my bruce springsteen video.

Once i got drunk at a bruce springsteen concert. it ruled. Unfortunately the guy who uploaded the video disabled embedding, so you gotta actually go to youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DpEa2aKiBI

Angela Faye Martin - Pictures From Home (2009)

I can't really find too much about this album online. From what I can find, it seems like Angela Faye Martin was from the same town as Mark Linkous, yeah, that guy I'm obsessed with who played in that Sparklehorse band. Anyways, I guess they lived close to each other and were friends, and Mark Linkous wanted to produce some of Angela's music, so he produced this album. It's somewhat similar to Sparklehorse, you can definitely hear Mark's production, and I think it's really great.

Tracklist:
1. Strawberry Roan
2. Pictures From Home
3. The Woods Get To Know Me
4. Summer Of Lightning
5. No One Can Wake You
6. Widow's Lament
7. Adieu, Mr. Higginson
8. Still Life With An Empty Bottle
9. The Ballad Of Lolita Dean
10. Land Of The Noonday Sun

Download: mediafire

Yoko Ono - Plastic Ono Band (1970)

On this album the Plastic Ono band was John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and Klaus Voormann. Avante-garde jammy noise, all the lyrics are vocal improvisations.

Tracklist:
1. Why
2. Why Not
3. Greenfield Morning I Pushed An Empty Baby Carriage All Over The City
4. Aos
5. Touch Me/Paper Shoes

Download: mediafire

Fleetwood Mac - Tusk (1979)

After Fleetwood Mac was boosted to super-stardom with Rumours, they were given a blank cheque for their follow-up album. Lindsey Buckingham took the reins on this album, writing more than half the songs, producing the album, and even recording parts of it at home, creating an ethereal sound, with a punk and new wave influence, nothing like Rumours. At the time of it's release, the album bombed compared to Rumours, and was never able to produce any major hits for the band, mostly due to the entirely different direction the band had taken. This album is an absolute masterpiece of pop-art.

Tracklist:
1. Over & Over
2. Ledge
3. Think About Me
4. Save Me A Place
5. Sara
6. What Makes You Think You're The One
7. Storms
8. That's All For Everyone
9. Not That Funny
10. Sisters Of The Moon
11. Angel
12. That's Enough For Me
13. Brown Eyes
14. Never Make Me Cry
15. I Know I'm Not Wrong
16. Honey Hi
17. Beautiful Child
18. Walk A Thin Line
19. Tusk
20. Never Forget

Download: mediafire

Tonstartssbandht - Midnite Cobras 7" (2010)

I have absolutely no idea how to pronounce this bands name but they play some pretty cool psyched out lofi rock n roll. Based out of Montreal.

Tracklist:
1. Midnite Cobras
2. I'm A Welsh Souper
3. Electric Dragon Sword

Buy: insound

Download: mediafire

The Famines - Free Love Is A Sales Technique 7" (2009)

Montreal/Edmonton psych-punks.

Tracklist:
1. Free Love Is A Sales Technique
2. The First World War

Buy: http://thefamines.ca/

Download: mediafire

The Famines - Syllables 7" (2010)

Montreal/Edmonton psych-punks.

Tracklist:
1. Syllables
2. Got Lies If You Want Them

Buy: http://thefamines.ca/

Download: mediafire

Klaatu - Klaatu (1976)

When this album was first released in 1976, there was a massive rumor that these guys were actually The Beatles, however by the end of the year it was revealed that they were really just a Canadian progressive rock band. Pretty rad stuff though, feels kind of like if The Flaming Lips recorded the "Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots" album in California in 1968.

Tracklist:
1. Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft
2. California Jam
3. Anus Of Uranus
4. Sub-Rosa Subway
5. True Life Hero
6. Doctor Marvello
7. Sir Bodsworth Rugglesby III
8. Little Neutrino

Download: mediafire

The Beach Boys - Don't Fight The Sea 45 (2011)

The Beach Boys recently released their first recording of new material on years on this 45 as a benefit for the Red Cross Relief for the Japan earthquake crisis. The A-side is a cut from Al Jardine's solo album, but features Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston. The b-side is an a capella version of Friends. Don't fight the mtt.

