It’s Faith No More New Vinyl Thursday

It’s Faith No More New Vinyl Thursday at The Vinyl Underground at 7th Heaven. Check out this week’s list of new vinyl arrivals:

21 Savage & Metro Boomin- Savage Mode II (Colored Vinyl, Red)

2 Chainz- So Help Me God!

Adrian Younge- The American Negro

Weekly Review:

As a Black man, co-author of the Jazz is Dead series and producer renown for draping albums in lush strings, Blaxploitation funk and other touches of yesteryear, Adrian Younge seems uniquely positioned to offer great insight and aesthetics to this look at how structural racism shapes America’s modern identity.

Part of a greater project, including a podcast and short film, The American Negro album buckles under its own weight and shortcomings. While Younge has no problem reaching the sonic grandeur of Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield and Donny Hathaway’s greatest social commentary, he frequently falls short as a lyricist. The multi-voice spoken interludes sound like a class reading from a syllabus. Although Younge’s songs sound terrific, he struggles to contain the complex themes within a verse/chorus structure.

While Younge should be applauded for his ambition and pushing these issues into the center of the table, the result is too muddled for the listener to leave with any great insights or next steps. Progressive listeners who want to delve deeper into these topics are best spending time with the album Nina Simone in Concert, Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, the films of Spike Lee and Ava DuVernay, and the writings of Ta-Nehisi Coates and Angela Davis, to name just a few starting points.- Joel Francis

Albert King- In Session

Ally Venable – Heart of Fire

Weekly Review:

Arctic Monkeys- Am

Atmosphere- God Loves Ugly

Bad Brains- Bad Brains

Billie Holiday- Strange Fruit

Billy F Gibbons- Hardware (Colored Vinyl, Red, Indie Exclusive)

Black Sabbath- Sabotage (Deluxe Edition, With Bonus 7″, 4LP, Boxed Set)

Blanck Mass- Animated Violence Mild

Bob Dylan- World Gone Wrong

Weekly Review:

In the early 1990s, Bob Dylan made back-to-back covers albums: Good as I Been to You and World Gone Wrong. Both albums were stripped-down sessions, with just Dylan and his guitar (and occasionally harmonica). On World Gone Wrong, Dylan seems connected to most of the songs, and the pacing never seems to drag or lose any proverbial steam. 

Most of the songs he chose for the record are credited as traditional folk songs and possibly unfamiliar to the listener, save for “Deila” which Johnny Cash covered and “Stack a Lee” which everyone from Taj Mahal to Nick Cave covered. Dylan’s liner notes are more informative than mysterious and can send the listener down many rabbit trails in search of the original versions (which is certainly much easier now with YouTube than it was in 1993).  

This kind of album where he only covers other people’s songs isn’t new for Dylan. In fact, that’s how his recording career started. Sometimes it takes a lot of courage to embrace limitations, and pacing and tempo can be key to maintaining attention. When done well, though, this presentation lends something lachrymose to the songs. Lines like “all the friends I ever had are gone” or “how sweetly I sleep here alone” just wouldn’t sound lonelier with a full band.

There’s something courageous about hearing Dylan once again embrace limitations and not rely on a team of world-class musicians. Plus, it’s fun to play a record and pretend Dylan is sitting on the couch, just playing some songs he likes. Sure, World Gone Wrong may not be one of Dylan’s numerous, important records, but it feels here like he’s playing the songs on the couch with the listener. As the album plays, questions about it being an essential or necessary album in his catalog fade into the listening experience. – Jonathon Smith

Bob Marley- Legend

Can- Live In Stuttgart 1975

Cavetown- Animal Kingdom

Cigarettes After Sex- Cigarettes After Sex

Clifford Quintet Jordan- Starting Time

Colter Wall- Imaginary Appalachia

Cream- Wheels of Fire

Curtis Amy- Katanga

Weekly Review:

Saxophone player Curtis Amy’s most-heard works are the solos he contributed to the Doors’ “Touch Me” and Carole King’s “It’s Too Late.” In the early ‘60s, Amy recorded six jazz albums in three years. The last of these album’s 1963’s Katanga! is part of Blue Note’s Tone Poets reissue series.

The title track kicks things off with Amy and his accompanying quintet moving at a rapid tempo that recalls early bebop. “Lonely Woman” is a slow blues and “Amyable” features an impressive solo from guitarist Ray Crawford. Crawford also shines on “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” a ballad that showcases his and pianist Jack Wilson’s sympathetic playing against Amy’s mournful playing.

Katanga!’s centerpiece is “Native Land,” a ten-minute tour de force that finds Amy following John Coltrane’s path. Amy’s opening solo is followed by equally inspired statements from trumpet player Dupree Bolton and Crawford.

