Happy Halloween

...from Screaming Lord Sutch!

Sonny Clark

10-30-08 Sonny Clark

CD DIAL 'S' FOR SONNY TOSHIBA JPN TOCJ-1570

1957 6 TRKS mono

CD SONNY'S CRIB BLUE NOTE US CDP 746819.2

1957 8 TRKS stereo ('87 issue) (3 x bonus tracks)

CD SONNY CLARK TRIO BLUE NOTE US CDP 746547.2

1957 9 TRKS stereo ('87 issue) (3 x bonus tracks)

CD COOL STRUTTIN' re BLUE NOTE US 95327.2

1958 6 TRKS stereo ('99 issue) (2 x bonus tracks)

CD STANDARDS BLUE NOTE US CDP 21283

1958 14 TRK collection; mono / stereo ('98 issue)

Hard bop jazz. Mr. Clark was a wonderful piano player and composer. It was really happening around the time I was born, but I didn’t get there until nearly 30 years later.

In fact, I am sure the first time I ever heard “Cool Struttin’” – it was already the CD edition (’86? ’87?). It is literally the quintessential hard bop jazz record, a favorite among Japanese fans / collectors. Perfect music for sitting in a Tokyo coffee bar, leafing through old issues of Swing Journal, as the rain pours outside. And the CD edition is groovy – it has two more songs from the original session added to the already superlative release.

Sometimes, when CD’s were made of original Blue Note releases, the compilers added relevant tracks – and sometimes, those were only alternate takes of existing tracks (which can sometime be of great interest)…but I really like the ‘extra’ tracks on “Cool Struttin’”.

I have listed Clark’s first four Blue Note releases chronologically. The “Standards” collection was assembled in the 80’s – from out-takes, single tracks etc. A neat collection. I must try and find Clark’s final release before his premature death, “Leapin’ and Lopin’”.

Some people will be most interested in “Sonny’ Crib” – as the tenor sax player is John Coltrane. But I like any album with Sonny Clark ‘originals’!

But I recommend that you try “Cool Struttin’” – like Miles Davis’ “Kind Of Blue”, it’s a one-in-a-million jazz album. Accessible, yet pushing the boundaries of the genre (hard bop jazz). Once heard, never forgotten.

Jazz time now!

Cluster

10-29-08 Cluster

A very different kettle of fish from yesterday’s German band, Nine Days Wonder. I don’t think you could accurately call Cluster “rock music”. How about ‘German 70’s electronic avant-garde’?


LP CLUSTER PHILIPS DE 6305 074
1971 3 TRKS
CD CLUSTER WATER US WATER 160
1971 3 TRKS

LP CLUSTER II BRAIN DE BRAIN 1006
1972 6 TRKS
CD CLUSTER II UNIVERSAL JPN UICY-9557
1972 6 TRKS ('05 issue) kami sleeve, pictured

LP ZUCKERZEIT BRAIN DE BRAIN 1065
1974 10 TRKS
CD ZUCKERZEIT UNIVERSAL JPN UICY-9558
1974 10 TRKS ('05 issue) kami sleeve


Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius are the two musicians most closely associated with Cluster. They worked extensively with producer Conrad Plank; if you add Michael Rother, the band becomes “Harmonia” (who had two very nice albums).


Originally, the band was known as Kluster – and featured an additional member, Conrad Schnitzler. I have at least two albums by this version of the band (“Klopfzeichen” and “Zwei-Osterei”). One side of each album has somebody talking in German, the other side = nice instrumental electronic music!


How did I get interested? There was a definitely wave of experimental rock music from Germany that was fairly easy to come up with in Los Angeles. One could buy Faust, Amon Duul II & Can albums almost anywhere, in the 70’s. I started with “Cluster II” – I liked the Brain label, and it has the most astonishing cover artwork! You can always see (even from across a room) if someone has “Cluster II” in their LP collection!


The debut album is very noisy indeed; “Cluster II” a little ‘spacier’; compared to the other two, “Zuckerzeit” ( = “Sugar Time”) is positively ‘beat’ driven.


