It’s Delvon Lamarr New Vinyl Thursday at The Vinyl Underground at 7th Heaven. Check out this week’s list of new vinyl arrivals:
2 Live Crew – Greatest Hits
2Pac – All Eyez On Me
50 Cent – Best Of
A Tribe Called Quest – People’s Instinctive Travels
Accept – Too Mean To Die
Al Green – Let’s Stay Together [180 gram Vinyl]
Amy Winehouse – Back to Black
Amy Winehouse – Lioness: Hidden Treasures
Amy Winehouse – Frank
Aretha Franklin – Lady Soul
The Avalanches – We Will Always Love You [180 gram Vinyl]
Beabadoobee – Fake It Flowers
The Besnard Lakes – The Besnard Lakes Are The Last Great Thunderstorm Warning
Bill Evans – Portrait In Jazz
Black Pumas – Black Pumas
Boards of Canada – Music Has the Right to Children
Bob Marley – Legend
Bob Marley – Best of Bob Marley
Bob Mould – Distortion: 1996-2007
Boston – Boston
Brian Eno – Film Music 1976-2020
The Blues Brothers – The Blues Brothers (Original Soundtrack Recording)
Clifford Brown – A Study In Brown
Cody Jinks – Adobe Sessions
Curtis Mayfield – Super Fly
Weekly Review:
By the time Curtis Mayfield wrote the soundtrack for Super Fly, he had more than a decade of strong
political songs to his credit. As a member of the Impressions in the 1960s, Mayfield wrote (and sang)
passionate anthems such as “Keep on Pushing,” “People Get Ready” and “We’re a Winner.” As powerful
as Mayfield’s songwriting was, it was rarely funky. On Super Fly, Mayfield was both super funky and
powerfully political.
Nearly half a century later, Mayfield’s soundtrack is better remembered than the Blaxplotation flick
about a drug dealer. Aside from referencing characters in the film, Mayfield’s songs largely ignore the
movie and concentrate on telling the story of everyday life in the inner city. When Mayfield’s writing
does coincide with the film, he goes inside the character’s heads, telling the heartbreaking story of
Freddy or putting the listener in the shoes of the pusherman.
The stories in Super Fly sadly still resonate today and its music continues to inspire artists. Top Five
single “Freddy’s Dead” has been sampled numerous times, as has the title track. Side two opener “Give
Me Your Love (Love Song)” sounds like everything Andre 3000 was trying to accomplish on his half of
Outkast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Take Super Fly home and store it next to Marvin Gaye’s What’s
Going On and Gil Scott-Heron’s Pieces of a Man in your music library. -Joel Francis
Clutch – Weathermaker Vault Series 1
Charles Mingus – Mingus Ah Um [180 gram vinyl]
The Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Hole
Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio – I Told You So
Deftones – Adrenaline [180 gram Vinyl]
Depeche Mode – Exciter [180 gram Vinyl]
Depeche Mode – Violator
David Bowie – Station to Station
Weekly Review:
One of my many favorite moments from catching David Bowie’s concert on the Reality tour during its
stop at Starlight Theater in 2004, was watching him hang out on the side of the stage, arms holding on
to the scaffolding, grooving along to as his band churned through the long, instrumental introduction to
“Station to Station.” It was the first song in the encore set and in that moment, Bowie was just another
music fan, like all of us in the crowd.
Bowie claimed to have no memories of making this album, but Station to Station’s detached,
synthesized paranoia paved a direct path to Joy Division. Single “TVC15” was durable enough to find a
spot in Bowie’s Live Aid set nearly a decade later and his cover of “Wild is the Wind” is a touching
showcase of Bowie’s vocal talent. More than just the bridge between the plastic soul of Young
Americans and the iconic Berlin Trilogy, Station to Station is an essential addition to any rock collection. -Joel Francis
David Bowie – Low
David Bowie – Lodger
Drive By Truckers – English Oceans
Dire Straits – Dire Straits, Communique, Making Movies, Brothers in Arms
Weekly Review:
London’s Dire Straits were formed in the late 1970s around guitarists and brothers Mark and David
Knopfler. The quartet’s sound drew on folk, jazz, country and pub rock influences, standing in contrast
to the boisterous punk scene of the time.
