Neil Diamond - Stones

Neil Diamond - Stones may not be the best example of Niel's work but is a pretty good album. Yes, it has a supple layer of cheese and he may have only written 2 of the tracks on the album, but he is a pro and always pulls of each track with his smooth, soulful tones. The songs that he did write are some of the real Gems on the Album. "I am...I said" is a super classic and is cannon fodder for Karaoke singers everywhere. So much so that Neil Diamond does a reprise on side B. Another favorite track is "Chelsea Morning," which was written by Joni Mitchell but Neil takes a good song and makes it his own. So much so that somebody I know named their daughter after the song. This is a good album to listen to on a sunny morning as you are getting ready to go prune some rose bushes. The record Neil Diamond - Stones is worth a listen.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Inala

Inla is a record by an all male South African Choral Group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The group formed in 1960 but raised to international fame when they collaborated with Paul Simon on his Graceland Album. Inla is a great album featuring lots of amazing a capella songs that are filled with sophisticated harmonies. Each song is written in the structure of a prayer and usually ends with amen. The record does contain a lot of songs in the same vain but thanks to the incredible talent of the band the album is far from flat sounding. I really enjoyed the songs "Ngothandaza" and "Isala Kutshelwa." Also "That's why I choose you" stands out, maybe the fact that it is english, regardless it is a nice love song. If you are a fan of world music and a capella format I would Highly suggest the album Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Inla!

Angel City - Face to Face

Angel City or the Angels are an Australian hard rock band. Angel City was the band named used in their american release of the album Face to Face. As a whole the album is a little flat. The hard rock that Angel City invokes seems a little cliché and monotone. At moments it almost reminded me of a band trying to sound like The Who that just missed the mark. The vocals of Doc Neeson are nothing special and easy to tune out. The album cover artwork is probably the best thing going for this album. It was designed by Peter Ledger and won the King Of Pop award for Best Album cover design in 1978, which is flattering but I wouldn't go that far. Angel City - Face to Face is worth a listen if you like hard rock but not highly suggested.

Vinyl - Live at Sweetwater

Vinyl - Live at Sweetwater is a superb album! Sometimes a live album can be a little rough around the edges but not this one! I have seen Vinyl play live twice and not only to the put on one hell of a show but this record really captures the essence of their performance. Vinyl is a instrumental band that reps the Bay Area. The band consists of a drummer, guitarist, bass, saxophone, trumpet, and keyboard. They for the most part keep it in the funk genre but have some real nice jazz, hip hop, latin, and reggae influences woven into their grooves. This particular album has some real nice gems on it! "Night Ride," the second track on side A, has a awesome melody at the beginning that you could hear sampled in a killer hip hop song and then drops straight into a skanky reggae groove. Another track is the first song on side 2, "Last Camel to Vegas," that is so nice it brings a smile to your face. I highly suggest the LP Vinyl - Live at Sweetwater, it is an amazing album start to finish!

Earth, Wind and Fire - All 'N All

All 'N All by Earth, Wind - Fire: Front and Back record sleeve.

Earth, Wind and Fire is one of those great large bands so of course this album is worth a listen or 10. All 'N All is a good album start to finish, having a little something for everybody. From the Funky jams of "Serpentine Fire" and "Fantasy" to the sensual sounds of "Love's Holiday" and "I'll Write a Song For You" this album covers a lot of ground while still having a cohesive feel. Earth, Wind and Fire even play a latin flavored interlude called "Brazilian Rhyme" with some amazing vocal harmonies. Not only is the album strong but the Album artwork is very tight too. All 'N All's cover art depicts a Egyptian, futuristic, almost alien, detailed painting by Shusei Nagaeko that covers from front to back as well as a inside art piece that opens like a double page spread. This is one of those rare exceptions when you can "judge a book by its cover!" All 'N All by Earth, Wind and Fire is one of the best albums that came out of the 70's!

All 'N All by Earth, Wind - Fire: Front

All 'N All by Earth, Wind - Fire: Back

All 'N All by Earth, Wind - Fire: Inside record sleeve.

Segovia - Music for the Guitar

If you like classical guitar, Segovia - Music for the Guitar is the album for you. The mellow plucking of the classical guitar make this a great record to make art while listening to it. Andres Segovia is a true master of the guitar doing some marvelous five finger picking! The second track on Music for the Guitar entitled "pieces caracteristiques" is an amazing medley of 6 songs and good example of his depth as a classical guitarist. Another favorite would be "The Old Castle" which is the first song on side B. The Prelude has a harpsichord accompaniment that is very cohesive with Segovia's sound. I would highly suggest this album to any lover of classical music!

Pharoah Sanders - Karma

If EPIC song intros are your thing that this album has something for you. Karma features 19 minute jazz songs with 2 minute intros. Pharoah Sanders and his Tenor Sax leads this 8-10 piece jazz band. The first track "The Creator and His Master Plan"starts with an EPIC intro (surprise) and then drops into a nice little break, that would make a nice hip-hop song. The song then kind of builds into a jazzy song that you might hear on the soundtrack to Hair the Musical. Enter side B. The first song and most of side B is what sounds to be the end of the first track on side A. It fades in, EPIC intro, and then takes it to a place that you wouldn't expect. The song shifts into the bastard son of John Coltrane's "Sun Ship." To me it sounded like someone being slowly murdered in the forest by an axe and the screams of the victim being played by Sanders Tenor Sax. All in all the album, Pharoah Sanders - Karma, was a fair listen and if anything the break on the first song makes it worth it.

Becoming a record collector

I have always had collections growing up. Baseball cards, comic books, spiders, paintings, hats, dirty magazines, etc. Growing up my folks always had a little stack of records that they never really busted out and played. Being born in 1980 it was more the era of cassette tapes and eventually CD's. Growing up shared my step dads love for rap music and when and my mother split up, in 1993, I stopped listening to it for a while. At 17 years old I was in a metal band named "Drunk by Noon" which prompted me buying a 4 track recorder. The fact that it is very difficult to record any full band on a four track. So I started making Rap music.