After the three wonderfully noisy electronic albums listed above (my favorites!) – they made more records, and eventually released a few albums as “Cluster & Eno” (records that did not interest me at the time; I suppose I should try them again). I understand they have been performing again in 2007 and 2008.


German space rock is not my favorite genre at present, but I thought enough of these three albums to get CD’s of them. I hadn’t heard the 1st Cluster album in years – I found my German original LP of it in Australia, in 1987, for A$1.

Nine Days Wonder

10-28-08 Nine Days Wonder

German 70’s group, singing in English!

CD NINE DAYS WONDER BELLAPHON DE 288.09.106

1971 4 TRKS

LP NINE DAYS WONDER BELLAPHON DE 6494 004

1971 4 TRKS fish head cover

LP NINE DAYS WONDER BELLAPHON DE 6494 004

1971 4 TRKS green cover

CD WE NEVER LOST CONTROL BELLAPHON DE 288.09.113

1973 7 TRKS

LP WE NEVER LOST CONTROL BELLAPHON DE BLPS 19163 Q

1973 7 TRKS SQ Quad

LP ONLY THE DANCERS BELLAPHON DE BLPS 19200 Q

1974 8 TRKS SQ Quad

CD ONLY THE DANCERS BELLAPHON DE 288.09.116

1975 8 TRKS

LP SONNET TO BILLY FROST BELLAPHON DE BLPS 19234

1976 11 TRKS

as “Wintergarden”

LP LAND OF MILK & HONEY EMI DE 1C 064-46131

1980 9 TRKS

I got onto Nine Days Wonder by having a ‘free of charge’ promo copy of their debut LP sent to me from Germany! I got the ‘fish head’ cover first, and the puffy green cover later. I played it to death! It reminded me of Frank Zappa – it was fun music! Every now and again, I find myself singing “Moss Had Come” to myself, and it’ll take a few minutes to remember what it is…

And they had some really great song titles: “The Undershirt of Time” etc.

I liked them very much about ’73 – ’74…and was delighted when a member (or members?) of Van Der Graaf Generator appeared on their 3^rd LP, “Only The Dancers” (was it David Jackson?).

For whatever reason, I never warmed to their 4^th album – “Sonnet To Billy Frost” – I must take it out again and give it a listen. Whenever I went to Germany, I always used to buy “one more NDW CD”. “Sonnet…” is their only LP I don’t have on CD!

I don’t remember where or how I found out about Wintergarden – but I could clearly see that the singer OF NDW was present. A friend in England recently told me that he ran into, I think it was the NDW bass player, at a music show, somewhere in the north of England. So, some of them were British and some were German.

So, thanks for the music, guys. It’s been a part of my soul for 30+ years.

Jimmie Driftwood

10-27-08 Jimmie Driftwood

CDx3 AMERICANA (3CD boxed set) BEAR FAMILY DE BCD 15465

1991 82 TRKS large booklet

LP BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS mono RCA US LPM 1635

1958 11 TRKS mono

LP BEST OF MONUMENT US MC 6639

1965? 12 TRK Collection, stereo

LP DRIFTWOOD AT SEA RCA US LSP 2443

1962 12 TRKS stereo

LP SONGS OF BILLY YANK AND JOHNNY REB mono RCA US LPM 2316

1961 12 TRKS mono

LP TALL TALES IN SONG mono RCA US LPM 2228

1960 12 TRKS mono

LP VOICE OF THE PEOPLE mono MONUMENT US MLP 8006

1964? 12 TRKS mono

LP WESTWARD MOVEMENT, THE RCA US LSP 2171

1960 12 TRKS stereo

LP WILDERNESS ROAD, THE mono RCA US LPM 1994

1959 12 TRKS mono

I recently ‘special ordered’ the Jimmie Driftwood 3CD boxed set, from Down Home Music in El Cerrito. I’d never seen I for sale anywhere, and I knew they could get it for me.

A few years back, I took a real interest in ‘American roots music’ of the 50’s / 60’s – a lot of country & western music, too. Driftwood seems to straddle this invisible line. It’s a neat trick that he seems to have writing credits for a lot of songs that I thought were ‘public domain’ (i.e. traditional) songs. But – he’s not in the slightest bit disingenuous.