Powered by Mark Knopfler’s songwriting, vocals and unique finger-picking style of lead guitar, the
band’s self-titled, 1978 debut was a hit, driven by the Top 5 hit “Sultans of Swing.” After a U.K. tour with
a few stops in western Europe, the group started working on their second album, Communique.
Released just nine months after Dire Straits (and still riding “Sultans’” hot streak), Communique sticks
with the same sound and approach that worked before. “Lady Writer” was released as a single but
didn’t do well on the charts, despite being a great song. The album was popular enough to afford the
Straits’ their first American tour. One of the people who attended the tour was Bob Dylan, who asked
Mark Knopfler to play on his upcoming album, Slow Train Coming. Straits drummer Pick Withers also
played on Dylan’s album.
Mark Knopfler’s songwriting hit another gear for Making Movies, the group’s third album. “Romeo and
Juliet” is a dazzling tale of star-crossed lovers meeting then falling apart. “Skateaway” tells the story of a
woman so desperate to rebel she winds up skating into traffic going the wrong way.
The title proves to be an apt description of the band’s widescreen production and arrangements. (It also
provided the name for one of Kansas City’s best local bands.) The absence of David Knopfler, who left
the band during the recording, gives Mark more room to work. Check out how he builds the closing solo
on “Tunnel of Love” builds from a just handful of notes into a flood of emotion.
Making Movies’ only flaw is the homophobic final track, “Les Boys.” Unfortunately, Knopfler would run
into the same problem on Brothers in Arms, the band’s 1985 release. (In between Making Movies and
Brothers, Dire Straits released the atmospheric album Love Over Gold.)
With a cameo from Sting, “Money for Nothing” was a No. 1 hit that won a Grammy and MTV’s best
video award. The album version is also marred by more of Knopfler’s homophobia. If you can overlook
this, there is a lot to love on Brothers in Arms. The upbeat “Walk of Life” was another Top 10 hit and the
catchy “So Far Away” hit the Top 20. Over on side two, “Ride Across the River” had the sophisticated
arrangements of Love Over Gold’s material with the widescreen songwriting of Making Movies. The title
song is a moving, melancholy portrait of the fraternity that arises among soldiers who have faced
combat together.
Brothers in Arms turned Dire Straits into worldwide superstars, but it was too much for Knopfler, who
put the band on hold to work on film scores and side projects. In 1991, the group reunited for a final
album and tour. Knopfler and bass player John Illsley were the only musicians from the original album to
play on the release. The One Every Street record and tour sold well, but the hits and spark weren’t there
and Knopfler became a solo act.
If you’re dipping your toe into the Dire Straits catalog, you can’t go wrong starting with either Making
Movies or Brothers in Arms. Although the records are different, they accomplish their distinct goals very
well. The self-titled debut is stronger than Communique, but if you like one, you’ll enjoy the other. Love
Over Gold marks another high point. While On Every Street has its moments, it best saved for
completists. -Joel Francis
ELO – All Over The World: The Very Best of electric Light Orchestra
Erykah Badu – But You Caint Use My Phone
Five Day Rain – Five Day Rain
The Flying Burrito Brothers – The Gilded Palace of Sin
Fleetwood Mac – Tusk
Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Welcome to the Pleasuredome, Bang! The Greatest Hits
Weekly Review:
In America, Liverpool dance group Frankie Goes to Hollywood are remembered as a one-hit wonder.
However, their story goes a little bit deeper than “Relax.”
First released in 1983, the band’s signature song caught the attention of producer Trevor Horn, who
signed Frankie to his record label and – with the band’s cooperation – re-recorded “Relax.” Horn also
produced the band’s ambitious, double-LP debut Welcome to the Pleasuredome. Powered by “Relax,”
Pleasuredome was a Top 10 album around the world and peaked at No. 33 in the U.S.