Tracklist:
1. Don't Fight The Sea
2. Friends (A Capella)

Purchase: soundstagedirect
Download: mediafire

RIP Macho Man

Today is a very sad day. The great Macho Man Randy Savage has left this world due to a car accident. He will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Macho Man, you've inspired me to be a man, and there's no way I could have ever paid this back to you. I owe you a tremendous debt, and I promise that for the rest of my life, I will be a man. I love you Randy, and my life will never be the same now that you're gone.

Salt Chunk Mary - Demos 1992-93

After the Dancing Hoods post, here's a little bit more Sparklehorse history. After Dancing Hoods broke up, Mark Linkous moved back to Virginia and joined the band The Johnson Family with his brother Matt, as well as former members of the band Honor Role, Steve Schick and Chip Jones. The band eventually changed their name to Salt Chunk Mary, and in their short life span released 9 demo songs, one of which is an early version of "Someday I Will Treat You Good" which was Mark Linkous' first hit as Sparklehorse, and was also included on the movie Laurel Canyon starring Christian Bale (which Mark also makes a cameo appearance in).

Thanks to chromewaves these demo recordings have become available online, though while you have to download each file individually from him, I put them into a .rar file to make things a little easier, but I definitely recommend checking out his blog, because without him, this post wouldn't be possible.

Tracklist:
1. Won't Know If You Don't Try
2. Rest Your Worried Mind
3. Instrumental
4. Someday I Will Treat You Good
5. I Take It All Back
6. There Ain't Nobody But You
7. Break My Mind
8. I
9. Sorry Now

Download: mediafire

Dancing Hoods - Hallelujah Anyway (1988)

Before Mark Linkous started making solo music under the Sparklehorse moniker, he was the front man of New York City power-pop band Dancing Hoods. Dancing Hoods are comparable to The Replacements, though less-edgy. With this album, Dancing Hoods were making an obvious grab at success after the rave reviews of their debut album, and they came close as "Baby's Got Rockets" was a minor hit on college radio. However, after the release of this album, the band moved from New York to Los Angeles to attempt to get the attention of a major label, but they never did, and broke up because of it, and thank god for that. This isn't a terrible album, it's actually quite enjoyable, though doesn't come close to the beauty Linkous put on record as Sparklehorse.

Tracklist:
1. Torn Away
2. Baby's Got Rockets
3. Better Look Up
4. Puppet Dancing
5. Welfare Shoes
6. Border Patrol
7. Diamonds In The Mine
8. Falling Down
9. Tell You Something
10. Crooked Angel

Download: mediafire

Pet Sounds 45th anniversary!

Though I'm sure I wasn't even the slightest thought of my parents imaginations at the time of Pet Sounds release, 45 years ago yesterday, the album means more to me than any other piece of music ever has.

And it seems like just yesterday I was running away to New York to see the Pet Sounds 40th Anniversary Shows at the Beacon Theater all by myself. Really it was just 5 years ago, and I had just turned 18! The trip turned out to be a life-changing experience for me, and I really can't thank The Beach Boys, and more specifically, Brian Wilson, enough for it.

Before the first of the 2 Pet Sounds concerts at the Beacon Theater, I decided to show up early to try to get a chance to meet Brian Wilson, who at the time was my idol, and I had worked ridiculous hours at a restaurant for really low wages for months to save up enough to go on this trip. I was also going through a terrible break up at the time, drinking a little bit too much, and getting increasingly anti-social. So this trip was a pretty big deal for me. Anyways, outside the concert, started talking to a couple guys who were also waiting for the chance to meet Brian. One guy was from England, also travelling by himself, the other guy lived a block or two away from the venue and was an advertising director for Hewlett Packard. They both ended up being at both concerts, and we ended up going for beers after both. While we were waiting outside Brian's bus on the first night, here's what happened:





Pretty cool stuff. Unfortunately I don't have any more pictures from either the concerts, or the trip, because I had them stored on an online account, and an ex-girlfriend deleted it a couple years back.