Credited with being the author of “The Ballad of New Orleans” (Johnny Horton had the hit with it) – Mr. Driftwood started making LP’s in 1957. The booklet of the boxed set told me a lot I didn’t know about Mr. Driftwood – his real name was James Morris. He lived in the Ozarks most of his life, and was a keen philanthropist. He lived to be 91 years old (1907 – 1998). It is said he got the nickname ‘Jimmie Driftwood’ because at the time he was born, his grandpa played a prank, handing someone a blanket with a piece of wood in it – “Here’s yer baby!”.

Driftwood’s other famous ‘writing credit” is for the “Tennessee Stud”. Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed have a dynamite version of it.

When I listen to his stuff, I feel like I’ve heard the songs before – indeed, I may have. Did I hear those songs in elementary school? Or in cartoons? I like his ‘cornball’ voice, the Chet Atkins ‘production’, the songs.

The CD boxed set only covers his 6 RCA LP’s – but I have his two later LP’s on Monument – I was never quite sure if the “Best Of” was later re-recordings or what.

So – to go with your Grandpa Jones and Minnie Pearl records, enjoy some Jimmie Driftwood!

David Bowie #5

10-24-08 David Bowie #5

We conclude our examination of Mr. Bowie…

10" UNDER THE GOD (Tin Machine) EMI AMERICA UK 10MT 68

1989 3 TRKS with pic sleeve; interview

7" UP THE HILL BACKWARDS / CRYSTAL JAPAN RCA UK BOW 9

1981 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

LP YOUNG AMERICANS RCA US APL1-0998

1975 8 TRKS U.S. pressing

CD YOUNG AMERICANS re TOSHIBA JPN TOCP-6211

1975 11 TRKS ('91 issue)(3 x bonus tracks)

7" YOUNG AMERICANS / KNOCK ON WOOD RCA US PB 10152

1975 2 TRKS no pic sleeve

CD5 ZIGGY STARDUST (Live) GOLDEN YEARS UK GYCDS 002

1994 3 TRK CD Single CD5 ('72 live recording)

LP ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS RCA US LSP 4702

1972 11 TRKS U.S. pressing

CD ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS re RYKODISC US RCD 10134

1972 16 TRKS (5 x bonus tracks) ('90 issue) – I also have a MiniDisc of this version.

So, I am fairly strong with his releases from “Space Oddity” aka “Man of Music, Man of Words” up to “Never Let Me Down”. “Low” is the definite favorite. The poor cousins? “Stage” or “Tonight”?

And, yes = there are still a few things I would like to add to this collection: a UK 45 of “DJ”, for instance. A UK 45 of “Jean Genie”. And so forth.

Thanks for reading the Bowie list this week.

On Monday, we return to our regular non-Bowie programming.

David Bowie #4

10-23-08 David Bowie #4

7" SORROW / AMSTERDAM RCA US APB0-0160

1973 2 TRKS no pic sleeve

CDx4 SOUND + VISION (4CD boxed set) re VIRGIN US 594511.2

2003 70 TRK Collection (70's & 80's recordings) the mighty re-mastered version of his Ryko boxed set – no visual discs this time!

7" SPACE ODDITY (EP) RCA US EP-45-103

1972 4 TRKS with pic sleeve; EP - promo

7" SPACE ODDITY / (Same) MERCURY US DJ-133

1970? 2 TRKS no pic sleeve; promo

7" SPACE ODDITY / MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD, THE RCA US 74-0876

1973 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

CD SPACE ODDITY kami TOSHIBA JPN TOCP-70141

1969 10 TRKS ('07 issue) kami sleeve

CD SPACE ODDITY re RYKODISC US RCD 10131

1970 13 TRKS ('90 issue) (3 x bonus tracks)

LP SPACE ODDITY re-issue RCA US LSP 4813

1969 10 TRKS with poster, re-issue '72

LPx2 SPECIAL (Collection) RCA JPN SRA-9503/4

1976 22 TRK Collection; Japan-only

LPx2 STAGE RCA US CPL2-2913

1978 17 TRKS Live – nope, no CD of this for me

7" STARMAN / SUFFRAGETTE CITY RCA UK RCA 2199

1972 2 TRKS no pic sleeve

LP STATION TO STATION RCA US APL1-1327

1976 6 TRKS U.S. pressing

CD STATION TO STATION re RYKODISC US RCD 10141

1976 8 TRKS ('91 issue) (2 x bonus tracks)

