delicious vinyl

Antonio Carlos Jobim on A&M 1967

2008-09-29T23:00:00.002+08:00

Wave - Antonio Carlos Jobim

Proving that he's as good on any label, Tom continues to work with Ogerman to produce a winner!

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review at allmusic.com
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Review

by Richard S. Ginell

When Creed Taylor left Verve/MGM for his own label under the auspices of A&M, he quickly signed Antonio Carlos Jobim and they picked up right where they left off with this stunningly seductive record, possibly Jobim's best. Jobim contributes his sparely rhythmic acoustic guitar, simple melodic piano style, a guest turn at the harpsichord, and even a vocal on "Lamento," while Claus Ogerman lends a romantically brooding hand with the charts. A pair of instant standards are introduced ("Wave," "Triste"), but this album is to be cherished for its absolutely first-rate tunes -- actually miniature tone poems -- that escaped overexposure and thus sound fresh today. The most beautiful sleeper is "Batidinha," where the intuitive Jobim/Ogerman collaboration reaches its peak. One only wishes that this album were longer; 31:45 is not enough.

S$25 (shallow scratch on side 1; doesn't affect play)

Astrud Gilberto/Walter Wanderley on Verve V6-8673

2008-09-29T08:44:00.003+08:00

a certain smile a certain sadness - astrud gilberto & walter wanderley

Sold on 2/10. Enjoy the LP!

The Eagles on Asylum

2008-09-28T23:04:00.002+08:00

Their Greatest Hits (1971 - 1975) - The Eagles

Their earliest Greatest Hits comp, notably doesn't contain 'Hotel California', but has lots of other hits like Desperado, Take It Easy and Tequila Sunrise.

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review on allmusic.com
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Review

by William Ruhlmann

On their first four albums, the Eagles were at pains to demonstrate that they were a group of at least near-equals, each getting a share of the songwriting credits and lead vocals. But this compilation drawn from those albums, comprising the group's nine Top 40 hits plus "Desperado," demonstrates that this evenhandedness did not extend to singles -- as far as those go, the Eagles belong to Glenn Frey and Don Henley. The tunes are melodic, and the arrangements -- full of strummed acoustic guitars over a rock rhythm section often playing a shuffle beat, topped by tenor-dominated harmonies -- are immediately engaging. There is also a lyrical consistency to the songs, which often concern romantic uncertainties in an atmosphere soaked in intoxicants. The narrators of the songs usually seem exhausted, if not satiated, and the loping rhythms are appropriate to these impressions. All of which means that, unlike the albums from which they come, these songs make up a collection consistent in mood and identity, which may help explain why Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) works so much better than the band's previous discs and practically makes them redundant. No wonder it was such a big hit out of the box, topping the charts and becoming the first album ever certified platinum. Still, there must be more to it, since the album wasn't just a big hit, but one of the biggest ever, becoming one of the very few discs to cross the threshold of 20 million copies and competing for the title of best-selling album of all time. There may be no explaining that, really, except to note that this was the pervasive music of the first half of the 1970s, and somehow it never went away.

S$25

U2 on Island

2008-09-28T22:54:00.004+08:00

The Joshua Tree - U2

Sold 2/10 Enjoy the LP!

Quincy Jones on Mercury 60751 1964

2008-09-28T22:36:00.002+08:00

Big Band Bossa Nova - Quincy Jones
sold 28/9 Enjoy the LP!

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Charlie Byrd on Columbia CS 9173

2008-09-28T22:23:00.003+08:00

Brazilian Byrd - Charlie Byrd

Byrd at his bossa best on 2 eye Columbia

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review on allmusic.com
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Review

by Scott Yanow

The arrangements by Tommy Newsom for strings, brass, and woodwinds may be a bit sweet and the 13 performances may be overly concise (often under three minutes), but the resulting music is strangely pleasing. Acoustic guitarist Charlie Byrd always had a strong affinity for Brazilian jazz, and he sticks exclusively to Antonio Carlos Jobim songs (including "Só Danço Samba," "Corcovado," "Dindi," and "The Girl from Ipanema") during this tasteful and melodic effort. Truly beautiful music.