Husker Du - New Day Rising (1985)

My favorite Husker Du album. Celebrated Summer is one of my all time favorite songs.

Tracklist:
1. New Day Rising
2. Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill
3. I Apologize
4. Folk Lore
5. If I Told You
6. Celebrated Summer
7. Perfect Example
8. Terms Of Psychic Warfare
9. 59 Times The Pain
10. Powerline
11. Books About UFOs
12. I Don't Know What You're Talking About
13. How To Skin A Cat
14. Whatcha Drinkin'
15. Plans I Make

Download: mediafire

Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)

As of this last week, it's finally been nice in Calgary (no more snow!!). This is an album I always seem to rock pretty hard in the early months of summer (or late months of spring). There's something about this album that makes me want to sit in a boiling hot car while drinking a slurpee and driving through the country or something. There's some pretty classic jams on this album. "Gold Soundz" is one of my all time favorites.

Tracklist:
1. Silence Kit
2. Elevate Me Later
3. Stop Breathin
4. Cut Your Hair
5. Newark Wilder
6. Unfair
7. Gold Soundz
8. 5 - 4 = Unity
9. Range Life
10. Heaven Is A Truck
11. Hit The Plane Down
12. Fillmore Jive

Download: mediafire

Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue (1977)

Pacific Ocean Blue is by far the best solo album released by any member of The Beach Boys (though I'm not comparing it to anything Mike Love has done outside of The Beach Boys, because that stuff's in a league of its own). Dennis himself wasn't a fan of this album, claiming he thought it lacked substance, and was more excited for the release of it's follow-up "Bambu", which ended up being un-finished and un-released at the time of his death. This is a great album of 70's rock that The Beach Boys would have been incapable of releasing as a band. Every bit as essential as Fleetwood Mac's Tusk.

This album was re-issued a few years back as a 3xLP, which included a re-mastered version of the album, a LP of outtakes, and a LP with the "Bambu" sessions. You can purchase it from http://www.sundazed.com/ as well as tons of other great and hard to find vinyl re-issues. I unfortunately just have a stupid white label promo of the original pressing, so no bonus tracks for you guys.

Tracklist:
1. River Song
2. What's Wrong
3. Moonshine
4. Friday Night
5. Dreamer
6. Thoughts Of You
7. Time
8. You And I
9. Pacific Ocean Blues
10. Farewell My Friend
11. Rainbows
12. End Of The Show

Download: mediafire

The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground (1969)

I think this is my favorite album by The Velvet Underground. It's The Velvet's first album without John Cale, and first with Doug Yule. It's also a lot softer than the 2 albums they released before it, and feels slightly more moving, and personal. The first time I heard this album was with my friend Dav3d in 2007, I had been big into The Velvet Underground & Nico and decided to explore the rest of their albums, beginning with picking up a cheap re-issue of this one. Before putting it on, we smoked a bit of pot and to this day I don't think any album has blown me away as much as this one did when I was stoned, especially "The Murder Mystery". I'm not saying you need pot to enjoy this album, as I've listened to it hundreds of times since then while I was sober and loved it just as much. It became a regular album that I'd put on while closing down the kitchen at the pub I worked at at the time, also a great listen for the morning after a night of partying, or during late night car rides (and I mean so late that the whole world seems silent). Great album.

Oh, I also heard a rumor today that Lou Reed's gonna be doing some sort of performance for next years High Performance Rodeo in Calgary.

