Cassetteblogging

I've previously mentioned that the car I recently aquired has a am/fm/cassette player. I'm sure I've mentioned that as the am/fm portion offers little of value to me I was stuck with my tape collection, which has had only minor growth since 1994.

This recently has meant listening to Yes and Def Leppard (there have been other bad influences as well) and trying to cope. This didn't work so well so a couple weeks ago I went to the one Zia in the Phoenix area that still has cassettes and picked up half a dozen. Three are stellar and will be played repeatedly; the other three are, well, better than REO Speedwagon and Joe Satriani (mostly because I've heared REO, etc more.) This half dozen was, certainly, the most diverse set of music I've ever purchased in one go.

At any rate I picked up seven more at Zia today so I figured this was as good a time as any to report back on the first group.

Billy Bragg: Talking with the Taxman About Poetry - I guess I figured it was $2 and my friend had talked up his collaboration with Wilco. Very British folk... not bad... but not entirely engaging either.

John Coltrane: Blue Train - This was instantly my favorite Coltrane album. Granted I'm not all that familiar with his catalog (not that I have to point that out) but I will wear this one out. Works well at the job, too.

Bob Dylan: Greatest Hits - I saw the Volume II today... but didn't pull that trigger. I knew many of these songs but none of them very well. The lyrics - especially from a fundamentals of poetry sense - are fantastic and some of the music is cool (see Subterranean Homesick Blues... and yes, I'm sorry (what) I (said should have) screwed up that (somewhat) informal QB thing since I was an ignorant dolt concerning Subterannean Homesick Alien and the source of that title) but... ehh. I either need to hear much more - albums, not greatest hits should be my rule - or less.

Public Enemy: He Got Game - There's no Copland here (not that that would be a bad thing), just to clarify things. I like Flavor Flav-featured songs here more than normal (read: some) and while there are some misses the standout tracks such as "He Got Game" and "All You Need Is Jesus" are plenty to carry the album. This was a good movie; I need to see it again.

the Replacements: Pleased to Meet Me - I knew 4 of these 11 from All For Nothing, and beyond those (all fantastic songs) we have "I.O.U." and "Never Mind." Some great straightforward rock that fills a large hole in my collection. This tape will also be played until it breaks.

Muddy Waters: King Bee - Classic Blues artist I never have really gotten to know. This one hasn't done much for me yet but it's good enough to listen to. From the AMG review: "Not the place to start a Muddy Waters collection, but a good one to add to the collection after you've absorbed the classics on Chess." Heh.

Of the seven I picked up I got one each from the three of the artists above you'd think I'd want more from - a little surprising given the small supply I had to select from - and three artists I already have CDs by and Come On Feel the Lemonheads.