Yes, it's April 20th.  4/20: The day all marijuana connoisseurs and casual appreciators light up as a community and celebrate their common love of altered reality.  Normally, I'd be combing through my music library trying to locate the perfect songs for the occasion and throwing together a nice little online compilation for everyone's enjoyment.  Instead, I'm going to take the opportunity to spotlight a series of stoner rock compilations from RidingEasy Records , Brown Acid , which, as of today, will see the release of its fourth installment.  Beginning with its first volume in 2015, Brown Acid is comprised of obscure stoner rock and proto-metal singles from the 60s and 70s, located and curated by Permanent Records ' Lance Barresi .  Collaborating with RidingEasy's Daniel Hill , Barresi's passion for digging up these largely forgotten tracks has offered new life to this music via this expanding collection.  So, since Brown Acid: The Fourth Trip is...

'Twas the season...  Wire Nocturnal Koreans Pinkflag Released: Caught Wire 's Nocturnal Koreans mini-LP just before 2016 elapsed thanks to my wife who has, interestingly, managed to gift me one Wire album over the last (now) three Christmases.  I think I got the Document & Eyewitnesses compilation in 2014 and Wire's s/t LP last year.  I wouldn't call this a bad tradition. While I really liked the title track when the album came out, I'll admit this isn't my favorite of the band's recent output.  I may need to give it a few more listens.  I would never accuse the band of phoning it in so to speak, but maybe plateauing a bit.  Either way, I'm always happy to be expanding my collection of Wire LPs. Flying Lotus You're Dead Warp Released: 10.6.14 You're Dead by Flying Lotus slipped by me in 2014 and has been on the "I'll get to it someday" wishlist for the past couple of years.  I should've jumped on ...

When The Beatles ' entire catalogue had been remastered in 2009, I penned a three-part review of the box set for No Ripcord.  For the band's 1966 release, Revolver , this is what I had to say : "In a way, Revolver is a bolder album than Pepper was, an experimental hybrid clashing symphonic string arrangements ('Eleanor Rigby'), rock n’ jolly 'Singin’ In The Rain'-styled ditties ('Good Day Sunshine'), kid-friendly sing-alongs about friendly aquatic transports ('Yellow Submarine'), Eastern influences ('Love You To') and the decade’s introduction to psychedelic rock n’ roll ('She Said She Said,' 'Tomorrow Never Knows'). An absolute plethora of influences and styles at work and they marry perfectly onto Revolver with nary a concept at work, nor a marching suit to hide behind.  Revolver is Beatlemania’s actual 'good riddance' and the very reason they couldn’t go on as a touring band. As a continually grow...

July 4th.  If your ears aren't still ringing after lighting up all of your noisemakers in tribute to our independence, enjoy some of my "America" selections. Brian Eno/David Byrne : "America Is Waiting" Yes : "America ( Simon & Garfunkel cover)"   Primus : "American Life"   The Mothers of Invention : "America Drinks and Goes Home"   Black Flag : "American Waste"   R.E.M. : "Little America"   MC5 : "The American Ruse"   Bad Religion : "American Dream"   David Bowie : "I'm Afraid of Americans" Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

John Coltrane Ascension Impulse! Reissued: 2.2016 Originally released: 2.1966 (as "Edition I" — A-95) * Actual question. ** Actual opinion. So, the reissue sounds great.  My copy is mislabeled, however, so Side B is actually Side A, which I guess is sort of fitting since the whole "Edition I"/"Edition II" thing still requires a bit of brain matter to keep straight.  Interestingly, it's easier to find structural cohesion on the vinyl edition than I was ever able to find on the 2000 CD issue, which contains both versions. Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Some recent purchases: 20 Buck Spin Sleep Vol. 1 Tupelo Recording Company / Very Small Records Originally released: 1991 Reissued: 2014 The 20 Buck Spin subscription service let it be known one fine day that Sleep 's Vol. 1 , (the band's debut album), was available to purchase on vinyl.  While interested, I didn't jump on the opportunity right away.  A mere day or so later, all copies were sold and the good ol' "ah shit" lament followed.  But, 20 Buck Spin restocked the LP and, once notified, I picked it up.  I think it was about $18.   The LP is stored in a glossy sleeve that picks up fingerprints without mercy and a download card was included.  On the strength of "The Suffering" alone I would recommend picking this one up if you haven't already.   The Vinyl Closet North Wales, PA I had a gift certificate to spend.  So, I perused and purchased. Hüsker Dü Land Speed Record SST Records Originally released: 1981 Reiss...