S$ 28

Ravi Shankar on World Pacific

2008-09-28T22:09:00.002+08:00

Charly OST - Music by Ravi Shankar
Sold 28/9 Enjoy the LP!

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Stan Getz/Charlie Byrd on Verve V6-8432 1962

2008-09-28T21:58:00.002+08:00

Jazz Samba - Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd

An seminal (IMHO) work that really brought bossa nova and jazz together, by two jazz greats that dabble substantially in both genres. Plus it sounds great too!

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review on allmusic.com
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Review

by Steve Huey

Partly because of its Brazilian collaborators and partly because of "The Girl From Ipanema," Getz/Gilberto is nearly always acknowledged as the Stan Getz bossa nova LP. But Jazz Samba is just as crucial and groundbreaking; after all, it came first, and in fact was the first full-fledged bossa nova album ever recorded by American jazz musicians. And it was just as commercially successful, topping the LP charts and producing its own pop chart hit single in "Desafinado." It was the true beginning of the bossa nova craze, and introduced several standards of the genre (including Ary Barroso's "Bahia" and Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Desafinado" and "Samba de Uma Nota Só" [aka "One Note Samba"]). But above all, Jazz Samba stands on its own artistic merit as a shimmering, graceful collection that's as subtly advanced -- in harmony and rhythm -- as it is beautiful. Getz and his co-billed partner, guitarist Charlie Byrd -- who was actually responsible for bringing bossa nova records to the U.S. and introducing Getz to the style -- have the perfect touch for bossa nova's delicate, airy texture. For his part, Byrd was one of the first American musicians to master bossa nova's difficult, bubbling syncopations, and his solos are light and lilting. Meanwhile, Getz's playing is superb, simultaneously offering a warm, full tone and a cool control of dynamics; plus, Byrd's gently off-kilter harmonies seem to stimulate Getz's melodic inventiveness even more than usual. But beyond technique, Getz intuitively understands the romanticism and the undercurrent of melancholy inherent in the music, and that's what really made Jazz Samba such a revelatory classic. Absolutely essential for any jazz collection.

S$28

Charlie Byrd on Columbia CS-9304 1966

2008-09-27T05:35:00.005+08:00

The Touch of Gold - Charlie Byrd
Sold 5/10 Enjoy the LP!

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Andre Previn on Verve V6-8565

2008-09-25T23:29:00.002+08:00

The Essential Andre Previn - Andre Previn

A look at the early days of the brilliant composer/arranger/performer Andre before he went on to bigger things like Holst's The Planets :)

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S$30

Ella Fitzgerald on Verve MGV 4041

2008-09-25T23:22:00.003+08:00

Mack the Knife: Ella in Berlin - Ella Fitzgerald
Sold 26/9 Enjoy the record!

Stan Getz on Metro MS-501 1965

2008-09-25T23:02:00.002+08:00

The Melodic Stan Getz - Stan Getz

Released on Metro records, Getz continues to charm as one of the world's premiere tenor saxist in jazz.

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S$25

Placido Domingo w/ John Denver on CBS 37243 (sealed)

2008-09-25T22:48:00.002+08:00

Perhaps Love - Placido Domingo with John Denver

Two of the world's premiere creative performance talents come together for a rare collaboration. Placido gives quite an interesting take to familiar songs that are usually performed in a more intimate format.

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S$30 (sealed)

The Righteous Brothers on Verve V6-5051 (sealed)

2008-09-25T22:41:00.003+08:00

The Righteous Brothers - Standards

from the brothers that brought you Unchained Melody (for lack of a better example), comes 11 vocal standards in their trademark harmony. still sealed for prime minty enjoyment!

