but I managed to get it this year with the help of my friend and co-worker. This stout has a really nice mouth feel a bit thinner maybe than an average stout but still nice. Its pretty saturated in bourbon. There is no real way around it. It dominates both the taste and aroma. This is not a bad thing. I wanted to taste bourbon in this stout and I would have been disappointed if I didn't. There is a sweetness which I would like dialed back a bit but I suppose that is from the bourbon casks. I couldn't drink more than one or two in a sitting but one or two would be perfect. I think this would be great to age for a couple of months, as suggested on the label, to tone down some of the boozy edges. Looking forward to having this beer again some time.
I don't do end of the year lists like a lot of people/blogs largely because I buy so few current records. Actually I can't think of any records I bought this year that was actually released this year. Its unfortunate but around 2005 or 2006 I really sort of stopped pursuing new releases for a number of reasons. Here is a brief list why:
Finances and time. I can only dedicate a specific amount of money and time on purchasing music. I have to choose carefully and there are still thousands of records from the past I want to focus my energy on.
I would never illegally download an album by a new artist. I may download an album I used to have and lost, an album out of print or download an album by an artist who is dead. I'm not gonna take an album from a working group for free.
Too many bands. There is no filter anymore and there are to many bands to sift through. Radio and MTV had there drawbacks but they did serve a purpose by allowing cream rise to the top.
Music blogs and youtube channels still are not selective enough and there opinions are skewed for a variety of reasons.
There hasn't been anything that really captured my imagination. I sample music on blogs, youtube and read about new groups in magazines but nothing has really warranted a financial commitment on my end.
I do think there are a lot of creative bands out there now but nothing I really feel connected to musically or socially.
It wasn't always like this and I always enjoyed being up on current releases but in my early 30's I kind of pulled back from trying to keep pace with new bands and releases. I kind of mourn the disconnect between me and the larger record buying culture. I have learned though it is just a fact of life and the result of my current taste. I do have another theory on why I pulled back. In my opinion once you hit your 30's and you are not involved in the music industry, in some financial capacity, I think there is less incentive for you to actively pursue new bands. For example when an established artist like David Bowie endorses a young band ____________. I am always wary of this. I get a sense this is done more out of a sense of maintaining credibility with a younger audience than Mr. Bowie's actual opinion of this band and their success. For me there is far less interest in bands who are coming up, who are younger than me, and I find its harder for them to win my respect, not that my respect really matters to them. Its a pretty jaded opinion but its true for me. Forming this opinion also forces you to accept you are getting older and you may no longer be the key demographic bands are seeking to connect with. I never imagined feeling this way just like I never thought I would tire of some bands I used to like (who will remain nameless) but who I no longer care to listen to. I always thought I would be above such biases but I'm not. I do not have to impress anyone with my taste in current bands and culturally for me the bands that matter and the ones I truly get enjoyment from listening to are ones whose histories have largely been written.
On the turntable is By All Means- Alphonse Mouzon. Released in 1981 on Pausa Records licensed by MPS (Magic Purple Sunshine) Records. I chose this record as a tribute to the end of 2011. Since I don't do any type of best of list for the year I chose this record because it is symbolic for me for the year 2011. I bought this at a yard sale in Queens this summer. It was in some guys backyard and I wish I had taken a picture of the sale but I didn't. I picked up some real nice stuff there for cheap, including some Harry Nilson records I had been searching for, and this is a record I took a chance on. I'm not sure why I bought this LP because I wasn't really sure who Alphonse Mouzon was but I just a had a feeling about this record. I later learned the Beastie Boys sampled one of Mouzon's tunes for the intro drumbreak to "Shake Your Rump".It was the first record I put on when I got home and after a few spins I was really hooked on the mix of fusion and R&B. The sidemen are a who's who of jazz and fusion including Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock and Lee Ritenour among others.