I was given the gift of record shopping for Father's Day this year.  Better yet: I was given the gift of shopping at the Princeton Record Exchange, which I hadn't visited since Record Store Day in 2013 .  Left with a stipend and about an hour or so to peruse, I was happy to spend more time navigating the inventory than last time, though I was not the only Dad given the day to record shop.  The store was packed with Dads toting impatient, bored children and wives that seemed stuck in this permanent scowl that said very plainly, "When will he grow the fuck up?"  Those Dads could very easily have replied, "When will you stop taking me dress shopping?" There were more deals than I had cash, unfortunately.  I found a copy of Madlib 's Shades of Blue , which I probably should've picked up.  I also found a stack of used Japanese Public Image Ltd. CDs that were going for $10 apiece and a sealed copy of OFF! 's First Four EPs 7" set.  To do thi...

From Iggy Pop 's Facebook page: My dear friend Scott Asheton passed away last night. Scott was a great artist, I have never heard anyone play the drums with more meaning than Scott Asheton. He was like my brother. He and Ron have left a huge legacy to the world. The Ashetons have always been and continue to be a second family to me. My thoughts are with his sister Kathy, his wife Liz and his daughter Leanna, who was the light of his life. Iggy Pop Scott Asheton, founding member and drummer of The Stooges , has passed away at 64 .  He's followed his brother, Ron , who died in 2009 .    While Iggy Pop remains one of the greatest frontmen in rock 'n roll's history, he had the brothers Asheton powering his every utterance with sonic manna from some perverse nether-heaven, guitar work that could slice through steal and a snare hit that rattled senses.  Scott and Ron both changed the game, nailing the lid shut on the 60s and providing a template for what...

Do you remember the moment the natural course of your mind had suddenly been disrupted by a piece of music?  For many, it was February 9th, 1964 as a well-known television show host introduced the most important band in the world to the thousands of enthusiastic American youth.  Two such youths were my Mom and Dad, and their love of this band would be passed to me.   Growing up a fairly introverted suburban kid interested in sci-fi, superheroes and art, my more vivid memories as a child involved a radio, an album, a cassette or a music video.  Before I understood that my head was being completely undone and rebuilt by much of what I'd listened to as I grew up, I'd become attached to my Dad's record collection, which was a long set of LPs that seemed to span the length of our third floor bedroom. I spent a lot of time up there, mostly listening to Beatles LPs while slowly being changed. My very beat up U.S. editions of A Hard Days Night and Beatles '65 . My...

I found an obituary at Billboard . As a graphic designer by trade, I've gravitated toward poster art for as long as I can remember.  After college, I had aspirations of becoming one of those well-known poster and flyer artists that advertises gigs locally while inadvertently informing the look and feel of a generation and its music, sort of along the lines of Art Chantry , Raymond Pettibon or Emek .  Grimshaw was such an artist, someone who managed to visually capture a place and time memorably while helping to establish its aesthetic. Music and art define points in time and identify cultural shifts in consciousness.  From album covers and gig posters and flyers, to video and t-shirt design, would music have the same weight without its visual component?  Would any era in music's still developing history, whether it be jazz or country, disco or punk, new wave or hip-hop, have as much impact without texture or color, appearance or tone?  I personally ca...

There's a new documentary examining Paul McCartney 's role in UK's underground scene during the latter half of the 60s called, Going Underground: Paul McCartney, the Beatles, and the UK Counter-Culture .  As John Lennon is the Beatle often associated with the avant-garde simply because he married a pop artist who liked to bellow and squeal ad-fucking-nauseum and drive nails into wood, McCartney had investigated the likes of John Cage and Stockhausen while The Beatles were investing their drug-'spanded hues into studio output and had apparently rubbed shoulders with some interesting, "far out" folk.  Very interested to check this out.  Give the trailer a look and read up.  All info comes courtesy of MVD Entertainment Group. GOING UNDERGROUND Paul McCartney, the Beatles, and the UK Counter-Culture Coming to DVD on October 1st In the mid-1960s the often rigid and colourless British way of life was irrevocably transformed by the emergenc...

