Vinyl Record Art - Just Plain Cool

Got a wall that needs something on it?

45 RPM - The Mystic "Week End People"

From the waste bin of forgotten Los Angeles bands of the 1960's.  Little is known about the band or the label.  They could have touched down from outer space and disappeared to another dimension.  At that time, what wasn't possible?

Book Review - Mana by Asher Tensei

An original magic story with strong characters

I found this another book that could have benefited greatly from an editor. The characters of Asher, Jason and Raine are all fully realized, and the element of teen narcissism refreshing to see a fantasy book where most heroes of the genre are selfless. Just because someone has magical powers doesn't mean he'll without question sacrifice himself to save the work, especially when life hasn't been that great anyway. That said some of the prose is awkward and hard to follow, not that its not worth the effort, just that it easily could have been cleaned up by a good editor.

Link: Mana by Asher Tensei

45 RPM - Sound Inc "Shot Gun" - Unknown Psych Funk Mix

An esoteric mix of psych and soul from sometime in the mid-1960's. This is a self-pressed 45 RPM. Who knows who played on it? Who cares?

Book Review - Polar City Dreaming: How Climate Change Might Usher In The Age Of Polar Cities by Stephan Malone

A very thorough look at Polar City engineering with short fictional interludes

This book made me think about a book I've read about but never been able to read, in fact I forget the title and the author, but more on that at the end of my review. Polar city contains two books in one. The first is a fictional series of excerpts from a diary about life in a Polar City some several hundred years from now, written by a girl named Anlith. Interpolating this is an analysis of the types of technologies, and their current state of engineering, that humanity may need in a polar city some estimated 500 years from now. Thankfully, in Taiwan an other places people are actually concerning themselves with how we will live 500 years from now. This part is dry in places, though it is very thorough. Author Stephan Malone dissects each type of technology, and how it is engineered and built today (with some exploration of expected improvements), and puts the best pieces in place in his imagined Polar City.

Now even if you believe the climate will be exactly the same 500 years from now, exploration of the polar regions and development of resources are taking place today, with routes and the technologies to navigate them being explored, and technologies to haul resources from the polar regions being developed. Inevitably, cities will develop in those regions. And the exploration and mapping taking place today echoes the mapping of trade routes hundreds of years ago.

Which brings me to the thing I can't remember. One time while exploring documents on Archive dot org I came across a reference to a book, the most interesting book I've never read. It was written by a government clerk in Britain shortly after the American revolution and set out the next hundred years almost perfectly. This clerk envisioned cities organized by numbered communities with vehicles that traveled by cable, a mail system, an almost perfect exploration of developments of the nineteenth century, including an expectation of a great war in Europe early in the 20th Century because of over development of weaponry. It put the year of the war at 1908. The book, from the reference I read, was organized almost exactly like Stephan Malone's Polar City, one part being a letter from the future, the other being an analysis of developments. The book is very rare. At the time I found the reference I looked it up in library searches and only found it in three university collections, all of which were restricted. Anyway, I talk about that book because I felt like I was reading the same thing when I was reading Polar City.

Link:  Polar City Dreaming: How Climate Change Might Usher In The Age Of Polar Cities by Stephan Malone

Book Review - Vampiris Sancti: The Immaculate Adventures of One Florian Ribeni By Katri Cardew

Vampires, Mages and Elves, oh my!

I'll read anything with vampires. Anything, but that doesn't mean it's any good. So when I have the pleasure of reading a novel as complex and richly mapped as this one, it is double the pleasure and three times the fun. Florian Ribeni is a newly created "runner" and is in training when we first meet him. He's being shown the ropes, and we the reader are taken along on his spectacular journey of lusty, indulgent escapades. As if a society of vampires wasn't enough, There are elves, mages, demons and gargoyles, each with their own set of complicated politics and social conventions. In the end, torn by love and duty, which would claim him?
Link: Vampiris Sancti: The Immaculate Adventures of One Florian Ribeni  By Katri Cardew

They're All Still Breathing #2: Black Sabbath (60s 70s Rock Bands Where All Members Are Alive Who Played On The First Album)

Surprisingly . . . Amazingly . . . Astonishingly . . . and likely against the better instincts of the universe on the issue of overall balance, all original members of Black Sabbath are still alive, if heavily medicated.  Who would have predicted such a thing for the year 2013 back in the days of headless bats?  Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Bulter and Bill Ward first got together in 1968 as The Polka Tulk Blues Band, quickly changing their name to Earth.  As Earth the band gained some attention in the UK and recorded demos.  After leaving the band for a short time to play with Jethro Tull (including for their appearance in The Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus aborted television special), Tony Iommi returned to Earth in 1969.  As their popularity gained so did another band's who had the name Earth.