This record really shifted my record buying patterns in a big way for the 2nd half of this year. Another record that did that for me was the Genesis Live album I bought at a flea market in Brooklyn over the summer. Before these records I was really still buying country records and west coast cool jazz primarily. This has been a really positive move for me . I kind of burned out a bit on buying country LP's over the last 3 or 4 years and fusion and hard rock/prog records are giving me a new direction to move in and one that is pretty far removed from the rootsier stuff I have favored over the last couple of years. This is one of the reasons why I have such a scattered collection of LP's. My focus I have realized is never completely consistent. I'll buy 5 jazz records but with those five I'll have a metal and a classical LP. Or I will buy 2 country, 1 soul and 4 blues rock records. So I end up with a collection which is kind of a mixed bag of stuff but for the forseable furure I will probably be focusing on 70's jazz/fusion and seeing where it takes me.
Adjacent to the label on the bottleneck is a faint picture of UFO barely discernable in this picture. When this gatefold is opened it reveals the statuesque "stormtropper" on the cover gazing out at the UFO.
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 2011- Quick Mart, Rego Park, Queens, NY- 12 oz. bottle into Belgian Beer Glass- 6.8% ABV
Head- 2 finger of head, dense and stuck around for quite a bit. Minimal lacing
Color- Reddish oranges and hazy
Mouthfeel- Light to a medium bodied, active carbonation
Aroma- Super piney
Taste/ Overall- I was looking forward to this beer. I tried it for the first time last year and it does not disappoint this year. Below is my 20110 review:
This years beer is very much in the same vein as last years beer. Lat Friday night I actually drank 4 bottles of these which is pretty impressive in my opinion because it is a pretty complex and bitter beer but the alcohol content is not super high. I actually would describe it as the same as I did last year. This beer seems to be a beer I will look forward to every winter season from now on.
On the turntable is Argus- Wishbone Ash. Recorded and released in 1972- I have been neglecting my blogging duties big time. I hope this does not become more of a trend. than it already has. My lack of posts is partially due to some work we have had done on our apartment the last few weeks. It also has some personal shifts in my own life which have necessitated some reflection and some time away from the blog. Hopefully I will be able to continue with the blog but only the next few months will tell.
This is an LP I has passed on a few times but decided to pick up fairly recently and I am glad I did. This is kind of a forgotten gem. If you conduct a search of the internet you can find a number of glowing reviews regarding this album and there deserved. Problem is if you weren't looking for this band specifically there is zero chance of coming across them in popular culture whether on the radio or on television. I don't even know where heard of them but most likely I read about them in a magazine.
This LP contains some superb twin guitar jams. Not only that but it also has some wonderful bass playing and airy vocal harmonies. Wishbone Ash is often mentioned in Prog Rock circles and the 2nd side of this LP certainly fits in with that definition. The jacket of the LP also has a distinct proggy feel and initially kind of made me back off a bit. In my opinion the first side of this LP doesn't feel particularly proggy to me. It has more of power pop feel, specifically, the opening track Time Was included hear as an MP3. If you are a fan of Thin Lizzy, Deep Purple, Yes and Cheap Trick you would probably enjoy this record. I would also go as far as saying fans of Television and Lynrd Skynrd may also find some songs here that are appealing. You decide.
Barrier Brewing Frau Blucher- Brouweji Lane- Greenpoint Brooklyn, NY- 32oz. Growler into Belgian Beer Glass - N/A ABV
Head- About a 2 finger of head, airy and receded quikly, not much lacing
Color- Pilsner colored with a bit of an orange complexion
Mouthfeel- Light to a medium bodied pilsner quality
Aroma- At first I was not sure what I smelled but then I read a review and the nailed it...smoked meats. Yes that is right almost like a buttery smoked ham
Taste/ Overall- Interesting beer her is the official description:
“A 5.4% German ale with a light golden color and a heavy addition of German beechwood-smoked barley malt. It has big smokey flavors and aromas reminiscent of bacon and ham hock, along with a nice toasty, bready malt complexity and a subtle hop bitterness to balance.”