“Two Tribes” is the album’s other big single, an antiwar song drenched in the same ‘80s production that
hit the Top 5 in much of Europe (and stalled just outside the Top 40 in America). The title song is a 13-
minute epic that nods to Horn’s affiliation with Yes at the time, quotes the philosopher Friedrich
Nietzsche and draws on the poem Kubla Khan. Other moves on the album are more puzzling, such as a
cover of the Motown hit “War” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run.”
If this all sounds like a bit much, it is by design. Nearly every moment on Pleasuredome is infused with
maxium-‘80s pastiche. Curious Me-First Decade music fans feeling less adventurous may prefer Bang!, a
greatest hits set only slightly shorter than Pleasurdome, which contains most of that set’s big moments,
along with tracks from Liverpool, the band’s only other album, and some b-sides. And, of course,
“Relax.” -Joel Francis
Glass Animals – Dreamland [180 gram Vinyl]
Gorillaz – Gorillaz
Gorillaz – Humanz
Greta Van Fleet – From The Fires
The Grateful Dead – Anthem Of The Sun
Harry Styles – Harry Style [180 gram Vinyl]
John Scofield – I Can See Your House From Here
Joe Strummer – Streetcore
Journey – Greatest Hits [180 Gram Vinyl]
Juice Wrld – Legends Never Die
Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly
Khruangbin – Mordechai
Korn – Follow The Leader [140 gram Vinyl]
Korn – Issues (140 Gram Vinyl)
Korn – Untouchables (140 Gram Vinyl)
Lee Morgan – The Rajah (Blue Note Tone Poets Series)
Lucero – When You Found Me
LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening
Led Zeppelin – Mothership [4LP, 180 gram Vinyl]
Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti [180 gram Vinyl]
Leonard Cohen – Songs of Love and Hate
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Gimme Back My Bullets
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Nuthin Fancy
Little Big Horn – Little Big Horn
Motley Crue – Theatre Of Pain (180 Gram Vinyl, Reissue)
My Chemical Romance – Black Parade
Mac Miller – Best Day Ever
Mac Miller – Circles
Mac Miller – Swimming
Mac Miller – Watching Movies With The Sound Off
Metallica – Ride The Lightning (Deluxe Edition, Boxed Set, With CDs & DVD)
Metallica – And Justice For All
Michael Jackson – Thriller
Miles Davis – Miles Davis Quintet: Freedom Jazz Dance – The Bootleg Series, Vol. 5
Miles Davis – Musings of Miles
Miles Davis – Relaxin With the Miles Davis Quartet
N.W.A – Straight Outta Compton
Nirvana – Unplugged In NY
Nirvana – Live At The Paramount [180 gram Vinyl]
Nirvana – In Utero
The Notorious B.I.G. – Greatest Hits
Outkast – Stankonia
Oasis – (What’s The Story) Morning Glory
Oded Tzur – Here Be Dragons
Paul Chambers – Bass On Top (Blue Note Tone Poets Series)
PJ Harvey – Is This Desire?
PJ Harvey – Is This Desire? – Demos
Paladin – Charge
Partynextdoor – Partymobile
Pink Floyd – The Dark Side Of The Moon [180 gram Vinyl]
Poppy – I Disagree (more)
Primus – Pork Soda
Primus – Rhinoplasty [180 gram Vinyl]
The Pink Fairies – Neverland [180 gram Vinyl]
Portishead – Dummy
Queen – Greatest Hits I
Queen – Greatest Hits II
Rage Against The Machine – Rage Against The Machine (XX 20th Anniversary Edition)
The Ramones – Rocket to Russia
The Replacements – Let It Be
Red Garland – Groovy
Rihanna – Girl Like Me
Rush – Permanent Waves
Rush – Signals
Smashing Pumpkins – Gish
Sturgill Simpson – Cuttin Grass (Color Vinyl)
Tame Impala – Currents
Sade – Best Of Sade [180 gram Vinyl]
Tech N9ne – Strangeulation
Thelonious Monk – Complete Prestige
Tom Petty – Greatest Hits
Tom Petty – Wildflower & All The Rest
Various Artists – Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968
Weekly Review:
The idea behind Nuggets is simple: gather all the good songs from albums that only had one good song.