Bolton almost upstages Amy on the album. His fluid, lightning-fast runs are flashes of poetry and his playing is a perfect complement to Amy’s style. Bolton got his start at age 15 in Jay McShann’s band, but spent much of his life in and out of jail. This work on Katanga! is one of only two sessions released during Bolton lifetime (a third session surfaced in 2009).

Sadly, Bolton notwithstanding, Katanga! is the only recording by this ensemble. Amy focused mainly on session work and Crawford continued his work with Jimmy Smith. The term lightning in a bottle gets tossed around casually, but Katanga! is truly a magical, never-replicated moment that belongs in any jazz library. – Joel Francis

Dave Matthews- Crash Anniversary Edition

Def Leppard- Songs From The Sparkle Lounge

Def Leppard- Volume 2

Def Leppard- X

Denzel Curry- Unlocked

Donald Fagen- The Nightfly

Weekly Review:

After crafting several pristine (and successful) albums with Walter Becker as Steely Dan in the 1970s, the duo decided to take a break in the early ‘80s. While Becker stepped back from the music industry, Fagen teamed with Steely Dan’s production team for The Nightfly, his solo debut.

Posing as an ultra-cool, late-night disc jockey, Fagen uses the album’s eight songs to revisit his suburban childhood in the 1950s and early 1960s. “I.G.Y.” opens the album with an optimistic worldview that echoes the hope of the Kennedy era. On “New Frontier,” Fagen discusses the atomic specter of the Cold War by framing it as a party in a bomb shelter.

Musically, The Nightfly is wrapped in the same pristine gauze that marked many of Dan’s best albums. One of the first all-digital albums, there’s not a note out of place. While the smooth jazz and adult contemporary trappings might turn away some listeners, those who embrace it will be rewarded with new details that emerge with each play.- Joel Francis

Doug Carn- Infant Eyes (Colored Vinyl, Orange, Black, Limited Edition)

Eminem- The Eminem Show

Eric Johnson- Ah Via Musicom (Limited Edition, Anniversary Edition)

Erykah Badu- But You Caint Use My Phone

Faith No More- Who Cares A Lot: The Greatest Hits

Fountains of Wayne- Welcome Interstate Managers (Limited Edition, Colored Vinyl, Red)

Gabor Szabo- Bacchanal (Bonus Tracks, Reissue)

Godspeed You Black Emperor- G_d’s Pee AT STATE’S END! (Incl. 10″)

Japanese Breakfast- Jubilee

Jason Isbell, Mike Cooley, Patterson Hood- Live at the Shoals Theatre

Weekly Review:

For many fans of the Drive-By Truckers, the period from 2001 to 2007 was a golden era for the band. Having three songwriters with distinct voices in the band, pushed the group to many of the finest moments in their catalog.

By 2007, in an amicable parting, Jason Isbell decided to step away and become a solo act. Seven years later, Isbell and his songwriting partners in the Truckers, Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley, reunited onstage to perform a benefit concert. Live at the Shoals Theater documents that night across four LPs and 25 tracks.

While this set contains the voices of the Truckers, it feels far more intimate. Each songwriter is armed with only an acoustic guitar and his voice. Although the material naturally leans heaviest on Isbell’s tenure with the band, the trio also perform Isbell’s now classic songs “Alabama Pines” and “Cover Me Up.” A blistering 12-minute cover of AC/DC’s “Let There Be Rock” ends the night.

There isn’t a bum song or bad moment in the show, but the strongest moments on Live at the Shoals Theatre are the ones like “Zip City” and “My Sweet Annette” where you can hear the friendship and musical bond. Simply put, Shoals Theatre is essential for all fans of the Drive-By Truckers or roots songwriting.- Joel Francis

Jillette Johnson- All I Ever See In You Is Me

Jimi Hendrix- Are You Experienced

John Coltrane- 1963: New Directions (Boxed Set)

Joni Mitchell- Court and Spark

Journey- Greatest Hits

Joy Division- Closer

Kendrick Lamar- Good Kid, M.A.A.D City

Kendrick Lamar- To Pimp a Butterfly

Khruangbin- Universe Smiles Upon You

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard- L.W.

Liz Phair- Soberish

Weekly Review:

After more than a decade, ‘90s indie rock darling and ‘00s pop pariah Liz Phair finally gifts fans with her seventh album. 

The chorus of “Soberish” the song encapsulates Soberish the album. Phair is emotionally direct asking “Why do we keep dicking around? Waited such a long time to be with you/now I’m chickening out” then coyly admitting “I meant to be sober/but the bar’s so inviting.”

On “In There,” Phair admits her confidence is shook, while on “Good Side” opens with the brilliant line “there are so many ways to f-k up a life/I’ve tried to be original.” The catchy “Hey Lou” imagines the Velvet Underground legend from the perspective of his longtime partner, Laurie Anderson. The delightfully lo-fi and bracingly honest “Lonely Street” provides another high point.