My fascination with the avant school of jazz music has much to do with that it's the frantic, loosely constructed illustration of the human psyche in a state of personal, societal and internal unrest.  Some call it annoying.  I call it the artistic realization of an extreme as a mind incapable of settling knows no boundary or structure, and life in tumult brings this sort of offensively off key deliverance to people unprepared to accept and ready to dismiss.  Because of when and how it grew out of the continual evolution of jazz music in the 60s, the idea of improvisational styles completely losing any semblance of key or structure, the avant and/or free jazz stands as truer testimony to the era, moreso in some ways than the folk swaying hippie culture that's typically identified as the protest music of the decade.  This is loud and chaotic surface noise designed to delve into and distill.  It's not "peace" and "love" inasmuch as it's ...

Jim Morrison may have been the voice, but Ray Manzarek was the sound. The Doors ' keyboardist succumbed to cancer yesterday, May 20th, at the age of 74.  He, of course, is the mastermind behind the omnipresent licks that drove "Break On Through (To the Other Side)," "Light My Fire," "Five To One," "Riders on the Storm" and I could go on and on.  It's actually absurd the overabundance of well-known music that The Doors had churned out between 1965 and 1973, much of it brilliantly conceived and driven by Manzarek's melodies.  Lest I use the occasion of his unfortunate passing to assassinate the character of Morrison, I'll just say that, for me, I've always considered the The Doors to be Manzarek's band.  While I can't argue that Morrison redefined the role of frontman and remains a lasting and influential presence in rock n' roll history, Manzarek shaped the band's tone and certainly their identity during the t...

MusicFilmWeb's Music Documentary Monday feature, 4.8. You're Gonna Miss Me Directed by Keven McAlester Released: 2005   MusicFilmWeb review Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

I took the day off work. Mind you, I'm not one that typically does the "mental health" day, or just decides "I need some time off."  I'm normally paranoid and guilty enough when legitimately sick that I'll bother my coworkers with updates about how the day is going and whether or not I need to plug in and work from home.  I have a complex, so days off aren't my thing. But, I had some things to take care of today and just figured I would try this "relaxing" that everyone speaks so highly of.  Part of trying to enjoy the day involved me hitting the record store.  I kept it very local today and stopped by The Vinyl Closet in North Wales, which is maybe ten minutes from my house. While the store doesn't hold much for those looking for current artists or recent releases, it is a treasure trove for vinyl addicts.  The first time I'd visited, I found a few things to pick up without spending too much loot.  Today, though, I kept on f...

Can The Lost Tapes Spoon Released: 6.12 A.K.A. Music , Philadelphia, PA: In June of 2012, Krautrock superheroes Can issued a three CD collection of unreleased material appropriately dubbed, The Lost Tapes .  I found a copy resting against the new releases wall at A.K.A. Music and figured I'd cross it off my wish list.  Plus, being that I'm not very well versed when it comes to Can, I thought the set would make a good primer.  (The only other Can release I own is their 1979 self-titled album , which I consider hit and miss). Apparently, the material herein was culled from 50 hours' worth of tapes that had been recorded from 1968 'til 1975, an arduous and likely frustrating task taken on by band member Irmin Schmidt , producer Daniel Miller and musician Jono Podmore .  With a retrospective of this size, there is an immediate and mostly automatic desire to positively assess the release before it's even been completely considered, quality or not.  Ha...

Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

In 2005, I wrote one of my first online record reviews. At this point, I hadn't even begun Letters From A Tapehead and the notion of investing actual time into music criticism wasn't something I'd considered, but I felt compelled to throw together a lot of paragraphs in the hope that they would maybe attract some curious listeners. The album was Chaos and Creation in the Backyard by Paul McCartney . I'm sure the review wasn't that good, to be honest I don't really remember what I'd written, but after McCartney's slew of so-so albums and the so-so reception most of them received, I was moved by Chaos and Creation , which I felt to be revealing in a way that McCartney hadn't been for some time. His unthreatening demeanor and boyish charm were instrumental in his being an affable public relations face for The Beatles and this ability to smile for the camera has carried into his subsequent project and pursuits, still a warm and welcoming face si...