Old Enough to Forget

When I first heard their version of "The Runner" ("Runner") I was enthralled. I can't tell you, (but I am going to) how many times I picked this album up and put it back. I loved the song, but I wasn't sold on getting an entire album by Manfred Mann. So I passed. Then time passed. A lot of time ... decades. A while ago I was wandering around a flea market and there were several vendors selling assorted records and charging a small ransom for really questionable stuff. I try not to be that guy but I think I may have blurted out "You have got to be kidding" more than once when asking "How much?" Then I stumbled upon a rather chill looking dude who had an old milk crate full of records. I flipped through and there were a couple of things that caught my eye, but it was Somewhere in Afrika that I pulled out. It was still in the shrinkwrap and looked pristine. He looked up and caught my eye. I asked, "How much?" He told me. I pulled o...

Sinematic , released in 2019, is a sprawling 13-song experience spanning two albums. Broken into four segments, it's actually easier to digest in the small chunks presented on each side than sitting and listening to this on streaming (or CD). Although having said that, depending on my mood I like to eat the elephant one bite at a time. If you have the time, listening to it uninterrupted is a treat if you can manage it in a single sitting.  The streaming version also contains lyrics, and to my surprise on Apple Music the album description contains an overview as well as commentary on several of the songs, which was a real surprise. My goodness, this is how you try and compensate for not having a physical copy. I still find it interesting that I was never really a fan of The Band as a kid. I recall seeing bits and pieces of The Last Waltz and couldn't figure out what the fuss was. I do remember there was a bit of a tempest in a teacup when the band reunited without Robbie in the ...

I had seen this album many times and thought it looked absolutely awesome. I loved those old Warren magazines. I had a lot of copies of Creepy , Eerie and The Rook . No, I didn't have copies of  Vampirella  - but I would discreetly read it at the store when no one was looking.  Roger's sleeve was designed by Hipgnosis, the legendary design team from the UK, and it looked like something that could have come straight out of one of those magazines. I knew someone who had a copy and, as I was a big Queen fan, I asked about it. I was told it was nothing like Queen. So I passed. After all, this was Roger, the guy who got the B-side to "Bohemian Rhapsody" to sing about his car. Never my favourite song, but dagnabbit, through sheer force of will Roger earned my respect. Still, the prospect of hearing an entire album seemed to be a bit much. Everything changed in the summer of '84 after I heard "Man on Fire" - suddenly Mister Taylor was on my radar. Generally my ...

The other day the bins at Redrum Records coughed up not one, but two Boz Scaggs albums: his 1976 multi-platinum Silk Degrees and its 1977 platinum follow-up Down Two Then Left . There are times I'll pair albums like this, but today I just don't have it in me. Although I wouldn't be surprised if I end up doing a two-fer anyway. At the moment I don't see it ... I just want to get through this one. Silk Degrees celebrated its 50th birthday this past February and is considered in many circles an undeniable classic. Oh, if you're waiting for me to drop the term Yacht Rock you'll be waiting a while. Personally, I cannot stand the label, as frankly it's lazy and dismissive. "Oh look, someone used a complicated arrangement and a grownup guitar chord - this must be Yacht Rock." You can't see me, but I'm sitting at my keyboard giving that sentence The Johnny Cash Salute. Over the years I have become well aware of the involvement of Jeff Porcaro, D...

I recall hearing “I’m The Answer” on the radio by Simon back in 1983. The couple of times I heard it, it was always followed by a comment about Pete singing backing vocals, or Pete produced it, or Simon was Pete's little brother. It was a minor hit, or a near miss depending on how you look at it. I sort of liked it and I almost bought the record because it had a cool-looking cover. Simon was staring into the camera and pouting (his hair dresser gets a credit in the liner notes). He was either covered in grease or coal, depending on what kind of backstory you've invented to take up the obligatory 1,000 words the picture is supposed to conjure up. Coal or grease, the remarkable thing about the cover is the pristine white shirt. How did he keep the shirt clean? Sweet Sound was indeed produced by Simon’s elder brother, Pete, who had fifteen years on him. One could be forgiven for thinking this was nepotism at its worst. Except it wasn’t ... not really, though I’m sure it didn’t hur...

All I really knew about Dave Mason was that he’d been a member of Traffic, rode that association into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Class of 2004), and had a hit in ’77 with “We Just Disagree” - a song I liked, and still like. News about Dave's death showed up on various sites back in April, and honestly, I realized I’d had him confused for years. Never having been much of a Traffic fan - beyond the songs I’d heard on the radio - and only really knowing that one hit, Dave Mason was mostly just a name to me. Somewhere along the way I’d gotten my internal wires crossed and convinced myself he was Graham Parker ... and to make things worse, I’d somehow also thought Graham Parker was actually Gram Parsons. I'd like to say this is an example of The Mandela Effect, but honestly, it’s just kind of par for how my brain works. Over the years, I've been able to craft and populate whole histories based on a simple misconception that, over time, becomes a foundational support to an o...