Tracklist:
1. Candy Says
2. What Goes On
3. Some Kinda Love
4. Pale Blue Eyes
5. Jesus
6. Beginning To See The Light
7. I'm Set Free
8. That's The Story Of My Life
9. The Murder Mystery
10. After Hours

Download: mediafire

Leadbelly & Woody Guthrie - Folkways: The Original Vision (1988)

In 1988, Folkways records released the grammy winning tribute album to Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly titled "Folkways: A Vision Shared", which featured covers of Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly recorded by popular artists such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Brian Wilson, and more. Along with that release, they also released this album, which contains the original recordings by Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly. However, one song that was on the tribute album is absent from this album due to the fact that there's no known recording of it, but instead they've added 6 bonus tracks that aren't on the tribute album.

Tracklist:
1. Leadbelly - Sylvie
2. Woody Guthrie - Pretty Boy Floyd
3. Woody Guthrie - Do Re Mi
4. Woody Guthrie - I Ain't Got No Home
5. Woody Guthrie - Jesus Christ
6. Leadbelly - Rock Island Line
7. Leadbelly, Sonny Terry, and Brownie McGhee - 4, 5, and 9
8. Will Geer - Will Geer Reading Guthrie
9. Woody Guthrie - Hard Travelling
10. Leadbelly - Fannin Street
11. Woody Guthrie - Philadelphia Lawyer
12. Woody Guthrie - Hobo's Lullaby
13. Leadbelly - The Bourgeois Blues
14. Leadbelly - Gray Goose
15. Leadbelly - Goodnight Irene
16. Woody Guthrie - Vigilante Man
17. Woody Guthrie - This Land Is Your Land
18. Woody Guthrie - Woody's Rag (Hard Work)
19. Leadbelly - The Midnight Special
20. Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie, Houston, and Sonny Terry - We Shall Be Free

Downloaded: mediafire

This post's dedicated to G.K.

Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentleman We Are Floating In Space (1997)

At the request of the mystical wizard A-ron, here's Spiritualized's 1997 magnum-opus. One of the first things I put up on this blog was a live version of this album, which I think at times is even better than the studio version, you can get that here. This is ripped from the 2010 vinyl reissue. Download with caution: this is a real heavy hitter.

Download:
1. Ladies And Gentleman We Are Floating In Space
2. Come Together
3. I Think I'm In Love
4. All Of My Thoughts
5. Stay With Me
6. Electricity
7. Home Of The Brave
8. The Individual
9. Broken Heart
10. No God Only Religion
11. Cool Waves
12. Cop Shoot Cop...

Download: mediafire

Nazz - Nazz III (1970)

I guess the story of this album is that they actually started recording it after the first Nazz album, however the sessions, which at the time were known as the "Fungo Bat Sessions", were scrapped, and Nazz Nazz was released instead. By the time they finally released this album, Todd Rundgren had left the group to pursue his solo career, and since the rest of the band didn't take too kindly to that, they erased all the vocals he had recorded, and lead-singer Robert Antoni re-recorded all of them himself. Though, Rundgren still appears on both the front, and back of the album art. Since most of the songs on this album are penned by Rundgren, it showcases the beginnings of the signature pop-style on his first few solo albums.

Tracklist:
1. Some People
2. Only One Winner
3. Kicks
4. Resolution
5. It's Not That Easy
6. Old Time Lovemaking
7. Magic Me
8. Loosen Up
9. Take The Hand
10. How Can You Call That Beautiful?
11. Plenty Of Lovin'
12. Christopher Columbus
13. You Are My Window

Download: mediafire

The Lemon Pipers - Green Tambourine (1967)

Cincinnati bubblegum pop. What separates these guys from most bubblegum bands is that they actually wrote their own songs and have a slightly harder edge (there's a bit of fuzz! and some cool almost Boettcher-ish production techniques), and they're really great! I don't know too much about these guys, and I just picked this album up today and I'm listening to it now for the first time, but I think if you're into bubblegum, you'll be pleasantly surprised with this.