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S$30 (sealed)

Wes Montgomery on Riverside/OJC-144

2008-09-21T22:11:00.002+08:00

Potrait of Wes - Wes Montgomery

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review on allmusic.com
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Review	by Scott Yanow
Wes Montgomery's first recordings for Riverside were in a trio with organist Mel Rhyne and ironically his final albums for the struggling (and soon to be bankrupt) label were with Rhyne again. The brilliant guitarist is in fine form on these appealing tunes with the highlights including "Freddie the Freeloader," "Blues Riff" and "Moanin.'"

S$28

Sinatra and Jobim on Reprise 1033

2008-09-21T21:47:00.002+08:00

Sinatra and Company - Antonio Carlos Jobim, Don Costa, Eumir Deodato

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review on allmusic
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Review

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

In 1969, Frank Sinatra recorded a second album with Antonio Carlos Jobim. For unknown reasons, Reprise decided not to release Sinatra-Jobim, but seven of the ten songs intended for the record did appear on the first side of 1971's Sinatra & Company. The selections from Sinatra-Jobim have a decidedly different flavor than the material on Francis Albert Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim, largely due to the charts of arranger Eumir Deodato. Where Claus Ogerman's arrangements were quite subdued and understated, Deodato's charts are looser and more relaxed; consequently, the music is lighter, more immediate, and arguably more fun. Sinatra responds to the arrangements with more forceful singing than on the previous Jobim collaboration, but his phrasing is still more nuanced than even his soft pop/rock-oriented material. Nevertheless, that subtle phrasing carries over into the second side of Sinatra & Company, a collection of pop-oriented tracks. Although the music on the second half of the album is neither as adventerous or as compelling as that on the first, it is still highly entertaining. The seven songs were arranged by Don Costa, who keeps the material shiny and commercially oriented. In the case of "Close to You," "Leaving on a Jet Plane," "I Will Drink the Wine," "Bein' Green," and "Sunrise in the Morning," that isn't bad -- this is material that demands to be delivered in slick, polished arrangements. Under Costa's direction, these songs are given arrangements that feature both strings and gentle folk-rock underpinnings, particularly strummed acoustic guitars. Taken on its own terms, the second half of Sinatra & Company ranks as some of his best soft rock-influenced material of the late '60s, even if it doesn't sit comfortably with the excellent bossa nova that comprises the first side of the record.

S$30

Henry Mancini on RCA LPM-2990

2008-09-21T21:29:00.003+08:00

Dear Heart and Other Songs about Love - Henry Mancini
Sold 5/10 Enjoy the LP!

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass on A&M 3267

2008-09-21T21:20:00.002+08:00

Greatest Hits - Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass

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Review on allmusic
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Review

by Richard S. Ginell

Released in 1970, a bit too late to capitalize on the Tijuana Brass at the peak of their appeal, this early hits collection compounded the error of its tardy timing by only including selections from the TJB's first five albums. Still, since the CDs of three of the five albums are currently out of print, this can serve as a decent, if brief, overview of the development of Herb Alpert's vehicle from its clever ethnic novelty beginnings into a cosmopolitan septet that could actually bridge the yawning generation gap of the 1960s. But for a more sweeping look at the TJB, there are better, more economical packages around.

S$25

Ray Ellis and his Orchestra on RCA LSP-2410

2008-09-21T11:22:00.003+08:00

La Dolce Vita and other Great Motion Picture Themes from Ray Ellis and his Orchestra
RCA LSP-2410 on the Living Stereo imprint
Sold 5/10 Enjoy the LP!

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Duke Ellington on MCA MCA-2077

2008-09-21T11:07:00.002+08:00

Duke Ellington 'Rockin' In Rhythm' Vol. 3 (1929 - 1931)
Part of the Jazz Heritage Series and containing his trademark 'Mood Indigo'

Cover has no split seams, minor seam wear and very minor ringwear.
Vinyl is shiny with very minimal scuff

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S$25

Wes Montgomery on Verve V6-8714

2008-09-21T10:54:00.004+08:00

The Best of Wes Montgomery Vol. 1 on Verve
Sold 5/10 Enjoy the LP!