That smoked pork smell is there, although I don't quite get it in the taste. But this is a very easy drinking beer and the smokey aroma adds a really nice dimension to this beer. I haven't had a beer from Barrier Brewing in Oceanside, NY before but I am intigued and it is nice to see another quality brew from a Long Island Brewery. Glad I chose this brew.
On the turntable is Ummagumma- Pink Floyd. A double LP released in 1969 and is compromised of live tracks and new studio material. My friend is getting married on Saturday so I thought I would play this record in his honor. We are both very big fans of Floyd but I would have to say he took his dedication to them a little further than I did. I found this record this summer at a garage sale and got it for $2 which was a steal. I remember asking for this album for Christmas when I was in high school and actually got it that year. Of course it was on tape and after seeing the gatefold presentation of this LP I realize now what I was missing all of these years. I don’t remember the photograph from the back of the LP jacket, which is awesome, being included in the tape packaging.The vinyl was in VG condition but the jacket two split seams.
My friend who is getting married and I both got to see Pink Floyd play at Yankee Stadium in the summer of 1994 but we went separately. This was Floyd on the Division Bell Tour and was being fronted by David Gilmour. It was an exciting time in NYC because both the NY Knicks and the NY Rangers were both in the playoffs of their respective leagues. Eventually the Rangers went on to win the Stanley Cup but our beloved Knicks, well.... we all know how that championship ended. I mention this because the two teams being involved in the playoffs led to a charged atmosphere becoming an absolutely electric one. I remember distinctly walking up through the old Yankee Stadium, which was my first time there, up to our seats which were in the last row of the stadium and people were going absolutely nuts. Between the excitement for the show, the pregame festivities and the chants of Lets Go Rangers echoed by Lets Go Knicks; I pretty much was in heaven. It was an amazing show. Of all the concerts I went to that one is one of the most memorable for me. I remember bumping into more than a few friends and people I knew at the show which is pretty impressive considering the size of the stadium. It also illustrates the impact that band had on me and my peers even though at that point Floyd, the band, was about 25 yrs old!
I chose this album tonight party because of my experiences of listening to Pink Floyd with him. More specifically this story is about listening to Pink Floyd with him on his former car's stereo. Now let me preface this story by saying I have never been a car person so much. I don’t know why but I am not. I was more interested in Star Wars figures than Matchbox cars for instance. A car was more of a means to an end with me and it still is. I have learned to appreciate cars more since I have grown up a bit. In general I think I prefer riding trains but that is a whole different post. With that said, this car was really cool!! It was a black Pontiac Firebird and bared more than a little resemblance to the Batmobile. In addition to it being a cool car it had a stereo system that was at the time better than most home stereos. Now the song which really captured the essence of this stereo system the best for me was One of These Days from the album Meddle. Hearing One of These Days through that stereo on a summer night with the t-top open is still a memory which is hard to articulate but one which resonates with me like it happened yesterday. Crackling treble and surging bass made me feel like I was speeding down a desert out in California instead of a Long Island turnpike. Unfortunately my copy of Meddle is packed away so I chose to listen to Ummagumma which stylistically shares somethings with Meddle and is from around the same period. Included above is an MP3 for Narrows Way Pt. 3 which is a nice vehicle written and sung by David Gilmour. It demonstrates some of the wistful, melancholic vocals and guitar work that made Gilmour such an important addition to this band after Syd Barret departed.
Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale- Euro Market, 31 St. Astoria, NY- 12 oz. Bottle into Brandy Snifter- 6% ABV beeradvocate.com rating
Head- Nice 1 1/2 finger head, no lacing
Color- Hazy orange
Mouthfeel- Kinda loose feeling, light
Aroma- Pumpkin spices, namely cinnamon, but a funkieness as well
Taste- Think this beer may be a bit skunked. I don't know. There is an unpleasantness to this ale. Maybe just hop bitterness I wasn't expecting. Not super pumpkiny but definitley spiced and no trace of alcohol. Kind of disappointing but I would try it again just to see if the flavors were intended or maybe I just got a bad bottle.
