(Un)Focused Definition Ep. 68: Mini Humbuckers

I honestly meant to get a review up this week (it was going to be either the self-titled debut from Starcastle or Miles Davis’s Agharta), but the fates intervened and I instead became completely obsessed with my latest acquisition: a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe 70s with a gold top finish. This beautiful beast. I’ve always wanted a gold top, but never thought I deserved one. Trying to think better of myself, and I have to say, it’s the most buttery smooth playing experience I’ve ever had. I waffled between this and a 50s Standard with P90s, but in the end I love the chime and clarity the mini humbuckers bring. Anyway, that was my week. Let’s get on to the playlist.

Continue reading “(Un)Focused Definition Ep. 68: Mini Humbuckers”

(Un)Focused Definition Ep. 62: What’s New?

Small steps. Repeated Deep Purple spins morphed into repeated Uriah Heep spins (the new stuff feels like a similar flavor to new DP), and rather than bear down and get another review out this week, I enjoyed taking bit of air and just listening to some of the new stuff that came in the house. I guess technically there is a fourth review, so if you dig stoner metal you can check out my review of the new Borracho over at Nine Circles. Otherwise, here’s what I’ve been spinning (or streaming) in my personal time.

Continue reading “(Un)Focused Definition Ep. 62: What’s New?”

(Un)Focused Definition Ep. 48: It All Sounds So Good…

It took almost two weeks for this nasty respiratory infection to go away, and today is the first morning I can actually walk around without wheezing, coughing, and otherwise sound like I’m dying. So we’re having a virtual celebration with a bunch of songs I’ve been enjoying that either came in recently or have just been hitting the spot when listening to radio shows or my own playlists. I upgraded my theater system in the basement with a new setup that supports Dolby Atmos, so it’s been a blast listening to a lot of discs I’ve collected over time I can now hear for the first time. I’m not an Atmos convert, but I’ll be honest: left to my own devices this playlist and this weekend would be almost nothing but the new incredible remix for Pink Floyd’s Live at Pompeii, so if you want an alternative to this week’s playlist you can just spin that over and over and over…

Continue reading “(Un)Focused Definition Ep. 48: It All Sounds So Good…”

(Un)Focused Definition Ep. 47: Sick, Again

And like clockwork, three days after I got home I came down with a wicked respiratory infection that pretty much laid me out the whole week. Not the best week to listen to nothing but Les Rallizes Dénudés for my pounding head, but damn that band just gets larger and larger in my brain space. Next week I’ll get out some odds and ends live music before jumping into May which is going to essentially be a catch-up month of all the new music that’s come in. Consider this playlist then my respite from the searing leads of Mizutani and a brief preview of some of the music getting reviewed next month.

Continue reading “(Un)Focused Definition Ep. 47: Sick, Again”
hawkwind - doremi fasol latido

Hawkwind: Doremi Fasol Latido (1972)

It took forever to find a good copy of Doremi Fasol Latido, the third album from space rock pioneers Hawkwind for a price that wasn’t outrageous. The band’s third studio album – and the first to feature one Mr. Ian Fraser Kilmister on bass – marks the change of emphasis of their signature space rock sound from the “space” to the “rock” but I feel like the album gets a bit of short shrift since the live album that documents the touring cycle of the record might be one of the greatest live albums ever recorded. It’s definitely the place where I first heard most of these sings. But the studio effort has a lot going for it, so for me it’s still a part of the band’s essential discography.

Continue reading “Hawkwind: Doremi Fasol Latido (1972)”
hawkwind - hall of the mountain grill

Hawkwind: Hall of the Mountain Grill: (1974)

It’s May 4th, which means today’s #mayvinylchallenge is space themed. And though my heart forever belongs to the Mothership Connection, I thought I’d turn to something a little more progressive for my album pick. And so we come to Hawkwind, and Hall of the Mountain Grill from 1974. What do you do after you release one of the greatest live albums of all time in Space Ritual? Well, you trim back a bit on the effects and weirdness (but really, not that much) since Robert Calvert is gone, but trimming still makes for a really tight set of tunes that run the gamut of spych, prog, and good old fashioned rock and roll.

Continue reading “Hawkwind: Hall of the Mountain Grill: (1974)”