Sergio Mendes on Elektra 6E-134 (sealed)

2008-09-21T00:06:00.002+08:00

Sergio Mendes & Brasil 88

More from the Bossa Nova dude.

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Review on allmusic.com
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kifpxqlgldte

Review

by Richard S. Ginell

Before long 1977 rolled around, and without batting an eye Sergio Mendes updated the name of his act to Brasil '88. Mendes is still chasing the North American charts -- to no avail -- but at least he does not desert Brazil, splitting his time between the music of his homeland and humdrum U.S. commercial material, the latter usually coming from the pens of either Michael or John Sembello. Predictably, the Brazilian material goes over better, though not always as well as it could. Milton Nascimento's breathtakingly beautiful "Bridges" receives only a workaday reading here, and Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Waters of March" gets a remake, a bit brighter in texture than Mendes' Bell version made less than four years before, yet not substantially different enough to justify another recording. The best track is a rare instrumental for Mendes during this period, a cooking takeoff on Airto Moreira's "Misturada" in 7/8 time. The female vocalists du jour, Marietta Waters and Carol Rogers, sing in tune and seem comfortable with Mendes' American and Brazilian sides. Two familiar collaborators from the Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 days, arrangers Dick Hazard and Dave Grusin, are back to elaborate upon the competent sessionwork from the usual L.A. suspects. Although Mendes doesn't quite regain the altitude of Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 or even Sergio Mendes and the New Brasil '77, this album ranks a cut above the bulk of his output from the mid-'70s to the late '80s.

S$30 (Sealed)

Andy Williams on Columbia 30797 (sealed)

2008-09-21T00:03:00.002+08:00

You've Got A Friend - Andy Williams

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Review on allmusic.com
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Review

by William Ruhlmann

Andy Williams had his ups and downs during 1971 before the release of his summer album, You've Got a Friend. On the one hand, "(Where Do I Begin) Love Story," the theme song from the popular cinematic tearjerker, had given him his first Top Ten pop single in eight years that spring, stimulating sales of his Love Story LP, which would go on to sell a million copies. On the other hand, NBC canceled his variety series, The Andy Williams Show, after nine seasons, and it had its final broadcast on July 17. You've Got a Friend followed within weeks. On it, Williams offered his versions of 11 popular songs of 1970 and 1971, most of them previously recorded for hits by the likes of the Bee Gees, Bread, the Carpenters, the Fortunes, the Jackson 5, Carole King, Sammi Smith, and James Taylor. Record business logic of the early '70s held that this was the way for an easy listening artist like Williams to remain popular, and certainly he was less resistant to the approach than some of his slightly older peers. The arrangements closely followed those of the original recordings; the difference was that the voice on the track was Williams', not Michael Jackson's or Karen Carpenter's. But such soft rockers of the early '70s were more palatable to middle-of-the-road audiences than some of the ones from the '60s, making covers by people like Williams less necessary. He still retained enough of his audience for the album to rank among the 100 bestsellers for a few weeks, but without a strong single (the cover of Leon Russell's "A Song for You" was a minor pop singles chart entry), You've Got a Friend couldn't manage the kind of commercial impact Williams had been accustomed to for the previous decade.

S$30 (still sealed)

Antonio Carlos Jobim on WB W 1636

2008-09-20T18:28:00.003+08:00

Love, Strings and Jobim - The Eloquence of Antonio Carlos Jobim
Sold 23/9 Thanks, and enjoy the record!

Sergio Mendes on A&M SP 4137

2008-09-20T17:21:00.002+08:00

Look Around - Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66

One of the princes of the Bossa Nova movement stamps his mark on Brazilian standards and other more contemporary takes.

