I managed to get in a nice 75 mile easy ride this morning between the raindrops. For most South Florida summer days, a little rain is a good thing. I like to remind myself – imagine how brutally humid and hot it would be if it didn’t rain every hour or two.
Yesterday I got in a 40 mile ride. I went back to my normal Saturday bike store ride. The guys were willing to take it easy on me if I wanted, so the pain was self-inflicted. In the afternoon we went to a fund raiser picnic for a few hours before it poured. Later than evening Jen and I got to hang out on the couch and listen to the Kate Bush (Hounds of Love) re-release that came in the mail. It sounds great. Jen then insisted on listening to the first Go Go’s album, Beauty and the Beat. The cd doesn’t sound great, and I was too lazy to go into the garage to get a vinyl copy for comparison, so I instead abandoned ship and took Jake to the bookstore.
As a result of the weekend of riding and the humidity, my whole body aches. I may try a hot tub soak before work tomorrow morning.
I got in my oft-threatened record shop visit this afternoon. Jake had an afternoon playdate, so Jen and I got to take a trip to Fort Lauderdale. It’s a split trip – Dillards for her and Radio-Active Records for me. We spent $60 at the record store, but came home with a decent stack (12) of records. Jen enjoyed it as much as I did, and that’s about the only shopping joy we mutually share. Jen leans toward 80s stuff, which is a little hard for me because I already have much of it in one format or another. However, our Kate Bush listening session led her to agree that vinyl can sound better than cd if done right. She picked out a Kate Bush album and a Kate Bush 12 inch single, and a Modern English album. Just think – if she becomes a high quality stereo music convert, I could get some bad-ass speakers for the living room.
She also picked some oddball records. She picked out a $4.00 sealed album of wild frog sounds in the forest. I have no idea what it sounds like, but the cover is pretty. She also picked up the Broadway cast album of The Wiz, starring Stephanie Mills (not Michael Jackson or Diana Ross). Finally, she got the “Singing Nun” album. I tell myself that if I can listen to Josephine Baker, I can listen to the Singing Nun. We’ll see.
I picked out my usual, which is a trove of different items with no unifying theme. A few jazz albums, some classical, and even a country album. The music of the moment is an eclectic triple vinyl threat:
Gary Burton, Picture This, 1980. An excellent jazz ensemble album. Gary Burton is a vibraphone player, so he’s usually “happy” sounding. I presume it’s hard to make a somber vibraphone record. The album was released on the ECM label, which is known for a Windham Hill kind of clear pure sound, so it’s a good mix. Recommended, although it was never released on cd, so you won’t be able to find it.
Henry Thread gill, Easily Slip Into Another World, 1988. Experimental jazz from one of the founders of “Air” – not the current Air, but the one from the 1970’s. It’s very listenable for an experimental, and not too dissonant. It’s kind of funky from a bass perspective, which is surprising. Recommended, but very hard to find. Threadgill’s new album was in most reviewer Top 10 lists last year, so I’m planning on getting it soon.
Van Cliburn, Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1, 1959 – I found a nice original “shaded dog” Living Stereo original release for $2.99. It’s a little noisy, but some of that may be static from a very deep cleaning. I’m too cheap to buy an anti-static gun for $90.00, because it’s not usually an issue for me. It’s an excellent recording, and is easily available on cd. It’s the album released right after he won his award in Moscow in 1958, and it’s what made him a star.
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