Various stories have been told as to from where the name Black Sabbath arose.  One gives the inspiration to Geezer Bulter who during a band practice noticed people lining up at a cinema playing Boris Karloff's film "Black Sabbath".  Geezer noted that people loved scary movies and that gave him an inspiration for not only the name of the band's song "Black Sabbath" but for the band name itself and their dark musical direction.  Another story is that the band's new name came from the first song on the first Coven album, a song also called "Black Sabbath", from a band that actually practiced Satanism and signed their record contracts in their own blood.

Ozzy, Iommi and Geezer have reunited to record their first new album with (most of) the original line-up since 1978's "Never Say Die". Bill Ward was to play on the album, but contract issues caused him to bow out.  Today Loudwire.com reported in an interview with Geezer Bulter that the new album, "sort of has the feel of the first three albums."

Here is a video of Black Sabbath from Paris in 1970.

Book Review - Seventh Journey: Book 1 by Robert J. R. Graham

Well written adventure through spiritual dystopia

What if the world could be changed by putting together fizzy water, sugar and a few residual ingredients . . . oh wait. Seventh Journey is about the spiritual world being taken over by something like soda-pop, for corporate profit and economic advancement. It incorporates African mysticism, the aftermath of the Iraq war and secret government experiments dating to the early 70s, all in a headset that takes the user to an alternate consciousness. But not only is it corrupting this world, but another one too. And the protagonist, Jacob, has to come to terms with several realities, and his own past. It seemed a little passe at first, like something Bruce Sterling would have written in the early 90s, while I was trying to figure out my internet's SLIP connection. But I quickly got over that as Robert Graham does master a complete world which doesn't fall apart where he doesn't want it to.

LINK: Seventh Journey: Book 1 by Robert J. R. Graham

Book Review - Socialize To Monetize: Engaging Your Online Communities by Gabriela Taylor

Helped sort out the subtlety of social marketing

 I found Gabriela Taylor's book on using social media for your business helpful and enlightening. The main problem I have is that it's such a subtle line between turning people off and turning people on marketing online. Her book covers the history and development of Mashable, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest etc and covers the right tools on each site to promote your business and get positive attention. It's also pretty new so it covers Instagram and several apps I didn't know about including a coupon app for Twitter. Very useful stuff.


LINK:  Socialie To Monetize by Gabriela Taylor

Book Review - January Jackson & Friends by Zonie Felder

Erotic, Exciting and Wise

Very good story of more than sex with other stuff going on just to get to the sex. But the sex is frickin' hot. I will never think of peppermint the same way again. I had never thought of such a thing . . . and that's rare a book teaches me something about sex. Think Smilla's Sense Of Snow was one of the last books to do that. However there are characters and plot here unfolds multi-dimension-ally. But hot sex is good too.

Link: January Jackson & Friends by Zonie Felder

They're All Still Breathing #1: Genesis (60s 70s Rock Bands Where All Members Are Alive Who Played On The First Album)

New feature I've decided to write here will be the search for prominent 60's-70s rock bands where all the members who played on the first record are still alive. By prominent think any band that would make it into a coffee table book you'd by at Costco.

Genesis is the first band to make my list, for the following reason.. EMI is releasing all the Peter Gabriel era LP's on 180gram vinyl, save for "From Genesis To Revelation", Genesis's first LP, which according to Ultimate Classic Rock is "rightfully despised".

I disagree.  Anyway, EMI doesn't own the rights to the first LP, original manager/producer Johnathan King does and he's been whoring the record under about six different titles for going on thirty years.  Beside the fact that this has made various versions of the LP a denizen of first cut-out bins and later thrift stores, it's actually a sweet baroque pop album, and I've always liked it.

All the following guys who played on the album are as of today, breathing oxygen:

    Tony Banks – organ, piano, vocals
    Peter Gabriel – lead vocals, flute
    Anthony Phillips – guitar, vocals
    Mike Rutherford – bass, vocals
    John Silver – drums, vocals, except on "Silent Sun"
    Chris Stewart – drums on "Silent Sun"

Though it's ripped from a CD I'll be adding all the tracks from "Genesis To Revelation" to 45 RPM Radio.  But just to keep the faith, here's a recording of the first 45 from the LP, "Silent Sun".