Since I am now officially inundated with records I decided that Instead of a standard blog post I thought I would write one regarding my post WFMU Record Fair analysis. I ended up with 25 records and spent about $80. I didn’t listen to them all, not even close, but I did listen to a couple. I cashed out a coffee can and a half of change at a local Coinstar machine a few days prior the fair and ended up with a nice little bankroll for the fair without going to the ATM.
So upon returning from a wedding in New Jersey the night before I headed downtown to the record fair during what some are now calling one of the worst storms the east coast has experienced in October. I was not dressed for the weather and once I arrived at the fair I was cold and wet but I was energized by the thrill of the hunt. My initial approach this year was to focus on some higher end records that the usual bargain bins I am normally drawn to. I also wanted to refrain from buying any country records. I succeeded at the latter but not the former.
I stopped at the WFMU bins near the front, which I usually do, but it was pretty crowded. I picked up an unexpected record, a double LP by John Renbourn from the group Pentangle. This was $3 and I think it is partially because the LP jacket was in pretty bad shape with at least one split seam, but the vinyl is in good condition. I did some research yesterday and this actually appears to be a twofer collection of his first two solo LP’s from 1965-66. I think Bert Jansch accompanies him on some tracks.
Then I headed into the main area and approached a few vendors’ tables here and there trying to find some things off my list of 10 or 12 records. I had very little luck and the tables were crowded for the most part. After about a half an hour I found a corner filled with about 20 crates advertising $3 records behind two dealers tables. Surprisingly there was only one other guy back there digging so I started flipping pretty furiously.
After about a half an hour or so I had gone through about 2/3 of the records and pulled out about 12. The crates were a mix of oldies, classic rock and miscellaneous. They were all in pretty good condition considering and I ended up with a couple of 80’s metal and classic rock LP’s. I even found a copy of Black Sabbaths Sabotage, which I passed on once and since got on CD, the cover was a bit worn but the record was in pretty good condition and I had always regretted not picking it up when I first saw it because I never saw it again until the fair. When I got home I cleaned the record with my friends cleaning solution and it took off quite a bit of grime and the LP now plays with minimum surface noise. I also found No Dice by Badfinger in these crates and I had been looking for it for some time. After taking a bit of a break I ended up finding another list record Nursery Crymes by Genesis. The Genesis was an $8 (most expensive record of the day) British pressing, I wasn’t looking for a British pressing but that is all I could find. It was in really good condition. I haven’t listened to this yet but I have no doubt I will enjoy. At the same dealers table I also picked up The Dynamic Clarence Carter by Clarence Carter. This wasn’t on my list but it was a record I had seen before and wanted to buy but not at the price I had originally seen it for. I got this for $5 but the LP did have some light scratches.
For the rest of the time I was there I wondered from vendor to vendor hoping to pick up a few more “list” records. I didn’t. I did pick up a couple of more albums though and one by a group I hadn’t expected to buy was The Kenny Clarke/ Francy Boland Big Band. I found one of their LP’s I didn’t have for $5 and was pretty psyched because there LP’s can be expensive and I have never seen this one before. This particular LP has David Pike on Vibraphone which is cool because I like the presence of vibraphone in a big band setting.
So my aim to focus on nice, higher end LP’s was left unaccomplished, maybe next year. The dealer tables were really crowded and I put in efforts at some of them but if I had spent more time at them I may have higher end stuff to report. I probably could have also found some more things on my list but I enjoyed the crate digging I did since the element of surprise in the bargain bins really adds a different dimension to the experience for me. I am happy to report I didn’t buy any country stuff unlike last year. Overall I am happy with my haul and should be kept busy listening for awhile.
This is my beer and record blog. For most of my drinking life I have stuck to Bud, Miller and whatever was on tap and available. Still do, mostly. However, I decided I wanted to try some new beers and keep track of what I have tried/liked. I also decided to list what record I was listening to while I was drinking my beer. Thursday night is my preferred time to have a brew and listen to some music. So I hope you enjoy and share your opinion's, thanks!
