Come over to the dark side. We have music. A deep dive into a few numbers you might have missed so far on your journey through life. 1: “Midnight Man” by The James Gang 2: “Starless” by the Unthanks 3: “Ach heile mich” by Cassiber 4: “Opening Theme” by Morte Macabre 5: “Gotta Go” by Bud Shank 6: “Night Life” by Ray Price 6a: “Repent Walpurgis” by Procol…

Celebrating the Survivors

When our beloved musicians die, we feel bereft because we know we’ll never hear anything new from them. An archivist may discover some buried treasure, but that’s not the same…

Smooth isn’t always a bad thing. — The Disappointment: Martin Denny, Exotica 3 (1959) On “Some Hidden Gems at the Thrift Store,” I had recommended anything by exotica master Martin Denny. “If you’re creating a soundtrack for your Tiki Bar, you could do worse than include a collection of the albums of Exotica maestro Martin Denny.” After…

More is less is more (Rate a Record… —

Rate a record (“Luxe, calme, et volupte” edition) —

As a Rate-a-Record challenge — Until recently, my Goodwill shopping had been a major snooze — boring white gospel records and an empty jacket of The Byrds’ Greatest Hits. …

Space-age pop albums that may be worth more than a buck or two — Background: Space Age Pop, what and why? I’ve posted a number of recommendations for overlooked records from the 1950's-60's. Many of these neglected works are from a sub-category of Mid-century Instrumental music commonly known as “space age pop,” aka “lounge music,” mistakenly (in my view) lumped together under the derogatory epithet “easy listening.”

Mini challenge 1: One song for Monday — Francis B.’s original Monday challenge for Week 1: Find a Hidden Gem On YouTube; one unusual or unexpected cover song you love. (See the full mini-challenge below.) Rate-A-Record: A YouTube Gem An Unexpectedly Brilliant Cover Songplethoraofpop.com Francis B.’s choice, a “Sultans of Swing” cover by the orthodox Jewish Gat Brothers, shows how national or ethnic identity is far less…