7" THIS IS NOT AMERICA / (Pat Metheny Group) EMI AMERICA US B-8251

1985 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

LP TIN MACHINE EMI US E1-91990

1989 12 TRKS U.S. pressing

CD TIN MACHINE kami TOSHIBA JPN TOCP-70157

1989 14 TRKS kami sleeve ('06 issue) (2 x bonus tracks)

CD TIN MACHINE II VICTORY US 511216.2

1991 12 TRKS

LP TONIGHT EMI AMERICA US SJ-17138

1984 9 TRKS U.S. pressing

7" TONIGHT / TUMBLE AND TWIRL EMI AMERICA US B-8246

1984 2 TRKS with pic sleeve; poster sleeve

7" TVC 15 / WE ARE THE DEAD RCA UK RCA 2682

1976 2 TRKS no pic sleeve

Tomorrow we conclude looking at David Bowie.

David Bowie #3

10-22-08 David Bowie #3

LP LODGER, THE RCA US AQL1-3254

1979 10 TRKS U.S. pressing

CD LODGER, THE re RYKODISC US RCD 10146

1979 12 TRKS ('91 issue) (2 x bonus tracks)

LP LOVE YOU TILL TUESDAY DERAM UK BOWIE 1

1984 11 TRKS 60's recordings – the way I have some of his Deram sides

7" LOVING THE ALIEN (Remix) / DON'T LOOK DOWN (Remix) EMI AMERICA UK EA 195

1984 2 TRKS with pic sleeve, gatefold sleeve

LP LOW RCA US CPL1-2030

1977 11 TRKS insert – probably the one I like best in ’08

CD LOW re RYKODISC US RCD 10142

1977 14 TRKS (3 x bonus tracks)

LP MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD, THE MERCURY US SR 61325

1970? 9 TRKS possible counterfeit

LP MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD, THE re-issue RCA US AFL1-4816

1970? 9 TRKS '72 re-issue

CD MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD, THE kami TOSHIBA JPN TOCP-70142

1969 9 TRKS '07 re-issue, kami sleeve ('99 master)

CD MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD, THE re TOSHIBA JPN TOCP-8862

1969 13 TRKS '90 re-issue (4 x bonus tracks)

7" MODERN LOVE (Studio) / MODERN LOVE (Live) EMI AMERICA US B-8177

1983 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

CD NEVER LET ME DOWN EMI AMERICA US CDP 746677.2

1987 11 TRKS original issue CD – gotta keep this for the 1 x extra track!

CD NEVER LET ME DOWN kami TOSHIBA JPN TOCP-70156

1987 10 TRKS kami sleeve ('06 issue)

LP NEVER LET ME DOWN EMI AMERICA US PJ-17267

1987 11 TRKS U.S. pressing

LP PETER & THE WOLF RCA RED SEAL US ARL1-2743

1978 2 TRKS green vinyl, insert

LP PIN UPS RCA US AYL1-4653

1973 12 TRKS re-issue

CD PIN UPS re RYKODISC US RCD 10136

1973 14 TRKS (2 x bonus tracks) ('90 re-master)

CD5 RADIO SESSION (Tin Machine) VICTOR JPN VICP-15014

1992 4 TRK CD Single CD5

7" ROCK 'N' ROLL WITH ME (Long) / (Short) RCA US JB-10105

1974 2 TRKS no pic sleeve, promo

7" ROCK 'N' ROLL WITH ME / PANIC IN DETROIT (Live) RCA US PB-10105

1974 2 TRKS no pic sleeve

LP SCARY MONSTERS RCA US AQL1-3647

1980 10 TRKS U.S. pressing

CD SCARY MONSTERS re RYKODISC US RCD 20147

1980 14 TRKS ('92 issue) (4 x bonus tracks)

LP SCARY MONSTERS INTERVIEW promo RCA US DJL1-3840

1980 15 TRKS promo-only interview LP