Phair reunited with Brad Wood, who produced her early albums, and there is a home-recording quality to the record, but the catchy, infectious songwriting draws from Phair’s much-maligned, major-label era in the early 2000s. Soberish provides the best of both worlds – honest introspection with unbothered production that knows just the right spot to add handclaps, string section or double-tracked vocals to make sure that chorus lodges firmly in your brain.- Joel Francis

Led Zeppelin- Led Zeppelin 1

Led Zeppelin- Led Zeppelin IV

Lou Barlow- Reason to Live

Mac Miller- Swimming

Mad Season- Above (2 LP)

Mammoth Wvh- Mammoth WVH (IEX) (Black Ice Vinyl)

Marvin Gaye- Every Great Motown Hit Of Marvin Gaye: 15 Spectacular Performances

Metallica- Metallica

Miles Bonny- Lumberjack Soul 2 (Splatter Vinyl, Limited Edition)

Ministry- Twitch

Moby- Reprise

Neil Young- After The Gold Rush

Night Beats- Outlaw R&B

Weekly Review:

Danny Blackwell said his fifth album as Night Beats was made during last year’s lockdown surrounded with Akira Kurosawa films and canned food. Surrounded by wildfires and COVID in California, the album Blackwell created against this backdrop sounds like a Quinten Tarantino soundtrack composed by Roky Erickson and produced by Lee Hazelwood.

There’s not much rhythm and blues, but the outlaw spirit pervades these 11 tracks and 40 minutes. This is a lost trip in the desert with no reprieve or rations. Guitars cut through the haze with a raw buzz or float and dive around the periphery with a well-placed wah pedal. Somewhere overhead, lost in the glare of the midday sun, a Hammond organ soars. All the while, a galloping rhythm propels the assembly onward.

Trying to figure out what this song is about or what this lyric means is a fool’s errand. Blackwell has created an immersive experience that only the brave or foolish will survive. Are you up to finding out?- Joel Francis

Nf- Perception (Indie Exclusive)

Of Montreal- The Sunlandic Twins

OutKast- Stankonia

Passerine Dream – Passerine Dream

Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Pixies- Surfer Rosa

Playboi Carti- Whole Lotta Red

Queen- Greatest Hits I

Sandy Denny & the Strawbs- All Our Own Work

Sleater-Kinney- Path Of Wellness

Sons of Kemet- Black To The Future

Sons of Kemet- Burn

TRACTOR / WAY WE LIVE- A Candle For Judith (50th Anniversary Edition, Bonus 12)

The Beatles- Abbey Road Anniversary

The Black Keys- Brothers (Remastered, Anniversary Edition)

The Black Keys- Chulahoma

The Black Keys- Delta Kream

The Black Keys- Let’s Rock

The Doors- 13

The Meters- Fire on the Bayou

The Meters- Struttin’

Thee Oh Sees-Floating Coffin

Too $hort- Life Is…Too $hort

Tyler The Creator- Flower Boy

Various- Midnight in Garden of Good and Evil (Music From and Inspired by the Motion Picture)

Wes Montgomery- Incredible Jazz Guitar [Bonus Track]

Wu-Tang Clan- Enter the Wu-Tang

Zhu- Came For The Low

FLASH SALE!

50% OFF Any 1 Red Tagged Clearance LP – Thursday, June 10th ONLY!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

RSD DROP #1 PREVIEWS:

For nearly a dozen years, Record Store Day has been a springtime combination of Christmas morning and a high holy day for music fans. This Saturday, June 12, will be the first of two Record Store Day drops in 2021. 

There are lots of great titles we know you can’t wait to scoop up. That’s why Seventh Heaven has ordered every RSD title and will have them priced below retail. The store will open at 7 a.m. with several measures in place to keep both you and staff safe. Here are 10 RSD releases dropping this Saturday I’m excited about. Don’t forget to grab some tasty treats after checking out. Learn more about Record Store Day Drop #1. https://www.facebook.com/events/the-vinyl-underground-at-7th-heaven/record-store-day-2021-drop-1/5344090418966298/

Jehnny Beth – BBC Session (7” vinyl, limited to 750 copies)

Albert Collins with the Barrelhouse – Live (limited to 1,500 copies)

The Cure – Wild Mood Swings (2xLP picture discs, limited to 8,000 copies)

Desmond Dekker – King of Ska (10×7” vinyl box set, limited to 500 copies)

The Flaming Lips – The Soft Bulletin Companion (2xLP, limited to 11,250 copies)

The Hu – Sad But True (7” picture disc, limited to 2,200 copies)

MF Doom/Czarface – Meddle with Metal (3” vinyl, limited to 1,500 copies)

Tom Petty – Angel Dream (limited to 12,000 copies)

Various Artists – Chicago/The Blues/Today (3xLP, limited to 1,800 copies)

Warren Zevon – Preludes (2xLP, limited to 1,800 copies)  -Joel Francis

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Prince’s 1998 “acoustic” album The Truth is one of my favorite Prince albums. It is impeccably produced, with Prince’s acoustic playing sounding sharp and crisp, holding its own against his electric guitar tour de forces and proof that Prince was an all around firecracker with an axe.