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Review on allmusic.com
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Review

by Richard S. Ginell

Sergio Mendes took a deep breath, expanded his sound to include strings lavishly arranged by the young Dave Grusin and Dick Hazard, went further into Brazil, and out came a gorgeous record of Brasil '66 at the peak of its form. Here Mendes released himself from any reliance upon Antonio Carlos Jobim and rounded up a wealth of truly great material from Brazilian fellow travelers: Gilberto Gil's jet-propelled "Roda" and Joao Donato's clever "The Frog," Dori Caymmi's stunningly beautiful "Like a Lover," Harold Lobo's carnival-esque "Tristeza," and Mendes himself (the haunting "So Many Stars" and the title track). Mendes was also hip enough to include "With a Little Help From My Friends" from the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper LP. As things evolved, though, the one track that this album would be remembered for is the only other non-Brazilian tune, Burt Bacharach's "The Look of Love," in an inventive, grandiose arrangement with a simplified bossa beat. The tune just laid there on the album until Mendes and company performed it on the Academy Awards telecast in 1968. The performance was a sonic disaster, but no matter; the public response was huge, a single was released, and it become a monster, number four on the pop charts. So much for the reported demise of bossa nova; in Sergio Mendes' assimilating, reshaping hands, allied with Herb Alpert's flawless production, it was still a gold mine.

S$ 25

Bobby McFerrin on Blue Note BT-85110

2008-09-20T16:47:00.004+08:00

Spontaneous Inventions - Bobby McFerrin
For the ever inventive master of his vocal chords, Bobby outdoes himself constantly with his improv skills.

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Review on allmusic.com
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Review

by Scott Yanow

Bobby McFerrin is heard in prime form throughout this date, which was the follow-up to his classic The Voice. A few of the numbers are taken unaccompanied, and these include memorable renditions of "Thinkin' About Your Body," "I Hear Music," and "Mañana Iguana." Pianist Herbie Hancock duets with McFerrin on "Turtle Shoes"; "Another Night in Tunisia" (taken from the Manhattan Transfer's Vocalese album) features McFerrin with the vocal quartet and Jon Hendricks; soprano saxophonist Wayne Shorter interacts with the vocalist on "Walkin'"; and an eccentric "Beverly Hills Blues" has "assistance" from comedian Robin Williams. A continually intriguing release with plenty of wit from the innovative singer.

S$25

Charlie Parker on Prestige 2LP 2162-24009

2008-09-20T16:09:00.002+08:00

A not-so-good recording of a historical session. For all Bird fans. LP in very good condition. (actual photos used)

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The twins

Review from allmusic.com
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wxfuxqrgld6e

Review

by Steve Leggett

These poorly recorded live Charlie Parker dates were captured in 1948 and 1950 and were originally released as two separate LPs, Bird on 52nd Street and Bird at St. Nick's. The personnel for the 1948 gig included a fledgling Miles Davis on trumpet, Duke Jordan on piano, Tommy Potter on bass, and Max Roach on drums, while the 1950 date has Red Rodney on trumpet, Al Haig on piano, Roy Haynes on drums, and Potter again on bass. There's little doubt that these were hot nights for both units, and Parker's solos, particularly on a smokin' "Confirmation" from the 1950 St. Nick's date, are often nothing short of amazing, but unfortunately the fidelity here is awful, bordering on unintentional white noise, and the poor sound quality, which still can't quite mask the power of these performances, makes listening to these tracks more frustrating than fruitful. These sides are certainly historically viable, and dedicated Parker collectors and admirers will undoubtedly be drawn to hear them at least once, but this reissue is really an exercise in what could have been, a missed opportunity to hear two wonderful bands led by an impassioned Parker in full flight. In the end, it's a bit like hearing Parker from the next room.

Price: S$35

welcome ...

2008-09-20T15:58:00.004+08:00

there's a global vinyl revival happening even as you read, where many music fans, including teenagers, are discovering and re-discovering the potential of the analogue sound ...

I hope that you are able to find something here that suits your listening pleasure. These are all from my own collection. My tastes are constantly changing, so these records that you see listed here are most likely past favourites that I have to find a new home for now.

Enjoy the search and please email me at spiral@pobox.com should you find something you like!