Vinyl Disc Four: Kate Bush to Harry Chapin
If you don’t care about these posts, I’m sorry, but not terribly so. I like music a lot, and it is fun to write about, especially when it takes me back to when I bought this album or first heard that album or why I liked a particular kind of music back then when I can hardly stand to listen to it now.
For the record, the big Spotify playlist is complete. Some of the “Various Artists” stuff that I have kept as “Various Artists” was kind of hard to do. Many of those were compilation albums of rarities and b-sides that were never released on cd, much less digitally. I did the best I could.
To be clear, this is not my favorite cd’s worth of music. I really like the first third (Kate Bush to Wendy Carlos), am noncommittal about the Cars cuts, and just don’t care for Chapin any more.
Kate Bush
The Whole Story (1986)
Wuthering Heights
1986 was a decent year for prog fans. Some of our favorite artists were finally making it big, albeit with songs that were not especially proggy. Peter Gabriel hit the big time with “Sledgehammer” (see what I did there?), Genesis had “Invisible Touch” and “Throwing It All Away”, Mike Rutherford and his Mechanics scored with “Silent Running” and “All I Need is a Miracle”. And then there was Kate Bush. That mesmerizing voice singing about swapping places with her lover in “Running Up That Hill”. So I had to learn more. Not knowing where to start, I picked up her greatest hits compilation “The Whole Story”. And while it was a decent enough album, it is nothing compared to “Hounds of Love” or “The Dreaming”. But it got me started on Kate, and I never looked back. This song was her first hit, reaching number one on the UK charts. She recorded it when she was 19.
Various Artists
The Secret Policeman’s Third Ball The Music (1987)
Running Up That Hill
Another of those Various Artists albums. I probably purchased it to get the live version of “Biko” by Peter Gabriel, but this performance of “Running Up That Hill” is just phenomenal! Accompanied by David Gilmour on guitar and possibly Duran Duran’s rhythm section providing the driving beat. Sadly, this is not available on Spotify, so I had to use the studio version from “Hounds of Love”. If you want to actually hear this version, well, YouTube comes to the rescue:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwQQbfJFc5U
And just for grins, here is a fantastic cover by Meg Myers. The story behind the video is pretty cool:
The Byrds
Farther Along (1971)
Farther Along
By this time, the only original Byrd left was Roger McGuinn. Some might say the magic they had was gone. I have no idea why I bought this album. But I do have a Byrds story. Back in the late 60’s and early 70’s, Butler University used to have this spring music festival. One weekend in the spring, near the end of the semester, there would be all these free concerts. Amateur and semi-professional bands would set up and play in the student union and different venues around the campus. And then there was usually a headline show of some sort at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday. In my freshman year in high school, my friend Hank Schwab came up for the weekend, and we went to a bunch of the performances. The Saturday headliner was none other than the Byrds. So we saw the Byrds (for free!) at Hinkle in the spring of 1972. How ‘bout that, sports fans! There is a bootleg of the show on YouTube. April 29, 1972.
Captain Beyond
Sufficiently Breathless (1973)
Sufficiently Breathless
Two Hank stories in a row! Hank was the first (and perhaps only) person I know who had this album. And even without hearing it, I knew I had to get a copy. Just look at that cover! And the name! Anyway, Captain Beyond was sort of a psychedelic rock band based in LA. The only “stable” members of the band were Rod Evans (original vocalist for Deep Purple), and Larry Reinhardt and Lee Dorman (both from Iron Butterfly). They recorded on Capricorn Records, which is the same label that the Allman Brothers were on.
Wendy Carlos
Switched-On Bach (1968)
Brandenburg Concerto No. 3
The original is really rather hard to find in a digital format. It is available in the Switched-On Bach Box Set, if you can find it. But even the revised Switched-On Bach 2000 (which I think is inferior) isn’t on Spotify. In fact there is hardly any Wendy Carlos on Spotify. I do have this in digital after transferring from the lp, but I ended up putting a version by the Academy of Ancient Music in the Spotify list. However, look at my blogging skills! Here’s my copy of the original:
The Cars
The Cars (1978)
You’re All I’ve Got Tonight
Don’t have much to say about The Cars or this album. One of the most successful of the new wave bands. Other than Elvis Costello, probably one of the earliest new wave albums I purchased. At this point in my life, I was still listening to pop radio, and The Cars were getting a lot of airplay. Bought this at Peaches in Broad Ripple.
The Cars
Candy-O (1979)
Candy-O
My favorite Cars album. Any boy raised in the 60’s would recognize the style of the cover artist Alberto Vargas, as he used to paint pin-ups for Playboy. In a strange coincidence, the model used for the cover was named Candy Moore. In the fall of 1979 I made a trip to the west coast and happened to be in San Diego when the Cars and Nick Lowe played at the Sports Arena. I may have purchased the very last ticket. If I didn’t have the worst seat in the house, I could certainly touch it from where I sat.
The Cars
Panorama (1980)
Touch and Go
An OK album, but definitely not their best outing. Bought this when I lived in a little studio loft apartment just off of Graham Road. Saw The Cars again, this time with the Motels at Market Square.
The Cars
Shake It Up (1981)
Shake It Up
Very popular album that basically left me cold. Never bought another one again.
Harry Chapin
Sniper and Other Love Songs (1972)
Sniper
When I was in high school, I really liked Harry Chapin. He had had a Top 40 hit with “Taxi” from his previous album “Heads and Tales”. This one is another long song, but it’s about the University of Texas tower shooting in 1966, back when mass shootings were unusual.
Harry Chapin
Short Stories (1973)
Mr. Tanner
This was released in December 1973, by which time I had a driver’s license. In the following April, I went on one of my first dates ever, taking Kathy, a girl I knew from grade school, to see Chapin at the Murat. Hey, I was an awkward kid from an all-boys high school. Give me a break.
Harry Chapin
Verities and Balderdash (1974)
What Made America Famous?
Did you think I would include “Cat’s in the Cradle”? Are you nuts? I detest that maudlin piece of sh*t. Admittedly, most of Chapin’s output would qualify as maudlin. But you know, when you’re in high school, maybe that appeals to you. The album also includes the novelty songs “30,000 Pounds of Bananas” and “Six-String Orchestra”, both of which were popular at his concerts.
Harry Chapin
Portrait Gallery (1975)
Stop Singing Those Sad Songs
And this was my last Chapin album. I found it unremarkable and never got another. It is possible my girlfriend Holly got it for me for my birthday, since it came out in late September.
And that’s Disc Four.