No jokes today, no bikini babes. Just a couple of albums that might just have passed you by while you were having your nap or enema or whatever. Lawrence Hammond was in Mad River [Foamfeatured antecedently - Ed.], and cut Coyote's Dream for Takoma in '76. It stiffed. In '12, Shagrat issued the shelved second album, Presumed Missing, with the same core band [feat. Byron Berline, fiddle fans! - Ed.]. If anything, it's even better than the first. He reins in his vibrato a little.
Hammond's come in for a shitload of "witty" snark for his vocal style, but it's idiosyncratic in the best sense. It's him, and it's not like he can't hit the notes. The songs are top-drawer, the lyrics worth listening to, and it's one of life's minor mysteries why you don't have these swell recordings in your collection (unless you do, of course, in which case - kudos!).
You MUST have these albums RIGHT NOW!
ReplyDeleteBut how?
Yes, kind sir, how does one go about downloading these gems?
Delete................
ReplyDelete(Old School Stealth Link©)
(Old School Stealth Link©)? I have no idea what required here, or even what this means. I suspect it may mean "too late"? Never mind, enjoying the blog so far
DeleteA Stealth Link is a hypertext link to the download host. Here, it's hidden as one of the dots - graze your cursor across the line and you'll hit the link about halfway along. The link is still good!
DeleteHa! Thats great - a single dot. I Waved my cursor all over but never thought the dots were each separate individuals. thanks for this
DeleteThank you very much, I was always a fan of Mad River, although they were better live than their albums.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Bob! These albums are a little like Paradise Bar And Grill after the acid wore off. They're beautiful pieces of work, real keepers. Did you see them live? I only have audience recordings.
DeleteThe advantage of living in SF during the late sixties was the music that was readily available. I spent a great deal of time in the ballrooms and clubs. I saw Mad River a few times. The first time I saw them was in the panhandle(probably 67) and I was in an altered state. It was amazing.
ReplyDeleteI was born & raised in SF, My family moved down the Peninsula when I was in eight grade. I moved back to SF in '66 after I graduated high school. 1966 was a blast, at least I think so, it's all pretty fuzzy.
Bob, if you want to write a piece, I'd love to put it up here. These memories are gold dust - don't let them blow away on the wind!
DeleteIn with you, Mr. III. Memories, like my hair, are fleeting; so please, Bob, tell us what you know.
Deletehttps://www.counterpunch.org/2011/03/25/myth-history-and-norman-o-brown/
ReplyDeletehere's to Nobby! the only comment he likely wrote re pop/rock was to note the Dionysiac embodied energy of Jimi
That's a great piece. It's 3am here, and just what I needed.
Delete@Farq: Thanks!
ReplyDelete@ge: What a treat for you to have posted that Counterpunch
piece! About halfway through, I started wondering who exactly
it was that Nobby kept reminding me of. By the time I got to
the "I went to his office. He was sitting at his desk, weeping"
part, I finally remembered for sure:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKC7aJ3kIRo
Th' Isle O' Foam© - where Dick Shawn and Norman O. Brown rub shoulders in the Tiki Bar. God Bless you people.
DeleteThanks Farq! It's swell under the radar treasures like these (and the good company here) that make me a proud denizen of this Isle! These are going to look great up on the mantle and will surely impress my imaginary friends (cognoscenti all).
ReplyDelete