Tracklist:
1. Rice Is Nice
2. Shoeshine Boy
3. Turn Around Take A Look
4. Rainbow Tree
5. Ask Me If I Care
6. Stragglin' Behind
7. Green Tambourine
8. Blueberry Blue
9. The Shoemaker Of Leatherwear Square
10. Fifty Year Void
11. Through With You

Download: mediafire

Lord Buckley - A Most Immaculately Hip Aristocrat (1970)

Released in 1970 on Frank Zappa's Straight Records. Recorded in 1956 in a small intimate venue shortly before Lord Buckley lost his license to perform in venues that could sell alcohol. Super weird/hip comedy and re-telling of classic stories such as Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven".

Tracklist:
1. The Bad-Rapping Of The Marquis De Sade, The King Of Bad Cats
2. Governor Slugwell
3. "The Raven"
4. The Train
5. The Hip Einie

Download: mediafire

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Make It Happen (1967)

One of Smokey's underrated albums of the 60's, which is surprising because a few songs on this turned out to be some of his greatest hits. Classic motown soul. I don't need to say much about this because everyone knows Smokey, and if they don't, they should.

Tracklist:
1. The Soulful Shack
2. The Love I Saw In You Was Just A Mirage
3. My Love For You
4. I'm On The Outside (Looking In)
5. Don't Think It's Me
6. My Love Is Your Love (Forever)
7. More Love
8. After You Put Back The Pieces (I'll Still Have A Broken Heart)
9. It's A Good Feeling
10. You Must Be Love
11. Dancing's Alright
12. The Tears Of A Clown

Download: mediafire

The Box Tops - Dimensions (1969)

The Box Tops final album. If you don't know who The Box Tops were, they're most famous for their hit songs "The Letter" and "Cry Like A Baby" (neither of those are on this album, though there's a great reimagining of "The Letter" on Mike And Dean Reimagine Rock N Roll City ). The Box Tops are also now well known for being Alex Chilton of Big Star fame's first band.

This album was the final album by The Box Tops, and their first without songwriter/producer David Penn. Alex Chilton has 3 original compositions on this album and for the most part the rest are covers. A great collection of the soul-pop that's come to be expected by The Box Tops, and a fitting end to a short, but great career.

Tracklist:
1. Soul Deep
2. I Shall Be Released
3. Midnight Angel
4. Together
5. I'll Hold Out My Hand
6. I Must Be The Devil
7. Sweet Cream Ladies
8. (The) Happy Song
9. Ain't No Way
10. Rock Me Baby

Download: mediafire

The Sugar Shoppe - The Sugar Shoppe (1968)

Psych-pop from Toronto, Ontario. One of the members went on to star in the Hollywood blockbuster 'Titanic'. Hal Blaine of The Wrecking Crew fame plays drums on this, and it's produced by Al De Lory, who also produced Glen Campbell.

Over all this album's enjoyable but nothing special, except for The Candy Children Song, it's a classic jam. There's some weird jokes about tripping and skipping through out it.

Similar to The Free Design.

Tracklist:
1. Skip-A-Long Sam
2. The Attitude
3. Baby Baby
4. Take Me Away
5. Let The Truth Come Out
6. Follow Me
7. Poor Papa
8. Privilege
9. Papa, Won't You Let Me Go To Town With You
10. The Candy Children Song
11. Hangin' Together

Download: mediafire

The Three O'Clock - Baroque Hoedown (1982)

This 1982 EP was The Three O'Clock's debut release, and also one of the early beginnings of the "paisley underground" movement in L.A. in the 1980's. (The Three O'Clock's bassist actually coined the term "paisley underground", originally as a joke). This album is produced by Earle Mankey, who's also engineered The Beach Boys "Love You", and "M.I.U. Album" albums, as well as produced bands such as The Runaways, and Concrete Blonde. This album is a damn near perfect mix of 1980's power-pop and 1960's psych-pop.

Tracklist:
1. With A Cantaloupe Girlfriend
2. I Go Wild
3. Marjorie Tells Me
4. Feel A Whole Lot Better
5. Sorry
6. In Love In Too
7. Lucifer Sam
8. As Real As Real

Download: mediafire