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The Best Of B.B. King (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: The Best Of B.B. King
  • Artist name: B.B. King
  • Year: 1973
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: ABC Records
  • Collection: Selman
  • Buy it on Amazon: $49.96

The Best Of B.B. King

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’m familiar with B.B. King as an important blues guitarist, and I expect that I’ll recognize some of his songs, but I don’t think I’ve ever listened to any of his music.

What I expected

Blues.

What it was actually like

This was pretty good, but I did not recognize any of the songs. Taken as a whole, listening to this record made me hungry for barbecue, as it kind of reminded me of the music that they play in barbecue restaurants outside of the American South (in a good way).

The songs that I liked the best were Caldonia, which was the fastest and most danceable, and had a great trumpet solo, and Why I Sing The Blues, which was also quite lively, with a great bass line, and very strong vocals and guitar solo.

I did not care much for the gospel style backing vocals and organ on Ain’t Nobody Home and Hummingbird.

Grade

4/5: would listen again

Studio Sessions Volume One by The Beatles (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Studio Sessions Volume One
  • Group name: The Beatles
  • Year: 1973 (according to this source)
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: Contra Band Music
  • Collection: Selman
  • Distinguishing characteristics:
    • Sticker on back: “William H. Butler III”[1]

Studio Sessions Volume One by The Beatles

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’m not familiar with this record at all, but like MORE get back session, it appears to be a bootleg that came from the collection of a certain William H. Butler III.

There’s a track list printed in the lower left corner, with the additional text: “UNRELEASED STUDIO SESSIONS.”

The first side of the LP says: “STUDIO SESSIONS / JOHN, PAUL, GEORGE & RINGO / A / VOLUME ONE.”

The SECOND side of the LP says: “STUDIO SESSIONS / JOHN, PAUL, GEORGE & RINGO / B / VOLUME ONE.”

What I expected

Based on the track list, my guess is that these recordings were done around 1962-1964 (though this source has them recorded in two sessions on 24 May 1963 and 24 June 1963). My hope is that they will be release quality material, but alternate versions that I have never heard before. Realistically, though, I assume they will be more like the MORE get back session, that were lower quality demos.

What it was actually like

Listening to this was really cool, particularly because I strongly prefer the early Beatles era to the late Beatles era (though middle Beatles still of course remains the best Beatles). The audio quality was not very good, but it wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t follow along. Piano seemed to be missing in a lot of places, as was a lot of the percussion, particularly the cymbals. Somehow the music just didn’t seem to pop like it does on their records.

The track list was also slightly out of order: Do You Want to Know a Secret was printed first on the album, but was actually the sixth track. And “Please Me” was a typo on the album (it should have been Please Please Me).

Several of the songs sounded relatively quite close to their release versions, like Till There Was You and From Me To You. Misery was also pretty close, but not as tight as I’m used to hearing. Do You Want to Know a Secret sounded well rehearsed.

You Really Got a Hold on Me, which is one of my favorite songs, was slower than the release version and more acoustic. Roll Over Beethoven was also more acoustic, but had the same tempo as the release – without the clapping.

Money was pretty rough, and I could almost hear the percussion and guitar work coming together with the vocals. Love Me Do was slow and the vocal harmonies had not come together yet. Please Please Me‘s guitar part was not there yet, and the harmonica needed a lot of work. Kansas City was a bit too slow.

Long Tall Sally was not on a canonical Beatles release, but it was part of Past Masters. The audio for the vocal part of this version was not good, which is such a shame because Paul’s voice is so crucial to the Beatles’ take on the song.

And I never even knew that the Beatles recorded a version of Hippy Hippy Shake is not a song that I knew, but here is a version that’s pretty similar to what I just heard.

Grade

4/5: would listen again

References

References
↑1 This is just like the sticker on the back of MORE get back session.