Book Review - The Mental Makeover by Don Mcart

A good set of principles to get over mental blocks

Another good piece of reference material for your kindle as they hold a lot of books and don't weight down your pockets. This one tries a little too hard talking about mental prisions, etc, and goes down a few places where I'm not sure the "buts" are universal. however the best use of these books are as reminders and reference tools as they all try to get to the same place from different angles. This one is useful guide.

Link: The Mental Makeover by Don Mcart

Book Review - Overcoming ADHD in Teens and Pre-Teens: A Parent's Guide by Dr Richard L Travis

 

A Thorough Guide To Medical And Other Treatments

This book serves as a pretty complete overview of ADHD and it's treatments, covering medical, behavioral, diets and things like biofeedback and sensory therapy. I also appreciated the list of celebrities who have ADHD which would be very helpful to getting a child compliant with treatment. 

Link: Overcoming ADHD in Teens and Pre-Teens: A Parent's Guide by Dr Richard L Travis

Johnny Otis - Willie And The Hand Jive

"Hand Jive" is a signature song without an icon. "Johnny B Goode" will always have Chuck Berry in front of it - "Tuttu Frutti" Little Richard. Johnny Otis remains largely unknown to the collective unconscious, though he had a career that spanned R&B, Rock and Jazz, and he discovered Etta James, Jackie Wilson and rightfully promoted his son Shuggie Otis. And he wrote "Willie And The Hand Jive", a song as associated with early Rock n Roll as any other. Johnny Otis died in Los Angeles a year ago yesterday.

Book Review - World Of Archangels by Sufian Chaudhary

One of the most thorough guides to this type of communication

I know and respect a number of friends who do this kind of meditation and enter these worlds. For myself I have practiced meditation since a teen but three dimensions is confusing enough. My practice has been purely for physical relaxation with some western Buddhist visualizations sending energy to friends and loved ones. I found this the most complete book with exercises I've encountered for meditation efforts where the goal is to reach other planes and beings, and it filled in holes that friends were never able to explain satisfactorily as to their practices.

Link: World Of Archangels by Sufian Chaudhary

Book Review - Truly, Madly, Deeply by Faraaz Kazi

An Entertaining Teenage Love Story

Rahul can be the kind of kid you want to deck. Arrogant, better looking then he should be, and doesn't think anything will ever shake him. But then it starts to all fall apart. He loses the girl he loves, Seema, and his popularity. Faraaz Kazi writes great interior drama with Rahul noticing all the details of Seema once he loses here. The dialogue is a still stilted and forced, but that doesn't really take too much away from the dimension of the characters. The journey here is primarily about Rahul loosing his arrogance and beginning to become a man, longing for the love that he has lost. It's done very impressively. 

Link: Truly, Madly, Deeply by Faraaz Kazi

Beatles "Love Me Do" Turns 50 Goes Public Domain In The EU - For A Few Months Anyway

Gratefully, the EU has a much simpler and less mysterious copyright system.  Currently copyrights expire at 50 years, which means as of January 11th, the day of the single's release, The Beatles "Love Me Do" entered the public domain in Europe.  Plans are to adjust the copyright time-stamp upward to 70 years and bring "Love Me Do" and the like back into the protected fold.

This is expected to happen late this year, with the caveat that copyright holders must use or lose their copyrights.  If materials owned by record companies remain unreleased for a period of time, rights would then return to the work's creator.  This has led to a slew of vault releases in Europe, including an 86 track release of Bob Dylan's demos (his first album is already in the public domain).

Much more interesting will be to watch what happens on the internet between now and the end of year.  With the US Customs Department taking it upon themselves to claim the domain names of infringing websites, even those not in the US, I will be watching to see if some European sites pop-up offering for sale downloads of public domain Beatles, Dylan, and one can expect Stones, Yardbirds, Elvis etc. and what the reaction will be by the music industry and US government where copyright extends to . . . . oh who the hell thinks the Micky Mouse copyright laws here will ever allow anything made after Caruso to enter the public domain?

Book Review - Once Upon A Time (#1: Battle Creek Series) by Wilhelmina Cain

 

 Laugh Out Loud Small Community Romance

As a slice of life romance around small town life this is one of the few Kindle books that has made me laugh out loud. Very funny. It is also very clean, yes, and I actually kinda like things dirty. But still, the humor is very genuine, and it is short, but the story and setting is worthy of a series of stories.

Link: Once Upon A Time (#1: Battle Creek Series) by Wilhelmina Cain

Check Out - Cnet's Audiophiliac Talks To Vinyl Newcomers

Cnet's resident audiophile talks to people 14 to 40 about why they buy vinyl records.  Is it just because people think they're cool?

Found this very interesting responses from people about how vinyl sounds.

