A Recap of What's Being Pulled From the Stacks and What's Spinning On the Platter
A Girl Called Eddy – Been Around (Elefant Records – ER 1241LP, 2020) As I close in on 150 episodes of Radar with The Vinyl District, I think back to the beginning of this adventure and I’m reminded that one of my first guests on the program was Erin from A Girl Called Eddy. A few months ago I recall her alluding to the fact that new music was on the way soon. I hope that’s true because I’m looking forward to hearing it and speaking with her about it. In the meantime, you can always enjoy her last release “Been Around” or revisit our interview at The Vinyl District. I’ve also got to get my hands on a pressing of her first album one of these days!
The dB’s – Repercussion (Albion Records – ALB 109, 1981) the reissue campaign and concert lineup news for the dB’s has me excited. So excited, that I decided to take out my dB’s records. Disappointingly, I realized a hard truth: I do not have an original pressing of their first album. Although I do have a copy of their second record, which is the album that’s pictured above. And yes - you purists - I realize the song that I have included in this post is not from that album, but I could not find a song from the “Repercussion” album to include, so I’m making the best of it. I look forward to learning more about this year‘s campaign, and hope I can do more with it in the weeks to come.
Mott The Hoople – All The Young Dudes (Columbia – KC 31750, 1972) Happy Birthday to Ian Hunter on this 3rd of June…merely a month away from Independence Day. Summer is here, let Ian’s glam masterpiece of ‘72 help you transition between the seasons.
Dhani Harrison – Innerstanding (HOT Records Limited – HOT420, 2024) Currently digesting this record for @trackingangle. While the album released in Oct. ‘23, physical versions (including vinyl) weren’t released until last February and so its 2 neon yellow discs have been recently living on my turntable. Dhani is very different from his dad, but it’s impossible not to think of GH when exploring his son’s music. However, it’s that dichotomy that makes the album interesting.
Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath (Warner Bros. Records – WS 1871) No, it’s not the new @rhino_records reissue, although I really do have my sights set on that and hope to acquire soon. However, this original pressing, albeit maybe worse for wear, still sounds fantastic even with a little unwelcome surface noise. It’s a bit pronounced in the highs, but still showcases plenty of Geezer Butler’s bass (especially during the exciting metal gallop during the album title track). Not that any of us needed a reminder, but I’m glad the reissue is again shining a light on the rock ‘n’ roll grandeur that Black Sabbath brought to the 20th century.
Molly Miller Trio – The Ballad Of Hotspur (Interrabang Records – JZLP028, 2024) It’s a true update to the instrumental guitar genre that’s needed a reboot for some time. If what I’m saying sounds like it’s something you’d be interested in then consider checking out the Molly Miller Trio’s newest release from just a few weeks ago, “The Ballad of Hotspur”. Molly is a very gifted guitarist, and her fellow trio members are experts in leaving her plenty of space to shine, but adding polished panache to create a record that truly warrants repeated lessons. It’s a really nice pressing too. I’m excited to be speaking with Molly about this release and her career in a few more weeks. Stay tuned!
The Ventures – The Ventures Play Telstar, The Lonely Bull (Dolton Records – BLP-2019, 1962, 🇺🇸) During the heady grungy years of the 90s, I fell in love - head over heels - with the music of The Ventures through a CD compilation. In many ways, the band served as a conduit of sorts for my musical tastes: I came for the guitars, but stayed for their upbeat readings of pop music of the mid-century that wasn’t the Beatles (unless it was) or anything else found on the classic rock stations at the time. Don, Bob, Nokie, and Mel were miraculous musicians who seemed able to attack anything they put their minds to. I also loved their guitar sound vs. many of the other guitar oriented albums of the day: it was often a direct injection of Mosrite soapbar pickups rather than a washed out, spring-reverb drenched wave of sound. I love revisiting these albums every so often and suggest you do too!
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