The Altered Nixon Speech by Richard Nixon (Vinyl record single review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: The Altered Nixon Speech
  • Artist name: Richard Nixon
  • Year: 1973
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: SRI
  • Collection: Brenner / Gessner
  • Who owned it: my father
  • Buy it on Amazon: $19.79

The Altered Nixon Speech

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’ve heard a few Nixon speeches, but I’m not exactly sure which speech this will be.

What I expected

It’s a single that appears to have an altered version of a Nixon speech on side A, with the original version of the same speech on side B.

What it was actually like

I listened to side B (Original Material) first. It consisted of Richard Nixon denying any involvement in the Watergate break-in or the coverup of his cronies’ participation in it.

Side A (The Speech) was, as described, an altered version of Nixon’s actual statement, in which he was made to sound as if he knew about the Watergate break-in in advance, and authorized it, and is proud of breaking the law, &c, &c.

This must have been unbearably funny in 1973, but in 2022 we have deepfakes and so on, so I was not all that impressed.

Grade

3/5: interesting, but not for me

True Stories and Other Dreams by Judy Collins (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: True Stories and Other Dreams
  • Artist name: Judy Collins
  • Year: 1973
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: Elektra Records
  • Collection: Brenner / Gessner
  • Who owned it: my mother
  • Buy it on Amazon: $9.99

True Stories and Other Dreams by Judy Collins

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I listened to Colors of the Day (1972) by Judy Collins half a year ago, and thought it was ok.

What I expected

Folk rock.

What it was actually like

Judy Collins had a very nice voice.

The majority of this record was extremely boring, with most songs distinguishable only by some changes in instrumentation. For example, So Begins the Task and The Dealer (Down and Losin’) both used country guitar, Secret Gardens and Cook With Honey both used flute (in the case of the latter, far too much), Holly Ann and Song for Martin both used piano, and Fisherman Song used banjo and violin.

The Hostage was totally different from all the others, much faster and with more rhythm, bongo drums, some electric guitar, and a darker tone.

Ché was a hero’s tribute to a bigoted, sadistic and psychopathic mass murderer, who was also an incompetent fool, a coward in battle, and a meddler in the affairs of countries where he did not live and of peoples who did not want his “help.” To be entirely clear, nothing about the song Ché qualifies it as a “true story,” so my assumption is that Collins meant this song to be one of the “other dreams.” Either way, it’s a disgrace for her to have written it or to have sung it, and for Elektra to have distributed the recording of it.

Grade

2/5: bad, but I was able to listen to the whole thing

Innervisions by Stevie Wonder (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Innervisions
  • Artist name: Stevie Wonder
  • Year: 1973
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: Tamla Records
  • Collection: Brenner / Gessner
  • Who owned it: both of my parents thought that the other had owned this
  • Buy it on Amazon: $36.55

Innervisions by Stevie Wonder

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I don’t know a whole lot about Stevie Wonder, except that he’s blind. Also, my parents said that this record was extremely popular and that everyone had it, and they referred to him as “Little Stevie Wonder” when I said that I would be listening to it.

What I expected

Soul.

What it was actually like

I thought that I would like this record a lot, but actually I hated it! There was a strong funk sound to much of it, but so much of funk is wonderfully melodic and harmonic, while so many of these songs, like the first two, Too High and Visions, were almost atonally unpleasant.

Living for the City was more of a rhythmic soul song, but with a thumping techno sound (without getting too Oompa Loompa). Golden Lady was also soul, but incredibly boring.

He’s Misstra Know-It-All was also pretty boring, with sort of a soft piano lounge sound, and without the vocals I might have mistaken it for elevator music.

All in Love Is Fair was a terrible piano jazz love song.

Don’t You Worry ’bout a Thing was kind of similar, except with a Caribbean sound. Without that island vibe, this song was more like what I expected the whole record to be.

It turned out that I recognized Higher Ground, a pretty famous funk-sounding song that I thought was good. I never realized that it was a Stevie Wonder song, but now that I know, it’s my favorite Stevie Wonder song by far.

Grade

2/5: weak, but I was able to listen to the whole thing