Nico:

Chelsea Girl:(1967)

For years, I never thought I'd own an entire record of Nico singing. I could tolerate her on the Velvet Underground's debut, but that was it. Then one day, about eight years ago, on a whim, I decided I needed to give this album chance. Partly because I'm a Jackson Browne fan, and not only does this album hold the first recording of These Days, but Browne plays guitar on half the album. Lo and behold, I couldn't stop playing the album. It's become a favorite of mine to play in the mornings. There's an otherworldly mystic quality to it that seems to fit the sunlight around 7:30/8am. 

The Lonesome Organist:

Collector of Cactus Echo Bags:(1997)

Cavalcade:(1999)

I stumbled across the work of the Lonesome Organist (Jeremy Jacobsen) by artwork accident. Now, this first bit of today's post doesn't apply to a vinyl record, but we'll get back to vinyl in a sec. I was at a music store in 2003, looking for new music the old fashioned way, looking at album art, and taking a chance. I came across this interesting looking greenish-yellow cover with a three-headed crooner, and typeface that said, The Lonesome Organist One Man Band. It was the third album, Forms and Follies, that I took home that day, and fell in love with. 

Ok, so back to the vinyl... While playing shows in Denver in about 2009, I checked out, as I often do, Black & Read. Which is where I picked up these two records. Collector is a wildly cool album from artwork to music. There are elements here that seem to be a bridge from Jacobsen's 5ive Style band to this Lonesome Organist incarnation. Those elements feel completely gone by the time Cavalcade came out. Cavalcade feels like the Organist is fully born into its own thing. 

Overall I'm a big fan of the organic nature of this music, the introduction of a bit of chaos into melodies that seem at once familiar, and to creep in from another era reborn in a dream state. This is atmospheric music. 

Captain Beefheart:

Lick My Decals Off, Baby: (1970)

Oh, yes, the good Captain... A polarizing figure to say the least. There are lots of musicians that proclaim their music to be art, and it is, but there are few willing to allow their art to be ragged, grating, and abstract the way Captain Beefheart did. Trout Mask Replica is a modern masterpiece..."A squid eating dough in a polyethylene bag is fas and bulbous"... However, Lick My Decals Off, Baby, may be my favorite. This album is less red, and more blue, and blue is my favorite color. The tunes stir a dirtier groove based stew than Trout Mask, making for a rare moment when a group of white boys has been able to push the boundaries of the blues. Check out I Love You, You Big Dummy, or The Clouds Are Full Of Wine (Not Whiskey or Rye).

Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller):(1978)

So Captain Beefheart recorded an album called Bat Chain Puller, and the record lable (owned by Zappa) didn't want to release it...So Beefheart made a different album, Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller). He stood by that the original album he turned in was better that this, the released version. So it goes in business. I love this album, so I guess that makes it my second favorite. Anyway, artwork on the cover (by Beefheart) and the song Bat Chain Puller are worth the price of admission. Actually both versions of Bat Chain Puller, the one here and on the first recording of this album, are killer. Another track to check out, When I See Mommy I Feel Like A Mummy, sounds like an influence on Primus to me.

It Comes To You In A Plain Brown Wrapper: (2008)

So, in 1967 Beefheart planed for his second album to be a double album called It Comes To You In A Plain Brown Wrapper Marked Personal, but his label said, NO. What ended up coming out on Strictly Personal was a bastardized version, and the Good Captain felt was inferior to his initial idea. Flash forward to 2008, and we get It Comes To You In A Plain Brown Wrapper, a collection of tracks that didn't make the cut for the Strictly Personal album release, and outtakes from other albums. I dig the two different takes of Safe As Milk, and Flower Pot. Overall, I think this is an interesting collection, that allows a small glance into the evolution of some of the Captain's working process.