45 RPM - THE SWALLOWS ~ IT AIN`T THE MEAT ~ 1951, Early R&B

A record your grandfather used to get your grandmother to spend the night.  You might be here today only because of this song.

Book Reivew - Achieve In 5 by Lesa Hammond PHD

Great resource that develops its techniques around different personalities

First thing I liked about this book is that it doesn't make the typical presumption that you have nothing else to do but commit your life to it's techniques. The idea is that you move toward your goal in a "tortoise approach" and sets you up with manageable goals applying yourself a little each day. And what seemed its most useful content was its discussion about various personality types and how to fit the practices to your own strengths and weaknesses. If you are looking to start a business, or write a book, even a large DIY project like add a room to your house, Acieve in 5 fits in perfectly with a life already in progress.

Link: Achieve in 5 by Lesa Hammond PHD

Auction News - The House That Sold John Lennon's Tooth Is Back In 2013 With A New Beatles Auction

Omega auctions in the UK still has space in their March 22, 2013 Beatles auction catalogue.  So if you have any Beatles' body parts, shoelaces or used hankies you have until February 8 to get them to the auction house. Omega was the house that famously sold John Lennon's tooth and supposedly subsequently handled Julian Lennon's baby tooth for DNA verification.   I spent a good bit of time chewing over John Lennon's tooth on this blog last year, including when I sent Malice Cooper into a 15 minute hysterical rant on the subject of celebrity teeth on her radio show.

Omega is the auction house that has made the news this week for uncovering unknown color slides of the Beatles from their first US tour in 1964.  So far the slides are the only announced item for the March auction.  The catalogue will be available for viewing online on March 1st.

Here is a pic of one of the slides being offered.

Ringo about to ask George to smell his finger.

Book Review - Wide Awake A Vampire Romance (Kindred Souls) by Jade Cooper

A vampire story that tastefully goes to the erotic extremes

If you've read my other reviews you'll know how boiler plate crass I thought "50 Shades" was, but it has had the benefit of spawning similar work (tempted to say imitations here). But to use imitation implies the original is work worth duplicating. In many cases a good idea can be done better. That's the case here. While I'm not such a vampire fan (Frankenstein needs a comeback), I am an erotic connoisseur and have a Pinterest full of 60's exploitation covers to prove it.

When the erotic works it's because you are taken inside the moment in the character's head(s) and all senses are lit. Jade Cooper does a wonderful job in that respect. The characters are developed so the reader understands the mind in these intimate moments. The narrative aspects of setting and plot stand up on their own so the the reader knows where everything stands when the world closes in on the sexual. A book worthy of moving it's genre forward.

LINK: Wide Awake A Vampire Romance (Kindred Souls) (Kindle Edition)

45 RPM - Katfish - "Dear Prudence" - Just Something A Little Weird

This caught my attention today and I'd never heard it, or even come across a copy.  It's not valuable even if it is rare.  The copyright date is 1975 which was kind of late for something this psychy folky tinged with a bit of 60s teen pop.  Certainly not a great record, but just something a little weird and unknown to me among Beatle covers.

Check Out - Examiner Interview With TMOQ Bootleg Artist William Stout

Also known for music festival posters, and an upcoming April 2013 portrait book of blues artists titled "100 Legends Of  The Blues", forty years ago William Stout created the artwork that graces many a record collector's underground passion - bootleg records.

Even though many of the recordings on these bootlegs are no further away than a YouTube search, and while modest efforts remain to keep these records off eBay, Musicstack, etc, collectors seek out the splattered vinyl and underground style art of bootleg vinyl and the legendary "labels" like Trade Mark Of Quality.

The interview is in three parts and begins here.

Vinyl Records News - Printing Your Own 3D Vinyl - Oh The Devil On My Shoulder Is Yapping At Me

  3D Printed Record from Amanda Ghassaei on Vimeo.

Shhhhh. Cnet and Hyperbot have kinda got it wrong.  They're correct that this probably is not a threat to copyrights.  But oh the things an unscrupulous record dealer could do with this device.  I just found twenty test pressings of Frank Wilson's "Do I Love, Indeed I do" on the Soul label!!

Book Review: The Boy Who Played With Dark Matter by Holy Ghost Writer

For me this was the most entertaining book in the series


I've read three of the books by Holy Ghost Writer and enjoyed them all, but I have a special place in my reading brain for the kind of surreal experience of "Dark Matter". As some other reviewers have pointed out it had a children's book's feel to it but the themes of a reality that is determined to push back hits all the right notes for me. Very cool!!


