Category b) Seventies [1970 – 1979]
TEN FROM 77 – 5 / OUTLIERS
In the penultimate instalment of the Ten From ’77 series we have five albums whose only commonality is their position on the edge (or in some cases, way outside) the domain of pop music. At Vinyl Connection, forays into lesser known territories are infrequent, yet it is off the well-trodden path that most of my […]
TEN FROM 77 – 4 / FUSION FIVE
10 Steve Khan — Tightrope I first encountered Steve Khan’s name in the credits for other artists… Steely Dan, Michael Franks, The Brecker Brothers… this was clearly an in-demand guitarist of great talent. So when I found the first album under his own name, it was not at all difficult to take a punt. Opening […]
FAIR GAME
Getting ready for a Record Fair used to be quite a stimulating process. Organising and pricing the records, loading up the car for an early start, lumping eight 20 kg crates of vinyl into a big draughty hall… OK, it wasn’t all enjoyable, but there was a small jolt of anticipation when you were finally […]
TEN FROM 77 – 3 / ELECTRONIC – 2
Continuing (and concluding) a rather indulgent journey through albums released in 1977 broadly falling into the ‘electronic’ category. Having covered 10 – 6, here are the Top 5. 5 Jürgen Karg — Elektronische Mythen Herr Karg played bass with jazz experimentalist Wolfgang Dauner on a (semi-) legendary 1969 recording. Eight years later he released his […]
TEN FROM 77 – 2 / ELECTRONIC – 1
It seemed a fine idea to whip up a list of favourite 1977 releases; a straightforward, accessible and hopefully entertaining article. Things started well enough, with the first post of rock-pop albums eliciting plenty of commentary as people compared their own choices to the Vinyl Connection offering. But there was such variety in the VC […]
THE RINGWRAITHS RIDE IN BLACK
Peter Jackson’s famous films were not the first cinematic journeys into Middle Earth. American animator Ralph Bakshi visited back in 1978 with rather mixed results. Clearly holding the J.R.R. Tolkien books in high esteem, Bakshi adopted such a respectful approach to the epic fantasy that the result is, despite the adventurous content, quite slow-moving and […]
CRUNCHIE HITS
I always swear I will never buy another compilation album. I will ignore Various Artists, shun themed collections, eschew curated histories. I have enough. More than enough. So how come this section of the Vinyl Connection Collection still manages to grow? Today’s Curiosity Corner will give you an idea. There I was, getting to the […]
CIMMERIAN CLASSIC
Prior to an overseas trip in the early nineties, I hosted a Book Party. The goals were threefold: to reduce the amount of stuff I needed to put into storage, see people for a farewell drink and chat, and perhaps raise a few shekels for the travel fund. So I put the word out, mentioning […]
I GOT THE NEWS
[Recording: Bright daytime voice over fade of smoky alto sax solo] This is independent station WJAZ, all night jazz and conversation. Now back to your host, Lester The Nightfly LESTER Hello Baton Rouge. It’s coming up to 2:15 on a drizzly Saturday night… or Sunday morning if you’re that way inclined. Continuing our tribute to […]
TIMELESS
I remember where but not which. The shop was in Princes Gate Arcade, down the end in a kind of cul-de-sac where only record hunters and lost commuters ended up. I remember a big window, counter, racks—sparsely distributed around a loungeroom-sized space—and bean bags where you could audition an LP of your choice under headphones […]
ALICE AND TERRY: ECSTATIC DERVISHES
It has been a very spiritual week here at Vinyl Connection. This, I hasten to observe, has nothing to do with matters of belief, but to the arrival of two albums that explore, in very different ways, the meditative state. Alice Coltrane founded the Sai Anantam Ashra ashram in 1983 and ran it until she […]
DO THE POP?
In 1977, being on a trial separation from the University of Melbourne (it ended in divorce) I was working at Max Rose Electronics in suburban Melbourne. At the time I was deeply into prog heavyweights Yes for the playing, the complexity, even the unfathomable lyrics. All the things smart-arse music journalists were queuing up to […]
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