The Pogues – The Stiff Records B-Sides (1984-1987) (2023 RSD release)

The Pogues – The Stiff Records B-Sides (1984-1987)
 300 dpi cover scans | Folk-rock, Post-punk
1.93 GB (24/192) + 1.11 GB (24/96)
2023 Record Store Day Ltd. Ed || Warner Brothers 0190296503221

I just got the news that troubled genius Shane MacGowan passed away.  There have been plenty of musical deaths in the last year, some of them unexpected and many more in the purview of the general vibe of this blog, that probably warranted a tribute post on this site.  But I generally swore off doing commemoration posts when the musicians from my favorite eras of music began dropping like flies.  Otherwise this blog would basically become an ongoing obituary column.  I have been meaning to share this album since March, though. Many of the songs on it were new to me until this year, when it was released as a Record Store Day exclusive release.  These are the kinds of RSD releases that characterized that “holiday” at the beginning for many people, presenting something genuinely rare and collectable, before it became flooded with pointless reissues of mainstream albums, gimmicky picture discs, and Taylor Swift exclusives that cause teenager girls and their moms to queue up on sidewalks overnight.. (Don’t get me wrong, I still spend money on RSD stuff – too much, actually – but man, there are so many garbage releases now. No offense intended to the Swifty army..)

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Johnny Pacheco – Pacheco At The NYC World’s Fair (1964 Fania)

Johnny Pacheco – Pacheco At The N.Y. World’s Fair
Vinyl rip in 24-bit/192 kHz | FLAC |  300 dpi  | Latin, Salsa
1964 Fania LP-326 || Mono gold label

Because everything sucks right now except my record collection.  Nothing provocative, depressing, nor spooky (this being Halloween and all) but rather uplifting and invigorating. This is great early work from Maestro Pacheco, released within the first year of Fania Records’ life as a company that would cast a long shadow in the decades to come.  It features a lead vocal (on most tracks) from Pete Rodriguez before his breakout hit “I Like It Like That”. A couple of tracks feature the Cuban singer Ramon ‘Monguito’ Sardiñas in that role.  The rest of the personnel is not noted anywhere I can find, feel free to leave a comment if you happen to know who played on this.

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Alain Goraguer – La Planète Sauvage Original Soundtrack (1973) (2020 RSD)

Alain Goraguer – La Planète Sauvage Original Soundtrack
Vinyl rip in 24-bit/192 kHz | FLAC |  300 dpi  | Jazz-funk, Psychedelic
2020 Superior Viaduct – SV058 translucent yellow vinyl
Original release 1973 on the Pathé label (France)

When I was a teenager, staying up late on the weekends, I used to see this film come on the TV.   I found it beguiling, unsettling, and trippy.  It seemed to combine everything my adolescent self was immersed in: science fiction, psychedelia, and groovy music.  Then I forgot about it for years and years until I ended up becoming friends with a guy from Toulouse who was also into records and vinyl and eventually this film and soundtrack came up.

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Joe Bataan – Gypsy Woman (1967) (2022 Fania / Craft Recordings)


Joe Bataan – Gypsy Woman
Vinyl rip in 24-bit/192 kHz |Latin, Boogaloo, Soul
2022 Craft Recordings CR00552|| Original release – Fania 1967

So it’s another holiday weekend in the land of my birth.  Actually, the holiday is Tuesday, July 4th, Independence Day, but in spite of the insidious Protestant Work Ethic, many Americans will make like Brazilians and turn it into an extended 4-day weekend.   I’m not big on celebrating it myself, at least not until we all get free ( and someday we’ll be free).  My city does have a pretty decent fireworks viewable from the riverfront within biking distance of my house, though, so I may catch a little buzz and watch the explosions in the sky. Continue reading

Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite: We Insist feat. Abbey Lincoln (1961)

Max Roach – Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite: We Insist
Vinyl trasnsfer in 24-bit/192 kHz | FLAC |  300 dpi + web scans | Bebop, Hard Bop
Candid CLP 30021 | Record Store Day 2022 | Orig.rel. 1961

“The Beat has a rich and magnificent history…”  We could do worse than to commemorate Juneteenth with this epoch-defining slab of jazz directly from the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement.  Max Roach and vocalist Abbey Lincoln (soon to be married in 1962) lead an ensemble that includes other luminaries like Coleman Hawkins, Julian Priester, Olatunji, and Booker Little. Continue reading