The Time: The Time (1981)
We’re writing when the feeling is right, not on the daily #mayvinylchallenge schedule. Couple that with taking care of a sick teenager all weekend and I needed a break. Thankfully Day 8 of the challenge asks for a record that makes you move or dance, is really just an excuse to break out the eponymous debut from The Time. Whether you take it as an extension of Prince’s prodigious output or a thing on its own, you can’t deny the slinky, funk pop fun The Time is able to dole out time and time again.
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McCoy Tyner: Expansions (1970)
The #mayvinylchallenge for Day 3 revolves around whatever it is you currently have on repeat. In the parlance of the times, what are you #nowplaying? The past few weeks I’ve been having late night chat and game sessions with my friends, and we’re all jazz heads, although truth be told their scope is much broader than mine. And so it came to pass during a lengthy session discussing Eric Dolphy we hit upon McCoy Tyner and the wonders of his Expansions album when talking about good reissues. Expansions was reissued on Blue Note’s Tone Poet series, and I managed to find a copy online for $15 in great condition, so here we are.
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#MAYVINYLCHALLENGE 2023: A (Re)-Introduction
2023 has been a bit of a whirlwind, and I’ve been struggling to figure out what I want to do, and what I want to write about. I feel like there are obligations and commitments everywhere, and even when they’re self-imposed they feel like a prison, hemming me in and blocking my ability to enjoy and learn from the media I’m consuming. Since it’s May 1st and thus the start of another #mayvinylchallenge, I thought I’d try to feel my way back toward gaining a better understanding of myself through the music I consume. That’ll start in earnest with tomorrow’s entry: for now let’s do a quick gallery of my collection and audio setup.
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Queensrÿche: Empire (1990)
Here is my dirty little secret regarding Queensrÿche. No, it’s not that I really dig the new incarnation with Todd La Torre – that’s neither dirty nor a secret. No, it’s that nine times out of ten when I’m reaching for a Queensrÿche album I don’t reach for Operation: Mindcrime. In fact, it’s been years since I felt the need to revisit that album, which truth be told to these ears hasn’t aged all that well. Nope, when I want to scratch that progressive hard rock itch, I reach for Empire. That’s right; fight me if you want but despite not having a pseudo-SF storyline and 10+ minute “suites” I think Empire feels darker and deeper as an album, which an overall stronger collection of songs. There…that feels good to get off my chest.
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Miles Davis: Jack Johnson (1971)
A quick one as I prepare to leave for the weekend (which means no review tomorrow…I’m okay with that). Miles Davis has always been a towering figure for me in music: he was my gateway into jazz, and his evolution served as touchpoint for my own growth as a listener. The connection to his music is even stronger now that my son joined his schools jazz ensemble and in what is now his 7th year playing trumpet opted to get his own for Christmas. So we’ve been exploring the man’s work, and today as we drove to school I put on Jack Johnson to show Davis’s skill at improvising over a repeated lick, and his use of a mute, which my son is also starting to utilize.
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Suicidal Tendencies: Lights…Camera…Revolution! (1990)
I’m back at work, and back in the office. Which means I’m commuting again. The routine and mental/emotional expense is exhausting, and as I went in this morning I thought about what to listen to to cover for today’s Consuming entry. I put my phone on shuffle and the choice was made for me. I was aware as a kid of Suicidal Tendencies, whether it was through the immortal “Institutionalized” ands its rally cry of “ALL I WANTED WAS A PEPSI!” as well as the anthemic “How Will I Laugh Tomorrow” that set as much as a template for the band moving forward as anything else. I love both those songs, and their accompanying albums. But if I’m being honest, my go-to album has always been Lights…Camera…Revolution! It was the one I bought first and listened to the most. So I listened to this again this morning on the way to work. In lieu of a “proper” post instead here are some passing thoughts as each song played.
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Consuming the Tangible 