Rage Against the Machine’s The The Battle of Mexico City. An incredible live band unlike any other this is a testament to the passion that brought their performance to life.

Tears For Fears will release their first-ever live album on vinyl. Live at Massey Hall captures a 1985 concert in support of Songs From the Big Chair.

Black Sabbath Heaven & Hell picture disk. The first and only Dio fronted Sabbath album to own. The sound was new and the epic scale of the music matched Ronnie’s voice.

Jim Croce

“You Don’t Mess Around With Jim” / “Operator (That’s Not The Way It Feels)”. Something about the folk that is Croce that pulls you into the landscape of the song, as if you were there watching him live thru the speakers.

Lemonheads Hate Your Friends. Not the pop that would become “It’s A Shame About Ray”. This is the punk grunge Lemonheads we wanted.

Suzi Quattro Live and Kicking. More than just Leather Tuskadero the cousin of Pinky on Happy Days. Quattro was the pioneer of chicks that absolutely rock.

Too many more great albums too list, review for yourself and jump in line (hopefully behind me) and let’s support music, 7th Heaven and back to life. – Albert Schmurr

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Lots of very exciting releases for RSD this year. To me, it’s one of the best lists I’ve seen in a very long time. Here are the few I am most into and think you should be too.

Alkaline Trio – From Here to Infirmary – I say this a lot nowadays, but I can’t believe it’s been 20 years since this pop-punk drunken darkness of album came out. Translucent Red with Black Splatter and limited to 3,000 copies, this album was last repressed in 2017 and is a difficult find for less than a Franklin ($100).

Dirty Heads – Home: Phantoms of Summer – The Acoustic Sessions – Just in time for Summer, the rerelease of this hard-to-find album is long overdue and has sold for as much as $600 this year. As the title implies this album is a collection of acoustic songs. Released as their third album, this collection of songs is by far my favorite from the band and a must-have for any Dirty Heads fan.

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Back The Way We Came: Vol. 1 (2011-2021) – When Oasis broke up, I was pretty upset. Luckily for fans, both brothers continued to make music. It’s debatable which brother has made better music since the split, but I have to give the edge to Noel. The quality and consistency of the work has always been there and ten years later, we have a NGHFB greatest hits album. It includes songs from the three studio albums, the three EPs, and two unreleased tracks. For RSD, expect a two-disc, asymmetric black and yellow split limited to 3,000.

Linkin Park – Meteora – One of, if not the most anticipated releases this RSD, Meteora was pushed to this year from 2020 and demand is high. If the Discogs statics are any indication, as many people that have the record, also want to the record, which averages a sales price of $82 on Discogs. This is your chance to avoid the headache of secondhand shopping and grab one of the 8,500 copies pressed on blue vinyl.

O.A.R. – Stories Of A Stranger – Unlike all others on this list, this is the first time you will find songs from O.A.R.’s fifth studio album pressed on vinyl. This is an awesome album from start to finish, and I would know, I’ve listened to it probably hundreds of times. Very excited this is finally making its debut. For being a band with such an avid following, vinyl releases for them are actually pretty hard to find, so grab a copy while you can.- Brad Simmons

Surprise!

Goodie bags are being assembled! At least the first 50 people through the door will get all of these things and then we will keep passing them out until we run out! Get here early!

RSD Drop #1 will be Saturday, June 12th. For more info and to RSVP click HERE

Turntables! We got ’em. From starter tables to audiophile, and everything in between, we have you covered. We are honored to once again be carrying a full line up of the award winning, top of their class, made in America, U-turn Orbits! We have all the colors- including the high performance walnut and maple. Get here fast for best selection. Get yours today!

We have official Vinyl Underground at 7th Heaven shirts in all sizes again- small to 3XL! Come in today and pick one up.

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Thanks for reading this week’s  Faith No More New Vinyl Thursday post!

Enjoy the music and we will see you soon. Your loving Vinyl Underground at 7th Heaven staff:

Sherman, Gordon, Cat, Matt, Dylan, Doyle, Heather, Dave and Max

#TheVinylUndergroundKC #WeAreLocal #YourNeighborhoodMusicStore #NewVinylThursday