Tag Archives: records

Or just one of them.  That’s the only question.  Well, maybe there’s just one more question…

If I can’t trust you with a quarter, how can I trust you with my heart?

Zoe Muth.

When you moved a little closer
I had no intention of saying “no sir”
Then you asked my for a quarter
That’s when it all went wrong.

Oh, there’s more.

When you said you’d never heard of John Prine
Well I knew right away you weren’t worth my time
And I’m sorry to say hon before we’d begun
We were already through.

Buy this record.  Now.  Amazon.  Google.  iTunes.

Zoe is battling Fred Eaglesmith for playlist domination on all my devices.

Hitfix has a great read about Fleetwood Mac’s excellent Rumours album, released 35 (actually 36) years ago.  There is a new deluxe edition, that I’ll have to check out (here’s the Spotify link).  Though my favorite Fleetwood Mac era was the earlier, unknown by most yuppies, blues era, there is no denying that Rumours is one of the best records ever made.

The quintet took a year to record “Rumours” in Sausalito, Calif. at the Record Plant. While they were in the studio, their self-titled 10th album (and the first to feature Buckingham and Nicks) was gaining traction and was a clear sign that moving from the blues-based sound of the previous efforts to a pop-oriented sound was the right move commercially. That was only confirmed with “Rumours,” which spent 31 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Along with Frampton Comes Alive, Europe ’72, At Fillmore East and Hotel California, Rumours constitutes a material part of the soundtrack to my high school years.  We played the absolute heck out of those records.

In fact, Rumours (and, more importantly, Stevie Nicks) was so beloved by my crowd that some cat actually tried to stab me one night for talking it off the turntable at a party.  The turntable arm was up and one side (side 2, the one with The Chain and Gold Dust Woman) had played repeatedly for hours and hours.  Fortunately, another dude tackled him from behind before he could complete his honor killing.

I think we put Hotel California on after that.  Only dudes in that band, and no one’s going to try to kill anybody over Don Henley.

Those who only know the Steve Miller Band from Take the Money and Run forward missed their best work and the enduring reason why (some of) their music remains on the Rancho DeNada playlist.

In 1968 the band played live at KPFA in Berkeley, California.  Included in the setlist was what I believe to be their best song.  The rocking Steppin’ Stone, from their 1968 record Children of the Future.  You might recognize the lead singer on this track.  Another guy whose far superior early work is overshadowed by his later commercial success.