The resulting 27-song, double-LP collection remains an essential time capsule of late ‘60s garage rock.
Most of the music operates under the three-chord format, but covers a surprising amount of ground.
There’s tough early punk, pop, Latin-flavored, surf, blue-eyed soul and U.K. blues rave-ups. There are
Beatles, Stones, Kinks and Yardbird knock-offs as well as Van Morrison and Otis Redding covers, tracks
featuring then-unknown guitarists Ted Nugent and Todd Rundgren and even a few Top 40 hits here and
there.
Best of all, everything on Nuggets not only sounds good, but it sounds good together. This collection
connects the dots between the Byrds and the Ramones and generates a lot of fun in the process. The
original liner notes written by the set’s compiler – and future Patti Smith Group guitarist – Lenny Kaye
are both amusing and education as well.
Nuggets was so successful it spawned the similar Pebbles and Rubble multi-volume collections, inspired
a series of CD box sets and basically established the template for what the Numero Group, Captured
Tracks and other reissue labels aspire for today. Get Nuggets and add a little more rock to your vinyl
library. -Joel Francis
Various Artists – Pulp Fiction (Music From the Motion Picture)
Various Artists – Soul Slab 1
Various Artists – Rock N Roll High School Music From Original Motion Picture
The Velvet Underground – Collected
The Velvet Underground – Velvet Underground: 45th Anniversary
Wu-Tang Clan – Enter Wu-Tang
The Weeknd – House of Balloons
Warhorse – Warhorse
Waylon Jennings – Original Outlaw
Weekly Review:
A new collection features a dozen of Waylon Jennings’ earliest recordings, including two songs with
Buddy Holly and a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.”
The Original Outlaw compilation opens with two songs the track listing says feature Buddy Holly, who
most likely plays guitar. Both songs also feature what sounds like King Curtis on saxophone. “When the
Sin Stops” is performed in Holly’s style, while “Jole Blon” has a more country feel.
The rest of the album draws from Jennings’ 1964 debut album, Waylon at JD’s. The record was originally
made to build on Jennings’ popularity at a Scottsdale, Ariz., nightclub called J.D.’s and sold only at the
club. The first pressing quickly sold out and it has been reissued several times on a variety of labels.
You can hear Jennings gradually transitioning away from the rock and roll of his recordings with Holly
and moving toward a country sound. “White Lightning” and a cover of the Motown hit “Money (That’s
What I Want)” aren’t quite country or rock, yet somehow also not rockabilly. There’s a strong Johnny
Cash influence on the Dylan cover, but Jennings stays true to Roy Orbison’s arrangements and delivery
on “Dream Baby” and “Crying.”
The material on Original Outlaw provides an interesting look at Jennings’ early style, but only hints at his
future career path. Ultimately, it is probably of more interest to early rock and roll fans that outlaw
country aficionados. -Joel Francis
X - More Fun In The New World
X – Under The Big Black Sun
FLASH SALE!
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Here’s where we talk about the virus. We are all freaked out. We are all nervous and anxious. We are OPEN. If you want to come shop in person put on your mask and we will say hello, give you a virtual high five- a virtual hug if we know you that well- and we will keep our distance. We love all of our customers and are glad to keep this little bit of normalcy in these crazy times. With that being said, we will also offer various other ways to get your vinyl fix. We have always shipped music and we will continue to do so. We also offer curbside pick up. Call us, pay, call us when you are outside and we will deliver your freshly sanitized purchase to your car.
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Enjoy the music and we will see you soon. Your loving Vinyl Underground at 7th Heaven staff:
Sherman, Gordon, Cat, Matt, Dylan, Doyle, Heather, Dave and Max
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