Link: The Boy Who Played With Dark Matter by Holy Ghost Writer

Link: My Video Review

Rare Surf 45 RPM - The Gamblers - Moon Dawg - 45 RPM World Pacific 815

It's already warming up in California. 45 rpm surf record on World Pacific

Book Review: The Blue by Scott Kelly

You will be inside Derek's head from the first page

And Derek's head tunes in the world skewed off the center signal. The novel deals with memory, perception, alcoholism and crime. So do a lot of other novels. What sets "The Blue" apart is the first person narrative. Derek is a fully realized individual who after a car accident has little memory and suffers face blindness where he cannot recognize faces and can't tell his doctors apart, nor recognize his parents. He has people who want to kill him - the brother of a family killed in the car accident, where Derek may have been drunk. Someone is stalking him and even if he sees the stalker up close he can't recognize him. His father pays for an expert witness at his trial who may try to lie Derek's way to freedom. Even though Derek is not entirely likable, he does have a moral center to which he tries to cling. All of these characters float in and out like people in dreams. The feeling is claustrophobic. All cylinders work here in a character based novel that mixes popular themes in the right doses. PKD can rest easy novels like this carry his favorite themes forward.

Link: The Blue by Scott Kelly

Book Review: Tales from a relationship Chapter III by Vladimi Zjukov

A slice of life that's worth a read

The Kindle can be just another vehicle for the kind of writing we think of as blogs, and that's pretty much what this is. Doesn't mean it's not worth a read, and putting in this format means it's more likely to get found and read. So grab onto this one if you want to read about everyday relationships and their problems. This guy's story reads better than most like it.

LINK: Tales From A Relationship: Chapter III

Rare 45 RPM - Super Fuzz Guitar - The Space Walkers - The Invader - The ...

Rare 45 RPM Fuzz Guitar instrumental from about 1966.  More from the "Swamp Gas" guys from Bakersfield, CA.

Rolling Stones To Kick Out The Monkey Man

The Bank Of England is considering giving the 10 pound note a rock n roll makeover.  Currently the mug of Charles Darwin sits on that back side of that bill, but The Rolling Stones are under consideration along with The Beatles and David Beckham for portrayal on the Queen's currency.

At left is one mock conception of what that bill may look like, though it's doubtful the BoE would decide on the haggard slightly stoned Jagger portrayed here, and the current walking corpse variety of the last decade or two is probably out too.  I would predict that if The Stones make it onto the currency it will be in Ed Sullivan style form.

Rare 45 RPM Rockabilly Doo-Wop Crossover - Diane Dove - To Prove My Love...

A rare 45 rpm I can find nothing out about. This 45 is a nice doo wop sorta rockabilly tinged tune. All the early NRC 45 RPM records save this one have a well documented history, and record of sales. 

Rare 45 RPM - UFO Rockabilly - The Space Walkers - Swamp Gas - The Space...

Rare 45 rpm of a local Bakersfield, CA group about UFOs, sold briefly out a department store. The dude singing on this catchy, if paranoid, rare 45 rpm record is Lewis Ashmore, who went on to found the Universal Life Church, which will ordain anyone for around $15.00. Stars such as Madonna and Courtney Love have become ordained through the Universal Life Church.

The Ringo Wrecking Ball - Some Debates Got Settled In 2012

The story received little attention in the US, but reached the windy windy halls of Whitehall in the UK.  What to do with the house whenst Ringo was born?

The debate whether to restore or demolish the home, and the fate of the block on which it sits, went on for several years.  In this time it was learned that the brick row block of Madryn St, within number 9 of which the Starkey family lived (that's pronounced Starr in Beatleese), had been bombed by the Nazi's when Ringo (pronounced Richard within his family) was only months old.

Ringo's family lived there only a short time, which lent weight to the argument that since the family didn't want to live in a danky old flat, and got the hell out as soon as they could, the home has little significance - hence get the wrecking ball and some canvas bags, I'm collecting bricks to sell on eBay.

And that seemed to be the direction the debate was going as of late May of last year when the National Trust, the British body responsible for management of historic homes (and there is a large inventory of history on that strange little island) decided the home wasn't worth saving.

But in mid June, the Minister of Housing in the UK, Grant Shapps, stepped in with Liverpool community organizers and announced funds had been gathered to restore the Madyrn St block and other houses in Liverpool to test the market for fully refurbished and upscale re-modelings of such homes, and in the course of this test marketing Ringo's home would be preserved.

For his own part, Ringo Starr himself said nothing during the entire debate, accept to say some unkind things about Liverpool in general, and then write and record a song to make up for it.